|
|
Post by chachipower on Apr 27, 2014 0:12:28 GMT -5
So, does the 30th anniversary edition version features improved joints as advertised? too bad, there are no improvement for the joints, they are the same with 20th & 25th. the differences is only eye lights and display stand. so, if you already have 20th version, no need to buy it, just waste your money IMHO. 25th edition are plastic, 20th and 30th are diecast, maybe you just wait the 35th/ 40th edition? hehehehe The joints will be the the same but are the plastics different? Guess its hard to tell differences in plastic but supposedly thats the difference. Im hoping firmer plastics were used in the black lion legs. Thats what I understood but I was running on minutes of sleep that day. |
|
|
|
Post by mrclean08 on Apr 27, 2014 1:15:00 GMT -5
It took me 10 years to finally get this figure. Shot some pics this evening. My overall impressions: PROS- Display base has finally arrived (cool light up/sounds feature)
- Voltron force Lion key gimmick
- Light-up eyes are cool
- Beautiful shiny chrome and die-cast elements
- It's Lion Force Voltron
CONS- Not worth $225. (Perhaps if it included more gimmicks like missile cannons + missiles, firing lion heads, and other weaponry)
- Light-up eyes stay on unless Black Lion's mouth is closed which if accidentally left open, can kill your batteries
- Hip joints were not refined or strengthened
- Same exact figure as the 20th anniversary version aside from the light-up eyes
- Dynamic posing is difficult (plastic versions definitely have the advantage here)
There was no "blown away" factor I usually experience when I first open/handle a brand new chogokin in hand. This definitely is not a "Masterpiece" worthy figure, which is probably why Toynami left out the word "Masterpiece" in all of the packaging or marketing for this version. But if you accept it as a modern retool of the vintage Matchbox Voltron, then this figure is "ok." If posed at certain angles (or like how 1/6 figure collectors use the term "futz" the pose), it can look pretty decent. But straight up in most poses, this figure is still ugly in person. I thought it would be better in person vs pictures, but it's still the same. I wouldn't have gotten this figure had it not been for my purchase of the Miracle Productions Vehicle Force Voltron and Evolution Toy Albegas. But it does somewhat fill that empty void of a modernized Lion Voltron in my Chogokin collection, albeit being a "poor man's" chogokin version though.
If you already own the 20th or 25th versions, there is no need to buy this one. This toy is not bad, but it's not great either.
Report Card Grade: C+
|
|
|
|
Post by supergetterv on Apr 27, 2014 1:42:59 GMT -5
It took me 10 years to finally get this figure. Shot some pics this evening. My overall impressions: PROS- Display base has finally arrived (cool light up/sounds feature)
- Voltron force Lion key gimmick
- Light-up eyes are cool
- Beautiful shiny chrome and die-cast elements
- It's Lion Force Voltron
CONS - Not worth $225. (Perhaps if it included more gimmicks like missile cannons + missiles, firing lion heads, and other weaponry)
- Light-up eyes stay on unless Black Lion's mouth is closed which if accidentally left open, can kill your batteries
- Hip joints were not refined or strengthened
- Same exact figure as the 20th anniversary version aside from the light-up eyes
- Dynamic posing is difficult (plastic versions definitely have the advantage here)
There was no "blown away" factor I usually experience when I first open/handle a brand new chogokin in hand. This definitely is not a "Masterpiece" worthy figure, which is probably why Toynami left out the word "Masterpiece" in all of the packaging or marketing for this version. But if you accept it as a modern retool of the vintage Matchbox Voltron, then this figure is "ok." If posed at certain angles (or like how 1/6 figure collectors use the term "futz" the pose), it can look pretty decent. But straight up in most poses, this figure is still ugly in person. I thought it would be better in person vs pictures, but it's still the same. I wouldn't have gotten this figure had it not been for my purchase of the Miracle Productions Vehicle Force Voltron and Evolution Toy Albegas. But it does somewhat fill that empty void of a modernized Lion Voltron in my Chogokin collection, albeit being a "poor man's" chogokin version though.
If you already own the 20th or 25th versions, there is no need to buy this one. This toy is not bad, but it's not great either.
Report Card Grade: C+
I must say your picture are really nice. The 30th anniversary edition is definitely not worth the price because it is too much. Remember the 20th anniversary edition only cost $120, the base and the LED light in the eyes isn't worth that extra 100$. As far as the wow factor not being there, it's cause you are 10 years too late. When this first came out, it definitely wowed. It's was masterpiece worthy and too me, is still the best bang for the buck. $120 with a really nice collectors box and super sharp colors and tons of metal. 10 years ago, I hated the way it connects together and that was the only thing I dislike about it. The articulation of combining SR weren't good even for Bandai SoC. Just look at SOC Voltes V, etc... They just weren't good and I wouldn't be wowed by them if I open them up in today world after experiencing SoC Daltaneous, God Marz, God Sigma and 3rd Party Transformers. 10 years has really made this Voltron obsolete because the engineer has improved by leaps and bounds. It's hard to call this poor mans Gokin Voltron because it cost too much. |
|
|
|
Post by Gold on Apr 27, 2014 2:01:14 GMT -5
Outstanding! I love those pics Mr. Clean!  Man... it's too bad about the on/off switch being the lion's maw. Thanks for the headsup. Gold |
|
|
|
Post by chogokinabdul on Apr 27, 2014 4:05:10 GMT -5
man .... eh ... I want to get this just because the Bandai one won't be out any time soon !! but not for the price these guys are asking!!! if it drops to 160$ then I might bite but 250$ ... never
|
|
|
|
Post by nikodiablo on Apr 27, 2014 7:14:59 GMT -5
Darn. Well, thanks for confirming that the reissue doesn't have improved joints. I guest I'll have wait for the infinity gokin version instead.
|
|
Faisaijin
Robot Grunt
Invincible Commander
Posts: 98
|
Post by Faisaijin on Apr 27, 2014 8:06:47 GMT -5
those awesome pics. can you do it again besides with miracle dairugger & albegas.
|
|
|
|
Post by repairtechjon on Apr 27, 2014 10:09:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the pics mrclean and willy1603! and your thoughts/impressions. Very nice, and cool to see you're enjoying it. I still may get one.
I like the middle pic Mrclean put up with the photo-shopped foot lions' eyes lit up, love that!
I remember getting the 1st release 20th version, in store, and being SO excited to see that big Masterpiece blue book box, and getting a nicely made, diecast updated GoLion/Voltron. It was a "Wow, look what they done did!" at the time. I still have it on my shelf, standing and holding his sword just fine after all these years, and being taken down for show n tell now and then.
You have to remember who this is for. A lot of us on R-J have a different perspective, when it comes to modern diecast robots. We know of, and collect, a lot of lines. It's not for just us at all.
For most Voltron fans, they have very little, if any, exposure, or knowledge, that things like SOC / CMs/ Aoshima even exist, just vaguley mysterious, "Japanese" toys come from somewhere cool in the far east, that occaisonally get glimpsed somewhere.
I've given a couple of the various 25th edition plastic sets, as housewarming/bachelor party/wedding shower/graduation gifts to buddies our age range, who have the same nostalgia for the shows, but know nothing of the Japanese toy scene. and WOW, watch the look on their face, as they open it, and get all nostalgic, and turn into goobery 9 yr olds again. They have ZERO care for how it compares to SOC, CM's, etc. The toy hits the spot perfectly.
So stuff like these Toynami Voltron editions, and all the original Robotech Masterpiece 1/55 Veritechs, etc, truly are pinnacle pieces for average nostalgia collectors, of toys based on old cartoons we grew up with, and Toynami is filling that void.
Don't get me wrong, I'm all ears too, for when the next level of a GoLion/Voltron toy is going to exist. There's plenty of room for improvement in the next generation of design/manufacturing, but don't forget why it's great that the current toys exist.
|
|
|
|
Post by repairtechjon on Apr 27, 2014 23:19:23 GMT -5
Oh, and if you haven't already, listen to these podcast inteviews with VP Bob Koplar of WEP, for a lot of the current info on where Voltron toy, film, cartoon, stuff is going, and what the ownership situation is overall. Some collectors still keep thinking there's some bickering back and forth between WEP, and Toei, etc. No. There isn't apparently. WEP just basically asked, "What's the price to own everything?" and then bought it. There is no fuss. Good interview: Part 1: www.theorange.co/letsvoltronnotes/lets-voltron-012-wep-vp-bob-koplar-part-1 Part 2: www.theorange.co/letsvoltronnotes/lets-voltron-013-wep-vp-bob-koplar-part-2 |
|
|
|
Post by magengar on Apr 28, 2014 0:49:05 GMT -5
So, does the 30th anniversary edition version features improved joints as advertised? too bad, there are no improvement for the joints, they are the same with 20th & 25th. the differences is only eye lights and display stand. so, if you already have 20th version, no need to buy it, just waste your money IMHO. 25th edition are plastic, 20th and 30th are diecast, maybe you just wait the 35th/ 40th edition? hehehehe   zozo-mag |
|
Faisaijin
Robot Grunt
Invincible Commander
Posts: 98
|
Post by Faisaijin on Apr 28, 2014 1:30:35 GMT -5
 where's the block/ignore button when you needed it |
|
|
|
Post by chachipower on May 5, 2014 18:20:32 GMT -5
Thanks for the pics mrclean and willy1603! and your thoughts/impressions. Very nice, and cool to see you're enjoying it. I still may get one. I like the middle pic Mrclean put up with the photo-shopped foot lions' eyes lit up, love that! I remember getting the 1st release 20th version, in store, and being SO excited to see that big Masterpiece blue book box, and getting a nicely made, diecast updated GoLion/Voltron. It was a "Wow, look what they done did!" at the time. I still have it on my shelf, standing and holding his sword just fine after all these years, and being taken down for show n tell now and then. You have to remember who this is for. A lot of us on R-J have a different perspective, when it comes to modern diecast robots. We know of, and collect, a lot of lines. It's not for just us at all. For most Voltron fans, they have very little, if any, exposure, or knowledge, that things like SOC / CMs/ Aoshima even exist, just vaguley mysterious, "Japanese" toys come from somewhere cool in the far east, that occaisonally get glimpsed somewhere. I've given a couple of the various 25th edition plastic sets, as housewarming/bachelor party/wedding shower/graduation gifts to buddies our age range, who have the same nostalgia for the shows, but know nothing of the Japanese toy scene. and WOW, watch the look on their face, as they open it, and get all nostalgic, and turn into goobery 9 yr olds again. They have ZERO care for how it compares to SOC, CM's, etc. The toy hits the spot perfectly. So stuff like these Toynami Voltron editions, and all the original Robotech Masterpiece 1/55 Veritechs, etc, truly are pinnacle pieces for average nostalgia collectors, of toys based on old cartoons we grew up with, and Toynami is filling that void. Don't get me wrong, I'm all ears too, for when the next level of a GoLion/Voltron toy is going to exist. There's plenty of room for improvement in the next generation of design/manufacturing, but don't forget why it's great that the current toys exist. Jon, you hit it right in the nose. This wasnt designed with Robot collectors in mind. It was made to wow a broader range of people. As a matter of fact, it may be hard to believe but the 20th anniversary Voltron was my devirginizing piece of my adult diecast robot collecting. It opened my eyes to SOC etc etc, but this was the piece that did it. I remember thinking, sh*t $130?!! boy thats a lot of money but I am a HUGE fan of Voltron and I bought it and I was blown away. Then nostalgia hit more and searches led me to CDX, this forum and I discovered theres more out there and more intricate. But it did its job, it wowed the average Voltron fan into buying something fancy. Will this do the same at this price? maybe, maybe not. Time will tell. When we were visiting Toynami, I realized the owner is fully aware of what Voltron fans want, casual and hardcore fans. However most of the future stuff he wants to do hangs in the success of the current offerings. If it does well we will see new stuff, if not we'll never really know. Thats really all I could say about that though. They have their reasons for doing what they do. Anyways, my Voltron is on its way and although I am fully aware that it wont be up to par with whats out there currently, Its Voltron so I will still rub it against my crotch a few times. |
|
|
|
Post by ricecake on May 6, 2014 11:19:06 GMT -5
Its Voltron so I will still rub it against my crotch a few times. LOL |
|
|
|
Post by magengar on May 6, 2014 23:37:17 GMT -5
Eeeeeew. Paint wear, paint wear! zozo-mag |
|
|
|
Post by magengar on May 6, 2014 23:55:14 GMT -5
Mr.Clean, as always, your photos are epic! I posted one of them on my Facebook wall (with credit to You, of course) and shared it with a FB friend who was recently discussing how much he liked Voltron when he was a kid. Other nostalgic fans joined in the discussion. I figured it would be an opportunity to invite new members to join us here at RJ if they were made aware that the Voltron franchise is still in existence by showing them folks these new toys.  zozo-mag |
|
|
|
Post by B- on May 7, 2014 0:09:11 GMT -5
Wow Magengar easy on the eyes man!
|
|
|
|
Post by magengar on May 7, 2014 8:55:47 GMT -5
Wow Magengar easy on the eyes man! Huh? Oh, yeah, that "100th Anniversary Re-tread" version. ------------------ Update: I've had some Voltron fans (local, from my region) on Facebook literally fall in LOVE with Mr.Clean's photo! If them folks decide to score this Voltron item, then they might become interested in joining us here at least to follow up on any more upcoming Voltron toys. I've also shown them folks pics from my collection, hey whatever it takes to introduce them to this hobby. zozo-mag |
|
|
|
Post by B- on May 7, 2014 10:58:58 GMT -5
As much as I DONT want this toy,and all of the innacurracies involved,Mr.Cleans pics are VERY pretty! But so are pics of real lions,I want neither in my Robot room!  |
|
|
|
Post by mrclean08 on May 7, 2014 20:48:16 GMT -5
Mr.Clean, as always, your photos are epic! I posted one of them on my Facebook wall (with credit to You, of course) and shared it with a FB friend who was recently discussing how much he liked Voltron when he was a kid. Other nostalgic fans joined in the discussion. I figured it would be an opportunity to invite new members to join us here at RJ if they were made aware that the Voltron franchise is still in existence by showing them folks these new toys. zozo-mag As much as I DONT want this toy,and all of the innacurracies involved,Mr.Cleans pics are VERY pretty! But so are pics of real lions,I want neither in my Robot room! Thanks guys! Tony, hopefully your friend joins us on RJ! I ended up showing my pics to a few co-workers and some ended up buying it. I tried to describe Soul of Chogokins and the whole Bandai Golion SOC story to them but they really didn't care. They didn't even care about learning more about Golion and the true origin of WEP's Voltron. They felt that this Toynami product is the coolest thing they have seen in a long time. I guess for the average person, this Toynami Voltron is something fresh and new to them. Unless a person really understands the quality, engineering and aesthetics of the true gokin companies, a verbal description or even pics won't do any justice to persuade someone. I just let it be and let them enjoy their Toynami Voltron. -Michael |
|
|
|
Post by magengar on May 8, 2014 2:56:41 GMT -5
Well said, MrClean! You're right, to many folks a Voltron toy such as this one is something new to them... even to American Voltron fans who have watched the show back in the '80s, this item is not just New and but also packed with so much nostalgia for them. "Voltron" is all they know and that's the only thing that matters to them on instant. More than likely some of them folks will join us here at RJ to see more of this new toy item and to get some info as to where to buy it. They may not look at it from our perspective (quality and engineering), at least not at first. Give them time, and some of them folks will evolve to become Collectors and then all this deeper stuff will click in with them. That's how I got into this hobby, I wanted to see more Mazinger toys; and soon enough I found RJ and joined so that I could see more Mazinger toys. Since then I've evolved into this weird robot-toy skeezoid that I am today! zozo-mag |
|
