1978
Big Dai X is the proper name, but this Jumbo is more commonly known -- among me and 3 or 4 others anyway -- as "X-Bomber." It's also known as "Dekander Robo" in some circles (for some crazy reason, like the fact that it's inexplicably printed on the box), and happens to be of the Super Machinder persuasion. Like his stunted Super Machinder brothers Sky Zero, Ground Zero, and the infamous Astro Megazord, this guy clocks in at around 18-19 inches rather than the regular jumbo size of 24 inches. Other than that, he's Jumbo to the bone.

X-Bomber's actually got one hell of a Napoleon complex. To make up for his missing inches, toy-maker Takatoku went overboard with the rest of the design. Almost everything is molded plastic rather than stickers, on the front and the back. Plus, he's covered with pre-applied accent stickers and a whole sheet more than you can decide to stick or not stick depending on your stickability. He's got 10 rocket launchers on his legs and two firing fists, and if that's not enough, he's got a huge sword too!

One thing that I can't get over is that, rather than just using a simple button to launch the fists, Takatoku molded the trigger into the shape of a little laser gun. That way it has just as much design functionality as anything else, and when you do want to trigger the action, a quick tap sends the fists a-flyin'! Don't let the size of this guy fool you: he's the real deal.

[NOTE FROM MATT: In spite of his short stature (as far as I'm concerned, size DOES matter when it comes to Jumbos), I was totally blown away by this guy. From the chromed "X" that's screwed smack-dab in the center of his face to the missile-batteries adorning his legs, Big Dai X has "badass" written all over him. I've always been a big fan of Takatoku's stuff because of their insane attention to detail, but this guy takes the cake. And it's no particular surprise, as the design has an incredible pedigree. Although it doesn't really look it, the robot was designed by Go Nagai, the same guy responsible for creating Mazinger, Great Mazinger, all of the Getta Robos, Geag, and countless other classic giant-robot creations.

British readers may remember this character from their childhood, as the horribly puppet-animated series it came from aired in England as well as Japan. The show might have blown, but the ROBOT sure as hell didn't, and hey, that's all that really matters, isn't it?]

Sean Bonner