Based on that scale chart that people frequently throw around, Saber and Leo are each about the height of King Poseidon/Piranacon...so roughly CW Combiner. Combined as Victory Saber they're about the height of Black Zarack. We've got a Black Zarak coming in that Selects retool of ER Scorpy. And suddenly Hasbro's decision to do that particular figure stars to make some sense. I'm purposefully saying "non-zero" because there is the absolute slimmest of chances that it'll borrow elements of Jetfire even if it's in the Tigatron style of "same concept, different figure." It's admittedly the ultimate form of hedging. Like, there's a possibility that HasTak are going to see if they can leverage HasLab as a means of funding a more extensive series of Selects figures that wouldn't be feasible to mass produce and hope for the best in terms of preorders.
Why would this be the case? Their transformations are nothing alike, and aside from both being...vague space ship things, they only have a vague passing resemblance in robot mode. Is it just because they're both tall humanoid robots?
Actually, the transformations between MP Star Saber (particularly the V-Star, which forms Star Saber's body) is remarkably similar to how Siege jetfire transforms. They both have legs that fold up to occupy the lower portions of their vehicle modes. Both have arms that can fold up (albeit in slightly different ways) to fold in and away. Both have chest cavities, albeit they serve the same purpose in different ways: Jetfire's chest cavity allows the arms to fold into that cavity, while Star Saber's chest cavity allows Saber to dock in. Look at this not from the perspective of how they transform as characters, but perhaps as toys. And think of it this way: Jetfire's profile required a large backpack with wings. Star Saber's wings, by contrast, are quite small, so the budget that would go for the backpack, now goes to the core robot.
My previous comment was referring to how the toy transforms, not the character in the anime. Having a 'Hollow Chest Cavity", Legs that become the back of the ship, and "Arms that fold away" makes them just as similar as Sunstreaker is to Runabout. Jetfire has arms that fold into the torso while the V-Star has arms that compress and attach to the folded/compressed legs. Jetfire has a huge backpack piece and wings on his back while the wings of the V-Star are on the legs. Their torsos being hollow serve completely different purposes mechanically. Jetfire's legs fold into themselves while Star saber's lower legs are pulled out to become parallel with the thighs and pelvis. There are just so many differences that it'd likely take more work to start with the Jetfire mold than it would to start from scratch.
I can definitely agree with that sentiment. Sorry if I was a bit much. I've just been hearing the Jetfire-> Star Saber thing since Commander Jetfire was revealed and it's frustrating when I just want the main JG1 guys to be done properly instead of half-assed.
Just a thought, but I wouldn't be entirely shocked that if we do get a ~$200 Saber & Leo set, at some point down the road Hasbro (or really, Takara) uses the same molds (maybe with less deco/cheaper hands/fewer accessories) and puts out a Commander-class version of Star Saber. There's definitely enough interest in the character, especially in Japan, to support a wider release.
So, moving onto another topic, articulation: What do you think is a requisite, what would you like to see, what would you like to see but aren't expecting, and what do you think will be cut?
I think that'll really come down to how complicated they make him. At some point if his base part count is too high it might not be financially viable for a retail release, even if they strip down the deco and accessories.
Doubtful, haslab projects are intended to be one and done. Any future star saber would more likely be a different mold
Definitely Needs butterfly joints in the shoulders with enough range for him to do two handed sword poses. I think the biggest questions will probably be Waist and neck articulation. I'm doubtful we'll see anything as extreme as an ab rocker or crunch but the full Star Saber should have a waist swivel. Not sure if Saber will have waist rotation though. Neck articulation is going to come down to how faithfully they incorporate the Brain master gimmick, because if done how it is on the original and the MP he wont be able to have anything other than a neck rotation. I'm hoping for fully articulated hands though I could also see them going with something a bit more rigid to support his sword. Hopefully he'll have keyed palms to support his larger weapons regardless.
Yup. Besides, if you offer a HasLab as a future mainline release you “poison the well” and folks will be more hesitant to back new projects because they think they can wait and get it in the future. It would be counter productive in the long run. HasLabs have to literally be something that would never get offered as a mainline or even exclusive release. edit: Fans are fickle as it is. Don’t give them more reasons to vacillate on a decision.
I would say both Saber and Star Saber having Jetfire level articulation would be a good baseline. From there I would hope that Star Saber has at least his pointer finger split off from the rest of the hand even if the smaller bot doesn't. From there? Add a potential stretch goal to beef up the articulation. Perhaps individual fingers for Star Saber and include additional hands for the inner bot if it's not feasible to articulate fingers. Put more work in to the head/neck, maybe add some different face plates (though SS is masked and would be harder to give different expressions too). The only alternative would be to replace the backer goal with a funding goal and work like a traditional kickstarter. You're contributing to help a figure get made but aren't guaranteed a figure if the project is successful. Then you could offer smaller dollar tiers that come with little rewards and at some funding level you just *get* the figure. But then, HasLab may have crunched the numbers on that and figured it's easier to just say "If you want one, back this." So they don't have to worry about getting backers for a production run and then nobody actually buys the damn thing. That said I wouldn't be against HasLab pivoting to using financial goals instead of backer goals and letting people contribute smaller dollar amounts to help projects get over the hump. If you don't have $200 to throw at Saber, or simply don't want him, that's fine. But if you throw in $30 you get some exclusive Selects figure if the project gets funded. Take Galactus for example. You want this to get made for your fellow fan but don't personally want one. You could donate $30 to the project and if it gets funded you'll get one of the Silver Surfer figures they're teasing.
Those are great stretch goal ideas. I couldn’t come up with viable options for stretch goals. But these type of small, extra bells and whistles are enticing.
