Got this guy today alongside Brainstorm/Soundwave, and I gotta say, quite pleased.

Going in, I was expecting to be a bit underwhelmed by him due to overhype, but to my elation that turned out to NOT be the case - there's a lot of little things that all add up to really put this guy over the top.

-Paintwork: SO GOOD. Painted rims, painted leg panel detail... and most importantly that one nagging detail on the Hasbro one that they skipped, the helmet nose, is painted.

-Headmaster: Ginrai is freaking AMAZING. As people have mentioned, the paintwork on him is sublime. What REALLY sells me re: the attention to detail is his arms - they actually painted the semicircles on the sides of the arms that line up with the semicircles on the headmaster face's sides such that they match! A completely extraneous detail they didn't need to do but that is all the cooler for doing it. Also awesome is the fact that this is probably the only Leader headmaster face that actually looks good on a Deluxe, which makes me wonder if Takara has any future plans for it.

-New guns: They're pretty cool, yes... but they ALSO combine to allow a Titanmaster to ride a doublebarreled thing. Definitely a design intent given they even molded in pegs for the Titanmaster to clip into, and it's quite an awesome unnecessary touch.

-Forearms: First of all, the behind-the-forearm kibble: Yes, it doesn't fold up as flush as on Hasbro's, and yes it sticks up behind the shoulders... but BECAUSE it doesn't fold up flush, it doesn't block a natural extended-elbow resting pose. And the way the forearms are designed, the kibble slides up such that it doesn't block the wrist articulation of the new hands at all. (The whole slider mechanism is clearly meant to pretool for the Godbomber upgrades, too, which is pretty neat.) The hands aren't posable like Magnus', no, but they also don't need to be because they don't need to accomodate a giant hammer (which honestly was kinda the source of Ultra Magnus' gun-holding problems to begin with, and why PMOP had the kibble under his hands to help him hold his guns.)

-Chest - I wasn't sure of it in photos, but it looks fine in person! Only nitpick I have is that the remolded cab front looks odd in altmode due to the sides of the cab being unchanged, and not fitting in with the sculpt.

-Feet: This seems to be the really controversial part... you kinda either hate or live with the design. The ankle tilts ARE nice though, and the only big flaw is that he has slightly less support for standing up straight due to the lack of the giant feet. They did however give him heel spurs to help combat this, and most of the time they are successful. Also, you can see how they're going to be attaching the Godbomber platform shoes, and it looks like it'll be pretty solid to me.

General: Paintwork is great. Plastic colors spot-on. The white plastic he has is some of that good white plastic that just POPS, and the grey, while just SLIGHTLY being worse than the Hasbro grey at making the detail visible, is a better shade. The red is a brighter, more Optimus Primey red and less of it is painted overtop of grey plastic, which also really helps the look.

Overall, a super nice toy. Highly recommend.

 

Nice review, dude! I just picked mine up and yet to open him up! All I can say is that the paint job on Prime and 'Ginrai' is pretty good!

 

Ok got mine,

Stands just fine, no issues with the feet/ankles. Overal, I have to say this is a stellar release. In person the colors just pop that much more than Hasbro PMOP, even though I really like that one as well.

In terms of truck mode I think I still prefer the Hasbro version by a small margin, because of the consistently gray trailer and because Ginrai's cab still looks a bit like G1 styling was shoe-horned in.
Still, this Takara Super Ginrai is my surprise favorite all of a sudden, because I originally didn't even intend on getting him.



Next to not-CHUG-Skyfire



But mine does have a paint smudge/scratch on his mouthplate. What should I do !?

 

Could someone please post a picture of the manga that came with him?

 

The scratch looks bad. The worse thing is that it doesn't look like a mere scratch as the edges look 'puffed up'.

Here are the things you can do.

1. Repaint the entire face plate.

2. Do a head swap with the Hasbro version.

3. Get the 3P add-on kit.

4. Just get an exchange.

Kirby0189 :

What type of picture do you need? I don't have a scanner or high quality camera.

From what I recall, the Decepticon headmasters Weirdwolf, Skullcrucher and Mindwipes in it...there's also Ginrai in 'human clothes'.

 

I got it from a local retailer. Emailed them already about the issue - no answer yet.

The helmet mount is on a mushroom peg, so it should be no problem to exchange it ....IF they are willing to do so - and I feel they should because they sold me this.

 

Are they roughly the same height? It is kinda hard to tell from the picture's angle.

Also while the feet has better angling, to me the Hasbro's version looks better. It seems the Takara version is on some platforms.

 

Still prefer the Hasbro version; chest and feet don't look like much of an improvement but at least it has the proper gray.

 

I just got mine. Putting this next to the 80's Super Ginrai, it is interesting to see how in 30 years the design and sculpting go up up up, and the materials and construction go down down down.

It's pretty striking!

 

I'm noticing that too. It doesn't help that the price is also going up up up.

 

I got mine today and have one big problem with him compared to Hasbro's- the legs just don't stay together. The stability of the legs rely on two main pegs- one for the main blue front to plug into the rest of the leg, and one pen on the inner leg pane that connects to the blue front of the legs. Both of those, mostly on the right foot, don't say in at all. So, every time it touches something or I want to pose his leg, it's a constant fight with it. Once you do though, he looks nice and can hold a nice, straight stance a lot more naturally than the Hasbro version.

 

The TakaraTomy version is taller...it was late when I opened mine up so I didn't take comparisons pictures.

 

Unfortunately after further inspection I am finding a TON of tolerance issues. Takara really should have taken some more time tweaking this mold. The torso doesn't click into the waist causing the chest cover to constantly come out of place whenever you try to move the arms. The heel spurs are also generally too weak to hold his weight in a lot of poses. For once I would say Takara's QC is far worse than Hasbro's.

 

I can move the arms on mine just fine.

While the heels on mine are in no way loose, I do wish they locked in somehow though.

 

the combination with the armor will be fantastic..but imho..the look of the feet and chest on this one really kills it. The feet are very bad looking. yes its a trade off for the super mode..but DAMN..that just looks like crap.

 

Yeah I fiddled with the torso and the arms are pretty stable now. The main thins is trying to swing the arms out at the side because it's a pretty tight joint. I can still see the torso getting pulled but it's not making the chest piece come loose anymore. I also tried tightening the ankle spurs with a screwdriver and... it might have helped? It's a little hard to say.

I am very curious how this fiddly mold will hold a bunch of armor and still articulate securely.

 

I'm sorry to hear that. I would try using Tamiya modeling putty to fill in the blemish. Followed by sanding it out with fine modeling sandpaper. For a small area like that, I cut little squares about 5mm in length, and stick it (with blutack putty/tape whatever you can access) to a toothpick and delicately sand.

I also use modeling masking tape to isolate the rest of Prime's head from his faceplate. If you can unscrew it, all the better.

Afterwards i would airbrush it with a close matching paint color. Usually I use Tamiya acrylic X-11 Chrome Silver to give the whole plate an even color. If you don't have an airbrush, do you know of any friends who can lend one or help you out with the touchup?

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but nope.... I am not going to try to fix it.

I thought about this some more and I know the helmet is simply on a mushroom peg; should detach easily. I'm going to insist the retailer to send me a good helmet when I send them this one and a copy of the enclosed bill.

 

Ok an update ; retailer told me they already contacted supplier for replacement parts, but they haven't replied yet due to newyear....which leads me to think my retailer might have the same solution in mind as I have.
Awaiting further notice.....

Meanwhile, I still love my Hasbro PMOP as well....the only real issue I have with him is that his 'red' looks so pale.

 

And our wealth goes down down down