Well, this is a big one. Literally. When I saw the listing on Mandarake for 55k yen, I jumped on it... Then almost 300$CAN (235$US) in taxes and shipping alone ruined the deal.
Regardless, I now have one of my ultimate grail in my possession, the original G1 VICTORY SABER!
There's a reason why the set was so "cheap". It's really used. The box is pretty beat up. Everything is humongous though. The Victory Saber gift set box is as big as a titan box.
A soft drink can for scale:
That box have seen better days.
How everything is set inside:
Contrary to the box, the papers are in top shape.
A closer look at the first publicity pamphlet:
Just look at these prices. Make you want to hop in a time machine, go to Japan, and do some shopping, right?
The second pamphlet:
There's a card, but it'S the same twice.
The instructions for Star Saber:
And for Victory Leo:
Here's a clearer view of what's inside the foam tray. See those yellow missiles? It's the only thing that will not be used. Nothing will
break out of that tray.
(Then I jinxed myself. You'll see later).
Here's everyone in their altmodes except the small brainmaster.
Soda can and the current Siege/Earthrise deluxe Sideswipes for scale. Those things are HUGE.
The small brainmaster do not have an altmode on his own. There's a gimmick to it that I'll show later.
The jet part is pretty nice.
The cockpit open to allow the brainmaster to ride:
The armor for the super mode makes one weird ship.
Victory Leo have a pretty nice beast mode. It remind me of a Voltron beast. The only true fault is that he have no tail. I love his huge cannons.
The Armor part of Star Saber can do a "base mode". Yeah, let's forget that exist.
Star Saber full ship mode is magnificent.
Victory Leo can attach at the rear of the ship to make one hell of a behemoth.
Scale:
In the space I specifically prepared for my Star Sabers:
One thing to note. This is an OLD toy. Many times, I have to force things that were stuck in order for them to move freely. One think was more stuck than the other and ended up BREAKING. One of Leo's landing gear. I tried my best to repair it. It's not perfect but the landing gear still works. I'll need to find a replacement part for it if found at a reasonable price:
That unfortunate incident aside, the jet part have it's own robot mode. The gimmick is the brainmaster ride the bot like an armor. You close the door and then, the bot's face is revealed!
Star Saber himself is the combinaison of the small bot and the armor ship. I needed to reinforce the joint of the helmet with super glue because it was too loose and refuse to stay in place. I did a clean job here. The blade part can finally be used. It result in one big and magnificent bot.
Victory Leo is amazing. Despite his "wound" on his chest, he's imposing.
Both Star Saber and Victory Leo looks amazing together:
And yeah, dey hueg:
The allocated space is perfect here:
And now, the clou du spectacle, the great, the only, fully combined VICTORY SABER!
Too bad the small gun cannot go anywhere. This bot is MASSIVE, imposing, and glorious.
The backpack is much smaller than anticipated.
Final size comparison:
And in it's space, Victory Saber fit just right:
Now, only the HASLAB is needed to go above the G1:
EDIT:I completely forgot that I have the Robot Masters version. Bought some years ago thinking that was the only way to have a Victory Saber at a "reasonable price". It ended up being more expensive than a current mainline leader not counting shipping.
Anyway, size comparison. The RM is smol. Very smol.
Looking forward for the HASLAB!
And unless there's an official MP Victory Leo being made, I don't plan in ever getting MP Star Saber.
. I've got my car being worked on right now. Warranty should cover most of the cost of repairs. Meanwhile I'm eyeing one of my "grails" right now, and not knowing whether I can swing it or not is worse than actually not having the funds. I just hope the repairs get done before it potentially disappears.
