Metal Fight Beyblade

After an indefinite hiatus in 2005, where Takara suspended the Beyblade toyline, Beyblade is set to return this August with an anime following in 2009. Takara-Tomy (Takara merged with Tomy in 2006) is currently aiming for 20 billion yen (approximately $200 million USD) in yearly revenue by next year. This new generation of Beyblades name has been translated as Metal Fight Beyblade (MFB) and on August 9th, 2008 will be released to the public.

Components of MFBs

There is four parts that make up a Metal Fight Beyblade:

• Face: Hexagonal disc that fastens the Beyblade together, similar to Bit Protector from the HMS. They feature graffiti-style illustrations on the top (i.e. Bull, Pegasus, etc).
• Wheel: Main source of attack from a Beyblade. They use various shaped protrusions to lower spin velocity of opponent. The Wheel is fundamentally the same as the Attack Ring from the HMS and plastic Beyblades.
• Track: Taking a step backwards, MFB has separated the spin direction part from the bottom, thus turning it into two pieces again (as it was in the plastic generation). The height and spin direction of a Beyblade can be changed with this. Similar to Spin Gear from plastic Beyblades.
• Bottom: The bottom of the Beyblade. It has interchangeable tips which the Beyblade spins on. Movement patterns can be altered with the differently shaped tips that can be used. It is similar to the Blade Base from plastic Beyblades or the Running Core from HMS.

Types

There is four different types of MFBs:

• Stamina
• Balance
• Attack
• Defense

These can be easily compared to the types of the plastic generation, the only difference being that survival/endurance is being called stamina.

Launcher/Shooter

The launchers in Metal Fight Beyblade do not have multi-directional capabilities, as was possible with the Dual Shooter in HMS. Of the pictures released so far, it seems as if they have reverted to the plastic generation style of winder. Grip design is very similar to the HMS Customize Grip. Some of the launchers also appear to have a screen, which implies that there may be some information such as RPM (rotations per minute) displayed when a Beyblade is launched.

Stadiums

Only two stadiums has been revealed so far, “Attack” and “Balance”; both are comparable to HMS stadiums, except for the fact that instead of a circular centre, it has a hexagonal shape just as the Face does.

Currently Confirmed Metal Fight Beyblades (and prices/release dates)

Starter Packs: Approx. $6.10USD

• BB-01: Pegasus (8/9/2008)
  
• BB-02: Bull (8/9/2008)
  
• BB-03: Chiron (8/9/2008)
  
• BB-04: Leo (8/9/2008)
  
• BB-12: Wolf (8/18/2008)
  

Booster Packs: Approx. $14.04USD (excluding Wolf)

• BB-05: Pegasus (8/9/2008)
  
• BB-06: Bull (8/9/2008)
  
• BB-07: Chiron (8/9/2008)
  
• BB-08: Leo (8/9/2008)
  
• BB-13: Wolf (8/18/2008) Approx. $7.92USD
  
  

• BB-09: Full Complete Set (8/9/2008) Approx. $30.50USD
  
• BB-10: Attack Stadium (8/9/2008) Approx. $12.19USD
  
• BB-11: Beylauncher (8/9/2008) Approx. $6.10USD
  
• BB-14: Random Booster 1 (8/18/2008) Approx. $6.10USD
  
• BB-15: Beypointer (8/18/2008) Approx. $10.16USD
  
• BB-16: Balance Stadium (8/18/2008) Approx. $12.19USD
  
• BB-17: Shooter Grip (8/18/2008) Approx. $5.08USD
  

Gallery

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  Pegasus

• 

  Bull

• 

  Chiron

• 

  Leo

• 

  Wolf

• 

  Random Booster 1

• 

  Balance Stadium

• 

  Attack Stadium

• 

  Shooter Grip

• 

  Beypointer

International Development

At a recent event where Takara-Tomy showcased MFB, they stated that expansion into overseas countries is being planned for 2010. No specifics were given, such as the company that will handle production, distribution, etc.

Conclusion

This page will be updated as new information arrives and when these Beyblades are released, until then no conclusions can be made.

External Links

Anime News Network - Beyblade to return after 4 years this summer
Toy Exhibit at Tokyo Metropolitan Trade Center (Japanese)
Metal Fight Beyblade release dates (Japanese)