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Toys Review – Autobot Alphastrike Counterforce

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The exclusives continue thick and fast in the Transformers: War for Cybertron: Siege toyline.  In fact nearly 40% of this toyline is made up of figures you can only purchase in particular US stores or otherwise online.

Last time we looked at Greenlight, who was only available through the US Amazon Prime site.  Today we are looking at some more Amazon exclusives, though thankfully you can get them through the AU store.  Today we look at the Autobot Alphastrike Counterforce.

This pack is made up of three bots but four characters – Covert Clone Sideswipe, a new Battle Master character named Trenchfoot, and vehicle only characters Raindance and Grand Slam who combine into Slamdance.

 

Covert Clone Sideswipe

Robot Mode

‘Look, I’ve got the G1 symbol so that makes me G1, totally not G2, I swear!’

Yep – despite the name we all know from the colour scheme this is really G2 Sideswipe.  Except the inversion of the red and black colours, this figure is exactly the same as the regular Sideswipe that came out in the main Siege toyline.  At least with all the blaster adaptability you can beef up his weaponry – which consist of a Photo-Pulser Proton Launcher and a Gryo Blaster that can combine into a RR Gryofuse Axleswitch Hyper-Blaster –  so he resembles more his more hardcore G2 incarnation.

Cybertronian Sports Car Mode

No sir, I don’t really like it.  It’s not bad, but with all the red under the translucent dome the colour scheme really screams the Decepticons Wildrider or Runabout.  Once again, adding lots of weapons is your friend here to give him that G2 Sideswipe feel.

 

Trenchfoot

Trenchfoot is a recolour of Decepticon Battle Master Caliburst and his colour scheme makes it clear he is more intended to be paired up with Sideswipe than Slamdance.  I think he works really well in both modes, his gun apparently being a Foxhole Counterblast Cannon.  Interestingly he is one of the very few completely original characters in the Siege toyline so far.

Fire!

 

Raindance & Grand Slam

A little history lesson.  In 1988 G1 Blaster finally got a 3rd set of cassettes – Raindance and Grand Slam.  What made these characters unique was that they had no robot or robotic animal modes whatsoever (until they combined) – they both turned from cassettes into vehicles.

Raindance

Here Raindance once again has no robot mode of his own, and not even a cassette mode!  He is however a very cool looking blue earth jet, replacing his Cybertronian Jet-Drone mode.

Grand Slam

G1 Grand Slam turned from a cassette into a red Cybertronian Tank.  Like Raindance he has also lost his cassette mode but turns into a pretty sweet red tank fairly reminicent of the original, sporting a big A2A Proton Missile Launcher on the front.  Both Grand Slam and Raindance can sport each others weapons as well (Raindance’s being a Smokecloak Blaster)

Slamdance

Took over 3 decades but I’m back baby! I hope those 80’s dances are still popular!

As mentioned, the original G1 Raindance and Grand Slam toys could combine to finally give them a robot mode – Slamdance – and here he is once again.  A slight retool of Siege Skytread but with a new head, he stands that slight bit taller than your average Deluxe figure.  This is a great shout out to a pretty obscure character!

Beware the left ankle!

There have been many reports of people snapping the left ankle off their Slamdance! And indeed having this knowledge in advance I was very careful with mine and found that yes, his left ankle is very tight and stiff.  However I found that giving the area a quick squirt with some spray lubricant like WD-40 and then leaving him for half an hour resulted in a much less stiff and more fluid movement in the part, so now I transform him without worry.  I highly recommend doing the same when you first remove yours from the box.

 

Is this set worth getting?

Well there are no brand new moulds here.  All 3 (or 4) moulds have already been released in the main Siege line so if you are looking for something new look elsewhere.  That said, this has been the cheapest version of G2 Sideswipe we’ve had since the original, its the first time in over 30 years we’ve had a Slamdance figure and Trenchfoot is that rare thing becoming more elusive – a whole new character.  The price is around $80(AU) online which really isn’t too bad for 2 Deluxe’s and a Battle Master so you can feel like you are getting decent value for money.  This is really a take or leave exclusive which I primarily picked up for Slamdance, and I am quite happy I did.

Got anything to say about this set of figures?  Pop it in the comments section below!

 

Related Articles:

Toy Review – Siege Greenlight

Toys Review – Siege Micromasters (Wave 1)

Toy Review – Titans Return Blaster 

 

Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review – WFC: Siege – Micromasters: Wave 1

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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!