HEROES COSTUMES

If you hadn't noticed, I moved Lion Maru to this new page called Heroes Costumes.  I had to create additional pages for these Cyborg Double-Nine figures since I've rekindled an old interest in collecting Henshin Cyborgs.

Since I started getting back into this line of action-figures and the fact that there are only six costumes in this line up, (although there are other costumes for NHC & Shonen Cyborg such as Peyton's Place for Men (PPFM) exclusives, Satake, Dr. Kenichi Katagai, Kengo in Safari Outfit) I decided to show a few photos of these cool costumes.

There are two versions of Hero Costumes; ST & DX.  The ST version indicates the Standard version which is a costume that is packaged without a Cyborg99 figure.  The DX indicates the Deluxe version and is packaged with a Cyborg99 figure and usually a variation of painted/extra parts of some sort.  The price point also varies; ST retails for ¥4,900 and DX retails for ¥9,000.

KIKAKETSU (Swift Hero) LION MARU

I finally got my hands on one of Takara's Cyborg99 costumes as of 9 September, 2002 which retailed for ¥4,900.  Lion Maru's costume has a set of gloves, boots, jumpsuit, cape, samurai sword, chest armor, and head attachment.

Several costumes were created by Takara for the Cyborg99 line and represent the 60's-70's Live Action Heroes of Japan.  There are a total of 6 costumes that were released from June to November 1999 and are listed below.

   ● Kikaketsu (Swift Hero) Lion Maru
   ● Tetsujin (Ironman) Tiger 7
   ● Denjin (Electroid) Zaborga
   ● Spectreman
   ● Dr. Gori
   ● Thunder Mask

This is an excellent costume with nice details.  Hopefully I can find the others at a good price :P

This is the ST version (costume only) and the DX version includes the Cyborg 99 figure plus an extra left fist.

TETSUJIN (Ironman) TIGER 7

The second costume I now own is Tetsujin Tiger 7 (ST Version) which I won from eBay in February 2009.

Tiger 7's set included a pair of fists, 1 left 'karate chop' hand, boots, jumpsuit, belt, scarf, and head attachment.

The ST version has two pairs of gloves (fists) with an extra left-handed 'karate chop' hand.  The DX version also includes a right-handed Black 'karate chop' hand.

Since I haven't been purchasing the DX versions of any of these Heroes Costumes (except for Spectreman), I'll end up  spending some extra money on more Cyborg99 figures so that they can be displayed.  The only problem is that there aren't too many loose or stand alone Cyborg99 figures up on eBay.

DENJIN (Electroid) ZABORGER

The third costume I was able to purchase in February 2009 was Denjin Zaborger (ST Version) from Anime Jungle.

The ST version only came with one pair of gloves whereas the DX version came with a pair of fists and a pair of open hands.

SPECTREMAN

Spectreman DX is my first Cyborg 99 Deluxe figure that I've added to my collection of Heroes Costumes (5th in a series of 6).  I won this figure on eBay as of March 2009. 

The ST version has Blue eyes whereas the DX version has Brown.  This set includes a vinyl chest plate, mask, gloves, shorts, and boots, in addition to the gold suit.

The DX version has a Gunmetal Cyborg 99 body that includes two pairs of hands, a pair of feet, and head.

A special thanks goes out to Kenzou Niwa of MOJA Q-te (NAKANO) Vintage Toy Store in Kawasaki, Japan, for getting this gem to me in one piece!

DR. GORI

The sixth costume I now own is Dr. Gori (ST Version).  I won this figure on eBay in March 2009.

Dr. Gori is Spectreman's arch nemesis.  Even though I haven't seen any episodes of Spectreman's live-action TV show, this set wouldn't be complete without an evil space ape in a Purple suit!

I haven't found any information online identifying any additional accessories that separate the DX from the ST version, but I'll keep looking.

Dr. Gori comes with a Purple suit, two pairs of hands (hands to be placed on hips, right hand with finger extended, and left fist), and a pair of black boots.

THUNDER MASK

The fourth costume I was able to get my hands on is Thunder Mask (ST Version).

So here's the story...I recall visiting Dr. Toungue's Toys website featuring a couple of costumes up for sale (many moons ago), so I fired up the old PC and pulled up the bookmarked page.  This led me directly to the costumes.  I added them to the cart and checked out. 

The transaction went through and then led me to another page indicating that the website was shutting down.  I immediately e-mailed Mark Pedersen, and even though he recently posted that the online site was shutting down, he reassured me that this was the last online order he was accepting.  That made my day...so I have to give a special thanks to Mark for taking my money :)

The ST version has two pairs of gloves (fists & 'karate chop'), whereas the DX version also included Silver w/ Red gloves.

Now that I have all 6 Cyborg Double Nine Heroes Costumes, I may try to acquire the DX versions or maybe I'll keep searching for the hard to find exclusives such as Satake, Dr. Kenishi Katagai, and so on.  There aren't too many US web sites or collectors that have the exclusives so I may have to lean towards Yahoo Auctions Japan.  That means I'll need to find a contact to do the bidding for me.  I've ordered through Masato Shono of Shono Planning when I lived in Japan, and I know he provides a service as the middle man for this type of situation.  So that may be something I'll do in the near future.  Stay tuned!