I'm liking it...!

This...this is our clearest pic yet of Optimus Maximus, the combiner made of a white repaint (who isn't Magnus...?) of Optikus Prime and the 84bots - remolds of the Stunticons designed to look like Ironhide, Prowl, Sunstreaker and Mirage (oh, and a Hot Rod remold of Blackjack, too). While it has been pretty easy for people to figure out that Sunstreaker would use the Breakdown mold and Mirage would use the Dragstrip mold (which is also evident in the top part of the art, which we first saw about two months ago), it wasn't clear until recently that Ironhide would for sure use the Off-Road mold, and we still haven't seen anything clear yet for Prowl, and honestly the art here doesn't really help ID him either. I'm sure that he's based on Streetwise/Dead End like a lot of other people are guessing,but this pic does not exactly close the case. Oh well - while I don't plan on getting Optimus Maximus (unless I think he makes a convincing Magnus), I'm really anticipating these limbs and I hope that I can still get them for $15 instead of $20 by their release date.

Chopper Squad

Really liking these three together! Kind of a different take on the Green Propeller Task Force.

Greenlock

Not the best pic, I know. Still, I was excited to find this guy at the local WM last night. It's hard to believe, but this is the first new-mold legion/legends class Grimlock since the size class debuted nigh-on ten years ago! Last year's (two different) Grimlock repaint(s) of TFP Rippersnapper was the first release of the character, but this new one is the real deal. The legends class debuted during Cybertron, which Grimlock played no part in. He also wasn't in any of the first 3 movies, so he didn't get s toy there either, and for some reason he hasn't received a G1-style mold through Universe or Generations either. So Neo-RiD (or RiD15, whatever you want to call it) gets to showcase the first legion Grimlock, and he's turned out pretty well.

His transformation is backwards from most Grimlocks' - the Dino head becomes part of the feet and the tail becomes the backpack, closest to Classics Grimlock. I do like how the tail flanks end up mimicking the kibble wings the Grimlock usually has, and overall there is a good sense of design continuity here despite this toy not having the same transformation as the deluxe. I also appreciate the battle mask, a feature not seen off the larger tots but something that, again, strengthens his design continuity with G1 Grimlock. The big departure, of course, is the color scheme. This is not the gray, gold, black and red Grimlock we all know and love. And while the green and Dino mode details may bring Cruellock to mind (at least, it kind of does for me), the amusing thing is that we've had had a green, black and gold Grimlock before - and from another toy line/show called RiD, no less! I'm talking about the excavator Grimlock from RiD (2001), who helped form the combiner Landfill and has pretty much nothing to do with the Dinobot Grimlock. In fact, that Grimlock seems to have more in common (visually) with Scorponok than any Dinobot. If this commonality in color schemes is an intended homage, it's a weird one!