Soul Spec Layzner

蒼き流星SPTレイズナー, Aoki Ryūsei SPT Layzner produced by Sunrise Animation 1985.

Bandai Soul Spec XS-02 SPT-LZ00X / E-SPT-LZ00X-B Layzner / New Layzner.

Another of my favourite anime series is Blue Comet Super Power Tracer Layzner. Produced and written by Ryosuke Takahashi, Layzner was a complex character study telling the story of an alien invasion by the Gurados, humanoids from the Udoria system. At the centre of the show was the main character; Albatro Null Eiji Asuka (known better as Eiji).

Eiji was a half human half alien hybrid born from the union of a missing Japanese astronaut and a Gradosian woman torn between his loyalties to his own race and his morality to protect the people of Earth.

The figure itself is of solid construction consisting of a die cast skeletal design that you add armour onto. The armour given can be used to construct either the regular Layzner as seen in the television series or the New Layzner that was showcased in both the infamous final episode and the concluding OVA.

What separated Layzner from the rest of the robot fare of its day was the heavy themes of nihilism that existed in each episode. Instead of simple episodes that end in a clear victory, the series (in the first season) often featured no win situations in which victory was only achieved with undesirable consequences and/or loss of life not surprising since the story was penned by Ryosuke Takahashi whose credits include the equally nihilistic series Votoms.

Layzner Box art.
The basic Layzner figure sans armour.	Rear view.
Cockpit details.	Layzner regular version.

The figure is a mixture with the base being die cast and the add ons as plastic.

There is also a stand that is included with the figure which contains electronics sounds that can be played by pressing a series of buttons  (AAA batteries not included), and is voiced by seiyuu Hara, Eriko;

These are the samples that you get:
01. READY!
02. Information message
03. Alarm message
04. Alarm message: SPT approaching in high speed from range 3
05. Alarm message: 3 SPTs' entering range 1!
06. Target lock-on
07. Target down
08. Incoming fire!
09. Hit on leg!
10. Alarm message: engage can't be avoided, counterattack is necessary
11. Retreat now!
12. Information message: remaining energy 0.43 GG
13. Switching target is necessary
14. Hit on chest, damage rate 0.35