'''Chogokin''' - Sometimes '''Chougokin''' or '''Cho-gokin''' - (超合金) is Japanese for "super Alloy" and is a fictitious material which first appeared in Go_Nagai's Mazinger_Z comic. It was later adopted by the '''Popy Toy company''' in 1972 as the name of a new line of die-cast metal robot and character toys sold in Japan. The very first of these toys was the "GA-01" Mazinger Z, which in spite of questionable engineering that led Popy to offer a free replacement campaign, ignited a craze that changed the face of the Japanese toy industry in the 1970s. While Bandai - the parent company of Popy Toy - owns the trademark to the brand, the term is generally used to describe any Japanese diecast robot toy made from zinc alloy. Other companies simply used/uses the sufix '''Gokin''' such as Takatoku's '''Z-Gokin''' or Max_Factory's '''Max Gokin''' line. Chogokin toys were generally produced in ST and or DX sizes. ST meaning standard and usually in the range of 5" tall. The DX versions were deluxe and usually much larger. In addition to the larger size, the DX versions usually came with more features such as separating parts and more complex weaponry, usually with launching projectiles. Many of these toys were re-released in the United_States. Mattel sold a selection of Chogokin toys under the name Shogun_Warriors. Bandai America sold others under the name Godaikin. In the wake of a 1979 incident where a four-year-old boy choked to death on a missile fired from a Battlestar_Galactica toy manufactured by Mattel, many of the later Shogun_Warrior toys were modifed to launch "child-safe" projectiles that would not injure children. The Godaikin releases were apparently targeted at an older audience and as such were largely identical to the Japanese versions of the toys. == Modern chogokin == The use of diecast in mass-market robot-toys declined greatly after the 1980s, 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 Mazinger Z (this was later updated further) 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 Dancougar_-_Super_Beast_Machine_God and the Leopaldon from Supaidâ-Man. Some people (Mainly sellers) label, either due to ignorance or as a sales-tactic, all Bandai collector-toys featuring die-cast metal as SOCs, even if they are not marketed under the name. == Pseudo-gokins == The term chogokin is sometimes used for any robot-toy that feature diecast content, even if this is limited to minor parts (usually to add strength or balance to the design). ==See also== *Bullmark *Ark_Diecast ==External links== *The ToyboxDX guide to Chogokin and Popinica *Zinc Panic, a popular website with a Japanese toy database, with pictures of many Chogokin. *Robot-Japan, a popular picture encyclopedia for Japanese toys. *Super #1 Robot, a book covering Chogokin and other Japanese diecast toys. Ja:超合金_(玩具) Category:Action_figures Category:Japanese_Die-Cast