"We're going to need a bigger shelf..."Quote:
Originally Posted by prjkt
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"We're going to need a bigger shelf..."Quote:
Originally Posted by prjkt
Mine just arrived today. I've only gotten as far as playing with Sabre at the moment and I frikking love the carp out of him. Surprised with the amount of posing options for the little guy.
I don't really have nostalgia for him either, but I did like the cartoon and just have a love for robots joining with other robots, and then joining with other robots. I thin this is great!. Shiny big swords, bright colours.
Yup, I'm a happy chappy ATM:D
Here's my review of the new Transformers Masterpiece MP-24 Star Saber! I didn't expect it to run so long at 45 minutes, so I have rambled a little bit LOL!! But there were a lot of different things to go through with the figure.
I still don't love the figure like I do the other MPs, purely because of my lack of nostalgia towards the character. But overall, it's still a pretty decent addition to the MP ranks.
Transformers Masterpiece MP-24 Star Saber - YouTube
Hope you can check out my review, subscribe, like, and comment with your thoughts on this Autobot Commander :)
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Dam it! I can't get Saber to combine with his giant robot body.
EDIT: Ok, got it, didn't realize I had to just clip him in, not line up the clip.
Do the ratchets in his elbows not work for anyone else? Mine can't hold his shield up.
Opened mine last night and I have to say I'm underwhelmed. The lack of paint apps combined with the colour scheme really doesn't do the figure any favours. Ultra Magnus had minimal paint apps and yes, it was noticable but the figure still managed to achieve (if just) that premium MP look. Star Saber doesn't do that at all. To me it just looks like a really big toy. Yuki mentioned is a recent interview that the lack of paint apps on star Saber was being used to test the waters with MP collectors to see how they'd react and that if the reaction was favourable, then the reduced cost of not painting the figures could lead to an increased MP production schedule. Personally, I'd prefer they continue with paint apps in most cases. To me, Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus are good examples of where minimal paint apps don't have a huge effect on the end result. However in Star Saber's case the lack is glaring (to me, anyway. Which I believe is a result of the colour combinations/ratios and why it is so noticable).
There is nothing in the transformation that makes me go "wow!" or even "cool." It just transforms exactly as you'd expect it to. Saber's transformation is simple. Like G1 simple. Pull off plane nose, expand shoulders, pull down wrists and hands, extend legs and fold up tail fins, insert breastmaster. Star Saber isn't much better. I guess I expected something that would amaze me, but maybe I've been spoiled by some of my recent 3rd party purchases.
On my copy, Saber's knees don't ratchet properly. It doesn't affect his transformation or posability, but one knee only ratchets one way and the other has no ratcheting clicks at all. Also, the sword/gun doesn't fit securely in Star Saber's hands. It reminds me of the V1 MP Rodimus in that the fingers are what is holding the gun in place and if you bump it, it comes loose.
On to the good:
He's huge! taller than Ultra Magnus, this guy only just fits in my cabinets and absolutely towers over MP-10. Posability is good, not as good as MP-10 but better than Magnus. Although the sword poses are somewhat limited due to the wide sword guard and his wrist flares. Head and face sculpt look like he fell out of the cartoon.
Overall, I really like the character so I bought this, but now I understand some peoples reaction to MP Ultra Magnus in that if you aren't a fanboy of that character, I can see how certain things would be disappointing. He still makes an impressive addition to my collection and I hope we get Victory Leo soon.
Iwould recommend him, but not at the AU$300 TrU will have it for.
Mine are a tad loose too. The sword and gun are fine, but the shield is a bit too heavy for him - he can hold it up, but you need to get the angle just right and if you so much as brush against his arm he lowers it again.Quote:
Originally Posted by DELTAprime
EDIT - has anyone managed to find a storage solution for his blue sword hilt parts in V-Star mode? I'm hoping for something a bit more elegant than 'just leave them to rattle around inside his calves'.
I think I might display him in V-star mode cause I feel let down by the combined robot. Is there a storage place for his extended sword handle and shield handle?
Hmm, that is interesting. The lack of paint apps on this guy don't bother me so much and I think the reason why is that is because he has an unrealistic vehicle mode and I only really know his model from the cartoon and Robot Master version, not the original toy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trent
If there's something I know (Like Wheeljack as an example) that has a more detailed paintjob, I'd feel a bit gipped to be honest. The reason I like the MPs is because they make a good jump between show and toy.
I see a reduced paint applications thing as making them less toy and more show. I think Wheeljack would probably look a bit plain and boring with just his show colours.
As much as I like SS, I think I would like him less if I had to pay TRUs $300. I see him as good value for money as I actually paid less than half that. Which is a bit of a shock!!:eek::D:cool:
dont want to sound like 'one of those guys' but can someone please tell me the height of this toy from toy to bottom in robot mode, !cheers! :)
p.s measurement on first post but need exact measurements :)
I measure him as being 34.5 cm to the top of his shoulder lasers.
Here is where I read Trent's review and is where I have stated TT should not going to the direction of being cheap. And what I am more referring is the paint apps.
Where TT have saved cost on not using diecast and rubber wheels, paint should not be compromised. It is becoming a standard where mps do not match even alternators standard and binaltech is far miles above.
I Am still waiting for mine to arrive. I believe my review would be close to Trent's.
Loving mine. Everything is tight, I especially love how you can store the blades in the ship.
http://i.imgur.com/YjvR8zJl.jpg
Thus ends a 20 year wait! Now on to Victory Leo...
Got the Hasbro version today; so same toy, but translated/adapted booklet, and "Ages 15+" sticker in English stuck on the bottom of the front of the box, otherwise everything ought to be the same as the TakaraTOMY version. This toy is a phenomenal improvement over the original G1 figure, which, as many of you know, I just can't stand. IMHO G1 Star Sabre is a poor toy, even by 1989 standards (1988's Powermaster Optimus Prime & especially Super Ginrai were much better figures IMO). Sure, the colours are somewhat bland, but so is the original toy, and the cartoon model even moreso. So much like MP22 Ultra Magnus, it is quite show-accurately bland! :o I think that MP Star Sabre has done a reasonably good job in taking what was originally a really blocky G1 toy which was rendered as a slick Gundam-style robot (which is no accident, as the Star Sabre cartoon model was designed by Okawara Kunio) and then rendering that as a toy.
Some neat parts about this toy include:
* Sabre maintains the Motorovator/Brainmaster gimmick and manages to have head articulation! Okay sure, the gimmick is really a complete cheat, as the Energon Figure (Brain of Courage) doesn't actually transform into Sabre's face as they do on the G1 Motorvators/Brainmasters, but it's an understandably necessary cheat in order to allow the head to move. But yeah, the Energon Figure itself doesn't actually transform -- when you close the chest, it slides up the face which is already sitting behind the upper chest.
* I like how Star Sabre's helmet can attach and detach from the Victory Star's (V-Star's) claw arm, allowing it to free up head articulation but also allow the helmet to connect to the Victory Star in alt mode.
* The weapons can be held by both Sabre and Star Sabre despite Star Sabre's hands being much larger than Sabre's.
My main gripes with this toy are:
* The Great Sword (large); because just like the G1 toy, Star Sabre can only properly hold it with the blade oriented sideways, making it completely impractical to use as a weapon. I tried to get him to hold it properly, but I can only do it my having his fingers hold the hilt very, very loosely, so it's impossible to play with the toy with the sword in that orientation. Fortunately he can hold the Gladius Stellae ('Star Sabre' - small blade) in a proper position. Also that extra long hilt/handle for the Great Sword just doesn't work as well as the shorter default hilt. There are no tabs on it to clip into the hands, so Star Sabre just doesn't hold it as firmly. It's fine for display purposes and light fiddling/play, but it might get annoying during more rigorous play as the sword might be prone to falling out from the top of the fist.
* The back panel that folds up may inadvertently trigger the release switch for the smaller Sabre robot. I find that the main trick to get around this is to tab the panel from the top, and take care not to make the bottom part sit entirely flush.
Overall I'm quite happy with this figure. IMO an MISB MP Star Sabre presents superior value for money compared to purchasing an MISB G1 Star Sabre toy. :o
'Scuse my grainy phone pics. :p
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The G1 toy does this as well, but MP Star Sabre does it so much better! The G1 toy basically has a place for the blade to attach to, but it sticks out like a sore thumb and isn't really concealed well. I've seen someone rip the chrome right off their Star Sabre's blade while drawing it out. :eek: So I think this new design on the MP toy is a massive improvement over the original concept.Quote:
Originally Posted by Raptormesh
It better be as it is a mp. Still waiting on mine.
BTW, this toy does have some die-cast metal; namely the afterburners on the V-Star which form Star Sabre's heels. This provides anchorage/stability for the toy in combined robot form. :) Speaking of the robot, I really quite like the "double Brainmaster" gimmick on Star Sabre -- when I first looked at the Brain of Courage, the following words popped in my head: "This is me, the irreducable me." ;)
Also, has anyone tried to transform the V-Star into base mode? Not sure if the toy can actually do it -- it's not officially shown as a mode in the instructions, but I'm tempted to try to see if it can be done (or at least approximated) when I get home. :o
Dammit guys, I have little to no real connection to this character despite watching Victory (idk, I preferred the 'Cons in that particular series) but you're making it hard to not want Star Saber, he looks magnificent!
The possibility of Victory Leo is also exciting news.
Now where can I get SS and how much?!
A bit late as hlj and premium collectables have sold out
Plenty of places still have him. Chimungmung and Toywave for example.
Yes I was trying to get low prices from jp sites.Quote:
Originally Posted by gamblor916
I really wish they'd given his great sword handle a swivel joint.
If you can't get it online, remember that this toy will be coming out here at Toys R Us. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkHyren
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Alright, so I've tried to approximate the Battle Platform mode (戦闘基地モード). The tricky part was getting the legs apart, because MP Star Sabre can't actually do the full splits like G1 Star Sabre can, so this was as close as I could get it. :o
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I don't own a G1 Star Sabre, so here's a 'mock up' comparison pic with a picture of the G1 toy.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...pshatjuvqx.jpg
And the "actual size" pic on the box is pretty much the real size of the toy. :)
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I applaud your efforts Gok.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I will say this though. G1 Battle base looks like arse. I'm glad the MP wasn't sacrificed for that.:D
Actually, the G1 toy appears to have the blade oriented correctly; although the hilt is sideways (making it less practical as a cross-guard※), whereas the MP toy's sword is entirely sideways. So technically the weapon on the G1 toy is more realistic than the MP one. :oQuote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
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※ Although the use of the cross-guard is less essential for MP Star Sabre since he is equipped with a shield. IRL many swords were designed without proper guards for soldiers who used shields (as the shield is the primary weapon); these "quasi-guards" were actually intended to stop the wielder's and from slipping onto blade rather than protect the hand from an opponent's sword. This design came after shields were abandoned (which also led to the advent of the gauntlet).
e.g.
Gladius (Roman sword); note the smaller guard which acts as a stop from cutting himself
Rapier (Renaissance sword); note the more developed true guard designed to protect the user's hand from an incoming blade
Took mine out and had a play with him today. My impressions:
I've never owned the G1 toy and Ive only watched the Victory series once (never even got around to watching Zone) and that was many years ago and I only half remember it so I dont have a big emotional connection to the character. I mainly got him as he looked big and cool in all the media about him.
The 3 robot modes all look quite cool. Im wondering if the little brainmaster dude is now the smallest TF I own? I like how the Sabre mode without the face really does give the impression that its a bigger mech suit for the little guy. Then put all together into Star Sabre he is very big and impressive looking indeed! The sword and shield are great, though I think he could have benefited from a bigger gun.
The vehicle modes? Hmmmm. Well the Sabre jet mode is ok, I like how the brainmaster can become the pilot and fits in there really well, unlike many TF toys where someone is a pilot.
The V-Star battle platform I found to be a real letdown. It may be correct in the way it reference the old cartoon and the original toy but I found for something so big it was woefully simplistic and really holds no appeal. They should have really beefed it up with... I dunno... a lot more little details or stickers or more weapons or something.
The jet combined to the V-Star - it just doesn't do it for me. Again, I know its technically correct, a platform that becomes a giant jet booster thing for the regular jet to fly into outer space- but it just seems plain and weird looking.
I found the transformation sequence for all this to be too simplistic for a Masterpiece, especially such a huge one. Oh there is lots to do with all the different modes, but transformation wise its not impressive and doesn't offer a helluva lot of play value.
Overall Im not sure he is worth the money I spent on him, especially since he would be in my top 10 most expensive single transformer toy purchases. I'll play around with him some more when time allows, I may grow to like him better. Until then he can be an impressively proportioned big bot sitting up on my shelves.
The left elbow on mine was loose too. Take off the 2 screws on the grey part and wedge something in behind the red piece to push it closer to the teeth, making sure his elbow can still bend to a straight arm. I tried a foam wedge but it wasn't strong enough, ended up sacrificing a hard eraser with a sharp scalpel, but now he can hold the shield easily! Really shouldn't have to fix that, it's a weak design considering how big and heavy the shield is.Quote:
Originally Posted by DELTAprime
This transformer toy is awesome. It is the star saber inwanted when I was a kid. I didn't really follow the cartoons back then but for some strange reason, I ended up having it as a toy..the G1 version. Big time nostalgia value for me.
I managed to track it down for $215 AUD.
Overall the quality and refinement of the piece is a little below masterpiece standard. Very few painted parts and some visible hollow parts that I thought could be better designed. The combination process is also a bit finicky; for example, yhe chest piece goes in with a plasticky click instead of a nice spring loaded click because they use plastic tabs to hold everything in place.
But daaam, when everything goes in olace it is a really nice looking figure and all is forgiven!! Check out the pic.
The only thing I would have liked is a stand alone saber than is nicely proportioned and is easier to grip. Hopefully someone makes a third party version.
Very nice picture, I'm continually impressed by the apparent articulation on this toy.
The colours are bland, but show-accurately bland! It's the same thing with MP22 Ultra Magnus, they've gone for the cartoon colours. :o Mind you, the original G1 toy wasn't much better; a rather dull figure even by 1989 standards IMHO. :rolleyes: So cool that you did get one at the time though! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by willocrew
Yeah! G1 Starsaber was a big and heavy toy. I must have been like 5 or 6 at the time and the weight is something I'll alwats remember.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
The funny thing is that because the G1 toy was so heavy, I ended up spending more time playing with a small miniature Starsaber toy that I got from one kfnthose candy boxed toys you get back in the day. It was the exact replica of the G1 toy itself, but like Palm sized.
The really cool thing is that I was watching a YouTube video of the G1 toy and it is exactly as I remember it. So amazing some memories just stay with us and never fades.
I never saw G1 Star Sabre until 2000 when I was a uni student (post grad at that). :p I thought (and still think) that the toy is rubbish, but of course, I have no childhood nostalgic attachment to it. :o ;) You should post some comparison photos with your G1 and MP Star Sabres. Very few people have both toys, and even fewer would own a G1 Star Sabre from their childhood! Cos to me, that's the best thing about G1 toys -- the utterly irreplacable childhood memories that they contain. :D
It is the save cost on white makes the toy looks cheap imo.
Some detailing would make this toy look great.
Have you ever seen the G1 toy? It's bland as! Okay, the toy does have some decos which the MP doesn't, but then look at the cartoon model:
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MP Star Sabre is 'bland' looking for the same reason why MP22 Ultra Magnus is also lacking in additional detail -- because that's how they were drawn in the cartoon! The toys are trying to be show-accurate. If you want more details like the toy, then that's toy accuracy. I personally prefer toy-accuracy, but I understand that the MP line is geared towards show-accuracy, so that's what you get. The cartoon models were possibly simplified to make them easier (thus cheaper) to draw/animate. :o Either way, it's not really the fault of these MP toys which are attempting to emulate these show models, you can blame Sunbow and Toei for that. Adding the additional details would garner criticism from fans who dogmatically want their toys to be show-accurate, which is what the MP line is appealing towards.
Yeah I am not disagreeing here, just saying some bits and pieces could really make this a blast. I guess repolabels would do something?
I disagree. Look at the car bots, Optimus, Soundwave,. All feature way more detail than ever appeared in the cartoon. And Hasui himself has stated previously that the MP line is about creating the perfect blend of toon AND toy. I'm not too sure about Star Saber because I'm not familiar with the toy but MP Magnus was a dramatic departure from this philosophy. It almost completely, to its detriment, takes styling cues solely from the cartoon.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Fair point. But as mentioned, the G1 Star Sabre toy isn't much more detailed than the show model; it's always been a rather dull looking figure. :o
I wonder if having real life alt modes has anything to do with it. Because the other MPs are all based on real life vehicles or objects, and as such, their alt modes are quite highly detailed -- details which can carry through to the robot mode. Ultra Magnus' truck cab is actually quite detailed; on par w/ MP10. But of course, it's a Freightliner FL86. Ultra Magnus' trailer and Star Sabre's everything are fictitious designs, so perhaps in the absence of having any realistic reference sources, they just went directly for the cartoon models. <shrugs> :confused:
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You're quite possibly right. However if that is the case it's kind of disappointing. Despite my initial thoughts on Star Saber, he has grown on me and I now am a fan. But imo both him and Magnus would have benefited greatly from some moulded detail being added and Magnus definitely should have had more paint apps.
But my theory is that these things were left out because they are trying to get the cost of the non-licenced MPs down to increase their appeal.
This time last year you and I could've logged onto TakaraTOMY's online survey site and indicated our concerns there... but not now since they've geoblocked it last November! (boo) :( I can only hope that fans in Japan might voice similar concerns.Quote:
Originally Posted by Trent
I wished they would go all out on a masterpiece than save cost over paint apps.
I mean the fact that rubber wheels are taken off for cars and metal was reduced greatly.
I just want a proper well painted figure than relying on colour plastics
Finally transform this guy and I have to say I understand why some people won't like it.
It feels cheap, I like he gimmicks but I seriously wouldn't pay rrp for it.
However, I think it is still a considerably good effort.
I would buy Magnus over this figure if I have a choice.