Amapro Toys!

Check out the list of other videos too, there are many really great reviews that he has done, the humble nature of his personal thoughts on the subjects is an honest testimony to a true Monster fan

 

Presentation from Super Festival 72 (for those who missed it).

Picture belongs to @andy from his most recent Superfest visit (http://kaijukorner.blogspot.com/2016/09/super-festival-72-72.html?m=1).

 

I read there will be additional release in February, I heard these were a very very limited introduction of the new species. I have enjoyed seeing him continue to develop hybrids of older creatures but these seem to be the 1st with multiple variations right out of the gate. Even so the way the joint is done, there are always possible future mutations of the front and tail.

I hope at least some folks enjoy those videos he made, I am still watching them daily and trying to learn more Japanese at the same time.

 

King Caesar (or maybe more appropriate on a Marusan thread) :

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By the way I don't know who did what in this collaboration between Marusan and Amapro. I presume Amapro just made the paint, if anyone can confirm.

 

This is probably my favorite King Caesar sculpt (of those that I know of). Congratulations on getting the 2, @Fedhai .

 

They also did a Kamakaras together.

It is crazy good.

 

@Fedhai- my memory is failing, but I believe the King Caesar, Kamakiras and Kumonga were produced jointly by Marusan and Amapro. From what I have read, I am not sure on the role of each company in the project. Supposedly the objective was to have these three characters represented in a vinyl form that would match the Marusan/Bullmark toys. Therefore, I would suspect the sculpts to have been generated by Marusan. The coloration/paint appears to be by Amapro (as you note), given the style of application.

Once the entire run of each figure had been produced, I believe the molds were destroyed. Amapro had a complete history of the project on their old website, but unfortunately, it is no longer around.

 

Thanks for the info @akum6n , I know that 200 was produced, the regular version is numbered 1 to 100 and the GID 101 to 200 (that match with my serial numbers on the headers).

Front pics :

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@Fedhai , you might also be interested in Marusan x Amapro's Giant Octopus, Oodako. There are a couple of pretty colorways plus a mono grey one, but then there's also a cool alternate version where the face is replaced with a human skull (Skulldako). I remember when I first saw the skull version; it was kind of a surprise that they'd produced it... I'll have to find a pic, unless someone has 1 readily available... all the old sb ones seem to be gone, dang it.

 

Never heard about it @boon velvet , so I searched and I found that : http://www.clubtokyo.org/listings/itemListingRpt.php?catID=1&subCatID=23&contentID=1442
Club Tokyo didn't mention the collaboration with Amapro but that's looks like Amapro style and no mention about the skull version either. I really love the red one.

 

Good catch @boon velvet. Actually, the toys in the Club Tokyo entry are from two different characters. The red one is the Marusan and Amapro collaboration figure, Oodako. The blue and black-and-white figures are Sudaru from Ultra Q, and were produced by Amapro only.

I don't know the story, but if you look carefully at the toys, the front half from Oodako was apparently resculpted and restamped and made into Sudaru. Since they made a big point about destroying the molds from the other figures after production finished, there must have been some other type of deal cut for this one.

The Skull Tako figure was released quite a bit later... maybe 2007/8? It probably would not be in Club Tokyo's site because he tends to cover only licensed items.

 

Holy Guacamole! Kumonga was made too?

Never knew about that one. Didn't see a picture anywhere, do you that doll Daniel?

Edit. Found pic at Club Tokyo, had no
memory of ever seeing that before.

That is really neat the way the legs were
bundled for the joints on that as well.

That is so good. Daniel do you know if another version was made or just this?

 

@kichigai:





I don't own one, but if you look at the review from the videos that you linked, it's a huge toy.

Also, I finally found the info on the Armor Jack connection with Naruton. I've only seen the yellow one in this packaging.

 

Daniel my eyes just exploded, that orange Kumonga is insanity in Sofvi form.

Thanks sincerely for those images!

That package style for Naruton you just added is so much classier than a lot of stuff from that same era.

Drooling on that last picture you added.

Someone on here sold a huge Amapro collection last year or year prior and there were quite a few that I never saw before

Wishing that I had saved some pics
want the fake Spectreman most of all

 

@akum6n, Thanks for more information on the subject. I find cephalopods very interesting in general, so I'm a bit bias to the Oodako sculpt being one of my must-haves of the Marusan x Amapro toys. Also the best Oodako sofvi, second only to the Buta version (not like there are many to choose from). The 2 orange (listed as Red ) versions are the ones I own, @Fedhai. Once I'm moved and they're unpacked, I'll take a picture of them together.

@akum6n , I had read about the blue and grey versions being Sudaru and the front being resculpted , but I thought it was misinformation and that the versions were dictated as Sudaru because of the paintjob (the eyes). I could have sworn I'd compared the fronts before and they were the same (it could have been the angle I guess), but I must not have looked closely enough at the front of the Sudaru figures, because You're Right, the front is definitely a different sculpt! I'm looking right now and Sure enough, the front tentacles are in different positions than Oodako (whose arms are in a more animated pose). I prefer the arms of the Oodako sculpt better and am glad that's the one I first came across. Seeing Oodako, Sudaru's front comes off as lifeless and for being the newer sculpt, it sure isn't t much of a change from Oodako... Ha, this is new to me, but I know I'm just rehashing older discussions. Just an excited toy nerd here. Ignore me.

Anyhow, after being recently re-educated I take what I said earlier back; there's really only 1 Oodako colorway (the red).

 

Holy moly, spiccoli! Either that sale went right past me or I blacked it out because I was broke at the time. I'm with you @toothaction; I would have liked to have most of that lot. Thanks for bringing it back.

@Fedhai , did you catch the skulldako above?



Hmm, so it has the Sudaru arms... Haha, can't believe I've had both of those here and never noticed the arm difference.

I like to pet the rabbits.

 

David I hate you. Just kidding.

Forgot about that peach Kogan,
talk about a beautiful monster!



Nice to see those pics again, you got 3 of the 4 that I wanted so at least they went to good place.

Fightas!

Oh man do I wish to engage thee in an imaginary conflict with Mechagonira!

Anyone have pics of the giant wooden Kingrampus?

Never knew it existed, saw it in recent pics in state of deterioration.

Was that displayed at Pachi Summit?

Anyone got a scan of that catalog insert?

 

oh my god

 

Damn guys, I'm absent 1 day and sudden it is a torrent of photos and infos that falls on this thread that slept for years. Happy to know that there is still fans of these small and talented makers like Amapro. So thanks so much @akum6n for the details.
I really love the red Kumonga and the Sudaru and skull tako are insane @boon velvet !
I discovered the big size Naruton a few days ago and now I discover this mini Naruton. Thank you @toothaction now I need them...
By the way I just noticed that the Amapro logo was the Armor Jack head.

One question, what's the point about the separated head of the fake Spectreman ? Here is mine and as you can see you can't remove the head, moreover the extra head looks like the same as than that the character's head.

View this post on Instagram

 

Extra head of Fightas was not meant to exchange with the Fightas sovfi doll but rather for vintage Henshin Cyborg dolls made as a novelty omake in that regard from what was relayed to me.

There is a vintage HC Specreman outfit so one could complete the transfornation quite nicely. Hope that you can find one!

I don't remember if Takara had reissued that particular set when they popped out reissues several years ago. Maybe someone else knows for sure.

The vintage suit and a nice shape HC doll would set you back a few hundred for an all original vintage set to pop the Amapro head on.

The vintage pachi card with Fightas depicted is really neat will dig and try to post the image soonish...