TOP TEN ROBOTS: #10....Panda-Z Review

Panda-Z is an idea of sheer genius. The charismatic design of the Panda-Z characters has such a broad level of appeal that if Panda-Z had been handled correctly in the multi-media realm, I have no doubt that Panda-Z could have been a household name much like Scooby Doo or Mickey Mouse. But as it is, Panda-Z disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

Being a play off of the Go Nagai family of robot creations (most prominently being Mazinger) Panda-Z hits the mark perfectly. The Panda Bear robot and pilot is so irresistably cute with just enough cool it's no surprise that Megahouse was able to sell millions of dollars of Panda-Z merchandise almost overnight.

Part of this barrage of merchandise included the excellent chogokin version of Panda-Z. The attention to detail in sculpt, paint and gimmicks are all right up to par. With substantial metal content, spring loaded fists, a removable pilot, and the magnetic jet scrander backpack make it not only fun and cute, but a legitimate chogokin to boot. The size is roughly 5-6 inches. While not exactly huge, its big enough to give presence but also keeping him "cute" too. Normally being cute wouldn't be a plus with robot figures, but with Panda-Z it really works in the best possible way.

The articulation is only about seven points, but this actually helps give Panda-Z the old school look it's shooting for. In fact Megahouse later made a plastic Panda-Z with at least twice as much articulation as the Chogokin figure, and this highly articulated version looks strangely athletic and too dynamic for its old-school-cartoon-robot personality. This is the one and only instance where a figure's lack of poseability is a plus.

Every person whom I have shown my robot collection always compliments on how they like the Panda-Z figure. They might not say a thing about anything else, but without fail the Panda-Z figure grabs their attention. This hugely attests to Panda-Z's potential considering that these compliments are coming from people who don't necessarily like robots, toys, or even SF in general. Just by the merit of the design alone, I can't imagine that anyone would not like Panda-Z.

All the other Panda-Z characters have a very uniquely likable quality about them also. Even though the rest of the Panda-Z cast have only been produced in plastic figures, they are still great renditions with nice sculpts and quality paint jobs. The one place where Panda-Z has failed monstrously in achieving its potential is in the animated video shorts. For some reason Megahouse never developed this area into something lasting and memorable. The video shorts had awful music, bad animation, and boring little stories that weren't really that cute, or amusing. Basically they just came across as being cheap. And because of this lack of foresight on Megahouse's part, it's possible that Panda-Z has already faded to be nothing more than a short lived note in pop culture history. But this aside, the Panda-Z chogokin easily deserves the number ten spot in the robot figure countdown.