Toy Review: Transformers Go! Samurai Team (Kenzan, Jinbu and Ganou)
Series - Transformers Go!
Sub-line - N/A
Size/class - approx. Voyager
Wave - 2
New/remould/redeco - New
Released here - not expected here (Japan June 2013)
Approximate Retail Price - ~US$40 for Jinbu and Ganou, ~US$50 for Kenzan (or ~US$115 for the set)
Approximate Size - unknown
Allegiance - Autobots
Alt-mode - police car (Kenzan), jet (Jinbu), fire truck (Ganou)
Main Features/Gimmicks - lights and sounds (Kenzan only), three unique combined modes, samurai theme, 3x Arms Micron
Main Colours - blue, white (Kenzan); yellow, black (Jinbu); red, grey (Ganou)
Main Accessories - 3x combiner kibble, twin swords, long sword, spear
KENZAN (G01):
Vehicle:
http://i39.tinypic.com/s6k67l.jpg
Kenzan transforms into a sporty police car. Don't let pictures deceive you, Kenzan is quite large, approximately Voyager size (which makes the prices a bit easier to stomach). Sadly, he's hampered by the electronic gimmick (the big blue thing on the back). His lightbar lights up and sounds play. Kenzan actually had some pretty complicated sound effects, playing different sounds for vehicle, robot, GoKenzan, GoJinbu and GoGanou modes (if I recall correctly). You can attach the combiner kibble on top as a gun but it looks stupid. While the hood looks great, the back portion of the car is too short. Nevertheless, the strongest vehicle of the three.
Transformation:
Fairly simple, but my favourite out of the three. two-thirds of the car splits and unfolds into his legs, while the back portion forms his chest and arms. I actually like the big pieces as it makes him easier to handle and less of a mess of panels (especially when stability is a priority due to the combiner gimmick). This guy has so many ratchets that it's crazy, and to support the weight in combined mode, some are crazy tight.
Robot:
http://i41.tinypic.com/6itxjp.jpg
First of all, Kenzan comes with an Arms Micron, Zan (a repaint of Leo Prime's). It's a theme of the set that the robots are 90% legs, meaning that there's usually too much bulk in the legs to look good and the proportions are off. Understandably, his legs has got many joints, some for combined mode, some for this mode. Kenzan also comes with two soft plastic swords or he can hold the combiner kibble as an oversized gun. All in all, a passable robot mode.
Overall:
I think Kenzan is the strongest singular robot out of the set (with Ganou a close second). His alt mode is the most realistic and the robot mode isn't terrible either. Just a shame that he has a massive backpack due to the electronics, 6.5/10.
JINBU (G02):
Vehicle:
http://i42.tinypic.com/2w24uh0.jpg
Next is Jinbu. What can you say...? It's one of the worst plane modes ever, Jinbu makes too many compromises to have a decent alt mode. The plane is basically a cockpit and wings, with his legs underneath and the feet on top. Disappointing to say the least. What's more, like Generations Blitzwing, he has a gap down the middle at the back of the plane, which is partially covered by his sword. Best to forget about this mode.
Transformation:
Once again, extremely simple. Feet folds down, cockpit folds down, unfold the arms and whola! Most uninteresting transformation of the three. Annoyingly, his cockpit doesn't peg into place (even though he has pegs for just about everything else).
Robot:
http://i39.tinypic.com/rkv9ky.jpg
Whereas Kenzan's long legs blend in with the rest of his body, it's painfully obvious that Jinbu here is just legs, further compounded by his skinny arms. As if to overcompensate, Jinbu has a long sword which looks great. It's made of the same soft plastic as Kenzan's weapons though. Jinbu's Arms Micron is Jin (which is a repaint of Smokescreen's), a really mold due to the fact that the weapon mode is just the robot mode face down and the backpack forming into a bow-like weapon. Note that the first batch of Jinbu's has their thighs mis-assembled, a fix is posted here. By far the weakest robot of the three.
Overall:
It's definitely not love at first sight. Jinbu is heavily compromised due to the combiner gimmick. However, he has grown on me and his weapon is just pure awesomeness, 5.5/10.
GANOU (G03):
Vehicle:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2w68bnt.jpg
And to the final member of the Samurai team, Ganou! He's a fire truck, the front looks great, but the back is another story (combiner fists are exposed and lack of fire truck molding). Ganou is blocky. A note is that all three toys feel really hefty and heavier than the current Prime Voyagers.
Transformation:
Another simple one, legs fold down, arms out out, flip up the head. Nothing more to see here...
Robot:
http://i43.tinypic.com/2cgzbd4.jpg
Ganou's Arms Micron is Gan (repaint of Swerve's), which transforms into a spinning saw, probably the best Arms Micron mold. Ganou is noticeably much more blocky. This makes him look more intimidating and powerful. Articulation is what you'd expect. His weapon is supposed to be a spear but due to the way it's held, it feels more like those weapons formed by a helicopter blade.
Overall:
Ganou feels the least compromised and looks reasonably good in both modes. I wouldn't recommend any of the three alone though, you either pick up the whole set, or don't pick it up at all, 6/10.
GO-GANOU:
http://i40.tinypic.com/14d0bv8.jpg
Let's start from the worst of the bunch and work our way up from there. The primary gimmick for this team is the ability to combine, however, it doesn't stop there. Each robot can form either the head, torso or legs. While theoretically this means that you can form six versions (three initial possibilities for the head times two subsequent possibilities for the torso times one remaining possibility for the legs), it's not like Energon where all the robots share a universal combiner port. There are dedicated pegs for each robot, and you only get three distinct combiner modes in the end.
Now, GoGanou has Ganou forming the head, Kenzan the body and Jinbu the legs. Easily the weakest version, GoGanou is unbelievably backheavy. He has a lot of junk at the back and this problem is compounded due to the fact that Jinbu's leg mode is bad. It's overly long and the footprint isn't large enough to sustain the weight, you'll either have to slightly bend the legs such that he has a mild case of 'chicken feet' or have have him collapse as the leg joints give way. GoGanou also has an issue where Kenzan's kibble forces GoGanou's arms to jut out, in the picture above, that's as close to the body as his arms can get. If you didn't know already, the combiner head are formed by separate pieces (yes, it's cheaty), the two leftover usually combine and tries to look like a weapon, GoGanou has the best kibble-weapon out of the three. The spear weapon is formed by the combination of the individual weapons from the team and looks awesome. Forget about posing this guy, you're lucky if he even stands without falling over, 5/10.
GO-JINBU:
http://i42.tinypic.com/35ajfbm.jpg
Next up, GoJinbu. Aesthetically better than GoGanou and he even stands up properly. However, he's still incredibly back heavy and the tight ratchets are just barely holding out against the weight in a neutral pose. Good luck trying to pose his lower body. GoJinbu has slightly better proportions but it's still off with a huge upper body and skinny legs. The combiner fists are also annoying in that the molded thumb cuts off a tiny bit of the peg hole so you gotta trim it down or you'll damage the handle of any weapon you shove in there. Not too bad, 6/10.
GO-KENZAN:
http://i44.tinypic.com/300fbjq.jpg
Woot! The star of the show, GoKenzan has the best combined mode, and it's understandable why this is the 'default' mode. It seems the designer focused the most in this mode. Sure, he still has a massive backpack but it's the most compact out of the three, and the weight is spread fairly evenly. GoKenzan is the only one that you can pose in combined mode. He is also the only one being able to hold the combined Arms Micron sword weapon straight out of the box without any modifications, albeit a bit loosely. The combined modes are huge, to give you an idea, GoKenzan has the same height as MP-01, and maybe even as heavy as 1.5 to 2 leader-classed toys, 8/10.
OVERALL:
If you think about it, each individual robot is essentially a five-changer (vehicle, robot, head, torso, leg - sure it's not five vehicle modes, but it's still impressive), and the engineering is impressive considering all the dedicated pegs for each mode (all modes hold together solidly). The fact that there are huge backpacks for all three combined modes and lanky proportions makes you consider whether the designer should have opted for a two-robot combiner instead (these guys are nowhere near as great as RID Rail Racer). While some may dismiss this set as looking ugly or poorly designed or whatever, the play value of these guys are MASSIVE. I literally spent two hours transforming these guys from each mode and back and it was loads of fun. Maybe wait for the three-pack instead as it'll be cheaper but a fun set of toys, 8/10.
GO! Samurai Team Super Review (Picture Heavy)
Hello all!
This is my first Transformers Review I've done in quite a few years, but it I hope it’s not the last for the short term.
Let’s get started with a bit of back story on this group purchase. Before I went to Japan back in April 2014, I created a wish list of ‘Transformers Japan Only’ to buy first hand while I was over there. Funny enough, this Samurai GO! Team was not on the list. I visited Kyoto, Hiroshima and Yamagata and not come across any toy stores (I found out later that I was searching for specialist toy stores and not normal toy stores, hence not finding anything). So then I finally got to Shinjuku and found the BiC Camera chain store, which was actually a super store over multiple buildings, had toys in the basement of the third building. I found nothing on my list! I did, however, see the Samurai team and thought why not? My purchase finger was itchy, and bought all three on the spot. Eventually, after going to various Mandarake stores (a chain of second-hand nerd specialty shops, as oppose to the direct commercial-market BiC Camera chain) I managed to cross off 90% of the list, which I considered a win-win. Anyway… enough of the circumstances and onto the super review!
Kenzan (G01)
Vehicle mode
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psf2fdf8e3.jpg
I’ll start off the Leader of the Samurai Team: Kenzan, who is a futuristic police car. I've posted him normally and with all the weapons including the Head Chest Piece (now known as HCP, my own abbreviation). All of the members of the team come with a HCP that can be used as a weapon, in either vehicle or robot mode. In Kenzan’s case, we have a double barrel cannon, and out of all the HCP’s it’s the one that most closely resembles an actual weapon, instead of just the head folded on to itself.
The car itself is solid, wheels run properly, and none of the under-bits catch on the floor. Kenzan is also the only one of the three that comes with the electronics. Just press the Autobot symbol and the police lights illuminate and a Japanese phrase is uttered. Also, when you are transforming him the lights go off, as does the dialogue. There are three sayings (I think). All in all, he has a decent vehicle mode.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps88854aa9.jpg
Robot Mode
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420124556
The leader of the Samurai Team comes with two katanas, as well as the HCP that forms the double barrel cannon. The legs are quite huge and the bottom of the chest has this flap thing that folds down to give more volume to the body section (See next paragraph for my gripe on this). The transformation is the usual same-same for a car: front section forms the legs, arms come from the sides, etc. All it needs is a slightly different folding to get the end result.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420124556
Here’s where the design flaw of not just Kenzan but Ganoh and Jingu as well: they are all either all leg, or all arms. Their individual mid-sections are tiny, which is due to the fact that they all form either a shoulders/arms, midsection or waist/legs. Depending on your mind set it could annoy you. These toys are all sold separately, yet you only get a real bang for your buck if you have all three. Separately they either have a vehicle mode or a robot mode. But the one upside is that other two figures, you unlock another three modes altogether.
Jingu (G02)
Vehicle mode
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psf510c1ad.jpg
Now for the problem child, as there’s always one. From the second I got him out of the box, to pull him apart and play with him for this review, I haven’t liked him. The jet mode is pretty stable but it has gap running down the back, in the rear of the jet mode. The back of his head has a joining clip for the combining modes, but it sticks out and is only good for holding the sword place during jet mode. The HCP snaps in underneath for a cannon which is the one-ish redeeming feature of the jet mode.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psf2714c59.jpg
Robot mode
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420124556
Again, the arm/leg design is more apparent; however his nose-cone does a better job of the three in creating length in the torso. His arms are the smallest of the three, and he also suffers from what I’ve dubbed ‘Gestalt Feet forming the shins syndrome’ or UGLY for short. Ganoh also suffers from UGLY but his isn’t too apparent as his shins have Autobot symbols on them, whereas Jingu’s toes are supposed to be turn around but they don’t sit flush with the legs.
Ganoh (G03)
Vehicle mode
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psf3a5b1ab.jpg
Now this guy ended up as my favorite of the team’s vehicles modes. Its solid as anything, all his bits fold in, and ever since Animated Ultra Magnus, I have a soft spot for big ol’ security vehicles. The HCP can snap on top, and his weapon can be placed behind it.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psae69489b.jpg
Robot mode
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420124556
As stated before, Ganoh suffers from the poor leg/arm design. However, out of three, in my mind, he fairs the best. His weapon clips to his back, and his HCP forms a gun. The surprising thing is that in robot mode Ganoh is the tallest of the three. He has fairly good articulation throughout, but no twisting at the waist due to the leg/arm design. Overall his joints are still quite stiff and between all the modes everything slots in nicely.
Combined modes
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps5b1ad551.jpg
I've included a picture of all the head/arms pictures as a size reference between the three modes.
GoKenzan
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420124556
I’ll start with the main mode: GoKenzan. In this mode the electronics change slightly to reflect the change into a gestalt (I turned it off because it’s very touchy. Side note: there’s an off/on switch for the electronics). GoKenzan is extremely top heavy; Kenzan forms the top, Jingu the middle/jet pack, and Ganoh forms the legs. Now, Ganoh is a very solid figure, with tight clingy joints, but between Kenzan and Jingu forming a huge mass, it can get difficult for him to stand properly. I made this unfortunate discovery when putting his combined weapons on. Combining the three pieces can be a bit fiddly and snapping him altogether properly is something that will require multiple takes, even with the instructions. There is always some new connection to discover when you put all the pieces together again.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420124556
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420124556
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps1245b9d1.jpg
GoJingu
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420125073
Going back to the problem child, GoJingu has a huge torso compared to GoKenzan and GoGanoh, however Kenzan has the shortest of the legs of all three gestalts, making it (oddly enough) the most stable. My main concern with GoJingu is that he’s so damn yellow. Now I don’t have a problem with yellow transformers, but this primary colour really stands out with the red from Ganoh; while the blue from Kenzan is mostly hidden. I also had problems with putting both weapons in his left fist (I don’t know if this is a QC issue with mine or just an issue with the mold in general), both the HCP weapon and the combined sword piece. Eventually I slid the sword up a bit where he could grab it properly.
GoGanoh
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...g?t=1420125076
Now... to the last and favourite mode of the three: the big red GoGanoh. In this mode, he has nice wide shoulders while Kenzan forms the middle which gives a good volume to the chest. However it isn't without fault; Jingu’s legs aren't as stiff as Ganoh’s, making this form’s legs very bendy. It does take quite a bit of movement at the knees to make so he doesn't fall over. The other thing to highlight is that out of all the modes, the weapons actually fit the toy. In the other two transforming the HCP, the pieces look like leftover plastic to form a gun. In this mode its done better… not perfect, but just better. The super swords match as well. Lastly, the head piece of GoGanoh looks like it belongs to a proper gestalt; it has giant golden horns to go with the golden Autobot emblem on his chest. All in all, an impressive giant robot of honor.
Summary
When you have the team together you can get three vehicle modes, three robot modes, three combined modes, and impressive amount of play for three voyager plus-sized figures. The problem is that you need all three to get the most out of them. They don’t feel like stand-alone figures that just happen to combine, rather they feel like parts to a bigger figure.
As for price I think Jingu was the cheapest, followed by Ganoh, then Kenzan. I can’t remember exactly the price in Yen, but I’m pretty sure it was closet to $30, $40 and $50 AUD. This is surprising considering Ganoh is bigger, but Kenzan does have the electronic component.
Would I actively have bought them if they weren't the first Transformers I came across in Japan? I don’t know. I got the second GO! Combiner set because I had the first (which will have a review of its own coming soon). Would I recommend it? Yes, but only if you’re a fan of combiner toys. I consider the RiD Bullet train team to be one of the first triple combiners I have, which has led me to actively seek out similar teams. If you like getting your figures in a singular fashion, I wouldn't recommend it but that’s just me.
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ps3d61c4a0.jpg
Well, that’s the end of the super review. If you would like any more advice on the figures, or any pictures to show a different aspect just PM me. I hope you enjoyed my review of the GO! Samurai team.
