-Bumblebee (NYCC Exclusive)
Faction: Autobot
Class: Deluxe
Release: October 2011
Acquired: HTS
Accessories: 1 double blaster; also packaged with TFP Arcee, Raf, and Jack
Strongest mode: Robot.
- Short review: TFP Bumblebee is a basically what would happen if you kidnapped movie Bumblebee and took him to the Animated universe. And the toy, overall, does feel quite a bit like many of the movie BB toys, but also does some pretty cool new stuff, particularly with how the front wheels actually end up "inside" the shoulders, just like they do on the show (a lot of us thought they couldn't pull that off). The taxi deco is pretty neat, and different enough to justify making what might otherwise be called a "non-repaint," like so many of the recolors from the movie lines, but also gives you the wiggle room to make this toy the TFP version of Overcharge once you get a normal TFP Bumblebee toy.
-Wheeljack
Faction: Autobot
Class: Deluxe
Release: February 2012
Acquired: Walmart (!)
Accessories: 2 swords
Strongest mode: Car
- Wheeljack here is one of the best toys of the character that exists. Yes, we just got Generations Wheeljack last year, who is still pretty amazing, but TFP Wheeljack feels like a much better toy. I know there are some who still take issue with him being a sword-slinging bad***, but it certainly translates into toy form nicely. The bot mode is about what you'd expect and has good, if not perfect articulation. The arms are a bit long, though you can mistransform them so that they are closer to normal length without losing much articulation. The transformation is really great, with some cool surprises that I really didn't see coming, like how the car's hood breaks apart, shortens and twists around to form the lower legs, and how the torso is formed with a bit more complexity than I thought. The chest plate looks different enough from the actual windshield (which splits and ends up on the forearms) to not really look like a cheating transformation part. The arms are the simplest part. Car mode is where Wheeljack really shines, as the car looks fantastic. It's one of those that certainly looks like various concept cars, but in the world of transformers sits on that Earth mode/cybertronian mode fence. It's very futuristic. Also fun is how the swords can be attached to the car in three ways. Firstly, they can simple be stored on the underside thanks to the small holes in the handles. These holes also allow the swords to be mounted on the front of the car, so the blades stick out the front. Lastly, since the swords (like Voyager Optimus' blade) have 5mm pegs on the handles, they can be stuck on the 5mm holes near the rear of the car (very similar placement to Energon Downshift/Wheeljack's 5mm holes, actually). It's nice to see such versatility. Overall, Wheeljack is a great TF to add to your collection for any number of reasons. It's certainly the best autobot deluxe from the first wave of the TFP mainline, though I admit I say that without owning the newer versions of BB and CJ. You can just tell from the online pics.
Soundwave
Faction: Decepticon
Class: Deluxe
Release: February 2012
Acquired: Walmart (!)
Accessories: Laserbeak
Strongest mode: Robot
- Apparently, the most visited post on this site is the one where I reposted the pre-final render of TFP Soundwave. The guy is seemingly popular, so I figure I should go ahead and review the toy fo him I got a week ago. TFP Soundwave, whose design we first saw at SDCC last year (2011), has been a long time coming (if you notice, that post was from September 2010), and he's worth the wait. He's one of the more impressive recent deluxe aircraft transformers. Yes, TFP FE Starscream won toy of the year, but Soundwave manages to bring a lot of new things to the table. Firstly, while he's not the first toy we've had of a UAV (see RotF Skystalker), he is the first to possess the now-iconic look of the Predator/Reaper type drones, with the very simplistic design with distinct features like straight wings and the bulb-like nose. However, the surface of the UAV is more stereotypically "stealth" than its real counterparts, with lots of flat-ish panels and an overall fractured look. I think it adds to the visual interest of the toy. A lot of the junctures between the panels are painted with pink (yep) highlights that recalls the aesthetic of Tron. The UAV mode also has an actual exhaust, which I was afraid it wouldn't, so that's nice. It also gives you two main options for storing Laserbeak - the normal placement on the chest (the underside of the rear fuselage) or up on top at a midpoint 5mm hole, where the bird can be more prominent. One thing I like about having LB on the underside is that you can deploy his wings while he remains attached, giving the UAV mode some downward-canted tailfins, making him look even more like certain real-world UAVs. The 5mm holes on the hands are, unfortunately, not really useful here unless you unfold the forearms. This will give the drone an impressively longer wingspan, but then you've also got Soundwave's fingers dangling off there at each wingtip. Transformation is actually pretty simplistic and spartan save for a few flourishes, like the spring-loaded head "reveal" (that word isn't a noun, people, now matter how hard it must be to say "revelation"...) and the neat way that the "cockpit" bulb folds onto the back of the calves for bot mode. In robot mode, Soundwave is almost dead-on accurate to the show, allowing for a bit of extra bulk here and there due to actually having to transform into another real shape. The head looks great, though I wish the lightpiping gimmick hadn't been crippled, as it should have looked quite awesome. Here's hoping that it gets restored on a future repaint. The arms, of course, are another distinctive feature, being mostly flat panels/blades made from the wings. I am very happy that they managed to both keep the spidery look of the hands while also giving him the aforementioned 5mm holes at the wrists; it'd be a shame if Soundwave would have to remain unarmed. Of course, of the key gimmick here is Laserbeak. In a bit of a resurrection of the "Breastmaster" (yep) concept from Japan's G1 sequels, the smaller partner robot turns into chest armor for the larger one (this idea was also recently revisited in the Power Core Combiner line with its minicons). What's nice about Laserbeak is that he totally meshes with Soundwave in robot mode. This is partly because of his aesthetic similarity, but it's also because he doesn't just peg onto the surface of SW's chest, he actually fits into a specially-carved depression that, honestly, makes SW look a bit incomplete without the little guy. Still, it's neat to remove Laserbeak and do the whole "peg him onto the arm and have him report to Soundwave" thing. Or with Megatron, who I don't have yet. Another nice thing about Laserbeak is that while he's not marketed at all as a targetmaster, he does a good job of looking like one, since the wing joints look like small gun barrels and the four wings are obviously blade-like. In summary, this is a great "two-pack", giving us one of the best modern takes on Soundwav.
- Optimus Prime
Faction: Autobot
Class: Deluxe
Release: December 2011 (?)
Acquired: eBay (Canadian TRU Exclusive)
Accessories: 1 gun; also packaged with TFP Megatron, Jack, Raf, and Miko plus DVD
Strongest mode: Truck.
- Hasbro's been pretty big on releasing deluxe-class Optimus Prime toys. Over the past 10 years, they've put out at least as many deluxe Optimus molds, not to mention their various repaints. The latest of this string is the deluxe Optimus for Transformers: Prime, released as part of the First Edition line. This was actually the first TFP toy released, as it was boxed singly as one of the SDCC exclusives for 2011, but the version I have is a very minor repaint intended for the FE Entertainment pack with Megatron and the kids. Unfortunately, in robot mode (which this is packaged in), does not have a great resemblance to the Optimus in the TFP show. Now, yes, a lot of the details are there, like the curved shoulder armor, screen-like chest windows, and so on, but the proportions are very off, and he has a bit of a problem with kibble. When I say the proportions are off, I mean that this might be a better toy of some hypothetical Earth-mode Orion Pax - that is, the mold makes Optimus look very young, like some kind of 15 year old version of himself. I guess this is largely due to his relatively large head, the shoulders that are pretty close to each other, and the weird kibble and coloring of the forearms, which makes them appear to be bearing short long sleeves, a type of clothing not often worn by adult men. Still, the bot mode is pretty well articulated and can do a good job of looking pretty serious with his gun. The transformation is pretty interesting, though it necessitates the fake windows that cover the cab's actual windshield and the fake shoulder armor that means that the wind vane halves end up as his heel spurs (both features that were carried over the the FE Voyager mold, but not the mainline Voyager). It's certainly a unique transformation. The truck mode is quite solid, and the gun can mount on the pack hitch to swing around a wide range of angles to take down enemies. The smokestacks, too, can be rotated down/forward to serve as guns that point forward. Ultimately, this is a fairly weak deluxe Optimus in terms of how it captures the show version's likeness, but it is a fun toy. Worth getting, though I hope it eventually gets released for normal deluxe prices.
- Bulkhead
Faction: Autobot
Class:Voyager
Release: Late Spring 2012
Acquired: Walmart
Accessories: MechTech "wrecking ball"/cannon and "battering ram"
Strongest mode: Robot
- So, there's been much consternation over the differences between the FE and PRiD toys, with Bulkhead being one of the worst offenders. The FE mold is generally more accurate in that it has the correct basic shape for Bulkhead - very round, with no kibble-wings on the back. It also comes with the normal, arm-mounted mace, the plug for which also functions as his arm cannons (both arms), much like FE Cliffjumper. The mainline version has some pretty major depatures - the aforementioned wings, a less rotund torso, a very different mechtech mace, and so on. However, there are a lot of little details that the FE gets wrong that the PRiD gets rights, such as the head sculpt (including moving lower jaw), shoulder armor, etc. It's also very fun.
-Starscream
Faction: Decepticon
Class: Voyager
Release: Summer 2012
Acquired: Kmart
Accessories: 1 MechTech Null Ray Blaster, 2 5mm missiles
Strongest mode: Robot.
- So, six months after I open First Edition Starscream and soon after determine him to be TF of the year for 2011, we now come to his voyager class mainline mold, part of the "powerizer" gimmick concept. As noted above, the stronger of Starscream's two modes is the robot mode. It's got some differences from the FE toy, most notably in the longer limbs, more screen-accurate head and some not-so-screen accurate kibble placement. For example, instead of giving him the jet exhaust backpack of the deluxe, this version splits the exhaust in half and places the halves, along with the horizontal stabilizers, on the ankles. While not at all like he appears int he show, this move does help stabilize him in bot mode and is a bit of an unintentional (?) G1 callback. To aid with the gimmick, Starscream also has clear purple "dark energon" forearms and torso sections, which I actually like. The smaller secondary wings are made from the LERXes/canards instead of the vertical stabilizer, which splits in half to form forearm blades. I also don't really care for the flipped-up nosecone that hangs off his rear end" I would have rather had them handle it the same way as the FE, where the nose remained pointing down like a stinger. One nice thing is that the null ray pegs perfectly onto the back to make for a great light-up effect with the torso. The wings look great also, even if they have a little less range of motion compared to the FE. The jet mode is weaker mostly because of the leg kibble. It sticks too far out sideways, making the plane look flatter than it should, and all of the heel/ankle parts stick out like weird bones. Also, strangely, the red paint has just enough orange in it to really make this toy look like a color homage to Cybertron Thundercracker. Granted, the only blue in this mode is on the exhaust, but it's the right color blue. It's weird. Overall, it's a fun toy, simpler than the FE, but also different enough to look like a more omstrous, dark energon-powered version of the same character. If you didn't get the FE, get this one for sure (much more accurate than the Commander class mold, easily). Of course, this being Starscream, he's a welcome addition to my collection anyway.
-Dead End ("TFP Wildrider")
Faction: Decepticon
Class: Deluxe
Release: Summer 2012
Acquired: Walmart
Accessories: 2 Tox-En Swords
Strongest mode: Robot.
- As you can read above, I'm a big fan of the TFP Wheeljack mold. Now that wave 4 has arrived, we know get a second release of the mold, this time with a new head sculpt, as Dead End. Firstly, I'll go ahead and explain that I call him Wildrider because his deco (like many other post-G1 "Dead Ends", like the Alternators and ROTF versions) is more in line with G1 Wildrider than Dead End (who was mostly red/burgundy). This is a bit unfortunate, since "Dead End" is a much cooler name, particularly for this version of the toy. Anyhow, the mold very effectively makes the jump from hero to villain with a horrific new head sculpt that looks like a screaming cross between a bird and insect. It's pretty scary. The deco is pretty scary too - the base color is a very dark metallic great, with lots of orange, yellow, and then black and neon green (!!) as the accents. Speaking of green...on the show, there is a green version of energon called Tox-En that has a kryptonite-like effect on normal transformers. My idea behind this guy is that he's the one decepticon so far that has survived Megatron's Tox-En exposure experiments. He now produces his own Tox-En, making him a walking weapon, but it also has the downside of making him need to feed on other TF's energon and sparks and also having driven him mad. The head sculpt really speaks to this, making him appear as if he's screaming in pain/rage, all while radiating/vomiting Tox-En from his mouth and eyes. It's one of the more dynamic head sculpts in the franchise's history and an extremely effective use of lightpiping in a toyline known for neutering that gimmick with extra paint. I know a lot of people are still turned off to repaints/remolds, but this guy is utterly different from Wheeljack. While not, perhaps, a great homage to the Stunticon of the same name, TFP Dead End is a great deluxe decepticon from the Prime toyline.
-Megatron
Faction: Decepticon
Class: Deluxe
Release: Winter 2011/2012
Acquired: eBay (Canadian TRU Exclusive)
Accessories: 1 fusion cannon; also packaged with TFP Optimus Prime, Raf, Miko and Jack
Strongest mode: Spaceship
- This is the deluxe Megatron from the First Edition Entertainment Pack. As of this writing, post-SDCC 2012, we now know that this set will actually get a US TRU release this fall/winter, so I do in retrospect feel a bit bad about paying 2x retail for it via eBay. However, since at the time there was no realistic indication that it'd come to the US and I've had it since March, It's not that big of a deal. Anyhow, to the toy itself: this Megatron is the least gimmicky of the three TFP Megatron molds, in that it doesn't have a gimmick at all aside from transformation. No automated head transformation like PRiD deluxes, no light-up weapon like the PRiD voyager, no clear torso for light-up action like the CV commander toy. The biggest "trick" this toy has up its sleeve is that the removable fusion cannon has a hidden 5mm handle so that other toys can use it (the connector on Megatron's forearm is a thin slot arrangement unique to him). As far as his robot mode goes, it's got more kibble than the very clean CV commander mold. It actually has the same kind of back kibble that the voyager does, it just arranges it a bit differently. The vehicle mode's "collar" or "porthole" for Megatron's head still ends up on his back, but does not split apart into winglets as on the voyager. Luckily, the whole section sits a lot lower on his back, so it doesn't really visually disrupt his silhouette. I also love how "shoulder blades" on the back are made by bringing the vehicle intakes close together. It's not part of his character model nor done on the voyager, but it looks really good. The bot mode in general looks very good, but, like the voyager, isn't terribly solid due to how the front and back of the torso connect with tabs. I do like how the chest armor rotates up into place, but that's also seen on both of the other molds; at least here they're painted in silver. Of note, this Megatron has very little clear puprle plastic (only his eyes and cannon lens, I think), so I sort of see it as Megatron before he exposes himself to dark energon, and the voyager, with its abundance of clear purple, as Megatron after this (with the upcoming Dark Energon repaint as him completely controlled by Unicron through dark energon). The vehicle mode is great, though. None of the three molds have a truly screen-accurate alt mode, but the deluxe looks the best. The voyager doesn't look bad, per se, but it's not as clean and lacks the silver paint that really helps the deluxe look really sharp. It looks sleek, fast and deadly, and is easily the best of the many "flying cybertronian thing" alt modes various Megatron toys have had over the past several years. If you were smart and waited on purchasing this from an importer this spring, definitely pick the set up this fall from TRU. Optimus is fun and you'll have the best looking TFP Megatron.
-Decepticon Rumble ("TFP Frenzy"...?)
Faction: Decepticon
Class: Deluxe
Release: Fall 2012 (11/1 for me)
Acquired: Walmart
Accessories: 2 pile drivers/cannons
Strongest mode: robot mode.
- When images of Rumble first surfaced, I was pretty excited, but more recently my interest had become dulled, mostly due to what appeared to be a dramatic lack of paint. However, I finally saw one in the store last night, along with his wavemate Sergeant Kup (who I was more interested in getting), and decided to go for Rumble. I think it was the stunningly attention-grabbing color. Rumble is a largely bright blue, almost teal, coupe, and it scream to you from the pegs. It's an unassuming little alt mode, particularly for a decepticon, and it recalls both Animated Bumblebee and, to a degree, Alternator Rumble's Honda Civic mode. The color just takes it over the top, though, and the clear red windows look really in contrast with the blue. By the way, I'm firmly in the FIBRIR camp, and so while I am tempted to call this toy Frenzy, it has quite a bit of red, especially in bot mode. Basically, I'll be withholding judgement until the (hopefully) inevitable redeco (the instructions show a new head mold, by the way) is released, presumably as an official Frenzy. Back the car mode - it's a unique and innocuous car, particularly for a violent Decepticon, but its intended smallness is a bit undone by how small other PRiD cars (especially Knock Out and the Vehicon) are. Still, it's an interesting addition to the 'Con vehicle pool. And while it can't stow the weapons (they'd be too big to allow this, they do plug in at the rear sides, effectively serving as guns/boosters. Also of note is that the ports they plug into have molded detail around them to make them appear to be gas caps - a neat, if redundant, touch. Like Knock Out, the rear of the car is almost completely lacking in paint, with only the central 'con symbol having any. The front grill/headlight section is all black with a second exception of another purple 'con symbol. Both of these logos are centrally located and are painted on little protrusions from their respective halves of the car, so that they don't split when Renzy transforms. The transformation itself is pretty fun - the front section unfolds into short legs, but the rest of the car unfolds a little more dramatically to produce the torso and arms. The arms themselves are made from the entire top and rear of the car, with the roof/windows alone forming giant kibble armor on the shoulders (formed from the trunk/bumper area). The kibble from the lower sides and rear wheels ends up on the back, and has cannons molded onto the interior side of both, in reference to how the G1 character(s) carried their weapons mounted on their backs. The torso/head area is where things really get interesting. The torso itself really does look like a giant, scary mechanical face, with eyes on the pectorals and mouth in the abdominal area. The "eyes" even have light-piping (viewed best from below, by the way), much like the actual head. Apparently, this is a reference to some type of robot in the abominable Gurren Lagan anime; I can only hope it's a happy accident. It's certainly a dramatic design feature, and, like the Vehicons, marks the rare occasion of a deluxe carformer whose chest isn't dominated by vehicle kibble. The chest hinges forward to open and allow the head to spring up. The head is a great little sculpt that seems like a variation on the classic Optimus/Hot Spot look (in fact, this toy overall looks like it could be Hot Spot's delinquent child). One thing I love about it is that the lightpiping, while it works great for the eyes, allows channels light through the central forehead crest, something that desperately now needs to be done on a future Optimus mold. In fact, between the head, torso, and windows adorning the shoulders, this toy is one of the modern triumphs of light piping (and you thought I was excited about Dead End!). Now, the weapons are obviously meant more for this mode. They can still be (awkwardly) mounted on the gas cap ports, which end up below and to the side of his pecs, or on newly-revealed ports on the back of each shoulder. The real intention, of course, is for them to go in his molded-open hands, where they make it appear to now be his hands, just like how the G1 character would transform his arms to form piledrivers. I love that that the piledrivers double as very aggressive looking guns, and they help to complete his look, as the naked forearms are pretty small and unimpressive. The shoulder kibble only accentuates the effect of the pile drivers, and along with how the head articulation is designed, this guy is made to be posed crouching, leaning forward with the piledrivers hitting the ground, rather than standing straight up. In summation, I've been very impressed with Renzy. It jumped out at me from the pegs, and only continued to impress in hand. He looks great (could use more paint, as with almost all PRiD toys), has a fun and simple transformation, and has tons of character in bot mode. Highly recommend, and that only increases if his counterpart gets domestic release.
-Thundertron
Faction: Star Seeker
Class: Voyager
Release: November/December 2012
Acquired: Walmart
Accessories: Powerizer claw/sword weapon and other claw/lion foot
Strongest mode: Robot.
-So, here he is - one of the toys I've been anticipating the most this year. Thundertron is a unique toy, and I often appreciate them quite a bit. So, what makes him unique? A lot of things. First and foremost, I suppose, is his faction. Thundertron is the first Star Seeker, a new faction revealed in the Exiles novel from 2011 composed of pirates. Thundertron here is the captain of the Star Seeker crew, and not only is the first of them, this is also the first faction released in quite a while - maybe even 10 years, since the unveiling of the mini-con faction with Armada. It's true that the upcoming Beast Hunters season of TFP will focus on the Predacons, who also sport a new faction symbol, but they aren't completely new in the way the Star Seekers are. By the way, I'll take a moment to say that "Star Seeker" is a pretty uninspired name for a new faction. It can be confused with the preexisting Seeker subgroup of Decepticons, and would actually be a pretty good name for the RotF Seekers (the Jetfire kind). You'd expect a more piratey name for a bunch of robot pirates. About the only rationalization I can come up with is that these guys, before the Space Bridge system collapsed and cut off the colony worlds (their motivation for revenge against native Cybertronians), they were tasked with finding stars, again, RotF-style, to feed to the Allspark. Or whatever; I digress. Thundertron himself has a great robot mode. One of the things I new I was going to love about him is how he takes so many conceptual cues from different UT toys and throws them into one mold. He looks old and has the detailing to suggest it - sounds like Vector Prime. He turns into a lion that has something to do with not depending on the planet Cybertron - that's Leobreaker, right? He turns into a white ad blue beast with an atypical leg/arm transformation - are we talking about Cybertron Snarl? So, he reminds me of the very fun Cybertron toyline - never a bad thing. The bot mode is good on a toy level, too - the sculpt looks great, with a particularly fantastic head sculpt. Of course, there's the peg leg - his right foot can be removed to be used as a claw weapon, leaving the peg behind. The shins themselves also look great, and I think that's the first time I've said that about any transformer. But seriously, that's some great looking armor there. The shoulders look great, even if the claw armor can get in the way of the actual shoulder pads a bit. His "coattails" looks pretty good too, and have a good range of movement. His head does suffer from limited movement, so he pretty much always appears to be looking down on you. Which is fine considering that he's not going to think much of any of the other character, Megatron included. The transformation has some tricks that are what you expect from a beast-former, but aforementioned arm transformation is something new, with the forearms forming the shoulders and upper arms of the lion. This also results in the lion mode's major downfall, however, being that it cannot move its upper arms. I do like how the mane opens up when going to bot mode. As for the lion mode, it looks cool, but that's about all you can say. The limited movement of the front legs pretty much kills any cool poses you could have made; Leobreaker is a gymnast compared to this guy. The lack of jaw movement is also pretty disappointing. At least he can rear up and slash people. His sword can be back-mounted, which works ok, but does look pretty ridiculous. At any rate, the toy has some significant limitations, but the bot mode and the fictional uniqueness of the character help make up for this.
-Optimus Prime (Beast Hunters)
Faction: Autobot
Class: Cyberverse Commander
Release: February 2013
Acquired: Kmart
Accessories: Star Saber, 1 missile launcher, 1 missile.
Strongest mode: Robot.
- Optimus here is the first version of the character from Beast Hunters that we saw - pics leaked online of the CV Commander toy, and my immediate impression was being reminded of the original concept art for Armada Optimus Prime - "Monster Prime Convoy." This is kind of appropriate, considering that this toy was released just 10 years after the beginning of the Armada line. Anyway, being that we know now what both the larger Voyager and Ultimate class toys look like, the resemblance is a bit dulled, but still not gone. This is largely because of the huge front tires on the shoulders, a feature not found on the larger toys, and also the overall bulky proportions of the extremities and smallness of the head. And while I liked the overall look of the toy, I was unsure if it would impress me compared to the original TFP CV Optimus from last year, as it looked a bit simpler. I was pleasantly surprised that it was not, though it's by no means a complicated toy. I particularly liked how the "cage" from the back of the truck close around the front and how the arm section has to rotate for transformation. The vehicle mode isn't too different from that of the larger toys, though the arms are supposed to be part of the cab, and as such the rear section doesn't have to cover them with kibble/armor and instead as the aforementioned "cage" that serves basically as a weapons rack (which is pretty cool). This makes him look a bit more "G1" in truck mode than the voyager, who recalls the Animated and Cybertron incarnations' truck modes more. I like that they painted the rims, which look a bit more viscous than the voyagers, like a metal maw. However, the cab has a squished look to it, which isn't helped by the "mushiness" of the structure thanks to tabs being used instead of pegs. Still, the truck looks good overall, especially with the weapons mounted on the back. In short, this is a pretty worthy successor to the 2012 mold, and it definitely looks "badass" and more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Predaking.
-Trailcutter ("TFP Trailbreaker")
Faction: Autobot
Class: CV Commander
Release: Spring 2013
Acquired: Walmart
Accessories: 1 "howler" cannon, 1 missile.
Strongest mode: Robot.
- "Trailcutter" (the newfound, trademark-safe name for Trailbreaker) is a second wave Beast Hunters toy, but it's also a remold of Ironhide, a "normal" (or PRiD) toy. I guess there is still some resistance out there to repaints and even remolds, but Hasbro's really been knocking remolds out of the park for the last few years, and Trailbreaker is no exception. All the new parts (and there are quite a few...) really help differentiate TB from Ironhide despite them almost sharing their colorscheme, both being dominated by red and black. Part of this is because TB is is black with red accents, and Ironhide is red with black accents, but TB aslo does pretty neat trick in that all of his red parts disappear in vehicle mode,leaving his truck to only have silver and yellow highlights. It's a pretty neat effect. Speaking of the truck mode, the remolding definitely shows in Beast Hunters impetus here. The truck now has a nice, big bladed cowcatcher at the front (could have used some silver paint, perhaps), twin cannons over the headlights, and large silver blades on top of the cab. The gun can also be mounted on a new port in between the attached cannons right in the middle of the hood, but it sits a bit too far forward for my liking, so I keep it on the passenger door. The bed still has its two ports, but you can use TB's gun in them unless you want them pointed backwards. The truck mode overall looks great and looks quite different from Ironhide's. In robot mode, you can tell there was some attention paid to the fact that this was supposed to be Trailbreaker and not just a random autobot. The head is appropriately Prime-y with no nose (which Ironhide actually does have, since his design was one of the first for the series and predates the no-nose rule), but also has TB's visor instead of individual eyes. Right above and behind the head is the classic 3-holed thing that I guess is supposed to be the famed force-field generator. The twin cannons from the hood are TB's guns that traditionally flank the generator on his backpack, but thankfully here are folded forward over the headlight-shoulders and look really good. The cowcatcher makes for some nice shoulder spikes, and the roof-blades end up on the inner forearms, and can be rotated outward to look more convincingly like weapons. The gun looks good in hand too, but also looks nice on the forearm. All in all, Trailbreaker is a fantastic remold of a mold that was already really good.
-Sharkticon Megatron ("TFP Sharkticon Megatron clone")
Faction: Decepticon (shark-style sigil, though)
Class: Voyager
Release: August 2013
Acquired:Walmart
Accessories: 1 "Tartarex Warp Sword"/"Sharktooth Spear"
Strongest mode: Robot.
- So, this is a weird one, isn't it? But that's been the whole deal with the Beast Hunters line - weirdness. The basics: This is, officially, TFP Megatron reconfigured by his new weapon (the aforementioned Tartarex Warp Sword/Sharktooth Spear) into a more Sharkticon-like form. This is according to the "Tales of the Beast Hunters" pack-in fiction. Like many Beast Hunters toys, this form of Megatron doesn't exist in the show at all; in the series-ending Preadcons Rising movie, Megatron's final form is a more diabolical-looking version of his dead body possessed by Unicron (which we'll get in the form of his cyberverse toy getting repainted). My take? This isn't Megatron himself, but rather a clone made by combining his CNA with that of the heretofore unseen Sharkticons of the TFP universe, all made by Starscream. Whatever take you have, this sure is a weird, stand-out toy. It's a very extensive remold of PRiD Megatron, with the following being replaced by new parts: head, shoulder armor (now jointed, two-pieced assemblies), forearms, alt mode gun mount (now a two-piece head cover assembly for alt mode), chest armor, and lower legs (both the inner and outer pieces). And, of course, his totally new weapon. The colors are mostly evocative of the G1 Gnaw (Sharkticon) toy, though the main base color is a dark metallic brown rather than grey. The effect of all this is a toy that is visually very distinct from PRiD Megatron. It really does look like a totally new toy, an effect that Hasbro has done a very good job with on multiple occasions, including the recent T30 Springer/Sandstorm mold. One nice thing is that the changes make the toy functionally better, too. In alt mode, Megatron is a bizarre hybrid between his cybertronian space fighter mode and a sharkticon, with the forward part of the spacecraft becoming the shark's head. It's pretty terrifying looking, especially with the snake-like mandible and "dead" pupil-less eyes. With the wings, it almost has the effect of looking like a ray. The weapon, in gun mode, attaches to the top, almost like a remora.
-Sky Lynx
Faction: Predacon
Class: Deluxe
Release: Early Fall 2013
Acquired: Target (exclusive)
Accessories: 2 discs, 1 tail-mace/"brass knuckles"
Strongest mode: Robot.
- Ok! This guy is pretty straightforward. He's a repaint of Skystalker, using the G1 Character Sky Lynx's name and colors. I actually bought Skystalker last summer, but returned it without opening it for whatever reason. Sky Lynx himself was the only one of the larger Target exclusive Predacons Rising repaints I was ever interested in getting, but wasn't in any hurry about it. He doesn't exactly jump out at you from the pegs (like, say, Generations Dreadwing does). I mainly wanted this guy because he's the first real homage Sky Lynx has gotten in a domestic market. And it's a fairly loose homage, sure, but G1 Sky Lynx's combined beast mode is close enough to a dragon to make this work. Also helping is the darkened tone of the color scheme; no bright red or blue, instead burgundy and pretty dark navy are used. The white is very white, but the toy has enough paint apps in the right places to not make it feel too washed-out (though some on the dragon's head would have been nice) Gold is the main accent color (including the faction logo), and it, combined with the metal flake in the blue and burgundy, make the toy have a really nice look, almost classy...which really works in regards to the homaged character. About the only problem I have with the deco is that it also could work for an ice-themed character like the orignal deco for the mold, making it even less likely that I'll go back and repurchase Skystalker. The dragon mode is nice enough, but the loose hips are not a plus, and the shoulder mechanism is weird. The bot mode I like better. The knee and ankle joints are looser than I'd like, but it's not a dealbreaker. The wings look awesome, and I also like the G1 Divebomb-esque arrangement of the robot head in the beast mouth - I tend to leave the dragon cranium closer to horizontal than vertical as the instructions show. Other than the disc weapons, which are kind of...whatever, he has a ankylosaur-like tail club/mace that can detach and cover either hand, as a sort of pointy version of brass knuckles. Nothing earthshaking, but it's a neat extra, and you don't often see small weapons like this with transformers anymore; it reminds me a bit of RiD Hightower's pistol. Overall, I like him a lot...while I don't know that he's the best of the deluxe predacon molds, he does at least have zero soft plastic/rubbery parts, something both Lazerback/Vertebreak and Ripclaw
-Prowl
Faction: Autobot
Class: Deluxe
Release: Fall 2013
Acquired:Walmart (though not 'till January 2014...awesome distribution)
Accessories: 1 "Firelance" missile launcher and 1 missile
Strongest mode: Robot.
- Prowl has a somewhat interesting story. A remold of the deluxe Smokescreen toy, Prowl actually takes his cues from a piece of concept art for the perennially-unreleased Transformers: Universe online game, set in the world of TF: Prime. So while this toy's body is tied to the design of Smokescreen, the deco was very carefully thought out to make the repaint match the old concept art as much as possible. The piece de resistance, of course, is the new head mold, lifted right from the artwork (with some fantastic lightpiping). Thankfully, unlike some other non-show TFP toys (Ironhide/Kup, Lazerback, etc), Prowl's head design lacked a nose from the get-go, so he does visually fit in with the aesthetic. Another neat aspect of this remold is that, traditionally, Smokescreen was a repaint of Prowl (along with Bluestreak being the third "Fairlady Brother"), so now we have Prowl from Smokescreen; its reminiscent of when Titanium WWi Thundercracker was repainted into WWi Starscream, despite WWi Starscream having a different design. Still, it's nice to get these repaint pecking orders shuffled once in a while. Anyhow, the mold itself could be better; like PRiD Cliffjumper, it suffers from a faux kibble chest, something I abhor. I don't mind it as much on Prowl, since he doesn't really have an on-screen model to reference like Smokescreen, and I imagine that the chest panel is just robot armor that merely evokes car parts rather than actually being them (like Animated Sentinel Prime). It helps that the actual headlights of the car are orange, where the painted "headlights" of the chest are blue. And then there are the kibble-laden arms. Again, these would be visually offensive on Smokescreen (have I mentioned that I don't own him?), but on Prowl they just serve as additional armor. Many have complained about the transformation, too, and I'll admit that it was a bit tricky to get the car mode right the first few times, but once I figured out that I needed to transform the front section of the car first before folding the legs/car rear up, it's no longer an issue, and the car mode is now rock-solid. Somewhat amusingly, Prowl is the only BH toy that doesn't really have anything to help him fit the theme; even Smokescreen came with the shadow quill armor and electro-net (or whatever) to attach to the missile...Prowl just has a tiny gun with a big missile sticking out of it. I actually kind of appreciate the launcher itself being small; without the missile it does a great job of looking like a pretty normal, pistol-sized blaster that a "police officer" character like Prowl might actually carry. I like to imagine that the missile is a new, Predacon-specific kind of ammunition he can use in addition to laserfire or whatever. As for the car mode, while the deco looks pretty spare here, I have to admit that this is probably the most boss Prowl as ever looked in alt mode. It looks fast and agile, and you can mount the launcher either on the light bar for side-to-side aiming or on either edge of the spoiler for up/down aiming (aerial targets). I also really like the near-purple look of the windshield and door window pieces (which, by the way, look better in bot mode if left up rather than folded down). In closing, Prowl uses a flawed base mold, but makes the best of it, and features a great new headsculpt. It also gives us a Prowl for the (apparently) ending TFP universe/toyline that manages to avoid some of the design excesses of the BH subline. If you can find him (which is becoming easier), pick him up.
