Chogokin - Modern Chogokin

Modern Chogokin

The use of die-cast metal in mass-market robot toys declined greatly after the 1980s, with PVC and ABS plastic becoming the only materials used in most cases. Chogokin toys produced today are usually fairly expensive, high-quality items aimed at collectors.

Bandai's Soul of Chogokin line is probably the most famous example of this trend, featuring updated versions of many toys first made by Popy in the 70s and 80s. The first SOC released was an updated Mazinger Z, and many other classic designs followed. The line is still going and has been recently expanded to include more modern robots, some of which did not have a pre-existing Chogokin toy. It is also a way to create new, more easily available mecha toys for older shows such as Dancouga- Super Beast Machine God and the Leopaldon from Spider-Man.

Debuting in 2000, the Souchaku Henshin series (also known as Armor Trans) is another contemporary Bandai line under the Chogokin banner. These action figures are made to a 5-inch scale, and feature tokusatsu characters from Kamen Rider, Metal Hero Series, and GARO. Souchaku Henshin figures feature multiple points of articulation, removable armor, and contain die-cast parts. Much like Soul of Chogokin, Souchaku Henshin features both recent characters as well as updates to classic ones.

In 2010, Bandai introduced Super Robot Chogokin, which is an affordable alternative to Soul of Chogokin. The SRC figures measure at approximately 140mm (14 cm) in height and have less die-cast parts, but boast more articulation and have a wider range of accessory options. The toy line not only features traditional robots such as Mazinger Z and Brave Reideen, but also robots from The King of Braves GaoGaiGar, Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation and the Super Sentai series.