and do you still have it?

Me:

vinyl:

Ultraman figure: 1981

diecast:

'Mr 8' :1981

tin: some random Diamond k robot from the late 60's: 1979

I sold the robot years ago but still have the ultraman and the mr 8.

It was vinyl Rodan and Godzilla, late 70's I think? Do not have any longer.

'Mr 8' :1981

Does he look Robocon-ish with red and white? If so it's Hach-chan. Great figure.

Mine would be some the "Godzilla's Gang" vinyls (Ultraman baddies), and various stuff from the TRU "robot" aisle, back in the day (Prawres Sanshiro vinyls, little diecast Dougrams, etc). The first toy in a Japanese box would have been a Kamen Rider Black diecast back in '86. Still have most, worse for wear of course. Ah, memories...

3" Dragun Getter in the late 70s...That and a bunch of Micromen too..

yeah he splits open and can drive himself around.

As a kid, I always wanted one of the Jumbo Machinder/Shogun Warriors, but moms didn't bite. Something about firing fists being dangerous...

silly woman

Yep, that's 8-chan. My first chogokin, too:

http://www.toyboxdx.com/popy/popy_data/gb/gb62.htm

Not counting Micronauts that were bought for me when I was a kid, the first Japanese toy that I bought for myself was a bootleg of a Takatoku 1/100 Valkyrie. For some reason it had a Sasuraiger rifle instead of the regular one. I bought it some time in the fall of 1988 at Heroes World in Morristown, NJ. I remember that so clearly because it was right after I started driving, and the store was only a few blocks away from where I live now.

After that, many legitimate toys followed, mostly Macross and VOTOMS stuff. I still have the 1/24 Scopedog I bought at Winner's Models for $20.

First Chogokin purchased, 8-chan, as mentioned above, acquired in my own living room at the first Toybox DX Chogokin Summit, December 13, 1998. Still have that one.

First vinyls are hard to peg down. Around 1998 I was given a vinyl Dunbine, and that person got it at Spencer Gifts in the 80s. Still have that one. My first vinyl purchased was probably a Godzilla 2000 figure some time at the end of 1999.

(Yes, I have a hard time forgetting things.)

first diecast purchased by me: SOC "gucci" Mazinga Z in '96 or 7 - and I do still have it, of course.

first vinyl would have to be a Bandai Gun-Q purchased around '97 or 8

I prolly woulda gotten into the genre earlier had they been more prevalent in my childhood but Colorado in the 70's was not particularly progressive when it came to Japanese entertainment properties.

The only Japanese toy I ever owned as a kid was a Shogun Warriors version of the Popy DX Gaiking.

In the '70s, a Japanese neighbor gave me a die-cast Popy Gaiking.

Yes, I still have it.

I was real lucky because there was a store in Austin called Atomic City that started importing EVERYTHING in about 1981 or so. We had our own little scene there with like 6 people in it...James Prince Hughes, Tim from the Big Boys,Chad,Lindsey.Me, the Zorlac Guy. that Storm dude...Hensley remembers.... etc. It was a fun tme.

we had it good..although the stuff was super-expensive, but not as expensive as Kimono My House was.

Atomic City ruled! I remember well...

I've still got a dozen or so toys that I remember buying at Atomic City.

"Those were the days..." - sung in a voice like Archie Bunker's wife.

I never made it to Austin, but I made a couple of trips to Third Planet in Houston. It was a gold mine back in the 80s. Did you guys ever go there?

it was a golden time.

I sold most of my collection in 91 to finance my move out west.

sure wish I had all that diecast now.

I can't remember my first JP Vinyl because they were all used as tub toys and are long gone.

My first die-cast was a Mazinger at or around 1979. I still have it too.

Die cast Voltez 5. That shit weighed a ton. Couldn't go back to regular toys after that. circa 78 I believe. I still have the torso somewhere. The only thing left out of all the pieces. That cartoon opened a new chapter in my life.
This is not counting micronauts and Shogun prior. That Voltez 5 toy had no American writing on the box. Everything was in Japanese.

A bullmark Gigan, I still have it and the box, fired missles, had a giant buzzsaw it it's chest that came out, I remeber it was 10 bucks, went back later for a green metal Godzilla, that the chest opened and a tank and plane were inside and a strange tellscoping thing, it also shot missles. My favorite thing about both is that the mouths opened when you turn the heads.

I bought a Denys Fisher 8" Cyborg figure; licensed from Takara; uses the shonen cyborg mold, but with an adult outer head and a smaller replica of the 12" Henshin inner chest machinery. This was bought in 1975 for Two pounds and twenty pence.

I still have it, proudly displayed, and I also have the box. The box would be mint, but my mum decided to use sellotape (ala Scotch Tape) to tape the ends firmly shut. Can't complain, because they kept em for me while I was at Uni, and moving houses a lot.

Shortly after that I bought MUTON, who became my friend, and who I also have currently displayed, with all accessories and box.

Gaggle of Bullmark Ultra 7 vinyls - Eleking, Metron, Micras, Icarus, Ultra 7, etc......purchased when I was in Hawaii for an extended vacay (lived there for 4 months).

Had them up until 2000 when my car went tits and I had to sell them quickly to get a down payment on a new one. Flynn got them.

Ahhhhh....Muton is a character......I just always thought you liked DNA.

a thread ball

Check it:

http://www.vortx-productions.co.uk/ACM.html

A Takara R2D2. The quality kicked America's butt and made me go chogokin for awhile!

Ike

GODZILLA, can't remember by what Co. though. But I loved it ! So much,where are you now - sob

Thanks Lash! I went to check out Carl's collection when it was at Meltdown and didn't know what the heck I was looking at. Pretty sweet stuff.