Hi all! At the Amusement Expo 2009 held last month in Makuhari, Japan, Taito announced a trio of Gatchaman-related items that will be coming to game centers in Japan later this year. The first two items are a pair of figures of Ken and Joe, based off of an illustration done for Taito by Ippei Kuri. A picture of these figures can be found here: http://akibahobby-c2.sakura.ne.jp/image/20090220/a056.html These figures will be released in July. The last item is a miniature version of Ken's Boomerang. The blades on the Boomerang open and close in a manner similar to those of Ken's Boomernag in the show. This Boomerang isn't just a useless trinket, as it also houses a 1GB flash memory. The nose of the Boomerang can be removed to reveal the part of the drive that plugs into the USB port of your computer. A picture of this can be found here: http://blog.livedoor.jp/haruo_chan/archives/51807322.html I have not been able to find a release date for this item, and do not know if the flash memory wil lcome with anything already on it or if it is simply an empty memory stick for you to use. As mentioned above, these items will be released to Japanese game centers, and are intended to be won as prizes from the various game machines there. As such, they will not be available for purchase in stores, though it's fairly likely that plenty of them will end up on places like Yahoo! Japan Auctions and eBay. So, figure there are a few nifty items to look forward to adding to your collections! James

Ohhhh, I sooooo want one of those boomerang flash memory sticks. I will be looking forward to seeing them appear on ebay, I just hope I will be able to afford one when it does appear. I wonder if I could cultivate a Japanese pen pal who could win one and mail it to me....

Ohhhh, I want the Ken and Joe figures... Very nicely done! Thanks for letting us know about these, James!

Want... want.... so cool! Hmmm.... I have a birthday coming up in a few months. And since the Japanese PS1 isn't in the cards....

Very cool... thanks for sharing James.

Oh totally awesome!! I have GOT to get me the boomerrang! I live on my memory sticks.... I have no birthday coming up, but I might have to give Flash an offer he can't refuse in order go nab me a couple! SJ

oohhh I like those figures. I'll be keeping an eye on Evilbay in the summer.

Those both are totally awesome. I WANT, WANT, WANT!

Darn, and here was me trying to give up collecting... Those figures are lovely.

Hi all! A quick update of the upcoming items that Taito is releasing. The Boomerang-shaped flash memory will be released in the 3rd week of August, and will come in two different styles. The first one is colored to look metal plated, while the second will have "anime colors" that look like the Boomerang does in the series. As I mentioned before, it will have 1GB of memory. Also, Taito has announced a third wave of Gatchaman game center items, with the third set being Gatchaman cell phone chargers. The chargers will be released to game centers in the 3rd week of September, and will come in three styles. The first is the Bird Signal bird head design against a black background, the second is a Gatchaman "G" symbol against a metallic background, and the third is a Gatchaman silhouette against a silver background. Apparently they will come with several interchangable connectors to allow them to be used on a variety of Japanese cell phone models, but I do not know if any of them are compatable with non-Japanese cell phones. I haven't found any pictures of these yet, but I'll let you know when I do! James

Thanks for the information James! I wish we could get that stuff over here!

Originally posted by Condorfan Thanks for the information James! I wish we could get that stuff over here!

I am right there with you Condorfan, although you probably have an even better chance at getting this stuff than I do here in Canada.

Hi all! Just to let you know, the Ken and Joe figures were released on schedule last month, and the Boomerang USB Flash Memory sticks have just started to appear in Japan over the last week. I've seen a few of the figures appear on eBay, but they've usually been pretty expensive. I'm sure the Flash Memory will start to appear there in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, the Japanese Gatchaman fan site "Gatchakan" has put up several good photos of the figures and the two versions of the Boomerang, if you would like to see what they look like. They can be found here: http://gatchakan.blog26.fc2.com/ Just click on the photos to see larger versions of them. I have yet to find any photos of the cell phone chargers. They're supposed to be out in about a month, so I guess we'll just wait and see. James

Thank you James!!!

That is just the coolest!! I want one! Thanks for showing it to us, James!

Cool! Thanks from me too, James!

OMG, the flash drive!! Want, want, WANT!!!

Thanks for the info, James! I wish I had these on my desk.

Yes so do I LB. And I agree with Hino whole heartedly about that flashdrive. I think 1g should be more than enough space for all my captured images of the team.

Heh... just had to look and see how much disk space i would need for the scans and screen captures and collected goodies (including Bird Scramble scans)... 13.5gig! Not counting music.... or videos transferred from VHS or the DVDs....

Oh, the USB key would be so cool.... I wish...

Darn. I thought this was about a Gatchaman game coming out!