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[El Duque]

Having previously brought us our first in-hand images of Takara Tomy's Transformers Generations Orion Pax last week, HK-TF user Lost now brings us images of the other figure in the TG-25 two-pack, Megatronus. The figure features the line's signature metallic paint and some addition detailing. Check him out below, the series of images also includes comparisons with this Hasbro counterpart.

[Sabrblade]

Uses an IDW body and bio.

Given an Aligned name.

[MasterSoundBlaster]

Dat metallic paint...

I guess you could say...it makes the figure shine

[#Sideways#]

Why does Japan have to get the best paintjobs...

[Sabrblade]

Why does Japan have to get the best paintjobs...

Probably cuz Hasbro's gotta start theirs from scratch, whereas Takara has the existing Hasbro one to work off from as a base, and so can put more paint into theirs since they get to skip a few steps. Plus the mold's also already made for them, so that's another expense removed for them that Hasbro can't skip.

[megatronus]

Why does Japan have to get the best paintjobs...

They don't always. People tend to consider Generations Wheeljack superior to the Takara version, and I've picked up good vibes on the recent Generations voyagers. It's hit or miss on both sides of the ocean.

[megatronus]

Does the metallic paint job make Takara Megatron voyager-sized? No? Then, pass.

[Mkall]

That's one sexy Megatron.

[Manterax Prime]

It nailed the Tron lights in bot mode, but......it's not entirely accurate.
1. Red gun throws it off. Should be grey, or at least purple.
2. Needs more silver up the middle of the legs and around the lower area of the chest near his waist.

[xyl360]

Why does Japan have to get the best paintjobs...

Probably cuz Hasbro's gotta start theirs from scratch, whereas Takara has the existing Hasbro one to work off from as a base, and so can put more paint into theirs since they get to skip a few steps. Plus the mold's also already made for them, so that's another expense removed for them that Hasbro can't skip.

I'm gonna call BS on this. It's a financial choice, plain and simple and I believe it has to do with their markets more than anything else. In Japan, action figures of this sort are expected to meet certain standards, which include the generous use of paint while here in the US we've gotten used to toys getting cheaper and cheaper with less going into them. If Hasbro wanted to use more paint, they could. Just look at the hand painted prototypes they use for their "official" images of the products for adverts and for the packaging. They paint those head to toe to make the figures look like they know we want them to look, then they cop out with the see-through colored plastic and figure that kids won't know the difference and that parents won't care.

[TimothyR]

Why does Japan have to get the best paintjobs...

Probably cuz Hasbro's gotta start theirs from scratch, whereas Takara has the existing Hasbro one to work off from as a base, and so can put more paint into theirs since they get to skip a few steps. Plus the mold's also already made for them, so that's another expense removed for them that Hasbro can't skip.

I'm gonna call BS on this. It's a financial choice, plain and simple and I believe it has to do with their markets more than anything else. In Japan, action figures of this sort are expected to meet certain standards, which include the generous use of paint while here in the US we've gotten used to toys getting cheaper and cheaper with less going into them. If Hasbro wanted to use more paint, they could. Just look at the hand painted prototypes they use for their "official" images of the products for adverts and for the packaging. They paint those head to toe to make the figures look like they know we want them to look, then they cop out with the see-through colored plastic and figure that kids won't know the difference and that parents won't care.

i call BS as well.

it's not like takara is getting a bunch of hasbro figures.. opening the boxes and slapping on some paint.

i agree.. the markets are different. takara has more competition than hasbro. to me, it seems like hasbro tries to "get away with" a lot. whereas takara pays more attention to detail.

besides animated.. takara's figures almost always look better. some more than others.. hasbro's universe smokescreen compared to takara's is a great example.

this megatron is beautiful. hasbro's looks good.. but this is incredible. with the prices of figures going up and some figures getting smaller, you'd think they'd have some room to pay attention to details. but they don't. it's a shame we don't get quality like this.

[Emerje]

Takara Tomy has really been slipping lately, though. Orion Pax is a 1:1 repaint of the Hasbro version with metallic paint and a blue windshield. Go! Hunter Smokescreen is lacking in paint aps compared to the BH version. Go! Predaking just slightly changed some color shades from the Hasbro version. Even going back to United Warpath didn't look as good as the Hasbro version and Thunderwing is in weird pastel colors.

Problem with the IDW figures is deciding who's doing a better job of representing the comics. It's was easier in previous series when you just had to decide if you wanted your figure to be accurate to the original figure or the cartoon version.

For the record I went with Takara Tomy for the Generations deluxe figures all the way through to Skywarp/Ratbat. After that I decided the changes between Takara Tomy and Hasbro weren't drastic enough to warrant importing. Only figures I'm importing now are the original Go! figures and Oni remolds.

Emerje

[Lord Onixprime]

Why does Japan have to get the best paintjobs...

Probably cuz Hasbro's gotta start theirs from scratch, whereas Takara has the existing Hasbro one to work off from as a base, and so can put more paint into theirs since they get to skip a few steps. Plus the mold's also already made for them, so that's another expense removed for them that Hasbro can't skip.

I'm gonna call BS on this. It's a financial choice, plain and simple and I believe it has to do with their markets more than anything else. In Japan, action figures of this sort are expected to meet certain standards, which include the generous use of paint while here in the US we've gotten used to toys getting cheaper and cheaper with less going into them. If Hasbro wanted to use more paint, they could. Just look at the hand painted prototypes they use for their "official" images of the products for adverts and for the packaging. They paint those head to toe to make the figures look like they know we want them to look, then they cop out with the see-through colored plastic and figure that kids won't know the difference and that parents won't care.

i call BS as well.

it's not like takara is getting a bunch of hasbro figures.. opening the boxes and slapping on some paint.

i agree.. the markets are different. takara has more competition than hasbro. to me, it seems like hasbro tries to "get away with" a lot. whereas takara pays more attention to detail.

besides animated.. takara's figures almost always look better. some more than others.. hasbro's universe smokescreen compared to takara's is a great example.

this megatron is beautiful. hasbro's looks good.. but this is incredible. with the prices of figures going up and some figures getting smaller, you'd think they'd have some room to pay attention to details. but they don't. it's a shame we don't get quality like this.

This stuff has been explained countless times guys. Takara and Hasbro don't function the same, and are 2 very different markets.

If I'm not mistaken, Takara prices per figure while Hasbro prices per case. Their Megatron might look better, but might cost more than the other figures in the line, where Hasbro aims to keep all the figures in the case the same price, and a low one at that. That's secodn hand knowledge, but I believe that's how it works.

[MGrotusque]

I was gonna avoid this figure cause it's not like i need another Megatron figure but that Takara version looks great. Plus it looks awesome in both modes. I've always had a softspot for V wing bombers and i love that hot pink detailing against the black. Speaking of the black, that takara plastic is far more darker and glossy which really makes that figure pop. Bright black i guess you could say.
If i see it i'll quite possibly pick it up.

[mooncake623]

Oh WTH!! This looks great! And I just canceled my preorder....

[Optimizzy]

Wow. I normally avoid imports, but this and Orion Pax makes me want to get the Takara versions.

[Diem]

Why does Japan have to get the best paintjobs...

Probably cuz Hasbro's gotta start theirs from scratch, whereas Takara has the existing Hasbro one to work off from as a base, and so can put more paint into theirs since they get to skip a few steps. Plus the mold's also already made for them, so that's another expense removed for them that Hasbro can't skip.

I'm gonna call BS on this. It's a financial choice, plain and simple and I believe it has to do with their markets more than anything else. In Japan, action figures of this sort are expected to meet certain standards, which include the generous use of paint while here in the US we've gotten used to toys getting cheaper and cheaper with less going into them. If Hasbro wanted to use more paint, they could. Just look at the hand painted prototypes they use for their "official" images of the products for adverts and for the packaging. They paint those head to toe to make the figures look like they know we want them to look, then they cop out with the see-through colored plastic and figure that kids won't know the difference and that parents won't care.

i call BS as well.

it's not like takara is getting a bunch of hasbro figures.. opening the boxes and slapping on some paint.

i agree.. the markets are different. takara has more competition than hasbro. to me, it seems like hasbro tries to "get away with" a lot. whereas takara pays more attention to detail.

besides animated.. takara's figures almost always look better. some more than others.. hasbro's universe smokescreen compared to takara's is a great example.

this megatron is beautiful. hasbro's looks good.. but this is incredible. with the prices of figures going up and some figures getting smaller, you'd think they'd have some room to pay attention to details. but they don't. it's a shame we don't get quality like this.

This stuff has been explained countless times guys. Takara and Hasbro don't function the same, and are 2 very different markets.

If I'm not mistaken, Takara prices per figure while Hasbro prices per case. Their Megatron might look better, but might cost more than the other figures in the line, where Hasbro aims to keep all the figures in the case the same price, and a low one at that. That's secodn hand knowledge, but I believe that's how it works.

Okay, just to put this to sleep:

Assume that 1000 yen is 10 dollars. That's how it is right now and how it more or less has been for the past 5 or 6 years.

Right now while US fans are whinging about deluxe figures going for $15 in some places when I lived in Japan deluxes were going for 2000 yen RRP, or $20. Voyagers went for $30. Leaders for $70. And this was 4 years ago, it likely has gone up since then.

That price was regardless of whether they were Animated figures with brand new paintjobs and totally redesigned packaging, or movieverse figures with the exact same paint in the exact same packaging as the US.

It IS true that figures can be priced individually in Japan. For example almost all the animated deluxes were the same price while Samurai Prowl was around $5 more.

It IS true that Transformers are directed to be premium items now. For various social and financial reasons the physical toy market is dying in Japan, while the adult collectible market has never been better. While Transformers are still found in the toy section in Japan the buyers are far more likely to be adults.

What I would infer from this is that given the higher prices and the adult collectible market Takara is likely in a position where they can both afford a few new paint apps and see the benefit of doing so.

To sum up, the question "Why do Takara toys always have the better paint jobs" would be more accurately read as "Of course Takara's adult collectibles, which are twice the price of our American toys, have better paint jobs."

[Diem]

Why does Japan have to get the best paintjobs...

Probably cuz Hasbro's gotta start theirs from scratch, whereas Takara has the existing Hasbro one to work off from as a base, and so can put more paint into theirs since they get to skip a few steps. Plus the mold's also already made for them, so that's another expense removed for them that Hasbro can't skip.

I'm gonna call BS on this. It's a financial choice, plain and simple and I believe it has to do with their markets more than anything else. In Japan, action figures of this sort are expected to meet certain standards, which include the generous use of paint while here in the US we've gotten used to toys getting cheaper and cheaper with less going into them. If Hasbro wanted to use more paint, they could. Just look at the hand painted prototypes they use for their "official" images of the products for adverts and for the packaging. They paint those head to toe to make the figures look like they know we want them to look, then they cop out with the see-through colored plastic and figure that kids won't know the difference and that parents won't care.

i call BS as well.

it's not like takara is getting a bunch of hasbro figures.. opening the boxes and slapping on some paint.

i agree.. the markets are different. takara has more competition than hasbro. to me, it seems like hasbro tries to "get away with" a lot. whereas takara pays more attention to detail.

besides animated.. takara's figures almost always look better. some more than others.. hasbro's universe smokescreen compared to takara's is a great example.

this megatron is beautiful. hasbro's looks good.. but this is incredible. with the prices of figures going up and some figures getting smaller, you'd think they'd have some room to pay attention to details. but they don't. it's a shame we don't get quality like this.

This stuff has been explained countless times guys. Takara and Hasbro don't function the same, and are 2 very different markets.

If I'm not mistaken, Takara prices per figure while Hasbro prices per case. Their Megatron might look better, but might cost more than the other figures in the line, where Hasbro aims to keep all the figures in the case the same price, and a low one at that. That's secodn hand knowledge, but I believe that's how it works.

Okay, just to put this to sleep:

Assume that 1000 yen is 10 dollars. That's how it is right now and how it more or less has been for the past 5 or 6 years.

Right now while US fans are whinging about deluxe figures going for $15 in some places when I lived in Japan deluxes were going for 2000 yen RRP, or $20. Voyagers went for $30. Leaders for $70. And this was 4 years ago, it likely has gone up since then.

That price was regardless of whether they were Animated figures with brand new paintjobs and totally redesigned packaging, or movieverse figures with the exact same paint in the exact same packaging as the US.

It IS true that figures can be priced individually in Japan. For example almost all the animated deluxes were the same price while Samurai Prowl was around $5 more.

It IS true that Transformers are directed to be premium items now. For various social and financial reasons the physical toy market is dying in Japan, while the adult collectible market has never been better. While Transformers are still found in the toy section in Japan the buyers are far more likely to be adults.

What I would infer from this is that given the higher prices and the adult collectible market Takara is likely in a position where they can both afford a few new paint apps and see the benefit of doing so.

To sum up, the question "Why do Takara toys always have the better paint jobs" would be more accurately read as "Of course Takara's adult collectibles, which are twice the price of our American toys, have better paint jobs."

[xyl360]

Takara Tomy has really been slipping lately, though. Orion Pax is a 1:1 repaint of the Hasbro version with metallic paint and a blue windshield. Go! Hunter Smokescreen is lacking in paint aps compared to the BH version. Go! Predaking just slightly changed some color shades from the Hasbro version. Even going back to United Warpath didn't look as good as the Hasbro version and Thunderwing is in weird pastel colors.

Problem with the IDW figures is deciding who's doing a better job of representing the comics. It's was easier in previous series when you just had to decide if you wanted your figure to be accurate to the original figure or the cartoon version.

For the record I went with Takara Tomy for the Generations deluxe figures all the way through to Skywarp/Ratbat. After that I decided the changes between Takara Tomy and Hasbro weren't drastic enough to warrant importing. Only figures I'm importing now are the original Go! figures and Oni remolds.

Emerje

I agree on pretty much everything except Smokescreen. Takara's is way more screen accurate. Hasbro's "extra" paint apps screwed it up in my opinion.

That said, I also believe that Takara charges more for their figures because of things like the paint and in some cases the packaging. I don't mind that because I'm a collector, so I'm looking for the details, not the lowest price point. I'm sure that's a factor as well since a lot of what Takara does seems to cater more to collectors. Transformers isn't the only brand this happens with either. The Sentai stuff (Power Rangers in the US) often has the same issues where the Japanese versions have more painted details and sometimes even more complex/detailed engineering than their US counterparts. It really is a different market here and we don't put as much value on collecting toys/action figures as a whole I don't think compared to Japan. We put a higher value on big budget films and the music industry than anything else as far as what's popular I think, so that's where a lot more of our money goes (not us personally, just our society as a whole). I think our "geek" culture here in the US will eventually change this though, assuming we can still afford to keep buying toys.

[TheCyclonus]

Dang... and I thought the US one looked great. This one's just...

Love the deeper black and the purple highlights. The red is a great touch too!

[MINDVVIPE]

This mould so needed to be a voyager. Especially since they repurposed it as Dreadwing. I'm not buying this because WFC Megatron is the best version in my collection so far, but I would have sprung for this awesome design of the size was there. Shame.
Also, the gun is kinda weak in looking like an actual gun. Another reason why I love the WFC version with its giant fusion cannon even more.

[xyl360]

This mould so needed to be a voyager. Especially since they repurposed it as Dreadwing. I'm not buying this because WFC Megatron is the best version in my collection so far, but I would have sprung for this awesome design of the size was there. Shame.
Also, the gun is kinda weak in looking like an actual gun. Another reason why I love the WFC version with its giant fusion cannon even more.

I gotta agree that I would have preferred a voyager. That said, initially I was getting this figure only because it came in a 2-pack with Orion Pax and I was definitely getting Orion Pax (especially now that I've seen Takara's paint job on that one) but now that I've seen this, I'm happy to add Megs to my collection. Small or not, he looks completely badass so he won't be going into the parts bin like so many other multi-pack figures in the past have. He'll be standing proudly on my shelf .

[MGrotusque]

I also agree that the size isn't there but I still might get this just cause it looks so good. But voyager would have been better.

[Sodan-1]

I've often wondered if the differences between the two companies' figures might have something to do with the size of each companies' markets. I know Hasbro has divisions all over the world, but they're producing the same figure for nearly the whole of the developed world, with multiple packaging variations. Meanwhile Takara is simply making figures for their own corner of the world, so maybe they can afford to make their money go a little further. I'm not suggesting they have the same budgets, but it has to be a factor.

Megatronus ( ) looks flipping amazing. Stunning even. But the size is such a big issue for me. I can't figure out how to justify having such a small Megatron in my collection. Could maybe get a couple and re-purpose them as Megaplexi, but that'd be expensive.

I hope ToyWorld still intend to do their own version of this design (and don't f**k it up>)

[JackStraw]

WOW! These look really nice, but I am done buying leader figures in the deluxe size. WFC Prime and Megatron are enough. Dissapointing this Megs is so small, he looks so cool.