Due to people really enjoying the written review I did showcasing the differences (were there any?) between the Legends and Titans Return versions of Trypticon, I have followed it up with a short video comparison of the two – enjoy!
Related Articles:
Toy Review: LG43 Trypticon vs Titans Return Trypticon
Transformatorium: Titans Return Trypticon – the simple hip fix!
When I wrote the comparison blog between Takra Tomys Unite Warriors Computron and Hasbro’s Combiner Wars Computron it took me about two days to take all the pictures, write up all the subtle differences and overall decide which set was better.
With Legends Trypticon and Titans Return Trypticon? I should be done by the end of the commercial break.
Here is a comparison of the boxes, the boxes are indeed different.
Here are the instructions for the Legends version that have a comic on the back. That’s kinda different.
Here are the sticker sheets. The stickers are exactly the same, though I suppose the size of the sheet they come on is different, I guess.
The way the Legends version and the Titans Return version have been strapped in their boxes is different in layout I suppose.
Now to Trypticon himself, the differences are…. they are…. um….
The differences are non-existent!
That’s right kiddies – there is absolutely no difference between the two versions – none! All the things you may have previously been lead to believe, such as the teal was darker and the purple richer in the Legends version are not correct. That the paint apps are built in and you don’t have to apply stickers like the Hasbro version – false. The only way I could keep the two from getting mixed up when taking photographs was that I had already applied some of the stickers to the Titans Return version. The same goes for their smaller partners.
In the end I didn’t even bother transforming the Legends version. I packed it straight back in its box and am going to carefully store it for a decade so hopefully I can in the future sell it (and make back the extra $80 I paid getting it shipped from Japan) as relatively MIB. In a day and age where toy producers are conscious that some collectors will shell out big money for multiple versions of an expensive toy for even the slightest difference, I was honestly surprised there was none here. Not even an extra gun like Metroplex or a new hat like Malibu Stacy!
Is one worth getting over the other? Nope. The only thing is that some of the Titans Return versions have the dodgy hips (for an excellent way to fix that see HERE) whereas none of the LG43 versions have had that problem reported as yet. So if the fact you don’t have to worry about this possible defect is worth the extra costs of shipping to you then grab that one. Otherwise, unless you are rolling in cash and want to have both types of box to display, go down to your local toy store and grab the Hasbro one.
Got something to add? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
Related Articles:
Transformatorium: Titans Return Trypticon – the simple hip fix!
Video: Comparison of LG43 and Titans Return Trypticon
Fanscan Interview: August 2017
Subject: Big Angry Trev
Interviewer: Dr. Hook, PhD, OBE, FIBRIR
Master of Processes: Mr. S Megatron
Dr. H: (takes a seat) Thank you for joining me here today.
BAT: (takes the seat opposite) No probs.
Dr. H: Care for a water? Or tea?
BAT: Na. Got any beer? Maybe some jerky or a couple of rissoles?
Dr. H: Er… no.
BAT: I take it a fried egg & bacon sandwich is out of the question?
Dr. H: We have no meat or alcohol on the premises
BAT: Shit, really? Don’t worry then
Dr. H: Ok, we are going to go through some of what are referred to as the ‘stock’ questions, then some questions from some of the Aussie Transfans out there.
BAT: (leans back) Go for it.
Dr. H: Getting straight onto the topic of Transformers, if you had an Allegiance, what would it be?
BAT: Decepticon. I find humanity for the most part to be made up of fricken idiots! I’d love to rule the planet and thusly run it the way I think it needs to be run, under the threat of force from my giant army of killer shape-changing robots from space!
Dr. H: (Underlines ‘messiah complex‘) What would your techspec motto be?
BAT: All shall love me and despair
Dr. H: You stole that from LOTR didn’t you.
BAT: (shrugs) Don’t give a f*ck – always really loved that phrase.
Dr. H: Which existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
BAT: Back in my hippy/backpacker years I would have said Beachcomber. When I was a brash young man I would have said Hot Rod. Now, I dunno, I guess maybe Brainstorm from The Lost Light? Good deep down but a smart arse, slightly amoral and thinks he is more intelligent than everyone else. Chuck in a bit of Whirl psychoticness for good measure andSwerve’s obsessive need to amuse in the hope he will be accepted by his peers.
Dr. H: Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?
BAT: Blurr’s super speed, I reckon that beats almost every other power if you are too fast to stop or hit. But since I’ve been a kid I’ve dreamed about flying. To have personal flight like the G1 cartoon Cons (a Disney-Movieesque sparkle enters his eyes), what freedom that would be!
Dr. H: How would you rate yourself on a C scale, C10 being MISB Mint perfection to the lowest C1 ‘junker not worth it even for parts’?
BAT: For a long time I’ve felt like C3 at best. In the past few months with no booze, smokes and energy drinks I reckon I’d be a C7 or 8. Or as close to as someone my age can be. I’ve lost nearly 10 kilos and do physical work all day with breaking nary a sweat.
Dr. H: How long have you been a fan of Transformers?
BAT: Since the very first episode aired on TV here in Australia back in 1984 – love at first sight!
Dr. H: And how long have you been a collector?
BAT: As a kid you just take what toys you are given so I reckon I started being a ‘collector’ as a teenager. I started collecting a lot of the reissues that I had originally missed like the combiner groups and stopped when G1 finished. I then started collecting again when a friend gave me a G1 Optimus for my first wedding in 2001 and have been going ever since.
Dr. H: Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
BAT: Is that a threat?! (smashes bottle on side table and brandishes it) IS THAT A THREAT YOU FILTHY BASTARD?!?!
Dr. H: (looking shocked and slightly disgusted) No! Now sit down sir.
BAT: F*CK YOU!
Dr. H: I SAID SIT DOWN SIR!
BAT: (sits, looking properly chastised) Ok, no need to be snippy.
Dr. H: Ahem. Now. Do people outside of the general Transformers fandom know you collect TFs?
BAT: (grinning again) Oh my yes, have you seen my ute?
Dr. H: Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?
BAT: Mum ran a little toy shop so during my teens I got all my TF’s at cost price. I vaguely remember her being annoyed once when I bought my 3rd pack of Micromasters in the one fortnight. Dad, well, Dad stayed on the farm all his life and had a few issues so to be honest probably couldn’t have told you what I collected, since if it wasn’t related to the farm he wasn’t interested. My friends have always been really supportive of my collecting as an adult.
Dr. H: Given your rather gregarious nature, have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions etc?
BAT: When I lived in Melbourne I used to go to Supernova each year but was never aware of any Transformer-specific events.
Dr. H: Being creative, do you do any such endeavors with Transformers such as drawing, writing, customising etc?
BAT: I used to write fanfics about 15 years ago. My Soundwave vs The Borg one was the top rated on Lexicon for quite a while. But no, not really, except for reviews on my blog.
Dr. H: What is your favourite series, era or year, and why?
BAT: I’m a geewunner through and through. I have enjoyed pretty much all the iterations of the Transformers, even the movies, but G1 wins hands down for me.
Dr. H: And your least favourite series/era/year, and why?
BAT: I really didn’t like the first Robots in Disguise series back in the naught-ies. I found the cartoon awful and while many of the toys alt-modes looked fantastic – the best I’d seen since early G1 – I found the majority of the toys had needlessly complicated transformations, especially the 3 Autobot brothers.
Dr. H: Do you collect any of the comics?
BAT: I’ve collected most everything from the Marvel G2 run onwards and have since gotten a lot of reissues of the Marvel G1 ones.
Dr.H: And what have been your favorite comic stories?
BAT: I really loved the first half of the IDW ‘All Hail Megatron’ storyline. It was great to see how easily the Decepticons handed humanity their arse! I quite liked the Sunstorm story arc from Dreamwave and am currently enjoying MTMTE/The Lost Light. And since they were the first comics I ever owned the entire run of, I really enjoyed the G2 twelve-parter, even if the second and third issues were pretty weak.
Dr. H: Collect any cartoons?
BAT: (looks up a pic on his phone and holds it up smugly) You tell me doc.
Dr. H: Er, yes, well done. Do you have a favorite cartoon or episode?
BAT: G1 is da bomb baby. Do people still say that? F*ck it – I’m bringing it back! The mutha-f*cking bomb yo! Optimus Prime actually sounded happy and used to laugh back then! Call of the Primitives was an awesome episode from season 3 but I could happily watch nothing but seasons 1 & 2 for the rest of my days.
Dr. H: Who is your favourite character, and why?
BAT: Aw man, that’s like asking a guy to pick his favorite kid again. Don’t have an absolute favorite but I really dig Soundwave, Swindle, Shockwave, Starscream, Grimlock, Hot Rod, Omega Supreme, etc.
Dr. H: Who do you think is the sexiest Transformer?
BAT: (looks aghast) Dude. They are giant alien robots. There is nothing sexy going on.
Dr. H: I took the liberty of looking at your blog before this interview started. Care to explain this image from one of your reviews then?
BAT: I..I like to have a comfortable mousepad for my wrist is all.
Dr. H: So why did you need two?
BTT: I’ve…. got two wrists?
Dr. H: (sotto voce) And I bet they both get worn out pretty often.
BAT: What was that?
Dr. H: Nothing.
Dr. H: Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
BAT: Omega Supreme. Always loved him, plus he is big enough to intimidate entire countries and get me off planet if needs be.
Dr. H: Favourite TFs movie?
BAT: The animated one from 86’ – I can recite every word off by heart and have the soundtrack in my twincab CD player permanently.
Dr. H: Which was your very first Transformers toy?
BAT: G1 Dirge. Got given it for my birthday from a lady my mum used to babysit for. I went that nuts that when it was Xmas the next month I scored both a Mirage and a Cyclonus from my siblings.
Dr. H: Given you have been collecting for over 30 years then, approximately how many Transformer action figures in your collection now?
BAT: I haven’t done a database update for a while but I know earlier in the year I passed the 2000 mark. And I’ve got about a thousand other TF items like clothing, books, mugs and stuff.
Dr. H: Do you keep the action figures sealed or do you take them out to play with?
BAT: I reckon I’ve got maybe 100+ that have never been opened. Half of those would be because I never got around to it, like a lot of the DOTM Human Alliance toys.
Dr. H: Given your impressive collection, how much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit all up?
BAT: Oh f*ck knows – thousands, probably tens of thousands all up.
Dr. H: Are any of these particularly rare or expensive?
BAT: The MP Coneheads were stupidly expensive. I spent about $500 on a MIB G1 Scorponok about 5 years ago and over a grand on a 100% complete G1 Fortress Maximus the year before that. Of course 5 months later they announced the reissue that was going for a quarter of that price – was kicking myself. Also got the Botcon Stunticon lot shipping as we speak. As for rare, I do have a G1 Bumblebee red-variant somewhere.
Dr. H: What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?
BAT: I have a tshirt from the actual visual effects team from the first live action movie. An American mate of mine had a friend who worked on TF1 and he passed it along. I’ve also got Big Grim from TF4 as well of course, though he is currently awaiting repair.
Dr. H: What’s one toy you most want?
BAT: One? Bwah haha! You are joking mate – there are bloody tons! If I was to make up a list off the top of my head though from different continuities I’d say:
G1 Overlord
G2 Megatron
BW Blackarachnia
BM Obsidian
RID(01) Scourge
Armada Powerlink Thrust
Energon Beachcomber & Galvatron
Cybertron Skywarp
Animated Blackout & Ratbat
Prime Bludgeon
RID(15) Cyclonus
RescueBots Salvage
Movieverse TLK Leader Megatron
Timelines Slicer
Henkei Ratchet
Arms Micron Breakdown
Titanium Prowl
Dr. H: Whoah – that’s quite a list! I can’t believe you came up with that off the top of your head! One would almost think you Googled the toylines in advance in anticipation of my question.
BAT: (looking shifty) Na, I wouldn’t do that. Hey look over there – that wall is pretty rockin eh!
Dr. H: Moving on. What is the current centerpiece or favoured toy in your collection at the moment?
BAT: Titans Return Trypticon with G1 Overdrive an honorable second.
Dr. H: What was your favourite toy in your early years of collecting?
BAT: As a young kid it was the Stunticons as it was the only combiner group I had.
Dr. H: Which Toy do you like transforming most and why?
BAT: The reissue Powermaster Optimus Prime. That’s so much fun and so satisfying.
Dr. H: What’s the worst toy in your collection?
BAT: RescueBots Quickshadow – what a f*cking piece of shit! Only one damn movement to transform and it still f*cks up!
Dr. H: Along those lines, which toy was most disappointing when you got it?
BAT: Masterpiece Star Saber. Paid a ton for it and its just such an underwhelming toy.
Dr.H: What do you think about gimmicky and non-convertable Transformers toys?
BAT: I have almost zero interest in toy gimmicks, like I’d probably be happier if a lot of the Titans Return toys were not Headmasters. As for non-convertible, if it’s a display piece like a bust or statuette that’s cool, otherwise I don’t see the point of them. I do have most of the Robot Heroes though and love those little guys!
Dr. H: What do you think about unlicensed fan-project figures and accessories?
BAT: I don’t touch’em usually. I got an upgrade kit for my CW Menasor because frankly he looked shit compared to the other gestalts. I also picked up some 3P Quintessons simply as otherwise I’d have no toy of them at all.
Dr. H: Thoughts on the Transformers Brand over the last five years?
BAT: Pretty damn good – it’s an awesome time to be a collector, even if it hits the wallet pretty hard. The Beast Hunters cartoon and the Generations toyline are the definite highlights of the last half decade. The fact we have had two high-grossing live action movies bodes damn well for the franchise as well.
Dr. H: Best Memory with Transformers?
BAT: I’m forming new ones with my son every week.
Dr. H: Worst memory with Transformers?
BAT: When I was a kid I scored Omega Supreme because I literally got down on my knees and begged when I saw him in the shop on a family holiday. A few weeks later the movement gimmick of him stopped working and my mum returned him. A few days after that I was telling a mate at school and he said “Why didn’t you just keep it anyway?” It was such an obvious thing to do, I was kicking myself! Think I even went away and had a little cry.
These days it’s all the fighting and negativity that seems to permeate the fanbase. People seem to think that making personal insults to strangers, over something like a difference of opinion about toys, is fine because its online. My motto: ‘If you wouldn’t say it to someone in the pub because you’d get a smack in the mouth – don’t say it online!’
Dr. H: In your opinion, which single TF toy should every fan own?
BAT: There are two, both masterpiece. MP Optimus with the trailer and MP Soundwave with the cassettes.
Dr. H: Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?
BAT: I got a G1 Optimus for my first wedding and was thrilled, can’t think of a better one to give anyone else.
Dr. H: Do you collect anything else?
BAT: During the post-G1 years I collected memorabilia from the TV show Home Improvement. Clothing, mugs, board games, trading cards – the lot! A few years ago I was collecting anime figures like Super Sonico & Pochaco but it was cutting too much into my Transformers budget and stopped.
Dr. H: (subtly Googles ‘Pochaco’ on his phone, then writes under the other observations ‘probable mazophiliac’) What other interests do you have that are non-toy related?
BAT: Mainly hobby farming. For every minute I spend playing with my Transformers I probably spend a full day working on my farm. Everything from building cubby houses, pirate ships and sandpits for my kids to organically growing fruit, vegetables and the like. I have goats, chooks, ducks etc. I really do love living on a farm in the nice, quiet, beautiful countryside and growing plants and animals. I’ve quit teaching to see if I can make a go of it as a living.
Other stuff? Well I love meat – like I REALLY love meat! My wife was a vegetarian when I first met her 15 years ago – didn’t take me long to lure her back to the winning side. I intend to start making my own sausages soon as well as brewing my own beer.
I’m a big fan of Deadpool and also The Tick.
I’d say my family but that’s not an interest – that’s my reason for existence.
Dr. H: What entertainment do you enjoy for leisure? As in music, movies, tv, books and the like?
BAT: When it comes to music I don’t give a damn what is popular or what genre it is, it’s whether I personally like it. So back in the day I was just as likely to listen to The Spice Girls as I was hard rock. If I have a particular genre I like best it’s probably Speed Metal. The best way to describe it is, if the song makes me want to charge into battle and headbutt a tank then that’s the music for me! If I have a favorite band at the moment I’d say it is Baby Metal. What it will be in 6 months I honestly don’t know. Quite like Hilltop Hoods, Rammstein and The Wombats as well. Best show I’ve seen live was the Jon Butler Trio a few years back.
Movies, my tastes are fairly wide but generally action and/or comedy are the ones that appeal to me. A good sci-fi/horror gets my vote as well. Anything that talks about feelings – no thank you! Anything animated – yes please! I don’t watch movies that much because frankly you can figure out the plot and the probable ending in the first 5 mintues of a flick these days. I really liked Seven because it didn’t have a happy ending.
Television, I don’t really watch much as I’m an outdoors person and of a night we have the kids routine to work through. The shows I make time for would be Criminal Minds, Law & Order SVU & Mad as Hell. Just finished season 2 of Arrow. My fav show at the moment would be Rick & Morty – it’s awesome! I’m really hoping the new version of The Tick does justice to such a great character. The only reality TV show I’d ever watch would be if it chronicled me hunting down the f*cker that invented reality TV in the first f*cking place and shoving a movie camera forcibly up his bastard arse! Stupid f*cking shit that it is!
Books, don’t have much time for sadly which is a shame because I’ve always been a prolific reader. I enjoy reading classics that I’ve never encountered before, the latest one would be The Day of the Triffids and before that it was Animal Farm and One flew over the Cuckoos Nest. I’ve read the Discworld series to death and when younger used to read Footrot Flatsover and over. I like Deadpool comics as well.
Dr. H: If you died today, and no that’s not a threat, what would your tombstone say?
BAT: Realistically, and most accurately, probably ‘Loving Husband and Father’. But I wouldn’t mind it saying ‘Trev’s on his way – duck and cover God!’
Dr. H: And before we move onto the submitted questions from other Aussie Transfans, is there anything else you would like people to know about you?
BAT: Not really, I’m a very private person.
Dr. H: Yes, evidently so.
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Question by Bas
 Did you really get shitty at the thought of Prime being a primate?
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Question by ‘The Raider’
Monkey or Truck? 😛
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BAT: Ok, let’s put this Beast Wars thing to rest once and for all.
My G1 collecting massively slowed down in the late 80’s as the majority of the Decepticons became weird monster things rather than vehicles. A few monsters and animals I didn’t mind being in there for variety and loved groups like the Dinobots and Predacons, but it was getting too much by 1988 and taking up too much of the line. Hence why I had groups like the Triggercons but not the Decepticon Headmasters. Then came the Pretenders and I absolutely hated them – organic shells seemed so stupid! Where were the armies of giant robots that turned into jets and trucks and sports cars and stuff that I fell in love with in 84’? So my collecting slowly died and I bid Transformers what I thought was a final sad farewell, with the Predator team being the last lot I collected that I really liked.
Animorphs came and went which I didn’t even credit as being Transformers. Then one day in 1996 I was flicking channels and there was some talking rat who looked up to a gorilla standing next to him and called him ‘Optimus’. What. The. F*ck!? I watched a bit more and found out that THIS was the new version of Transformers and that Optimus turned into a gorilla and Megatron turned into a T-Rex and both they and their armies were all really small and had organic alt-modes now. Also they were called Maximals and Predacons instead of Autobots and Decepticons which seemed to be just a bunch of new-age bollocks.
It was blasphemy! It was bullshit! It was a kick in the face to everything I had loved about the franchise! I was beyond pissed off and ranted, usually over several beers at the Uni pub, that this was everything that was wrong with the world and they might as well start dropping the bloody nukes right now!
Of course many years later on I learned better. I learned that these were not the original Optimus and Megatron and that the series actually paid a lot of homage to G1 and was a continuation of it rather than a replacement. Then came Transmetal bodies, The Ark, appearances by Ravage etc and I got right into it. So now I have the DVD box sets, a couple of toys, some comics, a poster etc. Yeah it’s not my favorite iteration of Transformers, not even in my top 5. But I can appreciate it for what it is and there are some episodes from late in S3 I’d happily watch again and again. I really like Depthcharge and have a soft spot for Waspinator.
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Question by Scott
So I hear you’re the current Ozformers Member of the Year (2016). The website owner has held this prominent position for many a years. Do you think the voters got ‘boss fatigue’ & voted for a non-traditional member? (just like Donald Trump for the White House)
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BAT: I am nothing like Trump!
I don’t think I was Boss fatigue per’se, it was just a bit of fun to vote for someone different. In fact I think he himself had been encouraging people for years to not vote for him. If there is any element of what you are suggesting involved, at most it may be that the site owner is often forced into the teacher role trying to control peoples behavior whereas I’m often at the other end of the spectrum in the naughty-scamp role, stirring shit hither and yon.
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Question by Scott
The elections on that site are always shrouded in mud slinging & dirty campaign tactics but never get the light of day. Can you give an insight on how your campaign team was so overwhelmingly successful to achieve 29% of all primary votes.
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BAT: It was all a bit of fun really. I Give all the credit to Scotty for doing campaign art!
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Question by Megatran
You’ve got more Transformers apparel than most people. Which Transformers apparel are you most fond of? How’d it come into your possession?
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BAT: Well I already talked about the tshirt from the visual effects team. I’ve got a light-up Autobot tshirt somewhere that I like for the novelty value and about 8 different G1 Soundwave tops. I think my favorite one at the moment is my Optimus one where he is a Truck because of the message on it.
It’s not remotely PC which always gets my vote but also is self-mocking via the fact that anyone wearing a Transformers tshirt in public is actually very unlikely to be mobbed by the opposite sex.
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Question by Michael
My question: It’s no secret you have young kids. What do you do (if anything) to pass the torch of TF fanship to the next generation? Is it a concern for you if they decide to not pursue TFs as a hobby/interest?
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BAT: Well considering my sons given names the poor little sod never had much of a chance to avoid the Transformers world. He truly loves it though and to be honest sharing it with him is now the highlight of the hobby for me! I never open a new toy without him and he loves putting the trading cards in my folder, holding the Titan Masters and weapons while I transform the figures and playing with them in both modes. He has a pretty extensive collection for a 4 year old, with the majority of the Rescue Bots, a lot of the Happy Meal figures and a few huge figures like the Stomp’n’Chomp Grimlock and RID(15) Bumbebee. He’s got tons of TF clothing himself as I buy it for him whenever I see it.
I have a crate up in the cupboard full of Transformer stuff for him for future birthdays, many based around his namesake.
My daughter has not fully escaped either. At only two years of age I’m getting her right into my little pony and even made a display of TF/MLP comic crossover covers for her wall.
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Question by JUST CHILEN YO
If you could go back in time to collect a MISB Transformer, either Hasbro or TakTom, what would it be?
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Back in May we had a look at the two first wrist-rest mouse pads made with a Transformers theme, those being modeled after Acree and Windblade respectively.
Most people, whether they liked them or were horrified by them, were none the less fascinated and speculated whether there would be any more. Now a few months later we have our answer. Another femmebot has let her form grace the pad so that Transfans and netnerds everywhere can click away without thier poor wrists getting sore, that femmebot being Elita One.
Elita One is looking just as buxom as her femmebot comrades here. Once again we have the soft silicone at the bottom that feels quite smooth to the touch and the top gives you plenty of room to manuver your mouse around when you are looking up websites about, er, morality and self-denial.
I actually do really like the artwork here. There hasn’t been a massive amount of artwork of Elita One. She has been in IDW for the past couple of years as a warrior space captain, often depicted with her damaged helmet and sitting upon her throne made up of the skeletal remains of the previous ships leaders. Even without the ‘wrist rest’ parts this is a far softer depiction of her and a nice change of pace.
But of course all the rationalization in the world wont get you away from the fact that this is a booby-pad – designed to appeal to a combination of Transfan and Mazophiliac. Once again, you can leave it in the packaging so that you can hang it on the walls to impress your friends and family if you wish.
Related Article: Transformers Wrist Rest Mouse Pads
Competition Time!
When the first two of these mouse pads appeared online a lot of people speculated which character would come next, the majority believing it would be Beast Wars Blackarachnia, especially given her comic art from her Legends toy. But since we got Elita One instead we are back to wondering – who will be next?
Here is the competition. In the comments section below list 5 femmebots you would like to see given the wrist-rest mouse pad treatment. If your list of 5 turn out to be the next five made, even if not in the same order, you win a prize! I’ll sort out the prizes when the time comes since it will depend on how many winners there are and what – heh – what could be considered acceptable in their households, but it will definitely be femmebot related.
Competition Update: Well done to Jazzcomp, Raider, DH, MayzaPrime, David, Jazz1984 & Kaijuguy. Blackarachnia was the next Mouse Pad released so you are all still in the running for a prize! Hopefully there wont be such a delay before the next Mouse Pad is released.
Until that day, Until all look like Elita One – happy clicking!
The Plebiscite Postal Vote is almost upon us and you can’t turn on a radio or television without almost immediately being subjected to discussions of it. Don’t even think of going on the internet, let alone social media, as everyone screams their two cents in unadulterated rage at the other side.
Now me, I’m going to take a different tact. I’ve got a message for two of the most vocal groups against gay marriage – those groups being Ocker Aussie Blokes and Christians. I’m not going to try to convince you to vote for gay marriage – I know you are not going to – there is no point me yelling at you. My message is why you shouldn’t be afraid of gay marriage. Because guess what? Even if it doesn’t happen this time around, eventually it will happen so you had better get comfortable with the concept.
To the Ocker Aussie Blokes:
Guys, if there is one group that should be in favor of gay marriage it’s you guys – think about it:
To the Christians
But to both the Ocker Aussie Blokes and The Christians, let me give you this last piece of reasoning. You know why you shouldn’t stress if Gay Marriage happens? Because if it does happen it means we won’t have another bloody plebiscite postal vote that costs over ONE HUNDRED MILLION OF TAXPAYERS DOLLARS because our pollies are too afraid of pissing off the wrong special interest groups and getting voted out!
As I said before, gay marriage is going to happen one day. Just like equal rights for women and equal rights for indigenous people, there is no stopping the march for equal rights for the LGBT’s – it’s inevitable. So let’s just get it over with eh? Then you Ocker Aussie Blokes can get back to getting pissed in front of the footy and ranting about how bloody foreigners are ruining this country, and you Christians can get back to telling your children that the invisible man in the sky loves them but will make them burn in unbearable pain for all eternity if they love the wrong person. And the rest of us can just get on with it because gays getting married isn’t going to make a damn bit of difference to anybody else’s day to day lives.
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Random Reviews: Live Show Review: An evening with Henry Rollins
Ok, let me clarify something from the outset:
Rump & Ribs in Rylstone is a review of the food available at The Globe – a restaurant on the main street. It is NOT to make fun of that couple that just moved in on Piper street. You know the ones, the Spratts? Where the woman has a bulbous arse and the bloke is painfully thin? This is not about them. And shame on you for assuming it was and body shaming them, not cool! Comments along the lines that he looks like the lovechild of a skeleton and a xylophone and she looks like someone shoved an air compressor nozzle up her datehole and set it to ‘mega inflate’ are juvenile, unkind and all such commentary will be deleted from this blog.
Ahem. Anyway…
As I’ve stated in other meat reviews, any dish that serves up two distinct species of farm animal on the same plate immediately gets my attention (see my review of the E-I-E-I-O Burger in Melbourne). Whilst I was all tasted up to grab a mixed grill which always satisfies this craving, I couldn’t go past their specials board which had Rump & Ribs up for grabs.
This was…. ok. The ribs had a sweet BBQ flavoring which wasn’t too bad but the steak came with nothing on it but the ribs. The steak also came out as two smaller pieces which was quite odd, made it seem they didn’t have a full sized steak on hand rather than it was an intentional culinary decision by the chef. Also I asked for medium and got medium-well which is always an irritant. If you are paying $30 for a meal where the star of the show is a steak, the steak should be one whole piece and cooked the way you asked for. That said it wasn’t too bad, the salad made for a crisp counterpoint and refreshed the palette between meaty bites.
Other meals available at The Globe
Surf’ n’ Turf
Once again, this wasn’t too bad. The sauce was fairly creamy and the prawns were done in an interesting fashion, encased in a long cone resembling a parsnip. I do like big thick juicy prawns with a surf’ n’ turf to complement the steak and feel the meal could have benefited from going that more traditional route rather than the novel.
Sirloin Steak
My wife had this and like me she ordered medium and got medium-well (for a place that does medium to perfection check out my reviews of The Kings Hotel in Bathurst). Also her pepper sauce had way too much bite, like they had not refined it enough and had left whole peppercorns in there. The ‘yeah, it’s alright’ motif continued with this dish.
Kids Meals
The Globe does quite well here. The kids meals are big and they can pick which meal they want by colouring in an accompanying menu sheet which is a novel idea. The meals also include a drink and for $2 extra they get a desert. The Globe gets a great big tick from a satisfied parent in this regard.
Overall
Look, there is quite nice food to be had at The Globe but nothing stellar. However being one of only two places to get a meal out in Rylstone at night, it’s not like you have a lot of options to go elsewhere. Despite this lack of competitors they still provide decent meals at decent prices, the restaurant feels comfy with a big wood heater going and the barman has been super friendly and helpful the few times we have been there. You might not get dazzled but what you will get is a pleasant meal out with your family and on a cold winters night who could ask for more.
Oh, and leave the Spratts alone will ya! It’s their dietary requirements – he can eat no fat and she can eat no lean – it’s not their fault!
Got a review of The Globe of your own? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
A bit over a year ago I did my first review of The Kings Hotel in Bathurst and lauded both the quality and most definitely the quantity of their meaty meals. In particular The Cajun Surf & Turf, Rack of Pork Ribs and my personal favorite The Kings Kilo Steak!
Well here we are again and we are going to look at 3 more offerings, this time of the more subdued kind but still all impressive beef steaks in their own right – The 300gm Rump, the 350gm Sirloin and the 400gm T-Bone.
Sadly not all 3 steaks were mine. My mother-in-law chose the rump (which I suspect was due to it was the cheapest and she was trying to be nice to the person paying) and my wife chose the sirloin. Personally I went the T-Bone – I know everyone has their own opinion on what is the best steak (porterhouse, scotch fillet etc) and whilst I love them all with a passion the T-Bone is hands down the cut of choice for me (for my mother’s awesome recipe for T-Bone steak see HERE).
It’s hard to know what to write about these steaks as they were all the same – damn good! When you asked for medium you GOT medium (so neither burnt nor raw like many supposed chefs seem to think ‘medium’ is) and the meat was thick, fresh and juicy. Certainly hadn’t been sitting in a freezer for a month. Also they, to my expert eye, seemed to be the proportions advertised. When working as a night-porter in Dalhousie Castle in Scotland many years ago I was absolutely disgusted when a chef there told me some of the tricks he used to pull to make a 350gm steak look like a 500gm – a shootable offence in my opinion!
I was disappointed that my wife and mother-in-law didn’t leave any scraps on their plate for me to scavenge as I am used to having a BIG meal whenever I visit The Kings but that attests to how much they enjoyed their steaks. The sauces were all good too, I went the pepper, my wife the mushroom and my mother-in-law the gravy. All very nice indeed and excellent to dip your chips in.
So yes, if your tastes run a little more tame then I can heartily recommend these three steaks which would probably receive top billing at any other establishment. But honestly, if you end up at The Kings do yourself a favour and get either The Kings Kilo Steak or the Cajun Surf & Turf – hands down two of the best feeds you will ever have!
Weeding – truly the bane of the gardeners existence! They steal the nutrients from the soil meant for your other plants, they grow prickles to sting you, spread fast and frankly are a pain in the posterior! On my last farm I had a 23m x 7m giant veggie patch and while it went great guns the first few years, I spent the last couple of years managing the weeds more than I grew food for my family.
So here on our new farm I’ve decided we are going to be weed free and to that end I am installing no-dig gardens. I’ve started with two plots for plants I am transplanting from my old farm that need to get in before spring – Asparagus and Comfrey. The whole idea of a no-dig garden is exactly how it sounds – no digging! No digging plots in the soil to plant in and no digging endless weeds out over the years.
Though time consuming, no-dig gardens are simple to create and they save a lot more time in the long run as well as providing a nutrient rich patch ready for planting. I have outlined the step-by-step process I went through below.
Note: This process goes through at minimum 5 layers. I like to do one layer a day. This means I can give each particular layer a good soaking which results in the new garden getting a good soaking 5 days straight. This aids immensely in it breaking down quicker.
Step 1: Choose your site. You can really build a no-dig garden anywhere (even on grass or concrete) but I chose a spot that was dirt and fairly bereft of weeds to begin with. Then your plants have the option of burrowing further if needed down the line.
Step 2: Cardboard and barriers.
A lot of people use newspaper but I prefer un-dyed cardboard. Firstly it is much thicker which means it is much harder for weeds to grow through from below, secondly it will take longer to disintegrate and thirdly there are less dyes and inks to seep into the ground. Lay your cardboard down in the shape you want your garden to be and then use logs or bricks to make some walls around it. Soak the cardboard.
Step 3: Put down a fairly thick layer of straw. Lucerne is best and pea straw isn’t bad. Personally I have acres of stubble so I just mowed a ton of that and stuck it in. Wet it down.
Step 4: Put in a layer of fertilizer.
Chicken manure is certainly the best as it has all the nutrients a new garden will need. I like to mix it up a bit with some cow manure as well. Put down a nice thick layer and once again water.
Step 5: A second layer of straw – this time a minimum of 20cm thick, 30 if you have the resources. Wet the straw down.
Step 6: Another layer of fertilizer.
At my last farm I had a never-ending supply of fresh animal dung but here I am having to buy it (until my goats and poultry drop enough for my gardening needs) so I went a cheaper route and mixed it with a bunch of potting mix specifically intended for raised garden beds. Once again water.
Step 7: Let all this break down. The longer the better. Personally I only had a week to let mine do so before my asparagus started coming back to life and needed to get into the ground. But even in that short period you will see the height of your no-dig garden lower as the straw starts to decompose and it will be ready for your plants.
And that’s it! If you would like to add more layers feel free – the more the merrier! Personally I will be adding some more potting mix around my plants when I put them in and then some straw around that to act as a mulch which will result in 7 layers all up. But to start off, simply follow the above instructions and you will have some nice new patches ready for planting. Once again, you can build anywhere you like and the best part is you don’t have to lift a shovel or pull your hair out over weeds down the line – happy gardening!
Got any other tips about no-dig gardens? Would love to read them in the comments section below!
This question comes from Anonymous in Aberdeen:
‘Hey Big Angry Trev, I see all over the internet you showing off how you’ve been losing all this weight! Well how about ya share the secret how with the rest of us eh? Or is it all bullshit and you’ve had a bunch of airbrushed photos done like all the other celebrities – thought you were better than that man’
Well, this reads more of an accusation than a question but I guess what this person is asking is ‘How have I been losing weight?’ It’s true, I’ve been losing nearly a kilo a day recently. I didn’t even realize until my pants felt loose that I was dropping such weight and now it’s quite evident as you can see from this unaltered picture:
So how have I been doing it? Well, no real secret formula that any doctor wouldn’t recommend anyway. It’s just been a change in lifestyle. Since moving a few weeks ago I have:
That’s pretty much it! But let’s take you through what I am eating in an average day:
7.30am
Cup of coffee with milk and 2 sugars
8.30am
Two slices of toast with vegemite and a glass of orange juice
12.00pm
Sandwich: 2 slices of cheese, 3 slices of ham and a healthy dollop of Dijon mustard – all on light rye bread and with a pint of water.
3.00pm
A banana, a few crackers or cruskits and a can of sugar-free coke
6.00pm
Here I can’t provide a regular photo of what I have as what I have changes nightly. What I can say is what has changed is not so much what I eat but what’s it’s made of and the portion sizes. And that is because lately my wife has been doing the majority of the cooking. Why does that make a difference? Well, let’s compare what we put in both our mashed potato recipes:
Her:
Me:
So with her cooking it’s proved a lot healthier (and she has the skill of making healthy food delicious which is something I had never thought to master) and because the portions are smaller it means I am eating a lot less, since I also used to eat the leftovers on my kids plates as well.
9.00pm
Cup of soup
So as you can see, I’m not exactly starving myself. Also I’m not eating super-mega healthy either. But what I am doing is eating throughout the day which keeps my metabolism going, rather than just eating a huge lunch and dinner and nothing else. Also I’m only having a beer on a Friday night instead of 3 or 4 every night and no energy drinks whatsoever. Combine this with the smaller portion sizes and I’ve been shedding kilos like a mangy wombat does lice!
Oh, and exercise? Well, yeah, ya gotta move your arse to shrink it. But as a hobby farmer and father of two I never sat still long anyway so I don’t think that has contributed much to my weight loss. At most it may be that since I haven’t been smoking the last few weeks, I’m not sitting down for 5 minutes an hour to light one up so I’m doing 1/12th more activity per day than before.
So yeah, go lose some weight! It’s really not hard. And if you can’t seem to manage it there are always other options. If you are a guy just grow a huge beard to balance it out and give you that husky lumberjack look. If you are a gal, just have the fat liposuctioned out from where you don’t want it and then stuck into your breasts where everyone will want it – both easy fixes! Good luck y’all!
Got some weight-loss tips of your own? Would love to read them in the comments section below!
Who doesn’t love a big roast eh? Well, vegetarians I guess, and people with eating disorders, those in a coma etc… well, lots of people. But lots more people love a roast, especially in winter!
So here is a simple recipe for Roast Lamb with Vegetables that is certain to fill your tum. All the ingredients will be seasoned in various themes of yummy goodness but I’ve even made that easy too. Just follow the below instructions below and eat hearty!
Ingredients:
Preparation:
Seasoning:
Method:
Serving
And there ya go. A roast recipe to warm the cockles of you and your families gullets this winter. Happy eating!
Got your own roast lamb recipe? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
