Finally got time to do the review of the latest (and my 3rd) Haslab after Unicron and ML Sentinel. Another must-have for me since the Japanese G1s are part of my collections.
Haslab Victory Saber was announced in 2021.
In Package
Moving away from the bland packaging of Unicron, Victory Saber box comes with a sleeve. On it are nicely done artwork of Victory Saber (outline), Star Saber and Victory Leo on the front and the toy image on the back.
It also comes with a cardboard poster foreshadowing Deszaras/Death Saurus release.
Good news, we're getting him next year. Congrats.
Good news, we're getting him next year. Congrats.
But good news, Deathsaurus will come with their 2 mates, Boater & Pipo (which literally how they write the sound of Ambulance siren in Japan).
Star Saber (Alt Mode)
Additionally, he comes with forward and backward butterfly joints on the shoulders and ab crunch which improve his poseability by a lot.
Saber (Alt Mode)
First of all, you'd think there will be huge difference handling this compared to the MP version. There really wasn't. The design follow closely to the source material, as the MP version was.
Saber's jet mode is quite solid with everything pegs in nicely. The hands that peg on the side protrude quite a bit, just like the MP version. The nosecone however is relatively shorter as opposed to MP24's Saber.
The Brain of Courage might seems underwhelming compared to the MP version where the head is not even painted. But bear in mind that it is significantly smaller.
Another difference is that Saber's face is not in the robot's body nor in the brainmaster's body (like the G1 version). The face is on a hinge connected to the brainmaster's head.
The Brain of Courage Brainmaster can fit nicely in the cocpkit. Nothing impressive and is expected. TFC Trinity Force failed in this aspect (good set, nonetheless).
Saber (Robot Mode Mode)
One thing I noticed is that Haslab VS made quite a few improvements, using the MP24 as baseline. We'll see that throughout the review.
Saber transformation don't differ much from the MP version (and the cartoon), even the same hollow forearms. However, the robot mode can be considered bulkier with shorter thighs.
The helmet is stored in the body in alt mode and flips up in robot mode.
For the gimmick, first flip up Saber's face from the back of the brainmaster and peg the brainmaster inside the rotating compartment. So far I've experience no issue where the head got stuck when rotating.
The jet's nosecone can be attached on Saber's shoulder but the sword's handle can't be hidden and quite visible. The nosecone part is actually quite small and stumpy compared to the MP version and in the cartoon.
Saber is a very stable figure and able to use his weapons properly. Overall joints are tight despite at most using friction.
Unlike the MP version, he doesn't come with a fake, smaller jet nosecone to be used as his sword, resulting in significantly big and out of scale melee weapon.
Two-handed? No problem. Important note. The stand can't properly be used by Saber.
One of the iconic way of posing a Star Saber toy. Saber riding the V-Star. There's no proper peg but you have a lot of surface to pose him on.
First of all, gorgeous!
Attaching Saber to the V-Star is quite straightforward. And despite being able to peg securely (he never fell off the entire time I handled him), I never experienced issue unpegging him like MP24. Nice improvement.
Securely attached to the stand. You don't have to worry about him.
The effect parts included were recycled from Jetfire's and Skylynx's. Do they work? Well, I don't hate them.
Star Saber (Robot Mode Mode)
We're almost half-way done. Let's continue
Some people pointed out that he seems bulky. Compared to MP24, yes. But I attributed the proportion based on design choice, between US and Japanese style.
The proportion "issue" actually not really obvious in most angles though.
Sculpt wise, he's beautifully done. Really accurate design with minimal stylization. And both my copies have almost perfect finishing and no QC issues.
One thing I noticed from the back is how many screw holes there are. The 5mm ports, while good to have, make the holes seem more that they really are. *nitpicking*
Before we go ahead with his articulation, let's see how Hasbro improved some of MP24 design.
The one I like the most is the sliding forearms being replaced. The slide mechanism can get stuck or being loose overtime, which in turn will affect the joint's quality. Saber's tabbing mechanism is almost jam-free while being really secure.
Instead of using on-palm grooves to secure the weapon, he comes with round pegs in his hands that can be hidden when you open his palms.
Some designs omitted (which I think they shouldn't) are like the connector for Star Saber's head to the body, the blade's storage in his back (now being stored at the side of his lower legs without anything to securely lock it).
Articulation wise, major improvements! His shield can either be attached on his forearms using a clip or being held using 5mm peg.
The blade can be attached with either the flat part or the blade facing forwards, a good design. But remember to pull out the handle all the way out.
He has generally all the basic articulations that you would expect like head swivels and upwards tilt, waist swivels, double-jointed elbows with ratchets, wrist swivels, ratcheting universal hip joints and ankle rockers (slightly limited)
With all the joints, you can get him into a lot of cool poses. One thing that can improve him more is having a longer and proportionate thighs.
Size. Another topic being debated frequently
The scale that being always referred to usually shows him as at the height as God Ginrai. But for Haslab take, Star Saber is only as tall as LG Super Ginrai. Were they using the logic that both base forms should be the same?
While the quality and built are not the same, the generally fit better together despite being 5 years apart.
This is already a long review, I'll continue Victory Leo, Victory Saber and complete overall summary in the next review, here.
Tazabar tunggu victory leo!
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