For our next gallery update, we wish to draw your attention to the sterling work that 2005 photo staff member SydneyY has been doing on the latest all-new Transformers molds to come out of Japan, the Transformers Go! Samurai Swordbots. Named Kenzan[/URL][/B], Jinbu and Ganoh, these three Autobots were awakened when Budora and Gaidora of the Predacon Oni Team attempted to seize an artifact known as “Legendisc”. Armed with weapons befitting their samurai backstory, the trio also possess a special combination ability to allow the three to merge into three distinct combined forms, emphasizing and powering up each Autobot’s unique skills and abilities.
As toys, the trio hark back to the Transformers Galaxy Force / Transformers Cybertron line of big and chunky toys with futuristic alternate modes and simpler transformations, but cool and playable gimmicks to go with it. Of the three Kenzan is a bit of an all-rounder with a cool (and refreshingly big) car mode. He’s nicely proportioned and poseable in robot mode, and a nice detail is a topknot on the back of his head. Jinbu has a slender build to emphasize that he’s all about speed – though this makes him the weakest of the three, with overlong legs. Lastly Ganoh is a big, chunky robot with a nice heft to him, who fights with a drill-tipped spear. He turns into a nice, big fire rescue vehicle, and is the most solidly built of the three.
The main gimmick of the trio is their ability to combine. All three can form either the arms & head, torso or legs of a combiner. Each of the three comes with a “Kabuto” which attaches to the combined forms to complete the look. Of the three combiners, Gokenzan is the most balanced and solid of the three, thanks to Ganoh’s big legs providing some nice stability. Gojinbu and Goganoh both have a very cool look, but as Kenzan and Jinbu respectively form slimmer legs than Ganoh, standing the combined forms can sometimes prove challenging.
Overall these three toys are great and retro-styled, inoffensively reminding us of an earlier era of Transformers and the sister series to Transformers, Brave. The retro style may not appeal to all, but it is carried off very well, and there is a whole lot of fun to be had in combining these three into their reassuringly huge combined modes.
Check out our galleries by opening the links below!
Transformers Go! Kenzan Gallery
Transformers Go! Jinbu Gallery
Transformers Go! Ganoh Gallery
Argus
As you seem to not have actually seen them, they have traditional symbols. It is only the kabuto which have feudal japan style versions.
The reasons for that are hopefully obvious.
I love the molded autubot symbol on Ganoh especially btw.
Convotron
I'm definitely more enticed by the Shinobi team from photo and video representation alone. However, as you've experienced, having the toys in hand does make a big difference. I like how large the Samurai and Shinobi team combiners are and their solid "toy like" feel is something that appeals to me as well.
So I think that the positive points in my eyes outweighs the negatives, which are basically the pricing and my personal sensibilities for proportions. The first issue is mitigated somewhat by the size of the toys and the second issue can be addressed with fan moding.
I think I've just been convinced to buy these toys, haha, I just need to re-arrange my hobby budget to accommodate these purchases.
SydneyY
Great photos there!
The Shinobi team TFs seem to be better proportioned as you mentioned, though I must say I was much more pleased with Samurai team's combined forms than I expected. They are quite solid (except for Goganoh, which I had problem keeping the body/kenzan together) and standing them isn't hard at all.
Importing them is indeed costly – I was quite upset with the shipping charge (Japan – Australia) until I actually had the toys in hand. I didn't know they'd be that large!
Convotron
First of all, thank you very much for these galleries. Great work!
Seeing as most threads discussing these toys seem to have very opinionated contributions, I'd like to offer a glimpse into the perspective of a person who isn't a diehard Brave fan but also isn't someone who dislikes these toys…
I am on the fence for these Transformers Go! combiners.
I love the aesthetics of the character designs. Big fan of Yuusha/Brave.
However, the default proportions of the individual bot modes and combined modes leaves a lot to be desired. I feel that the significant disparity between the designs of the character art and the resulting toys could have been reduced. From what I've seen of Gekiso-maru's combiner mode, it's apparent that the combined forms of the Samurai team didn't have to be as off balance as they seem to me.
On the bright side, there are examples of very cool fan modes that owners of these toys have discovered.
Kenzan's MSRP is 5500 yen, Jinbu and Ganoh's MSRP are 3500 yen each. That's about $60 and $40 USD at current exchange rates. That's a big investment of money for toys, especially when it seems like the strongest point of the toys is that of their combined forms so you must buy all three to get their full functional value as toys.
If not for the discounts available through particular online retailers, I wouldn't even consider these toys. Even with the discounts, you're looking at over $100 for all three of the Samurai team members when you factor in shipping fees and possible customs fees.
I'm still weighing my options. Right now, I have pre-orders that I have set aside my spare funds for(ie. MP Prowl, DX Chogokin VF-29 ver. Isamu, etc.). I would like to be able to say outright either that I am going to buy into these TF Go! combiners or that I am going to pass on them. I can't remember the last time I was as conflicted as this over buying TF toys.
Underwear
For folks who have neither heard or don't know about Brave, here are some examples for reference:
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All pixs taken from TFW Brave thread & credit to Weirdwolf, Roanstalker, Scourge_151 & peterro233 respectively.
deliciouspeter
Great photos. I am in love with these. The size, the big chunky parts. A bit of G1, and a bit of Cybertron and just huge. Thanks for the photos.
RedAlert Rescue
RID-Prime toys seem small compared to some but actually I notice that they are pretty much the same size as Beast Wars Deluxes so 2012 is just 'party like it's 1996'.
The Samurai and Shinobi team do make me realise how much I miss the Ultra Scale though.
Weirdwolf
Excellent pics, great looking figures, I want these eventually.
RedAlert Rescue
All 6 & some of the Predacons are getting Black repaints at the end of the year.
CodeXCDM
Kinda wanna see a repaint of the trio in a more uniform scheme. I didn't care for Buildking in his original deco… but when I picked up his Walmart-exclusive all yellow setup? I couldn't consider cutting it up for kitbash fodder… looks sooo much better with a cohesive scheme, ya know?
RedAlert Rescue
On the Show the Combining Predacons can get larger (So far only when combined) so having larger version in Japan would make perfect sense so long as they can still combine. It looks like Hasbro has no plans to make all 5 and unless they drastically retool Hungrrr they may not even combine – which is a shame. but I hope they consider dooing two waves of the otherscale Cyberverse deluxes not as I especially love them – but all 5 Predacon would be nice to have and some of the Cyberverse toys would just make a lot of sense in that line such as Breakdown and Airachnid. and as they are a bit bigger than typical Deluxes I'd not mind a oversize Deluxe Soundwave either as the small Soundwave is a fun little toy.
I don't want all Deluxes to be like that but I'm prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt this once as I do at least understand the younger crowd may get some pleasure from them.
But I do give a shiver of horror when I look at the latest Star Wars toys with so minimal articulation and the appalling Iron Man 3 toys. Simplified can work though – the new Retro style Turtles Bandai Make are sort of cute for example – That line could be used in a way that would be of real interest to a vintage turtle collector such as by making the other 2 Mutant Frogs or characters from the old videogames in that style (for example). and as I say with Hasbro it is acceptable to do the Predacons in that larger size – it's Just Bumblebee and Sideswipe that raise an eyebrow a bit.
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Anyway Back to Ganoh – another thing you can do is rotate his legs at the top joint to hide his screw holes in robot and vehicle mode somewhat better then rotate them back the other way in certain combined modes as needed.
CZ Hazard
If five people find this thread, and are introduced to the wonderful world of Brave toys (sometimes helpful to search Yuusha Brave on ebay and the like, as brave is a bit too generic), then these are totally worth it.
I'm a thirty year long collector, and the Brave toys I've been buying the last two years are the first ones to give me that G1 nostalgia feeling since…well, Japanese era G1.
Roanstalker
Brave was a line of combining/transforming robot toys Takara made after Transformers Zone. A sister line to Transformers pretty much (some molds from Transformers even made it into the toy line like Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber).
GizmoTron
I think these look like great toys. But not great Transformers toys.
Probably has a lot to do with the color choices and the lack of traditional Autobot symbols. I think I'd like to see what Hasbro can do with these to improve that for a Western audience.
Alooulla
The thighs just put me off these.
I wouldn't say they were a step backwards, but then again, i wouldn't say Prime RiD was a step backwards from first edition either. I tend to prefer the RiD figures…its all a matter of taste.
I've no idea what this 'Brave' is, but i enjoy the Cybertron/Armada vibe these give off. Again, its just the legs for me.
artiepants
I really, really WANT to like these, and while they are certainly better than the Energon Top/Bottom Autobot combiners, i feel like they are suffering from the same "trying to make them work everywhere makes them work no where" kind of problems that plagued that line. Police Top/Fire Bottom is certainly the best combo, but even that still has somewhat awkward proportions…
The Police car is nice enough on his own, just not sure i need an Ultra-class sized car in my collection…