The Energon Pub

TakaraTomy's official Twitter account tweeted about an upcoming event (?) dubbed the Raiden Project.

No details are known, but it could be anything from some promotional tie-in with a train service, to possibly a reissue or new version of the combiner.

I'm personally hoping for a new version of the combiner (either like the Voyager & Deluxe combiners or like the Titan sized combiners). A reissue would be great too.

I am hoping it's not simply some promotional event / tie-in with a rail service.

https://twitter.com/TF_pr/status/1185042288549875712

12/3(火)～ 全国の鉄道会社全面協力で実施される「特別展 天空ノ鉄道物語」にて、#トランスフォーマー ザ☆ヘッドマスターズで、６体の電車から合体する人気キャラ「ライデン」の当時品、そして新プロジェクトの展示が決定！

詳しくは↓↓
https://tentetsuten.com

Leiden project started! 12/3 (Tuesday)-"Special Exhibition Tenku no Railroad Story" will be held with full cooperation of railway companies nationwide. #トランスフォーマー The ☆ Headmasters has decided to display a new project of the popular character “Leiden” that combines from six trains and a new project! For more information ↓↓https://tentetsuten.com

Japanese fans are hoping for either a new version or a re-release / reissue of the original.

This is pretty awesome! I would Love a G1 reissue but a NeoG1 update would be nice as well. Hopefully this proves fruitful.

A reissue would be welcome. Raiden is ridiculously rare and overpriced online. However, hopefully not a new figure, otherwise this will be another potential 3P Unicron situation....

Fellow Seibertronian Powered Convoy shared some potentially exciting information about a special event mentioned on Takara Tomy's official Twitter account.

Powered Convoy wrote:TakaraTomy's official Twitter account tweeted about an upcoming event (?) dubbed the Raiden Project.

No details are known, but it could be anything from some promotional tie-in with a train service, to possibly a reissue or new version of the combiner.

I'm personally hoping for a new version of the combiner (either like the Voyager & Deluxe combiners or like the Titan sized combiners). A reissue would be great too.

I am hoping it's not simply some promotional event / tie-in with a rail service.

https://twitter.com/TF_pr/status/1185042288549875712

12/3(火)～ 全国の鉄道会社全面協力で実施される「特別展 天空ノ鉄道物語」にて、#トランスフォーマー ザ☆ヘッドマスターズで、６体の電車から合体する人気キャラ「ライデン」の当時品、そして新プロジェクトの展示が決定！

詳しくは↓↓
https://tentetsuten.com

Leiden project started! 12/3 (Tuesday)-"Special Exhibition Tenku no Railroad Story" will be held with full cooperation of railway companies nationwide. #トランスフォーマー The ☆ Headmasters has decided to display a new project of the popular character “Leiden” that combines from six trains and a new project! For more information ↓↓https://tentetsuten.com

Japanese fans are hoping for either a new version or a re-release / reissue of the original.

If you aren't familiar with Raiden or the Trainbots, check out Seibertron.com's galleries of the Takara exclusive G1 Trainbots by clicking on any of the images below!


Transformers G1 1987 Raiden Gallery


Transformers G1 1987 Seizan Gallery


Transformers G1 1987 Yukikaze Gallery


Transformers G1 1987 Suiken Gallery


Transformers G1 1987 Shouki Gallery


Transformers G1 1987 Getsuei Gallery


Transformers G1 1987 Kaen Gallery

Personally I'd rather have an updated version of the figures.

Updated version yes
But I think they should give us proper liokaizer components like liozack and jallguar

STngAR wrote:Personally I'd rather have an updated version of the figures.

How about both?

Seibertron wrote:

STngAR wrote:Personally I'd rather have an updated version of the figures.

How about both?

Dang it, Seibertron. You beat me to it!

Honestly, either a reissue or update would be ballin'. And really, Raiden is one of the last notable G1 Combiner due for an update (the others being Monstructor/Dinoking, natch, and maybe Road Caesar [and maaaaaaaaybe Landcross if you want to go nuts]). At the very least, maybe newer fans will get to know who Raiden is.

I'm ridin' along for this Raiden project.

Would I buy a Raiden reissue? Absolutely.

Would I buy a Generations-style update of Raiden? Absolutely.

Here's hoping they are doing a new set!

And please Takara, if you are, do it as 1 set, not 6 individual releases

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Here's hoping they are doing a new set!

And please Takara, if you are, do it as 1 set, not 6 individual releases

Takara's response:

Hmmm....you know, if they used the previous combiner molds for the Seacons I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow did the same for a Raiden. They downsized the roster for the Liokaiser set and compromised the membership, I could see them doing it here too.

Take the Onslaught mold and the Moonracer mold, tool them a bit, boom, trains.

I really don't want to see that. I want all new molds but man, I'm having trouble seeing them making all new molds in a new unique six member combiner configuration for an exclusive or limited release.

At some point we're going to see new combiners in WFC, and I bet it will be some new evolution of the combiners we saw in CW through PotP. They've improved on everything else so far I can't wait to see how they up the game on combiners, but maybe whatever that evolution is will be something they can make a real groovy six member Raiden out of.

Raiden needs to square off against his arch rivals Devastator and Predaking.

You can't just have Godzilla go up against Gaigan and Megalon alone, you need Jet Jaguar

I haven't watched enough of the Japanese series - who's Raiden's combiner Robin to his Batman?

Stargrave wrote:Hmmm....you know, if they used the previous combiner molds for the Seacons I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow did the same for a Raiden. They downsized the roster for the Liokaiser set and compromised the membership, I could see them doing it here too.

Take the Onslaught mold and the Moonracer mold, tool them a bit, boom, trains.

I really don't want to see that. I want all new molds but man, I'm having trouble seeing them making all new molds in a new unique six member combiner configuration for an exclusive or limited release.

At some point we're going to see new combiners in WFC, and I bet it will be some new evolution of the combiners we saw in CW through PotP. They've improved on everything else so far I can't wait to see how they up the game on combiners, but maybe whatever that evolution is will be something they can make a real groovy six member Raiden out of.

As far as improvements; I would hope for smaller combiner pegs. But that might be hard with needing to be shoulders and knees. We’ve seen both Titan Devastators do some interesting (old fashion) combining that didn’t use the standard sockets.... so we’ll see. Maybe they can pull some tech from the Diaclone reboot.

Stargrave wrote:At some point we're going to see new combiners in WFC,

Indeed. A new Cybertronian Combiner could look really good. Raiden could certainly look really interesting as a Cybertronian train system. Like how Tom Scioli envisioned "The Astrotrain" in Transformers vs. GI Joe.

Stargrave wrote:You can't just have Godzilla go up against Gaigan and Megalon alone, you need Jet Jaguar

I haven't watched enough of the Japanese series - who's Raiden's combiner Robin to his Batman?

He usually fought by himself, most often against just Predaking.

Was he in the same series as Landcross and Road Caesar? What do you think Sabr all new molds for Raiden? What would you bank on?

Stargrave wrote:Was he in the same series as Landcross and Road Caesar?

Nope. Those two came two years later.

Stargrave wrote:What do you think Sabr all new molds for Raiden? What would you bank on?

Raiden needs all new molds to be done right.

Stargrave wrote:Hmmm....you know, if they used the previous combiner molds for the Seacons I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow did the same for a Raiden. They downsized the roster for the Liokaiser set and compromised the membership, I could see them doing it here too.

But you are speaking about 2 different companies. Hasbro downsized the roster for Liokaiser, while takara chose not to touch that combiner since (we are all assuming) they would do it right or not at all. So if they would do a new Raiden, I would think everything would be new. Takara has done totally new combiners on their own in the past already.

Sabrblade wrote:

Stargrave wrote:What do you think Sabr all new molds for Raiden? What would you bank on?

Raiden needs all new molds to be done right.

Agreed. No one else is even remotely designed in the same way as the Train Bots. Even the bulkiest of the Combiner Teams - The Constructicons - aren't even remotely close...

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Stargrave wrote:What do you think Sabr all new molds for Raiden? What would you bank on?

Raiden needs all new molds to be done right.

Agreed. No one else is even remotely designed in the same way as the Train Bots. Even the bulkiest of the Combiner Teams - The Constructicons - aren't even remotely close...

Agreed, Takara will want to do it right, as in new/correct molds, or just re-issue. That isn't to say they won't economize in their designs, where both leg bots could be retools/reshells of each other, and same with the arm bots.

About the only thing I can see them re-using would possibly be some weapons and a combiner fist from one of the previous combiners. I'm fine with that type of re-use, but they had better make the leg bots use the front of the trains for the feet instead of a combiner foot. I need my Raiden to have choo-choo toes.

I'm ready for trains man. And i am ready for more trainbots to join my non-combining Shouki