Bandai Soul of Chogokin GX-71 Voltron

After getting the Toynami 30th Anniversary diecast Voltron back in 2014, I was pretty disappointed in its lack of quality. But at the time, it was pretty much the best Lion Voltron around in the classic 80s cartoon style.

But then in 2016, the Bandai Soul of Chogokin Voltron was finally announced, and I was told that no company does diecast robots better than Bandai! And I'm glad I put my faith in those collectors advising me, because this new SoC Voltron is so much better it's not even a fair comparison! This is now the definitive Lion Voltron, and will likely remains so for quite a number of years!

Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel :)

Since I got mine from Big Bad Toy Store out of the USA, the box comes with an extra outer slip cover that has the Voltron emblem and additional text in English. The actual box itself has the traditional Japanese writing and artwork.

The lions out of the box look fantastic, and the overall improvement in quality over the Toynami is immediately obvious. The ratchets in the legs feel so nice to move, with no weakness or marred chroming. The main body parts of plastic with a metallic finish, but it's abundantly clear this is a toy designed with diecast components where they're needed for strength and stability.

The Toynami made the fatal mistake of upgrading a toy designed for plastic with a lot of diecast weight, resulting in weak plastic joints and heavy bodies. For this SoC version, all the joints and key areas of articulation are all diecast, and the design simply works to perfection!

The stand to house all the weapons is a nice touch, and everything simply clicks together. The design of the lions is awesome, and each can articulate in lion mode to actually pose in the crouching/sitting position. The Toynami had legs that were loose and not stable, whereas the SoC has incredible ball joints and hinges that help with very natural lion poses. Even the feet have ankle and swivel articulation!

Forming the main robot is pretty simple, and nothing feels fragile at all. Even with the legs in place, the weight can be supported by the waist joints so that the legs do not clang together like previous Toynami versions! It is just so well built!

The mechanism to connect and disconnect the limbs is robust, and won't appear to damage to loosen the figure over time. Every little facet about unpegging or pressing a button to release a limb is just well thought out.

The overall proportions of the body are much more cartoon accurate than the Toynami. The torso is much wider, and the thighs have a better width to give the figure bulk and presence on display. Rotating the leg and should joints feels nice and sturdy too, and they hold their poses.

Now I just hope Bandai get the license to make a Vehicle Voltron too! The one I have is the old Miracle Productions MA-01 version. I was lucky to get a later version that had many of the QC issues fixed. But if Bandai are able to make one in the Soul of Chogokin line, there is no doubt in my mind that they would build it to be far superior. If you're a fan of Voltron, do NOT hesitate to get this new SoC Lion Voltron figure. It's a figure built to last for another 30 years! Love it! :)