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Looks like TakaraTomy are bringing back the Battle Beasts, or Beastformers as they where known in Japan. The new franchise carries the name Beast Saga and is currently made up of a comic (that's what manga means) and a toy line.

We have no idea if this new incarnation is still part of the Transformers canon or if this is now separate like in the US.

You can view the homepage of the comic, or manga what ever you prefer to call it, by clicking here or any of the following images.
You can even read some of the strip on that site, if you can read Japanese that is, just click the big red button under the Lion or here. That will open up a Java script gallery you can navigate through by clicking on the left hand side of the images and on the right to move back a page.








That is however not all, you see site sponsor Robotkingdom.com has posted pre-orders for the toy-line that is slated for a September 2012 release, and as you'll see the figures are different from the ones Diamond Select is planing to produce and look more like the original Battle Beasts style wise.

We've mirrored a few images below, just click the links after the images to see all the pre-orders!







Takara BS01 Starter Kingdom of Land Gloria Deck.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS02 Starter Kingdom of Sea Death Heart Deck.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS03 Random Booster vol.1 Warriors of Land.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS04 Beast Fight Collection Raioga.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS05 Beast Fight Collection Eredoramu.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS06 Beast Fight Collection LongTsurafu.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS07 Beast Fight Collection Birusodo.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS08 Beast Fight Collection Dorufan.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS09 Beast Fight Collection Bamed.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS10 Beast Fight Collection Moriku.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS11 Magic Rod Booster A.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS12 Magic Rod Booster B.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS13 Official Dice Battle Field.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Takara BS14 DX Dice Battle Colosseum.
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/es ... =us&CatID=

Dead Metal wrote:Looks like TakaraTomy had the same idea, they too are bringing back the Battle Beasts, or Beastformers as they where known in Japan.

Fixed.

Dead Metal wrote:We have no idea if this new incarnation is still part of the Transformers canon or if this is now separate like in the US.

Nor do we know if this even is related to Battle Beasts/Beastformers since none of these characters are the same those from Beastformers, and it looks like there's only two (land-based and sea-based) types this time instead of three (fire-wood-water).

It could very well be a modern day version of how Transformers and GoBots were similar concepts, but still two different things. So, I'm not quite ready to call this a return of Battle Beasts/Beastformers just yet.

Sabrblade wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:Looks like TakaraTomy had the same idea, they too are bringing back the Battle Beasts, or Beastformers as they where known in Japan.

Fixed.

Dead Metal wrote:We have no idea if this new incarnation is still part of the Transformers canon or if this is now separate like in the US.

Nor do we know if this even is related to Battle Beasts/Beastformers since none of these characters are the same those from Beastformers, and it looks like there's only two (land-based and sea-based) types this time instead of three (fire-wood-water).

It could very well be a modern day version of how Transformers and GoBots were similar concepts, but still two different things. So, I'm not quite ready to call this a return of Battle Beasts/Beastformers just yet.

Fixing the Beastformers bit.

They look a lot like the Battle Beasts, secondly the Robotkingdom told us that this was TTs revival of the Battle Beasts.

Dead Metal wrote:They look a lot like the Battle Beasts, secondly the Robotkingdom told us that this was TTs revival of the Battle Beasts.

Until there's a statement from TT themselves about this being a revival of Beastformers, I'll need more convincing.

These could very well be just an homage or a tribute to Beastformers while being its own entity with its own identity and not actually being Beastformers.

Sabrblade wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:They look a lot like the Battle Beasts, secondly the Robotkingdom told us that this was TTs revival of the Battle Beasts.

Until there's a statement from TT themselves about this being a revival of Beastformers, I'll need more convincing.

These could very well be just an homage or a tribute to Beastformers while being its own entity with its own identity and not actually being Beastformers.

Oh stop trying to be mister smart ass, we where sent a message by RK that this was TTs revival of the Battle Beasts, so we posted it. End of story.

Dead Metal wrote:Oh stop trying to be mister smart ass, we where sent a message by RK that this was TTs revival of the Battle Beasts, so we posted it. End of story.

Okay, chill!

All I'm saying is that I (just me) wanna wait and hear from TT themselves, since this is their product and RobotKingdom may be just assuming. That's all.

These also remind me of Visionaries as well.

Nicely done designs on these. Very cute figures.

I DO think if they're resurrecting the line, they need to stick with the original game play. Having three factions let you do a rock-paper-scissor kind of game. Dumbing it down is much less fun gameplay.

I also think they should maintain some of the key players from the original line... only done with nicer sculpts.

Sabrblade wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:Oh stop trying to be mister smart ass, we where sent a message by RK that this was TTs revival of the Battle Beasts, so we posted it. End of story.

Okay, chill!

All I'm saying is that I (just me) wanna wait and hear from TT themselves, since this is their product and RobotKingdom may be just assuming. That's all.

These also remind me of Visionaries as well.

Course you do.

Oh man....I'm going to have to import blind packs?
These really nice, but that's my only gripe is not knowing what I'll be getting. Hopefully getting singles won't be too expensive.

If you keep importing those packs, you'll go blind!

Diamond Select didn't "buy the rights to the Battle Beasts franchise" and all the sites that've been reporting they have have been making false assumptions. Hasbro neglected to retain the trademark rights to the name Battle Beasts because it wasn't being used and Diamond Select acquired the name; they haven't purchased, or even licensed, the rights to the original Beastformers franchise. Diamond's line is entirely new and they won't be producing merchandise based on the original character designs or making anything too similar because they legally can't. Of course, they're not going to go out of their way to clarify the issue because the whole point of registering the Battle Beasts trademark is to capitalize on nostalgia and create the perception that their line is an official revival of the franchise.

Oh wow. That explains a lot.

Thing is, Hasbro could release these TT toys as something else. They just can't call them "Battle Beasts" here in the US, since diamond owns that name now.

I wonder if they'd dare to call it "Beast Wars"

NihilistNun wrote:Diamond Select didn't "buy the rights to the Battle Beasts franchise" and all the sites that've been reporting they have have been making false assumptions. Hasbro neglected to retain the trademark rights to the name Battle Beasts because it wasn't being used and Diamond Select acquired the name; they haven't purchased, or even licensed, the rights to the original Beastformers franchise. Diamond's line is entirely new and they won't be producing merchandise based on the original character designs or making anything too similar because they legally can't. Of course, they're not going to go out of their way to clarify the issue because the whole point of registering the Battle Beasts trademark is to capitalize on nostalgia and create the perception that their line is an official revival of the franchise.

That is interesting and if true a real dick move especially considering the press release and messages we've received from them over the past few years.
I'll look into this and if true, I think the Diamond Battle Beast article will disappear.

That is interesting and if true a real dick move especially considering the press release and messages we've received from them over the past few years.
I'll look into this and if true, I think the Diamond Battle Beast article will disappear.

It is true, and I'm trying to find confirmation from my minimates buddies.

I do remember chuck, the diamond/minimates guy mentioned he wasn't sure if they could do rubsigns because of the copyrights involved, admitting they don't have the line as a whole. They're promoting toys, so they weren't going to talk about what they couldn't do just yet

At the same time, hasbro did not renew the license. So, it's a two sided issue. If hasbro really wanted it, why let it expire? They did nothing with it for however many years. So, it being stolen is kind of weird issue. I don't see it so much as a dick move as more like "if you're not going to use it...."

Though diamond had to keep pushing battle beast back. They never really addressed why. They kept doing soft promotions with their gator mold. They had completely different prototypes seen on display before, not using minimates bodies at all. Those seem to be scrapped now. These prototypes actually took animal/color combinations from the original. I suspect they ran into legal trouble.

So, now we have original ones, that seem like the older ones, still new names, new look, different toyline all togethr.

Screamfleet wrote:

That is interesting and if true a real dick move especially considering the press release and messages we've received from them over the past few years.
I'll look into this and if true, I think the Diamond Battle Beast article will disappear.

It is true, and I'm trying to find confirmation from my minimates buddies.

I do remember chuck, the diamond/minimates guy mentioned he wasn't sure if they could do rubsigns because of the copyrights involved, admitting they don't have the line as a whole. They're promoting toys, so they weren't going to talk about what they couldn't do just yet

At the same time, hasbro did not renew the license. So, it's a two sided issue. If hasbro really wanted it, why let it expire? They did nothing with it for however many years. So, it being stolen is kind of weird issue. I don't see it so much as a dick move as more like "if you're not going to use it...."

Though diamond had to keep pushing battle beast back. They never really addressed why. They kept doing soft promotions with their gator mold. They had completely different prototypes seen on display before, not using minimates bodies at all. Those seem to be scrapped now. These prototypes actually took animal/color combinations from the original. I suspect they ran into legal trouble.

So, now we have original ones, that seem like the older ones, still new names, new look, different toyline all togethr.

No it's a dick move in the sense that they lead us to believe that these where actually Battle Beasts as in the same ones Hasbro and Takara sold, while in reality this is just a line with a similar concept using the same name and then telling every one it's the original reincarnate. That's as if someone bought the trademark to Go-Bots and put it on Lego like robots while telling everyone it was the actual Go-Bots just resurrected.

Well, at certain points in the toys development their intentions may have been different. I've never gathered these are the same BB. So over the years, the sent press releases and wanted BB to be part of the original line and such. I'm pretty well convinced they discovered they could not.

http://powet.tv/powetblog/wp-content/up ... banner.jpg

Those canceled prototypes do utilize what hasbro/takara did. Yea a gorilla in red armor isn't that big of a deal, but, that's what the original was. In that sense, at one point, they were trying to reinvent the originals. I don't think their intent was to mislead, but at this point, it kind of is. I get what you mean, it is kind of a dick move in that sense. As they're pretty much utilizing the name to capitalize on the fans of the old toys.

Wasn't Seibs working on a Battle Beasts site? There used to be link on the main page but I can't find it now... (there was a GI Joe one as well I believe)

SWEET!

I'm so looking forward to these little guys!

loved them as a kid and they usually come up when remanising about childhood with friends. will deff. pick some up.

Well, it seems no one's posted about it yet, but the first wave of these little fellas has landed at BBTS and mine are on their way! Excited!