New Galleries: Transformers Legends LG-EX Rhinox, Waspinator and Rattrap

My LG-EX Waspinator is on the way to join my swarm finally. Don't need the other two, but I MUST HAVE ALL THE WASPINATORS.

"Rat to Rattorp"? Someone was eating a Milky Way

Of these 3 Beast Wars molds, I think the LG-EX versions of Rhinox and Waspinator are superior to the previous Generations offerings from Takara Tomy and Hasbro. However, with Rattrap, I feel that the original Hasbro version more-or-less has the head correctly colored to the cartoon. However, I like how the oddly colored Takara Tomy versions has the full head painted at least, instead of half painted. Odd that they didn't do the same thing with Waspinator for some reason. The green looks better to me on the Hasbro Generations version, but I like the overall package (specifically the black markings on the head's antennae).

There is little or no difference between the standard Takara Tomy and these versions. That's why they are still going cheap no matter where I look in Japan (by "cheap", I mean "as expensive as the standard versions").

Nothing to see here. Move along.

primalxconvoy wrote:There is little or no difference between the standard Takara Tomy and these versions. That's why they are still going cheap no matter where I look in Japan (by "cheap", I mean "as expensive as the standard versions").

Nothing to see here. Move along.

There is one huge differece: no metallic coating on the exclusive versions. That alone makes them far superior to the Japanese retail figures.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

primalxconvoy wrote:There is little or no difference between the standard Takara Tomy and these versions. That's why they are still going cheap no matter where I look in Japan (by "cheap", I mean "as expensive as the standard versions").

Nothing to see here. Move along.

There is one huge differece: no metallic coating on the exclusive versions. That alone makes them far superior to the Japanese retail figures.

Emerje

Considering the animation models had metallic parts then I am glad that I didn't bother with the "exclusive" versions, as they seem LESS than the normal TT versions.

Cheers for the heads up.

primalxconvoy wrote:Considering the animation models had metallic parts then I am glad that I didn't bother with the "exclusive" versions, as they seem LESS than the normal TT versions.

Cheers for the heads up.

Sure, if it was just the "metal" parts, but do people really want a metallic rhino over a normal looking one? That alone makes both the Hasbro and EX versions superior.




Emerje

Emerje wrote:

primalxconvoy wrote:Considering the animation models had metallic parts then I am glad that I didn't bother with the "exclusive" versions, as they seem LESS than the normal TT versions.

Cheers for the heads up.

Sure, if it was just the "metal" parts, but do people really want a metallic rhino over a normal looking one? That alone makes both the Hasbro and EX versions superior.




Emerje

For the beast mode, that is a fair ifference. I would say that the regular TT version loks superior to the Hasblow version (but then again, this is standard as Hasblow is usually below Takara's efforts). However, looking at the CG model, perhaps the metallic sheen is warranted?

LG-EX seems a clear winner on both Rhinox and Waspinator, but Hasbro's Rattrap blows both of Takara's counterparts out of the water.

primalxconvoy wrote:For the beast mode, that is a fair ifference. I would say that the regular TT version loks superior to the Hasblow version (but then again, this is standard as Hasblow is usually below Takara's efforts). However, looking at the CG model, perhaps the metallic sheen is warranted?

Nothing about the CG model hide looks metallic or even super shiny to me.

The Hasbro version isn't inferior, it's based more on the original toy with cartoon elements.





Choosing a different source reference doesn't make something worse.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

primalxconvoy wrote:For the beast mode, that is a fair ifference. I would say that the regular TT version loks superior to the Hasblow version (but then again, this is standard as Hasblow is usually below Takara's efforts). However, looking at the CG model, perhaps the metallic sheen is warranted?

Nothing about the CG model hide looks metallic or even super shiny to me.

The Hasbro version isn't inferior, it's based more on the original toy with cartoon elements.




Choosing a different source reference doesn't make something worse.

Emerje

I have to disagree. Although G1 can get a pass for not being authentic to the cartoons, I have no empathy for the original Beast wars toys, as it was the SHOW thta was the "real" look, rather than the toys )toy-only molds nonwithstanding). Thus, for me, the Hasblow versions are neithr show, nor toy accurate and thus worthless. they would do, at a pinch, if I had no other choice, but luckily for me, the regular TT versions are so much better.

The exclusive versions are not a significant step up in show accuracy for me, and the price and hassle of paying to see the original cast at an Aeon Mall to get them didn't endear them to me (and I am guessing, most collectors in japan), either.

Thus, the original TT versions are the best, IMO.

And you're welcome to that opinion, but I'll continue to be unconvinced that they're better when they're simply different.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:And you're welcome to that opinion, but I'll continue to be unconvinced that they're better when they're simply different.

Emerje

Thank you. I will continue to believe that you are wrong on this one, too.

"Takara master race", and all that.

The big thing that gets people about the first Takara versions of Rhinox and Waspinator is that Takara put the metallic sheen on the animal skin parts instead of any of the robot parts that actually were shiny in the show. Rhinox should have had his green parts get the metallic sheen instead of his brown rhino skin pieces. Waspinator's robot head and arms should have been the parts to get metallic sheen instead of all his yellow (or rather, gold) parts.

These LG-EX versions attempt to fix that issue by instead just excising the metallic sheen from Rhinox and Waspeeter altogether, along with some additional paint apps and rearranged paint choices to make for an even more show-accurate look... in theory.

While it mostly works for Rhinox, I feel that the darker, more vivid shade of green used on the first Takara Waspinator is more show-accurate than the lighter (but not as light as Hasbro's) shade of green used on LG-EX Waspeeter. But, the LG-EX Waspeeter does have the more show-accurate black and yellow paint apps found in various places all over the figure. Yet, of all three versions, it is only the Hasbro version that even attempts to give the figure his show-accurate lighter shade of green on the inner piece of the robot torso's center. And still, all three of them still don't have Waspinator's shoulder discs painted gold.

To put it simply, all three of the Waspinators seem to try for show-accuracy but still have something preventing each of them, in different ways, from reaching their goal.

primalxconvoy wrote:
I have to disagree. Although G1 can get a pass for not being authentic to the cartoons, I have no empathy for the original Beast wars toys, as it was the SHOW thta was the "real" look, rather than the toys )toy-only molds nonwithstanding). Thus, for me, the Hasblow versions are neithr show, nor toy accurate and thus worthless.

How does G1 get a pass and not Beast Wars when its the same thing. Like G1, Beast Wars was a toyline first and a show second. Like G1, the show was just made to sell the toys and took liberties on how the toys looked in the first season.

Here are the actual initial character models for the Beast Wars show.










As you can see, they are far more toy based, showing what the show based itself on and what the initial mandate was.

Denying the importance of the toys is denying the essence of the brand and this hobby. Until 2007, Transformers was a toy brand first with any fiction made to simply sell toys. So homaging the true essence of this brand, the toys, has as much value than homaging the fiction.

william-james88 wrote:Denying the importance of the toys is denying the essence of the brand and this hobby. Until 2007, Transformers was a toy brand first with any fiction made to simply sell toys.

This isn't entirely to-the-letter true; IDW's Transformers comics - which have been around since October 2005 - never had the intention of selling toys and Hasbro never asked them to until 2008's All Hail Megatron. And I'm pretty sure Dreamwave wasn't made to sell toys either.

Other than that though, yeah, I agree completely.

Kurona wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Denying the importance of the toys is denying the essence of the brand and this hobby. Until 2007, Transformers was a toy brand first with any fiction made to simply sell toys.

This isn't entirely to-the-letter true; IDW's Transformers comics - which have been around since October 2005 - never had the intention of selling toys and Hasbro never asked them to until 2008's All Hail Megatron. And I'm pretty sure Dreamwave wasn't made to sell toys either.

Other than that though, yeah, I agree completely.

Not just comics, but one could argue that even one of the cartoons, Beast Machines, was pretty light on the "To sell toys" aspect, what with how uncoordinated the show and toyline were with each other.

Sabrblade wrote:

Kurona wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Denying the importance of the toys is denying the essence of the brand and this hobby. Until 2007, Transformers was a toy brand first with any fiction made to simply sell toys.

This isn't entirely to-the-letter true; IDW's Transformers comics - which have been around since October 2005 - never had the intention of selling toys and Hasbro never asked them to until 2008's All Hail Megatron. And I'm pretty sure Dreamwave wasn't made to sell toys either.

Other than that though, yeah, I agree completely.

Not just comics, but one could argue that even one of the cartoons, Beast Machines, was pretty light on the "To sell toys" aspect, what with how uncoordinated the show and toyline were with each other.

That's true. Hell, with Megatron's final body you could argue it kind of ended up selling a toy from the previous toyline

Though unlike BM, Dreamwave and IDW (until AHM) had absolutely no toyline behind them.

Kurona wrote:Though unlike BM, Dreamwave and IDW (until AHM) had absolutely no toyline behind them.

While true, I will bring up that the individual Dreamwave issues did include advertisements for the then-contemporary Generation One Commemorative Series toyline of TRU exclusives, among the other usual comic book ads.

Sabrblade wrote:

Kurona wrote:Though unlike BM, Dreamwave and IDW (until AHM) had absolutely no toyline behind them.

While true, I will bring up that the individual Dreamwave issues did include advertisements for the then-contemporary Generation One Commemorative Series toyline of TRU exclusives, among the other usual comic book ads.

My main point is that these are secondary to the brand. And the comics wouldnt count as the same because it was (and is) licensed fiction. Hasbro doesnt make money from the comic book sales, they get it from licensing there, so its a different thing. My main point was that the shows cmissioned by hasbro are made to sell the toyline and that the toys were the main focal point of the TF Brand. We can at least agree on that and thus their importance, right?