Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Welcome to my "Mini collection"

They might be small but they are good.. This is one case where size doesn't matter. Thanks to their petite sizes. we can packed them in small areas. Despite, thier sizes they are packed with great playability. And since they are small they look really exqusite. If you guys have been missing out. Try to get your hands on them. Their transformation greatly reflects that of their Original G1 counterparts.
The World smallest dinobots you seen here even when they are not authentic. I must say they are really good. They sure carry qualities of one. They are so well done. They deserve a post onf thier own, I should do it over the next few days. Be sure to check it out.
* disclaimer, I am not endorsing thier product neither do they pay me any commission but they are so good. I am proud and happy owner, Authentic or not. Why didn't Hasbro or Takara has such senses?





A glimpse of my Micromaster and minicon collections. Always like to have a huge pack of them.. like a whole pack of army ready for battle..


My little Cybertron I created sometime back but I have to demolish it to give space to my other collection. One day when I manage to find more space, Cybertron will be back, bigger and better.
And here's my vesion of scambled city.. I know its pathetic.. there is simply no space for the rest. I got these Knock offs combiners, Can say much for their playablilty but they sure are nice display pieces if you spend some effort touching up. If I manage to find some time, I am gonna repaint them and perhaps custom alittle to improve they articulation.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Now we return once again to TAKARA Interview

Different Measures Taken for Domestic and Overseas Versions
When you have the actual product in your hands, you certainly can feel the solid finish of die-cast parts. However, this is only available for domestic versions. Overseas versions use resins for the entire body, and there are some packaging differences as well. It is easy to understand that various options must be considered when it comes to developing a product for worldwide release. We asked for some concrete examples.

Shirakami: We use different materials; die-cast for domestic versions and polycarbonate for overseas versions. There is the obvious weight difference between those materials, but we use plastic parts to support them in both versions, so how we strengthen them without affecting the appearance or the function is very important. We discuss and experiment on a daily basis; such as trying to find places for some pieces where they can be hidden from view.In Japan, we make them durable by using hard die-cast parts, though polycarbonate is used in the overseas versions for the same parts, so the durability needs to be enhanced by the entire structure. Based on these variables, we work on the overall structure and the designs of each part to be used to their limit.

Kobayashi: We considered several cost-cutting ideas, such as making the interior part of the door and the clear part of the window a single piece. We have to share all the molds with Hasbro, save for the ones for die-cast pieces, so the matter of durability is vitally important.The ones I make in the trial stage are merely prototypes with many possibilities. You might say that they are full of a developer's hopefullness that they might be produced somehow. It's all thanks to Shirakami that they are made into the products we can release to the market.

Shirakami: For Kobayashi, Binaltechs are a "beautiful dream", but a person in charge at the factory is said to have called them "a nightmare". This is a well-known episode at the factory. Of course, it was said half-jokingly, but the people who actually manufacture [the toys] come across an extraordinary amount of problems.

Kobayashi: Personally, it's not always fun to create these toys, either. [Beginning of page 116] You could say that I have to reach deep inside my mind to create one; I have to reach my limit. I try my hardest and I ask that my production line does the same, hoping that we can both achieve the very best.

Shirakami: Simply put, it's a matter of cost. They [Hasbro] had a strategy to sell this item for under $20 and could not go over their budget. Also, overseas, solid-looking and expensive items aren't really expected from this sort of toyline. Their primary target age-group is usually grade school children, so I imagine that they considered plastic to be sufficient

Kobayashi: I've already mentioned that we share our molds with Hasbro, which also means that how loose or tight a joint can be is often determined by Hasbro's standards. If it was exclusively for Takara we could make it [tight enough] so that it doesn't come apart easily, but by overseas standards, a joint has to come off when excess force is applied to it. Due to our co-development, there are some points which we have to employ their way.


More of the interview will be posted over the next few days. If you guys are interested in getting the book. I have one on Sale here

Thursday, October 12, 2006

More updates (More pictures) from the Set of Transformers Movie


Now if this is Megatron, he looks bloody awesome.
Another shot of Bumble bee in Robot mode, but where's the legs ? I guess its just for the close up shots as many have suggested.
That is suppose to be bumble Bee' alternate mode. I am really hoping for a Beatle or atleast a mini.. not this..

Optimus Prime in action. Why in the Dessert? Any speculations?


And now back to the Transformers Interview.

Selection of Car Models and Permission of License

The first prototype Mr. Kobayashi produced for the Binaltech line was based on the character "Meister" [Jazz]. Mr. Kobayashi preferred to begin by making a design of what he personally would like to produce, but his plans hit a brick wall when it came to obtaining license permission from that actual car manufacturer. We asked him how he went about the product development; selecting car models and obtaining their licenses.

Kobayashi: Meister was made as an example for our discussion about manufacturing costs. We had applied for license permission just in case, but basically it was never meant to be. The Corvette we made next was under the supervision of Takashi Kunihiro, and we continued its development under the assumption we would be granted the license. However, at the very last stage, we were denied permission and were forced to store it away for the time being.Bumble [Bumblebee] was the character we made after that. We had planned for it to be both Bumble and Cliff [Cliffjumper], and even drew up blueprints and character designs. Unfortunately, by that stage we could not get the license as smoothly as we were hoping and had to store that design away too.For us, we had wanted to choose models according to the designs of the earlier lines, but in reality, we often weren't able to. We understand that many of the fans were disappointed, but then, so were we. There was even a case where we were given permission verbally but were told "No" at the very last minute, right after we'd finished the prototype. There were numerous difficulties.


This is the first Transformer Mr. Kobayashi produced; "Speedbreaker", one of the Car Robo Brothers from "Car Robots". It was widely praised for being a realistic-looking car that also transformed into a fully articulated and well-proportioned robot ( As can be seen on the picture above)


The reasons they are denied licenses differ depending on the manufacturers. For starters, they often do not understand the concept of the Transformers. Despite Mr. Kobayashi's confidence, the points which the car manufacturers took into consideration were apparently far stricter. [Beginning of page 115]Kobayashi: When we show them a model we have made, we receive some very minute advice, such as "the shape here looks different" or "the curve there is wrong". After all, they make the real cars, inspect their styles and details very closely and consider those important; so I understand that even though we think we've done everything we can to reproduce the car, there are still some details that they won't be satisfied with.In some cases, we have asked them to take a look at our prototypes after we've corrected their fenderlines and such. Sometimes we received approval after the alterations, other times we receive yet another rejection. Once we were rejected because of a small plug-hole on the roof; though, once we explained that it was crucial for a transformation gimmick, they understood. There are various measures we take, and various reactions from them.

Friday, October 06, 2006


Michael Bay Speaks.............
Everyday, more updates and news about the Transfromers movies secret are slowly let out. Today we hear from the man himself. http://iesb.net/index.php?option=com_d4j_ezine&task=read&page=1&category=1&article=491&Itemid=28 .

1. We know that Transformers has finished Shooting Last night.. Yes!!
2. There will also be a thousands of moving parts when Robot transform.
(Just like how "transformers" transformed into "7.4.7" in the movie teaser)

A big disaster movie heading our way .. I can sense it the Decepticons are coming

Is that Energon he is holding? Images are from .http://www.shootfortheedit.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1100
More updates on The Transformers movie. More images of the movie are surfacing. News are flooding in. Make no mistakes, the Transformers are coming and strong..

Wednesday, October 04, 2006


Huge updates on Transformers Movie

Is that a Decepticon, What was the alternate mode of Megatron again? A Tank i would risk guessing. Wow I cant wait for The Transformers Movie.



From what Jay has posted, this set to be one of the biggest disaster movie in 2007, with pedestrians running frantically.. Car overturned and smashing into one another. I could imagine the chaos the decepticons are causing, Stomping and flipping any automobile along the way. Perhaps in the effort to force the autobot out of their disguise..( reminiscing scene in Masterforce)

And he was semi suspended by the use of a Crane. I would speculate that He is probably like Huge puppet with Cranes to maneuver his movement. That should applies to all other Transformers characters in the movie.
Huge updates on the Transformers Movie , Thanks to Jay from www.thejay.com he has just posted a huge load of updates on the movie with close up on the "depressing Bumblebee."

Remember to check up the movie clips here http://www.thejay.com/2006/10/03/thejaycom-exclusive

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Now we return to the Transformers interview.....

Selection of Car Models and Permission of License
The first prototype Mr. Kobayashi produced for the Binaltech line was based on the character "Meister" [Jazz]. Mr. Kobayashi preferred to begin by making a design of what he personally would like to produce, but his plans hit a brick wall when it came to obtaining license permission from that actual car manufacturer. We asked him how he went about the product development; selecting car models and obtaining their licenses.Kobayashi: Meister was made as an example for our discussion about manufacturing costs. We had applied for license permission just in case, but basically it was never meant to be. The Corvette we made next was under the supervision of Takashi Kunihiro, and we continued its development under the assumption we would be granted the license. However, at the very last stage, we were denied permission and were forced to store it away for the time being.Bumble [Bumblebee] was the character we made after that. We had planned for it to be both Bumble and Cliff [Cliffjumper], and even drew up blueprints and character designs. Unfortunately, by that stage we could not get the license as smoothly as we were hoping and had to store that design away too.For us, we had wanted to choose models according to the designs of the earlier lines, but in reality, we often weren't able to. We understand that many of the fans were disappointed, but then, so were we. There was even a case where we were given permission verbally but were told "No" at the very last minute, right after we'd finished the prototype. There were numerous difficulties.





Transformers interview will return after this messages..


I have been traveling back in time to re-live my childhood, thanks to artifact of the past. As a child, I never could afford many Transformers, being one of the pricest toys. But I did afford a few. And managed to own a couple of those transformers catalogs. Which I browse through them over and over again. Dreaming each day how it would be like if I could have them. Figuring out how they transformed. And thanks to the marvel of internet, Cyberworld, they world was made smaller. And in particular, Yahoo Japan auction. And site like this http://www.abidko.com/ that helped me buy what I have always wanted. What I been dreaming as a child.
As work and studies get stressful. One would often seek relief and moment of tranquility and escape in our childhood, where life was less demanding, less stressful, more carefree, more innocent. While time machines has yet to be invented. Internet has.

Through these toys, I found joy. I found tranquility, and for a moment I was a child again. All these will not be possible if I haven't found Japan Yahoo Auction.

Thanks to such wonderful services, I am a proud owner of some of the toys I have always wanted. Here's a sneak peek of what I have. I will be showing more of it in time to come.

Thank you for your attention.

Monday, October 02, 2006

Takara interview on Transformers Binatech Part II

The project began with differing intentions between Japan and America.
The new Binaltech series was born out of a combination of Japanese and American ideas. Of course, not all the ideas meshed well with one another at first. Mr. Kobayashi, who is in charge of development, describes the process in which they reached a compromise.Kobayashi: Our company [Takara] co-develops with Hasbro Inc. in the United States (Hasbro henceforth), and they first contacted us with the desire to create a line aimed at a generation between children and adults. Hasbro's original idea at that time was that realistic-looking cars would be an instant success, so why not obtain licenses from the actual car manufacturers?Our company, on the other hand, also had a long-standing idea; to remake the toys from our early days. The challenge for Takara was that we wanted to design them with precise reproductions of the car's interior, and with a complicated transformation. Both Hasbro's and Takara's ideas and wishes came together nicely, and we decided to begin the development of the new series.However, Hasbro's initial concept was for something along the size of the "Transformers Car Robot" series that ran in 2000, with simpler transformations. So we relayed our ideas to them, and Binaltech was the result of our discussion.

The first Transformer Mr. Kobayashi undertook was a character named "Speedbreaker", who appeared in the "Car Robot" series. Speedbreaker was one of the "Car Robo Trio" (the three Car Robot Brothers); a realistic car, not unlike a Dodge Viper, that transformed into a fully articulated robot. Speedbreaker's size was approximately 1/32 scale, and while being compact, was popular as a well-proportioned toy in both vehicle and robot modes. However, Kobayashi himself says it was an item which left him with some regrets.Kobayashi: The characters who turn into cars are many times more difficult to create than characters who turn in animals, because they need to have distinct appearances. I had no option but to create Speedbreaker with an asymmetrical design, and I continually doubted whether that would make his robot mode look appealing. I had always thought that a symmetrical design would have been much cooler. So, I for one was very excited to finally turn that into a reality with the Binaltechs.


Thus the project began around 2001 and 2002. The first thing to accomplish was to calculate costs. After that, discussions were begun over the approximate size of the toys, number of parts and their materials. In regards to development and costs, there were more restrictions than with earlier lines; in fact, there were many hardships.Kobayashi: First and foremost, our people calculated the essential costs. Hasbro also had their own estimated costs, and as we talked it over, we eventually settled on a 1/24 scale; which is a standard scale for model cars.After years of experience with products like these, we had a pretty good grasp on the relationship between size and cost. [Beginning of page 114] So initially, we thought that the 1/24 scale would not be possible. However, Hasbro had already been planning for the cost of a 1/24 scale, so that left us to take a completely different view; to think up clever transformations as well as reproductions of the interiors with the least essential number of parts. We thought of potential problems and how to solve them.Shirakami: Binaltechs are larger in size than our earlier toys, and the standards of toy production are different now than they were at the time; considerably more strict. There is less freedom in what we can recreate with this scale. You might think that ensuring the clearance, durability, and such is easier than before, since [a toy is] bigger, but in fact, it's more difficult.Kobayashi: I remember what the employee who made the prototype said; that he couldn't have made it if it wasn't that size. Apparently, that size was the smallest possible scale to reproduce the clearance of each part.Shirakami: I, myself, was worried over how I could put Kobayashi's ideas and prototypes into actual production. I heard that the vendors in China who were in charge of production let out a cry of frustration.Kobayashi: And from Takara's point of view, there was the idea that a smaller scale might be a better option. We suggested to Hasbro a 1/32 scale, but by that time, they told us that unless it were a 1/24 scale at the very least, it wouldn't garner much attention among other merchandise on American shelves. That was the final reason we needed to settle on that size. That also had bearing on later decisions, like using die-cast parts in Japan.The first prototype utilized several ball-joints in order to allow a very complex transformation and create a cool-looking robot. The inalterable portions of the vehicle mode, such as the width of the car or the tires, were taken into consideration to achieve our goal of the best-looking robot mode possible. We even attempted to fit a glittering Spark, the soul of a Transformer, into the hood as one of our details. However, that didn't align with Hasbro's estimated costs and was thus the first thing to be taken off to secure clearance for the transformation.Shirakami: Hasbro has always been keeping a stance of "the cost is the priority". There is a set price first, then we need to produce a toy within the range of that budget. In Japan, we might consider increasing the budget a bit, as we believe a better product will yield better sales. However, in America, they do not think that way. So to meet that standard, we made several sacrifices, such as lessening the parts and simplifying the structures.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

The Takara interview (translation)
The Track to Binaltech Creation

On the Eve of the New Development
Among the numerous Transformer toylines, Binaltechs stand out prominently thanks to their realistic appearance and complicated designs. From their initial release in 2003 to today, a wide range of products have been released. Yet, despite being more expensive than other toys, the line has maintained impressive sales figures.During developement of the new series, there were some conflicts of interest, yet gradually they settled on a single course of action: The decision to obtain licenses from actual automobile manufacturers, complicated transformations never before imagined, and a set of characters to go with them. We asked those employees of Takara if they would tell us about these various factors as well as the origin of the series, the events that transpired, the hardships of development and the production of the toyline.

- Takara Inc., Aoto, Tokyo, December 27, 2004.

Takara Interview.

It is to me, that the designers, sculpter sand the guys behind transformation sequence of each Transformer Character that earn my utmost respect. They are to me the real genius. Of cos Character creation breath life to each characters. However, in the Binatech / Alternator Toyline. It was solely the Toy Designs that win the hearts of many Tranformers collectors. And introduced the world of Transformers to those who previously thought that they are only toys for the kids in the 80s.

Binatechs / Alternators have been such a wonderful line that it becomes one of the most popular and long lasting toylines ever. First introduced in 2002 it has enjoyed immense success and remain to be one of the most sort after Transformers. And we remain to be one of the most anticipated toyline.

Takara used to release them with Die Cast parts ( Yes, Die Cast when most those that it was a lost technology) However, this was no longer the case when Tomy Took over.. YES, Tomy is destroying Transformers .................

We let us go back to the God Old Days

A couple of years back, a wonderful book called the Complete guide to Binatech was released at the Peak of its' popularity. Unfortunately it was in Japanese. A kind soul translates one of the most important interview (in my opinion) in Transformers history to English making it comprehensive and informative. In this article we were given insights to the path of Binatech creations and many more. And I would share this article with those who are interested, missed it or those who wish to read it all over again.

As it is a long article, I will post them over several days.