In what can be only be described as an impressive feat of electronic labour, Australian Transformer fan and prolific youtuber DrLockdown has created a video showcasing everysinglefigure from the War for Cybertron Trilogy. That’s right – every single toy from Siege, Earthrise and Kingdom is discussed in one video with an impressive runtime of over 4 hours – bring some popcorn kiddies!
But not only has DrLockdown completed this impressive task, he did so while including many of your favourite Transformer youtubers! Yes, literally dozens of Transformer reviewers contributed, discussing specific figures that they enjoyed from the War for Cybertron trilogy. And while many of these youtubers are from abroad, there is some home-grown Aussie talent in there as well, including Toy Reel and yours truly.
So get in your favourite comfy seat, crack an energon cube, sit back and enjoy DrLockdown’s impressive video: EVERY War For Cybertron Trilogy Figure.
Oh, and if you want to be a bit naughty and find my particular contribution, keep an eye out for review #23 near the end of the vid where I discuss a certain fiery fellow and his little friend 😉
If you would like to see more of DrLockdown’s reviews, you can check out all the other great videos on his youtube channel here.
With the Transformers Kingdom toy line hitting the stores we are seeing a shift away from the Micromasters that have made up a decent part of the Siege and Earthrise toylines. Whilst some may be happy for this, others will miss not being able to complete the sets of these classic (if obscure) characters in their updated forms.
Luckily for us, if not so lucky for those with limited online store access, there are still a few sets being released under the Generations Selects line. Today we will look at the latest to be released; it containing three old characters and three (well, 2 1/2) brand new ones! So lets look at the Micron Micromasters set from the Galactic Odyssey Collection.
Motorhead & Runner
Both are recolours of their teammates and will give fans the ability to complete the classic Race Track Patrol. Runner was originally named Barricade in G1, but with the name Barricade firmly affixed to the Movieverse character, this figure has been renamed Runner which was his pre-war name in the Dreamwave comics.
Fireguard & Roadburner
Once again these two are recolours, this time of the Decepticon Micromasters Direct-Hit & Power Punch. And once again we have a name change. Fireguard is most obviously Wheel-Blaze, but since Wheel-Blaze had already received a new figure, they had to rename him and make him a new character.
Disappointingly Roadburner has the cannon of his Decepticon counterpart instead of a fire ladder. I suppose one could argue that it is meant to be a cannon that shoots water rather than laser fire.
Stingracer and Windstorm
Now these two are a bit interesting. The toys are (sigh) yet again simple recolours of other WFC Micromasters that have come before, but they are brand new characters. The most interesting bit is that their colour schemes are homages to MASK vehicles. The Decepticon Stingracer (the brown one) and the Autobot Windstorm have both lifted their paintjobs from toys from the MASK line and even their altmodes have a decent resemblance. I particularly like the colour scheme of Windstorm – the mint green colouring combined with the flame job on the vehicle hood really pops!
Weapons Modes
All these characters can become guns for larger characters or combine to become a double-weapon. Sadly they pretty much suck across the board and there will be few people that use them for this purpose. (For some examples of Micromaster weapons modes SEE HERE)
Worth Getting?
If you are a completionist then yes. If you are after a few new characters instead of the same G1 ones being trotted out time and time again then yes. However if you are after new figures that don’t resemble toys that have come before then don’t waste your time here. Besides colour schemes there is nothing new to recommend these figures, although I must say that the limbs on them are surprisingly tighter than those that have come before. I was able to transform all characters multiple times without limbs detaching, which is something to date that none of the other WFC Micromasters has managed for me. So this set isn’t bad and has a reasonable price point – grab it if you are inclined.
As the Earthrise portion of the War for Cybertron toy trilogy wraps up in preparation for the Kingdom line, people are still receiving exclusives that have been ordered and delayed due to the Covid Crisis.
I’ve just received one of these exclusives and it contains two characters that have historically been very hard to get in the Generations line. So without further ado let’s look at the Paradron Medics duo from the Galactic Odyssey Collection – Ratchet and Lifeline.
Ratchet
Ratchet has been a real bastard to get over the last decade for those who have wanted Generations versions of him. The only one that has seen mass release in the west was Rescue Ratchet from the Hunt for the Decepticon toyline. Being a movieversetoy with a G1 recolouring this did not sate fans who wanted a representation of the Ratchet of old. Then there was the Universe version, which saw a very limited release which lead many collectors like myself to pay stupid amounts to get him online. After that came Siege Ratchet, once again very hard to get as it only saw mass release in countries like Malaysia. Whilst Earthrise Ratchet is still an exclusive, at least he has been relatively easy to obtain through Amazon.
Robot Mode
Very G1 (cartoon). Looks really stocky and strong. Nicely proportioned and with decent articulation too. His windshield is more aqua coloured than blue which helps him match his partner Lifeline. Due to this Ratchet, despite having a Terran alt-mode, being based on Paradron he has no Red Cross stickers on his shoulders. The minimal red in his colour scheme makes him look a tad bland.
Ratchet comes with a shield (the ambulance roof) and a gun that is highly reminiscent of the G1 toy. Personally I liked how Siege Ratchet came with actual medical tools and feel that would have been good here.
Like the G1 Ratchet toy the roof becomes a sort of mini-medical bay thing. Not nearly as cool as the G1 version, this one does come with the same gun placed at the front. Personally I prefer to use it as a shield for him, making him look more like a combat medic.
Vehicle Mode & Transformation
For only the third time Ratchet is once again an old fashioned ambulance van. The transformation from robot to this mode really showcases how this Ratchet is actually a retool of the Siege version, and if it wasn’t for the new roof and the differently shaped windshield they would be near identical. It’s a great looking retro ambulance, the only drawback is those awful huge feet at the back of the vehicle.
“I can get to the hospital fast with these boosters! Just a shame I can’t carry any patients”
Lifeline
“I’ve got the expression of your Aunty at Xmas when she gives you that extra slice of pie”
Yep, if you appeared in the G1 cartoon you get a toy – that’s how it works these days. Lifeline was in one very tiny scene, tending to an injured Cyclonus, in S3 of the G1 cartoon. She never talked, never transformed and was never seen again. But like Lancer and Greenlight , she now gets her own figure.
Robot Mode
The only other figure produced of Lifeline was a Timelines version from the TFCC that was a recolour of Thrilling 30 Arcee. Likewise this Lifeline is a recolour of Earthrise Arcee. I actually like her more, her colours really do it for me and I think it’s a really nicely proportioned toy. When in group shots I tend to use T30 Arcee so that there is that bit more differentiation between Lifeline and her.
Arcee secretly plots to kill Lifeline out of jealousy of her slimmer thighs
You can remove the backpack for it to become a sort of sled. Lifeline also comes with an Energon Infuser which is obviously a gun. Like Ratchet I would have liked to see her receive some actual medical tools. Still, it’s a good looking figure with some really great articulation.
“Check it out – I’m doing the final scene from the Footrot Flats movie!”
Vehicle Mode & Transformation
Like Earthrise Arcee and Netflix Elita, Lifeline is a Shellformer, and not a very good one at that. It is so frikken hard to get her body to squeeze into the car shell properly, and when you do manage it the slightest nudge makes the legs pop back out which pretty much ruins her play value in this mode. She looks nice from certain angles but otherwise this is a very disappointing alt-mode and it’s embarrassing I have three different versions of it now.
“Errr, pay no attention – those are just the brakes for my hovermode. Yeah, thats it – the brakes”
Worth Getting?
Being an exclusive (like half the Generations line seems to be these days) these figures are more expensive than those on the store shelves. Ratchet’s vehicle mode is compromised by the feet at the back and Lifeline’s by the legs that constantly emerge from her undercarriage. These negatives may cause you to bypass if you expect top quality from your Generations toys.
However overall I’m quite happy with the pairs other attributes. Both have great robot modes, both match each other very well and both are a lot easier to obtain than the previous figures of them that have been released. So if you are looking to finally add a G1’esque Ratchet and Lifeline to your Generations line-up than these two are well worth grabbing.
Got something to say about this medical duo? Pop it in the comments section below!
The original Headmaster Horrorcons were G1 toys that kinda had it all. They were triple changers, they had beast modes, they had jet modes AND they were Headmasters where the Nebulan partner also triple-changed – becoming the head of the robot and of the beast. Combine all this with the fact that they also showed up in the season 4 of G1 cartoon before it’s end and these were sought after figures!
Sadly, the beast modes weren’t brilliant, the colour-schemes were cringe-worthy, the accessories were easy to lose and if you lost the Headmaster itself the toy only worked as a jet. This makes these figures very hard to find on the secondary market today, and both toys remain some of the few from the G1 cartoon I don’t own.
However for those wanting representations of these figures but can’t afford the huge amounts the originals go for – fear not! They are back in the new toylines! Last year saw the release of Apeface in the Siege line and this year we get his partner in the Earthrise line. So without further ado, let’s have a look at War for Cybertron Snapdragon.
Robot Mode
“These boob-tattoo’s hurt!”
A good sized and robust figure for the Voyager class, very chunky and strong looking, though it would have been nice to see less kibble on the arms. Despite this the figure has decent articulation. A bit plain looking, but pays homage to the original toy – right down to Krunk becoming the head and the Decepticon-faction symbols on the nipples.
Cybertronian Fighter Jet Mode
Once again it is very faithful to the original figure and it’s certainly his strongest mode. A really nice representation of a Cybertronian Fighter Jet and had multiple ports to not only attach the robots guns but also other weapons such as those from Weaponizercharacters.
One feature I really like is the big cockpit in the middle of the jet. It splits down the middle to open sideways and allow Krunk to ride inside and even has a control panel!
Dragon Mode
“All the better to eat Daniel with m’dear!”
If his jet mode is his stronges mode, then the dragon mode of Snapdragon is definitely his weakest, even if a distinct improvement on the original. Firstly Krunk doesn’t even become the head, he becomes the lower jaw and can be extremely frustrating to get into place. For me it usually means leaving his mouth wide open. Also he doesn’t really look much like a dragon – he looks more like a weirdly coloured faux T-Rexwith the little forearms and general proportions. Add to this all the visible jet kibble and this is not a great beast mode at all.
Overall
If you are after a Generations representation of the Headmaster Horrorcons then Snapdragon is for you. Also if looking for a figure for a younger fan this isn’t bad, what with the easy transformations, three modes and the Titan Master gimmick. However to other collectors the very cool jet mode may not make up for the average robot mode and subpar dragon mode. So yeah, this is definitely a ‘take or leave’ kinda Con.
Got something to say about this figure? Pop it in the comments section below!
How long have we been waiting for an official G1 Quintesson toy? The time seems immeasurable…
… well, not really. Thirty four years. 34 damn years since Transformer fans first saw those 5-faced tentacles monstrosities passing judgement on Lithone and Cybertronian alike, having their victims thrown into the Sharkticon tank. And we’ve wanted a toy ever since!
The Quintessons have had a varied history in Transformers lore depending on the source. In the G1 cartoon they were the creators of the Transformer race, having been rousted from Cybertron when their creations rebelled. In the Aligned continuity they were cousins of the Transformers – the children of Quintus, one of the first 13 Primes. Most fans these days tend to lean towards the latter.
We’ve had a few Quintesson toys in other Transformers continuities. In the Energon cartoon we got an Alpha Quintesson figure and in the Movieverse we got a tiny Quintessa toy that came with her combiner bodyguard Infernocus. Earlier year in Cyberverse we finally got a non-transforming Quintesson Judge, albeit based on the Cyberverse design rather than G1.
But now we finally have what we have been waiting for – and it even transforms! Geewunners put your drool-bibs on as we look at the Earthrise Quintesson Judge.
Judge Mode
A thing of friggin beauty! Beautifully proportioned and G1 through and through. They simply got everything right, from the tentacles to the light beam to the five faces of darkness. You can see each face by pushing a small handle on the side of the figure which makes it spin – so cool!
Wisdom
Wrath
War
Judgement
Death
He has slight articulation via being able to position the tentacles and open and close some of the mouths. And admittedly there isn’t much else you can do with it after that besides make it spin. He can sit in a chair to pass judgement…
Everyone likes a sit down, even those without arses
From my cold dead mechanical tentacles!
… and he can hold his pistol.
But overall the Judge looks great and it would be difficult to pass for any rabid fan of the 1986 movie.
Prison Mode
Well you get those that complain when a ‘Transformer branded toy doesn’t transform’ so I guess they had to put a transformation in. Admittedly the chosen altmode is not a bad idea given the history of the characters. The Quintesson’s main body turns into a guard town and the chair and inner core of the robot turn into a prison cell.
The prison cell is proportioned so you can just fit a Micromasteror Battle Master character into it.
So I’m going to give the creators of the figure points for effort here. But to be honest it doesn’t look fab and I can’t see many people having this toy displayed in Prison mode rather than Judge mode.
Transformation
I’m not sure you could even really call it a transformation – it’s a cross between partsforming and folding stuff either up or down really.
Overall
As a Geewun fan I would have been happy for them to leave the transformation gimmick out and simply have this toy as a Quintesson Judge at a lower price point so that I could get several. But that’s just me. For kids and casual fans of the franchise this figure may be easy to pass up, but for your G1 enthusiast it is simply a must have that we have waited oh so many years to finally receive!
Got something to say about this figure? Pop it in the comments section below!
Last year we saw the introduction of the Commander Class in the Generations toyline of the Transformers franchise. This new classification of toy size was for those characters that were much bigger than even the likes of Optimus and Megatron in the G1 cartoon and the fans wanted a toy to match.
So far we had only had Jetfire, and what a damn cool toy he turned out to be! This year we have gotten our second Commander Class toy. The Space Dragon with an ego almost as big as his hull, we get Sky Lynx.
The original Sky Lynx was a very unique toy and a very unique character in the G1 franchise. The toy was made up of two distinct pieces; a motorized troop carrier box that could turn into a giant, twin-tailed Lynx beast, and a space shuttle that could turn into a sorta Dinobird monster. These could operate independently of each other in the cartoon and were controlled by the one consciousness that was Sky Lynx, effectively making him the brands second DuoCon, afterOmega Supreme. More often than not in the cartoon however, the space shuttle usually carried the troop carrier on the bottom of its hull in order to transport Autobots through space. In robot mode the Lynx and Dinobird portions combined into Sky Lynx’s complete robot form, with size and strength enough to take on the likes of Predaking independently, and even take a pot shot at Trypticon. In this complete form, the toy could walk, once again making it fairly unique in the toyline.
We didn’t see a Sky Lynx toy for many years, until the Predacons Rising subset of the Prime cartoon and toyline. While he still had his Space Dragon mode and was big, he wasn’t huge and had a robot mode instead of a space shuttle mode. That combined with being a Predacon meant that fans were underwhelmed by the characters return to screen.
A few years later we got another Sky Lynx figure. This time a Voyager class toy in the Combiner Wars line which was much more an homage to G1. He had his space shuttle and Space Dragon modes, by could not separate. Instead he became the torso of a combiner Sky Reign– with the head of a Lynx. This toy was more warmly received, but being only Voyager class and not having all the modes of the G1 toy, fans still did not get their proper Sky Lynx fix.
Well, now in 2020 weve finally got what we were waiting for, a proper reimagining of the Sky Lynx figure, and boy was it worth the wait! So with our history lesson done, lets move onto looking at this fantastic new toy!
Space Shuttle Mode
A really nice, really big looking space shuttle. Sky Lynx is trying to finally have an Earth disguise with NASA printed on the side. You will note that the name on the side of the shuttle is ‘Magnificence’, both a reference to a large story arc from the Transformers IDW comics, as well as to Sky Lynx’s opinion of himself.
The top of the shuttle opens up, just as the G1 toy did, to reveal what could either be considered escape pods or cargo pods. I’m inclined to think of them as the latter. Besides this there are not many play features to the space shuttle, but its still a damn nice looking toy.
Dinobird Mode
Very faithful to the G1 concept, with instead of two eyes it having a row of the space shuttle windows for viewing. The wings are a great improvement, both with the detail on the blue sections to make them look more like robotic feathers, but also the fact the wings can now be angles up and down instead of going out from the body on a straight angle. Speaking of posing, the Dinobird has in his legs hip joint swivel, ankle tilts and knees, making it much easier to pose.
The head is a bit big for my liking in Dinobird mode, but one thing I do like is that instead of just having a blaster for a tongue, he now has a tongue and blaster and both can be moved about on a separate hinge in his mouth. Combine this with the fire effects that come with the toy it can give him a nice offensive posture.
Troop Carrier Mode
It was pretty boring on the G1 toy, just being a blue box. This is a bit better, though not that much. At least it comes with big tank tracks on the side to make it look like it is supposed to move around under its own power. Unfortunately, unlike the G1 toy it doesn’t move around under its own power, though it does have wheels so it will roll. The lack of batteries has opened up the inside so that other small Transformer figures such as Micromasters can ride inside it.
Please, no ‘enter me from the rear’ jokes, as tempting as they are
Add a couple of lasers to the front and it looks like something industrial designed to navigate a rough planet or asteroid, something out of a sci-fi like the new Thunderbirds or perhaps Starship Troopers.
Lynx Mode
At least the head can actually stick up more this time, rather than constantly looking at his own feet. Once again very faithful to the G1 concept, even down to the twin tails.
A cool new addition is that like the Dinobird it can now shoot fire from its mouth. The figure also has some (but limited) leg articulation.
Space Shuttle Transport Mode
A thing of friggin beauty! Having the two halves of the toy combined really gives it a physical presence the character deserved, and feels strong and bulky in the hand to boot! Besides holding it in the air and yelling ‘zoom!’ the only real play features are that you can open up the back and unfold a ramp to load Micromaster vehicles, and you can put flame effects in the shuttle exhausts. But all said, it’s a great looking toy – just make sure you get the two halves of the toy tabbed together correctly.
Combined Robot Form
And here he is! Truly magnificent! Here the head now seems perfectly in proportion as does everything really. With the fact you can move the prehensile neck, adjust the knees and ankles and wings you can pose him quite well for a character that lacks traditional hips and has no arms.
And the size of him is fantastic, I honestly expected him to be around the same size as the G1 toy but he dwarfs his predecessor.
Space Shuttle Launch Base Mode
If all of the above weren’t good enough, we even get a new mode! The troop carrier/lynx portion of the toy can fold out and become a base for the space shuttle with built in launch pad. While this was pretty cool with the latest Astrotrain figure to come out, its even cooler looking here due to the size. A particularly nice touch I thought was the extendable ramps that lead from the ground all the way up to the shuttles storage pods, making it look like it is taking on supplies before heading into space.
Worth Getting?
Australia is one of the first places in the world to get it and right now is fairly easy to find at the Big W toy sale for $119(au). Sky Lynx is definitely worth the price tag. With so many modes there is an absolute ton of play value to be had here. The transformations are quite easy and very indicative of the G1 toy. Whilst some collectors may be annoyed at the simplicity, I’m not as it means that you can change Sky Lynx into whichever of his multitude of modes suits your play without having to spend 10 minutes doing so. So not only is this figure great for G1 enthusiasts as well as Transformer Collectors in general, but means it is also great for younger fans too with the easy accessibility it provides. I cannot recommend this toy heartily enough – as loathe as I am to coddle an ego that is already so big, this Sky Lynx is worthy of the name Magnificence.
Got a Sky Lynx too, or thinking of picking one up? Tell us in the comments section below!
Today at the New York Toyfair the world was treated to the teaser trailer for the new Transformers cartoon trilogy coming to Netflix later this year – War For Cybertron: Siege. Even though this has been touted as ‘Anime’ we are getting a CGI cartoon like the Power of the Prime’s trilogy rather than some stylized Japanese animation. Based mainly on the Siege Toyline, but also reminiscent of the opening sequence to the 2018 Bumblebee Movie, this cartoon has kept many of us in keen anticipation and is set in the final stages of their war on Cybertron. Watch below:
Video from Transformers Official Youtube Channel
So let’s have a quick rundown of what characters we saw in this short video, what they did and what implications it could have for the upcoming cartoons storyline.
AUTOBOTS
Optimus Prime: Voiced by Peter Cullen, we see Optimus doing his usual – saving other Autobots, battling Megatron, protecting the Allspark and so on. More interestingly, you get to see some of his warriors questioning his methods rather than talking about how great he is.
Elita-1: The only Transformer from the video that did not have a toy in the Siege line or the upcoming Earthrise (her figure coming out in POTP). Her line said to Optimus ‘This is not the life I imaged for us’ brings up the question: is she referring to her and Optimus indicating a relationship between the two, or referring to the Transformer race in general.
Ultra Magnus: Instead being his usual ‘Yes Prime’ self, we see him questioning Prime’s methods, and even going in secret to see the Decepticon command. This potentially could be the most interesting we have ever seen him portrayed on screen.
Bumblebee: Another bot that is usually at Prime’s beck and call, we see him telling Prime his attitude to the war will get him killed. Thankfully it seems he is based on his G1 self which will get a toy in the Earthrise line, rather being based on the Bumblebee Movie.
Chromia: Seen fighting Barricade, one wonders with the inclusion of her and Elita, does this mean we will finally get a break from Windblade and Arcee being the two main female Autobots in any given story?
Cog: Seen dying of an injury, but his parts being used by Sideswipe in Weaponizer fashion. Oddly later in the trailer we see a bot that has Cog’s body type but is coloured like Six-Gun running after Elita. A trick of the lighting or the first animation error?
Wheeljack: Like Bumblebee, he has a figure coming up in the Earthrise toyline, so will he transform in the cartoon?
Megatron:Not voiced by Frank Welker, but sounds good all the same. Sporting some battle damage and some big Overlord-style lips. Like Optimus he is doing his usual – inspiring his army and trying to kick Prime’s butt.
Soundwave: Seen standing off to the side of the Decepticon command table. Does this mean he wont be as big a character as usual? Or without Welker’s voice that he may remain silent?
Shockwave: Also seen at the command table.
Refracktor/s: Two Refracktor’s are seen firing over a barricade. The powers that be have obviously gone for the choice of having them all identical like the G1 cartoon, rather than Spectro, Viewfinder and Spyglass getting their own colour schemes and weaponry.
Barricade: I guess this solidifies Barricade’s inclusion to the G1 universe. Seen sitting at the command table as well as putting the smack down on Chromia.
Skytread: Seen getting punched in the face by Optimus.
Jetfire: In a few scenes with Megatron and most definitely sporting the Decepticon symbol. Looks like we will get the inevitable ‘Jetfire swaps sides’ storyline at some point.
Impactor: Like Jetfire we see his Decepticon incarnation. Will he, like Jetfire undoubtedly will, join the side of the Autobots at some stage in the series?
SEEKERS: From some shots it looks like there is going to be a lot of them, perhaps all of them. Here are the ones that were definitely spotted:
Starscream: In both battle scenes and at the command table. Given all the other story implications, we might actually be spared the ‘Starscream betrays Megatron’ story that has been played to death in the past.
Skywarp: Battle scenes and at the command table.
Thundercracker: In a few battle scenes
Redwing and Acid Storm: Seen standing guard as Ultra Magnus approaches the Decepticon base.
So, seems like there may be some interesting story arcs and some interesting takes on characters. One can just hope that this cartoon is better than the last CGI transformers cartoons we received.
What do you think of this trailer? Pop it in the comments section below!
Please note: The photo set I had built at my last farm was destroyed in a move, so while I have added photo’s of Earthrise Sky Lynx to this gallery, he will not be properly shot like the other three figures until I build a new one. It will happen!
Individual Figure Pic’s
Generation One Sky Lynx
Name: Sky Lynx Toyline: Generation One Mode: Cybertronian Beast
