Tag Archives: Decepticon

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review: Cyberverse Slipstream (Ultra)

June 9, 2019 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

Slipstream – the female Seeker fatalle.

Introduced back in Transformers Animated as a female clone of Starscream, Slipstream became very popular very quickly. Not only having the distinction of the only official female Seeker ever, but also one of a small number of female Decepticons all up.

Fans loved seeing another female baddie and combined with her cool attitude and colour scheme it meant that Slipstream soon started turning up in other Transformers Universes. In the Aligned Universe via novels, video games and a Timelines figure (recolour of TFP Starscream) and was retroactively introduced into G1 via a Legends toy (retool of Legends Windblade).

Well now Slipstream has shown up in the new Cyberverse cartoon. Not only was she the main antagonist for the first season of the cartoon, but it has finally after all these years given her well overdue original toy that’s not simply a redo of someone else. So let’s check out Ultra Class Cyberverse Slipstream.

Robot Mode

Aesthetics

I reckon without a doubt this is the best looking Slipstream we have ever had! Not a recoloured Starscream, not Windblade with an Animated-style head stuck on. No, this is Slipstream all the way! The proportions, the colour scheme, the arm cannons, the face with the plum coloured lipstick, she looks exactly like she does on the cartoon. If it wasn’t for the fact you can see a big purple panel hanging down behind her thighs I’d say she was perfect.

*Jet black hair and plum lipstick – I AM the emo girl you lusted after in High School*

Articulation

Of course, while her looks are great, her articulation is not. No knee articulation, no neck and head movement and the few places where she does have articulation (hips, shoulders & elbows) the movement is quite limited. So unless you want her very purposely striding somewhere or doing the splits, you will feel let down here.

Jet Mode

Aesthetics

Once again, you can tell this figure was meant to be Slipstream from the start, the jet mode looks just like it does on the cartoon. Whilst a tad plain for my tastes, it certainly does the job of recreating the onscreen look. She has landing gear that pops down but the cockpit is simply painted on. The only real letdown to this mode is the very visible hands from the robot mode, it would have taken so little effort for the designers to make them fold into the hollow forearms.

Sonic Swirl

*WTF?! Well I suppose….. no seriously – WTF?!?*

Sigh… look, I understand why these gimmicks get put in. While I as an adult would prefer they get left out so as to put more effort into the rest of the toy, they are very appealing to little kids. My 6 and 4 year old had great fun squeezing the jets guns together to activate the ‘Sonic Swirl’. My question is – what the hell is the sonic swirl supposed to be?! It makes some panels pop up off her wings and flip behind her to briefly twirl. But why? It can’t be propulsion, she is already a jet. As it’s sonic, maybe it causes some kind of noisy vortex behind her to deter pursuers or something? For me it just seems to be a bit of useless gimmickry that the toy could have done without. But yeah, I guess I’m not the key target demographic.

Ultra Class Slipstream, worth getting?

Hey – I look better than Starscream at least!

Depends. Aesthetically she is by far the biggest and best looking Slipstream figure we have ever had from any continuity. Articulation wise she isn’t much better than the KRE-O version. The vehicle mode looks great but has a couple of glaring issues. That combined with the very simplistic transformation (9 steps) means that your more serious Transformer fan will happily bypass her. But for young kids, Cyberverse fans or Slipstream & Seeker fanatics (which I am) she is worth shelling out some bucks for.

Got anything to add to the review? Pop it in the comments section below!

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Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review – WFC: Siege – Micromasters: Wave 1

January 4, 2019 Big Angry Trev 1 Comment

Back in the late 80’s the Transformers brand was starting to suffer. Something new had to be tried. So in direct reaction to the popularity of Micro Machines, the Transformers made Micromasters. These were actually pretty cool little toys! You could get them in packs of 4 or 6, some had bases, some could combine, and they were pretty cheap to get. I know for myself I collected most of the Decepticon ones to try and even out the amount of each faction I had as a kid, having to track down the Autobot ones as an adult. Micromasters got a brief revival in the Universe line in 2003, but didn’t grab the toy consumers imagination.

Here we are in 2019 and Micromasters are back! And the first wave of the War For Cybertron: Seige line is made up of 3 pairs, each pair making up half the members of their original patrol team. So lets have a look at some classic G1 characters, most we haven’t seen in 30 years!

BATTLE PATROL

Flak & Topshot

Robot Modes

Flak is so unchanged from his G1 incarnation that I had to look twice to make sure it was a new figure. Topshot (formerly Big Shot) also represents his G1 heritage well. Both have far more detail in their faces and their bodies overall. Both have knees but no elbows or head swivel.

Vehicle Modes

Once again Flak looks very much like he did in G1, though with some cooler details on his missile ports. Topshot has lost a bit of length from his turret (maybe that’s why he had to change his name) but this is made up for by being able to swivel the gun up and from side to side with a great degree of control than the G1 toy allowed. Both get top marks!

Weapon Mode

Topshot becomes the back half with his turret becoming the gun peg, with Flak making up the front to become an oversized missile gun. Looks a bit odd being held by a Deluxe Sized figure, but would suit a Voyager sized bot well.

AIR STRIKE PATROL

Visper & Storm Cloud

Robot Modes

Visper (formerly Whisper) has a nice amount of detail and looks quite good. Storm Cloud is odd as in he is the only figure out of this entire wave of Micromasters that has elbows, yet at the same time he lacks hands. An odd trade off. Besides this Storm Cloud does however look good otherwise.

Vehicle Modes

Both Visper and Storm Cloud are both very faithful to their G1 origins, while adding a bit of extra detail to their jet forms that one would expect after a 30 year hiatus.

Weapon Mode

Quite a decent looking sword, nicely balanced and well proportioned. Yes Visper is still obviously completely in jet mode but Armada’s the Star Sabre set the precedent for that. Very cool!

RACE CAR PATROL

Roadhandler & Swindler

Robot Modes

Swindler had shoulders that put Ultra Magnus to shame, and its hard with the lack of elbows to position his arms anywhere but down that doesn’t cause him to fall over. Roadhandler looks quite decent. Both suffer from having massive holes in their chests which are required for the weapon mode.

Vehicle Mode

Swindler still resembles a Delorian, which is great for us of the generation that grew up on Back to the Future movies. Once again, Roadhandler looks decent as well.

Weapon Mode

Pretty weak. You simply fold over the back of the car and insert the other car on top to make a weapon that sorta resembles the Double Targetmaster ones from G1. The only slightly redeeming feature is that they are the only pair that can swap spots, so either character can become the top or bottom half.

Worth Getting?

Yup! A cheap price point, an outing for G1 characters we haven’t seen in 30 years, very faithful to their origins and now with combined weapon modes. There are a few drawbacks sure: little articulation, the legs come off really easily on all figures and whilst you can combine the different teams bots to make new weapons, only a few of them look decent and are better off with their original partner. However these are small quibbles. I heartily recommend picking these guys up and really hope that the other halves of their teams get released in the future.

Got something to say about these little figures? Pop it in the comments section below!

Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – Cyberverse: Acid Storm

January 1, 2019 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The relatively short first season of the Cyberverse cartoon has come to an end, but new toys are still turning up on the shelves. I must admit I am eschewing most of them but when I saw Acid Storm in a local store I couldn’t help but pick him (or is it her?) up. So let’s have a look at the characters first foray outside of the Generation One universe with Cyberverse Warrior Class Acid Storm.

Robot Mode

The wing shape over the shoulders is reminiscent of the characters Thrilling 30 toy. And the colour scheme? Well the colour scheme is very G1 reminiscent, ya gotta give it that. We are talking green here. I mean, really green. Besides some grey on the torso & thighs and a yellow cockpit there is very little to break up the overpowering green to be found here. This may be case of where being a G1 homage might be taken a little too far.

Toxic Slice

The gimmick here in robot mode is to swivel the entire upper body around a couple of times and let it go, making it spin and the coloured end sections of the wings spread out. It doesn’t work, which is to say it works too well. Acid Storm spins so fast it’s just a blur and you can hardly make out the wing segments at all.

Jet Mode

Pretty stock standard with little to recommend it above the litany of other TF jets out there. The backs of the legs are visible from above and the annoying thing is you can’t take out Acid Storm’s landing gear without having to reverse the transformation somewhat. A bit of a let down overall.

Is He a She or She a He?

There is a bit of confusion over the gender of Acid Storm. In the cartoon Acid Storm’s first appearance on Cybertron portrays the character as male. Yet on Earth the character is definitely portrayed as female and appears in multiple episodes as such. Yet when one looks at the toy, the toys box art and the official Cyberverse website Acid Storm is once again male. Therefore we are forced to conclude that the character was intended to be male, but the writers at some point after the initial Cyberverse episodes arbitrarily changed the gender.

Worth Buying?

To be honest, not really. The transformation is uninspired as is the jet mode and colour scheme and the whole toy feels cheaply made. The Toxic Slice gimmick is also a joke. However it isn’t a completely horrible figure and it’s nice to see Acid Storm finally get an outing in a non-G1 toy line. So if like me you are a Seeker enthusiast, you may wish to pick this guy (or perhaps gal) up.

Got something to say about this figure? Pop it in the comments section below!

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Toy Review – POTP Punch/Counterpunch

October 11, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The original G1 Punch/Counterpunch was a very cool toy with a very cool concept! Whereas all Triple-Changers in the past had two vehicle modes this toy had two robot modes. He was an Autobot that could not only turn into a Pontiac Fiero , but also transform into a Decepticon in order to act as a spy! Despite his abysmal appearance in Season 4 of the cartoon, the toy was so cool that it proved extremely popular, and lead to Doubledealer expanding upon the concept the following year.

We have only had one new version of this character since then, the Timelines version that was released several years ago (I don’t count the subsequent Counterpunch based on a CW mold since he only had one robot mode). While that toy was good, it was let down primarily by a small and weird looking head and of course a very limited release. Fans have been awaiting a new toy that could do this unique character justice.

Well wait no more, for now we have the Amazon exclusive Power of the Primes Punch/Counterpunch. Let’s take a look and see if it was worth the wait.

Vehicle Mode

*Sexy… as long as my doors don’t pop off*

One of the appeals of Punch is he was one of the very few Transformers released in 1987 that had an Earth alt-mode (the others being the Throttlebots and new Decepticon Cassettes) when the line was moving heavily into Cybertronian and/or Creature modes. The vehicle mode has been faithfully redone here, down to the red hubcaps.

The arms/shoulder come misassembled which means that the arms don’t tab properly when you are folding the doors over to make his car mode. This is apparently easily repaired though I haven’t gotten around to it yet, I’ve found with sufficient (yet carefully applied) force that you can tab the doors properly, though they come back loose with the slightest knock. When I get around to making the repair I will post the method here, much like I did with the problem regarding Trypticons hip.

Punch Mode

*I’m a heroic Autobot – check out my orange chest!*

Excellent colours, well proportioned, good articulation, an orange gun – what more could one ask for! Well, perhaps some feet. But he balances quite well all the same and really puts the Timelines version to shame. You can fold down a tab on his back to hide the Decepticon symbol located there.

Counterpunch

*I’m an evil Decepticon – check out my purple kneepads!*

Like the original toy, you turn this figure around, adjust the set of the shoulders, flip the helmet and viola – instant Decepticon! Like his Autobot version you can flip a tab on his back to hide the other factions symbol and he also lacks feet. Additionally what he lacks is a blaster of his own. In my opinion it helped differentiate the two robot modes with the original toy by each having its own gun. Since Counterpunch looks weird holding Punch’s gun, I give him the otherwise useless combiner appendage (since this toy does NOT combine) as a sort of black shield. Still on the whole he looks excellent, you can even flip the hands around so they are different colours!

Prima Prime

*I am the leader of the Original 13 Primes! Check out the power contained in my tiny, tiny body!*

You can turn him into a box and stick him in the shield – that’s all I can say about this figure, except perhaps he has some cool pipelighting from the back the other POTP Primes lack. But I don’t like the concept as a whole and find them mostly useless little figures just waiting to get lost – give us some proper figures of the Original 13 more than just the likes of Alpha Trion and Megatronus.

So is this figure worth getting?

As long as you can afford the bigger (but not gigantic) price tag I’d say definitely yes, especially if you are a G1 fan! 3 great modes, a few accessories and a cool collectors box – he is good quality and a lot of fun! Now we can simply hope this toy prompts the character appearance in the upcoming IDW reboot of the Transformers universe.

Got anything to say about this figure? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

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Toys Review – Cyberverse: Grimlock & Shockwave

September 3, 2018 Big Angry Trev 1 Comment

With RID disappearing into the sunset, leaving most fans with a ‘yeah, it was alright I guess’ taste in their mouths, many have been anticipating the new Cyberverse cartoon and toyline. However if what one reads online is to be believed, fans are already being put off with what they perceive to be overly simplistic figures.

On Father’s Day I received two from the new line, and both characters I obsessively collect. So without further ado let’s take a look at Cyberverse: Warrior-Class Shockwave and Ultra-Class Grimlock.

Shockwave

Robot Mode

Though small in stature, Shockwave comes in a really vibrant purple with pink highlights via circuitry lines on the arms and the hexagon on his chest. He has shoulder, elbow and knee articulation though his head is immovable. His proportions are quite good and he has his signature blaster on his left arm.

I really like the head on this Shockwave. I think because you only see the bottom half of his eye so it makes him look far more angry than usual.

His ‘Wave Cannon’ weapon sits behind his right shoulder. Moving it up onto the shoulder makes the pink laser fire automatically pop out. Personally I prefer to leave it behind his shoulder but it adds a lot of play value for the kids.

Cybertronian Spider-Tank Mode

Really, this is the first alt-mode of this kind we have seen in a Transformers toy. There was Thunderhead from DOTM which had treads so perhaps this is the first walking spider-tank in the Transformers line *. That novelty value alone made me want to grab Shockwave. It looks odd but fairly good overall. Really they needed to find a way to shorten Shockwaves thighs so that the two back legs were the same length as the front, and have a bit more detail and variety in colour so it’s not one big block of purple. It’s nice to see that they have kept with the theme of Shockwave not having an Earth mode, and this makes a nice variation on the Cybertronian Tank form he has been rocking for the last few years (such as in Energon, Animated, Prime and DOTM). Since all 4 legs are able to be positioned in different ways, both on the horizontal and vertical axis, it means this toy is great to set up on battlescapes with uneven terrain.

*I have subsequently been reminded by Laine from Melbourne that in fact ‘Scrapmetal’ from the Cybertron series can be considered the first ‘walking spider-tank’. Thanks Laine! I actually own this toy so I feel particularly silly for forgetting this figure 😉

The laser turret on top of the tank can once again activate his ‘Wave Cannon’ for pink laser fire but only one pops out. There is an Ultra-Class version of this character coming out in subsequent waves where the laser turret resembles his Prime incarnation more.

Grimlock

Robot Mode

It is a big bulky and solid looking Grimlock. Despite being depicted in the shots of the cartoon as having a mouth (like in RID) they have given Grimlock back his faceplate and overall a much more G1 head than the ‘teddy-bear’ look he was rocking in Robots in Disguise, which I was not a fan of. He is well proportioned and has a very G1/Evergreen colour scheme. This figure has minimal articulation, his shoulders and elbows both have a small amount of movement but he has no knee or head articulation whatsoever. The front half of his Dino-mode folds down the back of him and goes all the way down to his knees; the figure could have benefitted from this folding in half so that it formed a backpack, but I guess that was not possible due to the figure having to accommodate the ‘Rocket Roar’ feature that the robot mode doesn’t use. I quite like Grimlock having missile pods on each shoulder, it’s something new for the character and makes up to a small extent him not having any other weapon such as his signature Energon-Sword.

Cybertronian T-Rex Mode

*Look at my raised eyes, scientists must have put frog DNA in me*

It’s an interesting look, very distinctive with the raised eye sockets and the way it leans forward is quite indicative of the Animated version. The spikes on his back, forehead and tail are quite interesting too. A black tail instead of the usual gold but it still sorta works.

By pressing down on one of his back nodules (the foot from his robot mode) you activate the ‘Rocket Roar’ feature which not only shoots ‘fire’ out his mouth but also causes it to flare up from his back. It looks pretty cool and it will be interesting to see if this happens in the upcoming cartoon as I think it would look quite boss for his back to be spouting fire as he breathes it at Cons. My only gripe is you have to lean Grimlock even further forward in order to get the nub that activates the switch to be in the right position, meaning Grimlock has to be virtually horizontal for this to work.

Transformations

Both this figures are very easy to Transform, in particular Shockwave whom my 5-year old can do with his eyes closed. Didn’t take too long for him to figure out Grimlock either. Not much challenge for the adult collector but then that’s not who these toys are aimed at.

Overall

Look, I have to put my hand up to say that I’ve been feeling fairly negative about this new line from all the images I’ve been seeing online. But now having two in my hands I gotta say they are a lot of fun! I received these two for Father’s Day and I think my son played with them more than me and he had an absolute blast! I think given the relative simplicity of these figures that their price tags are a tad steep and feel that set at about 2/3rds their current cost would be more appropriate. However that said, if you are a fan of these two characters or you have kids that are really into Transformers they are both worth picking up.

Got anything to say about these toys? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

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Toys Review – POTP Optimal & Unicronus

July 2, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The Power of the Primes toyline continues at a good pace, and just in time for some midyear toy sales, the next two leader class figures – both sporting the evolve gimmick – have hit the shelves. The first of these is a brand new mould and likely to excite those who are Beast Wars fans – Optimal Optimus! The second is a recolour (albiet a very cool one!) of a previous figure and a brand new (sorta) character – Rodimus Unicronus!

Optimus Primal

Robot Mode

Optimus Primal looks quite good here, reasonably faithful to how he looked on the cartoon, though minus the hair, and very well proportioned. He comes with two guns instead of his signature swords, and though that is unfortunate it is forgivable. His backpack is fairly visible, personally I fold the cockpit up when looking at him head on to minimize this. The red on the body, along with the Maximal sticker, give the figure that little bit of contrast in his colours which makes him pop more.

Hoverboard-Spaceship thing

Primal’s alt-mode, instead of being a gorilla, is the flying surfboard that was used by his second incarnation back in the Beast Wars cartoon. While personally I think this is a good way to incorporate all of the forms he had back in the day, purists will be annoyed at the lack of Beast Mode. Optimal Optimus can affix to the top fairly well without falling off.

Optimal Optimus

Robot Mode

The big fella! One of the biggest Beast Wars figures has been very well recreated here. The guns from the smaller figure can be combined into one large rifle, or else can affix to his chest to represent the weapons that the original had. Likewise the armour from his forearms can be removed and added to his shoulders to make him appear more like the original. The face sculpt is very good and, the colour scheme is well done and he has those gigantic orange signature hands. Overall pretty good.

Cyber-Gorilla Mode

Really just the robot mode but with shortened legs and a different head. Works well on the hoverboard but you would be hard pressed to call this a proper transformation. The hoverboard can transform into a gun-toting backpack for some variety.

Cyber-Jet Mode

*“I beat Victory Saber in the ‘weirdest spacecraft’ competition”*

This is pretty much the robot mode lying down with the hoverboard attached to the back to add a cockpit and guns. It’s not bad, but certainly not great, I haven’t been less impressed with a Transformers flying mode since RID Twinferno.

Nemesis Hot Rod

(Please note: As I have already reviewed POTP Rodimus Prime, I will be giving an abridged review of this figure. For a more comprehensive review of this toy mould, please check out my review of Rodimus HERE)

Robot Mode

Geez the colour works well here! I was that in love with the Unicronus mode that I didn’t think I’d pay much attention to how Hot Rod would look, but one look at that face changed my mind completely – almost makes me wish I had the cash to buy a second so I could have both the robot modes on display!

Sports Car Mode

Really sexy! Got that evil-mirrorverse motif down-pat! Looks exactly like a macabre version of Hot Rod should look!

Rodimus Unicronus

Robot Mode

*“You can tell I’m the evil twin because I have a beard”*

Oh he is just cool! I’m absolutely loving the beard! You just see him and Motormaster arm-wrestling while they pound some Energon-brews in some dingy cyber-pub somewhere! Big, black, bulky – just great!

Cybertronian Winnebago Mode

*What Hells Angels go touring in when they retire*

Probably the least impressive of all the modes for this toy. It has the faults that Rodimus Prime has, but a lot of the cool little details are hard to see because there is too much black in the paintjob.

Overall

I can’t say I’m hugely overwhelmed by Optimal Optimus, however my son, who is vaguely aware of the existence of Beast Wars at best, can’t stop playing with him so that’s a big tick. And personally I am loving Nemesis Hot Rod/Rodimus Unicronus and plan on picking a second one up if they ever become super cheap. Both would do well to find a place in your collection.

Got anything to add to the above review? Write it in the comments section below!

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Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review: POTP Terrorcons – First Lot

June 14, 2018 Big Angry Trev 2 Comments

During the Combiner Wars toyline, many G1 fans were screaming for the line to be widened to include the creature themed gestalt groups. Well with Predaking on the way and the latest offerings available now, Power of the Primes has come through on this score. And in Wave 2 of POTP we get to see a group that was last featured in the Predacons Rising line – the Terrorcons*

(Note: There were already zombie robots called Terrocons in that line so the actual Terrorcons were referred to as ‘Predacons’ – confusing eh!)

Today we will be looking at the two first Terrorcons to be released – Rippersnapper and the Terrorcon Leader – Hun-Gurrr.

Rippersnapper

Robot Mode

*“With this face and shoulder guns I’m sure to come first in the ‘Crankcase Lookalike Competition’!”*

The colours are quite strong here and I like the fact that he can either have his guns mounted on his back or hold them as hand weapons. Besides that there is nothing really inspiring about the figure, since he is yet another retool of the much used CW limb mould so looks very much like every other bot. You can place his shield on his chest, but frankly that looks stupid.

Land-Shark-Monster Mode

*“Overbite and I go to support groups together”*

A very nice update of what was a weird toy back in G1 and never made much sense. I really like the silver on his teeth that makes them stand out. His legs are moveable and do provide some poseability . As long as not looked at directly from the back, his shield actually adds some colour and bulk that works for him with the guns attached. I have no idea why his teeny bio on the back of the card refers to him as a ‘Ground Attack Specialist’ since he is supposed to be mainly a shark, albeit a bipedal one.

Hun-Gurrr

Robot Mode

*“If being a Terrorcon doesn’t work out, I’m going to become a ballerina”*

Like the G1 toy, the robot mode suffers from being a bit bland without a great deal to recommend it. Don’t get me wrong, the proportions are fine and the colour scheme is, well, G1 accurate, but he just isn’t very striking. The arms are a bit bulky but not overly so and can have Abominus’ feet attached to them to provide arm cannons. Legs, arms and head can all be moved about with ease to put him in a variety of poses on his rather comically dainty feet.

Two-Headed Dragon Mode

Wow – this is where he shines! It’s like he magically bulks up, looks like he could almost be Leader-Class rather than Voyager-Class. His necks are HUGE but can be moved about to a variety of poses and given the joints just behind the heads and at the base of the necks Hun-Gurrr can be made to take on most any pose you like! There are only two things that detract from this mode: the chest armour for Abominus is on his undercarriage and given its strong pink colour is very visible from the sides. The other is that while his back legs are big and chunky, his forelegs are tiny! They really don’t look like they belong on the same creature. The Feet/Cannons can be put on his thighs for extra firepower and look ok but not fantastic there. Despite these few quibbles, I am extremely pleased with his beast mode in general.

Abominus

*“‘Told ya we shouldn’t have given the other three the evening off!”*

Sadly the pattern continues of them spreading Combiner Group characters over a couple of waves in order to keep you coming back to the toy isle in your local store, so so far I have only been able to make his head and arm. I’d say he is shaping up to look quite good when finished. I am extremely disappointed that the Takara Tomy versions of the Terrorcons are going to be identical to the Hasbro versions (much like Trypticon was). Part of the appeal of the Unite Warriors line was it was in many ways subtly different to Combiner Wars so you didn’t feel ripped off buying a second lot in order to have both the Gestalt and the Individual Bots for your display. One can only hope a slightly altered gift set of all 5 characters comes out one day down the line.

Fake Rubsigns

I got such a delighted surprise when I looked upon the bonce of Rippersnapper to see a rubsign there! But very soon it became apparent it wasn’t real. I call this a tease rather than a nostalgic nod to the Cons of yesteryear.

Overall

While the robot modes are not particularly inspiring, I really dig their monster modes and if you are a G1 fanatic then it will be hard to bypass these two characters, certainly worth picking up!

Got anything to add? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

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Toys Review – LG61 Decepticon Clones: Pounce & Wingspan

April 10, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The short-lived Season 4 of the US Transformers cartoon introduced (or perhaps jammed in is a more accurate term) a slew of new characters in its 3 episodes. Notably very few of these characters had Earth modes and most of the new Decepticons were weird space animals, showing the direction the brand was heading in. Also new concepts were introduced in these episodes such as Clones.

Two of these characters were the Decepticon Clones Pounce and Wingspan, two of the few Western on-screen G1 toys I have yet to obtain. These characters got a far greater outing in the Japanese cartoon and it’s from Japan that I have obtained the new toy versions of them. So let’s have a look at the LG61 Clones – Pounce and Wingspan.

Pounce – Robot Mode

Now this is what a Clone should look like – not a hint of kibble anywhere to hint at what his alt-mode is (besides the big sticker which we will address later). Nicely proportioned, good colour scheme – quite nice really. Shame he has no guns.

Pounce – Puma Mode

Like many Transformers with a quadruped alt-mode, Pounce suffers from having oversized upper hind legs. Don’t know why this is – you can trace it all the way back to the G1 Predacons. Due to his arms adding a lot of bulk on the underside of his animal mode, he does not look particularly streamlined. I think his legs on the whole are an improvement on the sticks the G1 toy had though. His colour scheme is based on his Headmasters appearance rather than his G1S4 appearance, personally I think the Hasbro colour scheme is a bit better than this.

Wingspan – Robot Mode

The only kibble in evidence here is his alt-modes wings on the sides of his calves. However they are very thin and sit snug against the body so at least the kibble is very minimal. Like Pounce he looks pretty good as a robot overall.

Wingspan – Hawk Mode

There is a good wingspan on the hawk mode, which I guess one would expect considering his name, and the darker purple on them works well. The claws underneath have got decent detail and make it easy for him to balance, even if not very far off the ground.

The Clone Concept

One of the things that irritated me with the LG58 Autobot Clones was that with all the extra kibble that Fastlane was sporting they looked too dissimilar. The Decepticon Clones have done much better here, with only a tiny amount of kibble visible on Wingspan’s legs which you can ignore pretty easily if you try. However like the Autobot Clones, these two sport big stickers which show what their alt-modes are, kinda defeating the purpose of ‘the enemy doesn’t know which is which’ concept. The rubsigns on the original G1 toys was much better.

Overall

I am far more impressed with these two than I am their Autobot counterparts. They are good representations of the original characters and whilst I think Pounce’s Puma mode could have been better, it’s still an improvement on the original. These two will make fine additions to your Generations/Legends collection.

Got anything to add? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

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Transformatorium

Alien Robot to be Barnaby Joyce’s new assistant

March 9, 2018 Big Angry Trev 1 Comment

In the wake of the public scandal where former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce lost his position due to having an extra-marital affair with a member of his staff whom fell pregnant, new rules have been introduced into parliament to prevent further indiscretions between Members of Parliament and their employees.

However it appears Mr Joyce has already found a way to circumvent these new rules with the hiring of his new primary aide. Whilst this aide, named Alice, may appear to be a very attractive woman on the outside, she is actually an extra-terrestrial robotic assassin who starred in the 2009 Transformers film Revenge of the Fallen.

Apparently since she is not human but a Decepticon, Alice will not fall under the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct.

“Since she is technically a robot, we are classifying her as a fax machine” said a spokesman in Barnaby’s office.

Given Alice’s less than human nature, will this make it easier for Mr. Joyce resist temptation?

“Well it doesn’t matter if he resists or not, it doesn’t break the new Parliamentary Code of Conduct”. said another member of Barnaby’s staff “However I noticed a difference in his breath. It smelt like diesel – like a diesel-y tinge to it”

Many on Barnaby’s staff seem to think Alice should acclimatize well to her new role. The Decepticon in question is a type of Transformer classified as a ‘Pretender’, due to being disguised as a humanoid rather than a car or truck. Given Mr Joyce is an accomplished pretender himself, as demonstrated from his consistent preaching about the sanctity of marriage during the gay marriage debate, it is believed they will be a good fit for each other.

However despite this effort from the former Deputy PM to avoid further scandal, rumours have begun to circulate that Barnaby and his ‘fax machine’ could already be expecting an alien-hybrid offspring.

“The protoform might not even be mine but I’ll be sticking by her. Anyway, it’s nobody’s business, it’s a private matter and that’s an end to it” said Mr Joyce.

“I’ll be holding a press conference to discuss it in full detail tomorrow”

When approached for comment, Alice attempted to lick reporters from across the room before converting her arm into a plasma cannon and blowing a hole in the wall, escaping into the night.

More details as they develop.

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Transformer Toy Reviews, Uncategorised

Toys Review: LG55 Slugslinger & LG58 Autobot Clones

February 2, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The short-lived Season 4 of the US Transformers cartoon introduced (or perhaps jammed in is a more accurate term) a slew of new characters in its 3 episodes. Notably very few of these characters had Earth modes, showing the direction the brand was heading in. Also new concepts were introduced in these episodes such as Targetmasters and Clones.

Three (or should I say four) of these characters were the Autobot Clones Fastlane and Cloudraker and the Decepticon Targetmaster Slugslinger with his diminutive partner Caliburst. Lucky for these characters, the G1 cartoon continuity in Japan continued with the series Headmasters, in which these guys got a far greater outing.

As the characters were more prominent in Japan, I decided to get the Legends versions of all these guys, so today we will be looking at LG55 Slugslinger with Caluburst and LG58 Autobot Clones Fastlane & Cloudraker.

Slugslinger

Robot Mode

As can be expected with most Takara Tomy versions of Hasbro figures, Slugslinger comes with a rich vibrant painjob that looks fantastic. They really have done a marvellous job of making Slugslinger very G1 comic/cartoon accurate, right down to the shape of the legs, the chest adornments and the dual cockpits sticking up over his shoulders. The Headmaster figure looks great with a smooth rounded forehead, settting it apart from most ‘blockheads’.

Cybertronian Dual-Cockpit Fighter Jet Mode

*‘Didn’t Starscream blow me up in Season 2?’*

As Sluslinger transformers into dual-cockpit jet he does not even try to conform to earth standards. Once again, a great job of replicating (and dare I say improving) on the original toy design and concept. His Headmaster fits snugly and easily into the cockpit (a bit odd he already had two and they had to put in a 3rd) and Caliburst can be put under either wing. However I find that makes the alt-mode look off balance so I tend to place him on top of the jet like the G1 cartoon and toy.

Caliburst

Robot Mode

*“Go on, spend the extra money – you know you want me!”*

Wow – this little guy really makes me wish I had shelled out the extra money to get the Tak/Tom versions of the other TR Targemaster characters. Well proportioned, nicely coloured and lots of detail in the little face – very good!

Gun Mode

It’s a cool looking gun and is well scaled to Slugslinger in robot mode. However I would say that with the flats of the robots feet joining up at the front makes the gun look like it would be a major airflow impediment when attached to Slugslingers jet mode, creating a lot of drag.

The Clones

Cloudraker

Robot Mode

Looks exactly like the G1 version, though the JP G1 rather than the US G1 due to the more pinkish body. In my opinion he is how the clones should look, as in no hint of alt-mode so you can’t tell what they are going to turn into (except for that damn big sticker on the chest of course).

Cybertronian Space Jet Mode

Much more compact than the original toy, which I was quite the fan of. He actually looks like he was designed for space which works well for him, though I do miss the yellow on the nosecone and longer black wings of the G1 figure.

Fastlane

Robot Mode

Though I loved the original toys when I had them as a kid, one thing that bugged me was that you could always tell Fastlane was the ground vehicle clone because of the wheels and spoiler obvious over his shoulderblades. Not only have they not rectified this but have made it worse with wheels visible on the legs as well.

Cybertronian Dragster Mode

*No awards for the ‘best alt mode’ here*

I think the front wheels on the side are an improvement rather than the old single one underneath. Something I felt that the G1 toy could have benefitted from was some colour to show the grill and headlight details on the front of the vehicle that were made up of the tips of the robot modes feet. Those details aren’t even present here which was a letdown. With wheels on the side he looks a bit better than the G1 toy but it’s still a pretty weak vehicle mode.

Cloudraker and Fastlane – The Clone Concept

*‘One of these kids is not like the other’*

As mentioned Fastlane’s obvious kibble really detracts from the ‘you can’t tell which clone is which’ concept. When I saw their little jet and car symbols on their chests I thought ‘Oh cool! Rubsigns!’, figuring that since it was a hot day they must already be heated. Imagine my disappointment when I found they were just stickers, which means you can permanently tell one from the other.

The other disappointment here is that neither bot comes with his dual hand weapons. Given the cost of the figures, I think it’s a bit lousy for them to not come with their guns, especially since they could be used in either mode by the original figures.

Overall

Slugslinger is fantastic and as stated, really makes me wish I’d gone the Tak/Tom route with his compatriots. If you don’t have the Hasbro version go online and grab him – Caliburst makes it well worth the few extra bucks. As for the clones, I ordered these from Japan since the Hasbro versions of both clones were only available at US stores and I live in Australia. Cloudraker is OK but Fastlane is fairly weak, so unless you are like me and want every Classicsverse version of every G1 character you can get, these two are an easy pass.

Got anything to add to this review? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

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