A couple of months from now, when they announce a TakaraTomy Mall Land Maneuver Dia battles, with extra parts and done in the colors everyone had been expecting
Necronomitron
@necronomitron.bsky.social
The Book of Dead Robots. Transformers Generation Zero historian. Pre-Transformers / Takara SF Land information & translated documents.
Here’s how the Diaclone Battle Convoy V-Max base looks, fully staffed. There are over 100 Dianauts in the first picture, it came with considerably fewer. I didn’t have enough white butcher paper for the background, so please enjoy the awful carpet in the library where I covertly assembled this.
Here’s how the Diaclone Battle Convoy base looks, fully staffed (I’m using an Optimus Prime). There are 19 Dianauts in the first picture, but it only came with 3. Originally “Battle Convoy” was the name of the entire playset, while the robot was “Convoy Robo”. Now, the term is interchangeable.
(Rerun from old account) The first transforming robots Diaclone design chief Motoki Takaya designed were Dai Atlas, Sonic Bomber, and Roadfire, for Transformers Z (1990). In the book “Takara SF Land Evolution”, he explains how they were inspired by Diaclone and later, vice versa.
Being set decades after the vintage series, the modern Diaclone line avoids slavish reproductions, opting to emulate the design language, instead. They didn’t use the exact same mech for 40 years, but the new one looks like it was made by the same people. Here’s Sky Carrier, compared to Sky Base.
(From the old account) In 1982, Knickerbocker and Bandai were in talks to import Machine Robo. It fell apart when Knickerbocker's parent company, Warner Comminications, vetoed the deal. If Warner was looking to sell Knockerbocker at the time, a long term deal with Bandai may have complicated that.
I noticed everyone takes the same pictures of Robot Base, with a static, almost wiki-esque pose. As a consequence, here’s something very simple which shouldn’t be mind-blowing, but probably is. Surprise.
Having extremely niche interests involves a lot of showing someone a very ordinary-looking object, and saying “take my word, this is incredibly impressive”.
There’s a Japanese joke I use as an example of how bad machine translation can be at comedy manga. “What is a panda's favorite food? It’s bread!” The Japanese word for bread is “pan”, and “da” is an exclamation, so “panda” sounds like you’re excitedly saying “bread!”
@oritech.bsky.social 巨大ロボG-1はキットバッシングで作られたと思いますか？ほとんどの部分は粘土のように非常に粗い質感だが、疑わしい箇所では市販品のように滑らかになっている。その拳はジャンボマシンダーから来る拳に似ている。頭部は見覚えがありません。
In the last dozen or so years, you could go to a dollar store and buy a knock off Gats Blocker with five plastic Dianauts, in a package covered with distressingly modern Transformers ..twice
Two attempts to deal with problematic artwork, for a retro re-release. Bring them out of the kitchen, or just put up a wall and seal them inside, like the Cask of Amontillado.
One of the bonuses of tracking down vintage manga, is they usually come with great old Takara SF Land advertisements, and the figures in them often use prototype or early production parts. Today, let’s party like it’s Skullbrain and enjoy an avalanche of vintage ads, in no particular order. 1/5
Hasbro made several changes to the Diaclone Car Robots molds for Transformers. Sometimes it was strengthening easily-broken parts, which is appreciated. Unfortunately, there could be consequences, and some figures lost functionality, like Car Robot No.2 Onebox Cherry Vanette, AKA Ironhide/Ratchet.
1971 G.I. Joe: The Most Wicked Company manga, by Mikiya Mochizuki During the war, the sound effects for the different armies are in their own languages. While visually striking, these were unfortunately transliterations of Japanese sound effects, leading to cultural disconnect for a native speaker.
“Guts: Eject. Operation: I’m friggin’ dead.” It’s surprising how many of the one shot Transformers manga felt no compunction about graphically murdering important Decepticons
It might be the joke Diaclone manga for little babies, but I genuinely think this tactic of rapidly un-combining to avoid an attack, then re-combining behind the enemy is brilliant.
“John Henry was a Steel Drivin’ Man”, but it’s just human translators adding more and more cultural context notes
As mail order figures, the Transformers Omnibots didn’t have individual box art. However, they did for their original release as the Diaclone Double Changers. That art was used to piece together this image from the catalog… for the most part. For some reason, Savanna RX-7 ironically got the shaft.
The common narrative is that smaller action figures were necessary, because it’s just too hard to make vehicles and playsets for 12 inch figures. What’s frustrating, is how easily disproven this is. Barbie’s had over 100 cars, and a new dream house every 2 to 3 years, for the last six decades.
Please enjoy a visual metaphor for why I’m not a fan of Devastator using a gun
This image from a Diaclone catalog is popular for showing an early prototype of Battle Convoy Overlooked is the fact that he has a completely different name in the photo Here, the toy is called “No. 17 Trailer Base”. Only a later spread with the final toy, would use the name “No.17 Battle Convoy”
Diaclone the Great Robot Base I can think of one or two fans who would cringe over being this cavalier with the most fragile parts of Robot Base, but it’s important to keep in mind: 1. I have the hands of a surgeon, and 2. Risks must be made for the science of “this is what the thing looks like”
On paper, I am very familiar with the size of a Microman figure. Theoretically, there should be no reason whatever to mentally readjust from seeing the stock photos, to having the item in hand. ….
You’re probably familiar with View-Masters (which are just a kid-version of the Victorian stereoscope). Transformers of course had View-Master reels, and they’re not very difficult to scan. If you tear a View-Master reel open, it is just film glued to paper, and film scanners are readily available
The way Takara SF Land toy lines worked wasn’t spin-offs, as much as “trying to capture a different market” Giant robots were popular, they made Diaclone. Microman moved away from interchangeability, they made Blockman Timanic was designed as serious science fiction, for kids who outgrew Microman
The 2024 McDonald’s Changeables Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover is a real thing that happened. They were ¥3,900, not free in a Happy Meal. Unfortunately, this makes it harder to give them to your traumatized son, and force him to play with them as you glare unapprovingly.
Necronomitron@necronomitron.bsky.social · 6mo agoThey’re nice and all, but it’s honestly a step down from the 2024 Evangelion McDonald’s Changeables
The original patent for Punch-Counterpunch confirms the fan theory that the figure was designed to use the leg transformation which would result in a shorter Autobot. This transformation also makes Punch’s stubby little arms proportionate.
