Mugen Play Station

Machine Robo Mugenbine Victory Leon was promised to be the first of a new series of MRM toys for 2005. Follow-on toys for the new series are showing up that take a slightly different turn from Victory Leon, leaving the mighty lion to be a sort of bridge toy from the old line to the new, which is using the title "Zyuki Gattai" (Beast-Machine Gattai).

Zyuki Gattai MugenPolice converts between police station, locomotive, t-rex, and large-sized robot. Zyuki Gattai MugenFire converts between fire station, container truck, brachiosaurus, and large-sized robot. Note the new mugenroids, which have their own monolithic, theme-oriented transformations (police car and fire truck, respectively). ¥2,500 each, end of December.

Note to fans of the 2004 series: It's not dead yet. Launcher Zaurus, the letter "L" in the ongoing letter-themed 2004 series, is a dinosaur, and possibly a new member of the existing dino team. Catalog information did not reveal Launcher's vehicle mode, but with those feet, the name, and the black and white color scheme, a space shuttle orbiter seems likely. ¥1,500, January.