DX Chogokin Live Robo Review, An 80s Pre-Power Rangers Megazord
INTRO
I currently own only two DX Mecha or Megazord from the 1980s Pre-Power Rangers Super Sentai era, one of which is DX Chogokin Live Robo of Choujyu Sentai Liveman. The Liveman television series did not previously air in the Philippines, but after being reintroduced to Super Sentai, Live Robo quickly became one of my favorite mecha.
Components
The three components that make up Live Robo are the Jet Falcon, which is piloted by the Red Falcon, the Land Lion, which is controlled by the Yellow Lion, and the Aqua Dolphin, which is controlled by the Blue Dolphin. My memory serves me correctly that Land Lion was the very first robotic animal in the Super Sentai series. Jet Falcon, on the other hand, is not a robotic animal; rather, its design was merely inspired by that of a falcon, whereas Aqua Dolphin features a submarine shaped like a pair of dolphins.
I bought a used Live Robo for 3,000 Php, which is about 53 USD, but it’s still missing a lot of its parts. This is pretty normal for used and older DX Super Sentai mecha.
Condition
With the exception of a missing shield and some stickers that have peeled off, the Red Falcon is still in pretty good shape. Yellow Lion suffers from broken clips, but this has no impact in combined mode. Clearly, you can see that paint chips are very common. The fact that it’s missing its upper front teeth is unfortunately the aspect of it that bothers me the most. Yellow Lion also missing its tail and its cannons, and there is also a loose part on the left hand. The Blue Dolphin is in relatively poor condition. Its blue plastic body almost became discolored, and the white parts are beginning to yellow. in addition, the left feet have several broken parts. It also lacks its arsenal of weapons. It seems that the only way for me to finish this set is to buy repro parts and accesories anytime soon to complete this set.
Discoloration and broken right foot 
Pain chips on Yellow Lion’s face. Missing upper teeth 
Combination Sequence
One of my favorite aspects of older Super Sentai series is how complex their combination sequence on their giant robot mode is. Red Falcon extends its body by pressing a yellow button right in the middle of its wings to unlock its sliding section. Remove the white compartment (which I don’t have in this case) to serve as a shield. Rotate its feet to become Live Robo’s leg. Detach the Yellow Lion’s tail and cannons first (not included on my Live Robo), then hide its forelegs and spread the back feet until it aligns with the rest of its body. Bring down Yellow Lion’s legs to become Live Robo’s hand. Rotate its hind ankles until the hidden hand appears, then cover it again. You can either place the cannons behind the shoulder or simply leave them off. Connect Yellow Lion and Jet Falcon, then slide them down to lock them in place. And for Aqua Dolphin, rest the two rudders, fins, and hide the tails. Split them, then rotate the body upwards. And then simply connect both feet to the rest of Live Robo’s body.
Verdict
DX Chogokin Live Robo is a stunning Megazord. I wish I had the money to buy a good one with all the accessories. Bandai has released a Super Minipla version of Live Robo, and a different version will be released soon.
Comparison
Here is a Live Robo side-by-side comparison with DX Chogokin Senpuujin from 2002 Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger and DX ZyuohKing from 2016 Doubutsu Sentai Zyuohger. All three have the same red falcon or eagle, yellow lion, and blue dolphin or shark combination.
