In an exclusive to The Big DJ Trev Show on KRR.fm, for the first time on Australian Radio, we are proud to present Ravage – the newest album from Cybertronic Spree.
For anyone unfamiliar with the band, Cybertronic Spree released their first album in 2019; Transformers 1986, containing covers from soundtrack of that cult-classic The Transformers: The Movie. Known to perform live in excellently crafted costumes of beloved Transformers characters such as Hot Rod, Unicron, Shockwave and Soundwave, the band had found a successful niche within the pop-culture world.
Ravage is a collection of new original music by the band, with heavy 80’s influences. However don’t let me spoil it for you – why not take the opportunity to listen for yourself!
Tune in to The Big DJ Trev Show from 6 to 9pm AEST on Thursday October 5th to hear the album played for the first time on Australian Radio!
For those in Central West NSW, tune into to 98.7fm. For everyone else around the world go online to KRRfm.org.au. To celebrate the new album Ravage, not only we will be playing tracks from this new album, but having a Transformers themed night, complete with music from Cybertronic Spree’s first album, as well as music from the live-action movie soundtracks and other Transformer musical releases!
What a time to be a Transformers fan! With the Rise of the Beasts movie to hit cinemas in two months, it seems promotional events are happening left, right and centre!
Wednesday night saw the VIP Opening Night for the Transformers: More than Meets the Eye art exhibition at King’s Comics.
Promotional Blurb: Radio Velvet, Kings Comics and Hasbro, a global branded entertainment leader, are pleased to present Transformers: More than Meets the Eye – a world-exclusive exhibition, celebrating the incredible universe of Transformers, through the eyes of its fans and collectors, plus, six acclaimed artists.
Being everyones favorite exhibitionist, Big Angry Trev was invited along to the exclusive VIP opening night of the exhibition, and what an exhibition it was!
King’s Comics and Radio Velvet went all out in setting up a dedicated space for this exhibition. The floors, walls and even stairs were covered in Transformers art. Sniff… it felt like coming home.
The FloorThe Stairs
The Walls
Toy Exhibitors
Along the outer walls were display cabinets full of Transformer products, classic and new. Cabinets were set up by Hasbro, Lobos Collectables and even Kings Comics themselves.
In what was a wonderful nod to the part the fandom plays within the Transformers brand, several prominent Australian collectors were invited to display parts of their personal collections. Jason Murray’s display, along with his huge collection of Transformers pins, was enough to make the most hardcore fan drool. Lisamaree Chiu’s highly impressive collection of Optimus Prime’s from multiple Transformer continuities showed how the character has changed and evolved over the years. Kelvin Chan, as well as helping set up the comic display for Lobos Collectables, devoted much of his own display to the work of late Australian artist Andrew Sorohan. Kings Comics employee ScottSheens had a wide and varied display, including a wonderful cityscape made up of G1 figures.
Display by Jason MurrayDisplay by Lisamaree ChiuSo many Optimus!Display by Kelvin ChanDisplay by Scott Sheens
A couple of fans even got to present multiple cabinets. Michael Vella’s multitude of Bumblebee’s, many of them quite rare, were very eye catching. And there wasn’t a fan present that didn’t contemplate what it would be like to own his showing of sealed G2 Stunticons! Ben Keenan had an incredible display of different Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime toys, and a collection of boxed G1 figures that would bring a joyful tear to the eye of the most hardcore Geewunner.
Bumblebee’s by Michael VellaVarious by Michael VellaHot Rod display by Ben KeenanBoxed G1 display by Ben Keenan
All the fans putting on displays were in attendance at this VIP event. This meant that guests could ask questions about individual pieces and added that extra delight to the proceedings. And for the exhibitors, they got the thrill of rubbing shoulders with local Transformers royalty – lucky ducks!
Lisamaree & Big Angry TrevJason Murray and Big Angry Trev both point to their personal idolMichael Vella & Ben Keenan with expressions of joy and awe – both appropriate responses
Meet the Artists
Of course, it would hardly be an art exhibition without artists. Running down the centre of the room were huge bio’s of each artist, giving an insight both into their art and the artists themselves.
For young and young at heart
Something I have personally loved is that both the Roar & Snore Beasts Base Camp and the VIP Art Opening event were accessible not only by the invited adult fans, but children too. My son Orion adored being able to stay overnight at the zoo, and felt like a celebrity when the friendly Hasbro staff at the art show all recognised him from The Transformatorium video and helped ensure he had a wonderful time! Thank you to Doublejump Communications too for helping to coordinate such fantastic events!
Father, son & Optimus at Roar & SnoreFather, son & Optimus at Art Exhibition
The More than Meets the Eye Exhibition will be on display at Kings Comics from the 6th to the 30th of April. I highly recommend even the most causal Transformers fan take the opportunity to visit and become entranced by what is truly an enriching experience. Full credit to curator Eddie Zammit, he’s put on a heck of a show!
Have you been yet to see this awesome exhibition? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
It’s been a few months since the last installment, but we have another entry in the ever popular Transformer Fan Interviews! In this latest interview with Aussie TF collectors we are talking to Trent, a good bloke who is always willing to help a mate out with a sought toy, or provide some online sparring to entertain and amuse.
Name and/or nicknames: – Trent
Family? Yes
Career? Tiny cog in the ever churning capitalist machine
How would you rate yourself on a C scale, C10 being MISB Mint perfection, to the lowest C1 ‘junker not worth it even for parts’? C6 – 99% complete but has significant wear in joints and stickers are faded. It would also appear that there are no reprolabels available for my model.
How would you rate your attraction to Big Angry Trev? With one being ‘very’ to 10 being ‘I purposely shave my head and paint a red dot on top in the hopes Trev mistakes it for a giant breast and lavishes it with his tongue’? – Sorry. I’m not attracted to overcooked lobster.
Editor’s Note: Smarmy arsehole
Fan/Collector since (year)? So, I was thinking about this a few weeks ago. I was trying to figure out when I got my first Transformer. The earliest TF memory I have was of stealing a G1 Hot Rod from the kid that lived across the street. He brought it over to play with and I thought it was so awesome that I hid it under my bed and he went home having forgot about it. My elaborate ruse came undone however when I took it to school and the taxi driver noticed that my shiny new Hot Rod was the same as the shiny new Hot Rod that the kid across the road had lost. So I sadly marched over to his house and proclaimed that I had found it under the lounge! Hooray!! After that I recall a G1 Optimus and Ultra Magnus showing up as well as a Kup. It kinda snowballed from there. I stopped collecting once I hit year 6 or so and agreed to sell all my TFs to assist with some family financial troubles.
I watched a bit of Beast Wars when I was a teenager but it wasn’t until my 20’s when I saw an Armada Starscream in K-Mart that my interest rekindled. I loved that Starscream and still have it today. I collected quite the number of Armada, Cybertron, G1 reissues and so forth but stored them all at my mother-in-law’s place when we bought our first home. It wasn’t until some years later I went back to get them that I realised she threw them all out without even asking me. While at the time I was beyond pissed these days I don’t hold it against her though as they are just things, not people. These days I collect a bit of everything. MP, G1, Generations, Cyberverse, third party, whatever tickles my fancy really.
Transformers Allegiance, if you had one? I suppose it’d be Autobot? Being a Decepticon seems like a lot of effort. Like Megatron would expect you to do things, and not pay you overtime for it. Optimus seems a bit more laid back. Like he’d let you take of early on Friday and would understand if you threw the occasional sicky on a Monday.
Your Techspec motto if you had one? Megatron can kiss my shiny metal @*$!
Editor’s Note: Referencing Whirl referencing Bender? Very meta.
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you? G1 Outback
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself? Mirage’s invisibility. Maybe then I could get a minute of peace and quiet.
What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector? Giant fighting robots that transform. I’m a bit of an engineering nerd. I’m not an engineer, because that would be a horrible job. But cool engineering of any kind fascinates me and I have a very logical brain. So I view them as a sort of 3D puzzle.
Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die? I ask myself this a lot. I’ve been through enough up and down collecting phases that I’m not too bothered when I get a bit bored with the franchise. In fact I’m probably not at my most interested right now. I have a ton of unopened TFs and my displays are in a bit of disarray. However I know I’ll come back around. And my son is obsessed with TFs and playing games with him is seriously one of the highlights of my life. But will there be a time to get out of the hobby? I’m not one who sees this hobby as an investment. If you think you’re gonna cash out of this hobby ahead or even anywhere near equal are you need to go speak to a financial advisor and prepare yourself for a shock. But that’s not why I do it. I buy them because I think they’re really neat. And as long as I enjoy them, then I’ll keep them. I think my son will happily take my collection when I die and that would be the best possible outcome for me. As it is he’s become somewhat of a TF collector himself and the grand old age of 6. He’s particularly into toy photography and he’s not bad at it. I’ve added a few of his photos for a bit of fun.
The kids got talent!
Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)? Maybe 6 people at work know. I don’t advertise it. I work in a blue collar industry and while I don’t care what other people think of me, I also don’t see the point of making my life harder than it has to be. Because while some of my colleagues are great people, they’re old school and if they found out I collected toys, there’d be no malice in it, but I’d literally hear about it every single work day until they all retired or I left because I work with some BIG personalities.
Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends? Family aren’t worth squat if you have to hide who you are from them. My dad kinda rolls his eyes and grumbles at the money I sometimes spend but he’s cool. My mum usually notices when I add new ones to my displays and asks me about them. My brothers are cool too.
Editors Note: I get the feeling Trent’s son approves of his hobby as well
What does your partner think of your hobby? My wife is the most awesome person ever. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive partner even though she’s not into any of my “Nerd Stuff” as she calls it. She bought me that Armada Starscream all those years ago and more recently, when I was worried about the cost, told me if I didn’t preorder the HasLab Unicron, she’d do it herself. I sometimes feel really bad because she doesn’t collect anything. So I make sure when something does catch her eye, she gets it.
Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions? Been to lots of Paramatta Toy Fairsover the years. I don’t live in Sydney so it’s always a bit of a hike for me to get to these things. Been to a few Penrith fairsbut my god! I don’t go that far on holiday so I only went to them on occasion. And now with COVID canning everything I haven’t seen anyone all year. I do have a chat group with a few fellow TF collectors and that has actually grown into solid friendships with all of them so that is great. We are always there to chat with one another and they have helped me through a few rough times, if only by making me laugh.
Editor’s Note: Back atcha buddy
Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)? I did draw an Optimus Prime the other day. We had a new appliance delivered and my son wanted the box to turn into an art space. I’d just like to let IDW know that I am available and that I’m sure we can work out a mutually agreeable fee.
Favourite series/era/year, and why? The default answer is G1. I grew up with it, it’s what started it all and it still permeates every part of the franchise to this day. But to leave that as my answer would be a disservice to the franchise. I think there are so many good stories and toys that the franchise has put out over it’s life that they need a mention. Animated would be the one that comes to the forefront of my mind. It was so divisive when it came out. The new aesthetic and take of the story was a radical departure from what had come before and even I didn’t like it at first. But it grew on me and now my animated figures are a highlight of my collection.
And as a subgroup, even though it is G1, I can’t not mention Micromasters. Any TF fans with kids will know what I’m talking about. They are just so much fun and so easy. Once you add in the big sets like Skystalker or Countdown, maybe throw in a G1 Fort Max as a base and watch your kids play, or even play with them, you really have distilled the whole franchise down into its purest form.
Collect any comics? I collect the collected IDW editions. I’m about 5 years behind but slowly catching up. On my ipad I have read up until around the time that Megatron defeats the DJD and just haven’t had the time to go back to them to finish them, but I will.
Favourite Comic issue/story, and why? I love Autobot Megatron in MTMTE. The idea of a reformed genocidal maniac responsible for the deaths of billions of beings across the galaxy getting stuck on a ship sharing command with an egotistical brat, an almost OCD second-in-command and a crew of clowns on a quest is a marvellous concept. The way James Robert’s was able to set the light, humorous tone but also incorporate moments in which the gravity of who Megatron was and what he had done was fully realised by the reader was great writing.
Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why? I, like everyone else, was always partial to Call of the Primatives. I wish the whole series could have been animated to that level.
Favourite Character, and why? My favourite character has always been Ultra Magnus. I have a strong suspicion that the G1 UM was the first TF I ever got. And I loved it. I remember playing with it and taking it everywhere. I even kept it in its box.
You can imagine my disappointment then when nearly every iteration of Magnus throughout the franchise has been, in my opinion, a chump. G1 Magnus was this hulking, powerful bot yet hardly ever did anything of value. Animated UM was an arrogant tool, only outdone by Jerky McJerkface himself. The original Marvel run saw him have a very cool story however it eventually led to a very unsatisfying end. IDW MTMTE was good and his latest iteration, the Netflix Siege version, had a decent ark I suppose but still didn’t live anywhere near up to the expectations 5 year old me had.
I’ve always wanted to see Magnus as a more measured, logical and restrained version of Grimlock. A powerhouse that could unleash hell when he needed to but was always conscious of the fallout and collateral damage that doing so would cause.
Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character? Rung. Because I’m sure there’s fan fiction about that alt-mode…
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real? Sky Lynx. Because Sky Lynxis awesome and anyone who disagrees can bugger off.
Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc): 200-300? My collection has always been this evolving thing. But it’s starting to climb in numbers. Especially now my son is kinda a young collector.
I think our sons would get along real swell
Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector? Open them. Let your kids play with them. Otherwise you’re just like The Man Upstairs in The Lego Movie.
How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit? Lots.
Any rare/expensive figures in your collection? A few. It’s not why I collect plus I’m also terrible at picking what will go up in value. In fact if I ever buy a TF because I think it’s going to be rare/worth something, just hold off until it’s on clearance for $10.
What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have? None that I can think of. I like commissioning comic artists but haven’t gone nuts with that. I got this earlier this year as a group by a friend organised. It’s wonderful.
First Transformers toy? G1 Ultra Magnus (I think)
One toy you most want? MISB G1 Ultra Magnus. I’d love to have a pristine example of the toy that started it all for me.
Editor’s Note: Wow – you are really into Magnus eh! Remind you to show you my one from the Titanium toyline 😉
The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)? Not a toy but that megaposter I mentioned earlier. Every time I take a moment to stare at it I notice something new.
Favourite toy in your early years of collecting? So as to give a different answer, I’ll say my G1 Galvatron. That was a cool toy.
Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion? Those things from the last year or two that only half transform. I can’t even….
Editors note: I agree! Those figures from Cyberverse that don’t transform fully are total shite!
Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them? The recent Earthrise Quintessonwhen I got it was disappointing. I mean it looks great, until you transform it into that jail thing and then it’s like, what is even going on here?
Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertable Transformers toys? Gimmicks can be successfully integrated, they can also ruin a toy. MP-44 is an example of a toy that had a gimmick successfully integrated.
Which single TFs toy should every fan own? I suppose a G1 Optimus. It’s not the first, but it is a defining toy that is still being released today.
Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present? I mean, I wouldn’t. But maybe a Chromedome/Rewind cake topper?
Do you collect other toys? Lego sets that catch my eye. I have a UCS Millennium Falcon sitting in the bottom of my wardrobe to be built when I eventually get a house with somewhere to put it. As well as some other cool sets. I still have a few classic space sets from when I was a kid.
I also collect Macross Valkyries. Although I don’t get anywhere near as many of those as they aren’t cheap. I also just realized you could probably call me a Voltron collector.
What is your favourite TF themed post on this website? What website? Does Trev have a website? I never even suspected.
Editor’s note: Double Smarmy arsehole
How did you find out about www.bigangrytrev.com ? Trev never shuts up about it.
Editor’s note: Fricken Triple-smarmy arsehole!
Many thanks to Trent for this interview (I think) . Got any more questions for Trent? Pop them in the comments section below and I’m sure he’ll happily answer them.
With Haslab’s Unicron due to ship out in a few months and 2021 being the 35th anniversary of The Transformers: The Movie, it’s seems the perfect time for Hasbro to cash in on the nostalgia that still surrounds this cult classic movie to this day.
To this end, their higher end Studio Series line is taking a departure from the live-action moviesto make figures intended to look as much like their onscreen counterparts as possible from the 1986 animated movie. The preview pictures online have had many fans frothing from the mouth with excitement and today we get to look at two of the Voyager class figures – Scourge and Hot Rod.
Scourge
Robot Mode
As someone who owns nearly ever iteration of the Sweeps commander, I can confidently say this is the best looking Scourge we’ve ever had! All the little details from the red claws to the facial hair, along with the larger details such as the bat wings, are just spot on. This really is a beautiful looking figure. He feels really solid with high quality materials used and is very easy to pose.
Scourge the Tracker. And his huntsmen – The Sweeps
Cybertronian Hovercraft
Once again a fantastic representation of how he looked on the screen. The only downside for me is the feet on the rear end of the hovercraft mode which precludes him having his usual rectangular booster. Given the feet were a problem with Earthrise Ratchet’saltmode as well I hope this isn’t a trend we see continued. However this is a minor quibble. You can attach Scourges weapon to the side of the Hovercraft and with a bit of fiddling about you can make his head pop up just like when he was asking to ‘gut Ultra Magnus’.
Peekaboo!
Hot Rod
Robot Mode
Hot Rod isn’t nearly as big as Scourge and indeed looks more like a Deluxe Size than a Voyager. However when you see all the options his body comes with along with the accessories you will understand why.
Hot Rod comes with a slew of options from the original toy and movie. As well as his two pistols he comes with;
His arm blasters and visor
His welding hand and circular saw
His Matrix of Leadership
All this adds up to being able to recreate a ton of iconic scenes from the movie and I deny any TF:TM fan to resist recreating many of these cinematic moments. Play value through the friggin roof yo!
Vehicle Mode
A very nice looking Hot Rod. I can’t say it has a giant ‘wow’ factor as we’ve gotten quite a few nice looking vehicular Hot Rod’s over the years. But it’s still pretty damn good and like Scourge you have the options to add weapon details such as guns from the engine (like his Targetmaster incarnation), his circular saw and also flames coming from the exhaust.
Transformations
Both of these figures have very cool transformations. They are quite involved and I recommend using the instructions the first time out, but there are never any moments where you feel lost or frustrated.
Worth Getting?
Oh hells yes! These are both fantastic figures and great representations of their movie incarnations. The only minor quibbles I have are Scourges booster as mentioned earlier, and I found one of Hot Rod’s arms very stiff and apt to pop out during transformation. I also would have liked to see his flame add-ons to be orange rather than matrix-fire blue. But these are all minor detractions. These figures, along with their display stands, will look great in anyone’s collection. I managed to get my figures for nearly half price due to a scanning error at the shop, but would feel I was getting my money’s worth even if I’d paid full price.
So go get these figures now – nothin’s gonna stand in your way – not tonight!
Got something to say about these two figures? Pop it in the comments section below!
Donotcome across like a teenage girl at a ‘One Direction’ reunion concert screaming ‘Oh they are so dreamy! I want to have their babies!’
Be harshmate, be scathing, pull apart song by song to find any fault so that you can give a frank assessment of this CD….
…fuckit,I can’t!Itsjust too good!
Ahem. I got myCybertronicSpreeCD this week. Ikinda like it.
About the Band
For those that don’t know,CybertronicSpree is atruefan success story. A bunch of singers and musicians came togetherabout six or so years ago, dressed in awesome looking self-made Transformers costumes and sang songs from the Transformers 1986 movie.
It proved popular. Amongst us TF fans it provedreallypopular. So much so that they started getting gigs, appearing at various conventions and even earlier this year got their own IDW Comic Cover variant.
And so aCrowdfundProject is born!
So riding on the wave of that popularity they decided to Crowdfund a CD where they played 10 of the songs from the 86 movie. CD title appropriately ‘Transformers 1986‘.
Thereaction was better than they could have hoped. It all sold out fast. I mean,reallyfast! So then they reopened the Crowdfund and thenthatall sold out.
So they now had the money and went to work recording their album. Digital copies to those who contributed to their Crowdfunding went out about a month ago.
As much as I would have loved getting a signed poster, my funds at the time meant I was only able to order the CD. And when it came to writing a review I wanted to review theCD, as I knew the digital copy I received would not do the music justice played over the shitty little speakers on my computer.
So having received the CD this week, I set up my sound system in the disused outdoor carport on the farm, where the acoustics are puzzingly good and I could crank the volume to max, pulled out a deck chair, cracked a beer and sit back to listen to the music.
It did not disappoint.
The Music
This is a fucking awesome CD! Damn they did a good job. Whilst this CD is primarily a Crowdfunded fan project, you can tell that these are all singers and musicians who know what they are doing and have a genuine love for the material.
As someone who has the soundtrack to the 86 movie and knowseverysong by heart, it was so cool to hear these songs faithfully redone but with the twist of having new musicians and, most importantly to differentiate them from the originals, new vocalists.
DamnArceehas a set of pipes on her! Don’t get me wrong, Spike is a good backup vocalist and Hot Rod can sing his arse off, butArceehas a voice that can pick you up and pound you flat with its power! I’ve always loved femalevocalistswho sound like they could kick my arse. I shudder to think of the poor singer inside the costume – how many TFFanboysmust there be out thereshe iscurrentlystarring in the fantasies of(my own efforts to get my good wife to dress as a Transformer have always met failure, aspublic record will testify). As all the original songs were sung by men, to haveArceesinging half the songs and providing backup vocals on many others gives the songsa new and unique twist, breathingnew life to tunes you’ve been listening to for the past 33 years.
Full credit to the musicians too,Theguitarists (Unicron & Hot Rod) provide those tasty big 80’s riffs big time and Rumblethe Drummer pounds those skins like atrueprofessional.
This CD hits all the right notes for me. The Touchgave megoosebumps,Daregave me a nostalgic lump in my throat. I didn’t understand why they chose to haveHungeras the last track on the album until I heard the end. That massive instrumental finale right at the end of the song kicks so much arse youwannaput your fist through a wall,headbutta tank and yell to the world that every other sci-fi genre sucksQuintessonBalls compared to ours!
So yes, I liked this CD.
CybertronicSpree, all I can say to you is (cueeye-rollingsong lyric references):
You’ve indeedgotboth the touch andthepower
You’ve got the passion and the pride. It can’t be denied.
When it came to getting this CD madeyou letnothing stand in your way andusfans count ourselves amongthe fortunate ones.
And if you ever decide to tour internationally, I can guarantee you a sold outshowin Sydney. The tendrils of Big Angry Trev will twist throughout the Aussie Fandom to hound TF geeks out of parents basements, comic stores and online chatroomsacross the landto fill a venue in your honour(with extra security to keep thefanboysoffArcee).
All I ask in return is that you let me get on stage and do the‘AAAAAAAA-AAAAA’at the end ofInstruments of Destruction 😉
ExtraMerchandise
As I mentioned, I was only able to afford at the time the CD. However fellow Transformer Enthusiast and Skydiving SuperstarBrendan was able to get some more of themerch.
Got something to add to this review? Pop it in the comments section below!
Yes kids, the wait is over! For months now we have been seeing previews of both the new Hero Cards and Battle Cards for Wave 2 of Transformers: Trading Card Game, the wave entitled Rise of the Combiners. People have been anxiously awaiting to get thier hands on these cards to see if they are as good, or even better, than the excellent cards that were released in Wave 1 last year.
Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast have been kind enough to send me a box of the new Booster Packs from Wave 2, in order to review in much the same way I did the Metroplex Pack last year and the Dirge Reveal several weeks ago. Once again, it must be stated that I have not been paid to do this review nor have either company tried to dictate the contents of this blog.www.bigangrytrev.com would like to thank both Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast for the opportunity to examine these cards.
Oh the sweet anticipation of opening!
Now, as you may have noticed from the title of this blog post, this is Part 1 of a review of these booster packs. Why am I doing it over more than one post? Because in recieving a box of the Booster Packs, each box holding 30 packs which in turn contain at least 8 cards, it means I now have over 200 cards on my billiard table (er… I mean gaming table) with at least a hundred of them different! That’s a LOT of cards to look at and a pretty big undertaking! So in Part 1 we will be examining Drop Rates, new types of cards, Combiners and new Hero & Battle Cards. In Part 2 we will look at how they perform in gameplay.
The Packs Themselves
Each Pack contains 7 Battle Cards and 1 Hero Cardor1 Pair of Combiner Character Cards. We will look at the likelihood of doubles near the end of this review.
The Cards Themselves
Note:At the end of each discussion of the new cards I will be popping in their Drop Rate. This is to signify how many times I was able to find these cards from the 30 packs contained within a single box of Booster Packs.
Combiner Cards
So many Combiners to be made!
Whereas Hero Cards have the robot on the front and the alt-mode on the back, Combiner Character Cards come in pairs. On one card you will find the robot mode and the other the alt-mode. On the back of the cards you will find artwork to join together to make the Combiner itself.
Gotta Combin’em all!
There are 5 different Combiners to make from the Booster Packs: Volcanicus, Optimus Maximus, Predaking, Superion and Menasor.
The Stunticons
I was lucky enough to find from the one box all 5 sets of Character Cards in order to make Menasor. I look forward to bringing you a review of just how he goes in actual gameplay. I was also able to form what could be termed a Mini-Combiner:
The Dreadwing PairDreadwing
First revealed exclusively by Ozformers, this pair of Decepticons – Dreadwind and Blackwing(formerly Darkwing) combine to form the Dreadwing Sky Destroyer Jet. This was a smart move on the part of the game makers, as it means you have a greater likelihood of making a Combiner sooner rather than later since he only needs two Character Card pairs instead of 5 or 6.
Drop Rate: Both the side of the box and the official website say the drop rate for Combiner Character Cards is about 50%. When opening multiple packs I was pleasantly surprised to find, for me at least, it surpassed that promise. Out of the 30 packs I opened, 20 of them had Combiner Character Cards. So rather than a drop rate of 50% it was a drop rate of 66%. That’s great considering most Combiners are made up of 5 or 6 different characters you have to collect.
Hero Cards
New Hero Cards
As well as the Combiner Cards, we have the same sort of Hero Cards that were released in Wave 1. There are quite a few new characters getting a showing, and many of the most famous characters, such as Megatron, Bumblebee and Starscream, have been released again but with new artwork and stats
New Hero Cards
I got a mix of characters I had other versions of from Wave 1 along with a good dose of new guys. I was particularly pleased I was able to get Dirge since www.bigangrytrev.com was given the exlusive reveal of Dirge earlier in the year. Some Character Cards have their special abilities blank, such as Novastar and Ruckus. I have yet to figure out exactly why this is and how it will affect their gameplay value.
Drop Rate: Those packs that don’t come with a Combiner Character come with a regular Hero Card. I found the drop rate to be one in every 3 packs, which doesn’t sound great but actually is if you are after the Combiners specifically, which I believe most players will be actively seeking.
Drop rates for Ultra Rare cards are described as 50:1. You’ll note I got a King Starscream which is indeed Ultra Rare. So I got one at a ratio of 30:1 but its entirely possible I could buy 20 more packs without finding another.
Battle Cards
Before we had Battle Cards that came in a few different colours based on their ability to attack and defend, with some cards overlapping. Rise of the Combiners see’s some new categories introduced.
Star Battle Cards
Oh. My. Primus!
This cards are definitely going to be a game changer! Big time! Got a team which only uses up 22 or 23 or the 25 Star allowance. Well now there are Battle Cards that have stars! That means you can put them in as part of your team. Valued at 1 Star apiece, these are perfect for rounding up your team. I can see Bolt of Lightning being very useful but it’s Vandalize, where you can scrap all enemy Weapons, Armour or Utilities, that blows me away! I can’t think of many instances where that wont be invaluable!
Drop Rate: There are 7 Star Battle Cards, in 30 packs I obtained 6 of them.
Enigma Cards
Enigma Cards
So you have all your characters needed to create a Combiner. But you need one more thing – an Enigma Card. There is an Enigma Card for each Combiner. Being Green (discussed shortly), these cards can be rescued from the discard pile which saves a lot of heartache. The Enigma Card is used to make your Combiner Character cards join together, even if some of those characters have been previously KO’ed.
Drop Rate: In 30 packs I was able to get all 5 Enigma’s as well as a couple of spares.
Team Specific Cards
Team Specific Cards
There are specific cards that you can use with each team but no others. They can be placed on only one member of this team. I have yet to see if they can be retroactive – for instance I have a Dinobot Swoop card from Wave 1, but it does not make up the Volcanicus Team. Can I use my Electrified Spikes card on that old Swoop since he is a Dinobot and the card talks about Dinobots, not Volcanicus? Stay tuned for future reviews to find out!
Drop Rate: I was able to find cards for four of the five teams within 30 packs.
Green Battle Cards
If you get a Green Battle Card, it means that you are able to retrieve it from the discard pile. You can only do this with one card per turn. Whilst this sounds good but not game changing, it can be of extreme importance given what some of these cards (such as the Enigma’s) do.
Regular Battle Cards
White Battle Cards
We have a slew of new Battle Cards in already established catagories, so many it would take too long to list them all. Some of them we have already seen in exclusive reveals, such as those made by Lisamaree on the Life with SPROGS site, like Inferno Breath and Surprise Attack. I was a little disappointed to not get a Defensive Driving card but don’t believe it will take me long to obtain one.
Orange Battle CardsBlue Battle Cards
Drop Rate: Well you are guaranteed 7 Battle Cards per pack. I was very heartened that I never got the same two cards in the same pack.
So there ya go, a not-so-short synopsis of the new cards on offer from the Wave 2 Transformers Trading Card Game Rise of the Combiner Booster Packs. I was very pleasantly surprised that I only got two doubles of characters (Dead End and Mirage) out of the 30 packs, which made this undertaking even bigger! Stay tuned for Part 2, where we test these bad bots (now available in selected stores) out with some serious gameplay!
Several months ago I did a short video showcasing from my personal collection 100+ Generations Decepticons. Well now it is the Autobots turn. These figures are mainly of G1 characters who have received an update through toylines such as Thrilling 30, Combiner Wars, Legends, POTP and so on.
So enjoy this short video I made of the display. Also below you will find some screenshots and a full list of the Autobots onshow, along with links to reviews of many of the figures displayed here – have fun!
So here we are in the third instalment of the Prime Wars Trilogy and the latest toyline is Power of the Primes! This toyline will be filled with combiner groups like the Combiner Wars and smaller characters that can attach to bigger characters like in Titans Return. However a new gimmick – Evolution – is being trotted out for arguably the two most well known leaders in Autobot history – Optimus and Rodimus Prime!
For those that don’t know, before he because Optimus Prime this inspirational leader was a much humbler character named Orion Pax. Likewise before he because Rodimus Prime, this headstrong leader was a less-than-humble Hot Rod. Once given a matrix both of them got bigger, stronger, wiser and a kick-ass trailer!
We’ve had a plenty of Hot Rod and a few Rodimus Prime toys over the years. Likewise we’ve had a few Orion Pax toys and you could fill a real life truck trailer with the amount of different Optimus toys there have been. But this is something new – we are getting these characters combined. That’s right, Orion and Hot Rod can become their matrix-infused selves with the help of transforming trailers – let’s have a look!
Robot Modes – The Primes!
Beefcake!
Both these characters are really big and chunky. I don’t mind this, I think a bit of bulk suits both characters quite nicely. Both are well proportioned and able to perform a decent amount of poseablity. It’s a shame Rodimus Prime’s arm’s don’t come forward further as to hold his rifle in both hands he has to hold it almost perfectly horizontally. Also his (what would you call it – a ‘crest’?) yellow fins look too small on his big frame. Optimus resembles his Powermaster incarnation a bit more than his original incarnation but given his trailer makes up the bulk of his body, this is forgivable and perhaps even to be expected.
‘Roduimus – what HAVE you been eating?!’
Both characters carry a Matrix of Leadership within them in their Prime modes. Optimus’ one resides in his chest as to be expected, however Rodimus looks like he is trying to digest his.
Robot Modes – The little fellas
‘Before they were stars’
Hot Rod looks quite nice and looks pretty much most other incarnations of the character from recent years. Here the yellow fins are quite proportional. The Orion Pax toy looks more like he did in the original G1 cartoon than any other Orion toy I have seen to date – the screen dominating his chest piece and the sculpted head going a long way towards doing so. The larger rifles from the bigger bots split in half to become two guns apiece for their precarnations, which works well for Hot Rod in particular. Once again there is decent poseability here and the proportions are nice.
Bloody teenagers – always depressed
The only thing – why do they both look so serious and miserable? If I remember they were both pretty happy characters before being dumped into their leadership roles.
Prime Vehicle Modes
Optimus Prime
Always nice to get an Optimus’ sporting a trailer. The back of the truck cab has a lot of kibble and looks frankly bollocks from the side and back but the front view is fine. It lacks the big grey smokestacks that the robot has – it’s odd that the robot mode has truck kibble that is not used for the actual truck. The trailer looks quite good and you can imbed his rifle in the middle. The toy rolls and mauvers well.
Rodimus Prime
‘Cybertronian Winnebago’ – for when Mini-Cons retire and hit the road
There have only been a handful of Rodimus Prime toys so not that many with trailers. Besides the Masterpiece version I think that this is the best of the lot of them vehicle wise. The Cybertronian Winnebago is faithfully represented, though there is a fair old gap between the overhang of the trailer at the front and the vehicle underneath. When transforming into this mode one needs to make sure that you get every tab in nice and tight before moving on to the next step, otherwise the next set of table will not align properly. Getting the tab from the bottom of the trailer into the top of the car is very hard to get tight.
I won’t even bother with Orion Pax’s here since he doesn’t have one. It’s simply Optimus’ truck cab without the trailer attached. A bit disappointing, I know he didn’t show an alt-mode in the cartoon on which he is based but it has been widely accepted since then that he turns into a Kup-esque vehicle. So let’s look at Hot Rod.
22 years later and it’s still a sexy alt-mode!
To get Hot Rod into his vehicle mode all one needs to do is remove the trailer and reposition the arms/doors on the sides of the vehicle – that’s it. But nevertheless it works and it’s a good sized alt-mode, looking a fair bit bigger than most deluxe versions of the character in recent years.
Overall
Look, these aren’t perfect toys. The backpacks on the Prime modes that carry their precarnations are fairly bulky and Orion really could have used his own alt-mode. It also would have been nice if the trailers had battlebase-modes for the smaller bots to use. However these are fairly minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things. These toys trot out a very clever idea with the Evolution concept – makes one wonder if they could somehow make a Megatron that turns into Galvatron or a Bumblebee that turns into Goldbug. Both kids and older fans of the original series are really going to get a lot of enjoyment out of these figures! Well done Hasbro – a fantastic start to your new toyline indeed!
Got anything to add to this review? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
On Monday, myself and 14 other lucky fellows were treated to a behind the scenes look at the offices of Hasbro Australia, located in Sydney. Organized by the operator of Ozformers, this was for a hands-on experience with the newest Transformers toyline: Power of the Primes.
My Graceland!
After a short wait, myself and my compatriots were ushered up to the fourth floor of the Hasbro offices where a space had been prepared. Scattered around various parts of the room were examples of some of the great Transformer products that have come out of recent.
Of course there was one other major Hasbro product on show and that was My Little Pony. Whilst this was largely ignored by the Transfans I couldn’t help but have a good look. I loved the huge Pinkie Pie – if it had been Rarity I would have forgotten the TF’s altogether and tried to work out a way to smuggle her out of the building for me to ride whenever I saw fit (sounds kinda dirty I know but Rarity – I loves ya!).
Power of the Primes
Of course the main point of the day was to give fans a hands-on experience with the new toyline. This consisted mainly of Wave 1 which has been released in the USA already and is due out in Australia within the next few months. Whilst this is all the same toyline, it can be broken into different groups.
The Dinobots
Something that has all the fans excited is that for most of the Dinobot characters this is their first Generations treatment. On display was the latest (of many) Grimlock‘s as well as Slug and Swoop. Also on display was the newest addition to the classic Dinobot team – a female raptor named Slash.
POTP Slug meets G1 Slag
Of course, without Sludge and Snarl we couldn’t see the fully combined form of the Dinobot gestalt but I will say that what we could put together did look a lot better than what I had seen in photos to date.
The Original 13 & Pretenders
Now I’ll admit – I was not a fan of the Pretenders from G1, not particularly liking organic modes. But many of these characters have been brought back and in a bizarre twist, has been combined with the characters from TF lore which constitute the first 13 Primes. The classic Pretender shell characters are used to ensconse the mini-Primes within. Rather odd, but I know when they hit the shelves I wont be able to resist.
Apparently Landmine & Alpha Trion were the same dude
The Primes
A rather interesting concept that has been done here is with Optimus Prime and Rodimus Prime. Not only do both transform from Truck/Cybertronic Winnebago to robot, but you can remove a smaller robot which transforms into their pre-evolved forms – Orion Pax and Hot Rod. I really dig this concept and both toys looked great! Both also came with a Matrix of Leadership.
The evolution of a hot head
And the others…
There were several other figures on show from the new line. These included Beachcomber, Windcharger and a Dreadwind which is based on an older Combiner Wars figure. The Ozformer owner was also kind enough to bring a couple of figures that were US exclusives that not many Aussies would have touched – Arcee and Grotusque.
So overall it was a very interesting hands-on experience and behind-the-scenes look at Hasbro. I’d like to thank Hasbro for the opportunity – I’m sure my fellow 14 fans had as much fun as I did! And to top it off, in the raffle at the end I scored a The Last KnightHot Rod to take home!
Free toy!
Got anything to say about this visit to Hasbro? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
