Botch Wrote This
God Ginrai Makes Powermaster Optimus Prime Superfluous
- Transformers Box Art Archive
The latest improved piece for the Archive was a Japanese-exclusive character from the Masterforce era, the Autobot flag-bearer God Ginrai, the ultimate form of Ginrai when combined with and enhanced by his drone, Godbomber. This art comes entirely from Jeremy Barlow of Soundwave's Oblivion. Sweet, eh?
While God Ginrai was never released stateside, his Godbomber-less form was released here as Powermaster Optimus Prime. (In the Japanese Masterforce cartoon, Ginrai is a completely new character, and the fact that he bears an unmistakable resemblance to the legendary Optimus Prime is completely ignored. Optimus who?) I've owned Powermaster Optimus Prime since he was first released in 1988 -- probably one of the last Transformers I actually bought as a kid -- but since I acquired the reissue of God Ginrai a few years back, my old PM Prime has seemed a bit redundant. Even without the Godbomber armor, the Japanese version is simply a better toy, and since I don't like to keep duplicates on the shelf, my long-carried Powermaster Optimus Prime often sits in a drawer. And yet, I haven't been able to bring myself to actually sell him. I wouldn't get too much for him, true, but it's more that I can't easily bring myself to sell one of my original childhood toys, even when it's been supplanted by a newer, better model.
Recently I've tried to be more appreciative of PM Prime, giving him a cozy spot of honor in our office on my bookshelf. It's nice, but sure to be short-term, and I think what I'm really looking for is an opportunity to part with him that is at least as poignant as holding onto him. Like to a friend who is a fellow collector, or maybe as part of a sweet trade.
Anyone want to trade me for my Powermaster Optimus Prime? (View my collection list here.)
He's in perfect, complete condition except the little tab that is supposed to prevent him from transforming from truck to robot without his Powermaster engine in place is broken. In a way, he's kind of improved!
Replies
Sweet. God Ginrai used to be one of my holy grails back in the early 2000s...
I think PM OP was the last TF I bought as a kid as well. I remember making a special trip to the Kmart in my town, the only decent place to buy toys in my area at the time, and coughed up my long saved money. I think it was probably $30 or $35 at the time. I was pretty thrilled and opened it in the car on the way home. My sister and mother started yelling at me because of the obnoxious squeaking noises while I wrangled PM OP from his styrofoam tomb :D
I always loved the PowerMaster gimmick and remember being somewhat taken aback at just how different, but similar, PM OP was to my beloved G1 OP.
That guy is long gone by now but I have a God Ginrai now to fill the void :)
According to Wikipedia, God Ginrai was supposed to be a replacement body for Optimus Prime that was accidentally fused to a human (the powermaster guy) by mistake and later morphs into Victory Leo in the Japanese continuity.
Botch, did you ever complete monstructor? Your chart shows you have him, but he is in bold for some reason? For some reason, I thought you were still missing bristleback.
Ah, memories. I, too, had Powermaster Prime as a kid. I loved him.
A few years ago, I stumbled upon Masterforce (the dvd boxsets are both common and cheap here in England) and fell in love with it. I spent a lot importing God Ginrai, and even now he stands proud on my desk. I do feel guilty sometimes, but I agree that Ginrai is a much better toy (his hands retract into his wrists! He has diecast parts! CHROME!). I do break out my original, yellowed, broken toy every now and then, though.
Also, it's interesting to note that God Ginrai was reissued at TRU (minus chrome and metal, of course) as "Powermaster Prime with Apex Armour". I remember they were selling them off for £20. Twenty pounds! I kick myself for not buying one back then.
@Tresob: That explanation is kind of an amalgam of the US comic (where PM Prime was the resurrected body they build for Optimus, but required a Nebulon Powermater partner), and the Japanese cartoon, where there's no mention of Optimus Prime, but after Masterforce, God Ginrai returns in the Victory cartoon to die and be resurrected as Victory Leo. It's all so simple.
@monuo_ripts: I did complete Monstructor! http://www.botchthecrab.com/replies.asp?index=538
@BtC: Apparently whoever entered the stuff about the replacement body on Wikipedia must have picked up it from the TFWiki, where they cite a featurette called "Shuta and Grand's Masterforce Secrets!"
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Sh%C5%ABta_and_Grand%27s_Masterforce_Super-Secrets!
Apparently, the featurette includes a little retcon where it explains the similarity between the characters as such.
I'll readily admit this is not my area of TF expertise. I tried watching dubs of Headmasters once and discovered that it numbed whole sections of my brain. Although (and I've probably mentioned this before) I did find the Japanese approach to the concept of Headmasters a lot more efficient from a narrative point of view. The HMs pretty much break any Western story arc they appear in, if only because the writer suddenly has to deal with twice the number of characters. I actually prefer the Japanese version where the heads are just little robots that plug into larger bodies as powersuits.
And when you are inviting all of your readers to a War for Cybertron deathmatch?
Can one stand as corrected by a retcon...? ;)
The answer to your question about War For Cybertron is, "When I won't embarrass myself." That said, I did play Friday night and beat Chapter One! (On Easy.)
@Botch
Once retcons are invoked, I think everybody earns five hundred experience points and calls it a day.
As for W4C...no reason to be embarrassed. I played through the whole game on easy. I don't pay these people my money to get frustrated by their games. I pay to be entertained. Anyway, I'm using Tresob as my online handle in the game (I know it's not very Transformer-sounding, but it makes me easy to find). Feel free to friend me so we can spar in Deathmatch or try to tackle some campaign co-op. (That goes to the rest of the Botch fans, as well...)
I too received PM Prime as my final retail G1 figure. I loved him to death and still have all of his parts. I broke the peg on the trailer hitch like most people. Later I discovered Krazy Glue and fixed it, only to break it again. I felt much the same way you did Botch after I purchased the Japanese version. When I ordered him Toys 'n Joys actually called to verify that I placed the order on my credit card. That's the only time that ever happened to me. I loved the Japanese version so much I originally packed him away too, but eventually I put him back on my shelf behind the God Ginrai reissue. I even purchased the Apex Prime "reissue."
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