Mattel No. 2625 Shogun U-Combine Combatra Deluxe Set

Combatra Deluxe Set Box Front

For info on Combatra's origin as Super Electromagnetic Robo Combattler V, see this page dedicated to this great combiner robo!
 
The Shogun Combatra Deluxe Set appears to be fairly rare - I've only seen a handful for sale and they seem to sell for quite a bit of money, usually in excess of $1000; but I've seen at least one set sell for $1600 (it was very minty and complete. The set I own showed up in a Yahoo.Japan! Auction - go figure. It was probably quite reasonable in comparison with the original Popy set at retail and I believe is a bit more robust than the GoDaiKin version which seems of inferior build quality.
 
The set includes all the styrofoam inserts from the five individual U-Combine Combatra vehicle chip-boxes:
The box is approximately the same size as the Popy or GoDaiKin box only instead of a single styrofoam insert, the individual vehicle chip-boxes are held in a cardboard insert with small blocs to raise smaller boxes so they are leveled against the inside of the box lid. This set comes with a set of Instructions that are usually missing, but sometimes the same instructions are included in the vehicle chip boxes so they're relatively easy to acquire.

Combatra Deluxe Set Box Back
Combatra Deluxe Set Box Label Side
Combatra Deluxe Set Box Printed Side

Combatra Deluxe Set Box End 1
Combatra Deluxe Set Box End 2

Combatra Deluxe Set Box Contents with Instructions

Combatra Deluxe Set Box Inserts

Combatra Deluxe Set Box Vehicle Contents

Combatra Deluxe Set Box Insert Detail

Combatra Deluxe Set Box Printing Copyrights

Combatra Deluxe Set Box Text Detail
The box is unusual in that the printed label extends to both box-ends. Usually with Mattel the label is on the front, one long edge and one short end, presumably to save on printing and box-manufacturing costs.

The box reads:

"Distributed by Mattel, Inc. Hawthorne, CA 90250. MADE IN JAPAN. PACKAGE PRINTED IN U.S.A. Manufactured by Bandai Co. Ltd."

and

"U-Combine (TM) Shogun Combatra Deluxe Set"
"This PACKAGE CONTAINS: All five U-Combine (TM) SHOGUN(TM) Combatra vehicles: BATTLE JET, BATTLE CLASHER, BATTLE TANK, BATTLE MARINE & BATTLE CRAFT. Each toy is complete in itself. Additional instructions on how to combine five vehicles to make a Robot Blockbuster ground machine are included."

This set was fairly expensive to purchase at retail (I've heard something like $39.95 but haven't confirmed). I also haven't seen this set in a Mattel Catalog, it may have been offered through a catalog supplement or via limited and/or exclusive distribution (which could offer an explanation of its rarity).

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