Additional Images of Encore Twincast and Soundblaster
Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 2:02PM CST
Category: Toy NewsPosted by: El Duque Views: 36,369
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Each reissue also comes with two new cassette repaints with reassigned weapons. Nightstalker and Stripes for Twincast. Enemy and Wing Thing for Soundblaster. Images mirrored below.
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Posted by Mkall on February 23rd, 2012 @ 2:08pm CST
Posted by Seibertron on February 23rd, 2012 @ 2:24pm CST
Action Master Soundwave and Wing Thing ... my camera's looking at you!
Posted by Midnight_Fox on February 23rd, 2012 @ 2:34pm CST
Mkall wrote:I just want the cassettes!
You and me both. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about dropping my pre-order and just going shopping with the money set aside for this but for those cassettes!
Posted by Tigertrack on February 23rd, 2012 @ 2:35pm CST
Posted by Nemesis Destron on February 23rd, 2012 @ 2:42pm CST
Midnight_Fox wrote:Mkall wrote:I just want the cassettes!
You and me both. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about dropping my pre-order and just going shopping with the money set aside for this but for those cassettes!
It would be awesome if they put out a cassette 4 pack as they have done in the past. Which is about time that they did another set featuring these 4...c'mon Takomy you can do it!
Posted by Seibertron on February 23rd, 2012 @ 4:08pm CST
Nemesis Destron wrote:Midnight_Fox wrote:Mkall wrote:I just want the cassettes!
You and me both. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about dropping my pre-order and just going shopping with the money set aside for this but for those cassettes!
It would be awesome if they put out a cassette 4 pack as they have done in the past. Which is about time that they did another set featuring these 4...c'mon Takomy you can do it!
They won't do that. These sets are designed this way so that people who already own Twincast and Soundblaster will buy them for these cassettes. That's the big draw and how they can continue to profit from molds that have been released multiple times over the past decade.
Posted by Nemesis Destron on February 23rd, 2012 @ 5:30pm CST
Seibertron wrote:Nemesis Destron wrote:Midnight_Fox wrote:Mkall wrote:I just want the cassettes!
You and me both. I can't tell you how many times I've thought about dropping my pre-order and just going shopping with the money set aside for this but for those cassettes!
It would be awesome if they put out a cassette 4 pack as they have done in the past. Which is about time that they did another set featuring these 4...c'mon Takomy you can do it!
They won't do that. These sets are designed this way so that people who already own Twincast and Soundblaster will buy them for these cassettes. That's the big draw and how they can continue to profit from molds that have been released multiple times over the past decade.
And the reality is these will sell just for those alone.
Posted by Stormrider on February 23rd, 2012 @ 7:24pm CST
Posted by Bouncy X on February 23rd, 2012 @ 7:49pm CST
Posted by Rated X on February 23rd, 2012 @ 8:41pm CST
Posted by Bumblevivisector on February 23rd, 2012 @ 10:39pm CST
Bouncy X wrote:excuse my lack of uber hardcore transformers knowledge but...who the hell are these guys? i mean its clearly repainted Blaster and Soundwave toys but they have different names. so are these what those characters are known by in japan and if so, did they appear with these names and color schemes on the japanese cartoons and/or comics or something?
I haven't seen all of Headmasters yet, but in the second episode, Blaster (J-name Broadcast) and Soundwave more or less kill each other, only to be rebuilt in more powerful bodies, renamed Twincast and Soundblaster respectively, in episode 4. While previous releases have stayed pretty true to their original toys, these have apparently been repainted to be more accurate to their anime likenesses, to make cassette fans who already got them (myself included) feel less like we're double dipping. If you're a cassette completist, you really do need the earlier Twincast to get Flipsides too, despite her close resemblance to Rosanna...yeah, I was doomed to shell out for these guys no matter what.
The cassettes are each a much longer story: the 'Bots are characters so obscure that they've only gotten text mentions without a single drawing, and the 'Cons have both technically had toys before, just not the proper ones they deserved. Just punch in Stripes, Nightstalker, Wingthing, and Enemy on the TF Wiki.
Posted by fenrir72 on February 23rd, 2012 @ 10:46pm CST
I hope QC is equally good.
Posted by Bouncy X on February 23rd, 2012 @ 11:43pm CST
Bumblevivisector wrote:Bouncy X wrote:excuse my lack of uber hardcore transformers knowledge but...who the hell are these guys? i mean its clearly repainted Blaster and Soundwave toys but they have different names. so are these what those characters are known by in japan and if so, did they appear with these names and color schemes on the japanese cartoons and/or comics or something?
I haven't seen all of Headmasters yet, but in the second episode, Blaster (J-name Broadcast) and Soundwave more or less kill each other, only to be rebuilt in more powerful bodies, renamed Twincast and Soundblaster respectively, in episode 4. While previous releases have stayed pretty true to their original toys, these have apparently been repainted to be more accurate to their anime likenesses, to make cassette fans who already got them (myself included) feel less like we're double dipping. If you're a cassette completist, you really do need the earlier Twincast to get Flipsides too, despite her close resemblance to Rosanna...yeah, I was doomed to shell out for these guys no matter what.
The cassettes are each a much longer story: the 'Bots are characters so obscure that they've only gotten text mentions without a single drawing, and the 'Cons have both technically had toys before, just not the proper ones they deserved. Just punch in Stripes, Nightstalker, Wingthing, and Enemy on the TF Wiki.
well thank you for the detailed answer. can't believe it took japan to get a proper Blaster vs. Soundwave fight....figures.
Posted by RhA on February 24th, 2012 @ 2:18am CST
Bouncy X wrote:Bumblevivisector wrote:Bouncy X wrote:excuse my lack of uber hardcore transformers knowledge but...who the hell are these guys? i mean its clearly repainted Blaster and Soundwave toys but they have different names. so are these what those characters are known by in japan and if so, did they appear with these names and color schemes on the japanese cartoons and/or comics or something?
I haven't seen all of Headmasters yet, but in the second episode, Blaster (J-name Broadcast) and Soundwave more or less kill each other, only to be rebuilt in more powerful bodies, renamed Twincast and Soundblaster respectively, in episode 4. While previous releases have stayed pretty true to their original toys, these have apparently been repainted to be more accurate to their anime likenesses, to make cassette fans who already got them (myself included) feel less like we're double dipping. If you're a cassette completist, you really do need the earlier Twincast to get Flipsides too, despite her close resemblance to Rosanna...yeah, I was doomed to shell out for these guys no matter what.
The cassettes are each a much longer story: the 'Bots are characters so obscure that they've only gotten text mentions without a single drawing, and the 'Cons have both technically had toys before, just not the proper ones they deserved. Just punch in Stripes, Nightstalker, Wingthing, and Enemy on the TF Wiki.
well thank you for the detailed answer. can't believe it took japan to get a proper Blaster vs. Soundwave fight....figures.
The Headmasters has great moments, followed by great boredom... Worth a shot, I'd say.
Plus, Blaster looks awesome in blue.
Posted by Stockade on February 24th, 2012 @ 10:14am CST
Posted by El Duque on February 24th, 2012 @ 10:50pm CST
Posted by Stormrider on February 24th, 2012 @ 10:59pm CST
Posted by dedcat on February 24th, 2012 @ 11:29pm CST
Posted by MINDVVIPE on February 24th, 2012 @ 11:36pm CST
Posted by Rated X on February 24th, 2012 @ 11:42pm CST
And whats up with those stupid looking pink robot stickers on the cassettes ??? They look aweful and cover the proper image of the "tape reels" that should be on the center of each cassette ??? There better be tape reels underneath them because I am seriously considering taking that pink s**t off...
Posted by Heckfire on February 24th, 2012 @ 11:52pm CST
...I've actually been using Cybertron Sideways as my repurposed "Neo-G1" Wingthing. Makes sense, Ratbat is a redeco of him, and he's the same colors as the Action Master beastie after all.
Posted by Kung Fu Man on February 25th, 2012 @ 12:20am CST
On the flipside, I'm okay with Twincast since I'm not after his other tapes in any form.
Posted by Seibertron on February 25th, 2012 @ 12:22am CST
Rated X wrote:Is there a reason why Soundblaster's volume dial is missing ???
And whats up with those stupid looking pink robot stickers on the cassettes ??? They look aweful and cover the proper image of the "tape reels" that should be on the center of each cassette ??? There better be tape reels underneath them because I am seriously considering taking that pink s**t off...
Those "stupid looking pink robot stickers" are the stickers that came on Buzzsaw and Steeljaw when they came with the original versions of Soundblaster and Twincast way back in 1987. The reissues have followed suit I believe on all of the cassettes that have come with them if I recall correctly. The "robots" are Fortress Maximus and Scorponok if you look closely. When you insert the cassettes into the chests of Soundblaster or Twincast, it reveals the weakspots (acting in a similar fashion to the tech spec decoders. It's actually pretty cool, and awesome, that they have continued on with this tradition.
Posted by El Duque on February 25th, 2012 @ 1:11am CST
Posted by Kung Fu Man on February 25th, 2012 @ 1:39am CST
Posted by RhA on February 25th, 2012 @ 1:41am CST
Seibertron wrote:Rated X wrote:Is there a reason why Soundblaster's volume dial is missing ???
And whats up with those stupid looking pink robot stickers on the cassettes ??? They look aweful and cover the proper image of the "tape reels" that should be on the center of each cassette ??? There better be tape reels underneath them because I am seriously considering taking that pink s**t off...
Those "stupid looking pink robot stickers" are the stickers that came on Buzzsaw and Steeljaw when they came with the original versions of Soundblaster and Twincast way back in 1987. The reissues have followed suit I believe on all of the cassettes that have come with them if I recall correctly. The "robots" are Fortress Maximus and Scorponok if you look closely. When you insert the cassettes into the chests of Soundblaster or Twincast, it reveals the weakspots (acting in a similar fashion to the tech spec decoders. It's actually pretty cool, and awesome, that they have continued on with this tradition.
And here I was with my book reissue Ravage wondering why the bloody hell he's got Fort Max on his side. I'm totally checking this out asap.
Posted by Rated X on February 25th, 2012 @ 2:05am CST
Seibertron wrote:Rated X wrote:Is there a reason why Soundblaster's volume dial is missing ???
And whats up with those stupid looking pink robot stickers on the cassettes ??? They look aweful and cover the proper image of the "tape reels" that should be on the center of each cassette ??? There better be tape reels underneath them because I am seriously considering taking that pink s**t off...
Those "stupid looking pink robot stickers" are the stickers that came on Buzzsaw and Steeljaw when they came with the original versions of Soundblaster and Twincast way back in 1987. The reissues have followed suit I believe on all of the cassettes that have come with them if I recall correctly. The "robots" are Fortress Maximus and Scorponok if you look closely. When you insert the cassettes into the chests of Soundblaster or Twincast, it reveals the weakspots (acting in a similar fashion to the tech spec decoders. It's actually pretty cool, and awesome, that they have continued on with this tradition.
Interesting, I didnt know that. Sounds cool, Ill give it a shot. But it doesnt help the cassette modes very much I must admit. Also, why did they take away the volume dial on his side and leave an empty slot ??? For $70 I didnt expect them to get lazy...
Posted by fenrir72 on February 25th, 2012 @ 3:35am CST
And either it's a quality control issue, aside from the onus to get the new cassettes, Soundblaster is even worst!
No volume dial or on and off switch............wtf?! At the price range they charge, they had to cut off those parts? Please, let this be a QC issue and not a general trend........hopefully this does not happen to Sixshot!
And the new paint apps on his visor, why'd they have to smudge the silver all over until his red optics? Tomy...........what were you thinking?
Though it seems to be a mixed bag with the decal to stamp graphed shift. Look at his shins, the "blue strip" that initially encircled the entire part is now just relegate to a small spot.
It may have been providence that Soundblaster got sold out from my primary Japanese source........no regrets in missing the boat. If a second release will be contemplated I'll consider getting one.
For now, my TFC and E-hobby versions are more than enough.
Posted by Rated X on February 25th, 2012 @ 8:59am CST
fenrir72 wrote:Tomy also changed Twincast's chest chamber mold.....he no longer has that circuit board like pattern. Was the old mold from the E-hobby release lost already?
And either it's a quality control issue, aside from the onus to get the new cassettes, Soundblaster is even worst!
No volume dial or on and off switch............wtf?! At the price range they charge, they had to cut off those parts? Please, let this be a QC issue and not a general trend........hopefully this does not happen to Sixshot!
And the new paint apps on his visor, why'd they have to smudge the silver all over until his red optics? Tomy...........what were you thinking?
Though it seems to be a mixed bag with the decal to stamp graphed shift. Look at his shins, the "blue strip" that initially encircled the entire part is now just relegate to a small spot.
It may have been providence that Soundblaster got sold out from my primary Japanese source........no regrets in missing the boat. If a second release will be contemplated I'll consider getting one.
For now, my TFC and E-hobby versions are more than enough.
Maybe I can buy a junk soundwave to get the dial ans switch. And some reprolabels if I have to remove any decals to get to the screws.
Posted by Seibertron on February 25th, 2012 @ 10:10am CST
Rated X wrote:Maybe I can buy a junk soundwave to get the dial ans switch. And some reprolabels if I have to remove any decals to get to the screws.
No need to do that. Just go buy some lighter fluid (i.e. Zippo), pour a little on the sticker, let it sit for a few minutes, and it loosens up the sticker's adhesive enough so that the sticker easily peels off (which you need to very carefully do to avoid ripping the sticker). Lighter fluid evaporates very quickly so it doesn't cause any damage to the figure or sticker. Once you've done what you need to do, you just re-apply the sticker. Works like a charm. Been doing this for over a year now.
This technique also works on those extremely annoying price tags without causing any damage to the box. Some times it looks like the lighter fluid might have stained the box, but it goes away in a few minutes after it dries. Works on vintage stuff as well as new toys. Just be careful!
Posted by MightyMagnus78 on February 25th, 2012 @ 3:46pm CST
Posted by horus on February 25th, 2012 @ 4:11pm CST
Seibertron wrote:Rated X wrote:Maybe I can buy a junk soundwave to get the dial ans switch. And some reprolabels if I have to remove any decals to get to the screws.
No need to do that. Just go buy some lighter fluid (i.e. Zippo), pour a little on the sticker, let it sit for a few minutes, and it loosens up the sticker's adhesive enough so that the sticker easily peels off (which you need to very carefully do to avoid ripping the sticker). Lighter fluid evaporates very quickly so it doesn't cause any damage to the figure or sticker. Once you've done what you need to do, you just re-apply the sticker. Works like a charm. Been doing this for over a year now.
This technique also works on those extremely annoying price tags without causing any damage to the box. Some times it looks like the lighter fluid might have stained the box, but it goes away in a few minutes after it dries. Works on vintage stuff as well as new toys. Just be careful!
awesome tip!
already have a junker Soundwave here all i need is a cheap 50cent lighter
Posted by Seibertron on February 25th, 2012 @ 4:31pm CST
horus wrote:Seibertron wrote:Rated X wrote:Maybe I can buy a junk soundwave to get the dial ans switch. And some reprolabels if I have to remove any decals to get to the screws.
No need to do that. Just go buy some lighter fluid (i.e. Zippo), pour a little on the sticker, let it sit for a few minutes, and it loosens up the sticker's adhesive enough so that the sticker easily peels off (which you need to very carefully do to avoid ripping the sticker). Lighter fluid evaporates very quickly so it doesn't cause any damage to the figure or sticker. Once you've done what you need to do, you just re-apply the sticker. Works like a charm. Been doing this for over a year now.
This technique also works on those extremely annoying price tags without causing any damage to the box. Some times it looks like the lighter fluid might have stained the box, but it goes away in a few minutes after it dries. Works on vintage stuff as well as new toys. Just be careful!
awesome tip!
already have a junker Soundwave here all i need is a cheap 50cent lighter
You're better off with buying a bottle/can of Zippo Lighter fluid at a tobacco store. Should cost $2.50 to $5.00. That way you can reuse it over and over again.
Posted by horus on February 25th, 2012 @ 5:53pm CST
Posted by fenrir72 on February 25th, 2012 @ 7:48pm CST
here we go again with the QC issues..........wtf are their QC managers doing?!
Posted by Rated X on February 25th, 2012 @ 9:24pm CST
horus wrote:Seibertron wrote:Rated X wrote:Maybe I can buy a junk soundwave to get the dial ans switch. And some reprolabels if I have to remove any decals to get to the screws.
No need to do that. Just go buy some lighter fluid (i.e. Zippo), pour a little on the sticker, let it sit for a few minutes, and it loosens up the sticker's adhesive enough so that the sticker easily peels off (which you need to very carefully do to avoid ripping the sticker). Lighter fluid evaporates very quickly so it doesn't cause any damage to the figure or sticker. Once you've done what you need to do, you just re-apply the sticker. Works like a charm. Been doing this for over a year now.
This technique also works on those extremely annoying price tags without causing any damage to the box. Some times it looks like the lighter fluid might have stained the box, but it goes away in a few minutes after it dries. Works on vintage stuff as well as new toys. Just be careful!
awesome tip!
already have a junker Soundwave here all i need is a cheap 50cent lighter
Sounds scary, but I trust you Ryan.
Will the sticker still have adhesive to stick back ???
Horus:
Can you open up the junker Soundwave and confirm that the dial and switch are easily removable and easy to reinstall ???
Posted by zerorobotpoints on February 26th, 2012 @ 1:35am CST
Posted by harrogatebantam31 on February 26th, 2012 @ 9:54am CST
Bit wary of the QC issues, and the moulding on Soundblaster will be iffy given the amount of times the Soundwave mould has been used.
On the plus side I like that the boxes are a la the G1 Headmasters line rather than just G1.
Posted by MGrotusque on February 26th, 2012 @ 10:40am CST
horus wrote:
awesome tip!
already have a junker Soundwave here all i need is a cheap 50cent lighter
Holy crap! don't do that!! those cheap 50cent lighters use Butane as a fuel source not lighter fluid and is pressurized. Big difference. Breaking one of those apart can be "explosive" if your not carefull.
Posted by Tigertrack on February 26th, 2012 @ 11:47am CST
zerorobotpoints wrote:An eye candy. A must have if you are completing this line... more so if you are into cassettes...
MightyMagnus78 wrote:The only reason to buy these guys is for the cassettes. Personally, I don't like the new paint apps and I've already got their previous reissues so I'm probably going to pass on these.
I could not disagree with you more. These are excellent G1 collector pieces. I am very agreeable to all the tweaks that have been done to make the two cassette players different, and of course the cassettes add to the must buyness through the creativity of the characters that they made them into.
A nice duo, and a great set of collector pieces.
Posted by kirbenvost on February 26th, 2012 @ 2:12pm CST
Seibertron wrote:horus wrote:Seibertron wrote:Rated X wrote:Maybe I can buy a junk soundwave to get the dial ans switch. And some reprolabels if I have to remove any decals to get to the screws.
No need to do that. Just go buy some lighter fluid (i.e. Zippo), pour a little on the sticker, let it sit for a few minutes, and it loosens up the sticker's adhesive enough so that the sticker easily peels off (which you need to very carefully do to avoid ripping the sticker). Lighter fluid evaporates very quickly so it doesn't cause any damage to the figure or sticker. Once you've done what you need to do, you just re-apply the sticker. Works like a charm. Been doing this for over a year now.
This technique also works on those extremely annoying price tags without causing any damage to the box. Some times it looks like the lighter fluid might have stained the box, but it goes away in a few minutes after it dries. Works on vintage stuff as well as new toys. Just be careful!
awesome tip!
already have a junker Soundwave here all i need is a cheap 50cent lighter
You're better off with buying a bottle/can of Zippo Lighter fluid at a tobacco store. Should cost $2.50 to $5.00. That way you can reuse it over and over again.
Wow! I've been using that trick for removing old stickers for quite awhile, but I had no idea you could reapply them! You learn something new every day.
As for these releases, they're looking pretty good, but I hope the missing dials are an isolated QC issue, not cost-cutting.
Posted by Screamfleet on February 26th, 2012 @ 4:53pm CST
Seibertron wrote:These sets are awesome. Can't wait to get my hands on these. Also happy that they gave their faces new paint jobs as well. Kudos Takara Tomy!
Action Master Soundwave and Wing Thing ... my camera's looking at you!
my poor wingthing is missing a wing, I really need to find that.
Posted by horus on February 28th, 2012 @ 2:39am CST
Rated X wrote:
Horus:
Can you open up the junker Soundwave and confirm that the dial and switch are easily removable and easy to reinstall ???
It's easy.. just a few screws, there is a small plastic part on a spring that you have to look out for not loose when you pry open the leg cause it pop's off from the metal foot