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TV-Kun Contest Prize Silver Kuwajiro Gallery
40 Attachment(s)
As a fan of mostly obscure tokusatsu but Metal Heroes in particular I pride myself in owning some seriously odd toys that most people don't know about. For years I hunted down every piece I could to complete my B-Robo Kabutack collection. And for a long time I was content, believing I had managed to get everything. Imagine my surprise when in early October 2016, I discovered a couple of previously unknown pieces from this line. One in particular that's so rare, NONE of my fellow Metal Hero collectors had ever seen or even heard of this piece. I would say most of the tokusatsu fandom in general hasn't. And there's a reason that this exceedingly rare piece is so rare, only 5 exist.
So it's with great honor I get to share an unprecedented look at the incredibly elusive TV-Kun Coloring Contest Exclusive Superchange Silver Chrome Kuwajiro! I am immeasurably proud to be able to share this incredibly rare collectible with you. More than you can possibly imagine. I happened upon this piece by total chance for a price that simply made it a once in a lifetime purchase. It could not be passed on. Read on for more information! Packaging Silver Kuwajiro's box is actually identical to the original releases'. No physical alterations have been made whatsoever to the box, insert, or stock photos on the packaging. Which can often times be very typical of special one off & or Luck Draw style releases. Given this figures ridiculously limited production run, I believe it would fit into the LD category. ACtually this figure is even more rare than the simultaneously released TV-Kun Gold Chrome Kabutack or the later release of Gold Chrome Robotack. These two figures were manufactured in runs of only 10, making Silver Kuwajiro exceedingly more rare than either of them. Though the gold ones do tend to be much more desirable. Main Figure Now, as with his box, Silver Kuwajiro is in fact physically identical to the original release. So I won't spend much time talking about the figure's functionality. The photos below and my previous gallery of the original Superchange Kuwajiro should more than take care of that. To start, Silver Kuwajiro is obviously almost entirely chrome silver, aside from a few interior parts of the design which remain green. The factory applied labels on his body are all the same as the standard release of this figure as well, right down to the green accents on the Normal Mode eyes. But the paint job is just so radically different. For any component that isn't chrome silver, it's cast in gray/silver plastic. This mostly applies to his horns/mandibles and fists. This happens fairly often with these silver releases, similarly to my promotional Silver Chrome Gao Hunter set. This type of paint job has been typical previously with certain Lucky Draw items but in the last 2 decades is more often associated with Bandai Asia promotional releases. Often they release silver chrome repaints of DX Sentai mecha as giveaway items in specific markets, often in South Korea or Hong Kong. As has been the case with Gaoranger, Boukenger, and so on. These releases tend to be made in low-ish numbers, but they never compare to high end rarities like Lucky Draws or contest prizes. However Silver Kuwajiro bucks that trend quite nicely. For those unaware this unique figure was only made available as a Japanese contest prize. In 1997 TV-Kun Magazine held a special coloring contest for fans of B-Robo Kabutack. Basically participants could send in their version of a character from the show in a unique color scheme of their own design. The top 5 entries would have their artwork reprinted in an issue of the magazine, and the winners would receive a Silver Kuwajiro as a prize. So that means that only 5 exist. I have no idea who the original owner of my Kuwajiro was, nor do I know who the winners of the other 4 were at this point. I've never seen any of the contest entries either sadly. But I just feel incredibly lucky to have stumbled across this figure like I did. I've included a few shots of Silver Kuwajiro with some of my Silver Gaoranger figures for fun, and it's actually quite interesting to put him side by side with S.H. Figuarts Space Sheriff Gavan. All in all he's a pretty great compliment to any Metal Hero or unique chrome release collection. As I mentioned above a Gold Chrome Kabutack was also released the same year as this figure in a similar coloring contest. Only 10 were awarded in that case, and I have yet to see a physical sample of one, but I'm actually working pretty hard to track one down currently. If and when I can afford the purchase, I'll be more than happy to share it with you here as well. Accessories Silver Kuwajiro gets an exact repack of what came with regular Kuwajiro, right down to the label sheet. 1 - Hasamic Cutter. This weapon needs to be assembled by cutting parts from a sprue first. It's a soft rubbery type plastic that you've undoubtedly encountered over the years with Bandai products. When assembled it can act as both sword and scissor-like cutting weapons. Perhaps an old predecessor to Kamen Rider Gattacks' Double Calibur? 1 - Label sheet. As with most any figure in this line a lebl sheet is included to replicate more show details. I have never used my label sheet and don't intend to. At some point in the future I'd like to get some quality repros made to use but that's for another time. Now obviously I didn't take the parts off the sprue from the 1 of only 5 in existence toy. I just borrowed the cutter from my regular Kuwajiro. Final Thoughts What else is there to say really? B-Robo Kabutack was one of my favorite toylines ever already. And discovering the existence of this bad boy, and actually being able to purchase it, all within the same day, just filled me with a complex mixture of satisfying emotions. For the first time ever, with any of the lines I collect, I truly feel like I've got a leg up on any other collection. In fact only 4 other people in the world own this piece. It's not like Gaoranger where I will forever be seeking the multiple Silver & Gold chrome promos & lucky draws that never turn up for sale though. Somehow this toyline is almost possible to own everything from. If I can just grab that Gold Kabutack I'll be totally satisfied with it. Yes, this one figure did cost me a decent amount of money, but it was more than well worth it for this sense of satisfaction too. I hope you enjoyed this rare look at an exceedingly difficult to find piece. Let the hunt begin for the next big rarity! |
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Part 2!
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Man, you own one of 5 in existence? I'm personally not into collecting rare toys like this, but even I can't deny how awesome it must be to own such a unique piece. Also this is probably the first and maybe only gallery which will ever exist of this toy. That's crazy.
But to be honest, as the simply toy buying fool I am, I still prefer the regular colored one :p |
I'll echo Kiwami... you own one of the only five? Holy friggin' cow.
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I'm so curious to know how much you paid for this!
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Not bad, do wish they did paint the eyes just so they didn't blend in so much
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Wow! That's pretty impressive! To own something that rare!
I love chrome! And that figure looks great covered entirely in chrome! :D |
Wow what a find ,to own a rare toy must be super awesome
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One of how many now? Wow.
It is always amazing to see one of these super rare toys. Thank you for sharing. |
Must be pretty cool to own such a rare piece.
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Well now, aren't you lucky? Owning something that rare is quite an accomplishment. The silver looks nice, but I'm more of a fan of the green version.
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Wow, that's nice! Thsi treasure looks beautiful!
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My, what a treat! It's pretty crazy that almost no one knew it existed, and you stumbled upon it! I do love metallic repaints, although I don't think I would collect them myself.
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That thing looks nice.
Pretty crazy that only 5 are known to exist. |
I think it looks pretty neat, though I've never been a fan of these types of items. I know the rarity of the figure is what's more important, but an all silver/chrome/gold paint job is just garish.
I wish I could say more about the figure, but I said what I could in the previous review :lol I think he looks neat, though he's a little tall, and I think Robotack is better designed. That about sums it up nicely :p Thank goodness he isn't a smudge magnet. |
Dude! Congrats on the find! I really need to get into this series. The designs are just amazingly fun.
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Its always interesting to find out about such incredibly hard to get figures, its definitely a unique part of a collection.
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Man that is amazing, congratulations!
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What a find! I've never been a collector so much as an enthusiast, but I can appreciate how delightful it must've been for you to find this. Doubly so since you're in a position to share it with the community!
Kabutack still seems really nifty to me. Also, I think I pretty much live for the group shots toward the end of these galleries. This is far an away the best toy-related website I visit. |
Wow that's awesome! Nothing really different in terms of sculpt, but it's super rare!
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Just 5 were made? I hope you keep that somewhere safe and secured when displaying it.
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I wonder how much chrome has flaked off of the other 4 pieces.
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I have something of a weak spot for chrome toys like these. They just look good, and knowing how rare they are only accentuates it. It appears to be in very good condition for its age, which is fortunate.
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Good luck finding the Gold Kabutack, my friend. If anyone can do it, it'll be you. And I'm sure it'll look grand with this one right here.
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That's pretty impressive, one of only five. You don't usually see such high quality galleries of items this rare.
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Man that must be a bitch to handle without gloves :lol
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Holy Crap that is incredible man. The rarity of this figure is really cool, when you remember its essentially a silver version of the regular figure. It still looks really cool. The stickers add that touch of colour needed on this figure. Seeing it with Gavan and the silver Gao is cool. The gallery looks amazing and accentuates it
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So shiny and chrome :lolol
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Wow only 5 made you have a treasure there that's impressive.
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This is so amazing. The fact that this is an extremely rare figure makes it so special. The chrome looks great, I wonder how it will look in gold.
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This is one of those instances where I find the story behind the figure more interesting than the item itself. Not that seeing an insanely rare piece isn't fascinating. But how does someone even procure something of this magnitude?
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Pretty nice
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Wow, you guys are crazy, first the golden lockseeds and now this? Not only that, but some of us will get a toy box for just looking at this gallery. Thanks for an amazing gallery as always!
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Nice score! 1 of 5 is incredible!
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Wow you are seriously lucky to have one of the only five in existence. I've always wanted to have something in my collections like that. Not the figure specifically but those rare types of items that only few can get.
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Den-o how do you get all these rare toys?
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In this case it was one of those instances of total dumb luck. I just happened to discover the figure while doing a search on something related. Then I decided to check randomly to see if one had even been for sale recently. Turned out one had just a couple days left at auction. So I pounced! |
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:lolol |
I'm surprised the silver hasent lost its shine after all these years.
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