Additional Images of Takara Transformers LG-EX Convobat from Superfest Japan
Sunday, September 25th, 2016 1:45AM CDT
Category: Toy NewsPosted by: Bronzewolf Views: 22,300
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Posted by Logan. on September 25th, 2016 @ 3:38am CDT
Posted by Autobot Roadburn on September 25th, 2016 @ 4:13am CDT
Posted by Professor Smooth on September 25th, 2016 @ 5:13am CDT
I love the robot mode. The sculpting. The colors. And especially how well-articulated it is. Fort Max was my "white whale" for a very long time, and this updated version does it for me. It's a few bits of metal and some extra paint applications away from being a Masterpiece.
I also dig that TakaraTomy apparently went to the trouble and expense of getting Fortress' original Japanese voice actor to record lines for this release. That's both awesome *and* unnecessary, what with the lines just being lines from Headmasters. Plus, they tossed in the theme song, which is fun.
The box is neat, too. Puts the figure squarely in the Legends line, instead of using the Combiner Wars/Unite Warriors style that Hasbro's version used. Unless I missed it, the box wasn't even revealed until yesterday. If not for a chance click on another TF board, I wouldn't have known what the box looked like until I opened the massive shipping package from Amazon.
But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. There are a few (mostly minor) complaints I've got about LG-31.
The lack of accessories kind of hurts it. Not so much Cog, but having at least *one* of Max's trademark guns would have been nice. This bad boy retails for 28,000 yen. Would it really have broken the bank to throw in an extra stationary bit of plastic?
The alternate modes aren't as, let's say "convincing", as the original. While I outright applaud them for making a giant Transformer that kids could conceivably have fun with (a nice contrast w/ Titans Return/UW Devy), the alt modes just don't do much for me. Which, really, is fine, since I display my TFs in bot mode, anyway.
So, yeah. Nice figure. Could be nicer, but what figure couldn't. Worth the 18,000 yen Amazon charged. Not sure I'd be in for the 28,000 MSRP. But I'm happy with it.
Posted by Logan. on September 25th, 2016 @ 7:32am CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on September 25th, 2016 @ 7:35am CDT
But, that was Yuki Ohshima who did Kiss Players and 15 Go! Go!. This is Hayato Sakamoto doing these Legends manga.JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Bumblebee21 wrote:Kurona wrote:Why do they keep referencing that thing
i think one of them is a perv. cough cough kiss players cough cough cough.
By the same illustrator, no less.
Surprised to see this in the main Legends thread instead of Convobat's own thread. Still cool.Bronzewolf wrote:Seibertronians, our very own xRotorstormx is currently reporting directly from the Japanese convention Superfest. She's shared with us some exclusive additional pictures of LG-EX Convobat, along with his Ape-x drone. Check 'em out below and then tell us in the comments below: Do these additional images make you like the figure more or less? Will you be getting it when it comes out in December?
The same applies to the Hasbro versions. No gun for any Fort Max. Though, it may not sting as much for the Takara version as far as Japan is concerned since Fort Max in Japan was never a gun wielder in The Headmasters cartoon, as he was only ever strictly a sword wielding bot. He never used a gun in the cartoon.Professor Smooth wrote:The lack of accessories kind of hurts it. Not so much Cog, but having at least *one* of Max's trademark guns would have been nice. This bad boy retails for 28,000 yen. Would it really have broken the bank to throw in an extra stationary bit of plastic?
For Japan, they've justified the new altmodes as the larger body is a new construct altogether, with the Battleship Mode being similar to the original and the City Mode now replaced with a Fortress Mode.Professor Smooth wrote:The alternate modes aren't as, let's say "convincing", as the original. While I outright applaud them for making a giant Transformer that kids could conceivably have fun with (a nice contrast w/ Titans Return/UW Devy), the alt modes just don't do much for me. Which, really, is fine, since I display my TFs in bot mode, anyway.
Posted by Professor Smooth on September 25th, 2016 @ 8:22am CDT
Sabrblade wrote:The same applies to the Hasbro versions. No gun for any Fort Max. Though, it may not sting as much for the Takara version as far as Japan is concerned since Fort Max in Japan was never a gun wielder in The Headmasters cartoon, as he was only ever strictly a sword wielding bot. He never used a gun in the cartoon.Professor Smooth wrote:The lack of accessories kind of hurts it. Not so much Cog, but having at least *one* of Max's trademark guns would have been nice. This bad boy retails for 28,000 yen. Would it really have broken the bank to throw in an extra stationary bit of plastic?
True. As is their way, TakaraTomy went for animation accuracy before anything else. Which is understandable. Still, it'd have been nice to have those cannons, even if just to spice up the different alt modes.
Sabrblade wrote:For Japan, they've justified the new altmodes as the larger body is a new construct altogether, with the Battleship Mode being similar to the original and the City Mode now replaced with a Fortress Mode.Professor Smooth wrote:The alternate modes aren't as, let's say "convincing", as the original. While I outright applaud them for making a giant Transformer that kids could conceivably have fun with (a nice contrast w/ Titans Return/UW Devy), the alt modes just don't do much for me. Which, really, is fine, since I display my TFs in bot mode, anyway.
I do appreciate TakaraTomy going to such lengths to explain away the discrepancy. They do good work.
Posted by Sabrblade on September 25th, 2016 @ 10:35am CDT
Zone Modes were what the Base Modes of the Powered Masters (Dai Atlas, Sonic Bomber, and Roadfire) from Transformers: Zone were called. They could harness the power of the Zodiac energy and channel it into an extremely powerful energy blast. And when all of the Micromaster bases were all hooked up together on Planet Micro (then renamed Planet Zone), the combined base formation was referred to as the Zone Base.
Posted by Cyberpath on September 25th, 2016 @ 12:03pm CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on September 25th, 2016 @ 12:05pm CDT
Nothing too fancy. Just that the Zodiac he was wearing somehow turned him into a two-headed monster.Cyberpath wrote:What's the story behind Scourge's Hun-Gurrr impersonation?
Posted by Cyberpath on September 25th, 2016 @ 1:23pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:Nothing too fancy. Just that the Zodiac he was wearing somehow turned him into a two-headed monster.Cyberpath wrote:What's the story behind Scourge's Hun-Gurrr impersonation?
It reminds me of Deluxe Prime, they gave him Hun-grrry feet.
Posted by william-james88 on September 25th, 2016 @ 10:03pm CDT
Feel free to let us know if you find any interesting tidbits within these pages.
Posted by Sabrblade on September 25th, 2016 @ 10:25pm CDT
Posted by DedicatedGhostArt on September 25th, 2016 @ 10:30pm CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on September 25th, 2016 @ 10:32pm CDT
SillySpringer wrote:Hm, Road-Rage is slightly more busty than I remember.
Um, where did you see Roadrage?
Posted by DedicatedGhostArt on September 25th, 2016 @ 10:33pm CDT
D-Maximus_Primal wrote:SillySpringer wrote:Hm, Road-Rage is slightly more busty than I remember.
Um, where did you see Roadrage?
Top panel:
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on September 25th, 2016 @ 10:38pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:Heh, turns out Weirdwolf's new Transtector is alive, behaving like a big animal pet. Its name is "Wolnosuke", a portmanteau of the word "wolf" and the Japanese name particle "-nosuke".
It's more of a nickname, really... nothing official.
Posted by william-james88 on September 25th, 2016 @ 10:45pm CDT
Posted by Deadput on September 25th, 2016 @ 11:20pm CDT
Posted by fenrir72 on September 26th, 2016 @ 12:30am CDT
SillySpringer wrote:D-Maximus_Primal wrote:SillySpringer wrote:Hm, Road-Rage is slightly more busty than I remember.
Um, where did you see Roadrage?
Top panel:
Oh bewbs Stop the presses!
Anyways, Scourge always gets an allergy attack when he gets close to a super charged power source.
Posted by Deadput on September 26th, 2016 @ 12:34am CDT
fenrir72 wrote:
Oh bewbs
Uh she forgot to turn off her airbags after a crash due to her "roadrage" right?
Posted by Logan. on September 26th, 2016 @ 2:37am CDT
Posted by Kurona on September 26th, 2016 @ 7:14am CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on September 26th, 2016 @ 8:21am CDT
The scene is a reference to Road Rage's MP bio in which she has placed Flip Sides on trial for suspicion of being a Decepticon spy, and Twincast is trying to defend Flip Sides. But it turned out that Flip Sides was guilty and Twincast had to learn to live with the fact that one of his friends and closest comrades was really a traitor.Kurona wrote:Oh hey, Road Rage! Not sure why she's there in-universe but it's a nice reference to how her MP has Twincast as an accessory.
Posted by william-james88 on September 26th, 2016 @ 8:35am CDT
Sabrblade wrote:Though, for clarity's sake, this toy isn't being treated as Blaster's cartoon body proper, but is instead treated as an evolved form of that body, an upgrade from his Twincast body that he got in The Headmasters cartoon. A third form for Cartoon Blaster overall.
Yet the colours being so slavishly G1 indicate that Takara did cilour this in hope to also please collectors who want an accurate G1 Blaster in their collction. If he was truly a new form in every way, then there would be no need to mirror that deco to a T.
Posted by Sabrblade on September 26th, 2016 @ 8:41am CDT
I mean, it's a new form that allows Twincast to go back to being his old Blaster self, in which Takara is using to let him look as much like his old self from the cartoon as possible (within reason, of course, as they kept the toy-accurate shoulder designs intact and did integrate a ton of show-inaccurate blue joint pieces into the figure).william-james88 wrote:Sabrblade wrote:Though, for clarity's sake, this toy isn't being treated as Blaster's cartoon body proper, but is instead treated as an evolved form of that body, an upgrade from his Twincast body that he got in The Headmasters cartoon. A third form for Cartoon Blaster overall.
Yet the colours being so slavishly G1 indicate that Takara did cilour this in hope to also please collectors who want an accurate G1 Blaster in their collction. If he was truly a new form in every way, then there would be no need to mirror that deco to a T.
It a new form for the cartoon character but with some newness added to it, yet still tied more closely to the cartoon's lore than the Hasbro version.
Posted by Kurona on September 26th, 2016 @ 9:03am CDT
Posted by Evil Eye on September 26th, 2016 @ 12:42pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:The scene is a reference to Road Rage's MP bio in which she has placed Flip Sides on trial for suspicion of being a Decepticon spy, and Twincast is trying to defend Flip Sides. But it turned out that Flip Sides was guilty and Twincast had to learn to live with the fact that one of his friends and closest comrades was really a traitor.Kurona wrote:Oh hey, Road Rage! Not sure why she's there in-universe but it's a nice reference to how her MP has Twincast as an accessory.
Speaking of which- Legends/MP Flip Sides when? I want my Decepticon infiltrator fembot.
Posted by Logan. on September 26th, 2016 @ 12:58pm CDT
Posted by Deadput on September 26th, 2016 @ 2:25pm CDT
Posted by Logan. on September 26th, 2016 @ 7:01pm CDT
Posted by Emerje on September 26th, 2016 @ 8:05pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:Though people originally thought that Blaster's Titan Master head was based on Perceptor, it actually seems to sculpted (not colored, but sculpted) more in homage to the headsculpt of Binaltech Asterisk Broad Blast.
Blaster's pack-in Legends comic seems to agree with this as there's a close up panel of Blaster's helmet-less head that also contains a thought bubble that flashes back to his Binaltech Asterisk body.
This is an extremely obvious (and pretty unbelievable) attempt by Takara Tomy to explain why the head looks this way in their continuity. If it was really intended to be Asterisk Broadblast it would look just like it, not vaguely like it if you squint. It was definitely originally designed to look like Perceptor.
Emerje
Posted by william-james88 on September 26th, 2016 @ 8:34pm CDT
Emerje wrote:Sabrblade wrote:Though people originally thought that Blaster's Titan Master head was based on Perceptor, it actually seems to sculpted (not colored, but sculpted) more in homage to the headsculpt of Binaltech Asterisk Broad Blast.
Blaster's pack-in Legends comic seems to agree with this as there's a close up panel of Blaster's helmet-less head that also contains a thought bubble that flashes back to his Binaltech Asterisk body.
This is an extremely obvious (and pretty unbelievable) attempt by Takara Tomy to explain why the head looks this way in their continuity. If it was really intended to be Asterisk Broadblast it would look just like it, not vaguely like it if you squint. It was definitely originally designed to look like Perceptor.
Emerje
That goes along with their entire philosophy about this toy, trying to repurpose it into something it wasnt concieved to be.
Posted by Kurona on September 26th, 2016 @ 8:41pm CDT
Who wants to bet Twincast and Soundblaster will end up being E-Hobby or Takaratomy Mall exclusives?
Posted by VanOscuro on September 26th, 2016 @ 8:42pm CDT
Posted by fenrir72 on September 27th, 2016 @ 2:58am CDT
Kurona wrote:I just kinda wish they'd actually made him Twincast.
Who wants to bet Twincast and Soundblaster will end up being E-Hobby or Takaratomy Mall exclusives?
Aren't their "heads" already that? Twincast and Soundblaster?
Posted by steals_your_goats on September 27th, 2016 @ 6:50am CDT
fenrir72 wrote:Kurona wrote:I just kinda wish they'd actually made him Twincast.
Who wants to bet Twincast and Soundblaster will end up being E-Hobby or Takaratomy Mall exclusives?
Aren't their "heads" already that? Twincast and Soundblaster?
Yeah, but all they'd have to do is color the heads differently and call them Soundwave and blaster instead. Problem solved.
Posted by Emerje on September 27th, 2016 @ 6:55am CDT
steals_your_goats wrote:fenrir72 wrote:Kurona wrote:I just kinda wish they'd actually made him Twincast.
Who wants to bet Twincast and Soundblaster will end up being E-Hobby or Takaratomy Mall exclusives?
Aren't their "heads" already that? Twincast and Soundblaster?
Yeah, but all they'd have to do is color the heads differently and call them Soundwave and blaster instead. Problem solved.
No, because they like to have a story to go with it. They'd have to be able to explain why Twincast and Soundblaster are suddenly "downgraded" back to Blaster and Soundwave again while their new bodies are made to look like Twincast and Soundblaster. It's a little too complicated to be worth explaining.
Emerje
Posted by steals_your_goats on September 27th, 2016 @ 7:09am CDT
Emerje wrote:steals_your_goats wrote:fenrir72 wrote:Kurona wrote:I just kinda wish they'd actually made him Twincast.
Who wants to bet Twincast and Soundblaster will end up being E-Hobby or Takaratomy Mall exclusives?
Aren't their "heads" already that? Twincast and Soundblaster?
Yeah, but all they'd have to do is color the heads differently and call them Soundwave and blaster instead. Problem solved.
No, because they like to have a story to go with it. They'd have to be able to explain why Twincast and Soundblaster are suddenly "downgraded" back to Blaster and Soundwave again while their new bodies are made to look like Twincast and Soundblaster. It's a little too complicated to be worth explaining.
Emerje
If it was an Ehobby release wouldn't the fiction they create not interfere with the standard legends fiction? So they could do whatever they wanted/had to to justify the figures.
Posted by Emerje on September 27th, 2016 @ 7:36am CDT
steals_your_goats wrote:If it was an Ehobby release wouldn't the fiction they create not interfere with the standard legends fiction? So they could do whatever they wanted/had to to justify the figures.
I wonder if it would be that easy? I mean, e-hobby fiction is separate from the Legends fiction, but then they'd have to come up with a second explanation for why Twincast and Soundblaster are suddenly Headmasters.
It's especially unlikely when all signs seem to point at their next figure being Mutant Soundwave. They seem content with doing Beast Wars story right now.
Takara Tomy Mall is focused on Unite Warriors still and I can't see them getting any Legends exclusives.
Emerje
Posted by steals_your_goats on September 27th, 2016 @ 7:55am CDT
Emerje wrote:steals_your_goats wrote:If it was an Ehobby release wouldn't the fiction they create not interfere with the standard legends fiction? So they could do whatever they wanted/had to to justify the figures.
I wonder if it would be that easy? I mean, e-hobby fiction is separate from the Legends fiction, but then they'd have to come up with a second explanation for why Twincast and Soundblaster are suddenly Headmasters.
It's especially unlikely when all signs seem to point at their next figure being Mutant Soundwave. They seem content with doing Beast Wars story right now.
Takara Tomy Mall is focused on Unite Warriors still and I can't see them getting any Legends exclusives.
Emerje
Oh I'm not saying that it will happen, but I think it would be cool. As far as a quick explanation, couldn't they just go back to when blaster and Soundwave had that fight that destroyed each other? They could have it to where instead of being rebuilt completely they were only able to salvage enough to turn them into the headmaster then had transtectors built for them. I'm not sure how in line with g1 the Ehobby fiction is but if they have liberties with it I think my idea could work.
Truth be told though I would almost like these two more as a Hasbro box set. Someone on here (I think I was RAR?) mentioned about other possible box sets to go with the strength and speed sets that were based on the other Tech specs intelligence and firepower. What better bots for intelligence than redecos of blaster and Soundwave with one cassette each.
Posted by Kurona on September 27th, 2016 @ 8:05am CDT
Posted by steals_your_goats on September 27th, 2016 @ 8:11am CDT
Posted by Kurona on September 27th, 2016 @ 8:12am CDT
steals_your_goats wrote:I think we're all on the same page as far as mould use goes, what we're discussing is if Takara were to do these there's no doubt that some sort of fiction would have to accompany it. But that's why I brought up the Hasbro idea since there wouldn't necessarily need to be an explanation for them.
Eh, they'd come up with some excuse. It's not exactly a barrier or anything; Takara makes the toys and tells their comic guys to come up with something. Toys are always primary.
Posted by william-james88 on September 27th, 2016 @ 9:29am CDT
Kurona wrote:steals_your_goats wrote:I think we're all on the same page as far as mould use goes, what we're discussing is if Takara were to do these there's no doubt that some sort of fiction would have to accompany it. But that's why I brought up the Hasbro idea since there wouldn't necessarily need to be an explanation for them.
Eh, they'd come up with some excuse. It's not exactly a barrier or anything; Takara makes the toys and tells their comic guys to come up with something. Toys are always primary.
Yeah, money talks. Case in point, the Club wanted to make a buch of random redecos using the recent molds that were then newly available. But they were from different eras. What to do? Just lump em all together in another universe merging saga.
I still find it a crazy stretch that the Megatron to was a classics version of the movie voyager toy. Why not just say, "here's a cool megatron, have fun!" instead of creating a crazy story to fit him in. Anyways, just saying that the fiction is indeed secondary so its not a reason not to make a toy. Hell, SoundBlaster and Twincast could be reverse clones of the new Soundwave and Blaster bodies, inspired from their own bodies, in the fiction for all they care.
Posted by Sabrblade on September 27th, 2016 @ 9:42am CDT
Like, maybe Twincast's Blaster Transtector and Soundblaster's Soundwave Transtector get momentarily upgraded by a special power source or something that changes the former from red to blue and the latter from blue to black, and then have then revert back to their normal colors by having the power boost wear off at the end of the story.
Or, a story where Twincast's Blaster Transtector and Soundblaster's Soundwave Transtector both get broken and in need of repair, with the Twincast Transtector and the Soundblaster Transtector being temporary replacements used by the two until their normal Transtector's get fixed.
Posted by Kurona on September 27th, 2016 @ 9:47am CDT
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on September 27th, 2016 @ 1:29pm CDT
Plus, it's fun to not make any sense at time. Dare to be stupid mi amigo
Posted by william-james88 on September 27th, 2016 @ 2:00pm CDT
D-Maximus_Primal wrote:But Will, I like it when a bunch of guys are randomly thrown together with some sort of fun story. It's how we got Grand Galvatron, and that to date I believe is a real hit and winner of Unite Warriors.
Plus, it's fun to not make any sense at time. Dare to be stupid mi amigo
I never said I didnt like the idea. I was just showing that it was possible to make fiction for anything. (I just found that megatron odd since we already had a DOTM movie voyager Megatron)
I personally dont care much for fiction made to go with toys, the toy's look is usually all I need to want him. I wanted RTS wreckgar and Lugnut before I even knew who those characters were.
I do like fiction that goes beyond that, that is its own product, which is basically what Beast Machines turned out to be and what MTMTE really is.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on September 27th, 2016 @ 4:18pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:D-Maximus_Primal wrote:But Will, I like it when a bunch of guys are randomly thrown together with some sort of fun story. It's how we got Grand Galvatron, and that to date I believe is a real hit and winner of Unite Warriors.
Plus, it's fun to not make any sense at time. Dare to be stupid mi amigo
I never said I didnt like the idea. I was just showing that it was possible to make fiction for anything. (I just found that megatron odd since we already had a DOTM movie voyager Megatron)
I personally dont care much for fiction made to go with toys, the toy's look is usually all I need to want him. I wanted RTS wreckgar and Lugnut before I even knew who those characters were.
I do like fiction that goes beyond that, that is its own product, which is basically what Beast Machines turned out to be and what MTMTE really is.
Were it not for Oilmaster, Megatron would easily be my most desired Botcon figure that is not shattered glass. and I love a little fiction, makes some sense towards bringing them together for me