First of all, I know in my previous post I said that I'll be doing the revoltech figures first but I went with this one becuase it's faster and the figure is really awesome that I wanna share it with you guys XD
Second, I'm not sure if the title is correct XD I can't read Japanese but I do know that the figure is under the Henkei line released by Takara some time ago.
Anyway...........
Second, I'm not sure if the title is correct XD I can't read Japanese but I do know that the figure is under the Henkei line released by Takara some time ago.
Anyway...........
Henkei is the counterpart of the Classics lien under Hasbro :D Most people like the Henkei version due to its TV accurate colors but Takara doesn't sell their figures cheap so others buy Hasbro because it's price friendly :D
*Note: Henkei is japanese for transform :D*
I saw this figure while I was paying for my gunpla kit (you'll know soon what it is soon :3) and decided to buy it as well since it's the best version of Rodimus in the Deluxe class.. In my opinion of course :D
I never really knew Rodimus until I stumbled upon him while searching for a revoltech starscream, from there, I researched him and he instantly became my favorite autobot and might be the only one I really like from their side XD
So let's begin!
Packaging:
I gotta say, Takara knows how to make their products attractive XD I really love their packagings, it has that vintage look to it :3
Here's the back side, read away if you can read Japanese XD I love how they show what figures have been released already :D
Here's the cardboard insert, the character card is sealed and taped on it, I didn't bother opening it so I can preserve it further :3 It has his tech specs at the back though :D If you badly want to see that, you can look it up in the net.
Unboxing:
You just can't help but love the chrome parts XD As usual, figures like this are protected by a wire to avoid it bumping around ;D
Of course it comes with the transformation instructions. I didn't really look at it since I saw a review of this figure in youtube before XD The transformation is pretty easy but requires delicate handling :D
I just noticed that they don't show how to put him back to car mode unlike with hasbro XD but I'm sure you'll figure it out :D
Also comes with a mini manga booklet, showcasing his adventures. is that Megatron in the corner?
Here's a sample of the page. Since it's a manga, it's in B&W and unfortunately it's in Japanese XD
The back part of the booklet, showcasing again their available figures. Thinking of getting Grimlock and Megatron :D
Let's now examine the figure closely!
Car mode:
Here he is in his Ford GT goodness :D I love the color choices, 2 tons of red, nice shade of orange and that chrome spoiler :D Also the flame decals are nicely done.
The pipes are nicely molded as well and you can barely notice the seam lines where the parts separate. The car is very sleek and you can barely tell if it really transforms.
The wheels move without any difficulty, just like any car would :D
Here a top view of the car. I really love this mold, it hides the robot parts really well.
The undercarriage is also nicely done, no obvious robot parts, everything is hidden perfectly.
Close up on the hood. Nice motor details and the flames are awesome, good thing they made it gold to go along with the chrome parts. The autobot symbol is also made nicely.
If you look closely, there's also chairs inside. I find it awesome and realistic. With all those details, they can still maintain it's sleekness :D
Let's Transform him now! HENKEI!
Bear with me on this one, I tried to show and explain everything as clear as possible XD
Transformation:
Got to the under side. Pull out the back wheels and open the panel to reveal the leg, push back the wheels then pull the leg outwards to lengthen it. Flip out the feet.
Since he can stand now, pull out the side panels on the upper half then flip out the hands.
Flip the hood down towards the abdomen to reveal the head, rotate the arms while doing it to avoid hitting other parts.
Rotate the back panel and flip the spoilers to make it look like he has wings.
Then give him his blaster ;D
I hope you guys understood what I just showed :)) If not, just click the picture of the instructions above for clarity XD
Robot mode:
He looks even more awesome in robot mode. He looks bulky though but it has its charms :D He really looks like a leader of the autobots. I love his design and how fiery he looks in every angle XD
Parts are solid, some joints are really stiff so be careful and don't force the parts if you're not sure what's gonna happen.
Here's a closer look at his blaster. Pretty simple, it has that spring action that fires the blue flame when you press the orange part. As usual, be careful and not fire that accidentally, so you won't have to spend time looking for the part XD
Articulation/Posing:
He has his signature buzzsaw. I haven't really watched the movie yet so I dunno when he used this but it's a nice feature and they were able to squeeze that in.
That's all the articulation you will get. It's pretty decent considering it's a transforming figure. The only hindrance you'll encounter will be the shoulders because they're too long and they hit the spoilers when you rotate them but you can tilt the spoilers a bit if you want :D
They usually have limited articulation due to the transformation complexity but some Transformers are an exception. With those decent bends, you're all set. As I said, if you're gonna pose him in vehicle mode, why bother with the articualtion XD
Comparisons:
Here a comparison with a fellow Transformer, Thundercracker :D I was surprised that Thundercracker was taller XD
I dunno if you can tell the difference with the plastic quality but I like Takara's materials more its not that shiny and looks less toyish.
You can view Thundercracker's review here: http://gunmod88.blogspot.com/2013/04/transformers-review-transformers.html
A size comparison with his younger self. Take note, my Hot Rod is a revoltech figure so it's not really a Transformers comparison but more on appearance :D
You can see the changes or upgrades after he got the Matrix of Leadership. He really looks more matured and adult like.
View Hot Rod's review here: http://gunmod88.blogspot.com/2013/02/revoltech-yamaguchi-review-hot-rodimus.html
Here he is compared to my various gunpla models whose reviews you can also check out!
I think he's in scale with the MG's because Transformers aren't really that tall unless it's a combiner.
MG 1/100 Freedom Gundam:
HGUC 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam:
SD RX-78-2 Gundam:
Now that's done, let's do the final verdict.
Verdict:
Detail: 10/10 - He looks like he should based on the movie. They got all the details correctly although I'm not sure about his hands being black. The molded pipes are nicely done and it all connects smoothly when he's in car mode.
In car mode, he's very sleek, they were able to hide the robot parts without making him bulky and vice versa.
The blasters effect part is also nicely textured to make it look like a real flame.
Painting: 10/10 - Paint job is nice, you won't see any discolorations of where the parts are cut off. The chrome parts are a nice touch making him more robotic looking and less plastic-ish. The details are nicely done especially the flame decals that really stand out in the hood of the car.
Overall the color choices for this figure are all perfect.
Articulation: 10/10 - I was expecting him to be less articulated because of his form but I was wrong, he pretty much has a lot of decent movement and with those movements you can do a variety of poses one way or another.
The joints are tight so be careful when maneuvering him around to avoid breaking and weeping :))
Besides, articulation is out of the box if you display him in car mode.
Transformation: 10/10 - I also though he have a simple transformation that would make him look like a walking car but no, his transformation is nicely done for both modes. In robot mode, he really looks like a robot because the car parts have a nice transition.
In car mode, the robot parts are nicely hidden and still make him look very sleek and thin.
Conclusion: 10/10 - This figure is a definite must have for any Transformers collector. To me, this is the best representation of Rodimus next to the Masterpiece line.
I really prefer the Takara version due to it's color scheme and quality over Hasbro's becuase Takara's figures look like robots and not toy-ish. You know what I mean?
Transformation is solid, has decent articulation and poses nicely in your shelf :D
This is asking too much but I wish they gave a tiny matrix of leadership for him to hold or display beside him XD
Red vs Blue?
There you have it guys, my Transformers collection is slowly growing.. Greaaaaaaat... I'll focus on G1 and G2 only though :3
Might do some re-arranging with the figures once I complete the set up for my room XD
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