I've written a bit before about this line from Takara Tomy. They are about 2.5 inches tall, have diecast metal torsos and legs, and rubber arms and heads. Articulation is limited to a swivel at the waist and the shoulders and necks sometimes move. Some figures get accessories, but not all. Takara has released a bunch of these for different properties: Star Wars, Marvel movie and comic book versions, DC movies, Evangelion, Pokemon, Hello Kitty, Jurassic Park, and many more. Complete line up can be seen here: メタコレ（メタルコレクション）｜タカラトミー These are not super poseable. In fact, they're barely poseable at all! The charm of the figures is the metal material, so that the toys have a "heft" when you hold them. Paint apps are actually decent for such a small scale. Unfortunately, they're all pretty much the same size, so Stormtroopers are as tall as Darth Vader and Bumblebee is as tall as Prime. They released a few for the Bay designs, but I didn't get them. One cool thing they do is logos. I got the Star Wars logo and it's a solid little chunk of metal! Could really do some damage! Adds a cool factor to the display though. They did Marvel and Jurassic World logos too. So now the G1 figures are finally out....first wave is Optimus and Megatron of course, Bumblebee, and a reversible Decepticon/Autobot symbol. I picked up em all up except Bee, so let's take a look! First a comparison. Here's Prime with the closest equivalent: the SCF figure all plastic figure from 2001. You can see the newer figure has less exaggerated proportions. Paint is really nice actually...even has those infamous yellow triangles on the forearm. Has just a bit of a metallic sheen to the paint. His gun is removable. Overall, I think he's got more of a Sunbow model look to him than the anime-stylized SCF figure. Between them is the Autobot side of the logo, which is painted completely white except for the red and purple of the faction colors. A closer comparison: Now Megatron! He was clearly inspired by the MP design...even has that ever so slight blue tinge to the face. Paint is really nice and I must reiterate how cool having the heavy heft to these tiny toys are. Very cool kind of 70s throwback. Only problem on mine is the fusion cannon is a little warped...I'll blast it with heat and see if it straightens. It's soft plastic after all. His gun barrel on his back is also a removable soft plastic piece. Here he is with the Decepticon side of the logo, and his previous SCF model: It would appear Lazerbeak prefers the new model! Now they're facing off....Megatron has the upper hand! Spoke too soon, Optimus fights back! Comparisons from behind: Now....if you're the type of guy that like your Combiners BIIIIGGGGG (like back in the Dreamwave days) these can be a lot of fun: Remember US Marvel issue 25..."Megatron's Last Stand?" Was that Predaking's only US appearance? Well anyway, recreate that issue too, but with Predaking having a waaaaaay bigger size advantage! These run about $10 in Japan. But once the popular ones sell out, they can really inflate on the aftermarket so I advise buying them early if you think you might want them. As you can tell, I'm a big fan of these! I love the old school charm when not every toy had to be hyper-articulated. Plus metal figures are just plain cool!!
I skipped the Transformers movie Metacolle figures but the G1 ones were pretty much what I was waiting for. I've got Megatron and Optimus on the way, but I skipped Bumblebee because of the scale issue described above. However going by some pics, Bumblebee does seem to be a little bit smaller (imo). I suppose they could do the other regular-sized car-bots like Jazz, Prowl, etc between Optimus and Bumblebee's size, and the smaller Autobots the same size as Bumblebee. Seekers can be the same size as the leaders and larger characters (not counting combiners) like the Dinobots can be several millimeters taller than Optimus. And perhaps maybe we can get a larger than usual Metacolle Devastator (Too much to hope for? Maybe, maybe not). In any case, I'll wait to have the leaders in hand, and then decide if I want 'Bee as well. I hope these aren't the last of this particular line. It would be nice to have a small (or large) collection of G1 figures that don't take up a ton of space.
I really can't get over how nice the finish is on these, considering how small they are. As you can see, I have a bunch of them from different lines, but the Optimus and Megatron by far have the best paint. These turned out fantastically...anyone that picks them up is gonna be thrilled!
I guess these guys are going to do for me what MP does for others. I actually prefer updated CHUG G1 designs but I do have a certain amount of nostalgia for the original look of the Transformers characters. Looking at these guys really brings back the good old days when the Ark first crashed on Earth, all those years ago.
Well I absolutely wouldn't count on getting any more of these. These three characters and the logo might be IT. These sublines of the Metal Collection are very limited and very random. Most of the properties were abandoned after just a release or two. Star Wars and Marvel are the only ones with any longevity. Having said that, if I could get just ONE more, I'd love for it to be Soundwave. His boxy design would be absolutely perfect for this style of figure.
You could be right, but I'm hoping not. As you mentioned, Marvel and Star Wars Metacolle figures have been going on for a while, and G1 Transformers is one of Takara's longest running franchises. There are a lot of 'main cast' types to play with. If the current G1 figures sell well, then they should almost certainly consider releasing more. We're getting four more Metacolle figures, though more than a year after the original three. Hopefully, G1 can do better.
I've just had Megatron and Optimus turn up, and I'll tell you this - I want more of these little guys. I'm really glad I ordered Bumblebee, as well. Of the two, I like Optimus better. With Megatron, on the other hand, I keep feeling this version of the character could do with a Starscream and Soundwave to hang around with. Maybe it's me. I'll be fairly disappointed if Takara doesn't continue this line.
Yeah, these are really great aren't they? I can't believe how nice and even the metallic paint is, and even on the faces there's no "slop." Can't believe how tiny the faction tampos are too! I am curious to see just how tall Bumblebee is in relation to the these two. I could see it maybe being a head smaller but certainly not "in scale." Please take some comparison pics when he arrives! I definitely want more too...Starscream would be great but there's the logistics of his wings to work out. That's why I think Soundwave would be perfect...he's so boxy! In the past Takara has paired him with Ironhide in toylines like this, so maybe if we're really lucky we'll get a Soundwave and Ironhide someday? Fingers crossed!
TC, thanks for sharing pics and your thoughts on the figures. As soon as these are avail in my country, I’m getting them.
