So, the New York Toyfair is coming soon (two weeks or something) with the London Toyfair come and gone, so info regarding Hasbro's new releases is starting to leak!
So far, of note:
- Amazon (maybe other retailers?) is releasing a $60 First Edition Leader class Optimus from Age of Extinction, the fourth movie. This is notable because hasbro already revealed an AoE leader Optimus toy back in October at the NYCC that is going to be released in the Generations line (apparently Generations this year will include both Classics/Thrilling 30-type stuff AND the movie toys; we've seen no indication yet that there will be an independent movie toyline). So, the two leader toys are definitely different, but both kind of suck in that they are super-shellformers and do a terrible job of translating Optimus's new AoE robot design into toy form. Also curious is the pricing - while this FE Leader certainly has the type of packaging we've now become used to from the Generations Platinums Edition toys, the toy itself doesn't seem to have any features that make it look really different from the Generations Leader - both handle kibble similarly, have similar weapons, and both have chromed parts. Whatever. I do really hope that we see a better large-scale Optimus with this design before long, though.
- BBTS confirmed that we will be getting Generations deluxe toys of Arcee and Chromia! FINALLY. They are supposedly in the wave after Tankor, Rattrap, and Crosscut. I know we now have a precedent of sometimes getting two versions of the same mold in the same wave (FoC Soundwave and Soundblaster), but I really hope these two are different molds. Arcee in particular I'd like to be the WfC design that IDW has been using since RiD started. Really hoping these get shown at toyfair!
- Rescue Bots are getting a prehistoric makeover....most, if not all of the robot cast is getting redesigned with not only new vehicle modes, but also other (presumably larger) toys with dinosaur alt modes! So far, only one actual toy image has been revealed, that of Optimus Primal (yes, that's the toy's name!). Amusingly, he transforms quite a bit like BW Megatron's first toy, with the right arm being the T-Rex (yep, that's his alt mode) head and the left being the tail (complete with drill bit tip)! His new, smaller toy (normal RB size) is a monster truck, with Heatwave now being a firefighting speedboat and Bumblebee being a motorcycle. It seems that Blades might become a jet, and Heatwave's dino mode appears to be a sauropod, with Boulder being a triceratops. The others are sort of unclear so far. Still, I wish Hasbro was willing to make these kind of alt mode changes in a mainline, such as the movies or TF: Prime. Ah, well.
Ok, that's kind of it for now. I will add that I've done a couple of mini-reviews (haven't done any in a while!) - Generations deluxe Waspinator and Predacons Rising Sky Lynx, on the G1 and Prime pages, respectively. Both are great deluxes.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Transformers of the Year, 2013! (Late edition)
Ok, this is just C & P'ed from my Allspark post:
Ok, I figure that it's time for this thread. It's the brand's 29th anniversary, though Hasbro started celebrating early! Broken down by line, then size class:
TF Prime: Beast Hunters (technically, some of these were available this time last year, but I figure it's close enough that I could include anything from the line):
-Cyberverse Legion: Soundwave. Looks great in both modes and was sorely missed as a non-BH character that should have had a toy earlier. I admit I gave him Flamewar's gun to replace his chainsaw gun, but otherwise he's basically perfect. Runners-up: All the predacons/Abominus (not sure if he shouldn't have his own category, but whatever) for being a great successor to RotF Legends Devastator, and Airachnid for being better than her deluxe mold.
- Cyberverse Commander: Three-way tie between Optimus, Beast Blade Optimus, and Optimus/Thunderclash from Target. This is a truly fun mold that, while deviating from the design of the show and larger toys, looks great and has an interesting transformation. The original gets points for evoking the aborted "Monster Convoy" Armada design. Beast Blade has the awesome shield/wings and the swirled plastic "camo" otherwise reserved for Deluxe Beast Hunters, and Thunderclash cleverly became available around the time of his fun MTMTE appearance, in addition to inverting the MW repaint order. Runners-up: Hardshell for being another great mold with fun transformation, and Trailcutter for being a great remold.
- Deluxe: Ripclaw. She's the most solid non-cyberverse Predacon toy. Her dragon mode is great; she has a traditional-ish but fun tranformation with a few fourishes, and has a great weapon while being an atypical female. It's a shame she wasn't in the show. Runners-up: Starscream, for being a much for fun/toyish version of the character (though I still love FE Starscream) and Dreadwing for being bananas but still a fun mold.
- Voyager: Sharkticon Megatron. C'mon. Runners-up: Optimus for being one of the most fun Voyager Optimuses in a long time and Magnus for being a great remold of PRiD Optimus and still better than PRiD Magnus.
- Ultimate: Optimus, if only for its over-the-top nature. I'll admit that I didn't buy either of these molds, so not much to say.
Generations: Man, lots of good stuff here.
-Legends 2-packs: Unfortunately, I only have the data disks and none of the more cyberverse-style 2packs. Of the disks, I'd say my favorite individual one is Ratbat. Looks great and works well. Runners-up would be Sundor, which has the best colors for that great mold, and Ramhorn, the only quadruped that really works (and does so well). I do plan on getting the Optimus, Starscream and Megatron sets, of which the Starscream/Waspinator duo seems best.
-Deluxe: Ruination/Xaaron. Yeah, it's a bit cheaty to do a 5-way tie, but this was just a great way to remold Bruticus, It allowed us to finally get an Impactor toy, put some kind of Whirl on shelves while he's a big thing in MTMTE, and allowed the Swindle mold to be used on a character it makes more sense for. The new weapons add a lot of value too. Runners-up: Thundercracker and Orion Pax.
- Voyager: Tie between Springer and Sandstorm. The latter may be a bit more fun in my book, but it's great to see this kind of engineering crossed with such extensive remolding. Runners-up: Even though I don't have him yet, I know Rhinox looks to be pretty great, and I thought Blaster was another fantastic remold that worked well (his only shortcoming was Steeljaw).
- Titan: duh. See below.
- Platinum releases: I'd love to have Platinum Predaking. Magnus was a valiant attempt, but overpriced and not better than the voyager BH Magnus.
Masterpiece: Soundwave. I bought one and then returned it for money reasons, but it seemed great for a much better price than from Japan. However, Acid Storm was very tempting as well.
Construct bots:
- Scout - Ironhide is probably the best all around scout bot. I like the Seekers a lot too, and I don't have anything from wave 3, but Ironhide is very satisfying.
- Elite: Optimus is probably my favorite. I like the clear plastic and the new parts used to differentiate him from the 2-pack version; about the only thing he lacks compared to the 2-pack version is the missile-lanching "ion" cannon. I remedied this by giving him Blitzwing's version of the gun. Runner-up: I don't have him yet, but Shockwave looks great.
- Triple-changer/2-pack: Bltizwing is the only one of these 4 I own, but I like that he manages to feel pretty much like his own bot without having many unique parts; even his head is a remold of Ironhide's. Runners-up: If I had to pick, I'd say BB because of his cool jet mode and Predaking, whose dragon mode is fantastic.
Kre-O:
- Boxed sets: I only got Trailbreaker and Windcharger, and of the two I think I'll ultimately side with WIndcharger, because Cohrada is so awesome in its simplicity. My son did just get Ripclaw for Christmas, and it's ok.
- Microchanger wave1: Probably Airachnidis best, with Springer and Blast-Off not far behind.
- Microchanger wave 2: Lugnut is pretty darned awesome, but so are Arcee and Bulkhead. Lots of other great ones in this wave if I'm honest, though.
- Microchanger wave 3: Sharkticon is my favorite, followed by Long Haul and Thrust.
- Microchanger Combiners: I have only bought Devastator for myself, and I honestly was less than impressed with the QC (mostly joint or connector strength), something of a first for Kre-O for me. I've gotten Superion and Pirhanacon for my son. I'd probably get Bruticus, Predaking and Abominus for myself if I were more confident in them.
- Custom Kre-Os: Starscream looks the best, thought Megatron and Optimus are cool too.
TF of the Year: Titan class Metroplex. C'mon - the fact that this thing exists is something of a miracle. I don't have it yet, but there's no way I'm going to miss out on having the biggest TF ever, even if I buy him at full price. His only downside is that Hasbro didn't create a larger range of new G1 Cyberverse/legends to go with him. Well, and the fact that he's functionally an online exclusive (I still have never seen one at retail).
Ok, I figure that it's time for this thread. It's the brand's 29th anniversary, though Hasbro started celebrating early! Broken down by line, then size class:
TF Prime: Beast Hunters (technically, some of these were available this time last year, but I figure it's close enough that I could include anything from the line):
-Cyberverse Legion: Soundwave. Looks great in both modes and was sorely missed as a non-BH character that should have had a toy earlier. I admit I gave him Flamewar's gun to replace his chainsaw gun, but otherwise he's basically perfect. Runners-up: All the predacons/Abominus (not sure if he shouldn't have his own category, but whatever) for being a great successor to RotF Legends Devastator, and Airachnid for being better than her deluxe mold.
- Cyberverse Commander: Three-way tie between Optimus, Beast Blade Optimus, and Optimus/Thunderclash from Target. This is a truly fun mold that, while deviating from the design of the show and larger toys, looks great and has an interesting transformation. The original gets points for evoking the aborted "Monster Convoy" Armada design. Beast Blade has the awesome shield/wings and the swirled plastic "camo" otherwise reserved for Deluxe Beast Hunters, and Thunderclash cleverly became available around the time of his fun MTMTE appearance, in addition to inverting the MW repaint order. Runners-up: Hardshell for being another great mold with fun transformation, and Trailcutter for being a great remold.
- Deluxe: Ripclaw. She's the most solid non-cyberverse Predacon toy. Her dragon mode is great; she has a traditional-ish but fun tranformation with a few fourishes, and has a great weapon while being an atypical female. It's a shame she wasn't in the show. Runners-up: Starscream, for being a much for fun/toyish version of the character (though I still love FE Starscream) and Dreadwing for being bananas but still a fun mold.
- Voyager: Sharkticon Megatron. C'mon. Runners-up: Optimus for being one of the most fun Voyager Optimuses in a long time and Magnus for being a great remold of PRiD Optimus and still better than PRiD Magnus.
- Ultimate: Optimus, if only for its over-the-top nature. I'll admit that I didn't buy either of these molds, so not much to say.
Generations: Man, lots of good stuff here.
-Legends 2-packs: Unfortunately, I only have the data disks and none of the more cyberverse-style 2packs. Of the disks, I'd say my favorite individual one is Ratbat. Looks great and works well. Runners-up would be Sundor, which has the best colors for that great mold, and Ramhorn, the only quadruped that really works (and does so well). I do plan on getting the Optimus, Starscream and Megatron sets, of which the Starscream/Waspinator duo seems best.
-Deluxe: Ruination/Xaaron. Yeah, it's a bit cheaty to do a 5-way tie, but this was just a great way to remold Bruticus, It allowed us to finally get an Impactor toy, put some kind of Whirl on shelves while he's a big thing in MTMTE, and allowed the Swindle mold to be used on a character it makes more sense for. The new weapons add a lot of value too. Runners-up: Thundercracker and Orion Pax.
- Voyager: Tie between Springer and Sandstorm. The latter may be a bit more fun in my book, but it's great to see this kind of engineering crossed with such extensive remolding. Runners-up: Even though I don't have him yet, I know Rhinox looks to be pretty great, and I thought Blaster was another fantastic remold that worked well (his only shortcoming was Steeljaw).
- Titan: duh. See below.
- Platinum releases: I'd love to have Platinum Predaking. Magnus was a valiant attempt, but overpriced and not better than the voyager BH Magnus.
Masterpiece: Soundwave. I bought one and then returned it for money reasons, but it seemed great for a much better price than from Japan. However, Acid Storm was very tempting as well.
Construct bots:
- Scout - Ironhide is probably the best all around scout bot. I like the Seekers a lot too, and I don't have anything from wave 3, but Ironhide is very satisfying.
- Elite: Optimus is probably my favorite. I like the clear plastic and the new parts used to differentiate him from the 2-pack version; about the only thing he lacks compared to the 2-pack version is the missile-lanching "ion" cannon. I remedied this by giving him Blitzwing's version of the gun. Runner-up: I don't have him yet, but Shockwave looks great.
- Triple-changer/2-pack: Bltizwing is the only one of these 4 I own, but I like that he manages to feel pretty much like his own bot without having many unique parts; even his head is a remold of Ironhide's. Runners-up: If I had to pick, I'd say BB because of his cool jet mode and Predaking, whose dragon mode is fantastic.
Kre-O:
- Boxed sets: I only got Trailbreaker and Windcharger, and of the two I think I'll ultimately side with WIndcharger, because Cohrada is so awesome in its simplicity. My son did just get Ripclaw for Christmas, and it's ok.
- Microchanger wave1: Probably Airachnidis best, with Springer and Blast-Off not far behind.
- Microchanger wave 2: Lugnut is pretty darned awesome, but so are Arcee and Bulkhead. Lots of other great ones in this wave if I'm honest, though.
- Microchanger wave 3: Sharkticon is my favorite, followed by Long Haul and Thrust.
- Microchanger Combiners: I have only bought Devastator for myself, and I honestly was less than impressed with the QC (mostly joint or connector strength), something of a first for Kre-O for me. I've gotten Superion and Pirhanacon for my son. I'd probably get Bruticus, Predaking and Abominus for myself if I were more confident in them.
- Custom Kre-Os: Starscream looks the best, thought Megatron and Optimus are cool too.
TF of the Year: Titan class Metroplex. C'mon - the fact that this thing exists is something of a miracle. I don't have it yet, but there's no way I'm going to miss out on having the biggest TF ever, even if I buy him at full price. His only downside is that Hasbro didn't create a larger range of new G1 Cyberverse/legends to go with him. Well, and the fact that he's functionally an online exclusive (I still have never seen one at retail).
Post-holiday goings-on
Ok, it's 2014! Holy crap. I don't think I could have imagined how the year 2014 would have been when I was a kid, but I have to admit it's somewhat underwhelming, what with the lack of hoverboards and flying cars. Oh well. Maybe 2017? We'll see.
The good news is that it's now actually the Transformers' 30th Anniversary year, even though Hasbro really started celebrating late last summer with the Thrilling 30 Generations releases. I've been able to start off this 30th Anniversary pretty well in terms of TFs, too!
Firstly, the DotM Jetwing Optimus I was able to get myself for Christmas is pretty awesome. His only real faults: one of his four wings is a bit loose at its root (though only in a certain direction), the feet stabilizers do not attach very securely to the jet pack for truck mode (necessitating careful handling), and his kneepads get knocked out of place a bit more easily than those on my copy of RotF Leader Optimus. Overall, though, he's functionally fine and really, really looks great. I have no idea why Hasbro passed this remold over during the initial DotM run in favor of Ultimate Optimus Prime, but I'm glad to finally have it (and for a fair price, too). Now I just have to round up DotM Wheeljack, and the deluxe and HA molds for Soundwave....yay.
Secondly, I was able to acquire both Legends Starscream/Waspinator and deluxe Dreadwing on New Year's Eve, making them my last purchases of 2013. The only reason I got them was because I was out of town; the local Walmart still currently has NO Generations deluxes, and has NEVER carried the legends class (not even the data discs). Fuckers. I still need to get Waspinator (the deluxe) and at least Megatron/Chop Shop and Optimus/Roller, and possibly Bumblebee/Blazemaster. By the way, is Target the only brick and mortar store to carry these things? Even TRU can't seem to get them in, still hanging on to wave 1 data discs. Before I move on, let me fawn over Dreadwing. I was only somewhat interested in him initially, but he really turned out great. His colors are fantastic, as is the new head (awesome light piping!) and he's even sporting the G2 'Con logo. Awesome.
Now, perhaps you're wondering why I'm on something of a tear to get the other Generations legends 2-packs. Well, that's because....I have initiated Operation: Get Metroplex! Yep, I can hardly believe it's already been almost a year since he was revealed at Toyfair....and I still don't have one. In fact, I've never seen one. Seriously, distribution has been almost total shit this year, especially in my neck of the woods. Anyway, I've finally gotten around to putting my "extra" TFSS toys on ebay - Circuit, Jackpot, and G1 Breakdown (yep, I decided to let him go). Jackpot sold on day one, fortunately. All three are BINs, and if all three actually sell for the prices I've got up (as Jackpot did), then I'll have pretty much the money I need to get a Metroplex from HTS (which fortunately has free shipping). I may go ahead and order the remaining legends toys (and maybe Construct-bots Shockwave) at the same time to take advantage of the free shipping. I'm also looking forward to deluxe Armada Starscream, Centuritron (the mini-con combiner) and FoC Skywarp, so maybe they'll be on HTS by the time I'm ready to order as well. Anyway, wish me luck. If you're interested in buying TFSS Breakdown or Circuit from me, just look here for Breakdown or here for Circuit.
Lastly, I finally ordered and received volume 5 of both Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets They Eye! Man, I know I haven't really talked much about the comics on this blog, but damn if I don't love these two series. I mean, yeah, MTMTE is better than RiD, but I like RiD a lot too. And honestly, for all the complaining about how the issues in volume 5 didn't advance the plot and were just padding to allow MTMTE to catch up for the beginning of Dark Cybertron, it's fantastic filler. Lots of backstory for Shockwave and Soundwave, a reason to be interested in Dreadwing, tying Waspinator into G1 in a purposeful way (he doesn't really do much in Spotlight: Thundercracker). The only issue I didn't care much for was the one with the Autobots being cast out into the wildnerness. Arcee had some good stuff going on, but the art was not great and compared to the other issues in the volume it just didn't feel as important, plot-wise. As for MTMTE, I had read spoilers for the Remain in Light arc as it came out, but finally getting to read it for myself was great. After lots of substitute art in the last two volumes, it was great to see a solid, 5-part arc with nothing but Milne. Having Raiz for the last issues wasn't bad, either, though it wouldn't have been my first choice. I do wish the scene with the Autbots pulling up Starscream in the Communications room would have been shown in the comic, thought. That's a perfect last-page, cliffhanger image for a comic, but oh well.
Anyway, I'll keep "you" posted on Operation: Get Metroplex. Have a happy new year!
(Now to belatedly post my Best of 2013 list)
The good news is that it's now actually the Transformers' 30th Anniversary year, even though Hasbro really started celebrating late last summer with the Thrilling 30 Generations releases. I've been able to start off this 30th Anniversary pretty well in terms of TFs, too!
Firstly, the DotM Jetwing Optimus I was able to get myself for Christmas is pretty awesome. His only real faults: one of his four wings is a bit loose at its root (though only in a certain direction), the feet stabilizers do not attach very securely to the jet pack for truck mode (necessitating careful handling), and his kneepads get knocked out of place a bit more easily than those on my copy of RotF Leader Optimus. Overall, though, he's functionally fine and really, really looks great. I have no idea why Hasbro passed this remold over during the initial DotM run in favor of Ultimate Optimus Prime, but I'm glad to finally have it (and for a fair price, too). Now I just have to round up DotM Wheeljack, and the deluxe and HA molds for Soundwave....yay.
Secondly, I was able to acquire both Legends Starscream/Waspinator and deluxe Dreadwing on New Year's Eve, making them my last purchases of 2013. The only reason I got them was because I was out of town; the local Walmart still currently has NO Generations deluxes, and has NEVER carried the legends class (not even the data discs). Fuckers. I still need to get Waspinator (the deluxe) and at least Megatron/Chop Shop and Optimus/Roller, and possibly Bumblebee/Blazemaster. By the way, is Target the only brick and mortar store to carry these things? Even TRU can't seem to get them in, still hanging on to wave 1 data discs. Before I move on, let me fawn over Dreadwing. I was only somewhat interested in him initially, but he really turned out great. His colors are fantastic, as is the new head (awesome light piping!) and he's even sporting the G2 'Con logo. Awesome.
Now, perhaps you're wondering why I'm on something of a tear to get the other Generations legends 2-packs. Well, that's because....I have initiated Operation: Get Metroplex! Yep, I can hardly believe it's already been almost a year since he was revealed at Toyfair....and I still don't have one. In fact, I've never seen one. Seriously, distribution has been almost total shit this year, especially in my neck of the woods. Anyway, I've finally gotten around to putting my "extra" TFSS toys on ebay - Circuit, Jackpot, and G1 Breakdown (yep, I decided to let him go). Jackpot sold on day one, fortunately. All three are BINs, and if all three actually sell for the prices I've got up (as Jackpot did), then I'll have pretty much the money I need to get a Metroplex from HTS (which fortunately has free shipping). I may go ahead and order the remaining legends toys (and maybe Construct-bots Shockwave) at the same time to take advantage of the free shipping. I'm also looking forward to deluxe Armada Starscream, Centuritron (the mini-con combiner) and FoC Skywarp, so maybe they'll be on HTS by the time I'm ready to order as well. Anyway, wish me luck. If you're interested in buying TFSS Breakdown or Circuit from me, just look here for Breakdown or here for Circuit.
Lastly, I finally ordered and received volume 5 of both Robots in Disguise and More Than Meets They Eye! Man, I know I haven't really talked much about the comics on this blog, but damn if I don't love these two series. I mean, yeah, MTMTE is better than RiD, but I like RiD a lot too. And honestly, for all the complaining about how the issues in volume 5 didn't advance the plot and were just padding to allow MTMTE to catch up for the beginning of Dark Cybertron, it's fantastic filler. Lots of backstory for Shockwave and Soundwave, a reason to be interested in Dreadwing, tying Waspinator into G1 in a purposeful way (he doesn't really do much in Spotlight: Thundercracker). The only issue I didn't care much for was the one with the Autobots being cast out into the wildnerness. Arcee had some good stuff going on, but the art was not great and compared to the other issues in the volume it just didn't feel as important, plot-wise. As for MTMTE, I had read spoilers for the Remain in Light arc as it came out, but finally getting to read it for myself was great. After lots of substitute art in the last two volumes, it was great to see a solid, 5-part arc with nothing but Milne. Having Raiz for the last issues wasn't bad, either, though it wouldn't have been my first choice. I do wish the scene with the Autbots pulling up Starscream in the Communications room would have been shown in the comic, thought. That's a perfect last-page, cliffhanger image for a comic, but oh well.
Anyway, I'll keep "you" posted on Operation: Get Metroplex. Have a happy new year!
(Now to belatedly post my Best of 2013 list)
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Christmas time is here...almost
Been a while. Christmas is coming in just a few more days, though, and I thought I'd update.
Firstly, the only TF thing I know for sure I'm getting is the TRU release of the US DOTM Jetwing Optimus. TRU did a 50% off (so, $50) Black Friday sale, and the wife and I braved the TRU by one of the biggest malls in the state on Thanksgiving night, so I went ahead and got it for myself. I'd love to get Metroplex, too, but I'm 100% sure that won't happen. Maybe post-Christmas if I get enough in money/gift cards/etc. My son is getting the Rescue Bots Beam Box system from my parents, so I picked up the Boulder figurine for it. I also got him the RB Optimus figurine (the bagged version w/o a human) for a stocking stuffer, along with Kre-O Custom Optimus. A friend from work has bought him the Kre-O Ripclaw set. I also bought him all 5 Kre-O Seacons a couple months back, intended as a school incentive, but we didn't end up using them, so he'll probably get them too. I think that may be it on the TF front this Christmas.
In other news, the local Walmart continues to suck, most recently only having 2 BH CV Commanders in stock. And, honestly, it wasn't much better than that before Black Friday. In more fortunate parts of the country, people have been finding deluxe Generations T30 wave 3 (which they are also callign 2014 wave 1, to further confuse things). That's the wave with Waspinator, Skids, Goldbug, and G2 Dreadwing. Waspinator I want for sure, and I was also interested in Goldbug some (I didn't get the original version of this mold, and if I get this remold, it'll look like a real upgrade next to Classics BB) and Dreadwing. Skids. not so much; I love the design in the comics but the toy looks iffy.
Also, lots of in-hand pics have surfaced of the wave 4 toys, which I'm more excited about (save for Scoop). Armada Starscream, the new Minicon Combiner (named Centuritron with components Wind Shear, Heavy Tread, and Runway) and WfC/FoC Skywarp to complete the main Seeker trio from that mold.
In addition, pics of the next Generations wave (wave 5) have surfaced, first from the club mag and then online. This one has Rattrap, Crosscut (silver Skids with a new head) and BM Tankor. I'll probably get Rattrap. I'm not REALLY excited about him like a lot of other people, but it does look like the best Rattrap yet and uses his Season 1 design, which the original toy of is notoriously expensive in the aftermarket (and not that good anyway). Crosscut I'm not interested in; he's a nonentity, and while his new head is better than Skids', that mold is just not selling me. Tankor has disappointed a lot of people; his tank mode is a bit skinnier than they would like, and he may not have his backwards legs, but I think he's fine. In fact, I'm really excited about him. I've dug out my BM Mega Tankorr, BWR Tankor/Tank drone, and Energon Signal Flare (I use him as a UT Tankor) out as a result and have been playing with them a lot.
Firstly, the only TF thing I know for sure I'm getting is the TRU release of the US DOTM Jetwing Optimus. TRU did a 50% off (so, $50) Black Friday sale, and the wife and I braved the TRU by one of the biggest malls in the state on Thanksgiving night, so I went ahead and got it for myself. I'd love to get Metroplex, too, but I'm 100% sure that won't happen. Maybe post-Christmas if I get enough in money/gift cards/etc. My son is getting the Rescue Bots Beam Box system from my parents, so I picked up the Boulder figurine for it. I also got him the RB Optimus figurine (the bagged version w/o a human) for a stocking stuffer, along with Kre-O Custom Optimus. A friend from work has bought him the Kre-O Ripclaw set. I also bought him all 5 Kre-O Seacons a couple months back, intended as a school incentive, but we didn't end up using them, so he'll probably get them too. I think that may be it on the TF front this Christmas.
In other news, the local Walmart continues to suck, most recently only having 2 BH CV Commanders in stock. And, honestly, it wasn't much better than that before Black Friday. In more fortunate parts of the country, people have been finding deluxe Generations T30 wave 3 (which they are also callign 2014 wave 1, to further confuse things). That's the wave with Waspinator, Skids, Goldbug, and G2 Dreadwing. Waspinator I want for sure, and I was also interested in Goldbug some (I didn't get the original version of this mold, and if I get this remold, it'll look like a real upgrade next to Classics BB) and Dreadwing. Skids. not so much; I love the design in the comics but the toy looks iffy.
Also, lots of in-hand pics have surfaced of the wave 4 toys, which I'm more excited about (save for Scoop). Armada Starscream, the new Minicon Combiner (named Centuritron with components Wind Shear, Heavy Tread, and Runway) and WfC/FoC Skywarp to complete the main Seeker trio from that mold.
In addition, pics of the next Generations wave (wave 5) have surfaced, first from the club mag and then online. This one has Rattrap, Crosscut (silver Skids with a new head) and BM Tankor. I'll probably get Rattrap. I'm not REALLY excited about him like a lot of other people, but it does look like the best Rattrap yet and uses his Season 1 design, which the original toy of is notoriously expensive in the aftermarket (and not that good anyway). Crosscut I'm not interested in; he's a nonentity, and while his new head is better than Skids', that mold is just not selling me. Tankor has disappointed a lot of people; his tank mode is a bit skinnier than they would like, and he may not have his backwards legs, but I think he's fine. In fact, I'm really excited about him. I've dug out my BM Mega Tankorr, BWR Tankor/Tank drone, and Energon Signal Flare (I use him as a UT Tankor) out as a result and have been playing with them a lot.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Craziness
Ok, I've made much over these past couple of months over my struggle to transition from full-time TF collector to something more like seasonal help (or whatever. Terrible analogy). So, shocker, I've made a few more exceptions to my "No More TFs" rule.
A) I sold my boxed Botcon 2010 set about a month ago. Got about what I paid for it, which was sort of ok (man, should I have bought the 2008 set). So, as it sells, I get it in my head that I really do want to get TRU's MP Soundwave. But it's initially hard to find, so I rely on a guy I know from TFW to nab and hold onto one for me. And so he does. Of course, literally one day before I'm supposed to meet him, his nephew gets into the package and breaks the thing. So, while I'm not out the $120 plus tax, I am without an MP Soundwave. I finally got to check one of the "local" TRUs this afternoon, and they actually still had one. I had to ask for it (it wasn't on the shelf), but the box was in great shape in everything (this particular release is well known for appearing on shelves in banged-up boxes).
So, I bought it. But, man, am I having some second thoughts. I know I've spent a lot of money on other TFs before, and while I don't think I'd have as much of a problem spending roughly the same amount of cash on T30 Metroplex, I just don't feel like the purchase is justified. I haven't opened the thing, and I've pretty much settled on returning (or maybe selling) the thing. I think my wife'll be happy about that.
B) Holy crap, Sharkticon Megatron. I first saw this guy right around my last post, the weekend when I got T30 Sandstorm and Predacons Rising Abominus (oh, I should add that I've recently picked up legion class Windrazor and Blight, so using Cindersaur in lieu of non-clear Rippersnapper, I also have a complete opaque Abominus). Anyhow, shortly after that, I basically got a hard-on for the thing and have been lusting over online pics for weeks. Naturally, the local Walmart only has a few Predakings, and the Kmart ain't doin' any better. I did manage to find one at a Walmart not too far from the TRU where I got Soundwave today. And man, is Sharktitron (Megalotron?) a cool toy. I really wasn't impressed with it initially, in large part because I couldn't really fit it into my head-canon for the whole Beast Hunters story (because said head-canon didn't, at least until recently, resemble the actual BH episodes very much). But, I figured it out. After SPOILERS Megatron gets killed in "Deadlock," Starscream vows to bring him back/find a way to fight the Predacons, who are attacking not just 'bots, but 'cons too. Soooo, cloning project time! Starcream, referring back to his own successful cloning projects and Shockwave's CNA blending techniques, splices Megatron's CNA with that of a Sharkticon (which, by my fiat, exist in the TFP universe), producing several Sharkticlones/Sharktitrons/Megalotrons/whatever you wanna call 'em. Now, we all know that SPOILERS the real Megatron is going to be reanimated/possessed by Unicron in the Predacons Rising DVD/TV movie, but these clones are totally separate, and are lead by Starscream along with his weird clone of Dreadwing (the BH Dreadwing toy). And, again, the toy itself is just great. Much more enjoyable that the original version of the mold.
C) Remember my angst over the TFSS last year? This year, it's pretty much the opposite. I have largely not cared about the toys/designs revealed for the TFSS 2.0. Until yesterday. The sixth (of seven) toy was revealed to be...Thrustinator? Whaa.....
A) I sold my boxed Botcon 2010 set about a month ago. Got about what I paid for it, which was sort of ok (man, should I have bought the 2008 set). So, as it sells, I get it in my head that I really do want to get TRU's MP Soundwave. But it's initially hard to find, so I rely on a guy I know from TFW to nab and hold onto one for me. And so he does. Of course, literally one day before I'm supposed to meet him, his nephew gets into the package and breaks the thing. So, while I'm not out the $120 plus tax, I am without an MP Soundwave. I finally got to check one of the "local" TRUs this afternoon, and they actually still had one. I had to ask for it (it wasn't on the shelf), but the box was in great shape in everything (this particular release is well known for appearing on shelves in banged-up boxes).
So, I bought it. But, man, am I having some second thoughts. I know I've spent a lot of money on other TFs before, and while I don't think I'd have as much of a problem spending roughly the same amount of cash on T30 Metroplex, I just don't feel like the purchase is justified. I haven't opened the thing, and I've pretty much settled on returning (or maybe selling) the thing. I think my wife'll be happy about that.
B) Holy crap, Sharkticon Megatron. I first saw this guy right around my last post, the weekend when I got T30 Sandstorm and Predacons Rising Abominus (oh, I should add that I've recently picked up legion class Windrazor and Blight, so using Cindersaur in lieu of non-clear Rippersnapper, I also have a complete opaque Abominus). Anyhow, shortly after that, I basically got a hard-on for the thing and have been lusting over online pics for weeks. Naturally, the local Walmart only has a few Predakings, and the Kmart ain't doin' any better. I did manage to find one at a Walmart not too far from the TRU where I got Soundwave today. And man, is Sharktitron (Megalotron?) a cool toy. I really wasn't impressed with it initially, in large part because I couldn't really fit it into my head-canon for the whole Beast Hunters story (because said head-canon didn't, at least until recently, resemble the actual BH episodes very much). But, I figured it out. After SPOILERS Megatron gets killed in "Deadlock," Starscream vows to bring him back/find a way to fight the Predacons, who are attacking not just 'bots, but 'cons too. Soooo, cloning project time! Starcream, referring back to his own successful cloning projects and Shockwave's CNA blending techniques, splices Megatron's CNA with that of a Sharkticon (which, by my fiat, exist in the TFP universe), producing several Sharkticlones/Sharktitrons/Megalotrons/whatever you wanna call 'em. Now, we all know that SPOILERS the real Megatron is going to be reanimated/possessed by Unicron in the Predacons Rising DVD/TV movie, but these clones are totally separate, and are lead by Starscream along with his weird clone of Dreadwing (the BH Dreadwing toy). And, again, the toy itself is just great. Much more enjoyable that the original version of the mold.
C) Remember my angst over the TFSS last year? This year, it's pretty much the opposite. I have largely not cared about the toys/designs revealed for the TFSS 2.0. Until yesterday. The sixth (of seven) toy was revealed to be...Thrustinator? Whaa.....
 |
| Yep, I think this is cool. Not sure what kind of doctor I need. |
So, there he is! Yep, nothing anyone would have ever guessed. This is the kind of off-the-wall stuff that the Club has been lacking for a good while. I'll admit, I've been taken in by a lot of the more standard, expected repaint/remolds. Just look at the TFSS 1.0: RiD Scourge from RtS G2 Optimus? No surprise; we all expected it. Slipstream from FE Starscream? It's the most feminine Starscream ever, so sure; why not? An Ultra Magnus from an Optimus (well, sort of...) mold? You don't say. G1 Breakdown from G2 Breakdown; too easy. Circuit from Axor? We've seen that before. And Jackpot from Jazz? Heck, I couldn't even tell his head was remolded at first. But this? Taking a remold of the original Waspinator (Dirgegun, for the uninitiated) and then reremolding it back into the original Waspinator?! And then gaining demand even at Club prices? Crazy, man. Crazy. Obviously, this is Waspinator, but with his body being a mashed-together version of his "organic" Beast Wars body and his his mechanical Vehicon Thrust body from Beast Machines. It's important to note that the only remolding that the Club themselves have added is the head - and it's a great mash-up of the character's two faces - but all the other remolding was already there from the Dirgegun release. The trick, of course, being that all of Dirgegun's "cyborg" parts are now painted in Thrust's colors. Seriously, I'm gonna have to try for this guy, whether if it's through a trade, eBay or *shudder* BBTS.
Monday, August 12, 2013
An Abomination
So, erm, I haven't stuck to the "No More Transformers" thing too well. About the only thing I can say in my defense is that I have avoided purchasing TFs that are on my want list. However, after buying Springer, Slipstream arrived (see last post and yes, she is technically a 2012 purchase), and this past weekend I managed to procure for myself T30 Sandstorm, Predacons Rising Cindersaur/Smokescreen and Abominus. So, yeah. A fair bit of TF.
I will say it was all pretty opportunistic. I only got Sandstorm due to getting an extra $20 from a family member. I returned an extra Voyager Predaking I got back in March and used the money from that to get the Smokescreen/Cindersaur set, and I bought Abominus because I sold another TF on ebay.
Sandstorm's pretty cool, probably better than Springer, if not in color scheme. He'd be a good base mold for a new Highbrow or Obsidian or something.
I caved on the Predacon Rising stuff (initially I wasn't really interested) mostly because I don't know how easy it'll be to get the three remaining normal Predacons (the opaque, single-packed Rippersnapper, Blight, and Cutthroat). At any given moment, at least one of them is sold out at HTS and they've only just begun to hit retail (no local sightings yet that I know of). Add to the fact that they're on my wish list and may not get them until Christmas (if at all), and you get a fair bit of Cyberverse Abominus Anxiety (I think if I don't get them for my birthday and they're actually readily available at that point, I'll just get them myself. $15 isn't that bad).
So, I was able to go to Target this weekend, and Rippersnapper's repaint, Cindersaur, who's packed with a pretty sharp-looking G1 deco Smokescreen, looked damned tempting. As yet, my "Abominus" only consisted of Hun-Grrr and Twinstrike, meaning he was only a torso/thighs with an arm. Well, and a smaller arm if you left the other of Hun-Grr's arms in its normal configuration. I figured, with Cindersaur, I could at least let the poor guy hobble around with one foot. That, and Cindersaur's deco is pretty nice. So I got it. I definitely checked out the Abominus boxed set for a while during my time at the store, but was set on only getting the regular releases + Cindersaur.
After playing around with Cindersaur, Hun-Grrr and Twinstrike, I decided that Amputee Abominus was not going to cut it. I mean, it's fun to pretend your combiner has had a few limbs blasted off or that he's in the middle of one of Shockwave's experiments, but at some point you just need the whole dude, especially when Hasbro actually put out an affordable combiner gift set for the first time in twenty years. So, back to Target I went the next day. Picked up Abominus (along with some shoes for my wife). He's pretty awesome. Hasbro did a pretty decent job differentiating him from the standard version, despite them having almost the same deco. Basically, each Predacon has a primary color recast in translucent plastic. The opaque plastics are altered as well, some more than others (Hun-Grr's opaque change is more subtle than Twinstrike's, for example). Also, each of the weapons has been altered from a metallic grey to "Daaaaaaaaaark Energon" translucent purple. It's nice, dark shade that is also pretty vivid. As a combiner, Abominus is pretty great. He's the second legends/legion class combiner we've gotten, after RotF's Devastator (which had SEVEN component bots, and was pretty uniquely awesome). However, Abominus is a lot more like the original "Scramble City" or later Energon 5-man combiners. Particularly, this repaint will draw comparisons to the TFCC's Nexus Prime, also partially made of translucent plastic. Anyhow, what makes Abominus a bit unique is that his torso is the same size as the limbs (shared with FoC Bruticus and Ruination/Xaaron, but that's it) and his knees don't move. People are pretty well used to Combiners without elbows, but a lack of working knee joints is something new. Even Legends Devastator had knees (yes, they're really transformation joints and where the legs connect to the body, at the hips, there's no useful articulation. But don't tell anybody!). Honestly, it's not missed that much at this scale, and I have to imagine that incorporating knee joints would have either compromised the leg bots or made Hun-Grr's dragon heads so floppy the knee's wouldn't've mattered anyway. Overall, Abominus does a fantastic job of taking 5 legion molds and allowing them to combine into a respectable classic-style combiner that uses no extra parts without compromising the individual toys. Heck, the single-packed releases don't even mention that they combine! And whereas there's no way you'd sell me on a G1 Scramble city limb bot without the combiner hook, these guys are all stand-alone greats. About the only one that is off a bit is Rippersnapper's beast mode with its weird hips and how that handles the bot mode head. Other than that, you're golden. You could even call Blot/Blight's transformation inspired, especially at this scale.
However, from the moment we found out that this release of Abominus would have clear parts, people have been worried about its fragility. I have to admit I do hesitate to remove and tack Cutthroat back on to Hun-Grr's arms many more times. I'm sure I'll be fine leaving this set in combined mode once I have all the other standard Abominus dudes. And I'm hoping that Hun-Grr and Twinstrike (yes, I like his new name better, if you couldn't tell) get repaints. Seeing as how I already have Cindersaur, I now plan to get Divebomb (an Autobot defector repaint of Cutthroat) and Rot-Gut (the MTMTE Blip-inspired Blight redeco) as well to make up a crew of Auxiliary Predacons. Yes, I'm aware of the upcoming other Blight redeco, but it's as himself, and I don't need three extra feet guys.
Get Abominus in some form. This is the kind of thing we should be supporting with our dollars.
I will say it was all pretty opportunistic. I only got Sandstorm due to getting an extra $20 from a family member. I returned an extra Voyager Predaking I got back in March and used the money from that to get the Smokescreen/Cindersaur set, and I bought Abominus because I sold another TF on ebay.
Sandstorm's pretty cool, probably better than Springer, if not in color scheme. He'd be a good base mold for a new Highbrow or Obsidian or something.
I caved on the Predacon Rising stuff (initially I wasn't really interested) mostly because I don't know how easy it'll be to get the three remaining normal Predacons (the opaque, single-packed Rippersnapper, Blight, and Cutthroat). At any given moment, at least one of them is sold out at HTS and they've only just begun to hit retail (no local sightings yet that I know of). Add to the fact that they're on my wish list and may not get them until Christmas (if at all), and you get a fair bit of Cyberverse Abominus Anxiety (I think if I don't get them for my birthday and they're actually readily available at that point, I'll just get them myself. $15 isn't that bad).
So, I was able to go to Target this weekend, and Rippersnapper's repaint, Cindersaur, who's packed with a pretty sharp-looking G1 deco Smokescreen, looked damned tempting. As yet, my "Abominus" only consisted of Hun-Grrr and Twinstrike, meaning he was only a torso/thighs with an arm. Well, and a smaller arm if you left the other of Hun-Grr's arms in its normal configuration. I figured, with Cindersaur, I could at least let the poor guy hobble around with one foot. That, and Cindersaur's deco is pretty nice. So I got it. I definitely checked out the Abominus boxed set for a while during my time at the store, but was set on only getting the regular releases + Cindersaur.
After playing around with Cindersaur, Hun-Grrr and Twinstrike, I decided that Amputee Abominus was not going to cut it. I mean, it's fun to pretend your combiner has had a few limbs blasted off or that he's in the middle of one of Shockwave's experiments, but at some point you just need the whole dude, especially when Hasbro actually put out an affordable combiner gift set for the first time in twenty years. So, back to Target I went the next day. Picked up Abominus (along with some shoes for my wife). He's pretty awesome. Hasbro did a pretty decent job differentiating him from the standard version, despite them having almost the same deco. Basically, each Predacon has a primary color recast in translucent plastic. The opaque plastics are altered as well, some more than others (Hun-Grr's opaque change is more subtle than Twinstrike's, for example). Also, each of the weapons has been altered from a metallic grey to "Daaaaaaaaaark Energon" translucent purple. It's nice, dark shade that is also pretty vivid. As a combiner, Abominus is pretty great. He's the second legends/legion class combiner we've gotten, after RotF's Devastator (which had SEVEN component bots, and was pretty uniquely awesome). However, Abominus is a lot more like the original "Scramble City" or later Energon 5-man combiners. Particularly, this repaint will draw comparisons to the TFCC's Nexus Prime, also partially made of translucent plastic. Anyhow, what makes Abominus a bit unique is that his torso is the same size as the limbs (shared with FoC Bruticus and Ruination/Xaaron, but that's it) and his knees don't move. People are pretty well used to Combiners without elbows, but a lack of working knee joints is something new. Even Legends Devastator had knees (yes, they're really transformation joints and where the legs connect to the body, at the hips, there's no useful articulation. But don't tell anybody!). Honestly, it's not missed that much at this scale, and I have to imagine that incorporating knee joints would have either compromised the leg bots or made Hun-Grr's dragon heads so floppy the knee's wouldn't've mattered anyway. Overall, Abominus does a fantastic job of taking 5 legion molds and allowing them to combine into a respectable classic-style combiner that uses no extra parts without compromising the individual toys. Heck, the single-packed releases don't even mention that they combine! And whereas there's no way you'd sell me on a G1 Scramble city limb bot without the combiner hook, these guys are all stand-alone greats. About the only one that is off a bit is Rippersnapper's beast mode with its weird hips and how that handles the bot mode head. Other than that, you're golden. You could even call Blot/Blight's transformation inspired, especially at this scale.
However, from the moment we found out that this release of Abominus would have clear parts, people have been worried about its fragility. I have to admit I do hesitate to remove and tack Cutthroat back on to Hun-Grr's arms many more times. I'm sure I'll be fine leaving this set in combined mode once I have all the other standard Abominus dudes. And I'm hoping that Hun-Grr and Twinstrike (yes, I like his new name better, if you couldn't tell) get repaints. Seeing as how I already have Cindersaur, I now plan to get Divebomb (an Autobot defector repaint of Cutthroat) and Rot-Gut (the MTMTE Blip-inspired Blight redeco) as well to make up a crew of Auxiliary Predacons. Yes, I'm aware of the upcoming other Blight redeco, but it's as himself, and I don't need three extra feet guys.
Get Abominus in some form. This is the kind of thing we should be supporting with our dollars.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Slipstream
While the Club didn't get around to mailing the first TFSS figure (Scourge) until earlier this summer, this does at least mean that there is only a month between shipments at this point. As such, my second TFSS toy arrived in the mail today - Slipstream!
I commented a bit on Slipstream last year when I did a run-down on the whole set of six TFSS figs. The character originated back in 2008 (!) in the second season of TF: Animated as one of several "Seeker" clones of Starscream. The first, and only (so far) female Seeker, Slipstream can count on that feature alone as built-in appeal for a fan base. To be sure, she showed up again in 2010 in the WfC video game (a design which I hope still gets a toy some day). Fast forward to 2012/13, and the TFSS has produced a version of her that looks like she walked right out of TF: Prime.
She is, of course, remolded from TFP First Edition Starscream, one of the better deluxe Starscream molds out there and certainly one of the most feminine. The head is all new, but as I stated, still easily fits in with the TFP design aesthetic while further feminizing the design and setting her apart from the masculine Seekers that use this mold (it has been repainted into Skywarp and Thundercracker as well). However, I suggest mistransforming the torso, as correct transformation will produce Starscream's typical hunchbacked look, which doesn't work well for a female.
All in all, she's a pretty great figure!
I commented a bit on Slipstream last year when I did a run-down on the whole set of six TFSS figs. The character originated back in 2008 (!) in the second season of TF: Animated as one of several "Seeker" clones of Starscream. The first, and only (so far) female Seeker, Slipstream can count on that feature alone as built-in appeal for a fan base. To be sure, she showed up again in 2010 in the WfC video game (a design which I hope still gets a toy some day). Fast forward to 2012/13, and the TFSS has produced a version of her that looks like she walked right out of TF: Prime.
She is, of course, remolded from TFP First Edition Starscream, one of the better deluxe Starscream molds out there and certainly one of the most feminine. The head is all new, but as I stated, still easily fits in with the TFP design aesthetic while further feminizing the design and setting her apart from the masculine Seekers that use this mold (it has been repainted into Skywarp and Thundercracker as well). However, I suggest mistransforming the torso, as correct transformation will produce Starscream's typical hunchbacked look, which doesn't work well for a female.
All in all, she's a pretty great figure!
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