By Loran
Like any good robot, Mazinger Z’s got his fair share of weapons. Some of them help define his design, while others are so damn obscure, Super Robot Wars doesn’t care about them most of the time. Still, they all have their place in the manga’s history and mythos, and are worth getting regardless.
Possibly to keep the costs on the line’s first figure down, Bandai released a weapon set for Mazinger Z. This seems to have become common practice now, as GaoGaiGar has gotten four, and I believe Dendoh has received one as well. It’s both a good and a bad idea. On one hand, it makes the figure itself cheaper, but on the other, it’s an extra thing to buy, and sometimes you just want to have the one figure with everything he’s supposed to have.
Mazinger’s weapon set comes with a pretty good chunk of stuff, but not as much as I initially thought.
First off, let’s look at the effect parts for the Rocket Punch.
Unlike everything else in this set, which is centered around Mazinger Z, these are made for Z and Great. Four identical pieces are included. Each can fit in the slot where the arm once fit. If you want, you can take all four and make one gigantic rocket punch jet stream!
…it looks absolutely ridiculous, however.
Next is the Reinforced Rocket Punch.
I gotta say… I don’t remember this weapon. Apparently it showed up in episode 52 of the TV series, but I know I never saw that episode, and I don’t recall it ever appearing in any of the movies or later episodes. It barely shows up in Super Robot Wars, too, and usually when it does, you can only fire it once.
The Reinforced Rocket Punch included here is for the left hand, because the regular release came with the right hand. Since I don’t have that version, I can’t supply pics of Z with both punches. It has an open hand, too!
Of course, the big draw to this set is the Jet Scrander. To me, Mazinger Z isn’t complete without this.
…because using him in Super Robot Wars without it is absolute hell, let me tell you…
The Scrander comes in four pieces: the main “jetpack” piece, the two wings, and the belt. Since the belt doesn’t fit on Shin Z, Shin Z came with his own. It’s a great accessory, and the part on top is made out of soft plastic to keep it from breaking, which is a good thing considering how hard it is to get the damn thing in. It’s a really tight fit, but hey, at least it won’t fall out.
You can even transform the Scrander into the “launching” mode by switching the wings.
If you have any version of Mazinger in the SRC line, even if it’s Great Mazinger, this purchase is certainly worth it. It adds a whole other dimension of play to the figures, and as I’ve said before, Mazinger Z isn’t complete without his Jet Scrander. Make sure to pick up yours from FPNYC when you get your Mazinger!
Now if only they’d make the Great Booster…
