Bandai Soul of Chogokin GX-88 Dairugger XV Vehicle Force Voltron

Back in 2013 I got the Miracle Productions MA-01 Vehicle Force Voltron. That was perhaps the best representation of the character in diecast form for many years. Unfortunately the release was plagued with quality issues (albeit mine were minimised since I had the subsequent version that had some QC issues fixed from the very initial released version).

Then of course Bandai released the Soul of Chogokin GX-71 GoLion (Lion Force Voltron) in 2017, which showed how amazing they are in making diecast metal robots! Every fan was praying for them to also make the Dairugger XV Vehicle Force Voltron. It took them over 2 years to get there, but this GX-88 Dairugger XV is a phenomenal figure, and really does blow the Miracle Productions version out of the water.

Click through below to watch my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can give the video a thumbs up, and also subscribe to the channel!

Just like the GX-71 GoLion, this set is beautifully packaged, with gorgeous box art and all the accessories you'd want to have with this figure! The display stand with the accessories is again a nice touch, but I just don't have the space to display it. So both the stands and most accessories for this GX-88 and the previous GX-71 are back in the box.

The chroming on all the relevant accessories is very nicely done. It's all very clean with little to no sprue marks that I could see. The array of hands suits all the poses and fits the applicable accessories nicely.

The Ground Team (Land Division) comes together nicely. The overall assembling experience across all the teams is far more enjoyable with this GX-88 than with the MA-01 version. I never felt like I had to struggle and use excessive force to peg or connect components together. The design of the features to assemble the teams is far more intuitive and easy.

The only thing I don't particularly like about the Ground Team components is the large front bumper on the cars. It's definitely more noticeble when they are separate components, but become less noticeable when fully assembled into Voltron. Since that's the way in which I'll be displaying the set in my collection, I'm overall OK with it.

The Sea Team (Sea Division) are also nicely done. I love the chromed pieces that can be attached to the vehicles to give that extra bit of detail, and then removed for the full Voltron mode. The metallic blue is a beautiful shade, and the overall paint application is sharp with no colour bleed. Again, the way in which the components come together is much cleaner and simpler than with the MA-01 version.

The Air Team (Air Division) look great too. The helicopters are painted more accurate to the cartoon than the MA-01 version, and the pieces come together nicely. The only aspect of the MA-01 version I prefer is the magnetic base to the Falcon Jet Fighter. The use of magnets makes the connection to the chest piece much easier. There were a couple of times where the clips on this version made me feel like I was just about to snap something trying to get it off.

Whatever material they've used is pretty strong, so I haven't had any issues. But a simpler mechanism would've been much better. But at least the head piece is a huge improvement.

 The experience to form Voltron is very enjoyable, with simple clicks and pushes to get everything solidly assembled. I didn't have to break out in a sweat, swear, or hurt my fingers like I did with the MA-01 version!

The articulation and stability of this GX-88 is also amazing. Bandai really does know how to use diecast in all the best strategic places. This maxmises strength and stability in the figure, such as the hips and ankles.

Getting this into some heroic and quite dynamic poses is a joy, and it holds up beautifully next to the GoLion. I'm so happy that this can even get both hands together to hold the sword in front.

My favourite part of the articulartion would have to be the hips, where there is strength to allow some wide poses and more natural stances. The ankle articulation allows the feet to be flat in most poses to help with stability.

Posed next to GX-71 GoLion, you can't help but think that these two sets really are the definitive versions of the two Voltrons every released. They scale quite well together, and the quality of both sets is visible to anyone that sees them.

These two will be proud additions to my collection, and won't ever be leaving it! I still remember all those Saturday mornings and afternoons after school watching classic 80s cartoons, and the Voltron series were among my favourite. It makes me so happy that Bandai have released such high quality versions of these two that I'll be able to enjoy for many years to come!