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Gagan Gun Votoms Scopedog Model Red Shoulder Custom by Takara Tomy (Part 2: Review)

Gagan Gun Votoms Scopedog Model Red Shoulder Custom by Takara Tomy – Available From HobbyLink Japan

By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii

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Following the unboxing, here is the review for the Gagan Gun Scopedog Red Shoulder Custom. This is a modified version of the classic Scopedog mecha from the early part of the VOTOMS TV series. This toy is also remote controlled and is ideally used in pairs so that you can battle away.

The Red Shoulder Custom is a modified standard Scopedog so as to give the protagonist Chirico Cuvie a bit of an edge as he takes on the corrupt Melkian police force. It’s loosely based on the same configuration used by the special forces battalion known as the Red Shoulders, something that Chirico used to be a part of.

The defining feature of the Scopedog, apart from its pragmatic mass produced status, is that it has wheels within the feet. This allows for high speed movement across the ground and makes the Scopedog a very versatile unit to have on the battlefield. It also produces a unique form of movement, something the below video should hopefully illustrate.

This is why the Gagan Gun toys have been merged with VOTOMS to produce these new spin-off releases. Specifically, the Gagan Gun mecha are wheeled in the same way that the Scopedog is, so the resultant battling setup is something that has clearly found a market in Japan.

Like I pointed out initially, while this review is only of the new Red Shoulder Custom version, you really need two Gagan Gun Scopedogs if you want to do battle (my personal recommendation is the pink colored one used by the Melkian forces, as that way you can re-enact the setup that Chirico has to survive in the anime).

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As this is meant as more of remote controlled toy, the figure itself isn’t posable per se but is motorized to help facilitate movement, in that the Gagan Gun approach has the mecha swerve from side to side as you circle around one another.

In order to use the toy you will need 5 x AAA batteries: 2 for the controller and another 3 for the Scopedog itself.

Once equipped you can play a game where you have to shoot at another Scopedog with infrared bullets until it “dies” (signified by it limping in a circle and then being inoperative, until you reset it). The balancing part to this is that each Scopedog has a clip of ammunition that needs reloading. In doing so, the Scopedog is prone until the clip is reloaded – giving your opponent a chance to capitalize on your lack of mobility.

The Gagan Gun toys don’t move in a straight line, nor can they reverse, so the resultant battle has each player arc around one another trying to get a clear shot.

It’s a lot of fun though and Takara Tomy has done a great job recreating the sounds from the anime, which give a nice sense of authenticity to the toys.

This new Red Shoulder Custom requires slightly more assembly than the prior Gagan Gun releases, as you have to make the hip-mounted gatling cannon and the shoulder equipped missile launcher. Neither have any effect on the battling side of things and are just there for show.

The only minor thing to take note of is that due to the infrared control setup, you can only have two battling Scopedogs at any one time.

The sculpt and detailing are also really nicely handled again here and if you already have some of the earlier VOTOMS themed Gagan Gun releases, then you need to add this beauty to your Scopedog ranks.

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