All things Voltron

[Dobber]

I like the extra joint in Yellow Lions neck. It makes it look much more natural and realistic.

Chris

[magicsp00n]

Does anybody know if the Playmates Classic lions are compatible with the Legendary Defender lions? Can we have modern black lion body with classic lion limbs?

[mikeszekely]

6 hours ago, magicsp00n said:

Does anybody know if the Playmates Classic lions are compatible with the Legendary Defender lions? Can we have modern black lion body with classic lion limbs?

Yep.  Arm connections are identical (and, I never realized before, keyed, so you can't make a green right arm).  I don't know if the classic Black Lion's feet will be identical to modern Black Lion's, but the classic Yellow Lion fit on the modern Black Lion.  It just feels a little tight to pop it off.

Now I'm kind of hoping they do a smaller diecast version of the classic Voltron like they did with new one.

EDIT: BBTS got the classic Black Lion in, so I guess I just need to find Blue.

Edited January 5, 2018 by mikeszekely

[Hikuro]

Damn I wanna get these but to broke

[mikeszekely]

Found my missing lion.  So here's some thoughts and comparisons with the Netflix Voltron.

Black lion.  Maybe not the best-proportioned, and certainly not as shiny as the Chogokin, but he's not too bad.  His jaws can open, revealing a little molded misile.  His tail moves up and down.  His head can tilt down and rotate.  His front shoulders can rotate 360 degrees on ratchets, his elbows bend 90 degrees forward or backward on soft ratchets, and his front paws have about 180 degrees of range in their up/down tilt.  His hips are ratcheted and can bend backwards quite a bit but are limited to a right angle to his body at their farthest forward position.  The upper knee joint can bend 90 degrees backward on ratchets, and the lower knee (technically a lion's ankle) can bend 90 degrees foward to 45 degrees bacwkard.  His claws are ratcheted and range of a little under 180 degrees.  His torso is pretty much a solid, chunky block with the same sort of electronics as the Netflix Voltron.  I only tried one clip before I hit the switch- given that he said something about making a laser sword instead of "Form Blazing Sword!" I'm guessing they didn't get actual clips from the old show.

Blue and Yellow.  Again, not shiny or anything, but fairly accurate.  Their jaws do open and do reveal some molded missiles, but much like their Netflix counterparts they're spring loaded so they snap back shut.  Due to their transformation, their necks have ratcheted joints in their chest that move the whole head up and down, so you can have them low like they're stalking or up like something's caught their attention.  There's a hinge where the neck connects to the head so they can look up and down, but the hinge has some play so they can look side to side or tilt their heads a bit.  No torso articulation, although Yellow's back cannon can swivel up, and their tails are hinged at the base.  Their shoulders and hips are ratcheted for rotation and could rotate 360 degrees if they didn't collide with their bodies.  Back legs bend backward at the knee and the elbows bend forward on the front legs a good deal on ratchets, as that's necessary for transformation.  The front legs can bend backward over 90 degrees, though, and the back legs can bend a little less than 90 degrees forward.  Their paws are also soft ratcheted.  The front paws go from a little less than 90 degrees foward to a little less than that backward.  The back paws do a little less than 90 degress backward but well over 90 degrees forward.

Red and green, both look fine.  Their tails are the same sort of rubbery type that the Netflix lions have, and like the Netflix lions contracts into the body for transformation.  Spring-loaded jaws open, but no molded details inside.  Probably because they make Voltron's hands.  They can bend the sides a good deal due to the Voltron elbow.  They also have swivels in their torso in front of the elbow joint.  Their heads can tilt on ratchets, but they can't look up or down or swivel their heads to the sides.  Their legs are basically the same as the Yellow and Blue's, in both range and ratchets.

While the Netflix lions had big, funky add-ons that shot all manner or projectiles, the weapons that come with the classic lions are a bit more subdued.  Each one has a blade weapon it can carry in its mouth.  Unlike the Netflix lions each lion has a slot in the roof of its mouth, and the blades tab into those.  Each lion has a unique missile-firing weapon that plugs into its left hip, and each lion has a unique something else that plugs into the right hip.  Except for the Black Lion, anyway; like his Netflix counterpart, he doesn't come with anything except electronics.  They do not have little pilots or sleds like the Netflix lions have.

Red and Green also come with Voltron's sword and shield, respectively.  Same as the Netflix ones.

The combined Voltron money shot.  Given the Netflix Voltron's weird proportions I was a little worried, but all told Classic Voltron is looking pretty good.  His proportions are actually pretty good, better than a lot of the Voltron toys from the '80s.  Honestly, I think my only complaints are the somehwat mushy face sculpt and the lack of paint on the smaller-than-I'd-like sword.  Compared to Netflix, his hips and midsection are little wider, his shoulders are a little higher, his hands don't go below his knees, and his limbs are a little less chunky.  The result looks like a robot who happens to come apart into lions, vs the Netflix lions that happen to come together to make a big robot.

Voltron can look up, but the faux neck goes up with the lion's jaw.  Unlike his Netflix counterpart, this Voltron does have a neck swivel.  His shoulders rotate on ratchets, but he's got the same problem as Netflix Voltron where the rotation is the Black Lion's shoulders, so a chunk of his upper torso is actually rotating.  He can extend his arms laterally a little over 45 degrees, again on ratchets.  Even though it seems like it would have been simple to give him one he doesn't have bicep swivels.  Instead, there's a ratcheted swivel just below his elbows.  He has racheted wrist swivels.  His elbows can bend nearly 90 degrees, and the lion legs don't get in the way like they do on Netflix Voltron.  No waist swivel.  His hips can go 90 degrees forward or 45 degrees backward on nice, tough ratchets.  His hips can also ratchet laterally a little under 45 degrees.  He's got ratcheted thigh swivels, and his ratcheted knees bend 90 degrees.  The inside of his legs (so on Blue's left and Yellow's right sides) there's a small ridge that creates a natural point for folding that side's lion leg to, but the outside doesn't have that ridge.  That's to encourage you to to use the limited tilt in the lion's head and the outside lion leg to give Voltron a sort of faux ankle tilt that keeps his heels flat.

The sword and shield have tabs that fit into slots in the lion's mouths, giving them a more secure connection that simply relying on the tension from the spring-loaded jaws.

Now, QC-wise, the plastic here is basically the same stuff used on the Netflix lions.  You've still got some hollow spots.  And while the paint isn't as attrocious as the Netflix Voltron, there's definitely some instances of overspray, some blemishes, and some places wehre they could have used another coat.

At the end of the day, I'm pretty happy with this Voltron.  Again, he's no Chogokin, but at around $110 (going by Target's prices) for a 16" Voltron with a pretty good sculpt and adequate articulation I'm pretty satisfied.  While I think the Netflix Voltron's invididual lions are a little bit better this is definitely the superior Voltron.

Oh, and as a bonus, you can swap limbs between the two Voltrons if you have them both.

So... now I kind of want them to do a Classic Metal Defender diecast version, like they did with the Netflix Voltron.

[JB0]

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

given that he said something about making a laser sword instead of "Form Blazing Sword!" I'm guessing they didn't get actual clips from the old show.

If I remember right, laser blade is the official name for the lion's mouth-dagger things.

The toy definitely has a "Form blazing sword!" or two in it. I know because I hopped on YouTube earlier to see what noises occur when you start combining it. Turns out it does the whole speech, from "activate interlocks" to "I'll form the head", which made me smile.

[Pitchlock8251fe]

Soo this arrived in the mail today........... And its already broke.  Both ankle joints sheared in half.  Yellow lion ankle extension was painted together so the amount of force to free it also snapped the joint.  The Blue lion did extend just the joint was so tight, flexing then ankle sheared it.  The red lion elbow joint is also seized I'm guessing the paint again.  Plus the Black lion came with free random bits of black plastic???   The QC on this this is awefull.

 

[SuperHobo]

1 hour ago, Pitchlock8251fe said:

Soo this arrived in the mail today........... And its already broke.  Both ankle joints sheared in half.  Yellow lion ankle extension was painted together so the amount of force to free it also snapped the joint.  The Blue lion did extend just the joint was so tight, flexing then ankle sheared it.  The red lion elbow joint is also seized I'm guessing the paint again.  Plus the Black lion came with free random bits of black plastic???   The QC on this this is awefull.

 

 

Good god.....this is the first I've seen of these breakages. They should have made those ankle joints metal. At least the elbow joints are partially metal. 

[David Hingtgen]

HOW to use metal in joints is just as "lost" as the actual usage.  Too many times it's "hey, this joint takes a lot of stress--let's make the main part of it metal---yeah!"---then that big strong metal piece, is attached to a very thin plastic section...

[JB0]

Geez. I hope the replacement does better.

[Pitchlock8251fe]

4 hours ago, JB0 said:

Geez. I hope the replacement does better.

Not worth it.  Return shipping is almost 1/2 of what i payed.  I'm 50/50 either fix it of just crap can it.  

[Mechapilot77]

wow they've gone downhill since the king of beasts version ... that thing was rock solid. thoes breakages look VERY identical btw.

[JB0]

6 hours ago, Pitchlock8251fe said:

Not worth it.  Return shipping is almost 1/2 of what i payed.  I'm 50/50 either fix it of just crap can it.  

That sucks all the balls. 

[treatment]

21 hours ago, Pitchlock8251fe said:

Soo this arrived in the mail today........... And its already broke.  Both ankle joints sheared in half.  Yellow lion ankle extension was painted together so the amount of force to free it also snapped the joint.  The Blue lion did extend just the joint was so tight, flexing then ankle sheared it.  The red lion elbow joint is also seized I'm guessing the paint again.  Plus the Black lion came with free random bits of black plastic???   The QC on this this is awefull.

 

 

OWWW!

That's really really bad defect.

They should at least send you some replacements for it free of charge.

 

[Pitchlock8251fe]

53 minutes ago, treatment said:

 

OWWW!

That's really really bad defect.

They should at least send you some replacements for it free of charge.

 

I can print replacement. no problem.  But  I would have to disassemble the front of the lions to install it.  There's only 1 visible screw to spit them in half, and i think the rest may be hidden under the legs,  which are glued together.   Soo id probably end up destroying them trying to fix them

Edited January 16, 2018 by Pitchlock8251fe

[Kuma Style]

[Drad]

16 minutes ago, Kuma Style said:

I can totally hear the theme music in the background. Nice shot!

[Mechapilot77]

1 hour ago, Kuma Style said:

i SOOOO should have bought an extra set or two...displayed with the lions like that is so nice!!!  i'm grateful i was able to get one at least though.  

[derex3592]

Same here---funny thing is I didn't even plan it out, saw the pics on MW here after it was released, happen to look on Amazon in the next day or so and they had one with free Prime shipping and I had points on my Amazon CC at the time so I got it for like $250.00... Can't believe how lucky I got!  It is my first Bandai SOC product. I absolutely love it. 

[treatment]

not sure if this was posted already:

 

https://youtu.be/rjnhZrjLwEo

 

dude didn't have the SOC, but he did compared it a bit with the original MadToys version.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

I'm gonna have to keep my eyes open for the Classic Voltron at Walmart or Target.. looks pretty neat.    I picked up the Remake Netflix Voltron for my nephew over the holidays and was pleasantly surprised at the price point and what he got..      Of course he is also 9 years old and Voltron probably already met his match... lol

 

[pengbuzz]

On 1/25/2018 at 8:37 AM, Kuma Style said:

Yeah... this would be a dream come true. But finances just don't allow for a set like this in my family, so...

 

I got this one:

 

The thing is though: when you're a pengbuzz (such as I happen to be), and you have paints, tools and parts from a ton of stuff over the years, things, er....

 

...tend to happen:

Used to be Trendmasters...now it's "PengbuzzMastered"

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

I was able to find the Playmates black lion @Target but nothing else..   Tried some of the voice options and it sounds pretty corny..    The size of the lion is huge.. way bigger then my Matchbox Voltron III black lion.  

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

Update for those hunting these things at Target..  I was able to locate the remaining 4 lions.     Target does not list these on their website, and target employees are pretty much useless.   However they are there if you look.      Just an FYI.

 

 

[SuperSenpai]

Hey guys, I have a question regarding the classic vehicle Voltron toy -- a.k.a. Dairugger.  How tall is it?  Will it fit in a Detolf space?  I'm asking about the large version that breaks apart into the smaller vehicles that was released by Matchbox as Voltron I -- not the mini version, and not the recently released version with more articulation.

 

[magicsp00n]

17 hours ago, SuperSenpai said:

Hey guys, I have a question regarding the classic vehicle Voltron toy -- a.k.a. Dairugger.  How tall is it?  Will it fit in a Detolf space?  I'm asking about the large version that breaks apart into the smaller vehicles that was released by Matchbox as Voltron I -- not the mini version, and not the recently released version with more articulation.

 

I *just* packed mine away or I'd snap a photo but yes, it does fit in the Detolf just fine.

[magicsp00n]

On 2/2/2018 at 10:04 AM, Stampeed Valkyrie said:

Update for those hunting these things at Target..  I was able to locate the remaining 4 lions.     Target does not list these on their website, and target employees are pretty much useless.   However they are there if you look.      Just an FYI.

 

 

I've still only seen the Black lion at either Target or Toys R Us near me (North Carolina)... hoping the rest show up soon.

[mikeszekely]

1 minute ago, magicsp00n said:

I've still only seen the Black lion at either Target or Toys R Us near me (North Carolina)... hoping the rest show up soon.

I think Target's internal DPCI number is the same for the '84 lion limbs as it is for the Netflix ones. There's a good chance your Targets have the other lions, but they're sitting in the stock room because the pegs are full of Netflix lions. If you can find a helpful employee who's willing to actually look in the back instead of just checking on their little inventory guns I'd recommend asking.

[Fusion]

Anyone who wants the smaller/mini diecast box for the Voltron should grab it from Target.com  $42 shipped right now. I'm pissed I paid $80 for it a few months back. 

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

45 minutes ago, Fusion said:

Anyone who wants the smaller/mini diecast box for the Voltron should grab it from Target.com  $42 shipped right now. I'm pissed I paid $80 for it a few months back. 

Nice,

I picked up the set at Wallyworld but it was seperate lions.    I just jumped on this..

[magicsp00n]

The limb lions showed up at my local Target. The cashier couldn't get over the fact that, no, I didn't need a gift receipt because I was buying them for myself. 

Overall I think it's a really nice set. Sturdier than the Legendary version, and can pull off some nice dynamic poses. My big complaint is the lack of bicep swivel; I don't know why they left it out, given the Legendary version has it. But otherwise I'm happy with it, especially the fact that its' a *toy* and I don't have to stress about the kids actually *playing* with it. 

[GobotFool]

I really wanna grab a GX-71 but for the current asking price that some people want on ebay ouch!!! I saw one selling for around 663, as opposed to a thousand +. My question for all those knowledgeable does anyone know if the GX-71 has been knocked off. I just wanna make sure if I pounce I'm getting a legit Bandai product and not some POS that will crumble in my hands when I take it out of the box.

 

Edited February 16, 2018 by GobotFool

[Tking22]

7 hours ago, GobotFool said:

I really wanna grab a GX-71 but for the current asking price that some people want on ebay ouch!!! I saw one selling for around 663, as opposed to a thousand +. My question for all those knowledgeable does anyone know if the GX-71 has been knocked off. I just wanna make sure if I pounce I'm getting a legit Bandai product and not some POS that will crumble in my hands when I take it out of the box.

 

I'm sure some know far better then me, but I can't think of a single modern Chogokin that has ever had a KO, and I haven't heard anything about there even being a KO of this in existence. You're fine.

[mcfly50]

The red lion has been KO’d. They haven’t released them all yet. 

[mcfly50]