The Transformers franchise, especially the original incarnation, is typically more associated with America than any other country. Despite this, the series was actually a collaboration between American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy developers Takara (now Takara-Tomy). After the Generation 1 cartoon ended in the US, Japan had their own Transformers cartoons, one of which starred a memorable new Autobot leader.
Star Saber was the fan-favorite protagonist of the anime Transformers: Victory, and his plastic likeness has a chance to be remade by Hasbro. Part of a new Haslab crowdfunding project, the development for the mighty Star Saber depends on fans proving that they want it by funding it. Here's a look back at who this somewhat obscure Autobot was and what his planned toy will include.
Who Is Star Saber?
Star Saber was the Autobot leader in the 1989 anime series Transformers: Victory, and he in many ways cemented the much different form the franchise would take in the latter G1 years in Japan. His design much more resembles a Japanese Super Robot than a Transformer, and while his bright red, blue, yellow and white color scheme might somewhat evoke Optimus Prime, his Cybertronian Jet alternate mode is anything but an everyday truck.
Star Saber was a Brainmaster, which were somewhat similar to the preceding Headmasters in that a small robot combined with a larger "Transtector" vehicle. Star Saber's smallest form was the diminutive robot Yuki, the Brain of Courage. It combined with the Transtector jet Saber, becoming the robot mode's face and head. Saber's robot mode could pilot the V-Star's vehicle base mode, or combine with it in vehicle mode to become Star Saber. Star Saber's robot mode was a gigantic, towering robot swordsman that stood for justice and struck fear into the hearts of evil Decepticons.
Star Saber's rival was the then-current Decepticon leader Deszaras/Deathsaurus, who was as powerful and mighty as his Autobot counterpart. Likewise, when the Optimus Prime lookalike Ginrai was rebuilt into Victory Leo, Star Saber gained the ability to combine with the lion Transformer into Victory Saber. This made him not only one of the most powerful Transformers ever, but his toy was also one of the biggest in the franchise.
Star Saber's legacy has sadly been relegated to obscurity, as he's only really known in Japan due to his cartoon and original figure staying exclusive to the region during Generation 1. The biggest of his few homages were also anime-related. Transformers: Armada introduced a new Star Saber, though this new guy had nothing to do with the original Autobot. The follow-up, Transformers: Energon, the second entry in the "Unicron Trilogy," introduced an Autobot named Wing Dagger who was later rebuilt into Wing Saber. Wing Saber's design was a mix between Star Saber and, ironically, the Generation 1 Decepticon Combiner, Predaking, with his ability to combine with Optimus Prime likely homaging Victory Leo.
Haslab's Star Saber Toy
The Haslab/Hasbro Pulse Star Saber toy was revealed recently, offering fans the chance to fund the development of an Autobot hero straight from the stars above. This follows in the footsteps of Haslabs crowdfunding several Marvel figures, as well as the gigantic evil Transformer planet, the Chaos Bringer Unicron.
The (likely upcoming) Star Saber toy would bring the hero's full glory to a modern action figure, providing a completely transforming version of the once Japanese-exclusive character with all of his old gimmicks. This includes a 1" Yuki/Brain of Courage, a 5" Saber toy, a 8.5" V-Star and a 7.5" Victory Leo for it to combine with. This latter feature actually puts it ahead of the Masterpiece edition Star Saber figure, which had joints to combine with a potential Masterpiece Victory Leo that's yet to be developed.
The asking price is also a lot more reasonable, as the $179.99 backing fee is less expensive than most sites have the Masterpiece version listed for. With a total of 11,000 backers needed and having already acquired over 7,500 with 25 days left in its campaign, the crowdfund for Star Saber is sure to be a success, proving that Autobot leaders besides Optimus Prime have both the touch and the power.