Thanks everybody for your advice. I am interested in Diaclone for the play pattern around the bigger robots. I had already preordered the massive "legs masterpiece" coming out next year, and I just preordered DA-93. I am not particularly interested in any of the smaller figures (with some denial), buy very interested in Battle Convoy, as I see it homaging not only G1 OP, but also Armada OP and Cybertron OP with its upgrade (white version wings). I am seeing Big Powered for $370 and DA-92 for $270. I would only buy one. I am not sure which of the two I'll regret most leaving behind....
I'm sure you'll get a bunch of different answers based on each of our personal experience. But as far as Big Powered versus Powered Greater (assuming the price difference isn't a factor) I honestly feel Big Powered is the better playset/experience. It's part base, a squad of smaller vehicles, and mix and scalable sized mecha. I think it's the better support piece to GRB. But, Powered Greater does very different things. If you're after that power/armor up fantasy/play pattern, no other set is going to do you better. I will say that DA-65 (Battle Convoy) plus DA-85 (Powered Greater) is the best option... it's also going to be the most expensive. There's also currently no other way to get Pod Grander (unless you can buy one loose second-hand). That said, DA-91 Pod Gantry is a solid stand-in, but w/o the pod expansion... you'd almost need to buy two (and that's going get $$$). DA-92 does a good job of 'meeting in the middle' with Battle Convoy and the Powered Greater, but you're missing some of the play, w/o the Pod Grander (trailer).
That's another reason why I recommended it. Aside from being cheaper, it's the most modern and interacts better with recent figures.
92 by itself is beautiful and I imagine would be an amazing experience if someone did not have any prior release. Add another 65, 79 or any Triverse mech and you have an awesome experience. Any DA- release GV is beautiful and an awesome experience right out the box.
I’d recommend a Big Powered now since 92 has been fully released yet (North American retailers still haven’t shipped it yet) but don’t wait too long on it. Eventually they will all get gobbled up because of the shadow powered greater that’s included and the price will start to soar. Regardless of the potential for feet issues on the powered convoy.
I'm right there with you. I'm not really too into the idea of having a ton of mech suits running around, nor am I all that interested in the "Armor Core" look of some of the smaller units. The updated 70's style look is still my preference along with the larger bots. GRB and DiaGuardion are right in my wheelhouse. I wish I had the cash to snatch a Powered Convoy but the ankle and mis-assembly issues kind of make me glad I didn't. At this point, I'm thinking about picking up a Rambler while they can still be found sub-$100. Yes, he's probably the weakest of the Dashers, but at least he's a decent sized larger robot.
Rambler is considered the weak link? Wow. First the surprising news (to me) that Gamma was really popular and now I discover Rambler isn't. I like Ramblers design. It's actually one of the few Diaclone mech designs that i'm drawn to. DA-59 Triambler Diaclone Reboot Tactical Mover Tread Versaulter DA-40 Trivers Tri-Dasher are all really attractive toys in their own ways.
It's more of the fact that he really doesn't have much in the way of alt modes. His bike mode is basically Cy-Kill's way of just laying down except he looks even more like a robot riding a bike. He has a mech mode, which is basically just his pants with a cockpit on top. And he has a hover craft mode, but his fists are just there holding guns awkwardly. While he's not bad, the other Dashers have better execution in alt modes overall.
I can’t say that I’m a fan of the price, but BBTS put the Tactical Mover Expansion Set up for preorder.
I like both - having the smaller suits along with the bigger bots really sets off the scale. Makes the big bots feel bigger when the tiny little suit is still a 15'+ walking tank.
Well, for me, it's because I'm coming at it from the direction of Transformers. I struggle to justify buying a mech suit and some armor pieces for $50+ when they're about the size of a $10 core class Transformer. I still struggle to spend $100 on what amounts to a voyager class figure but I look at it more from a Masterpiece angle. Masterpiece Autobot cars generally fall into the $60-$80 range and these have a lot of extra pieces...so I'm able to justify the purchase more easily. Grand Dion coming in around $450 more than justifies its cost by easily being the equivalent of several Dashers combined in terms of value. Or, in terms of Core Class-sized mecha armor, I'd rather have one GRB over 9 little armored guys.
I enjoy the big bots, sure; but the pilots are what everything was built around and made for; without them this line would mean nothing to me. But then, the world building is what attracted me to the line. In my photography, I "try" to focus on the toys through the eyes of a Dia-Naut (or Warudaroid) as that is the true grandness of the scale. First, again no wrong opinions this is just "my opinion" and something that, as I said, "breaks my brain"... It is just how everyone who loves this line has their own take and that is a big part of why I think it is still going. It just always amazes me when folks sometimes express no interest in the core of the line, which is my passion. Not saying anyone is wrong, it just blows my mind. I was into Transformers first and still buy some mainline. (Heck, I'm hyped about the convention Origins set that is supposedly shipping out this week from HP, as it fits well into my own head cannon and play pattern.) But to me, other than having the same ancestry, modern Diaclone and TFs are just completely different beasts (and, other than using a Pod Grander as a bit of wall in the background of a picture, I never mix them). Size and money are just completely unrelated when comparing a mainline, all-ages, mass market international toy release to a high-end, adult-targeted, domestic Japan targeted collectors toy. I understand being on a budget and trying to prioritize what gets those rare disposable income dollars. However, the amount of pieces and design are a completely different starting point and and any comparison feels, to me, like an exercise in futility... Honestly, as I'm facing cutbacks myself, every toyline except Diaclone is on the chopping blocks right now as far as new purchases go. (I'm prepaying as much as I can so that I have new items coming to get me through the lean times and cancelling more and more non-Diaclone preorders.) Personally, I'd rather have a Powered Suit and Dia-Naut than almost any other toy in any other line right now. I almost never leave home anymore, but the last couple of trips I took in the last two years had at least 2 Powered Suits (or Maneuver Suit) packed for entertainment. If I was forced to try to align modern Diaclone and modern TF mainline somehow in my brain, I would ignore price and scale. The closest alignment would be a core-class TF to a Diaclone pilot maybe, except that they are ALL actually to scale with EVERYTHING else in the line (except that weird 2.0 figure and early bike issue, which I still think was an oversight on that last minute articulation change), not some weird scaled subset (except for Spike and Wheelie), based on articulation and entry point (and have awesome foot magnets). Again, your opinions are valid and I'm not discounting it, just sharing my thoughts as I try to rationalize other approaches and why I feel differently, as that makes this line more interesting and its mostly open lore lets so many of us bring things with us to the table. You keep being you!
I’m OK with it, it could be better but both of my Versaulters will be geared up and I get an extra Dianaut. I still want a Cosmo Marines Chariot but I’ll probably stop my Versaulters there for now. Unless they do a Submarine unit.
The Dianaut-to-Transformer sense of scale doesn't bother me too much. Dianauts sit comfortably in most Titans Return vehicles and work with most Titans so pairing them with the recent Diaclone Car/Robots homages aren't that far off to me. Legacy Delta Magnus's inner robot is exactly the same size as V-Max Convoy, so that nails it. Honestly, if Transformers didn't have Diaclone in its heritage, I probably would have passed this line over. Rather, I'm using Reboot and the recent homages to bridge that gap. That's why the larger bots appeal more - these guys are battling Waruders AND Decepticons in my mind. Mech suits are nice but I only need a few since they'd mostly only be useful against small Waruders and the likes of cassettecons.
I am in the same boat. I recently cancelled some mainline TF preorders to get a single Versaulter Chariot Unit because i really want that thing. In the end we collect what we like and trying to justify our hobbies in quantity or size per Dollar is just a road to aggravation, like those that constantly check the weight of modern Transformers vs old. Granted, there is nothing wrong in liking bigger bots, but then again is more a preference because at the end you are not eating all that plastic XD
TF Source has the expansion set up now, too. I'm waiting on TCP, so I can prepay easier. https://tfsource.com/japanese-transformers/tm-11-tactical-mover-expansion-set-diaclone-reboot/ I'm hating all these TT Mall exclusives as they are making it hard to take full advantage of the current currency gaps... (If it was the other way round, I'd probably be grateful.)
I definitely prefer the super robots and the super colours to go with them but I have a few of the black/tactical ones.
Well, the designer did mention an underwater Versaulter in that recent interview so be prepared to add to your collection.
