The Energon Pub

The latest round of magazine scans making the rounds gives us fresh looks at the upcoming Takara Tomy Transformers Go!, Generations, and finally MP-12T Tigertrack! These images include:

• G-01 Kenzan
• G-02 Jinbu
• G-03 Ganoh
• G-04 Gaidora (Beast Hunters Lazerback with new deco and head mold)
• TG-19 Grimlock
• TG-20 Ratbat
• TG-23 Metroplex
• MP-12T Tigertrack (Finally!)

Those Samurai have quite a set of legs...

That is a wicked color scheme on the Laserback repaint. Gaidora, I take it.

Wait...

The Takara Metroplex has less paint-apps than the Hasbro version?

There isn't a lick of red anywhere on him, except for his guns. The extra gun is nice though. Because a City-sized Titan definitely needs to go akimbo.

So GO! somewhat channels the spirit of the Braves, yet stays true to Beast Hunters by giving vehicles disproportionately huge and clunky weapons arrays that make them top/back heavy in all modes? Maybe it's self-contained gestalt-kibble? I hadn't been paying attention if any non-sketchy info had surfaced before this, but I'm impressed by how big they are next to Op.

And one side of the pond's finally getting Senator Ratbat! I'd all but forgotten about him.

Gearslide wrote:Wait...

The Takara Metroplex has less paint-apps than the Hasbro version?

There isn't a lick of red anywhere on him, except for his guns. The extra gun is nice though. Because a City-sized Titan definitely needs to go akimbo.

Methinks it's an unpainted test-shot with a finished gun. Granted, Japanese fans should've seen the Toy Fair photos of the Hasbro version, but Takara probably want to maintain suspense about how their deco will differ.

Ratbat looks fine. The Samurai Pizza Delivery Squad look decent. Bananastorm especially, but Frire Tuck and Brian Tumour look okay too. Probably not getting those guys though, unless they get a Hasbro release, and honestly, that doesn't look likely.

Metroplex is disappointing. But yeah, might be a proto. Of course, as a company trying to sell a high-priced item to stores, you don't want to actually show them the finished product any time earlier than the week before it ships. Letting people see what they're expected to throw down a couple of months free cash for is stupid. People will definitely commit to that sight-unseen. Definitely.

I'm liking most of these guys. I didn't realise the combiners would be so big!

I'll be looking forward to getting them all.

Kenzan's face reminds me PCC Skyburst.

Jinbu looks awesome.

Gan'ō looks very Ironhide-ish, and also a bit like BWII Autolauncher,

Gaidōra's deco looks gorgeous! And dat head.

Are those new versions of L.P., S.2, and Sou?

Grimlock's deco makes me wish Hasbro had gone with the red belly instead of the bland gray one they gave us.

Ratbat's purdy.

What's that clear blue Optimus Prime Blaster? It ain't the Special Edition "Matrix" version.

MP Tigertrack looks good.

Nice to finally see some signs of the Takara Metroplex.

El Duque wrote:

• G-01 Kenzan Samurai (Police Car)
• G-02 Jinbu Samurai (Jet)
• G-03 Ganoh Samurai (Fire Truck)

The "Samurai" part isn't really part of their names.

3 piece voyager sized combiner? Be still my heart and get on my shelf! Ratbat looks great of course. Wouldn't mind Tiger Track for the trifecta.

I must have missed something but what 3 voyager class are going to combine into one?

those combiners look terrible

Doubledealer93 wrote:those combiners look terrible

how so?i think they look great..plus..their voyager-sizeed??!

Overall, I'm disappointed. I would've preferred something more... amazing. I mean, the fire truck is too similar to Optimus's alt mode; the yellow jet is too leggy for my tastes, and while I like the Police car a lot, the array popping out of him is kind of fugly.

How about a combiner that turned into a Godzilla-like dragon, instead? That might be sweet. They could start as different animals, too (like a fish, tiger, and blimp).

We don't have enough Blimp transformers. Someone start a letter campaign to Takara/Hasbro.

MenaceRX wrote:I must have missed something but what 3 voyager class are going to combine into one?

The three new guys in the pics above: Kenzan (police car), Jinbu (yellow jet), and Gan'ō (fire truck).

They are the Samurai Team, three Autobots who can combine into a number of different combination forms, with one guy forming the lower torso and legs, another forming the middle torso and backpack, and the third forming the upper torso, head, shoulders, and arms.

When Kenzan forms the top, the combiner is Go-Kenzan.
When Jinbu forms the top, the combiner is Go-Jinbu
When Gan'ō forms the top, the combiner is Go-Gan'ō

A second Autobot combiner trio, the Shinobi Team (who are ninja themed) is also coming. It consists of Gekisōmaru (a lion), Hishōmaru (a phoenix) and Sensuimaru (a shark).

When Gekisōmaru forms the top, the combiner is Go-Gekisō.
When Hishōmaru forms the top, the combiner is Go-Hishō.
When Sensuimaru forms the top, the combiner is Go-Sensui.

Also, the three new Arms Micron redecos of L.P., S.2 and Sou are apparently named Gan, Jin, and Zan.

MetroSUplex wrote:How about a combiner that turned into a Godzilla-like dragon, instead?

Cuz in this line, "dragon" = "Predacon". These are Autobots.

MetroSUplex wrote:That might be sweet. They could start as different animals, too (like a fish, tiger, and blimp).

We're already getting a lion, a phoenix, and a shark with the Shinobi Team.

They have noses!

I haven't imported many Takara products, however I may be making some purchases soon. Though I may be going to Japan next spring, when do these come out?

If I hadn't mad it clear in previous topics, those combiners are AWESOME! And definitely worth passing up prime for.

I actually cancelled my pre-orders for the samurai team as the aesthetics and Energon like combiner gimmick just wasn't doing anything for me. Can't say these new photos have me regretting that decision.

Gaidora's still looking pretty good. His head is making me think that's what Clocker would've looked like had he been a Jungle Planet inhabitant.

Those are some very nice colours on Takara's Grimlock, but I'm still not thrilled with the mold.

And yeah, Metroplex is a bit noire. I was about ready to pre-order this guy come pay day, but now I'm going to hold off.

New Microns repaints? A repaint of the Leonid Tonfa, possibly clear? A new repaint of Optimus Prime Blaster? GIMME! I'm only missing Swerve with Sou from that set.

Senator Ratbat actually looks pretty decent, I'll keeping my eye out for him. So does Gaidora. Then again, I'm a sucker for pretools it seems.

The Samurai combiners kind of remind me of the Multifore from Victory in individual robot proportions. Well, they do stack as such. My interest is piqued even more.

I'm already looking forward to the upgraded sticker pack Reprolabels creates for Metroplex.

G-01 Kenzan
G-02 Jinbu
G-03 Ganoh
G-04 Gaidora all look great but they are really expensive. the 4 of them would cost like 150 dollars on bbts

griftimus prime wrote:G-01 Kenzan
G-02 Jinbu
G-03 Ganoh
G-04 Gaidora all look great but they are really expensive. the 4 of them would cost like 150 dollars on bbts

$187 before shipping.

I like Ratbat...very much. The rest? Oh man, no.

Sodan-1 wrote:And yeah, Metroplex is a bit noire. I was about ready to pre-order this guy come pay day, but now I'm going to hold off.

AutoBorst wrote:I'm already looking forward to the upgraded sticker pack Reprolabels creates for Metroplex.

That is a prototype, not the final product.