Beyond Transformers: God Ginrai, The Transformer That Changed Everything

[@hunter350js]

Hey great video. I actually have this one! Also I don’t display him with the big chrome chest either.

[@alanyuppie]

God ginrai is my all time favorite TF . I even built him using lego 10 years ago and published in my channel . New version coming up since I can't afford the latest mpg version.

[@ultramusprime32]

God Ginrai did end up eventually in the U.S. as a exclusive to Toys R Us as Optimus Prime with Apex armor,I have him and the original G1 Powermaster prime

[@classiccomicsforum]

Yes. I do mention that later on in the video. In fact, I can recall a time when that version was flooding ebay for $60 a piece because the speculators bought them up, but no one seemed to want them. "If I could turn back time..."

[@ultramusprime32]

@ yup, one of my all time favorites, although i have almost every version of Prime, my house is flooded with red and blue

[@ultramusprime32]

@ I couldn’t resist getting him

[@StandingUpForBetter]

Great video! I also appreciated the history lesson on how child safety laws changed how toys could be made. It is easy to take for granted all the amazing toys we have today. Actually, in some ways I now see the Masterpiece line and now MPG line as a way for the designers at Takara and Hasbro to go back to previous toys and make the versions of these figures they never were able to make and for some of these original toy designers, what a way to end their careers. I have the Haslab Victory Sabre, Haslab Deathsaurus, waiting for the Haslab Omega Prime and just bought MPG 09 Super Ginrai Takara with God Bomber on pre-order. What a time to be a toy collector. Thanks again for the video.

[@classiccomicsforum]

Thanks for your kind words! I never considered the idea that the MP line might be a way to honor the older designers. What a cool perspective. I hope you're right!

[@AnotherGalaxyToys]

I also like how you low key got a Terror Drome sitting off to the side chilling during the transformation 😂 I’d love to see your full collection! Based on your wall alone behind you when you’re recording face time, I bet it’s crazy!

[@classiccomicsforum]

Eventually, I hope to do a sister segment devoted to other retro toys, but Beyond Transformers is a big enough task as is! One day, though...

[@frozen1762]

My friend had this original when we were kids in early 90s. So, either there was import in Europe, or his dad bought it in Japan.

[@netwkgy]

Very enjoyable video. One note for you. You make the statement that Ginrai was the first TF to combine with himself. Powered Convoy (Ultra Magnus) does have him beat by a couple years. Admittedly the trailer really didn't stand on its own, but it was intended that the arms would swing forward to function as a missile launch base along with the Convoy figure.

[@classiccomicsforum]

You're 100% right. I actually realized that right after I said it. What I should have said is that Ginrai was the first to scale up at multiple levels: power master to Ginrai, to Super Ginrai, and to God Ginrai.

[@netwkgy]

@@classiccomicsforum That I will definitely agree with. I believe all others were combiners of some sort with individual bots or components. :) Keep up the videos.

[@classiccomicsforum]

Thank you! ​@@netwkgy

[@TerranIV]

I LOVED Power Master Optimus Prime. I wish we had gotten the full Ginrai (so dumb to make him a different character)! That die cast on the front of the truck and the hands that slide in are so cool! I always loved the little Hi-Q guy too. I am picking up the Masterpiece Ginrai only because I lived that toy so much!

[@citizen_grub4171]

He was a different character because Prime was dead. The Japanese continuity didn't bring him back until a bit later, with Star Convoy. Ginrai himself is actually a human, and the body he piloted was actually intended to go to Prime before Prime died. That's why he looks like Prime/Convoy.

[@sailordaigurren8225]

As a kid, I had the PMOP figure. I always hated the faux windows on his chest

[@classiccomicsforum]

Absolutely. As cheap as design as Ginrai is, somehow the transparent windows and chrome accents disguise this a little bit, whereas the PMOP version just sort of throws the cheapness in your face.

[@sailordaigurren8225]

@classiccomicsforum it's more the laziness of not even being able to use the actual windows. I generally dislike faux parts

[@kidchuckle]

I had a friend who's father flew to Japan. He had god bomber and Ginrai when Power masters came out. It was amazing to see God bomber... I had long forgotten about it until the internet came along. It's proportions are awkward and possibility a brick... but it had such fun gimmicks and neat ideas

[@classiccomicsforum]

Couldn't agree more! God Bomber was a white whale I dreamed about for years until the reissue came about in 2002 and finally made owning him possible.

[@danieldasilva3068]

I guess I was just fortunate to be able to play with all metal toys that had pointy edges and shot projectiles back in the 80’s

[@classiccomicsforum]

Weren't we all!

[@anerysium]

I never got the original Hasbro Powermaster Optimusback when I was a kid and I never got it when I became older I missed out on especially those US releases of the God Ginari / Powermaster Optimus Prime and Apex Armor set due to I couldn't save much money then. I did managed to get a KO of Powermaster Optimus (Powermaster Optimus not Ginrai since it did not have those deployable wrists and die cast parts) just to get the feel of the feel of getting one. I did manage to give it away and later tried to get the Legends Super Ginrai back then (I know it doesn't have an inner robot nor a Powermaster but a Headmaster but I really wanted for my Generations collection) but missed out on it. A friend of mine offer me his copy along with Legends God Bomber in both steal price along with 3P add on kit for additional weapons and stablizers. But getting them both is like getting a toy set II never realized I wanted as a kid. I also have the HasLab Victory Saber and standing them side by side really looks awesome to me.

[@Puzzledtraveller]

The Japanese continuity is my favorite and lucked into the Commemorative edition PMOP with Apex aka God Ginrai MISB for $140 at a peddlers mall a couple years ago.

[@classiccomicsforum]

What a score!

[@erikhawkke4861]

God Magnus Year - 2000 Series - Car Robots Faction - Autobot Size Class - Super ID Number - C-023.

[@classiccomicsforum]

Oh yes. That Optimus Prime/Ultra Magnus combiner definitely draws some influence from this earlier template. Good call!

[@KaosDX]

Also I believe God Magnus combined with fire Convoy to make God Fire Convoy. I may be a little off, I'm more familiar with the English name.

[@RobertGuidry-f3f]

The Asian version of Omega Prime, this needs a new version as well.

[@skateboard1349]

I had the toys r us reissue from the early 2000's that came with Apex Armor? From what I can remember it was the Takara mold except for the non choking missile, that i had "adjusted" to make it less...out there.

[@classiccomicsforum]

Yep. I was amazed they issued it in the States since so few of us knew what it was. As I recall, speculators bought them up and then ended up having to unload them on ebay for $60 a piece because there was no demand. Too bad, really.

[@nextgreendragon6019]

Hi first vid I have seen nice history and particularly the discussion of toy guidelines something often missed in transformers history. Also couldn't help but notice that pretty Denji Sentai Megaranger cho Denji Gattai Super Galaxy mega in the background really a pretty robot!

[@classiccomicsforum]

Good eyes! I'm actually planning on doing an episode on him soon.

[@citizen_grub4171]

Honestly, it's safe to say that without God Ginrai, we wouldn't still have the Transformers brand today. Hell, Transforming robot toys in general may have died on the vine. So despite his weird proportions, low quality plastic, excessive parts-forming, etc, I'm really glad that toy was released. If it hadn't, none of the recent War for Cybertron and Legacy toys I've been so enamored by the last few years would exist.

[@classiccomicsforum]

Well said!

[@rupturefarms21]

Pretty sure you owe transformers survival to beastwars. Without it transformers would've died with G2 and machine wars. 😑

[@classiccomicsforum]

@rupturefarms21 I think the 2000 revival series would have happened regardless, as well as all that came after. The demand was always going to be there.

[@citizen_grub4171]

@rupturefarms21 You are missing the forest for the trees, my man. Beast Wars would not have happened without this toy. Even Gen 2 needed this toy to happen. This was the gateway that lead to modern plastic engineering.

[@fredburge6637]

God ginrai is the one I own I bought it when it originally came out

[@mikeyfourbarrel8473]

Interesting commentary on the big shift for 1986. I never made the connection with the changing regulations and always just assumed it was a product of Has/Tak running out of molds. Thanks for educating me. FWIW, I was 7 when the movie hit and the 1986 guys were JUST as thrilling as the prior toys. I noticed that they were different but I definitely didn’t think they were worse.

[@classiccomicsforum]

Thanks for your kind words! I moved on from Transformers in '85 and never even saw the '86 designs until I came back to the fandom years later, but the sales numbers definitely show a big drop-off I'm glad it didn't kill your joy.

[@iodaspark]

RE-WATCHED! 🎉😊🎉 Happy New Year 2025! Ahh... A fresh calendar unfolds! This was a fun watch indeed, man! 🤩 Highly informative! Yes, perhaps this video lesson could be a point of resource or reference when it comes to the 'Blue Plastic Fatigue' that plagues this figure (or others like it). It certainly is a very real condition! 😅 I had bought the reissue God Ginrai/Godbomber set in the early 2000s and even without playing with the figure that much, the blue parts started to become somewhat greenish (like our G1 Combaticons) and just turned as brittle as clay. I suppose leaving the set inside its box/packaging (in storage) might have been a catalyst to this as the fumes released from the plastics would have been trapped inside those small spaces, thereby worsening the overall situation. (Parts simply used to snap off even as I was Gorilla-gluing broken bits from earlier!) The Powermaster and the core robot/truck cab themselves seem solid (so far), though I am as cautious with maroon plastics as I am with biege/light brown ones ~ as both have been known to turn brittle over time. The red & black parts all seem very premium & feel solid in hand, even after decades. Some of the weak spots of the toy (from what I've observed from other used samples) are the clips that enable the Powermaster 'God On' gimmick as well as the trailer hitch. Keep the passion burning 🔥, man!

[@classiccomicsforum]

Thanks much for your kind words and support! I've used both the 2002 Japanese reissue of God Ginrai and the 1988 American Powermaster OP and found blue plastic fatigue in both. I experienced breakages in Ginrai's feet, Super Ginrai's legs, and God Ginrai's hand peg holes. So much of the problem is how tight those joints are. You really have to push hard, even when being gentle, and that has to wear down the plastic over many years. Excellent point about the danger of leaving it in its original packaging. I was thinking about investing in a new one, still mint in the package, in order to get a fresh start with the toy, and I didn't consider how much worse those guys might actually be. Yikes.

[@iodaspark]

@@classiccomicsforum 🙏

[@cdigames]

I find it intriguing that these toys are looked back on so fondly, and I agree they are something wonderful. But I also remember in my local comic book shop in the mid 90s people arguing that *this specific toy* is what ruined Transformers until the Beast era came about. That being said, I am more inclined to lean towards your point that America changing the toy standards did more harm than anything else. Though I can see how someone would look at this, and claim it's the genesis for "excessive partsforming"

[@classiccomicsforum]

@@cdigames interesting perspective. Even the bastardized American version of this toy was more innovative than the '86 Transformers like Kup, Blur, Galvatron, and The Sweeps. But yeah, I could see looking at The American version and asking, "This was the best they could do?"

[@RonaldAlubalu]

@@classiccomicsforum I've still have the European one. To this day i wonder why they didn't do something about the hands. Just like the Japanese one or make them 2 separate parts like the OG Optimus Prime. My Hi-Q went missing, but to buy a new one is expensive.

[@KazuyaMithra]

Its funny people talk about partsforming when G1 always had it, from Starscream to Devastator to Omega Supreme.

[@Quest3Games]

Don't ask them to buy Ginrai and Super Ginrai. Super Ginrai comes with Ginrai included.

[@classiccomicsforum]

Good to know! Of course, I'm not asking them to buy anything.

[@MrNelson211]

I still have power master prime. Its a classic sadly i dont have the cannons anymore or even the power master that attaches to the front of prime.

[@paolozago6123]

Headmasters were cool (I had the helicopter), but you could tell that the quality of the transformation and the quantity of details were severely reduced probably to be compliant with that safety regulation. I dare to say that they looked more like giant, plastic "Machine Robo" (GoBots) rather than the original Diaclone derived Transformers that were small but intricate, detailed and with lots of metal parts.

[@phospodar]

Regarding around 11:50... Was he released before Ultra Magnus? The combination of the trailer with the body feels kinda like Ultra Magnus' combination of the truck with the trailer.

[@classiccomicsforum]

No, you are correct, and I realized that soon after I said it. What I should have said was that Ginrai was the first to scale up at multiple stages (Ginrai, to Super Ginrai, to God Ginrai).

[@TheTurnipKing]

12:10 Ginrai's animation model actually has the fake out chest as well. ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/a6GliYKEnrN0bbc ) 21:14 His head is just too big for this particular robot mode.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

@13:00 I'm getting too old since I can't remember if this was the one that me and my younger cousin played back then or the original G1 Optimus Prime because both had the colour scheme.

[@Manuel_B.]

the base is not for the robots is for the small power master figures

[@classiccomicsforum]

Really the base is more to scale with Diaclone drivers, which has always fascinated me. When you put the gray guns up top, there is a divider in the middle, allowing two Dianauts to sit side by side within. But the power masters just kind of stand there, too big to sit in the turrets, and too small to see out the window. It's strange.

[@greymage5335]

It's all called gold plastic syndrome regardless of the color. It's more prevalent in metallic swirl plastics. Onslaught is also a victim, and I have had breakage with Thundercracker too.

[@AnotherGalaxyToys]

Wow, I’ve never experienced his blue trailer legs breaking on G1 Powermaster. Noted. Is that only on the Super Ginrai version? For me, it’s always that cursed trailer hitch peg. No lie, I probably have 3 near perfect trailers except for the hitch peg broken off lol

[@KaosDX]

I always though Powermaster Optimus came first then he was upgraded for tge Japanese market. If you ever see tge original designs for PMOP the cab was to be a triple changer, 3rd mode was a jet. It looked like roller was his super mode headmaster as well. Oh and to be a picky shit about things, Ultra Magnus/Powered Convoy was the first transformer to combine with its self. I'd say it definitely inspired a lot of this toy.

[@classiccomicsforum]

Haha. I realized the Ultra Magnus thing immediately after I said it. You are absolutely right.

[@alfredosantiago3168]

I have that same optimus with the 2 trailer and all the parts to it complete i know is worth alot $$ I have mine in great condition...

[@classiccomicsforum]

That's awesome!

[@Cliffsrepaircorner]

cool video but let me help you pronounce the name correctly. "Ginrai" you can brake it into 3 syllables in the Japanese language. first brake the word apart like this Gin - ra - i. how you would say this is "Gin" the alcohol than "ra" and "I" together sound more like "rye" like the bread. all together it would be "ginryee" "i' is pronounced as "E" in Japan. When saying the last "e" sound it should last just a extra second. like a elongated valve. Keep up the good work and-hope this helps.

[@classiccomicsforum]

@@Cliffsrepaircorner it does. Thank you so much for this.

[@HouseholdWheel]

Ginrai is a soft G

[@Cameron_Bell]

Jinrai. 👍

[@HouseholdWheel]

@@Cameron_Bell no, it's still spelled Ginrai

[@giantbonsai8950]

It is pronounced like "GIF" or like "GIF"?

[@classiccomicsforum]

Thanks. Can you tell I've never watched the anime? :)

[@KazuyaMithra]

​@@HouseholdWheel It is, in Japanese its ジンライ with a ji- not ギンライ with a gi-. Also in english soft g is pronounced ji- like in the word gin, so it's a valid romanization.

[@akaiseigo]

Did anyone tell you that you like Josh Gad with a beard?

[@classiccomicsforum]

@@akaiseigo constantly.

[@giantbonsai8950]

I have the re-issue of Powermaster Optimus Prime (with Apex Armour-God Bomber) released in 2003 and the blue plastic problem seems solved on that one. I've never had a hint of breakage in the 20 years i've owned him So that's a good option for those looking for one of these. Only downside is the missile for his shoulder gun is grey and long as a pencil.

[@classiccomicsforum]

I actually have the Japanese reissue from 2002, and blue plastic syndrome is just as bad there as in the original. Could be the American release was different, and it also could be you've been lucky. Be careful.

[@giantbonsai8950]

@@classiccomicsforum Guess i've been lucky then. It's rock solid. It's definitely the Hasbro release if that makes the difference.