Go-Bots!

[BWprowl]

This came out a couple days ago, with more info posted at TFW today, link. Probably the most surprising psuedo-TF-related news of, like, the week: Remade Go-Bots! Okay, they're *technically* Machine Robo ~Revenge of Cronos~ toys, but every single guy there became a Go-Bot, most of them pretty prominent ones like Spay-C, Turbo, Leader-1, Tank, and of course, Cy-Kill! They're being designed by a third-party team called Action Toys, and released for Bandai under one of their high-end labels (was originally reported as Gokin but that might not be the case anymore). Most places are reporting these as 'Masterpiece' style Go-Bots, but they don't look *quite* that level, though they do look VERY nice. I'm definitely in for Cy-Kill and Tank (two of my perennial favorites), but if the releases on these are spaced out far enough, at ~$50 a pop, I might just go in for all of them as they come out, they're looking really good (particularly 'Fitor' and 'Screw Head').

Definitely excited to see who else they make. I'm holding out hope for guys like Spoons, Flytrap, and Tux, of course, along with my all-time favorite Go-Bot: Good Knight! Sadly, the Super Go-Bots were actually a separate line that was imported, so odds of a new Bug Bite or Herr Fiend would be slim to none.

[138 Scourge]

Yup, stoked. Will be needed in some of these dudes. All of them look great, and I'll be needing at least Cy-Kill for sure.

And if they want to make Tux or Crasher or Pathfinder, I'll happily give a them even more of my money.

[JediTricks]

These look good and do seem to intentionally be using a style that's maybe 2/3rds of the way to MP, but $50 a pop they better be pretty big, because they aren't as sharp as TF MP.

The shit thing is that because Hasbro owns Go-Bots rights, there's absolutely no way we'll be seeing these imported officially into the US. Bandai ain't gonna license them to Hasbro, and likely won't risk bringing them in under the Machine Robo brand because the character likenesses are licensed already to another brand.

[BWprowl]

These look good and do seem to intentionally be using a style that's maybe 2/3rds of the way to MP, but $50 a pop they better be pretty big, because they aren't as sharp as TF MP.

They're 10-12cm, so about MP 'Bee height, from what I hear.

$50 is about the usual range for primo Japanese robot toys. You need about sixty bucks to buy a ~6-inch Super Robot Chogokin, and those don't even transform like these do.

The shit thing is that because Hasbro owns Go-Bots rights, there's absolutely no way we'll be seeing these imported officially into the US. Bandai ain't gonna license them to Hasbro.

I'm not sure how this is a 'shit thing' or even an issue in today's world; importing is a snap. These should be a cinch to get through the usual places. I'm actually interested in what their final prices'll look like at AmiAmi with their discount and after the Yen/Dollar conversion that's been so good to importing lately.

[Dominic]

Importing raises the price of the figures though.

Mind you, if we get a new Puzzler I will be very happy about that. (I the Puzzler from 30 years ago was so good, a new Puzzler will be truly beautiful.) Maybe I am not so interested in "Combiner Wars".....

[JediTricks]

These look good and do seem to intentionally be using a style that's maybe 2/3rds of the way to MP, but $50 a pop they better be pretty big, because they aren't as sharp as TF MP.

They're 10-12cm, so about MP 'Bee height, from what I hear.

$50 is about the usual range for primo Japanese robot toys. You need about sixty bucks to buy a ~6-inch Super Robot Chogokin, and those don't even transform like these do.

Ugh, that's fucking smaller than a Super Go-Bot from the first run. They can suck a butt at that price. That said, the size makes this more MP quality sculpting than I thought.

The shit thing is that because Hasbro owns Go-Bots rights, there's absolutely no way we'll be seeing these imported officially into the US. Bandai ain't gonna license them to Hasbro.

I'm not sure how this is a 'shit thing' or even an issue in today's world; importing is a snap. These should be a cinch to get through the usual places. I'm actually interested in what their final prices'll look like at AmiAmi with their discount and after the Yen/Dollar conversion that's been so good to importing lately.

An expensive snap with a heavy overhead cinch.

[BWprowl]

Importing raises the price of the figures though.

Not so much as you'd think. Bandai of America brought the Shinkenger SH Figuarts over to be sold at Toys R Us under the Power Rangers Samurai umbrella. Those toys originally retailed for around 4,000 Yen (less with retailer discounts). Sold on the shelves of US TRUs, they were...forty bucks. The same thing happened with the SHF ZyuRangers/Power Rangers, sold through Diamond (and others) by Bluefin. You basically broke even whether you were buying the Japanese or US versions.

To use another example, Bandai is currently selling localized Danball Senki/LBX kits over here as part of their Sprukits imprint, and the kits are all selling at roughly *twice* the shelf-price they went for over in Japan.

Mind you, if we get a new Puzzler I will be very happy about that. (I the Puzzler from 30 years ago was so good, a new Puzzler will be truly beautiful.) Maybe I am not so interested in "Combiner Wars".....

I still don't fully get your hard-on for Puzzler. The only thing it has going for it is integrated hands and feet, the rest is a mis-matched mishmash with poorly-integrated connections and a truly unfortunate waist component in Jigsaw. Devastator may have had extra bits to hold him together, but he looked better and had marginally better articulation to boot.

I'm not sure how this is a 'shit thing' or even an issue in today's world; importing is a snap. These should be a cinch to get through the usual places. I'm actually interested in what their final prices'll look like at AmiAmi with their discount and after the Yen/Dollar conversion that's been so good to importing lately.

An expensive snap with a heavy overhead cinch.

See above. These things aren't pricey because they're coming from another country (in fact, at the current exchange rate, they're actually *cheaper* because of it), they're pricey because they're *nice toys*.

[Dominic]

The only thing it has going for it is integrated hands and feet...

That puts it ahead of 90% of TF merge teams.

Puzzler is one of the few toys I will buy for the sake of the toy, rather than IP.

[BWprowl]

The only thing it has going for it is integrated hands and feet...

That puts it ahead of 90% of TF merge teams.

If that's something you inherently demand from a gestalt, then sure. It still looks like total poop, though. Magnaboss, Tripredacus, Landfill, Rail Racer, Armada Perceptor, and FoC Bruticus all pull off the same trick (Landfill and Bruticus can even scramble!), and all look about a bajillionty times nicer than Puzzler, yet I've never seen you gush about them to the degree you do that thing.