I can't wait to have this guy. Glad to see him working with Godbomber!

 

I've posted how to fix this before:
The red nubs are too big for the black holes. Sand out the holes a little, heat the red clip to soften it, bend it square. It'll actually point straight out.

 

After seeing the SDCC Skater exclusive Optimus figure I now wish we can get a black version of this set to go with that figure.

 

Eh, I saw more pictures of Skater Prime, he's not really black but rather a dark brown actually.

 

Ditto. I'm not one for Nemesis colors, but the black & gold looks great to me. He'd look awesome displayed with MMC's Knight Morpher Annihalator.

 

.... so not sure where this goes ? But while waiting for my godbomber to be replaced I was basically diddling with godginrai and found a way to do this effectively . So I kinda found a way to completely stabilize the ankle to back heavy issue.
Edit
Instagram post by Tom Foolery/jhund • Jul 14, 2017 at 10:59pm UTC

 

Forgive me, I'm not all that well versed in the Ginrai version of the Optimus mold, what was it you did exactly?

 

If you stick Godbomber's connecter plugs up into Ginrai's heel space, and then kinda fold Ginrai's heels down against them, then the heels become fairly well stabilized.

 

You push the red ankle back , leave the connector plugs straight up , and push the feet forward . Roughly push it to the front for the wheels to fit like gears together . Red ankle should rest way out of the trailer that forms the back of the calf*? It's very stable this way. Compared to just pushing the connector plug in and ankles out. Spun it around one legged and it didn't fall

 

Added this to my GG Giftset preorder on bbts as soon as I saw it. Skipping 15 and 16 for now. 16 looks good, and I appreciate 15 but can't make myself drop another $100 for thigh fillers, LED eyes, and a new cab I may never display. I already dropped $20 on BBTS's restock preorder of Wee-Man and Go-Shooter to have all the Jrs in the Godbomber cab (and I guess Wee-Man on the '86 CHUG shelf).

I'm going to hold out for a theoretical giftset including possible hands and rocket upgrades in regards to 15 and 16, and probably sell or trade the 18 box that would come with said set from PE. Unfortunately, at this rate it seems the upgrades (including possible future releases) are going to cost more altogether than the GG Giftset itself and I have other figures i'd rather put money into at that price point.

Final Edit: Just trying to a avoid double posting. I dont have any version of TR PMOP. Would three Legends size transector bodies for the Headmaster Jrs fit in Ginrai's trailer? Either way, HasTak or a 3P should jump on that.

 

Ah! I see now. Thank you.

Makes you wonder if that's what they had intended all along. I can't help but think this works a little too well not to be. Impressive work.

Now that I know of the alt transformation for the leg combination, I'll be skipping the newest set, altogether. I did buy 15 with Hi-Q and the thigh fillers, light up head, but I have no use for a transforming cab. Here's why:
1.) It's Powermaster Optimus Prime to us and while the toy's always been a transforming cab with a trailer as armor, he was always meant to be one being, whereas Ginrai was...I don't even know, I'm not well versed in Japanese media but I know they're two becoming one.

2.) The faux chest plate on the Ginrai/Magnus Prime mold already has a Hi-Q molded onto it. The transformable robot makes room to physically attach their Hi-Q to it, but again, the plate just wraps around and secures him anyway, basically just covering part of him with a plate that looks like him.

3.) Both Hi-Q and the transforming cab are absolutely unnecessary to have the God Ginrai/PMOP look, but at least Hi-Q can interact with the HasTak figure, as is. I can't justify spending $60.00 on a figure that doesn't really do much for me. I can absolutely understand why people do want it, no doubt, but it's by no means a necessity. I'm finding that a lot of PE's kits in this line, thus far, haven't been necessary like they were in Combiner Wars.

 

Masterforce Ginrai used magic bracelets to merge with a sparkless transector and bring it to life. Godbomer was a drone that merged to form the armor. By the end of the series the bracelets stopped working and all the headmasters and powermasters were their own cybertronian lifeforms independent of the humans. In Victory, God Ginrai only appears in armored robot form and I think it's implied the cab, trailer, and Godbomber drone are all just the same unit.

I think we're both uninterested in 16 for different reasons, but I opted for 18 mostly because I really like exaggerated aesthetics and I hope the Godbomber add-ons work as combiner wars ports. I don't know though as I dont own any combiner wars figures yet.

 

Actually, not to split hairs or anything, but on your first point, that's actually a little bit backwards and a little bit right at the same time. In the cartoon, which never saw TV in the States obviously, "Optimus" or Ginrai, was a human who found bracelets (containing the "life force" of Optimus Prime/Ginrai), which transformed him into the Powermaster for the transforming cab, and then into the combined big bot mode...at the end of the series, *SPOILERS*, Optimus Prime/Ginrai's essence/life force leaves the human/bracelets and fully enters the so-called Transtector robot body, once again becoming Optimus Prime/Convoy...at least basically that's the gist so everyone can understand the premise of the series. So, in the cartoon, he was meant to become one being, but the trailer force armor was still really just an upgrade to a more powerful form, just as the God Bomber/APEX Armor was a created additional upgrade for the first combined mode.

(Now, this was not meant to be a history lesson or a 100% accurate summation of the cartoon, for all you sticklers, just a basic summation so those who never saw the cartoon, or know very little about it, could relate and understand what the BASIC concept was, so we don't need detailed "corrections", going on about my inaccuracies, because really, for this, it doesn't matter.)

Since we have no cartoon version of PMOP's story here, we have to go back to the Marvel Comics run where the same process and events that led to the Headmasters and Targetmasters on Nebulos, also led to the Powermaster process, developed to save the lives of Optimus Prime and others who had been poisoned by the fuel on Nebulos after the Headmasters and Targetmasters had left the planet.

The entirely new body was built for Optimus Prime after his resurrection, this time allowing him to armor up, or power up, if you will, by combining with his trailer whenever he wanted to, (which was pretty much all the time, lol), but he quite often would unplug from the trailer armor and work on projects with Hi-Q, who was his Powermaster, obviously. So, in the comics, they were always pretty much portrayed as separate entities, and he never had the God Bomber/APEX upgrade, with Prime coming out of the trailer armor to fraternize in his original form a good bit.

Now, it's been awhile since I re-read the series, so I may be forgetting specifics of later events, but Prime and Hi-Q may have been forced to merge permanently because of something to do with the bonding process, and maybe Nucleon energy(?), like I said, those details are fuzzy and may not have even happened, but someone who can say for sure is welcome to correct me there...but originally, that wasn't a thing, it was written in as a way to get rid of Hi-Q without killing him off like they did Galen/Cerebros, to bring in Spike/Cerebros, and to bring back the more G1 style original Optimus Prime without the armor...(probably because the artists were getting tired of drawing it, and frankly, some of them were having a difficult time understanding how he was supposed to even look with it from what I recall, lol).

Anyway, that's the difference between storylines for the figure.

As for the upgrades, it's good that PE and some of these other companies create and offer the kits for us as fans, whether we buy any, or all of them, or not. It's left up to the individual to choose what they like and wish to buy, or buy nothing if that's what you like, and that's the other good thing about having those options...everyone doesn't have to, but whomever wants to, certainly can.

Personally, I'm liking them pretty well, so I bought PC-15, and PC-16, and even though I don't have, and don't plan on buying the Takara God Bomber upgrade for my PMOP, (because for me, that's what he's always going to be), I'll probably buy the GB upgrade set too...mainly for the weapons and leg stabilizers and I'll figure out something to do with the wing upgrades after I get the kit.

I got the Master Jinrai figure because, for me, I like the option of having him separate from the armor to command the base mode, depending on how I display him from time to time, changing my setups periodically. Most of the time, he'll probably be in combined mode though, but if I want, I can display him in scenes from the comics...but that's why I bought PC-16 anyway, I just preferred a more G1 toy/comic accurate option for my figure.

Your point about the PE kits between CW and TR, is pretty accurate though. The CW upgrades were right on the money with most of what was needed to help those combiners achieve more of their potential, and although they may not have been necessary, they were certainly welcome additions!

I am actually not 100% for sure if I'll end up getting the Ultra Magnus version of PC-16, just because I don't feel the necessity of him having to be a clone of Optimus Prime, like their G1 counterparts. I kind of like the entire truck forming as one unit to become Ultra Magnus like in the comics and cartoon, on one hand...yet on the other hand the G1 style is nice for a more accurate to figure aspect, plus, I really don't care for the Minimus Ambus story angle, which for me ruined the legend of an already great character, so getting the figure would allow me to eliminate that particular bad taste from my Magnus...however, there's the question of spending $60 on a figure that I don't necessarily want or need especially, in order to have different options and eliminate a storyline/gimmick that I actually kind of hate.

Decisions, decisions, right?  

Anyway, I totally respect your reasons for the choices you're going with. They're logical and definitely sound right for what you're trying to achieve.

 

I really can't get over how nice the Ginrai (PC-16) Large Deluxe sized figure looks. I bought this set before I even preordered the Legends Mall exclusive God Ginrai. I just enjoyed how this mold looked as a figure alone.

I am so excited to finally get it in hand, I wish there was some sort of updated release schedule from PE but considering they just announced the PC-18 kit, it looks like it's going to be dragging it's heels a bit more.

 

So is this figure going to be released in august or do we have to wait another 5 months?

 

I think pc 17 ultra Magnus is worth it. $60 for an independent deluxe to voyager sized figure itself is an ok deal. It is g1 accurate plus good quality which we can expect from perfect effect.

On top of that it combines with ultra Magnus in a super mode for added playability so its a good deal for me.

Pc 18 I have my doubts on whether its worth it.

 

I'm sure it'll launch at least before Halloween at the very least.

 

from Perfect Effect twitter
Please wait a little bit more PC-16 JINRAI PRIME is. For a long time Omata and sorry.
Preparing the PC-16 JINRAI PRIME at this stage in early August to Japan so that we can.