The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[Scyla]

2 minutes ago, tekering said:

Yeah, but that's based on the video game design, not the Sunbow cartoon or the G1 toy... and like Animated Jazz or Bayverse Jazz, it represents a different continuity family.

MakeToys "Downbeat" is much too big to scale with anything from the Studio Series line (or any CHUG figure, for that matter). 

I hear you but for my Transformers collection Downbeat is enough, might need to replace him with FTs offering if that ever comes out and I can oder it from somewhere. ShowZStore is already sold out and if Smokey is any indication FTs Jazz won’t be back for MSRP...

...but that is a discussion for another thread.

[mikeszekely]

5 hours ago, Scyla said:

@mikeszekely I think you forgot to mention the Fall of Cybertron Jazz from 2012 which might be worse than the PotP one. 

Anyhow thank for the review, Jazz looms good but I think I’m content with the MakeToys one.

Does the FoC version still count, since WfC/FoC are technically TF Prime? Yeah, that one wasn't very good, but if Planet X did Jazz I'd probably be all over it.

As for MT's Jazz I love it, it's on my MP shelf and I have zero interest in replacing it with the Fans Toys one (whenever that may be), but I don't really do anything with my MPs after I review them and settle then into their display. The Siege/Earthrise/Kingdom/SS86 stuff, though, doesn't have a display space. I review them then store them. But I keep taking figures out and leaving them in my desk, because they're fantastic fun to fiddle with. I've got room in my heart (if not the shelf space) for Maketoys' and SS86 Jazz.

[tekering]

TakaraTomy won't be releasing Earthrise Jazz until late April.  It's always bugged me how much more quickly Hasbro gets these out, and how much cheaper they sell for there; in Japan, fewer figures get released, prices are higher, and quantities are considerably lower.

If you can walk into a store and buy Jazz off the shelf right now, Mike, what possible excuse could Amazon have for delaying your order to May?  Are they getting their stock from TakaraTomy or something? 

 

4 minutes ago, Scyla said:

I hear you but for my Transformers collection Downbeat is enough

I admire your restraint...

I've got a Siege/Earthrise collection, a Masterpiece collection, a Legends-scale collection, a CHUG collection, a Robot Heroes collection, an Animated collection, a WFC/FoC collection, a Movie Masterpiece collection, a Studio Series collection, a Super Collection Figure/Heroes of Cybertron collection, a Binaltech/Alternators/Human Alliance collection, a WST collection, a MyClone collection, a Mecha Nations/D-Style collection, and a History Collection... collection, and they ALL have Jazz figures.

I don't know the meaning of the word "enough." 

[Scyla]

I have a core roster of figures where I try to collect every iteration off (Skywarp, Nemesis Prime, Cliffjumper, Galvatron, Shockwave, Cyclonus)

For all the other ones one Masterpiece is enough...

...with the exception of Kuro Kara Kuro where I try to collect every release. Speaking of which:

[M'Kyuun]

The video game WfC/FoC aesthetic was its own thing stylistically and being all Cybertronian alts, didn't really fit in with CHUG. Still, some of the toys had their charm. I absolutely love FoC Prime- def one of my favorite Prime designs, and the Hasbro toy is just fun to mess with.

I think I'm in the extreme minority for preferring Zeta's Jazz over the Maketoys version.  Zeta stressed toy accuracy over screen accuracy, and I love the look of it, especially the mid-torso and knee details that call back to stickers on the original toy. Admittedly, Zeta's is a PITA to transform, at least my copy is, as he doesn't compress very well to allow the doors to close and hold the car together. I've watched vid reviews and they didn't seem to have the issue, so I think my copy's a dud. I can get it into car mode, but not without squeezing the ever loving stuffing out of it, and it makes me nervous to do so, so he spends the lion's share of his shelf life in bot mode. Also, despite their being painted in the promo shots, Zeta neglected to paint the blue details on Jazzy's hip skirt, which is an unfortunate omission, compounded by by the poor decision to endow him with a single piece hip skirt.  But aesthetically, I think he looks fantastic, and that helps to slightly ameliorate some of his more-numerous-than-I'd-like shortcomings. 

I've never handled MT's Downbeat, but the general consensus is that he's a really good figure. I never cared for their rear fender transformation solution, and it just looks wonky to me in both modes (I think that little wedge that protrudes in front of the rear wheel bugs me more than the obvious origami of his legs, TBH).  That aside, he's a pretty nice looking Jazz, and he seems to enjoy better engineering overall over the Zeta. I'm curious to see how the FT fig turns out, but aesthetically, the greyscale promos look brilliant, and if the engineering follows, I'll likely get him.

4 minutes ago, tekering said:

TakaraTomy won't be releasing Earthrise Jazz until late April.  It's always bugged me how much more quickly Hasbro gets these out, and how much cheaper they sell for there; in Japan, fewer figures get released, prices are higher, and quantities are considerably lower.

If you can walk into a store and buy Jazz off the shelf right now, Mike, what possible excuse could Amazon have for delaying your order to May?  Are they getting their stock from TakaraTomy or something? 

 

I admire your restraint...

I've got a Siege/Earthrise collection, a Masterpiece collection, a Legends-scale collection, a CHUG collection, a Robot Heroes collection, an Animated collection, a WFC/FoC collection, a Movie Masterpiece collection, a Studio Series collection, a Super Collection Figure/Heroes of Cybertron collection, a Binaltech/Alternators/Human Alliance collection, a WST collection, a MyClone collection, a Mecha Nations/D-Style collection, and a History Collection... collection, and they ALL have Jazz figures.

I don't know the meaning of the word "enough." 

That's quite a collection, and that's just Transformers. IIRC, you collect across a number of themes and lines, with a rather massive display area. I wish I had the space for such a display, but between all my TFs, Macross, and other action figs and my substantial LEGO collection, I've managed to fill my house to capacity, and they keep making more...and I keep buying it, with nowhere left to put it all. 

It's ironic that Transformers are difficult to find and more expensive in the country from which they originate. Is it like that for Gundam and other Japanese toys/models? Anyway, I'm sorry to hear it, as it puts a damper on the hobby for sure.  

[technoblue]

17 hours ago, Tking22 said:

Anyone know where I could source an MP-36 "clean" chest piece? I dug my MP-36 out of storage and I apparently lost the non-damaged chest at some point, he had the battle damaged chest on inside the box, and the other is nowhere to be found. I really don't want to have to buy a KO or something for this one piece, but I've had zero luck finding any damaged figures, or parts lots, containing that regular chest piece. 

That's a tough one. If I remember correctly, only the oversized KO has its own separate add-on kit for the front chest piece which is a shame. 

I'm not aware of any direct sources like that for the standard-sized release. Shapeways isn't showing anything either. 

[tekering]

3 minutes ago, Scyla said:

I have a core roster of figures where I try to collect every iteration off (Skywarp, Nemesis Prime, Cliffjumper, Galvatron, Shockwave, Cyclonus)

Oh sure, I'm the same way... except my core roster includes EVERY Sunbow, Prime, IDW, Bayverse, or Animated character. 

4 minutes ago, Scyla said:

...with the exception of Kuro Kara Kuro where I try to collect every release. Speaking of which:

I find it difficult to justify the cost of KKK figures... but that purple Prime is DAMN sexy. 

4 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

It's ironic that Transformers are difficult to find and more expensive in the country from which they originate. Is it like that for Gundam and other Japanese toys/models?

It depends on market demand, of course.  Compared to Macross, Transformers product is much more plentiful; a 1:20 ratio, I'd say.

Of course, Transformers pales in comparison to sentai/kaiju toys; Ultraman and Godzilla are in turn greatly outnumbered by Pokémon; and they're all greatly outnumbered by the ubiquitous "Gunpla," which can be found in any toy store, department store, electronics retailer, model shop, video store, second-hand shop... you name it.

In fact, Gundam has so oversaturated the market that anyone not familiar with Transformers simply assumes every toy robot is a Gundam, be they little kids, teenagers, adults, or senior citizens.  I get the same assumption from virtually anyone who sees me with a Transformer.

Furthermore, when I demonstrate a transformation, the average Japanese person doesn't even have the vocabulary to describe the process!  TakaraTomy uses 変形 ("henkei," meaning to change form) in their marketing, but most people aren't familiar with the word.  Typically, they use 作る ("tsukuru," meaning make) or 作り直す ("tsukurinaosu," to rebuild).  They can comprehend the concept, of course, they just can't adequately express it in words...

...so they fall back on "Gunpla" terminology instead. 

[mikeszekely]

2 hours ago, tekering said:

If you can walk into a store and buy Jazz off the shelf right now, Mike, what possible excuse could Amazon have for delaying your order to May?  Are they getting their stock from TakaraTomy or something? 

I wish I knew. Hopefully I can walk into a store soon and find Grimlock, too, because I sure don't feel like waiting until May for him.

Well, I don't know about the rest of the Kingdom/SS86 toys, but Hasbro Pulse listed as back in stock (for Pulse Premium members only) Scourge, Cyclonus, and Hot Rod.  Alas, no Grimlock.

Edited February 5, 2021 by mikeszekely

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

That's quite a collection, and that's just Transformers. IIRC, you collect across a number of themes and lines, with a rather massive display area.

I'm not sure what's more impressive, @tekering's collection or the fact that he manages said collection in Japan, where space is such a premium.

[mikeszekely]

Welp, I didn't just nab Jazz at Walmart the other day.  I also managed to grab Studio Series 86 Deluxe-class Blurr.

A lot of debate seems to be going around about whether or not SS86 Blurr is really a needed upgrade over Titans Return Blurr.  Well, if we're talking the Hasbro version, the colors are obviously far more accurate this time.  Of course, the Takara version was colored accurately the first time around.  Actually, the Takara Prime Wars version had some dark blue on the rims of his shoulder thrusters, which I guess might make him more accurate... except SS86's head is better (although I'm not sure what's up with the face sculpt), his chest is a bit cleaner, and his lower legs don't have thrusters on them.  Oh, and you don't have to pull his head off to transform him.

Both versions have the alt-mode nose for a backpack.  SS86's isn't removable like the Titans Return toy's, but it's thinner and doesn't protrude so much, so I guess that's a wash.  There's also been a bit of complaining in some circles about the kibble on the back of his forearms.  Here's the thing, sure, the Titans Return version has less of it, but it's not like it's not there.  And, while it magically shrinks on the animation model, it's not like that kibble isn't cartoon accurate; indeed, it's at least facing the correct way, with the bottom against the back of his arm.

Then there are the accessories.  Titans Return Blurr came with a passable rifle, but SS86's is more screen accurate (although I might have liked it to be silver).  You also get the welding tool he used to patch the shuttle on the Planet of Junk for the briefest of moments before the Decepticons attacked.  It could have been silver, too, but I guess both match the white Hasbro used for Blurr's hands, face, and feet.

Blurr's head is on a ball joint with the ball in the torso instead of the head.  He can look down a bit and has some slight sideways tilt, but up is out of the question.  His shoulders rotate on ratchets (or at least some kind of detented joint), and they can move laterally over 90 degrees.  Unlike the Titans Return toy there's a pin-hinge through the shoulder thruster, so he can raise his arm and still move it laterally.  Biceps swivel, elbows bend 90 degrees, and wrists swivel, although his wrist swivel is a bit hindered due to the fact that his arm kibble is actually connected to his hand.  His waist swivels.  HIs hips can go 90 degrees forward, backward, or laterally, on universal joints instead of the ball joints used on the TR figure.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend 90 degrees.  Due to transformation his feet can tilt up, same as the TR figure, but unlike that figure his ankles pivot up to 45 degrees.

He holds either accessory just fine by sliding the post into his fist.  The shoulder thrusters are 5mm-compatible, and he's got ports under his feet, but nothing on his back or legs.  No robot-mode weapon storage seems intentional, but you can technically hang the rifle using the alt-mode storage (more on that in a bit), although it looks goofy with the barrel almost reaching the ground.  You can also slide the rifle into the gap in the top of his backpack.  It's not secure if you tip him over or anything, but it works in a pinch.

SS86 Blurr's engineering is actually pretty similar to the Titans Return figure.  In both cases the nose folds up from the back, the feet fold up against the shins, the shins open, the antenna folds out of one leg before they're joined, then they fold over to the thighs and close back up.  The arms move out on hinged armatures on both, but the armature is longer and set closer to to the waist than mid-torso so the thrusters on his shoulders reach the back of the vehicle instead of tucking into non-accurate leg thrusters.  Again, the biggest difference seems to be his chest, where the sides split open and the chest window spins 360 degrees instead of opening.

From most angles Blurr looks pretty good in alt mode.  The open cockpit is a bit more cartoon accurate than the TR toy's.  He's got the vents around the rear, and he doesn't have the peg holes that the TR figure has.  I think the thinner nose looks better.  He's slightly wider, and his arms make a smoother, curvier shape along the sides.  That said, the rear is a little messier due to having more cartoon-accurate shapes for lower legs, and he doesn't have rolling wheels.  Indeed, from some angles you can see that he's he's actually resting on his robot feet and some tabs that extend a bit from a hinged flap that hides his head and connects his alt-nose to his body.  Unless you're looking at the sides from ground level, though, it doesn't look bad.  They hold him up a bit, so it looks like he's floating.

There's no paint inside, but you can see that they did mold a seat and some controls into his cockpit.  That said, it doesn't really accommodate any figures like a Titan Master.  It's fine for me, Blurr doesn't need a driver.  Especially if that driver is his head.

As I mentioned, Blurr does have alt mode storage for his accessories despite a lack of 5mm ports.  On the back of the rifle you'll notice indented slots.  These slots can grab onto a tab under his alt-nose.  There's a pair of slots flanking that tab, and it just so happens that there are a pair of tabs on the bottom of the welding tool, allowing it to partially wrap over the butt of the rifle.  Now, while it's a thing you can do, I think it looks ridiculous and I won't be doing it again after taking these pictures.

Blurr's looking like another win for SS86.  It's accurate in both modes without the crazy engineering DX9 or Fans Toys used in their MP versions, and it does have better accessories and articulation than the Titans Return/Takara Legends version.  The real question, I guess, is whether it's better enough that you need to replace the version you already have.  I'd say if you have the Hasbro Titans Return version then yes, I definitely recommend him.  The screen-accurate colors are a major improvement on top of the more accurate sculpt, better accessories, and better articulation.  If you have the Takara Legends version, though, the answer isn't as clear cut because I suspect it looks "good enough", plus there's the fact that you probably paid a premium if you bought the Legends version.  That sunk cost might deter you from upgrading to something that's only a little better.  So while I definitely think SS86 Blurr is the superior figure I can't fault anyone for sticking with the Legends version.

[M'Kyuun]

6 hours ago, tekering said:

Oh sure, I'm the same way... except my core roster includes EVERY Sunbow, Prime, IDW, Bayverse, or Animated character. 

I find it difficult to justify the cost of KKK figures... but that purple Prime is DAMN sexy. 

It depends on market demand, of course.  Compared to Macross, Transformers product is much more plentiful; a 1:20 ratio, I'd say.

Of course, Transformers pales in comparison to sentai/kaiju toys; Ultraman and Godzilla are in turn greatly outnumbered by Pokémon; and they're all greatly outnumbered by the ubiquitous "Gunpla," which can be found in any toy store, department store, electronics retailer, model shop, video store, second-hand shop... you name it.

In fact, Gundam has so oversaturated the market that anyone not familiar with Transformers simply assumes every toy robot is a Gundam, be they little kids, teenagers, adults, or senior citizens.  I get the same assumption from virtually anyone who sees me with a Transformer.

Furthermore, when I demonstrate a transformation, the average Japanese person doesn't even have the vocabulary to describe the process!  TakaraTomy uses 変形 ("henkei," meaning to change form) in their marketing, but most people aren't familiar with the word.  Typically, they use 作る ("tsukuru," meaning make) or 作り直す ("tsukurinaosu," to rebuild).  They can comprehend the concept, of course, they just can't adequately express it in words...

...so they fall back on "Gunpla" terminology instead. 

That's both fascinating and surprising, since Japan is the birthplace of the transforming robot.  While the 80's were certainly the heyday of the phenomenon, there are still any number of properties featuring transformable mecha, and I'd always assumed that it was nearly as popular still as Gundam. Nothing will unseat Gundam as the most popular mecha franchise ever, but even Gundam has variable mobile suits, so the idea of Japanese people finding it difficult to find the proper verbiage to describe the genre is astounding to me.   With Satelite rolling out either a new Macross series or some other variable mecha based anime that features Kawamori's work every few years, I figured that kept the idea alive and present, not to mention the spate of 80's based transforming toys coming from Bandai and Takara-Tomy. There's definitely an audience for the stuff in Japan, but obviously it's much smaller than I had previously believed. I figured Transformers were still just as big there as here in the US, but obviously that was a rather poor assumption on my part.

Honestly, I'm floored by the reality of the situation. I've long harbored a bit of envy for Americans living in Japan believing they were sitting on the mother-lode of transforming toys, believing that this stuff was readily available since it's made there. It's a bit sobering to hear the truth of the situation, and now I feel empathy for Japanese fans of Transformers, and transforming robots in general, if the genre has faded to such an unpopular state in Japan. Since I first saw a transforming mech in Battle of the Planets  (Americanized Gatchaman) when I was about six, I've had an all-consuming love of all-things transformable which really blossomed in '84 with the advent of Transformers, and again in '95 when I watched Macross Plus for the first time. M+ was an epiphany; not only did it feature three amazing transforming jets, but it opened the door to anime for me, and to Macross in particular. Anyway, the transforming robot genre has been my raison d'etre for most of my life, and it's difficult to think of living somewhere where it's virtually unheard of and difficult to describe. It's why I'm incredibly thankful that Transformers has lasted this long, even if it took Michael Bay and his odious films to keep it alive. I don't have to like them or watch them, but I do have to acknowledge that they kept Transformers relevant, and for that, and the continued success of the brand, I'm forever thankful.

I appreciate your insights, Tekering, and I'm truly sorry to hear that that's how it is in Japan today concerning transforming stuff. Sounds like there needs to be some new anime properties to revive and revitalize the genre and bring it back into the popular consciousness. It's funny, as here in the US, even people who aren't interested in Transformers could probably tell you who G1 Optimus Prime is- he's become an icon here, along with Bay's version of Bumblebee. In the US, Gundam is not as well known, but most people can probably name at least one Transformer, or recognize some of the more popular characters, either G1 or Bayformers.  It's a good thing, and I hope it continues so long as I draw breath...and long after. Life without transforming robots ain't no life at all.

[tekering]

16 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Nothing will unseat Gundam as the most popular mecha franchise ever, but even Gundam has variable mobile suits, so the idea of Japanese people finding it difficult to find the proper verbiage to describe the genre is astounding to me. 

Ah, but only oldskool Gundam fans remember the variable Mobile Suits from the '80s... a minor footnote in the history of the franchise, unfortunately.

16 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

There's definitely an audience for the stuff in Japan, but obviously it's much smaller than I had previously believed.

The audience for anything sci-fi is surprisingly small in Japan, really.  Apart from Doraemon, sci-fi anime is rarely broadcast on network television (other than childish animated toy commercials for whatever Bandai or Takara is hawking to little boys), so only specialized satellite channels or huge video store chains will carry shows like Gundam Unicorn, Macross Delta, or Yamato 2199.  

Most Japanese people are more likely to have seen Star Wars than Gundam, even (much less Macross).

16 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I figured Transformers were still just as big there as here in the US, but obviously that was a rather poor assumption on my part.

They were never as big here as they were in the US, actually.  Hell, Transformers: The Movie never even got theatrical distribution in Japan, and only made its way onto home video THREE YEARS after its North American release. 

16 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

It's funny, as here in the US, even people who aren't interested in Transformers could probably tell you who G1 Optimus Prime is- he's become an icon here, along with Bay's version of Bumblebee.

Stop me if you've heard this story already...

The city newspaper had sent a reporter and a photographer to my house, and we stood before this wall of Transformers:

The reporter turns to me and asks "Are these ALL Gundams?" 

On 2/6/2021 at 2:32 AM, mikeszekely said:

I'm not sure what's more impressive, @tekering's collection or the fact that he manages said collection in Japan, where space is such a premium.

Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, every available inch is occupied...

I'm well-past the saturation point now. 

[M'Kyuun]

Thanks for your reply, Tekering.  The reporter anecdote is especially dismaying. I really had no idea that sci-fi, let alone Transformers or transforming mecha in general, had faded so much from popular interest in Japan. It's sobering. As I said, I've long envied people living there, believing fully that they had all this stuff ubiquitously available to them. Judging by many of the sci-fi based anime that reaches our shores, or appears on anime sites, I thought, too, that sci-fi pretty much reigned supreme, and that Japan was a country wonderfully populated by geeks and nerds inundated in that culture. I couldn't be sadder to have been so wrong. I grew up in 70's and 80's America when so much of the sci-fi and geeky stuff that we're still celebrating today (b/c no one can seem to come up with anything new) was coming about, but it wasn't cool to be into it, at least openly.  Somewhere along the line, though, America did a 180 and now geeky and sci-fi pop culture is cool and "in", and the internet is full of adults showing off their toys.  This site is a case in point.  And Youtube is just full of nerdiness.  I was thinking Japan was us x ten to the 300th power when it came to nerdy stuff, but it sounds like the opposite is true. So terribly sad .

That leaves me wondering what the take away is for Japanese travelers and students to America, as sci-fi and pop culture is everywhere here these days. It must be a bit of a shock.

 

And speaking of shape changing toys, my copies of Kingdom Blackarachnia and Optimus primal arrived today, and I just got done fidgeting with them. having the MP versions of both, I find Blackarachnia to be a more enjoyable figure. She may not have the range of the MP's articulation, but the transformation feels more refined; despite the similarity- b/c how many ways can you really turn a lithe female form into a black widow?- the Kingdom fig just seems to to hold together better and forms a better looking spider, IMHO. It's not perfect- bot bits can still be seen- but on the whole, it seems to hide things better. Her bot mode is still rather impressive, despite the downscaling, both in size and budget, from the MP.  Even if you already have the MP, I think she's worth picking up.

Moving on to Primal. I still remember getting the original figure and my amazement at all the hidden gimmicks and features, not to mention his "remarkable" articulation. It was an impressive figure for the time, and with the 80's toys as my only reference (I'd somewhat lost interest and touch with Transformers between about '89 until Beast Wars came out in '96, so the G1 stuff was my only real reference concerning the toys), I was amazed at the advances. I still wasn't crazy about the switchover to organic animal forms, but once I started watching the show, and enjoying the hell out of it, I came around. So MP Primal is, IMHO, an excellent extension of what made that original toy so great- it does far more right than not, and looks screen accurate in both modes. The Kingdom fig, other than making his hip ball joints dark blue instead of their proper bright red, definitely looks the part in bot mode. In addition to the standard articulation, Kingdom Primal has limited forward butterfly joints which are available in both modes- very nice, and helpful for achieving some better posing in gorilla mode. I wish they'd added swivels above his knees, as that, too, would have helped his gorilla mode's poseability. But, they didn't, although he has a double jointed knee which helps to swivel the gorilla legs into both vertical standing position and a crouch. I kinda wish they'd go the extra mile and give the gorilla legs a little bit of knee motion, but not even the MP had that, so it's definitely not going to be included with a voyager scaled retail fig. More's the pity. Anyway, I found trying to achieve a natural looking pose with him in gorilla mode to be a challenge. The box photos show him with splayed legs, but getting him to do it involves 'breaking the sculpt' by moving the robot thighs out of their proper transformed positions and trying to rotate them outwards on the aforementioned blue hip joint. It can be done, but the final result really only looks good from a limited front angle. From any other, and you're going to see the robot leg sticking out away from the gorilla body. This is where those knee swivels I mentioned would have come in handy, as the gorilla legs could splay while the robot thighs stayed in place. Alas, it is what it is. It's still a pretty god figure, though, and easier to transform than the MP, which also, IMHO, makes it more fun to mess with. Too, these retail toys are often engineered with little kids in mind, and so they hold up to manipulation better over time, and if something does break, swallowing $30 is a lot less saddening than $200 or $300. One word of note: my fig came with his left hand only partially installed, as it swivels on a mushroom peg. It popped off when I initially tried to spin his wrist, and noticed a small stress mark on his palm. I installed it properly, and it went on with a satisfying 'snap', and rotates properly as well, but that stress mark is still there. Something to be aware of. 

So, having Kingdom Cheetor, Primal, and Blackarachnia, I'm pretty happy with the direction they're going with these figs. I like the choice to go with more realistic rather than toony looking alt modes, which really boils down to the heads, making me think these will all see rereleases with their toonier beast mode heads at some point. This is Hasbro we're talking about. Of the three, I think Cheetor is the weakest , given the awkward looking robot legs and tiny feet, not to mention his robot toes sticking out of the backs of his cheetah legs. But, all three have compromises, primarily to their beast modes, as getting their cartoon bot mode likenesses right, or mostly right in Cheetor's case, took precedence. All three do a good job for their scales and prices at capturing the essence of the characters, and if you're a BW fan, or just curious, worth a look.

[mikeszekely]

Well, according to Amazon Kup will be here tomorrow.  I do have something else to fill the time tonight, though.  See, after getting my G1 Star Convoy and Generations Selects Super Megatron I started to wish I'd picked up Gen Selects Star Convoy.  Ebay prices pushing up over $100 started to exacerbate my FOMO, so when I saw he was still available at TF Safari for $65 (a significant markdown from even Hasbro Pulse's list price) I jumped on it.

So if it wasn't clear, Star Convoy is a remold of Power of the Primes Leader-class Optimus Prime, and that was the line that was doing the "Evolutions" gimmick for all the Leaders where you had a smaller "before" figure that combined with a larger "after" figure.  For instance, Hot Rod into Rodimus Prime (which I have, but apparently never reviewed).  For Prime it was an Orion Pax that turned into a truck cab, and could combine with the trailer to form a G1 Optimus Prime.  For Star Convoy, Orion Pax has been extensively remolded into G1 Optimus.  Now, while I do like the toy-style yellow eyes this Prime otherwise has weird proportions and strange details like vestigial smokestacks on the backs of his shoulders.  This is almost certainly due to the fact that, despite turning into a truck cab and the extensive remold, it was never actually meant to be Prime.

This is particularly obvious when you spin him around and look at the back.  He's got a backpack with the front of the cab on it, and you realize that not only are his chest windows fake but he's got a second set of fake chest windows over the actual truck windows.  It's a mess, and while you might have accepted it on PotP Optimus to have a cartoon-accurate Orion Pax I'm far less able to overlook the flaws of this Optimus Prime when the Earthrise figure is so much better.

He does come with a few accessories.  There's a Matrix done as a solid silver chrome block- the inner section is not removable the way it was on the PotP Optimus.  There's black guns, which can combine into a larger rifle that looks a lot like G1 Optimus' rifle and not so much like Star Convoy's (as you can see by comparing GS with G1).  This is probably because the rifle is identical to the one that came with PotP Optimus.  It has another gimmick, one I'm not sure worked with PotP Optimus.  The Matrix has a hole on the top and a peg on the bottom, so you can sandwich it between the two guns when combining them to make the Matrix part of Star Convoy's blaster.  Lastly, you get a trailer, sans stripes, and some stickers to add the stripes yourself.

Prime's head is on a ball joint that can look up a bit, down a fair bit, and tilt sideways only very slightly.  His shoulders are ball joints that can swivel but only extend laterally about 45 degrees.  Less if he lifts his arms first, not because the joints are poorly laid out like SS86 Hot Rod but because the kibble on his back gets in the way.  His biceps swivel, and his double-jointed elbows bend 180 degrees in total.  No wrist or waist swivels.  His hips can move 90 degrees forward on a disc hinge, but only about 45 degrees backward due to his back kibble.  Laterally he can spread his legs about 75 degrees on ball joints; not that his left leg is super loose on my copy and manipulating the leg will cause it to pop off.  The thighs swivel, and his knees bend 90 degrees.  His feet can tilt down for transformation, but there's no upward tilt and no ankle pivots.  In other words, not only does he look a lot worse than Earthrise Prime, aside from the elbows his articulation is worse, too.

Prime can hold his guns using the usual 5mm ports.  The Matrix stores in his back, actually, by first moving the fake windows and then moving the real ones.  It's actually easiest to do in truck mode.

Speaking of, there it is.  The trailer hitches back a bit further than Earthrise Prime's, but notice that they otherwise have fairly similar dimensions.  Even the trailers are similar in size.

Now, because the trailer does transform and ER Prime's doesn't I'm not going to be too hard on it.  Sure, it's got some red, some visible hinges, and some gaps.  I forgive it, because it's more than just a box.  The cab, though... eh.  The headlights are too smushed in by the grill.  The silver stripe doesn't go the whole way around.  The sides with the fenders don't quite line up...

...and the back of the cab is a complete mess, with half-painted hinges for smokestacks and scrunched up arms that don't tab in place or hide particularly well making up most of the back.  Prime's robot chest is folded down against his legs, and a lump on the back of his head serves as the trailer's hitch.

Now up to this point my big complaint has been that Earthrise Optimus is a better G1 Optimus toy.  But the reality is that my biggest complaint is that this is a G1 Optimus toy, period.  It's a G1 Optimus robot that turns into a G1 Optimus cab and pulls a G1 Optimus trailer.  It's is not by any stretch the heavily armed, treaded space super-truck that G1 Star Convoy turns into.  Even with the guns plugged onto the trailer.

But, turn the trailer into most of a robot body, turn the smaller Optimus robot into a cuboid with a head, plug him into the back, and I have to admit that you do have something that resembles Star Convoy.  The head, pelvis, waist, and lower legs have been remolded, plus his feet have been changed to black, to better resemble Star Convoy than G1 Optimus, even if he doesn't have big treads on his calves.  The smokestacks on PotP Optimus have been replaced with Star Convoy's shoulder guns, and a hinged star has been added to finish off the look, even if the chest behind it doesn't have the angles and non-square windows that Star Convoy should.

Ah, but that star is where we run into one of my biggest issues with this toy.  There's a tab on it that's supposed to fit into a hole between the windows at the top of his chest.  It flat out doesn't have the friction to do so.  Out of the box, tension on the hinges at the base of the star will pull it right out.  Some people have had some luck by popping the star off, pulling the hinge part out, turning it over, and putting it back together.  If I do that the tension on the hinge doesn't pull it out, but the hinge is now looser and the weight of the star pushes it back out and down.  Just to take these pictures I had to bend the hinges in a way that the star rests against his chest purely with friction, as the star is sitting lower than it actually should.

You can see, once I posed him, the star pulling away from the chest again.

Star Convoy's head can swivel and look down, but he's got no upward or sideways tilt.  The turrets on his shoulders can swivel, and the barrels can aim anywhere from slightly lower than straight ahead all the way up to straight up.  His shoulders can rotate, and they can move laterally a bit under 90 degrees.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend a little over 90 degrees.  Sadly, he lacks both wrist and waist swivels.  His hips can ratchet forward or backward about 60 degrees, and they can move laterally 90 degrees on friction hinges.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend 90 degrees.  His feet can tilt up and down a fair bit, and he's got 45 degrees of ankle pivot.  Weirdly, his right foot seems to have a ratchet, but his left foot is all friction.

Star Convoy has the same 5mm ports in his hands as the smaller Prime, and holds his rifle with no issues.

I mean... am I supposed to be excited that Star Convoy is acknowledged after almost 30 years?  The simple fact is this isn't Star Convoy at all, it's G1 Prime cosplaying as Star Convoy.  Which I might have forgiven, if he could keep his costume together.  The fact is, fit and finish issues keeping his combined-mode sides locked in and his star actually on his chest ruin the Star Convoy robot mode for me.  And for the rest, there is no Star Convoy truck, just G1 Optimus, and G1 Optimus was done far better with Earthrise.  You should NOT pay aftermarket prices for this.  Heck, I'd be mad if I paid the $80 Hasbro was asking.  At $65 I can sort of console myself with the notion that it's an historic release, but one that feels kind of shoddy and, frankly, is a poor representation of the character.  I don't recommend buying it.  Given the scale issues, I don't think I'd recommend buying the PotP version, either.

But, what actually might be the most frustrating thing of all... the transformation from the trailer to the bulk of the larger robot's body actually works pretty well.  Wrist swivels, a waist swivel, and a bit more range in the hips would have been ideal, but the articulation is mostly there.  The trailer is pretty solid.  And the smaller robot's transformation is actually kind of similar to Ginrai/Powermaster Optimus' core robot.  Basically, this "evolutions" concept led to an out-of-scale G1 Optimus and a poorly-executed Star Convoy remold that I can't really recommend, but if they'd made this Powermaster Optimus/God Ginrai instead it could have been a homerun, as the whole thing is much more solid than Ultra Magnus remold we got in Titans Return.

[lechuck]

What a waste of money. If you want a proper Star Convoy, then get MMC's Stellarus Prominon.

And I say this as someone who has yet to buy into any 3P offering.

[mikeszekely]

46 minutes ago, lechuck said:

What a waste of money. If you want a proper Star Convoy, then get MMC's Stellarus Prominon.

And I say this as someone who has yet to buy into any 3P offering.

I've had it pre-ordered since they announced it.

[Kuma Style]

Flame Toys Megatron in tomorrow. Cannot wait.

Lots of Black and purple on the Deception side of this line; hoping they move ahead someone like Starscream for the sake of mixing it up.

[mikeszekely]

Sorry, it's been an extremely busy day, but he came and I wanted to get this up today (although I guess it'll technically be tomorrow by the time I'm done) - Studio Series 86 Deluxe-class Kup.

Unlike Jazz, I think HasTak's designers have been pretty good to Kup.  We got Generations Sergeant Kup, who managed a pretty Kup-ish robot mode while turning into a more Earth-mode truck, and it was pretty good.  Then we got the Titans Return Kup, who I thought did a pretty good job pulling off both the robot mode and a more G1-accurate space truck mode.  But, again, unless you got the Takara version the colors were definitely off.  But the Studio Series 86 team decided to change more than colors.  SS86 Kup's got a new head sculpt that looks kind of off to me.  Comparing it to the line art makes me think it's actually mostly cartoon-accurate, but the mouth is too wide and the chin is too long.  His shoulders seem a bit low, but that's cartoon accurate.  His chest could maybe stick out a bit more, and he could show a little more abs, but the thinner limbs, the gray belt, and the pale orange belt buckle and wrist accents are just about perfect.  The wheels poking through his shins aren't really screen-accurate, but they're a nod to the G1 toy.  He's also carrying a bit more backpack than the Titans Return toy, but again I think of it as a G1 toy callback.

Speaking of the G1 toy, Kup comes with a blaster that is styled a lot like a relatively scaled-down version of the G1 toy's blaster.  Which got me thinking, did Kup actually shoot a gun in the '86 movie?  For a more screen accurate accessory they tossed in his container of energon goodies, and that might be my favorite accessory of all time.

Kup's head can look up or down a little, and he's got pretty good sideways tilt.  His shoulders rotate and can move laterally nearly 180 degrees.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend over 90 degrees on a detented hinge.  Sadly, no wrist swivel, but his waist does swivel.  I thought at first he didn't have one, but I could see the mushroom cap in his back.  Turns out it's just really tight, at least on my copy.  His hips can go forward, backward, or laterally 90 degrees.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend just under 90 degrees, again on a detented hinge.  His feet don't really tilt up or down, just the tip of his toes for transformation, but he does have a good 60 degrees of ankle pivot.  The only real complaint

He holds his gun with no problem, but there's no place to store his accessories in his robot mode except his hands.  He doesn't have any other 5mm ports except on on the bottom of each foot.

The energon goodie container also has a 5mm peg on the bottom of it, so it can he held in either fist or even given to any other figure with 5mm port hands.  Oh, and take a closer look at the elbow.  Those detents aren't just to give him a psuedo-ratchety feel.  They give the exposed joint a sort of clockwork appearance when his elbows are bent that helps sell the "Kup is old" thing.  There's also some molded rivets on his biceps, thighs, and shoulders that do the same, yet none of the scratches or smudges he was drawn with.

While the other SS86 figures have been content to sell themselves on screen accuracy and, in Hot Rod's case, lots of accessories, Kup brings as movie gimmick to the table. Instead of having mushroom swivels for his biceps and thighs Kup has pegs and peg holes.  So, you can pull his arms and legs off and recreate the scene where Hot Rod has to fix him.  Which... I kind of want a Studio Series robo-squid now.

When I heard his limbs could pop off I got pretty excited.  Because, you know who else has pop-off limbs?  Weaponizers, Modulators, and Fossilizers!  I thought for sure we could do some crazy limb swapping.  But, most of those figures don't have splits at the biceps, their arms come off at the shoulders.  Brunt, the one guy whose arms do separate at the bicep, has the peg on his arm and the hole on his bicep, but Kup has the peg in the bicep and the hole in the arm.  You'd think the legs, which usually did split at the thighs, might have fared better.  But no, in most of their cases the peg hole in the thigh is recessed in a way that Kup's peg can't reach the hole.  So between Brunt, Cog, Sixgun, Fasttrack, Airwave, and Paleotrex (sorry, didn't feel like digging around in storage for Ironworks) none of the arms worked with Kup, and only Sixgun and Paleotrex's legs worked.  Missed opportunity, if you ask me.

Unlike Blurr, Kup doesn't really share any engineering with the Titans Return toy.  On one hand that's a bit disappointing to me; I thought the way TR Kup's torso and legs unfolded and refolded during transformation was pretty interesting.  Nothing about the SS86 toy's transformation feels interesting or special, and some steps that require tabbing in some leg panels into the front fenders is a bit of a pain.  On the other hand, SS 86 Kup once again has better proportions and much greater screen accuracy.

The cockpit, which no longer opens and doesn't have to accommodate a Titan Master, is a bit lower and sleeker.  The front fenders are more curved.  The back of the cab doesn't have visible hands.  The sides aren't decorated with containers, just rivets and an Autobot insignia.  He's got those pointed bumps near the back, but he could have used some of that orange paint for lights.  The bed doesn't have the gaps that the TR toy has, and the bed sits down between his legs more.  I think it could stand to be a little longer, but despite a similar overall length it doesn't look quite as short as the TR toy.

 Kup does have storage for his accessories in truck mode.  There are tabs on one side of each of his accessories, and they fit into notches on the sides near the back of the truck.  It's fine, but I do wonder why there was no storage on the bed, like the G1 toy?

Kup is, in my book, another winner for the Studio Series 86 line.  Honestly, the whole line has been so good I'm a bit more bummed than I was before that Kingdom Ultra Magnus is just a Siege retool and that Springer's colors are a bit off, especially in the arms, because my CHUG '86 movie cast is starting to look better than my MPs.  Kup gets a recommend from me, and I can't wait to see how the heavily-rumored Leader Galvatron and Commander Rodimus Prime turn out.

[JB0]

7 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

So between Brunt, Cog, Sixgun, Fasttrack, Airwave, and Paleotrex (sorry, didn't feel like digging around in storage for Ironworks) none of the arms worked with Kup, and only Sixgun and Paleotrex's legs worked.  Missed opportunity, if you ask me.

I am genuinely disappointed by this, for some reason.

[M'Kyuun]

4 hours ago, JB0 said:

I am genuinely disappointed by this, for some reason.

Not me. The 'swappable parts' gimmick doesn't really interest me, and while I appreciate what they did here to allow fans to recreate the "Fix me" scene, for durability's sake, I wish they'd just put his limbs on mushroom pegs, maybe specialized shroom pegs to allow the limbs to slide off when rotated 180 degrees from natural. At least then you wouldn't have to worry about those pegs becoming loose over time and potentially losing his limbs. What it comes down to is nice idea, poor execution, IMHO.

 I generally don't handle my toys much after the initial posing and transformation, but there's something about this whole WFC line that has really grabbed me, and a year or so later, I'm still messing with them. MP aside, these are the toys I wish had come in those lovely boxes back in the mid-80's and I envy the kids of today, as I wish this had been the status quo of toy tech back in my childhood. Same for LEGO, but that's another discussion. Anyway, I'm definitely enjoying the overall direction of this line, and I hope they keep it going for a few more waves, as well as the '86 SS line. There are still a lot of characters that need updates, and this seems like the perfect opportunity to bang them all out before moving on to, hopefully, something completely new to give the franchise a refresher.

[JB0]

7 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Not me. The 'swappable parts' gimmick doesn't really interest me, and while I appreciate what they did here to allow fans to recreate the "Fix me" scene, for durability's sake, I wish they'd just put his limbs on mushroom pegs, maybe specialized shroom pegs to allow the limbs to slide off when rotated 180 degrees from natural.

That is quite fair. My thought was "if we're gonna put 'em on pegs, they may as well be Weaponizer limbs", not that weaponizing Kup should've been their first goal.

I do agree with your durability concern, and the feature probably should've been implemented a diffrent way.

 

That they chose the way most likely to cause problems down the line and also didn't choose the way that enables off-label silliness disappoints me, though.

[mikeszekely]

Well, it seem Tformers.com is reporting on some leaked product numbers for upcoming Transformers.  While some include the oft-reported Commander-class Rodimus Prime and Titan-Class Ark I noticed T-Wrecks, Wreck-Gar, and Sweep were among the leaked product numbers.  You'll recall that they were on the list of leaks I reported a few weeks back.

[M'Kyuun]

I'm looking forward to finally seeing what this Ark fig is going to look like. With Unicron set to release next month, I don't really have the space for another large figure, but if this thing is done well, it's a must. It'll also be my first Titan class toy. The last good Wreck-gar figure was the excellent Reveal the Shield toy from 2011, so he's about due an update. Wreck-gar wasn't really my favorite character, and I'm not into motorcycles per-se, but something about transforming motorcycles has always piqued my interest. 

Speaking of Sweeps, my copy of SS '86 Scourge is due for delivery today. I've mentioned before that I've never been a fan of his G1 alt mode, and so the chances of my double dipping on this guy are slim. I so vehemently wish that Scourge's alt mode from United, loosely based on the lovely Boeing X-48, had been his alt mode from the beginning. This is definitely my favorite iteration of the character, not to mention he's a very well-designed figure, and probably in the top five best jet -formers for how well his alt mode turned out.  I'd absolutely love updates to this and T30 Megatron. 

Just beautiful.

[mikeszekely]

7 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I'd absolutely love updates to this and T30 Megatron. 

Generation Toy Tyrant.

[M'Kyuun]

10 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Generation Toy Tyrant.

I know, and believe me, I was very tempted to get that fig back when it released. Like most stuff, even stuff I really like, like Planet X's FoC Prime, I passed on it, as I don't really have the space for it, and at the time, I didn't feel like allocating the funds. I generally content myself with rewatching vid reviews for the vicarious experience. Sad, yes, but practical.

If I had the space for the stuff I wanted, my house would look like Tekering's, and my wife would probably file for divorce. She already complains about the 'clutter' as she calls it. No appreciation for the finer things.

[mikeszekely]

53 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I know, and believe me, I was very tempted to get that fig back when it released. Like most stuff, even stuff I really like, like Planet X's FoC Prime, I passed on it, as I don't really have the space for it, and at the time, I didn't feel like allocating the funds. I generally content myself with rewatching vid reviews for the vicarious experience. Sad, yes, but practical.

If I had the space for the stuff I wanted, my house would look like Tekering's, and my wife would probably file for divorce. She already complains about the 'clutter' as she calls it. No appreciation for the finer things.

I don't know if you've changed your thoughts on Tyrant, but GT is reissuing it with an improved arm gun.

[mikeszekely]

So Star Convoy was bad.  From that I assume that PotP Leader Optimus was bad, too.  And while I didn't review it directly I referenced Power of the Primes Rodimus awhile back while looking for a Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime that fit with WfC, and I found it to be a compromised figure that was worse as Hot Rod than the Titans Return toy, and too big with shoulders compromised by the Evolutions gimmick when combined into Rodimus Prime.  Now, with Kingdom getting me into Beast Wars figures, I decided against my better judgement to pick up a discounted Power of the Primes Leader-class Optimal Optimus.

As an Evolutions figure we can't go straight to Optimal Optimus.  We have to start with the character he evolved from, Optimus Primal.  This is actually an interesting figure.  You'll notice that there's no gorilla elements.  The designers confirmed that this figure is meant to represent Primal in his Cybertronian form, before he got a beast mode.  I actually like seeing Primal with a more conventional robotic body.  I do wish it matched Kingdom a bit better, though; PotP Primal's chest and feet seem to be modeled less on the Beast Wars cartoon and more on the original toy.  That said, he does have the cartoon head, and he's still missing the red hips.  Oh, and he's got one other major issues that I'll get to after accessories.

Those accessories are a pair of guns, and a Matrix with a blue removable core that can be replaced with a Prime Master or Titan Master.  Oh, and a big gorilla.

Ok, so that Matrix can be stored on Primal.  It goes in that issue I said I'd get to- his huge honking backpack.  Seriously, it's nearly as big as he is!  But that backpack will play a role in more than Matrix carrying.  And there may be a fix for it.

So Primal's head is on a swivel, no tilt in any direction.  His shoulders rotate, and can extend laterally a hair over 90 degrees.  His elbows are ball joints, allowing him to bend them 90 degrees and doubling as the bicep swivel.  No wrist or waist swivel.  His hips are ball joints that can go 90 degrees forward and just a little less than that backward or laterally.  His thighs swivel, and his double-jointed knees can bend 180 degrees.  As this was the dark days before War for Cybertron he lacks any foot articulation.

Primal can hold the guns, no issues.  The guns have pegs on the backs, too, so they could be wielded as clubs, too.

Primal has an alt mode, although it's a big less polished than Prime/Star Convoy's cab or Hot Rod's car.  I guess it's like a transport, with Kingdom Cylconus to give you a sense of scale.  The front looks ok, but it's entirely his backpack.  The rear that's made from Primal just looks like Primal awkwardly folded up.  Some wings or some boosters would have helped, I think.

Primal's guns can mount onto his alt mode.  Or, you can put the gun's on the gorilla's legs.  Then, using slots on the gorilla's feet and tabs on Primal's alt mode the gorilla can ride on Primal like a hoverboard.  This is a nod to Optimus Primal's Transmetal form, and a way for this toy to acknowledge the evolutionary step between regular Optimus Primal and Optimal Optimus.

On that subject, the gorilla is of course Optimal Optimus's beast mode.  I'm going to be honest, I wasn't super into Beast Wars and it's been a long time since I've watched it, so it's a bit difficult for me to pick apart the design of this toy the way I do G1 characters.  That said, orange body, hands, and feet, blue legs and face, purple shoulders with wings hanging off, blast shields on his arms... looks like Optimal Optimus to me.  I like that the gorilla face is more stoic, evoking the cartoon, and not the fanged snarl of the original toy.

While surfing on Primal his back is hollow and empty.  But, Primal can dock into the void, which fills it up nicely and provides a place to mount his guns in a way that's nice and cartoon-accurate.

The guns can mount in either the same spot as they do in Primal's alt mode, or you can use the pegs on the backs of the guns on the edge where the cockpit was if you want them to stick out a bit farther.

While we're back there, you'll see what's becoming a running theme with this toy, and that's a rather obnoxious backpack with Primal himself dangling well below Optimal Optimus' butt.  A backpack can't be totally avoided, but perhaps it can be mitigated...

Like regular Optimus Primal, Optimal Optimus has his beast mode, but he also has his robot mode.  Optimal Optimus scales well with Kingdom Primal, but fun fact, in the Beast Wars cartoon the Maximals are much smaller than the Autobots, and while Optimal Optimus was huge compared to other Maximals he was actually around the same size as Optimus Prime.  That said, as someone who isn't a big Beast Wars fan I'm less into the whole "great upgrade made smaller robots at some point in the future and then they went back in time to crash on Earth" story from the cartoon and more into the IDW story of the beast formers being long-lost colonists who exist as contemporaries with and a similar size to the Autobots and Decepticons.  That approach lets me rationalize the Kingdom Beast Wars figures as scaled with the other WfC toys, and by extension so is PotP Primal.

Again, not super huge on Beast Wars, but I think Optimal Optimus looks pretty good.  The blast shields can be removed from his forearms and tabbed into the top of his shoulders, which I think is cartoon-accurate.  He's missing some colored markings on his thighs and some gold under the silver bits on his knees.  Maybe some of the molded details on his shoulders are a bit different.  But the biggest difference seems to be that the Matrix-carrying cockpit on his chest is mostly silver, but it was more the same orange as his torso in the cartoon.

Optimal Optimus' head, like Primal's, is swivel only, no tilt.  His shoulders rotate and, using the double-hinges, can move laterally about 60 degrees.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend a bit over 90 degrees.  His wrists can swivel.  His fingers are molded as one curved piece, but they're pinned at the base so they can open.  His thumb is also hinged, but more so it can bend around so that it's oriented properly for robot or gorilla mode.  His waist swivels.  HIs hips can bend forward or backward 90 degrees, and laterally even more than that.  His thighs swivel.  His knees technically are single-jointed and bend a little over 90 degrees.  However, if you move the folded wings on his calves and unlock the transformation joint you can effectively give him double-jointed knees.  His feet can tilt up and down quite a bit, and he's got 45 degrees of ankle pivot.  So in his combined Optimal Optimus mode this figure's articulation is definitely on par with the newer WfC toys.

The two guns can plug into each other to make a larger rifle.  However, the peg hole on Optimal Optimus' hand is basically in the middle of his thumb, so it looks extremely awkward.  Also, this combined gun is the only one Optimal Optimus has.  He's missing the big orange rifle the original toy had.

A better option might be to put the cannons on his shoulders.  Is that cartoon-accurate?  I'm not sure.  But a third option is to use the hinges to lower the cockpit chest, revealing some peg holes.  Then you can use the pegs on the backs of the guns to plug them into his chest.  That, at least, is toy-accurate.

My biggest complaint with Optimal Optimus' robot mode is, you guessed it, an obnoxious backpack.  This time the backpack is just Primal.  Heck, you can even put him in robot mode, making it look like Primal and Optimal Optimus had some kind of cartoonish accident with glue.

But I think I can fix this...

Before I fix anything, Primal has one* more mode.  It's his jet mode, although I use the term "jet" loosely.  It's basically the gorilla mode lying down in a Superman pose, with the wings extended and the cockpit out instead of his head.  Well, I suppose that's mostly accurate.  This time Primal is a bit more necessary, as the connection that holds him in place is on Primal himself.  Without Primal, the Optimal's feet wouldn't tab in and the cockpit wouldn't actually be attached.  That said, as big slab on top of the jet with guns sticking off of it seems to be accurate to at least the original toy.

*Yes, just one.  PotP Optimal Optimus doesn't have any wheels, and he can't do the car/truck/tank mode of the original toy.  DNA does make a kit to give him some wheels so you can his ground vehicle mode.  It also gives him the missing orange rifle.  I'll see if I can get a hold of it.

Ok, so I've been mentioning a solution to the backpack problem.  And it's honestly pretty simple.  On the smaller Primal figure a double hinge connects Primal to his cockpit backpack.  Simply get a tool and push out the pin on the backpack side, disconnecting Primal from the backpack.  Now Primal is backpack-less.

That said, the backpack still tabs into Primal's back, should you need it.  And folded-up Primal still tabs onto the back to make the transport/hoverboard mode.

The hoverboard mode will still hold together Optimal Optimus' jet mode.  But only the front half is needed for gorilla mode, greatly reducing the gorilla's backpack.

And only the front half is needed for Optimal Optimus' robot mode, leaving you with two mostly clean, backpack-less robots.  Y'know, DNA made two or three kits for Optimal Optimus, but not one that I'd really want; something that could hold hold Optimal Optimus together in jet mode without Primal, and parts to give Primal and alt mode (even if a pretty weak one) without the backpack parts needed for Optimal Optimus.  Y'know, something to totally divorce the two figures from each other.

Anyway, backpacks aside, Optimal Optimus is a surprisingly good figure, fairly accurate in three out of four modes the original had and with perfectly fine articulation on the larger figure.  The smaller figure is better than the other two PotP Leaders, and can largely be removed from the larger figure entirely.  It's easily the best of the PotP leaders, and I actually would recommend this one.

[Kuma Style]

[Kuma Style]

 

[sh9000]

 

[tekering]

MP-9 Rodimus, FansToys "Hoodlum," SS'86 Hot Rod... any one of them would've been better than MP-28 for that. 

[mikeszekely]

Real? Fake? Time will tell...

EDIT: My big leaker source says it's real.  But now the Glyph and Tap-out two-pack isn't real.  So *shrugs*.

Edited February 11, 2021 by mikeszekely

[mikeszekely]

I took my daughter to visit my dad today for lunch, since she doesn't have either in-person or Zoom lessons today, just worksheets.  While I was out I hit two Walmarts and a Target looking for Studio Series 86 Grimlock.  No dice, but I did see the first wave of Walmart Retro Headmasters.

Of the four, I didn't pick up Brainstorm or Mindwipe.  In the case of Mindwipe, well, it's frankly because I didn't think it was that good of a toy in the first place.  The designers tried to get clever, with a more organic-looking body and wings that unfurled from the legs and wound up with a bat mode that missed crucial details like the arms that tucked into the sides to make speakers on the bat.  I couldn't bring myself to buy another one, even if the head is different.

As for Brainstorm, here's some images I found, Retro on the left and Titans Return on the right.

While there are some differences in color, the biggest difference in my opinion is the head.  The Titans Return toy has the G1 toy/Sunbow style head with the mask, while the Retro version has the Takara face with the mouth from The Headmasters anime.  Brainstorm with a mouth is a no-go for me.  Even then, this Blurr remold is not as good as the Thrilling 30 toy, scale and Titan Master compatibility be damned.  Of course, Brainstorm was a Walgreen's exclusive the first time around, and I wouldn't blame people for picking up the Retro one if they missed Blurr the first time just to complete the set.

I did wind up grabbing Chromedome and Hardhead, for basically the same reason I didn't get Brainstorm.

Retro Chromedome uses the Takara head, which is the head used by both the G1 toy and The Headmasters anime.  If you wanted Sunbow, you're out of luck.  Now I liked the head on Titans Return Chromedome, but it was very clearly based on the popular More Than Meets the Eye comic book from IDW, even with G1 blue eyes.  I like the bolder reds and extra silver on Titans Return Chromedome, but the lighter feet, monochrome arms, and brown shins are more G1 accurate (Sunbow, toy, and Headmasters).  Weirdly, the lighter thighs are not, and it's not something Takara missed when they came out with the Legends version.

Accessories are the same, just the duller red.  No G1-accurate double rifles.  Stylor is looking a bit better, with a lighter brow for his torso (still not gray, though) and some paint on his face.

In alt mode you can see that the lighter brown is a really a different shade on both versions.  The Retro version has less exaggerated, more accurate stripes on hood, plus the red spot the TR toy was missing.  There's no red mark on the side, nor the darker brown breaking up the light brown on the side, plus the rims are painted.  The taillights, however, are still unpainted.

Titans Return Hardhead had a face based on the G1 toy, with a mask that has those little whisker lines on the sides.  They just gave him a blue visor instead of gold.  Maybe that was cool if you had the G1 toy as a kid and you associate Hardhead with a mask.  I didn't have him, though (Brainstorm and Scorponok where the only Headmasters I had as a kid), and in both the Sunbow cartoon and The Headmasters Hardhead has a mouth.  The Takara Legends toy had a head based on The Headmasters anime, and that's what the Retro figure uses.  It's got a mouth, so it's good enough for me!    Other changes involve copying the Takara Legends toy almost beat-for-beat, including tweaked paint on the chest and pelvis to better reflect the G1 toy/anime and the use of brown joints instead of black at the hips, bicep/elbows, and wrists.  That said, instead of an Autobot insignia in the middle of the chest like the Legends figure the Retro one puts a black symbol in the same spot on his belly that the TR figure did, plus there's some added tampos on the thighs meant to look like the G1 toy's stickers.

Again, the accessories are the same.  I can't even really say that Duros is painted any better, since Hasbro actually painted his face the first time.  The only real difference is in the slightly different shades of brown/gray and green plastics.

The different colored joints come through in tank mode.  The only other big differences are that there's some extra red and silver painted details on the sides of the Retro toy, to mimic some stickers from the G1 toy, and they painted some extra green on the roof of the canopy because said canopy didn't sit so far back on the G1 toy.  None of that extra paint was on the Takara Legends version.

The only other real differences are the packaging.  The original Titans Return figures came on blister packs, but the Retro versions come in G1-style boxes, complete with the character art used on the original G1 boxes and the battle scene and tech specs on the back.  I don't have room to keep boxes, so they're just pretty trash to me.  The instructions, though, are also done up to look more like the G1 instructions. I'll hang onto those at least.

And that'll do it.  At some point I may or may not go back and get Mindwipe, because he also has the Takara Legends head, but the rest of the figure doesn't look like a huge upgrade to me.  I'll play the second wave by ear; I think I like the Takara-style heads on Weirdwolf and Skullcruncher, and one of the propellor's broke on my TR Highbrow during a move, so all three are a possibility.  But honestly, while I think Titans Return was the best of the Power of the Primes Trilogy the lack of ankles and the overuse of loose ball joints feels so dated after WfC.  I don't see them doing it, but I wish Hasbro would just do a second G1 trilogy focusing on the trio of Japanese G1 animes and just give us proper updates of the Headmasters, Targetmasters, Power/Godmasters, the Brainmasters, and the Breastmasters.

[Kuma Style]

[mark-1s]

 

Early review of Unicron is up.

 

Edited February 11, 2021 by mark-1s