The Energon Pub

[Kurona]

Kitties

[Wolfman Jake]

"CHUG"

Every time you use that accursed acronym, god eats a kitten.

Good. I hate kittens.


CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG

All aboard the kitten-eating train! Chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga WOO WOO!

Meanwhile, I think I'll chug the last of this water bottle sittin' next to me.

That's why I specified "acronym." No kitties for you, Sabr!

We're only a month out now from the first batch of Takara Legends Headmasters now. Who's excited?

[william-james88]

We're only a month out now from the first batch of Takara Legends Headmasters now. Who's excited?

ME

[Cyberpath]

We're only a month out now from the first batch of Takara Legends Headmasters now. Who's excited?

I am!

But the fact Takara already figured out MP Inferno/Grapple makes me reevaluate if I should get into the Headmasters, too. Takara is moving really fast.

[shajaki]

Lots to report tonight folks, continuing now with some in package images of TakaraTomy Transformers Legends LG-23 Galvatron and LG-21 Hardhead! These fellas are slated for release next month, and will be under the Hasbro banner Titans Return (Stateside). Do you have your pre-orders in? Let us know, and stay tuned to Seibertron.com: home for the best Galleries and Conversation around!

[Sabrblade]

Odd how they parsed "Headmaster" as "Head Master".

[Gunmetal]

Speaking for myself alone, I'd rather have the Hasbro Hardhead. My 1987 self never liked how cartoon Hardhead didn't have the "cool mouth plate" that my toy had.

[Gunmetal]

Odd how they parsed "Headmaster" as "Head Master".

Also, Hardhead's TM is in head-mode while Galvatron's isn't. Perhaps because Nebulon (or whatever his name is) doesn't technically form the complete face?

[Wolfman Jake]

I'm loving these in package samples. The production colors look great in "natural" lighting. Galvatron isn't as pale and Hardhead isn't as overly saturated as the stock photos had us believe. I was already committed to getting Takara's Hardhead for the cartoon accurate face sculpt, but now I'm certain I'll stick with Takara for Galvatron as well. The colors look great, and his "Head Master" has actual paint.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Speaking for myself alone, I'd rather have the Hasbro Hardhead. My 1987 self never liked how cartoon Hardhead didn't have the "cool mouth plate" that my toy had.

Same. He just looked more badass with the mouthplate toy look.

[King Kuuga]

Now I miss when Hasbro toys were packaged in alt mode.

[Va'al]

One of the pieces of news coming out of the Tokyo Toy Fest 2016, and a little overshadowed by the Masterpiece Cheetor reveal, concerns the Legends series and a potential godly addition. According to Twitter user tagoal, we might be seeing a heavy remold of the Leader Powermaster Prime, already a retool of Ultra Magnus. Machine translation of the tweets say the following:

Development in the Japan Edition ginrai!!

It something considerably different from the power master op ginrai?!

Redesign of the cab, ginrai, breast changes, changes, arms and legs are different and such?!

Which seem to suggest that chest, cab, arms and legs of the figure will be modified to get close to the big robot mode, including something happening to the Titanmaster feature to accommodate the Ginrai character. Are we to see the Godbomber directly? Let us know what you think in the Energon Pub!

[Kurona]

Oh hell yes. I'm yet to watch Masterforce but I've heard that Ginrai is basically a toned down Kamina (which, considering how confusing his looking exactly like optimus is, makes "who the hell do you think I am?!" a legitimate question) so he's already in my good books. And hey, the transtector itself looked incredible

[xMXUx]

That's awesome news about Ginrai although depending on how different he is from PMOP, I might consider getting both, which wouldn't be too good for my wallet

[william-james88]

Odd how they parsed "Headmaster" as "Head Master".

Also, Hardhead's TM is in head-mode while Galvatron's isn't. Perhaps because Nebulon (or whatever his name is) doesn't technically form the complete face?

Yeah it could be that, but I thought it was to sell the look of this new titan master, which looks like Megatron. The head transformed as a robot is more recognizable than it just as a head.

Now I miss when Hasbro toys were packaged in alt mode.

I do too. The last time it happened was the AOE deluxe Dinobots, right?
Its odd, they've even been rereleasing many G1s in robot mode. I guess it's to differentiate themselves from other brands and it makes it easy for parent to tell that it is an action figure.

Speaking for myself alone, I'd rather have the Hasbro Hardhead. My 1987 self never liked how cartoon Hardhead didn't have the "cool mouth plate" that my toy had.

I preffer the grey on hasbro's hardhead over the brown on Takara's. Both are cool though, I am really impressed at how both companies took the same toy but modified it for it to resemble 2 different looks of the character: toy and show model. I really love when Hasbro and Takara offer different takes rather than both going for a similar look with one of them doing a better job at it.

[Va'al]

Soon enough after reporting the rumour which really wasn't about Legends God Ginrai, we have some confirmation fuel from Takara Tomy designer and unofficial PR machine Hisashi Yuki over on Twitter. Fellow staff member Hellscream9999 notifies us of the Super Jinrai sketch, as part of the Legends series - Yuki seems to lament the non-MP choice, but also seems happy enough to ask for support for the line. Check it out below!

[Sabrblade]

Hm, based on that artwork, it looks to still be Super Ginrai rather than God Ginrai. No visible Godbomber armor components.

[Agamemnon]

Maybe put a Powermaster on the chest? More blocky G1 style truck cab?

You know, Takara, I'm getting really tired of buying more than one of these figures because of your awesome remolds and paint....

[william-james88]

Hm, based on that artwork, it looks to still be Super Ginrai rather than God Ginrai. No visible Godbomber armor components.

Yup, and you know, how they wrote Super Ginrai on it

[Mindmaster]

In that case, I might hold off on PMOP then. I think the cab looks okay, but I certainly would've taken the blockiness of the original. Ginrai, thy must deliver!

[Evil Eye]

So Ginrai is getting heavy retooling from PMOP huh? Sounds like it could be Devastator all over again.

[Gunmetal]

So Ginrai is getting heavy retooling from PMOP huh? Sounds like it could be Devastator all over again.

Could be, but at least PMOP doesn't have omissions on the level of the Constructicon elbows (but I wouldn't be surprised if the leg modifications include ankle tilts).

Looking at the picture, it looks like the may have the arm panels hinge higher up so that they aren't underneath his hands. This could allow for wrist swivels, but would leave him without that grip he needs to hold his guns better.

The chest does look different too. At first I thought, "what's the point," since it's not like they still need to distinguish it from Ultra Magnus (they way Takara distinguished their Technobots from their earlier mold partners). Then I realized it: they're different characters (duh) ; giving them distinct chests gives us an excuse to get both to represent the two side-by-side.

Well played.

[Evil Eye]

So Ginrai is getting heavy retooling from PMOP huh? Sounds like it could be Devastator all over again.

Could be, but at least PMOP doesn't have omissions on the level of the Constructicon elbows (but I wouldn't be surprised if the leg modifications include ankle tilts).

Looking at the picture, it looks like the may have the arm panels hinge higher up so that they aren't underneath his hands. This could allow for wrist swivels, but would leave him without that grip he needs to hold his guns better.

The chest does look different too. At first I thought, "what's the point," since it's not like they still need to distinguish it from Ultra Magnus (they way Takara distinguished their Technobots from their earlier mold partners). Then I realized it: they're different characters (duh) ; giving them distinct chests gives us an excuse to get both to represent the two side-by-side.

Well played.

Well PMOP has nasty hollow arms, no ankle tilts (as you mentioned) and no wrist swivels so hopefully they'll be on the agenda for upgrading.

[Gunmetal]

So Ginrai is getting heavy retooling from PMOP huh? Sounds like it could be Devastator all over again.

Could be, but at least PMOP doesn't have omissions on the level of the Constructicon elbows (but I wouldn't be surprised if the leg modifications include ankle tilts).

Looking at the picture, it looks like the may have the arm panels hinge higher up so that they aren't underneath his hands. This could allow for wrist swivels, but would leave him without that grip he needs to hold his guns better.

The chest does look different too. At first I thought, "what's the point," since it's not like they still need to distinguish it from Ultra Magnus (they way Takara distinguished their Technobots from their earlier mold partners). Then I realized it: they're different characters (duh) ; giving them distinct chests gives us an excuse to get both to represent the two side-by-side.

Well played.

Well PMOP has nasty hollow arms, no ankle tilts (as you mentioned) and no wrist swivels so hopefully they'll be on the agenda for upgrading.

I don't know about the arms; they still look hollow in the sketch, and I can't recall any other instance where Takara went back and filled in forearms or thighs. Masterpiece aside, I think both companies are equally guilty of 3-sided limbs (which makes sense since the toys are designed jointly).

[Mindmaster]

Somebody snuck in and got this.