Toy Review: Transformers Go! Samurai Team (Kenzan, Jinbu and Ganou)

[SuspectimusPrime]

I like the look of these guys quite a bit.
Do the combiner heads fit over the normal heads at all, or do the normal heads just fold away?
Separate combiner heads works well for a Samurai team as Samurai would have all had to put on HELMETS. I think that may have been a designed decision, especially if the cartoon plays this up when they combine.

Looking quite forward to the Shinobi team myself.

The kabuto (combiner head-gear pieces) simply fit over the individual bots' heads and aren't interchangeable between each other. The moulding on them looks terribly KO-like, but the plastic is as tough as nuts as I've had to use a lot of force to get Go Kenzan's kabuto into 'weapon' mode without any signs of stress marks.

My real gripe about these guys is that aside from the lights and sounds gimmick, there isn't really anything that justifies for the Voyager+ sizing.

Since all entire Samurai team was released in one go (no pun intended), perhaps tight deadlines partially led to drops in design quality. With the Shinobi team being released intermittently, I am having higher expectations.

[griffin]

Anyone else having trouble getting the electronics to work on Kenzan? I think mine might be faulty, as nothing seems to work, even with batteries I know are not flat.

[Omega Metro]

I really like these. There's a lot of playability in them and feel less fragile than the 'normal' release TFs when transforming. Jinbu is actually my favourite. Love the jet mode! The cartoon that these are based on is very dynamic also ( apart from not subtitles).

[requiemau88]

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



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.



Robot Mode



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.



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



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.



Robot mode



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



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.



Robot mode



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



I've included a picture of all the head/arms pictures as a size reference between the three modes.

GoKenzan



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.







GoJingu



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



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.



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.

[Maruten]

LOVE the Japanese versions of the Prime Preds in this line, love the fiction, really wanted to get these guys. But the robot modes are just RIDICULOUS. It's hilariously offensive. They just look absurd. I picked up the Bot Shots versions and they're great, but the real thing... nope. I'd love to see better molds redecoed to homage these characters.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I picked up Kenzan on a whim as HLJ had him on sale at 50% off.


Robot Mode
He is lanky - damn lanky! If you have his legs spread he looks like his hips are just below his armpits However I found if you keep his legs close together then his little samurai-crotch-bib or whatever they call that pretty much meets with his upper thigh armor and it looks better. No reason that TF's should have regular human proportions but I guess it is what we are used to The two samurai swords are a nice touch.

Vehicle Mode
He is a big beefy police car and a really good size. The hood could have used some more decals and the jet engine on the back looks a little odd but overall very nice, sleek and cool looking.

Transformation
What is it about the Japanese? Why can they make their instruction manuals (which are even written in a different language) so much easier to understand than those produced in the west? Transformation was fluid, intuitive and the instructions as previously stated were good.

Overall
I'm a little dissapointed that the sounds and lights don't seem to be working on mine However at the moment I'm putting that down to the figure sitting in a warehouse for years so hopefully they will work when I replace the batteries. I'd really like to see him combine with his two other team members but will (like Kenzan) wait until I see them really cheap somewhere. Overall though, a very nice figure

[GoktimusPrime]

Well... I finally managed to get one of these guys last Thursday. I grabbed a loose complete Jinbu for 1500JPY ($20) from Mandarake Shibuya at half its original price... yet I still feel ripped off. What an incredibly crap toy. Can't say that I'm inspired to collect the rest of this set unless I happen to find them cheap as I did with Jinbu. Can't believe that the toy is completely devoid of any Autobot insignias. Had to slap on some reprolabels. Are the others like that too?

[Pipesqueak]

I recently picked up the TRU exclusive verison of Kenzan (white, black and gold redeco) which looks great by itself, not interested in the other two.

[GoktimusPrime]

Can't say that I'm inspired to collect the rest of this set unless I happen to find them cheap as I did with Jinbu.

Recently nabbed Ganoh for about $25 (t'was MISB). Better than Jinbu but still uninspiring. The lack of an Autobot logo still irritates me. I'll grab Kenzan if I can find him at a cheap enough price. I feel obliged to complete this set but I won't pay top dollar for it. Maybe in another 10 months' time.