Transformers Review: LG-EX Big Powered Part 2 (Dai Atlas & Combined Forms)

Dai Atlas

Dai Atlas! He’s a bigun. The Autobot leader for the Zone toyline, and one of the most expensive G1 toys. He’s a remold (and a significant one) of Titans Return Overlord. The color scheme is fantastic. He’s got a nice heft to him, and is easy to pose.

Some folks seem to dislike the face sculpt. I think it’s quite noble-looking. The helmet is sweet, echoing previous good guy leaders. He’s got an airplane hanging off his back. I consider that a feature, not a bug; looks great from nearly any angle.

Unfortunately there are a few angles where the hollow calves really mar the look. Due to the significant retooling, parts that exist on Overlord have been removed, and there’s nothing to cover this spot. I’m hoping for a third party fix of some sort.

One small chain-like piece connects the two pieces of the mold. It takes a nervous amount of pressure to get the waist joined together and I fear breaking it every time. The wings form into a shield which I believe is supposed to be a “Z” for Zone.

Dai Atlas has two alt modes. Sort of. This one is a jet. Sleek, it is not. It looks like a plane sitting on top of a tank, because that’s exactly what Overlord is. Takara remolded it to resemble the G1 toy, which it actually does. A mixed success!

That second alt mode is a drill tank. To me, this barely counts as another mode; you just swing the arms around and drop the wings, and suddenly it’s a tank? Yeah, okay. Sure. Again, the G1 toy isn’t a high bar but this doesn’t quite get over it.

Now this is a base mode! Overlord had a decent base mode, and the remolding for Dai Atlas doesn’t hinder it in any way. In fact, it improves on it, with wing pieces and extra bits here and there looking great. It really captures the Zone feel.

All told, Dai Atlas is a flawed, impressive toy. The hollow legs and chain waist are frustrating. In the end, I feel like the fun factor and the “out of left field” nature of seeing a modern Dai Atlas toy outweigh these negatives by a large margin.

Combined Forms & Final Thoughts

Here are all three Powered Masters in base mode. Sadly, they don’t peg together in any way, but they certainly look good sitting next to each other. The color schemes of all three toys complement each other well.

The base modes are great platforms for smaller toys. The Titanmaster gimmick for each mold remains, though the G1 toys didn’t have this feature. It’s neat to have mini-me versions of each character in the pilot’s seat, or hanging out at the base.

And finally we come to the combined modes! The G1 toy had three combinations. Sky Powered, Land Powered, and Big Powered. The remake doesn’t officially have the first two, but I mean, it’s just stacking one on the other, right? Here are my attempts.

Big Powered is a big, imposing vehicle! It’s very simple, but often simple means elegant. I don’t know if I’d call Big Powered elegant, but the designers did a great job homaging the original with toys that weren’t intended to do so.

Final thoughts: LG-EX Big Powered is a fantastic set. The flaws are made up for by the fact that we can all now enjoy modern toys based on these characters. Late G1 was fun, and these three toys are absolutely that. Big (Powered) Thumbs Up!