Web Diver: Pegasion W-11

In 2001 Takara released a new transforming toy line in Japan to accompany a new animated television series of the same name, Web Diver. Embedded in the larger "leader class" figures was essentially a video game. A lot of the designs incorporated animal designs and as such only seemed to appeal to certain transforming robot fans. While I didn't care for all of the designs and thus the their subsequent toys, there were several toys that I really liked enough to track down and import. As the toy line progressed the toy designs seemed to get more and more "sophisticated". One of these was the psuedo-Headmaster, Pegasion.

The packaging for a majority of the Web Diver figures shared the same yellow box with a hanger flap. The boxes featured the line's logo, along with pictures of the toy, their various modes and action features. Remember, the smaller toys were made to interact with a larger figure in the series and with the Web Diver video game. You can see on the sides of the box that Pegasion has multiple modes: moon buggy, head mode (Headmaster?) and a weapon mode (Targetmaster?). Can you see now why I was intrigued with this toy back in the day?

Pegasion is a Pegasus/Centaur hybrid of sorts. I really did the overall look, especially with the metallic blue armor. The moon buggy wheels are kind of ugly in this mode as they just are there, but if you can look past those you can see the beauty in this sculpt. The legs are well articulated and allow you to pull off some good action poses. Arms are on ball joints that also allow for a good range of motion. He come with two maroon swords that can be holstered of sorts to his sides.

Pegasion as a very knightly vibe going on. Lots of detail can be found in this mode, especially on the head. The metallic blue, maroon and white all blend together wonderfully to give him a very cool appearance.

Pegasion's moon buggy mode is rather cool in my own opinion. This is one of those vehicle modes however where it looks best head on or at an angle. I saw that because you can see the horse head and forearms at the back of the vehicle. The rear of the vehicle is also a little light or hollow which is odd. Despite these short comings, I love the overall look of the vehicle.

As the side of the box showed us, Pegasion features multiple modes other than his moon buggy mode. One of which is this head made. When the figure is put into this mode as seen it looks really odd, but when plugged into Daitalion is when things got pretty sweet.

Now all the sudden this goofy looking head mode doesn't look so bad, does it? There is a red LED light behind the black face visor that would interact w/ the video game or with Gradion. Pegasion also formed a claw type weapon that Daitalion could wield, but I never cared for how the weapon looked as-is or wielded by Daitalion so I didn't bother to photograph that mode. 

Overall Pegasion is a great figure. It's not without it's faults, but it's still a pretty good figure on it's own even though it's obviously meant to accompany Daitalion. I will mention there is another dual "headmaster/targetmaster" figure that interacts with Daitalion, but he was always second fiddle to Pegasion in my book.

Today most of the later released Web Diver figures are hard to come across on the secondary market and if you do happen to find them be prepared because they won't be cheap! If you're a fan of Transformers or some of Takara's other transforming toy lines (ex. Brave) then perhaps you would enjoy these. I only have a few Web Diver toys left in my collection these days, however it has more to do w/ a lack of space than anything else.

Microman LED Power Series: MicroBikes Hiper Speeder & Tornado Bison

Many fans know that Takara has re-used various Transformers molds in other non-Transformers branded lines. One of the Brave series re-used Sky Garry, Sonic Bomber and Dai Atlas. Even Takara's Microman line had a few Transformers toys. The Micromaster base, Countdown, and the truck from the Action Master release of Optimus Prime are commonly known TF molds used. But did you know the Laser Cycles from Generation Two were also re-used for Microman?

These re-used molds first showed up in 2000 as part of the Microman LED Powers Series. The colors look very sharp, better than their G2 counterparts in my opinion. Take a look at this article for more information about these. I've yet to track these down for my own collection, but they are on the list.

While I knew the Laser Cycles had been re-purposed in the Microman line, I didn't know there was a Toys 'R Us Japan exclusive two pack of the MicroBikes; released around the summer of 2000. Once I discovered these years ago I immediately set out on a search to find them. I don't remember how long I searched for them, but they eventually were added to my personal collection via a Yahoo! Japan auction.

A lot of the Microman toys of the time were packaged on blister cards with removable bubbles. These exclusive MicroBikes came in a very nice black and gold box.

I'm not sure what it was about these motorcycle molds that I liked so much, but I really wanted these guys. I'm not really a mold completionist, but after adding these two to my collection I found the only version of these molds I lack are the regular Microman versions.

Both bikes come packaged in a plastic tray with each Microman figure already mounted and ready to ride! There have been a few modifications to the molds from their G2 days. The electronics have been removed so you won't a small button by the handle bars or the rubber tubing extruding from the side. Speaking of the handle bars, the original mold had hand brakes molded onto the handles. These brakes have been removed for the Microman releases. I assume this was done to allow the figures to be able to easily grip the handle bars. Outside of these small changes I haven't noticed any other variations.

Hiper Speeder (or is Hyper Speeder?) is a translucent yellow and orange version of G2 Road Rocket. The included Microman figure is Master Laser Arthur. I love how great the figure actually fits on the bike. It's almost as if these bikes were designed for these figures.

Master Laser Arthur comes with a few weapons and a shield he can wield. These weapons can be assembled to form a larger gun as shown above.

In true Microman LED fashion, each figure comes with a battery powered back pack. When the button on the back pack is pressed, a small red LED light shines through the chest of the figure.

While I love the motorcycle mode, the robot mode has always left something to desire. I guess it's the motorcycle wheels that just sort of hang out there that I don't care for. I do like the integrated buzz saw weapon and how it plugs into his forearm.

I've always thought the robot's head/face looks like a masked ninja. Move over Ryu Hyabusa!

I wanted to have a few comparison shots with G2 Road Rocket, but the Robot Masters release was easier for me to grab off my shelf at the time.

Here you can see some of the mold changes from previous releases. Notice the handle bars lack the brake handles the G2 version had. If you look at the center of the handles, you'll see that Hiper Speeder lacks the small button that activates the LED light.

Master Laser Arthur doesn't matter what color his bike is...as long as it's FAST!

The other half of the package is Tornado Bison, a translucent orange and yellow version of Generation Two Road Pig. This is the first laser cycle I purchased back in the G2 days so I'm a little more partial to this toy.

I don't know enough a lot about the Microman toys, but I noticed these two figures are very similar to one another, outside of the color differences and different head sculpts. Tornado Bison's partner is Laser Shakunetsu. I prefer the overall look of him when compared to Master Laser Arthur.

Laser Shakunetsu comes with his own back pack as well as a different set of weapons.

Tornado Bison has an equally strong robot mode in my opinion. He's a little more beefier and the designers did a better job at concealing the motorcycle wheels...or at least getting them out of the way.

The glittery, translucent orange plastic isn't my favorite look for this mold, but it's different and I like different. The original, evil looking robot head returns.While Hiper Speeder may have built for speed, Tornado Bison was built to rumble.

Again, the Robot Masters version of this mold was readily accessible during my photo shoot so we'll use Sideways here in place of G2 Road Pig.

Here is another minor example of the mold change. Just underneath the bike, behind the front wheel is the small black button that activates the LED light on the G2 and Robot Masters versions of the mold. Notice the Microman version still has the battery compartment, but no rubber tubing.

" Get your motor runnin', head out on the highway, lookin' for adventure and whatever comes our way"

I find these versions of the Laser Cycles to be a lot of fun and since I already have the G2 and Robot Masters bikes it just made sense for me to pick these up. The translucent, glittery plastic may not appeal to everyone; but like I mentioned before I like different.

If you are looking to add these toys to your own Transformers or Microman collection, good luck. They don't seem to appear for sale on the secondary market very often. I haven't searched eBay for them, but you may have a better chance using a proxy service and looking on Yahoo! Japan auctions as I did. 

Daigunder: Tri-Horn

Several years ago Takara tried something new - combining a video game with a transformable robot ala Transformers. The result was a series called Web Diver. I'm not sure what kind of success it had in Japan, but I'm assuming it was modest as Takara released several toys over a short period.

Daigunder is the successor to Web Diver. The premise of both line of toys is you have one larger figure that acts as the "game system". All of the other figures act as secondary items in the game itself. The larger figure attaches to a television with standard RGB cables and features infrared sensors to interact with the other figures. Are you following all of this?

I had the fortune (or misfortune depending on who you ask) of owning several Web Diver toys when they were new - including the leader and "game system" Gradion. The game itself was rather boring and the small controls on the back of the figure weren't all that responsive. As far as the other figures interacting in the game was just a well designed marketing scam if you ask me. It's kind of like this new Skylanders game that is hitting the current gen home consoles. You fork out a lot of money for the core game and then you have to buy additional figures to unlock things in the game. Instead of digitally downloading this content they make you buy a figure to get the in game content. Really smooth idea from a business stand point - but sucks for us as the consumer.

Getting back to Daigunder I missed the boat originally when they were released. I had seen plenty of pictures of the toys online, but finding the toys (especially here in the US) I found difficult. I remember seeing Daigunder himself at BigBadToyStore's table at a past Botcon, but I glossed over it.  Eventually these toys were popping up all over the place in Korean packaging and a fellow TFW2005 board member a gew years ago was gracious enough to hook me up with a few of the toys for super cheap.  One of these was an early favorite of mine, Tri-Horn.

Judging from the screen shots of the video game it looks to be a huge step forward from the Web Diver game. Looking at the health bars and time across the top of the screen I'd guess the game is your standard 2D fighter like Street Fighter...only with transformable robots.

Across the bottom of the box you can see the cross sell images of other Daigunder toys. Tri-Horn was part of the Dino Unit along with Bonerex (red tyrannosaurus rex) and Deathspector (blue pteranodon).

The side of the box shows you another way that Tri-Horn can interact with the main figure of the series. Along with Bonerex you can combine them both to form a large gauntlet like weapon. Prior to obtaining this toy I didn't know about this feature.

Tri-Horn is a very bulky and stout figure. With a little re-tooling it looks like he could be a ape with those large fists that just barely drag the ground. Most of the paint apps here are nicely done and feature a metallic shine. The light blue on the head and legs looks a little out of place, but I guess it works. There isn't much articulation to speak of. Standard points of articulation include the elbows and hips - not much else. I'm guessing the electronics inside the figure contribute to making this a brick of a figure.

If you look on the back you'll see the video game components - a thumb button that pivots right to left and a larger button with red chrome trim. I have no idea what these buttons do in game.

Takara did a nice job with the head sculpt. He has a large chin that sticks out which fits his stocky nature. The bone like helmet is also a nice touch as it gives the appearance of him being a tough fighter. The whole triceratops head comes off and forms a staff like weapon for Tri-Horn to wield in robot mode.  Simply fold the horns up and you have your weapon.

You gotta admit he looks pretty bad a in this form. From the large weapon to the massive fists he doesn't look like a robot I'd want to tussle with.

I was surprised to see that the triceratops is really small. I guess its the lack of a tail that makes the dinosaur look small and well...a little off. What I do like about the dino mode is how all of the robot parts are incorporated. His chest splits into two pieces and forms the front legs while his massive fits form the middle. Very clever design if you ask me.

Overall this is a fun little toy and lived up to most of my expectations. Thankfully with these Korean editions now on the market they are much more accessible if you want to track one down. There are usually a few sellers on eBay that routinely sell a decent selection of Daigunder toys.