Interview before the release! The giant robot hero "Daitetsujin 17" based on Shotaro Ishinomori's original work is back under the Soul of Chogokin brand! What is the appeal of the best-selling robot in Chogokin history?

Daitetsujin 17 (One Seven)," aired in 1977, is a story about a battle between humans and Brain, a giant electronic brain that has rebelled against humanity. One-Seven, the lead robot, is an autonomous robot in the modern sense of the word, and he confronts Brain while communicating with the main character, a young boy named Saburo Minami.

One Seven will be released as "Soul of Chogokin GX-101" in March 2022. The "DELUXE Chogokin GA-81 Daitetsujin 17" released at the time of the broadcast sold a record 1.66 million units, the highest in Chogokin history, with a transformation gimmick that faithfully reproduced the action in the movie and an original toy gimmick that ejected a special move "Graviton" from the abdomen.

From Showa to 2025. We asked Teisei Kimura of the Collectors Division of BANDAI SPIRITS about the appeal of the revived One Seven in the modern age.

--First of all, let me ask you about the background of the development of the product. When did you start planning the product?

Kimura: Actually, sketches for commercialization began to exist around 2008. The project itself had been kept in the works by successive generations of Soul of Chogokin staff. I started working on it about three years ago, when the 100th Chogokin Soul figure (GX-100) came into view. The Soul of Chogokin is made by evolving Chogokin, but when I looked over the original Chogokin again, I saw that they had not commercialized the "Daitetsujin 17," which had sold the largest number and was included in the company history: ....... I began to think that if Soul of Chogokin was going to go to 100 pieces, it should be an item that should be done around that time.

--Mr. Kimura, please tell us about your own feelings toward "Daitetsujin 17.

Kimura: I watched the broadcast when I was a child, but I was not allowed to buy a Chogokin. But my next-door neighbor, M-kun, had one, and I used to go to his house to play with it (laughs). It was wonderful that the Chogokin of that time could transform into "Flight One Seven" and "Fortress One Seven," yet the proportions were not out of balance. When transforming, the arms are stored in the belly as in the movie, and the gimmicks, such as the graviton firing unit in the cavity, are also very well done and have a very high level of perfection. It even comes with a miniature of the vehicle.

--So this "Soul of Chogokin" version follows the Chogokin of the time, but aims to exceed it?

Kimura That's right. Also, other companies have released One Seven models, so how could we exceed the old products and the products of other companies?　And what can we do as Soul of Chogokin?　This has been the challenge for successive generations of staff members, and I was similarly troubled by it.

--Please give us a concrete explanation of the product.

Kimura: First of all, the figure is movable. If you display it in the same pose as the Chogokin figures of the time, it may not look much different proportionally, but combined with the transformation mechanism, the range of motion is much wider. The shoulders slide up and down, and the arms can also be extended horizontally. The axes at the base of the legs move for deformation, and a rotation mechanism has been added to allow for more daring poses.

Comparison of the old and new "17. Left: "Chogokin" version, Right: "Soul of Chogokin" version

--The wrists have a high degree of freedom of movement.

Kimura This is a bit of a "piece out of the gourd," but One Seven's wrists are large. We increased the number of movable axes in order to fit them properly in the belly, and the range of motion was expanded even in action.

Left: "Chogokin" version, Right: "Soul of Chogokin" version

--When the figure is in the One-Seven (humanoid form), a graviton unit with a built-in voice and light gimmick is placed in the cavity of the stomach.

Kimura: In order to accommodate the large fist, the Soul of Chogokin this time has a large empty stomach. In terms of space, it is about twice the size of the Chogokin Soul. The graviton unit that goes in here has buttons on the left and right sides. When you press the A button on the left side, the eyes light up and the "Special Technique Graviton Sound (first half)" sounds, and when you press the B button, a mechanical sound is emitted. If the B button is pressed again while the mechanical sound is sounding, three random "one-seven reply sounds" will sound. The eyes also light up in time with these sounds. As for the eye luminescence, there are "negative," "positive," and "neither" reaction lights in the play, which we used as a reference.

Left: "Chogokin" version, Right: "Soul of Chogokin" version

--One-Seven starts to talk in the latter half of the play, and the voice changes, doesn't it?

Kimura Yes. This is included as a voice gimmick called "One-Eight Battle Mode," which is toggled by pressing both buttons at the same time. It includes dialogue from the conversation scene with the younger brother One-Eight, and a sound that is easier to understand than in the previous version: "Gravitone! sound that shouts "Gravitone! Other secret sounds are also included.

--The color-coded latticework of the eyes is also highly reproducible.

Kimura: The gimmick of allowing light to penetrate the figure was surprisingly difficult, and we had to experiment with many different patterns. Digital prints and decals that we use on our figures were also an idea, but in the end we chose tampo printing because of its high curvature. We made a number of revisions to the figure, examining the coloring on the underside of the eyes and other areas of concern due to light leakage. The luminescence was also at a level where it could only be seen in dark places in the early stages of development, but eventually it became visible glowing even in bright places. The mass of the eyes also has unpainted areas, and light leaks through these gaps, making it easier to recognize the luminescence. We managed to reach this point after receiving various ideas from the factory and members involved in product development.

--I heard that there are some ingenious ideas for the ankle as well.

Kimura: There is the famous steel with the toes open in the one-seven fortress state, but when the legs are folded normally, the hatch cannot be opened because the ankles are in the back. So we made it one click forward.

--The SIGCOMMACHINE (running type) and SIGCON tank can be stored inside the ankles, and miniature SIGCONJET and SIGCOMMACHINE (flying type) can be placed in the catapult of Fortress One-Seven, right?

Kimura: In this way, I realized that One Seven, which can be a robot, a base, or a vehicle, is really a character with a wide range of playability. As for Chogokin Soul play, in addition to the transformations and base play of the time, it is now possible to have them take action poses, and the light in their eyes and voice gimmick allow for pseudo-communication play.

--I hope that people like you who were not able to obtain a Chogokin at the time will also be able to enjoy the contents of this product.

Kimura: At the time, 1.66 million Chogokin units were sold, and if you include people like me who borrowed one from a friend and played with it, I think there were about 3 million people who touched it. However, I never had a chance to look back on "Daitetsujin 17". There are ways to watch it, such as through video distribution and DVDs, and I hope you will enjoy it.

It is a hard science fiction story about AI rebelling against humans, and the Red Mufflers on our side are military-oriented. There are also many moving elements, such as the battle between brother robots and the final episode, which cannot be seen without tears.

I am happy that we were able to publicize the work and products of "Daitetsujin 17" through You Tube and magazines. I hope that people of my generation who remember this work will remember those days, and that those who used to own Chogokin as well as those who, like me, could not afford to buy it, will pick up a copy.

--Please tell us about the "Soul of Chogokin One-Eight" as well.

Kimura: The figure is a full-action version without any deformation, and we made sure to position the joints in a way that would allow for a wider range of movement. Of course, the graviton launcher on the chest also opens. Also, although the "One-Eight" in the movie has a weathering effect, we consulted with Toei and made the product look like it has just been rolled out. This kind of "One Eight" has never been commercialized before, and it can be displayed alongside the "One Seven" in a beautiful state. I personally like the clean one-eighty as well (laughs). The One-Eight will be sold as an optional part for the One-Seven, so the number is "GX101X" instead of "GX102.

--Lastly, I would like to ask you about the "GX-95". In recent years, there have been a number of past Chogokin items that have been made into Souls, such as "GX-95 Gaudian," "GX-97 Daileon," "GX-100 Guy King & Giant Sky Demon Dragon," and now "GX-101 Daitetsujin 17.

Kimura It is true that there are many Chogokin items that have not yet been made into Soul of Chogokin, but it is difficult to update them for the current era while keeping the charm of the items of that time.

If we stick to them too tightly, there is a possibility that we will lose the users. On the other hand, the Soul of Chogokin of "GaoGaiGar, King of the Braves" was a hit, which had never been commercialized under the Chogokin brand, so we are conscious of planning products for a wide range of generations without being tied down to the old Chogokin characters. The items we are planning for the recent "TAMASHII NATION ONLINE 2021" are also aimed at a relatively younger generation of customers, and the planning itself is being handled by young staff. The combination of die-cast materials and robots is primitive, and we would like to continue creating characters that are not limited by generation with Soul of Chogokin.

--Thank you very much for your time.

Sample images of the product are also available on the official TAMASHII NATIONS blog!
Please take a look here as well.

Click here to visit the official TAMASHII NATIONS blog!

(Reporting by Yutaka Takayanagi (TARKUS), Text by Hiro Yoshikawa)

Product Information

Soul of Chogokin GX-101 Daitetsujin 17

Retail price: 19,800 yen (including 10% tax)

Release date: Scheduled for March 26, 2022

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Daitetsujin 17

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