On this page we’re going to discuss the different miniatures available GaoGaiGar and the overall Yuusha / Braves series to be used with the MechaStellar Wargame Rules. This post will feature Yuusha and GaoGaiGar gashapon (capsule toys) as well some other small figures that were primarily produced by the toy company Yujin. We have also included the Yuusha Retsuden collection as well.
The Yuusha or Braves series ran through the 90s and is very similar to Transformers, which Takara had previously done with the Toei animation company. The Braves series was animated by studio Sunrise best known for Gundam and other seminal works in the Mecha genre.
The Braves series started off aimed at very younger children and the first in the series was Exkizer, it then produced 8 total shows in the Braves series culminating with The King of Braves: GaoGaiGar whose audience had grown with the series and were teenagers or young adults by this point. GaoGaiGar is a beloved show by many fans of the mecha genre, featuring outstanding transformation sequences, stellar performances by voice actors and an enjoyable story where courage reigns supreme.
As the most successful in the Braves series it went on to make a lot of merchandise and still does today over 20 years later. For miniatures, many of the Braves series received some sort of gashapon figure, although GaoGaiGar are the most numerous and easy to find online.
From left to right in the front row we have the blue and red robot brothers HyoRyu and EnRyu (sometimes spelled HyouRyuu and EnRyuu) then Big Volfogg then three versions of GaoGaiGar and on the far right we have Gekiryujin (Gekiryuujin) who is the combined form of the green and yellow brothers FuuRyuu and RaiRyuu.
In the back the two figures on the left are Genesic GaoGaiGar from the OVA sequel. These were from the Yujin figure collection and like with many small scale trading figures they come in various recolors, the gold is for hyper mode, and the blue-green is the color GaoGaiGar takes when fully utilizing the G stone’s energy most frequently used to perform the Hell and Heaven attack.
Here’s another closeup. On the Right there are three Types of GaoGaiGar are featured here, one with hands apart, one with the Goldion Hammer on the right and on the left is Star GaoGaiGar with the Gatling Driver.
In addition to GaoGaiGar we have another gashapon set on display here showing Exkizer as well as BaanGaan which is from the playstation video game Brave Saga. Essentially a Super Robot Wars style game where the cast is limited to the Braves series and a few other Takara owned series.
Exkizer is in the red and white here on the right, behind him is King Exkizer a stronger form where he combines with a support vehicle. On the left is Baan in light blue and behind him is BaanGaan, a stronger form where as you guessed it he combines with another vehicle. Combining is one of the fun sequences of the Braves series and is a staple in most of the series.
Here’s what a typical gashapon box looks like, these were produced in the 90s so they are not always easy to find nowadays. GaoGaiGar however is still fairly common if you go searching for “Yujin gashapon GaoGaiGar” or something to that effect.
The Braves or Yuusha Retsuden (Shokugan) candy toy was released in 2021 in two sets of 4 featuring the main robot from each of the Braves series. They are relatively small and have an SD look to them. In the photo above they are organized by series with Exkizer, Fighbird, Da Garn, Might Gaine, J-Decker, Goldran, Fire Dagwon and lastly GaoGaiGar.
These are a nice addition to anyone who likes to collect Braves merchandise, unfortunately there was not a lot of stock. As you can see here you could originally get a set of 4 for about $30: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10740712
Nowdays you’ll be hunting for them on secondary markets and will likely play $35-70 for a set of four, although you may find some luck getting an individual one on Mercari / Buyee.
The Braves Retsuden is slightly taller than the Gundam 1/400 line which is fine since the average Gundam is around 18m while most of the Braves protagonists are between 23-30m tall. The Gashapon in general are more proportional in scale and could blend in with most 1/400 or 1/300 figures.
GaoGaiGar and a few other Braves series received a Super Minipla or SMP for short. Like Getter Robo these are around 4″ tall, and are relatively inexpensive. If you want to build a Mic Saunders brigade this is the place for you. The exception of course is the SMP for King J-Der which towers at 12″ and is sold pretty high nowadays anywhere from $150-250.
If you plan on playing with larger figures such as Gunpla or Robot Damashii then you may want to consider picking up one of the many Super Robot Chogokin of GaoGaiGar which is around 6″ (pictured above with 4″ Gundam figures) or the Soul of Chogokin at 11″. There’s also the recently released RG GaoGaiGar kit as well as one for Goldymarg the AI robot who transforms into the massive Goldion Hammer.
Summary
- The Yujin Gashapon for GaoGaiGar or the Yuusha / Braves series make for great tabletop models
- They stand 2-3″ tall
- The Braves / Yuusha Retsuden figures is more recent works just as well
- The Super Minipla (SMP) has GaoGaiGar and other Braves and stands around 4″ tall
- For larger figures go with the Super Robot Chogokin or Soul of Chogokin or RG Kit
You can find the rules for MechaStellar and the Mecha Unit Profiles for the Mazinger units on the game downloads page here.
Here are some posts showing the types of miniatures used in MechaStellar: Mazinger, Getter Robo, Gundam,
MechaStellar 