The Toy Chest: Determination Rules!

Hello! I'm Richie, and I will be blogging here about toys, given that I just love drooling over them (figuratively speaking of course...I hope).

Most people ask me: How do you go about collecting toys, especially if you're an adult? I used to sidestep this issue by saying that my big collection of Gundam model kits are not toys. But who am I kidding? They're toys for the geeky boys, surely. Aside from money, it takes a certain amount of determination to collect toys when you're an adult. After all, it can be childish or childlike, depending on how you look at it.

With that, I awkwardly segue into a particular toy that some consider as a Holy Grail of sorts: The Soul of Chogokin GX-49 Shin Mazinger Z (Shin Mazinger Z + Big Bang Punch Ver.)!

Mazinger Z, the series, recently got a revision (not a reboot), called simply Shin Mazinger. In line with this, they made a new version of Mazinger Z. Remember MZ's Rocket Punch? Well, in the hot-blooded Mazinger world, the logical upgrade would be the Big Bang Punch.

Mazinger Z turns into a gigantic flying fist! I am so not kidding, and I would like to know what the heck the designers were smoking, because it must be really potent.

If you're interested in scoring a copy of this wonderfully ridiculous toy, check out the stores in Greenhills. This one has several incarnations ranging from the wing-less basic version, to a "night version" with Koji Kabuto's (Mazinger Z's pilot) face replacing a part of Mazinger's own (anime emphasis. again, not kidding), and the possibly story-spoiling Gold version of the Shin Mazinger Big Bang Punch.

*For those who are a bit more budget-conscious, there is also a model kit version that sells for much less - though you will have to assemble it, as well as paint it to make it look more like the Mazinger it should be.