Opening Salvo
Something new for you all this week as we take a look at the Mecha world outside of Transformers; also since nobody responded to my mini contest I guess I must soldier on with out a pithy sign off. I’m not bitter because I got JETFIRE!
Toys: What I got, what they got, and some news too
Well as I alluded to above I was finally able to find Classics Jetfire yesterday. Yes it was tough to get him since also in my TRU was Marvel Titanium Ghost Rider as well as the first wave of Ghost Rider movie toys; I’m really not behind this movie since I don’t understand how they merged the Dan Ketch and Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider into one, but I digress. I don’t really have words to describe Jetfire; but what I do have is a picture I’m dedicating to all of my Soldiers of the Southern Cross.
Yes folks, that’s Classics Jetfire in a modified Guardian mode that I discovered. Basically all you have to do is roll his arms forward, unpeg the legs, and swing them out at the hips. As soon as you unpeg the legs from the back of the jet the back pack begins to sag, to fix this I just bent the cannon part of the boosters so it looks like they are facing forward. It isn’t perfect but anything under 1/48 scale isn’t. Next to him is a 1/100 scale VF-1J which brings me to my next major purchase of the week; I bough volumes 1 through 5 of ADV’s new Macross English dub. Since I don’t remember most of the Robotech series this is all new to me. I was a tad disappointed that ADV was using their own in house voice actors and didn’t try to get any of the Robotech cast. Of course for all I know they did and things didn’t work out. I hope that they’re working on dubbing Super Dimensional Southern Cross and Genesis Climber Mospedia to complete the set. Funny thing is I’ve been pronouncing Macross wrong all this time; its MA cross not MAC ross like I’ve been doing for years. Speaking of Robotech I got the new Robotech movie “The Shadow Chronicles.†It was a very good movie but really didn’t tie up the loose ends like they said it would. Instead it is a springboard to a new series that will either be OVA or televised. The entire original cast was back from season 3 of Robotech, which was a really nice surprise. One thing I didn’t like was the fact that they only used footage from season 3 in the making of documentary; I hope it had nothing to do with the aforementioned ADV Macross set. Now, on with the news!
Well the glut of movie merchandise is starting to trickle out. The UK will get a slot card racing set that will feature transforming robots. It’s unknown at this time whether or not the set will be released in the US.
There is a new SW/TF ultra sized toy coming out of Darth Vader transforming into the Death Star. This has been long rumored and was originally believed to be the mold for Emperor Palpatine. You can view a picture of the guy in bot mode here.
We have finally seen some images of Fast Action Battler Jazz on E-Bay. Thus far these smaller scale figures are the best looking figures of the line. I guess it’s because you can’t see their faces that well and how UN Transformerish they look. I might, MIGHT pick these guys up. Speaking of the movie toys the secret of their transformations has been revealed. It is called Automorph technology. Basically all it is is the movement of one part caused by the movement of another. These toys will feature spring-loaded transformations like Cybertron Override and the Machine Wars basics. I know that most of the fan base will have a problem with this but I like it due to the fact that transformations should be as fast as possible; an idea I think that has been lost over the years. Siebertron.com has some pics of what will probably be the first wave of movie toys in full color.
I think Mike may have been onto something when he mentioned the incredibly low rate that the TFCC got for Bot Con since most of the rooms have sold out. Brian and the gang are working on getting another block of rooms at a nearby hotel but as of press time nothing yet. Here’s a bit of advice spend the extra money and get a room that isn’t part of the convention. You’ll be away from the madness and just might be able to get some sleep and more importantly a shower with hot water.
In other club news the Astrotrain and Airrazor exclusives have been delayed. Also the next member figure has been announced. The figure will be a repaint of the other Energon Superion limb. I think his name is going to be Blackout or something like that. Bigger news still is the announcement that the convention set will be comprised of Classic molds. Mike believes that we will see the 3 other Seekers (Dirge, Thrust, and Sunstorm) and perhaps a new Nemissis Prime and maybe, just maybe, a retooled Megatron as Shockwave. Personally I can’t believe that Hasbro wouldn’t release the other Seekers as at least store exclusives if not wave 4 of Classics. I hate to say this but it might be just one large collection of Mini-Cons; God I hope not.
Well not only are the TRU exclusive Classic Soundwaves’ shipping but they are starting to turn up in stores. I feel bad now for all the people who got scared and paid $100 plus for one off of E-bay. He should be turning up soon in my local TRU.
Every year Hasbro sponsors a gala event at the children’s hospital they opened. When it comes to kids I’m a real sucker so here is the info on this years event.
Join us for the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Transformers Ball 2007 to benefit pediatric gastroenterology at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.
The annual gala is the hospital’s premier fundraising event, and has raised almost $5 million since its inception in 1994. Today, the gala attracts more than 1,200 attendees, including corporate and community leaders throughout the region.
More Information
For more information about the event, to become a sponsor or to purchase tickets by phone, please call 401-444-6888.
If you’re in the area do try to check it out.
The World around Transformers: GaoFaiGar
This week I thought it would be nice to start a semi new feature. Basically as many of you know I do collect Mecha other than Transformers so I thought it would be nice to share some of these “Other Worlds†and maybe just maybe we can discover that we’re not so different after all. This week allow me to introduce to you the King of the Braves GaoFaiGar.
GaoFaiGar comes from the series GaoGaiGar. Now I’m still learning about the Gao’s but apparently GaoFaiGar is the second version of GaoGaiGar. Both characters were part of a series made by Takara called Brave. This was their post Transformers line in Japan, which explains why some of the earlier series look Transformerish and GaoGaiGar was the last of the Brave series and most popular. In the story a team of humans aid a Cyborg named Gai in his battles against a mechinoid alien race called the Zonders. As you can see GaoFaiGar is made up of three components:
Stealth Gao 2
Submarine Gao
Drill Gao 2
FaiGar
Of the three components only FaiGar can transform. Don’t ask me into what, it looks like a bird though. I don’t have any pics since I heard through the grapevine that FaiGar doesn’t hold the form well since none of the parts peg into each other.
As you can see once in combined form GaoFaiGar is about as tall as a Voyager class figure. The joints are tight; too tight if you ask me but that makes the toy able to hold a pose. When it isn’t falling over from being too top heavy. In the above pictures GaoFaiGar is using something called the Defense Shield. What it is and does is rather self-explanatory.
The photo above shows probably the best known of the Gao gadgets, the Dividing Driver. It is actually not a weapon but some sort of force field generator that contains the battles that the Gao’s fight. GaoGaiGar was actually an influential series on Japanese anime; his Final Fusion combination was the basis for the transformation animations we’ve seen in Armada, Energon, and Cybertron. Also his finishing move Hell, and Heaven was the basis for Armada Primes’ joined fist attack. ADV is in the process of releasing an English dubbed version of the series so be on the look out for it.
Sixty-Second Review
Dinobot Striker
MSRP: $9.99-$19.99 on E-bay
This is a figure I meant to review a LONG time ago. The mold and name have been around for a while; from the later years of Beast Wars on. Striker is a Stegosaurus who, depending on which version of the figure you have, is a lost member of the original Dinobots.
The Universe version of Striker is mostly green with a few shades of gray mixed in. Transformation is rather simple since he is a shell former, follow the directions and you should be fine. Robot mode is nothing special since the shell on his back limits his movements and the tail weapon is kinda lame. It would have been better if it had a locking mechanism that could be triggered by pressing down on the center of the open tail; just like a Venus Fly Trap. I also would have liked it if they included some sort of Cyber-Tomahawk since they were going with an Indian look for him. If you’re really into the Beast figures then pick Striker up. He can only be found on E-Bay now so don’t pay more than $10 and shipping for him. On Elohim’s ranking scale I give Universe Dinobot Striker 6 out of 10 cubes.
Parting Shots
Well that’s it. I hope you guys enjoyed the new feature “The World Around Transformers.†Next week I’m going to feature the latest release in the Soul of Chogokin line Dancouga. Take care.
The King of the Fanboys,
Charles
