Courtesy of toy-world.com.hk wehave scans from the Japanese hobby magazine Figure King for January 2013. There’s not a tremendous amount of new and exciting material within – there’s a look at the upcoming Transformers Prime Wildrider, Frenzy and Rumble figures as well as the Arms Micron five packs, Masterpiece Soundwave, Rumble and Ravage, Japanese Generations Combaticons and Animation style Encore Devastator. All items we have seen plenty of lately. What is interesting though for Bot Shots fans are some Japan-only BeCool releases including a green Jazz, a yellow “Rescue” Ratchet and an orange-brown Megatron. Don’t read too much into these though – BeCool is not being marketed as a Transformers series, so these might be mere recolors for the sake of looking cool.
MegaDolrailer
I don't understand, TakTom's doing a cartoon accurate Devastator complete with new head and face paint for the Constructa-men, yet they omit the black forearms? why is this? other than the head and the purple mixer, it's the main thing cartoon Devs has that his normal toy doesn't, I'm not annoyed or anything, wasn't gonna get him anyways, I'm just greatly puzzled by this, I mean they just reissued Devastator, wouldn't it be wise to make them as different as possible? I don't know…
I believe that's a mistransformation? cause look'a'dis.
Cannon's looking pretty shoulderful.
baggzey23
Ill probably only get takara blast off and vortex since the rest are more or less the same as the retail versions
Cyclonus79
Can I have some of what your smoking?
JukeOutlander
I wouldn't say impossible. Onslaught wouldn't be as hollow or skinny. Like I said, had they paid attention more to the combined mode, they'd have, most likely, engineered him(Bruticus) differently. Imo that whole limb switch gimmick is unnecessary. I doubt Hasbro cares whether it was impossible to collect, or if it's expensive, as long as they dished out products (e.g. Optimus Maximus).
Starscream Gaga
That'd have been impossible. Not to mention the fact that distribution would've made it outright difficult-impossible to collect the pieces, and made it far more expensive, in all likelihood Bruticus himself would've probably been quite unstable with a large torso and small legs. Not to mention the fact that Brawl is by far the biggest in the game, so screen accuracy wouldn't eb a factor for the decision.
JukeOutlander
I kinda wish they paid attention more to the combined mode instead of the individual bot modes. They could've also axed the "dual limb function." Instead they ended up with that ridiculously proportioned thing. Onslaught should've been a voyager. Oh well.
I still think that Shattered Glass(prototype) looking Fort Max is awesome.
Starscream Gaga
That's your opinion. Many (including myself) love FOC Bruticus. Hasbro/Takara will never be able to make everyone happy, which is the reality, but FOC Bruticus is what people have been begging for for ages; a true combiner with no need for extra pieces or multiple molds being used. It's not perfect by any means, but it is a great set of figures. Not really sure why you're plugging your hate for the figure here, though. Aren't there threads dedicated to that sort of discussion?
MP Soundwave looks gorgeous. I cannot wait.
Shmoptimus Prime
I want MP SW just for the cassettes! I've been dying to own some of his minions that actually transform into cassettes and aren't crappy figures forever.
RedAlert Rescue
Takara/Figure King must have borrowed the Walmart staff photographer to take the photos of Bruticus as they combined him in the most unflattering way with Blastoff as an over-long arm or in the other picture with Brawl as a twisted mess of an arm.
It really is kinda of sad that this is 2012 and they made a toy than is substantially less fun than both the Energon Bruticus and the Original one.
If you look at it as a total and look at the play value of each individual mode and the combinations it actually does not even compare well to the substandard Energon Superion toy super robotmode.
Vortex is OK flawed but not completely lacking any redeeming features
Blastoff sort of sucks
Swindle is so hollow it's embarrassing he has poor weapon storage and tiny arms. but he's arguably the only one that looks ok as an arm and a leg
Brawl is Mr. QC issues he's also tiny and does not stand up properly
Onslaught is just plain ugly
Add to that the weapons don't fit properly in any useful places that it lacks hardly any 5mm ports (in useful places) ha no 3mm clip bars and that they looks pretty cheap and nasty (even with a better paint job) I'm kind of embarrassed on Hasbro and Takara behalf that they released these things at all in such a substandard form.
The whole thing is nearly silly as the Gaia Unicron Armour. And to think that some people paid $200.00 for the SDCC one makes me have a sad panda face.
Kaijumaster
Combaticons look to have lost a bit of their shine.
PoweredConvoy
You have to send in robot points or something to get it.
Randy
Grimlockimus
Woah, that Bruticus
Anyone want to buy the SDCC one from me for the same price as this guy? I'd rather have the Japanese one with it's much more accurate colors.
Renidragon
I know not everyone's a fan of the FOC Bruticus toys, but those pictures are a whole lot more flattering than Hasbro's. Still the same figure, but much less Kool-Aid-man.
I am also curious about the brown Fort Max. [Edit: Ah, prototype/test. Cool. I have one on preorder, wouldn't have gone for the alternate colors anyway, but was curious.]
Shockwave9227
I can't wait to order MP Soundwave! And I might try to get the Combaticons in the summer.
Sovietbot
I do not understand. That Takara will be releasing it in G2 version? If yes, then it as that strange. And here is had they done FOC Battle Gaia in E-Hobby version!)
Soundwave3k
Seeing as we've seen other pictures where it's flush against his shoulder, I'm pretty sure it can be pushed down.
Chaosbringer
oh crap, I've just seen the one thing i don't like about MP Soundwave..
the shoulder launcher weapon does not rest on his shoulder when deployed, it's mounted way high on the thingy that makes it rotate forward from his back!
Soundwinder
… well that's simply not true.
Taziir
Gah, not enough money for all these lovely toys
So… Takara Soundwave + tapes or save the cash towards the expected FP Menasor?
Choices choices…