The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[sh9000]

[sh9000]

[tekering]

Y'know, if Hasbro packaged all their new CHUG releases in boxes like that... 

 

 

...I'd probably have bought every single one of them.  

[mikeszekely]

Went to Target today to get paper plates and one of those smaller cordless Dyson vacuums to help with spot cleaning.  They were sold out of paper plates and didn't have the model of vacuum I wanted.  But they did have toys... including Cyberverse Deluxe-class Starscream.

Seems like not that long ago I picked up Thunderhowl and completed the collection of eight figures (plus the ninth build-a-figure).  And one of my biggest complaints about the line as a whole was that they were in fact shoveling out nobodies like Thunderhowl while Megatron and Shockwave were the only two Decepticons.  Seems Hasbro heard my complaint, because they abruptly announced three more Deluxes, and two of them are Decepticons.  One of them being Starscream.

In robot mode Starscream's looking pretty good.  The Cyberverse design is a nice blend of G1 with the evergreen Cyberverse style and just a hint of Robots in Disguise.  While he still showed flashes of incompetence in the episodes I watched (just the first season) he looks tough enough to actually be Megatron's second-in-command.  And, for a change with this line, I almost don't even have to complain about the lack of paint, because aside from some red on his wing stripes and the fact that his forearms should be blue he's pretty accurate to the source material.  I don't even think the white forearms look bad on him, but I guess that's a detail I'm going to have to paint.

Unfortunately, like many of the Cyberverse figures, he's got some hollow spots.  In his legs it's actually for his transformation, as his thighs tuck in there.  His arms are just Hasbro being cheap.

Unlike the previous eight figures, the new crop of Cyberverse Deluxes doesn't do the BAF thing.  So, Starscream just comes with his null rays and some blast effects, one of which has three red missiles and is possibly my favorite blast effect across both Cyberverse and the War for Cybertron Trilogy.

Starscream's head is on a ball joint for rotation with a slight downward tilt, good sideways tilt, and excellent upward tilt.  His shoulders are also ball joints for rotation and up to 90 degrees of lateral movement, and his wings are hinged to stay clear of his arms.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend just a touch over 90 degrees.  His wrists swivel.  His waist swivels His hips are ball joints that can go 90 degrees forward, maybe 75 degrees laterally, but only about 45 degrees backward due to his back kibble.  His thighs swivel, and due to transformation his knees can bend nearly 180 degrees.  His feet can't tilt up, but if you don't mind unhooking his heels his feet can tilt down, plus he's got about 60 degrees of ankle pivot.

The null rays are meant to plug into holes on his forearms, although they're just 5mm pegs and they could be held as a gun in your average Transformer's fists.  The blast effects plug onto the ends of the null rays.  As for the missiles, I'm not sure where they're supposed to be firing from but Starscream's got those little Siege bumps under his pec intakes, and the effect part can plug into either of them.  It actually looks pretty cool, although it makes me wish he were compatible with something like the flight stand that came with Studio Series Soundwave

Starscream's transformation is one of the more complex ones in the Cyberverse line.  And the result is... well... let's just say it doesn't strike me as particularly sleek.  Or aerodynamic.

And yet, as near as I can tell, it's not totally inaccurate to the source material.  Those big boxy intakes aft of the cockpit?  Accurate.  The slightly elevated vent between them?  It's red in the cartoon (and on the box) instead of gray, but otherwise accurate.  The shape of the wings, the long nose and little canards?  Accurate.  His stabs are a little small, but really the biggest departure from the cartoon, like most Transformers toys, is the junk he's carrying on his underside.  Namely, a bit of his shins and his totally-not-hiding-at-all arms.  Let's say I'm not a huge fan of this jet mode, but it's like 30% the underside kibble and 70% I'm not really into his Cyberverse alt mode in the first place and they're just being accurate to it.

Starscream's null rays peek out from under his wings, which is accurate to to the cartoon, by staying in the same ports as they used in robot mode, so you don't have to remove them for transformation.  The blast effects again just plug into the tips of the null rays.  For the missiles there's a Siege nub under the nose, and I'm still a fan of that one.

I'd say Cyberverse Deluxe-class Starscream is a pretty good figure.  Unlike a lot of the previous figures I won't have to do a ton of touch-up painting, and I think his robot mode is pretty great.  I'm less enthusiastic about his alt mode, but again a lot of my gripes with it are accurate to the cartoon so I can't really fault them for it.  I do still wish they'd use a little more paint and swap some of those ball joints for universals (they can stop with the blast effects and re-direct that budget into figure itself), but I'd say overall he's one of the better figures in the Cyberverse Deluxe line.  So, if you're collecting from the Cyberverse line he's a recommend as a good figure and a much-needed Decepticon addition.  Frankly, I'd be interested in a few repaints to help fill out the Decepticon ranks, especially if one of them is Slipstream.

Edited December 29, 2020 by mikeszekely

[treatment]

MP-51 got delivered today.

Gotta do some minor balancing to make her hold her neutral stance. Her midriff/torso-section balljoint naturally biases back due to backpack-weight. Maybe apply some Future-polish if OCD.

A little disappointed her thighs and/or knees do not have some rotation feature.

edit: Her thighs do have rotation-feature. Just really tight oob.

Overall, a neat MP release.  TT should've included a stand, tho.

Pictars!

 

 

add:

thigh rotation feature...

Edited December 29, 2020 by treatment

[mikeszekely]

9 minutes ago, treatment said:

MP-51 got delivered today.

Gotta do some minor balancing to make her hold her neutral stance. Her midriff/torso-section balljoint naturally biases back due to backpack-weight. Maybe apply some Future-polish if OCD.

A little disappointed her thighs and/or knees do not have some rotation feature.

edit: Her thighs do have rotation-feature. Just really tight oob.

Overall, a neat MP release.  TT should've included a stand, tho.

Pictars!

 

I'm still not a fan of her chest, but your pics make her look better than the official ones.

[technoblue]

Sweet photos @treatment! It looks like Arcee is fun to pose. My favorite is the one with Squid Girl. 

[M'Kyuun]

Judging by the placement of her bot bits in car mode, I'd guess her transformation is similar to that of MMC's Azalea. MMC did a far better job of compressing her car kibble into a rather compact backpack, as well as achieving a better looking sculpt for her chest. MP-51's oddly shaped chest is a concession to allow for butterfly joints. Normally, I'm all for greater articulation, but on this figure, I'm not a fan of it's impact on her final look. Azalea may not have as much articulation, but she has plenty to suit my needs while presenting a lithe feminine looking bot with a well-designed mechanism for compressing her car fenders into a good semblance of her animated back pods. In my opinion, she's still the best G1 Arcee fig to date. Not perfect (I wish her lower legs weren't so stilted, and I don't understand why they made them the way they did rather than anthropomorphically shaped), but in all the major ways that count, she's the best realization in a transforming toy.

That said, thanks for sharing pics, @treatment. Her car mode looks amazing, and your photos make her look good. I do wish Takara had taken some hints from MMC's solution to compressing the backpack, as I think it's the worst aspect by far of this figure, worse than the chest. If they'd succeeded in making a compact backpack, I probably would have bought her. However, having a figure already that does both the chest and backpack better (IMHO), I just didn't feel like this figure exemplified 'masterpiece' to the standard that I would have expected and preferred, or that we've seen accomplished with other MP figures. My opinion aside, I hope she proves to be a fun and fulfilling addition to your collection, Treatment.

[Chronocidal]

Not a toy, and not remotely within my price range, but I suppose this at least proves someone knows how Starscream's jet mode should look.

 

 

[technoblue]

I like how Takara and MMC have subtle differences in their interpretations of Arcee’s design. Takara went for the curvy pin-up sci-fi aesthetic. MMC went for the more modern athletic sci-fi aesthetic. For my collection, both styles have their place so I’m happy to have the chance to own both figures.

[M'Kyuun]

8 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Not a toy, and not remotely within my price range, but I suppose this at least proves someone knows how Starscream's jet mode should look.

 

 

That jet mode is better than the most recent MP Starscream, but it's not without its liberties. The thing that sticks out to me most is how far forward the intake ramps are, and how stubby and wide it makes the nose look. It gives me more of an F-4 vibe than an F-15, just looking at the forward fuselage. If that F-15 actually transformed into a robot, the proportions would be more forgivable, but it doesn't, which makes me wonder why they didn't skew more towards real world accuracy. Alas, it's neither here nor there, as I've zero interest in non-transforming Transformers, especially at that price range. For $2000, it should transform as a minimum feature, but I digress. This is for a completely different audience than myself.

34 minutes ago, technoblue said:

I like how Takara and MMC have subtle differences in their interpretations of Arcee’s design. Takara went for the curvy pin-up sci-fi aesthetic. MMC went for the more modern athletic sci-fi aesthetic. For my collection, both styles have their place so I’m happy to have the chance to own both figures.

And therein lies the beauty of options. If you can find joy in both toys for what each brings to the table, that's wonderful. I'm sure, had I bought her, I could have found some fulfilment in her articulation, her car mode, her paint and sculpt, among others. Had Takara released her prior to MMC's Azalea, I likely wouldn't have hesitated. But they did, and ultimately, for my personal taste, I got the Arcee for me.

[sh9000]

https://hasbropulse.com/blogs/unboxed/haslab-war-for-cybertron-unicron-production-update-4

[anime52k8]

well, that's certainly big.

[mikeszekely]

OK, so you guys know that obnoxious partsforming tank barrel that comes with Earthrise Megatron (and Gen Selects G2 Megatron)?  So here's something I just figured out.  On the underside is a screw- remove it.  Next, find the seem between the the top of the turret/tank barrel and the bottom of the turret/blade.  Get a Q-tip and some rubbing alcohol and carefully seep some alcohol into the seam on the side that faces inside the tank.

Wait a few minutes, then use a hobby knife and a spudger to carefully pry them apart.  Now you'll still have an obnoxious partforming tank barrel you'll probably set off to the side, but it's a little less obnoxious, while the other part is now a pretty functional G1 toy-style sword.  The little pegs will hold them together without the screw for tank mode, although you'll probably need the spudger to separate them again.

With all this in mind, although I have no talent for it, I might see if I can model and print some adapters.  Maybe get the tank barrel onto Earthrise Megatron's back the way the gun barrel sits there on G1/MP Megatron.  For G2 Megatron, something to put the barrel up over his shoulder like actual G2 Megatron.

 

[mikeszekely]

Continuing with my Target haul, here's the other new Cyberverse Deluxe-class Decepticon, Soundwave.

Like Starscream, Soundwave's design feels influenced by Robots in Disguise as much as G1.  Out of the box I thought his proportions look fine, but compared to the animation his torso is pretty thin.  And, as is all-too-common with Cyberverse toys, he's a bit lacking in paint.  It's not too bad compared to some of the others, mostly the blue around the dish on his left shoulder and a few red accents here and there, but I think he's really hurt by the lack of gold on his pelvis "buttons."  It's like a signature Soundwave thing, but even though their molded and raised above the rest of his pelvis is the blue is lost on the blue.  Fortunately I have some Sharpie metallic paint pens, and the gold is almost a perfect match.

Soundwave does have some kibble.  He's toting a pretty substantial backpack, and his animation model doesn't have the tires and fenders on the sides of his legs.  Soundwave also suffers from some serious hollowness in the forearms and legs.  Granted, his feet and hands fold into those voids, but the forearms didn't have to be quite so egregious.  Meanwhile, if the fenders and tires folded onto his calves it'd cover the gap and be more animation accurate.  Oh well.

Soundwave comes with three accessories.  You get a weapon, a "sonic blast" effect part, and a little Laserbeak.  Well, I assume it's Laserbeak.  The packaging and instructions don't say for sure, and the colors are off, but who else would it be?  He actually should have a little less red on his mostly-white wings, his head should be black, and he doesn't have the backpack or the yellow toes... I guess they figured that's good enough for an accessory?

Soundwave's head is on a swivel, so he can rotate it but there's no up/down/sideways tilt.  HIs shoulders swivel, and they move laterally 90 degrees on a detented (but not truly ratcheted) joint).  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend 90 degrees on the same sort of detented-but-not-ratcheted hinge.  His wrists are actually ball joints, so they can rotate and bend downward.  His waist swivels.  His hips are ball joints that go forward 90 degrees and nearly that laterally, but backward is totally blocked by his backpack kibble.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend over 90 degrees.  His feet can tilt down due to transformation but not up; in fact, they stop a little short of where I'd like them to be to balance that backpack, making him prone to tipping backward.  He does sport slight ankle pivots, but the shape of his legs prevents you from getting a ton of range.

His weapon has a slot that matches a tab on his shoulder to become his signature shoulder cannon.  It also has a 5mm peg, so he can hold it as a hand-held weapon.  Unfortunately, he can't do both at the same time (maybe I have an old Deluxe-class from the War for Cybertron game I can steal a weapon from laying around).  The effect part can fit onto either his weapon or the dish on his other shoulder.

As for Laserbeak, Soundawve has a Siege-style nub on the front and outside of each forearm as well as on top of his shoulders, and Laserbeak can plug onto them using little holes on his feet.  Of course, Lasterbeak can turn into a tape that's even smaller than the Siege Micromaster version, and the tape does fit into Soundwave's chest (although there's no button; you just pull it open).

While I think us older fans are fine (and even desirous) of Soundwave turning into a tape deck Hasbro seems to feel that such an alt mode isn't really relevant any more for an evergreen design.  So, instead of a tape deck Soundwave turns into a military-style truck that's somewhere between his alt mode in the 2014 IDW story "Earthfall" and the truck mode from the 2015 Robots in Disguise cartoon.

Generally-speaking, I think a truck mode works fine for Soundave, but I feel like they could do better.  The grill is low on the front, with a large gray hinge visible underneath.  The back, where his arms pole through the backpack and where the backpack fails to quite reach his feet, is a bit gappy.  And his chest on the hood doesn't work as well as the chest as a window (IDW) or as the grill (RiD).

As far as accuracy goes... I don't know.  I actually couldn't find an image of Soundwave in alt mode from the cartoon to compare it to.  I assume it needs more paint, though.

Soundwave's weapon tabs onto the same spot you use to shoulder mount it in robot mode, so like Starscream removal isn't even necessary for transformation.  The blast effect again can be used on either the weapon or the dish.  Laserbeak can still store inside or be deployed while Soundwave's in truck mode, but there's really nowhere for him to perch on the truck.  Technically nubs on his forearms are exposed on the back of the roof, but they're so close to the hinge for his shoulder weapons that there simply isn't enough room for Laserbeak's feet to get on the peg.

Soundwave's a nice, middle-of-the-pack sort of figure.  He's got a few issues, sure, and those issues keep him from being as good as figures like Bumblebee or Prime, but at the same time I'd argue he's still a better figure than Hot Rod, Grimlock, Arcee, or Thunderhowl.  As a major character (at least in G1) and one of the few Decepticons in the line I say get him if you're collecting the Cyberverse Deluxes.

[M'Kyuun]

I guess it's cool that they retained the cassette-in-his-chest gimmick, but I'm guessing the meaning of it will be lost on most younger fans who've no idea what a cassette player is. Moreover, as a G1 guy, the gimmick doesn't fit the alt mode at all, which was what made the original so cool. I fully understand wanting to give Soundwave a relevant alt mode going forward, but I wish they'd chosen something other than a truck, or perhaps given his cassette bots a different alt mode as well- maybe barrels or crates to be carried in the back, which becomes his chest in bot mode. At least then the gimmick would have a modern translation and retain its relevance, while still having the fun-factor of smaller minions deploying from his chest.  Another thought that occurred to me would be to give him an armored bank truck mode and perhaps give his minions an ATM sort of alt mode, which would continue the  spy-in-disguise motif while keeping complementary alt modes for both Soundwave and his minions. That's what I'd like to see with Soundwave going forward.

 

Got my Cordon and Spin-out. I think they did a really good job with this mold. I do wish, however, that they'd painted the forearms on these two to match the rest of their car modes- being all black on an all white and all red car, respectively,  sticks out noticeably. They painted Sunstreaker's  forearms, so it's a bit of a head scratcher why they didn't follow suit with these guys. As @mikeszekely mentioned in his review, the choice to make Cordon's windshield perfectly clear does it no favors, especially with an obvious black armature behind it that's painfully obvious.  Even had they used a lighter blue tint, I think it would have helped the look of it a bit. 

Sliding inexorably into 2021, I'm looking forward to the rest of ER and the Kingdom releases. More domestic reviewers are starting to get their grubbies on the new figs, and for the most part, I'm pretty happy with what's coming. Grimlock and Cyclonus, in particular, have me excited, and the upcoming Hot Rod looks to be the best official toy he's ever received, if not the best toy period. Good stuff to look forward to. It's a positive note to start the new year in light of the hardships of 2020. 

[mikeszekely]

I have a few Kingdom figures that should arrive before the end of 2020 (although not as many as Emgo and Peaugh; no idea where those dudes are getting theirs). I don't expect to have reviews up until late this week or early next, though.

EDIT: By the end of the week or early next I'll only need one Deluxe, one Voyager, and the Leader from the first wave.

Edited December 30, 2020 by mikeszekely

[mikeszekely]

And now the last (but hopefully just for now) of the Cyberverse Deluxes... Prowl.

On initial inspection, Cyberverse Prowl is a pretty G1 Prowl.  Then I looked at the animation model, which is even more G1, and I started to notice the issues.  His chest is a bit broad.  No black around the stars on his shoulders.  No painted details on his hip armor.  Lots of blue markings that should be black (or at least dark gray).  No painted lights on his toes.  Actually, his whole feet.  See, rather than give him the sort of engineering that'd make the rear of the car his feet, like the G1, MP, or Earthrise toys, Cyberverse Prowl's legs simply unfold, with the actual rear of the car around his knees and his feet are fake car parts.  Also, only the front of his crest is painted, leaving a lot of white visible from other angles.  Still, these seem like fairly minor complaints on what's otherwise a very solid Prowl.

From the back he doesn't even appear too hollow.  I mean, his forearms do, but unlike the other recent Cyberverse Deluxes he's got flaps that cover over his calves.

Prowl comes with relatively few accessories.  He's got a gun that, while a bit shorter, has a very G1 aesthetic.  He's also got a pair of weirdly asymmetric blast effects.

Prowl's head is on a swivel, so it rotates but there's no tilt.  His shoulders are ball joints for rotation and a little over 90 degrees of lateral movement.  Biceps swivel, elbows bend, and his wrists swivel.  His waist swivels.  HIs hips are ball joints that can go about 75 degrees forward, a little more than that backward, but only about 45 degrees laterally.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend just shy of 90 degrees.  His feet can tilt down a little, very slightly up, and pivot around 45 degrees.

He, of course, holds his gun in either hand.  The blast effects can fit on either his gun or the built-in shoulder cannons.

Prowl turns into a fairly generic-looking police car.  Here he is with Cyberverse Bumblebee.

Is it accurate to the animation model?  I don't know.  I had a hard time finding an image of Prowl's alt mode.  Presumably the blue could be black at least, and the unpainted knee joints could be white/striped to match the rest of the car.  I also have a feeling that those cutouts over the rear fenders are just to cut back on plastic.  Overall, though, it's a reasonably effective if a little generic design.

Prowl has a 5mm port on his light bar where you can plug in his gun (it's a shame that they couldn't fit it into an empty space that exists under the hood).  While you can, of course, still use the blast effects on his gun there are little nubs on the rear of the car.

Despite the use of blue instead of black for his police markings and slightly limited leg articulation Prowl might just be my favorite figure of the entire Cyberverse line.  He's got a simple, effective transformation and a solid build that gives him a commanding presence.  It's funny because while I've been looking forward to getting my hands on Earthrise Barricade I've always sort of thought that a Prowl/Smokescreen repaint is a bit lazy (even if it goes back to Guido Guidi's artwork).  I can't help but think that a Barricade repaint of this Prowl would actually be a better, more visually distinct Generations/War for Cybertron Barricade.  And if they retooled a few parts, used the same engineering but made the car a Mustang, well that'd be perfect.  But I digress.  My point is that this is an excellent Cyberverse figure and a remarkably solid figure all around.  Fans of Prowl or transforming police cars might want to check him out, even if they're not into Cyberverse.  He's a strong recommend from me.

[M'Kyuun]

Thanks for the review, Mike. I was completely unaware of this guy, but as a Prowl fan, it offers something a little different, and yet close enough to source to be recognizable. I agree with your sentiment about using a slightly retooled version of this fig for Barricade.  Not sure what's going on with those rear fenders, but swap those out for solid ones, recast him in black, tweak the front and back ends to more closely resemble a Mustang, and he'd make a fine Barricade.  However, I'm not at all sad that they reused the ER Datsun-ish mold for Barricade, as I like it, and intend to get as many of the variations of it as they'll make. I only wish Hasbro had given them all the appropriate weapons, but Nonnef seems to have us covered in that regard.

I haven't seen much Cyberverse at my local Wally since before Christmas. I'm hoping the new ER stuff will start showing up soon, as I intend to get my copy of Bee in store, since they want $42 for it online. It was $50 , but the price has been coming down incrementally over the past couple of weeks. Still, I refuse to pay double the price.

I got my shipping notice from Target last Saturday for Gigawatt; he should be showing up on Sunday. Kinda looking forward to getting him, even if I've never been a super-fan of the Back to the Future films.  Don't get me wrong, I like them, but not in the same way I like Predator, or Terminator, or Aliens, or Robocop, or Blade Runner. I generally like my sci-fi on the dark side.  I've always thought the Delorean, especially the flying version, was cool, so to have not only a nice version of the car, but one that transforms as well, is a double treat.

[treatment]

 

[mikeszekely]

Ugh, it wouldn't be New Year's Eve if I wasn't feeling like crap. Well, judging by my running nose, draining sinuses, and lack of a cough it seems like sinusitis, which I'm prone to when the weather's been jumping between 20 with snow and 50 with sun like it's been.  Still, I've got lots of stuff to share, and I'll start with something very short and simple.  I picked up the Reprolabels sets for Siege Sideswipe and Earthrise Wheeljack.

Not a ton of difference in robot mode.  Toyhax's designer included more labels for their pelvises, forearms, shoulders, knees, and feet, some of it G1 toy-inspired and some of it their irritating habit of slapping random details wherever they find a flat surface.  While I appreciate details that call back to G1 stickers I prefer a look that balances with the cartoon more, like the pre-plus version Hasui MP cars.  So all Sideswipe got for this mode is a blue triangle on his waist.  Wheeljack got a bit more that you can see in this mode, but in his case it's all about the car.

So speaking of cars... I didn't use a lot of Sideswipe's labels like the comically oversized Lamborghini logo or the "carbon fiber" spots.  I did use some red labels that covered a little of black on the sides as well as gave him some tail lights, but the standout for me (and the reason I bought the set is the roof.  See, one of the labels is a red roof with some A-pillars, and the on the sides are some fake windows with the B/C pillars.  It's still far from a Countach, but between the Reprolabels and the Nonnef spoiler it's a lot closer than it was out of the box.

In the back, Wheeljack gets some tail lights for the 5mm ports and a license plate.  As for the rest, I still didn't use them all (especially the gods-awful cell-shaded windows... that's a fad I just can't get into).  But I used a lot more of his, replacing the katakana "Cybertron," the inaccurate 638, and the fake sponsors (especially the goofy Aerobolt) with livery that, while not totally accurate to the G1 toy or the actual Lancia Stratos Turbo Group 5 #539 car it was based on, but it's much closer with prominent Lancia and Alitalia marks and, most importantly, the correct number.

I generally don't do Reprolabels much anymore.  Like I said, they have a tendency to skew too hard to replicating G1 toy stickers (a perfect example, red knees for Sideswipe- had they included silver I'd have used them) and to cover any flat surface with random details.  I think these two sets are worth a look, though, as they bring a bit more accuracy to both of their alt modes.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I'm going to start Kingdom reviews tomorrow.

Edited December 31, 2020 by mikeszekely

[JB0]

My copy of Jiggawatt arrived. 

It makes me smile like a little kid, so mission accomplished.

...

In before someone makes a hoverboard addon and I have to buy an upgrade.

[Scyla]

So apparently Takara announced a MP Skids and I’m confused. In the images shared at TFW2005 he looks much more in line with the style of MP before Ironhide:

Skids never had all these  leg details in the cartoon. This also means not much crazy engineering going on to hide all the car parts in robot mode. Is Takafa expecting us to pay MP Hound prices for this or will he be in line with the other car bots like Lambor and Prowl?

Of course this is just a drawing and much can change till the prototype but usually this is not the case with Takara announcements.

Pictures courtesy of TFW2005: https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/12/31/transformers-masterpiece-skids-revealed-426841

[tekering]

3 hours ago, Scyla said:

So apparently Takara announced a MP Skids and I’m confused.

Really?  He seems like a perfectly logical choice to me, given how prominently he appeared in the cartoon. 

I understand Masterpiece Devcon and Hauler are also in the works... but only after NUL-A gets released, of course. 

Obscure characters like Cliffjumper, Jazz, or Springer will probably never get made, and there's obviously no demand for background Decepticons like Galvatron or Cyclonus, either... not when major characters like Deceptitran and Custodiobot still need MP figures! 

[Scyla]

1 hour ago, tekering said:

Really?  He seems like a perfectly logical choice to me, given how prominently he appeared in the cartoon. 

I understand Masterpiece Devcon and Hauler are also in the works... but only after NUL-A gets released, of course. 

Obscure characters like Cliffjumper, Jazz, or Springer will probably never get made, and there's obviously no demand for background Decepticons like Galvatron or Cyclonus, either... not when major characters like Deceptitran and Custodiobot still need MP figures! 

I get why Cliffjumper and Jazz are hard/impossible to do given the required Porsche license and the Decepticons might suffer from the bad guy stigma (I can’t imagine that Skids would sell more units than Galvatron though).

I would love to get a Rodimus, Ginrai, Overlord or Fire Convoy from Takara. Maybe version 2 of Soundwave or Star Saber.

Not complaining though since I never bought the XTB Savant.

[mikeszekely]

Hard to tell from a drawing, but it reminds me a lot of XTB's Savant.  The big difference seems to be the shoulders, which are closer to the G1 toy than the cartoon on this drawing, and the fact that it's a bit more detailed.  If the drawing didn't come from a Takara source I'd almost write it off as fake, as it'd be a shift in direction from the hyper-toon shellformers Takara's been putting out lately.

On 12/31/2020 at 5:05 PM, mikeszekely said:

I'm going to start Kingdom reviews tomorrow.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for... Transformers Kingdom Deluxe-class Paleotrex!

Just kidding- I'm sure of all the stuff in the first Kingdom wave Paleotrex is probably the one you guys are least interested in.  But we gotta build up to the good stuff, yeah?  Oh, and sorry @tekering, but I have Paleotrex on the right this time.  I was shooting pictures of a couple figures and things got a little mixed up.

Anyway... this is the part of the review where I usually talk about how the figure stacks up the previous versions, but Paleotrex is a brand new Predacon character.  Instead, I'll just point out that he's one weird-looking fellow, with huge hands, super long arms, short lower legs, and a creepy face.

Paleotrex is the first Fossilizer, and Fossilizers seem to be a rehash of the Weaponizer gimmick, except made of bones.  Well, at least is better than guys that turn into ramps and Micromaster bases.  But it means that Paleotrex doesn't come with accessories so much as he's made of accessories.

One in particular I want to draw attention to is his head and spine, which can be used as a club.  Technically, his robot face is the one on the left, but a mask folds down over it for club mode.  Is that an homage to the early Beast Wars toys, with their normal and mutant faces?  Perhaps.  But the mask is most definitely an homage to the mace that came with the original '96 Ultra Class Optimus Primal (and later some Asian-exclusive releases of MP Optimus Primal).

Paleotrex's head swivels where it's plugged into his body, but it also has a hinge for some up/down tilt.  His shoulders rotate and extend 90 degrees.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend a little over 90 degrees.  His wrists swivel, his hands can bend in and out, plus he's got a knuckle joint so he can curl his fingers in.  His waist swivels.  His hips can go forward 90 degrees and backwards or laterally more than that.  His thighs swivel, and his knees can bend 90 degrees.  Sadly he has no foot or ankle articulation, although his shins can bend just below the knees.

As far as weapons go, when his body is assembled you'll have one part left that he can hold as a... sword?  Club?  Something like that.  It plugs into a 5mm hole on either thumb.  He's also got holes on the back of each heel and one through his right shoulder

If I'm being totally honest, a goofy-looking new Beast Wars character I have no attachment to wouldn't really appeal to me, except he transforms into a T-rex skeleton.  Maybe it's the dinosaur-obsessed kid I used to be, or maybe it's the fact that I used to work for a company that made and sold replica dinosaur skeletons for displays like museums where we had a T-rex on display, but I think it's a pretty cool alt mode.

Oh, and I guess you don't really transform him so much as rip him apart and stick him back together in a new configuration.  If you bought Cog, Brunt, Sixgun, or Fasttrack you should know what you're in for.

Paleotrex can open his jaws, and a hinge at the base of his neck allows him to look up (if you don't mind breaking the sculpt), but that's technically it.  However, if you remove his robot head you'll wind up with a fairly large empty space in the back of his skull, but you'll give clearance to another hinge and he'll be able to look up and down at it.  His little dino arms are ball-jointed at the shoulders so they have some wiggle, but are otherwise solid pieces.  He's got a little bit of waist swivel.  His hips can rotate 360 degrees and move laterally up to 180 degrees.  His thighs swivel just above his knees, which are technically double-jointed and can bend 180 degrees.  His feet can tilt up and down at the ankle, but there's no pivot.  His toes can also bend up and down.  His tail can bend up at the base (and swivel, if you need it to) but there's not further articulation in the tail.

Technically this mode uses all his parts.  How's that for weapon storage?  Although I've already pointed out that you can kind of get away with removing the robot-mode head.  You can probably also remove his chest and still have a working T-rex mode.

When I said that Fossilizers are like Weaponizers I really meant it.  Just like with the Weaponizers you're able to put Paleotrex's parts into various configurations you can use to arm up other figures with the usual- clubs, axes, swords, shoes, claws, shields, backpacks, etc.  Here are the two suggested configurations from Paleotrex's instructions.  The shoes and the sword I'm not big on, but the backpack claws and the axe are pretty cool.  One thing to note here; Paleotrex seems to work well with Autobot/Decepticon figures (his instructions use Warpath).  However, based on the limited sample I have so far, the new Kingdom Maximals and Predacons don't really have the 5mm ports to arm them up.

I don't presume to speak for everyone, but the Weaponizer gimmick didn't really do much for me.  I'd rather have Transformers that actually transform instead of come apart and back together in another shape, and I'd rather those Transformers arm themselves with purpose-made weapons instead of some guy's gun-shaped leg.  But I mostly enjoyed the Weaponizers anyway, because I was tickled to get new versions of the G1 citybot pack-ins.  As an all-new character, and one that turns into bone weapons instead of guns no less, pretty much the only reason to get Paleotrex is because T-rex is cool even as a skeleton.  But if you can live without a transforming T-rex skeleton then I think you can live without Paleotrex, and you can safely pass on this one.

[Uxi]

Is there an MP Galvatron yet?

[tekering]

34 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Oh, and sorry @tekering, but I have Paleotrex on the right this time. 

Dude knows his audience! 

25 minutes ago, Uxi said:

Is there an MP Galvatron yet?

Officially?

[mikeszekely]

17 minutes ago, Uxi said:

Is there an MP Galvatron yet?

Not an official one.  Your choices are basically DX9's Tyrant

Fans Toys Sovereign

or Open and Play's Big Cannon.

Of the three DX9 has the best cannon mode and a reasonably good robot mode, but he's a bit barrel-chested and his feet are a bit weird.  For awhile he was going for a little under $100, but I hear he's starting to go up.  Sovereign has a great robot mode with solid articulation, the best paint, and a very strong presence (he's debatably beefier than his animation self), but the transformation's a pain and the alt mode is kind of so-so.  The aftermarket for Fans Toys' stuff is a bit crazy, though.  I think I got in on a reissue for around $180, but I wouldn't expect to find one for under $250 now.  Open and Play's is the cheapest.  I think it was originally sold without a box for around $30-$40, and the aftermarket is roughly the same.  But, he's actually an oversized, modified KO of the Titans Return toy, and while I think it looks alright in a pinch you definitely get what you pay for there.

[M'Kyuun]

16 hours ago, tekering said:

Really?  He seems like a perfectly logical choice to me, given how prominently he appeared in the cartoon. 

I understand Masterpiece Devcon and Hauler are also in the works... but only after NUL-A gets released, of course. 

Obscure characters like Cliffjumper, Jazz, or Springer will probably never get made, and there's obviously no demand for background Decepticons like Galvatron or Cyclonus, either... not when major characters like Deceptitran and Custodiobot still need MP figures! 

Sarcasm at its best, Tekering.  Had a good chuckle, so thanks.

In truth, I'd rather the more prominent G1 bots, specifically those from first season, and moreso, the ones who haven't had MP figs yet, got the MP treatment, but as I didn't go in on Savant, I have an interest in this, should it prove true. The sheer amount of detail on that artwork strikes a suspicious contrast to their hyper-toon plain bot mode aesthetic, so my enthusiasm is well-tempered.

@mikeszekely- While I appreciate your look at Paleotrex, it's not a fig that's on my radar from Kingdom. However, I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have in store for us from the line. From a G1 perspective, it's full of win, and I'm anticipating the reviews leading up to their wide releases, and finally having them in my mitts to enjoy.

The more I see of SS '86 Grimlock, and the level of engineering brought to bear, the more I hope that Has-Tak will do the whole team in the same scale and to the same technical level. They can just do Snarl under the Kingdom banner, since he, for whatever inexplicable reason, didn't get his 15 seconds in The Movie. I doubt I'm alone when I say that the lackluster combining Dinos from PotP only fueled a greater desire for more accurate G1 Dinos in my Generations collection, and seeing what they've done with Grimlock, that desire coupled with this opportunity for Hasbro to make the complete team has never been greater. 

[mikeszekely]

48 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have in store for us from the line. From a G1 perspective, it's full of win

I'm looking at doing Beast Wars characters tomorrow and Sunday, then I'll have some G1 goodness for everyone reading at work on Monday.  I just really wish everyone was on the same page... Amazon sent Paleotrex before Christmas, I got two Deluxes at BBTS, and a Voyager at Gamestop.  Gamestop might have had a few others (I know BBTS had all the Deluxes, but sold out before I could grab the last one), and I've heard of a few other retailers getting some stock in of both Kingdom and Studio Series 86 (but selling out before I could grab any).  Both lines are also supposedly turning up at Targets in Washington, but in the mean time Amazon's telling me February for my last Kingdom Deluxe, March for the other Voyager and Megatron, and April for any Studio Series.  I mean, I don't mind waiting as long as everyone else is, but I hate that reviews for the entire first wave of both lines have been on Youtube for weeks but I've only managed to scrape together half a wave of Kingdom.

 

55 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

 doubt I'm alone when I say that the lackluster combining Dinos from PotP only fueled a greater desire for more accurate G1 Dinos in my Generations collection, and seeing what they've done with Grimlock, that desire coupled with this opportunity for Hasbro to make the complete team has never been greater. 

The PotP Dinos left me wanting so badly I wound up buying a set of Fansproject (minus Snarl, who they must have only made a handful of) and the Planet X ones.  And while they both have their ups and downs, yes, I want more G1-accurate War for Cybertron-scaled Dinobots.  Hasbro might be worried about less-cool Dinobots (as if that's a thing) selling poorly, but I think with how well-received their figures have been since WfC started the Dinobots would be like a license to print money.

[JB0]

40 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Hasbro might be worried about less-cool Dinobots (as if that's a thing) selling poorly, but I think with how well-received their figures have been since WfC started the Dinobots would be like a license to print money.

Absolutely. They could just keep adding dinosaurs and I'd keep buying 'em as long as they kept makin' the toys good.

[mikeszekely]

8 hours ago, JB0 said:

Absolutely. They could just keep adding dinosaurs and I'd keep buying 'em as long as they kept makin' the toys good.

Kingdom Commander Class Paddles.

Oh, or maybe the next trilogy can be Maximum Dinobots.  A few missing Season 1-3 G1 characters like Tracks, Skids, Gears, Sandstorm, and Wreck-Gar interspersed with G1 Sludge, Snarl, Swoop, Paddles and Slash.  Maybe give IDW Strafe and Skar more traditional dino alt modes, redo the ol' Power Core Combiner Grimstone to just be a really cool Styrachosaurus or G1-ify Bayverse Dinobots like Scorn (Spinosaurus).  Maybe some brand new characters for other cool dinosaurs.  And to combat all those Dinobots the Titan-class can be Monstructor.

[tekering]

9 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I don't mind waiting as long as everyone else is, but I hate that reviews for the entire first wave of both lines have been on Youtube for weeks but I've only managed to scrape together half a wave of Kingdom.

Kingdom?  Here in Japan, we're still waiting on several Siege releases from back in 2019.  

Despite prominent appearances in the first season of the show, TakaraTomy still hasn't released Siege Ratchet, Skywarp, Soundblaster, or the so-called "Rainmakers."  Exclusive retools like Slamdance, Aragon or Red Wing will likely never see releases here.  

 

9 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

The PotP Dinos left me wanting so badly I wound up buying a set of Fansproject (minus Snarl, who they must have only made a handful of) and the Planet X ones.

Ah yes, the Dinobot quandary.  I know it well. 

I suspect sales of the "Lost Exo-Realm" line were very poor by the time they released LER-07 "Pinchar," which would explain why so few were produced.  I bought the first couple FansProject Dinobots, but they were much too stylized for my liking, and I imagine many other collectors were equally disappointed.  

10 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I want more G1-accurate War for Cybertron-scaled Dinobots.

I found G-Creations "Shuraking" Dinobots satisfied that itch for me (although their Swoop was significantly oversized, relative to the others)...

However, I ended up loving their combined form so much I've never displayed them individually! 

I make it a rule never to buy the same figures twice... but I was sorely tempted in their case. 

[JB0]

4 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Kingdom Commander Class Paddles.

Oh, or maybe the next trilogy can be Maximum Dinobots.  A few missing Season 1-3 G1 characters like Tracks, Skids, Gears, Sandstorm, and Wreck-Gar interspersed with G1 Sludge, Snarl, Swoop, Paddles and Slash.  Maybe give IDW Strafe and Skar more traditional dino alt modes, redo the ol' Power Core Combiner Grimstone to just be a really cool Styrachosaurus or G1-ify Bayverse Dinobots like Scorn (Spinosaurus).  Maybe some brand new characters for other cool dinosaurs.  And to combat all those Dinobots the Titan-class can be Monstructor.

Hasbro, hire this man!