A LION MARU clue
Stumbled across this image on another site and recognized it right away! Devotees of the Toys & Statues category of VN might remember the below post from a few years ago. I’ve had this piece for decades now but this … Continued
In LION MARU news…
Medicom has released two new sofubi of Kaiketsu Lion Maru and Tiger Joe, designed by Bear Model. Not in love with these myself, as they are a bit too detailed and modern in their sculpts. Sofubi are supposed to look like … Continued
LION MARU knockoff?
About fifteen years ago now, I purchased a small collection of Bullmark Tiger Mask vinyl figures (like these) at a toy show in Ohio. Erroneously in that batch was this 13″ Kaiketsu Lion Maru figure, vintage early 70’s. It has … Continued
Ishihara Gojin’s weird Lion Maru
Pink Tentacle has a terrific series of images from profound illustrator Ishihara Gōjin, including these pages from a Kaiketsu Lion Maru ‘sonosheet’ book: Otherwise known as ‘Gekko Hayashi,’ Gojin’s paintings and illustrations range from kids superhero and sci-fi books to … Continued
Tiger Joe PVC
I’m of two minds about the classic Kaiketsu Lion Maru tokusatsu series. I basically love everything about it… except for the heroes. The character designs of the lead and his rival Tiger Joe sort of creep me out. Tiger I … Continued
Henshin menkos
Scored a few more menko cards, these feature some surprisingly ON-model art and photo collage work.
DOKURO NINJA in vinyl
Kaiketsu Lion Maru‘s simple skull-masked ‘shockers’ were absolutely awesome, and I believe for the first time there’s a licensed action figure representing them! This 5″ vinyl boutique figure is from RealxHead / Fewture Models. Jointed arms, rotating hands and head, … Continued
Skull shinobi and Saori’s shorts in LION MARU (part 2)
Yesterday we looked at the early 70’s TV sword-girl standout Saori – whose taut legs and exposed athletic thighs were obviously secondary concerns to her self-accomplished heroism, kick-ass attitude in a man’s world, and defiance to the salacious agendas of … Continued
Skull shinobi and Saori’s shorts in LION MARU (part 1)
As a post Halloween bonus, we’re going to honor the Latin world’s Dia de los Muertos with a look at some skull-masked shinobi. MONSTERS AND MASKS month has been sadly bereft of our beloved Sword Girls, too, so we’ll wrap … Continued
Coming soon: Watari and Watari…
Somehow, it’s the last week of October… Time flies when you’re running around in an Oni mask like a maniac. Actually, some mid-month travel put a dent in what I wanted to be a more prolific output for MONSTERS AND … Continued