Courtesy of Dengeki Hobby Web we have new stock images of Takara Tomy Earthrise releases for May 2020: Trip-Up & Daddy-O, Wheeljack and Ironworks.
The figures show no discernible differences compared to their Hasbro counterparts, but they use different code numbers for each one.
- ER EX-03 Micromasters Trip-Up & Daddy-O – Takara Tomy Mall Exclusive – 1500 Yen ($13.78)
- ER-03 Wheeljack – 2800 Yen ($25.72)
- ER-04 Ironworks – 2800 Yen ($25.72)
It’s good to notice that the new Micromasters will be sold as Takara Tomy Mall exclusives like Battle Master ER EX-01 Soundbarrier and ER EX-02 Grapple. We also have a very nice gallery for Ironworks showing his parts, weapons, modes and all the combination and playability potential with other bases, Micromasters and Battle Masters. To top it all, we have a pic with Wheeljack using Ironworks parts as an armor via Autobase Aichi.
Click on the bar to see all the mirrored images on this news post and then share your impressions about these molds on the 2005 Boards!
Blam320
Takara-offered toys have been identical to their Hasbro counterparts since Power of the Primes; it's part of a cost-cutting "brand unity" push, partly because of how bad "Transformers: Prime" tanked the brand, especially overseas. With the exception of a few exclusives, such as the Big Powered box set. All of their former exclusives are now being imported via Hasbro as "Generations: Selects" releases, notably the Seacons, Star Convoy, and Super/Ultra Megatron.
AnnoyedRobot
So the Takara Earthrise Wheeljack is exactly the same as the Hasbro version? (As in "We're not getting a pure-white Wheekjack.")
RKillian
There was a missed opportunity to create Autobot/Decepticon cities with voyager bases (real bases like these, not Soundwave-spread-eagle-with-cassette-door-open "bases").
Blackout32
Well the way i look at it YES PLEASE i want them all. So basically that equals Hasbro is staying on my payroll for another year or so. I'm gonna love Earthrise just as much as Siege. I really hope we get a Snapdragon SOMEWHERE in the waves. Please Hasbro i really don't want to be left hanging with just Apeface with modern transformers line now.
Rated X
Well I understand the things you say. Im not against getting these figures like Brunt as is. Im just saying get rid of the gimmick and thry would be better. You would probably argue that without the gimmick these guys would be boring. But then we would hard on the disagreement on whos actually buying these toys ? Whether or not Hasbro is in denial about who their target audience is for the Generations line. The way I see it, in Hasbros eyes, every figure sold is assumed to be owned by a happy, playful kid. Unfortunately that includes online retailers warehouse stock and scalpers basements that sit in storage bins for years. Thats the problem in my opinion. Theres no real way to gauge whos actually buying the figures and how old they are. Would less gimmicks hurt sales ? Thats a matter of opinion. Currently Brunt is the biggest shelfwarmer in Miami. That doesnt say much for a figure thats supposed to be such a cool accessory for the more popular figures. I would just call it like I see it. If its not selling, the gimmick must suck. Cog was another shelfwarmer in its early run. Not everyones gonna agree with me. Im inclined to believe the amount of adult generations collectors that care about gimmicks is fairly small. Im not saying they dont exist. By the way thanks for the compliment on my screen name. Its just an old nickname I go by.
Smasher
I want to say first that I don't mean anything I'm about to say as confrontational or that you're wrong.
Sometimes text comes across that way.
We're around the same age, we love Transformers, and you're Rated X and it's been my experience that Rated X things are kinda cool.
Now for the criticisms.
I would argue that Hasbro has not accepted that adult collectors are the primary target audience -because we're not.
But they have accepted that we're a portion of the target audience.
That's one of the reasons why we have so many homages in Siege and Earthrise.
That's one of the reasons that Siege figures have the unadvertised ports for the Tamashi display stands.
That's one of the reasons for the Studio Series, the actual marketing of Masterpieces, and the Unicron fundraiser.
I would also argue that you seem to be missing the point on some of these items you listed as things you enjoy.
Siege has given us a Reflector (Refraktor) that merges into a camera.
Hasbro managed to ship enough of them that most people who wanted three of them could get three.
Siege has given us Cybertronian Seekers that look like the MTME cartoon in both modes.
Siege has given us the best Jetfire ever -better than any third party offering.
Siege has given us a Soundwave that turns into the lamp post if you want.
You say you want what you thought was cool in the cartoon, but in this conversation at least, you're missing all the cool stuff I just listed and are lamenting the fact that Sixgun and Brunt are "compromised" by a gimmick.
These are characters that were essentially accessories for other figures.
They are given new life. New features. For Brunt -a robot mode for the first time.
If that is not taking the heritage of the brand and doing something new with it then what is?
YoungPrime
Looking at those pictures Hoist is a 8/10 as far as Dlx's go. I wish Wheeljack looked better. Considering how great most of the quality is with the SIEGE Dlx's he should've been better, especially since the QC played a huge deal in justifying the price increase last year.
I just bought another TR Legends class Bumble on eBay so I'm swapping my current TR Bee's head with TR Roadburn after painting Bee's head red and silver so that upcoming Dlx ER Cliffjumper can forget it (unless HasTak makes another version or Bugbite out of the mold).
Huffer and Gears(only because he could also be retooled as Crankcase) might be able to pass as small Deluxe's but that might be it for me. I'm pretty content with the other Legends I already have (Brawn, Bee, Cosmos, Wheelie, Pipes, Beachcomber, Powerglide, etc.).
Dinobot Snarl
I wanted to strike Hoist from my list….but How can I?
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Wheeljack is a must for me, and
that Cliffjumper is everything I want Bumblebee to be.
Optimus…. I'll know as soon as we see for sure final colors. At this point Hasbro should say something because even though several copies are in the wild with blue eyes and hands Takara has posted several recent high res shots with gray hands and blue elbows. Why would Takara still be taking new photos when the final copies are filtering out. I have a sneeky suspicion that the Blue handed copies might be an aberration.
I don't know, if it's Blue eyes though I'll probably cancel, the Siege Prime has the exact same head and Blue on Blue just disappears.
YoungPrime
Grapple, Hoist and Ironworks are the only definite buys I've listed from ER's Wave 1.
The other Deluxe, Voyager or Leader class from that wave would have to change my mind by looking better in person or popping up on sale somewhere.
If not then lets see if the Wave 2 rumors are true and how they look.
Ditko
I think you're kind of missing the fun in these. They are show accurate, but I love playing around with them, customizing so to speak and looking forward to building the universe and cities going forward. Maybe the play patterns Hasbro is making are actually also geared in part to the adults who played with them as a kid. Not a crazy thought since a lot of us dig playing with these and they are quite versatile.
Rated X
I would argue that "combining" and "masters" (of any variety) are not a gimmick because they are homaging something that actually happened in the G1 cartoon. Ill meet you half way and say they were a gimmick in the 80s when the designers envisioned them with playability in mind. Now they exist for the sake of pure homage value. Fans had to beg for Hasbro to do proper combiners and headmasters for years because Hasbro doubted the playability value and hadnt accepted yet that adult collectors were the primart target audience. Eventually they woke up. However they still throw some BS in to try to pass it off as a toy for todays kids who are clearly into more high tech stuff by the time they get to the age we were when we loved TF in the 80s. But getting back to the "gimmick" concept, ill admit scramble city is a gimmick. Its a silly concept I never utilized and always displayed my combiners in their cartoon configuration. The same goes for putting different heads on other robots bodies. Never did it, never will. Im just a G1 cartoon kinda guy. I never got into that imaginary play thing. As a kid, I thought the cartoon was so cool I wanted it to be the standard that defined how I enjoyed my collection. Any of that playability stuff would touch my OCD and have me saying "that wasnt on the cartoon, thats just silly". I remain that way to this day when it comes to the basics. Im open to new concepts introduced in comics, manga, or newer cartoons. But Im pretty hardcore when it comes to them being adult collectibles. I get that for many they really are just toys. But in my mind looking at them as toys or adding playability to them ruins the awesome fiction I have stored in my head. I like to think of them as the cartoon coming to life in front of my eyes in a display, not some silly toys for kids to mess with that need all kinds of goofy features. Some might think im crazy for thinking that way. Others might totally get what im talking about and can relate to it. Either way that wont stop me from saying too much forced playability gimmicks look silly. Or as Emgo says, "its a thing you can do, its your toy". (In a somwhat sarcastic voice like damn this feature looks silly)
Rated X
Hello !
If something looks silly I call it like I see it.
St Firebringer
Oh, I hadn\'t seen that steamshovel scoop on Ironworks before. The more I see of that weird little figure, the more I\'m inclined to get one!
Smasher
The gimmick stopped being the transformation when the Constructicons were introduced.
For Siege Sideswipe the gimmick is having the ports for the effects pieces, Battlemasters and Weaponizers.
And I don't think it compromises that figure, or any of the other Siege figures at all.
Rated X
Never had a G1 Cog or Fort Max. I always assumed it was a full tilt style figure and Sixgun was a one off type figure. So how about the transforming car that comes with scorponok ?
Rated X
And exactly what gimminck does Seige Sideswipe have ? I dont count a gun and or a non-firing rocket launcher as being a gimmick. Granted the car mode might look better with less holes in it or if they used the system where the hole "popped back up" that was used in DOTM figures. Youre 48 and im only 43 so you got me on the age. But with that I ask when did the "gimmick" stop being transformation ? As far as tge guns I still say one good shot from onevgood gun is all you need. Kill the head and the bodys dead.
Dinobot Snarl
FROM HLJ
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Ditko
I am 41 and LOVE weaponizing. Hound dressed up with Cog parts is cool as hell to me and I can't wait for Ironworks. I don't think he works as well on Wheeljack as the Weaponizers in Siege did, but still cool. His base mode is cooler. I dig the ramps. I also think Cog, Brunt and Ironworks are among the coolest looking Transformers standalone in the WFC saga. Just a thought, if YOU think it looks dumb then maybe don't display them that way. I don't get collectors who buy the stuff and bitch about saying it's dumb. Some of us dig it.
I hope they keep creating new characters anyway they can. To me this is the opposite of forced, instead of having a weapons cache the weapons are sentient and mobile armoring allies wherever and whenever. I dig it and appreciate the effort. It's different and gives me more in my opinion. I can see how it takes away from the character himself, but they are still cool and it's not like these are instrumental characters persay in the lore.
ca12nag3
Same for the purple dude. He originally was made up from leftover parts and the cannon that came with Trypticon. Giving more functionality to them in my opinion is a good idea. I got 2 of them sixshot and the purple dude. Didn't bother me they are parts forming at all.
butz
NYCC they were in a display together, but not displayed near each other. View attachment 28470664