Dunno if this is too much to ask, but would someone be able to photoshop MP Raiden’s combined mode with CW Devy and Legacy Menasor to have a rough estimation of his height compared to those 2? I’m curious how he’ll stack up to those 2 in particular.

 

I have a question for anyone with any of these in hand.

I listen to RFC and those guys are dragging these through the mud. They describe them as absolute trash. They have them in hand though, so that makes it carry some weight. So I was glad I hadn't bought any of them. I don't collect MP, but my dad likes trains and has an HO scale layout. These would scale with that and would therefore be a fun way to honor my Dad's hobby in my collection ( I grew up with his train obsession, so there's nostalgia there ).

Then I listened to the Triple Takeover podcast and those guys are GUSHING over them. They talk like they were the best Transformers to come out last year. That makes me want to buy them. But then RFC puts them on the worst of the year list on their show.

So what's the truth? Are they fiddly messes that are difficult to transform, or are they gloriously well engineered marvels that shouldn't be passed up?

 

As with most things, somewhere in between.

 

Based on the info that Raiden is ~30cm height, he'll be closer in height to Legacy Menasor (at about 12" ht). CW Devy is about 18", so a fair bit larger.

They are far from trash, but maybe not worthy of the pedestal that others put them on. Overall, I'd say they are well engineered and are fairly fluid in transformation. But they are MP TFs and as such, they should be handled with some care and attention. They are not kid's toys by any means that can just be thrown around with impunity.
Imo, they are great figures with fantastic alt modes and good engineering.

 

Thanks! Was debating on if I should get a CW Devy to go along with this Raiden though it does seem like he’d be too big for him. Then again it doesn’t seem like Hasbro will be remaking Devs anytime soon so I might just have to bouts the bullet on him before he goes crazy with his prices again.

 

New Yukikaze in hand pics. With pics of the instructions showing Raiden head storage in train mode.

【图片】买的快货到了【变形金刚玩具吧】_百度贴吧

 

And storage in robot mode it seems! I love the "no loose combiner parts" ethic this set is going for. Can't wait for yukikaze next month

 

Woah, the way the Raiden combined head stores up is ingenious! Thanks for the update. Yukikaze looks awesome.

 

Yes, we've seen the combiner head stored under Yukikaze's backpack in stock pics so not a surprise here. The location of the combiner head in train mode was not confirmed before this.

Now we know it part forms between modes. Removed from inside the back of the train in alt mode and placed under the backpack/train head in bot mode.

 

I just looked back at pictures and you're right. I originally thought the orange on his back was the combined knee joint somehow even though I knew that was in yukikaze's legs

 

As HO scale detailed trains, especially the sheer model-level accuracy, and that's where you dad's passion/hobby/interests lie, it's a no-brainer to get these Trainbots. Assuming he'll be keeping them in train mode forever, they scale well with HO backdrops/dioramas as shown in the promo pics by Takara...

 

That's why I said it was ingenious. Also, the original G1 Raiden Trainbot combiner head was with Kaen. Not Yukikaze.

 

I love trains as well, and listen to Triple Takeover. Those guys also really love trains and are also into Diaclone stuff, so I think that's why they're gushing over them. To have these in hand is really to marvel at how good of a model they are, yet they somehow manage to transform into a robot. Both Shouki and Getsuei have tricky, but not difficult transformations. I wouldn't say they're intuitive, especially with the problems people have had with Getsuei's legs.

But in short, if you love trains, get them. They're gorgeous.

 

This x 100

 

Just some @$$hats which all of us will encounter some point in our lives so you need to stop paying attention(s) to them.

Dude is probably delusional in thinking he has people on his ignore list only...While he doesn't know that there's 3 times more people whom have put him on theirs.    

 

With two of the trainbots in hand I can say the toys have definitely some good aspects. They are nicely painted and they have interesting engineering. They also look stunning in train mode. Plus they have good articulation. And while the transformation is not as streamlined as it could be it is a lot better than some 3rd party offerings.

They also have severe drawbacks. In my opinion mostly because they are triple changers with perfectly scaled alt-modes. They also sport more kibble than they ought to and have some odd proportions.

Their transformations are also not fun and straightforward (in the way that a mainline toy is). For example you can break Getsuei's leg panels if you don’t follow the order of transformation and force the movement of parts.

Because they are perfectly in scale they have different gauge sizes, like the real trains so it is difficult (or impossible, I’m not a model train guy) to put them on real HO tracks. Plus their bogies don’t turn so it would have to be a straight section of tracks anyway.

Also, from what I can tell, the combined mode seems like a mess. The shoulder ratchets on Shouki seems too weak for the arms. In general the articulation doesn’t seem to be too great in combined form. For example the knees arm movement seems pretty limited. But since the combiner is not complete there is not final verdict.

So if you adore how the trains look and you want to have a shelf with all of them in a row on the train tracks they come with and you like the thought that they look like model trains but are actually Transformers they might be worth it for you. Plus they all come in train mode so you won’t have to transform them.

If you are mostly into mainline toys and like to handle your toys (like most of the RFC guys) they might not be for you.

If your somewhere in the middle you need to decide if the drawbacks are worth the high price point.

For me I’m in the last bracket and I’m curious how the first MP combiner will look like. But I have the nagging feeling in my head that I’m wasting my money on them.

 

Yukikaze is probably the only Trainbot I'm getting if someone does a KO version of him.

 

It looks like Yukikaze uses solid plastic panels with separate clear parts for the windows. I wonder if this improvement is due to criticism of clear plastic on the first two.

 

As every MP, they starts with a detailed real alt mode. Transformation is easy, until now, but not really intuitive and has a pair of scary parts, but nothing trascendental.
For the robot, it's up to you if you like or not them. The extra kibble are fisiological ( settei and form changing). Quality wise they are more than valid, and decently articulated. Scaled with other MP in robot form, not in combined form. Then if you like the robot, the kibble, etc etc it's up to you. I can Say that if you like what you see, they're more than valid

 

Doubt that hugely, that takes extensive redesign. Getsuei uses inserts and is considerably more fragile and Shouki who uses clear pieces.