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Toys Review – The Last Knight: Steelbane, Cogman & Sqweeks

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When the first live action Transformers movie was released a decade ago, I went a bit nuts when the toys were first released.  The first day I saw them I horrified my girlfriend by coming home with two full garbage bags of action figures and a $700 dent in my bank account.

Now here we are at movie five and restraint is much easier.  For the first time I am not buying a toy of every character that was in the movie.  Who needs yet another Bbee camero?  So I’m buying toys only of new characters that showed up in the flick, saving me both cash and shelf space.

Thankfully I was able to put restraint on hold the other day when I finally came across some of these new characters in toy form.  So lets take a look at three new Autobots to grace the silver screen and subsequently get turned into toy-candy – Steelbane, Cogman and Sqweeks.

 

Steelbane

Dig those shoulders man!

Robot Mode

Have at ye!

Steelbane was one of those generic Knights of Cybertron to show up in the flick, and you would be hard pressed to single him out when watching the movie.  I will say I am quite impressed with the look of Steelbane in robot mode – perhaps the most knight-esque Transformer I’ve ever seen!  Really looks like he should be guarding a tomb for centuries and then coming to life to scare the shit out of Lara Croft.  However the look of this toy is the best thing about him.  The shoulder and leg balljoints are very loose, making him very hard to pose.  This is made up for somewhat by the fact he has tight neck and elbow joints so you can at least give him the odd cool pose.  Comes with a sword with lots of little detail on it and the wings folded behind serve to give him a look as though he is wearing a chainmail cape.  So visually he looks great, playwise he is a bit of a letdown.

En’Guarde!

Dragon Mode

This is what happens when your alpaca mates with a raven and a washing machine

Frankly pretty crap.  The loose balljoints make him even harder to pose in beast mode than robot mode.  The chest does not sit flush with the main body and while I appreciate the little detail of the red tongue, it actually detracts from the dragons head when you open the mouth wider.  I found the transformation to beast mode quite fiddly as well; his secondary mode is so ill defined and the instructions were not particularly useful.  I ended up just looking at the back of the box and fiddling with the figure until he represented that pic.

 

Cogman

Robot Mode

Sushi-chopper not included

Typical – we finally get a Transformer in one of the movies who gets a lot of lines and screen time and he never even transforms!  Well thankfully they released some toys of him that do.  There is a fantastic looking one with a headmaster gimmick, however since he never did it in the film I went the cheaper 1-step option.  I don’t usually like 1-step changers, I find them very overpriced for the simplistic figure you get.  However since I don’t want to spend a fortune importing a transforming Cogman I was happy enough to get this representation of him.  They did the colour scheme and in particular the head quite well and he doesn’t look too bad at all.  Just a shame that he has no knees and his legs are so chunky.

Vehicle Mode

‘I have an alt-mode!’

Cogman transforms into an Aston Martin DB11, which he did get behind the wheel of in the movie if memory serves.  He achieves this in toy mode by a simple twist of the legs.  A nice little car, though a better paintjob wouldn’t have hurt.

 

Sqweeks

‘Guess what noise I make’

Robot Mode

‘They took ma hands!’

This little guy was supposed to be the ultra-cute new bot of Transformers 5.  But R2-D2 he aint and he never really captured our hearts.  However if there is to be a movie toy that will garner your affection – it’ll be this little guy!  While his robot mode initially looks as lackluster as the character did onscreen (though I do did all the rust in his paintjob) , it’s all his little mods that make the toy.

He has several options, he can use his little cargo trailer from his alt-mode (which we will come to momentarily) to have a sort of rocket backpack, or you can remove his little handlebar hands to affix a big arm and the huge cannon he wielded in one of the final movie fight scenes.

‘BEEFCAKE!’

Vehicle Mode

Not a bad looking scooter.  Well, it is a bad looking scooter I guess but it’s supposed to be so on that level it really works.  The transformation to scooter is fairly straight forward but I find it helps to cheat a little and remove his handlebar hands and his head.  This detracts nothing from his alt-mode and saves potential scratches to your toy by jamming everything in.

His cargo-trailer really makes the toy!  It can be attached to the back which adds a lot of bulk to the toy, and then altered into a battle mode replete with cannons and guns enough to freak out the strongest Con.  It also transforms into one of the coolest little maintenance bays I’ve seen this side of G1 Optims, with a toolbox to store spare parts and a very maneuverable robotic arm.  Very cool indeed!

 

Overall

They never really seem to hit their stride with the movie toys do they?  Many of the ROTF figures were fantastic but since then we’ve had DOTM which had toys too complicated and AoE whose toys were too simple.  So far none of the TLK figures are massively impressive.  So unless you really want representations of the new movieverse characters both Steelbane and Cogman are both easy passes.  However do yourself a favour and go pick up a Sqweeks.  It’s a really cool toy with lots of play value and by far one of the most enjoyable movie figures I have played with.  Small on screen but big on fun!

Got something to add to the review above?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Movie Review – Transformers: The Last Knight

Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review – the Combiner Force Stunticons

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The Combiner Wars brought back a love of gestalts to the Transformer franchise that other lines like the Power Core Combiners failed to do.  Despite the main line having moved onto Titans Return, we expect to see more combiner teams as part of the 2018 Power of the Primes toyline.

The Decepticon combiners characters were – lets face it – always a lot more interesting and popular than the Autobot ones.  The likes of Superion and Defensor were there so their Decepticon counterparts had someone to ultimately be beaten by.  In recent years, as well as in Combiner Wars, we’ve seen a lot of those Decepticons crop up in other lines.  We had Devastator in Revenge of the Fallen, Bruticus in Fall of Cybertron and even Abominus in Beast Hunters.  Well now it’s Menasor’s turn with the Stunticons making their debut, both in the cartoon and toyline, as part of the Robots in Disguise Combiner Force franchise.

Now RID(15) has had some pretty damn underwhelming toys.  Most figures seem to suffer from cheap construction and overly simplsitc mechanics and transformations.  And sadly, the Stunticons continue this trend.

‘We exist to make your G1 toys look good’

Only Motormaster and Drag Strip are present from the original lineup.  They are now joined by Slashmark, Heatseeker and Wildbreak.  Having Wildbreak instead of Breakdown is kinda forgivable, considering this is the same universe as the Prime cartoon in which Breakdown died several years ago.  However having Heatseeker and Slashmark feels lazy.  Heatseeker is so close in looks to the Combiner Wars Offroad that Hasbro missed a great opportunity to cement him as a new character in the classic team.  Likewise Slashmark is just Heatseeker with blue highlights instead of red.  This spot could easily have been filled by Dead End, Wildrider or the other new Stunticon from CW – Blackjack.

All limb characters are sadly simplistic, requiring only 1 or 2 minor moves to go from Vehicle to Robot – both modes looking quite average.  Articulation is non-existent.  Motormaster however has been a bit better engineered and I quite like his alt-mode, very remincient of RID(01) Ultra Magnus.

‘I gots me a trailer again!’

But like his smaller partners, articulation is a quality sorely lacking in his robot mode.

And speaking of his robot mode, lets take a look at his bonce.  Oh they got the square helmet just right but look at the face within…

‘BOO!’

That’s bloody Megatron!  WTF?!  That’s Megs from the Prime cartoon – my oath it is!  Once you realize this, it makes a lot of the similarities in the head and shoulders of Menasor to Magatronus all the more apparent.

Menasor’s combined mode looks ok, though a big gangly.  Here we have the only bit of articulation in any of the figures, that being that Menasor can raise his arms (which sorely lack elbows) which allows him to hold his sword up.

‘By the power of Grayskull!’

 

Now some of these characters have also been released separately to the main group.  I’ve seen Heatseeker as a 1-step changer in the shops, though personally I always find them to be poor toys so I passed.  But I did grab the Drag Strip/Wildbreak 2-pack.

Now these characters really are no better enginnered here than with the main pack.  Also somewhere in the process they have confused the characters.  Wildbreak was obviously supposed to be Drag Strip considering he has a Drag Strip’ish alt-mode.  My suspicion of this was confirmed when I checked out the instructions.

Caught out

This is really just an unforgivably lazy mistake by the manufacturer.  But then these are lazy toys.  These figures also have no articulation in robot mode and their vehicle modes, particularly Drag Strip, are very uninspired.

Whilst their combined form of DragBreak looks pretty cool, his static pose does not offer much play value.

“Drag Break – my name sounds like what your Dad used to do at work around mid-morning. But then Wild Strip would make me sound like what your mum did to earn her way through college’

 

Now I’ve been pretty hard on these toys and it’s hard not to be.  However in fairness they are no worse than most of the RID line so one should know what they are getting into with their purchase.  The prices are much better too if you are buying for kids – you can get a whole Menasor here for the same cost of two limb characters from CW.  Their combined modes have a certain style and unlike many of the other CF figures they actually do combine.  But unless like me you are a complete Stunticon nut these toys are an easy pass for your average collector.

 

 

Got something to say about these figures?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Toy Review: RID Twinferno

Toys Review: Combiner Force Blurr, Windblade & Soundwave

 

Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – RID Twinferno

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Is it a bird?  Is it a plane?  Well to be honest we don’t bloody know what it’s supposed to be!  Let’s try to find out together dear readers as we examine Deluxe Sized, Robots In Disguise: Combiner Force  Twinferno (a double mouthful eh!)

Try and find which ‘Year of the…’ this figure represents

 

Robot Mode

Coolest. Gloves. Ever.

A basic enough looking robot.  Like all other Doublecross Twinferno toys you have the dragon heads as the hands which always looks cool.  The red is too garish and makes his head blend in with the rest of his body too much.  You can swivel the head to pose him in different positions but his shoulders are that high that it looks weird unless he is really looking forward.    The flame pieces can be placed in the dragon heads to make them look like they are breathing fire.  They can also be put in the holes under the dragon’s chins but this doesn’t really look great.

Flame on!

 

Alt-Mode

‘What am I? I’m having a double-identity crisis!’

Ok, what the hell is this supposed to be?  Did G1 Doublecross and G2 Dreadwing smoke some bad Energon one night and come up with this weird amalgamation of themselves, with Tony Stark coming in at the last minute and saying “throw a bit of Hot Rod red in there”?  I mean seriously – this thing is weird!  It’s not a stealth bomber (definitely not with that colour scheme!) and it’s not a twin-headed dragon.  Instead it’s a weird Fuzor-esque hybrid of the two that looks like it’s out of some weird futuristic Chinese mythology.  I guess if you imagined it in real life it would be kinda badass, a bomber flying over the city with two dragon heads hanging off the front writhing and spewing flames, and indeed the heads/necks are maneuverable in this mode.  The flames are supposed to come out the back to show his speed, but once again you can put them coming out of the mouth.

‘It’s a medical condition – don’t you judge me!’

 

Transformation

Like all RID toys this figure is almost insultingly easy which makes it great for a young kid but certainly lessens the appeal for the older collectors.

 

Worth your money?

It seems that obscure characters get these little resurgences sometimes.  A few years ago it was Guzzle who was showing up in the Movie and Kre-O lines as well as the IDW comics.  Now its Doublecross Twinferno showing up in the Titans Return, Tiny Titans and RID lines.  Odd actually that the Tiny Titans version, despite being a subline of RID, is based on the G1/TR version.  Speaking of which, if you want a cool modern representation of this character then I would definitely go the Titans Return version which is twin heads and shoulders above this one.

The cooler alternate version

 

Got something to say about this toy?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review – Titans Return Blitzwing and Octone

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The Titans Return toyline has had a peculiar quirk.  To get more toy sales Hasbro has been releasing figures that obviously have other characters alt-modes before those characters get released themselves.  To this end we had a Sentinel Prime which would obviously be retooled into Astrotrain and a Sky Shadow which everyone knew would become Overlord (making some people regretful they spent a fortune on Carnifex).  Now the last two obvious retools have been made and we get a look at Wave 5 which was what we all wanted Wave 3 to be.  So lets take a look at Blitzwing (retooled from TR Megatron) and Octone (retooled from TR Optimus Prime).

 

Blitzwing

MISB – but not for long!

 

Robot Mode

‘Yes the last version of me had a longer and thicker turret, but I have a better personality’

Quite a nice looking Blitzwing and is both well proportioned and easy to pose.  One thing here that is a big plus is he does not come with the shoulder issues that the Thrilling 30 version of him came with.  You can remove the tank turret from his back if you don’t like it sticking up but personally I find it gives him that bit more of a G1 look.  Speaking of a G1 look, its interesting that his Headmaster Titan Master Hazard  looks a lot more like the original toy than what Blitzwing looked like in the cartoon.

 

Tank Mode

‘Stop staring at my skinny turret I said!’

While certainly better looking than the Thrilling 30 version, he suffers from having a big gap at the front with his jet modes engines on display for all to see.  Also the wings would benefit from an extra few millimeters so that they could fold properly down the sides and underneath the tank rather than jut out from the sides.  I quite like the little cockpit sticks up like a blast shield instead of just hiding Hazard within.

Now you are just overcompensating Blitzwing

 

Jet Mode

Fans of the G1 toy rejoice!

A lot more sleek than the Thrilling 30 version.  However instead of having his legs sticking up on the back its got his tank parts sticking out below, much like the G1 toy.  While that’s great for display, it aint great for play and for any kid making him zoom above their heads its quite an obvious design quirk that perhaps could have been handled better.

Good if you want to risk your partner shooting you in the back of the cockpit

 

Octone

 

IDW – say goodbye to all those ‘Tall Tankor’ jokes

Robot Mode

‘Sandstorm, check it out! I’m finally Voyager-sized!’

I think probably the best looking official Octane Octone toy we have had to date (which if you count the Kre-O version makes a whopping total of 4).  He has the taller shoulders reminiscent of the Universe version and the dynamic wings of the G1 version along with the squarish chest.  Once again he is able to be posed fairly easily as well as good articulation.  Would have been nice to see him armed with a shield instead of a second gun.

Tanker Truck Mode

Just damn cool!

Best.  Taker Truck Mode.  Ever.  The G1 version was good but the huge arms at the sides wrecked it and you had to add the huge cover on the back whereas here it is built in.  This tanker mode looks very sleek for a tanker truck, makes the odd colour scheme work well and I love the stripes at the sides.  Only thing is be careful of the stripes – they are stickers, not paint – and are liable to get worn off unless you are careful during transformations.  There is a small unobtrusive cockpit on the top of the tanker for Murk to ride in.

Yeah, put some cannons firing hot plasma right next to all that volatile Energon – there’s a good idea.

 

Cargo Plane Mode

The back is definitely not aerodynamic…

It seems all Octone toys suffer in some form from having a bit that just wont fit.  With the G1 toy it was the arms in tanker truck mode (yes they weren’t great in plane mode either but at least sorta hid under the wings) and with the Universe mode it was that one of the robots arms ended in a vastly oversized melee blade that frankly looked odd at best.  With this incarnation of Octone it’s the cargo plane mode.  The front two-thirds look fine but he has the split truck cab sitting either side at the back, making the G1 plane vastly superior for me.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice enough looking plane but certainly the weakest of his three modes.

… and now neither is the front.

 

Worth your money?

So are these two worth getting?  For Octane Octone I’d say a definite yes.  Despite the drawback of the plane modes rear it is still the best Octane toy we have had to date.  Blitzwing, well, it depends if you have the Thrilling 30 version and how much you like it.  Blitzwing seems destined to never have a normal head again, either sporting three faces of darkness or his skull turning into a little robot and running off.  Personally I’m still glad I got him and he fits in well to my ever expanding Blitzwing family.

Got something to say about these two toys?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Toy Review – LG40 Astrotrain

Transformer Toy Reviews, Videos

Video: Comparison of LG43 Trypticon and Titans Return Trypticon

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Due to people really enjoying the written review I did showcasing the differences (were there any?) between the Legends and Titans Return versions of Trypticon, I have followed it up with a short video comparison of the two – enjoy!

 

 

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Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – LG43 Trypticon vs Titans Return Trypticon

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When I wrote the comparison blog between Takra Tomys Unite Warriors Computron and Hasbro’s Combiner Wars Computron it took me about two days to take all the pictures, write up all the subtle differences and overall decide which set was better.

With Legends Trypticon and Titans Return Trypticon?  I should be done by the end of the commercial break.

 

Here is a comparison of the boxes, the boxes are indeed different.

 

Here are the instructions for the Legends version that have a comic on the back.  That’s kinda different.

To read the English translation of this comic – check it out on Tets Toys HERE.

Here are the sticker sheets.  The stickers are exactly the same, though I suppose the size of the sheet they come on is different, I guess.

Kinda like getting the exact same meal but on two different types of plate.

The way the Legends version and the Titans Return version have been strapped in their boxes is different in layout I suppose.

Takara Tomy packing method
Hasbro packing method

 

Now to Trypticon himself, the differences are…. they are…. um….

‘One of these Cons is not like the other one…. oh wait’

The differences are non-existent!

 

That’s right kiddies – there is absolutely no difference between the two versions – none!  All the things you may have previously been lead to believe, such as the teal was darker and the purple richer in the Legends version are not correct.  That the paint apps are built in and you don’t have to apply stickers like the Hasbro version – false.  The only way I could keep the two from getting mixed up when taking photographs was that I had already applied some of the stickers to the Titans Return version.  The same goes for their smaller partners.

Full-Tilt vs Full-Tilt. No difference
Necro vs Titan Master: Difference in name only

 

In the end I didn’t even bother transforming the Legends version.  I packed it straight back in its box and am going to carefully store it for a decade so hopefully I can in the future sell it (and make back the extra $80 I paid getting it shipped from Japan) as relatively MIB.  In a day and age where toy producers are conscious that some collectors will shell out big money for multiple versions of an expensive toy for even the slightest difference, I was honestly surprised there was none here.  Not even an extra gun like Metroplex or a new hat like Malibu Stacy!

Is one worth getting over the other?  Nope.  The only thing is that some of the Titans Return versions have the dodgy hips (for an excellent way to fix that see HERE) whereas none of the LG43 versions have had that problem reported as yet.  So if the fact you don’t have to worry about this possible defect is worth the extra costs of shipping to you then grab that one.  Otherwise, unless you are rolling in cash and want to have both types of box to display, go down to your local toy store and grab the Hasbro one.

 

‘I’m Trypticon’
‘No, I’m Trypticon!’

 

Got something to add?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

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Video: Comparison of LG43 and Titans Return Trypticon

 

Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – MP-11ND Dirge

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Dirge, oh Dirge.  Nobody loves you but me.

Dirge was my very first ever Transformer figure over 30 years ago and as such he holds a special place in my heart.  For others not so much, arguably the least popular Conehead.  He only ever used his special power of fear-inducement once (as far as I can remember) to freak out Silverbolt in a Marvel Comic and he even committed suicide when getting eaten by The Swarm in the G2 Comics.  In IDW he has done a bit better for himself, even becoming a central character to a plot line that extended for some time.  But whether you like Dirge or not, here he is – perhaps the last outing for the Masterpiece Seeker mold.  He comes with a very hefty price tag – let’s see if he is worth it.

 

Robot Mode

Despite being pretty much the same figure, for some reason Dirge strikes me as less stocky than say MP Thrust (for a review see HERE).  The colours are quite good though I would have preferred to see a pure black like the toy rather than dark grey like the cartoon.  He has the guns that most of the Seekers shared in the cartoon but these can be covered by bigger guns to resemble the machine guns that the toy had.  These have been retooled from MP Ramjets rockets so are slightly different but overall look too big and bulky (which they need to be cover the null rays) and resemble missiles rather than machine guns.  Dirge is as poseable as any of the other MP seekers but there have been no real improvements.  At least the missile racks built into his chest make sense as opposed to the likes of some other Seekers since he actually did deploy missiles from there in at least one episode of the cartoon (The Girl who loved Powerglide).

‘I have a dozen metal nipples –  punk girls friggin love me!’

 

 

Vehicle Mode

A faithful representation of the character from both the G1 cartoon and the toy.  Dirge has the Decepticon emblem on his nosecone that the toy had but the ones on his wings are smaller than both the original toy and its cartoon depiction.  The guns can be repositioned under the wings but again they really needed to be smaller.  You can put (yet another) holographic pilot in the cockpit but I really would have preferred to see Shawn Berger, since he appeared in two episodes and did go for a ride in Dirge at one point.  Given the huge price point and the fact we are getting a range of different humans in the Autobot line, I think a little Berger figure was warranted (but then maybe not – really rich guys using their power and fame to gain high political office seems to be a bit of a sore point these days).

F-15 Delta-Wing variant. Never actually existed and if it had, guessing it wouldn’t have been this colour

 

Overall

‘I’m also moody and depressive – so I get all the emo chicks as well’

This is the most expensive MP Seeker figure to date that wasn’t a variant of one that has already been done.  That combined with the fact that Dirge was not hugely popular means that this will be a miss for a lot of folk.  But if you are a MP or Seeker completionist or otherwise, like me, are one of the few Dirge fans out there then this is a nice way to end the Masterpiece Seeker line and will complete your collection nicely.

 

 

Got something you want to say about this figure?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review – Combiner Force: Blurr, Windblade & Soundwave

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The Robots in Disguise(15) toyline continues, despite being wound down somewhat to accommodate shelf space in shops for the upcoming TF5 toys.  Today we will be looking at the latest wave which oddly does not involve semi-creature modes in any form.  No, this wave consists of new versions of much loved (in two cases anyway) classic characters.  Despite being part of the Combiner Force subline these figures do not combine, but rather try to seduce you with a mixture of new alt-modes and nostalgia.  So let’s take a look at the Warrior-class Robots in Disguise: Combiner Force Blurr, Windblade and Soundwave.

 

Blurr – Robot Mode

I likes to play it fast baby!

Seems to be a nice amalgamation of Blurr’s look from Rescue Bots (which RID does do crossover episodes with) with the look he has been sporting in the Generations line.  He has the more rounded head with the large goggles that he has in the RB cartoon/toyline but the lighter colours and high shoulder pads one associates with Generations/G1 Blurr.  The proportions are quite nice and he is able to be posed in a number of positions due to the ankle, knee, elbow and shoulder joints.  The head is quite maneuverable too, tilting in pretty much any angle you desire.  Being from RID instead of RB, this Blurr is now sporting a blaster as well.

Blurr – Vehicle Mode

Sleek and Sexy!

Almost a cross between the first and second Generations Blurr toys.  Most definitely a stylized Earth vehicle however with the distinctive pointiness that the latest Titans Return version has.  Quite a sexy futuristic sportscar with its spoiler, big wheels and dome.  The blaster can be put on either side of the vehicle or on top, giving you different battle options when at play.

 

Windblade – Robot Mode

My mask hides my pain. Well… actually it hides what is otherwise a cool face design.

Windblade is sporting here her battle mask and due to her having such a distinctive face it is a shame it cannot be removed, detracting somewhat from the figure overall.  A nice touch I found was the different options you have with the sword and sheath.  You can either have her holding her sword with the sheath on her hip (as pictured) or the sheath can act as a giant second sword.  Also the sheath splits in two  so you can have half on each hip if that is the look you like.  The way her wings affix to her body looks far superior to the Generations version with which she shares the more lithe arms with.  If it wasn’t for the head, overall I would say this is actually superior to the Generations version but as it is that one will have to go to the judges.

Windblade – Vehicle Mode

Do VTOL turbines still work if you cover them?

What is disappointing is that her wind turbines are covered by caps on the top in her VTOL jet mode.  With the Generations version you could actually blow on the turbines and make them spin, here they are not even visible in her vehicle mode.  It’s not a badly proportioned jet and is very indicative of the screen character.  Her sword sheath can be affixed underneath but I only recommend this as a way to not lose the piece – otherwise it looks simply terrible and certainly ruins the aerodynamic look of the jet which is somewhat already hampered by the way the robot arms jut out from the sides, much like many of the Combiner Wars figures.

 

Soundwave – Robot Mode

Soundwave superior-ish

Like Blurr being an amalgamation of RB and Generations Blurr figures, this Soundwave seems to be an amalgamation of the TFPrime and Fall of Cybertron Soundwave toys. The head sculpt is most definitely a carry over from TFPRime (the precursor cartoon to the current RID series) and the proportions are very in line with most of the other RID figures.  However with the added shoulder cannon, distinctive chest and bulkier limbs he is certainly as shout out to the Soundwave figures of old.  The light piping in the back of the head can make for some good effects and the shoulder cannon can be removed to be used as a handgun.

Soundwave – Vehicle Mode

Gun or periscope?

This is where the toy really calls out to the Fall of Cybertron figure.  Ruby translucent wheels along with a roof cannon and a bulky blue Cybertronian-armored car is the flavor here and the flavor is good!  He has a more distinctive cockpit which is a definite plus, but the peg that holds the roof cannon in is way too long, it makes it look ungainly sitting on top.  Despite this I couldn’t bring myself to remove it as it seems intrinsic to an otherwise odd alt-mode.  This peg flaw is made up for somewhat by the fact that the cannon can not only be swiveled 360 degrees but also be tilted up and down.

 

Overall

Well I’d say Blurr is a definite must-grab if you like the character and fits in well with the other multiverse versions of him.  Windblade has her pros and cons and it will really be decided on whether you like the character and whether you already have the previous RID version of her.  Soundwave… well… it’s damn hard to pass up a new Soundwave figure!  However there is another SW RID figure on the horizon which, whilst looking inferior, will come with Laserbeak so it may be worth waiting for that toy to be released and then compare before making your purchase.

 

Related Post: Multiverse Blurr Toys Gallery

Like the reviews above or got something to add?  Would love to read it in the comments section below!

 

Transformer Toy Reviews

Classic Toy Reviews – Beast Hunters and Combiner Wars Sky Lynx

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Ah the toys of yesteryear!  Enjoy these classic reviews of toys gone by!

Skylynx

Series – Transformers Prime
Sub-line – Beast Hunters – Predacons Rising
Size/class – Deluxe
New/remould/redeco – Redeco
Release – a US Target only exclusive
Approximate Retail Price – $22US
Approximate Size – 14cm
Allegiance – Predacon
Alt-mode – Cybertronian Beast
Main Features/Gimmicks – disc launchers in wings
Main Colours – White, Blue, Red
Main Accessories – 2 x battle discs

I’m not a fan of most ‘monster’ Transformers, but I grabbed Skylynx as it was the only figure at the time that paid homage to our favorite arrogant space shutte. Yes I know this Skylynx doesn’t have the space shuttle mode, but it was the beast mode I was after.

Robot mode

Butt-ugly! Also, the discs in his wings make him top heavy and I had really muck about with him to get him to stand properly.

 

Beast mode

Still pretty butt-ugly, but its for the beast mode I got him so its in this mode he will likely remain. A quadraped dragon-bird thing coloured in red, white & blue was what was on offer, and it’s what they delivered .

Overall

Is he worth getting? It’s an easy transformation which makes him good for kids and for the adults, well, personally I’m a sucker for a G1 homage (even if G1 Sky Lynx would be horrified that he is now a ‘grubby Predacon!’ ) so that’s why I got him. To be honest otherwise I think this toy would be easy to pass up, especially since he had such a limited release and the Combiner Wars version is now on offer.  Speaking of which…

 

Sky Lynx
Series – Generations
Sub-line – Combiner Wars
Size/class – Voyager
New/remould/redeco – New
Wave – Wave 2, 2016
Approximate Retail Price – $45
Approximate Size – 20cm
Allegiance – Autobot
Alt-mode – Space Shuttle with troop transport undercarriage
Main Features/Gimmicks – Can combine with others to form Sky Reign
Main Colours – White, Blue, Red
Main Accessories – 2 long blasters

 

Robot Mode

A nice looking Sky Lynx indeed. While the poseability isn’t great nearly every part of him can be re-positioned to some extent (wings, tail, legs, feet, neck, mouth) so you can give him different looks. Blasters can be attached to the wings or to elongate the tail.

 

Space Shuttle Mode

Besides the undercarriage sticking out from under the back of the Space Shuttle good and it’s very faithful to the original Sky Lynx concept in terms of proportions, colour scheme and shape. Very nice. Blasters can once again be attached to the wings.

Transformation
Very straight forward for a Voyager and one of the easiest of that size from the CW line to do.
Overall
This is a pretty good Sky Lynx. I think it could have benefited from being a Leader Class toy with the Lynx mode built in rather than it being a combiner but certainly the fact he combines with others toys (see HERE) and has the Lynx as the head gives it extra playability for younger fans and is an extra nod to fans of the original toy. So not as cool as the G1 toy (that was even motorized!) but way cooler than the Predacons Rising version. Overall recommended.

 

I’m not sure how either of them feel about this

Got any thoughts about these two toys?  Would love to hear them in the comments section below!

 

*For my Multiverse Gallery of different Sky Lynx toys see HERE.

*For my review of CW Sky Lynx in his combined mode of Sky Reign see HERE.

Transformer Toy Reviews

Classic Toy Reviews – Generations and Timelines Wasp/Thrustinator

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These are reviews from threads I originated on the Ozformers site back when these toys were released.  Enjoy!

Note: For Multiverse galleries of these characters see HERE!

Name: WASPINATOR
Series – Generations
Sub-line – Thrilling 30
Wave: Wave 1 – 2014
Size/class – Deluxe
New/remould/redeco – New
Released here – Not yet
Approximate Retail Price – $28Aus
Approximate Size – 14cm
Allegiance – Predacon
Alt-mode – Wasp
Main Features/Gimmicks – Design based on IDW design
Main Colours – Green, Yellow, Brown
Main Accessories – IDW exclusive comic, Stinger Gun
Robot Mode
*Quite good looking, faithful to both Beast Wars and the IDW incarnations. He has good articulation and the light piping works really well with his huge optics.

Wasp mode

*To my mind the wasp mode here is better than both the Beast Wars and the Animated versions of the character. Very compact, very well coloured and very well balanced. The flapping wings are a nice touch that add a lot of play value.

Transformation

This transformation would be far easier if the instructions were REMOTELY USEFUL! I was able to figure him out because, well, if I can’t after 30 years of collecting I should hand in my Autobrand right now. But I wouldn’t give this to a little kid or a novice who would try to go soely by the instructions because Waspy would be flung out the window after 10 minutes. Once you’ve done it though, it takes about 15 seconds to transform him back

Worth getting?
*For me, as more of a G1 than BW fan (technically the same universe I know), the only BW characters (besides the odd Robot Hero) I’ve bothered to collect over the years have been Depthcharge’s and Waspinator‘s so I was happy to grab this guy to add to the collection. I’ll be bypassing the new Rhinox & Rattrap figures altogether. But if you are a big Beast Wars fan I’d say this is the figure to get for the new year. Oh, and the free comic is a nice bonus too

Name: Thrustinator
Series – Timelines
Sub-line – TFSS
Size/class – Deluxe
New/remould/redeco – Extensive remold of Dirgegun
Wave – 2
Released here – n/a
Approximate Retail Price – $46.50
Approximate Size – 14cm
Allegiance – Predacon
Alt-mode – Techno-mutated Wasp thingie
Main Features/Gimmicks – Head can become purple stinger shooter
Main Colours – purple, green, yellow, grey
Main Accessories – One missile launcher, 2 missilesRobot Mode

They had to completely use their imaginations here since it’s never been properly on screen, but in the end I suppose it was heavily influenced by what went where from his alt-mode and Dirgegun where apparently the mold came from. Hideous but kinda interesting. I always have a soft spot for any robot that isn’t perfectly symmetrical. A cool concept is that you can retract his head and put a big missile launching stinger in it’s place, which also gives him a totally purple head which is a shout out to the cartoon.

Wasp…. thingie


Bloody hideous! But whereas in the cartoon he was just a Wasp with BM Thrusts head (which I’ve included an image of here), they’ve taken the meld to the nth degree here so well done them for putting a bit of imagination into it. Having different parts of Waspinators alt-modes body and head mutated and deformed in Thrusts colours is – while garish – a kinda cool concept. That said, it’s still the ugliest thing I’ve seen since the Fuzors.

Transformation
Takes about 13 seconds to turn him from Wasp to Bot. No challenge to be found here



Overall
Well, probably my least favorite in the latest subscription service figures for me as it’s a character I care little about and I very vaguely remember showing up briefly in the final episode of BM. Nevertheless, a very interesting looking figure and creatively designed toy. If you are a massive Beast Machines fan (are there any ) and not a member of the TFSS then wait till it turns up cheap on the secondary market.

I hope you enjoyed these classic reviews from years gone by.  Got anything to add?  Say it in the comments section below!