The Energon Pub

[bassal]

What is that Unicron I see in the corner?

Which one? There were multiple Unicrons on display at this event.

The one in the grey unpainted plastic.

[Sabrblade]

What is that Unicron I see in the corner?

Which one? There were multiple Unicrons on display at this event.

The one in the grey unpainted plastic.

This one?



That's the prototype for Beast Wars Neo Unicron.

[Rated X]

What does a "brainmaster" transform into ? Ive only heard of headmaster, targetmaster, and powermaster...

Also, isnt this guy combiner size in the cartoon leaving the possibility for a classics shelf if you want cartoon accuracy ?

[Jelze Bunnycat]

What does a "brainmaster" transform into ? Ive only heard of headmaster, targetmaster, and powermaster...

Also, isnt this guy combiner size in the cartoon leaving the possibility for a classics shelf if you want cartoon accuracy ?

For lack of better words the face

[Sabrblade]

What does a "brainmaster" transform into ? Ive only heard of headmaster, targetmaster, and powermaster...

Brainmasters fit into the chests of the larger robot and form their faces.








Though, the gimmick on this MP seems to be a little different from how it was on the G1 toy, enabling this MP to have full neck articulation.

Also, isnt this guy combiner size in the cartoon leaving the possibility for a classics shelf if you want cartoon accuracy ?

Yep! I'd say he's very perfectly scaled for a Classics shelf.

[Mindmaster]

What does a "brainmaster" transform into ? Ive only heard of headmaster, targetmaster, and powermaster...

Also, isnt this guy combiner size in the cartoon leaving the possibility for a classics shelf if you want cartoon accuracy ?

Brainmasters are sort of like Headmasters, but instead of forming the full head and being inserted into the neck, they are inserted into a compartment in the torso, and when the compartment is closed with the Brainmaster in it, the face rises up. Similar concept , radically different execution.

As for display options... You could display him on the Classics shelf, but I think he's more meant for the Masterpiece shelf.

[Rated X]

Thanks guys. That is a very weird "master" concept. I take it these brainmasters came out only in japan ? Around the time Hasbro jumped the G1 ship when powermasters and pretenders didnt do so well back in america ?

I might just buy this guy for my classics shelf and put him next to trailerforce Ginrai. Were they in the same cartoon ? Ive never watched the japanese cartoons because I just hate subtitles. Shame really cause I have them all burned to disc. I never liked how all Japanese robot cartoons used the same clip whenever they transform or combine. It always seemed lazy. The American cartoon artists hand drew the transformation different each time.

[triKlops]

Thanks guys. That is a very weird "master" concept. I take it these brainmasters came out only in japan ? Around the time Hasbro jumped the G1 ship when powermasters and pretenders didnt do so well back in america ?

I might just buy this guy for my classics shelf and put him next to trailerforce Ginrai. Were they in the same cartoon ?

Here's some background info for ya courtesy of the Wiki.
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Brainmaster

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Thanks guys. That is a very weird "master" concept. I take it these brainmasters came out only in japan ?

The three smaller Brainmasters (Blacker, Braver and Laster) were released in Europe as the Motorvators (Gripper, Lightspeed and Flame) without the combiner kibble.

And Star Saber was God Ginrai's successor (meaning they were the star of their respective series) but they did appear in the former's cartoon together. Later God Ginrai was killed and turned into the Magic Mushroom that's Victory Leo.

[Sabrblade]

Thanks guys. That is a very weird "master" concept. I take it these brainmasters came out only in japan ? Around the time Hasbro jumped the G1 ship when powermasters and pretenders didnt do so well back in america ?

Yep, they were all Takara's doing when Hasbro decided to switch to primarily Micromasters in 1989.

However, the three smaller Brainmasters (Blacker, Laster, and Braver) did get redecoed and released in Europe in 1991 as a new group called the Motorvators. Blacker was redecoed into Gripper, Laster into Flame, and Braver into Lightspeed (no relation to the Technobot of the same name). And their smaller Brainmaster figures were renamed as simply "Energon Figures". And none of them came with their original combiner pieces (the three Brainmasters were originally a combiner called Road Caesar).

I might just buy this guy for my classics shelf and put him next to trailerforce Ginrai. Were they in the same cartoon ?

Ginrai was in the Super-God Masterforce cartoon, while Star Saber was in the Victory cartoon. But, Ginrai did make a couple guest starring appearances in Victory in which he would team up with Star Saber.

I never liked how all Japanese robot cartoons used the same clip whenever they transform or combine. It always seemed lazy. The American cartoon artists hand drew the transformation different each time.

Not quite true. A lot of the transformations seen in the G1 cartoon were recycled from episode to episode. They just played them over whatever environments they needed to be in the background instead of in a fancy sequence. Optimus Prime's transformation was the most notorious case of this.

Though, I think they did give each transformation a fresh drawing for each one that happened in the 1986 movie, but that being a movie was a special case.

[bassal]

What is that Unicron I see in the corner?

Which one? There were multiple Unicrons on display at this event.

The one in the grey unpainted plastic.

This one?



That's the prototype for Beast Wars Neo Unicron.

Well dammit. It looked kinda cool.

[ZeroWolf]

The more I look at that unicron, the more I see a sorta resemblance to the death star Vader transformer.

I still maintain that we got a better unicron out of the deal, though I would like to see them take another whack at it, maybe for the 40th anniversary.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

The more I look at that unicron, the more I see a sorta resemblance to the death star Vader transformer.

He has more in common with Cybertron Primus actually.

[kirbenvost]

I kinda thought they'd have to sacrifice gimmicks to pull this guy off, but nope, so far it's all there! Icing on the cake would be if they ever do Victory Leo. I guess we'll see.

I'm already afraid of what the pricing will be on this guy, but hopefully I can afford it. I might not ever need to bother getting the original once this guy comes out.

[fenrir72]

I kinda thought they'd have to sacrifice gimmicks to pull this guy off, but nope, so far it's all there! Icing on the cake would be if they ever do Victory Leo. I guess we'll see.

I'm already afraid of what the pricing will be on this guy, but hopefully I can afford it. I might not ever need to bother getting the original once this guy comes out.

This. MP SS should be cheaper................good thing I held off getting the vintage (?)

[Va'al]

Let's continue Sunday with a look at what appears to be a true Masterpiece figure from Takara Tomy, courtesy of TagHobby's scans of the Dengeki magazine: Star Saber. The images show off the various features of the figure, from posability, to weapons, to brainmaster module, and a comparison shot with MP-20 Wheeljack - check em out mirrored below!

[Xephon0930]

Holy crap them wizards at Takara never cease to amaze me.

I still wonder if Star Saber can hold his sword edge facing forward and not with the blade wielded at its side. That and where did that shield come from?

[wewyllenium]

Interesting indeed. I'm looking forward to playing with this toy soon.

[megatronus]

I knew Star Saber was big, but the Brainmaster himself is as big as the standard MP cars? That's just wild(ly awesome).

[Agamemnon]

I knew Star Saber was big, but the Brainmaster himself is as big as the standard MP cars? That's just wild(ly awesome).

I think the Brainmaster is the little dude, kinda like a Powermaster, Headmaster, or Targetmaster. Star is the same of the deluxeish size bot, if mnemory serves, And Star Saber is the deluxish folded up into the larger armor. At least I think that's how it goes.

And, whoah. This is looking awesome!!

[Jelze Bunnycat]

I knew Star Saber was big, but the Brainmaster himself is as big as the standard MP cars? That's just wild(ly awesome).

I think the Brainmaster is the little dude, kinda like a Powermaster, Headmaster, or Targetmaster. Star is the same of the deluxeish size bot, if mnemory serves, And Star Saber is the deluxish folded up into the larger armor. At least I think that's how it goes.

And, whoah. This is looking awesome!!

Since we're getting technical, here are the official names:

Tiny figure: Yuuki no Brain (Brain of Courage)
Intermediate figure: Saber
Full combined figure: Star Saber

The term "Brainmaster" is used in a gimmick describing sense only.

[TulioDude]

Looks nice!
Theres eens to some artistic liberty taken with his solo jet mode.
Wonder how he will look doing this:

You know,without the helmet.

[WildclawPrime]

Very nice so far. Hopefully Takara makes a Masterpiece Victory Leo, so that we could get a Masterpiece Victory Saber. If it doesn't happen, maybe a Third Party company could make their own Victory Leo. Anything is possible, so it could happen.

[Ravage XK]

Nope, still does nothing for me.

[Xephon0930]

Nope, still does nothing for me.

Surprising that there are still you guys taking the time to post this.