Japanese toy manufacturer and distributor Bandai is probably best known for its model kits from the Mobile Suit Gundam series, although it’s no stranger to having crossovers with major icons or franchises. Now, the company is tackling its most ambitious projects yet, featuring one of the most iconic figures in the world: Mickey Mouse.
Feast your eyes on the Chogokin Henshinkei Mickey Mouse, a transforming mecha designed by none other than Kunio Okawara, the mind behind the iconic RX-78-2 Gundam from the original 1979 anime television series, Mobile Suit Gundam.
As part of Bandai’s sub-brand Tamashii Nation’s Chogokin (Super Alloy) toy line, the figure features shiny metallic plating and accents, giving it a premium, awe-inspiring look, and would definitely serve as an eye-catcher among any collection — despite its short stature, standing only 12.5cm tall.
When designing such a figure, especially one based on a beloved character, much thought would have certainly been put into ensuring its Mickey Mouse form stays as true to the original character as possible. “Because there are many Mickey Mouse fans all over the world, I didn’t want to mess with his visual design. From the front, I kept him looking as close to his original appearance as I could, and I got really excited thinking of ways for him to transform” Okawara explained via a video explainer and interview, which is shown below:
By utilising a 180-degree rotation during the transformation process, Okawara cleverly ensured that the figure could maintain Mickey’s cartoonish proportions while also balancing the familiar anime physique of its mecha form. Alas, the figure isn’t perfect, with Mickey’s entire face and hands hanging off the robot form’s back kibble, but the fact that he made such a crossover is still a respectable feat of engineering.
This, of course, isn’t the first time a company has attempted crossovers with an iconic franchise, with Hasbro’s Transformers line recently featuring mashups of its own such as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Transformers Party Wallop and Knight Rider x Transformers Autobot Agent Knight. Bandai also has its own string of crossovers in the past, such as the nightmarishly hilarious S.J.H.U PROJECT Shin Universe Robo.
The Chogokin Henshinkei Mickey Mouse is priced at 16,500 yen (US$110) with pre-orders starting soon. Check out more information via the Tamashii Web.
Kevin is a reformed PC Master Race gamer with a penchant for franchise “duds” like Darksiders III and Dead Space 3. He has made it his life-long mission to play every single major game release – lest his wallet dies trying.
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