Takara Super Ginrai Powermaster Optimus Prime Review

Optimus Prime - yet not Optimus Prime

Welcome to a review of the Takara Super Ginrai - Powermaster Optimus Prime!

To the uninitiated: In the cartoon series Super-God Masterforce, Ginrai refers to a human  - not a robot (though later the robot gains sentience and uses the name Ginrai) who is a GodMaster (AKA PowerMasters) - not a Headmaster - who had the ability to combine and power a Transtector - or basically power-armors used by the original Cybertronians (Who were tiny).

Super Ginrai is what happens when Ginrai first combines with his Transtector, then the Transtector combines with his trailer.

There's one more upgrade coming that we're looking forward to called God Ginrai where Super Ginrai combines with another Transtector called the God Bomber.

Shortly after gaining sentience and leaving Ginrai, the Transtector Ginrai would become so wounded that he submitted himself to a rebuild where he would become the lion-bot Victory Leo.

If you want to see the original Transformers Super Ginrai to God Ginrai, click here. 

If you want to see Xovergen's version of God Ginrai, click here.

Cousins

MORE AFTER THE JUMP

Takara's LG-35 Super Ginrai - Powermaster Optimus Prime's blister card is in Japanese so God knows what it says as far as we're concerned. The only available English on the packaging states that LG-35 has a Vehicle mode, Battle Command Base Mode and a Robot Mode. 

It also comes with a comic book that basically makes what a Powermaster is confusing by having Ginrai become the head of his Transtector versus being an engine component up on his chest - where he righteously should be (Happily we hear that there's a 3rd party fix coming soon).

Takara lists the LG-35 Super Ginrai's Powermaster's abilities as follows:

• Strength - 9
• Intelligence - 10
• Speed - 8 
• Endurance - 10
• Rank - 10
• Courage - 10
• Fireblast - 9
• Skill - 10

Takara LG-35 Super Ginrai

 WHAT'S TO LIKE ABOUT THE TAKARA LG-35 SUPER GINRAI POWERMASTER OPTIMUS PRIME?

FIRST: We really, really hated the Hasbro PowerMaster Optimus Prime for several reasons: a) While it certainly was more than a retooled Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus, it wasn't a very good mold. It was chock full of open spaces and came with flimsy hands that could barely hold its weapons. b) It wasn't cartoon accurate. Hell it didn't even come with the correct color scheme. 

So the Takara LG-35 Powermaster Optimus Prime is a refreshing purchase that puts Hasbro's inferior version to shame - which, mind you, hasn't always been the case: We preferred the Hasbro version of the Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus to his Takara version - especially after we applied the Reprolabels.

Here's the Takara LG-35 Powermaster Optimus Prime verus his Hasbro version in truck mode:

Even Super Ginrai's "Ginrai" is waaay more accurate than Hasbro's Apex - and we don't have to deal with the "Orion Pax" head of Hasbro:

Here's the LG-35 next to the Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus

Sooooo Prime, you been working out?

We find it grand that Super Ginrai is bigger than Ultra Magnus.

SECOND: LG-35 Super Ginrai Powermaster Optimus Prime comes across as big, strong, and powerful! Definitely worthy of the name "Super" or the name Optimus Prime.

THIRD: Articulation is decent - could be better, we'll talk about that later:

TO THE DISCO ROOM!!!!

FOURTH: The Takara Super Ginrai's truck mode is quite solid - its a fine tribute to the Transformers Super Ginrai version.

The only thing missing would be Ginrai riding in the front grill. He rides inside instead.

Something is.... wrong

WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THE TAKARA LG-35 SUPER GINRAI POWERMASTER OPTIMUS PRIME?

FIRST: Super Ginrai should not be a HEADMASTER!!!! It's one of the same problems that we have with his Hasbro version. We get that the current thrust of the toyline is this Headmaster thingee, but Ginrai has always been a Powermaster - or Godmaster. He provides the heart that powers his Transtector.

So he definitely should not be a Headmaster.

Speaking of his being a Headmaster, Ginrai forms a smaller Optimus Prime Head, but since Ginrai doesn't have a non-Super Ginrai form, it's relatively useless:

The Transtector's "helmet" comes over Ginrai to form Super Ginrai's head. A lot of people will appreciate the "helmety" feel - the way Optimus Prime's eyes are obviously separate from the helmet. But, most of the time all you have is a dead-eye-socket look which is... disconcerting.

MY EYESSS!!!!

SECOND: The base-mode of the Takara Powermaster Optimus Prime is not as robust as the original  Transformers Super Ginrai to God Ginrai. Of course we're also lacking a Transtector, but it just doesn't feel as strong:

THIRD: The Takara LG-35  Super Ginrai's hooves - instead of feet - are an acquired taste (But at least he's taller). We earlier mentioned that Takara will soon release the God Bomber and the hooves are there to help the two merge. Soooo love it. It'll get better. Still an acquired taste.

FOURTH: The Takara LG-35  Super Ginrai can't kneel. His truck's "panels" fold around his leg so his knee articulation is limited.

The Takara LG-35 Super Ginrai Powermaster Optimus Prime is available on Amazon for a whopping US$ 110.30 (Roughly PhP 5,515 plus shipping). It's worth twice the value of the Hasbro Powermaster Optimus Prime which sits at US$ 46.89 (PhP 2,344 plus shipping).

In the end, not only does the Takara LG-35 Super Ginrai beat the crap out of the Hasbro Powermaster Optimus Prime....

...It rips out his optics: