u/Road_Caesar

DA-14 Big Powered GV

DA-80 Big Powered GV VERS Calibur

DA-33 Big Powered GV Destroyer

DA-17 Big Powered GV IMS

For some reason, DA-17 has been delisted in the product details section of the T-Spark site and Diaclone.info. No idea why unless it's related to the name? The current listing says "Independent Assault Team Ver." now.

Overall, huge fan of how it turned out - especially after how ubiquitous the original was back in the 80s. Seemed like every kid had one and it was so "boring" to me. Probably because I grew up where we didn't get snow.

But the HasLab version resolved all of my criticisms of the original and added tons of features and modularity. While I've only fiddled around with the default configuration, I've also brainstormed various other loadouts and configurations.

While the bivouac is great and designed/assembled well, the camp gear probably won't get a lot of mileage for a while.

The treads, the articulation of the treads/axle, the LEDs (and the USB power feature), the crew capacity, the snow torpedoes (and snowboards), and the detailing all knock it out of the park - I may not have been a fan of the original, but I'm sold on this!

So what's the hype? I'm hoping I can share info and pics and help you decide for your collection.

DA-127 (¥44,000) is more or less a recolor of DA-92 (¥41,800) from 2022. It includes what you see in the now-published product details page at TakaraTomy T-Spark:

https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/diaclone/product_details/da-127/

You get the Battle Convoy V-MAX from DA-65 colors and the DA-85 Powered Greater. In many of my pics, you also see the extra DA-88 set connected (wing guns, shoulder long guns, extra wheel turrets, extra Sword/Shield, 6-pack missile pods.)

Battle Convoy V-MAX is a top and bottom machine that combines into an homage machine that is inspired by Diaclone Car Robots Battle Convoy (Optimus Prime). It uses bullet cores for the cockpits, has a plethora of 4mm ports for custom loadouts and creations, and is also part of the Tri-Verse system. The top and bottom machines can be exchanged with any Tri-Verse machine. (See my older posts in this subreddit showing examples).

Powered Greater is also a pair of top/bottom machines that can combine. It also has a Maneuver (bot) mode, but the "head" is really just a Bullet Core. It includes the sword/shield drone machine as well.

All 4 machines can combine in a variety of ways (see the T-Spark product details link above for the full scope.) They can also form a powered up Battle Convoy V-MAX with wings and swords and more firepower. You will have some leftover parts like the default arms from Battle Convoy V-MAX since the combined mode arms are from Powered Greater. This also produces 2 spare bullet cores.

Finally, let's talk "towing". DA-127 should include a joint part that allows the Pod Grander (DA-65) or Tactical Grander to connect to both Battle Convoy V-MAX AND the Powered Convoy V-MAX modes. If not, they can each still be connected to Battle Convoy V-MAX or Max 02 (the bottom/leg machine). I've show a pic of the joint and the "power connector" towing arm extended from Tactical Grander.

Is this worth the hype? I lean towards "yes." Not only do you get the Optimus Prime/Convoy homage colors all in one set, new, and without the DA-92 ankle defect, you don't have to chase down and pay aftermarket "late taxes" to form this from DA-65 and DA-85. Both of those sets are also in large boxes, so even importing from Mandarake is gonna be a hit due to the oversized penalty from couriers.

IF you choose to order this, I recommend comparing pricing between Japan retailers with the preorder discount (20-25% off ¥44,000) plus shipping/duties, and deciding if the domestic US pricing (TOMY, BBTS, The Chosen Prime) is worth the smoother process and baked in shipping but a later arrival date. AmiAmi for example is ¥35,200/$230 plus unknown shipping. And even chosing the slowest methods (Ground or ECMS) will still add $90-$100 based on history. No way to avoid it. Usually, TOMY US is priced close to the cost of a Preorder from Japan + Shipping with a difference of 5-10% less for the import. But TOMY is free shipping on orders over $50...so you decide.

Ask any questions you may have and we'll all chime in to help you make the best decision for your collection goals.

Preorders begin September 9 2026.

Apparently the Bullet Core and the <Name Unknown> tank can both become Bullet Core units in Tactical Movers (shown in second pic connected to Tread/CU frame).

The tank vehicle further disassembles so the turret unit is not only the bullet core with head unit, but the chassis becomes "shoes" and the turret sides connect to the forearms (see pic 2.)

Cosmo Marines - as previously detailed - doesn't have as much current support as it did in the line's early years

Maneuver Suits are described as the second generation Powered Suits, developed and evolved from the 1st Gen Powered Suit A/B/C/D/E/F. Maneuver Suits use a Greek alphabet naming convention for each model: Alpha/Beta/Delta/Gamma/Epsilon.

I haven't included the Maneuver Suit Beta in these pics as it's more of an auxiliary, support suit than the others.

Delta was never released in Cosmo Marines deco, so the ones seen here are aftermarket/unofficial.

Maneuver Suits are stowed in Raid Chamber (Land Type) which don't have the maneuvering thrusters of the Raid Chambers for the 1st Gen Powered Suits. Although those thrusters are used to slow descent when deployed from a Sky Carrier or Dia-Battles. 1st Gen Powered Suits can also be stored in Raid Chamber Land Type as well. Raid Chamber LT can be transported and/or mounted from the ports in the top, rear, and bottom of the container. They're ideal with Battle Buffalo, but can also be deployed with Big Powered, Dia-Battles, Sky Carrier, and Tactical Carriers as well.

Finally, Sky Jacket is an auxiliary craft that also deploys an enhancement unit for Maneuver Suits as the "Hangar" craft continues to function separately and either piloted or drone operated. It's seen in these images attached to a Maneuver Suits Gamma.

Per Diaclone Official social channels.

Where to preorder will likely be the usual venues, but we'll know more on 9-9-26.

I had been deploying and experimenting with the Cosmo Marines sub-team machines for a bit, now.

While lore isn't as built-out on the [T-Spark site](https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/diaclone/product/?category=&orderby=desc&year=) as I'd like, I believe the Horus mk2/FSU, Agress Daedalus, and Hawk Orbithopter/OU are all the same colorway which is abnormal for Tactical Movers outside of the Cosmo Marine and Shadow colorways (black).

This leads me to incorporate the Cosmo Squadron into the Cosmo Marines for joint operations as the CS units all share the same color which is VERY close to the light green CM deco. So I bolstered some loadouts by playing mix/match as seen in the pics.

While the Cosmo Marines are a sub-unit that hasn't seen a lot of support since Garuda Versaulter <CM>, there's still a decent representation.

With around a dozen official models (and a few unofficial from outside sources) there's not a lot of variety after the Powered Suits (A, B, C, D), Maneuver Suits, V-Movers Vers Riser 02, Tri-Digger, and 3-ish Tactical Movers (Hawk was Modular Mode-only, no Frame.)

I'm choosing to also incorporate the recently debuted Hawk Versaulter/OU as well, which would also include the Agress Versaulter based on how close the colorway is to the light green Cosmo Marine deco.

The Product Details pages for the various Cosmo Marines units note that they're a specialized force with high-performance tuned versions of their machines. They also deploy in tandem and in support of local units that come under attack - they're the cavalry, if you will.

The product details lore also notes that they have their own fleet of standard machines like Dia-Battles or Big Powered, and so on, even though the camo/deco isn't specific to the Cosmo Marines colors.

Admittedly it's over-the-top. I collected 1 of each along the way and then some pre-owned were offered at various points (pre-inflation) and I couldn't pass em up. Then X-1 happened and now we have news of a "Ground Battles" teaser from TakaraTomy. (Details to come later.) And this isn't even factoring in the compatibility features with Powered Suits, Maneuver Suits, and Battle Buffalo...

(Oh, and 1/ea of the v2, Cosmo 02, and Cosmo Battles KOs)

https://us.tomy.com/diaclone-d-vehicles-cosmo-chamber/

New D-Vehicles Cosmo Chamber. TOMY US link provided but available via all typical retailers.

"A space container module equipped with four landing gears. The side panel color is off-white, the same as the base color of the Cosmo Carrier aircraft. It is used for transporting and storing small machines such as Diaclone team vehicles and PS aircraft. It has a mechanism for linking chambers together."

https://us.tomy.com/diaclone-tread-versaulter-cu-ground-armored-units-ver/#tab-description

New Preorder now available. TOMY US link provided but available at all typical Diaclone retailers.

"The Ground Armored Unit is a Diaclone ground combat unit composed of machines that combine superior mobility with heavy armor and heavy artillery power. The Tread Versalter/CU is a tactical mover equipped with a powerful crawler (chariot unit) that extends its ability to travel on rough terrain. It becomes a "humanoid tank" that reliably destroys targets with hybrid combat maneuvers that combine agile tracked movement, artillery fire from two artillery units, and powerful close-quarters combat. The basic unit color."

Battles Gridman was the first Diaclone crossover. It took the Gridman, SSSS.Gridman, and Diaclone franchises and merged them together through a Dia-Battles lens.

There were 3 components of the crossover:

• Gridsuit - a variant of the PS 202X Powered Suits with a Gridman Dianaut
• Gridman - a fully articulated action figure the same size as the Good Smile Company The Gattai series with a chrome finish and Thunder Sword, Thunder Shield, Road Viper bike, and a unique female Dianaut (featured in the associated fiction story).
• Battles Gridman - a semi-gloss Gunmetal Gridman figure (to minimize scratching shiny chrome), a Bullet Fighter, the Thunder Calibur sword/shield/combo, and the Battle Hangar which becomes the suit for Super God Combination Battles Gridman.

The Gridman figure has plenty of 3mm ports all over for action bases and dynamic action poses. The Battle Hangar is focused more on being a Gridman suit than a Diaclone machine, so unfortunately, there's almost no 3mm/4mm ports common all over Diaclone machines. The 2 twin guns atop the wings can be swapped out, and the pegs all over the Battle Hangar and Bullet Fighter can be used to support Diaclone machines that have 3mm foot ports in the soles of the foot. Including the Gridman figures.

Crossplay with The Gattai Gridman (either version) or Diaclone is minimal, much like Shield D Prime. But the styling is unmistakably Diaclone and Battles Gridman fits right in with the fleet of Dia-Battles v2 and X-1!

To learn more, check out Takara's product page for the crossover and especially the tabs at the top featuring the story chapters: https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/diaclone/battlesgridman/product/dg_01/

In the above screenshot, you'll see how my Hasbro GIJoe Classified figures were ALL defaulted the "Reduce packaging, ship in manufacturers container"

I had to manually switch to the weirdly phrased "hide" option in order to receive the items in a shipping box, hopefully with a non-zero amount of packing padding.

If you aren't watching for this setting when it appears (inconsistently), you risk Amazon slapping an adhesive backed shipping label on the retail packaging/box and shipping it. Even if you're not a pristine "in-box" collector, no one wants the item to arrive having been subjected to the many bumps and falls of the logistics process.

Knowing is half the battle...

The ExHobby labels for Dia-Battles v2 also includes a couple for X-1 (DA-109; not pictured). The set includes 4 different styles PLUS the ones you see affixed in the first pic which has the unit numbers.

The set also includes some assorted "place anywhere" labels which I haven't found a home for yet. I didn't receive a placement instruction sheet with the set, and I'm not certain one exists. Either way, I really enjoyed the visual upgrade and will be applying the "extras" to my other Dia-Battles v2 decos.

ExHobby has label sheets for the Tactical Grander. I applied them finally; see them in action!

How to:

1. You can use any version of Battle Buffalo. Remove the 3mm male/male plugs from the Strike Legger (where Raid Chambers would be connected normally).
2. You can use either version of Fort Chamber. Remove the 4mm/4mm male/male plugs used to connect it to the chassis from the bottom.
3. You will need at least two (2) 4mm/3mm male/male adapter plugs. Four (4) is better, but not critical. (See pic 3) They come with sets like DA-12/-13 Gyroceptor, DartLoader, and Combat Chronicles 2 and 3 CrossCepter and RapidLoader (and KOs of all 4.)
4. Place the connectors in the locations observed in pic 2. If you only gave 2 connectors, place them in the middle row on the Fort Chamber and ignore the pair close to the ramp/door.
5. Line up the pegs with the ports on the Battle Buffalo Strike Legger and connect. You may have to maneuver the legs the first time to get them to line up right, but you can return them to their default connected configuration after.
6. To connect 2 Fort Chambers side-by-side (last 2 pics) slide the Strike Legger "shins" up until you have enough room to place 2 Fort Chambers next to each other. For this, you can insert the pegs into the Strike Legger ports first and then match them up with the center row of ports under the Forth Chamber. This configuration uses 2 connectors per pod. Make sure they're facing opposite directions so you can open both at the same time in the manner seen in the last 2 pics.

That's it! Let me know if you have any difficulties and I'll try and help!

So what's the big deal?! Why was I ridiculous, collecting so many copies?! Well, at the time, I could and budgets were accommodating. So was pricing.

But why do I recommend picking up at least 1 Tactical Carrier and Expansion?

• The set itself is the multi-use chassis (compatible with the Ground Dion Command Shuttle) which can be used with tons of other features
• The Fort Chamber (box) can be used with Battle Buffalo
• Fort Chamber can stow Gamma, Gamma Airborne, Tread, Tread Chariot, Argo, and Hawk Versaulter Tactical Movers.
• Fort Chamber can be configured to be a mobile base.
• Fort Chamber can be configured to be a weapons platform
• Cockpit module is a deployable hover vehicle with a cargo area which can be used for troop transport, med evac, weapons, motorbike transport, and more.
• Multiple Tactical Carriers can be chained together.

And that's just scratching the surface. I wouldn't go as nuts as I have, but I highly encourage at least 1 and the extra Fort Chamber(s) expansion set and Option Set (accessories and weapons.)

So what is Royal Defender compared to Robot Base Grand Cross?

[The flagship unit of the Capital Defense RB Battalion, deployed in each major city of the Macrozone. Each unit has been uniquely modified for its respective city, and its overall capabilities, including firepower, defense, mobility, and systems, vary depending on the area where it is deployed. In peacetime, it remains stationed in an underground hangar in its mobile fortress GX form, and in times of emergency, it moves to the surface via an underground lift, quickly transitioning to the appropriate combat form to perform powerful defensive maneuvers. Due to its magnificent appearance, it is often featured in various ceremonies in its deployment area. Its official name is "ROBOT BASE GRAND X(CROSS)," and it is sometimes referred to by its abbreviation, "GX." ](https://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/diaclone/product\_details/da-120/)