The Energon Pub

Here is the original post.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showthread.php?t=154705

It seems like Japan is starting to do the right thing again!

No way. For as big as that thing is, no way they could make it out of metal. I'd love to see one regardless.

Front paged and credited!

Phew... busy news day...

I need some ice tea...

I'll probably draw the wrath of quite a few purists, but being born in '80, I think I have a little bit of weight when I ask: What is the big deal about die-cast? I've always preferred plastics for the lightness and ability to hold a color, as opposed to joint-tasking weight and the chipping issues. Besides, plastics seem to have really improved since the original TFs.

Am I missing something? Is there a reason for the near-mystical status of die-cast?

Man, America always gets the cigarettes butt when it comes to die-cast.

Old schooler as well, guilty as charged. I like die-cast parts at least on my toys, but it's not like I'm angry when toys are all plastic. It's really just another opinion thing: the Cybertron toys for instance would have suffered for having die cast parts, but G1s would have suffered really without the metal. Look at some of the post-movie figures like Blurr: crummy. I like the metal parts, but can do without them.

Wow, a BT/Masterpiece with sound. Who DIDN'T see this?

Bleah, not sure I;m impressed with this BB though.

If it wasn't a movie character I'd be all over this, as it is I'm a little interested but not enough to shell out for it.

Yours AK

Wow, he's going to be more than a little heavy then. He'll be the Ultimate Sumo BB.

what about the doors on strings they goona be on steel rope

Dark Ops wrote:I'll probably draw the wrath of quite a few purists, but being born in '80, I think I have a little bit of weight when I ask: What is the big deal about die-cast? I've always preferred plastics for the lightness and ability to hold a color, as opposed to joint-tasking weight and the chipping issues. Besides, plastics seem to have really improved since the original TFs.

Am I missing something? Is there a reason for the near-mystical status of die-cast?

The reason so many purists demand Die-Cast is because it ties the new to the old in a way. It's a piece of nostalgia ("They don't make 'em like that anymore!") and it brings back memories.

That's why there's a near-mythical status for D-C.

It's understandable, but it's not my cup of tea. I look at all of my collection pieces and then hold 20th. DVD Prime in my hands and then my sight and touch senses kick in and I see the major difference, and I don't get it either. I get the emotional attachment, I get the whole "Oooh, aaah!!" thing...but logically, it makes no sense to build something partially out of D-C. It really doesn't.

It's not cost effective.
It's heavier to ship.
It's easier to chip and lose it luster, where plastic won't. (well it can, but you know what I mean)

To me, a true Masterpiece line would be made of a full plastic construction. Although, the D-C pieces on Megatron and Starscream are required for the contruction...that level of metal content, I'd be fine with.

Part of the reason I don't tinker with DVD Prime all that much is his over simplified look, his lumbering size, his metal enhanced heft. Don't get me wrong, he's an essential piece to anyone's collection, but he has his flaws and the metal is one of the biggest thorns in my side over all of it.

I compared DVD Prime (the mold) to Movie Leader Class (the mold) and you can see the differences between the two figures. LCP is lighter. LCP can have paint chipping, but nowhere near as bad as DVD. LCP has more detailing because plastic can handle it better. (Don't get me wrong, the D-C on DVD is detailed, even has battle damage marks on his legs, but D-C just can't capture all the minute details like plastic does. At least not in my experience.)

LCP is leaps and bounds better as a toy/collectible than DVD. With that said, DVD still has it's merits like all of the Masterpiece figures do.

I think if they spent less money on the metal, and more on the design (like the 6 inch Convoy (w/ trailer) super detailed figure. I can't think of the line's name...) then I'd be hard pressed to decide between a Masterpiece figure and the current movie line figures.

...but that's not what we got.

So don't feel bad, another 1980'er feels the same way you do.

as if it wasen't heavy enough before

Yeah freakin' right, I bought into this for Leader Class optimus and I just ended up getting screwed!!!!

You know I feel kind of cheated. Back when I bought Ultimate Bumblebee (sight unseen from Argos) I assumed it would have some die-cast. In the pictures it looked like die-cast. The plastic they went with instead doesn't look so great.

Die-cast would make this 10x as desirable, and that has nothing to do with nostalgia.

Again as I have said before. I wish I was Japanese. They get all the good stuff!

That will be one heavy Bumblebee...

I'm not sure it's a great idea, the worst part of the titanium line was that it was fairly obvious which parts of the toy were made from which material. Kinda detracts from the look of the figure.

He's still not the kinda toy I'd buy.

If he were diecast here he'd be even more expensive.

I liek Die cast because of the weight mostly.

And 20th Prime has flaws? I like the use of Diecast on him ... well, different strokes, right?

interesting. highly doubt it

if they would change the apperance in robot mode interchangeable hands to gun mode, battle mask, and make his chest propper looking like the deluxe version 08 bunblebee then maybe just maybe i will buy that figure but i doubt that they would make that many changes to figure like that.

Don't think I'll buy it either. Not unless they have some major changes on the sculpt and articulation. But that won't be Ultimate Bumblebee anymore. Since it has diecast, and in Japan, it won't be cheap for sure, and can easily get to the US$150 mark shipped. I would rather spend that money on some real SOC (Soul of Chogokin) diecast toys instead, which there are plenty of cool ones coming up in a few months.

But while I dislike Ultimate BB, its nice to see that the Japanese version might get improved, for others that find it desirable.

Have to see what the changes are before I commit.
I wasnt going to pick up UltBB until he went on sale anyway.

Being all yellow, I hope the diecast doesnt stick out like sore thumb.

This saddens me... why cant any toy store around me have women that look like that???

Sorry.... couldnt resist.

Don't believe the source. We were told that the Japanese movie Prime would have die-cast in him too, but he didn't. I don't think the info is being translated correctly.

I think it'll take more than metal to save that figure.

I don't think die-cast can make up for a lousey mold.