The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[mikeszekely]

And we're closing out on Reactivate with a look at Bumblebee's pack-in pal, Starscream.

Bumblebee had a little battle damage, but this is clearly a Starscream who's been through some stuff.  One wing is covered in black, one shoulder pad and one piece of hip armor are black, and his forearm and thigh on that side are streaked with black.  What's more, above the intake on his chest on that side the molding is actually different, as if a chunk of armor were missing, and inside that "hole" they put more black.

Perhaps when the game comes out, if ever, there'll be a story reason for all that damage, but in the meantime it's just kind of frustrating, because aside from the battle damage I think this is one of the best Starscream figures in recent memory.  It's got all the hallmarks of Starscream's design; blue forearms, blue on the shins, blue feet.  Red and white everywhere else.  A cockpit down the middle of his torso, with intake fans for pecs.  Pylons framing his head, and wings that slope down toward his butt.  But comparing Reactivate Starscream to G1 Starscream is a bit like comparing one of Kawamori's more recent variable fighters to the VF-1- you can see the influences of the latter on the former, but the former is more rounded and "modern."

Overall, it's a pretty clean design, too.  There's some panels that are folded into the wings, but nothing else for a backpack.  My only real complaint (aside from the battle damage) might be the bit of waffling and lack of paint on the back side of his wings.

Oh, and did you notice that this Starscream has blue eyes?  That's a rariety for Starscream; aside from Hasbro's Shattered Glass stuff the only other Starscream I can think of with blue eyes is Earthspark, where he formed a bit of a bond with the Terran Transformer Hashtag and later aided in the fight against Mandroid... basically a hero.  As I understand it, the plot of the game involves and alien race known as the Legion that swiftly conquered Earth, and the survivors (human and Transformer) are building some kind of resistance.  So maybe this Starscream is a good guy?  I'm into the story potential there.

And now we reference the game art, and... yeah, aside from the battle damage it looks like Hasbro pretty much nailed this one.  I mean, I could nitpick little bits of gunmetal in the art that aren't painted on the toy, on both sides of the forearms, backs of his thighs, on the sides of his legs, or his ankles, but official toys are often missing small details like that, and the toy did actually paint the vents on the pylons, his knees, the pec intakes, and the silver panels under them.  And even his back side is pretty accurate, being mostly black (although a bit squarish), the stabs behind his wings (though the lack of paint is killing me), and even the engines in his calves.

Starcream comes with two arm-mounted guns.  Null-rays?  Stand-ins for them, anyway.  They have some gunmetal paint on the barrel, which I enjoy, and the barrels are molded to be the same weapon, but the blue parts are totally different for some reason.

Starscream's head is on a ball joint that can look up a little, nothing down, minimal sideways tilt.  Shoulders rotate, no issue, but the shoulder pads limit him to about 75 degrees laterally.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend a little over 90 degrees.  His wrists don't swivel, but in a rare win for Starscream designs he does actually have a waist swivel.  His hips can go a little under 90 degrees backward and laterally due to his wings and hip armor, respectively, but they move forward far beyond 90 degrees, until his knee pads start banging into his chest.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend 90 degrees.  He a little upward foot tilt and a good amount down, and his ankles pivot about 45 degrees.

Starscream's weapons use 5mm pegs to plug into ports on his forearms.  To me, guns on his arms is just a part of Starscream's design, but if you really want to store them you can plug them into ports on his wings, on his back side.  He doesn't have any other 5mm ports, not even under his feet.

Aside from the fact that you have to remove the guns from his arms, Starscream's transformation is fairly tidy and not too complex, with a few neat parts.  His backpack does unfold to make most of the top of the jet.  His chest pulls out and opens up, folding his head inside and pulling the tip of the nose from inside his torso, to form the cockpit.  His shoulders sag down, but then his chest intakes fold back to form the actual intakes on the jet, automorphing his canards out in the process.  The front of his legs hinge up to his chest, Combiner-wars style, but the back of his leg stays in place, forming engine nacelles and his horizontal stabilizers.  Then it's simply a matter of massing the top of the plane formed by the backpack down into place so that tabs on the backs of the shins and the nacelles lock in.  The guns plug into the undersides of the wings.  The only thing that's kind of disappointing is that all you do for his arms his fold his hands in and turn them so that the 5mm ports on them grab onto tabs under his wings.

And yeah, I like this jet mode.  As with the robot mode, it hearkens back to his G1 jet mode, but with design elements that make it both legally-distinct from an F-15 but also seem more modern, like the canards and the angled vertical stabilizers.  I like how the back of the jet looks like the back of a jet, not robot feet playing as exhaust nozzles.  It's not perfect, though.  His robot shins just sit on the belly; he doesn't even have landing gear, he just rests on his ankle armor and knee pads.  And then there's the arms just laying along side him.  I could almost ignore them, just pretend that they're part of the fuselage, except his shoulder pads stick out beyond the leading edge of his wings.

And hey, his jet mode is actually pretty accurate, too!  All that black on the back of the fuselage?  Accurate.  Black around the cockpit?  Accurate!  That splash of blue on the spine?  Accurate!  The downward slope on the vents?  Accurate!  The game's art even has black on one wing, although it's the opposite wing of the toy.  If you look closely, you'll see that the wings of the toy have slightly different molded details, and those details match with the art.  Really he just needs a bit more black on the nose and a some blue spots, and a little more red on the horizontal stabilizers.  Heck, the game art even has his guns under the wings...

...which is, as I noted, where they go in alt mode.

It's funny, Hasbro tends to push Bumblebee as their big, kid-friendly moneymaker, but Starscream is unquestioningly the star of this set.  The battle damage is a bit of a shame, but I'd honestly recommend picking up this set just for him anyway.  He's right up there with Optimus, overall one of my favorite Starscream figures, while Bumblebee is probably the worst of the four.

And that's not to say that Bumblebee is bad!  What I'm really saying here is that all four Reactivate figures are pretty good, especially together.  These are four game-based toys are what the Gamer Edition figures should have been, because the worst of these is arguably better than the best Gamer Edition toy.  Maybe the game, which is basically starting over on a new engine after being in development for six years already, never actually comes out.  These are still good figures, well worth owning, and I actually hope they consider doing some more.

 

I mean, there's concept art for Megatron.  Who wouldn't want a toy of that?

And at some point in 2018 they had at least some concepts for Slipstream, Hot Rod, Sunstreaker, Ironhide, and Windblade, too, though you can see from Starscream and Soundwave that these were likely earlier designs.  Still, I'd buy a pack with a Voyager-ish Megatron and a tall Deluxe Hot Rod or Ironhide.

Edited July 11 by mikeszekely

[JB0]

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

My only real complaint (aside from the battle damage) might be the bit of waffling and lack of paint on the back side of his wings.

Better than waffles and no paint on the front of the wings!

 

 

Man, by Transformers standards, that's a helluva jet. Fists fold away, robot torso doesn't just hang underneath...

[tekering]

So while Mike's gushing on Reactivate, let me introduce my favorite new Arcee figure. 😘

This is Flame Toys' Furai model version, and it's in keeping with their IDW-style modern take on these designs.

It's also exactly the same height as the other Furai models, meaning Arcee's definitely not to scale... 😒

...but if you collect MMC figures, she fits in perfectly with their scale and aesthetic.

Being an officially-licensed figure means she's non-transformable, of course...

...but just because she doesn't have a vehicle mode doesn't mean she can't haul ass... 😊

...or kick ass, for that matter. 😉

Most third-party Arcee figures tend to be retro G1, hyper-sexualized, or hyper-moe...

I think this one is a nice blend of all three aspects. 

As you can see, she's finely articulated...

...and extremely photogenic. 😍

In fact, I've never photographed a figure so much before... 

...at least, not from the back. 😅

Being a model kit means she needs to be assembled, but no glue or paint is required...

Even that Autobot symbol on her chest comes pre-painted on.

And the level of detail is remarkable.  Note part E1_1 here, that fits behind the hubcaps:

They're brake pads! 😯

Some parts even have metal inserts.  It's a really high-quality kit.

Of course, there are optional parts you probably won't make use of...

...but they're entirely superfluous. 

So's her chest piece, incidentally. 😶

She makes Ocular Max's "Azalea" look super old-fashioned...

...but fits right in among MMC's "Reformatted" line. 😎

So what if she never appeared in More Than Meets The Eye? 

[Black Valkyrie]

 

Very nice Arcee 😁. 

 

 

[mikeszekely]

2 hours ago, tekering said:

...but just because she doesn't have a vehicle mode doesn't mean she can't haul ass... 😊

 

...or kick ass, for that matter. 😉

Yes, I was definitely admiring her... assets.

[mikeszekely]

I just heard from a reliable source that the following are planned for this year.

In fan channel (that is, Pulse, BBTS, Entertainment Earth, etc, but not Amazon, Target, or Walmart), a three pack of Warpath, Cosmos, and (one assumes) Gears as Treads, Pathfinder, and Small Foot.

In Walmart, Retro Optimus Prime and Retro Bombshell with Ramhorn.  I think these are in that weird Walmart line where they're reissuing G1 toys but with 86 movie decoes.  Unlike the last Walmart Optimus reissue this one will have a trailer.  Walmart will also have their Starseekers sub line in Legacy, and I'm being told that Roadpig in that line will be a repaint of Junkion Crashbar.

Target will have Optimus Prime with Bullseye (the Target dog).  I'm being told that the cab is the Laser Optimus mold, the trailer is the Earthrise trailer, and Bullseye is a retool of Micromaster Ravage.

Amazon's exclusive line for the year will be the "Mayhem Attack Squad," which kind of makes sense because that's the Decepticon counterpart to the Wreckers, and the Wreckers was Amazon's 2022 line.  There will be a total seven figures spread across three packs.  I don't know what the other five figures/two packs are, but the first one will be Voyager Bludgeon and Deluxe Ruckus.  One assumes that's a repaint of Evolution Bludgeon and, if I had to guess, Beachcomber.

Last but not least, I'm being told that Legacy United Leader Soundwave (wave 4, October) will in fact be a repaint of Netflix Soundwave.

Edited January 19 by mikeszekely

[M'Kyuun]

Flame Toys' Arcee is a nice-looking kit, but it's inability to transform removes the very thing that gives the franchise its appeal to me. I won't be giving up my Azalea, who remains, IMHO, the best transforming Arcee figure in existence. If Hasbro ends up doing a better version of Arcee to make up for the terrible Earthrise fig and the just ok SS86 fig, I hope they take major design cues from Azalea. 

Sounds like Hasbro is tapping into their Gobots repertoire a bit. Shame they can't make a limited contract with Bandai to actually use the og designs. Takara have worked with Bandai in the past on Zoids and Gundam, so in the very limited context of recreating Gobots based on the Machine Robo toys, I wonder if they'd have an objection? I'd like to see that collaboration.

I was hoping the upcoming leader Soundwave would be a completely new mold, hopefully returning to the og micro-cassette scale of G1 with updated and improved cassettes, but disappointingly, I guess not. Netflix Soundwave is ok, but there's definitely room for improvement, and I was pinning my hopes on the rumored leader toy. Hopes dashed.

Edited January 19 by M'Kyuun

[mikeszekely]

15 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I was hoping the upcoming leader Soundwave would be a completely new mold, hopefully returning to the og micro-cassette scale of G1 with updated and improved cassettes, but disappointingly, I guess not. Netflix Soundwave is ok, but there's definitely room for improvement, and I was pinning my hopes on the rumored leader toy. Hopes dashed.

Same here.  Unless the deco is really improved, or he comes with Buzzsaw...

Oh, BTW, Commander-class Sky Lynx is in stock again at Pulse, for anyone that still wants one.

With that out of the way, I have one more new mold for this week, and it's Studio Series Core-class Rumble.  From the Bumblebee movie, though, not 86.

For years, Hasbro has insisted that the G1 toy names were correct, and Rumble is the black and red one and Frenzy is the blue one.  Alternators Rumble was black and red.  Titans Return Rumble was a black and red repaint of Titans Return Rewind.  The black and red Siege Micromaster was Rumble.  Both IDW continuities had Rumble as black and red and Frenzy as blue.  But then SS86 gave us the movie-accurate Rumble (Blue), and suddenly we're supposed to ignore Hasbro's insistence on toy over toon for the last decade and a half.  The packaging here definitely says Rumble, and this guys is definitely blue.  And not blue like cartoon/'86 Rumble is mostly purple, either.  Rumble's a dark blue, with some gunmetal and a few lighter blue accents.  Movie-accurate?  Who knows?  Because Rumble wasn't actually in Bumblebee.  To the chagrin of Bayverse fans clamoring for Skids, Mudflap, Devcon, Hound, Que, Evasion Optimus, AoE Optimus, TLK Megatron, Onslaught, and the other Dinobots... y'know, characters that actually were in movies... Hasbro would rather do toys based on concept art from Bumblebee.  Sorry fam!  Despite semi-recent releases for Crosshairs, Hot Rod, Galvatron, and Mohawk apparently Hasbro isn't super fond of the last two Bay films, and they consider Skids and Mudflap too problematic to include.

Anyway, Rumble is ok-ish.  He fits that Bumblebee "we haven't totally abandoned the Bayverse aesthetic but we made it way more G1" look.  You look at Rumble and you can recognize who he's supposed to be.  And he's got his piledrivers!  Except... wait a minute... his arms are permanently pile drivers.  That kind of sucks.

He does have accessories.  He's got these two asymmetric guns.  What is it with designers thinking asymmetry is cooler/technologic/futuristic/realistic?

Rumble's head is on a ball joint with the ball in his torso, not his head.  He can look down a little and tilt his head sideways plenty.  He can look up, but probably not as much as you'd actually like.  His shoulders swivel and move almost 90 degrees laterally, but it's that special kind of joint where the swivel is on the outside of the lateral joint so he can't lift his arm them move it laterally.  There are two hinges in his arms that are used for transformation, but I'm hesitant to refer to either has elbows.  The upper hinge bends the arm outward, the lower bends inward; neither are useful for robot mode.  He's got no hands, no waist swivel.  Due to his transformation he has a slight ab crunch and a back bend.  His hips go forward, backward, and laterally 90 degrees.  His knees are ball joints that bend 90 degrees and do double as his thigh swivels.  No ankle pivots, but his feet tilt upward for transformation.

Rumble can't actually hold his guns in any way that looks like he's wielding them.  They just plug onto his back like G1 Rumble... except both the G1 toy and the 86 toy actually can take their guns off their backs and wield them.

Rumble's transformation is barely that.  His arms bend at both the hinges, swivel, then fold at the shoulders so they're up by his head.  His legs move backward 90 degrees at the hips and his feet fold up against his shins.  Then he bends at the back so that his arms can plug into his calves.  That's about it.

And he turns into... a box.  I guess?  I suppose it's tricky trying to figure out why a small robot's alt mode should be something that fits into the chest of another robot without the Earth-centric tape and tape player thing.  The old War for Cybertron game did the data disc thing.  Maybe Rumble's like a cabinet with a server rack inside.  Regardless, his guns don't stay on his back, but they can be stored on his alt mode by using holes on one and slots on the other to fit into corresponding pegs and tabs near his ankles, with the barrels pointing up and situating between his arms.

Like Studio Series Core-class Ravage before him, Rumble's honestly a glorified accessory for SS Bumblebee Soundwave.  So the most important question is whether Rumble's "alt mode" fits into Soundwave's chest.  And the answer is definitely yes, so that's not a problem.  Of course, it's Rumble or Ravage, not Rumble and Ravage, as there's not room for the both of them in there.

Another thought occurred to me.  Ravage came with his hip guns and a missile pack that plugged onto his back, but he also came with an accessory that he could carry under his tummy in an unfortunately suggestive way, but was really an extra bit for Soundwave, looking like the tip of his G1 gun and plugging into his shoulder cannon.  I wondered if Rumble didn't have a similar play pattern.  And sure enough, while it's not mentioned in the instructions, you'll notice that one of Rumble's guns has a hole on the back, and it fits onto the tip of the other gun's barrel.  That other gun, while having the smaller peg to fit into Rumble's back, has that peg on a shallow 5mm post, so soundwave can hold the combined gun like a pistol.

On his own, Rumble's kind of a trash figure that you can feel safe skipping.  If you have Soundwave, though, Rumble gains a bit more utility as an accessory for him, either to enhance his play pattern by giving Soundwave a new gun and something to keep in his chest, or as a minion to pose with Soundwave on your Bumblebee shelf.  When looked at that way he's not so bad.  I even kind of want a Laserbeak to go with them (more than that the already-confirmed Frenzy repaint).  But given how much of his utility comes down to you owning another figure and even caring if said figure has his minions, I wouldn't actually say I'm recommending him.

[sh9000]

I missed Netflix Soundwave so I'll get the reissue/repaint.

[tekering]

Well, this is disturbing.  Mike's photography is so crystal-clear, I can make out the granular texture and telltale layering of a 3D-printed prototype...

...on a mass-produced factory figure. 😒

Why would steel molds have this layering evident?  Exactly what kind of molding process are they using in Vietnam? 🤨

[mikeszekely]

2 hours ago, tekering said:

Well, this is disturbing.  Mike's photography is so crystal-clear, I can make out the granular texture and telltale layering of a 3D-printed prototype...

...on a mass-produced factory figure. 😒

Why would steel molds have this layering evident?  Exactly what kind of molding process are they using in Vietnam? 🤨

I think it looks worse blown up on a 27" monitor than it actually is... Rumble's head is maybe 8mm tall, smaller than two 5mm pegs side-by-side, and smooth to the touch.  Rumble's whole alt mode is similar in length to Studio Series Sludge's head.  My guess is that it's not layering so much as it is swirls in the plastic, just on parts that are so small and such a tiny sample that they look straight.

I guess what I'm saying is that there are definite reasons why you might not want to buy Rumble, but I wouldn't consider the plastic one of them.

[Scyla]

Nice Arcee build @tekering. That reminds me that I have to build my own copy of the kit.

I really wished Flame Toys would release some female Transformers in their Kuro Kara Kuri line (IDW Firestar maybe?). 
The better materials would make the more fragile designs sturdier and it would look nice on my display having not just buff robots fighting each other.

[sh9000]

Next Haslab.

[mikeszekely]

I wonder what will represent 40 years of Transformers better than the previously-leaked SS86 Commander-Class Optimus Prime? Does a HasLab allow Hasbro to use the adult collector angle to skirt the regulations that have prevented them from doing a gun Megatron?

Off the top of my head, aside from somehow working up a gun Megatron, I'd be down for for a better Powermaster Optimus/God Ginrai, Star Convoy, RiD 2001 Optimus/Fire Convoy, Energon Optimus/Grand Convoy, and... well, that might be it.  Can't really think of anything bigger than Commander that would require more than a Commander budget that I'd be interested.  Maybe another combiner, but even then, I think Studio Series Bayverse Devastator and Legacy Menasor have shown that you can absolutely do them as individual bots at retail with a Gen Selects box set later.  And I don't have the space for anything huge like Unicron.

Edited January 24 by mikeszekely

[mikeszekely]

So... years ago I played Dragon Age with my wife, and I thought she might like to play Baldur's Gate 3 with me.  I'm not dragging my gaming setup down to the living room.  I figured I could hook my laptop up to the TV, but the Logitech GLK 915 TKL keyboard I use with my desktop has me spoiled.  Can't simply use any old mushy membrane bluetooth keyboard, but I don't want to keep moving my keyboard from room to room, either.  Nor do I want to buy a second GLK 915- the current Amazon price of $160 is better than I paid originally, but still expensive for a secondary device.  For way, way less ($53) I found a keyboard from Redragon (K621 Horus TLK) that's similarly low-profile, has linear red mechanical switches, has similar overall dimensions, and even has the same volume roller.  But then I figured I should try writing something to put it through it's paces to see if it's too good to be true... and I remembered that I had some repaints to cover...

The one who's going to get most of the attention will be Studio Series 86 Voyager-class Scrapheap.  Now, on the one hand I might be inclined to be a little sick of Junkions after Legacy Evolution, but at least with Scrapheap we're back to the ones that were actually in the movie.  The other complaint I keep hearing is how the Bayverse has been getting fewer and fewer releases in the Studio Series and do we really need another retool of Wreck-Gar?  But... I'm the guy who's bought the Siege Starscream mold something like 11 times now (12, if you count the extensively-retooled Senator Shockwave).  I'm down for any Junkions that actually appeared in the movie, and the bright yellow one in a sea of orange and brown is probably one of the better options.

And yeah, Scrapheap is another retool of Wreck-Gar, but he's honestly an even more extensive one than Junkyard/heap (yes, the name on the package was Junkheap, but I think trademarks have something to do with it, I'm pretty sure his name is properly Junkyard, and I don't like having two different -heaps anyway, so from here on out I'm sticking with Junkyard).  He's got the same backs of the shoulders, biceps, hands, wrist spikes, pelvis, saddlebags, thighs, feet, and handlebars that Wreck-Gar and Junkyard used, as well as some of parts inside his torso.  He has the wider back that Junkyard has, and his ears/horns are Junkyard/heap's turned upside down.  But Scrapheap is packing a new head, new fronts of his shoulders, and new arms, much like Junkyard did over Wreck-Gar.  The entire front of his torso is new, not just his chest.  And unlike Junkyard, Scrapheap's got brand new lower legs.

Scrapheap does have the same wheels as the previous two SS86 Junkions, but he trades the pinwheel axe thingy for an actual gun.  I'm down for that.

Scrapheap's articulation is the same as the other two.  The only new things worth noting are that Wreck-Gar and Junkyard both have small holes in their backs that provided bot-mode storage for the pinwheel weapon.  Since that part of Scrapheap is reused from Junkyard, he has the small hole but no pinwheel.  And, since his legs work a little differently than the two, he doesn't have 5mm ports on the outsides of his lower legs, either.  They're on the inside, which means that Scrapheap doesn't really have any effect bot-mode storage for his gun.

So about his legs... yeah, one step involved in transforming Scrapheap that's a bit different is that you have to turn his legs 180 degrees at the thighs, so that the insides are now facing out.  The only other real difference is that the front of his bike has an extra hinged piece that plugs into the top of his chest.

As bike's go, it's fine.  The insides of his legs have some extra engine and exhaust details, but the new front of his torso is just a yellow block instead of the could-be-part-of-a-bike round bits that Wreck-Gar and Junkyard used.  You'll note that Scrapheap still has the stands that fold out of his legs, except now they're on his shins instead of his calves.  And you may also note the hexagonal 5mm port just in front of his exhaust pipes.  In addition to the handle, his gun has smaller 5mm pegs on either side, and that's how he carries his gun in bike mode.

And, because it's an important part of Junkions' play pattern, here's how Junkyard looks riding on Scrapheap.  Of course, the other thing you'd expect, and that they did with the Deluxe-class Junkions in Legacy Evolution, is limb swapping.  And, I guess you could use the mushroom pegs in their thighs, their biceps, or their shoulders to yank their limbs off and swap them around, but it's curious that Hasbro didn't use the simpler 5mm ports they used on the Deluxe Junkions.

I like Scrapheap.  I think, based solely on having more visually-stimulating colors and a gun, that I like Scrapheap more than Junkyard, but really all three of them look good together- these three are the only three Junkions with totally unique character models.  Is three Junkions enough, though?  I don't think so.  I'd say you'd ideally want an even number, so you can have half in bot mode riding the other half in alt mode.  While I personally am open to buying as many Junkions as they can find in the films.  While The Ark: A Complete Compendium of Character Designs has line art for seven more many of them are very similar.  Realistically, I'd say at most they could do three more; Rubbish, Trashbin, and Re-Cycle.  Of those three, Re-Cycle is basically Scrapheap with Wreck-Gar's colors and different shoulders, and Trashbin is Re-Cycle with gray instead of tan, Scrapheap's original shoulders, and pipes on his abs.  If they're going to do any more, my vote goes to Rubbish, aka the one with a wheel in his chest.  Yeah, Nonnef made a kit to covert Wreck-Gar into Rubbish, and I even painted my custom Rubbish to look more movie-accurate, but I'd still love it Hasbro took a stab at that one.

As for my other repaint, he's far less exciting.  It's Earthspark Deluxe-class Starscream, and in a move that's becoming too common for the Earthspark Deluxes he's simply Cyberverse Starscream with a new paint job.  And sure, with more blue on his shins, blue on his forearms, black hands, black intakes, and a lack of stripes on his wings the colors are more like Earthspark than Cyberverse, although his feet should still have been blue with a red stripe.  The problem is that Cyberverse Starscream doesn't have the right shapes for Earthspark.  The wings have the wrong shape, they have angles that are kind of like the wings on the VF-11 from Macross Plus/Macross 7.  His shoulder pads should have more angles, and his arms should have additional armor on the outside.  The intakes on his chest should be narrower rectangles, his knees should be bigger, and the vents on his should should stick out more and point up.  He's missing the intakes/pylons he should have on his shoulders.  And that's not even counting that his head is totally wrong.

Starscream comes with almost the exact same accessories as he did in Cyberverse.  That is, the ones I'd say are the most important, his null rays, are the same, just cast in unpainted black plastic this time.  There is one small difference, though.  Earthspark Starscream ditches the missile spam effect parts Cyberverse Starscream came with and instead comes with an arm for the Mandroid build-a-figure.  It's the same one that came with Shockwave, I think, so at the very least if you really wanted that arm you now have a choice of which Cyberverse repaint you have to buy to get it.

Transformation is, naturally, the same, and while I can see how they tried to arrange the colors similarly to the show, the reality is that this is simply not the correct alt mode.  It's about as close as if they took G1 Optimus' alt mode, painted some blue flames on it, and tried to pass it off as Bayverse Prime.  Starscream's alt mode in Earthspark is more like a cross between his Reactivate alt mode and a Northrop YF-23.

So, I get that as the line aimed more squarely at kids that Earthspark doesn't get the same budget, even in the same class, as Legacy or Studio Series.  But after an initial wave of three unique figures, it's a little disappointing that the next five only included one more new mold and only two of five Terrans have been included.  Prime and Grimlock were at least retooled.  Like Shockwave, Starscream is simply a repaint, but at least with Shockwave his Earthspark design was pretty similar to his Cyberverse one (and therefore arguably the better choice if all you want is the yellow arm).  It's an extra shame that they couldn't invest in some new tooling for Starscream, because it's not like they couldn't get more use out it; Nova Storm and Skywarp feature even more than Starscream in Earthspark and use the same body.  Long story short, don't be like me.  Don't reward Hasbro for this behavior, and don't buy Earthspark Starscream.

As for the keyboard, I'm going to keep it.  It definitely doesn't feel as nice as the Logitech, but at a third of the price I don't think it's fair to expect it to.  And even though I prefer the Logitech, the Redragon is still a significant step up over even the best membrane keyboard, and one of only a few mechanicals that cater to my preference for low-profile keys and switches.  In short, it's perfectly adequate for using with a laptop occasionally connected to the TV in my living room.

[Black Valkyrie]

 

Off Topic 🙂 

 

 

[M'Kyuun]

On 1/24/2024 at 2:02 PM, mikeszekely said:

I wonder what will represent 40 years of Transformers better than the previously-leaked SS86 Commander-Class Optimus Prime? Does a HasLab allow Hasbro to use the adult collector angle to skirt the regulations that have prevented them from doing a gun Megatron?

Off the top of my head, aside from somehow working up a gun Megatron, I'd be down for for a better Powermaster Optimus/God Ginrai, Star Convoy, RiD 2001 Optimus/Fire Convoy, Energon Optimus/Grand Convoy, and... well, that might be it.  Can't really think of anything bigger than Commander that would require more than a Commander budget that I'd be interested.  Maybe another combiner, but even then, I think Studio Series Bayverse Devastator and Legacy Menasor have shown that you can absolutely do them as individual bots at retail with a Gen Selects box set later.  And I don't have the space for anything huge like Unicron.

I'd be totally down with supporting a CHUG scaled Megatron as a HasLab project if they felt that was their only avenue in which to produce him faithfully to G1. That said, I'm surprised that Takara-Tomy, unfettered by our restrictions on toy guns, haven't produced their own for the Asian market, which would be great for US fans, too. I was also thinking they might be looking to HasLab Devastator, although, as you said, they've already proven a combiner can be done at retail. However, if they want to go the serious partsformer route, like Toyworld and any number of other third parties, with large portions like the crotch and thighs being partsforming chunks, HasLab may be the better platform to really include everything the designers want to have in there. As bonuses, they could include the chip rectifier machine from S1 Ep 14 "Heavy Metal War", and Grapple's solar energy tower from S2 Ep 12 "The Master Builder". I was hoping they'd do the Constructicons as voyager class figs in the SS86 line, but given the heavy partsforming nature of Devastator, at least a few of those figs would have to be upscaled to leader or commander to fit all those parts in. It might just be easier to do the whole thing as a HasLab, where you get the whole team together in one package along w/ all the partsforming bits along with any fully-funded bonuses. Getting it funded is a no-brainer, considering Devy's popularity. And, it's apropos to the 40-year anniversary given that the Constructicons were introduced in S1 in the aforementioned Ep 14. Somehow, I thought they were introed much earlier in S1, but nope- third from the last ep.

Like everyone else, I'm curious. Given the anniversary, I really want it to be something from G1, preferably first season where it all began. Devastator just makes sense. Guess we'll see.

[Scyla]

Just watched today's video of TJOmega and he concluded that the next HasLab will be Omega Prime (the combination of  Fire Convoy ans Ultra Magnus from Car Robots/RiD) given some of Hasbro’s hints. So I had to post it here for @mikeszekely. 

[mikeszekely]

Months ago one of the team said something in a steam about the next HasLab being "an Omega Level event." Omega Prime has been one of the more popular guesses on that board, but it's just a guess, and not the only one. Animated Omega Supreme and Primus are also oft-cited potential candidates. I have my doubts about all three- with this year being the 40th anniversary of the brand I'm feeling like a popular G1 character better represents that anniversary, especially if it's an ’84 release.  Either way, I don't want to get too excited. I'm getting very limited on space, and I decided that Tidal Wave is likely the last Titan or bigger I'll buy. If it's Omega Supreme or Primus I'm out. If it is Omega Prime, though, I'll bust my wallet out so fast it'll make a sonic boom when it opens.

Edited January 26 by mikeszekely

[Scyla]

My guess is still on Devastator. 
 

What I really want is a G1 Overlord or God Ginrai (maybe as a two pack).

[Black Valkyrie]

From 1987 🙂, it`s a small version, around 5 inch. 

 

[M'Kyuun]

On 1/26/2024 at 12:52 PM, mikeszekely said:

Months ago one of the team said something in a steam about the next HasLab being "an Omega Level event." Omega Prime has been one of the more popular guesses on that board, but it's just a guess, and not the only one. Animated Omega Supreme and Primus are also oft-cited potential candidates. I have my doubts about all three- with this year being the 40th anniversary of the brand I'm feeling like a popular G1 character better represents that anniversary, especially if it's an ’84 release.  Either way, I don't want to get too excited. I'm getting very limited on space, and I decided that Tidal Wave is likely the last Titan or bigger I'll buy. If it's Omega Supreme or Primus I'm out. If it is Omega Prime, though, I'll bust my wallet out so fast it'll make a sonic boom when it opens.

I also hope they do something from '84 G1 to mark the 40th. It's apropos. However, I have no idea who Omega Prime is, but if they do an Animated Omega Supreme, my Paypal will make a somewhat stealthier sonic boom. 😜  I'm so out of space it's ridiculous, but I'll still find somewhere to stash a TFA Omega Supreme.😍 So long overdue a toy.

[mikeszekely]

28 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I have no idea who Omega Prime is

From Robots in Disguise 2001.  You have Optimus Prime (Fire Convoy in Japan)...

...who combines with his trailer for a super mode (Super Fire Convoy).

But later in the series the cast is joined by Ultra Magnus (God Magnus), Optimus' brother who in this continuity is actually mad that Optimus got the Matrix instead of him.

Despite their rivalry, though, not only does Magnus keep aiding the Autobots he actually combines with Optimus to form Omega Prime (God Fire Convoy)

 

[M'Kyuun]

12 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

From Robots in Disguise 2001.  You have Optimus Prime (Fire Convoy in Japan)...

...who combines with his trailer for a super mode (Super Fire Convoy).

But later in the series the cast is joined by Ultra Magnus (God Magnus), Optimus' brother who in this continuity is actually mad that Optimus got the Matrix instead of him.

Despite their rivalry, though, not only does Magnus keep aiding the Autobots he actually combines with Optimus to form Omega Prime (God Fire Convoy)

 

They sure did love their super robot combining gimmick back in the day. I actually have RID Fire Convoy; he's been tucked away in storage for many a year now. Like most of the UT toys, he just never made much of an impression on me. I'd rather have Devastator or Animated Omega Supreme. Remind me, when is the Haslab announcement?

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

I actually have RID Fire Convoy; he's been tucked away in storage for many a year now. Like most of the UT toys, he just never made much of an impression on me.

I never had the original toy (to my deep regret), but I had the opposite feeling on the design. I was really into anime at the time, and RiD not only returned Transformers to transforming vehicles instead of animals it replaced the dodgy '90s CGI with gorgeous anime designs. RiD Optimus remains my absolute favorite Optimus after G1.

...Except he kinda is G1. See, RiD isn't part of the Unicron Trilogy. And while we in the West kind of accept it as it's own thing, in Japan it was intended to be another part of G1.

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

Remind me, when is the Haslab announcement?

Tomorrow at 11:00am EST.

[M'Kyuun]

5 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I never had the original toy (to my deep regret), but I had the opposite feeling on the design. I was really into anime at the time, and RiD not only returned Transformers to transforming vehicles instead of animals it replaced the dodgy '90s CGI with gorgeous anime designs. RiD Optimus remains my absolute favorite Optimus after G1.

...Except he kinda is G1. See, RiD isn't part of the Unicron Trilogy. And while we in the West kind of accept it as it's own thing, in Japan it was intended to be another part of G1.

After seeing a little of the UT, I lost all interest in the Japanese Transformers continuity. Despite being a mecha fan, I'm not really into the super robot aesthetic and they just went off on their own tangents with the stories.  I love the simple, straightforward storytelling of the first season of the Sunbow show and that is pretty much the end-all, be-all of G1 Transformers for me. I didn't care for second season onward. The '86 Movie was ok- some good parts, but more that wasn't.

If I ever stumble across my RiD toys, especially Optimus, I'll let you know. Chances are, he's still in his box in like-new condition.

6 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Tomorrow at 11:00am EST.

Thanks, Mike!

[mikeszekely]

10 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Tomorrow at 11:00am EST.

@M'Kyuun I hope you see this before hand, but I quoted the wrong time.  It's at 10:00am EST, 7:00am PT.  Hope you're an early riser!

[sh9000]

I just noticed it and was going to point out the correct time.  I'll repost the pic that I posted earlier.

[David Hingtgen]

Omega Prime is probably about my all-time fave TF toy(s), it was amazing.  Would love if the Haslab is that.  Though, it's almost to the point of "a newer one might not really be BETTER"----I am not impressed by the new Magmatron, and passed on it.  (I loved the original Magmatron).   

[Dangard Ace]

It's Omega Prime.  $249.

[mikeszekely]

2 minutes ago, Dangard Ace said:

It's Omega Prime.  $249.

And I already backed it.😉

[Dangard Ace]

I backed it too but I’m wondering if I really need it.  Still got the original on display and a spare boxed.  HasLab does look beefier though.  

[lechuck]

Ah... I was hoping that Fire Convoy might show up in the MPG line, I guess that's off the table for the foreseeable future now.

[mikeszekely]

The discourse around Omega Prime has been... interesting.  There are people arguing that it won't make its goal simply because it's not G1 (and yet, in less than 8 hours it's already nearly at 4000 backers).  There are some people arguing that it's a bad deal they bought the original RiD Optimus for $30 25 years ago (nevermind that it's roughly two Commanders and a Deluxe for less money than the Takara reissue of the originals a few years back).  There are a few mad that it's not two or three regular retail releases, because somehow they can afford it that way but a Haslab is less obtainable?  And there are a few who somehow think Hasbro "failed" because "its the same as the original"... as long as you ignore the improved proportions, better articulation, improved stability, and the efforts to hide Magnus' bits in combined mode better.

There's also the argument that Omega Prime doesn't really represent 40 years of the brand... but really, what does?  I think this was the main argument for Primus, but it kind of breaks down when you start to ask, "which Primus?"  Not Sunbow, Primus had nothing to do with the G1 cartoon.  Marvel comics?  Don Figueroa's Dreamwave design?  Probably the best-known Primus design is the one from Cybertron, which isn't any more G1 than RiD.  On that note, something G1 certainly represents something 40 years old, but as I'm fond of pointing out the people who were kids when stuff like RiD and the Unicron Trilogy are around the same age as us geewunners when lines like Alernators and Classics were hitting the shelves, and Transformers might mean something else to them.  Ultimately, RiD definitely seem like an odd choice, as it's arguably one of the less popular Transformers shows, but I do think it represents an important point in Transformers history, the first time bringing a Japanese show over, the show that brought back the Autobots and Decepticons, the show that brought back Optimus as a truck.  And, really, if there's one name that's synonymous with 40 years of Transformers it's definitely "Optimus Prime."

Frankly, I'm pretty happy with this Haslab.  As I said, Fire Convoy is my favorite non-G1 Prime, with a design that's just Optimus enough to be recognizable but blasted with even more Japanese super robot energy than any of the UT Primes or Go Exprime.  A modern version of him has been one of my most-wanted figures since I started collecting.  I'd say my only complaint is that he's looking like he's going to be a bit out-of-scale with the other WfC/Legacy Optimus Primes.

[David Hingtgen]

Is my stance unique?   Huge fan of the original---but this is basically that toy again.  I legit thought the renders were the original toy for a while.  Hinge-for-hinge, post-for-post, tab-for-tab, identical transformation/engineering.  It's the same toy, 10% bigger, and a few small issues taken care of.  But it's really not "better" or "new".   Certainly not "20 years to think about it" level of improvemements/redesign.   Why does Magnus still having a gapingly hollow chest in bot mode?  Same huge holes at the same angles.  (honestly it actually looks WORSE from some angles) 

I wanted a BETTER Omega Prime.  Make UM a bit less hollow, not QUITE so ridiculously-proportioned etc.   For all their gushing about Prime's Super Mode having better proportions, they sure ignored the one that needed it more...

It's---exactly the choice I wanted, but executed horrifically.  It's, the toy I already had, with a few slight changes, but very expensive.  To still have almost all the flaws I was hoping would be fixed...