Iron King, Super Robot Red Baron

[Alpha OTS]

[rortiz77]

Have the DVD rights for both series expired? They are not listed anymore on Millcreek's website and are not available in stock on Amazon...

[The Real McCoy]

[rortiz77]

[Dai]

I finally got around to buying Red Baron. Thankfully, Amazon marketplace sellers (or at least the one I bought it from) have correctly divided up the two releases of the series, so I was able to obtain the superior BCI version. I love the packaging design, especially the Soviet propaganda poster style of the individual DVD cases. August's booklet is essential too, with his essay providing a lot of detail on the production climate of the time. How else would I have found out that this show was cancelled because people stopped buying air purifiers? I was also surprised to read how popular it was at the time. I guess I underestimated it because it isn't one of the franchises that has run non-stop for decades.

As for the show, it's great fun. Episode plots are as basic as they come, but it doesn't matter because there's an infectious energy running throughout the whole thing. There's constant motion, whether its a martial arts multi-fight, a car chase or a robot battle. It operates somewhere between anime physics and full-on Looney Tunes physics. And then there's Rei Maki. I can't be the only person disappointed that they switched her uniform from a miniskirt to trousers after shooting the title sequence.

Another thing that surprised me was the army of identical masked goons who the heroes fight every episode. Just how old is that trope? I always assumed it started in Super Sentai, but this show predates that by a couple of years.

[EricDent]

For some odd reason they have brand new copies of the Mill Creek version of Red Barron in a few Half Price Books in my area.
I got one today (it was marked at $5.99, but rang up as $3).

Watched about 7 episodes so far, it's pretty darn goofy.

BTW I know this borrows stuff from the anime Mazinger Z.
However not sure which show featured the "launch from a pool" first.
Maybe Thunderbirds? Since that's from the '60s.
Or was there an earlier example of that?

BTW any chance of a Spectre Man re-release?
That show was one of my favorites, mostly cause the ridiculous amounts of "arm movements" the bad guy used.

[Specium Ray]

[O.Supreme]

[The Great MM]

I remember liking Iron King a lot more than SRRB. Though it was still fun, lots of interesting enemy robots. Anybody know of a place I can check out the sequel series, Mach Baron?

[EricDent]

When I was looking up what's after Red Baron, I saw there's a 3rd series called Ganbaron.
Apparently it's a lot like Superman (mild mannered reporter changes into superhero), but with a combiner robot.

Apparently there is a bit of Mach Baron available in the USA.

Not sure if it's dubbed into Spanish (or has English subs) or not though.
Since it's title is Mazinger Z El Robot De Las Estrellas.
No I'm not making up the title, I guess since Red/Mach Baron was so similar to Mazinger, they just called it that in Spain/Mexico?

Of course if you have a lot of $ and a player that plays Japanese DVDs (and of course understand Japanese).
You can buy the whole show for about $150 (used).

There's nothing even listed on Amazon for Ganbaron though.
Even though there were toys (by Bullmark).

[O.Supreme]

There's also a Red Baron anime, though like most Super Robot anime, the likelihood of getting a subbed release in North America is highly unlikely unfortunately.

[EricDent]

Thanks for the info.
I guess even back in the early 2000s when anime was red hot, they never brought over the anime version of Red Baron.
Looked up the opening to that show, and I'm pretty sure the singer is that guy who ALWAYS sang a bunch of giant robot show songs back then.
Can't remember his name, but he was pretty famous for always wearing a jacket IIRC.

Though you can never say never, companies like Discotek love older shows.

[O.Supreme]

[The Great MM]

Own Iron King and Red Baron on DVD. Both very wild and crazy shows. Recently downloaded Mach Baron, but I have yet to watch it.

[Dai]

I was rewatching the Big O anime recently, and noticed that the sequence of poses the titular robot does for its Chrome Buster attack is virtually identical to Red Baron's Electrigger. Presumably an intentional reference.

[lhb412]

^I believe it was the Sci-Fi Japan TV episode with the creator of Big-O where he said his childhood love of Red Baron was a big influence.

[EricDent]

OK I just finished the Mill Creek set.
Did they skip episodes/loose footage, or something?

Cause in the descriptions on that site, it said stuff like Angel Killer attacked Red Baron and beats it pretty bad.
But they don't seem to show that part, it just has Ken moping around when suddenly Angel Killer starts taunting him with his song.
Then Ken fights the robot and beats it (only for the second head to show up).

That plus during the last episode it has all the SSI people trapped inside that Martian moon, but it never shows how they got caught.

[EricDent]

OK nobody knows?

I sold off the Red Baron set anyways.
While it was kinda amusing to watch it, I felt that I probably wouldn't watch it again.

Now I am borrowing Iron King from the library.
Not sure how this show will last past one disc, cause Iron King & Gentaro are killing off the baddies like flies.

BTW when Goro was taking a bath during an episode he started singing a song about taking baths.
It sounded really familiar, think it might be sung in Love Hina.

Anybody know what song it was?