Lots of toys...

OK, so I've gotten a lot of transformers this month. This is mostly due to me having some birthday funds in addition to the monthly amount I'll spend on toys. However, most of these transformers are particularly great, even the ones that I did not expect much from.

I've gotten:

Animated
-Sentinel Prime
-Swoop

Universe
-Sideswipe
-Ironhide
-Silverstreak
-Jazz
-Soundwave & Spacecase (old Universe line)

Crossovers
-Human Torch

And Animated Shockwave is on the way!

Only problem is that I had ordered Universe Legends Hound and gotten Megatron instead, who I had picked up in store at the beginning of September. So I have to repackage and return it via mail.

Animated core cast: complete!

I picked up Activators Bumblebee yesterday. I'd seen him on shelves for about two months now, but due to other characters having more interesting or exciting figures, I neglected the character all that time. The deluxe version has been available since June, and I've avoided that one still - no plans for it.

Activator 'Bee has turned out to pretty cool. Granted, it's basically a cheaper version of Classics 'Bee in the Animated aesthetic, but it still looks good next to Leader Bulkhead. Scale feels right with these two. And, along with Prowl, Ratchet, and Voyager Prime, I have rounded out the core Autobot cast! I really should pose them together.

Oh, and I gave up looking for Sentinel Prime and Swoop. They, along with Marvel Crossover Human Torch and Legends Jazz and Hound are on order from HTS. Which is pretty much my monthly budget. And it's only the 2nd.

Birthday round-up

Well here is what was obtained:

Animated Ultra Magnus did in fact come on Friday, and I went ahead and opened it then.

My wife did indeed get me Universe Onslaught.

And my parents came through with Titanium Grimlock and Prowl. This one in particular is good because they are exclusive to Toys R Us, which isn't close to here at all. Also, these toys are the size of a normal $10 transformer, but normally used to cost $15 due to the high metal content. These last two exclusive were being sold for $20 at TRU, meaning that I would have had to pay $40 for 2 10 dllar-sized toys. So go mom & dad. Dad also got me a new pocketknife since I lost mine in Ohio this summer, so I can now open TFs without hunting down the scissors. Yay!

Still trying to find Animated Sentinel Prime and Swoop, though. I checked 2 walmarts on the way home Sunday and they had about 3 Animated deluxes between them. That's one point against rural GA walmarts (especially since I have it on good authority that some even more rural walmarts do infact have these newer toys).

Birthday...imminent!

The B-day is fast approaching and this means that transformers are as well.

Here's the wish list so far:

From me:
Animated Ultra Magnus (from HTS, should arrive today)

From wife:
Universe Onslaught

From parents:
Titanium Series Grimlock & Prowl (TRU exclusives)

From in-laws (in the form of cash):
Animated Sentinel Prime & Swoop, if I can find them.

I will update later with what TFs actually come through.

Assessment

9/4/2008: This is a quick edit to update this lists with some recent purchases.


This has been a good summer for transformer collecting. I've gotten to see the winding down of the Movie toyline while at the same time see the launching of two of the best TF toylines in a long time: Animated and Universe. Oh, and the last gasp of the Titanium Series is now hitting certain shelves, too.

Since I haven't been updating much lately, I figured I post an assessment sort of update, talking about where I am in the current lines and what's coming up that I'm really looking forward to. So, here we go:

As stated, the two current lines are Animated and Universe. Animated came out a few weeks earlier, and is a true "mainline" in the tradition of Beast Wars, Robots in Disguise, and the entire Unicron Trilogy. Universe hit a few weeks later and has fewer molds available, mostly because it's intended to be a supplementary line.

So, what do I have from Animated now? Roll call!

Autobots:

Voyager Optimus Prime
Deluxe Optimus Prime
Battle Begins Optimus Prime
Grimlock
Leader Bulkhead
Activator Bulkhead
Prowl
Ratchet
Jazz

Decepticons:
Voyager Megatron
Battle Begins Megatron
Lugnut
Starscream
Blackarachnia
Lockdown
Soundwave w/Laserbeak
Oil Slick
Leader Megatron (added 9/4)

And for Universe:

Autobots:

Sunstreaker
Powerglide
Prowl (added 9/4)

Decepticons:
Legends class Starscream
Octane

So, that's where I stand. While I'd like to own just about each and every TF that's released, realistically that's not going to happen. However, there are many that I definitely want, come hell or high water:

Animated:

Megatron (leader class, hopefully for birthday)
Ultra Magnus (also hopefully for birthday)
Shockwave/Longarm Prime (due out by Christmas)
Snarl/Slag
Sentinel Prime
Swoop
Swindle (also Xmas)
Blurr (another Xmas release)
Activator Starscream and any of the repaints they do
Activator Bumblebee
Activator Optimus
Activator Cliffjumper
Activator Megatron
Skywarp (added 9/4)

Here are the also-rans that I wouldn't mind getting:

Shadow Blade Megatron (leader class repaint for Xmas)
Supreme Optimus Prime
Blazing Lockdown (repaint/remold)
Blitzwing
Stealth Lockdown (added 9/4)

As for Universe:

definites:

Acid Storm
Prowl
Sideswipe
Ironhide
Onslaught (b-day list!)
Silverbolt
Legends Megatron
Legends Jazz
Legends Hound
Springer/Ratbat

Also-rans:

Galvatron
Silverstreak
Stormcloud
Blades
Roadbuster/Dirge
Legends Onslaught

The Green Machine

I picked up Leader Bulkhead the other day, using a bit of money magic to circumvent my monthly budget. Here's my review:

Bulkhead , in this form, is one of the first two Leader class ($40) toys in the Transformers: Animated line. While his character also appears in the Voyager class (which I don't have) and as a very small Activator (which I DO have), this size class is probably the most appropriate for him, as he's (other than Omega Supreme) the largest of the core cast Autobots. Even though he's packaged in robot mode, I'll start the review by looking at his vehicle mode.

In the show, Bulkhead obtains his Earth vehicle mode by scanning an blue armored SWAT truck and becoming the green version thereof. However, for his leader class toy, the designers have deviated a bit from that template. While the law enforcement connection is still there (due to the emergency lightbar), the overall vibe (already hinted at by the olive green and military-style stars on all his toys) is of a heavy-duty assault vehicle. In contrast to the show, leader Bulkhead now sports four huge missiles (called "air torpedoes" on the box) and a turret of sorts with two elevating cannons. Now, at its core, the vehicle is still a personnel carrier, as evidenced by the doors on the back of the vehicle. One fun bit is that while the doors themselves don't open, the entire back panel lifts up (similar to Movie Wreckage), so it's actually pretty easy to see how it could be a personnel carrier. Of course, there are two huge robot forearms in the carrier space, but still, it's a neat (unintended) feature. In the end, I imagine this version of Bulkhead's vehicle mode as a troop carrier with a secondary role of urban anti-attack chopper duty.

Bulkhead's vehicle mode isn't pretty like Starscream's, or sleek like Prowl's, but it is tough. It feels very solid (the only thing that doesn't really lock in place is the aforementioned rear panel) and dense, which matches the appearance perfectly. He looks like he could survive a nuclear blast. All the bolt details really help reinforce that idea. Another neat design is the stationary wheel hubs - only the "tires" move. This helps sell the "futuristic" aspect of the vehicle, as does the slim, angular windshield. It could use a few more paint apps - particularly on the fuel tanks, side doors and rear doors - but overall the vehicle looks great.

As far as features go, the vehicle mode doesn't have too many. The Primary one is the electronics. Press down on the Autobot logo, and a siren sound will go off twice, along with the lights below the lightbars lighting up. If you hold the button down, the siren will sound continuously. The cannons, as mentioned, elevate, and can be made to face the rear of the vehicle, some thing useful for a character who isn't very agile. The missiles don't launch, bu they can be removed. And, of course, the wheels allow Bulkhead to roll along the ground.

Bulkhead's transformation is a treat. Conceptually, there's not much new here - it's really about the same as Energon Optimus Prime's, with the truck front being the torso and the limbs flowering out from the back - but the relocation of the various kibble panels is pretty fun. I really like how all the wheels fold up. The front two, especially, demonstrate a lesson learned from Energon Optimus. Another nice thing is how well the turret halves connect with/blend in with the rear panel pieces. They're really not noticeable once they're in place. One last unexpected bit is how the chest piece raises to give the robot better posture (and to connect with the shoulders). I didn't notice that from any of the review galleries online.

Once everything is situated for bot mode, you've got one great, unique "little" Autobot. Bulkhead is short for a leader class toy (especially Cybertron Metroplex!), but he makes up for his height in mass. Every part of him is thick. Because of this trade-off, he relates in size to most of the other Autobot toys very well, mostly Voyager Optimus and Deluxes Ratchet and Prowl (unfortunately, I don't yet have an Animated Bumblebee to compare him to). The colors are nice, too. The military theme carries over from the truck mode, since the olive green still dominates, and there are two additional stars, this time on his shoulders. The matte plastic used so much in this toyline really does well on Bulkhead, too. Lastly, I want to say that Bulkhead's overall robot appearance is rather unique compared to most transformers. He very vaguely reminds me of a cross between the aforementioned Energon Optimus toy (the larger one) and Cybertron's Menasor. The basic body part layout is just like Prime's - truck front as torso, legs start below the bumper, arms come out of the side - even the turret halves are reminiscent of Prime's Antenna/helmet piece. However, a lot of the details recall Menasor's mech-like appearance. Both have feet with tank treads for soles. Both have vehicle kibble arching up over their shoulder like wings. They also share relatively huge arms that terminate in structures more like tools or weapons than hands. You can even make Bulkhead's head disappear under the turret if you want to complete the soulless mech look. Conceptually, he's also similar to Movie Leader Brawl, who was also large, green, had three claws per hand, and had weapons on his forearms.

Even though he looks rather monolithic, he actually has pretty good ranges of movement. In this way, he's again somewhat similar to Movie Leader class Brawl. His arms have full movement except for the wrists (even including bicep swivels), and his legs have all the necessary jointing as well. As one would expect from his design, there is no waist joint. The head is a tricky issue, though. Technically, it does move - in fact, his neck, jaw, and browline all move. However, they are restricted by one of his gimmicks and cannot hold a pose except looking forward. Ultimately, this doesn't bother me much, but it will/does irritate many articulation sticklers. For an Armada fan like me, though, I can live with it.

Now to the gimmicks. As befits a Leader class toy, Bulkhead has both lights and sounds. In bot mode, the siren does not work, and the red lights are replaced with orange lights. If you press his Autobutton, he'll speak one of three phrases: "Sorry, my bad" (or is that "Sari, my bad"?), "You can do it, buddy" (possibly directed at Bumblebee), and "Time to bring out the big guns" (appropriate due to this toy's weapon upgrades). However, the button also serves to turn the head left and pull down on the chin, which also raises his browline. The whole thing is really pretty expressive, as there's more going on with Bulkhead's mouth than you can normally see. He looks pretty alarmed! Unfortunately, you can't keep pushing the button to allow him to lip sync with the sound recording, as pressing it again will make the chip cycle to the next saying.

Bulkhead also comes with an accessory that interacts with the sounds and lights. This is the Headmaster helmet. In the show, Headmaster (aka Henry Masterson, mad weapons engineer) has built a transforming exosuit that allows him to physically take control of other robots, including Bulkhead. While the helmet itself doesn't transform into a little guy in an exosuit, it does connect to the Bulkhead toy, upon which it causes the sound chip to squeal "Ownage! Total Ownage!" quite enthusiastically. This also activates all the red lights in the torso and head. If you press the button on the chest, it does this again. This is a rather impressive feature from an engineering standpoint, but what's also nice is that it basically gives you another villain leader class toy (other than Megatron, that is) at pretty much no cost!

Lastly, Bulkhead has some mechanical features in his arms. His right hand is permanently holding a buzzsaw blade, and if you push a sliding tab on his forearm, it spins the blade. This isn't Bulkhead's characteristic wrecking ball weapon (featured on the Voyager class version), but it's nice, makes sense as both a tool and weapon and works well. His other hand is his normal tri-clawed grabber and can literally grab. Using a similar sliding tab as found on the right arm, the claw opens and closes. Pretty fun, and frankly I like it better than if the claws had been independently mobile. Bulkhead also has an undocumented "chair" mode, as seen on the show, which requires you to untransform his shoulder kibble. It doesn't look much like a chair and requires strategic positioning of the legs to work, but it's a nice thing to be able to do and adds to Bulkhead's uniqueness.

It's been a while, and here's the new stuff...

Hard to believe it's been almost a month since the last post. In that time period, I've spent most of my time either on the road or in classes. Since I have a few more days of freedom before I go back to work, I figured I'd try to squeeze in a few more updates.

First off, I do have a pretty decent chunk of new TFs at my disposal since the last update. Here's the list:

Animated Prowl
Animated Jazz
Animated Soundwave w/Laserbeak
OTFCC Topspin
Universe Sunstreaker
Universe Tankor/Octane
Universe Starscream (Legends class)
Crossovers Hulk
Crossovers Venom

I think that's it. They're all pretty great, too . The most recent purchase is Venom, which I got yesterday.