Tag Archives: Dinobot

My Transformer Collection Showcase, Transformatorium

Transformers Collection – Generations & Fall of Cybertron

November 18, 2024 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

And thus the great cataloguing of my collection continues.

Generations is now used as a general umberella term for the majority of Transformers toylines that aren’t specifically based on a movie or cartoon, despite those toylines having their own names such as Power of the Primes or Legacy. However back in 2010 & 2011 the term first originated with its own Generations toyline. The toyline continued what many lines by this stage, such as Classics and Universe had done before, give fans new takes on classic characters, primarily from G1. It’s international offshoot GDO, had more characters based on G1, however for some reused moulds from the Movieverse line. Generations also introduced action figures based directly on the video game War for Cybertron.

In 2013 & 2014 it received it’s sequel toyline, Generations: Fall of Cybertron. This line consisted exclusively of figures based around the Fall of Cybertron video game, including many characters who did not appear in game but were designed in a similar style. FOC was supposed to fall into the ‘Aligned’ continuity, but given how G1 the characters were, most consider it much more of the G1 universe than that of Prime.

My Transformers Generations Collection

Transformers Generations Autobots

*Item #GENA001: Transformers Generations Autobot Red Alert

*Item #GENA002: Transformers Generations Autobot Blurr

*Item #GENA003: Transformers Generations Autobot Sergeant Kup

*Item #GENA004: Transformers Generations Autobot Wheeljack

*Item #GENA005: Transformers Generations Autobot Warpath

*Item #GENA006: Transformers Generations Junkion Junkheap

*Item #GENA007: Transformers Generations Autobot Drift

*Item #GENA008: Transformers GDO Protectobot Hot Spot

*Item #GENA009: Transformers GDO Autobot Swerve (MOSC)

*Item #GENA010: Transformers GDO Autobot Bluestreak

*Item #GENA011: Transformers GDO Autobot Hoist

*Item #GENA012: Transformers WFC Autobot Cliffjumper

*Item #GENA013: Transformers WFC Autobot Optimus Prime

*Item #GENA014: Transformers WFC Autobot Bumblebee

Transformers Generations Decepticons

*Item #GEND001: Transformers Generations Decepticon Skullgrin

*Item #GEND002: Transformers Generations Decepticon Darkmount

*Item #GEND003: Transformers Generations Decepticon Thunderwing

*Item #GEND004: Transformers Generations Decepticon Scourge

*Item #GEND005: Transformers Generations Decepticon Skyshadow

*Item #GEND006: Transformers Generations Decepticon Seeker Thundercracker

*Item #GEND007: Transformers Generations Decepticon Seeker Thrust

*Item #GEND008: Transformers Generations Decepticon Seeker Dirge

*Item #GEND009: Transformers Gentei! Gentei! Decepticon Seeker Dirge

*Item #GEND010: Transformers GDO Decepticon Powerdive

*Item #GEND011: Transformers GDO Stunticon Motorbreath

*Item #GEND012: Transformers GDO Decepticon Seeker Thundercracker

*Item #GEND013: Transformers WFC Decepticon Megatron

*Item #GEND014: Transformers WFC Decepticon Soundwave

My Transformers Generarations: Fall of Cybertron Figures

Fall of Cybertron Autobots

*Item #GFOCA001: Transformers FOC Autobot Ultra Magnus

*Item #GFOCA002: Transformers FOC Autobot Optimus Prime

*Item #GFOCA003: Transformers FOC Dinobot Grimlock

*Item #GFOCA004: Transformers FOC Autobot Blaster

*Item #GFOCA005: Transformers FOC Autobot Steeljaw

*Item #GFOCA006: Transformers FOC Autobot Eject

*Item #GFOCA007: Transformers FOC Autobot Rewind

*Item #GFOCA008: Transformers FOC Autobot Ramhorn

*Item #GFOCA009: Transformers FOC Autobot Sunder

*Item #GFOCA010: Transformers FOC Autobot Sideswipe

*Item #GFOCA011: Transformers FOC Autobot Jazz

*Item #GFOCA012: Transformers FOC Aerielbot Air Raid

*Item #GFOCA013: Transformers FOC Wrecker Impactor

Fall of Cybertron Decepticons

*Item #GFOCD001: Transformers FOC Decepticon Seeker Starscream

*Item #GFOCD002: Transformers FOC Insecticon Kickback

*Item #GFOCD003: Transformers FOC Decepticon Shockwave

*Item #GFOCD004: Transformers FOC Decepticon Soundwave

*Item #GFOCD005: Transformers FOC Decepticon Soundblaster

*Item #GFOCD006: Transformers FOC Decepticon Rumble

*Item #GFOCD007: Transformers FOC Decepticon Frenzy

*Item #GFOCD008: Transformers FOC Decepticon Ravage

*Item #GFOCD009: Transformers FOC Decepticon Ratbat

*Item #GFOCD010: Transformers FOC Decepticon Buzzsaw

*Item #GFOCD011: Transformers FOC Decepticon Laserbeak

*Item #GFOCD012: Transformers FOC Combaticon Onslaught

*Item #GFOCD013: Transformers FOC Combaticon Vortex

*Item #GFOCD014: Transformers FOC Combaticon Swindle

*Item #GFOCD015: Transformers FOC Combaticon Brawl

*Item #GFOCD016: Transformers Generations FOC Decepticon Combaticon Blast Off (MOSC)

Fall of Cybertron Exclusive G2 Bruticus Set (MISB)

Containing:

*Item #GFOCD017: Transformers FOC G2 Combaticon Onslaught

*Item #GFOCD018: Transformers FOC G2 Combaticon Blast Off

*Item #GFOCD019: Transformers FOC G2 Combaticon Vortex

*Item #GFOCD020: Transformers FOC G2 Combaticon Swindle

*Item #GFOCD021: Transformers FOC G2 Combaticon Brawl

Total Count: 62

My Transformer Collection Showcase, Transformatorium

Transformers Collection – Generation 2

September 5, 2022 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

And so the great cataloging for my personal and ever expanding Transformers Collection continues!

After the cataloging of my hundreds of G1 toys, next it is my rather dimunitive Generation 2 collection. Enjoy!

(Note: All figures in photographs listed from Top Left to Bottom Right)

Transformers G2 Autobot Collection

*Item #AG20001: Transformers G2 Autobot Bumblebee

*Item #AG20002: Transformers G2 Autobot Beachcomber

*Item #AG20003: Transformers G2 Autobot Bumblebee (vehicle mode)

(Reference: Photo #P00134)

*Item #AG20004: Transformers G2 Aquaspeeder Speedstream

(Reference: Photo #P00135)

*Item #AG20005: Transformers G2 Dinobot Slag

(Reference: Photo #P00136)

*Item #AG20006: Transformers G2 Autobot Optimus Prime

(Reference: Photo #P00137)

Transformers G2 Decepticon Collection

*Item #DG20007: Transformers G2 Stormtrooper Drench

(Reference: Photo #P00138)

*Item #DG20008: Transformers G2 Skyscorcher Hawk

(Reference: Photo #P00139)

*Item #DG20009: Transformers G2 Decepticon Autoroller Dirtbag

(Reference: Photo #P00140)

-Generation 2 Bruticus, consisting of:

*Item #DG20010: Transformers G2 Combaticon Onslaught

(torso)

*Item #DG20011: Transformers G2 Combaticon Swindle

(right leg)

*Item #DG20012: Transformers G2 Combaticon Brawl

(left leg)

*Item #DG20013: Transformers G2 Combaticon Vortex

(left arm)

*Item #DG20014: Transformers G2 Combaticon Blast Off

(right arm)

(Reference: Photo #P00141)

*Item #DG20015: Transformers G2 Decepticon ATB Dreadwing

*Item #DG20016: Transformers G2 Decepticon ATB Smokescreen

(Reference: Photo #P00142)

*Item #DG20017: Transformers G2 Obliterator Clench

(Reference: Photo #P00143)

*Item #DG20018: Transformers G2 Decepticon Megatron

(Reference: Photo #P00144)

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review – Cyberverse Dinobots

November 7, 2021 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

Just when everyone thought that Cyberverse was over, it’s managed to get in one last gasp of life. Dinobots Unite has just aired on Youtube – a special where Grimlock finally gets all of his Dino-buddies together – both on screen and in their combined mode – Volcanicus.

As such it means new toys to go with the associated media, and who doesn’t love getting more Dinobots eh? So I was very keen to pick up Swoop (with Bumblebee), Warrior-Class Snarl and Ultra-Class Sludge.

Snarl

Robot Mode

Without the large majestic split tail adorning his shoulders, which made the G1 Snarl my favourite Dinobot to have in robot mode, he very much resembles his G1 Action Master counterpart. Whilst this takes away from some of the majesty of his appearance, he still looks pretty good for a Warrior-class figure with decent proportions and a G1-inspired colour scheme. His head looks great and I’m a real fan of the spikes on his chest and legs. He has decent articulation with movement in the knees, hips, elbows and shoulders.

Like all Warrior-Class figures, Snarl comes with an attack gimmick – in this case a Power Slash. This is achieved by taking the detached… er…. Stegosaurus arse and putting it on a peg on Snarls back. By manipulation of this peg it can make Snarl’s sword arm swing.

Cybertronian Stegosaurus Mode

Looks really good with the yellow backplates and head, making him look more like the G1 cartoon than the G1 toy. Personally I would have liked to see less yellow on his flank but it is forgivable. He has limited movement in his legs and sadly none in his neck, tail and jaw.

A downside to Snarl is that the designers have taken a big shortcut by making the tail and arse of his dinosaur mode detachable where it serves little purpose other than peg manipulation for the robot’s gimmick, so there is no real sense of accomplishment when you convert him to dinosaur mode. However as an interesting side note, the dinosaurs head comes together in a way which is reminiscent of the Age of Extinction Snarl toy.

Sludge

Robot Mode

Very faithful to his G1 counterparts design as Cyberverse is want to do. His large shoulder fins are now at waist height but swing out of the way to prevent major irritation. Like Snarl I am a fan of the new spikes they have attached to the upper body and it is overall a well proportioned figure. He has decent but limited articulation.

For Sludge’s battle mode his detached tail can become a spear for him to wield and he can deploy Energon Armour which takes the form of translucent blue armour that flips out of his back to cover his head and torso. An interesting choice to make the helmet armour an analogue of his Brontosaurus head which my son thought was very cool.

Cybertronian Brontosaurus Mode

I think making Sludge Ultra-class was a very good call in this case, as in comics Sludge is often portrayed much bigger than the other Dinobots when transformed, and by giving him a bigger class size this works well with the likes of Cyberverse Grimlock and Snarl for scale. Like Snarl he has limited movement in his legs but at least comes with a jaw that can open and close. Whereas Snarl has a bit more colour in dinosaur mode than I’d care for, I think Sludge could have stood to have a bit more colour to break up the panels of grey. Overall however a very sweet looking dinosaur, made that bit more bad-ass by having big spikes coming out of the tops of his legs.

Swoop

Robot Mode

Very nicely coloured and proportioned, Swoop resembles his(her) G1 cartoon incarnation rather than the toy. The tail of the Pteradon mode becomes a weapon. Swoops arms wont bend forward which is a major disappointment and a detraction from the figure, making decent posing all but impossible.

Pteradon Mode

The Pteradon mode comes with a big black spot on its head for some reason which you take to be a cockpit until you see the eyes on the side of the head. It’s not a bad looking figure with a decent wingspan but has no articulation to speak of.

Bumblebee & Bumbleswoop

Swoop and Bumblebee can combine together to become Bumbleswoop, in much the same way some figures did in the RID(15) toyline. It looks OK and actually has better articulation that its separated characters (Bumblee is actually even worse than Swoop is!), though for me personally its not my kind of combiner at all.

Transformations

Snarl & Sludge: Given these toys are A: from Cyberverse and B: Warrior and Ultra classes, their transformations are exceedingly simple so easy for young kids to get the hang of and my son did both without any instructions. Like said previously, the detachable backside of Snarl is somewhat of a disappointment. Also both toys are stand alone, so neither are designed to combine into Volcanicus.

Swoop: Arrgh! Swoop transforms via a spring to his Bumbleswoop mode and then you need to reverse it to lock it in place for him to be in his normal modes. Guess what – after only two transformations the the arm clips came out on mine so he was permanently in Bumbeswoop mode! I was not impressed.

Thankfully fellow Transformer Fan Michael Vella was able to figure out what you have to do. There are two clips on each arm, one at the shoulder and one at the bicep. All you have to do is reattach the clips at the bicep and he is good to go again. However it’s pretty crap this is happening on so many of this figure. This earns Swoop Big Angry Trev’s trophy for shittest toy of the year! Haven’t seen one this bad since Rescuebots Quickshadow.

Worth Getting?

Whilst neither Sludge not Snarl’s figures fall into the ‘cheap’ category, they aren’t overly expensive either and I felt I got my money’s worth for both my purchases. Like most Cyberverse characters and toys they are very heavily influenced by Generation 1 and both manage to adhere to this style extremely well. Recommended for younger fans, Cyberverse fans and, like me, Dinobot fans everywhere. Bumbleswoop – overpriced and the arms unclip too easily, I say avoid this pile of crap at all costs!

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

Related Articles:

Toys Review – Cyberverse: Grimlock & Shockwave

Toys Review: POTP Dinobots – Wave 1

Toy Review – Titan Changer Grimlock

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – Nemesis Grimlock

October 2, 2021 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

Don’t ya love it when you come across an incredibly cool action figure that you didn’t even know existed?

It’s such a good feeling for the avid collector, but an increasingly rare one. No longer do we only find out what Transformers are being released by perusing our local toy stores to see what’s on the shelf. No sir, we do most of our shopping online and are well aware what toys are in the works, usually a good year before they actually get released.

Well, a really cool figure got past me years ago that I didn’t even know existed until a few weeks ago when I was on a Japanese site, looking for a Wipe-Out to go with my TR Trypticon, and came across this gem by accident.

So let’s take a look – from the Movie Advanced line – at the dark, the dangerous, the friggin awesome – Nemesis Grimlock!

First off – why haven’t you heard of Nemesis Grimlock?

I asked around a lot of my TF buddies and, like me, they had never heard of this toy. And it’s easy to see why. This redeco of the AOE Voyager Class Grimlock toy was an exclusive figure you could only obtain by attending a Transformers Expo that ran for 8 days in Yokohama, Japan back in 2014. Thus if you don’t hail from Japan, this spot of news was easy to miss.

Robot Mode

Like all the other Nemesis characters (Prime, Hot Rod, Primal etc) Nemesis Grimlock has his colour scheme made up of blacks, purples and light blues. And damn does it work! So much cooler than the awful baby-poo brown and death-grey colour scheme of the original toy. For the first time I find myself really liking a Movieverse Grimlock in his robot mode.

He has decent articulation and is able to be posed fairly well. He scales quite well with other Nemesis characters and his weapon looks like it could deal a lot of damage. Overall fantastic!

Robo-Dinosaur Mode

To be honest I don’t think they’ve made a good looking Movieverse Grimlock toy outside of the Studio Series one. Every other one has got weird colour schemes and weirder features. Proportions wise Nemesis Grimlock has the same flaws as his regular AOE counterpart. But given that this is meant to be an evil version of Grimlock, the weird huge face and teeth with the psychotic eyes work for once – you could imagine that this is the criminally insane version of Grimlock that arose from the bowels of Unicron himself.

The hellishly insane version of Big Grim!

The club can be attached to the tail to make… err…. an extremely long tail, but is best left detached. Nemesis Grimlock comes with a jaw chomping gimmick, some articulation and scales OK with Nemesis Primal, if not the other Nemesis robots.

Transformation

Not particularly hard or fiddly – you’ll pick it up fairly quick.

Worth Getting?

A Nemesis Grimlock figure? Hells yes it is! I don’t care that it hails from the Movieverse continuity rather than the Generations line, it’s still a cool concept. Surprisingly this figure isn’t that hard to find online, probably because no one is actively searching for it, and isn’t ruinously expensive so if you fancy him you shouldn’t have too many headaches tracking one down.

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

Related Articles:

Toys Review: POTP Dinobots – Wave 1

Toy Review – Titan Changer Grimlock

Toys Review – Cyberverse: Grimlock & Shockwave

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – Titan Changer Grimlock

June 20, 2020 Big Angry Trev 5 Comments

The Authentics line is not the most beloved of Transformer toylines. People don’t rant online about their local store being out of stock or discuss on message boards how excited they are about a new figure coming up.

What the Authentics line is known for is being relatively cheap, usually G1 inspired and relatively easy to find. Most supermarkets will have a few Authentics toys in their tiny toy sections so if you live near a Coles or Woolworths chances are you can find one.

There have already been two Grimlocks in the Authentics line. If one were to use classifications from the Generations line you would say a ‘Scout’ class and a ‘Deluxe’ class. Both were OK looking, but of course not brilliant and made of extremely cheap materials. Hasbro has decided to continue with this theme but upscale it, so let’s have a look at the new Titan Changer class of Authentics toy with an all new Grimlock figure.

Robot Mode

Undoubtedly G1 inspired and with the simplicity of his look you could almost classify him as a representation of how he looked in the old G1 Marvel comics. Interestingly he has some shoulder mounted multi-missile launchers which are far more indicative of Cyberverse Grimlock toys. Perhaps this is to make up for the fact he has no other weapons and no accessories.

This figure has limited articulation, having some swivel at the hips and shoulders as well as being able to bend at the knees. No elbows however and no neck swivel.

The toy is extremely lanky, his overly long legs putting him on a height scale with many Generations Leader-Class figures. He is also extremely thin, and if you turn him around you will see there is almost literally nothing behind him.

Space Tyrannosaurus Mode

It’s…. OK. The back of the dinosaur mode is very boxy, almost the opposite of the overly elongated POTP Grimlock figure. The head is a lot flatter than your usual Grimlock toy. He has a small lever on the back of his head which allows you to open and shut the dinosaur jaws and is his only real gimmick. As the robots arms become the dinosaurs legs, the figure has no knee movement and his upper arms are locked in position.

Look, its not great OK. But we’ve had some pretty average looking dinosaur mode toys for Grimlock over the years so it’s not like this one is significantly worse than a lot of the others.

The Space T-Rex sniffs the air, trying to locate the scent of its next meal

Overall

I think my kids put it best when they were fiddling with this figure this morning: ‘This is a kids toy isn’t it Dad, cause’ it’s so light’. Firstly I love the fact they think most of my Transformers are intended for adults since its dad that gets them – bless their hearts! But it was a good analysis from them – this toy being such a big figure made out of such cheap plastic means that it is best suited for younger fans who want their own Grimlock toy to play with. Combine this with a simplistic transformation and relatively low price tag (mine cost $30[AU] from Aldi) and it means that while this is a Grimlock most collectors will happily skip, it may be a great gift for their offspring.

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

Related Articles:

POTP Dinobots: Wave 1

Cyberverse Grimlock and Shockwave

Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Rise of the Combiners Booster Packs. Review Part 1 – Transformers TCG

March 1, 2019 Big Angry Trev 1 Comment

Yes kids, the wait is over! For months now we have been seeing previews of both the new Hero Cards and Battle Cards for Wave 2 of Transformers: Trading Card Game, the wave entitled Rise of the Combiners. People have been anxiously awaiting to get thier hands on these cards to see if they are as good, or even better, than the excellent cards that were released in Wave 1 last year.

Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast have been kind enough to send me a box of the new Booster Packs from Wave 2, in order to review in much the same way I did the Metroplex Pack last year and the Dirge Reveal several weeks ago. Once again, it must be stated that I have not been paid to do this review nor have either company tried to dictate the contents of this blog. www.bigangrytrev.com would like to thank both Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast for the opportunity to examine these cards.

Rise of the Combiners Booster Packs Box Big Angry Trev — Oh the sweet anticipation of opening!

Now, as you may have noticed from the title of this blog post, this is Part 1 of a review of these booster packs. Why am I doing it over more than one post? Because in recieving a box of the Booster Packs, each box holding 30 packs which in turn contain at least 8 cards, it means I now have over 200 cards on my billiard table (er… I mean gaming table) with at least a hundred of them different! That’s a LOT of cards to look at and a pretty big undertaking! So in Part 1 we will be examining Drop Rates, new types of cards, Combiners and new Hero & Battle Cards. In Part 2 we will look at how they perform in gameplay.

The Packs Themselves

Each Pack contains 7 Battle Cards and 1 Hero Card or 1 Pair of Combiner Character Cards. We will look at the likelihood of doubles near the end of this review.

The Cards Themselves

Note: At the end of each discussion of the new cards I will be popping in their Drop Rate. This is to signify how many times I was able to find these cards from the 30 packs contained within a single box of Booster Packs.

Combiner Cards

Whereas Hero Cards have the robot on the front and the alt-mode on the back, Combiner Character Cards come in pairs. On one card you will find the robot mode and the other the alt-mode. On the back of the cards you will find artwork to join together to make the Combiner itself.

There are 5 different Combiners to make from the Booster Packs: Volcanicus, Optimus Maximus, Predaking, Superion and Menasor.

I was lucky enough to find from the one box all 5 sets of Character Cards in order to make Menasor. I look forward to bringing you a review of just how he goes in actual gameplay. I was also able to form what could be termed a Mini-Combiner:

First revealed exclusively by Ozformers, this pair of Decepticons – Dreadwind and Blackwing (formerly Darkwing) combine to form the Dreadwing Sky Destroyer Jet. This was a smart move on the part of the game makers, as it means you have a greater likelihood of making a Combiner sooner rather than later since he only needs two Character Card pairs instead of 5 or 6.

Drop Rate: Both the side of the box and the official website say the drop rate for Combiner Character Cards is about 50%. When opening multiple packs I was pleasantly surprised to find, for me at least, it surpassed that promise. Out of the 30 packs I opened, 20 of them had Combiner Character Cards. So rather than a drop rate of 50% it was a drop rate of 66%. That’s great considering most Combiners are made up of 5 or 6 different characters you have to collect.

Hero Cards

As well as the Combiner Cards, we have the same sort of Hero Cards that were released in Wave 1. There are quite a few new characters getting a showing, and many of the most famous characters, such as Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream, have been released again but with new artwork and stats

I got a mix of characters I had other versions of from Wave 1 along with a good dose of new guys. I was particularly pleased I was able to get Dirge since www.bigangrytrev.com was given the exlusive reveal of Dirge earlier in the year. Some Character Cards have their special abilities blank, such as Novastar and Ruckus. I have yet to figure out exactly why this is and how it will affect their gameplay value.

Drop Rate: Those packs that don’t come with a Combiner Character come with a regular Hero Card. I found the drop rate to be one in every 3 packs, which doesn’t sound great but actually is if you are after the Combiners specifically, which I believe most players will be actively seeking.

Drop rates for Ultra Rare cards are described as 50:1. You’ll note I got a King Starscream which is indeed Ultra Rare. So I got one at a ratio of 30:1 but its entirely possible I could buy 20 more packs without finding another.

Battle Cards

Before we had Battle Cards that came in a few different colours based on their ability to attack and defend, with some cards overlapping. Rise of the Combiners see’s some new categories introduced.

Star Battle Cards

This cards are definitely going to be a game changer! Big time! Got a team which only uses up 22 or 23 or the 25 Star allowance. Well now there are Battle Cards that have stars! That means you can put them in as part of your team. Valued at 1 Star apiece, these are perfect for rounding up your team. I can see Bolt of Lightning being very useful but it’s Vandalize, where you can scrap all enemy Weapons, Armour or Utilities, that blows me away! I can’t think of many instances where that wont be invaluable!

Drop Rate: There are 7 Star Battle Cards, in 30 packs I obtained 6 of them.

Enigma Cards

So you have all your characters needed to create a Combiner. But you need one more thing – an Enigma Card. There is an Enigma Card for each Combiner. Being Green (discussed shortly), these cards can be rescued from the discard pile which saves a lot of heartache. The Enigma Card is used to make your Combiner Character cards join together, even if some of those characters have been previously KO’ed.

Drop Rate: In 30 packs I was able to get all 5 Enigma’s as well as a couple of spares.

Team Specific Cards

There are specific cards that you can use with each team but no others. They can be placed on only one member of this team. I have yet to see if they can be retroactive – for instance I have a Dinobot Swoop card from Wave 1, but it does not make up the Volcanicus Team. Can I use my Electrified Spikes card on that old Swoop since he is a Dinobot and the card talks about Dinobots, not Volcanicus? Stay tuned for future reviews to find out!

Drop Rate: I was able to find cards for four of the five teams within 30 packs.

Green Battle Cards

If you get a Green Battle Card, it means that you are able to retrieve it from the discard pile. You can only do this with one card per turn. Whilst this sounds good but not game changing, it can be of extreme importance given what some of these cards (such as the Enigma’s) do.

Regular Battle Cards

We have a slew of new Battle Cards in already established catagories, so many it would take too long to list them all. Some of them we have already seen in exclusive reveals, such as those made by Lisamaree on the Life with SPROGS site, like Inferno Breath and Surprise Attack. I was a little disappointed to not get a Defensive Driving card but don’t believe it will take me long to obtain one.

Drop Rate: Well you are guaranteed 7 Battle Cards per pack. I was very heartened that I never got the same two cards in the same pack.

So there ya go, a not-so-short synopsis of the new cards on offer from the Wave 2 Transformers Trading Card Game Rise of the Combiner Booster Packs. I was very pleasantly surprised that I only got two doubles of characters (Dead End and Mirage) out of the 30 packs, which made this undertaking even bigger! Stay tuned for Part 2, where we test these bad bots (now available in selected stores) out with some serious gameplay!

Related Articles:

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Exclusive Cards Reveal: Dirge & Defensive Driving

Metroplex Pack: Transformers TCG

Transformer Toy Reviews

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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January 29, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The Dinobots – a fan favorite! Is there anyone that grew up with the G1 cartoon that doesn’t have a soft spot for this gang of cantankerous Autobots? Turning up in the Transformers Animated cartoon and even the live action movies the Dinobots have appealed to new generations as well. It’s easy to see how; Dinosaurs are cool, Robots are cool – transforming alien robots that turn from giant robots into space dinosaurs? It’s a no-brainer – they are awesome!

The new Power of the Primes toyline has finally given lots of Generations collectors what they have been crying for for years, new versions of many of these classic characters. Some have come out in the first wave whilst others are slated for later in the year and they come with not only a new character but a new trick – they combine!

But for now, let’s take a look at the four Dinobots that have been released so far – Grimlock, Slug, Swoop and Slash.

Grimlock

Robot Mode

The Leader of the Dinobots, unlike his compatriots, has not suffered from a lack of toys based on him over the years and here is the latest incarnation. At first impression his robot mode looks good but pretty stock standard. It is very faithful to his G1 cartoon incarnation as have many toys over the years (FOC in particular looking great!). Don’t get me wrong, this is what most Generations fans are after, their childhood characters reimagined but staying true to their roots. He looks good – he just doesn’t take your breath away.

Instead of his usual weapon of choice – a big red energon-sword, Grimlock is sporting what could best be described as arm-mounted knuckle-dusters. These also become the feet of the Dinobots combined form. I kinda like this idea – Grimlock is definetly a character that would enjoy smacking a few Con’s in the face with these! Also you can place the little Prime characters in the slots to, I dunno, add a splash of colour.

Space T-Rex Mode

*“Me Grimlock cut out carbs – lose weight good!”*

Big alien-metal T-Rex – just so cool! However not the coolest Grimlock we have seen. His body is a bit too elongated which makes him look like he needs bulking up. Also there is a gap between where his chest armour stops and his underbelly armour begins, making him appear he is wearing a golden nappy (diaper for you US readers). There is good rotation on his little forearms and his jaw opens and closes, a shame you cannot swivel the head though.

Swoop

Robot Mode

I think this is the best official Swoop toy we have seen since G1. Energon Swoop had odd hands and odd colours and Animated Swoop was painfully thin. This Swoop does a great job of looking like he did in the G1 cartoon, right down to the blue body. Personally I would have liked red more like the G1 toy in order to fit in with the other Dinobots better, but then you would have had people complaining about that so it shows you can never please all the fandom. He is the only Dinobot so far I’ve seen to come with their signature swords.

Space Pteradon

The Pteradon mode is quite good but the legs add a lot of bulk to the back, taking away a lot of the streamlined look you would expect in a flyer. In this case he does resemble Energon Swoop. The feet hang off the back of the body at the bottom but can be folded underneath so Swoop can sit up, a position he looks surprisingly good in.

*“It’s why they call me Swoop – NOT because my old name got stolen!”*

The mouth on Swoop opens well and looks excellent open. You can position his sword under his chin but frankly it looks ridiculous. What I do like is not only can you fold the wings in closer to the body but you can also angle them up – giving Swoops alt-mode a multitude of flying-poses.

~~Slag~~Slug

Robot Mode

Slag has a reputation in the fiction as being second only to Big Grim in terms of strength and ferocity and even outstrips Grimlock in terms of temper! Therefore it would have been nice for Slug to look a bit more bulky in robot mode. Whilst not slim, he lacks that bit of thickness that would have suited him, his proportions are good though. The way his robot head is imbedded into the underside of the Dino-head is super G1-esque, the colour scheme is spot on and he looks grumpy enough. I would have liked to see him have his sword though.

Space Triceratops Mode

*The cooler version of a Star Wars AT-TE Tank*

Looking at this mode, you can imagine him having been a tank before he got outfitted with an Earth mode. Very strong and compact. His mouth opens the least of any of the new Dinobots which makes it hard to make him look as though he is breathing fire. But like Swoop, this is the best rendition we have had of the classic character since G1. A shame he is not Voyager-sized – now that would have been something to behold!

The legs all have knees so that can change his pose slightly. His gun can be put in multiple ports – personally I think it looks best on his back but it can be put in his hip like the rocket-launcher on the G1 toy.

Slash

In the Movieverse line, there has been a raptor character named Slash. Slash has had a sex-change (according to Jurassic Park they can do that) and is now the first official female Dinobot toy. Slash is significantly smaller than the other Dinobots and sports no weapons but is nicely proportioned and has a suitably feminine face. I don’t mind them introducing new characters to classic groups, teams grow over time and the X-men would have been pretty dull if they still only had the 5 students.

Space Raptor Mode

It’s not a bad looking raptor, but like MP Dinobot, suffers from looking odd around the ribcage. The arms and neck are manuverable and she looks quite good with her jaw open ready to bite. Something that is disappointing is that Slash, in no way I can find and certainly not in the instructions, does not combine with the other Dinobots. It would have good for her to turn into chest armour (like CW Groove) or a weapon (like CW Shockwave or Powerglide). However a little Prime figure can ride on her back, much like the Diaclone versions of the original Dinobots.

Combined Mode

I’m not really going to comment on this much since I am waiting to see how Volcanicus will look with Sludge and Snarl onboard – I tried making him with Jazz and Dreadwind and it just didn’t work for me. Stay tuned for that review down the line.

Overall

Swoop could have been more streamlined, Grimlock less streamlined and Slug bigger. Besides that I think this is a really good Generations outing for the Dinobots and if you are a fan of the subgroup then I heartily recommend you go and grab these bad bots up!

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

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