Custom General Daimos

John Olson's Custom General Daimos Front

Another Custom Jumbo Machinder creation made by John Olson of Minot North Dakota. John is a long time fan of Japanese Culture like Kaiju, Anime, Tokusatsu and of course the related toys including Jumbo Machinder and mecha toys.

John's custom General Daimos started with a Mattel Daimos then had modifications to the thighs to add missile banks molded from the original Popy mold. The left arm has been replaced so both arms can bend, then the Mattel Daimos head had its "ears" removed and replaced with larger "ears" also cast from the Popy (the original had a three piece head). Several other parts were added (the bridge across the chest, the chest insert which doubles as a sword handle grip, the molded shin spikes and the two custom launching fists - note that for this figure instead of the open-grip right hand it's also a closed fist which is more common on the earlier conversions). Finish off with some reproduction swords and a set of stickers and you have a striking figure that's in many ways better than the original Popy, and for a fraction of the price.

John Olson's Custom General Daimos Back

An interesting phenomenon occurred in the price of that lowly Mattel Daimos - with a few mods you can end up with a General Daimos that looks and has features very close to the original Popy Deluxe JM release. Also, seems his body shape lends itself well to making the more robotic customs, for instance you can get a custom Bioman head and with a bit of paint and some custom stickers, convert Daimos into a brand new Bioman figure. Suddenly that previously dissed Daimos became a hot-ticket item and the price has made it one of the more expensive Shogun Warrior toys to acquire, loose or in the box. Every time one gets reworked it makes the basic figure more rare, so something of a double whammy on the toy's price.

What's needed for the Daimos conversion (a list):

1. Mattel Daimos figure - most or all stickers removed
   
2. Modifications to the head (existing "ears" are removed and replaced with wider resin version cast from the original Popy). I guess you "could" cast the entire Popy head to avoid modifying the original Mattel head.
   
3. Extra Mattel Daimos right shoulder) - this can be original or a reproduction in resin, however understand that the red rarely matches the original. Another option is to modify the existing shoulder to add the ball socket.
4. Both firing fists replaced with resin-cast shooting fists versions with the longer blade-holding cuffs
5. Extra molded panels removed from thighs (no going back at this point). Some type of plug added to the square hole made (early versions are made of wood, some have a custom plastic 3D printed  or cast plug).
6. Addition of Thigh Missile launcher mechanisms (the good ones have springs and will fire the standard missile)
7. Addition of the "bridge" piece across the top of the chest
8. Addition of the removable "handle" that inserts into the chest that the blades can clip into
9. Addition of the shin blades (these can be inserted into the removable "handle"
10. Sticker Replacement All around
11. Addition of 8 standard missiles for the thigh launchers
12. Repaint or replacement of the yellow calf missiles for red version
13. (optional) added sand weights to the legs
14. (optional) addition of two long blue cuff swords
15. (optional) addition of two short blue "handle" swords
    

With a loose Daimos currently running $200-400 (depending on condition, etc) expect to add about $300 or more in aftermarket parts (plus shipping). Occasionally someone will put one up for sale but make sure you understand what you're getting (quality of parts and whether everything works, etc.)

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