New Images Asian Market Exclusive Specialist: Decepticon Set
Friday, March 14th, 2014 8:04AM CDT
Category: Toy NewsPosted by: El Duque Views: 25,101
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Posted by GuyIncognito on March 14th, 2014 @ 8:15am CDT
Posted by Primeultimus on March 14th, 2014 @ 8:23am CDT
Each one of these sets are going on my shelf!
Posted by shajaki on March 14th, 2014 @ 8:23am CDT
but daaamn.... they look good. especially galvatron. i think that mold gets a bad wrap. sure it could have been better or bigger, but ive always liked it. octane/tankor sucks but i still need one, and that astrotrain is juuust different and shiney enough to replace my henkei. but where did those orange windows come from?
Posted by frogbat on March 14th, 2014 @ 8:39am CDT
galvatron is perhaps one of the worse figures due to the over complicated transformation and small size. A voyager or the new leader size would be better. He actually does look good in both modes I think but for a deluxe toy there was definitely no fun factor.
astrotrain was great at his time, but he deservers a voyager size at least
octane - i have a love hate relationship with both the g1 and the generations update.. they both feel half baked.
Maybe they can get the guy who designed springer /sandstorm on the case
having said that, the new colour schemes do improve the toys.
Posted by fenrir72 on March 14th, 2014 @ 8:48am CDT
Posted by mooncake623 on March 14th, 2014 @ 8:54am CDT
Posted by Mkall on March 14th, 2014 @ 9:26am CDT
Posted by megatronus on March 14th, 2014 @ 9:26am CDT
Posted by Wolfman Jake on March 14th, 2014 @ 10:08am CDT
Posted by SentinelA on March 14th, 2014 @ 10:18am CDT
Posted by Rated X on March 14th, 2014 @ 10:58am CDT
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on March 14th, 2014 @ 11:00am CDT
Posted by Bumblevivisector on March 14th, 2014 @ 11:15am CDT
Posted by Mindmaster on March 14th, 2014 @ 11:20am CDT
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on March 14th, 2014 @ 11:24am CDT
Bumblevivisector wrote:Between this deco and apparently intentional mistransformation of the tank mode (or is "mis-" not the right prefix when the back of the box confirms it?), Galvy's Universe toy seriously looks better than I ever thought possible. But I just can't quite justify buying any of these 3 a second time.
Even stock photos can get transformations wrong... What am I saying, they hardly ever get them 100% right!
I can understand why though, the barrel is notoriously hard to get between the halves of the turret, so I could see the photographers not bothering.
Posted by shajaki on March 14th, 2014 @ 11:49am CDT
Rated X wrote:A little late to finally get galvatrons paint deco right. Mania king has rendered the hasbro mold pointless.
not nessesarily. im a big fan of mania kings mold, but it has enough wrong with it to make me hesitate. unposable wrists, floppy legs, and white where there should be grey (legs part i heard from reviewers). not saying hastaks galvy is better by any means, just that this is the best color variation yet. and id be lying if i said over time it hasnt grown on me.
for the record, i will probably end up buying mania king anyways. but i have my reservations.
Posted by Bumblevivisector on March 14th, 2014 @ 1:15pm CDT
Well, the reason I think it's intentional is that this configuration actually looks better. That is, the top achieves more elements of his original cannon mode. He finally looks less like Galvatron-in-his-cunning-Brunt-disguise, and more like just plain Galvatron.JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Bumblevivisector wrote:Between this deco and apparently intentional mistransformation of the tank mode (or is "mis-" not the right prefix when the back of the box confirms it?), Galvy's Universe toy seriously looks better than I ever thought possible. But I just can't quite justify buying any of these 3 a second time.
Even stock photos can get transformations wrong... What am I saying, they hardly ever get them 100% right!
I can understand why though, the barrel is notoriously hard to get between the halves of the turret, so I could see the photographers not bothering.
I had forgotten about the difficulty of transforming his turret though, because I just wasn't excited enough about this mold to transform it much after opening.
Posted by Sabrblade on March 14th, 2014 @ 6:06pm CDT
Posted by craggy on March 14th, 2014 @ 6:15pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:They finally remembered that Galvatron was blue violet in the cartoon instead of purple violet.
yeah, the colours on this version are pretty nice.
shame about the actual toy.
Octane isn't bad, and I do like the original toy, but I'm not seeing a need to upgrade until we get a Voyager version.
I'd have that Astrotrain in a heartbeat if I didn't have to buy the other two.
Posted by El Duque on March 26th, 2014 @ 8:37am CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on March 26th, 2014 @ 8:48am CDT
Posted by Sideshow Sideswipe on March 26th, 2014 @ 8:53am CDT
Posted by OptimalOptimus2 on March 26th, 2014 @ 8:55am CDT
Posted by Counterpunch on March 26th, 2014 @ 9:02am CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on March 26th, 2014 @ 9:05am CDT
There's no chrome on the other two, so why should Octane get chromed?Counterpunch wrote:Octane, get it chromed or get it gone. Seriously...Get your shit together TyrOctane.
Besides, there's already his Henkei! Henkei! toys if you want him with chrome.
Posted by megatronus on March 26th, 2014 @ 9:11am CDT
Sabrblade wrote:There's no chrome on the other two, so why should Octane get chromed?Counterpunch wrote:Octane, get it chromed or get it gone. Seriously...Get your shit together TyrOctane.
Besides, there's already his Henkei! Henkei! toys if you want him with chrome.
Yea, I'm happy with the slightly-more-subtle metallics.
Posted by Flakmaster on March 26th, 2014 @ 9:25am CDT
Posted by megatronus on March 26th, 2014 @ 10:36am CDT
Flakmaster wrote:I hope these aren't too expensive on BBTS. I don't often buy TFs anymore, but the chance to pick up two triple-changers from the Classics line is difficult to pass up, especially since the old US and Takara releases now cost an arm and a leg each.
Both BBTS & TFsource have the Decepticon specialists for $130. More like an arm OR a leg rather than an arm AND a leg.
Posted by shajaki on March 26th, 2014 @ 10:59am CDT
also, bbts isnt the be-all-end-all for online TF shopping. chimung has both sets fot 110 each as i recall.
Posted by megatronus on March 26th, 2014 @ 11:06am CDT
shajaki wrote:ebay prices for these guys arent outrageous. if youre patient, the classics versions could cost about 20-30 each. henkeis anywhere from 20-60. but i would get the three pack since these are the most superior color schemes yet, three in one shot, one shipping charge. best bang for the buck unless you magically happen to find all the seperate figures from one seller.
also, bbts isnt the be-all-end-all for online TF shopping. chimung has both sets fot 110 each as i recall.
100% agree with you. These are by far the best decos for each of these figures, IMHO.
I'm playing the delicate balance of wanting them, but hoping they go on sale like the Seeker sets. I'll be monitoring BBTS stock closely for fear of being shut out...
Posted by Nemesis Destron on March 26th, 2014 @ 11:45am CDT
Anyway I'm satisfied with my custom Galvatron i picked up along with Henkei Octain and Astrotrain...'nuff said!
Posted by Blurrz on March 26th, 2014 @ 12:41pm CDT
Posted by Mkall on March 26th, 2014 @ 1:08pm CDT
Posted by Counterpunch on March 26th, 2014 @ 1:28pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:There's no chrome on the other two, so why should Octane get chromed?Counterpunch wrote:Octane, get it chromed or get it gone. Seriously...Get your shit together TyrOctane.
Besides, there's already his Henkei! Henkei! toys if you want him with chrome.
Why shouldn't there be? Maybe I'd like some chrome on the tank to mirror the G1 toy?
The Henkei version has chromed guns, not what I'm looking for.
Anyway, why are you questioning my personal preferences on this? It's not like I'm asking for something so far outside the box that it needs to be called to question.
Posted by Sabrblade on March 26th, 2014 @ 1:32pm CDT
Cursed curiosity compelled me to inquire.Counterpunch wrote:Sabrblade wrote:There's no chrome on the other two, so why should Octane get chromed?Counterpunch wrote:Octane, get it chromed or get it gone. Seriously...Get your shit together TyrOctane.
Besides, there's already his Henkei! Henkei! toys if you want him with chrome.
Why shouldn't there be? Maybe I'd like some chrome on the tank to mirror the G1 toy?
The Henkei version has chromed guns, not what I'm looking for.
Anyway, why are you questioning my personal preferences on this? It's not like I'm asking for something so far outside the box that it needs to be called to question.
Posted by Wolfman Jake on March 26th, 2014 @ 2:42pm CDT
Posted by shajaki on March 26th, 2014 @ 5:11pm CDT
Wolfman Jake wrote:I know the Universe Galvatron mold is a flawed design as far as transforming the figure goes, but it looks fine in bot mode, IMO, and if you're going to just put him in your Classics shelf for display purposes, what's the harm? You're not obligated to transform him ever again if you don't want to. Some people seem to hate this mold like it ran over their dog.
heard that. the classics galvy mold gets a bad wrap. transforming him just takes some fine tuning, kinda like an MP or alternator. once you got the hang of it, its not bad. and it may have taken a long time to get his colors right, but there they are. with that paint job who could hate on galvy now?
Posted by Va'al on March 31st, 2014 @ 3:56pm CDT
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on March 31st, 2014 @ 4:05pm CDT
And really clever how the boxes fit in style. Can't wait for the galleries!
Posted by shajaki on March 31st, 2014 @ 4:25pm CDT
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Trivia: the bios are copied word for word from the original Marvel Transformers Universe bios. Lazy, or tribute? You be the judge
And really clever how the boxes fit in style. Can't wait for the galleries!
im going to say lazy coincidence. even though we found out hounds eyes were yellow in a uk comic...
Posted by Wolfman Jake on March 31st, 2014 @ 5:16pm CDT
Posted by megatronus on March 31st, 2014 @ 5:26pm CDT
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on March 31st, 2014 @ 5:32pm CDT
megatronus wrote:I like how their faces are considered "gimmicks."
Light-piping, dear
Posted by Bumblevivisector on March 31st, 2014 @ 5:48pm CDT
It reminds me of VHS and manga sets that have a picture across their spines when you put them in order.Wolfman Jake wrote:I must say, I love everything about these boxes. I stopped "collecting" the packaging for most of my figures years ago, but these are among the few worth keeping in around, or better yet, putting on display!
Posted by KirbyForce1 on March 31st, 2014 @ 6:17pm CDT
Posted by TimothyR on March 31st, 2014 @ 6:28pm CDT
mirage is too skinny.. and after rewatching the traitor episode on the hub this morning.. this mold really doesn't give off a mirage vibe.. i mean, it's a good mold, i have it, i enjoy it, but just not for an updated G1 mirage.
ironhide.. i think we all know the problems with this figure.. the main one being his head. i don't care how many tutorials are out there to help you fix the head, it's still a problem.. plus, there are other tweaks that i wish were done on this mold.
galvatron.. man, where do i start.. first, he should be a voyager. his robot mode is extremely unstable, the design of his lower legs is very bad especially when you throw in the backpack. the alt mode is nice and i like the transformation.. but the arms are a train-wreck.
astrotrain.. i love this paint job.. and he was in the first iteration of the classics line so, i can cut some slack for that.. but i dislike his legs, and he needs to be a voyager.
octane.. another figure that really should've been a voyager. it's sad displaying astrotrain and octane with blitzwing. i would assume that these characters aren't important enough to get updated molds of.
Posted by DecepticonFinishline on April 1st, 2014 @ 1:19am CDT
Posted by Wolfman Jake on April 23rd, 2014 @ 7:27pm CDT
Starting with the Autobots:
Ironhide is very sleek with that deep red coat of metallic paint, plus the G1 yellow stripe on his sides. He's basically the Henkei version with metallic paint swapped out for vacuum metalized chroming. Where there was chrome before is metallic silver paint now.
Hound looks stunning with a dark metallic green. Plus, his legs are now the right color (though an unpainted green plastic, the color of which does not match the rest of the green on the figure), and he's sporting screen-accurate tampographs. I swapped out the translucent plastics for his eyes, which are a translucent blue with the optics painted yellow, with the one from my Universe 2008 version. He's now perfect, with fully-functioning blue light piping eyes! An interesting note: the edges of Specialist Hound's eyes are not painted, so you get a sort of blue halo effect around his yellow, opaque eyes when you shine a light behind him.
Mirage is probably the least improved, but the addition of metallic blue paint and screen accurate paint details make him look quite nice next to his Autobot compatriots. He, of course, lacks the fictional sponsorship decals of the 2006 Classics version and looks very "clean" for it.
Now for the Decepticons:
Galvatron is amazing. They got just about everything right! His metallic purple/indigo paint is spot on. All of the stray orange plastic is now black. This is by far the best deco attempt on this mold. Speaking of the mold, I don't know if this will be true for all, or even most samples, but mine is definitely the least problematic version of the mold I've owned. It snaps together tightly with little fiddling or fuss, and the joints are just a little bit tighter. It's still prone to all the similar issues when you transform it, of course, like the legs falling off at the knee swivel and the left arm popping out of the shoulder socket every two seconds. Regardless, he stands very well and looks like a real leader along side his trusted lieutenants Scourge and Cyclonus, with an army of Sweeps and Cyclonus "Armada" Clones behind him.
Astrotrain is now screen accurate with a medium gray and purple color scheme. Very similar to the Henkei release, but without random chrome pieces. Enough said.
Octane is the least improved of the Decepticon trio. His plastic and paint layouts are exactly the same. The only difference is in the shades used. The purple is darker and now metallic, and the tan-ish gray plastic is now a truer gray (or maybe bluish gray). Still, the small touches do improve his overall look.
Finally, I should have made this connection earlier, because of all the advanced pictures of the packaging, but these are both Hasbro releases. The Seeker sets were definitely Takara-Tomy branded. Yet, these sets seem to fit together very nicely in a series of Classics repaints. So, what's up with that? These are both for the Asian markets, so is this a sort of joint project for the two companies?
Posted by megatronus on April 23rd, 2014 @ 10:32pm CDT
I think the reason the Seeker sets were Takara branded were because they were released under the United line, whereas the Specialists sets are... not. I recall that the Asia Premium Series Movie Leaders (OP & Brawl) were also Takara, so maybe Takara decided to hand off their Asia exclusive items to Hasbro Asia? I guess we'll see if the continued presence of Hasbro branding is consistent. Good eye!