TAMASHII NATIONS Bandai Soul of Chogokin GX-69 Goldymarg Gao GAI Gar Action Figure

Goldymarg is a great addition to the Soul of Chogokin line, and amongst the greatest expansion packs for a toy ever made. I was surprised to find that Goldy is at least on par with, if not better than GGG in appearance and engineering.His quality rivals that of GaoGaiGar itself, with very sharp details, quality engineering, and lots of diecast metal in the legs. His transformations are a little wonkier than GGG's, but once you play around a bit it becomes very easy to switch between Marg Tank, Goldymarg, and Marg Hand forms. Each form is very nice and as accurate to the anime as possible. No partswapping is REQUIRED for any of the forms, but several larger alternate hands are included for a more accurate appearance.Of course, Marg Hand is the form he shines in the most. I would recommend only getting Goldymarg if you already have SoC GaoGaiGar, as the two combined form a very impressive display piece. Clever posing can actually allow the two to stand without support, but Goldy also comes with a special stand to allow him to connect to GGG in horizontal and vertical positions. The Goldion Hammer is about the size of a real sledge hammer, standing about 1.5 times the height of GGG itself. You may have a hard time finding somewhere to put the GGG+Goldymarg combination because it's so big!Overall amazing figure. If you have SoC GGG and are hovering your finger on the trigger, go for it. You won't be disappointed.

If you do not have the GX-68 GaoGaiGar figure, don't buy this toy; this figure's sole selling point is its combination with the aforementioned toy. Everything else falls completely flat. It's vehicle mode is boxy and uninspiring, and an uninteresting transformation turns it into a robot that is no less so. Its articulation is unimpressive, to say the least, and none of its modes hold together particularly well. So what of its combination with GaoGaiGar? It splits into two parts, a massive and unwieldy gauntlet, and an even more massive and unwieldy sledgehammer. While the gauntlet is laughable, the hammer is an hellacious hunk of hammerizing plastic, looking very impressive in the King of Braves' hands... or it would, if not for the hilariously oversized left arm. To give Bandai credit where credit is due, in addition to the impressive hammer, the molded details are sharp and well-defined, the paint is definitely applied well. It's just a shame that the figure they're attached to is so lackluster.

Goldymarg feels like a adopted step-child whose trying really hard to win you over and you can't help but feel good about his effort but then you remember he's nothing without GaoGaiGar so you just pet him with a pitiful look and then put him next to GaoGaiGar to initiate the ultimate move, GOLDIN HAMMER HELL & HEAVEN.Overpriced? Sure it is. Necessary? ABSOLUTELY.

One of the weaker of Bandai's normally outstanding SOC line. Whether you like Goldymarg will depend entirely on if you own GX-68 GaoGaiGar. The sad truth is Goldymarg is really an overpriced add on for GGG. As a stand alone robot it is severely lacking.Fit and finish wise Goldymarg is by far the most "toylike" of the SOC robots. For the most part SOC's are modernizations of classic robots. Perfect executions using top grade materials. They feel real if you will. Goldy feels more like a classic Transformers toy. It's like the difference between classic 1980's G1 Transformers and the modern adult targeted Masterpiece (MP) line. Most SOC's are like the MP's. Goldy feels like a 1980's G1. he just has a very basic and plasticy feel. Even the metal parts. he feels like an 80's toy. That may be part of his charm for some. And it plays into that Nostalgia aesthetic of the GaoGaiGar line. But standalone it is jarringly and awkwardly out of place.His three modes are stand alone robot (not that he free stands without his third leg), Bright orange tank truck and folded up to form a giant hand and Hammer Weapon for GGG. The Marg Hand.Transformation is smooth if uninspired. You can do it blindfolded. It is literally just roll up the robot. The most glaring thing is in robot mode the back of the legs are open and hollow. A virtually unforgivable sin for a SOC. This adds to the "80's toy" feel.His truck mode looks kinda good. Rolls well on plastic wheels, and is otherwise kinda bland. He is an orange wedge shaped truck thing with a giant squeaky hammer on its back.His transformed hand mode looks gorgeous, even though it needs parts swapping to achieve. It really adds to your GGG figure as a display piece. But the size, weight and awkwardness turns your wonderful GGG figure into a statue. In fact it comes with a stand just to support the Marg hand and Hammer while GaoDaiGar is attached. GGG has his arm sticking straight out with the hammer being held vertically. The but of its handle on the ground. Neutral pose. That's it. You're not gonna get any dynamic action posing out of this sucker. He also comes with some accessories such as energy nails and a nice Zonder Core to simulate GGG's hammer attack and destruction of an enemies core.This thing is great if you have GGG and use it as a display piece. It is horrid if you just have it. I got it at last years HLJ clearance sale for $90 shipped. Half MSRP. And even with that, it will be the first item in my collection I sell off. When I do bother to display him I do it over with the Transformers. He doesn't blend in at all with the die cast robots.he's a cool enough add on for GGG. But worthless as a stand alone robot for a collection. For the GGG completist only. And even then, get it on deep clearance.