Vintage Diaclone (Great) Robot Base Overview
Vložit
- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- Not so much a review as an overview of Takara's Diaclone Robot Base from 1980.
00:00 - Introduction
01:14 - Diaclone and the Transformers
05:04 - The Box
07:33 - Il Grande
08:18 - The Accessories
09:06 - Dianaut Pilots
10:00 - Robot Mode
13:21 - ROCKET PUNCH!
13:54 - Base Mode
14:14 - Instruction Room
15:19 - Base Escalator
16:36 - Removal Catapult
17:02 - Weaponry Hanger
17:51 - Outro
That fact that you called this toy a piece art is something, as an actual artist, I fully agree with.
For years I have been saying many collectible toys (especially shape shifting robots) are a form of mass produced art and even engineering marvels at times.
Man totally... when you talk engineering, some of the FansToys stuff is borderline magic. And on the design side the FlameToys KuroKaraKuri is exceptional. So much detail, combined with engineering to allow accurate pose-ability. The great thing about art is it's subjective though right? But these things are obviously works of passion for the designers and make a lot of people happy so how could they not be.
When I was a kid in the 80s and visited my grandma in Japan, the toy packaging was HYPNOTIC. I would literally spend hours on toy stores for hours on end staring at toys
Oh man that would have been incredible! Did you get any memorable toys?
Actually Diaclone Robot Base's head was inpired by Raideen which in turn was modeled on classic Egyptian pharaoh iconography. Also the whole Diaclone line was born trying to ride the wave of the Gundam boom (more refined space mecha, generally removed from the old super robots of the '70) but ended up being literally capsized by smaller toylines that crucially had an anime as a commercial vehicle. Another nail in the coffin for Diaclone was Macross (ironical considering the creators and the borrowed concept of a robot base with an accompanying fleet of mecha) and, even with the Car Robots, the toyline was going to down. Adopting Transformers even for Japan saved Takara's transforming toys. Interestingly they decided to go downmarket with Transformers even by western standards, resulting in lines intended for small children to avoid competition with other mecha anime. This was reflected first in the dub of G1 (they added narration and more gags) and then in the japanese exclusive series that are incredibly slow and constantly narrated. It's also the reason why Beast Wars was changed in a slapstick show in the Japanese dub.
I never even thought to watch the Japanese G1 cartoon, it would be pretty cool to see how different it is. It's funny you mention about it being slow, I'm currently watching the last bits of Attack on Titan and it's exactly that.
Eh? That sounds like a stretch. Got a source on that? Because Robot Base's head looks nothing like Raideen to me. If anything, it looks way closer to Trider G7, which aired early 1980, putting it in perfect place timing wise for Takara toy company to try to profit off its looks and current popularity. Certainly if not Trider G7, then 1979's Daitarn 3 who also has a similar face design.0 Or even 1977's Danguard Ace. All three have very similar face designs; even the side pieces to the head (for Ace and G7 compared to Robot Base) as well as the overall body color schemes.
Whereas Raideen had already been out since 1975.
It's just "ironic"
The Japanese version of the G1 cartoon didn't add more gags, it was a relatively direct translation. It's biggest change was the added narration.
A legendary toy. Its twin brother (the vintage Diaclone Fortress X) is also one of the best Japanese 80's masterpieces.
Cheers! I've been on the look out for a good Fortress X at a good price for a while but no luck. I'm very keen to see the "elevator" system in person, it looks like a lot of fun and very clever. For the time being I think I'll wait and hopefully one day when borders open I might be lucky enough to hunt for one in person in Japan. Could be many years though, but I'm sure worth the wait 🙂
I miss your videos RoboToyWorld. You might have seen the recent reboot Robot Base from TakaraTomy (DA-95 and DA-100 issues). TT has touched heaven with this reboot line. The best tribute to the old age in my opinion, and probably one of the greatest robot toy ever. Your work reflects true passion and was above par, compared to other channels. I hope seeing your (very interesting, clever and top-documented) videos in the next future. Friendly regards from France.
Thank you for sharing this figure with us. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your channel.
Thanks David!
I clicked on this video out of curiosity and got to say...
This is a very well edited video
Good job mate 👍
Thanks very much!
Hands down one of the finest toys to come out of Japan. I am a hue Diaclone fan and was playing with Diaclone in Asia before Transformers came out in the US. I was surprised to come back to the US to see many of the Diaclone robots being rebranded. My friends here had no idea their origins. Anyway thanks for the vid.
Thank you for uploading this! Its nice to see a visual reference to compare to the new stuff that has come out.
The fact that the new Reboot version of this thing is already 45 cm tall while being just the legs and the mid-drift. Not to mention they increased the playvalue of the thing 10 fold.
They haven't released the torso yet right?
@@whoelsebutmeofcoursei Nope, if they dont release it as DA-96, it will be DA-100.
@HORRIOR I just found out DA-97, DA-98, DA-99 are add-ons for DA-95. DA-95 was expensive as it is lol. But I did order DA-96 for the new Diatrain. I thought Diatrain came with DA-95 but it is sold separately. Like you mentioned I would guess the top half will be DA-100.
Brilliant video. Brought back a lot of priceless memories. I had gone to Taiwan when I was 10 with my mom and was looking to bring back a toy mech from japan or overseas and I came back with this toy. In my view, it was the largest mech a kid could get. It towered over GoLion and everything else. You're lucky to have yours. Mine might be in storage somewhere since it was packed up when my folks got divorced, hopefully it still exists somewhere. The command bridge and all the play functions were designed for fun and imagination. Yes, definitely a work of art. Normally I'd say it should be played with but since it's vintage... "It belongs in a museum." -Dr. Jones. Top marks and keep up the great work.
I remember a friend had what I assume would have been the Italian version way back in the early 80s I was always fascinated by it but he played hard with all his toys and they were usually smashed to bits or yellowed from being left outside. I ended up with a the green dianaught somehow and for years I didn’t know what it was but found it odd that it was good for sitting in my Optimus Prime. It took a long time for the puzzle pieces to fit together. Mind you my Zoid pilots also fit really well in Roller and I assumed Zoods was a spin off line due to that coincidence.
Love how Diaclone started out as a Voltron-esch like Toyline to the transformers figures that we know of today
The mythology of the Diaclone and Waruder in the '80s needs to be revived. I have seen so many Diaclone robots in my childhood and I wish my lunch monies were able to buy the figures
This is a channel for Diaclone enthusiasts!!!
Ahh! So this is the mecha in the Diaclone logo!!
Wow, nicely researched. I found this because of the upcoming Diaclone Reboot version and wanted to look into the vintage version it was based off of, and I think you answered every question I could have had in a single video. Thanks!
Thanks! Really glad that the video is helping folks to appreciate the original. Likewise, I can't wait to see the new one especially in its (yet-to-be-released) fully combined robot mode.
A Classic from another Era my friends. And as we well know, they took the Model to the next Level. Seriously, I'm dying to see what they come up with next because the next level will be Insane. Thanks.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I hope to be back soon with a review of the new Robot Base :)
@@robotoyworld hi, just wanna say your video is great and hope you can come back soon for new Diaclone videos, there are not a lot of English speaking channels that do Diaclone reviews, and your videos are also quite well shot and edited, which makes your channel even more unique.
@@chenguangmai I'm working towards it in the next month or so, and comments like yours give me extra motivation so huge thanks!
First time seeing this figure...he looks fantastic.
I've always wanted this when I was a kid
I had one of these as a child, while my father was stationed in Japan. It was my favorite robot I owned. Unfortunately I was not a careful child and do not remember what happened to it. But hot damn it was good to see it in action again.
Did you live in Japan during that time or you just wouldn't see your dad for stretches while he was in service? I can only imagine how amazing a toy it would have been to receive as a gift, especially if you weren't living in Japan and would not have known about its existence. And yeah, we all have regrets about the toys we had as kids, so don't be hard on yourself!
The full reboot design has been finally revealed at a model convention. It’s very bulky but I like it. Just rewatching this great video on the original just to see comparisons between em
Thanks to this video I went out and tracked down an Italian Il Grande GBR myself. It is possibly the holiest of grails of my collection, possibly more than any Popy figure or Generation 1 toy I have. Perhaps the only vintage robot rivaling GBRs legendary status is Voltes V.
This is a figure that we need in Diaclone Reboot. It will be mega expensive for sure lol
Yeah it would be very cool. Battle Convoy kind of fills that gap for now though, it's such a great base building figure. What we really need is some projectile features... I guess it's a safety thing but you'd assume if Lego are doing them still then it must be OK.
have I got news for you... Check out Diaclone DA-95.
@@HORRIOR1 yeah! I have it pre-ordered already!
Diaclone + Microman = Transformers
mi è stato regalato a natale quando ero bambino, apprezzatissimo e ho giocato tantissimo con questo gioco
I love old Japanese robot toys that have their name, or the name of the series, written on their chest for no reason.
Good overview! This is entering the reboot line and I wanted to learn about it's source of inspiration.
Thanks for watching! I can't wait to see the complete bot version of the new one... based on how much fun Battle Convoy is this could be an instant classic.
Horyshittu i can't believe theyll reboot this one too 😍
one of the best review's I've seen... I went to your page and see that there has not been anything uploaded for 2 years hopeful you start a series again as a focus on Japanese robots is what I need.
Thanks for the support. It's definitely been on my mind as I have a lot to cover and share, but the momentum got killed by COVID lockdowns back then and straight after that I ended up changing careers which sucked up any free time. But definitely comments like yours are the motivation I need, so thanks!
@@robotoyworld the filming and attention to detail is top notch. You have a new subscriber here and will gladly watch anything new that comes
These are some super quality videos man! Keep up the great work. You definitely deserve more subscribers!
Thanks so much! It's early days still. I hope that more people check out my videos over time, but a big part of making them is to get to experience the figures more myself and also work on filmmaking so even if it stays a small audience I'm happy 😊
A giant samurai robot base? Count me in!
I think it could have made an amazing Transformer base set. Pity they didn't and chose to make Metroplex, which in my opinion is less cool and blocky (at least the original one, the one from Fall of Cybertron is truly amazing).
You say yours isn't mint (and it's not), but man this IS the most immaculate Robot Base I've ever seen. All the ones on Ebay are dirty and their stickers are beyond the pale, yours is so clean and crisp and well kept. It's also nice to just see a video exploring all its features because its such an expensive and rare toy that isn't talked about much among english speaking enthusiasts. Great video!
Thanks so much! I think if I was able to get rid of (or swap out) the rusty runway legs I would agree with you! But yeah I feel very fortunate to have this guy in my collection. Cheers!
I cant get a image out of my head that this guy looks like metroplex, imagine if that instead of the metroplex mold that we got, we got this
Finally a robot toy CZcamsr who knows his stuff. Thanks for the great video.
Simply incredible
thank you for this, i hadn't seen such a comprehensive breakdown of this guy before.. also never noticed how the pilots were fashioned after microman figures... as a child in the US in the 70s, i had no idea how much japan was influencing my pop culture tastes 😄
Thanks so much for the comment! Glad you liked the video.
Before the Microman there was The TIMANIC Time traveller, they are the real "Ancient" of Microman" :)
Man, thank you so much for this video. I never knew about Diaclone and just learning about them now. Resources like this are an incredible help to newbies and season collectors alike. Much appreciated and keep up the good work. I'm definitely subscribing, liking and following you from now on.
Hey thanks so much! It's a great feeling to know I'm helping people discover how amazing these toys were (are) 🙂
By the way, can you recommend a good, trusted site to purchase Diaclone? I'm super stuck finding a good site. Again, thank you!
@@pauljohnson3442 Absolutely. Which country/region are you based in, and do you mean vintage Diaclone or the current Diaclone Reboot line?
@@robotoyworld I'm in US, California. I saw your recommendation regarding RobotKingdom, but the shipping is almost half the price of the set, $131.00. Ouch!
Also, I'm looking more towards the reboot sets.
Very thoughtful video. Thanks for sharing this with us!
ah! so many memories! I remember the escalator was a little janky back then ....
I swear, this video is done so well and so informative. I appreciate it all the more with the release of the updated version. This is going to be my 4th or 5th time watching this. Thank you again and I hope that you are able to add the new one to your collection.
Thanks so much Paul! I really appreciate it. Yeah I have the Ground Dion (bottom half) which is already an amazing toy, but from what they've shown of the top half it's going to be incredible. Still a long wait though unfortunately!
@@robotoyworld I'm super stoked for you! I know the last time I messaged you about it we talked about how pricey the bottom half was. At the time I was on the fence, but decided to get it. Now with the advertisement of the upper half of the robot I'm extremely excited. Seeing all of the call backs to the older features, along with new features makes this an absolute must have. You must do a video comparing the older version with the newer version. The masses demand it!!!!
@@pauljohnson3442 Hahaha I'll have to come out of semi-retirement for it. It's a deal! Congrats on getting yours - FOMO is so real with this line that it's always best if you think you might be interested to at least order (if you can) and you can always resell it later. There will always be folks grateful to get hold of releases that they passed up or came in to the line after. But I don't think you'll regret the new set for a second once the initial wallet sting has passed.
Seeing high quality videos about stuff like this is rare and quite honestly I wanna see more stuff like this since it combines new camera technology showing beautiful old figures like this bad boy
After two years since the review hit, the reboot version of the Robot Base is revealed piece by piece, culminating in the Robot Base GX. Impressive, really.
this is bound to be rebooted, unless they would do the other “transformers”, or they would go forward with the gridman collaboration.
Would be amazing to see, but with Battle Convoy they have an amazing base playset so maybe another few years?
3:37 thats Condor Joe's theme song from Gatchaman
Good stuff, thanks for your time and hard work. We'll done.
Thanks!
Nice. I've been collecting junkers to put together a Diaclone Roller as it was one of my favourite toys in childhood. Or as i knew it; the Grandstand Deltarian Tracker (rebranded in the UK.) I have pretty much a complete one now. The non-safety missiles fire with enough force to take out an eyeball!
I don't think anything beats a spring-loaded projectile :)
Fantastic video showing off an old robot from a land far away, I love the old robo designs Japan would come up with and I look forword to seeing more I have not had the good fortune to know of allready
Thanks very much! Really glad to hear that you enjoyed it.
When I was young, Diaclone head reminded me the Elvis face.
Hey, I hope you continue this channel. Since Cloud Across have finally come out, I want to see a comparison between the original Robot Base and the new Robot Base GX
Thanks Reggie! Yeah I think it's needed...
Looking back to this with Grand Dion on the horizon, it’s honestly amazing how much Takara honored the original in terms of design while also updating them to a modern level. And that’s just the waist down. Makes me really excited to see how they will do the top half, considering Dion is already its height.
Agreed. So many things to be excited about with the GRB reboot project. I'm surprised we haven't seen the top part yet (Cloud Across?)... but the scale looks epic already!
I just got my DA-95 Grand Dion today. Saving him for an off day to open. The box weighs 5.5kg/around 12 lbs!
so awesome.
amigo me hizo recordar mi infancia de una manera tan grata , que me inspiro a hacer unos proyectos que había dejado en el pasado. gracias .
Muchas gracias amigo!
Excelente video de nivel profesional y yo espero que saques muchos más! Saludos desde Argentina.
Gracias por mirar y por tomarte el tiempo de comentar :)
Nice job on the overview. I'm dreading what the Reboot update of this guy is going to set me back.
Thanks so much Marky. Regardless of the cost we still want to see it happen! But with Battle Convoy we kind of have an awesome base playset so maybe not?
It is a thing a great beauty.....
Hey @RoboToyWorld Did you see the insane addition to the updated Robot Base yesterday??!!! The Diaclone DA-108 GX Sword has joined the fray and what an insane addition as it is. Hope you intend to add it to your collection. Hope you and your family are doing well and hope to see some videos from you in the near future.
Sick!
Great video man, just came across this while trying to decide to buy the new remake of Robot Base. Puchased haha
_DI-A...CLOOOOOOONE!!!!!_
This was an amazing video I loved it on my initial first watch and I love it now just about two years later. Anyways this is off topic but you could most likely use a chrome paint pen to repair his chrome. I did such for my vintage gobots cykill or bike robo from machine robo and it worked perfectly. Potentially you could also mask off the windows on his chest with masking tape and spray paint them chrome.
Thanks for the suggestion… I think I would be too nervous though! I’ve lived with him like this long enough, I guess I need to appreciate the additional character that his age has introduced as well. Thanks for taking the time to watch (again)!
That was cool in a weird way this is actually a GI Joe toy microman is based off of 12 in g.i. Joe from the 1960s.
Yeah I never really thought about it that way but you're right!
Great toy! The rubber treads are almost always broken
Yeah these are in great condition thankfully. I did buy this rubber restorer/protector that had been recommended but I haven't tried it as yet. I can't remember the exact name but it was a strange German product I think. I should probably apply some when I dust them. Thanks for watching!
So this is the Granddaddy of DA-95 + DA-100.
Actually that's pretty much spot on, they are around 40 years apart so nice spaced for a couple of generations :)
Hey RoboToyWorld!!! Will you be getting the new base that will be getting released next year? It looks massive, but it's super expensive at $475.00. I'm not sure what my plan will be regarding purchasing it, but I was super curious about your opinion of it. It looks incredible and that it could be the bottom half of what could be a super massive robot that may be intended to be the contemporary equivalent of this base that you're reviewing in this video. Hope to see more updated content from you soon. Hopefully you and your family are doing well. I'm sure life in general makes it difficult to get new videos out. At any rate I look forward to when you do put something new out. You still are the inspiration for me being introduced and collecting Diaclone
Cheers Paul! Yeah I am super excited for it, but it is pricey and as you say that's just half the complete mech. Then there's the shipping on top... But based on the resale pricing of this line it'll quickly become significantly more expensive. If you are considering it at all it's probably best to order and worst case you could resell it if you change your mind or find a better use for the money.
Appreciate the well wishes! Things are good but sadly very little time to even enjoy Diaclone yet alone create the content but I would love to be back at some point. So much to catch up on! All the best and again many thanks for your support!
I preordered the new one. I do have the larger Diaclone reboot figures and some of the originals. My favorite Diaclone/Transformers are larger robots and combiners.
This robot should've been Primus...
Design overall reminds me of Sky Garry from the G1 Battlestars. I wonder if Sky Garry was inspired by it…
Looks like a cousin to vehicle Voltron.
Great video. Would be better wearing sexy mittens. Oh well, maybe next time 😉
9:21 Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't diecast usually a non-magnetic Zinc alloy so the Dianauts can't actually stick to the diecast parts?
Hmmm you've got me there. But they do stick! Perhaps the exposed and/or meaningful areas have additional magnetic plating? If I took him to bits and pulled out the internal die cast components you may very well be right. Thanks for watching :)
@@robotoyworld Those do look like magnetic stickers on the shins and top of chest, like those that come with the Reboot line and what they use for Bakugan gates. They'll also be able to stick to screws and pins since those are plated steel. The escalator/conveyor seems to have steel wires on the sides but I can't tell.
Also the reason why I checked out your video again today is because TakaraTomy staff have just announced a Reboot version of Great Robot Base!
awesome collection, are you going to try & restore it?
Probably not. All it needs is the chest cover and leg plates, but chances of finding those in good condition on an example that isn't priced accordingly are next to zero since they are always the first to deteriorate.
The Reboot version is gonna get released soon. Do you have a plan to buy it? 😅
Thanks for watching Alfian. Yes! Actually they've done it as two separate releases that combine to make Robot Base. The bottom half which is a large ground transport called "Ground Dion" was released early last year and the upper half "Cloud Across", an aerial command ship, has just started shipping. I'm hoping to receive mine in the next couple of weeks and starting to think it might be a great project to try and start up my channel again.
Isn’t he the mascot of diaclone because his head is in the diaclone logo?
He is. And in one of the recent Diaclone Reboot videos featuring an army of the already released figures, you can see a silhouette of him as the camera pans up at the end of the video. They are obviously planning to release a modern version of this big guy.
@@spacejockey9223and they did!
To people you knows Japanese Can you translate to what the narrator is saying in the robot base commercial?
"This is pre NES so videogames really weren't a thing yet" ... Um, Atari would probably disagree with you on that one. The fact that the videogame crash is as big of a part of history as it is would as well lol. Otherwise pretty interesting.
Ha! Yes you're right... I tend to think of the NES as the start of really meaningful video games but that's probably just my generation's experience. Lots of ET cartridges in the desert somewhere would disagree with me right?
Thanks for watching!
He probably lost his chrome likely due to age.
Well, a Molotow Liquid Chrome should do the job...
Legendary toy,long drawn out video though,the mono tone voice almost put me asleep, discloses supposed to be exciting😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴😴
เอาจริงจริงเจอกับไพรมาลกระจกคงแตกง้ายง้าย