Hi there, folks, this is Adam aka WSX here to present yet another minor blog post about yet another obscure character to ever grace the whole of Transformerdom. He is looked upon as being the last and final Commander for the Cybertrons/ Autobots in their continuous struggle to defeat the new Decepticon menace. Although the series was short-lived, the toys have also become some of the most sought after and most expensive (aren't they all?!) to ever grace the collector scene. On a personal note, I have so far obtained a loose C8 Version of his No. # 2 in command, the one known as Sonic Bomber, and in addition, the indomitable and final of the BIG POWERED trio - an unused C-349 Roadfire. Dai Atlas, is for sure on my list in order to complete the collection circle, so to speak. I'm a patient man, in all y time as a collector, and if there's another piece of advice for me to dish out to all those newbies seeking to attempt to start their journey into the "holy Grail" aka Vintage Transformers scene, is that you need to bite your pride and stick with those who have been there, are seasoned, and those who have a mind-blowing amount in their collection to begin with. Short answer:- "Stick with the experts!" LOL!
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A NEW SUPREME COMMANDER IS BORN!
Dai Atlas (ダイアトラス Dai Atorasu) was rather thrusted upon to succeed the venerable Star Saber as Supreme Commander of the Autobot forces. A skilled warrior, his prowess under extreme combat is considered almost equal to that of his predecessor. Dai Atlas has sworn to defeat the forces of the new threat to the universe, the vile Decepticon Emperor of Destruction, Violent Jiger, and in addition, to protect the superfluous -(-exceeding what is sufficient or required!) "Zodiac" power no matter the consequences.
Dai Atlas is a Powered Master who can combine with his partners. When combined with Sonic Bomber, they become Sky Powered. When combined with Road Fire, they become Land Powered. And finally, when combined with Sonic Bomber and Road Fire, the three form the massive Big Powered.
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MISSED OPPORTUNITY?!
Yes, IMHO, the abrupt decision by Takara and Toei to end the Transformers franchise with a "one off" OVA or "Original Video Animation" by putting up the protagonist that is the super-powerful Dai Atlas, has only served to achieve a discord in terms of how potentially awesome the series wold have been if it had been developed even further. The toy was developed sometime during the end of the early 1990's, and incorporated the Powered Mastered label, not to be confused with the binary-bonded humans from the Masterforce series which incorporated the Godmaster theme to their transforming robots.
The series was an adrenaline pumping, wham bam, thank you introduction to one of the most under-rated and sadly underdeveloped mighty warrior of an Autobot leader, and in my eyes, a far more capable and exciting character than some of the past Leaders who have led the great Cybertronian war.
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BIG, BROODING AND AWESOME!
^Picture of the Dai Atlas' toy mode is linked & credited to www.allspark.com
Let's face it, the toy engineering really sucked during the earlier period of the decade, and I've touched on this minor issue for many a time now. But there were some positives from that bygone era that, for me really stood out - the toys were built tough, and the materials used were much more study compared to the plastic in the toys of today. Dai Atlas was massive, heavy and most certainly built like a brick, but his transforming features of being a triple-changer- Base, Space Drill & Robot, makes him one of the few stand out character from a rather limited (consisting mostly of Micromaster Combiners) - doomed toy line, is the highlight of the decade when Takara decide to yank their famous franchise form the air. Most of you fans already knew that Dai Atlas' character model would have yet another shot to be rehashed again for Takara's later Anime of Gian Sentient Transforming Robots, this time appearing for a final hurrah in the Yuusha / Brave series of robots- Might Gaine. Appearing as the main Villain's Mecha "Goryu" , his color scheme was changed from his Zone blue, to a more sinister orange and black. It works better for the toy, in my opinion! Its important to note that there is two version of the "Goryu" toy out there, still one would assume, in limited quantities, as I for one have had absolutely NO luck finding the straight brick repaint of the Dai Atlas toy.
Thanks to hobbylinkjapan & toyarena.com for the images
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FINAL SAY:-
A NOVELTY CHARACTER IN THE FRANCHISE, DAI ATLAS DIDN'T GET TO SHINE ON THE BIG STAGE. ALTHOUGH HE SINGLE HANDEDLY PAWNED THE OVA SERIES (I WOULDN'T WANT TO SPOIL THE CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE SHOW FOR THOSE WHO ARE UNAWARE/ HAVE NOT SEEN THE OVA) ; BUT ITS ALSO ONE HECK OF AN UNFORGETTABLE CONTRIBUTION, I CAN TELL YOU THAT! HE IS CONSIDERED PRETTY RARE IN THE SECONDARY TRANSFORMERS MARKET, AND THE MAIN ISSUE FOR THIS TOY, AS IS ALL THAT ARE MADE WITH WHITE PLASTIC, IS THE SCOURGE OF OXIDISATION, WHERE THE PROMINENT "BONE WHITE" PARTS TURN INTO AN UNSIGHTLY YELLOW, DUE TO PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO HARMFUL ELEMENTS MAINLY SMOKE FROM TOBACCO, AND DIRECT EXPOSURE TO SUNLIGHT. IF YOU ARE TO GET THIS GUY, BE PREPARED TO SHELL OUT ANYTHING FROM A COOL US $300 TO $600, DEPENDING ON HIS CONDITION. I VERY NEARLY BOUGHT HIM, BUT 3 MONTHS AGO, I LUCKED OUT ON THE EBAY AUCTION. SIGH. OH WELL...NEXT TIME, THEN! A+++
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