The Rave Corner: Bandai: Dino-Tank Figure Review

Hello everyone,

For my first post and also as a first test (I'm new to blogging), I thought I'd talk about one of the most unique figures in my collection: Dinosaur-Tank or Dino-Tank for short.

Dino-Tank

Dino-Tank is a monster that starred in from what I was told one of (if not the greatest) Ultraman Series made, "Ultra Seven." This series was once featured on TNT around the 70's, but unfortunately I was born in the 80's. I'm a fan of Godzilla movies since I was very young, so anything in the Ultra Series is new to me. However, I'd like to learn more and watch some shows especially Ultra Seven. I bought this figure because I think dinosaurs are cool and he has an armored tank (also cool) for legs.

First, I'd like to share some background about this monster and feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. This guy made an appearance in Episode 28, "Drive Swiftly Along 700 Kilometers." The title on TNT was, "Death on Wheels." From what I understand, Dino-Tank is a biological weapon that Kiru Seijin created. His sole purpose is to defeat the Ultra Garrison. He was first used to destroy a top secret chemical drum in the middle of a testing ground and a jumbo jet, which was thought to be piloted by one of the Ultra Garrison's fighters. This and another incident at a race track caused a battle between the good and bad forces. After most of the Kiru Seijin was destroyed, the Ultra Garrison waited at the plant that contained the secret chemical to guard it from Dino-Tank. The monster emerged from a small mountain to attack, but was defeated by Ultraseven.

The monster is 196 ft long and weighs 70,000 tons. Really?! How did Kiru Seijin manage to build a heavily-armored tank at least 3 times the size of a normal tank to support this huge monster? This is alien technology at it's finest well....at least in the 60's! His weapons include eye lasers, 3 howitzer cannons mounted on the front, and a bomb that ejects from the mouth as a last resort. He also uses his tail to bash opponents.

The figure looks great. I especially love the look of his armored tank. The howitzer cannons are there, as well as the metal plates on the dino's thigh. This toy seems to be the original version, which is colored brown with gold and silver highlights. The reissue is more of a grey/greenish color. Tank dreads to not roll because they are sculpted into the vinyl. The eyes, teeth, and claws are painted white. Dino-tank is made out of soft vinyl, but the tank is hard vinyl. There is limited articulation in the arms because the tank is in the way. There is limited rotation of the torso because of his tail. You can however, move the arms and torso to form Dino-Tank into the, "Hey what's happenin'," pose.

Overall, this figure is awesome despite the limited articulation. If you're an Ultra Seven/Kaiju fan or think that dinosaurs and/or tanks are cool, I would recommend him. If you like none of those things, you probably think that this is a waste of money.

As a bonus: watch Dino-Tank in action!