Samurai-esque (tank) Decepticons

Discussion in 'Transformers General Discussion' started by Ra88, Dec 21, 2008.

  1. Ra88

    Ra88 Dutchman!

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    Are there any of them BESIDES Bludgeon? Doesn't have to be a tank, though it would be preferred.

    Asking because of a personal project. :) 
     
  2. Aernaroth

    Aernaroth <b><font color=blue>I voted for Super_Megatron and Veteran

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    Would action master Banzai-tron count?

    I always thought Alternators Grimlock had a kind of samurai feel to him. I thought the legs looked like hakama and the torso had sort of a samurai armor feel to it.
     
  3. TheDemonDzko

    TheDemonDzko Some Internet Guy

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    BW Dinobot, Cybertron Scourge, RID Galvatron/Megatron, Armada/Engergon Starscream... thats about it and sorry if none of them are tanks but.. yeah.
     
  4. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Banzai-Tron could count, if we had any idea what he actually was supposed to transform into...

    Sort of interesting that in a line conceived in Japan, and with fundamental design cues inherent in the robot designs from the very beginning, there are still relatively few expressly samurai themed TFs. Even Bludgeon only barely counts, since only his external monster Pretender shell looks like a samurai... his normal robot mode is pretty plain and forgettable.

    There maybe be more ninja-themed TFs even...

    I'm not sure if I would count any of them as being especially samurai-themed. At best a few of them have a personal code of warrior's honour, and some of them use swords. But their robot designs are pretty normal.

    ACTUALLY... I just remembered one other! I think BM Battle Unicorn (and his repaint Magna Stampede) has a strong samurai aesthetic in his design.

    zmog
     
  5. TheDemonDzko

    TheDemonDzko Some Internet Guy

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    Well smog when you come down to the bassis of it... Starscream from Armada more or less is a samurai if you think about it... He has Armour thats like a samurai a code of honour like a samurai and he weilds a sword... hence he is a samurai and the same case coule be made about Rid Galvatron... who can also be a tank >>
     
  6. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    See... I sort of disagree with this.

    It's true there is a sort of "ronin" vibe one gets from Starscream, though bearing in mind that Armada is a Japanese show, he's less "samurai" than he is simply "swordsman obsessed with competition and self-perfection", which is an archetype all it's own in asian pop-culture. It's not specifically a samurai trait. The personality is there, but there isn't anything in his physical design that makes him more samurai-like than any other TF.

    RID Megatron... really? I don't remember him ever doing anything particularly samurai-esque, and in terms of his visual design, he looks more like DevilMan than anything else Japanese. :) 

    zmog
     
  7. Bottom Out

    Bottom Out Well-Known Member

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    i just googled who banzai-tron was and realized i had him as a kid and loved him..i always pretended he was galvatron though and never knew his real name haha, i gotta look through my old toy box and see if i can find him
     
  8. TheDemonDzko

    TheDemonDzko Some Internet Guy

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    Well also im referring toy-wise look up Rid Galvatron/Megs becuse im sitting here playing with him and yah know what... he is a samurai he has very samurai items... and so does starscream for that matter think of Last Samurai

    :D  case point... made... I hope
     
  9. Pravus Prime

    Pravus Prime Wields Mjolnir!

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    To answer shortly, not really.

    Bludgeon, Banzai-Tron, and Samurai Armor Prowl are the only clearly designed Samurai influenced characters. Some like Galvatron (G1, classics, etc.) show influence of the Samurai design, while others (Superlink Wing Saber) may show some personality traits, the two together are a very rare combination.
     
  10. Grimwing

    Grimwing Scientist Supreme

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  11. Ash from Carolina

    Ash from Carolina Junior Smeghead

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    It could be that the people who design Transformers wanted to stay away from a samurai look since other lines like the Gundams had such a strong samurai look to them. Maybe not going samurai was a way to stand out since even later shows like Code Geass would go for a samurai look as well on it's mechs.

    Not too hard to find mechs with a samurai look or even mechs with the look that change into some sort of vehicle mode, but short of customizing a figure it's hard to find any Transformers with the look.
     
  12. Skylock

    Skylock Rogue

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    Tanks don't really stirke me as an alt mode for a Samurai-esque type of character. Its too bulky as a jet or sleek car is more befitting.
     
  13. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Errr... on closer inspection, no. I really don't see a strong enough influence on the designs. There are minor touches, like Starscream's single-edge sword, and RID Megatron's cheek-guards on his helmet, but overall, they just look like generic Transformers and Super Robots.

    I like to see Bludgeon in that design too, and I arrange some of the armour to look more samurai-esque... though I think most of the influence simply comes from Unicron, rather than a deliberate samurai style. The helmet is halfway there though... and if you cut down the ridges on the short end of his spike weapons, he can wield them like swords (and wear them on his hips).

    I just thought of a new one though... Alternity Megatron!

    zmog
     
  14. Ra88

    Ra88 Dutchman!

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    Hrmn...Quite a limited number then, real shame...:(  Oh well, thanks for the help everyone!
     
  15. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Out of curiosity, what's the project?

    With a little ingenuity, you can probably modify a figure. For example, I found a neat little mod for Universe Onslaught that makes him look all "steampunk samurai super-robot"...

    Also, Animated Lockdown has some potential... though again he'd need a bit of work. I'm already planning on bashing him into Banzaitron, since his colours are halfway there already. :) 

    zmog
     
  16. Galva-Cannon

    Galva-Cannon Well-Known Member

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    Not sure how helpful this is, but there was always something samurai-ish about Skyquake in my eyes. He's a big jet though, not a tank.
     
  17. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    As mentioned earlier... Musha Panzer Shogun Onslaught! :) 

    [​IMG]
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    [​IMG]

    Just threw that together... didn't bother to reverse his fists or anything, but I might also cut away the plastic piece that prevents the blades on his shoulders from folding down all the way to form samurai-style upper-arm plates. The head is from a KO Micromaster Sixwing, but anything with a samurai vibe would fit.

    Skyquake... who is that again?

    EDIT: Oh! Machine Wars Starscream! Yeah, that mold has a samurai vibe, in the helmet design at least.

    zmog
     
  18. Dead Metal

    Dead Metal Well-Known Member

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    Ebay:
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  19. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Good call! It's subtle, but that figure has some samurai echoes in his armour plates too... especially the shoulders.

    zmog
     
  20. Ash from Carolina

    Ash from Carolina Junior Smeghead

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    Maybe the new look for movie Megatron since the armor has sort of a layered look and he has a helmet so it wouldn't be hard to modify him by adding some sort of crest to the helmet.