The Energon Pub

[Sabrblade]

Genuine question......since G1 ended in Japan in the early 90s, has Takara made any exclusive molds and/or combiners? Aside from Blast Off/Strafe, I genuinely can't think of any.

the latest exclusive combiners Takara came up with on their own:

[Bounti76]

Genuine question......since G1 ended in Japan in the early 90s, has Takara made any exclusive molds and/or combiners? Aside from Blast Off/Strafe, I genuinely can't think of any.

the latest exclusive combiners Takara came up with on their own:

Ah, thanks! While not my cup of tea, I'd forgotten about these guys.

While Takara apparently has done this one set of combiners, solo, since 1992, I don't think they're about to change a line as drastically as making Liokaiser 6 bots instead of 5- IF they do him. Their M.O. seems to be to repaint where it makes sense, retool or a new head where it makes sense, or reshell a mold....if it makes sense.

My point being, it wouldn't make sense to the way they've operated their business since the 90s (again, these combiners being the lone exception) to drastically alter a line just to make it THAT accurate.

[Gallifreyan Autobot]

im impressed. TT has me sold on this..... now the final verdict is the colour scheme.....

[ZeroWolf]

Wow you guys have all been busy since I last looked at this thread

Strafe looks really nice, I forgot for a moment that it was a blast off retool. I bet the hasbro design team wish they had more of the budget freedom takara's lot can afford, c'est la vie.

[Va'al]

Following the Legends images, Takara Tomy also has a new Transformers Unite Warriors image, that builds on the hype of the recent Technobots prototype images - the fully combined UW08 Computron combiner! Check it out mirrored below, and let us know if it still meets your expectations in the Energon Pub.

*thinking noise*

...which we had seen better here, so no news for you, buddy!

[Rainmaker]

Don't think I'm digging those really high shoulders...

They could've done better with Afterburner in combiner mode, looks like his legs are split.

Still awesome

[Sigma Magnus]

...so much awesome...I need these five on my shelf. Right now.

[william-james88]

Update!

PS: those waiting to see what Hasbro has cooked up will be so dissapointed with Strafe, he's just Air Raid with some appendages, supposedly. So no new headsculpt and simply a jet alt mode.

[fenrir72]

TT please......enough

[Powered Convoy]

They could skip out on a voyager torso and make a way to do two deluxes that combine to make a voyager-sized CW/UW torso for the rest of the limbs, similar to how Devastator works, really. Takara has shown they're willing to get REALLY fancy with retooling and original engineering for their releases.

And this will never happen thier not going to create a whole new gimmick for one box set.

Never say never. There is a 3rd part Liokaiser being made right now, and Takara takes great pride in Liokaiser. I would not put it past them to create a new modern version. They do make takara-exclusive molds and combiners

Genuine question......since G1 ended in Japan in the early 90s, has Takara made any exclusive molds and/or combiners? Aside from Blast Off/Strafe, I genuinely can't think of any.

In addition to the Go! combiners the combiners in Car Robots were originally their designs that were later used by Hasbro.

Randy

[william-james88]

While Takara apparently has done this one set of combiners, solo, since 1992, I don't think they're about to change a line as drastically as making Liokaiser 6 bots instead of 5- IF they do him. Their M.O. seems to be to repaint where it makes sense, retool or a new head where it makes sense, or reshell a mold....if it makes sense.

My point being, it wouldn't make sense to the way they've operated their business since the 90s (again, these combiners being the lone exception) to drastically alter a line just to make it THAT accurate.

What lone exception?! Takara continuously designs new molds, they never stopped. And bringing "exclusivity" to the converstaion doesnt mean anything since Takara has exclusives that were designed by hasbro like these:


Transformers United Rumble Gallery


Transformers Arms Micron War Breakdown Gallery


And Takara desgined combiners that Hasbro distributed like these:




Transformers Robots In Disguise Rail Racer (JRX) Gallery

And Takara keeps coming out with toys they designed that we dont get in the west like these:


Transformers Adventures Optimus Prime Gallery


Transformers Alternity Optimus Prime (Ultimate Metal Silver) (Convoy (Ultimate Metal Silver)) Gallery




Transformers Go! Optimus ExPrime Gallery


And you know, there is the MP line that is all Takara:


Transformers Masterpiece Ironhide Gallery

Don't think I'm digging those really high shoulders...

You can transform afterburner differently, like this:

[steals_your_goats]

Update!

:michaelbay:

PS: those waiting to see what Hasbro has cooked up will be so dissapointed with Strafe, he's just Air Raid with some appendages, supposedly. So no new headsculpt and simply a jet alt mode.

I like the comparison chart but I can't tell you how much it bothers me that not everyone is facing the same direction. And the Hasbro strafe will at least have a new nosecone from air raid and tail fins. That much is clear from the leaked box art.

[william-james88]

I like the comparison chart but I can't tell you how much it bothers me that not everyone is facing the same direction. And the Hasbro strafe will at least have a new nosecone from air raid and tail fins. That much is clear from the leaked box art.

How is it clear when the leaked boxart (shown above your post) cuts off before we see the tail fins? I am sorry to burst anyone's bubble but Hasbro's strafe is a straight repaint of Air Raid. That is what we have heard from the rumours. If anyone can show me otherwise, please do.

And here's a better image of Computron without the watermark and compared to Hasbro's:

[steals_your_goats]

Look at that mold in arm mode. The wings are very clearly different and the nose cone is nowhere near as large on strafe. It's a retool not a repaint.

[william-james88]

Look at that mold in arm mode. The wings are very clearly different and the nose cone is nowhere near as large on strafe. It's a retool not a repaint.

Fine, but its not what I was told by people who saw it though I dont know why they wouldt notice such an apparent change. Thats good news then. But the jury is still out on the tail fins

[grimdragon2001]

i agree with steals, the nosecone and front wings are definatly different from airraids on the hasbro strafe. the tailfins may be the same, no way of knowing at this time but the more i see these two very different takes on Computron, the more i desire to have both to mix and match for the Ultimate iterration of the character

[william-james88]

Computron is up at Japan Webstore Anime Export for 94$ USD

http://www.anime-export.com/product/31053

Fair warning for those shipping to the US, the shipping will be between 30-40$

[steals_your_goats]

Look at that mold in arm mode. The wings are very clearly different and the nose cone is nowhere near as large on strafe. It's a retool not a repaint.

Fine, but its not what I was told by people who saw it though I dont know why they wouldt notice such an apparent change. Thats good news then. But the jury is still out on the tail fins

Well if you go off of the mock up that was leaked it shows new tail fins. I know it's nothing definitive but everything else has been right about it so there's that https://www.google.com/search?q=combiner+wars+computron+leak&client=ms-android-verizon&prmd=nisv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOu-7MmfXLAhVISCYKHdGODewQ_AUICCgC&biw=360&bih=518#imgrc=LWy80jhqIW2JuM%3A

[autobot00]

GO GO MS paint! They look smexy together. Too bad for the file size limit, looks better when not scaled

[Hero Alpha]

Nosecone looks incredibly awesome! Takara really blew the Hasbro Nosecone away. Even though I wont be buying either Computron, I can appreciate the UW one way much. Hope they stick with Sunbow colours, thats the main reason I am going with UW Bruticus(along with shuttle Blastoff of course). Though some call them flawed and simple, my inner kid nostalgia keeps a chub for the Sunbow colours/looks

Why no Computron? Not attached to him? Bored with combiner wars? Or is your money going elsewhere?
I'm just curious because UW Computron looks like one of the best releases so far IMO.

Growing up I just never got into Computron. I enjoyed him in the show but didnt have the toy. I did have Menasor and Bruticus so those are the CW ones I bought, which are still my favs combiners. Money does play a role, however, since I dont have a lot of it lol.

[TF-fan kev777]

For Will and Bounti76, here is why I don't think a proper 6 member LioKaiser is in the works unless they somehow add in Jallguar as a legends figure that can attach to the lower torso area:

1) The combininer pegs would have to stay, meaning that all 4 limbs would likely be simpler retools/redecos of existing molds.

2) assuming 1 above is correct, that would leave the torso as the only option for a new mold or a retool of an existing mold. And, the torso would need to keep the combiner ports the same and in the same areas of the torso.

That would leave them only 2 options, either make 2 deluxes (one of which would need to house the combiner head) or use a Voyager and Legends combo where the legends figure could attach to the torso making it look like 2 bots combined. I don't see any othe potential size/class combos that would work without throwing the scale and proportions way off from the other CW/UW combiners (sans Devy of course).

For the 2 deluxes option, First they would have to use 2 new molds, no way around that. Then they would both need to fit together as a torso sturdy enough to support the weight of the arm bots, as well as have the right placement for the combiner head and combiner ports for the limbs. Not only this, bout they would also need to be able to support individual bot and alt modes. It would be doable, but require quite a bit of effort if they are only going to use the molds once. As for forming the torso, they would also need to look seamless, meaning this may require some partsforming, or at least a chestplate to hide the joints. That is why I think it will not happen.

That basically leaves us with the Voyager/Legends combo as the likely way to get a 6 man team. And actually, we already have 2 molds that could work with some retooling. Sky-Lynx is pretty obvious for Leozack, even if shuttle vs. plane isn't quite right for the alt mode. I actually think Blackjack for Jallguar would work decently as well. They would need to add 2 pegs to the waist area of the Sky-Lynx torso

[Emerje]

What lone exception?! Takara continuously designs new molds, they never stopped.

Thank you! I don't know why people act like Takara Tomy would be incapable of making two new Deluxe figures that can be smashed together into a combiner torso for Liokaiser. Takara Tomy doesn't exist solely to repaint Hasbro's stuff, they're a major GLOBAL toy company (they do sell things that aren't Transformers in North America and Europe) and more than capable to making their own figures with no help from Hasbro.

Have we so quickly forgotten Groove and Blast Off in this very line? We aren't talking about some major undertaking, it's just two more figures, it's not like we're asking for Landcross or something extremely different. The remaining members can be easily sourced from existing figures with minor modding.

Emerje

[ZeroWolf]

For Will and Bounti76, here is why I don't think a proper 6 member LioKaiser is in the works unless they somehow add in Jallguar as a legends figure that can attach to the lower torso area:

1) The combininer pegs would have to stay, meaning that all 4 limbs would likely be simpler retools/redecos of existing molds.

2) assuming 1 above is correct, that would leave the torso as the only option for a new mold or a retool of an existing mold. And, the torso would need to keep the combiner ports the same and in the same areas of the torso.

That would leave them only 2 options, either make 2 deluxes (one of which would need to house the combiner head) or use a Voyager and Legends combo where the legends figure could attach to the torso making it look like 2 bots combined. I don't see any othe potential size/class combos that would work without throwing the scale and proportions way off from the other CW/UW combiners (sans Devy of course).

For the 2 deluxes option, First they would have to use 2 new molds, no way around that. Then they would both need to fit together as a torso sturdy enough to support the weight of the arm bots, as well as have the right placement for the combiner head and combiner ports for the limbs. Not only this, bout they would also need to be able to support individual bot and alt modes. It would be doable, but require quite a bit of effort if they are only going to use the molds once. As for forming the torso, they would also need to look seamless, meaning this may require some partsforming, or at least a chestplate to hide the joints. That is why I think it will not happen.

That basically leaves us with the Voyager/Legends combo as the likely way to get a 6 man team. And actually, we already have 2 molds that could work with some retooling. Sky-Lynx is pretty obvious for Leozack, even if shuttle vs. plane isn't quite right for the alt mode. I actually think Blackjack for Jallguar would work decently as well. They would need to add 2 pegs to the waist area of the Sky-Lynx torso

While you make several good points, especially on the engineering of two deluxe into one torso, I should point out that hasbro are having a redeco of sky lynx as part of their liokaiser, just that the redeco isn't leozack, it's deathsarus himself.

Aside from the combiner head I don't think the sky lynx mould works because of the fact there is no robot mode, at least no proper robot mode.

[william-james88]

For Will and Bounti76, here is why I don't think a proper 6 member LioKaiser is in the works

I never said I thought it was in the works, nor do I care. All I care about is that people do not spread misinfirmation, hence why I nip nonsensical claims in the bud, things like:

Takara doesn't make new molds: False

Takara's main market is adults: False

RID Warrior toys are less complex than Generations toys: False

Quality sells more than Popularity: False

Toys are more expensive than before: False when considering inflation

Takara toys are more expensive than Hasbro versions: False

Takara might not make a better liokaiser (I actually think they will ignore that release, they already have their own exclusive combiner with Galvatronus) but that will just be a business decision on their part, like any other, and not dictated by anything we can infer, especially when using false claims like their inability to make new molds.

[megatronus]

For Will and Bounti76, here is why I don't think a proper 6 member LioKaiser is in the works

I never said I thought it was in the works, nor do I care. All I care about is that people do not spread misinfirmation, hence why I nip nonsensical claims in the bud, things like:

Takara doesn't make new molds: False

Takara's main market is adults: False

RID Warrior toys are less complex than Generations toys: False

Quality sells more than Popularity: False

Toys are more expensive than before: False when considering inflation

Takara toys are more expensive than Hasbro versions: False

Takara might not make a better liokaiser (I actually think they will ignore that release, they already have their own exclusive combiner with Galvatronus) but that will just be a business decision on their part, like any other, and not dictated by anything we can infer, especially when using false claims like their inability to make new molds.