mikeszekely

Just how many HMR VF-1 releases are there (not counting the pre-R Hi Metals)? I know that Focker's VF-1S came with the Strike packs in and a grayer deco, but also in a whiter deco with Super packs, right? And I know that they did the VF-1J in Max's (and Miriya's colors), but did they ever do the VF-1A in Max's colors?

I hope so. I preordered the Roy version... I've got that Valkyrie fever, it seems.😆 I don't think that's entirely fair, because I think it has less to do with Kawamori vs Takara and a lot more to do with what Macross fans want vs what Transformers fans want. Macross fans want the fighter mode. Skinny limbs, limited articulation, partsforming, whatever it takes to nail the fighter mode. Transformers fans, on the other hand, prioritize the bot mode. Heck, the majority (of which I'm not a part) not only prioritize the bot mode, they want that bot mode to be Sunbow accurate down to the animation errors. And frankly, it's a lot easier to nail a jet when you start with the Fighter and work backwards to Battroid than it is to take Sunbow's art, which didn't even particularly resemble the toys in the first season, and figure out how to make a vehicle out of it. It came out a lot like a Valkyrie, yeah... nice jet mode, skinny bot mode. But, like I said, Maverick had the luxury of starting with the plane and working backwards to bot mode. So we know Takara can make a solid jetformer, when they start with the jet mode. Which I think they'd do if they every did a Valkyrie.

I don't disagree that Fighter is main mode for a Valkyrie, but I think you guys might be thinking that I'm thinking of more drastic changes than I'm actually suggesting. I'm thinking more like using a mushroom swivel in a thicker swing bar for the hips, and shortening the intakes a bit so that the entire leg has the clearance to swivel without hitting the wing. Then a hinge inside the intake could move everything from the Gerwalk joint down laterally 90 degrees, but a compromise would likely have to be a cutout on the side of the intake for the hinge to pass through. The hinge could still be flush with the intake when in fighter mode, but you'd still have the seams. Another change I'd propose is attaching the slider for the feet to the inner side of the leg (or eliminating it entirely; the chunky monkeys didn't have sliders), and putting a hinge right around the vernier so the inside of the lower leg can bend out with the foot for greater ankle pivot (something I'll note that ThreeZero actually did do). I'd probably also suggest putting tabs on the shoulder joints to lock them into the chest, adding some kind of tab/slot/hook to secure the tail to the back in Battroid mode (that's a little more robust than Arcadia's), and maybe some flaps that can fold out from the panels that connect the chest to the back over the shoulders that can fill in the space behind the head without partsforming.

If they're going to do non-canon paints, I'd seriously kill for them to just do every Valk in Skull Squadron colors, like they did with the VF-4G. I'd buy one of everything in black & gold Jolly Rodgers, and none of the "standard" colors. Since the chances of Bandai actually doing that are basically zero, though, like I said before, I'm definitely not interested in the Fire Valkyrie. But I'd buy a VF-19P, either a YF-19 or a VF-19A (prefer the VF-19A, I never cared for the sandy color of the YF-19), and either a VF-19F or S.

I'd give it a pass for being dated if it weren't still apparently the gold standard for VF-1 toys. Like I said, I like it a lot, but I kind of want to see someone else take a crack at it. Was kind of hoping ThreeZero might pull that off, but reviews of the VF-1J make it seem like more of a lateral move. It might sound a bit heretical to the Macross-first crowd, but I think I'm ok with some liberties being taken with the fighter mode to make a better Battroid. Not the kind of goofy proportions that Unix Square is doing, just better joints (hinges and swivels, no ball joints) and sturdier plastic that isn't so thin in spots. I don't mind the thicker thighs. While I agree that I'm not really digging the visible trigger on the inner thighs, I do have to admit it's kind of a clever way to thicken his thighs up. Back's cleaner than the Legends version, but the tradeoff seems to be very visible hinges in the bottom of the chest and all over his forearms. Not digging the blueish face. Still, not a lot of options for CHUG-scale Megatrons that turn into a gun. Maybe I'll preorder one... Swing and a miss, NewAge. Now'd be a good time for Magic Square to swoop in and each NA's lunch on this. Heck, I'd settle for a fourth party to do an upscale KO of Magic Square's.

Took me awhile (stupid COVID), but my review for Fugu's Jetfire is up.

I feel a little weird doing this review... I feel pretty comfortable asserting that I'm pretty knowledgeable about Transformers, both from a fiction/lore POV and regarding Hasbro's output since at least the mid-2000s. But, while I enjoy Macross and have watched all the shows, I see myself as more of a layman when it comes to the franchise, and I'm just now dipping my toes into the realm of Macross toys. So here I am with Fugu Toys FG-01 Autobot Air Guardian Jetfire, a toy that I'm approaching as something like a Missing Link Jefire, prepared to review it as a Transformer because that's what it is to me. I have no other experience with this mold. And yet, I'm sure a lot of you will recognize this as a KO of Valkyrie Factory's own KO of Arcadia's VF-1S Super Valkyrie, and are likely far more intimately familiar with it than I am. I'm going to do something a little different than normal, and I'm first going to point out the box. Because, boy, is Fugu brazen! They've designed the box to be as close to the original G1 toy as possible. The artwork is ripped straight from the original, and uses all the same names and logos. Fugu just removed the barcode, added a "Fugu FG-01" after the "Autobot Air Guardian Jetfire," replaced the product photos, removed the Hasbro and Tatsunoko marks, and stripped all the faction symbols from the art. Which is why, despite some stores advertising this figure as "God of Flame," I'm not sure that's actually correct. The box and instructions just say "Autobot Air Guardian Jetfire." It seems to me that the God of Flame moniker is suggesting that this is actually a KO of the KitzConcept God of Flame, which was also an attempt to do the Jetfire colors but on a different toy. But, like I said, this isn't a KO KitzConcept, it's a KO of a KO of an Arcadia. Well... unless Fugu actually is Valkyrie Factory, just flying this one off under a different label in case Hasbro shuts it down. Because that box is practically daring Hasbro to shut it down. But I digress. I think, given that Fugu is working from a different base, they did an alright job capturing Jetfire's deco on the Arcadia VF-1. The red and black on the chest, shoulders, cockpit area, and leg fins, the red on the thighs, etc, are broadly correct. He's missing some of the other sticker details from the Jetfire toy, though, like on the toes, while other stickers have been replaced with more typical Macross-style markings, like the mechanical details on the original Jetfire's legs being replaced with a black stripe and "U. N. Spacy" markings. There's also the black heat shield with the Jolly Rodger, a carryover from the Arcadia toy but not something that's part of the original Jetfire. If you like, though, it seems like it's fairly trivial to pop the heat shield right off the slider if you want the exposed cockpit that the original Jetfire has. Like I said, I'm sure a lot of you are more familiar with this mold than I am, but for me it was interesting to see how thin it is. I know that G1 Jetfire was basically the old Takatoku VF-1S, and I know that those old Takatokus are often referred to as "Chunky Monkeys," but Fugu's Jetfire (and, I suppose, the Yamato/Arcadia VF-1), kind of show off how much anime magic was actually going into giving the VF-1 sleek proportions in fighter mode but heroic proportions in Battroid mode. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mean, from a Macross perspective, the fighter mode is super important and a thinner Battroid is probably just more realistic. As Jetfire, the toy I remember as a kid, though, I think that chunkiness is almost part of the character. Despite watching Robotech as a kid (but I'm a Macross purist now, I swear!) I don't think I ever even made the association between Jetfire and the VF-1 at the time. Like the original Jetfire, Fugu Jetfire comes with a lot of accessories. More, even. Sure, he's got the red plastic to decode the tech specs on the the back, the gunpod, armor parts for the back of the arms, back of the legs, sides of the legs, a pair of boosters, and a part to connect the boosters to his back, like the original Jetfire. But you also get four black boxes with missiles molded in them, four racks of smaller missiles, two big missiles, two sets of paired big missiles, a translucent pilot, a chair, two neck fillers, two torso fillers, replacement TV-style fists, two gun-holding right hands (one TV, one DYRL), two open left hands (one TV, one DYRL), and a trio of stand adapters. The stand adapters are probably more useful if you got the Deluxe edition, which comes with a stand. Sadly, I did not. I should also point out that, unlike the original Jetfire, Fugu Jetfire's boosters and leg armors can come off (because that's how Arcadia's do). There's some really nice painted details inside. And on that note, my copy of Fugu Jetfire came with translucent red replacement covers, which could be a nice way of showing off that inner detail without having them naked. That said, I think the translucent parts were a preorder/first run bonus, so I can't promise that every copy will come with them. Jetfire's articulation is... ok? I mean, by modern Transformers standards it's not the best, but I guess it's kind of on par with what Hasbro did with Missing Link Convoy and it's definitely improved over the original Jetfire. His head swivels, no sideways tilt, and it sits on a pair of hinges so you can get some extreme upward and downward tilt, depending on how much you're willing to break the sculpt. Weirdly, the top of his head and face also hinges, revealing an odd double-chin underneath. The head lasers can swivel. His shoulders are on scary tight ball joints- I actually recommend sliding the outer covers off, opening up the shoulders and putting some silicone oil on the balls, and/or loosening the screws on the backs. Once they're safe to move they'll rotate and can move laterally maybe 60 degrees, if I'm being generous. Also, something I'm not used to, the shoulders are on flaps due to how he transforms. These flaps don't actually lock into anything, which kind of gives him butterfly joints. His biceps swivel, and his elbows are technically double-jointed and should curl nearly 90 degrees. Should, because on my copy (and, it seems, most/all copies) the left arm has a tight but usable upper joint, but the right arm is, "oh crap this is going to break!" tight and I can't use it. The stock hands can swivel, as well as bend up/down, with a solid thumb hinged at the base to move from along side the hand to over the palm, and fingers molded into curves but hinged at the base to open and close, with the index finger a separate part from the other three, which are molded together. No waist swivel. The hips are on ball joints. In theory, they could move forward and backward to ridiculous degrees, but in practice their forward/backward movement is all but eliminated by bumping into his wings. Fortunately, you can use a special hinge below the intakes (for Gerwalk mode) to get nearly 90 degrees forward. Going back to the ball joints, they allow the hips to move about 45 degrees laterally, and you can also swivel the thighs around the ball joints for some thigh swivel. There are dedicated swivels, though, just above the knees, which bend a bit under 90 degrees. His feet are ratcheted, and when fully slid out (which you technically do for Gerwalk, but you can fudge for robot/Battroid) have some up/down tilt. However, they don't really pivot. There's some wiggle in the foot itself that suggests the ankles could pivot in theory, they simply don't have the clearance at the bottom of the leg. Jetfire's pegs are simply pegged into his wrists and are easy to swap. If you used one of the fixed-pose hands the cutout in the grip is just the right size for the gunpod's hand to fit snuggly inside. If you use the stock hands, though, you'll need to line the slot in the handle with the tab on the inside of the palm. The slot in the gunpod's handle has another use, though. When you collapse most of the handle and the barrel you're left with a bit sticking out. That bit allows the slot to grab onto tabs on the outside of Jetfire's arm. While, yes, carrying the gunpod on the arm like that is something we see Valkyries do in Macross, it's important to note that it's also something the original G1 toy could do, although it required the use of a clip. Partsforming is a bit of a dirty word in the Transformers community, but I understand that it's pretty standard when it comes to Macross toys? I would say on Jetfire they're really optional, but from some angles you can look straight through the torso if you don't use them. So, for starters, there's a pair of white torso fillers. These slide up into the gap between his chest and back, with rods at the top that snap into the c-clips behind Jetfire's shoulders. As for the gap behind Jetfire's head, you have to options. First is this piece that clips right in, with the rounded protrusion pointing toward his back. This piece, you'll note, has little molded closed doors on it. There's a second neck filler that has open doors on it, with a slot in the middle. You can take the chair and plug it into the slot, and sit the pilot figure in the chair, to recreate that scene in the cartoon where they exit the Battroid this way. Not that it really makes sense for a sentient robot to have to do this... With Jetfire originally being a Macross toy, of course he does Gerwalk mode. I'm not really going to talk about it much, though, because for a Cybertronian it's less of a deliberate mode and more a midpoint in the transformation. In Fugu's case, a necessary midpoint. Unlike the original toy, you have to move the arms out of the way to give the swing bar enough clearance to move the hips to the nose, but you also can't move the arms unless you use the hinges behind the intakes to move the legs down to their Gerwalk position. The rest of the transformation is direct enough, since I guess there's only so many ways to transform a VF-1. The swing bar actually unlocks from the back of the nose (after moving a flap out of the way, and be sure to move the hinged fillers into place before closing that flap up so you don't have holes in the sides of the nose bulges. A door opens on the back for the head to swivel and then fit through so it ends up under the fuselage. The chest rocks up away from the cockpit, and the heatshield slides inside, then as it comes back down you need to line up slots in it with the marker lights on his back. Note that going from Battroid to fighter is simple enough, but going from fighter to battroid is super tight the first time you do it and you'll probably have to use more force than you really fell comfortable with. With the fuselage mostly done, you can bring the swing bar back into the same c-clips you stuck the torso filler bits into, tabbing the backs of the intakes into the underside of the chest as you do so. Fold the hands into the forearms, then they fold in but also swing around on sliders to so that the shoulders are touching, then the legs can be brought back along side them. Use the double hinge to bring the tail into place, fold the heels and toes together, and shove the feet up into the legs. When all is said and done, credit where it's due, the fighter mode is a lot more solid than the G1 toy (or rather, the Takatoku), which seems to rely more on friction from the toy's joints. In a vacuum, aside from the chibi nose, I don't think the G1 toy/Takatoku looks too bad, but side-by-side with Fugu/Arcadia it's apparent how chunky the older toy really is. Fugu is a much nicer fighter mode marred only by the fact that Fugu choice to use the UN Spacy kite on the sides of the fuselage and left wing, the black stripe and "U.N. SPACY" on the sides of the legs instead of the mechanical detail stickers, "001" on the right wing, and Jolly Rodgers on the horizontal stabilizers. On the flip side, though, you've got nice details like translucent landing lights on the wings, painted marker lights on the wing tips, and caution marks near the intakes. You can see the nozzles molded deep in the feet, and you can remove the intake covers to reveal painted intake fans if you like (though they're in stupid tight, and I broke a little tab off the one I removed). One other thing that's a nice little touch... in the black around the canopy, where the pilot's name is printed, Fugu put "Air Guardian Jetfire." They're not spring-loaded and full of diecast the way the original Jetfire's were, but Fugu Jetfire does have landing gear in both legs and under the nose. The doors are a bit of a paint to open, but once the landing gear is out you'll find rubber tires on rolling wheels, and the nose gear can swivel and has a hinged launch bar. Fighter mode is where I think you're going to get the most use out of your included accessories. The canopy opens to reveal a detailed cockpit interior. You can set the pilot figure into the seat. Again, this is something that probably makes a lot more sense when it's an actual Arcadia Macross toy, but I think Fugu making the pilot out of clear plastic is a nice touch, like the pilot is just a hologram. The various missiles and missile pods have small pegs in them that fit into little raised holes under the wings. To my taste it required a little more force than I'd have liked, but on the flip side they're not going to come out accidentally. As for the gunpod, the indents with the tabs on the outsides of his forearms where me stuck the gunpod in Battroid mode are mirrored on the insides of his arms, so you just sort of sandwich the gunpod's handle between them and squeeze so that the tabs grab into the slot on the handle. Now, going off the box art alone, it's not really Jetfire until he's got his FAST packs on. Disconnect his legs from his tail, and fold the tail up like you would for Gerwalk/Battroid. Attach the boosters to the connector, then slide the connector into the gap between the tail and his back. When it's in far enough tabs on the boosters will fit into slots on the tail, securing everything in place. The arm armor has clips with slots that fit over the same indented tabs we used for attaching the gunpod. As for the legs, the calf armor has a hook and a tab that fit into slots on the back of the leg. Just make sure that the tabs on the sides of the calf armor are pointing outward, because you'll plug the side-of-the-leg armor into those tabs. With the leg armor installed you'll have to bend the knee and Gerwalk joints a little, but the leg armor has slots that fit into tabs inside Jetfire's back to lock them into place, so once again everything feels nice and solid. A downside of moving the legs, though, means that the landing gear in them is lower, so the fighter is slanting toward the nose. This time, the "U.N. SPACY" on the leg armor doesn't bother me as much. I mean, it's still not accurate, but the black stripe it's printed on is. However, Fugu went with the DYRL-style Jolly Rodger on the boosters. I really wish they'd have just left it plain black, then I could stick an Autobot insignia on it (and the nose) and call it a day. Canopy still opens, you still have access to the landing gear, and you can still attach missiles/missile pods to the undersides of the wings. You can also still carry the gunpod on the underside of the fighter, because the arm armor has it's own intended tabs, same as the arms themselves. The extra bulk he gains from the FAST packs helps fill him out and make him feel more like Jetfire to me. Unfortunately, I don't think you can transform him without all the armor on. The stuff on the arms and legs, sure, but I found it necessary to remove the boosters and their clip so I could move the tail to open the door that allows his head to pass through. Jetfire's also a little back-heavy with all his gear on. The play between clicks in the ratchets in his feet can leave him leaning a bit. The simplest solution is put him into a more dynamic pose, with his legs turned outward a bit. Finally, here's how Fugu Jetfire looks with Siege Jetfire and Earthrise Starscream. And... huh. Y'know, I've always thought Siege Jetfire is a rather too big. Might not be exactly scale chart-accurate, but Fugu's Jetfire is about exactly the height I think Siege Jetfire should have been. Turns out a 1/60 VF-1 is probably too small for an MP collection, but pretty great for Classics/Generations/WFC/Legacy one*. *Unless you're one of those alt-mode scale guys... then the VF-1 being smaller than an MP Starscream's F-15 mode makes sense. I have to say, this has been an eye-opening experience for me. Jet Transformers are often ridiculed for being boxes of robot bits stuffed under a plane that transforms into a robot with 90% of the plane on its back. And, I mean, that's fair, but I think it's a lot harder to turn an animation-accurate robot into a jet on a Voyager-class budget than it is to design a jet first and work into a robot that you're going to sell for $100+. But now I'm also seeing that Valkyries do make compromises and do benefit from anime magic, they just priortized the fighter mode and made the compromises to the Battroid. What's more, Macross toys have traditionally seemed expensive to me, and I know some collectors have said that they have a more premium collector feel compared to Hasbro's Transformers. And yet, Fugu's Jetfire (and by extension, an Arcadia VF-1) has worse articulation than most modern Transformers, thinner plastic (that, IMHO, doesn't feel as good to handle), ball-jointed hips on scary thin rods, ball-jointed shoulders, and partsforming filler. I gotta say, if this is "premium collector" stuff, I honestly prefer the mass-market kids stuff. To be fair, some of it, like the plastic quality, could be due to his being a KO and not a genuine Arcadia, and the overly-tight shoulders and elbows and the excessive force required to separate the chest from the back are almost definitely due to it being a KO. Still, I can't help but wonder what a Takara-made VF-1 might be like. Don't get the wrong impression, though. I like Fugu's Air Guardian Jetfire quite a lot, and I think for the $125-ish I paid that he's a tremendous value. With the licensing issues involved a more modern Valkyrie toy with a close-enough paint job is likely the closest we're going to get to a Missing Link Jetfire. So, if you're a Macross fan that happens to like this deco, or a Transformers fan who wants a more toy-accurate Jetfire, and certainly if you're both, this is a toy I can comfortably recommend.

Not a new mold in the entire wave, and of the 8 figures in the wave 5 are straight up package refreshes. Looks like I'm saving money, because I only had to order Wheeljack, Breakdown, and Overcharge. Bit miffed to see Origins Bumblebee shoved into this wave. I get that the team wanted to get him back out there now that Origins Wheeljack is out and has the gimmicks where Bee can ride inside him and the Energon rods can clip onto Wheeljack's sides, but the fourth Deluxe slot was supposed to be G1 Sureshot, who was already bumped to wave 5 from wave 2. I'm trying to get some confirmation if he's still coming at all; sounds like he's in limbo.

Pulsecon wasn't particularly exciting. Maybe because they didn't reveal anything that I didn't already know... they showed off Dinoking at Comicon, and Legacy United Wave 5 is mostly package refreshes. Good for people that missed those figures the first time, but I only bothered to preorder Armada Wheeljack, G2 Breakdown, and (reluctantly) Overcharge. Likewise, all the Studio Series reveals were leaked, though it was my first time seeing Sentinel Prime. And they're not even going to go up for preorder until Transformers Day (September 17th). The team confirmed that the series will be Age of the Primes... which I also told you guys about months ago. No figures revealed (but I reported on leaks for basically the whole of 2025 anyway). And they showed nothing of SS86 Devastator. We apparently have to wait until October 27th for that.

We're getting a Missing Link Cliffjumper, so that's where Porsche stands. (Not to mention RotB Mirage, which Porsche themselves cross promoted with some clothes, of which I own the ball cap).

You guys gotta stop tempting me with more stuff than I ought to be buying right now.😋 Seriously, I think for now I'm going to stick with the VF-4G I have in hand, the VF-1S Striker and the VF-1J GBP I bought from @Reni, and the VF-0S I ordered on Amazon for now, with the the intention to buy a VF-2SS in the near future (probably the Nexx version, as I understand it has a few extra accessories and the only other difference is the color of the stripes). In theory, that should tide me over until Bandai releases new models (and a VF-19 that isn't the Fire Valkyrie), but I retain the option to buy a VF-0D and some more VF-1s (especially a VF-1A). As for non-HMR toys, the Yamato/Arcadias and the Bandai DXs are a bit more than I want to pay (for a single toy, at least, given that I could have bought one for what I've spent on HMRs in the last two or three weeks). I don't really have the space for larger toys anyway, especially when I'm thinking I'll likely keep them in fighter mode most of the time.

Hmm... wouldn't the older Yamato one be even closer to HMR scale? Both look to be more than I feel like paying for a VB-6 on the aftermarket, though. Got my pics ready to review God of Flame, then I think I'm going to hold off any Macross reviews until more of the HMRs I bought come in. For some reason I think it's best to start with the VF-1, then VF-0, then VF-4, even though the VF-4 is the only one I have actually in-hand yet.

Non-transforming mecha don't do much for me. I've never really cared for the Destroids, but if Bandai ever wants to do a VB-6 I could end up with Monster. As for enemy mecha, the Gnerl, Nousjadel-Ger, and Queadluun-Rau have never really spoken to me. I could possibly be persuaded to add a Regult do my collection, as I think it's by far the most iconic Zentradi mecha and the one that felt the most alien to me. Maybe even a Glaug, as I it seemed like the most natural "upgrade" to a Regult, but a quick search has them a bit pricey on the aftermarket (especially the Glaug). Now, if Bandai wants to make a Hi-Metal R SV-51, SV-262, Elgerzorene, Panzerzorene, or Saubergeran those are enemy mecha I can get behind (though, in the case of the Varauta mecha, I'd rather they put out a Hi-Metal R VF-14... not that it'll ever happen). EDIT: Oh, yeah, almost forgot. I'm lacking in willpower/self-control, and I did wind up ordering that VF-0. Four HMRs in less than a month... my poor wallet.

If there's one thing I've picked up from my last two reviews, it's that we skew older on this board and Earthspark or even Transformers One isn't going to spark the same interest toy-wise as the mainline. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much in the way of new stuff in the mainline lately (though hopefully the next wave of United and/or Studio Series starts shipping early, and we get some good new reveals at Pulsecon tomorrow). In the meantime, I have a few repaints for you guys. It's basically the remainder of Walmart's exclusive Star Raiders capsule (since it seems unlikely at this point that I'm going to find a copy of Filch...). Up first we have Deluxe-class Road Pig, who is straight up Junkion Crashbar with a new head. Same tailpipe accessories, same saddlebag guns, same one removable tire that turns into a bladed weapon. Which, hey, kind of vibes with the new ninja face. Anyway, as more repaint than retool he's got details like spikes on his shoulders, asymmetric legs, and a lack of a windshield that deviate a bit from his original G2 toy. However, (almost as if they planned this all along😉) the trio of lights on his chest is a pretty good match for the G2 toy, and the curved pipe pieces are done in translucent pink to mimic the light-up tailpipe weapon of the G2 toy. Transformation is the same as Crashbar. This of course means that, aside from still being a black motorcycle, his alt mode isn't particularly close to the G2 toy. But one of the more amusing things they did copy from the G2 is the "Transformers" brand tampoed on one side of the gas tank. So much for being in disguise, eh? I think Road Pig is ok. He's not super accurate to the G2 toy, but probably the best an obscure G2 character is going to get for an update. And at least the Crashbar mold was the better of the two Deluxe Junkion molds. I'm just wondering if we might yet get a Soundwave based off the canceled G2 toy the way we got the canceled G2 Jazz out of Road Rocket. Regardless, at a Deluxe price he's worth checking out if you're digging the idea of filling out a G2 collection, but you're not exactly missing much if you're Sunbow G1-only. Up next we have Thundertron. He's marked as a Leader-class, despite being a little more expensive than a regular Leader, and despite being mostly the same figure as the Voyager-class toy that was released earlier this very same year. The most obvious difference is the color, with the blue plastic a bit brighter, the blue paint swapped for a brighter and more metallic blue, and the copper paint swapped for gold. It's harder to tell, because it's only some of the gray plastic, but stuff like his sword, his coattails, and the outer toes on his feet are a darker gray. From the neck down, the only mold difference is that his right hand has been replaced with a hook. From the neck up, he's got an entirely new head sculpt. The shape of his helmet is different, and they painted the lines in the white part (which is a bit closer to the original Prime toy). His mouth is a bit smaller, with a new more elaborately-sculpted beard below his more gaunt face. His left eye doesn't seem to have the scars anymore, and is smaller, while his right eye is covered in a (somewhat softly molded) eye-patch. The new head, taken with the right hand that's been replaced with a hook, sort of gives the impression that the regular United release is a younger version of Thundertron, and the Star Raiders version is an older version that's been through some stuff. You can further that visually by leaving his foot attached on the original release but partsforming it onto the sword and going with the peg leg on the Star Raiders version. With the head and hand tucked away in alt mode, though, color becomes the only visual difference there. Now, just my opinion, but the hook hand, new head, and brighter colors make me prefer the Star Raiders version, but the differences are minimal enough that it's not exactly worth picking up Thundertron for Thundertron alone if you already bought the United version. Which really begs the question, why did Hasbro do this? Like, yes, I get that they like to get an extra use or two out of a mold, but as a toy-only character from late in the Prime line Thundertron was already an obscure enough of a character that I questioned his presence in United in the first place. Not even a year later and we're getting the arguably superior version in a store capsule where he kind of always belonged, if you ask me. And capsules are planned out in advance. Hasbro knew they were doing Star Raiders for Walmart. Am I to believe that Hasbro wanted to do Thundertron for Star Raiders, but couldn't think of a another use for the mold, so they came up with an alternate Thundertron head and slotted him into the mainline? It's already been pointed out, though, that this mold would make for a pretty good Cyberverse Thunderhowl... Hasbro probably should have done Thunderhowl in United and only put out one Thundertron this year. If you do have United Thundertron, what would tempt you to buy another one? And how does he go from a Voyager to a Leader? By packing in more pirates! One of those would be Nightstrike, who's a retool of Micromaster Ratbat. If you're not familiar with Nightstrike, I don't blame you. He was a minor villain in the 2015 version of Robots in Disguise. He had a bat alt mode; his robot mode wasn't seen until he appeared in the Titan Titans toyline. Star Raiders Nightstrike leans into that lack of a bot mode in the cartoon by making the bat mode his alt mode. And now his alt mode is... well, if you squint at it right, the black markings make a stylized skull on a white background, like an inverted Jolly Rodger. Nightstrike, then, turns into the Star Raiders' pirate flag. If you look at the top of Thundertron's shoulders, you may have noticed that his left shoulderpad has a 5mm port on the top, but his right has a pair of slots. Turns out, these slots are just the right size for Nightstrike's feet, allowing him to perch on Thundertron's shoulder like a pirate's parrot. What's funny is that the shoulders are not remolded from the United release; Siege Ratbat could always perch on United Thundertron's shoulder. We just never thought to do it. Nightstrike as a character doesn't necessarily impress me, especially as RID 15 was so bad that I definitely couldn't get through it and have no recollection of him. As an accessory, though, I dig him. He's not exactly worth re-buying Thundertron for, though, nor does he alone justify the price tag. There's one more figure in the box, though... Deluxe-class Calcitron. Calcitron is bascially Magneous with a new head and a a brighter, blue deco. Unlike Nucleous, the head is the only part that's remolded from Magneous. It's fine, though. I like the new head, it reminds me a bit of Rock Lords Saberstone, and the blue deco really pops on him. As much as I've railed against gimmicky original characters taking up slots, and as much as I've pointed out that they don't actually bear all that much aesthetic similarity to the Rock Lords that supposedly inspired them, and for all I've pointed out that it's kind of weird that they're rock robots that turn into rock vehicles instead of just being robots that turn into rocks like the Rock Lords, they've honestly been my favorite gimmick since the Weaponizers gave me all the missing guys packed in with the G1 citybots back in the day. I can't help but notice, though, that this is really the third use of the Magneous mold. And when Geocron hits we'll have two of the little Core-class rock bike dude. But the best Armorizer mold has only been used for Shard. At this point, it's making it hard for me to imagine that Calcitron is actually with the Star Raiders. Instead, I imagine that the Autobots war with the Decepticons has taken the them to the planet Infernac, where there's a bunch of dudes like Magneous, Calictron, Nucleous, Bouldercrash, and Geocron who all serve their Queen Shard. And that sort of makes Calictron the highlight for me. If you don't have any Thundertron, then buying the Star Raiders set is worth it to get the best version of an alright figure, a bat that turns into a pirate flag, and another cool minion for Queen Shard. I recommend it! But if you already have United Thundertron double-dipping on him just to get Calcitron and Nightstrike is a harder sell.

Funny you mention it, I just bought the DYRL VF-1S Strike from a board member, @Reni We worked out a deal good enough that I bought the VF-1J with GBP armor from him while I was at it. I saw, and despite bought three HMRs in less than a month already I'll probably pull the trigger on that. After that I'll probably have to let my wallet cool off a bit, but I'll probably get the VF-2SS eventually, too. (I just wish I had some better skills as a customizer, too. Then I'd repaint the red or blue on the VF-2SS, as some black stripes to the wings, put some black and yellow on the stabs...)

Huh. Assuming I only want one of each variant I'm not super behind. While I don't hate Macross 7 (I actually really like it!), I'm not a fan of faces on Valks. I'm in for a YF-19/VF-19A, a VF-19F/S, or even a VF-19P, but not the Fire Valkyrie. That said, I do hope Bandai finishes Sound Force, if only because it'll make a VF-11B/C and a VF-17D/S more likely. Those I actually do want.

Earthspark has turned out to be one of my less-liked Transformers shows. I'm not even sure if I bothered to watch every episode. That said, I did admire that they tried to create some new characters and do something different, and I was interested in having the Maltobots in my collection. They came out of the gate with a Deluxe Twitch, and they got Nightshade in the initial build-a-figure group. Thrash was one of the initial Warrior-class figures, but he managed to get a Deluxe glow-up. I very nearly caved and ordered the Warrior-class Jawbreaker, and I'm glad I didn't, because not long after hearing that Earthspark is dead we suddenly got a Deluxe-class Jawbreaker. My gut reaction was to think, "man, these proportions are terrible!" Terribly accurate, actually. I went back and looked, and sure enough, Jawbreaker's arms really do hang that low. The sculpt is actually pretty decent, it's the colors that are a bit off. The teal paint that they slathered on the front of his thighs doesn't belong there, it belongs on his biceps and pelvis. His forearms are molded in yellow plastic with orange paint, but the orange paint doesn't cover enough; there should be no yellow on his forearms. That goes for his hands and the tops of his feet, too, which should match his thighs. To add to the odd paint choices, his torso is molded in the same dark plastic as his pelvis, and that's accurate! So why'd they paint most of it orange? The part that they didn't paint is the only part they should have painted, because it should be red. I don't like Earthspark enough to pay more than regular US retail, but if you're really picky you could import the Takara version, which has an accurate deco. Back and side views... a bit hollow in spots, and I can't remember if the dino head is supposed to be that visible. But the claws on the forearms check out. Jawbreaker comes with a pair of guns and a tail. Jawbreaker's head is on a ball joint. Can't really look down, but he's got decent enough sideways tilt and he can look up. His shoulders swivel, and they have hinges nearly 90 degrees of lateral movement, but unfortunately they're on the wrong side of the swivels. His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend 90 degrees forward or backward. No wrist swivel, but his entire forearm swivels below the elbow, so that kind of works. No waist swivel. His hips are ball joints that go 90 degrees forward or backward, but only about 45 degrees laterally. No thigh swivels. His knees bend over 90 degrees. No up/down tilt on the feet. He technically does have ankle pivots, though they're very limited. The tail has a hinged 5mm peg that lets you put it in his hand like a whip. He can also hold the guns, but if you need a place to store them there are 5mm ports on the outsides of his shoulders for the guns, and his tail can plug into the 5mm port on his butt. Jawbreaker's transformation is pretty easy, but a tad finnicky. Rotate his head, then flip the dino head up and over his face. Keep pushing on it so that his robot head collapses into his chest. Untab the sides of his torso (revealing his little dino arms) and just hinge them out of the way. Bend his lower body backward and fold his legs lower legs behind his thighs. If you did it right, notches in in the back of his feet will line up with the ridges on the back of his collar. Once the legs are in place, you can use the hinges to swing the sides of his torso back. The finnicky part is that there's two slots on the insides of those torso bits, and they need to line up with tabs on his robot hips and his legs near his ankles. Turn his forearms below his elbows so the claws are facing forward, then unfold the claws (which will cause the hands to swing to the back). Lastly, take his tail and plug it into his butt. From the front the dino mode doesn't look too bad, though if you get low enough you can kind of see through his legs. He's also got the color issues that carried over from bot mode. From the back and side, though, we have issues. He's got giant robot feet sticking up off his back. You can more clearly see that his legs have holes in them, but also robot fists just hanging out back there. At least his tail looks a lot better than the Warrior-class version. Jawbreaker's dino head can't swivel or tilt, but his jaw opens. His little dino arms are on ball joints so they can swivel and splay outward a little at the shoulders. His hips are his robot shoulders, so they do have the swivels and lateral movement, though technically in dino mode they're supposed to be tabbed into a fixed position. Likewise, his bicep swivels are retained as thigh swivels, and and his elbows-turned-knees still bend 90 degrees in either direction. He still has the swivel below the elbow/knee. And technically the digitigrade ankle has some tilt based on how much or how little you fold in his robot hands. The claws can tilt down, due to how he transforms, but not really upward, and he has no dino ankle pivot. His tail's 5mm peg was hinged, you recall, so it can tilt up. As for his guns, they plug into his dino hips... which were his robot shoulders, which is where they stowed in bot mode. Jawbreaker's not the worst of the Earthspark Deluxes. That honor probably still goes to Megatron or Prowl. He's not one of the better ones, though. Unless you really want all the Terrans, it's probably best to avoid this one. If you do want all the Terrans, then you probably have the same question I do... where the heck is Hashtag? So far the only figure for her has been a Tacticon (though a Warrior-class figure is supposedly coming).

That's the plan. After that, who knows? I'm not even sure which Valks have been done in which colors yet (though I have to say I'd kill for a VF-11 in Skull Squadron colors). Oh yeah, I do know that the Fire Valkyrie was recently released in the Hi-Metal R line. Do you think they'll redo the VF-19S, too, or should I track down the old Hi-Metal no-R version?

Thanks, I thought it might be an interesting piece to compare to the Fugu Jetfire, but it sounds like I really wouldn't enjoy it.

Without going back through and reading this entire thread, how are the Kitzconcept figures? Is this worth it?

I thought about it, but I decided to grab a used VF-4G instead. I get that the reissue is the colors actually used in Flashback 2012, but the non-cannon colors that ditched the beige spots and tweaks the deco to be a bit more black-and-gold Skull Squadron were too slick to resist. That said, if I hadn't gone for the VF-4G, yes, I'd definitely be grabbing this reissue.

Got my very first Macross toy (that's actually a Macross toy and not a KO of a KO in Transformers colors), a Hi-Metal R VF-4G. Took forever to get here... I thought I was buying from an American seller, and I technically was... he just happened to be shipping from an American military base in Okinawa, so it actually came via Japan. Worth the wait, though. I haven't had a chance to transform it yet, but I put the leg covers, the fin under the cockpit, and the antenna on, and I mounted it on the stand, and it looks so good. I get where some people were coming from on some things like the necessity to partsform the landing gear or the fact that the cockpit comes off instead of opening to put the little pilot in, but I think I can live with stuff like that. Not exactly an apples-to-apples, but the paint and materials on the Hi-Metal R feel much better than the God of Flame. Probably not fair to judge Yamato/Arcadia based on a KO of a KO, but I'm feeling really good about my call to go with Hi-Metal R for my Macross toys. I'll take some pictures and do a review later in the week or next week, I think. Next up, track down a VF-1S in Fokker colors, then probably a VF-0S in Fokker colors. It's funny, I'm not usually into the standard or "hero" colors, but the black and gold with the Jolly Rodger will never not look good.

Can't unsee, thanks for that.

I've noticed that Walmarts (except my local one for some reason) are starting to get displays in the main aisle for Transformers One. If you happen to check it out, you might find a Walmart-exclusive Prime Changer, the Quintesson High Commander. Well, it's not the Quintessons I grew up with. The only thing about them that's even in the ballpark is the tentacles dangling from his rounded bottom... at least I assume that's his bottom. I haven't seen the movie yet, but the impression I get is that the green plastic behind him is meant to evoke more tentacles, and that the "foot" he's standing on won't really be part of the CGI model. But I don't hate it. The vibe is sort of techno-organic stone... almost like something the Protoculture might have cooked up. Scale is the main thing to talk about. I don't really mind Pax and Bee being the same size, even though Prime is usually bigger, because they're depicted as pretty similar in height in the trailer. But, even if I assume Sentinel is also the same height as Pax and Bee, in the trailer the Quintesson High Commander picks Sentinel up and lifts him to be face-to-face. But here, the QHC is like eye-to-nipple with Sentinel. Not much to see from the back and sides. More green plastic, hollow forearms, but the kinds of things we've (unfortunately) come to expect from a Transformers toy in this price bracket. The Quintesson High Commander's sole accessory is this single Energon cube. I feel like I've seen this cube before. Did a couple come with reissue G1 Insecticons? Some War For Cybertron Trilogy accessory pack? It's a semi-solid pink, and rubbery in texture. QHC's articulation is pretty limited. His head is on a hinged ball joint. The hinge gives him a slight downward tilt, but because the stem comes straight out from his chest swiveling his head on the ball tilts his head sideways. He can't actually turn his head to either side. His shoulders are also ball joints. They swivel backward in an unrestricted fashion, but his chest actually blocks them from swiveling forward. At least they can move laterally 90 degrees. His elbows are also ball joints, bending 90 degrees and doubling as bicep swivels. He doesn't have wrist swivels... or really wrists or hands at all. Just pokey stumps without even a 5mm port. No waist swivel either, though you can use the hinge on his back to tilt him a little. His tentacles are hinged at the base so you can splay them out, but that's about it it. QHC can't really hold the Energon cube with his hands, but he can store it inside his body. Open his chest, lift the spikey bit, and you'll see a square hollow behind it. Just plug the cube in and close him back up. Or don't, because you need to open him up like that for transformation. Turn his head upside down, pull out the red part of his chest, then use the hinge to fold the head around to the other side, then close the red part back up. But, leave his chest open. In fact, lift the pelvis flap, then spin the chest 180 degrees. Straighten his toe and heel as much as you can, tuck the tentacles in as close as you can to his "foot", then fold his chest down and tab it place. Finish him off by rotating his shoulders so his arms are running along side his body toward his "foot", and bend and turn his elbows so that tabs on them will plug into the foot. Will the Quintessons even transform in the movie? I don't know. While simple, I do think this is more of a transformation and an identifiable alt mode than the Earthrise Quintesson, so I'll give it that. Again, the rocky techno-organic look gives me Protoculture vibes, so I don't hate it. The Energon cube stores in a square-shaped hollow under the spaceship's nose... which happens to be the exact same spot it was stored in for bot mode. As a matter of fact, you don't even have to remove the cube to transform him. The Quintesson High Commander is... fine. Realistically, the Prime Commanders are the "main" toys for the movie, marketed toward kids, and I expect that this is a reasonable facsimile of what kids will see, with a simple transformation to a spaceship. Presumably adult collectors will want to wait for a hypothetical Studio Series version, with the caveat that this is out now and a Studio Series version hasn't even been announced.

I like Nintendo consoles for Nintendo games. And I keep buying Xboxes, but it's because I have Game Pass. That says, I do like when I can play a game on my PC then pick it up where I left off on the Xbox in the living room. Despite their dominance in the last couple generations, it's PlayStation that I've gone cool on. Most of the games I want are already on PC. The last time I turned my PlayStation on was a year ago, for Spider-Man 2... a game that's likely to wind up on PC eventually.