Meat Recipe #9 – Marinated Lamb Cutlets

February 13, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

I love lamb but I’ve been cooking it for years with pretty much the same recipe. Whether roast or chop I’ve always coated it with a mixture of garlic, rosemary and oil. While this has been great on a roast, it has never been a stand-out flavoring for lamb done in the pan or on the grill.

As the Househusband I am always looking to change things up a bit in the kitchen, to keep the wage-earning wife happy, and tonight I was tackling lamb cutlets. Through a bit of ingenuity and a couple of helpful suggestions I was able to adapt an older recipe into something unbelievably good! When I mixed up the marinade and applied it to the cutlets, the smell was that good I was tempted to eat them raw! Thankfully I restrained myself and thus am still alive to share this recipe with you.

Marinade Ingredients

¼ of a cup of olive oil
2 teaspoons of rosemary, finely chopped
2 teaspoons of minced garlic
A splash of orange juice
A splash of white wine vinegar

Marinade Method

Grab some rosemary out of the garden, strip the leaves off the main stalk and chop up, put in a large shallow bowl.
Either crush a couple of garlic cloves, or if you don’t have any in the garden a couple of teaspoons of minced garlic will suffice. Add to the rosemary.
Throw in a splash of orange juice and a splash of white wine vinegar.
Add about a quarter cup of olive oil and mix vigorously.
Take your cutlets (7 to 9 of them) and dip both sides in the mix. Place in a separate bowl and stick it in the fridge for 20 minutes – no need to cover with plastic wrap.

Cooking Method

After marinading for 20 minutes remove cutlets from fridge.
Heat up a grill or grill-pan to high and add the cutlets. Sear them on a high temperature for 45 seconds on either side to seal all the juices in and adhere the marinade to the meat.
Turn the heat right down and cook on low for four to five minutes on each side. Viola!

And that’s it – simple and easy! I was dubious about using the orange juice in particular but my word it works! The zest of the juice and the bite of the vinegar manage to tone down the sometimes overpowering flavours of the rosemary and the garlic; all combined really compliments the taste of the lamb unbelievably well. As you can see from the pic below I did these with some traditional veggies such as potatoes, carrots, broccoli and peas. However from the taste I think that a leafy salad with some red onion, red capsicum and balsamic vinegar would suit this dish perfectly. Enjoy!

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

Meat Recipe #5 – Mum’s Oven-cooked T-Bone Steak & Onions with Mushroom Gravy

Meat Recipe #4 – His & Hers Bangers and Mash

Transformer Toy Reviews, Uncategorised

Toys Review: LG55 Slugslinger & LG58 Autobot Clones

February 2, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The short-lived Season 4 of the US Transformers cartoon introduced (or perhaps jammed in is a more accurate term) a slew of new characters in its 3 episodes. Notably very few of these characters had Earth modes, showing the direction the brand was heading in. Also new concepts were introduced in these episodes such as Targetmasters and Clones.

Three (or should I say four) of these characters were the Autobot Clones Fastlane and Cloudraker and the Decepticon Targetmaster Slugslinger with his diminutive partner Caliburst. Lucky for these characters, the G1 cartoon continuity in Japan continued with the series Headmasters, in which these guys got a far greater outing.

As the characters were more prominent in Japan, I decided to get the Legends versions of all these guys, so today we will be looking at LG55 Slugslinger with Caluburst and LG58 Autobot Clones Fastlane & Cloudraker.

Slugslinger

Robot Mode

As can be expected with most Takara Tomy versions of Hasbro figures, Slugslinger comes with a rich vibrant painjob that looks fantastic. They really have done a marvellous job of making Slugslinger very G1 comic/cartoon accurate, right down to the shape of the legs, the chest adornments and the dual cockpits sticking up over his shoulders. The Headmaster figure looks great with a smooth rounded forehead, settting it apart from most ‘blockheads’.

Cybertronian Dual-Cockpit Fighter Jet Mode

*‘Didn’t Starscream blow me up in Season 2?’*

As Sluslinger transformers into dual-cockpit jet he does not even try to conform to earth standards. Once again, a great job of replicating (and dare I say improving) on the original toy design and concept. His Headmaster fits snugly and easily into the cockpit (a bit odd he already had two and they had to put in a 3rd) and Caliburst can be put under either wing. However I find that makes the alt-mode look off balance so I tend to place him on top of the jet like the G1 cartoon and toy.

Caliburst

Robot Mode

*“Go on, spend the extra money – you know you want me!”*

Wow – this little guy really makes me wish I had shelled out the extra money to get the Tak/Tom versions of the other TR Targemaster characters. Well proportioned, nicely coloured and lots of detail in the little face – very good!

Gun Mode

It’s a cool looking gun and is well scaled to Slugslinger in robot mode. However I would say that with the flats of the robots feet joining up at the front makes the gun look like it would be a major airflow impediment when attached to Slugslingers jet mode, creating a lot of drag.

The Clones

Cloudraker

Robot Mode

Looks exactly like the G1 version, though the JP G1 rather than the US G1 due to the more pinkish body. In my opinion he is how the clones should look, as in no hint of alt-mode so you can’t tell what they are going to turn into (except for that damn big sticker on the chest of course).

Cybertronian Space Jet Mode

Much more compact than the original toy, which I was quite the fan of. He actually looks like he was designed for space which works well for him, though I do miss the yellow on the nosecone and longer black wings of the G1 figure.

Fastlane

Robot Mode

Though I loved the original toys when I had them as a kid, one thing that bugged me was that you could always tell Fastlane was the ground vehicle clone because of the wheels and spoiler obvious over his shoulderblades. Not only have they not rectified this but have made it worse with wheels visible on the legs as well.

Cybertronian Dragster Mode

*No awards for the ‘best alt mode’ here*

I think the front wheels on the side are an improvement rather than the old single one underneath. Something I felt that the G1 toy could have benefitted from was some colour to show the grill and headlight details on the front of the vehicle that were made up of the tips of the robot modes feet. Those details aren’t even present here which was a letdown. With wheels on the side he looks a bit better than the G1 toy but it’s still a pretty weak vehicle mode.

Cloudraker and Fastlane – The Clone Concept

*‘One of these kids is not like the other’*

As mentioned Fastlane’s obvious kibble really detracts from the ‘you can’t tell which clone is which’ concept. When I saw their little jet and car symbols on their chests I thought ‘Oh cool! Rubsigns!’, figuring that since it was a hot day they must already be heated. Imagine my disappointment when I found they were just stickers, which means you can permanently tell one from the other.

The other disappointment here is that neither bot comes with his dual hand weapons. Given the cost of the figures, I think it’s a bit lousy for them to not come with their guns, especially since they could be used in either mode by the original figures.

Overall

Slugslinger is fantastic and as stated, really makes me wish I’d gone the Tak/Tom route with his compatriots. If you don’t have the Hasbro version go online and grab him – Caliburst makes it well worth the few extra bucks. As for the clones, I ordered these from Japan since the Hasbro versions of both clones were only available at US stores and I live in Australia. Cloudraker is OK but Fastlane is fairly weak, so unless you are like me and want every Classicsverse version of every G1 character you can get, these two are an easy pass.

Got anything to add to this review? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

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Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review: LG60 Overlord

February 1, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

Overlord – a gigantic Decepticon despot! From the Japanese G1 continuity, he was the staunch foe of Ginrai and was manned by both a male and female Powermaster. A cool character with an even cooler toy! This character has become very popular with Western TF fans of recent with his outings in the IDW comics where he has been portrayed as a truly unstoppable psychopath.

This rise in notoriety has facilitated Overlord getting his first toy in a long time in the Titans Return line, and like most toys from Hasbro he has also cropped up in the Takara Tomy line. So today we look at the Legends toy – LG 60 Overlord.

Mega & Giga

The two Headmaster partners here are Mega and Giga respectively and each turns Overlord into the Mega or Giga version of himself. Each is slightly different coloured and sports a different expression for Overlord when becoming the face. I’ve found the left arm on Giga keeps popping off so you may want to watch this so you don’t lose it.

Mega Jet

*Stealthy (bar the lavender highlights)*

I don’t know why but I really like the little landing struts that come out of the bottom. It’s a fairly sleek looking jet and the subdued colours makes it look like it could be streaking silently across the night sky to bomb some Bots. No visible weapons except for two very tiny lasers in the nosecone. The cockpit can open up for Mega to sit in, though mine sticks a bit so requires application of a fingernail to open.

Overlord Mega

*In this mode I’m a grinner and a leftie*

What a big bloody robot – awesome! This character deserved a big build and that is what they got! The 6 cannons on one side like the G1 toy are represented but sadly the corresponding panel on the right does not fold out into lasers. In ‘Mega’ mode the chest panels are closed, revealing the shoulders more. The nose of the jet becomes detached and attaches to the left shoulder like the G1 toy to serve as a quasi-shield. Overlord Mega has a great smirk going and is by far my favoured of the two faces.

Giga Tank

Despite the garish colour scheme, quite a good looking tank. Bulky yet compact, it feels a very solid toy to play with. Big cannon on the front, detailed tank tracks on the sides and a cockpit at the top that Giga can either fully sit inside or otherwise stand up in to survey the carnage being dished out. Very good!

Overlord Giga

In this mode Giga becomes the serious looking face and the chest panels open to reveal some detailed Powermaster components. However I personally would have preferred for one of these spots to be empty like both were on the Hasbro version, so that the current Headmaster not in use could reside in the hole. Some detailing on the back of their legs could have made them look like a Powermaster engine like the original G1 toy. As it is I put the spare Headmaster in the jets cockpit.

Combined Vehicle Mode

*‘I ripped off the idea from Flywheels cameo in the S4 opening credits’*

I’m not surprised that this mode doesn’t have a specific name as it doesn’t make any sense! The best you could say is it is designed for the jet component to whisk the tank component off to drop at the site of a new battle.

Fortress Base Mode

In this instance the original toy (which is on my ‘grail’ list) is far superior. This is a more compact version with no ramps and one central elongated structure. The cannon in the middle works well and I like how there are spots for both Headmasters to stand. Connector joins come out at the front so that you can affix ramps from the likes of Titans Return Soundwave or even Overlords sworn enemy, Legends Ginrai.

Overall

I’ve never even touched the G1 toy (though by gods I’d love one!) and did not pick up the Titans Return Skyshadow or Overlord. I even bypassed the 3^rd party Carnifex so this is my first time playing with both this character and this toy mould. I must say I am quite impressed all up! Sure the transformations are a tad simplistic but with a multitude of modes and two Headmasters this toy has a LOT of play value. If you have not picked up one of the aforementioned toys then I heartily recommend you give this figure a go – well worth both your money and your time.

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

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Tales of the Trev

Househusband Tales #5 – The dreams of guilt

January 30, 2018 Big Angry Trev 5 Comments

So here I am, six months into my new career as Househusband. And I have started having dreams.

No, not the recurring dream I’ve had for the last 15 years, where I am in a toy store finding all these rare Transformers, but whenever I get to the checkout my basket is empty. Nor the dream where all the girls I went to High School with think I am now unbearably sexy, but my car breaks down on the way to the orgy. Not even the dream with all the flying teeth, the marmoset and the repeating accordion music.

No, in these dreams I have gone back to work.

*Dreams where you are at work AND still in your pajamas are just the worst!*

The dreams are all pretty much the same. I’ve slunk back to my old place of work in order to take up the career I left behind. I’m trying to do the best I can at my job, whilst anxiously trying to avoid the gaze of my bosses – which come to think of it is what I was always trying to do when I actually did work there (and every other place I was ever employed).

I know what is behind these dreams. It’s not a desire to go back to my old career – its guilt.

That’s right, guilt. I stay at home while my wife goes off to work and it’s getting to me.

I’m wondering if other Househusbands experience this kind of guilt. Perhaps it dates back to the cavemen. The caveman went out during the day, defending the home from sabre-toothed tigers and clubbing huge hairy mammals into submission to bring back for the cavewoman to skin and cook up. And thousands of years later my man instincts are telling me that I should be the provider, making sure there is meat on the table for my woman and offspring. Certainly the few male friends I’ve made since we moved up here have manly jobs – most of them work in the mines. They break rocks while I play dollies with my daughter. Yes I have big plans on how to make money out of our farm, but those will take years to bear fruit. Does that make me the equivalent of an unemployed drummer, living off his girlfriend while he assures her that ‘one day our band is gonna be big baby!’?

*‘Get out and do some manly work ya bum!’*

All sounds very misogynistic I know, but I don’t think that’s exactly where my brain is coming from. It’s not that I have any problem with my wife working. I don’t feel that she should be at home – it’s I feel I should be out working. When I was the one working, my wife still had income coming into the family home via maternity leave pay. I’ve gone from an annual 6 figure income to a 3 figure one – not exactly a ‘pay off the house’ wage. On the upside it’s helped me keep away from cigarettes, no way can I justify spending my wife’s hard earned money on cancer sticks for myself. On the downside, it means that financially we rely on her completely, which my subconscious tells me is not fair on my beautiful bride.

Maybe it’s a ‘not having a job’ thing. I’ve either being doing educational courses or working (or often both) since I was 16. To not be studying and to not be going to a place of employment – it’s great but again… those dreams.

*‘Protect me from the nightmares with your cuteness Mr. Milo!’*

Part of me is telling my subconscious to shut the hell up. That I enable my wife to be able to work. I make her coffee every morning and pack her lunch. I take care of the kids and the house while she is out and then cook her dinner every night. I make sure she has clean clothes to go to work in, though the one job I always still ask of her is folding and ironing – I’m pretty crap at both.

But then another part of me is saying that that part it is full of shit. My wife could easily make her own coffee & she could go to a cafe during her lunch break. We could get babysitting for the kids on the days they are not at preschool. We could share the cooking, washing and general household chores. That part yells that my wife could still work without me being at home, that I’m just making excuses.

So what is the answer? I don’t know. I certainly can’t go back to my old career – it was in another state and we aint moving again any time soon. Our new location is so remote there are very few jobs to be had and even if there were there are no dedicated daycare facilities for the kids up here. And this farm actually does take a lot of looking after – 120 acres does not just care for itself.

So maybe I need to feed the part of me yelling at my subconscious some rare steak, some raw eggs and a few beers so it can beef up and drag my subconscious into my brains equivalent of a back-alley to kick seven shades of shit out of it. Maybe I need to not be a deep-down misogynist and realise we are not cavepeople and it doesn’t need to be me subduing the sabre-tooth tiger. Maybe I need to take the long view and remember that when both our kids are at school in a couple of years I’ll be in a position that I can bring money into the household once again.

Or maybe I need to stop whining, stop the self-guilt and be grateful for how good I’ve got it.

Are you a Househusband and experienced these feelings? Or maybe you can shed light on this kind of existential drama? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

Househusband Tales #1 – Pampering Poorly Perfected

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Transformer Toy Reviews

Toys Review: POTP Dinobots – Wave 1

January 29, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The Dinobots – a fan favorite! Is there anyone that grew up with the G1 cartoon that doesn’t have a soft spot for this gang of cantankerous Autobots? Turning up in the Transformers Animated cartoon and even the live action movies the Dinobots have appealed to new generations as well. It’s easy to see how; Dinosaurs are cool, Robots are cool – transforming alien robots that turn from giant robots into space dinosaurs? It’s a no-brainer – they are awesome!

The new Power of the Primes toyline has finally given lots of Generations collectors what they have been crying for for years, new versions of many of these classic characters. Some have come out in the first wave whilst others are slated for later in the year and they come with not only a new character but a new trick – they combine!

But for now, let’s take a look at the four Dinobots that have been released so far – Grimlock, Slug, Swoop and Slash.

Grimlock

Robot Mode

The Leader of the Dinobots, unlike his compatriots, has not suffered from a lack of toys based on him over the years and here is the latest incarnation. At first impression his robot mode looks good but pretty stock standard. It is very faithful to his G1 cartoon incarnation as have many toys over the years (FOC in particular looking great!). Don’t get me wrong, this is what most Generations fans are after, their childhood characters reimagined but staying true to their roots. He looks good – he just doesn’t take your breath away.

Instead of his usual weapon of choice – a big red energon-sword, Grimlock is sporting what could best be described as arm-mounted knuckle-dusters. These also become the feet of the Dinobots combined form. I kinda like this idea – Grimlock is definetly a character that would enjoy smacking a few Con’s in the face with these! Also you can place the little Prime characters in the slots to, I dunno, add a splash of colour.

Space T-Rex Mode

*“Me Grimlock cut out carbs – lose weight good!”*

Big alien-metal T-Rex – just so cool! However not the coolest Grimlock we have seen. His body is a bit too elongated which makes him look like he needs bulking up. Also there is a gap between where his chest armour stops and his underbelly armour begins, making him appear he is wearing a golden nappy (diaper for you US readers). There is good rotation on his little forearms and his jaw opens and closes, a shame you cannot swivel the head though.

Swoop

Robot Mode

I think this is the best official Swoop toy we have seen since G1. Energon Swoop had odd hands and odd colours and Animated Swoop was painfully thin. This Swoop does a great job of looking like he did in the G1 cartoon, right down to the blue body. Personally I would have liked red more like the G1 toy in order to fit in with the other Dinobots better, but then you would have had people complaining about that so it shows you can never please all the fandom. He is the only Dinobot so far I’ve seen to come with their signature swords.

Space Pteradon

The Pteradon mode is quite good but the legs add a lot of bulk to the back, taking away a lot of the streamlined look you would expect in a flyer. In this case he does resemble Energon Swoop. The feet hang off the back of the body at the bottom but can be folded underneath so Swoop can sit up, a position he looks surprisingly good in.

*“It’s why they call me Swoop – NOT because my old name got stolen!”*

The mouth on Swoop opens well and looks excellent open. You can position his sword under his chin but frankly it looks ridiculous. What I do like is not only can you fold the wings in closer to the body but you can also angle them up – giving Swoops alt-mode a multitude of flying-poses.

~~Slag~~Slug

Robot Mode

Slag has a reputation in the fiction as being second only to Big Grim in terms of strength and ferocity and even outstrips Grimlock in terms of temper! Therefore it would have been nice for Slug to look a bit more bulky in robot mode. Whilst not slim, he lacks that bit of thickness that would have suited him, his proportions are good though. The way his robot head is imbedded into the underside of the Dino-head is super G1-esque, the colour scheme is spot on and he looks grumpy enough. I would have liked to see him have his sword though.

Space Triceratops Mode

*The cooler version of a Star Wars AT-TE Tank*

Looking at this mode, you can imagine him having been a tank before he got outfitted with an Earth mode. Very strong and compact. His mouth opens the least of any of the new Dinobots which makes it hard to make him look as though he is breathing fire. But like Swoop, this is the best rendition we have had of the classic character since G1. A shame he is not Voyager-sized – now that would have been something to behold!

The legs all have knees so that can change his pose slightly. His gun can be put in multiple ports – personally I think it looks best on his back but it can be put in his hip like the rocket-launcher on the G1 toy.

Slash

In the Movieverse line, there has been a raptor character named Slash. Slash has had a sex-change (according to Jurassic Park they can do that) and is now the first official female Dinobot toy. Slash is significantly smaller than the other Dinobots and sports no weapons but is nicely proportioned and has a suitably feminine face. I don’t mind them introducing new characters to classic groups, teams grow over time and the X-men would have been pretty dull if they still only had the 5 students.

Space Raptor Mode

It’s not a bad looking raptor, but like MP Dinobot, suffers from looking odd around the ribcage. The arms and neck are manuverable and she looks quite good with her jaw open ready to bite. Something that is disappointing is that Slash, in no way I can find and certainly not in the instructions, does not combine with the other Dinobots. It would have good for her to turn into chest armour (like CW Groove) or a weapon (like CW Shockwave or Powerglide). However a little Prime figure can ride on her back, much like the Diaclone versions of the original Dinobots.

Combined Mode

I’m not really going to comment on this much since I am waiting to see how Volcanicus will look with Sludge and Snarl onboard – I tried making him with Jazz and Dreadwind and it just didn’t work for me. Stay tuned for that review down the line.

Overall

Swoop could have been more streamlined, Grimlock less streamlined and Slug bigger. Besides that I think this is a really good Generations outing for the Dinobots and if you are a fan of the subgroup then I heartily recommend you go and grab these bad bots up!

Got anything to add to this review? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

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Toys Review – POTP Optimus & Rodimus Prime

January 28, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

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!

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

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.

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.

***For the first time in history, I prefer Rodimus to Optimus***

Precarnation Vehicle Modes

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!

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Meme Madness!

January 15, 2018 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

Yes, even Big Angry Trev cannot resist making a meme now and then. Some are Dad humor, some are Transformer themed, all are mildly entertaining – enjoy!

Transformatorium

Big Angry Trev visits Hasbro Australia!

December 19, 2017 Big Angry Trev 3 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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 Knight Hot Rod to take home!

Got anything to say about this visit to Hasbro? Would love to read it in the comments section below!

Fan Interviews & Art, Transformatorium

Transformer Fan Interview – Raymo

December 2, 2017 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

Welcome to the next in a series of interviews with different Aussie Transformer fans. Last time we chatted to Lisamaree who was at the time living abroad. Today we will be talking to Raymo, a country lad like me who now, luckily for his hobby, lives a lot closer to the big TF shops up in Northern Australia.

Transformers Allegiance, if you had one?
Autobot

Your Techspec motto if you had one?
All too easy. Which is sort of opposite of my own personality and more like my alter ego, or as I say my wrestling personality, cocky but relaxed about it.

What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
I always go with G1 Brawn, although Bayverse Jetfire is probably more accurate now, old, slow but will do a solid if someone needs it.

Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?
Flying, which in bot mode makes me a dirty con

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

Fan/Collector since (year)?
1984

What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector?
The box art and the cartoon, I do remember though that my friends and I would get pissed off because rather than the dynamic poses we saw on the boxes and cards the toy itself was a glorified brick.

Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
I will certainly have them until then, and maybe one will go with me, but I’m not sure if I’ll be actively collecting, even in the last three years my actual accumulation/collecting of them has slowed, I still have a good collection though. Confused?

Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)?
For sure, I’m actually more comfortable sharing pictures outside of the collecting community with others, and any chance to show someone “the room” I take it.

Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?
Everyone has been supportive, despite some very heavy spending periods it never became a financial problem. I think most people have seen it as a positive and fun influence on my life. We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.

Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions?
Yep……………………

oh you want more info?

2004 Sabretron in Sydney, loved it, here is a picture of my young self

Went to NYCC in 2015, hated it, but got to see the Toy Hunter and he truly loves what he does.

Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)?
Does dusting and building fancy cabinets count?

Favourite series/era/year, and why?
G1, I think as time has gone on I became something I hated previously, an f’ing geewunner!! Yep, I had it all, everything up to stinking animorphs and then some, and over the years it’s all been pared back to something a geewunner would own. I love the Transformers Prime series and the toys and was hoping it was the first step to making a canon TF universe, but no, it was a one off, but a brilliant one, I also like the 2001 RID, it’s a bit more of a JP based cartoon but being a big fan of the rising sun it’s my style. But yeah always come back to G1, it’s the original; it’s what created a juggernaut. It’s classic good versus evil with the greatest hero ever G1 Optimus Prime.
Least favourite series/era/year, and why
The movieverse has taken a big steamy Sludge like dump over what could have been something amazing, I get the attraction, and considering now that someone who was ten when the first one came out is now 20 and still loving it is probably more the demographic they were aiming at rather than us old farts. But to me as a toy collector a lot of the figures look like melted plastic with a shitty head stuck on top.

Collect any comics?
Had a good stash of the IDW/Dreamwave stuff but got rid of it, was good when it came out but has no personal connection. I do still have a tonne of 90’s x-men and some very large G1 TPB’s. My brother knows more about my comics that me, I’m pretty much a toy guy these days.

Favourite Comic issue/story, and why?
IIRC the one where the Dinobots were already on earth as well as Shockwave, something, something darkside, I’m not so good with stories and have forgotten how much I hate space travel.

Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?
Fire in the Sky, as explained earlier

Favourite Character, and why?
Optimus Prime, the most noble of heroes, something any kid should aspire to be, certainly shaped who I am today.

Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character?
A typical perv question from Big Angry Trev.
G1 Arcee (does anyone think her voice sounds like Tea Leoni from the movie Bad Boys?) and TF Prime, although BW Blackarachnia, grrrr baby grrrr, that voice…………droooooooooooool.

Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
Black Zarak, bad ass looking, and huge.

Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc):
A lady never tells

Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector?
Varies, if it has a window it’s sealed, if not it’s opened. Mostly.

How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit?
A couple of bucks

Any rare/expensive figures in your collection?
Black Zarak, both Goodbye sets MIB for all of them, lurve my boxes.

What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?
Nothing out of the ordinary, bed sheets, bed tent, board game, Soundwave tape deck etc.

First Transformers toy?
Now this is something, I’m not 100% on this. No matter the time I put into working it out I can’t nail it but it’s either Brawn or Bluestreak.

One toy you most want?
Powered Convoy Giftset MIB

The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)?
The custom Metrotitan that a guy named Michael did, it may not mean a lot to most, but to have G1 Metrotitan and Metroplex as well as their modern gigantic counterparts all together is just so perfect.

Favourite toy in your early years of collecting?

Brawn

Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?
Some piece of junk bayverse one step Prime my mum thought would be good to get me for xmas a few years ago.

Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them?
MP-09 Rodimus Prime, the literal version of ambition out weighing talent.

Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertable Transformers toys?
Non-convertible transformer, oxymoron central. At least action masters had something that transformed.
They went too complex with the early Bay movie toys and now it’s gone too simple with the crap being put out now, some look like a giant bar of soap or those old shampoo bottles shaped like TF’s.
Thoughts on unlicensed fan-project figures/accessories
I used to be totally against them, but they certainly fill a collecting gap for the addicts, and as we’ve seen are also free R&D for Has/Tak.
Thoughts on the Transformers Brand over the last five years
It’s in a balance, it’s good we have Beast Wars MP figures coming out but the bread and butter movies need a re-boot, even when they are released the shelf space and hype has dwindled. Now we’re going back to the old chestnut of Bumblebee, FFS we have already been saturated with his toys in the first three movies, now, more. I get it he sells, but most kids already have him.

Which single TFs toy should every fan own?
G1 Optimus Prime

Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?
MISB G1 Optimus Prime

Do you collect other toys?
I have a very good MOTU collection and an ok Voltron one which has recently been majorly downsized. Oh yeah and Lego, enough to sink the Titanic.

What other interests do you have?
Science (Physics (not bloody quantum though) and astronomy) Nature and the environment, AFL, NFL, health and fitness, fishing, Star Wars and the family.

What type of music/movies/TV/books do you enjoy
Cranking psytrance as I type this, love metal, some old hip hop, K,C,J-Pop, very eclectic, will even rock some country. Movies, we have been spoilt for choice lately, marvel stuff, Star Wars, then the earlier stuff Avatar, Terminators, Alien series, Pacific Rim, all the usual nerd stuff. TV is Battlestar Galactica new and old version, Star Treks, Law and Order, Brooklyn 99, Seinfeld, House, Stargate, Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, it’s a big list J Books, I have generally been a non-fiction reader but since the flow of canon Star Wars novels have come out I am into those, as a huge fan of Ventress the Dark Disciple novel was off the chart awesome. Lots to read still but unlike Transformers where I can say my love these days is really with toys, with Star Wars it is with the mythology…….but not the legends stuff, the new canon, it’s like the Marvel CU, we need a continuous story to get invested……..Transformers I’m looking your way!

If you died today, what would your tombstone say?
Solid (pun intended)

Questions from other Fans

From Dallas:

What is your preferred design for G1 Jetfire? the animation model or the toy? please elaborate.
It’s the toy, so cool, tall, sleek, powerful and proud, a true warrior. But the anime version is certainly up there, even now that we sort of have a combo version from the generations toy as well as FT Phoenix I can still say the G1 toy is the one for me. Here’s the funny thing, I grew up in a very small town, about 3000 people, our local news agent was the toy shop. There was a massive area of Transformers, but there was a secondary area of Robotech fighters, I looked at them with disdain, what the hell is a gerwalk mode!? But if I could go back now I would buy the entire section! For its time the toy had superior articulation, size and quality, plus the badass look in bot mode with all the armour.

How Many Jetfire toys do you have?
Only nine, but my Energon and Armada versions are in the “to sell pile” so really seven. I’m a small fry in the toy collecting department of Jetfire, there is a fella on TCCA who has a ridiculous amount of the G1 toys MIB, loose, or whatever. I’d love a sealed one, but in the past few years I’ve managed to get one with the painted Robotech symbols, as well an MIB version that only had one owner from Australia who told me the history of it, to me that is something special, toys can pass through many hands, even sealed ones could have had 10 owners previously, but I got this Jetfire from the only person who had ever had it, the guy who opened it as a kid, almost as good as opening an old case found in a warehouse somewhere in China full of sealed boxes.

From Marty:

Has your collecting rate increased since you moved from a rural to a more suburban setting?
There have been two collecting phases in my life, childhood and adulthood. Both coincide with pre-internet and intra-internet, as well as rural then urban. I will expand on this….. as an adult the internet has essentially gone from a rural service to metro, so yes this change has made finding things easier, in 2002 when I first got onto ebay it was like a small country town, and it was full of friendly people, now, especially post movie era, it is a place where scammers and dickheads live. While you can get more, the prices are higher and the risk of dodgy goods is everywhere.
So to answer the question, my peak was between 2002 and 2004, I was living in Canberra, there were a lot of good TF toys in the stores, RID and Alternators, as well as very good prices for G1 stuff online and a huge second hand market at garage, car boot and market sales. That was a golden era for collecting for me.

Have you been able to draw your daughter into the world of giant transforming robots at all?
I have tried, she’s not a big fan, she knows I love them but the common toy interest we share is Lego, she loves building them and playing with them. We have amassed a decent train collection, as well as her friends sets.

Besides Big Angry Trev, is there anyone that you admire in the world of Transformers (fellow collectors, actors, comic artists, toy designers etc)?
I love the writings of a guy called Maz, he is a true TF historian and someone who I genuinely think I would get along with in real life. Heroic Decepticon is good too due to his ability to financially accommodate his G1 collecting, but probably out of mine and most people’s league. I’ve got to know a few guys through TCCA on facey who have similar collecting interests to me, they have mostly lurked in the shadows as I have, people who are humble in their collecting impress me.

From Trent:

Name one thing about the TF community that you don’t like.
I can name two things. The…………… how do I put this…………..dick waving shit of my collection’s, bigger, worth more, better than anyone else’s crap.
Here’s a fun fact, I had 1500 Transformer toys in 2004. At the time from what I could tell one of the biggest in Oz, did it give me anything? No……… (unlike my collection now, which when I look at it gives me genuine happiness)
It took up a lot of space and cost a lot of money. Now this is pre-movie era, so I had every Western G1 to Animorphs and whatever was coming out at the time, PLUS, most figures I had two of to display in both modes, if it was a triple changer or combiner then there were more figures I had, it was out of control, and the display was bots just jammed up against each other, with boxed stuff from Armada getting stored away. That’s not collecting, that’s an addiction and a hoarding issue. Luckily I had the income to support this insanity, and when push came to shove a couple of years later I was able to sell most of it and take a pause for the better.
So yeah, back to the question, there are many fans out there, some might collect era’s we don’t like, some may have 10, or 1000, or 5000 figures, that doesn’t matter, we all love the same thing, people use “till all are one’ a lot but let’s mean it. We are ALL ONE, we love Transformers, lets embrace it.
Old man rant over, for now,…………………oh wait my second, or third point, or wherever I’m up to.
I don’t like how there is a secrecy around parts of the TF collecting community, I’m not saying that some departments should open their doors for all and sundry, but when an important topic that effects all collectors in that area regardless of personal connections comes up it should be shared, I’m a massive fan of the history of the toys, but some of the people who have the knowledge choose to not share it. What’s the point?!

Conversely, name the thing (or things) that you really like about the TF fandom.
There is a guy named Kelvin who really embodies passion for the hobby and I think that kind of passion is great! To go further I can easily say that 90 plus percent of the people I have met in the TF community are so similar to me and that they share a passion for what is basically a toy line, but being nerds we fear human interaction so most of my contact while on the whole is positive and online only.

From May:

What was your opinion of ROTF Jetfire?
Loved him, based on one of my favourite planes the SR-71 Blackbird, merely a spy plane, but the fastest ever. He was such a good character, since the movie I have toured the US extensively and got to see Jetfire in person and it was so good, smaller than I expected but beautiful and sleek despite the age. He made the ultimate sacrifice to help Prime, he got so elevated in my opinion when that happened, he’s the only Bayformer toy I own.

What is your favourite Jetfire toy?
G1 all the way. I have to give positive mention to the Generations version, looks amazing and did well to not get sued by the a-hole from Harmony Gold.

Got any other questions for Raymo? Pop them in the comments section below:

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – The Last Knight Infernocus

November 30, 2017 Big Angry Trev Leave a comment

The Quintessons have been a part of Transformers lore since the much-beloved 1986 animated movie. They went on to feature heavily in season 3 of the G1 cartoon as well as make appearances in the Marvel, Dreamwave and IDW comics. In non-print media the only outings we have seen for these multi-tentacled menaces have been the character Alpha Q in the Energon cartoon and a passing reference by Swindle in the Animated cartoon. Therefore I was very happy to see them crop up in the live-action movie series.

*I may be small but I tote a big gestalt!*

In the 2017 movie The Last Knight, we are introduced to one of the Transformers creators – Quintessa, who has herself a big beefy enforcer named Infernocus. Later in the movie we see that Infernocus is actually a combiner – made up of 6 identical Infernicons. Thankfully, unlike many characters, Infernocus has been blessed with an actual toy so today we will be looking at the The Last Knight Infernocus figure.

Unlike the movie, where there are six identical Infernicons that make up this gestalt, the toy is made up by five different figures. Four of these are recolours of toys from the Beast Hunters Terrorcon Predacon team that make up Abominus. Each of these figures has remained essentially the same, except for a uniform black & red paintjob and the removal of their individual weapons.

Rupture

Thrash

Gorge

Glug

These reworked figures serve reasonably well in their new roles as Infernicons, though with the exception of their colour schemes they do not particularly resemble their counterparts from the live action movie. However an added bonus to them is that unlike the movie they actually have alt-modes – monstrous beasts that adds a lot of extra play value to the set.

Skulk

The torso component character from the ~~Terrorcon~~ Predacon set – Hun-Gurrr – has been replaced by a brand new figure Skulk. Unlike the limb component characters, Skulk does not have an alt-mode. This is in my opinion is forgivable. Hun-Gurrr, the previous torso character of the set, was the same size as the limb characters which made Abominus look rather silly. Skulk is over twice the size of Hun-Gurrr and adds much needed bulk to the set, making their combined form of Infernocus approximate in size to Voyager-class figures. On his own Skulk looks pretty cool and works quite well as a representation of Infernocus on his own when put alongside smaller figures, especially his master – Quintessa.

Quintessa

Quintessa herself is a very small translucent figure and is the only toy representation of this major character from the live action movie. She has nice little details but when I ordered this set I didn’t realise quite how small she was. Make sure you put her somewhere safe as the potential to lose her is extreme!

Transformation

The individual figures are relatively simplistic. Combining the Infernicons into Infernocus is quite fiddly. Due to the colour schemes of all 5 figures being so uniform black it can be hard to ascertain which piece you are putting where. Also the set does not lend itself to the relatively simplistic combinations from sets like from Combiner Wars such as Computron and Sky Reign. Don’t get me wrong – you wont have an aneurism of frustration here but at the same time it can be fiddly.

Overall

This is actually quite a nice figure and I am very pleased with it. Unlike the ~~Terrorcon~~ Predacon combiner from Beast Hunters I will be keeping Infernocus in his combined mode. Given the sparsity of official Quintesson-affiliated figures from the toyline over the past 31 years I’m very glad to add him to my collection.

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