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Thread: Next two Masterpiece toys for Australia

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bidoofdude View Post
    The bitchfest on TFW is pretty hilarious. Cool work on the bio Gok.
    Just as there is ME in TEAM, there is WTF in TFW.

  2. #32
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    Thanks for the positive comments, fellas.

    Just to quickly answer some questions...

    * I went for the IDW version because it will make Hasbro's release different from TakaraTOMY's. There are now two different versions of this character. And I WILL be posting a translation of Star Sabre's original Japanese bio for all to see (just as I did for MP22 Ultra Magnus). I'm currently working on other translations for another TF site, so I'll get to Star Sabre when I'm done with that project.

    * I said "translation/adaptation", because my work involved both. So I'm not lying when I said "translation," but I did also say "adaptation." I said both, because I did both.

    * The use of Latin is a personal touch, but also for the same reason why TakaraTOMY uses English; because culturally speaking, it's considered a cool and exotic looking language. Japanese society likes the look of English, even though a lot of Japanese people don't understand it, and European language societies like the look of Latin, even though a lot of them don't understand it (although it's more comprehensible to speakers of Romance languages like French, Italian etc.). I did write up Ultra Magnus' motto in Latin without any translation; there was criticism of this, which I took aboard and that's why I've explicitly provided English translations for any Latin in Stinger's and Star Sabre's instructions. And I personally had an interest in translating Transformers mottos into Latin long before I did any work for Hasbro. I was asked to help w/ MP22 in mid October 2014, whereas I started the Transformers quotes in Latin thread in January 2013.

    * Two main reasons why I didn't consult with anyone else:
    1) Hasbro didn't let me know if anyone else was in on this secret, and I'm not psychic. So as far as I knew, only Hasbro and I were officially aware of this until now.
    2) Time. I only had 6 days to translate/adapt both MP Star Sabre's booklet AND translate MP Stinger's instructions (as well as working my day job, family commitments etc.). The decision as to whether or not to go w/ the Victory or IDW character was one that I needed to make very quickly... because I didn't want to start working on one or the other only to have to discard it. So it was one of the first questions that I asked Hasbro, and they agreed to go w/ IDW.

    * I've only had access to the instruction/bio booklet. I'm not aware of what structural or design weaknesses that this figure may have just by looking at instruction sketches.

  3. #33
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    Thanks for the feedback on your decision making process Gok. I certainly appreciate it and am glad that people have kept posts respectful when questioning your decisions.
    I still function.....................while killing threads. ;-)

  4. #34
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    As a reward for everyone's civility, here's what the front cover art of the booklet looks like. This is the original Japanese version, not the adapted version. The main difference with the adapted one is that "Cybertron Commander Starsaber" is replaced with "Autobot Enforcer Star Sabre." And naturally the Japanese text down the bottom is translated to English.


  5. #35
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    i need to be alone for a moment boys...

  6. #36
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    ^Great "answer some questions..." post Gok! The level-headed conversations you can have here is what i love about OTCA-rians.
    "I am not a gun. I'm hitting people with a hammer. On Mars."
    The Iron Giant / David Wildgoose

  7. #37
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    thx for the comments Gok. Some really interesting insight you've provided.

  8. #38
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    Really annoyed that you are changing how to spell the name.... Don't care about American v English....(although there is precedent in the commonwealth to keep the American) The Japanese have provided the English since 1989, they use it officially in 2015, and your changing it for the fun of it!

  9. #39
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    Firstly: Absolutely excellent news that Toys R Us Australia is intending to offer both MP Star Saber AND the Re-re-issue of MP-10 Optimus Prime!

    Whilst many of us may already have both preordered elsewhere, I myself with Hobby Link Japan , for the substantive number of non-online TF fans (And parents with silly levels of money to spoil their kids with ) these being offered by local Hasbro AU & TRU stores, along with the previous releases of MP Bumblebee & Wheeljack, at all is a great and proactive move that should definitely be applauded and encouraged!

    Good on you Toys R Us and Hasbro Australia.


    Secondly: Congratulations yet again, Goki, on your continued efforts working alongside Hasbro to provide English Translatory/Adaptive texts!

    Whilst a small part of the overall "package"; for many fans who aren't engaged with the online section of the fandom, aren't familiar with the characters and/or ARE NOT Multilingual - The mere fact that such pieces exist is certainly more beneficial than detracting.

    The reasoning behind your choices with Star Saber's bio are all thoroughly sound to me; The Japanese releases of figures definitely focus on their own localised fiction and there's most certainly a reflected, present precedent set with Western TF releases drawing from current or upcoming narrative media.

    Star Saber somewhat falls outside of this criteria by not having any previous Western fiction to reference outside of IDW (or a 3-part combiner-sword from a poorly ported cartoon ) and being in a situation where the original G1 narrative of the character is so obscure and largely unknown by a significant portion of the destined consumers, it makes incredibly good marketing sense (At least) to draw upon the IDW iteration of the character - for 3 good reasons:
    • A distinctly different personality that challenges pre-conceived perceptions of who/what a Transformer can be.
    • A contemporary consistency with other Transformers-related product.
    • Provides additional product placement advertising for the current IDW Comics.


    I can see why some may question the implementation of a Latin motto but the language has been present in Transformers since its formative beginning and in IDW Star Saber's case, in particular, it seems incredibly apt actually given who largely used/uses it.

    It also must be said that your inclusion of a reference to the Motorvators sub-group is brilliant, as they're a throw back to G1 (Where Star Saber was "mysteriously" not present) that almost never get referenced and could very well spark the recollection and curiosity of some Aussies & Europeans who grew up in the 80s/early 90s that walked away from the brand for whatever reason but were around long enough to know of the toys.


    I sincerely hope you don't take any of the criticism (Constructive, ill-informed or outright negative) to heart however ; Your efforts to adapt MP Star Saber for a Western audience may of been incorrectly reported as being a translation (Yay semantics!) by yourself or whoever, but the point still stands that if not you? - In-house Hasbro staff would've almost certainly made the exact same call, they just wouldn't of executed it in the same impassioned and educated fashion you likely have.

  10. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Krayt View Post
    Really annoyed that you are changing how to spell the name.... Don't care about American v English....(although there is precedent in the commonwealth to keep the American) The Japanese have provided the English since 1989, they use it officially in 2015, and your changing it for the fun of it!
    Are you buying it?
    Dovie'andi se tovya sagain

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