General Information
Release Date: May 2025
Price Point: 2,750 Yen (MSRP)
Retailer: Japanese Exclusive
Accessories: Triceratops head, Triceratops Tail, Flame Energy Armor
Official images and text in italics are from Takara Tomy Mall
Characters from the web animation "Transformers: Wild King" are now available as toys!
Introducing the Triceratops-type Transformer Energy Beast "Leafback" that plays an active role in "Transformers: Wild King"! "Leafback" is a Transformer that possesses glass energy, the power of nature! Transforms from robot to beast and beast to robot! Can be combined (Wild docking) with the Energy Master (sold separately)! Have fun with your own Wildcocking!
Packaging:
In a huge departure from the typical Transformers packaging from the last decade or so, the Wild King beasts are packaged in closed boxes measuring about 6.25 inches (about 15.8cm) by 6.25 inches (and 2 inches/5cm deep). The front features the Wild King logo to the left and the Takara Tomy logo to the right. The main illustration is Leafback's CG model in robot mode. His beast mode is represented by a photo of the toy. In the lower left hand corner is a box showing off Megatron combined with all four beasts from the first wave of Wild King toys. To the right is Leafback's designation "WKB-04" and his name. The back of the box shows Leafback in both modes and features the write up translated above. The rest of the back features legal text.
The figure and accessories are tied to a plain cardboard try with rubber bands. Unlike lines like Legacy, there are no parts wrapped in tissue paper. This packaging is nice as it is reusable, allowing you to store the figure inside when you do not have it on display.
Accessories:
The basic design of the Wild King beasts involves a basic robot frame whose parts move in very similar ways. There are 5mm pegs all over the figure allowing you to attach weapons and more importantly, beast mode "parts" to form the alt-modes. Here's a rundown of what Leafback comes with:
Triceratops Head:
Leafback's beast mode is a Triceratops. Like the other beasts in this line, Leafback's beast mode is mechanical, not techno-organic. That means despite some of the rounder organic looking shapes most of the details are more mechanical looking. This includes a series of horizontal lines on the frill and some of the greebles around the eyes which look like armor panels. There are small spikes along the edge of the frill and of course three horns. The sculpt looks fantastic.
This piece is made of three parts. The largest portion of the head is green plastic. The two larger horns and pegs in the back are black plastic. Yellow paint is used for detailing on the frill and the small horn on the nose. The eyes are painted red.
Like other figures in the line, the black piece on the neck has one section with a single 5mm peg and another section with two pegs. This allows you to attach this piece to different parts of the figure. The two larger horns on the head are a separate piece than the rest of the head made of slightly softer plastic. I think if this was released in the United States the plastic would be much softer for safety reasons.
Tail/Weapon:
The tail piece looks like it could be used for almost any dinosaur or generic lizard character. It features several sculpted segments on the sides and two rows of ridges along the top. There is an interesting line in the middle. There are some details on the sides that look like armor panels. The tail is made of green plastic and the pegs are black.
Like the head, this piece also has a section with three 5mm pegs on it. Two are next to each other while the third is a single peg in the middle. While there is no weapon barrel sculpted into the tail, suggesting this is more of a melee weapon but I like to think of it as a cannon as well. The bottom of this piece has a 5mm port in the middle while the top has one at the base. This allows for extra play value.
Grass Energy Armor:
Each of the Wild King beasts includes an "Energy Armor" piece that is shaped kind of like a leaf. This accessory has several lines sculpted into it that make this look like the leaf off a mechanical tree. This piece is green plastic with metallic green paint in the front. There is a 5mm peg in the back.
Robot Mode:
Leafback shares some of the same sculpting as the other Energy Beasts in this wave. Specifically his torso, thighs and upper arms are all the same as those on Captain Volca. The new parts on the figure are his forearms (which include the dinosaur feet behind the wrists) and the lower legs, which are designed to be the dinosaur legs complete with three toes with sharp looking claws. The head sculpt is unique to Leafback featuring a "helmet" section that resembles medieval armor. It features a roughly oval shape with a piece that comes down over his nose and even horns that Hollywood often associates with ancient Viking armor. In the context of Transformers, if you look at this a certain way the head sculpt looks a lot like Unicron's though I think that is more a coincidence than anything else.
This figure is made of two shades of green and black plastic. Black is used largely for joints and parts of the legs. Paint colors include yellow, black and red.
There are nineteen points of articulation on this figure. This includes four in each arm and leg. This is less than the typical Generations style figure but since this is a line targeted at younger fans it's not a shock. Still, I do miss the figure having head articulation. There are fifteen 5mm ports on this figure including one on the back and one on the front of each lower leg. This allows you to attach his various accessories however you'd like. Typically the Triceratops head goes on one shoulder and the tail can be used as a weapon.
Transformation to Beast Mode:
- Detach the weapons and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Push the legs together.
- Push the back panel out, swing the head into the back panel, then swing it back in place.
- Rotate the arms back.
- Swing the arms up and rotate the forearms up so the dinosaur arms are facing out to the sides.
- Push the shoulder pieces together.
- Swing the rear dinosaur legs up against the black parts of the lower legs.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Swing the dinosaur legs forward.
- Move the pegs on the tail so the two pegs face out. Attach this to the back.
- Move the pegs on the head so the two pegs face out. Attach this to the front.
- Attach the armor piece to the top of the beast mode.
Beast Mode:
Leafback's Triceratops mode is relatively blocky looking in the middle, but the curves of the head and tail give it a sleek appearance. The feet all have nice nail details on the feet. There are no real "new" details revealed here, but you do get a bit more visual emphasis on the back of the robot mode.
This mode features all the same colors as the robot mode but thanks to the beast mode feet there is more yellow paint showing. I'm glad they designers went with two different shades of green plastic as it offers some extra visual variety on what could have been a monotone figure.
There are seven points of articulation in this mode. The head can move up and down a bit and each leg can move. There are thirteen 5mm ports in this mode including three on each rear leg and one on top of the tail.
Transformation to Limb Mode (from Beast Mode):
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Swing the lower legs down.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Swing the lower legs (including the black sections) up.
- For the arm mode, you can attach the T-Rex head to the ports at the knee area on the legs.
- For the leg mode, you can attach one of Megatron or Optimus' foot pieces to the robot legs.
- The tail and armor can be attached to any of the other ports on the figure for either mode.
Limb Mode:
The limb mode is the same for both the arm and leg modes. What distinguishes the two are how you attach parts to it. If you attach the Triceratops head to the "wrist" area then you have the arm mode. Attach the same area to one of the Megatron or Optimus foot pieces and now you have the leg. The fourteen 5mm ports in this mode allow for a lot of options in terms of where you attach the rest of the accessories.
From an aesthetic point of view the sculpt does ask you to use your imagination when it comes to the arm mode. While the dinosaur head can be used as a "hand" similar to Beast Wars Megatron, the knee pieces are designed to roughly resemble a fist. There are even 5mm ports there to attach accessories.
Final Thoughts:
Leafback is another fun use of the basic structure of the Wild King beast sculpts and play pattern. This figure is definitely not for everyone, skewing towards a younger audience. And the fact that you pretty much have to import this from Japan (instead of say, getting them from Hasbro Pulse) means you really have to want these figures to get them instead of them just being curiosities. I really like this figure, but I recognize it's not for everyone.
Pros:
- Looks good in both modes with a unique robot head sculpt.
- Good sculpted details. Even though it shares parts with other figures it looks distinct.
- Good play value.
Cons:
- The lack of articulation (compared to most modern figures) may be a let down for some fans.
- Could use a bit more deco.
