Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub)

caesarchan
Lost Media Beginner

Posts: 3

Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub) May 30, 2017 3:03:54 GMT via mobile

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Post by caesarchan on May 30, 2017 3:03:54 GMT

After seeing a video about how bad a Japanese Transformers series called Headmasters--and especially its English dub--was, I figured I'd do some research on the series. As I figured out, two sequel series were made, called Masterforce and Victory. These two also received English dubs from a Hong Kong company called Omni Productions. These dubs were only ever aired in Southeast Asia, which makes them rare enough already. However, all three series were released were released on DVD in Australia a few years ago with the dubs. Headmasters and Victory had their entire dubs realeased, but Masterforce only had four or five episodes released. I looked online and couldn't find any sites where I could download or stream the episodes. The only possible lead I could find was a few sketchy bootleg listings on eBay from Malaysia which claim to have all three dubs in their entirety. I would appreciate it if anyone on this site could help me track the series down.

This is the only clip I could find that is definitely the Omni Productions dub. Many fan dubs exist on YouTube that are not the Omni dub, which only frustrates my search.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=fOv2fFiQpBU

senshisun
Lost Media Enthusiast

Posts: 671

Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub) May 30, 2017 3:24:09 GMT

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Post by senshisun on May 30, 2017 3:24:09 GMT

It looks like the DVD was also released in the UK, if Wikipedia is correct.

I think I found a link of the first episode. It seems to match the poor style you described, but it might also be a fandub. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ays_9up4TaY

It was released in the UK by Maverick Entertainment / Metrodome and the Australian version by Madman Entertainment.

Last Edit: May 30, 2017 3:31:25 GMT by senshisun

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caesarchan
Lost Media Beginner

Posts: 3

Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub) May 30, 2017 4:02:04 GMT via mobile

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Post by caesarchan on May 30, 2017 4:02:04 GMT

Sorry, but that is likely a fan dub. Just by reading the video description, I can tell that the voice cast for this dub does not match up with the actual cast listed in this wiki article:

tfwiki.net/wiki/Omni_Productions

I probably should have actually linked this earlier. It gives more information on the background of this dub and some of its characteristics. After looking at its releases (in the articles on the companies that distributed the DVDs), it seems only a few episodes of Masterforce were actually released dubbed; the whole series has only been released in Japanese with English subtitles.

senshisun
Lost Media Enthusiast

Posts: 671

Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub) May 30, 2017 4:48:54 GMT

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Post by senshisun on May 30, 2017 4:48:54 GMT

May 30, 2017 4:02:04 GMT caesarchan said:

Sorry, but that is likely a fan dub. Just by reading the video description, I can tell that the voice cast for this dub does not match up with the actual cast listed in this wiki article:

tfwiki.net/wiki/Omni_Productions

I probably should have actually linked this earlier. It gives more information on the background of this dub and some of its characteristics. After looking at its releases (in the articles on the companies that distributed the DVDs), it seems only a few episodes of Masterforce were actually released dubbed; the whole series has only been released in Japanese with English subtitles.

Oh, that's unfortunate. It's good that you have access to that amount of information. If only a few episodes were dubbed, then it should be easier to find them.

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masterge77 Lost Media Fan Posts: 164	Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub) May 31, 2017 3:03:05 GMT Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Back to Top Post by masterge77 on May 31, 2017 3:03:05 GMT I heard stories that an entire English Dub of one of the three G1 Transformers anime existed but all the tapes were destroyed in a warehouse fire.

glowsquid
Lost Media Beginner

Posts: 10

Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub) May 31, 2017 4:06:27 GMT

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Post by glowsquid on May 31, 2017 4:06:27 GMT

May 31, 2017 3:03:05 GMT masterge77 said:

I heard stories that an entire English Dub of one of the three G1 Transformers anime existed but all the tapes were destroyed in a warehouse fire.

The Transformers Wiki address this (likely bogus) rumour here:

The Headmasters was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.

In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled The Headmasters continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of The Headmasters series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.

Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "Nebulan" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "The Rebirth", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.

More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up. In all likelihood the rumor was probably a Chinese Whisper from the fact that the laughably-bad English language Omni Productions dub (or "Star TV" dub) was screened on UK satellite TV during the 1990s.

masterge77
Lost Media Fan

Posts: 164

Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub) Jun 1, 2017 20:55:41 GMT

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Post by masterge77 on Jun 1, 2017 20:55:41 GMT

May 31, 2017 4:06:27 GMT glowsquid said:

May 31, 2017 3:03:05 GMT masterge77 said:

I heard stories that an entire English Dub of one of the three G1 Transformers anime existed but all the tapes were destroyed in a warehouse fire.

The Transformers Wiki address this (likely bogus) rumour here:

The Headmasters was going to be dubbed into English and shown in America.

In America, "Season 4" consisted of "The Rebirth", a 3-episode mini-series. In Japan, "The Rebirth" was ignored, and a full-fledged series titled The Headmasters continued the story instead. Rumors once swirled in the fandom of an American-led dub of The Headmasters series; the dub was largely finished, goes the story, till the materials were lost in a warehouse fire.

Given the meandering pace of the series (common for Japanese shows but anathema to American sensibilities), the presence of numerous characters who had no toy equivalent on US shelves, the incompatibility with the "Nebulan" head characters, the number of Japanese cultural references, and the very existence of "The Rebirth", this rumor seems unlikely on the surface.

More to the point, no official confirmation or other evidence has ever surfaced to back it up. In all likelihood the rumor was probably a Chinese Whisper from the fact that the laughably-bad English language Omni Productions dub (or "Star TV" dub) was screened on UK satellite TV during the 1990s.

Okay, that's exactly what I was thinking of, I thought it was of Masterforce and not Headmasters.

caesarchan
Lost Media Beginner

Posts: 3

Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub) Jun 27, 2017 0:42:18 GMT

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Post by caesarchan on Jun 27, 2017 0:42:18 GMT

UPDATE:

After searching around the Internet a bit longer, I found a wiki similar to LMW called Lost Media Archive. They had a page on the dub of this series. The article said that the dub is sold by a Chinese company called "sha men yin xiang chu ban she", which according to Google Translate means "Sand Door Audio and Video Publishing House". Searching this name led me to an Amazon listing for Transformers Masterforce. Although the DVD set has English and Mandarin audio according to its description, each of the US dealers selling it charges a hefty price (about $145-$150). I have no other leads besides the bootleg eBay listings mentioned in the first post (which can be found by searching "transformers masterforce dub"). Are there any other possible leads anyone knows of?

Transformers Masterforce (Omni Productions Dub)

Post by caesarchan on May 30, 2017 3:03:54 GMT

Post by senshisun on May 30, 2017 3:24:09 GMT

Post by caesarchan on May 30, 2017 4:02:04 GMT

Post by senshisun on May 30, 2017 4:48:54 GMT

Post by masterge77 on May 31, 2017 3:03:05 GMT

Post by glowsquid on May 31, 2017 4:06:27 GMT

Post by masterge77 on Jun 1, 2017 20:55:41 GMT

Post by caesarchan on Jun 27, 2017 0:42:18 GMT

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