Toy Review - LG-EX Big Powered

*Note: These toys are retools of existing moulds and as such this review will focus on differences made. Refer to review threads on the original moulds for more information about them.

DAI ATLAS
Series - Legends
Sub-line - LG-EX
Size/class - Leader
New/remould/redeco - significant retooling of Titans Return Sky Shadow/Overlord
Wave - N/A
Released here - No. TakaraTOMY Mall exclusive
Approximate Retail Price – ￥16200 (approx. $215)
Approximate Size - 23cm
Allegiance - Cybertron
Alt-mode - jet, tank, base
Main Features/Gimmicks - Titan Master
Main Colours – blue, white, orange
Main Accessories - Gun

Quick thoughts: a really impressive retool of the Overlord mould. Everything from waist up is entirely new and the shin panels on the legs are also different. The toy no longer separates into two halves and the toy has a neat articulated armature that connects the upper and lower halves of the body together. A lot of effort has been poured into retooling this toy as Dai Atlas which I'm really happy with. If I had to nitpick this toy then the only 2 drawbacks would be:
* the legs are hollow due to the absence of Overlord's tank turret, but again, this is simply due to this toy no longer having 2 separate vehicle modes but rather he transforms into two separate vehicles.
* the base mode isn't as solid as Overlord's
I was kinda hoping that the Titan Master would be coloured to match Speeder (G1 Dai Atlas' Micromaster partner) but he's not... which is also kind of a good thing because, uh... Speeder is ugly. :p It would've been an added cost for a pretty lacklustre result.

PICS

jet mode
https://i.ibb.co/JF9pmPc/LGEXbigpowered-daiatlas01.jpg

tank mode
https://i.ibb.co/fQGK47c/LGEXbigpowered-daiatlas01a.jpg

robot mode
https://i.ibb.co/Gtjm2Hz/LGEXbigpowered-daiatlas02.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Bz1y4Ss/LGEXbigpowered-daiatlas03.jpg

this isn't official, but his wings can form a Z sword^shield -- time to cut Predaking in half! :D
https://i.ibb.co/f9GyVHm/LGEXbigpowered-daiatlas03a.jpg

Comparison with LG Overlord
https://i.ibb.co/5BXWnMp/LGEXbigpowered-daiatlas05.jpg

ROADFIRE
Series - Legends
Sub-line - LG-EX
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - repaint and retool of Twin Twist
Wave - N/A
Released here - No. TakaraTOMY Mall exclusive
Approximate Retail Price – ￥16200 (approx. $215)
Approximate Size - 15cm
Allegiance - Cybertron
Alt-mode - tank, base
Main Features/Gimmicks - Titan Master
Main Colours – blue, white, red
Main Accessories - cannon

Quick thoughts: the least significantly retooled figure of the set, and yet also the most visually accurate to the look of the G1 character. This mould just works so well as Roadfire. The turret cannon thing is kinda silly, but it's G1 accurate so I get it. The base mode isn't very solid, but understandable given that the TR Jumpstarters never had a base mode to begin with. These figures are hardly meant to be play sets for Micromasters anyway.

PICS

tank mode
https://i.ibb.co/pfqKMBB/LGEXbigpowered-roadfire01.jpg

robot mode
https://i.ibb.co/jr17c99/LGEXbigpowered-roadfire02.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/CWPJx1j/LGEXbigpowered-roadfire03.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/yhBZ3hQ/LGEXbigpowered-roadfire03a.jpg

Comparison with Twin Twist
https://i.ibb.co/RHpCnW1/LGEXbigpowered-roadfire05.jpg

SONIC BOMBER
Series - Legends
Sub-line - LG-EX
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - heavy retool of Misfire
Wave - N/A
Released here - No. TakaraTOMY Mall exclusive
Approximate Retail Price – ￥16200 (approx. $215)
Approximate Size - 14cm
Allegiance - Cybertron
Alt-mode - tank, base
Main Features/Gimmicks - Titan Master
Main Colours – black, white, red, yellow
Main Accessories - rifle

Quick thoughts: they have done a spectacular job in making this toy look unique - I initially didn't recognise it as a retool of Misfire. The arms, hands and upper legs have carried over, but everything else is new. The base mode is pretty ordinary as one might expect and I would've preferred larger wings. Otherwise a really nice figure.

PICS

jet mode
https://i.ibb.co/HhgSTS8/LGEXbigpowe...icbomber01.jpg

robot mode
https://i.ibb.co/pxsZcMh/LGEXbigpowe...icbomber02.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/9bFg0fS/LGEXbigpowe...icbomber03.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/7J15dsr/LGEXbigpowe...cbomber03a.jpg

Comparison with Misfire
https://i.ibb.co/BG4NnPq/LGEXbigpowe...icbomber05.jpg

The Headmasters (L-R: Roadfire, Dai Atlas, Sonic Bomber)
https://i.ibb.co/9bsPZ3x/LGEXbigpowe...tanmasters.jpg

Group shot of the Powered Masters.
https://i.ibb.co/JF8Mmty/LGEXbigpowered-zone01.jpg

Base modes
https://i.ibb.co/dQZfFM3/lgexbigpowered-zone02.jpg

Big Powered mode
https://i.ibb.co/2ks2t2j/LGEXbigpowered-zone03.jpg

OVERALL
Really happy with this set. I'm quite impressed with how much effort they've poured into retooling these moulds to make them more distinctive and look as G1 accurate as possible. Strongly recommended if you've ever wanted the Powered Masters but you weren't living in Japan in 1990 and you don't feel like paying scalperrific prices for the originals today. ;)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...h_jaam_yum.gif

Very nice! If I didn’t have so many other expensive TF purchases coming up this year (Omega, Jetfire, MP Arachnia & Hound) id definitely get this set. I love the look of Dai Atlas in particular.

Hopefully there will still be some of these sets floating around in 2020, or it will be re-released again down the line.

Very good review 👍🏻

I have zero attachment to these guys so wouldn't feel compelled to buy it, but it is a pretty cool looking set. Glad you're happy with it Gok. :)

This is one of the few times where I've acquired CHUG toys for which I don't own the original G1 versions of, so the next best thing I can do is look up piccies on Google and chuck them together for comparison. :o If anyone here owns the G1 versions of these babies, please feel free to post piccies. And PM me your residential address. :p

https://i.ibb.co/yFvqgtd/LGEXbigpowered-daiatlas06.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/HDYwd2r/LGEXbigpowe...icbomber06.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/jWTq6b3/LGEXbigpowered-roadfire06.jpg
As mentioned before, I think that Roadfire turned out the best in terms of G1 accuracy despite the fact that he's had the least amount of retooling!

If you follow the Legends manga that is included, you can also form the "Ultra Powered" formation by clipping Twin Twist and Top Spin onto the sides of the "Big Powered" formation.

They look great.

I had preordered this set myself but.... unfortunately my life is going through a pretty rough transitional phase right now, so I made the choice to request a cancellation/refund from TBI. I'm glad you enjoyed him though Gok!

These must have slipped under my radar, but they are AMAZING remolds that (to my amateur eyes) look nothing like the original toys they were adapted from (eg. Misfire, Twintwist).

So I am tempted just to buy them on that alone, to fill out my Headmaster ranks.

If I had the space and finances, I'd order them right now.... the photo comparisons look so good. They may well end up being an expensive mistake in years to come that I regret not buying at retail prices.

I don't normally watch video reviews (much prefer reading text reviews), but I found this video review of Big Powered to be interesting, mostly because it offers a Japanese fan's view on a toy. No English translation but the points I found interesting (to me) were:

* the reviewer doesn't harp on about the G1 origins of this toy. While we Western fans may see these as exotic characters, to a Japanese fan they're just regular G1 characters; no more or less exotic than say G1 Skystalker.

* he does verbally make some comparisons with the G1 toys (although doesn't show any side by side comparisons in the video :(); the main criticism he made was that LGEX Dai Atlas isn't nearly as thin in vehicle mode as G1 Dai Atlas, but of course this is due to the fact that it's retooled from Overlord/Black Shadow.

* on the whole he does feel that these toys do faithfully capture the look of the G1 figures quite well. I find this sentiment the most interesting as I've personally never even seen or handled any of their G1 counterparts in real life. It's good to hear what a person who has experience with the originals thinks about these figures, and also without the rose-tinted lenses of viewing them as exotic foreign exclusive characters/figures.

P.S.: Our Japanese ALT is sitting next to me and overheard the introduction of the video when I went to grab the link and had a laugh (re: grown men making and watching action figure reviews :D). :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

This is one of the few times where I've acquired CHUG toys for which I don't own the original G1 versions of, so the next best thing I can do is look up piccies on Google and chuck them together for comparison. :o

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Heh, found this pic of someone else's G1 Dai Atlas which I handled at a fan meet back in September, 2002. Might've belonged to heroic_decepticon. But anyway, here's another comparison pic between a G1 and CHUG Dai Atlas which I've photographed (17 years apart :p).
https://i.ibb.co/9ZtX2bX/daiatlas.jpg