The Energon Pub

[Emerje]

After a long wait and lots of Japanese toy show appearances we're finally getting a pre-orders for Adamas Machina AM-T02 Predaking! This version of the Predacons is based on designs by known Transformers fan Akira Amemiya who did many of the designs for Flame Toys' figures and models, further solidifying the connection between Adamas Machina and Flame Toys. As expected from the more traditional arrangement of a large torso bot and four smaller limbs this combiner will be roughly the same size as the other combiners, coming in at roughly the foot tall mark. This take on Predaking with certainly be more complex than the other combiners out there, short of MPG Raiden. For accessories they'll come with non-integrated hands and feet, an arsenal of guns for each bot, and two giant swords for Predaking, but sadly no swords for the individual team members. On the plus side all of the accessories can be attached to the figures (except for the swords, though it does seem Predaking might be able to clip them to his waist) so there's nothing to lose or hide in the box. It is a little strange that hey haven't done full galleries of each figure. One thing is for sure, this maybe the most articulated Combiner released by Takara Tomy.

So here's the painful part. Japanese MSRP is a whopping ¥59,400 or about $400 USD. However, nearly nobody pays the tax inclusive Japanese MSRP, especially people outside Japan. AmiAmi is currently asking about $325, which is certainly better but not great. Amazon Japan has a listing, but at least for Americans it isn't available for order just yet. Release is expected in March so you've got a little time to save up if you plan on picking one up.

So now that we know the price has the excitement worn off or are you planning on still getting your hands on the big guy? Let us know in the Seibertron Energon Pub forums!

[Bumblevivisector]

I recently got both of this year's Commander sets, and the trailers that Long Haul and Silverbolt got saddled with reminded me of just how hard it is to get a lot of G1 gestalts "right", necessitating so many attempts over the decades. It's easy to say "show/comic/concept-art/etc-accuracy", but choosing which compromises to make is more art than science.

I think Predaking's the most extreme case, where designing his best possible toy is a form of mad poetry. He's remembered as being the most bad-ass of the combined bunch, yet he never acquitted himself that well in vintage G1 fiction. It was mostly because of how imposing his toy was, yet it needed better proportions like the show model. Which show model? The moment the Predacons slammed together to face Tornadron is seared into my brain, and many others, as the most epic in any Sunbow show, but when you go back and study Call of the Primitives, the colors are wrong no matter how you slice it. PotP Predaking was awesome and necessary, but left a lot of room for improvement, which Flame Toys provided, having proportions that evoke COTP, but in more...proper colors? Even the new kibble storage deviates while hitting the right notes, like the Preda-feet being mounted on Tantrum's sides to parallel his 4 hip mounted gas tanks while Headstrong and Rampage now have single-barrel back-cannons, and somehow it works.

Yes, I'm tempted to drop $350, as this looks like the best Predaking ever. But definitive? I dunno, someone should take another crack at the team in another 7 years. Or maybe 14 if SS'86 continues into TF:TM concept art/early-draft-characters and we get Anibots that form Dragon Beast. Then take another crack at Predaking.