Soul of Chogokin

Soul of Chogokin (超合金魂, Chōgōkin Damashii) or "Soul of Super-alloy"

The Soul of Chogokin Line, or also known as "SOC", began in 1997. The name Soul of Chogokin means "Soul of Super Alloy", and is known for it's relatively high content of die-cast metal. The line almost exclusively focuses on robots taken from various 1970's/1980's Anime TV programs. Bandai has also expanded the line to include other mecha from the '70's such as Super Sentai and Tokusatsu.

Reports have the Soul of Chogokin series starting as the Hi-Complete Model line was being phased out. The last figure in the line was meant to be Mazinger Z, but Bandai decided to turn that prototype into the first Soul of Chogokin robot. It was a smart decision. The Soul of Chogokin series debuted in 1997 and was an instant success. Later Bandai chose to refine models and resculpt special renditions, resulting in R or Renewal SOC versions.

Soul of Chogokin robots take the joint systems to an entirely new level.  Previous diecast Chogokin toys of the 1970's primairly used rotating arms and legs and that was it.  So with the new Soul of the SOC toys came multiple axis of movement.  Most all toys in the line feature heads, legs, wrists, arms, knees, and interchangeable hands.