Jumbo Machinder facts for kids

Jumbo Machinder is the name for a cool series of big plastic robots. These toys were sold by a Japanese company called Popy, which was part of Bandai, back in the 1970s.

Even though "Jumbo Machinder" is a special brand name, people often use it to talk about any large robot toy made from a strong plastic called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This is the same tough plastic used for things like shampoo bottles! Most Jumbo Machinders are about 24 inches tall, which is two feet!

After Popy's robots became super popular, other Japanese companies like Takatoku, Nakajima, and Clover started making their own big plastic robot toys too. Some of the Jumbo Machinders were even changed a bit and sold in the USA and Europe in the late 1970s. They were known as Shogun Warriors there.

First Jumbo Machinder Toys

The very first Jumbo Machinder toy came out in 1973. It was a robot called Mazinger Z, created by the manga artist Go Nagai. This toy was originally planned to be even bigger, about three feet tall! But for safety reasons, it was made a bit smaller.

The Mazinger Z Jumbo Machinder was a huge hit! About 400,000 of them were sold in just the first five months. After Mazinger Z, Popy released many other popular characters as Jumbo Machinders.

Here are some of the famous Jumbo Machinder toys and when they came out:

• 1973 Mazinger Z
• 1973 Kamen Rider V3
• 1973 Ultraman Taro
• 1973 Super Robot Red Baron
• 1973 Kamen Rider X
• 1973 Great Mazinger
• 1973 Super Robot Mach Baron
• 1974 Ultraman Leo
• 1974 Getter Robo 1
• 1974 Getter Robo 2
• 1974 Getter Robo 3
• 1975 UFO Robo Grendizer
• 1975 Spazer
• 1975 Getter Dragon
• 1975 Getter Liger
• 1975 Getter Poseidon
• 1975 Brave Raideen
• 1975 Ganbare!! Robocon
• 1976 Daikyu-Maru
• 1977 Danguard Ace
• 1977 Skyzel
• 1977 Groundzel
• 1978 Leopardon
• 1978 Tosho Daimos
• 1978 Pimer
• 1978 Godzilla
• 1982 Dragon Dol

Jumbo Machinder Deluxe Series

Around 1976 and 1977, Popy Toy changed the name of some of their Jumbo Machinder toys to "Jumbo Machinder Deluxe." Even with the new name, these toys looked pretty much the same as the earlier ones.

Some of the robots released in this series included:

• Combattler V
• Daitetsujin 17
• Gaiking
• Voltes V

Giant Robot Factory Toys

From 1979 to 1980, the Jumbo Machinder series got another new look and name: "Kyodai Robotto Kojo," which means "Giant Robot Factory."

The big difference with these toys was how they were sold. Instead of being ready to play with, the Giant Robot Factory toys came in pieces. Kids could put them together using a simple tool that came in the box. These toys also had more cool features, like fists that could shoot out! Even though they were sold differently, collectors usually see them as part of the same awesome robot series.

Robots from the Giant Robot Factory series included:

• Toshi Gordian
• Daltanias
• Battle Fever Robo
• Daidenjin
• Godsigma

Super Jumbo Machinders

In 1981, Popy Toy changed the series name one more time to "Super Jumbo Machinder."

Some of the characters released under this name were:

• Tetsujin 28
• Sun Vulcan Robo
• Godmars
• Golion

Jumbo Machinder NEO Collection

A brand new line of modern Jumbo Machinders started in 2009. These toys are made for adult collectors and are quite expensive. They are still about 22 inches tall, but they are made from different materials like ABS plastic and vinyl, not the original polyethylene. So far, only one character has been made in this new line:

• Shin Mazinger Z

Kikaiju (Mechamonsters) Series

The "Kikaiju" series was a bit different. "Kikaiju" means "Mechanical Monster." These toys were enemy characters from shows like Mazinger Z and Kamen Rider V3.

Unlike the main Jumbo Machinders, these Kikaiju toys were made from soft vinyl plastic, not the harder PET plastic. They were also a bit smaller, standing about 20 inches tall. This gave them a unique look compared to the robot heroes. There were ten Kikaiju toys released in total. Some of them even had cool features like launching balls or shooting discs!

Shogun Warriors in America

The American toy company Mattel bought the rights to sell some of the Jumbo Machinder toys in North America and Europe. They called this new line Shogun Warriors.

Mattel often changed the toys quite a bit from their original Japanese versions. For example, robots like Gaiking and Daimos were completely redesigned! However, some, like "Dragun," looked almost exactly like the Japanese original at first.

Here are some Jumbo Machinders that became Shogun Warriors:

• Great Mazinger became Mazinga (and later Great Mazinga)
• Mazinger Z became Mazinga-Z (this one was a mix of parts and only sold in Europe)
• Gaiking
• Getter Robo G's Getter Dragon became Dragun
• Daimos
• Raideen became Raydeen
• Grendizer (only sold in Europe and Canada, known as Goldorak in France and Goldrake in Italy)
• Astro Robot Terremoto Stellare (Only sold in Italy, made from parts of other robots)
• Astro Robot Sfondamento Galattico (Only sold in Italy, made from parts of other robots)
• Astro Robot Turbine Solare (Only sold in Italy, made from parts of other robots)
• Astro Robot Tempesta Spaziale (Only sold in Italy, made from parts of other robots)
• Godzilla
• Rodan (this monster toy was made just for the US market!)

In 2010, another toy company called Toynami brought back the Shogun Warriors name. They started making new 24-inch Jumbo Machinder toys. The first two robots in this new line were GoLion and Dairugger XV. You might know these two robots better as Voltron! Since then, other figures like Bender and Godzilla 64' have also been made.