Series – Generations
Sub-line – Thrilling 30
Wave: Wave 1 – 2014
Size/class – Deluxe
New/remould/redeco – New
Released here – Not yet
Approximate Retail Price – $28Aus
Approximate Size – 14cm
Allegiance – Predacon
Alt-mode – Wasp
Main Features/Gimmicks – Design based on IDW design
Main Colours – Green, Yellow, Brown
Main Accessories – IDW exclusive comic, Stinger Gun
Robot Mode *Quite good looking, faithful to both Beast Wars and the IDW incarnations. He has good articulation and the light piping works really well with his huge optics.
Wasp mode
*To my mind the wasp mode here is better than both the Beast Wars and the Animated versions of the character. Very compact, very well coloured and very well balanced. The flapping wings are a nice touch that add a lot of play value.
Transformation
This transformation would be far easier if the instructions were REMOTELY USEFUL! I was able to figure him out because, well, if I can’t after 30 years of collecting I should hand in my Autobrand right now. But I wouldn’t give this to a little kid or a novice who would try to go soely by the instructions because Waspy would be flung out the window after 10 minutes. Once you’ve done it though, it takes about 15 seconds to transform him back
Worth getting?
*For me, as more of a G1 than BW fan (technically the same universe I know), the only BW characters (besides the odd Robot Hero) I’ve bothered to collect over the years have been Depthcharge’s and Waspinator‘s so I was happy to grab this guy to add to the collection. I’ll be bypassing the new Rhinox & Rattrap figures altogether. But if you are a big Beast Wars fan I’d say this is the figure to get for the new year. Oh, and the free comic is a nice bonus too
Name: Thrustinator
Series – Timelines
Sub-line – TFSS
Size/class – Deluxe
New/remould/redeco – Extensive remold of Dirgegun
Wave – 2
Released here – n/a
Approximate Retail Price – $46.50
Approximate Size – 14cm
Allegiance – Predacon
Alt-mode – Techno-mutated Wasp thingie
Main Features/Gimmicks – Head can become purple stinger shooter
Main Colours – purple, green, yellow, grey
Main Accessories – One missile launcher, 2 missilesRobot Mode
They had to completely use their imaginations here since it’s never been properly on screen, but in the end I suppose it was heavily influenced by what went where from his alt-mode and Dirgegun where apparently the mold came from. Hideous but kinda interesting. I always have a soft spot for any robot that isn’t perfectly symmetrical. A cool concept is that you can retract his head and put a big missile launching stinger in it’s place, which also gives him a totally purple head which is a shout out to the cartoon.
Wasp…. thingie
Bloody hideous! But whereas in the cartoon he was just a Wasp with BM Thrusts head (which I’ve included an image of here), they’ve taken the meld to the nth degree here so well done them for putting a bit of imagination into it. Having different parts of Waspinators alt-modes body and head mutated and deformed in Thrusts colours is – while garish – a kinda cool concept. That said, it’s still the ugliest thing I’ve seen since the Fuzors.
Transformation
Takes about 13 seconds to turn him from Wasp to Bot. No challenge to be found here
Overall
Well, probably my least favorite in the latest subscription service figures for me as it’s a character I care little about and I very vaguely remember showing up briefly in the final episode of BM. Nevertheless, a very interesting looking figure and creatively designed toy. If you are a massive Beast Machines fan (are there any ) and not a member of the TFSS then wait till it turns up cheap on the secondary market.
I hope you enjoyed these classic reviews from years gone by. Got anything to add? Say it in the comments section below!
Grapple. Perhaps while not the most unpopular, perhaps the least loved (does that mean the same thing?) of the 84/85 Autobot Car characters. It’s surprising since the Constructicons were so popular and Grapple was the only Autobot equivalent, but not many people really digged our resident Autobot Architect. Nevertheless, the 85’ toy was pretty cool and gave some variety to the Autobot lineup and we now see that replicated now 22 years later in the Masterpiece toyline with the newest figure Masterpiece Grapple.
The Master Builder
Robot Mode
I really enjoy the different features offered here. You get three different faces, two different chests and even different coloured arm blasters to replace his hands! The proportions are very good and you can either have an orange helmet to match his cartoon appearance or a grey one to match his toy one. The articulation is excellent with nearly every joint being swiveable which provides one with a multitude of posing capabilities.
Vehicle Mode
Battle Crane Truck Mode. Because…. well… why the hell not eh!
This is where we get down a little. It’s a great crane truck, don’t get me wrong, its just that like MP Inferno the cartoon version had less detail than the toy and since the MP line tries to replicate the cartoon we lose out on some of that detail here. It’s a very nice Crane Truck though, and it comes with optional extras such as the hook being replaced with a grabbing claw or bucket (as was demonstrated in two of the G1 cartoon episodes). The colour is nice, the proportions are nice – just could have stood to have more detail.
Transformation
Surprisingly actually harder than MP Inferno. You’d think Grapple would be easier considering we have dealt with this figure before but there are a bunch of new little tweaks which can be damn annoying. Whilst not the hardest MP transformation by far, it can offer moments of frustration.
Overall
Grapple, as previously stated, is not the most popular character. But to anyone who is a big G1 lover or is a Masterpiece completionist then this is very much a necessary character. And trust me, you will enjoy him more than you think!
Here we are – up to Wave 4 of the Titans Return toys already! Today we will be looking the Autobot Deluxe figures from that wave; three figures which featured heavily in the IDW comic ‘Last Stand of the Wreckers’ – namely Perceptor, Kup and Topspin. The two former will be known to fans of the original 86’ move and associated cartoon but for those not in the know, this is a Topspin based on the 1985G1 toy rather than the DOTM movie version. As you will see, he is awesome!
Wreck and Rule!
Kup – Robot Mode
“Did I ever tell ya about the time someone turned my head into a little robot?”
No backpack, hollow arms and his colour scheme is too light. He is a lot more G1 accurate than the previous Generations Kup toy but looks inferior in every way. His Titan Master (Flintlock – originally a name given to one of G1 Landfill’s Targetmasters) partner is sculpted well to look like a grizzly old coot and the cockpit on the chest and proportions aren’t bad. It’s just had to get past those awful arms and the substandard colours. He is just… just too plain. That said, if the arms were grey he would be an almost perfect representation of how Kup looked in the old Marvel comics!
Kup – Vehicle Mode
I’m haulin’ Cyber-Hay to the market!
Very faithful in shape and style to the G1 concept. It’s a shout out to your nostalgic membrane to see Kup done like this, much in the same way that TR Blurr gave us that same tingly feeling (for a review of Blurr see HERE). His guns can be placed in the tray of his Cybertronian-ute mode (that’s what I’m calling it anyway) much like the 87’ Targetmaster version of the toy did. His Titan Master partner fits snugly inside the cab. I would have liked the cab to be a whiteish-opaque rather than clear but what can ya do – at least the cab seems to be on the requisite angle.
Perceptor – Robot Mode
I may speak softly, but I carry a BIG sniper rifle!
Nicely proportioned and well articulated. The microscope cannon on his shoulder is a tad big but t’was the same with the original toy and for the required alt-mode there is nothing much you can do about it. The colour scheme is spot on as is the transparent plastic on his chest. He has the hollow forearms which is a shame but what I really like is that he comes with his sniper gun that he toted for a while in the IDW All Hail Megatron comics – very cool! One minor flaw I found with mine was the socet to attach his Titan Master was very stiff – quite hard to connect and disconnect.
Perceptor – Microscope Mode
You don’t need a funny caption – you just need to appreciate that this is cool!
Yeah maybe the Generations version had a bit more playability with a firing missile and a vehicle mode, but for those purists it’s great to get another Perceptor that turns into a microscope! The proportions are great but a real letdown is that the the microscope lenses barely work in comparison to the original toy and it’s a shame that its 32 years later and the new toy actually has less functionality than the original, though at least the knob is useable. Still, a nice looking Perceptor for the purists.
Perceptor – Cybertronian Tank Mode
I’m not in the instructions – that’s because I shot the editor!
Was never shown in the cartoon and rarely in any comic but the original Perceptor could turn into a weird tank (hence the tank tracks on the back of his calves) and this one is no different. Though it’s not listed in the instructions, if one examines the toy you will find some black tank tracks that serve no purpose in his microscope or robot modes. It looks kinda cool and you can attach his sniper rifles on the side as well as giving Convex somewhere to sit, rather than him just being a specimen for study in the microscope mode.
Topspin – Robot Mode
I finally got a cool toy!
Bloody excellent! What a great looking robot! Colour scheme and proportions are a big shout out to the original toy whilst making him look as cool as he did in the comics. The Titan Master head is great – everything about this toy is great, including his two guns (though they could have stood to not be hollow).
Topspin – Cybertronian Hovercraft Mode
Who knows what vehicle this is – and to be honest if you like bitchin’ alt-modes you just wont care!
There are not many Generations characters where you think ‘this is all the original toy should have been’ but Topspin encapsulates this sentiment. They have taken the essence of the original toy and expanded it to be a brilliant looking alien vehicle repleat with guns, cockpit and a bunch of huge thrusters on the back. This is to my mind the definitive Topspin – certainly makes me glad I skipped that awful FOC version of him released a few years ago.
Flintlock, Freezeout and Convex
“Three Headmasters are better than one. Wait… we are TITAN Masters? OK, disregard”
All do their job well as Headmasters (sorry – Titan Masters). Each looks sufficiently like the heads of their counterpart robots to complete their assigned task. Convex looks like Perceptors cartoon model rather than his toy model, Flintlock looks old and grizzled for Kup and Freezeout has a great sneer going on for Topspin. Like the three main toys, I find Freezeout to be my favorite the same as Topspin is. I would put up photos of their robot modes but its not worth it – very little detail and the faces are the same colour as the rest of the body so you can’t even see any definition.
Overall
Not a bad wave at all. I haven’t touched on the Titan Master component of these figures much as it’s all par for the course now – you can swap their heads. I will say that Kup is worth getting if you want a new version of his G1 alt-mode. Perceptor is worth getting for pretty much the same reason but Topspin is an absolute must have!
Got an opinion about these three Autobots? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
Earth, fire, wind, water, heart – go planet!By your powers combined I am cap…. er… Megatronia!
Yes, the Planeteer’s are all either in prison or selling their bodies on the street and Captain Planet himself is dead from taking a swim in the Yarra River, but a new team wielding all their powers has come along, and when they combine they don’t become a blue guy with green hair and red undies – they become a gigantic female robot bent on her enemies destruction!
Monstructor in drag
With the Combiner Wars over to make way for Titans Return, the Unite Warriors line is also coming to a close with only two figures left. Today we will be looking at the second last one, a reimagining of the fan-created female Autobot team – the Torchbearers. While this new team has yet to be given a name, they have a pretty nifty back story and are made up of some great looking figures! So let’s take a look at Unite Warriors Megatronia!
Note: Due to each of these toy molds having been used and reviewed a copious amount of times already, I will be focusing more on the new colour schemes and the characters themselves.
Trickdiamond
Weapon:Quake Shield
Robot Mode
Earth…
A little blocky for a Femmebot but considering the mold used not too bad. I like that she has little scars on her face, very befitting a character who has spent time in jail and now even has dealings with the Chaos Bringer. The shape of her head is interesting too, almost like an American football.
Vehicle Mode
Knightrider for the ladies
Too much black. But then according to the comic on the back of the instructions Trickdiamond is worried about her weight and since black is slimming maybe that’s why she chose it. Despite this terribly stereotypical paranoia, I think some yellow highlights on the bonnet would have spruced up the look of her sports car mode that bit more. Otherwise good.
Lunaclub
Weapon: Flame Sword
Robot Mode
Fire…
Quite a nice robot mode and the red goggles work surprisingly well on her. The pink peg does not stand out as much as the blue one on her sister and her weapon suits her more than any of the other limb figures.
Vehicle Mode
Combat Barbie’s Dream Chopper
Once again quite nice. I’m trying to figure out if we’ve ever had a Transformer this shade of pink before. It’s not the generic ‘girlie’ pink of Arcee or the eye-searing pink you find on say the G1 Seacons. Whatever shade it is it works and makes her my favorite vehicle from the team after Flowspade. Speaking of which…
Flowspade
Weapon: Tornado Cutter
Robot Mode
Wind…
Probably my least favorite robot out of the five, simply as she looks too much like Nightbird from the Legends line. Certainly could have used a new head. Like Trickdiamond I feel the mold is a little too blocky for a Femmebot, especially after we have had toys like Windblade and Black Arachnia in recent years. According to her character bio she was swayed by Megaempress’ charisma. This must be true considering the artwork on the instruction manual shows her soaping up her leader in the shower!
Vehicle Mode
Dontcha wish your sports car was hot like me
Conversely, whilst Flowspade is my least favorite robot out of the five she is also my very favorite vehicle. They really got the colours spot on, it’s a very sexy sports car and I think the best use of this overused mold to date! Really looks like an evil Con Femmebot in alt-mode should look. The purple is also possibly a shout out to the fact she used to be an agent of Shockwave.
Moonheart
Weapon: Blizzard Blade
Robot Mode
Water…. (er, I mean ice. Bah, same thing!)
Not bad, is very lithe which suits the character. The colour scheme is a bit too Chromia for my liking, though she has more black then Chromia does. I think bottom half of the connector peg could have been coloured black so it did not stand out so much, as it is being in blue cast against the black on either side it is very obvious. Her weapon also does not suit her, neither matching her colour scheme or the fact that it is supposed to create blizzards.
Vehicle Mode
Sisters are doing it for themselves
A nice chopper and the silver, blue and black all work well together. The colour scheme could be indicative of that she used to work for Soundwave as a trainee medic.
Megaempress
Weapons – Rail Fusion Cannon and Judge Pickel (funniest TF weapon name ever!)
Robot Mode
Heart…
I’m conflicted about this character. On the one hand I think it’s a bit lazy for them to just do her as a female version of Megatron, colour scheme and all. On the other it makes for an interesting back story; she was created out of Megatron’s spare parts and now rules the Female Decepticons. She also has the power to seduce any Transformer, the naughty minx! The silver on her is stunning and I particularly like her face, imperious yet feminine. Definitely could steal your heart and then cut it out.
All shall love me and despair
Vehicle Mode
Made out of Megatron’s spare parts. When the hell was Megatron toting an extension ladder?!
The paintwork on her is great and the silver is flawless. Considering her ladder is supposed to be a rail cannon I would have liked to see some modification to it to seem more weapon like. Otherwise very good.
Megatronia
By your powers combined…
Again, I’m conflicted. Megaempress makes up the torso and is the female version of Megatron so the name makes sense, but it feels lazy to me. However this is a really great looking combiner, all the colours work together despite the fact they should clash, thanks to each characters paintjob containing a healthy dose of black. The chest works too, the striking purple providing a counterpoint to the more subtle colours. There is no sixth character here like with the Protectobots and Torchbearers so no motorcycle on the chest which helps differentiate her a little from the competition. I would have liked to see a new head too, I was never a fan of Victorion’s even if I did have to concede it was novel. I do like Megatronia’s blue goggles but to me overall her head still looks like parody of a Native American Feathered War Bonnet.
Destopia Sword
Suck on this every other edged weapon ever!
What a friggin kick arse sword! Looks awesome! The fact it can split into five separate weapons for each of the 5 characters makes it even more impressive. I think it is the coolest looking weapon I’ve ever seen a Transformer toy wield, certainly in my collection anyway.
Comparison between Victorion and Megatronia
There is always an evil twin, just one of those laws of the universe
There are pros and cons here. Victorion has one of the most consistent colour schemes of any Transformer combiner toy ever, but they are pretty ugly colours. She also is made up of six characters instead of five. Megatronia’s colour scheme clashes but looks pretty cool despite she is one character down. Victorion also was way cheaper and came with a poster and trading card. Combine that with having six bots and she certainly seems better value for money.
Yew stole ma man! I kill you you bitch!
But I believe Megatronia is undeniably cooler. I like the individual bots a lot better – both as toys and as characters and her sword kicks Victorions swords arse! I also found that all figures had nicely tight joints and it’s always telling just how much better the Tak/Tom paintjobs are than Hasbro’s. It’s just a shame about the price tag – this is a damn expensive Unite Warriors toy compared with most of the rest of the line due to it being an exclusive. If it wasn’t the last Unite Warriors/Combiner Wars gestalt I am buying I may have skipped it. As it is I’ll be keeping Victorion in her combined mode and using Megatronia for her individual bots. Either way, it’s been great to finally get some female combiners in the overall Transformers toyline and if you are a big TF nut you will probably want both these hefty gals in your collection.
Oh those wacky Japanese artists, bless’em all!
Got something you would like to add to this review? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
Super Ginrai. Not just the Japanese version of Powermaster Optimus Prime but a character unto his own right. Finding himself to be not just an ordinary human but to be an actual Autobot Godmaster (how’s that for a bitchin subgroup name!) who could bond with a Transector in order to don the visage of legendary Autobot leader Optimus Prime and fight the evil Destrons…
… or so the story goes. It may be a different character technically but in reality it’s pretty much the same damn toy. The G1 Super Ginrai and Powermaster Optimus had very few differences, even if one was a little Japanese dude obsessed with his big hair in a mech suit and the other was Optimus Prime on steroids.
Here we are 30 years later and we have a similar thing happening. The (US) Titans Return toy is ‘Powermaster Optimus Prime’ whilst the retooled (JP) Legends version is ‘LG35 Super Ginrai’. Both toys have their pro’s and cons. Six months ago I reviewed the Optimus toy (which can be read HERE); today I’m going to give a quick overview of the Legends Super Ginrai version and then most importantly engage in a comparison. This way you, my loyal readers, will know which to shell out your hard-earned money on.
First off – Super Ginrai!
I’m not Optimus Prime, I swear!
Truck Mode
No, I’m not Optimus I said!
Very nice and solid. Unbeknown to most there is a small screw between the cab wheels you can loosen so that the cab does not have to sit flush with the trailer. The trailer is very reminiscent of the original toy and the trailer has all the armament that the G1 version did. The end result is a Mad Max’esque tractor trailer in a world gone mad – nice!
Robot Mode
Look, I’m not f*cking Optimus Prime OK!?!
Instead of Ginrai turning into the engine of his Optimus (but not Optimus) mech he now turns into the head. While still a cool concept I liked the engine gimmick better simply as it was that bit rarer. Very nice proportions, decently articulated and a nice paintjob. Good overall.
Base Mode
And no, I’m not ‘Optimus who got stuck in a particularly challenging yoga pose’ either you f*cking smartass!
Really does not stand up to the original G1 toys base mode. There are some gun turrets that Ginrai can sit in and all the guns from the other two modes are useable here. But it looks sparse and everything looks a bit flimsy – like he got stuck in mid-transformation.
Comparison between Legends LG-35 Super Ginrai and Titans Return Powermaster Optimus Prime
Vehicle Mode
Ginrai looks a lot more similar to the original toy whereas Optimus looks like an updated version, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The black guns on the top of trailer work a lot better on Ginrai and his robot feet sit a lot more flush at the back. I have to give points to Optimus for a new style and Ginrai for a more balanced look.
Base Mode
6 of 1, a half dozen of the other. Both don’t look flash to me. There are a few differences with the different chest pieces that come up to be the central seat for the Headmaster. The towers on Ginrai work being put higher due to you being able to place the black guns half way up, something you cant do with Optimus due to his robots hands not rotating.
Robot Mode
‘One of these bots is not like the other…’
One of the most significant differences are the ankles. Ginrai’s have been extensively retooled in order that they pivot better and provide more height. This makes Ginrai slightly taller than Optimus overall. Optimus’ hand guns look that bit more impressive but Ginrai is able to hold his better due to maneuverable wrists. The chest armor is slightly different as well. Overall I think Ginrai does look that bit better than Optimus here.
Apex vs Ginrai
Two heads are…. no, wait, too obvious a joke. I’ll come back.
Apex is the name of Optimus’ Titan Master partner whereas Ginrai is, well, Ginrai but as stated turns into a head instead of an engine. When comparing the two, Apex transforms into a head which looks a lot like Orion Pax, with the Optimus helmet going over the top. Ginrai turns into an Optimus head with… er… an Optimus helmet going over the top (the definition of redundant). So Apex wins the alt-mode race but the robot/human mode race is no race at all. Ginrai has lots of detail and (even though you probably cant tell with my bad camera) even has a little human face. Apex by comparison has bland colours and a featureless head.
Ones a robot, ones a human in a mech suit. Both have absolutely screwed torsos
So who to choose?
Look, I got both because of the displays I wanted to create. One display is of Optimus Prime figures which turn into trucks and have a trailer so Powermaster Optimus Prime goes there. The other is robot modes of all the different Generations (and Generations subsets) characters and while I have plenty of Generations Optimus figures I didn’t have a Ginrai one so he goes there. That said, I still feel like I wasted my money a bit by getting both. They are just too similar to warrant the expenditure on two Leader-class figures.
If I was to pick one I’d pick Ginrai. The robot mode is better and the Headmaster partner is a lot better. Ginrai wins. But then I guess, if you get both, you can at least join them up in to one super base like I have below!
Got something you would like to add to this ‘comparison of toys’ review? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
Brainstorm, a character that has gone from relative obscurity to a fan favorite in recent years, thanks mainly to the More than Meets the Eye comic series. Now gone from being a bit player in the short lived season 4 of the US he is everyone’s favorite amoral weapons designer. However the version we are looking at today is an homage to his much larger television outing in the Japanese Headmasters series. So without further ado, from the Legends series let’s have a look at LG39 Brainstorm.
Japanese TF boxes, so plain but with such great artwork!
Vehicle Mode
It wasn’t until I took the gun out of the box and realized that it was a match for Titans Return Blurr’s (for a review of TR Blurr see HERE) that I had a better look at Brainstorms Cybertronian jetfighter mode and realized the whole figure is a retooled Blurr. And once you can imagine the wings being gone it becomes quite obvious. That said, it’s a very nice looking version of Brainstorms alt-mode with the twin guns at the front, sleek nose and slim wings. The orange cockpit makes a nice counterpoint to the rest of the colour scheme and Brainstorms Headmaster partner Cana fits nicely inside.
Robot Mode
A bit small for my liking but it means that he scales well with the rest of the Legends/Titans Return figures. You can remove the nosecone and add it to the arm for extra firepower or leave it attached to his back where it is only noticeable when looking through the legs. The figure has good articulation and once again that lovely Tak/Tom paintjob.
Somebody messed with the wrong Wang today!
Cana and Synapse.
Pimp Daddy Cana’s a bit spoiled for choice!
Synapse is actually the name of the drone vehicle that comes with Brainstorm. This can either be in a jeep mode for Cana to drive or turn into a double-barelled blaster for Brainstorm to weild. Given the colour scheme one could almost mistake it for a mini-Kup.
Cana has been based on Brainstorms JP Headmaster appearance with the removal of the faceplate. He is nicely detailed in both his modes. When compared with Arcana from the Thrilling 30 version of Brainstorm you can see the difference in size between the two figures, its just a shame you cant swap them over from one body to the other (trust me, I tried). Given the differences in size and facial structure, it makes Legends Brainstorm look like Generations Brainstorm’s younger brother.
Overall
To be honest, I actually still kinda like Generations Brainstorm better. He is bigger, bulkier and his removable vehicle weapons to use as pistols is very G1-toy accurate. However Legends Brainstorm scales well with the current series of toys, has a great colour scheme and comes with not only a Headmaster partner but a drone as well. Depends if you are a fan of the HM cartoon or MTMTE as to which one you may decide to get – or if you are an obsessive fan like me you can just get both!
Astrotrain – truly a mainstay of the Decepticons in fiction since he first turned up in the G1 cartoon waaay back in 1985. And why not – he is a Giant Robot that turns into a Space Shuttle and a Train! I’m sorry but things don’t get much cooler than that! Despite being immensely popular in the cartoon and there rarely having been a G1 comic in the last decade that hasn’t featured him extensively (always the troop transport aren’t ya, ya poor bugger! To think back in the cartoon you became god of a moon!) Astrotrain has received very few toys over the years. I suppose it’s not the easiest to design, a train and shuttle in one. But now we have one again and he is a Headmaster no less! So let’s get on with the review of the Legends series LG40 Astrotrain!
Quite flat but certainly a nicely shaped shuttle. There are several options as to where you can place the guns, either on the sides or on the top (I go for the sides personally). Astrotrain’s Headmaster can sit in either the little cockpit at the back between the tailfins or can sit in one of the gun turrets on the side. Despite the great Tak/Tom colour scheme designed to make him look a lot like the G1 cartoon, he still looks a little bland in this mode. However they have at least coloured the windows of the cockpit, something that the Sentinel Prime figure was sorely lacking and from photos I’ve seen the TR version of Astrotrain suffers from this as well.
Surely one of them will make it to Cybertron
Train Mode
Realism – 2%, Utter Coolness – 98%
It’s a damn weird train! Looks like a Cybertronian train of some kind because I don’t think we have trains like this on earth, even in Japan. Like the shuttle version, the train’s windows have added colour here in order to highlight them and the gun ports on the top of the train have been coloured differently to the section (Astrotrains robot arms) that they protrude from. That and the overall colour scheme make this a far superior looking train to Sentinel Prime who looked like a bright red and orange stick. Given you can now make out the train wheels and the trains cabin, it really gives a sense of scale to the toy, that this is a big-arse Cybertronian transport!
A JNR Class D51 Steam Locomotive from 1936. A Tsubame 800 Bullet Train from 2004. Does that mean we will see the new Astrotrain on the tracks in Japan around the year 2090?
Robot Mode
Space Beefcake!
What a butch looking Astrotrain! In fact I think probably the best looking official Astrotrain toy we have ever had! No chest boobs and static arms like the G1 toy, no giant back fins like the Timelines version and he certainly stands quite literally head and shoulders above the Classics version. Good articulation on all extremities, nicely poseable and a good paint job. I like how both his hand guns can join together to become one long rifle much like the G1 toy was sporting. He is of course a Headmaster and his Headmaster partner (whose name is actually Head Master – no points for originality there) can come off and be replaced with any other Headmaster. A great gimmick for little kids and my son loves it, but for myself as a grown up fan I just want Astrotrain himself.
Sentinel is a reminder to Astrotrain to always wear sunscreen
Overall
This is a great Astrotrain! Yes the shuttle mode is a tiny bit flat and bland and the train mode is a bit alien in appearance but taken as a whole all three modes work and work well. We needed a Voyager-sized Astrotrain for the Generations lineup and he makes a great buddy for Blitzwing. The Tak/Tom version with the cartoon-homaging paintjob puts this toy far beyond the Titans Return version in my opinion and I heartily recommend this figure to all fans of great characters who get stuck carrying their mates around all day. This guy will definitely make it to Cybertron!
Femmebots, the slang term for female Transformers, are becoming more commonplace but are still for the most part a rarity – you can count how many get released each year without taking off your socks. Rescue Bots has been the longest running single Transformers cartoon show in history and they have finally introduced a female Autobot into their admittedly rather small ensemble. Quickshadow is a very cool character, coming across as a highly competent, British-sounding spy. Being a sportscar that turns into a female robot makes Quickshadow sound like a James Bond wet dream come to life and for those of us that like to collect female Transformers sounded like a new toy to look forward to collecting.
Unfortunately what we got is perhaps one of the worst quality Transformertoys we’ve had in years.
Don’t open me up – I’ll just break your heart
However let’s start with a few positives.
Vehicle mode
A very sexy little sportscar. There is some nice detailing in the grill with the little Autobot symbol and the blue highlights on the hood, doors and hubcaps certainly pep up what would otherwise be a bland colour scheme of white and grey. Smaller than the other Rescuebots, even Blurr looks bigger.
Robot Mode
Not bad, but quite blocky. Of course this is to be expected since it is a Rescue Bots toy. However on the TV show all the other characters look quite blocky but Quickshadow is very lithe and agile looking so it is a shame they did not go to at least some effort to represent that here. Also a little more detail in the face would have been nice as well, perhaps a more defined mouth or something to show she has optics behind the big eye mask. Scale-wise she is comparable to Blurr however is smaller than all the older Rescuebots such as EnergizeHeatwave.
“Why is it on the show I look like you Arcee, but in real life I look like Margaret Thatcher’s even more butch cousin?”
Transformation.
Here is where it being a Rescue Bot is supposed to be the big seller for young TF fans but in Quickshadows case it’s the main reason not to buy this toy. There is only one thing you need to do to transform her, that being pull the front wheels out sideways – then everything is supposed to pop into place. But she jams. In fact she jams nearly every single time! And you can’t just push the wheels back in and try again. At first I thought my son was using her wrong. Then I thought we just must have gotten a dud. But a subsequent look at various ratings of the toy on Amazon and eBay has shown that this seems to be an endemic fault with the figure. There is a little spring at the top of the car’s hood which is supposed to facilitate this transformation but the spring constantly jams and to un-jam it you have to pull the hood down so hard you are certain it is going to snap. In fact I’m afraid to transform her again in case it does! This is a shameful flaw – only one moving part and they f*ck it up!? Poor form Playskool & Hasbro – poor form indeed.
Your Quickshadow toy is going to spend more time looking like this than a robot or car
Worth Getting?
No. She costs the same as the older Rescue Bot figures despite being nearly half the size and the jamming spring means that the toy is almost unusable from the get-go. I’m glad to have another Femmebot in my collection but I would say this is a contender for the worst quality Transformer I have ever come across.
Have you got this figure? Will you still get this figure after reading this review? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
Ah Inferno. So cool yet so overlooked. A gung-ho character that was either fighting fires or fighting Cons or dealing with his psychotic superior. Inferno is not considered a fan favourite by many, but I always loved the guy! The original toy was great with lots of features and was a good size for its era and he was a fun character on screen during Season 2 of the G1 cartoon(my personal favourite TF ep’s ever!) Now to appease the likes of me, Tak/Tom have brought us Masterpiece Inferno!
Vehicle Mode
As mentioned, the G1 Inferno toy was one of my very favourite toys from that era. The fact that the Fire Engine mode had a telescoping ladder with its two little nozzles on the end, along with the foam cannon at its base meant it had moving parts as well as looking like Inferno could actually shoot stuff in vehicle mode. This vehicle mode here is very faithful to the cartoon but of course it suffers in the modern era by looking too simplistic. The Leader-Class Sentinel Prime from DOTM was a fantastic looking Fire Engine as well as pretty damn big. To compare the two, Inferno looks smaller (though pretty chunky for the current MP line all the same) and a lot plainer.
Money Shot!
This said, he looks pretty damn good, the grill work on the front of the truck is pretty nice and the hoses on the side are present (both sides now rather than just the one – I would have preferred just the one myself) as well as other little details. The telescoping ladder now has three sections instead of two although it looks a lot more boxy to my mind. Being able to flip out a little hose at the end of the ladder and attach the spraying water facsimile is a great touch and makes it really look like a fire engine in action!
Robot Mode
Everything you have come to expect from the MP line, including tilting ankles, opening hands, manoeuvrable head, knees, elbows etc. Inferno is very poseable and his dimensions are spot on. He is able to retract his hands to have big laser cannons come out, though no missile launcher like the G1 toy. You can have him shoot faux water in this mode as well and he has his rifle so you can set him up to look like he is either fighting fires or Cons – whatever floats ya boat. His head wings and foam launcher are present up top and while it is not something I bother with much myself you can change his face with the four different plates provided. An issue I have with the MP line in general with some of these larger characters are how plain the legs look. Inferno’s are better than MP Ratchet(see review HERE) and MP Shockwave’s(see review HERE) legs due to the hoses etc on the side but they all look a bit plain to my mind. But that’s what fans have to remember – Tak/Tom is giving you a toy that looks like the cartoon as much as possible, which means you often lose lots of the nice details you got in the toy that they never bothered to replicate on screen. Of course the flipside of that is you get little details such as his wrist communicator that the toy lacked.
Red Alert Lifter
Did you ever know that your my hero?
When I saw all the images online of Inferno carrying MP Red Alert, replicating that classic episode where Inferno saves a crazed Red from a burning building, I just assumed it was something fans were doing for fun. However when looking at the different chest plates for Inferno (there are 3) I realised one is specifically to set up this pose! This shows great interactivity between the MP toys which is sometimes missing (besides putting the cars in MP Optimus’ trailer) in the line and hammers home that these toys really are made for the G1 enthusiastand that if you are shelling out this much money for the toy, then you should know the scene between Red and Inferno by heart already.
Transformation
The headaches that earlier MP toys provided – particularly Megatron and Rodimus Prime – are truly behind us. Inferno will take you a few minutes the first few times and using the instructions until you get a feel for the toy is recommended. I’m very much a fan of how they made the ladder fold up so compactly and fit into his back. This is a definite improvement over the original toy and makes him look very much improved from the back!
Worth Buying?
If you are not a G1 nut, then for the exorbitant price tag (especially after currency conversion and postal fees if purchasing from overseas) I’d have to say a no. There are cheaper and better looking Transformer Fire Trucks out there for you to buy on the secondary market like the aforementioned DOTM Sentinel Prime. Even currently you have the Combiner Wars Hot Spot, Pyra Magna and upcoming Megaempress(think Megatron with a sex change) who aren’t the most brilliant Fire Engines but have the combining feature and their own teammates. But if, like yours truly, you are a G1 nut and MP fan, then this Inferno is definitely a worthy addition to your collection.
So what do you think of Masterpiece Inferno? I’d love to hear in the comments section below!
Just when you think the Combiner Wars toyline is dead, they keep chugging along with even more obscure subgroups. This time they have given us a character that you may be unfamiliar with unless you watched the Japanese G1 cartoon series Victory back in the 1980’s. A group originally named Breastforce (no I’m not making that up and yes, you are allowed to giggle) has been reborn as the Destrons(the JP name for Decepticons in general) who combine into an almighty gestalt! So here we go, a big review for a name as long as some of the old Street Fighter games, Combiner Wars Liokaiser: Platinum Edition!
Please note: As all these toy molds have had numerous iterations already, I will be mainly talking about any changes made rather than going over old ground. I will put in links to other reviews of these molds as appropriate.
Ironbison
Doesn’t fear Autobots as much as PETA
Renamed from Killbison as it sounded like he was related to the Bufflekill’s from The Simpsons. Here we see the usual CW Brawl (for a review of Brawl – see HERE) remold but with added horns on his head to represent the original toy/character. I found the limbs on mine to be a bit loose, very hard to pose him without the shoulders sagging. But the mustard and silver colour scheme work together and he looks nice and tough.
Drillhorn
Probably the only limb figure here whose updated alt-mode doesn’t look as cool as the original one. This has been remolded from CW Nosecone and they probably would have done better to use the UW Noseconemode (for a comparison between those two toys – see HERE). Also the drill bit does not fit in the gap properly with mine which is quite annoying, I have to use the double-barreled rifle on top to keep it in place. A nice little touch is a horn that pops out of his forehead in robot mode which adds that extra unique touch.
Guyhawk
Pretty in pink!
Did this guy pick his ultra-masculine name to make up for his colour scheme? The most pink in a Transformer I’ve seen this side of G1Sparkstalker! But the colour actually seems to work quite well, it’s very vibrant indeed! Nice head sculpt, the only one of the limb characters that doesn’t require pop-out bits. Remade from CW Air Raid.
Fellbat
I’m a bat out of… er…. fell? Yeah, I’m a bat that fell I guess.
Renamed from Hellbatbecause, well…. pretty crappy reasons actually because Hellbat was a much cooler name. Remade from CW Skydive, this guy has his signature little bat-wing fins that pop out of the sides of his head and is one of the few characters from Victory I can remember from my one watching of the series. Already killed off in the IDW comics which is a shame, hope that doesn’t stop Liokaiser showing up there. A nice touch in jet mode is they have given his missiles a striking red paint job.
Dezarus
I shall shuffle you to death!
Ok, here is where it gets a bit trippy, follow me if you can. The original Breastforce (again, insert requisite giggle) had two characters that made up the torso – Leozack and Jallguar. Since all CW gestalts (excepting CW Devastator) are mainly four smaller bots as limbs and a larger single one as the torso, these two characters were dumped for Dezarus. Dezarus is in turn based on Deathsaurus who was the leader of the Destron army in the Victory cartoon. To add further confusion, since Deathsaurus’ had a bipedal bird-monster alt-mode, they chose to recolour CW Sky Lynx(for a review of Sky Lynx – see HERE) to make him.
Keeping up? Well done! Because I’m writing this bloody review and even I’m getting lost!
Anyway, Dezarus here has the same modes as Sky Lynx (rather than his original ones) and his colour scheme makes the shuttle mode look a bit odd. One thing I was pretty happy with though was how easily the toy lent itself to being put in a bipedal position, even achieving a certain limited poseability! Yes it’s a stretch, but it’s the closest you are going to get Dezarus to Deathsaurus that you can.
Ion Scythe
By the Power of Destron!
Another weird but welcome inclusion, put in mainly I suspect to keep up the now set pattern of all these CW groups having six members. Ion Scythe is based on an old Arms Micron toy and despite his name turns not into a scythe but a sword. The original Breastforce group (ok, you’ve had your laughs, time to get over it now) had little animal partners so it could be Ion Scythe’s inclusion is a shout out to that.
Liokaiser
G1’ish accurate
The head from Sky Reign (find the review of Sky Reign HERE) has been retooled to look more like the original Liokaiser and both share the animalistic helmet. There are plenty more tricks you can do to make this toy look more G1 Victory accurate. These include positioning Fellbats wings up and horizontal, placing Fellbat and Guyhawks grey guns either side of the right fist and turning Ironbison and Drillhorn outwards so that their treads face inwards. All these little things help, the only problem is rotating the lower legs means he can’t use his knees, but that’s easy to turn back when you want to do some action poses. It really is a nice looking combiner overall with plenty of poseability and mismatching-yet-working colours. Ironically Ion Scythe is far more suited to be a CW hand weapon than the likes of CW Powerglide and CW Shockwave (for a review of Shockwave – see HERE) who both were too heavy and pulled down their gestalts arms – Ion Scythe seems to be just the right size and weight!
Worth Getting?
Overall I would have to say yes. These are characters that haven’t had new toys since they first appeared in Victory nearly 30 years ago. I would advise shopping around; I got mine for a good price whereas if I had ordered it through my usual international source I would have paid about $50 more. And for those who have Masterpiece Star Saber – that big fragger now has someone to fight!
*Quite good looking, faithful to both Beast Wars and the IDW incarnations. He has good articulation and the light piping works really well with his huge optics.
) and not a member of the TFSS then wait till it turns up cheap on the secondary market.
