Shogun Warriors: Some of the Greatest Toys Ever Produced

They were magnificent. Standing nearly two feet tall and boasting incredible arsenals, Shogun Warrior Jumbo Machineders certainly helped Anime, the Japanese style of animation, gain fans worldwide.

I remember the first time I saw one of the giants. I watched, awe-struck, as Mazinga stomped out of my cousin’s closet, its body covered with spare rockets. We loaded Mazinga’s rocket-launching hand and spent hours firing the plastic projectiles across the room (actually only a few feet, but why quibble over details?). It was incredible and, as a young Godzilla-phile, I couldn’t help but think that I’d met a relative of Mecha-Godzilla.

Shogun Warriors

On a Christmas soon after, I received my own Shogun Warrior: Godzilla. Frankly, as Shoguns go, Godzilla was a bit weak. The resemblance to his on-screen persona suffered, his head looking apish, his armor atrophied, and his powerful atomic breath reduced to a small flame. On top of that, his arm shot off! Yes, this was certainly a “different” Godzilla, but it was a great toy none-the-less. He and Rodan were the only non-robotic Machineders.

A few years later, a cable television station began showing Anime (on which the Shoguns were based) during the late afternoon. I’d watch the giant robots, familiar to me thanks to the toys, while doing homework (do not try this at home, it is not necessarily a healthy study habit). And on the heels of these movies came such shows as the great Voltron. It’s not hard to see the influence (or common influence) certain Shoguns had on (or with) Voltron’s design (the lion version) and, later, the Power Rangers.

Unfortunately, most kids today have never seen one of the Machineders and, at current market prices, they probably won’t see them anytime soon; which is a shame because they certainly are some of the greatest toys of my youth.

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