How Does Armada Rate Now that its Done?

We'll Make the Ultimate Transformer of the Present Day!!

Along with the Binaltech series which is continuing record breaking sales, we have the Masterpiece Convoy, which goes beyond breaking new ground. Both of these have enough amazing detail to be worthy of the "Transformers 20th Anniversary" celebration! Fans of the heating up Transformers world should definitely take a look at these entries!!!

- Mr Kobayashi, thank you for coming!

The Binaltech series and Masterpiece Convoy seem to be selling like mad!!

Kobayashi: Thanks to everyone they have sold beyond expectations! (laugh) In a lot of cases, minicar [miniature car] fans and auto fans, people other than our traditional Transformer fanbase, have been buying them, especially with the Binaltech series. Among them, the first is the WRC2003 which is a domestic vehicle, and there are no minicars of the 2003 model on the market, and they even won the WRC rally, which may have contributed even more to the spur of sales. ... please take a look for yourself (hands over the Imprezza)

- (Holds Imprezza in hand) Hmmm, it really is amazing! It's definitely a different feeling of familiarity when a modern domestic vehicle is the motif. This multi-splitter shaped rear wing is painstakingly modelled, and the interior detailing is very realistic! Also, there is high quality paint and I love the way the die-cast parts being used throughout give this car some weight!! Well, not only would kids love this, but it's very attractive for adults as well!!!

Kobayashi: I'm glad you noticed that! This "A Transformer that even adults would enjoy" was the development theme of the Binaltech series. Takara and Hasbro, the company that sells Transformers overseas, have been been developing transformer toys together since Micron Legend [Armada in US]. Until then, Transformers were being developed with 5-year-olds and up in mind, but when we were asked if we could develop "A new type of Transformer based on real life cars that adults would enjoy", the Binaltech series was born. In terms of the various details and development know-how, we were confident that we were better prepared than any other company. I still remember as if it were yesterday as the development team excitedly proclaimed "Alright! We'll make the ultimate transformer of the present day!!"

- With that much morale and spirit, did the development progress rapidly?

Kobayashi: Unfortunately, it's never that easy... (wry smile) First, we hit a difficult wall trying to obtain licensing. Originally we started development with a certain well-known German sports car, and even Hasbro said "This is amazing!" and we smoothly progressed to the second prototype stage, but that automobile company simply refused to consent to the licencing of the vehicle. We had no choice but to scrap that and start with a certain well-known American sports car, but we couldn't get the OK for that, either. Most car companies came back to us and said "having these car panels that separate apart conveys an image of being broken, and it seems inauspicious." (wry smile) But, among the different places we went to, it was Subaru and Dodge that gave us positive feedback and said "It's a fun toy with a lot of imagination!".

- Wow, things are tough in real life, it seems.

Kobayashi: Also, the really difficult step is figuring out the modelling and how to transform into a character. A lot of standard practice is "divide the vehicle mode into left and right halves, and then mold these halves into the left and right side of the robot.", but when all the parts follow this similar consistent pattrn, it becomes hard to discern the differences between the different characters.

- That's true now that you mention it. On this Imprezza here, the front of the car becomes the upper body and the rear becomes the lower body, but the dodge viper has an opposite pattern, and the front and back sides are even reversed... (amazed)

Kobayashi: Not only do we have to think of these interesting transformation patterns, but we need to keep in mind the form and balance of the robot mode, and this is where skill really matters. For example, in the case of the Imprezza, the construction makes the shoulders wide apart, making the legs look short. By shortening the thighs and making the legs wider towards the feet, we're able to give a sense of balance making the legs seem longer. Here, please take a look at Masterpiece Convoy (hands over Masterpiece Convoy)

- (Holding Convoy) Wow, Convoy feels very heavy and solid!

Kobayashi: It took us about 3 years from prototype to final product for this masterpiece, and of course in addition to the liberal use of die cast, we had to make 23 molds just for the structural parts. Normally you wouldn't go this far. (wry smile) But we wanted to make something worthy of the 20th anniverary, "the greatest monument"

- Well, he really has evolved since the old Convoy. Older fans must be very excited! (happy)

Kobayashi: Also what I'd like people to notice is the proportions that match the anime, and the realistic vehicle mode. The design of the front grill differs for the vehicle and robot mode, there are moving cylinders and pistons for the arms and legs, parts that normally would be hollow were filled, the clicking joints, we paid attention to all the minor details in reproducing the ultimate robot.

- Definitely the articulated fingers when holding his weapons are incredibly realistic. (amazed)... to think of it, the Binaltech series and Masterpiece Convoy are complicated 3 dimensional puzzles. Allowing the transformation from vehicle to robot in simple yet magical, and being able to do this without removal of parts is just fascinating. For example, when verifying the transformation mechanism, do you end up making many revisions of prototypes?

Kobayashi: We simply begin by drawing the conceptual pre-transformation vehicle and post-transformation robot. Sometimes we use plastic models and take apart minicars for reference, but fundamentally I think of the transformation process entirely in my head, and then start designing the various parts. Because of this, we have never had to generate a prototype for the sole purpose of testing the transformation.

- No matter how you think of it, that is quite amazing! Geez, I wonder how your brain works!? (laugh)

Kobayashi: Ahaha... (laugh) Well, I've been a Transformers fan since I was 10 years old, as well as a transforming robot freak, so I naturally have this tendancy to daydream about different transformation mechanisms. Even just walking around town and looking at various buildings makes me think "If I could rotate that side this way and I could have the hand come out and then turn it this way..." (wry smile)

- Ahaha. You really are a "Transformers brain"! (laugh) And finally, a comment for all the customers!

Kobayashi: Our third release will be the Binaltech series "Impezza Street Version", which should arrive early spring. We plan on releasing a new vehicle every 3 months after that, so I hope you are all looking forward to the rebirth of the Transformers!

Profile

Kobayashi Hironori
Born 7/26/1976
BOYS Marketting Unit, BOYS Kids Character Division Nagaoka Institute of Design, Industrial Design Department, after graduating with degree in Industrial design joined Takara in 1999. He has worked on TF Car Robots: Speedbreaker, Overseas TF, Gobots, TF Micron Legend: Convoy Super Mode, Rachet, Land Military Microns, STD Convoy, Jetfire, Space Microns, Air Military Microns, as well as various other transforming robot projects. "My first project was Speedbreaker, and I had a painful experience as I was suddenly introduced to the difficultly of designing transforming robots. Even now Speedbreaker serves as an admonition for my future developments", he painfully recollects. He impressed me by asking for his face not to be shown, saying "In the end, developers are people behind the scenes, so there's no need to photograph me."

Currently he is working on all Binaltech and Masterpeice convoy related development, and production work for TF Collection, Collecter's Edition, USA Edition, and the domestic introduction of TF Superlink (Energon) and assisting with new TF development. He is passionately pursuing his work.