What Is The Quintessential Akira Bike/Rider Toy?

[sqidd]

[Kanedas Bike]

Gonna have to say this - wish I had it in my collection;

https://www.hlj.com/1-6-scale-project-bm-soul-of-popynica-kaneda-s-bike-ban952780

http://akira-movie.blogspot.com/2014/04/akira-kaneda-bike-in-16-by-project-bm-x.html

There weren't that many Akira toys released so the choices are a little limited. There is a smaller, more readily found Bandai PX-03 bike that's not bad. I do have that one and the biggest flaw is the add face sculpt (the eyes) on Kaneda.

-b.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

10 minutes ago, Kanedas Bike said:

Gonna have to say this - wish I had it in my collection;

https://www.hlj.com/1-6-scale-project-bm-soul-of-popynica-kaneda-s-bike-ban952780

http://akira-movie.blogspot.com/2014/04/akira-kaneda-bike-in-16-by-project-bm-x.html

There weren't that many Akira toys released so the choices are a little limited. There is a smaller, more readily found Bandai PX-03 bike that's not bad. I do have that one and the biggest flaw is the add face sculpt (the eyes) on Kaneda.

-b.

Yup, that 1/6 scale bike gets my vote.  I've been itching to unpack my set after all these years, but time is never on my side.

For something different, there is also the Avro brothers Lego kit, but there are KO's of it out there.

[peter]

 

[Kanedas Bike]

2 hours ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

Yup, that 1/6 scale bike gets my vote.  I've been itching to unpack my set after all these years, but time is never on my side.

For something different, there is also the Avro brothers Lego kit, but there are KO's of it out there.

You’ve got one? I’m insanely jealous!

That said, I think @peter just won the thread. 

-b.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[peter]

8 minutes ago, Kanedas Bike said:

You’ve got one? I’m insanely jealous!

That said, I think @peter just won the thread. 

-b.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only a win if I had the $120,000 to build one myself, lol!

But me being poor, I had to settle for the McFarlane Toys versions:

 

There's also the bike only version:



 

[Kanedas Bike]

Imagine having $120K allocated purely for “toys”. What a great dilemma that would be.

Totally forgot about McFarlane toys, it looks good.

-b.

[sqidd]

1 hour ago, peter said:

 

The mechanicals would be pretty easy. The bodywork............sheesh! That's a lot of work! Super cool pic!

[sqidd]

3 hours ago, Kanedas Bike said:

Gonna have to say this - wish I had it in my collection;

https://www.hlj.com/1-6-scale-project-bm-soul-of-popynica-kaneda-s-bike-ban952780

http://akira-movie.blogspot.com/2014/04/akira-kaneda-bike-in-16-by-project-bm-x.html

There weren't that many Akira toys released so the choices are a little limited. There is a smaller, more readily found Bandai PX-03 bike that's not bad. I do have that one and the biggest flaw is the add face sculpt (the eyes) on Kaneda.

-b.

That's awesome. I'm not dropping $2K+ though. And I wouldn't know where to put it.

[sqidd]

52 minutes ago, peter said:

Only a win if I had the $120,000 to build one myself, lol!

But me being poor, I had to settle for the McFarlane Toys versions:

 

There's also the bike only version:



 

How big is that?

[sqidd]

So it looks like the  McFarlane vs the Bandai? Thew Bandai is 1/12 scale. What's that make the bike? 10" long? Anyone got a size check on the McFarlane? Any input on Bandai vs MeFarlane?

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

1 hour ago, Kanedas Bike said:

You’ve got one? I’m insanely jealous!

That said, I think @peter just won the thread. 

-b.

Too right, 1/1 scale is hard to beat!

The one I have is part of the very small 1/6 scale figure collection in my closet, and I'll be sure to post pics once I get fully unpacked.

44 minutes ago, sqidd said:

So it looks like the  McFarlane vs the Bandai? Thew Bandai is 1/12 scale. What's that make the bike? 10" long? Anyone got a size check on the McFarlane? Any input on Bandai vs MeFarlane?

The McFarlane one is much larger than the Bandai, and the sculpt is quite good.  McFarlane just couldn't duplicate all the decals due to legal reasons. 

The Bandai version has some good die cast content, so it's hefty for its size.  IIRC there were two versions, one with a sitting Kaneda figure and one without.  IMO, the Kaneda figure is oversized for the bike, especially when you compare it to that iconic scene you posted. 

I don't have the Soul of Chogokin and the McFarlane bike in front of me, so I can't give exact measurements to compare.

Edited September 8, 2020 by Valkyrie Hunter D

[Kanedas Bike]

4 minutes ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

Too right, 1/1 scale is hard to beat!

The one I have is part of the very small 1/6 scale figure collection in my closet, and I'll be sure to post pics once I get fully unpacked.

The McFarlane one is much larger than the Bandai, and the sculpt is quite good.  McFarlane just couldn't duplicate all the decals due to legal reasons.

Please do post pics! From what I was able to find prepping a response to this thread that thing looks bad ass. 

Bandai Soul of Popynica PX-03 isn't bad, there's some assembly out of the box (by design) and over the years mine has gotten a little loose for lack of a better term. It doesn't fall apart or anything but every so often I have to disassemble and then re-assemble to get parts, especially the front wheel, nice and tight again.

Aftermarket prices have gotten a little nuts and it's hard to recommend buying it for the prices I've seen lately.

-b.

[sqidd]

34 minutes ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

Too right, 1/1 scale is hard to beat!

The one I have is part of the very small 1/6 scale figure collection in my closet, and I'll be sure to post pics once I get fully unpacked.

The McFarlane one is much larger than the Bandai, and the sculpt is quite good.  McFarlane just couldn't duplicate all the decals due to legal reasons. 

The Bandai version has some good die cast content, so it's hefty for its size.  IIRC there were two versions, one with a sitting Kaneda figure and one without.  IMO, the Kaneda figure is oversized for the bike, especially when you compare it to that iconic scene you posted. 

I don't have the Soul of Chogokin and the McFarlane bike in front of me, so I can't give exact measurements to compare.

I'm more concerned with the sculpt than the stickers so that;s good to know, I was thinking that the figure looked a bit better with the McFarlane also.

Thank you for you input.

25 minutes ago, Kanedas Bike said:

Please do post pics! From what I was able to find prepping a response to this thread that thing looks bad ass. 

Bandai Soul of Popynica PX-03 isn't bad, there's some assembly out of the box (by design) and over the years mine has gotten a little loose for lack of a better term. It doesn't fall apart or anything but every so often I have to disassemble and then re-assemble to get parts, especially the front wheel, nice and tight again.

Aftermarket prices have gotten a little nuts and it's hard to recommend buying it for the prices I've seen lately.

-b.

The Bandai seems to tread about $100 more. Right now there is one on Yahoo auctions for $250. There is a McFarlane at Mandy for $150.  The thing is I have a PILE off stuff at Buyee so I wouldn't be paying much for shipping getting something on Yahoo auctions. It sounds like the McFarlane may be the better one for me anyway. Maybe I can find something else at that Mandy branch I want...... I mean need, yeah, need.

 

I was just thinking about this. Aside from liking all things motorcycle I think Akira was the first anime I saw aside from Robotech (we'll pretend it was Macross). I really didn't have much anime exposure growing up. It just wasn't on the radar. Akira really sticks out for me.

[MKT]

I think there’s been a small resurgence in popularity for Kaneda’s Bike ever since Ready Player One came out couple years back. So it drove the prices up for these even further.

[sqidd]

I pulled the trigger on the McFarlane. 14,000 yen. I found a set of Hi Metal Supers I needed at the same branch so the shipping will be amortized a touch.

I'm going to keep an eye out for that 1/6 monster still if I can get one for a not horrible price. I'd still need to figure out where to put it though......

Thanks for your help!

[tekering]

2 hours ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

The McFarlane one is much larger than the Bandai, and the sculpt is quite good.

If it doesn't light up like TRON, I just don't see the point.  

Not to mention those lovely sound effects...  

[sqidd]

2 minutes ago, tekering said:

If it doesn't light up like TRON, I just don't see the point.  

 

 

 

Not to mention those lovely sound effects...  

Is that the 1/6 Medicom? That's dead sexy.

And you just reminded me. I need a Light Cycle!

[tekering]

13 minutes ago, sqidd said:

Is that the 1/6 Medicom?

Yes, the "Project BM!" behemoth.  

Their 1:6 Tetsuo is fabulous, too.  

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

3 hours ago, tekering said:

If it doesn't light up like TRON, I just don't see the point.  

Not to mention those lovely sound effects...  

Aw man, now I REALLY wanna dig mine out!

[sqidd]

4 hours ago, tekering said:

Yes, the "Project BM!" behemoth.  

Their 1:6 Tetsuo is fabulous, too.  

Ooooooo, that's fantastic!

[sqidd]

I ended up spending $156.05 for a sealed box McFarlane out of Mandy shipped DHL. Not too shabby!

[Kanedas Bike]

7 hours ago, sqidd said:

I'm more concerned with the sculpt than the stickers so that;s good to know, I was thinking that the figure looked a bit better with the McFarlane also.

Thank you for you input.

The Bandai seems to tread about $100 more. Right now there is one on Yahoo auctions for $250. There is a McFarlane at Mandy for $150.  The thing is I have a PILE off stuff at Buyee so I wouldn't be paying much for shipping getting something on Yahoo auctions. It sounds like the McFarlane may be the better one for me anyway. Maybe I can find something else at that Mandy branch I want...... I mean need, yeah, need.

 

I was just thinking about this. Aside from liking all things motorcycle I think Akira was the first anime I saw aside from Robotech (we'll pretend it was Macross). I really didn't have much anime exposure growing up. It just wasn't on the radar. Akira really sticks out for me.

Community input for the win!

 

Mostly the same for me, it was Robotech on TV before and after school as a kid, then as a teen/tween, Akira, Clash of the Bionoids (ha), Ninja Scroll, Macross Plus and then just reading up on Macross on these forums.

7 hours ago, MKT said:

I think there’s been a small resurgence in popularity for Kaneda’s Bike ever since Ready Player One came out couple years back. So it drove the prices up for these even further.

 

Makes sense, for just a little bit of screen time the bike did get have it's time to shine in action, and as a plot device.

 

5 hours ago, tekering said:

If it doesn't light up like TRON, I just don't see the point.  

*snip*

Not to mention those lovely sound effects...  

Those pics... 

The Hot Show TRON Light Cycle would be displayed in my home minus the Sam Flynn rider it came with, but she's nowhere near as iconic as Kanedas's Bike. 

 

1 hour ago, Valkyrie Hunter D said:

Aw man, now I REALLY wanna dig mine out!

And Jealously intensifies lol

-b.

[sqidd]

Well, I guess that answers what is the sweetest new generation light cycle.........

 

There is something about the classic though. Man, I had all of these when I was a kid!

[Kanedas Bike]

^Me too , I remember you had to use that zip thingy to get it to run. I both hated it (because it wasn't accurate) but loved that toy. Pretty sure I used to try and shove my Joes and/or Star Wars figures into it.

-b.

[sqidd]

11 minutes ago, Kanedas Bike said:

^Me too , I remember you had to use that zip thingy to get it to run. I both hated it (because it wasn't accurate) but loved that toy. Pretty sure I used to try and shove my Joes and/or Star Wars figures into it.

-b.

Medicom has the old school ones covered.

[peter]

12 hours ago, sqidd said:

How big is that?

It's 10 inches long, so not huge, but a decent size to display.

[Felix]

I will say that if anyone is looking to pick up the Project BM Kaneda and bike make sure you see pictures (or even better handle) of both pieces before you pay for anything. Medicom RAH style figures and anything with vinyl have a tendency to rot over time if the toys aren't stored or displayed correctly. I have seen Kaneda's Jacket rotten away to shreds on a couple of these as well as spit bike tires. Also the Medicom RAH buck is notoriously fragile.  I'm not saying don't track one down, just be careful as you shop. I Have the set on display and mine has no problems at all, but it has been inside a toy display cabinet in a cool room with no sunlight. 

[Bolt]

Always preferred the black one. 

[Kanedas Bike]

6 hours ago, Felix said:

I will say that if anyone is looking to pick up the Project BM Kaneda and bike make sure you see pictures (or even better handle) of both pieces before you pay for anything. Medicom RAH style figures and anything with vinyl have a tendency to rot over time if the toys aren't stored or displayed correctly. I have seen Kaneda's Jacket rotten away to shreds on a couple of these as well as spit bike tires. Also the Medicom RAH buck is notoriously fragile.  I'm not saying don't track one down, just be careful as you shop. I Have the set on display and mine has no problems at all, but it has been inside a toy display cabinet in a cool room with no sunlight. 

Good to know!

The current after-market prices are way to rich for my blood so I'm safe from that particular dilemma. That'll be @sqidd's headache. 

2 hours ago, Bolt said:

Always preferred the black one. 

*snip*

That does look pretty cool, but IMHO does not beat the aesthetics of the original. Maybe if it had markings or a little more splash of color to offset all of the black.

-b.

[JB0]

13 hours ago, Bolt said:

Always preferred the black one. 

I can just hear KITT when I look at this.

[peter]

The black one looks like a functional bike as well.  Is it the same guy who did the red one or a different builder?

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

All this talk lit a fire under my butt: I dug up the set today. 

The extra cowl parts and the decals seem intact:

Kaneda himself has held up ok. Just doing a prelim check showed his clothing is intact and even the elasticity is good. But the feel of it tells me it's the kind of material that will get brittle easily with sunlight exposure, as Felix pointed out earlier.

The bike looks pristine! I'd almost forgotten how big this thing is.

Edited September 10, 2020 by Valkyrie Hunter D

[Bolt]

On 9/9/2020 at 8:54 AM, peter said:

The black one looks like a functional bike as well.  Is it the same guy who did the red one or a different builder?

I'm not sure. 

[sqidd]

On 9/8/2020 at 6:16 PM, Bolt said:

Always preferred the black one. 

Looks geat! I'm a fan of black cars/motorcycles. The problem I have found with toys is that when displayed (at least in my cabs) black toys seem to "disappear". I've pretty much stopped getting back toys for that reason. It's too bad. There are a few out there I would like to have. Or, on the upside, maybe they're saving me from myself.