Transformers Takara LG 15 Nightbird Shadow

Shadow KICK!!!!!

Nightbird Shadow is a beautiful retool of the Transformers Generations Arcee figure and a nostalgic tribute to a great G1 cartoon episode.

To the uninitiated, this is Nightbird Shadow: originally a drone built by Dr. Fujiyama to "benefit mankind" (He probably meant to "Protect mankind" against the big giant robots who've come to fight a war on Earth).

Anyway the Decepticons stole her and Bombshell (Yes, the Insecticon) implanted a consciousness chip into her brain turning her into a sentient super-ninja Autobot butt-kicking Decepticon!

That the Autobots eventually captured and put into cold storage never to be seen again.

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Takara TLK-15 Calibur Optimus Prime

The Shield of Optimus

The Takara TLK-15 Calibutr Optimus Prime is the toy maker's way of saying to its fans: "I see what you did there."

When the Transformers Age of Extinction Optimus Prime came out, both the Takara and Hasbro and Takara versions had these use backpacks. This heralded the age of the personally despised "Shell-former." We hated it because it smacked of laziness.

Even our beloved Takara Armor Knight Optimus Prime came with a backpack.

Then the internet started filling up with a simple user solution: "Get rid of the backpack." Which we didn't do because - even if it was just one pin - getting rid of the backpack also  meant getting rid of his thigh armor - his skirt - which made him look downright anorexic.

This: the Takara TLK-15 Calibur Optimus Prime, is Takara improving on that simple user's solution.

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Takara Decepticon Slipstream

The time has come to purge the universe of that accursed Megatron!
And forever seal my destiny as the one true ruler of the Decepticons! 

The Decepticon Slipstream from Takara is purple, green, smiling and a fine representation of the robotic female form.

Personally we're still mystified that a robotic race bothers with gender - to the point that recently, IDW did a "Spotlight: Arcee" issue where it was revealed that during the Golden Age of Cybertron, a scientist named Jhiaxus decided to play with the Cyber/Nano Algorithms (CNA) of Cybertronians, creating female robots. Jhiaxus tried to build the perfect female Transformer - Arcee - but she fell short of his ideals and he discarded her.

Which created a very pissed off woman.

Later IDW decided to take this concept further by revealing that Anode and her lover, Lug, were transgender Transformers in transition - so Transforming Transgender Transformers. Seriously WTF!!!!

Takara God Ginrai - Optimus Prime - Super Ginrai & Godbomber

Upgrades

God Ginrai - the product of the Takara LG-42 Godbomber upgrade - is the kind of upgrade that we’ve been waiting for, for a long, long, looong time.

And that's saying a lot.  If you go through this blog you'll find countless 3rd party upgrades. And we dare to state that, in terms of playability and sheer joy, the 3rd party upgrades have given us far, far more  happy-happy-joy-joy than their legit counterparts.

Check out some of our 3rd party upgrades by clicking here. 

Then the LG-42 Godbomber came along. 

We're glad that the toymaking gods are finally listening to their worshipers. 

For Part 1 of our Takara LG-42 Godbomber review, do click here. 

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Transformers Takara Titans Return God Ginrai Part 1: Godbomber

Godbomber doesn't talk

Takara's Titans Return Godbomber is one of THE nicest non-3rd party upgrades you'll find in the market today. A must have. 

To the uninitiated, this is the Transformers Godbomber. He is the result of the "Bomber Project" and was created by humans who worked in a British Motors factory in Canada.

God Bomber was meant as an enhancement for the Transtector Super Ginrai - Optimus Prime -that would further increase his power and allow him to fly - who was getting his butt handed to him by the two Transtectors that formed Overlord.

Godbomber gained sentience when he somehow heard "The cry" in Super Ginrai's heart. Before that he was pretty much a drone.

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Transformers Takara Leo Prime

Bend before the ways of Heavy Metal! 

The  Takara Leo Prime is a regal, kingly, headmaster that sadly fails to be an inspiration in his alt modes.

If we understand his history correctly - which we really don't - this is the main protagonist of the comic book series Beast Wars: Uprising.

This is Lio Convoy, AKA Leo Prime, the Guardian of Order and keeper of the Energon Matrix. He becomes disillusioned with the new caste system of Cybertron and kicks off the Grand Uprising AKA the 4th Cybertronian War. Dubbed a terrorist, Leo Prime would battle the forces of the Builders - the descendants of the Autobots and the Decepticons.

Sometime towards the end of the war, he would sacrifice himself to defeat his arch nemesis, Galva Convoy, and would be rebuilt into the triple-changer you see here.

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Sonokong Big Convoy Mammoth Optimus Prime

I'm not a Shellformer, this is all armor

Welcome to a review of the Sonokong Big Convoy AKA the Mammoth Optimus Prime from the Super Life-Form Transformers Beast Wars Neo (Is it just us or do the Japanese - and Koreans - really like long names?)

Before Hasbro got lazy and created a modern generation of Transformers "Shellformers", there was this guy.

The literal king of kibble.

This is what it means to be a "Shellformer"

To the uninitiated, Sonokong's Big Convoy is also known simply as "Big" or "Slammoth". He bears the title of Supreme Commander of the Maximals (It's a military title). But unlike other Supreme Commanders who are level-headed and friendly, Big Convoy is a "One-Man-Army" with teamwork issues and a penchant for simply destroying what is in front of him with his Big Cannon.

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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

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Transformers Takara TAV-33 Supreme Class Optimus Prime

Transformers Takara TAV-33 Supreme Class Optimus Prime

Presenting a Takara TAV-33 Supreme Class Optimus Prime from the Transformers Robots in Disguise or Adventure toyline.


Not sure why the Japanese felt the need to localize the name. If we understand it correctly, they also added content to the American cartoon.

Anyway since we don't read  Japanese, this is the Supreme class Optimus Prime. In the Transformers Robots in Disguise or Adventure animated series, Optimus Prime has retreated to the dimension of the Realm of the Primes to train under a mini-bot named Micronus to face an unnamed coming darkness.

The "Darkness" arrives in the form of Megatronus, but Optimus Prime is not ready yet, so he begs the Primes for a portion of their power.

And here he is.

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Takara Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus

Takara Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus, here to light your darkest hour

Presenting the Takara version of the Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus - LG14.

This will be the third - and hopefully last - time that we will feature a Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus. We originally reviewed the Hasbro version of Ultra Magnus, then later featured that Hasbro version all dressed up in Reprolabels.

What Takara decided to do was take it a step further and release a version of Ultra Magnus that was accurate to his appearance in the IDW comic book which basically gives Ultra Magnus a red pair of pants.

The Takara Version of the Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus also has a white pair of weapons - and replaces the diminutive Minimus Ambus with a redecoed version of himself: Alpha Trion - which in itself is an interesting story.

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Unite Warriors / Combiner Wars Grand Scourge

Would you classify Grand Scourge as a Nemesis Prime?

Presenting the Transformers Decepticons Dark Commander, Grand Scourge - or Nemesis Prime if you prefer - from Takara Tomy's Unite Warriors toyline - their version of Combiner Wars. 

Personally we don't really think he should be equated with Nemesis Prime, but he will be so let's just leave it at that.

Basically this dude is Jet Li's Lawless from "The One." Grand Scourge is a dimensional hopper that seeks out the bearers of the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, and kills them. Armed with his Matrix Breaker Sword, Grand Scourge in the e-Hobby comic book was portrayed to have already claimed the matrix of Reverse Prime. Now he's come for the Matrix of Optimus Prime (Gabriel Yu Law), because there can be only one.

More after the jump

Takara Generations Arcee

Presenting the Transformers Generations Arcee from Takara.

Delivering dainty destruction daily.

Transformers collectors worldwide have long been demanding for this figure to come out ever since the Transformers movie came out in 1986. While there were other versions of Arcee released through the years - most notably the DOTM Arcee, Transformers Prime Arcee and Beast Hunters Arcee - it took 29 years for Hasbro and Takara to finally release a G1 accurate Arcee.

In fact we've reviewed a 3rd party Arcee, the TRNS-01 Valkyrie which, one can debate, was copied by Hasbro/Takara in making the new Generations Arcee.

Takara AOE Armor Knight Optimus Prime

Presenting the Takara Armor Knight Optimus Prime from the Transformers Age of Extinction (AOE) toyline-  AKA the Takara AD31.

When we first saw the Armor Knight Optimus Prime on the internet, we thought "Oh great! Another repaint released because the toyline wasn't selling." Yes, while we thought that the Takara AD01 was decent and we loved the design elements that went into it, there was nothing that would make up purchase the regular Hasbro version because it was crappy in comparison to the ROTF and DOTM Voyager Class Optimus Primes that we've come to love.

But when we saw this on the shelves, all we could hear was Bruno Mars singing "Gottta kiss myself I’m so pretty. I’m too hot (hot damn) Called a police and a fireman. I’m too hot (hot damn) Make a dragon wanna retire man. I’m too hot (hot damn) Say my name you know who I am...." coming from the snobbish package.

Yeah we kissed it.

Takara GT-R Convoy - Optimus Prime

Presenting the Nissan Motul Autech GT-R Convoy - Optimus Prime from Takara with his Motul Autech "sister" Misaki.

We don't want to say that he's a rebuild of the 2008 Takara Alternity Optimus Prime.We believe that to do so would be a great injustice to the designers of what we have here.

This is a rebuild of the Takara Alternity Optimus Prime.

We won't pretend to understand what the Alternity is - basically it's an alternate dimension that you can read about here.

We feel that what the packaging has to say about the Takara GT-R Convoy or Optimus Prime is more important.

Unfortunately it's mostly in Japanese - which we don't speak/read/write.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: DA-15 Jetwing Optimus Prime

Presenting, Takara's DA-15 Jetwing Optimus Prime from the Transformers Dark of the Moon Series.

Now unlike the Ultimate Optimus Prime (Which for some strange reason is sooo popular on this blog, despite the bashing that I gave it), DA-15 Jetwing Optimus Prime actually appeared in the 3rd Transformers movie - albeit it was a lame appearance and Prime ended up hanging upside down on suspension cables where he had to be rescued by the Wreckers - which makes the DA-15 Jetwing armor pretty lame I suppose (Wait for the DA-28 review) but you have to admit it still looks cool - waaay cooler than the Ultimate Optimus Prime in my opinion.

This particular DA-15 Jetwing Optimus Prime was purchased on a trip to Singapore for roughly PhP 6,600 (Roughly US 153) that was a thousand pesos cheaper (Roughly US$ 23 cheaper) than the price of the DA-15 Jetwing Optimus Prime here in Manila's blackmarket. Here in the Philippines, the Jetwing Optimus Prime sells for as much as PhP 7,800 on the blackmarket (US$ 181 plus shipping).  Jetwing Optimus Prime is available on Amazon for a whopping US$207.99 (Roughly PHP 8,943 plus shipping). So I got a steal.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I'm shooting with a new camera - Hey you people at Sony - and I cant' figure out why the photos turn grainy yet. So forgive me.

Toy News: Takara Optimus Striker DA28

Takara will soon be releasing the Optimus Striker DA28! Good things do come from Takara. First was that movie accurate Jetwing Optimus Prime which is miles, miles MILES better than Hasbro's Ultimate Optimus Prime; and now comes the Optimus Striker DA28.

If you watched Transformers Dark of the moon then you'll recall that when Optimus Prime first fought Shockwave (Well he actually fought him first in the DOTM video game which was a prequel of the movie but now everyone knows that), then you'll recall that Optimus Prime's trailer transformed into a weapon's storage ring. Optmus Prime drew a shield from that ring and Takara is finally giving it to us.