Ravage!

...has a much nicer head sculpt than Stripes. The plane mode really benefits from a uniform deco as well, sort of coming off like a U-2, appropriate for Ravage's character:

Victoriously Short Arms

Compare to:

Brainstorm!

I'm really diggin the new TR Brainstorm - much moreso than I ever was interested in the T30 mold. I'm very happy that Hasbro actually considered compatibility with the headmasters. Also, we are now just one Headmaster shy of having the entire original Autobot lineup - Highbrow, who I'm greatly anticipating.

Crap, it's been a year since they unveiled Devastator

Aight. Here we go. We start with "Emissary," (a cute Megabolt Megatron callback) who is supposed to be Spike, but bump that.

Here is Emissary in head mode:

Which belongs to Cerebros. I didn't realize that his original toy's head didn't look like this, but apparently it's modeled specifically off the cartoon. 

Here is Cerebros is head mode:

WHICH BELONGS TO FORTRESS MAXIMUS YEAH

Ok, you know and I know that this is a remold of Metroplex. I might actually get this guy though, as he's much more purposefully designed to interact with smaller toys. Also, I know I bought Titan Class Devastator last year, but I'm very sure that I have no idea how bring these true Titan toys are. I mean, there's a display pic from Toyfair that, plain as day, shows the new Leader class Optimus Prime (Magnus remold) only coming up to Max's knee. I don't think I get that the toy could be that big. Anyhow, I I've the double-headmaster functionality that was retained from the 80s toy (especially since Cerebros is a total nobody who wouldn't get a new toy otherwise), but I'm curious as to why Max isn't shown with the gun from his box art. He looks weird without a primary weapon.

Laser beak looks pretty hot is his mostly black deco, despite this mold being kinda rough.

Wheelie, meanwhile, looks fantastic. I don't think he'll have his slingshot like the last two versions did, but it's great that headmasters can tear ass around Fort Max in Wheelie.

Blurr has got to be the hottest thing officially shown so far. As much as I love DriftBlurr for his Coller-designed head, this mold just kills everything. The car mode is hot and can be friggin' piloted. He actually looks fast in bot mode. On top of it all, he still got his "hood ornament" on his helmet despite having a headmaster for a head!

Let me first say that this never would have happened 10+ years ago. Specifically, it's still kind of amazing that Hasbro is willing to release Blurr and Scourge in the same wave given their many similarities. Anyhow, I'm not really digging Scourge's bot mode a ton, but that is the best alt mode he has had as a toy. Again, improved by the fact that it's pilotable. I still can't get over that these transformers are transforming into actual vehicles.

Mindwipe comes preprogrammed with 3 Satan laughs! Just look at that bat mode! It's a damned demon! Neat wing transformation, but it also produces redundant wings in bat mode. Also, the bot mode is not really killing it like Blurr manages to do.

Not sure why Chromedome looks like he's a super-remolded Dead End, but it's nice to be getting both him and Rewind in the same toyline. So glad I didn't fall for the TFSS version.

Hold Your Fire (Updated)

Ok, this Megatron has me a bit keyed up. I was never really put off by the Classics color scheme, but it's nice to finally get the mold with a more G1 look domestically. Of course, since this is a Platinum set, it comes with an inexplicably poorly decoed Optimus and will probably cost $349.99. What can you do?

I did retrieve Classics Megatron from storage and have been having some fun with him. I love his transformation.

Update: out-of-package pics from Tforners:

Repaint Fuel

Ok. I picked up the new Optimus/Bludgeon set last weekend because it finally gives a a return, sort of, to the commander size class. Optimus is really only lacking in his truck mode, and even then the lack of paint is the main issue (surprise!). His robot mode is a real treat - easily better than the deluxe toy and obviously more size appropriate compared to Legion Bumblebee, Strongarm, et al than his own legion toy is. I'll most likely pick up Grimlock from wave 2 for the same reason (and skip Sideswipe and Bumblebee for that same reason). 

As you can see, Optimus's armor combines with his axe to make a giant Warhammer thing. We already got a Magnus repaint of the legion toy, but an Optimus toy that comes with both armor AND a hammer begs to be turned into Ultra Magnus. And I would really be happy with a straight repaint, following the deco cues from the legion toy and casting the Energon parts in blue. There is even precedent for Magnus having his own blue axe thanks to MP-0whatever that was a MP-01 repaint. If they really want to knock it out of the park they could give him the head from the legion toy's packaging art and a new mask piece accordingly. 

I'd also love to see a Megatronus in this size class to square off against Optimus and at least one other Decepticon, maybe Thunderhoof. 

Further Down the Rabbit Hole

No joke, we've got some official Liokaiser art here folks! Computron was also confirmed via artwork, but I'm much more enamored with Liokaiser here. Largely because I didn't think he'd ever get any kind of US release, and partly because it gives us some much needed additional CW Cons! On the plus side, Liokaiser uses the two jet molds that aren't Blast Off, so we will now have three unique Decepticon jets. Killbison is a straight repaint of Brawl (at least in tank mode), and Drillhorn uses the drill tooling from Nosecone. The torso is a remold of Sky Lynx that is allegedy going to be Deathsaurus, but there's no telling if he will have any new tooling other than the combiner head, and it's seems inevitable that Deathsaurus won't have his own robot mode, just "dragon" mode. Which is amusing, because I thought that the best Remold option for Sky Lynx would be RiD Megatron/Gigatron, and Botcon Deathsaurus is a remold of him.

No telling if Liokaiser comes with a legends partner (some suggest the Groove mold as the Jaguar guy) or the segmented staff shown in the art. I am happy that he has the normal foothandguns, and not specialty types that Victorion and Computron are coming with. In fact, it's still possible that Liokaiser could be a normal, parted out retail release rather than a box set.