Gagan Gun Votoms Scopedog Model Red Shoulder Custom by Takara Tomy – Available From HobbyLink Japan
By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii
With the already excellent VOTOMS themed Gagan Gun releases doing well, Takara Tomy have decided to follow up with another Scopedog. This time it’s the hastily cobbled together Red Shoulder Custom from the early part of the original TV series.
The original VOTOMS TV series is broadly set across four parts, with each part covering a specific location. The opening segment is set in grimy city of Uodo on the planet Melkia. Here the protagonist Chirico Cuvie finds himself and allies with an erstwhile trio of crooks that are actually quite decent at heart.
It’s not long before Chirico’s history is unearthed and it’s revealed he used to be part of the terrifying Red Shoulders, an elite force of AT pilots that have one of their Scopedog’s shoulders painted red, hence the name.
Chirico’s new fanclub, in the form of Gotho, Vanilla, and Coconna want him to fight in the arena, as they reckon he’ll be pretty good and make them lots of money. However, things go somewhat awry and the trio actually do what they can to help Chirico, and one of these particular acts of kindness, is the creation of the Red Shoulder Custom.
To explain, the Scopedog is the Gilgamesh mecha of choice: very versatile and easy to repair, it’s a mass-produced mecha that can also be customised as per the requirements for each mission.
While the Red Shoulders use a higher performance variant called the Scopedog Turbo Custom, with rocket boosters tucked away into its calves, Vanilla tries to approximate this with the general loadout he’s heard the battalion uses.
The funny part is that he gets most of it wrong, as he’s never seen a Red Shoulder AT up close (to be honest, most that do end up very dead). From the red shoulder being on the wrong side and the general armament being a bit cobbled together, Vanilla still does a good enough job as Chirico manages to use it to get out of a pretty tough spot.
For many, the Red Shoulder Custom is somewhat of a fan favorite version of the gritty Scopedog and it has had many variants over the years. This new toy though is part of the Gagan Gun range and as such can speed around.
Like the prior Gagan Gun releases, Takara Tomy has done a great job here and it’s nice to see the Red Shoulder Custom ride again.
Keep an eye out for the review, as that will be going up shortly!
