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Transformers Robots in Disguise

Check our archive for the original Robots In Disguise series from 2001. Includes updates on any related toys or products since it's original run.

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Happy 20th Anniversary Robots In Disguise!

This year, and today in particular, marks the 20-year anniversary of Transformers Robots in Disguise airing in the United States.  This was the official English language dub of the Japanese show Transformers Car Robots, which aired in Japan the year before.   This show and it’s accompanying toy line were a big shift in the Transformers brand and affected how things moved forward in the new millennium.  It was also a big influence on me and this website in it’s early years, so both the brand and TFW2005 may not be what it is today without it.

We hope you will read on after the break to check out our celebration of Robots in Disguise on it’s 20th!

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Thanks to 2005 Boards member Type-R for sharing images of Takara Tomy Official Apology And Refund Letter Regarding Encore God Fire Convoy.

Takara Tomy Encore God Fire Convoy recently asked customers for the collection of all the copies of this item. It was a very controversial and unusual situation. According to the official statement, it was due to a QC issue with the electronics, but several serious issues were reported too (warped or miss-assembled parts).

Takara Tomy accepted refunds for all customers who returned their purchased items. Via Twitter user TAABOU’S TOYBOX we have got image of the official apology And refund letter from Takara Tomy with a refund check for Encore God Fire Convoy and a Child’s Gift Certificate worth 1,500 yen ($13.75 approximately).

While it’s a nice detail from the manufacturer, we hope there will be better quality control for the next Encore releases and the rest of Takara Tomy lines. This sure was an unfortunate situation for many Car Robots / RID fans.

You can now click on the bar and sound off your impressions at the 2005 Boards!

under Robots in Disguise, Transformers Toy Gallery Updates

Fiah! Transformers Encore God Fire Convoy has officially landed, and this is a set I’ve been waiting for eagerly since they day it was announced.  For those that may not know, I am a huge Car Robots fan, it was the first series that started fresh after I returned to collecting.  Originally out in Japan during 2000 and the US in 2001 as Robots In Disguise, Car Robots was the return of Transformers to vehicle form after it’s Beast era run in the 90s.  New versions of Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus in their own self-contained story coupled up with new Autobots to battle a collection of Beasts and Decepticons (slightly different telling of story in Japan, but you get the point).  While the show may not have been the best, the toys were aces and still hold their own even by today’s standards.  The ones that exemplify that are these two – Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus.  They are large, complicated leader class toys that combined together.  Optimus even had a armored up mode and mini base by himself in addition to the Omega Prime combination.  18 years on and nothing has really been attempted or matched it in complexity at this scale.

So today we are taking a look at Takara-Tomy’s Encore release.  This is not an exact reissue, there are changes on both figures, mostly in color.  We’ll go over that and some QC issues after the break, courtesy of TFSource!

Recent Masterpiece Releases: Encore God Fire Convoy, MP40 TM Hot Rod, Sunstreaker, MP15E/16E, MP12+ Anime Sideswipe, Megatron, Dinobot, Masterpiece Pre-Orders.

You can check over 200 images of the full set in our gallery system below!  We will add this to RIDForever.info soon!

God Fire Convoy Giftset (Encore 2018)

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We had recently reported the official Takara Tomy’s Collection Of Encore God Fire Convoy due to some quality control issues. It was uncertain how this would be handled for international customers outside Japan. Today, our sponsor HLJ.com has given an Official Statement about this situation.

If you ordered the Encore God Fire Convoy set via HLJ, you should have received an e-mail today. It confirms that there won’t be any replacements from Takara Tomy. There is a detailed explanation on the steps you can follow if you were not satisfied with the product you received:

  • They will accept 100% refunds if you return the item. You will receive it via your original payment method, including a 100% refund on the return shipping method you choose. You must contact HLJ.com before you return your item by replying the e-mail or at [email protected]
  • If you choose to keep your item, you will receive a refund of 25% of the original cost. This is 6000 yen ($55.82 approximately). This amount will be sent to your original payment method or as HLJ store credit.
  • You have 14 days (until Friday, April 27th JST) to send your reply with the option you prefer.

You can find the full announcement on this link (you must log in with you HLJ account). Among all the problems this unexpected situation has caused to many fans expecting this set, it’s good to have solutions and alternatives on this matter. If you bought your Encore God Fire Convoy from HLJ, we suggest you to check your e-mail now.

You can check out a screencap of the e-mail after the jump. Don’t forger to let us know your thoughts at the 2005 Boards.
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We had listened to rumors about the recalling of the Encore God Fire Convoy reissue in China, due to several quality control issues on this expensive set. Finally, we have a Takara Tomy Official Apology and Collection Notice Regarding Encore God Fire Convoy.

The official statement was found at the Takara Tomy Website by our 2005 Boards member Gamerlingual. He was kind to summarize the text for us. According to this document, Takara Tomy send an apology to all their customers about a QC issue with the electronics. Basically a swap with the “Magna Laser” and “Magna Vulcan” speeches and sounds. There’s also a packaging mistake regarding this, too. This is the main official reason for the collection of the copies. While Takara Tomy will accept customers to return their purchased items, but they are NOT going to replace them and they will only issue refunds. As you should imagine, this is valid only in Japan at the moment.

There’s no mention about any other QC problems, but there have been several reports and pictures about them from several of our 2005 Board members, who have already received their copies. You can check them out in our respective thread. We are sure many fans were expecting this set (even for the expensive price, though), and we hope there’s a proper official solution or alternative for all collectors who already bought, or are waiting, for their copies around the world.

under Robots in Disguise

Thanks to to Hobbymizer Hong Kong Discuss Facebook group user ‎Ken Leung‎, we have our first in hand images of the Encore God Fire Convoy reissue.

The images let us see the content of the really big box. As we were expecting, this new release of Fire Convoy (RID Optimus Prime) and God Magnus (RID Ultra Magnus) replaces the chromed parts with new metallic paint for a new cartoon-accurate deco. The big Super God Sword, originally available only with  with the exclusive ToysRus Japan 2-Pack, comes disassembled on the back of Fire Convoy’s inner bubbles, together with instructions and a collectible card. 

This awesome set is starting shipping tomorrow 24th March, 2018. Stay tunned for our In-Depth gallery here at TFW2005.

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under Japanese Transformers, Robots in Disguise

Thanks to our sponsor Robotkingdom for sharing our first images of the Takara Tomy Encore God Fire Convoy Packaging via their Facebook account.

Takara brings us a great reissue of Car Robot God Fire Convoy, better known as Omega Prime from the original RID cartoon and toyline from 2001. This reissue brings us a new cartoon accurate deco, and replaces most of the chrome of the original release with metallic paint, new sound and voice clip (recorded by the original Japanese voice actors). More remarkable is the inclusion of the enormous Super God Sword which was originally available with the exclusive ToysRus Japan 2-Pack of the same figures, but in clear plastic.

The packaging is very similar to the original ToysRUs Japan exclusive box. The ToysRUs logos of the original box are now replaced with the Encore logos. The front of the now features a picture of the reissue mold showing the new colors, and indicates that it will come with 47 electronic sounds nonetheless. The back of the box retains the cool CGI art of God Fire Convoy (RID Omega Prime), Fire Convoy (RID Optimus Prime) and God Magnus (RID Ultra Magnus).

According to the information shared by Robotkingdom, the figure starts shipping on 24th March, 2018. Great new for loyal RID/Car Robot fans like your newsie here. A great opportunity to grab two of the best molds of this line. You can click on the bar to check out the mirrored images on this news post and then sound off at the 2005 Boards!

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More exciting news for the Encore God Fire Convoy. Now we have the New God Magnus (RID Ultra Magnus) Audio samples to share for you.

This was a nice surprise related to our previous news post of Figure Oh #237 scans. According to this tweet there was a secret URL to listen to some of the new voice clips that God Magnus’ voice actor Takashi Matsuyama recorded for this Encore release. Thanks to 2005 Boards member PoweredConvoy for the heads up.

It didn’t take much time to get the link thanks to 2005 Boards member Darkstone, and now we have the new 3 sound clips. You can listen to them on the next link or you can read them here:

*Clip 1: “God Magnus, Transform!”
*Clip 2: “Hito ni mono wo kiku toki wa, jibun kara nanoru mono da ze” – “When you have to ask for something, make sure you introduce yourself first” (Thanks to Gamerlingual for the translation)
*Clip 3: “Magnus Laser!” (laser sounds)

As we can see, Takara is taking a lot of hard work on this Encore God Fire Convoy. Are you thinking of buying this impressive reissue now, even for its high price? Let us know at the 2005 Boards.

under Japanese Transformers, Robots in Disguise

Via Takara Tomy Official Website we have the Transformers Encore God Fire Convoy New Sound Clips Samples.

The Encore Edition of God Fire Convoy (or Omega Prime) not only will bring new deco and the impressive Super God Sword. It was also reported that the original Japanese voice actors for Fire Convoy: Satoshi Hashimoto and God Magnus:  Takashi Matsuyama recorded new phrases for this release. You can listen to the new audio samples on this link the new phrases are in Japanese, and we can listen Fire Convoy this time.

  • Clip one: “Fire Convoy, Transform!”
  • Clip two:“Daijobu. atsui kokoro ni fukano wa nai!” / “It’s alright, there’s nothing impossible for the burning heart”
  • Clip three: “Arm Ladder! Set On! Fire Knuckle!”

It seems Takara is trying to impress the fans so they pick up this pack, but we hope to see more extra bonus in the future since this will be a very expensive item. You can now click on the bar to join to the discussion at the 2005 Boards.

under Japanese Transformers, Robots in Disguise

Via our friend site and sponsor TFSource we have our First Images of the impressive Takara Encore God Fire Convoy Reissue AKA RID Omega Prime.

This reissue was a nice surprise for RID/Car Robot collectors, and it gives you a new opportunity to grab two of the best toys of the line. While the new pics are not the best yet, it confirms the inclusion of the Super God Sword which was originally available with the exclusive ToysRus Japan 2-Pack of the same figures (but in clear plastic). We can also see some cartoon accurate details like Fire Convoy’s licence plate with “C-001” and what seems to be different colors for the sword. Some board users think some chrome parts have been removed but let’s wait for full clear pictures to confirm this.

UPDATE: Higher quality images and more extra pictures via Amazon.jp. It seems to confirm that the chrome chest on Fire Convoy and God Magnus front are not chromed but painted, and darker colors for God Magnus too.

You can check our first images after the jump and then shound off at the 2005 Boards. Stay tuned for more updates.

If you are interested on this set you can look for the pre-order in our

Sponsor Links: Big Bad Toy Store, TFSource, Robot Kingdom, Hobby Link Japan, The Chosen Prime, ToyDojo, Ages Three & Up, Entertainment Earth, Dorkside Toys
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