The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[no3Ljm]

I'm in for another Hot Rod/imus.

Photos from TagHobby.

Edited July 31, 2016 by no3ljm

[treatment]

[areaseven]

[Black Valkyrie]

New Ginrai pics.

[nhyone]

There has been 3 upgrade kits for the Combiner Wars Devastator:

- Perfect Effect - PC-06

- X2 Toys - XS001 Kit

- DNA - DK-01

I like the last one most of all. Among others, it fixes 3 issues:

- Mixmaster's cement mixer in correct orientation in vehicle mode! Foot is also more G1 looking (basic expectation)

- shoulders

- tiltable head. It is a "parts-former", but I'm fine with it

I ordered it right after I watched Vangelus's review on it.

Edited August 8, 2016 by nhyone

[Ivan]

I'm in for another Hot Rod/imus.

Photos from TagHobby.

When will Takara stop calling him "Hot Rodimus" ? It's such a travesty of the English language. "Hot Rod" is an English slang with a real meaning that befits the character, while "Hot Rodiums" on the other hand is pure silliness ....

Edited August 8, 2016 by Ivan

[JB0]

When will Takara stop calling him "Hot Rodimus" ? It's such a travesty of the English language. "Hot Rod" is an English slang with a real meaning that befits the character, while "Hot Rodiums" on the other hand is pure silliness ....

They should just make his canon name "Turbo-revvin' Young Punk".

[mikeszekely]

They should just make his canon name "Turbo-revvin' Young Punk".

Or Prime Killer.

[areaseven]

[nhyone]

Not going to miss that.

However, there appears to be only one commentary track. The 20th anniversary edition has two (one of which is now left out). The UK Ultimate 2-disc ed has another. I wish this release has all 3, but that's a minor nitpick.

I'm glad both the 16:9 and 4:3 versions are available. However, I wonder how "open" the 4:3 will be.

Comparing Sony's 16:9 to its 4:3 version (red = 16:9):

Comparing Sony's 4:3 to Reconstructed version (red = Sony):

[Vortech]

MP Cheetor is officially up at all the major e-tailers now, and anime export is the cheapest by a few bucks.

[Scyla]

Is anyone watching the Machinima Combiner Wars series? I'm unsure what to make of it two episodes in. I tried to come up with some more text but I can't seem to wrap my head around a verdict. We'll see once the show has finished.

[Dangard Ace]

MP Cheetor is officially up at all the major e-tailers now, and anime export is the cheapest by a few bucks.

NY currently cheapest.

[M'Kyuun]

I just went ahead and got him through HLJ; I've had nothing but good experiences with them, so I don't mind spending a few extra dollars. Looking forward to getting this guy in hand. I wish they could have integrated the bot mode feet a little better, but overall, he looks pretty amazing.

[treatment]

thread need moar pics...

http://i.imgur.com/VyJXivMl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/temJn9Il.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/F3u3UcLl.jpg

[mikeszekely]

Speaking of old MPs, I was messing around with my Hasbro release of MP-06 Skywarp. That thing has NOT held up well. The torso just doesn't want to stay together, there's too many little bits you have to line up, the tolerances on the wing hinges are awful (no wonder I broke one of Starscream's wings), and he just seems both floppy and kibbley. I don't have any of the newer Seeker mold, but reviews I've seen make it seem awfully similar. Is it more improved than I'm thinking, or is everyone basically still hoping for a Seeker 3.0 or a 3P to do it better?

[treatment]

Both my Hasbro SW and TC are still fine. No issues.

Hasbro Screamer is alot better, tho. At least in the tightness arena.

Which is still kinda weird coz I read Takara MP-11 was stupidly loose, per owner reports.

The Hasbro-Asia/Takara-Asia MP-11 based SW and TC seems to be tighter like Hasbro Screamer, per owner reports at TFW. Very exhorbitant, however.

The relatively recent MP RamJet has been reported to have a bunch of QC issues. Some even reported and posted pics of the bizarro melted clamshell packaging.

[technoblue]

I've owned MP-3 and MP-11 Starscream, as well as Masterpiece Acid Storm. IIRC, the MP-11 mold is just the MP-3 mold redone without Kawamori's tweaks to the design. The basic skeleton is the same, but MP-11 removes the "real world" kibble to give the seekers more of a G1 accurate look. In short, this means that the wings were done differently, as were the legs and paint apps. The feet were also updated to make the toy more stable. Going from old to new, there are some tolerance problems that remain (like the horizontal stabilizers popping off during transformation), and there are some new problems that are added (like the wings not tabbing in securely). Both designs feel dated compared to what is available today. (I mean, even mainline flyers from the CW/UW line are getting waist swivels.) If you are expecting a toy that allows for more dynamic poses, MP-11 will disappoint. It has no improvements in that area.

I can see how both MP-3 and MP-11 could get loose overtime, especially if you are a collector who handles your toys often. Alas, some versions of MP-11 Starscream (like treatment noted) were loose in the chest out of the box, making for a poor robot mode straight away. My copies were okay, but I noticed that Acid Storm was the best of the three and he was a Hasbro release instead of a Takara release. Normally, I expect the quality to go the other way round.

I haven't picked up any of the newer releases, or the coneheads and can't speak to the quality of those.

[areaseven]

I've pretty much retired from collecting Transformers, but I might pick this one up.

[JB0]

So, in not-MP, not-unlicensed, doesn't cost a million dollars news... I was out shopping earkuer and was utterly shocked to see a Titans Galvatron and Skullcru-err, SkullSMASHER on the shelf. They both looked decent enough, so I picked them up.

There was also a Hardhead, but he didn't look particularly compelling at the time. Oh, and a sea of leader Skywarps, but all that does is remind me I never found the original Jetfire version of that mold(which I actually WANTED grumblegrumble ).

I am not disappointed with either of the two I bought.

For the most part, I think Galvatron succeeds in all three modes, though I suspect the jet mode was a late addition and he was originally intended to have a gun mode.

Jet mode is solid enough, but is missing a few pegs that would keep the tank-tread landing gear oriented right. And the jet cockpit does nothing but stick out like a sore thumb in robot

and artillery mode(though it falls short of getting in the way in both modes), as well as being one swivel joint away from being a perfect pistol grip. It screams "added on at the last minute" to me.

The legs don't peg together well in artillery mode, but I think that is down to tolerances in my unit. Everything looks fine, they just refuse to stay pegged. It is the ONLY thing that doesn't peg together nicely in artillery mode or robot mode.

Robot mode looks snazzy, and is decently articulated. I see little to complain about. The big shoulder plates and tank treads on the back of his forearms have surprisingly little effect on posability. There was clearly a lot of thought put into getting the original toy homage in there without hindering functionality.

Galvatron's headmaster's mold is not sharp enough to actually carry off the "miniature Megatron" look they were trying for in it's robot mode(and show in the box art), but the thought was appreciated.

There is a spring-loaded mask that pops up from his chest and goes over his headmaster unit's face to complete the Galvatron head. Which is fun, but using it means you basically give up on the head swivel entirely if you choose to deploy the mask. The compartment it comes out of is large enough that I am pretty sure there's a non-headmaster version of the design somewhere in Hasbro's labs that stores the entire head in that chest compartment.

I thought he had hollow forearms from looking in the box window. And he does where the hands flip out, but back from that there turned out to carry recessed mechanical detailing.

The backs of his legs have flip-open doors to keep them from being big gaping voids. As with the headmaster feature and jet cockpit, I suspect a retrofit. They don't really go anywhere in the other modes(they tab into the side of the legs to keep them from flopping around underneath the artillery and jet modes), and their recessed nature makes them rather obviously doors in robot mode. But they are still far better than a gaping void of that scale would have been. I've seen complaints that they don't match the legs, but they seem intended to carry the black of his knees down the back of his legs, and it isn't a color choice that bugs me.

He's obviously not perfect, but I feel he is highly enjoyable, looks decent, and is suitably posable.

The biggest complaint I have is actually that the gun barrel doesn't have glitter mixed into it like the original toy did. The plain transparent orange is a disappointment.

The neatest detail is a flip-up plate on his butt that hides his power cell abs outside of robot mode. It was unexpected, but greatly appreciated.

Skullsmasher is a green-and-pink crocodile. He executes both modes quite nicely, and even has a joint for tail articulation(which I did not expect at all). The gator head is balljointed and fairly detailed, even inside the mouth.

The only bad things I can say are he has no LEG articulation in crocodile mode, the cockpit door is made of rubber for some indecipherable reason, and he carries a completely pointless tailpiece around in robot mode. But I feel they are minor criticisms.

There's almost nothing to do with the tail aside from set it aside. I probably spent a half hour trying to figure out a way to snap it over the gator head. I've settled for inserting the pistol into the tail and using it as a big pink rifle, which works nicely aside from giving him more of a gunarm look, of the grossly misbalanced type.

The rubber cockpit door is his largest flaw. Particularly as it tends to smoosh INTO the cockpit when I am handling the crocogator mode. won't deform.

Oh! SPEAKING OF COCKPITS... both of them have tiny molded control panel displays for their little head-dudes to stare vacantly at(I expected blank cubicles) . Galvatron's deserves special note because the cockpit screen panel has a three-bar graph molded into it that reminds me of the original headmaster tech spec gauges.

[Dio]

I finally got a chance to take some photos of my touch-up job on Blurr, using mostly silver and a little gold Sharpie marker to highlight the vents and other features molded on the figure. I think it really perks up the Hasbro monotone deco, though I still have a Legends Blurr on order for the more cheerful cartoon deco.

Showin' off those abs!

[Tking22]

Looks like Takara MP Soundwave is getting a re-issue, with all of the cassettes bundled no less.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK12406&mode=retail

I guess at this point I'll bite. I'm glad I never got the stand alone Takara release and then bought all the cassettes separate, and I'm REALLY glad I never paid the highway robbery prices some people wanted for their Hasbro Soundwave with all the goods in one box.

[mikeszekely]

Looks like Takara MP Soundwave is getting a re-issue, with all of the cassettes bundled no less.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK12406&mode=retail

I guess at this point I'll bite. I'm glad I never got the stand alone Takara release and then bought all the cassettes separate, and I'm REALLY glad I never paid the highway robbery prices some people wanted for their Hasbro Soundwave with all the goods in one box.

BBTS has it listed as from Takara, but it's got the yellow eyes of the Hasbro release. It looks like it's actually a Hasbro Asia release.

It's still a good deal of your in the market for an MP Sound wave with all the cassettes (well, except Rabat).

[technoblue]

Poor Ratbat. It would have been cool if Takara had released more of the Decepticon mini-cassettes and released Ratbat in a gift set of his own, maybe with a Ravage clone like Howlback or something new like Slugfest.

Edit: I'm actually surprised Takara didn't go ahead and make more cassette tapes.

Edited August 19, 2016 by technoblue

[Lorindor]

I recently bought a Takara Soundwave from Mandarake. I paid through the roof for it, but I just couldn't settle for yellow eyes which would have been cheeper and now even more so. So I don't actually feel burned. The good thing with this re-release for me is that it may be possible to find some of the casettes loose for a not ridiculous price.

[technoblue]

The eyes didn't bother me so much with Hasbro's release of MP Soundwave. They matched the old G1 toy, which was one of my favorite toys when I was younger. I think I was bothered more by the lack of paint apps in certain areas on Soundwave and certain differences with the cassettes. I don't know if I would be bothered by these so much if I were still looking for MP Soundwave today. I'd probably go all in. Luckily, I'm all set.

I'm still wondering about Sounblaster, though. And for an MP, he's been quite the shelf warmer. I think BBTS still has some.

[M'Kyuun]

I'll chime in with my disappointment that more of the cassettes weren't made; they've always been some of my favorite TFs. The MP designs are pretty incredible, esp the condors, Laserbeak and Buzzsaw. Ravage was always my favorite, though, and I had really high expectations after seeing what was done with Laserbeak. Alas, he's not as good as I'd hoped he'd be, but still decent. I think the Ravage that came with Hound has a better overall aesthetic.

Anyway, glad I got my Hasbro Soundwave when it was first released. I was dismayed about not getting Ratbat, too, but I ended up getting a well done KO for about $15. It does the job.

If they make a MP Blaster sometime in the future, hopefully that'll open the door to more cassettes being made. Fingers crossed.

[vlenhoff]

I like that Dio. I think Blurr pops more with those details painted.

[Smiley424]

I've owned MP-3 and MP-11 Starscream, as well as Masterpiece Acid Storm. IIRC, the MP-11 mold is just the MP-3 mold redone without Kawamori's tweaks to the design. The basic skeleton is the same, but MP-11 removes the "real world" kibble to give the seekers more of a G1 accurate look. In short, this means that the wings were done differently, as were the legs and paint apps. The feet were also updated to make the toy more stable. Going from old to new, there are some tolerance problems that remain (like the horizontal stabilizers popping off during transformation), and there are some new problems that are added (like the wings not tabbing in securely). Both designs feel dated compared to what is available today. (I mean, even mainline flyers from the CW/UW line are getting waist swivels.) If you are expecting a toy that allows for more dynamic poses, MP-11 will disappoint. It has no improvements in that area.

I can see how both MP-3 and MP-11 could get loose overtime, especially if you are a collector who handles your toys often. Alas, some versions of MP-11 Starscream (like treatment noted) were loose in the chest out of the box, making for a poor robot mode straight away. My copies were okay, but I noticed that Acid Storm was the best of the three and he was a Hasbro release instead of a Takara release. Normally, I expect the quality to go the other way round.

I haven't picked up any of the newer releases, or the coneheads and can't speak to the quality of those.

I had the Kawamori Stars cream and regret selling him, but what's done is done. I have been eyeing the updated more G1 accurate Starscreams for a while, but I don't love the design and characters to pay the crazy markup that they are selling for now. I went with one of the KO Starscreams by KBB and reports are that they and another KO, BB7 Skywarp are improved over the original Takara/Hasbro releases with tight chests.

I will post my impressions of the KO Starscreams when it arrives unless we don't talk about KOs here.

[Chewie]

Local Target has a few Fortress Maximus's's's on clearance for $105. I was tempted but it'd be another thing sitting in it's box on a shelf.

[mikeszekely]

Local Target has a few Fortress Maximus's's's on clearance for $105. I was tempted but it'd be another thing sitting in it's box on a shelf.

That's odd. My Target, to the best of my knowledge, never got any and didn't bother to allocate shelf space for it.

[JB0]

That's odd. My Target, to the best of my knowledge, never got any and didn't bother to allocate shelf space for it.

Ditto.

Local Target has a few Fortress Maximus's's's on clearance for $105. I was tempted but it'd be another thing sitting in it's box on a shelf.

Do the responsible thing. Buy them all and then put them on eBay. Edited August 22, 2016 by JB0

[Chewie]

That's odd. My Target, to the best of my knowledge, never got any and didn't bother to allocate shelf space for it.

Neither did the one by my house. We just happened to stop into the one across town and they have a huge clearance section filled with a Star Wars(Black Series TIE Fighter for around $100 ) and some TFs. Almost missed him completely because they were behind some board game on the bottom shelf.

The actual TF 'section' was one vertical row of pegs, all but one empty and the shelf below filled with Motormaster.

I wish I had space for him and I am still thinking about going back. There were at least 3 there. =\

[JB0]

In that case, I may have to check mine. We at least have TWO columns of pegs for Trannies.

Edited August 23, 2016 by JB0

[M'Kyuun]

Got my UW Bruticus and Takara TR Galvatron today. I really like the packaging for Bruticus; it's a shame Hasbro didn't follow suit and release the entire team in a big box as well. I dig the colors on this guy. Still hate those crappy hand/foot/weapon parts- they're ok for hands, but on a fig this size, they're completely inadequate as feet. Trying to get him in a dynamic pose without falling over was a time consuming process. I've got some PE Bruticus parts PO'd- can't wait to swap them out. Lots of floppiness/loose joints and loose connections (with tabs) with nearly every figure in the set. Blast Off's legs (in arm mode) are especially loose and I constantly have to squeeze them back together. I guess that's the cost of having a proper shuttle mode guy.

Galvatron's a pretty neat figure, except for that cannon attachment. How hard would it have been to move the peg hole 90 degrees or, better yet, mount it to his forearm? I see that some enterprising folks have already remedied it with Shapeways. Might be worth a look. I wish they'd just given this fig a proper head; there's plenty of room for it in his chest, so a modified re-release is feasible. I'm already feeling a pang of regret.

Edited August 23, 2016 by M'Kyuun