WS TOYZ ANTICIPATED UPCOMING RELEASE:- MASTERPIECE 2010 EDITION:- MP-09 CYBERTRON COMMANDER HOT RODIMUS AKA RODIMUS CONVOY!

11:21 AM in Jan 2011, MASTERPIECE, MP-09, Potential Buy, Rodimus Prime, TRANSFORMERS 2010, up-coming release. not in collection

^You've got the touch! Please light our darkest hour! :-p

Hey there my fellow blog followers from the world over! It's another one of those 

'upcoming' and anticipated toy  release posts for today. Looking at the recent coverage of all the latest Masterpiece Transformers news release over the past week, I must say that good ol' Adam here needs another writing fix, even it's just merely a 'filler' post. Call it lazy blogging or whatever, but the fact that so many of the fandom has been having mixed feelings -- more often negatively looking at the minor details of just how the resin prototype of the latest addition to the highly collectible MP-09 Hot Rodimus/ Rodimus Prime Masterpiece toy, really gets my blood somewhat boiling out of minor frustration!! LOL. 

Going back to the recent picture and news, credited to tfw2005 and HKTF, the design and little cult' nuances to the 1986 Animated movie -- such as the 'high vision binocular / visor' briefly deployed in the now iconic and revered 1986 Movie, shows that the designers are mindful of his role in  Transformers lore, however disagreeable in the eyes of the fandom. IMHO, they have made a solid and intricate transformation scheme, very much like the animated model of the Rodimus Prime transformation scheme which utilizes his 'Winnebago' trailer / command base. Kudos to them for that. Throw in a really kickass and realistically sculpted face , it  adds to the overall coolness factor! Awesome!

^Rodimus Convoy, Takara style! 

AN UNLIKED CHARACTER?

Lets face it, the bottom line is that the Rodimus Prime character was never really written in a positive light especially when it came to the American Seasons 3 and 4 of the cartoon series. Hot rod wasn't much of an inspirational Prime-type either. Indecisive and unstable decisions under his stewardship of the Autobots are  some of the major reasons that he is somewhat not really a personal cult favorite for some fans. There was more of his misadventures in the later Japanese Headmasters continuity. Personally, I am more into the toy design and overall quality and collector's value that into the overall Character of the toy when it comes to those so-called 'flawed' and often criticized characters. Just be glad that we are spoilt for choice, and fellow transfans should rejoice that a new Masterpiece toy is upon us!

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE!!

There is a debate and yet to be confirmed conclusion as to the exact height of this stunning

 and latest design. Judging from the prototype resin above, the intricate transformation might be even more challenging that that of Masterpiece Grimlocks'. The neat touch is that the homage paid to the original Generation One toy is pretty much still in tact, and more so now that toy engineering has

 officially reached the levels of  mind-boggling complexity. Also, while not confirmed, the amount of die-cast will play a pivotal role in justifying the really high price tag of an estimated USD $200-- That's on par with the Mp04 re-release of Convoy/ Optimus, but with the added bulk and trailer attached. Hmm, we shall see....

FINAL THOUGHTS:

^Pics  linked & credited to this site

While intriguing to some fans, I would like to adopt a wait and see approach on the path this release is going to take-- opinions and message-boards dedicated to very solid and honest debates on just how justifiable the final product is, must be taken into consideration all the time by the discerning fan. Budget and earmarked for the future release date of Jan 2011, but most likely bought at a later date-- possibly Feb/March if funds permit me. AS I am not really a fan of the Rodimus Prime character, there might be other releases during that period which will be more important to get. 

Hot Rod/ Rodimus Prime Copyright 1986, 2010 Hasbro and Takara

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WING SABER TOYZ SPOTLIGHT: Gundam RX-78 1/144 REAL GRADE! BACK TO THE FUTURE!

2:24 PM in BANDAI JAPAN, Cultural Phenomenon, Gundam, RX-78, up-coming release. not in collection

Hi there boys and girls! Welcome humbly to yet another random post form your internet friendly neighborhood blogger, Adam aka WSX!  This time on the agenda is yet more Gundam news goodness, as the super promotional campaign by Bandai Japan to rejuvenate it's 'gold-mine" of a mega franchise has taken on a whole new level of awesomeness.  What could be more of a fitting tribute by the Bandai folks than to re-introduce their best-selling plastic model kit of one of the most iconic and original Gundam Mecha that started it all? Sure, the release of the ultra-poseable 1/144 scale  RG (Real Upgrade) series  may be tiny in stature  (HG size); but has it more than makes up for it by having (MG) high level of detail exterior and articulation at the same time. For the uninitiated, REAL is a acronym that stands for Revolutionary Extra Advanced Level. Where do these guys ever come up with this kind of stuff in the first place?! 

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MINIATURE WONDER! 

What makes it special its the intricate level of toy engineering and how far the Japanese model makers have come since the early days of the 70' through 90's.  To be able to make one of the more smaller fast selling kits and incorporate what is essentially a shrunken down level of a bigger Master-Grade version is in itself a major milestone and achievement. To me, the way forward for the majority of GunPla - model enthusiasts is one of total excitement , rejoicing and blessing.  The bygone era of mediocre and cheap-looking underwhelming 1/144 Gundam model are now safely be meant to be locked up and forgotten in the past! I can remember a time when in the early to mid 1990's I was caught up, like most of you guys out there, in the Gundam wing phenomena series. Good times, but somehow, the level of satisfaction and play of those 1/144 models didn't quite cut it for me.  Thank god for modern toy making applications.  


 All  photos used are linked, credited to Toysdaily website, in addition to gundamguy.blogspot.com


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SMALL BUT BEAUTIFUL

Intricate movable, joints and internal "mechanisms" are the main selling point of this model, no questions about it.  IN ADDITION, THE INCLUSION OF HIS CLASSIC AND DEFAULT WEAPONS  SUCH AS 
 THE "BEAM-SABER" AND PARTICLE RIFLE, are included as well, adding a level 
of nostalgic and anime accurate factor to the release. Awesome! 
Judging from the picture above,  the whole model kit will be most likely fairly easy to fix up, most likely only taking a good hour to complete from box to finished robot-- so it doesn't hinder any patience and time issues- perfect for lazy GunPla modelers for myself! Add to the fact that it's affordable price  of  2,500 Yen (or approx. RM 93) is a real steal when you think about it, the bargain is really worth while.  


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CULT STATUS MECHA!

"The RX-78 Gundam is the iconic Gundam mecha design, introduced in 1979 in Yoshiyuki Tomino's and Sunrise's anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. In Mobile Suit Gundam, it is a testbed weapon for the Earth Federation, when it falls into the hands of Amuro Ray, the son of a weapons designer, who goes on to pilot it in the Earth Federation's war against the Principality of Zeon. 

As the success of Mobile Suit Gundam began the Gundam franchise, this design was the first of many variations in subsequent works. The design appearing in Mobile Suit Gundam, called the RX-78-2 Gundam serves as the iconic symbol of the Gundam franchise and sparked the creation of its multiple sequels and spinoffs. As part of the 30th Anniversary of the Gundam series, the company officially announced a project on March 11, 2009 called Real-G planning to build a 1/1 real size scale Gundam in Japan, it was completed on the June 9, 2009.^[2] It was dismantled in early September 2009."
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HIGH MOBILE PERFORMANCE?!


Any Gundam and Japanese person worth his value would appreciate the re-emergence of Bandai's most valuable creation to date,  regardless of their personal favorite designs of other Gundam versions that have graced the venerable series and pop-cultural phenomena that has stood the test of time over the last few decades.  This is the way forward and future of hobby collecting and modelling.  The fans are going to spoilt for choice, which is not necessarily a bad thing. LOL! 


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FINAL VERDICT

THE INCLUSION OF THE "CORE FIGHTER"  COMBINATION  GIMMICK - I.E. SMALL FIGHTER PLANE THAT PLUGS INTO THE CHEST OF THE MAIN TORSO OF THE RX-78 GUNDAM IS THE FINAL INGENIOUS PUZZLE IN THE JIGSAW.  ADD TO THE CULT-STATUS AND REVERENCE OF THE WHOLE GUNDAM FRANCHISE, AND IT'S UNMISTAKABLE AND INFLUENTIAL PLACE IN POPULAR CULTURE HISTORY,  THIS  IS A MUST BUY FOR ALL FANS, INCLUDING MYSELF! A++


Gundam : Copyright 1979, SOTSU Sunrise and Bandai Japan Co.

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