Superchange B-Robo Kabutack DX Set Gallery – Toku Toy Box Entry

We're back with another vintage release from a classic toku series near and dear to my heart. We're turning the clock back to 1997-1998 with B-Robo Kabutack and the toy of it's titular hero, the Superchange Kabutack DX Set!

For a little overview, B-Robo Kabutack was the 2nd to last entry in the Metal Heroes franchise, succeeded the following year by Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack. The story goes that the good/mad scientist Dr Koenji discovered that 13 Star Pieces had been hidden on earth in ancient times. And like a certain manga/anime with a similar number of items to collect, once all were gathered then any wish could be granted. Dr Koenji then created the B-Robos in order to search for these Star Pieces. Our primary hero Kabutack being one of them. Kabutack and his allies like Tobimasky, Tentorina, Kuwajiro and more would face off against those B-Robos that never finished their programming to act properly. These evil B-Robos such as Sharkler, Cobrander, & Spidon would generally terrorize the public while also searching for the Star Pieces for their own personal gain.

While the show can be primarily thought of as one aimed at young children, it's not without it's proper toku merits. This show much like the following years' B-Robo Kabutack serves as a spiritual successor to the now long defunct series of Toei Fushigi Comedies from the late 80's-90's like Robot 8-Chan, Batten Robomaru, or Morimori Bokkun. These examples all featured comedic robots with human allies in various fun situations. Robotack & Kabutack did as well but also came with much more complex toy lines as well as more modern production values. As Metal Heroes these shows do have a bit more of that proper show feel to them with a more refined evolving plot. Kabutack actually even had a crossover film team-up that far predates the now annual Rider/Sentai Taisens. In it he teams up with his predecessors Blue Beet & B-Fighter Kabuto!


B-Robo Kabutack ran from 1997-1998 and features an absolutely excellent gimmick for it's toy line, though the following year would see an even better one for Robotack. Kabutack's toy line focused on the Superchange gimmick. Each figure would have a base "Normal Mode". A sort of child like innocent animal themed robot. And while each figure's Superchange was executed differently, by way of numerous hidden collapsed joints and inverting of the figures body parts, they all also had unique Super Modes! Read on below to see just what to expect from these toys. If you enjoy this gallery and would like to see more please let us know, I'd be happy to do an entire series of galleries for Kabutack.

Packaging
Now as a deluxe release the Kabutack DX Set is a bit different from the rest of the line. Most of the figures come in slim style boxes that don't really take up much space. But Kabutack comes with some armor upgrades we'll get into below. As such his box is nearly 4 times the size of a normal release! Kabutack as well as the 2 armors could also be purchased individually, and on the secondary market today either version of these releases is quite easy to find.

The entire set comes packed in one giant styrofoam tray with a small plastic insert over the top half. Kabutack comes pre-packed in his Super Mode while the 2 armor sets come completely broken down into their base components. Each of these 3 figures also comes with it's own unique label sheet, though I've yet to use any of them. I don't terribly enjoy applying vintage labels only for them to peel off at a later date. I'd like to have some professional repros made of these to use one day.

We'll split the actual toy review portion into the 3 main components of the set seeing as there are so many parts involved rather than proper accessories.

Kabutack
We'll begin with Kabutack himself, and for the sake of fluidity in the review I'm going to start with him in his Normal Mode. As you can see below Kabutack Normal Mode is a short squat wide stanced Kabuto Beetle! Obviously not the first or last Toku hero to have this specific beetle theme, Kabutack is the only one to literally be one of them. In this form he channels the Fushigi Comedy franchise most with his wide stance and large almost anime style eyes. The torso & forerams are primarily diecast metal while the rest of the figure is plastic, but it gives him a nice hefty feel befitting of the Chogokin label on his box. In this form Kabutack doesn't have much in the way of arm articulation aside from some pretty high up elbows and fantastic shoulders. His legs however have a number of joints in them. All 4 appendages can basically make use of transformation joints to pose. You see Kabutack normals' arms become Supers' legs and vice verse for the legs & arms. Each mode benefits from this differently. In Normal Mode the legs can be manipulated into a number of poses.

To transform him into Kabutack Super Mode you need to first remove his helmet. In show it would transform into a weapon for his Super Mode called the Shock Stick. An item which is included with this set. Clearly there was just no way at all to engineer the figure to be capable of doing that so they've included both and you simply set the helmet off to the side for Super Mode. (alternatively some use it as a shield for this figure) You'll then rotate the arms up completely vertically and pull out the sliding knee like joint which greatly increases their length. Normal modes fists/forearms can then be rotated down flat revealing that they were actually sizable die-cast feet for Super Mode! Now completely flip the figure over to stand on his new feet. In the process of this a sliding diecast plate will cover up the face of Normal Mode while visually extending the torso down.

Next up the new arms (normal modes legs) need to be rotated down into proper shoulder position. You'll note that these also have a sliding extending joint in the middle that doubles as an elbow. The foot pads themselves also flip up revealing Super Modes fists. Then simply rotate the arm around at the elbow for the completed look. Lastly the entire back panel of the figure folds out and down revealing the compartment where the Super Mode head was stored. Flip it out and plug the head back on to finish Kabutack Super Mode! In this form Kabutack is a bit taller, definitely more imposing, and obviously much more heroic looking. While the legs don't have a good range of movement, mostly because they forward moving hips, you can still achieve some semi-decent poses thanks to his large/heavy feet. The arms of course benefit from the fantastic transformation joints built into them so you can get a lot from them. The head is also on a rotational joint to give it some side to side motion. This is by far the better of his 2 standard forms but the transformation is just so fun that I really love either. With the Shock Stick in hand our hero just looks fantastic. He also fits in quite well with S.H. Figuarts & other similarly sized toy lines. Oddly an S.H. Figuarts Kabutack Super Mode was actually shown off at Tamashii Nations 2014, though the figure has never been seen since I still hold out hope for his release. For now though this vintage one more than does the job.

Drillut Parts
The Drillut Parts are components that can be used one of three ways. Before combining these parts a small chrome parts sprue is included that you'll need to snip some pieces off of and plug onto a small square section to simulate canisters. Once you've done that you can begin to assemble the components into their Drillut mode. On it's own this little vehicle has fairly nice free rolling wheels and a dial on the back of the drill that can spin the antenna on top. However it also has THREE combined forms with Kabutack.

Drillut Kabutack(Normal Mode) can be achieved by sliding his feet into the small wheeled portions pictured below. The other 2 wheeled sections that were previously plugged into these for Drillut mode are then plugged into his hands pointing vertically with the handle on the low end. A small circular indentation should line them up exactly where they need to be. Plug the small backpack you snipped the chrome pieces off for onto his back tab, then remove his helmet as you would for Super Mode. The new Drillut helmet will then plug on in it's place. The finished look is actually quite nice as the additional smattering of yellow offsets that bright red. Though it does look a little silly to have wheels on Kabutacks forearms. You have access to all the same basic articulation as Normal Mode just with some sweet construction themed armor. In this form Kabutack can also achieve a Drillut "vehicle mode" that has no proper name. Simply lay Kabutack over on his belly while folding the ankles completely forward. This puts all of his wheels on the ground. Then take his backpack and peg it into the exposed fists in the ankles to sort of lock them together and give the vehicle more stability. It's an odd look for sure but I kind of love it.

Drillut Kabutack (Super Mode) is a bit different. There's no vehicle mode in play here but astonishingly the parts are assembled almost exactly the same. In fact you can transform Kabutack from Normal to Super mode WITH the Drillut parts attached (aside from the helmet)! The only differences are the backpack, which needs to be flipped around to match up with the position the back tab is in now that the figure has flipped over. And the helmet now becomes a handheld Drill weapon. While the Drillut parts don't look nearly as good on Super Mode as they did on Normal Mode, they still bulk up his silhouette nicely.

Zabut Parts
Much like the above Drillut components the Zabut Parts are components that can be used one of three ways. Before combining these parts a small and almost rubbery gray parts sprue is included that you'll need to snip some pieces off of and plug onto the helmet. These add fins and a a rebreather like attachment to it. Once you've done that you can begin to assemble the components into their Zabut mode. On it's own this little Submarine isn't nearly as nice as Drillut. No wheels to roll on here and the figure is actually very hollow based on the way it's constructed. There's just a huge hole in the midsection. It does however have a firing torpedo launcher inside the helmet (2 torpedos are included. However it also has THREE combined forms with Kabutack.

Zabut Kabutack (Normal Mode) is incredibly similar to Drillut. When you disassemble the Zabut sub take the flippers and plug them onto his feet. These give him much more surface contact and improve his balance The rear engine sections that were attached to the flippers become massive gloves with claw like fingers, now these look fantastically better than the Drillut parts. Lastly attach the backpack & take the helmet off as before to attach the Zabut Helmet. Now you have a scuba themed beetle! This form honestly looks much better on normal mode than Drillut. The added bulk to the arms gives him a much more imposing look. And as I said he now has great balance. As with Drillut there is also a Zabut "vehicle mode". You can even achieve it the same way, just lay him down flat, bend the ankles, and attach the backpack into the fists to secure the legs. This form looks about the same as the Drillut vehicle in all honesty, maybe a bit worse. But the vehicle forms really just aren't my thing.

Zabut Kabutack (Super Mode) is a bit different. There's no vehicle mode and as with Drillut Super Mode the parts are assembled almost exactly the same. You can still transform Kabutack from Normal to Super mode WITH the Zabut parts attached (aside from the helmet)! For this one the original giant gauntlets instead become clawed foot extensions that look very badass on Kabutack. The flippers hang off his elbows, and the back needs to be moved up to it's new position. And the helmet now becomes a handheld Torpedo Launcher. In the case of this armor set the Zabut parts look great in all 3 modes, but by far the best in Normal Mode.

Final Thoughts
The toyline of B-Robo Kabutack has been a favorite of mine for years. While the following years Robotack toyline was engineered in a far more impressive manner in my opinion, Kabutack's Superchange line is not without it's merrits. If at any point you have the ability to buy any of these figures I highly recommend them. While Kabutack figures are not incredibly expensive they can sometimes be difficult to track down in new/unused condition. Do yourself a favor and give these a shot some time. For now it's the only way to represent these toku classics in your collection.

If you enjoyed this gallery please let us know in the comments below! I'd be more than happy to share my galleries & reviews of the rest of the line if so! We'll be back very soon with another gallery that'll be the perfect follow up to this one, something from Kabutack's successor; Tetsuwan Tantei Robotack!

Part 2!

Drillut armor & Drillut Kabutack!

Part 3!

Zabut armor & Zabut Kabutack!

These are fucking awesome!!! Did they make transforming toys of the Snake, Bee, and whatever that purple thing is?

That is just... weird but I need it xD

Fantastic stuff! Glad to see these guys aren't so obscure anymore...and they definitely deserve Ranger Keys (though I'm not sure how they'd do it exactly).

That pretty much sums up the show perfectly.

Kabutack certainly is a adorable little toy and his transformation and armor features add up to a worthwhile purchase to any fan wanting a fun toy.

Also it's a great reminder of when crossovers were fun and not just a thing to be done for money *cough Taisen series cough*

I find it really cool that this guy starts off as this cute happy robot and then gets a battle mode. I also like how those armor pieces can go with both modes, it really gives this toy a lot more play value.

I've always been curious about B-Robo Kabutak, I find it even more awesome that he crossed over with Blue Beet and B-Fighter Kabuto.

I'd heard of these before but never seen them in such great detail. Definitely gets my combination love going.