To bring you some yuletide cheer, enjoy the subtle crooning of yours truly singing:
The 12 Days of Xmas – Big Angry Trev style!
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TF Fan Interview – Santa Claus
Tag Archives: Big Angry Trev
Toy Review – Masterpiece Inferno
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.
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
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 enthusiast and 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!
Toy Review – Combiner Wars Liokaiser
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
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 Nosecone mode (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
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 G1 Sparkstalker! 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
Renamed from Hellbat because, 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
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
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
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!
Toy Review – Titans Return Soundwave
Operation: Soundwave Review
Perhaps even surpassing Megatron, Soundwave is along with Optimus Prime the most recognizable and remembered characters and toys from the 1980’s – even non-TF fans remember Soundwave with a fondess – there was something just so cool about him! A tape deck that ejected micro-cassettes that turned into animals and robots and was a bad guy had massive appeal. And here we see Soundwave recreated yet again, this time for the first time as a Headmaster with Titans Return Soundwave.
Robot Mode
It’s lucky that both Blaster and Soundwave are boxy characters, so with a simple palette swap, a new head and a shoulder cannon this does looks like Soundwave rather than a recoloured Blaster (which he is after all). The proportions are ok though I would have liked to see more articulation. Nothing beats a Soundwave that can actually bend his arm upwards and press his eject button (aka MP SW). His gun is from Blaster and for those in the know it looks nothing like Soundwaves regular firearm which is a bit disappointing, but I suppose even Transformers are allowed to change their armament every few million years.
Tape Deck Mode
The smartest thing they did here was to change the way the speakers look. It now looks like a tape deck from the early nineties rather than a proper Ghetto Blaster (all you kids born this century, you might have to do some research here to know what I am talking about). The mode looks better than I thought it would; it looks sleek and somber, just a shame there is the odd little gap here and there.
Base Mode
This mode suits Soundwave far more than Blaster (who I still maintain should have turned into a DJ booth with dance floor. For a review of TR Blaster – see HERE). The darker colour scheme works for the mode as well as the extra cannon. Overall better than I expected.
Soundblaster
For those that didn’t follow the JP G1 cartoon, Soundwave and Blaster killed each other but got rebuilt by their respective leaders, Soundwave turning into Soundblaster (the only difference with the toy besides a darker colour scheme was it could hold 2 cassettes). Soundblaster has been brought back here but this time as Soundwaves head. The funny thing is that they redid the face on his back to look like Soundwave, as well as his little head, but the legs are still those of Twin Cast (Blasters Headmaster partner) with the speakers on the front. Since it would not have affected the face, they should have made his front much darker to represent Soundblaster more.
Transformation
No change from Blaster. If you haven’t converted Blaster know that this figure isn’t difficult for a leader class figure. There is no real challenge here, however transforming him for the first time you have to engage your brain to turn him in to what is a reasonably two dimensional alt-mode as the Tape Deck. Conversion to base mode is very straight forward.
Overall
Soundwave is one of two figures which can be said to be a crossover between Combiner Wars and Titans Return, given that CW Buzzsaw can be put into TR Soundwave in both Robot and Tape Deck modes. Interestingly in the instructions it only mentions him being compatible with the upcoming Laserbeak and Ravage, most likely as these toys are to be released soon (bet Hasbro is just thrilled with IDW for having killed Ravage 6 weeks ago in MTMTE #55). The fact you can insert these smaller figures into him along with the Headmaster gimmick and he is a triple changer means there is a lot of playability with this figure. While certainly not the ultimate Soundwave toy, on the whole this one is pretty good and it’s nice to see Soundwave once again as a musical device rather than a van or truck.
Got your own thoughts on Titans Return Soundwave? Would love to hear them in the comments section below!
Toys Review – The Mayhem Attack Squad
The Mayhem Attack Squad, a group of psychotic Decepticons grouped together to follow their leaders evil whims in the old G1 comic (and to give a reason to put new toys coming out into print). Now decades later we see the group revitalized by the latest Transformers Collectors Club subscription service toys and with a new gimmick – they combine! Lets have a look at this pack of alien-mechanoid rouges as well as their combined form – THUNDER MAYHEM!
Grabuge
Nicely proportioned, nice colours and they didn’t even need to bother with a new headsculpt since Off-Road was originally going to be Ruckus. I think the axe is a good choice for Ruckus – sorry – Grabuge. You can sorta balance his cannon in his backpack as a reminder of his Triggercon heritage but it doesn’t really work.
Windsweeper
The wings can fold back but I prefer to leave them out, the silver on the wing missiles really pop and also this configuration makes the figure look a bit more G1-Windsweeper-ish. The head is really good on him and the colours overall work quite well.
Spinister
The head is a little squarish and the optics a tad big but otherwise pretty good. Nothing new otherwise physically with the mold. Certainly a lot less stocky than G1 Spinister and the colour scheme is dead on. The two targetmaster partners work well both as guns or as sidekicks.
Needlenose
A very nicely proportioned robot and while they got the face just right I would have liked to see more work on his helmet. The colours are pretty good and his Targemaster partners sit snugly in his grip as well as looking good as little sidekicks. I’d say this is probably the best Needlenose figure we have ever had so kudos to Funpub for coming through.
Bludgeon
By far his strongest mode. Bludgeon is a character that is strongly associated with his Pretender Shell and it’s not been often he has been depicted just as the robot beneath (the G2 and DW comics do spring to mind however). I found this to be a most excellent representation of how Bludgeon would look without his shell if he just concentrated on beefing up his robot mode. The proportions are really good, the colour scheme works a lot better and they did the headsculpt very well. Add in a couple of giant swords and the robot mode is a real winner overall! However it is really hard to beat ROTF Bludgeon for a look that encapsulates both the inner robot and outer shell look combined.
Grabuge – Off-Road Truck
A shame that Beachcomber did not crop up in Combiner Wars as it would have nice to see Ruckus – sorry – Grabuge – done as a Dune Buggy rather than a ute, however it’s still a good choice for the character. The colour scheme is nice, though they have what were relatively small stickers on the original Ruckus into a major part of the colour scheme of the back of the ute here. Still, the paintjobt is pretty good considering that many the G1 Decepticons from 87 onwards had pretty awful colour schemes and the original Ruckus is part of that era. Attaching the cannons in the tray of the ute somewhat gives a shout out to his Triggercon origins.
Windsweeper – Attack Jet
A shame there wasn’t a deluxe CW mold that was a bit more like his G1 incarnation, they would have had to go with Silverbolt to get something more indicativie. But it’s a pretty cool looking jet and the colour scheme not only is fairly character accurate but makes the colours work a bit better than the original toy did.
Spinister – Attack Chopper
I’m not a great fan of how slim this mold is, it didn’t quite work for me as Blades and Vortex and I get the same feeling with Spinister. Still, they got that garish 1988 colour scheme just right! One thing – do NOT try to put the Targetmaster partners into the little black exhaust hubs on the sides of Spinisters vehicle mode. I tried and not only are they that mill too thick but trying to push them in will wear the black paint off very easily and show the pink underneath. You have to attach them via turning his arms around so the fist is up which puts his missiles in an awkward position.
Needlenose – Fighter Jet
They really did a nice job of homaging the original figure here and I really like that unlike Spinister you can connect his Targetmaster partners under the wings. They have done their best with the G1 colour scheme they had to use and made it look a lot more stylish than it used to. As ever the letdown is those damn arms sitting out at the sides of the jet, I wish they had fixed that.
Bludgeon – Anti-Aircraft Truck
Whilst not a tank which most Bludgeons over the years have turned into, this feels like a tank on steroids that mutated into a anti-aircraft truck. Whilst the green is a bit strong and garish, the browns help even the colour out somewhat, though then you deal with the two purple cannons on top. It’s pretty cool overall but there is one significant drawback – the dome of Thunder Mayhems head is very noticeable sticking out of the top. Really looks like he is about to pop up at any moment like a freaky jack-in-the-box.
Thunder Mayhem
Thunder Mayhem is made up of the 5 members of the Mayhem Attack Squad. The reasoning behind the combined mode is that Thunderwing, not Bludgeon, was the leader of the Mayhem Attack Squad so their combined mode becomes an homage to him. The Thunderwing head is very good, perhaps with more expression than any of the Gestalts from both the CW and UW lines – got a real psychotic sneer to him!
The colour scheme however is a real hodge-podge. It’s pretty unavoidable considering the different characters that make up this Combiner but when compared to the likes of Superion, Defensor and Devastator you see why having team-mates with similar colour schemes is a good move for Combiner groups to have. Bright greens, dull reds, purples, yellows, greys, blues etc etc – it looks like Primus swallowed a kids paint palette then threw up on the poor guy. But he is supposed to be a monstrosity powered by a corrupted matrix so monster-wise it works.
The dimensions are like all the other recent combiners, the legs are a bit stubby and the feet too small whilst the arms are almost orangutan like in their length. But Thunder Mayhem in the end is no worse for wear than any of the others and considering he is made up of 2 jets, a helicopter, a ute and an anti-aircraft truck you can forgive these imperfections.
Weapons-wise Bludgeons twin-swords match his stature quite well and of course you can take the cannons off the back for him to use as pistols. It’s a shame there is no clear place for the four Targemaster partners to go – plenty of places to connect them but none really seem to fit and they look ludicrously small in his hands.
So overall a freaky-yet-fun Gestalt and a pretty cool combiner group. For the most part I will be keeping the Mayhem Attack Squad separate so I can finally have the likes of Windsweeper and Ruckus sitting in my Generations Display.
Toy Review – Titans Return Blurr, Hardhead, Scourge and Skullsmasher
The third in my reviews of the first wave of the new Titans Return toyline, today we are looking at the Deluxe figures. This is the only size that is evenly distributed, two Autobots and two Decepticons. And like the Voyager line they all have Cybertronian alt-modes. So lets have a look at what is predominantly the cast list from Seasons 3 & 4 of a cartoon decades old – Blurr, Hardhead, Scourge and Skullsmasher.
Blurr – Robot Mode
The fastest bot in all Cyber-Mexico!
Whilst not as tall and lanky as the original it does look really good. You can position the noscone from the hovercar mode either on his arm to simulate the shield the original toy (and the Animated toy) had, or you can put it on his back to simulate the original toys backpack which is where it is supposed to go anyway for transformation. Very easy to pose with lots of points of articulation.
Hardhead – Robot Mode
Very indicative of the G1 version of the character. I think it’s a nice touch that you can maneuver the cannon on his back to sit up or over the shoulder. Quite good articulation, well proportioned, good colour scheme, poseable. Only downside is his size – he could stand to be a bit bigger, especially when compared to his G1 and Universe incarnations.
Skullsmasher – Robot Mode
The eyes on Grax are a bit too dark, and while this simulates the G1 toy I think the Takara head looks better. The tail, like the G1 toy, becomes a hand weapon but it’s a bit too big and can’t really be positioned on any great angle. Out of the four new Titans Return deluxes he is certainly the weakest of the four. Also his alligator claws come off really easy in this mode.
Scourge – Robot Mode
Fracas is a bit too boxy and the laser on the top doesn’t stick up enough to be properly noticeable. Besides that this is a pretty good looking Scourge with a good colour scheme, articulation and the proportions and wings work well. I think he will be serving as a Sweep next to the G1, Titanium and Generations versions in my collection.
Blurr – Cybertronian Hovercar Mode
Now THIS looks like the speedster we all know and love, not a recoloured Drift. Very compact and sleek, it’s a great representation of the character. The laser under the front even works well. The little hatch for his Titans Return partner is good and it even incorporates the little gap between the back and the cabin that the original toy had – top marks! Only one big downside is for a Titan Master to have his own vehicle you unattach the nose of the car which leaves the front of Blurr looking gutted and horrible.
Hardhead – Cybertronian Tank Mode
A bit flatter than the G1 version, very streamlined, very much how he looked waaaay back at the start of the IDW comics before they gave him his Universe-styled body. Once again the cannon is maneuverable and like the G1 toy you can place a gun in the top of the cannon. Furos can either sit in the cab or the back of the cannon opens up so he can be stood there. He looks a little weird standing right back on the pegs he is supposed to so I personally reposition it so that he looks like he is operating the gun.
Skullsmasher – Cybertronian Gator Mode
A really good looking gator! Very long and well proportioned. They have done their best with the colour scheme so it doesn’t look as sickening as the G1 versions does and I really like the details in the mouth with all those individual teeth and the segmenting detail on the tounge. The head can swivel somewhat which is good, but it can be hard to make the tail sit flush with the gators arse. Grax’s compartment actually has a rubber hatch which is an odd choice and the placement has changed, instead of being afraid he would get swallowed like the G1 toy, in this case he already has been and is half way to the gut.
Scourge – Cybertronian Hovercraft
Like Blurr he is really compact and really good looking. One of the most triangular of body in shape ones I’ve seen done of the Sweep class, looks a lot like they did in some episodes the Season 3 cartoon. You can put his big blaster on the front of the hovercraft which makes him look pretty badass, but obscures a lot of the nicer details of the mode. I actually think Scourge having a small cockpit works, it is flush enough with the rest of the hovercraft that it doesn’t change the aesthetic much, however it’s still noticeable and the dark blue hue suits it well.
Overall
The Titans Return toyline, as well as acting as a revival for the Headmaster gimmick, is filling a lot of holes for peoples Generations collections. We now have a Scourge that’s not a flying wing, a Blurr that’s not a terran car, a Hardhead that’s not a SWAT armoured vehicle and our first Skullsmasher(cruncher) of the line. G1 fans will be very happy with the appearance of these four, others may be happy with the versions they already have. But between the great alt-modes, the little Titans Return partners and the overall decent quality I heartily recommend these four figures.
Note: For a more detailed review of Hardhead, check out My Hardhead review thread on Ozformers
Burgers Review #2: – The TRADIE, The TRUCKIE & The MALLEE BOMB!
As a rule if a dish has a manly name like ‘Tradie’, ‘Truckie’ or ‘Bomb’ then it’s going to be something yours truly is going to want to shove in his gob! Why? Well besides desperately trying to hide ones insecurities from the world by appearing macho and gruff on the outside, hiding the wobbly, gelatin-like persona within, it usually means there is going to be lots of MEAT!
On a recent state-crossing trip I had occasion to drop in to three different cafe’s which had foodstuffs like those described above on their menu. So lets examine them and see if they were worth this weary traveller’s mastication.
The TRADIE Burger
Location: Gray St Café, Swan Hill, VIC
Despite the blokey name this came across as a pretty standard, average burger. Cheese, lettuce, egg, bacon, tomato, sauce – the patty was sausage mince with carrot throughout which was kinda different. No onion which was a shame. It was nice that they will change the fillings based on your predilections (I went with two friends; one didn’t want bacon, another didn’t want egg, I didn’t want tomato) but it all came across as something that you could buy most anywhere. If these burgers were boobs they would be B-cups – certainly enough there to sate your appetite, but leaving you wishing there had been more to them. Not really recommended.
The TRUCKIE Burger
Location: Balfours Cafe, Birkenhead, SA
Now we are talking more of a burger! The usual lettuce, tomato, sauce, onion, egg etc but then double meat, double cheese and double bacon! And by Primus the amount of bacon – they easily could have referred to it as quadruple bacon! The amount of oil dripping off this burger was a bit disturbing, the wrapper felt like I could use it to grease myself up and then toboggan on my gut down the nearest freeway. But you know what, after eating what felt like half a pigs worth of crispy goodness I was feeling sexy enough to try! Happily recommended.
The MALLEE BOMB!
Location: Cobb & Co Café, Murrayville, VIC/SA border
I ordered this thinking it was a lamb burger, but when it arrived it turned out to be some sort of weird dissected souvlaki. Chips covered with Mallee Lamb, with cheese, fried onion and garlic sauce drizzled all over the thing! Chuck a few bits of pita bread on top and yeah, it looks like a souvlaki had a bomb implanted in it which subsequently burst on your plate, leaving it’s yummy innards splayed upon the ceramic battlefield. I will say that they were not mucking about when they said they were using Mallee Lamb – this was really top quality meat! Very tender and succulent indeed, you will walk away from the table feeling fit to burst – the sign of a damn fine meal! Highly recommended!
Fan Art – Big PM Trev Campaign Poster!
Today I was totally blown away! Scott, a talented fellow who has tirelessly campaigned on my behalf in the past, sent me this mock up he did of what one of my posters would look like if I did run for the Prime Ministership.
Considering I don’t even know how to resize a pic 90% of the time, I was very impressed with what Scott has done here, as well as admiring him for his excellent choice in subject matter.
Good on ya Scott, I am very flattered and chuffed!
Album Review – ‘Transformers: Roll Out’
Many things can inspire someone to song, be it the rise of the sun over the plains, the look of affection in their lovers eye, the heartache of loss and regret. However apparently giant alien robots can stir the muse within as well, and so we have ‘Transformers: Roll Out’
This CD was touted as the Transformers inspired soundtrack. This means it’s not from a Transformers cartoon or movie, but is meant to be a collection of songs by artists that have felt inspired by huge transforming mechanoids from beyond the stars. The CD is made up of 10 tracks, all from relatively obscure bands and artists:
- “Roll Out” – Mount Holly
- “This House is on Fire” – Bush
- “Gigantik” – Crash Kings
- “Count to Ten” – MEW
- “Into the Fire” – Elle Rae
- “Exiled” – SPURS
- “Just a Spark” – Jameson Burt
- “Stronger” – Ours
- “Modern Man” – Darby™
- “Our Revolution” – Born Cages
Now some of these songs actually do have Transformer themed lyrics embedded within their songs. Examples are:
Roll Out – Mount Holly
“Let’s Roll Out, Rise Up…”
References to Optimus catch phrase before battle, and Megatrons battle cry from the Animated series
Exiled – Spurs
“We are the exiled ones – the lost daughters and sons of Cybertron.”
Reference to the myriad of Transformers genres where they had to abandon their home planet.
Just a Spark – Jameson Burt
“One Shall Stand, One Shall Fall”
Optimus catch phrase before he and Megatron have a big battle in the Animated and live action Movie.
So yes, there is some Transformer stuff in there for the robot aficionado. However it doesn’t really save this CD from mediocrity. A couple of songs aren’t bad, the first one on the CD by Mount Holly certainly being the best of the bunch. But this is really a CD of filler songs, as in they are not the songs you hate, but ones you’d expect to be jammed between the big hits on other CD’s. The ones you would listen to because you can’t be bothered pressing the ‘Next Track’ button on your cars sound system.
This CD cost me eighteen bucks from JB Hi-Fi. So about $1.80 a song which isn’t bad but you could probably download them cheaper off iTunes or something. There is nothing to hate about this CD, but very little to get excited about either. Only recommended as a purchase if, like me, you are a Transformers fan that does a LOT of driving out of radio range and need all the tunes you can get to fill in those lonely country miles.
Toy Review – Masterpiece Shockwave
Ah Shockwave, the guy that many adults – who liked TF’s but weren’t nuts about it – could never remember the name of because it sounded too much like ‘Soundwave’. To the true TF nut, he was a big purple fragger who psychologically was a mixture of Spock from Star Trek and Brute from Shakespeare – he will stab you in the back if he thinks it’s logical to do so. Or since he turns into a giant space laser, he will just blow you up and whatever planet you happen to be standing on at the time.
Series – Masterpiece
New/remould/redeco – new
Wave – MP-29
Approximate Retail Price – 16800 yen
Approximate Size – 25cm
Allegiance – Decepticon
Alt-mode – Laser Vulcan
Main Features/Gimmicks – Light up guns
Main Colours – Purple, grey/lilac
Main Accessories – Mini Shockwave, backpack/stand, opaque fist & salute hand, clear plastic fist, salute and gun hand
New/remould/redeco – new
Wave – MP-29
Approximate Retail Price – 16800 yen
Approximate Size – 25cm
Allegiance – Decepticon
Alt-mode – Laser Vulcan
Main Features/Gimmicks – Light up guns
Main Colours – Purple, grey/lilac
Main Accessories – Mini Shockwave, backpack/stand, opaque fist & salute hand, clear plastic fist, salute and gun hand
Giant Space Laser Gun Mode
Wow – it’s really long! That took me somewhat by surprise but considering I have the G1 Shockwave toy and have seen every screen appearance Shockers ever made about a hundred times I should have expected it. I think this figure is beating out my G1 Shockwave and G1 Sixshot for the biggest Transformer Gun in my collection (no I’m not counting movie ones that just went from vehicle to hollow blaster you put your hand in).
Length aside, he has girth too. Very solid feeling though because of the relatively light plastic he is not all that heavy. Also the barrel is that nice wide hexagon shape that seems peculiar to Shockwave’s weapon mode. So between length, girth and width Shockwave feels very secure in himself in weapon mode and along with the lovely lilac colour it makes him a perfect Masterpiece present for the ladies. His dimensions certainly makes a lot of the Targetmasters feel inadequate about themselves at any rate.
Robot Mode
We have had quite a few nice Shockwave toys over the years, even those that were not brilliant in alt-mode tended to have some good looking robot modes. This is a great looking Shockwave and much like MP Ratchet whom I opened the other day the most faithful representation of the G1 cartoon character we have had. Everything is there from the see-thru chest, the laser barrel on the left arm, the power conduit going from that arm to his back, the ears/antenna, the cyclopean eye – everything is just right. You would be hard pressed to find fault with him, especially with the myriad of different hand attachments he comes with, the light up features and even the mini-version of himself he used in one episode. Add to all this the spot-on colour scheme, proportions and poseability and he is a winner!
Transformation
One of the most straight forward Masterpieces I have tackled in a long time. One could argue that he turns into a gun with arms as the barrel and legs as the grip so he should be straight forward but Megatron could be said to be similar and transforming that MP was a nightmare! You can do this guy easily without the instructions. Easy, but not annoyingly so, you will be getting your money’s worth.
Overall
Well we finally have the all the big time commanders from Season 1 & 2 – Shockwave, Soundwave, Starscream and Megatron in Masterpiece form so there is plenty of battle scenes awaiting you collectors to have fun with! Given the relatively cheap materials Shockwave is made from I think that the price he goes for is a tad exorbitant but I have zero buyers regret. You want a great version of that one-eyed, one-handed, logical-to-a-fault Military Operations Commander? Well you got it!
Space Cop