The Energon Pub

megatronus wrote:

Bowspearer wrote:HLJ just put up preorders for Soundblaster & Ratbat for ¥12640 & G2 Sideswipe for ¥5200.

I'm always tempted by HLJ's prices (especially now that the Yen is down), but I always end up going with a domestic retailer that has collector packaging (TFsource and BBTS).

How does HLJ do packaging wise, and how is their shipping costs?

I can't speak for the US, but I know that when I got MP Soundwave, I had a bulk Private Warehouse shipment sent to me via EMS to Australia which included Encore Anime Devastator and both Cassette sets and I think I paid ¥4500 at the time.

The best shipping deal though was around $140 for 2 Encore Fort Maxes and 6 MG Gundam kits - the package was huge and weighed over 14kg (over 30lbs).

I suspect the shipping wouldn't be that different to the US.

As far as packaging goes, never had a problem - they use reasonable padding and everything is always sent in a sturdy box.

Bowspearer wrote:

megatronus wrote:

Bowspearer wrote:HLJ just put up preorders for Soundblaster & Ratbat for ¥12640 & G2 Sideswipe for ¥5200.

I'm always tempted by HLJ's prices (especially now that the Yen is down), but I always end up going with a domestic retailer that has collector packaging (TFsource and BBTS).

How does HLJ do packaging wise, and how is their shipping costs?

I can't speak for the US, but I know that when I got MP Soundwave, I had a bulk Private Warehouse shipment sent to me via EMS to Australia which included Encore Anime Devastator and both Cassette sets and I think I paid ¥4500 at the time.

The best shipping deal though was around $140 for 2 Encore Fort Maxes and 6 MG Gundam kits - the package was huge and weighed over 14kg (over 30lbs).

I suspect the shipping wouldn't be that different to the US.

As far as packaging goes, never had a problem - they use reasonable padding and everything is always sent in a sturdy box.

Fair enough. Thanks for the info - the key is bulk shipment, it seems. I'm glad you've had a good experience with them!

I may have to test the waters down the line if the Yen holds at its current level or drops. I've got preorders at TFsource for all of the currently announced MPs, but maybe for the next few...

Hasbro Asia has been coming out with some pretty random, out-of-the-blue releases. I think it'd be cool if they eventually released a two-pack of MP Ratbat and the TG20 Senator Ratbat. I'd have no need for it, but it'd be cool.

I'd like the masterpiece Ratbat but I have no need for another MP Soundwave. G2 Sideswipe looks good but a bit constipated. Takaras Waspy and Rhinox look a bit shiny but I'll probably get them sometime.

Posted by Hasui‏:

Does anyone know why Takara Waspinator looks like that? it is less accurate no?

Takara Tomy has updated their online product catalog with official images of Transformers Generations TG-30 Waspinator and TG-31 Rhinox. We've seen these images before, but these are nice and free of any watermarks. Like all figures in this line these two feature alternate decos and metallic paint applications compared to their Hasbro counterparts. Enjoy the images mirrored the below.

Meh, I like the Hasbro versions better. Waspy's eyes look nice, but I like yellow and black better than gold and black for a wasp. And Rhinox looks too brown for me. I don't care about cartoon accuracy or comic accuracy; when it comes to beasties, I want the beast mode to look realistic, and I think the color of Hasbro's Rhinox looks more like the grayish color of a real rhino. I do like the chrome-edged blades, though.

Rhinox looks like someone went and bronzed a rhino. Can't understand why they would use their metallic coating on this figure's beast parts at all. The gold on Waspinator makes him look a little too Transmetals for my taste. Really don't know what they were thinking with these two. Better paint aps, but with the wrong use of colors is a real shame.

Emerje

Dying for in hand pics of these two.

Every time I see these two I question the logic behind making all the fleshy animal parts metallic and all the parts that where shiny metal in the show just dull plastic.
This has got to be some kind of miscommunication, as in someone must have said that they need metallic paint, and somehow someone got confused and painted the wrong parts.
Or the guys in charge of the decos are the same crack heads that did and ruined Henkei Galvatron and make all the bizzar repaints like Pink Movie Starscream, or the original MP Starscream.

I call them crack team crackheads.

The colours are nice, but not nice enough to justify the extra costs.

Just in are some new in-hand images of Takara Tomy's upcoming Transformers Generations releases TG-30 Waspinator and TG-31 Rhinox courtesy of TF YUKI. Like most figures from the Takara Tomy Generations line these figures feature alternate decos compared to their Hasbro counterparts and the line's signature metallic paint. Just in case your wondering the little Optimus Prime looking guy is a souvenir pin from the 55th Asahikawa Snow Sculpture Festival.

Looks awesome! Hope they fix all the QC issues with Rhinox! hm... now what to do with my Hasbro one...

What "QC issues" does Rhinox have? No problems with mine.

GuyIncognito wrote:What "QC issues" does Rhinox have? No problems with mine.

I've heard a lot of really loose knees. Mine's pretty lose but not as bad as what I've heard. There might be others, but that's the one I know of.

So when you say "ALL the QC issues", you mean "one" issue.

Is there any evidence that the loose knees affects more than a small % of the figures sold? Just because a few people report it in forums, doesn't mean it's a widespread issue. We collectors are a picky and vocal group.

GuyIncognito wrote:So when you say "ALL the QC issues", you mean "one" issue.

Is there any evidence that the loose knees affects more than a small % of the figures sold? Just because a few people report it in forums, doesn't mean it's a widespread issue. We collectors are a picky and vocal group.

I thought it was pretty widespread.... don't know what would be considered evidence besides people reporting it. Could have sworn I heard about other issues but whatever...

What I'm asking is: What makes you think it's widespread? Are there thousands of reports of this issue? Are people returning them to stores in large numbers? Or is it a dozen or so collectors with high standards complaining on message boards? A few loose joints isn't a QC issue; it's par for the course. No toy is perfect. An example of a true QC issue is mis-assembled parts or unpainted parts or parts being broken: things that should be caught by quality-control methods. Some figures are going to come off the assembly line with looser joints than others; they can't play-test every single one.

GuyIncognito wrote:What I'm asking is: What makes you think it's widespread? Are there thousands of reports of this issue? Are people returning them to stores in large numbers? Or is it a dozen or so collectors with high standards complaining on message boards? A few loose joints isn't a QC issue; it's par for the course. No toy is perfect. An example of a true QC issue is mis-assembled parts or unpainted parts or parts being broken: things that should be caught by quality-control methods. Some figures are going to come off the assembly line with looser joints than others; they can't play-test every single one.

Loose joints is a QC issue - it has to do with the tolerances of a figure. Just because it's something that potentially could have been dealt with before mass production doesn't mean you should just dismiss it off-hand as a non-issue.

Whether it's widespread is another issue entirely. Unfortunately, I can't complain or comment on that since I haven't yet sighted even 1 blasted Rhinox (or Doubledealer, for that matter) in the wild...

Well, at least Rhinox has properly colored ears and an accurate horn, but Hasbro's still come out on top strictly due to the reason it looks like an ORGANIC rhino.

Waspinator however is all kinds of wrong. Takara, you failed completely on him.
This is why Waspinator thinks the universe hates him.

Yeah, I don't understand Takara's use of metallic paints. Are these supposed to be Transmetal versions of the characters?

Manterax Prime wrote:Well, at least Rhinox has properly colored ears and an accurate horn, but Hasbro's still come out on top strictly due to the reason it looks like an ORGANIC rhino.

Waspinator however is all kinds of wrong. Takara, you failed completely on him.
This is why Waspinator thinks the universe hates him.

while I agree with you on rhinox, have to completely disagree when it comes to waspinator. his colors and overall paint apps are much more show accurate then the hasbro one. The exception of course is the gold paint instead of yellow, and the circles on his shoulders need to be the color of the hasbro one. However the paint job on the head in particular is right on the money

When I look at those painted guns I'm so glad I preordered Takara Rhinox instead of the Hasbro version

Immortal Starscream wrote:

Manterax Prime wrote:Well, at least Rhinox has properly colored ears and an accurate horn, but Hasbro's still come out on top strictly due to the reason it looks like an ORGANIC rhino.

Waspinator however is all kinds of wrong. Takara, you failed completely on him.
This is why Waspinator thinks the universe hates him.

while I agree with you on rhinox, have to completely disagree when it comes to waspinator. his colors and overall paint apps are much more show accurate then the hasbro one. The exception of course is the gold paint instead of yellow, and the circles on his shoulders need to be the color of the hasbro one. However the paint job on the head in particular is right on the money

Wrong you are. Mostly. Yes the yellow mouth is accurate but everything else was nailed be Hasbro. I've seen BW. It's what got me into Tfs to begin with. I KNOW what Waspinators colors are, and the colors on Takara's version, aside from the mouth, are 100% WRONG!