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Character: MechaniKong
Company: Bullmark
Manufacturer: Shimada Toy
Series: Bullmark No Kaiju Series
Made In: Japan
Material: Light Grey Vinyl
Height: Approximately 23 cm
Number of Parts: 6
Released: 1970
Original Price: 350 yen
Limitation: Uncommon
Packaging: Bagged with Header Card
Additional Info: There are paint and vinyl color variations that exist for this MechaniKong figure. This light blue paint on light grey color vinyl is rarer than the other color versions released by Bullmark.
MechaniKong made his debut film appearance in the 1967 Japanese film King Kong Escapes. This Bullmark MechaniKong came out 3 years later after the film was released. We will not see another vinyl toy figure of MechaniKong until 1983 released by Yamakatsu followed by Bandai in 1991.
There is speculation that the sculpt was originally created for Marusan in 1967 and that possible sample versions were released for sale to the public before it went to Bullmark. Eiji Kaminaga president of Marusan released a story on the official Marusan blog in 2013 of a person with who he had a conversation. That person recollected that when he was a young boy at the time had purchased a Marusan MechaniKong figure made of brown vinyl at a toy store in Nakamise of the Asakusa district of Tokyo in 1967. Nakamise is a famous shopping street in Tokyo Japan. After the purchase, the same person moved from a rural area of Tokyo to the Asakusa district in 1967. So it appears that he remembers the exact year when the MechaniKong was bought.
Ishida Kōtarō, Shibata Yutaka, and Saburo Ishizuki founded Bullmark on April 4, 1969. Bullmark had their sofubi toys manufactured by the company Shimada Toy. Some of the early Bullmark kaiju sofubi releases when they began in 1969 carry the Shimada Toy logo of a baby chicken. Beginning in 1970 is when the Bullmark logo design started. Bullmark closed its doors in 1977.
Bullmark came out of retirement in 2008. New Bullmark continues its relationship with Shimada Toy by having them produce their sofubi toys and with the help of sales going through M1号. In 2009, New Bullmark established its own official website and took over sales directly.
Left foot markings:
© 東宝 logo
Right foot markings:
Bullmark logo
via Instagram ift.tt/1R3EBCu First #vinyl pick up of 2016 #RagingNerdgasm #TomKhayos #ToyGameScroogeMcDuck #vintage #90s #toyhunting #toyhustle #toyhorder #toytrades #toysagram #80s #toyfinds #ToysAreMyDrug #ToyGameTedDibase #Japanese #import #japan #sentai #sofubi #Ultraman ift.tt/1R3EBCu
Character: Godzilla 1964
Company: Yamakatsu
Manufacturer: Yamakatsu
Series: Real Sofuto Series No. 2
Made In: Japan
Material: Dark Green Vinyl
Height: Approximately 14 cm
Number of Parts: 6
Released: 1983
Original Price: 500 yen
Limitation: Common
Packaging: None
Additional Info: Per the description from the official Bandai Press hardcover book titled "Godzilla Toy Museum" by Takashi Kuraji and Yuji Nishimura, the Godzilla and other related Toho kaiju sofubi that were released by Yamakatsu in 1983 came about due to the future announcement of the revival of a new Godzilla movie coming out in 1984 in Japan.
This Godzilla was originally sold only in Japan. But later was imported into the USA for general sales because of the upcoming release of the Japanese film from 1984 retitled in the USA as "Godzilla 1985". The image of this figure's face does not resemble the 1964 Mosu Goji suit design from the film. But is more based on Japanese bromide artwork from the 1960s. The figure is made of soft vinyl. There is a silver Godzilla logo sticker placed on them.
The Yamakatsu figures were released in two waves. The vendor display box that the figures came in stated in Japanese Real Sofuto Series No. 1 or No. 2 on the box. This Godzilla 1964 figure came in the second wave No. 2 display box.
Left foot markings:
©東宝
東宝映像
Right foot markings:
Silver Godzilla log sticker (There are no markings underneath the silver Godzilla logo sticker).
Sofubi cat by Paul Kaiju
Mandarake's 2nd Indy Sofubi Rally (May 5, 2019)
She's 8″ tall with 5 points of articulation and removable cap. Made in Japan
Character: Ultraman Ace
Company: Bullmark
Manufacturer: Shimada Toys
Series: Soft Figure Set Series
Made In: Japan
Material: Grey Vinyl
Height: Approximately 12 cm
Number of Parts: 2
Released: 1972 - 1975
Original 1972 Price: 580 yen
Limitation: Common
Packaging: Packaging Varies
Additional Info: This mini size Ultraman Ace was released at least three times to my knowledge in 3 different packagings as part of a set with other mini's.
The first time it was released in 1972 with a mini Tokyo Tower and 4 kaiju for the price of 580 yen. A picture of the set is in Yuji Nishimura "Kaiju・Hero Treasury Appraisal Catalog" first edition book published in 1996 and reissue with addition pages in 1998. For the 1996 edition, the picture of the set is on page 48.
The following source information is used to help try and identify the year of release for the reissues of this Ultraman Ace mini-figure. The information comes directly from the 2009 Bullmark History Box reprinted 1970's catalogs. I have provided some of the original Japanese from the catalogs with English translations in parenthesis.
The second release we will look at "売れるブルマァク カタログ No.3 (Bullmark Sales Catalog No.3), on page 12 for the top description we have "遊びの世紀がひろがりちびっ子がほしがる ソフト人形セットシリーズ" (Wanting to widen a century of play to small children a soft figure set series.). A picture is shown of the set on bubble carded. Description of the set with the picture "C-85 ミニウルラマンタロウ８点セット" (C-85 Mini Ultraman Taro 8 Piece Set). Ultraman Taro aired from April 7, 1973 to April 6, 1974.
The third release of the mini shown in the "BULLMARK no.5" catalog on page 6. A picture is shown of the set on a bubble card. Description of the set with the picture "C-29ウルトラマンレオファミリー９点セット" (C-29 Ultraman Leo Family 9 Piece Set). Ultraman Leo aired from April 12, 1974 to March 28, 1975.
It would be reasonable to assume that the Taro mini-set was released when the Taro show was airing between 1973 to 1974 and the Leo mini-set when Leo aired between 1974 to 1975.
Ishida Kōtarō, Shibata Yutaka, and Saburo Ishizuki founded Bullmark on April 4, 1969. Bullmark had their sofubi toys manufactured by the company Shimada Toy. Early Bullmark kaiju sofubi releases when they began in 1969 carry the Shimada Toy logo of a baby chicken. Beginning in 1970 is when the Bullmark logo design started. Bullmark closed its doors in 1977.
Bullmark came out of retirement in 2008. New Bullmark continues its relationship with Shimada Toy by having them produce their sofubi toys and with the help of sales going through M1号. In 2009, New Bullmark established its own official website and took over sales directly.
Left foot markings:
ブルマァク
Right foot markings:
©円谷プロ
I took these last two pics just because flickr is dumb and kept resetting the position of my cover photo to a spot I did not assign. F.U. Flickr!
Character: Death13 Space Trooper
Company: Toygraph
Manufacturer: Toygraph
Series: Death Climax Space Troopers
Made In: Japan
Material: White & Clear Vinyl
Height: Approximately 12 cm
Number of Parts: 7
Released: April 2009
Original Price: 4,500 yen + S&H
Limitation: 80
Packaging: Tin Can
Additional Info: Toygraph introduces the new Death13 head design into the Death Climax Space Trooper series. The pre-order sales started in January 2009 directly from Toygraph online shop. The figure was not released for shipping until April 2009.
The figure was advertised as "Blood" version and was packed in a tin can and is label # 026 in the series. Each Death13 blood version release has different blood splatter patterns. The clear vinyl space helmet is removable. This blood version was released in conjunction with another Death13 captain version # 025.
Toygraph was started by Shuuji Kajimoto in 2002. Shuuji Kajimoto did designing, sculpting, and painting for Toygraph. He also did works prior to other companies like M1GO, U.S. Toys, Charactics, and others. Kajimoto had health issues which affected him from running his company. He eventually closed Toygraph in December 2010.
No left foot markings.
Right foot markings:
Death Climax
Character: Jirass
Company: Bullmark
Manufacturer: Shimada Toy
Series: Bullmark No Kaiju Series
Made In: Japan
Material: Green Vinyl
Height: Approximately 21 cm
Number of Parts: 6
Released: 1970
Original Price: 350 yen
Limitation: Common
Packaging: Bagged with Header Card
Additional Info: This is the debut sculpt of the character Jirass by Bullmark in 1970. Bullmark and Bandai have reissued this figure over the years in various colors.
Jirass made his first appearance in Ultraman episode 10 titled "Mysterious Dinosaur Base" aired on September 18, 1966. On top of additional appearances throughout Ultraman over the years, he also made 10 appearances on another Japanese hero television show in the 1970s, Redman. For Redman, the kaiju name is romanized as "Jirahs". The Jirass suit is a modified used suit from Godzilla 1964 body and Godzilla 1965 head. Haruo Nakajima who was the suit actor for all the Godzilla's from 1954 to 1975 also played Jirass.
Ishida Kōtarō, Shibata Yutaka, and Saburo Ishizuki founded Bullmark on April 4, 1969. Bullmark had their sofubi toys manufactured by the company Shimada Toy. Some of the early Bullmark kaiju sofubi releases when they began in 1969 carry the Shimada Toy logo of a baby chicken. Beginning in 1970 is when the Bullmark logo design started. Bullmark closed its doors in 1977.
Bullmark came out of retirement in 2008. New Bullmark continues its relationship with Shimada Toy by having them produce their sofubi toys and with the help of sales going through M1号. In 2009, New Bullmark established its own official website and took over sales directly.
Left foot markings:
© 円谷プロ above the picture of the Bullmark Logo and ブルマァク underneath the logo.
Right foot markings:
ジラース