[Den-O]

I just want to get this out of the way to start. This Soul of Chogokin outclasses the original DX Daizyujin & Megazord as well as the Legacy Megazord by leaps and bounds. If you can afford to, don't settle for any of those. They've been put to shame by this wonderful collector's piece. The SOC realizes the concept of these creatures and their combinations in a way that the DX simply couldn't be engineered to by Bandai Japan in 1992. And as a scaled down simplification of that original design, the Legacy release pales even further in comparison to this SOC masterpiece. With that preface out of the way, here, we, Go!

***We've broken the review portion down into 7 individual sections. 1 for each Guardian Beast with a rundown of what they can do individually, then one for Dino Tanker, and finally Daizyujin itself. There will be 5 posts with images in this thread containing a grand total of 195 images of this gorgeous set. Be sure to check them all out! But to kick things off:

Packaging
The packaging that you'll see in this gallery is actually that of the western market Bluefin release. My dear friend TokuChris was extrememly generous in buying me this release as a Christmas gift on Amazon. The Bluefin release features new box art and text themed around MMPR and is actually quite different from the original Japanese packaging. Though that only applies to the outer box. The inner trays are exactly the same thing. And that's a typical of the SOC branding styrofoam tray with plastic cover. The presentation of this set is flawless.

Guardian Beast Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus kicks things off for us. For starters this big dino is a very impressive looking beast. It was a dynamic design for it's original time anyway, but the SOC has overhauled it in all the best ways to make it look a bit more proportional and (as much as a robotic dinosaur spirit thing can) believable. With this new take on the figure we get the expected levels of SOC articulation to really hammer home it's high end nature, as well as that gokin heft to give it real weight. Tyranno has an opening mouth that functions in such a way as to make it appear there's a real neck joint, much like the original. Inside the mouth are sculpted in blasters to replicate Tyranno's sonic attacks.

Making a vast improvement on the original DX, this go around Tyranno also has poseable arms. These tiny vestigial arms may not look like much on the original, but here the shoulder and elbow have lots of range to them. The shoulder can even angle out a bit away from the body. The claws are also articulated in 2 sections per hand. When combined with the lower body articulation you can get some dynamic results. That's largely thanks in part to the torso joint. While this joint get's lost in the fully combined Daizyujin, Tyranno can make use of it to turn about 45 degrees to each side. The hips, while not quite as dynamic, can also angle out and back/forth on some really strong hinges for stable posing. The diamond shaped chunk of armor on the outside of each hip needs to be angled correctly to give the hips the room they need though.

Surprisingly there is also a sliding thigh joint. When pushed outward it gives him a wider stance, and is primarily meant for the Daizyujin combo. We also get a swiveling thigh joint just below here that allows each leg to turn completely outward. Again primarily meant for Daizyujin but still a really welcome addition. Sadly the knees don't bend very far forward, most of their use comes into play for the combined mode where they fold backwards. The same can be said for the ankles which only tilt back and forth and don't have a side to side rocker. The hips and thigh joints mostly alleviate that though. Finally we have a segmented and articulated tail. Each of the 6 segments is on a nice tight floating joint so they have room to move up or down slightly as well as side to side. Just enough to cover what you'd need. Tyrannosaurus could definitely get physical with this thing in the series, and I think the SOC accurately represents the range he had with it. As probably the most memorable and iconic of the Guardians, he's the one they needed to nail individually. I believe Bandai has done that.

Guardian Beast Zyumammoth
Of all the beasts it's the Mammoth (and Pteranodon) that are by far the most simplistic still, and largely similar to their original toys. With Zyumammoth it's just the design. There's not a lot to make more dynamic for it's individual mode. Now it's transformation process has been greatly enhanced for Dino Tanker and Daizyujin modes. But as an individual beast it doesn't bring much to the table. Other than a properly articulated trunk that can fold up or down, which is still an improvement over the original DX or Legacy figures. As with Tyranno, Mammoth has some nice heft to him to make him feel like more of a collector's piece than any previous release. We'll discuss it more for the combinations below.

Guardian Beast Triceratops
Triceratops actually has some really great improvements compared to the original toy that just really make it feel totally different. The individual design hasn't really changed much but there are some features added for the combined mode that are a great service to it. For the Tricera mode however the biggest addition by far is chained horns that can be extended from the head. The chains are fairly long and luckily for storage you just need to carefully lower them back down inside the head. Tricera also has an opening mouth like Tyranno. The tail comes out about the same as the original toy, just looking a bit more accurate. Like Mammoth, many new features go on display in the combined modes.

Guardian Beast Sabre Tiger
Sabre Tiger is a far more dynamic figure than the original or it's legacy counterpart as well. That's thanks largely in part to the design of the legs. The rear legs feature hips and ankles, while the front legs have both as well as some middle knee joints. This results in the Sabre Tiger being able to assume a natural walking or running stance, or even allow it to sit on it's rear end and look down in combination with the tails' movement. The central section of the body that connects to the neck also features a side to side joint primarily intended for Daizyujin mode. It allows for ankle tilting, but also goes a little way to letting the head move side to side. On topic, the head has rotating sabre teeth like the original and this figure also features an opening mouth. Sabre Tiger is right up there with Tyranno in terms of dynamic improvements. The original toys is a far cry to this masterpiece.

Guardian Beast Pteranodon
Much like Mammoth, Pteranodon is essentially designed the same way as the original toy with new modern paint apps and flourishes. At it's core it's the same design. Right down to the way the "feet" which are normally stored within the Tyranno's chest, attach to the body. The way the head and wings function is the same as well. The best change this go around on Pteranodon is of course the chrome silver chest. Otherwise there isn't much to say about it as an individual.

Beast Tank Dino Tanker
This mode is one that I feel has been severely underappreciated throughout the years. These types of unique battle modes for sentai robos are just few and far between, especially in today's age. It's a unique way of getting multiple uses out of a few toys. These types of "mid" or "3rd" modes always tend to be creative and weird. To get to this mode we start by folding up the Triceratops tail flush to the body, Collapse the legs/tank treads on the sides into the main body, and fold down the square cover that's set over the open knee port on the back. The collapsing treads is by far my favorite thing about the Tricera itself. It's a genius feature that none of the previous DX style releases have had. It compacts the body down very well and gives it more proper heroic proportions as a leg. The Sabre Tiger is of a very similar design overall, just no collapsing joint. The legs need to essentially be straightened out properly and folded up under the body. The Sabre teeth need to be folded straight up as well. Collapse the tail and fold it up against the body, then fold down the same square panel as the Tricera. The legs/tanker treads are ready.

Next, the Tyrannosaurus forms the bulk of the Tanker. The red panels on the shins hide the octagonal die-cast pegs that connect to form the knees. You need to push them up along with those red square panels above them. This requires a little effort. Next use the sliding thigh joint to push the legs further out to accommodate the wide stance you need for the Tricera and Sabre Tiger to connect. Be sure to remove the Pteranodon feet from the chest as well, then position the Tyranno in sort of a hunched over stance that brings his feet parallel to the ground and the die-cast pegs properly in line with where they connect. This connection within the Tricera and Tiger is very nice and snug. Make sure to straighten the tail out alongside the ground as well.

Next remove the head/shield from Zyumammoth. And here's where the Mammoth really innovates. Rather than the large black back sections that rotated up and out to become Daizyujins shoulders on older toys, we have a new folding panel system. The bulk of the shoulder armor rotates up, while the central panel cover folds up and in upon itself 4 times and tucks neatly back within the shoulder itself to leave a clean open area for what will become the arm, to move through. Next, extend the rear legs up and out, then fold out the entire back section to the sides, just like the original. This entire assembly lays on the Tyrannos' back, but doesn't actually have a proper joint to connect to on the back, just some pegs that rest in grooves. The true connection that holds Zyumammoth in place is the clips on the shoulders of Tyranno. Even without something to plug into the back, this surprisingly creates a more than secure connection for the entire assembly. You then need to position the mammoth legs out parallel to how the Tiger & Tricera are positioned. I find that in Dino Tanker mode, the mammoth arm joints aren't quite strong enough, so keeping them both evenly positioned is a bit difficult. Fold out the small yellow panel on the Tyranno's chest next, this allows you to plug the Mammoth Shield on snugly and securely. Don't forget to also plug on the barrels for the Dino Tanker Cannons (Pteranodons' feet).

Finally, with Pteranodon we just want to fold the wings in flush to the interior. And bring the neck up. On the Mammoth's feet there are two small gray tabs that need to be folded out. These will plug into some shallow and very very tight holes on the Pteranodon below the chrome plate. I found it to be extremely difficult to get these plugged in, it really felt like I'd brake them. But, with that, we have the Beast Tank Dino Tanker! This is a big bulky, cumbersome, and AWESOME mode for these toys to assume. Like I said above, these types of mid-transformations are so few and very far between. This is such a fantastic use of these toys and the SOC executes it better than any previous version of these toys. I'm half tempted to display this team in this fashion, but then there's the final dynamic mode...


Daizyujin
And here we are the main event, Daizyujin! The transition from Dino Tanker to Daizyujin is every bit as fluid & intuitive as it ever has been. Beginning the transformation is simple, remove the Dino Tanker Cannons and rotate the Mammoth's feet inward to reveal Dazyujin's fists. Each rotates on a swivel joint 360 degrees, has fingers that open up, and a ball jointed thumb. Remove the Pteranodon from the Tankers' back and attach the cannons in place there. The Tyranno's tail will then fold up flush onto the back while the end tip of it will fold back and down. Remove the Mammoth Shield and set it to the side, be sure to fold the yellow panel on the Tyranno chest back up as well. Next bring the Sabre Tiger & Triceratops heads up at 90 degree angles, and straighten Daizyujin's legs out starting with the Tyranno's hips. Bring the Mammoth arms down parallel to the body as well. Now we have a mostly formed Daizyujin standing upright. The final steps include opening the chest cavity again and folding down the Tyranno's head inside and bringing the Pteranodon in by folding it's head and wings back down within the body. On either side of it's back is a small gray clip that can fold out and peg onto the Tyranno as well. This creates a solid connection to the chest. And the final step, fold out the horns from the sides of the head to behold, Shinka Gattai Daizyujin!

With that, we have the most impressive iteration of this design that has ever existed in my opinion. We have a heavy, functional, accurate representation of the great Daizyujin. In this form, Daizyujin boasts more articulation than most any interpretation of the figure has save for the Super Minipla or Super Robot Chogokins. In the former's case though that's a small plastic mini-model with fewer features, and in the latter's case it was a super robot proportioned non-transforming action figure. This set however is transformable and poseable and has premium engineering. Daizyujin has a wide, powerful, stance owed in large part to the sliding thigh joints on the Tyranno and the angled joint in the Sabre Tiger. The Tyranno's functional rotating thigh also helps this toy assume poses that otherwise haven't been possible in the past. Sadly the waist joint from Tyranno is lost because the way it's tail lays between the mammoth legs. It could have been possible to fix this by making the tail separate and plug in, but given what they did to make this whole ensemble come together, I'm still very pleased.

Daizyujin's arms make full use of all the functionality hidden in Zyumammoth. Rotating fists are joined by proper elbows, rotating biceps, hinged outward shoulder joints, and rotating 360 forward/back shoulder joints. Even the transformation joint used to switch from mammoth foot to robot fist can be used to squeeze another ounce of motion out of these arms. The head is on a simple rotating joint which I know many people think isn't good enough. But given how the Tyranno head has to cover it in two other modes, and the horns have to fold out, I'm not sure how much more poseable the head could possibly be. It's perfectly fine to me.

For weapons we have the Mammoth Shield first. You can fold out a handle for Daizyujin to hold it and fold the trunk all the way under to give it a proper screen accurate appearance. But the real star of the show is of course the mighty Dinosaur Sword God Horn! This gorgeous recreation of Daizyujin's powerful weapon is by far the most accurate and regal representation of it ever. The entire blade has a seamless application of silver chrome with some gold painted accents, while the hilt is properly left bare. I was worried about imperfections in the chrome but I'm happy to say that between this and the other components on Daizyujin's body, it's largely flawless. The long hilt allows Daizyujin to grasp the God Horn firmly and wield it believably in a way no previous toy has accomplished in my mind as well. If you make use of all the joints in the arms to some degree, you can even finagle a two-handed grip of the sword! Armed with his weapons Daizyujin is truly an imposing shelf presence.

As is, this is a big beefy imposing robot that aims to impress, and it does just that. It may not be an S.H. Figuart in terms of it's poseable nature, but it's certainly superior to anything that's come before it. And speaking of what came before it, there are two other Soul of Chogokins that absolutely must be mentioned. GX-30 Battle Fever Robo & GX-33 Leopardon! These two mighty robots in their perspective shows were the forerunners to the entire concept of Giant Robos in sentai. The Toei Spider-Man TV series established the giant robot as a way of defeating giant monsters nearly a year before it was introduced in the first sentai to use it, Battle Fever J. The tradition we have come to love and respect of the giant robot in Super Sentai comes from these parental series. In a similar fashion these two SOC releases greatly preceded GX-72 Daizyujin. Battle Fever Robo was the first ever Super Sentai Soul of Chogokin having come out way back in 2006. Obviously, Daizyujin is far bigger and functionally more involved as the Battle Fever Robo is a non-transforming mecha. Both it and Leopardon are roughly the size of the original Popy Chogokin release that came out during their shows respective runs. At that time, the big "DX" style toys we've come to know didn't quite exist. SOC Daizyujin benefits from matching the mass of it's DX counterpart and dwarfs it's ancestors in this toyline. But there's something immensely satisfying about owning all 3. I really really hope that at some point Tamashii Nations can escape from western market demand Zyuranger releases and turn its' eyes to other Super Sentai. I'd love to see the likes of the Live Robo, or Gao King, or Gekitouja done in this transforming premium style. Honestly I'd buy any other sentai SOC's.

My one gripe with this release is that most Soul of Chogokins come with elaborate display bases of some sort to store weapons accessories etc. Looking to the recent Go-Lion & Big O releases, it's hard not to notice how sparse Daizyujin is. There may not be any other weapons to include other than the sword & shield, but a Chogokin display base for this big boy to stand on seems like a no brainer at least. But alas we didn't get anything like that with this one.

Final Thoughts
As a Soul Of Chogokin, this release of Daizyujin strikes the balance between form and function many collectors have craved for years. I firmly believe your money is better spent on this, than on any other iteration of this design. Period. SOC GX-72 Daizyujin is the masterpiece of this design you have craved for over 25 years whether you're a fan of Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger or Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. If you can afford this option, take it.

[Den-O]

Part 2
- Sabre Tiger
- Triceratops
- Pteranodon
- Guardian Beasts Assembled

[Den-O]

Part 3
- Guardian Beasts Assembled (continued)
- Dino Tanker Transformation Part 1

[Den-O]

Part 4
- Dino Tanker Combination Part 2
- Daizyujin!

[Den-O]

Part 5
- Mammoth Shield
- Dinosaur Sword God Horn
- Chogokin Legacy: Leopardon & Battle Fever Robo

[Sunred]

Do the honors Mugatu

[prfctcellrulz]

I absolutely hate my lack of money.

[KaijuUltraFan]

that looks fantastic.

Great pictures, great figure. Thanks for posting it.

[Cobra]

Mine stands majestically a top my entertainment center. A grand guardian keeping watch from above. I still have some tarnish on my chrome but still epic. After 8 months, I still can’t believe I own one. Well worth the debt.

[Kiwami]

This seems like a centerpiece item for the collection of every serious Power Rangers / Zyuranger fan.

Since I'm not one of them it's "just" a very impressive transforming robot toy to me, but I'm still very impressed by the pictures and video reviews I have seen of this guy.

I really wonder if they will expand beyond Zyuranger. I'd love to see a Muteki Shogun in SOC-form.