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kirbenvost wrote:Oh my. Valiant work, fearless leader! Sorry to hear about the casualties, but you did a great service to us fans.

This!

Impressive looking figure but that helmet looks awful - too organic and rounded for such a blocky figure. It also renders the headmaster gimmick rather pointless as you can't see it.

Mykltron wrote:Impressive looking figure but that helmet looks awful - too organic and rounded for such a blocky figure. It also renders the headmaster gimmick rather pointless as you can't see it.

Toywise, yes. The show did explain it, though.

Rated X wrote:Very impressive. As always the galleries were nicely done. I never knew he had a different head sculpt. I always thought it was a straight repaint. So this is the figure that started the "gold plastic syndrome" outrage ???

Yes, Black Zarak is the first Transformers toy to use gold plastic.

Sabrblade wrote:

Seibertron wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Though, two things:
1. How'd you remove the head?

If you're referring to the Scorponok head ... I used the KO reproduction head for those shots, as well as any shots where the arms and legs are posed. Most of the shots in Scorponok's gallery are using the actual toy except for when he's in head mode and posed.

I meant for the Dakatsu Mode, in which the red BlackZarak head isn't present.

The red head just pops off. It's just attached via two large pegs on each side of the head, in a similar fashion to the "helmet" for Scorponok. The serpent mode can be achieved just as easily with Scorponok.

Sabrblade wrote:

Seibertron wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Though, two things:
1. How'd you remove the head?

If you're referring to the Scorponok head ... I used the KO reproduction head for those shots, as well as any shots where the arms and legs are posed. Most of the shots in Scorponok's gallery are using the actual toy except for when he's in head mode and posed.

I meant for the Dakatsu Mode, in which the red BlackZarak head isn't present.

Seibertron wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:2. Kinda disappointed that no pic of him in this form has him crawling on his belly all serpent style like he did in the show, but no real biggie.

Not sure that he did that ... I watched the last episode of Masterforce over and over again while doing the serpent mode. If he did do that, it was just a minor scene that I missed while taking photos. I'm sure we'll be just fine without pics like that since I did the far more complicated shots with him upright in his serpent mode.

'Kay.

Though, here's some shots of the Dakatsu Mode sitting on its belly from the episode.

Thanks for the screenshots. That pose can be accomplished. One day I'll take some photos of Black Zarak like that.

RhA wrote:

Mykltron wrote:Impressive looking figure but that helmet looks awful - too organic and rounded for such a blocky figure. It also renders the headmaster gimmick rather pointless as you can't see it.

Toywise, yes. The show did explain it, though.

Erm, well, not exactly.

It did hint at an explanation for this, but it didn't quite go into full detail about it.

See, one of the show's flaws is that, while it did introduce a who lot of cool concepts, it didn't quite go about giving explanations for all of them. It wasn't until after the series ended that they went back and made a new clip show episode special to explain a bunch of these concepts, but in regards to BlackZarak, all it explained about him was that he was Scorponok after having built a new Transtector (after his old MegaZarak one was destroyed), but was captured and brianwashed by Devil Z before he could "Head On!" with his new BlackZarak Transtector.

The actual explanation about BlackZarak being able to function without his head was givin in the Chōjin Masterforce manga, in which it was explained that the smaller Scorponok Headmaster isn't inside BlackZarak's head, but is actually wired to the body inside the Transtector's chest.

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Seibertron wrote:The red head just pops off. It's just attached via two large pegs on each side of the head, in a similar fashion to the "helmet" for Scorponok. The serpent mode can be achieved just as easily with Scorponok.

Got it. Never owned or even played with a G1 Scorponok (but I'd like to).

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JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:That's indeed the different stages of transformation, standard issue in G1. Fortunately, I know some Japanese and I can tell you what the words say:

1) Black Sasori, or "Black Scorpion"
2) Transform
3) Black Zarak
4) Destron Yousai, or "Decepticon Fortress"

Thanks.

Still would have made some cool extra base modes.

The envy I experienced upon Ryan purchasing this beast is now eclipsed by my astonishment that he actually transformed it. If that isn't the ultimate expression of dedication after the flash flood catastrophe, I don't know what is. The gallery is more than fabulous, it is/should be legendary.