Full-metal Beyblades are reproductions of Beys in metal. Not many like them, as they are not as valuable as original releases. Many do like them because they offer a different look and perform better. I am in no place to criticize or encourage full-metal Beys; the metal reproduction community has been thriving for years now, and it’s a fact that many fans of Beyblades do buy them for collection, display, or battling purposes.
Our attempt will be to find out all that’s good and all that’s bad with full-metal reproductions of Beyblades.
Full-Metal Beyblade Advantages: Weight, Feel, Durability
Over original Beyblades, they do have a weight advantage. A higher weight (given enough RPM) is more likely to defeat a lighter Bey by knocking it out. If it’s a stamina-focused Bey, it will have more inertia to outspin opponents. However, something that’s too heavy will not work. Even if you use a modified Burst DB launcher to launch a 200g Bey, for example, it will be held down by its own weight. If it doesn’t attack soon, it might get outspun by a much lighter Bey that gets tornado stalled, for example, thus avoiding contact.
But a Beyblade in metal doesn’t just have weight as an advantage.
Apart from weight, full-metal Beyblades are also more durable, so they won’t crack or chip off easily. The heavier weight also feels better in the hand. And a metallic finish is very refreshing after seeing so much plastic and color.
For example, the Beys made by Chimera Industry feature a dark, grainy steel texture that looks very cool on the Beys that you are used to seeing in plastic. The all-steel Beys from Jawas, BenchBlade, or Tailor Blades look absolutely killer. Here at SpiralForge, we also try our best to maximize the aesthetic appeal with the help of electroplating our Beys (though we’re nowhere near that level).
Custom Beyblade work is always very rewarding. After all, you have created a high-quality Beyblade that is compatible with original parts and performs really well in the stadium. That’s one of the main appeals of a solid metal Beyblade for Beyblade enthusiasts.
Full-Metal vs. Original: Lack of Colors
It’s hard to color metal. Anything you try will chip off. You will see this yourself in original, colored versions of Beyblades like the fusion wheel of Galaxy Pegasus and Hades Kerbecs, or the DranSword 3-60F (Metal Coat: Blue) version in Beyblade X. These are better off as collectibles, and not good for battling, because once you have chipped off color, things can look pretty ugly.
This lack of color makes full-metal Beys less attractive for some, or less accurate at least. And that’s totally valid. Now, here’s a key distinction:
- Some prefer “value” or “rarity” as the key factors. As such, they prefer original Takara, Hasbro, etc., Beys in their collection. This is not only due to anime accuracy. Many franchises have long-time collectors who only collect official or licensed merch, toys, etc.
- However, others prefer “accuracy” in a general way, and will go for reasonable deals such as buying used Takara Beys for cheap, buying midfake MFBs (because let’s face it, buying an NIB Jade Jupiter is not very affordable), and so on.
Both of these camps will dislike full-metal Beyblades to some extent. But at the same time, many Beyblade lovers collect all types of Beys—some NIBs, some used OG, some midfakes, maybe even some full-metals. After all, it’s a hobby. You do what pleases you. There’s no right or wrong. Oh wait, there is one absolute wrong: buying cheap knockoff fakes that are extremely weak/light, have no quality control, feature considerable quantities of lead, etc.
A fully solid metal Beyblade can be a good entry for anyone’s collection, really. If not for performance or competitive value (not many of us battle professionally anymore, of course), then just for the looks. Depending on the material and process used to make them, these metal Beyblades can feature excellent aesthetics. And when you buy metal Beyblades and feel them in your hand, it’s a completely different story. Let me tell you that not many “full-metal Beyblade” product pictures on the internet (no matter who the seller is) do full justice to the actual product in your hand or when it’s spinning.
Pictures simply cannot capture the magic of metal.
Still, the point stands. These are not accurate. If you want authentic value, you should stick to collecting originals. If you value anime accuracy purely, you can go for repros. A gray, full-metal (or golden/silver/white/gunmetal in our case) Beyblade might not cut it for you.
Battle vs. Collection
Not all real metal Beyblades are supposed to battle. Some are very powerful and will easily damage other Beys and even the stadium. For example, our Hades Kerbecs weighs 125g on average. Dropping it on your stadium 50 times is going to do more damage to it than dropping a 40g Bey like the original Rock Leone. So, expect wear and tear, and use metal Beys mainly for collection. If you have spare stadiums or you just don’t care, then sure, it’s okay to battle with them.
Also, keep in mind that if the metal Beyblade’s surface is not finished properly, harder Beyblades with sharp protrusions can be considerably damaging, possibly enough to crack any plastic part easily or if sent flying off, can damage your wall itself! Even metal vs. metal battles can be destructive.
That’s why these are better kept as collectibles, because you have a one-of-a-kind thing, custom-designed in metal. It’s excellent for cherishing, displaying, or just keeping in your collection as a unique item. And maybe launching them once in a while to KO other Beys like taking candy from a baby!
Some of our SpiralForge full-metal Beys can also be quite powerful. For example, the full-metal Lightning L-Drago is a very fast Beyblade. It is 70-80g on average and spins left. Its form is designed to do upper attacks and barrage attacks. Against any Beyblade, when launched in flower pattern, it can deal considerable damage owing to its form, speed, and all-metal construction, and end up winning easily.
Anyway, it’s generally preferred to keep these for collection and not battling. In every generation, there are more aggressive/faster/destructive Beyblades due to their very shapes. The previous example was from Metal Fight Beyblade, but the same can be said for many Dragoons from Plastic Gen Beyblade—featuring sharp protrusions that can be pretty damaging to other Beys (especially because the Dragoons also spin left, so the recoil vs. other sharp-protrusion right-spin Beys is very high).
That’s why metal Beyblades are recommended to be mainly collectibles.
Tournament Illegal
Full-metal Beyblades, like most reproductions that don’t have a license, are not legal in official or WBO tournaments. And it’s not just about their performance. There’s no standardization or quality control possible in metallic Beyblades. What weights are allowed? What materials? What hardness? How hard/soft is safe for the stadium or other Beyblades? These are not simple questions to answer.
Maybe someday there will be unofficial repro tournaments where there’s a “weight class” for full-metal Beys. But that’s not a part of today’s reality.
Beyblades in metal form can be extremely powerful. As long as the weight isn’t too much for the shape’s aerodynamics and you’re using a powerful enough launcher, even a seemingly mediocre Beyblade can defeat the meta’s biggest threats in the stadium.
So, if you are into tournaments mainly and not collection, it’s best to stick to what’s OG and currently considered to be competitive. Metal Beyblades will likely never be allowed in tournaments and that’s okay. Most people who work on custom metal Beyblades know this and have no problem with it. A lot of repro makers do it for the love of Beyblade in general, not to score points in WBO tournaments.
