Bandai Gobots/Machine Robo Series Toy Thread

[treatment]

chachi's review:

 

[M'Kyuun]

Nice update to their small version, which is itself a nice figure except for the head mold, which hinders head movement. The DX fixes that, and the inclusion of Cy-Kill faces is nice for the Western folks who knew these guys as Gobots. I hope they do Blackbird with improved aircraft proportions over their small version, and with a full set of retractable landing gear. 

[Kuma Style]

The Review for Action Toys' MRDX-01 Bike Robo is up! http://kumastyledesigns.com/dx-bike-robo-review/

The review is in-depth but overall I dig it. It's nice to see the Machine Robo line get the "Masterpiece" type of treatment for characters that aren't Baikanfu. http://kumastyledesigns.com/dx-bike-robo-review/

[mikeszekely]

Was that a review sample, @Kuma Style? By now I've seen a lot of reviews for this guy, but I think they've all been review samples. But it looks done, with the packaging and everything ready to go... I'm wondering how much longer until he drops at retail.

[Kuma Style]

It's been out for a bit now at Robot Toy Base. Mine was sent to me from the company for review, but it's a production run sample just like the ones that were sent to retailers. 

[JB0]

Are the handblaster effects a Machine Robo thing or is that another favor for Go-Bot fans?

[mikeszekely]

12 hours ago, Kuma Style said:

It's been out for a bit now at Robot Toy Base. Mine was sent to me from the company for review, but it's a production run sample just like the ones that were sent to retailers. 

Still not in stock at any US retailers, I'm afraid.

2 hours ago, JB0 said:

Are the handblaster effects a Machine Robo thing or is that another favor for Go-Bot fans?

I think Gobots. I only managed to get through one episode of Revenge of Cronos and I didn't see any familiar characters, but the ones who were in it had weapons.

[Kuma Style]

14 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Still not in stock at any US retailers, I'm afraid.

Was just answering your question in general which is yes, it is available at retailers although it's unfortunate that it's not available at the retailers of your choosing.

 

17 hours ago, JB0 said:

Are the handblaster effects a Machine Robo thing or is that another favor for Go-Bot fans?

I have 0 familiarity with Gobots but since I don't remember it at all from Machine Robo I'd go with Gobots if either. You've just given me an excuse to rewatch Revenge of Chronos, though. 

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Tough Trailer looks damned good. Hoping the build quality is up-to-snuff. 

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Asking across boards; for those of you who've invested into the smaller-scaled line, how are they quality wise? I opened Battle and Shuttle and both are a floppy mess. Trying to get a general consensus  before investing into more of them.

[M'Kyuun]

Well, MMV- I have Bike, Eagle, Battle, Blackbird, and Concrete, and none of them are floppy per se (by that I mean if you pick them up by a limb, the other limbs literally flop about, there's so little friction). Mine can all hold a pose over months of time without drooping, although I pose mine fairly conservatively. Blackbird is my favorite and gets the most handling, and his joints are holding up well. I will say, however, that Concrete is the least solid in bot mode due to how he transforms- some care is required, and occasional readjustment. He's my least favorite of the bunch, anyway (I got him b/c I thought his transformation was neat), so I don't handle him all that often. But, I haven't really had any issues getting him to hold a pose, so his joints are up to task.    ---just to test the theory, I just held each of mine by one arm and rotated it all around; every one of them maintained its pose no matter its orientation.

Anyway Kuma, I'm sorry to hear that your figures are floppy; it's especially disconcerting, as I just had Shuttle and Missile Tank shipped, and will likely have them at the end of the week. I've been looking forward to both, especially Shuttle, and hope he and Missile Tank aren't floppy, too.  If so, it'll be my first bad experience with them. 

As for the blast elements included with DX Bike Robo, I do believe that those are specific to Cy-Kill. Cool gesture to include those and the Cy-Kill faces.

[Kuma Style]

It's ok; TBH I'm more in it for the DX stuff than anything as it is. I'm just glad to hear that overall the line is fairly solid because it makes it worth checking more of them out. 

[M'Kyuun]

Ok, so by way of follow-up, I got Shuttle nd Missile-Tank yesterday. The latter is about as nigh perfect as you can get with a small transforming toy. His double missile rack, made by his arm transformation, can rotate a full 360 and raise an d lower for omnidirectional targeting. brilliant little bit of additional engineering that didn't have to be there, but I'm oh so glad they did. Like Battle, MT does not have any wheels on his faux treads, so imagination and a frictionless surface are required for optimal experience. Bot mode is nice and tight across all joints, and he has the standard articulation. The only difficulty I have with him is in separating the leg halves in bot mode- they're very solidly held in place and it takes a bit of effort to untab them (three tabs). The tail stabilizer just fell off one of the silver missiles while I was transforming him, so something else to be aware of. They're only held on by fiction- no tab, no glue. The missiles need to be removed for transformation to allow the hands to rotate into the forearms (they even attached a small hinged flap to cover the hollow arm in bot mode), and the missiles have attachment slots at center and about a cm aft of center, depending on mode. Overall, fantastic update, great toy overall- one of the best figures in the line, IMHO.

Shuttle Robo- So this is the figure I was really anticipating, although I knew from pics and reviews, that he had a lot of panel-forming going on, and he does. Due to that, he doesn't 'feel' as solid in shuttle mode, although he doesn't fall apart either. He holds together well, but there's just that element of flex and give to him due to all the panels that kinda feels flimsy. Speaking of panels, one of the hinged double panels on my copy's hip wouldn't clear to fold on itself the full 180 degrees; a little sanding remedied the issue, but I stressed the panel a little in my initial efforts to fold it- just a caveat. As for joints, everything below the waist on mine is tight- the heels, which form his two exhaust bells, are so tight they squeak when rotating them for transformation-a real PITA due to the confines. However, they're on ball joints and will likely loosen over time. The left knee on mine is looser than the right, and tends to give way under the weight of the die cast which form the OMS pods; the right knee on mine is perfectly tight. The waist is on a ball joint, and mine's got good friction and holds the upper body without flop. The shoulders are the floppy joints on mine, but only seemingly when butterflying his arms. The rotation up and down is tight, or tight enough at least to hold his gun up at any level without drooping. However, I've had both arms pop off their ball joints while trying to untab them and slide them over the flight deck section, so that may have contributed to weakening them-tight tolerance clearing that flight deck. My final impression is that's he's fiddly and, due to his wings and the folding panels on his hips and knees, quite kibble-y. The ball jointed waist may prove to be a weak point in the future-probably not the best choice. Mine's still tight, so we'll see. The shoulders are the weak points on my copy, but fortunately if they become too floppy, I can add a drop of superglue. I'm a little bummed that they didn't put landing gear on this guy- there's room, and it would have made for nice ground presentation. I forgot to mention that his rifle separates into three parts, all of which stow within his shuttle mode unobtrusively, although the barrel can be seen when looking at the business end of his shuttle mode. Speaking of which, for the OCD among us, you'll probably not dig the fact that Shuttle only has two main engines instead of three, and their orientation is very high up behind the OMS pods where the RCS engines should be. Just a little FYI. Despite the flaws, I still like him, but not as much as Missile Tank, who is a clear winner for engineering, and just an overall solid toy.  Looking forward to more of these figs.

 

[mikeszekely]

Alright, this has been a very long time coming, since I've technically owned this figure for over two months but I'd waited until something else came in to put me over the $150 mark so I wouldn't have to pay for shipping.  This is Action Toys' Machine Robo DX Bike Robo.

Now I'd skipped all the releases from Action Toys' other, non-DX Machine Robo line because while they looked like neat little updates on the original toys I kind of felt like they were too small for the asking price, and the engineering reminded me too much of older Fansproject/Maketoys efforts like their Stunticons, Technobots, and Protectobots.  To be fair, that's probably fine for figures that size, but that just goes back to my first reason.  Bottom line, I wanted something less like a Fansproject Stunticon and more like a TFM Stunticon, a toy that didn't just feel like a cool modern update of a very old toy, I wanted something that was to that old toy what MP-10 was to the G1 Optimus Prime toy.  And what Action Toys' has given us with this DX line is a Bike Robo that is between MP Ironhide and an MP car in height (for reference, their first Bike Robo was a little smaller than a Hasbro Deluxe).  So far, so good, yeah?  And aesthetically... well, I've never seen Revenge of Cronos.  I mean, I watched the first episode, but I thought it was pretty boring and didn't see anything that looked familiar so I quit.  But I did watch Challenge of the Gobots as a kid, and I honestly had more Gobots toys than Transformers growing up.  So, let's skip to the accessories for a minute.

In the box, Bike Robo comes with a blank white plate, two replacement fists, and two fire effect parts.  The silver on the fists is paint, not plastic.  And the effect parts are a bendy, rubbery translucent plastic.  He doesn't come with the chain base that Action Toys' other non-DX Machine Robo figures do, nor does he come with the axe weapon that came with the smaller Action Toys' Bike Robo.

Taped outside the box was a little bag, and in that bag are three alternate faces for Bike Robo.  Three unmistakably Hanna-Barbera Gobots Cy-Kill faces, one neutral, one snarling (complete with yellow teeth), and one smirking.  Not only are these faces not in the box, they're not shown in any of the pictures on the box or acknowledged in any way in the instructions.  Maybe the faces are only going out with Bike Robo shipments in some markets?  It's worth mentioning that Action Toys' has a license to produce new Machine Robo toys based on the Revenge of Cronos anime, and DX Bike Robo's default face is the face Bike Robo has in the anime.  To my knowledge, they don't have any licenses with Hanna-Barbera or Hasbro or whoever else for Gobots, so another guess would be that that the faces are included separately to avoid any overt notion that the DX Bike Robo box actually contains a Masterpiece Cy-Kill.  Anyway, we'll just swap with one of the Cy-Kill faces...

...holy cow, it's a Mastepiece Cy-Kill!

And really, it's a very accurate, very good-looking Cy-Kill.  In fact, for the rest of this review I'm calling him Cy-Kill and not Bike Robo.  I've got him here with Unique Toys' Salmoore for comparison, and while Salmoore has a nice "what if Cy-Kill was a Transformer?" aesthetic there's no questioning that Cy-Kill is the more cartoon-accurate toy.  The lighter blue used in Revenge of Cronos and the first Action Toys' Bike Robo is replaced with a darker, more Cy-Kill blue.  He's got the handlebars on his shoulders, which neither the smaller Action Robo Bike Robo toy nor the Revenge of Cronos anime had visible, but not on the silver part like the original or Super Gobots toys, on the red like the Gobots cartoon.  His arms are still molded with that coil shape, and his hands have Cy-Kill's rounded clamp-claws.  His chest is a proper red with yellow squares flanking a yellow rectangle.  His abs are still white with two vertical black lines.  His red pelvis has the proper trio of yellow rectangles, and the middle one is correctly higher than the others.  His hips are designed with the rounded shape of the original toy.  Yellow-painted trapezoids sit on his knees where the original toy had stickers.  Molded detail on the outside of his legs are painted a gunmetal color, which again seems to be more in-line with the Gobots cartoon than the original toys or Revenge of Cronos.  The biggest departures from the Gobots cartoon are that DX Bike Robo has real feet instead of little block toes at the end of his leg, and that the overall proportions are a little thicker or beefier, with a proportionately smaller head.  The feet don't really bother me, and the proportions are honestly an improvement as far as I'm concerned.

I have no comment on the default Bike Robo face, but all of the Cy-Kill faces are excellent.  I mean, I put the neutral one on him because I tend to prefer neutral faces in general, but I'm still staring at the other two and debating swapping in either of them.  For accessories that weren't even packed in the box Action Toys absolutely nailed Cy-Kill's expressions to a level I don't think I've ever seen on a Transformers toy, official or 3P.

Cy-Kill's head can swivel, but only about 45 degrees in either direction before the back of his head gets caught on his handlebars.  He can't really look up or down.  His shoulders can rotate and extend laterally 90 degrees.  His biceps and wrists both swivel, and he's got double-jointed elbows that give him 180 degrees of curl.  His fingers and thumbs on the default hands are pinned at the base, and his index finger is a separate piece while the rest of his fingers are one solid piece.  He's got 90 degrees of ab crunch and a swivel at the waist.  His hip skirts are hinged on the front so he can move his legs forward maybe 130-140 degrees, but some kibble on his butt limits him to 45 degrees backward, which is still fine.  Outward hip movement is ratcheted and good for 90 degrees.  His thighs swivel.  His knees are single-jointed and ratcheted, but still good for 130-140 degrees of bend.  His ankles have swivels, his feet can tilt up about 45 degrees but not down, and his ankles can pivot both inward and outward about 45 degrees (although you have to fold a flap on the inside of his shins up to get the full range).  The friction joints are tight enough (maybe too tight in some spots), and overall I feel like his articulation is pretty great where you need it and only limited in areas you wouldn't really use anyway.  I think the only thing I'd have changed is to use friction for the lateral movement on the hips and the ratchets for the forward/backward motion, but that's still small potatoes.

To use the fire effects parts you have to pop off one or both of Cy-Kill's fists, then plug the ends of the effects parts into his wrist stump.  Again, I'm not familiar enough with Machine Robo to know if Bike Robo had a weapon or not in it, but this overall look here is very Gobots-accurate.  I think that's what counts, although if I'm being honest I wish they'd have made the effects parts fit over the fists instead of necessitating their removal.

I really appreciate how when UT reimagined Cy-Kill they tried to give him a more realistic motorcycle mode, but once again Action Toys' Cy-Kill nails the cartoon look.  Seriously, I think my only complaint is that Cy-Kill can't look up while he's in bike mode the way he often did in the cartoon.  His wheels are rubber and they roll fine, and the vents on the back are hinged and can move up and down instead of being fixed to the back of his hips.  There's some play in his shoulders in bike mode, too, and he's sporting a gunmetal kickstand on one side.  The transformation is very similar to the original Cy-Kill toy, too, with a the big differences being the way his back opens and stretches to move the handlebars and head and to make room for the collapsing shoulders, and the way the insides of his lower legs fold up and around to make the engine block rather than have it as a separate piece.  The wheels, though, are still separate partsforming pieces, but the neat thing is that they don't just peg on, they also have magnets.

Speaking of magnets, his faces are actually held in place with them.  Pushing the orange dome on top of his head pops the face off so you can put in another one.  Or, in the case of bike mode you can pop out his face and pop in the blank white plate if you really want to disguise the fact that this is also a robot.  Likewise, you can pop off Cy-Kill's fists and swap in the other ones if you want a closed circle gripping the front wheel.  While they definitely look better for bike mode and I appreciate the options, I'll probably leave the unbroken fists and blank face in the box.

And before you ask, no, you can't use the effects parts in bike mode.  I was hoping that you'd be able to peg them into the exhausts pipes (which are metal, by the way), but the hole is too big.  Missed opportunity there, I'd say.

Since he's not a realistic motorcycle it's hard to say what figures may or may not fit to ride Cy-Kill.  I think maybe a Deluxe-sized Transformer, or something in the 4-5" range.

For no other reason than because I opened with Ironhide and Bluestreak, here's Cy-Kill in bike mode with Ironhide and Bluestreak.  Cy-Kill is a giant motorcycle... which I do believe is cartoon-accurate, so there you go.

I don't have any of the other, non-DX Action Toys Machine Robo toys, so I can't comment on them, but if you have any affinity for Gobots at all I highly recommend this DX Bike Robo toy.  In terms of materials, build quality, articulation, size, paint, and cartoon-accuracy it is every bit a Masterpiece Cy-Kill.  Word on the street is that Action Toys will be releasing a DX Eagle Robo in the near future as well, and they've have hinted that it too will have Hanna-Barbera-style Leader-1 faces.  I don't know if they have any plans for the DX line beyond that.  I have a long list of Gobots I'd like to see get the DX treatment, but it's doubtful that some of them will ever get made due to licensing issues.  Sadly, unless Action Toys is having better luck with Porsche than Takara, Crasher is one that will probably never get made, which means I probably won't ever get MP versions of even the main six Gobots unless a third party decides to make Gobots instead of an eighth take on an MP Springer.  Still, I've got a MP-quality, cartoon-accurate Cy-Kill on my desk right now, and that's something I wouldn't have believed would happen even a year ago.  

[JB0]

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

Again, I'm not familiar enough with Machine Robo to know if Bike Robo had a weapon or not in it, but this overall look here is very Gobots-accurate. 

My understanding is Machine Robo's Bike Robo used the axe that came with the smaller toy. The handblasters are pure Go-Bot.

Honestly, between the faces, the blaster parts, and the color changes, I get the impression that DX Cy-Kill exists specifically for Go-Bots fans.

 

 

As far as the non-DX toys goes, I got their Drill Robo/Screwhead back when I picked up Grassor/Slag. And I grin like I'm three again every time I mess with him.  The general impression he gives is "the toy your imagination said you owned as a kid".

 

I feel like he's basically an MP Go-Bot, size notwithstanding. The engineering is too clever for its own good at points(much like certain entries in the MP TF line, starting way back at MP-1 Prime), but he is a very good drilltank and robot. The transformation, while more complex due to the panels that fill out the leg backs and tank sides, is still "legs down, toes forward, arms to the side". There's even a cute touch(opinions may vary) where the injection gate on his robot back/drilltank top is placed where a screwhole was on the original toy.

The biggest flaw, and one I feel is directly related to the scale, is that there's a trio of fairly visible holes on the tops of his feet. One centered on his ankle balljoint, the other two at the endpoints for a panel that fills out drilltank mode. I suspect they are strain relief for the associated joints, and a larger toy could more readily avoid the holes. (There's similar gaps at other joints, but it only really sticks out for me on the feet)

...

Okay, that's actually the second-biggest flaw. The BIGGEST flaw is that his drillhead is gray plastic and not chrome. All the gray plastic on the new version was chrome on the original, but only the drillhead change BOTHERS me. 

 

It is still very expensive for the size, and that is really the only fault I can find.

[Scyla]

I would totally buy a DX Eagle Robo!

[mikeszekely]

19 hours ago, JB0 said:

The BIGGEST flaw is that his drillhead is gray plastic and not chrome. All the gray plastic on the new version was chrome on the original, but only the drillhead change BOTHERS me.

How do you feel about silver paint?  It looks like all the silver parts on the smaller Action Toys Bike Robo are silver/gray plastic, but all his silver parts are painted on the DX version.  I'd guess that if they do a DX Drill Robo his drill head would be painted silver.

19 hours ago, JB0 said:

It is still very expensive for the size, and that is really the only fault I can find.

I think you're actually touching on the real reason for the DX line... I don't know how true or not this is, but Action Toys has supposedly been listening to the fans, and value (as related by price against size) is supposedly one of the biggest complaints across the line.  But if Action Toys really is doing the DX line for Gobots fans, ie me, I'm certainly not complaining!

17 hours ago, Scyla said:

I would totally buy a DX Eagle Robo!

Based on my affection for Gobots and the quality of DX Bike Robo I'll happily put money down the minute preorders open.  If they really do include Hanna-Barbera Leader-1 faces that's just icing on the cake.

You know what else I'd buy if Action Toys put it in their DX line (besides almost every Gobot)?  A DX Bike Robo with in these colors:

19 hours ago, JB0 said:

As far as the non-DX toys goes, I got their Drill Robo/Screwhead back when I picked up Grassor/Slag. And I grin like I'm three again every time I mess with him.  The general impression he gives is "the toy your imagination said you owned as a kid".

 

I feel like he's basically an MP Go-Bot, size notwithstanding.

See, now I'm curious.  I'm going to go ahead and order the smaller Bike Robo, maybe Eagle Robo.  But I think that'll definitely be it for the smaller ones.

Actually, you know what's interesting?  I love Transformers, I've bought a ton in the Classics/Universe/Generations lines, a ton in the Prime line, a couple of Animated and Movie figures, some official MPs, and plenty of 3P.  But I don't really have a strong desire to go back and get the old G1 toys.  I have a reissue Prime, reissue Insecticons, reissue Soundwave, plus an original Seaspray and Hun-Grrr.  I'm not really attached to any of them, partly because the Insecticons, Seaspray, and Hun-grrr are the only ones I had as a kid, partly because they were fairly poorly articulated by modern standards and didn't often resemble their on-screen counterparts.

Gobots, though... while I don't have any left from when I was a kid (and weren't really any better in the articulation department), I had a ton of them and I have more nostalgic feels about them.  I managed to find a complete Cy-Kill loose on ebay that isn't too obscenely priced (about $40), so I'm buying him.

...ah, what the heck.  Might as well drop the extra $14 for a Super Gobots Cy-Kill that still has his rubber tires.  But that's all!

...until next month, when I get paid again.  Then I suspect I'll be back on Ebay, looking for more Gobots.

[JB0]

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

How do you feel about silver paint? 

For the drill? Bleh. My feelings on it vary from part to part.

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

See, now I'm curious.  I'm going to go ahead and order the smaller Bike Robo, maybe Eagle Robo.  But I think that'll definitely be it for the smaller ones.

I've looked at Eagle Robo, but I can't sell myself on it. It just doesn't look like Leader-1 to me.

It looks like the anime used a design very close to the original toy, so anime accuracy would've gotten a decent Go-Bot. I'm not sure what happened here, but I feel like in "fixing" some of the original toy's deficiencies, they lost the character. He's great from the tips of his new toes to his belt, and then he falls off the truck. I can't see that octagonal torso as Leader-1 any more than an Optimus with no radiator abs.

 

 

[mikeszekely]

58 minutes ago, JB0 said:

For the drill? Bleh. My feelings on it vary from part to part.

I've looked at Eagle Robo, but I can't sell myself on it. It just doesn't look like Leader-1 to me.

It looks like the anime used a design very close to the original toy, so anime accuracy would've gotten a decent Go-Bot. I'm not sure what happened here, but I feel like in "fixing" some of the original toy's deficiencies, they lost the character. He's great from the tips of his new toes to his belt, and then he falls off the truck. I can't see that octagonal torso as Leader-1 any more than an Optimus with no radiator abs.

 

 

I don't think it's quite as far off as you do, but I agree that it's not an animation accurate (it's actually the shoulders that throw things off for me more than the chest).  If DX Bike Robo is a Masterpiece Cy-Kill, Eagle Robo is more like a modernized Classics/Generations Leader-1.  And, to be totally fair, the smaller Bike Robo wasn't as cartoon accurate as the DX version, with different markings on his pelvis, a lack of black on his abs, and no handle bar shoulders in robot mode.  So I'm definitely hoping that DX Eagle Robo is more Gobots accurate.

[JB0]

The shoulders are a notable change, but the octagonal chest vents drive me crazy. The angle across the bottom of the torso's alright, the black abdomen I can handle, but the top should be a straight line.

And the plates to the side of the head ought to be there, but if the torso was squared across the top, I could ignore that too.

(Incidentally, the shoulder expansion looks to be a skippable step, and if I had this toy, I probably would. Similarly, it looks like there's two pieces making an almost-flat V around his neck that could be folded up higher to get closer to the plate-ears look. )

 

54 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

And, to be totally fair, the smaller Bike Robo wasn't as cartoon accurate as the DX version

Ah, but Bike Robo's changes were to make him more ANIME accurate. Image search tells me he matches the Revenge of Chronos design fairly closely. (And a lot of detail on Drill Robo's humanoid form is pulled from the anime model as well, but it strikes close enough to the toy to hit nostalgia buttons I didn't even realize I had)

At least the anime stayed close to the toys. The characters on the show still RESEMBLE their toys, which isn't a detail that OTHER converting robots cartoon always bothered with.

 

 

ALL THAT SAID, I will buy a Pathfinder remake in whichever scale it comes in, at whatever price they ask.

[M'Kyuun]

Perhaps I'm in the minority, as I much prefer the updated Eagle compared to the original MR toy. It was limited by the tech, and the thought process concerning transforming toys, in its time. If they do a DX, I'd rather they adhere to what they did with their update; however, I can understand folks wanting a minimal update, aesthetically, to the old toy. While not as iconic as the F-15s from Transformers, Leader-1 is still pretty recognizable. 

So I wonder what's become of their Loco-Robo and Supercar(Turbo)? The grey proto for the latter was shown in their initial showcase years ago. A couple larger transforming characters (I believe one of them is called Tough Truck) from Revenge of Cronos was shown a year or so ago, along with Loco, but none of them seem to have progressed beyond their proto appearances. I'm not interested i8n the larger two figures, but Loco and Supercar would be nice to have. I'm still holding onto a wispy hope that Harrier will eventually get made. Without so much as even a proto to hang my hopes, coupled with the slow pace of releases for these guys, it seems that hope is all I may ever have.

[mikeszekely]

10 hours ago, JB0 said:

but Bike Robo's changes were to make him more ANIME accurate. Image search tells me he matches the Revenge of Chronos design fairly closely.

The little one, yeah. No handlebar shoulders. Which means the DX version was changed to be more Gobots/toy accurate.

As for Eagle Robo, the anime version is basically Leader-1 with the toy head, so it's not unreasonable to think DX Eagle Robo might be more Leader-1-ish.

10 hours ago, JB0 said:

I will buy a Pathfinder remake in whichever scale it comes in, at whatever price they ask.

And Dive-Dive, please.

[JB0]

12 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Perhaps I'm in the minority, as I much prefer the updated Eagle compared to the original MR toy.

Objectively, it is a far better adult collectible. I just feel like they lost sight of the character. I also feel like just squaring off the tops of the chest vents would help a lot to retain the original character feel without throwing away the entire toy.

 

That said, it is the odd duck in the line, as the rest are all much more conservative redesigns. I still wonder why Eagle-1 got a complete makeover and none of the rest did.

12 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

So I wonder what's become of their Loco-Robo and Supercar(Turbo)? The grey proto for the latter was shown in their initial showcase years ago.

I suspect the answer is "DX Bike Robo". Which is to say that smaller, cheaper collectibles didn't sell well and they're trying to port the line to a larger size. Which is admittedly somewhat disappointing.

[mikeszekely]

18 minutes ago, JB0 said:

I suspect the answer is "DX Bike Robo". Which is to say that smaller, cheaper collectibles didn't sell well and they're trying to port the line to a larger size. Which is admittedly somewhat disappointing.

I'll have to go back and look for more info, but they've basically admitted as much.  It's not exactly that people don't like cheaper figures, it's a lack of perceived value, that people aren't really interested in paying $40-$50 for Deluxe-sized toys full of ball joints and hands like Fansproject's Stunticons.  I think that DX Bike Robo performed better for them.  It's bigger, it's got more paint, more accessories, and better joints, and those are all things people are willing to pay more for.  Until I decided to buy regular Bike Robo (long after buying the DX one) I just couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on the smaller ones.  Even now, with my nostalgia for Gobots rising, I definitely couldn't get myself to buy more than the main six Gobots in the smaller size.  But I'll buy a DX toy of every Gobot I had as a kid, plus any that I didn't but remember from the cartoon, especially if they keep including cartoon-accurate Gobot faces.

[M'Kyuun]

Makes sense, although I'd still rather have the smaller figs (less room required for display, and they're still fun little figs). I do think that $40-45 is a bit steep for such small figures, though, but given that they're niche and likely to be the only updated MR figures we'll get in the foreseeable future, I'm still willing to pick them up. I wish they could have expanded their license beyond Revenge of Cronos, as that would have opened up a lot more characters to be made, and increased the allure of the line.  I hope Loco and Supercar make production, since they have grey models of both already.

If they make a DX Eagle, I'm curious to see how it turns out. I think they did a great job on DX Bike, although I have no plans to pick him up (the small version is fine for me). However, I like transforming planes, so a DX version of Eagle may warrant a purchase. I won't shed any tears if they skip a small release and go straight for a DX Harrier, either. Any of the planes for that matter. A DX Blackbird with fully retractable gear and a better proportioned SR-71 mode would be most welcome. I'd also be down for an updated Trailer Robo (Road Ranger), although I'm not sure if he was in Revenge of Cronos.

 

[JB0]

3 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Makes sense, although I'd still rather have the smaller figs (less room required for display, and they're still fun little figs). I do think that $40-45 is a bit steep for such small figures...

Me too. I'd like to see a lower prince point, but understand there's a small market for them(apparently even smaller than the manufacturer expected), and low sales volume raises per-unit costs and dear god I sound like some sort of accountant in a suit now.

And while REAL COLLECTORS may balk at the presence of balljoints, some of the funnest robot dolls I've played with had a surplus of balljoints, and these guys have well-toleranced ones based on my sample of one. It isn't like they're heavy enough to NEED ratchets, anyways.

[mikeszekely]

3 hours ago, JB0 said:

And while REAL COLLECTORS may balk at the presence of balljoints, some of the funnest robot dolls I've played with had a surplus of balljoints, and these guys have well-toleranced ones based on my sample of one. It isn't like they're heavy enough to NEED ratchets, anyways.

While a well-done ball joint isn't always bad (I actually really like it when heads are attached with a ball joint in the base of the head and another ball joint where the neck attaches to the torso), and I'll agree that anything smaller than an Voyager/MP car doesn't need ratchets (and that ratchets for lateral hip movement are often a bad choice for lateral hip movement), I still prefer hinges, swivels, and universal joints. I especially dislike it when a single ball joint at the end of a bicep pulls double duty as the elbow bend and the bicep swivel.

[Scyla]

As everything in existence if used properly ball-joints are a valuable addition to a toy designers tool box. Properly designed and tolerated ball-joints yay. Loose swivels or large spaced ratchets nay!

Personally I prefer hard ratchet joints with many clicks but I can see that there are areas where those are not feasible to use. Love the ratcheted thigh swivels on MP-09 Rodimus (one of the few things to like on that toy).  

Edited May 1, 2018 by Scyla

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

While a well-done ball joint isn't always bad (I actually really like it when heads are attached with a ball joint in the base of the head and another ball joint where the neck attaches to the torso), and I'll agree that anything smaller than an Voyager/MP car doesn't need ratchets (and that ratchets for lateral hip movement are often a bad choice for lateral hip movement), I still prefer hinges, swivels, and universal joints. I especially dislike it when a single ball joint at the end of a bicep pulls double duty as the elbow bend and the bicep swivel.

Funny, I don't mind it when biceps use a ball joint for double duty as you've described, esp on a smaller figure, something legends size. However, as the figures approach or exceed a deluxe scale, then, yeah, I think other joints are generally more appropriate, esp if they're toleranced correctly. What I don't get is why ratcheted ball joints aren't employed- simply dimple the ball like a golf ball and add a small nub or two in the socket to impart a little more strength to the joint. There would still be erosion of the surfaces over time, but the dimpling would prolong the life of the joint beyond just friction alone. In theory, anyway. I've been impressed by numerous toys (any number of the Bayverse figures, and others besides) employing ball joints that have a sort of built-in détente for alignment for transformation, so the tech has certainly evolved to the stage where options are available to edify the efficacy of ball joints for longer life and functionality. I think frugality, indifference, or both come into play on the part of the manufacturers, which is a shame. They hold so much potential so far as range of motion that it'd be cool to see the tech, and thus their usefulness and endurance, expand.

I'm part and partial to ball joints, both because they were the first steps towards greatly improved articulation in transforming toys back in the 90's, they allow for a greater range of motion than most other joints, and they're simple to employ. As a LEGO builder, they're pretty handy, although LEGO's ball joints are pretty weak and could use the dimpling I mentioned. On larger toys, though, their tendency to wear out quickly under load makes them a poor choice, as we've seen with Arcadia's valks (those damnable ankles!) But in small areas, they're hard to beat for their versatility.

Now ratchets are phenomenal- just a glorious piece of compact technology with a plethora of applications. Imparting both strength and the requisite number of detentes for the given application is really the key, and why so many toys tend to fall short in the articulation department. But when they're done right, it's magical. You may not have guessed due to my subtle manner, but I'm a huge fan of ratchets.

[RavenHawk]

Just came across some Scooter Robo (and yellow Bike Robo) pics online which I think might be from Revenge of Chronos. Did anyone get far enough through it to know if that's the case?

If so, I'm seriously hoping for a DX Scooter toy.

[JB0]

You know, I keep meaning to look at more than screenshots of Revenge of Chronos, but it keeps not happening.

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, RavenHawk said:

Just came across some Scooter Robo (and yellow Bike Robo) pics online which I think might be from Revenge of Chronos. Did anyone get far enough through it to know if that's the case?

If so, I'm seriously hoping for a DX Scooter toy.

It definitely has an artistic style similar to Revenge of Cronos, anyway, from what I have seen.  But I couldn't get through more than one episode... rag on Gobots all you want, Revenge of Cronos is pretty awful.

And yes, DX Scooter Robo.  And DX Supercar Robo and Gyro Robo.  And I really want to say DX Porsche Robo, but I really don't see that happening for licensing reasons.

[JB0]

DX Bug Bite!

[RavenHawk]

16 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

It definitely has an artistic style similar to Revenge of Cronos, anyway, from what I have seen.  But I couldn't get through more than one episode... rag on Gobots all you want, Revenge of Cronos is pretty awful.

And yes, DX Scooter Robo.  And DX Supercar Robo and Gyro Robo.  And I really want to say DX Porsche Robo, but I really don't see that happening for licensing reasons.

I watched the cartoon when I was a kid (lived in France in 5th grade) as Revenge of the GoBots. I remember liking it a lot and being surprised none of my friends had heard of it when I got back to the USA. Now... it's tough to sit through more than an episode or two. I'll try again some time.

I did notice a white Night Ranger (Harley Robo; I actually have an original of this Machine Robo next to my old childhood blue Night Ranger) on the cover to volume 2 of the DVD, so presumably he'd be up for grabs with the Revenge of Cronos license (unless Harley Davidson's license to use the Electra-Glide likeness has expired, or was never acquired in the first place).

 

[mikeszekely]

7 hours ago, JB0 said:

DX Bug Bite! Psycho!

Fixed that for you.

Seriously, same basic transformation, but instead of getting Bumblebee you end up with a car so awesome that I still wish it were real.

[renegadeleader1]

56 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Fixed that for you.

Seriously, same basic transformation, but instead of getting Bumblebee you end up with a car so awesome that I still wish it were real.

As long as Lady Armaroid and Cobra are still the drivers!

[M'Kyuun]

2 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Fixed that for you.

Seriously, same basic transformation, but instead of getting Bumblebee you end up with a car so awesome that I still wish it were real.

Man, I'd forgotten about this guy- had to do a search. Totally agree on the car mode- still cool 30+ years later (it'd make a neat future Batmobile). I never was a big fan of the driver cabin-cum-head designs of the DX Machine Robo figures. I guess it works if you consider them piloted mecha, but as sentient robots, I just don't care for it.  

Wasn't sure about the articulation on him; it's actually pretty decent for an 80's figure, with a bit of fore and aft at the hips, 180 deg of knee, 360 at the shoulder but no elbow from what I saw in the vid. That car mode is great though. I'd love to see a reinterpretation that gives him a proper head.