Yes, you read that right. It’s not just Star Saber, nor just Victory Leo, it’s Victory Saber!
Prior to the Hasbro Pulse Fan First Friday last week, they have been hinting their next HasLab project to be something from Transformers: Victory. To those unfamiliar, it’s one of several Japanese-exclusive series that took the original Generation 1 story to a different direction, and is spearheaded by Star Saber, the Autobot Supreme Commander around this time. When Hasbro was doing these hints, many speculated that this would indeed be Star Saber. And while this is technically correct, Hasbro basically took a step further and also included Victory Leo to complete the Victory Saber set.
As we all know, Victory Saber is a multi-layer and multi-component transformation so Hasbro decided to show all the individual components and gimmicks that the original toy had while keeping all the bells and whistles of a modern Transformers figure.
First of all, we have Brain of Courage, the Brainmaster unit. Unlike Titan Masters who fold up to be the complete head unit, Brainmasters are much smaller and forms the actual face. Brain of Courage is estimated to be 1 inch tall, smaller than your typical Titan Master figure. He then folds up and fits within Saber. Saber, in turn, is roughly Deluxe-class sized and is also the core component or Star Saber. Similar to the animation and on the original toy, Saber also transforms into an accurate-looking jet mode that Brain of Courage can pilot via an opening canopy.
Going a step further, Saber can then combine with V-Star, his flying weapons platform and form Star Saber, the Autobot Supreme Commander. He does have the same plated face look that typical Primes have so this should fit well in my collection. In robot mode, Star Saber is roughly Leader-class sized so he’ll definitely be more imposing compared to other Autobots. In robot mode, Star Saber can hold is signature sword thanks to the inclusion of forward butterfly shoulder joints. You can also attach the sword blade in either toy or animation-accurate configurations.
The other part of this set is Victory Leo, which is a rebuilt version of Ginrai, who’s known in the west as Powermaster Optimus Prime so I’m sure how they’ll explain the fiction. Regardless, Victory Leo is a robot lion decked out with a whole slew of cannons, not to mention a very aggressive personality. In robot mode, Victory Leo is smaller than Star Saber and is roughly Voyager-class sized. This set will essentially include figures of various size classes and combine them into one heck of a Transformer.
Combining everything together forms Victory Saber, the Autobot Supreme Commander and leader of the Galactic Defense Force. The combination involves separating Victory Leo into components at form both the backpack and leg extensions of Star Saber. In vehicle mode, Victory Leo combines into the rear section of Star Saber to form this massive space jet that looks pretty much like an 80s Japanese robot and awesome at the same time.
As part of a HasLab campaign, several stretch goals will be unlocked if the funding receives a certain number of copies. First to be unlocked at 14,000 units is Victory Saber’s V-Lock Cannon which is even longer than Victory Leo as tall. This tier will also unlock several effect parts you could put into Victory Leo’s cannons. There are also stretch goals unlocked at 17,000 and 20,000 units but those are yet to be revealed. You can check out Hasbro’s reveal with the video below.
Among the multiple project Hasbro Pulse is currently looking to fund, this is one that I’ll definitely give my hard-earned cash into. Victory Saber sets the precedent of being the first Japanese-exclusive character to get a mainline figure release. In fact, outside of the original Generation 1 toy, the only Star Saber toy we got was the Masterpiece, and that small Robot Masters version. So this one would really be the definitive version that would fit well with your modern Generations collection.
Victory Saber is now available for backers on Hasbro Pulse if you live in the US, Canada, or UK. Outside of those territories, please check with your local hobby stores on how you can secure a copy of this amazing set.
Transformers Victory Saber
Backing ends on October 11, 2021 / $179.99
Order via Hasbro Pulse.
