Hey all, just thought I'd get some opinions. I'm a G1 fan from the get-go. I'm also big into Alternators and have a few select Cybertron figures. And I just bought Unicron and Primus from a board member. Now I'm thinking I'd like to add a couple Beast Wars figures to my collection. I've been looking at various options and I think I'd like to get Optimus Primal and Megatron, the two leaders I think would make an appropriate example of that generation. (of course after looking on Takara's site, I might have to consider Rhinox and Waspinator as well... dam plastic crack ) So my question for you all would be what would be the best versions of these two characters to get. I've been looking at Takara's recent re-issues of these two, which look pretty cool and appear to be rather animation accurate (I did watch some of the original BeastWars toons back in the day) Then there is the TRU set of the two which also appear to be nice examples. Any suggestions or thoughts on either of these?
Might check Toys R Us to see if they have any BW 10th anniversary Op/Megs two packs left, as they are pretty much the same as the Japanese (Ultra size) updated verions (a few loose joints though) The western 10th anniversary releases of Rhinox and Waspinator might be had cheaper than the Japanese releases as well (not quite as show-accurate as the new Takara releases, but close enough for some)
Oh yeah thats the other thing I was wondering about. How big are these figures? Let's say in comparison to an Alternator(?)
If you can't find the TRU two-pack, you might want to check any stores around you that still have Cybertron for the deluxe Megatron and Primal repaints. They're missing some of the accessories from their BWX release, but they're still really solid little toys. Primal in particular is really nice. But yeah, if you can find the two-pack (which is doable, I saw several at a TRU just last week) grab that. The original gorilla Primal is one of my favorite TFs ever, and Megatron is really nice, too.
Monkey Prime (the Cybertron or BWX deluxe figure) can give a thumbs up That alone makes him worth $10 (that and the color set is vastly superior than the Anniversary version at $5 less)
My favorite BW Optimus Primals: Large BWX (remolded original), Optimal Optimus (not Titanium), Robotmasters/Takara BW10th My Favorite BW Megatrons: Transmetal (when not brittle), Hasbro BW 10th
The robot masters molds are great and my favorite version of the season 1 versions of primal and megs.
I gotta go with the the BWX Primal/Megatron two-pack. The original versions were excellent figures to begin with, and the remolds and new paint schemes make them nearly perfect. Loose joints on Megatron (when compared the the BWR version) but nothing terrible. I'd also suggest tracking down some version of Big Convoy. Whether it be the Japanese/Korean original, or the Universe Nemesis Prime repaint he is an excellent example of how good Beast Wars figures can be. If you search around a little you can get the Korean version (identical to the Japanese except for packaging) for about $30 shipped. Pretty good deal considering how much the original goes for.
OK this may be a dumb question, but I'm really not familiar with the Beast Wars toys. Are the two versions of Optimus and Megatron that I mentioned in my first post the same mold?
I'm not positive. By recent re-issues by Takara, are you referring to the ones that came out a few weeks back? Or the boxset that came out last year? If it's the ones that just came out in the past few weeks, no. Those are repaints of the Robot Masters molds which are smaller (between basic and deluxe sized) versions. If it's the boxset, yeah, they are pretty much exactly the same figures as the TRU exclusive 2-packs. "Pretty much" because the Hasbro version of Megatron is missing a piece in his waist that leaves him a little looser, but overall pretty solid.
It depends on which Takara reissues you were looking at. There's the Robotmasters repaints that were just released as part of Takara's BW reissue line, and then there's the Beast Wars Reborn two-pack. The Reborn two-pack was the one that ended up being released as a TRU exclusive, and are much larger than the Robotmasters molds.
Ah, see this is why I go to those in the know. Thanks for all the info everyone. I think I'm leaning towards the Takara reissues (the newest ones, Robot-Master versions, I guess) Oh hey Boo. Are the OP and Megatron on either end of your sig pic the Robot-Master versions? And I guess the ones in the middle are the original figures? Gives a good sense of scale if I'm seeing that right.
I definitely feel that Transmetal Megatron is the version to best "represents" the Beast Wars character. Now for Primal, Optimal Optimus is my favorite version in toy form. But for pure character representation, I'd go with the original Optimus Primal toy (or remake).
Well after searching around and comparing a few more pics, I bit the bullet and ordered the Takara re-issue RM versions from A3U. Thanks for the input guys. I look forward to my first BW figures.
I would suggest the TRU 2-pack if you want to keep something MISB. They come across as cartoon accurate and they come in a box with a good display window. They're also as big as an alternator so they'll look good on a shelf If you're gonna open them...well, that's another matter....
