M'Kyuun

I've harshly criticized ER Arcee since she was first revealed, but I am glad that, unlike Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, and the ER vans, partsforming isn't a requisite to transformation. I think I would have liked her better, though if at least her chest formed the front of the car- it's a minimal but iconic part of her alt mode that can be seen in her bot mode, and I wish they'd just put that bit of engineering into her. To that end, I still favor the T30 over the ER. I like the transformation, regardless of the concessions to her bot mode. MMC's Azalea is the perfect amalgamation of these two figs- better bot proportions and articulation, but with a similar transformation to the T30. I get the sense that ER Arcee will be a more fun figure to mess with, due to the nearly non-existent transformation, impressive articulation, and ability to chuck 2/3 of her backpack. As an action figure, she's excellent. As a Transformer, she's just meh. I'll find out soon enough, as my copy should be showing up any day now.

Not feeling the Shattered Glass stuff. Incidentally, TonTon had some interesting commentary on his review of ER Ratchet. To put it succinctly, he's not a fan. He didn't care for Warpath, either, citing the uni-boob at one point. It looks great to me, but then I'm biased by nostalgia. As good as the Generations Warpath figure turned out, this one really captures the essence of the G1 character in both modes. As I've said before, ER is so hit and miss, but Warpath is a definite hit in my book.

That's cool, but much like previous attempts, even if it makes the 10k vote, the licensing history with HG will kill it. Alex Jones, AKA Orion Pax, does dome top notch M.A.S.K. builds.

That's what was reported. Here's one account.

It's a shame they put so little effort into this character's figure, as it probably won't see another official release for a long time, if ever, so this was the one shot to do it right and they failed epically. Thanks for the review, Mike. Unfortunately, you only vindicated my already low opinion of this figure. Passing on it, but it's a bummer to do so.

Concerning LEGO's Osprey, I believe there's more to the cancellation than their bowing to an obscure anti-war group in Germany. They've released any number of military inspired aircraft sets going at least as far back as the 90's (I own this set, which looks an awful lot like the AH-1). The Air Race Jet is the most recent military inspired set, Osprey notwithstanding, to grace shelves. It's not officially licensed, but it bears some similarities to the F-35. I'm not sure if the licensing had anything to do with it, either, as they've created other Boeing sets, as mentioned. As military craft go, a cargo/troop transport is fairly innocuous, relative to the options. LEGO played down the issue with the gearbox, which I believe has more to do with the cancellation than LEGO's admitting. The gear seems to maintain integrity if the gearbox is spun up with it already engaged. However, when the load on the gearbox is high, due to the large motor used in the set, the torque seems to be too high, and the load too great, for the gear to handle and the teeth break. It's a bit of an oversight, and potentially embarrassing if this set made it into thousands of hands around the world, and many of those people experienced a catastrophic failure while playing with their set. The timing of this anti-war group's complaint coincided nicely before widespread release of the set, thus saving LEGO a great deal of embarrassment, and a probable recall that may have cost them more than not releasing the set at all. Or, they may have tried to find a work-around kit for the set, which would also cost them money, as they'd likely send those out free to all the folks who bought it and experienced breakage. There's precedent, as a number of areas on the Shuttle Adventure set 10213 were deemed to be structurally unsound after wide release and LEGO created a parts pack to fix the issue. I have this set, but didn't learn about the supplemental pack until after they'd released a second edition of the set with fixes implemented (10231), so mine remains as it was originally released. I've never had any issues, but I wouldn't have minded some additional free LEGO. I digress. I do believe LEGO takes their commitment to not producing modern military stuff seriously, but if this set had worked properly, I'm not sure they would have cancelled it, citing the Search and Rescue livery purposely chosen to distance the set from military application. The fact that it has no civilian equivalent is moot, IMHO; they've made countless military-esque vehicles over the years, including this gem, which also takes a cue or two from a certain military VTOL. There was no uproar that I can recall when that released, and license notwithstanding, there's only one real-world aircraft that looks like that. So, by appearing to acquiesce to the pleas of this group and do some 'soul searching', I think it was a propitious opportunity for LEGO to avoid a potentially disastrous issue by appearing to fall back on their moral obligations. That may be cynical, but as good as the LEGO Group is as a conscientious company, and I believe they are, they're still human at the end of the day, and given an opportunity to simultaneously save face and money under the guise of taking the high road, they went for it. That's my $.02, FWIW.

Yeah, those old Technic figs were excellent. I only have one, but I've long been amazed by its articulation. It was so well done, I don't think it would require much in the way of updating if they were to put them in sets again. Honestly, I think a series of Technic sets built around them would be great, especially as LEGO's trying to appeal to AFOLs. It's a more "grown up' figure, and paired with Technic sets with realistic functions, I think it'd prove more popular now then it did back in the 90's, especially given the advancements in Technic, and the ever growing AFOL community, not to mention non-AFOLs that buy a set here or there out of curiosity or just for the sheer fun of it. I think Technic sets with a figure on a commensurate level of detail would have strong appeal.

Exactly. On a more positive note, I got the Joker's Trike Chase and Mobile Bat Base sets yesterday; I built the former yesterday, and I just finished the Mobile base. The Trike has a cute chomping action when pushed, courtesy of a cam built into the front axle. It works well, but the upper jaw floats on an axle, and without any cushioning, it can chomp rather vigorously when any sort of meaningful velocity is achieved. It hasn't broken on me, and truthfully there's not much travel distance, but after having my fun, I chilled for fear of stressing something. It's only plastic, after all. Unreleated but apropos, my cat knocked over my 20th anniversary Slave I a couple nights ago, and though it only fell a couple feet to the carpeted floor, some bits broke off, and I noticed stress marks on two of the dark green slope bits that fill in the gaps between the large quarter curved bits where the wings stick out. Fortunately, they won't be very noticeable, but I'll always know they're there. LEGO's tough, but far from indestructible. Back to Batman; so the unnamed Batmobile that comes with the Trike set was the real draw for me, as it bears some semblance, whether coincidental or not, IDK, to the Arkham Knight Batmobile. One of the notable features of this model is the use of the helicopter canopy, five of which appear in glorious black, the first appearance of this piece in an opaque color AFAIK. Anyway, they form the fenders and rear engine cover. The engine is designed to be removable, and Batman comes with one of the old classic wrench/screwdriver parts in silver plastic. The cockpit is hinged, as is the engine cover, and it has two front mounted stud shooters. That's all there is for functions/features, but I just like the aesthetic. It looks like an armored dune buggy, and I kinda wish they'd given Joker a more heavy duty vehicle, but it is what it is. Both vehicles were fun builds, and the snapping jaw on Joker's Trike is a fun feature. Robin's bike is the same street bike mold that's appeared in any number of sets, and there's not even a clip for a weapon on the bike. It would have been nice to have a red clip for a batarang. The new quarter 1x1 tiles were put to great use on Harley's hammer. That almost certainly would have been a couple of stickers just a few years ago, so I'm happy for all these new tiles of varying shapes, as they allow for a lot more nuance and detail at the smallest level. Likewise the teeth and gum details on the Trike. Great use of all the new tiles. Another new feature for Batman is the inclusion of two new capes as well as the original to give Batman a more dynamic look. I hope the "flying" cape is a prescient nod to Batman Beyond sets in the near future. Moving on to the Mobile Bat Base. Obviously, this is a rehash from the Agents' Mobile HQ sets, as this set has all the salient features of those sets- lots of small vehicles hidden within the truck and trailer, a computer station, equipment, and a jail cell for baddies, that of course has a built-in 'breakout' feature. But it's black and has bat wings- that should count for something, right? Anyway, I enjoy these mobile base sets, so when I saw this, I was excited to get it. Most reviews that I've watched took a dim view of this set, especially the flying craft, but I dig it. All of it. First of all, it was a fun build- nothing too difficult or repetitive, just a nice relaxing building experience, apart from all the stickers (20 total). They used a Mixel ball joint and this modified plate for the fifth wheel that maintains a firm connection but allows a great deal of freedom for the trailer to move about regardless of terrain. I hope this becomes the standard with these large truck builds. Two notable parts in this set that will no doubt become popular among Classic Space fans are the trans-yellow windshield and canopy. Trans yellow is always a welcome addition to the palette, especially windscreens, so that's a big positive by itself. Moving on, the small vehicles are standard fare- simple but functional builds that offer mobility to the Dark Knight as he faces down bad guys on sea, land, and air. Speaking of air, we come to the , um, flying thing. This particular build has pretty much been the center of discontent with this set, the bane, if you will. It's a weird and fantastical aircraft, as only imagination could make such a thing fly. Honestly, this strikes me as being in the same vein as The Bat from The Dark Knight Rises. That struck me as a purely fantastical aircraft in an otherwise 'reality' based Batman series of films, and I was kind of surprised Nolan used it in lieu of something more conventional and actually airworthy. However, this is LEGO, so I give it much more levity. I like it- I like the big canopy, I like the shaping, I love the folding wings, I like the grey bits on top with the intake details (stickers) which ostensibly feed engines mounted somewhere between there and the exhausts mounted to the lower back part of the ship. I also like that it can carry the little quadrunner under the fuselage that extends back behind the cockpit. I dig that the landing area for it in the trailer is marked with bee stripes, which you can partially see in this picture. It's all pure sci-fi fantasy, but it's the kind of fantasy that appeals to me, and I've been a sucker for a large vehicle that spews smaller ones to do battle since my very early childhood watching Battle of the Planets. I'm not a big minifig enthusiast, but I do appreciate the ever improving levels of detail that LEGO puts into them. That said, the figs that come with these two sets are all very well-detailed, and the two new capes, both of the starchy material, are welcome additions to LEGO Batman's repertoire of suits and accessories. Additionally, I believe Batgirl's cape is new as well; it's of the starchy material, has a single neck hole, and is blue on one side, black on the other. It's great attention to detail on LEGO's part, and I appreciate it. I do wish, however, that they gave more of these figs double molded legs to give them boots, especially Batman and Batgirl. Mr. Freeze's helmet is an apropos reuse from Mysterio from the Far From Home sets. I wish he'd come with some sort of back pack to power his freeze gun, which itself is a nice little mini-build, but he does have lovely back printing that's indicative of his coolant apparatus. Sorry I don't have a pic. Bronze Tiger is unknown to me, but the inclusion of a white Man-Bat is pretty cool. I'm not sure where the white variant comes from, but it makes for a striking looking figure. I just don't like the wing arms, as they offer little to no utility beyond a flying pose. Minifigs are extremely limited in their articulation as it is, and specialized arms like these further limit the usefulness of the fig. Final thoughts on these sets is that they offer some fun builds within the LEGOized realm of Batman, and as I generally do, I enjoyed the builds, and playing with the resulting models. Even the flying thing. FWIW, I recommend them if you're an old Agents fan, or a Batman fan. And if you're a Classic Space fan, you've got two new windshields to work with. On a somewhat related note, I so wish LEGO would create an alternative to the minifig. It was ahead of its time in 1978, but it's an anachronism by today's standards of articulation. I often find it to be the limiting factor in sets. I've also been spoiled by Mega Bloks' figures, which offer a great range of motion for their size. I'd love to see LEGO follow suit, but they seem too rooted in tradition to even attempt it. However, if they made a similar figure, I think it would enhance their action themed sets, allowing for far more dynamic posing and utility than the statuesque minifig. Probably an unpopular opinion, but it's how I've felt for years.

Perhaps I'm cynical, but I doubt these actions were taken out of any sincere moral or legal indignation, but out of some gain by the Party. China, generally, is not known to be the bastion of legal practices, as they've been stealing and copying intellectual properties for decades with little pushback by the government. This smacks of a good PR tactic to beholden them to the West.

I was thinking your ER Prime was becoming quite the expensive figure, and then I read your last sentence. But y'know, this is probably the last time for a long time that we're going to get a G1 Optimus that is this well done. I've already sunk more time and money into mine than I ever have for any Transformer figure I've owned, and after 35+ years of collecting, I have a few. Guess what I'm saying is, if you're going to put improvement efforts into any figure, ER Prime stands out as a worthy candidate. On that note, your efforts have certainly enhanced the figure overall. Looks great! I invested in the Nonnef trailer kit after seeing your previous reviews, and I don't mind the fenders, although I hear you on the non-flush point, and the swing-out sections to support the trailer, although, having to swap the little support feet takes something away from the experience. I'm not sure why he couldn't figure out how to make them rotate into position, but he didn't, so in the spirit of Earthrise, it's just one more parts-forming element to contend with. C'est la vie. This new kit looks pretty good, and I like that the trailer supports are shortened to allow for natural clearance for the trailer. I'm not sure I trust the integrity of 3D printed stuff over injection molded over time. Having said that, the parts themselves look nice, especially that Roller. I bought the Centurion Drone Weaponizer Pack from Pulse, so that'll give me a better, and official, Roller in lieu of Nonnef's mediocre attempt. I'm surprised, and a little dismayed, that more accessories to complete Prime's trailer don't come with that set, but perhaps they have similar releases planned, so they may just dole them out piecemeal. Sounds like a Hasbro tactic.

That's a nice little Soundwave. I had this PO'd, then canxed it. Reconsidering... I really don't want to get caught up in the legends collecting game- I'm already collecting Generations main line, MP (or 3p equivalents), the occasional Cyberverse fig that appeals, and a handful of legends figs, mostly NewAge. For their sizes, these things are wonderfully done, regardless of whether you favor MS or NA, the two top contenders these days. I tend towards the NA designs, but I've bought from both companies, and I'm happy with everything I've gotten. I get the appeal; I just have no space for yet another collection. Stuff gets expensive, too. That said, I'm on the fence for Soundwave; both Soundwave figs do the character justice; for me it comes down to the cassettes and MS did a pretty good job with the bot modes, but the cassette modes are barely recognizable as such. But most folks are probably going to have theirs in bot mode most of the time anyway, so I understand the decision to favor the bot modes. NewAge seems to have sought more of a balance between modes, as you can see with Rumble in that pic. A little stylized, but fairly well articulated for its size (smaller even than Magic Square's which are small compared to the Siege cassettes). NA's assume a slightly more convincing mini-cassette than the MS. but the MS have more accurate bot modes with superior articulation. Its a conundrum. I'm tempted to get MS's stand alone cassette team, and NA's Soundwave. Best of both, I guess.

I found out about this last evening, so by the time I visited Pulse, it was already sold out. Most of the comments I've read, folks only really want Cordon, but are willing to take Spinout in the deal. Same boat here, but admittedly, Spinout looks good. They both benefit from what looks so far to be a good mold. Anyway, I'm not really willing to pay markups on these guys, so unless Pulse restocks it, I probably won't be getting them. I got my copy of Snapdragon yesterday. I've liked his design since the old G1 days, and I was pretty excited when they announced him for ER, and more so after watching/reading reviews. In hand, I think he's pretty cool. He's definitely way better than the chunk that is Apeface. Anyway, I love his T-rexy dragon mode, his plane mode is good (it has its flaws, but at least it looks like something that would fly, unlike Apeface's winged cube mode), and his bot mode is decent. It's a good update within the standards of this line, and I'm glad that he was released as a part of it.

We may be seeing the end of a golden age of TF collecting, especially if they're going after these companies with a vengeance (and a sizeable posse of corporate attorneys). On one hand, I can sympathize with Hasbro, but on the other, I lament the lack of options once all these third parties have been shut down or just quit before they become legal fodder. At this point, most of my MP collection is third party, so I'll definitely suffer the loss of options, especially since the official toys of late haven't really appealed to me. I'm sure I'm not alone.

It's unfortunate that Hasbro is unwilling to sell a Transformers license to an entity that wants to make transforming toys, keeping that salient feature to themselves. In this case, as with so many third parties, given the level of creativity they bring to the table, not to mention unique style, it would offer more to fans under the official banner. I can understand if they forbid straight-up faithful G1 designs; that's their bailiwick. But stuff like Nicee or Cang Toys' G1 characters with beast mode alts, or many of the comics inspired designs that HasTak seem to have little interest in doing are opportunities where Hasbro could benefit from granting a license without getting their toes stepped on. Then again, who knows what kind of regulations and limits Hasbro would put upon them if they did. It might not be worth the bother for the outside company. It's a shame, though. There's a lot of brilliance on the part of these companies. My collection benefits.

Really? Wasn't aware of that. Shame, as that was kinda the point, to provide an alternate take. The other head looked nice, too, though. But yeah, it'd be cool f they released it as an add-on.

My invoice just dropped for Big FireBird's Nicee. I'm looking forward to this fgure. Arcee is notoriously difficult to get right, and although this is a very stylish take, I'm curious to see how the engineering works. If anything, the accentuated nature of Nicee would have proved more challenging than just a straight G1 Arcee. A bunch of my other POs are becoming available or shipping, too. September is going to be an expensive month.

Your nicest VF-1 or a YF-19 if you have one. Hard choice though- I love all my valks, so I'd be trying to find a way to cram them all in. And my Transformers, and all my LEGO, for which I'd probably need a semi to carry it all. Love my toys. Anyway, be safe, you and yours. Like you said, it's just stuff. FWIW, I hope they manage the fire before it gets too close to home. Come what may, return to us safe.

Yeah- lanky and Ark , or Fort Max, for that matter, don't really gel. Guess we'll wait and see what comes.

I wish you every success in scoring a Quintesson set. It holds no interest for me, personally, but I figure I'm in the minority. I'm kinda curious if the rumor about an Ark is going to prove true. it's part of the artwork on the ER packaging, and I wonder if it's not just there for context. If they do make it as a Titan, and it's done well, I may consider getting a copy. If so, it'll be my first Titan TF. I'd still rather have Omega Supreme/the Ark from Animated. Great design. I really hoped they'd trot something like that out on the tenth anniversary of Animated, but AFAIK, they did absolutely nothing to homage it. Shame- it's still one of my favorite TF shows, and toy lines. Got my Target Seeker two-pack today (it was supposed to come on Saturday, but it got sent to the wrong Post Office and it took them a couple days to get it sorted). Anyway, it's nice to have a complete set standing next to each to other for the first time. I wish the mold was a little better, but whatever. Not crazy about the screaming face on Skywarp, but otherwise he and TC are looking pretty good. Now all I need is Thrust, and I'll have my original Seekers and Coneheads completed for ER.

Well that's interesting. I assume they're going to break the two days up into panels to address their various IPs. Transformers is really the only one that interests me. They do a beautiful job on their Black Series Star Wars, and Classified GI Joe figs, though.

Glad you're still with us. Wise words for those of us who haven't been checked, including myself.

TFSource and Chosen Prime have it for $70. Chosen Prime are offering two versions: Scaramanga (Blue Soundwave), which comes with Laserbeak, Rumble (blue), and Ravage, and Dr. No (black Soundwave/Soundblaster) which comes with Buzzsaw, Frenzy (red) and Ratbat. TFSource is only offering Scaramanga. Hopefully an early review of the NewAge fig will come out soon. I'm curious how it compares to the Magic Square. Already, the MS cassettes in bot mode are more complex and articulated, but they seem to have rather thick and unconvincing cassette modes, and per Skullface's review, they're difficult to remove once you put them in Soundwave's chest. The NA's, while not as refined or articulated in cassette mode, appear to to form thinner, more convincing, albeit not perfect, looking cassettes. For now, I'm on the fence.

I don't play CoD, but the tactic makes sense to avoid licensing fees. We've seen the same employed by HasTak with Transformers for years. Honestly, it doesn't bother me if a game uses fictitious designs, especially in an action or shooter game. I often enjoy the designs that the artists conjure up for these games. Now if you're talking Flight Simulator, those should replicate the real aircraft inside and out as much as possible.

For as tiny as they are, those are some pretty respectable cassette bots. Unlike the MS versions, which are too thick, these look to retain the thinness that makes them feel more like mini-cassettes, or in this case, mini-mini-cassettes. It would have been cool if they'd included the teeth on the spindles instead of just doing circle indentations. Still, I appreciate the effort. Tempted by this set.

I dunno; they went into this line with a plan, knowing that they were doing Earth modes, and my feeling is that the toys were likely designed with that in mind, if not opposite from the order they were released. In other words, the Earth versions were designed first, and then redesigned for the Cybertronian precursors. Or, designs like Soundwave and Megatron, which have few changes between Siege and ER models, were designed concurrently. IMHO, they labored under the suspicion that the Earth modes are going to be the most popular, b/c G1 is still highly desired by collectors. With that in mind, an easy way to double dip is to reuse any number of those molds, with mods, put the Cybertronian stuff out first to make an extra buck, and then segue into the Earth stuff. Just my opinion; no facts to back it up, but it makes business sense to me.