Review: #357
Name: Ginrai
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Legends
Year of Release: 2016
Size Class: Leader
Mold Status: remold of Titans Return Powermaster Optimus Prime
PACKAGING:
Super Ginrai is a heavy remolding of Powermaster Optimus Prime and is exclusive to TakaraTomy's Legends line. He comes packaged in vehicle mode.
The back shows off the various changes to the mold and his three modes.
The instructions booklet also has six pages of colored comic.
GINRAI:
The Headmaster is named Ginrai and he has the most varied color scheme of a Titan Master yet, with blue visor, yellow face, red arms and thighs, white torso and knees, and black legs.
As per usual the back is an unobscured view of the robot's face.
Ginrai has an interesting Headmaster body in that the thighs are slimmer than normal.
VEHICLE MODE:
Super Ginrai (henceforth referred to Ginrai) transforms into a typical Optimus Prime shortnosed cab and trailer. The interesting part is that this is a heavy remold of Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus.
There are a few improvements compared to Ultra Magnus, and the Hasbro Powermaster Optimus, of which this is a remold of as well. The first behind that the back now looks like a proper back of a truck, the giant robot feet doesn't stick out there anymore.
While this is an amazing remold and the trailer generally works, it still has its flaws. The biggest one being the huge gap at the front. The trailer behind a quarter red at the front also doesn't help.
You can also see the robot thighs peeking out of the bottom. Unusually, while the sides of the cab has been completely remolded, the designers opted to keep the thin-slit side windows which clashes against the larger, traditionally sized front windows.
A comparison against ROTF Buster Optimus, while Ginrai is a Leader classed figure and looks big, he is hollow and very light.
A comparison against Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus and you can see that everything has been remolded, they only share engineering. The extent of the remold is impressive.
There's some additional play value in this mode, the first behind you can open the back of the trailer and store up to two Scouts/Commander/Legends sized toys there.
Ginrai also has ten rolling wheels. Note that Ginrai is permanently attached to the trailer although you can turn it.
The Headmaster also has a few spots to sit, the first is that you can open up the cab to reveal a seat.
The next spot is that you can arrange the side guns in such a way to allow a seat.
Lastly, you can combine the two guns together to form a sled thing.
Overall, this is an excellent vehicle mode that's only dragged down by the gappy front of the trailer.
TRANSFORMATION TO BASE MODE:
Base mode is really just halfway through the transformation to robot mode, with only one dedicated part and that is the stand underneath the cab. There's really no dedicated pegs as the mode relies on the ratchet joints itself to stay in place which can get annoying.
BASE MODE:
Leader classed figures in the line has third base modes, which can attach to Fortress Maximus. Considering that this is a remold of Ultra Magnus, they've managed to fit a base mode in is commendable. Granted, it still looks like a half-transformed robot.
Apart from the gunpods, the other spot for a Headmaster to sit in right in the middle. Base mode is best ignored since it lacks any significant play value.
TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE:
Transformation to robot mode largely remains the same. The major alteration is the feet which is an annoying and unintuitive mess of joints as you try and figure out how to unfold it properly. It ends up forming hollow feet since it's quite compacted for truck mode and is easily the most disappointing part of the figure. Other than that, you come to realize that Ginrai relies mostly on panels which end up wrapping around his limbs. It's to be expected but is still somewhat disappointing. Perhaps the most surprising part is that they have also remolded the arms such that the transformation differs slightly from the Hasbro version, it now collapses into itself to shorten the arms.
ROBOT MODE:
Ginrai's robot mode shines, and very brightly at that. This is an amazing piece and the only bit that doesn't quite seem to fit are the thinly shaped feet but that's homaging the original.
The panels for the trailer are wrapped around his limbs and mainly stay out of the way. Unfortunately, the three panels that fold upon each other underneath each arm doesn't sit flush and feels unfinished as a result.
The Headmaster's robot face is that of Optimus Prime with large baby blue eyes.
Of course, the Headmaster's head on its own is too small for the body, which why a larger helmet that covers up the entire head is present. Thanks to the large baby blue eyes of the inner head, the eyes can still clearly be seen.
Ginrai is bulky in this mode but it's mainly just for appearances since his limbs contain a lot of hollow parts in order to reduce the amount of plastic on the figure and reduce weight. Still, he feels sizable in your hands.
Comparison against Ultra Magnus hows that Ginrai is taller thanks to the new feet and is also bulkier.
Poseability is excellent except for the legs. The panels surrounding his legs get in the way of each other but the bigger problem is the feet.
They have a small footprint and even with heelspurs, they are just not that flexible enough for highly dynamic poses. It doesn't help that they are hollow (but they are required for the combined mode with Godbomber). Conversely, the new hands and wrist swivels are nice.
You can detach the shoulder guns for Ginrai to hold or peg onto his forearms as a sort of forearm-mounted blaster, both of which works well.
Ginrai comes with a pair of new guns.
Thanks to Ginrai's new hands, as well as the guns using 5mm posts, he does not have any trouble keeping hold of his guns unlike Ultra Magnus.
The red is also very nice and vibrant in hand. There are just enough paint applications to make Ginrai pop.
A fantastic robot mode. The feet is the main letdown but even that doesn't dampen the robot mode that much.
OVERALL:
Super Ginrai is an impressive remold on TakaraTomy's part and makes this figure an excellent one. The colors and attention to detail speaks volumes. While the feet are definitely the weaker aspect, they're not enough to ruin the whole figure. Considering that he combines with God Bomber is just icing on the cake. Super Ginrai is highly recommended over the Powermaster Optimus version of the mold, there's a lot of effort put into this figure.
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