The Energon Pub

News Credits: 462 · Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:19 am

Emerje wrote:Is Reflector and Refraktor spelled the same way in Japan? Just realized the translations are coming up with Reflector, but Takara Tomy writes his name in English as Refraktor like the Siege figure.

Where?

News Credits: 11 · Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:32 am

Sabrblade wrote:Where?

TT used the recent Hasbro changed name of "Refractor" in promotional materials for this toy, when they used English characters. However, at Amazon Japan (which auto-translates Japanese into English internally at the site), the Japanese katakana characters are depicted into English as "Reflector" I believe?

News Credits: 462 · Sun Aug 14, 2022 6:44 am

Emerje wrote:Is Reflector and Refraktor spelled the same way in Japan? Just realized the translations are coming up with Reflector, but [Takara Tomy writes his name in English as Refraktor like the Siege figure.

Hasbro "Refraktor" name in Latin script, but Takara "Reflector" name in Katakana.

Like how Legends used both names for its characters.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Mon Aug 15, 2022 12:45 am

Sabrblade wrote:
Emerje wrote:Is Reflector and Refraktor spelled the same way in Japan? Just realized the translations are coming up with Reflector, but [Takara Tomy writes his name in English as Refraktor like the Siege figure.
Hasbro "Refraktor" name in Latin script, but Takara "Reflector" name in Katakana.

Like how Legends used both names for its characters.

Yeah, I get that, but knowing that L and R tend to be interchangeable in Japanese translations I'm just wondering if they'd have the same spelling regardless. I'm thinking yes.

Emerje

News Credits: 462 · Mon Aug 15, 2022 12:55 am

Emerje wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
Emerje wrote:Is Reflector and Refraktor spelled the same way in Japan? Just realized the translations are coming up with Reflector, but [Takara Tomy writes his name in English as Refraktor like the Siege figure.
Hasbro "Refraktor" name in Latin script, but Takara "Reflector" name in Katakana.

Like how Legends used both names for its characters.

Yeah, I get that, but knowing that L and R tend to be interchangeable in Japanese translations I'm just wondering if they'd have the same spelling regardless. I'm thinking yes.

Emerje

They wouldn't because "re" and "ra" are two different characters.

Reflector = リフレクター (Rifurekutā)
Refraktor/Refractor = リフラクター (Rifurakutā)

News Credits: 11 · Mon Aug 15, 2022 1:15 am

Sabrblade wrote:
Emerje wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
Emerje wrote:Is Reflector and Refraktor spelled the same way in Japan? Just realized the translations are coming up with Reflector, but [Takara Tomy writes his name in English as Refraktor like the Siege figure.
Hasbro "Refraktor" name in Latin script, but Takara "Reflector" name in Katakana.

Like how Legends used both names for its characters.

Yeah, I get that, but knowing that L and R tend to be interchangeable in Japanese translations I'm just wondering if they'd have the same spelling regardless. I'm thinking yes.

Emerje
They wouldn't because "re" and "ra" are two different characters.

Reflector = リフレクター (Rifurekutā)
Refraktor/Refractor = リフラクター (Rifurakutā)

Literally, yes, but sometimes vowel sounds can be mistranslated, such as with elisision or assimilation in pronunciation. IF this was the case here, it could just be a mistake though.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Mon Aug 15, 2022 9:37 am

primalxconvoy wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
Emerje wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
Emerje wrote:Is Reflector and Refraktor spelled the same way in Japan? Just realized the translations are coming up with Reflector, but [Takara Tomy writes his name in English as Refraktor like the Siege figure.
Hasbro "Refraktor" name in Latin script, but Takara "Reflector" name in Katakana.

Like how Legends used both names for its characters.

Yeah, I get that, but knowing that L and R tend to be interchangeable in Japanese translations I'm just wondering if they'd have the same spelling regardless. I'm thinking yes.

Emerje
They wouldn't because "re" and "ra" are two different characters.

Reflector = リフレクター (Rifurekutā)
Refraktor/Refractor = リフラクター (Rifurakutā)

Literally, yes, but sometimes vowel sounds can be mistranslated, such as with elisision or assimilation in pronunciation. IF this was the case here, it could just be a mistake though.

If someone is simply confident in their ability to translate without use of software it's entirely possible to still get something that sounds phonetically in Japanese like Refraktor but translated the same as Reflector.

reflakter.JPG

I'm sure I've thoroughly over thought this and it is as simple as them just using the current Hasbro trademark for English. Which is kinda dumb since if Hasbro does release them (and why wouldn't they?) they're just going to slip it inside a black box without a name on it so it wouldn't matter what was on the box. I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow.

Emerje

News Credits: 462 · Mon Aug 15, 2022 10:59 am

Emerje wrote:I'm sure I've thoroughly over thought this and it is as simple as them just using the current Hasbro trademark for English. Which is kinda dumb since if Hasbro does release them (and why wouldn't they?) they're just going to slip it inside a black box without a name on it so it wouldn't matter what was on the box. I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow.

Emerje

Heh, something similar's already happened with Masterpiece Burn Out, whose Takara name is given as "Dia Burn Out" while Hasbro Pulse instead labelled her as "Autobot Burn Out".

News Credits: 241 · Mon Aug 15, 2022 5:28 pm

Sabrblade wrote:
Emerje wrote:I'm sure I've thoroughly over thought this and it is as simple as them just using the current Hasbro trademark for English. Which is kinda dumb since if Hasbro does release them (and why wouldn't they?) they're just going to slip it inside a black box without a name on it so it wouldn't matter what was on the box. I'm sure we'll find out tomorrow.

Emerje
Heh, something similar's already happened with Masterpiece Burn Out, whose Takara name is given as "Dia Burn Out" while Hasbro Pulse instead labelled her as "Autobot Burn Out".

All to make it easier for the casual importer who can't read Japanese.

As for Refraktor vs. Reflector, there is a difference in vowel sounds between the two words, think refraction vs reflection, and that can be reflected in Japanese spelling. Also, just because one name isn't available in the US doesn't mean it's also unavailable in Japan.

News Credits: 11 · Mon Aug 15, 2022 7:19 pm

Jelze Bunnycat wrote:As for Refraktor vs. Reflector, there is a difference in vowel sounds between the two words, think refraction vs reflection, and that can be reflected in Japanese spelling.

Yes, this has already been covered. However, there are times when existing pronunciation/listening errors in the host language affect how even new loan words are transcribed, regardless of how they are usually inferred.

This isn't the best example, but "The Matrix" (say "may-tricks") transcribed into katakana pronunciation is "mah-toh-rick-s(oo)", even though katakana can more accurately reproduce the "may" sound, such as in "anime" ("a-nee-may"). This got even more confusing when the Japanese-created "Animatrix" DVD set was released...

News Credits: 9 · Mon Aug 15, 2022 10:04 pm

primalxconvoy wrote:Although Reflector is meant to be a Takara Tomy Mall Exclusive, there's a pre-order at Amazon Japan below:

- https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0B8Z7BZ58/ ... BZ58&psc=1

(I'm not sure if this ships outside Japan, so please check).

Thank you for the link.
Much appreciated! ;)^

News Credits: 1646 · Wed Aug 24, 2022 9:10 pm

In all the whirlwind surrounding the reveal of the Canon crossover Optimus Prime and Reflector, we had a distinct lack of preorders for Reflector.

Well, thanks to BigBadToyStore, we now finally have a preorder for Reflector, and he is a much nicer price than was anticipated. The BBTS preorder shows him as being $134.99, and due in June of 2023. This price tag is much more palatable than the originally estimated $200-ish price tag.

BBTS is also showing Optimus Prime as $134.99, which might just make it the prime place to order one of the Canon Bots.

If you are interested in ordering one of these figures, head on over to any of the links above or click the picture below to get your preorders in. And remember, with the Quantum Dial in his chest, Reflector is now a necessity for anyone with an Alternity Collection!

Thu Aug 25, 2022 3:09 am

Okay so they did do the thing everyone expected!

News Credits: 101 · Thu Aug 25, 2022 6:22 am

That's good news for all the fans of this oddball.
But for me, the old 2007 Real Gear Transformers looks way better than this and those Real Gears are mostly considered "rejects" so, errrrhhhh............

For this here Canadian, they will cost way pass 200$CAN and for that price, there's too much better stuff like Masterpieces and such.

.........Oh for F sake who am I kidding............ #-o

I NEED THAT REFLECTOR! :KREMZEEK:

Preorder effing placed.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Aug 25, 2022 8:47 am

I put in a preorder for Reflector. Will I keep it? We'll see.

News Credits: 1646 · Thu Aug 25, 2022 8:49 am

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I put in a preorder for Reflector. Will I keep it? We'll see.

As did I. I feel I need him for the Alternity shelf, and also because my wife loves to photograph, so she can appreciate the camera mode

News Credits: 2 · Thu Aug 25, 2022 2:50 pm

I hereby dub thee DAD-BOD REFLECTOR

News Credits: 101 · Fri Aug 26, 2022 8:22 pm

Preorder for Refraktor are up for Canadians at Age 3 & Up.

https://www.agesthreeandup.ca/collectio ... fraktor-r5

They are around 5$CAN more expensive than BBTS and they charge the harmonised federal tax. So even if they seems a bit more expensive than BBTS, us Canadians take a gamble when ordering anything that is worth above 100$ from BBTS. Those custom fees will ruin any money saved and it will be way more expensive in the end.

So I cancelled my BBTS preorder and went with A3U instead.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Wed Mar 08, 2023 4:22 am

In a tweet a few hours ago Takara Tomy's official @TF_pr account teased four sets of new reveals for this coming Thursday, March 9. Among them is a new collaboration with Canon Camera featuring what appears to be Nemesis Prime. There isn't anything else to go by, but I think we can guess what it'll look like since Optimus Prime was already a black camera. They also teased several other figures being announced within the franchise, one of which is the Premium Finish set of Beast Wars Optimus Primal and Megatron from their respective Kingdom releases we reported the other day. Less interesting is the tease for the Japanese release of Legacy Evolution Prime Skyquake, Metal Hawk, Shrapnel, Animated Prowl and Core Grimlock and Studio Series Rise of the Beasts Scourge and Cheetor.

We'll bring you more as we learn about it and you can always bring the discussion to the Seibertron.com Energon Pub forums.

News Credits: 101 · Wed Mar 08, 2023 5:44 am

Obviously, there will be a Nemesis repaint. I think this one will end up looking the best due to the more consistent color scheme all over. It will still look like a big fatso with an overwhelming beer gut.

That's why I cancelled my Reflector preorder. Plus the fact that the damn thing will be over 200$CAN didn't help.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Mar 08, 2023 8:23 am

The different Matrixes are so neat. HasTak missed a trick by not making multiple versions of Matrixes that can be swapped around like this toy has (yeah, I know the thing Reflector has isn't really a Matrix; still).

Nemesis might look the best, but I'm in for Reflector once he arrives at BBTS.