PA-93 Goranger Varikikyun

Goranger was the very first Sentai show. Although giant robots had not yet been introduced into sentai shows, the (literally) colorful characters had a cool collection of vehicles, from their motorcycles to their larger transports.

The original large transport was the Variburen. It featured a flaming paint job, propellor (helicoptor) blades under the vehicle, three cockpit bubbles, and what I assume was a birdlike face that opened up to allow the motorcycles to enter the transport.

It was later replaced with the Varidorin. The Varidorin also included propellor blades, claws, and an opening beak. The Varitank (a tank with extending claws) rode down a ramp from the beak.

Later in the show, they introduced the craziest contraption yet - the Varikikyun. It was a large hot air balloon with a propellor below the base and two extending arms. One of the arms ended in a claw, while the other ended in some sort of bird head. Truly wacky and funky to the core.

Popy made a great rendition of this craft (in addition to the others, including the motorcycles). The toy includes adjustable arms that fire the claw/birdhead, but can also fire missiles. The propellor at the base can spin, and some nice detailing can also be seen under the craft. The shaft of the vehicle features a beautiful tin litho. A spinning wheel is mounted at the front of the vehicle (pehaps to mesmerize opponents?). Pushing a button extends a wheel at the top, from which this toy can be made to glide along a string. If this sounds like a winner, that's because it is. I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

The box:

The toy:

Here are some shots of the tin litho:

A view of the chrome propellor blade on the underside of the toy. Note the details in the diecast:

Here's the Varikikyun with some additional Goranger vehicles, including the Varitank (upper right), Varidorin (lower left), and Variburen (lower right).