With the popularity of the Transformatoriumrising, along with my sons interest in all things Transformers, we decided to start doing short videos – why waste such a perfect location!
Despite being a long-time blogger and having plenty of experience in front of the camera, my skills within the realm of actually creating video’s have always been fairly limited. Thus we started off with doing a few live-streams to The Transformatorium Facebook Group, then moved exclusively to YouTube with ‘The Transformatorium Show!’.
We’ve still got a long way to go, but both Orion and I are proud that each video is a little better than the last. So if you would like to watch our progression thus far, as well as being thoroughly entertained of course, check out our test pilot and first four episodes of ‘The Transformatorium Show’ below! And feel free to visit our YouTube channeldirectly and give us a like & subscribe while you are there!
Got any ideas about different things we could look at on our new show? Or suggestions on how we can make things better? Feel free to share your advice to our fledgling YouTubers in the comments section below!
Every year we get a new Commander Class Transformers figure and these are usually highly anticipated by the fans. Likewise, as the rate of live-action movie releases has slowed and the 40th anniversary of the franchise grows ever closer, we have been getting more SS86 toys, giving us screen accurate tfigures of characters from the 1986 The Transformers: The Movie.
Well the Commander Class and the Studio Series have finally met, and how appropriate with everyones favorite City Commander! Thus we have Commander Class Studio Series 86 Ultra Magnus – lets take a look!
Robot Mode
Hiya! Remember me? I got to be the leader for all of 80 minutes!
What struck me first about this figure is the size. Depending on what you need him for he is either too big or too small. For instance for a Commander-Class figure he is much smaller than the likes of Jetfire, making you feel somewhat ripped off, given the significant price tagged attached.
Magnus doesnt want to apper racist, but deep down he’s nervous about the much larger black guy standing next to him
Likewise for a SS86 figure he is too big, the likes of SS Blurr and Kup should come up to his chest, not his waist.
Kup doesn’t want to apper racist, but deep down he’s worried about the much larger guy dressed like Uncle Sam next to him
Size aside this is a pretty impressive figure. The articulation is excellent, having ankle-tilts, head tilt, knee and waist movement – perhaps the only letdown is the arm movement is somewhat hampered by his massive chest. Overall he is a very bulky figure, with his upper body so broad it does not reflect full screen accuracy, but I still quite like the look of him.
‘And you’ll die trying, just like Megatron’
A neat feature is that you can make the chest spring open in order to recreate the scene where he inserts the Matrix of Leadership.
Don’t get too comfy Matrix, you wont be staying long
Vehicle Mode
A very faithful representation of the characters altmode, extremely reminiscent of both the original toy and the cartoon. He is large enough you can fit four of the smaller Deluxe vehicles on his trailer and the ramps at the back lower down to permit loading.
Insert obligatory ‘enter me from the rear’ jokeI can take four at once
Once again, you may feel a little cheated by the size. Commander class Motormaster is not much shorter than him in vehicle mode, yet is an incredibly solid figure whereas Ultra Magnus is mostly space.
However Magnus on the whole scales quite well, not only with Deluxes but with Kingdom Rodimus, so you are able to recreate those few scenes from S3 of the G1 cartoon where they drive side by side.
Unless you rip my ears off, this is the only detachment you will get.
Unlike many Ultra Magnus figures in recent years, this figure is not a partsformer. This has its pros and cons. Some of the Cons are that you cannot easily recreate the scene where he gets blown to bits on Junkion, and there is no inner white robot to replicate the original toy. Yes, the cab can detach, but does not create an albino Optimus.
The major pro for me is though this has lead to a far more detailed toy with a very good level of transformation – not too easy yet not that hard you get frustrated. Plus the bonus of there being minimal parts to loose.
Worth Getting?
One of these Magnus’ is not like the other one…. oh wait
The majority of Commander Class figures I have picked up in sales so have been discounted. Given how much smaller Magnus is than most of them I wish I had done the same here so I could feel like I was getting my full moneys worth. As well as the size I was disappointed with the lack of a ‘blow-up’ feature, and though it did not worry me personally, other fans may be put off by there being no inner robot. However these detractors aside this is an extremely well made and fun figure who looks great in both modes and has an enjoyable transformation sequence. Recommended if you can find him a bit cheaper than the current price.
Did you pick up SS86 Ultra Magnus? What did you think of him? Pop it in the comments section below!
The new Transformers: Rise of the Beasts movie is less than two months away, and figures are already turning up on shelves in anticipation of the latest instalment of the franchise.
When I attended the Beasts Base Camp experience at Taronga Zoo I was lucky enough to be given a gift bag by Hasbrothat contained, amongst other things, a Studio Series Airazor. Then when attending the MTMTE Exhibitionat Kings Comics my son was lucky enough to receive the same! So being the first foray for both of us into the new movies toyline, thought it only fitting that we give you our thoughts on the figure.
Robot Mode
Given that Airazor has not, as of the writing of this post, had her robot mode shown in any footage, it is hard to give a proper account of how screen accurate the figure is. It is certainly a nice looking figure, with an avian-like head, consistent colour-scheme, good proportions and decent articulation. The wings give a cape-like appearance and the missiles on the arms lend that combative look of an alien robot about to enter the fray. The face is not particularly feminine, but then very few Airazor figures in the past have had one either so one could say its true to form. The feet should be turned so that the smaller talons face the front, but I personally think she looks that bit cooler and more bestial with the larger facing forward.
Falcon Mode
The figure really shines here. A beautiful wingspan that can be adapted to a number of different configurations and poses. A sufficiently detailed head and claws really give that metallic-bird appearance, with this Airazor not having an organic outer form like previous iterations of the character. Looking from below she doesn’t look great, but then to be honest most real life birds don’t from that angle either (I raise ducksand chickens – trust me on this) so I personally find it forgivable. The only main detractor is that the outer wings unclip very easily. They can be clipped back on with similar ease so it’s a mild irritation at best.
Worth Getting?
Studio Series rarely lets us down in terms of screen-accurate & highly detailed figures, and has not disappointed once again. The figure boasts a lot of detail, though more detail in the Transformation would have been nice, you definitely don’t need the instructions for this gal. The figure shares much of its engineering with Kingdom Airazor so anyone who has that figure will know largely what to expect.
If you are into Beast Wars characters, or are looking to pick up toy representations of characters from the upcoming movie, then Studio Series Airazor fits the bill nicely and I welcome her as the first Maximal to enter my Studio Series collection.
Got something to say about this figure? Pop it in the comments section below!
The slow release of the Studio Series Constructicons continues. Some see it as a good thing, not overloading their budgets. Others see it as an irritation, their frustration to build Devastator from Revenge of the Fallen growing week by week.
For me personally it has been neither. As someone who is happy enough with the ROFT Devastator I already own, this Studio Series has simply been a chance to fill out my collection with those onscreen Cons who never received an actually decent toy before such as Scrapmetal.
Today we are looking at one such character. The leader of the Constructicons in G1, who like Long Haul and Mixmaster got to actually keep their proper name and traditional alt-mode for the movieverse, we are looking at Scrapper.
Robot Mode
This looks pretty good for a movieverse toy. He actually looks like a robot rather than just a mess and is pretty faithful to how he appeared on the big screen. He has retained the flail attachment on his arm, however sadly is unable to swing it. He has decent articulation for a fairly stocky bot, with elbows, neck, knees and hip movement.
‘Am I busting a kung-fu move or just getting down with my bad self? Let your imagination run wild kids!’
The colour scheme is not only faithful to how he appeared in ROTF, but also has some G1 roots too, almost an homage to the European/Australasian rerelease of the G1 Constucticons from 1992.
“The studio insisted I bulk up for the movie”
Vehicle Mode
Really pretty damn good! A superb amount of detail throughout the entire vehicle form, this looks like a proper model of a real construction vehicle. Some have argued that the alt-mode is too kibble-laden, but as someone who has seen a lot of very large construction vehicles up close, some Front Shovel Loaders do indeed look similar with parts everywhere.
The vehicle form feels very solid overall and a nice touch is that you can actually raise the shovel!
Super-Sweet-Shovel-Slap Bro!
Transformation
This figure has a really interesting transformation. With 36 steps its going to take you a few minutes to do the first time out, but there is no part that is overly frustrating or a head-scratcher. It feels very satisfying to work through, and that is always a massive plus when dealing with actual transformer toys.
Overall
If you have no interest in the Movieverse (in which case why are you reading this review? Go outside and play!) then it’s an easy pass. But if you like the Movieverse, are a Constructicon fan or a completionist then you will want to pick this guy up. Of course if you intend to build Devastator then you have no choice but to pick him up! But you wont regret doing so, it’s a solid figure in both modes with a good transformation and for once you feel like you are getting a proper Voyager-class sized figure when buying a toy of that classification. So yeah, a good value toy that reminds you just how fun transforming transformers can be.
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the original release of the Transformers Movie “Revenge of the Fallen”.
Despite this movie being almost universally agreed upon as the worst out of all the Transformers movies, it did very well at the box office (as opposed to the Bumblebee movie which was the opposite in both regards). But even fans that didn’t like the movie they liked the figures, a lot of toys were fantastic and considered a lot better than most of those that accompanied future movies.
So, to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of the movie and its toyline, Hasbro is releasing via its Studio Series line, new versions of the Constructicons. These new figures will all eventually form a gigantic new Devastator combiner – and who doesn’t love that!
There were lots of unnamed Construticons in the ROTF, and one had a very short showing. Known as ‘ze little one’, there was a small yellow Constructicon who got ripped apart by his peers to be new parts for Megatron. And a full decade later that little guy is getting a toy of his own – so let’s have a look at Scrapmetal.
Excavator Mode
A really nicely detailed little digger. Certainly a lot smaller than the rest of the Constructicons, even counting those toys that were released way back when ROTF was in the cinemas. I suppose that suits him based on his ‘ze little one’ moniker. There is a decent amount of detail to this excavator, especially on the digger arm. I also appreciate that his cab windows are translucent rather than solid, as one would expect from a Studio Series toy. A bit of a disappointment is the plastic treads, I would personally have preferred rubber.
Robot Mode
I’m not Scrapper – he lived… for a while
Both in colour scheme and general appearance he looks a lot like ROTF Scrapper. But given that was how he pretty much appeared in his very brief appearance in the movie this is to be expected. Again, a nice bit of detail to this toy to recommend it. There is a fair bit of kibble but in a good way. A nice touch is that they’ve made his hands look like grabbing claws as if they are formed from the excavator bucket, even though they aren’t. A big disappointment for me though is my versions hands seem to be jammed, I just can’t get them to open.
Considering how many ugly movie toys we have had over the years, this bloke looks quite good. He comes with a shield, which is OK but I think mainly an excuse to use up some kibble.
Ole’!
The articulation on Scrapmetal is great! Head, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes). And I’m not sure I’ve ever had a figure that does such wonderful cartwheels!
Transformation
Fairly intuitive. A pretty good level where it’s not going to take up half your afternoon but at the same time isn’t overly simplified like say some of the Cyberverse toys. Parts lock solidly in place in both modes.
Scrapmetal – worth getting?
It depends on how much you liked the movies and/or associated toys I guess. If you are a Movieverse completionist then Scrapmetal is a must have, but even if you are not a fan of the flicks this is still a pretty cool toy. If however you are a Constructicon nut like I am, or intend to form ROTF Devastator (Scrapmetal will make up one hand) then this guy is certainly worth putting down your money for.
