Tag Archives: Big Angry Trev

Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – POTP Inferno

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Finally we seem to be getting some of the Wave 3 figures from the Power of the Primes toyline on Australian shelves, a long wait for many of us who no longer do our shopping overseas online due to the GST.  There is only one Voyager class figure in this wave and it’s a character that had their last Generations toy come out a full 10 years ago – everyone’s favorite firetruck – Inferno.

 

 

Robot Mode

Inferno has received a new head along the lines of his G1 incarnation.  This is predominantly the reason I ended up picking him up as otherwise he would have looked like either Hot Spot or Pyra Magna/Megaempress.   He comes with Hot Spots two guns which he can either hold in his hands, or be attached to the gestalt feet and then his back to form shoulder cannons.  The box artwork shows him having a windshield on his chest like his other incarnations, however the toy itself looks like every other character that shares the mould and has chest armour instead.  He is fairly tall and lanky which is at least kinda more reminiscent of his G1 heritage than the very stocky Universe version.

 

Vehicle Mode

Like all others of the mould he transforms into a Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 Fire Truck.  He has his big long white ladder back like the G1 version which I believe is an improvement over the water cannon the Universe and Energon versions sported.  However he is so long in this mode you can’t help but think ‘This is Hot Spot cosplaying as Inferno’.  His guns from robot mode can be affixed to the base of the ladder, giving Inferno some alt-mode combat options.

 

Combiner Mode

Don’t I look cheerful

I haven’t bothered to combine him here since he doesn’t even have a name for his gestalt mode.  At first I thought has been slight retooling from the Defensor version with a visor instead of individual eyes but then I realise the yellow paint app had just gone over the nose.  So really there is no difference except for the colour scheme.  The combiner mode will add a lot of play value for younger fans, however for the GeeWun crew it’s hard to think of Inferno has a Gestalt torso (even if the Energon version was a combiner too) and he wont get much play in this capacity.

 

Worth Getting?

It’s a hard call.  In some ways this version of Inferno is superior to the Universe version that came out a decade ago.  However in some ways he is inferior too.  If you have the Universe version of Inferno as well as any other version of this particular toy mould then this Inferno figure is an easy pass.  But on the whole it is still a good toy, a decent representation of the character and the combiner gimmick will be fun for many.  For the most part though I think I’ll be playing with my Masterpiece version more.

Got something to say about this figure?  Pop it in the comments section below!

 

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Toy Review – Masterpiece Inferno

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Videos

Video – Magpie vs Goanna

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Yesterday I posted a short video showing a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo trying to fend off a Monitor from it’s nest.

Well that cheeky Monitor is at it again!  This time up a different tree near our chook pens and, since the chookies are inaccessible, he was after a Magpies nest of eggs.

In the short upcoming video, you will see how the Magpies defense differs from that of the Cockatoo.  While both squawk as loudly as they can, the Magpie goes for a different attack and constantly swoops the Monitor at speed, trying to hit it with its pointy beak.  Of course this is a dangerous game; whereas the Cockatoo attacked the tail, the Magpie attacks the head and you can hear the audible snapping of the Monitors jaw as it tries to bite the Magpie on each one of its strafing runs.

So watch and enjoy the second video of ‘Battle of the Natives’: Magpie vs Goanna:

 

Sadly the Magpie was not as successful as the Cockatoo.  Later on in the afternoon my kids found two regurgitated eggs at the base of the tree – after all that fighting the Monitor couldn’t even keep the eggs down.

 

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Video – Cockatoo vs Goanna

Redback Spider killing Blind Snake – my morning surprise!

Hobby Farming, Videos

Video – Cockatoo vs Goanna

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Living on a farm can be fun in a scary kind of way sometimes.  Not all our native creatures are always friendly, and sometimes they really don’t get along with each other, seeing each other as rivals or, more often, dinner.

Two years ago on my old farm I witnessed a Redback Spider killing a Blind Snake (I was later informed by several leading Australian reptile experts it was in fact a Lerista Skink that the spider was chowing down on).  That was quite the sight to see!

Yesterday on our new farm I saw two other native Australian creatures in conflict that I never expected to be enemies.  These were in fact a Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo and a Lace Monitor.

The Monitor, a solid 2 meters in length, had been sniffing around our duck and chook pens looking for some eggy snacks, but when I approached quickly scaled a nearby tree, where he camped for a while.

​But his belly must still have been rumbling because soon he caught the scent of the nest of eggs the Cockatoo had several branches above and decided to slowly sneak his way up for a snack.

This short video shows the Cockatoo taking issue with this.  Whilst not silly enough to attack the Monitor head on, the Cockatoo did its best to ward this raider off.  It did this by shrieking loudly, flaring its wings and crest and attempting to bite the Monitors tail with his beak.  He eventually does a quick fly-by and gives it his best shot.

So enjoy this ‘Battle of the Natives’ in this video: Cockatoo vs Goanna.

 

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Games & Competitions, Transformatorium

Review – Metroplex Pack: Transformers TCG

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A few months ago the Transformers: Trading Card Game was released.  Much like Magic: The Gathering, this game focuses on using different characters whom you instil with different defences, attacks and upgrades, to take out the opposing team, all whilst taking advantage of their own unique abilities.

Now, not long after it’s release, we have the first committed deck since the Starter Pack – the Metroplex Deck.  Due for international release on November 16th, this deck appears to offer a whole new element to what is quickly becoming a popular and addictive game.

Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro have been kind enough to send me for free both the Starter Pack as well as the new Metroplex Deck so as to do a review on this blog.  It should be noted that I have received no financial remuneration to write this, nor have either company tried to dictate the content of my review.  So I’d like to thank Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro for their generosity.

Luckily for them, I’m pretty taken with these packs so their generosity might just get rewarded through subsequent honesty.

This review is focused primarily on the Metroplex Deck, and in writing this I make the assumption that in reading it you are already familiar with Transformers: TCG and the various gameplay strategies it entails.  If not then by all means check out the official website to see how the game works, then come back to get all the new extra information here.

 

The Metroplex Deck offers the following:

*1 Titan Character Card: METROPLEX

*3 Character Cards: SCAMPER, SIX-GUN and SLAMMER

*Ready to play Battle Deck of 40 Cards

 

New Characters

Now the first thing you will notice is the Metroplex Card.  It is HUGE!  19.5cm x 14cm.  Like the Transformers character it is based on, it dwarfs the regular character cards.  And so do some of his stats:

Robot Mode – 6 Attack, 35 Health, 1 Defense

City mode – 4 Attack, 35 Health, 2 Defence

Now these Attack and Defence stats are pretty common but his Health is MASSIVE!  The most a character has had up to this date has been 21 with Cosmos, and Metroplex outshines him by a full 14 points!

The other is his Stars.  Each team can have a total of 25 Stars spread over their character cards, which usually dictates a team of 2 to 4 characters.  However Metroplex has 25 on his own!  This makes him a team unto himself.  A team of one… or so it would seem.

Anyone familiar with the G1 cartoon and toy representations of Metroplex will remember he had 3 sidekicks.  First Scamper who turned into a Cybertronian Battle Car, Six-Gun who would disassemble his robot form into Weapons useable by Metroplex, and Slammer who was a drone tank.  All three are represented here.  And all three are subordinate to Metroplex in a way we will examine shortly.  However before doing so it is worth noting that these characters are useable in regular teams.  With their relatively low 4 Star ratings, if you have a team made of 21 Stars, one of these guys is perfect to round up the numbers.

 

Character Abilities

Metroplex differs from other character cards in many respects, and not just by his size.  Hidden underneath Metroplex are the three sidekick cards.  Whenever you flip your Metroplex card from Robot to City side, he is able to deploy one of these characters.  This makes flipping every opportunity you get essential, as you need to get him to robot mode and back again in order to deploy another character.  This in of itself is perhaps more important than the almost inconsequential differences between the Attack and Defence stats of his two modes.

Each sidekick has different abilities.  Slammer for instance, being a drone, has no robot mode and will deal out 1 Attack Damage to every enemy bot when first released.  This makes him a favourite to bring out first in order to hurt as many enemy bots as possible before you KO any of them.

Scamper and Six-Gun’s various abilities rely on Metroplex still being on the board as they mainly power up his abilities.  Whilst this makes them a boon to your main Metroplex card, it lessens their value considerably when being used in a team which does not contain the Titan.

 

Dedicated Battle Deck Cards

The Metroplex Deck is designed to be used by a single player against an opponent.  As such it has dedicated cards that are of no use in a regular deck, but are very advantageous when using with this dedicated team.

Rally The City allows an extra card per character you have out (if you still have Metro on the board).

Height Advantage gives Bold 4 so when you use Metroplex to attack you get to flip 4 extra cards.

Protected by Metroplex means that you can transfer any damage being inflicted on your sidekick characters to Metroplex instead.  Out of the three cards I found this one to be the most useful.  Given Metroplex’s huge Health and the extremely poor Health of his Sidekicks (all pretty easy to knock out in a single round) it helps to keep these little guys on the playing field for an extra turn or two.

 

In Gameplay

I wont go into all the technicalities and ins and outs of using this deck against an opponent as there are just too many scenario’s to cover.  However I can point out some trends I found when pitting the Metroplex Deck against a team made up of the Starter Pack:

*When playing the Basic Game (not using special abilities etc) which I played with my 5 year old son, the advantage tends to lean slightly in favour of Metroplex, even without his ability to deploy the smaller bots.  His Health is just so massive, and combined with a 6 Attack Rating in robot mode, means you are able to withstand the onslaught he receives from being the only target on the board as you KO your opponent’s cards one by one.  He is by no means invincible, but he is definitely hard to beat.

*When playing the Advanced Game which I played with a bunch of my nerd peers, surprisingly the advantage tends to lean slightly towards the opponent, even with you being able to deploy Scamper, Slammer and Six-Gun.  Your opponent using the Special Abilities of cards means that your three smaller bots are often KO’ed as soon as they hit the board, with only a Protected by Metroplex card having a hope of saving them.  You may find that your opponent often uses this strategy, going after the little guys as soon as they are able before focusing back on the big guy.

Also with more bots being on the opposing team, the opposition has the chance to have more Upgrade, Attack and Defence boosts in play as well as having a greater range of opportunities to use their characters synergistically with each other.  Once again, it is by no means impossible to defeat your opponent, but it can be a hard road with a bit of luck required to take the win.

 

So is this Pack worth buying?

If you are a Transformers: TCG player then it is a most definite yes!  The introduction of a Titan Card adds a whole new element of gameplay, and the pack comes with 4 characters and three action cards that you cannot purchase anywhere else.  It would have been nice to see Trypticon released first (as I’m sure he eventually will be) as it means the two dedicated packs released thus far have all Autobots in them (the Starter Pack containing Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Red Alert and Ironhide).  Part of the fun of anything remotely Transformers is pitting Autobot against Decepticon and I actually went out and purchased some Booster Packs just so I could play out some of these scenarios (luckily for me I scored both Starscream and Megatron).  I would also have liked to see Scamper and Six-Gun have at least one inherent ability each which would be useful within a regular team that does not involve Metroplex, giving these characters more scope for play.

However despite the onus still being on the Autobot side, this pack is definitely worth picking up.  I look forward to its general release in a week in the hopes one of my friends picks one up so that I can battle Metroplex Deck against Metroplex Deck – now that truly will be a clash of the titans!

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

 

Related Article:

Game App Review: Bumblebee Overdrive

Random Reviews

Movie Review – Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell

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Tremors.  A flick about big monster worms that come out from under the ground and eat people.

That’s what most people think of when you mention a Tremors movie.  What most people don’t know is that it isn’t just the one movie – there have been 4 sequels, a prequel and even a season-long TV series! 

Tremors is actually one of the few Sci-Fi series that never seems to contradict itself.  There is a coherency throughout all its iterations, ranging from the evolution of the Graboids (the big underground man-eating worms) to the the individual human story arcs, even the very minor characters.  Plus the movies are just damn fun!

A ‘chick flick’ this is not

For my money Tremors 1 & 2 were by far the best of the flicks, and incidentally the only movies to get cinema release.  The next three were all straight-to-DVD releases and whilst good (especially Number 4 which was the prequel) none quite captured the fun of the first two.  Today we will be looking at the latest instalment in the Tremors franchise Tremors 6: A Cold Day in Hell.

 

The story starts off, as you can imagine, with a Graboid attack!  What makes this attack unique among all those featured in previous films is that it takes place in the snow, specifically a glacial area in Canada.  And when Graboids attack, who do you call for?  Burt Gummer – that’s who!

Have gun – will reluctantly travel

Burt Gummer (played by Michael Gross) is by far the star of the Tremors series, the only character to have appeared in all six films (though it was his ancestor in the prequel) as well as the TV series.  Burt is a jaded survivalist gun nut who likes living in Perfection Nevada because of its very low human population (and those that do live there often get eaten anyway) and its remoteness making it hard for the Government to interfere with him.

By the 6th movie, Burt is the only resident left in Perfection and is living in the run down remains of the town store.  However a visit from firstly a taxman saying Burt is about to lose what little he has, then one of the Canadian researchers along with Burt’s illegitimate son Travis (introduced in Tremors 5) prompts Mr Gummer back into action.

And from here the plot is really like all other Tremors films.  There are Graboids to deal with along with the occasional Ass-Blaster (another stage of the Graboid life-cycle first introduced in Tremors 3).  The Ass-Blasters retain their upgraded CGI look from T5 as do the Graboids – personally I thought both looked better before the reimagining, especially the Ass-Blasters which had previously resembled avian versions of Shriekers (another Graboid life-phase).  I would have liked to see some Shriekers included since its been a while since they were trotted out.  Gone is the concept of the Graboids three serpent-like tongues being detachable (T5) which personally I found to be out of line with established Graboid evolution (yes, I AM that much of a fan), however the tongues have retained their new power of sight (also introduced in T5) – you see one sneaking through a window to grab a lady and others dodging machete blows from Travis.

Ass-Blaster or Galgamex vagina?

There are minor plot lines contained within.  For instance Burt is slowly dying of a parasite he got from being eaten alive by a Graboid (T3) and needs liquid from a live Graboid in order to be healed.  There are DARPA agents that intend to bio-engineer Graboids into weapons and so on.  One of the key researchers, Valerie McKee, turns out to be the daughter of the two main characters from the very first movie.  But all of this is background noise to what is essentially another movie along the lines of a ‘Don’t move!  They sense vibration through the ground!’ mentality of your standard human versus Graboid movie we all expect.

Michael Gross and a bunch of actors you probably wont see in the 7th flick

Is this movie worth a watch?  Well if you are a fan of the series then of course!  Michael Gross does a stellar job as Burt Gummer yet again and there are monsters galore to shoot or be devoured by.  However if you are looking for something new here that you haven’t seen before from the franchise you will be disappointed.  Besides at the beginning of the film there are not even any action sequences in the snow, the remainder of the storyline takes place in a dry ‘hot spot’ which exists within the otherwise snowy landscape.

In short this film adds to the storyline of the human characters involved in Perfection but there is nothing new monster-wise and it lacks the fun and character of the first two movies.  However for those loyal followers of the series, it is at least another 90-minutes of Gummer fun.

 

Now take two teaspoons of cement and harden the hell up!

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

Ask Trev!, Hobby Farming

Ask Trev – Chickens: the balance between pet and livestock

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Dear Big Trev,

No vets in Melbourne know anything about hens. Except for one who is two hours away and deals with prize winning pedigrees and expects you will want to spend lots of money doing anything you can to save a crook chook.

The online forums offer some basic advice but it’s so difficult to know what’s wrong with a sad hen.

There seems to be a fairly common theme of ‘cull her’ amongst the more rural hen keepers.

I don’t want to spend a mint taking a vet to the other side of the city for the best bird care in Melbourne but I’m not a ‘better just let her slowly die while I stand about not caring’ kind of chook owner.

So my question is : how do I find the happy medium between livestock and pets when it comes to my backyard hens?

Thanks, Maddy.

 

Well Maddy first off let me say how sorry I am to hear that you’ve been having trouble with the health of your dear Chookies.  I know the extent you go to provide them with excellent shelters, fresh food and medicine so I can confidently say it’s certainly not a lack of effort and caring on your part that this seems to be happening.

A great little pen for a suburban backyard

As you’ve pointed out, in big cities vets hardly work with poultry so don’t know how to deal with them.  Whilst a growing number of people keep a few hens in their backyard, in capital cities it’s primarily cats and dogs the vets deal with and that’s what they train in.  In the country vets tend to know a bit more about chickens, but as you also point out, there tends to be a ‘cull them’ mentality.  Chickens in the country are not birds people generally make emotional attachments to, and given they are not very expensive to replace most farmers will simply kill a crook chook and get rid of it before it has a chance to infect any other of the flock.

So if country vets are out and city vets are out, what does that leave us with?  The specialist vets like the one you have mentioned which is a two-hour drive away.  And indeed yes they deal with the ‘speciality breeds’ that people have mainly for shows.  I was amazed when attending a poultry auction in Bathurst a few months ago how much 3 small Silkies went for – more than I think I’ve spent on my entire flock combined!  In these cases vets feel free to charge a mint as there is a significant financial loss to the owner if they lose a bird.  What help is this to the backyard chook enthusiast? None.

Online forums can be tricky.  I mean, how do you know if the person who wrote what you are reading has any real idea what they are talking about?  Most loonies and know-it-alls end up on the net these days and will happily preach about that which they know little.

 

So back to your main question: how do I find the happy medium between livestock and pets when it comes to my backyard hens?

Ya can’t help but get at least a bit attached to such lovely creatures

It’s really finding the balance that works well for you.  You obviously have great affection for your chookies but not the same kind of love you would have for say a cat or dog.  I relate completely.  And anyone who thinks people don’t get attached to birds at all should have seen how upset my 5-year old son was when a wedge-tailed eagle nearly killed our Frizzle Rooster, poor little bloke was in tears and insisted on sitting with me in the pen while I tended to the rooster and, thankfully, was able to fix it up.  But if we had lost the Rooster, it would not be the same as losing our beloved Burmese Cat or Shetland Sheepdog.

If I may make a recommendation, I would stick with the most common and generic breeds of chicken.  They are usually not expensive, and it also means there is a wealth of information out there regarding any issues that may arise with them.  Also look for hardy breeds, in a big city like Melbourne chickens have to deal with a lot more noise and air pollution than they do in a rural setting and can be subject to greater amounts of stress than they would pecking around on a farm. Don’t go for the biggest chooks, they wont do well in a small yard.  Don’t go for the most prolific layers unless you want to treat them completely as livestock, as they tend to have shorter lifespans.  Don’t go for the fancy breeds unless you want to treat them completely as pets, they tend to be fragile and require a high level of maintenance.  For a happy medium between pet and livestock – common and hardy – that’s the ticket!  This will also stop you suffering too much of a financial loss if a chicken is lost.

By getting breeds that fit these two categories, it will mean you can have a few lovely chookies in your yard that shouldn’t get too sick too often, and you should be able to find information on them fairly easily.  Perhaps invest in a book or two about whatever breeds you select.  If sickness occurs you can always try ringing around various vets – you may at least be able to get some advice and some vets will actually give you a syringe of whatever elixir is needed to take home to treat your poultry yourself.  If no vets are helpful and you need to turn to the net, be selective about what sites you visit and see if several different reputable sites will have a consensus about what might be wrong.  Avoid the chat forums – that’s where all the self-professed experts (i.e. nutters) reside.

 

And sadly, to live in that happy medium between livestock and pets one has to realize that sometimes you will lose a bird no matter what you do.  We’ve lost chickens to heatwaves and hawks, and likewise lost ducks to travel-stress and foxes.  It’s always sad but it’s an inevitable fact of poultry ownership – sometimes the feathery buggers check out no matter what you do.  Between the dangers I just listed your chooks also have to deal with dogs, cats, eagles, lice, mites, fleas, ticks, intestinal worms, diseases and sometimes even each other.  Sometimes I wonder how they survive at all!

 

I hope this advice is of some help to you Maddy, and I hope your dear chookies get well soon.

 

Got any other advice for Maddy?  Pop it in the comments section below.

 

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Ask Trev: How to deal with molting chickens?

Ask Trev: Chicken Care Questions

 

Transformatorium, Transformer Toy Reviews

Toy Review – POTP Punch/Counterpunch

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The original G1 Punch/Counterpunch was a very cool toy with a very cool concept!  Whereas all Triple-Changers in the past had two vehicle modes this toy had two robot modes.  He was an Autobot that could not only turn into a Pontiac Fiero , but also transform into a Decepticon in order to act as a spy!  Despite his abysmal appearance in Season 4 of the cartoon, the toy was so cool that it proved extremely popular, and lead to Doubledealer expanding upon the concept the following year.

We have only had one new version of this character since then, the Timelines version that was released several years ago (I don’t count the subsequent Counterpunch based on a CW mold since he only had one robot mode).  While that toy was good, it was let down primarily by a small and weird looking head and of course a very limited release.  Fans have been awaiting a new toy that could do this unique character justice.

Well wait no more, for now we have the Amazon exclusive Power of the Primes Punch/Counterpunch.  Let’s take a look and see if it was worth the wait.

Not available in stores

Vehicle Mode

Sexy… as long as my doors don’t pop off

One of the appeals of Punch is he was one of the very few Transformers released in 1987 that had an Earth alt-mode (the others being the Throttlebots and new Decepticon Cassettes) when the line was moving heavily into Cybertronian and/or Creature modes.  The vehicle mode has been faithfully redone here, down to the red hubcaps.

The arms/shoulder come misassembled which means that the arms don’t tab properly when you are folding the doors over to make his car mode.  This is apparently easily repaired though I haven’t gotten around to it yet, I’ve found with sufficient (yet carefully applied) force that you can tab the doors properly, though they come back loose with the slightest knock.  When I get around to making the repair I will post the method here, much like I did with the problem regarding Trypticons hip.

 

Punch Mode

I’m a heroic Autobot – check out my orange chest!

Excellent colours, well proportioned, good articulation, an orange gun – what more could one ask for!  Well, perhaps some feet.  But he balances quite well all the same and really puts the Timelines version to shame.  You can fold down a tab on his back to hide the Decepticon symbol located there.

 

Counterpunch

I’m an evil Decepticon – check out my purple kneepads!

Like the original toy, you turn this figure around, adjust the set of the shoulders, flip the helmet and viola – instant Decepticon!  Like his Autobot version you can flip a tab on his back to hide the other factions symbol and he also lacks feet.  Additionally what he lacks is a blaster of his own.  In my opinion it helped differentiate the two robot modes with the original toy by each having its own gun.  Since Counterpunch looks weird holding Punch’s gun, I give him the otherwise useless combiner appendage (since this toy does NOT combine) as a sort of black shield.  Still on the whole he looks excellent, you can even flip the hands around so they are different colours!

Prima Prime

I am the leader of the Original 13 Primes! Check out the power contained in my tiny, tiny body!

You can turn him into a box and stick him in the shield – that’s all I can say about this figure, except perhaps he has some cool pipelighting from the back the other POTP Primes lack.  But I don’t like the concept as a whole and find them mostly useless little figures just waiting to get lost – give us some proper figures of the Original 13 more than just the likes of Alpha Trion and Megatronus.

 

So is this figure worth getting?

As long as you can afford the bigger (but not gigantic) price tag I’d say definitely yes, especially if you are a G1 fan!  3 great modes, a few accessories and a cool collectors box – he is good quality and a lot of fun!  Now we can simply hope this toy prompts the character appearance in the upcoming IDW reboot of the Transformers universe.

 

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

 

Related Articles:

POTP Terrorcons – Wave 1

POTP Unicronus and Primal

POTP Dinobots

 

Transformatorium, Videos

Video – My 100+ Generations Decepticons

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For a bit of fun and a bit of comparison I pulled out of my storage crates a lot of my Decepticons.  In particular, toys that were updates of classic characters, mainly (but not exclusively) from G1.    I was amazed and how many characters have gotten new toys!

So enjoy this short video I made of the display.  Also below you will find some screenshots and a full list of the Decepticons on display along with links to reviews of many of the figures displayed here – have fun!

 

 

 

 

Acid Storm, Apeface, Astrotrain, Axor,

Banzaitron, Battletrap, Bonecrusher, Black Arachnia, Blast Off, Blitzwing, Bludgeon, Bombshell, Breakdown, Brawl, Bruticus, Buzzsaw,

Caliburst, Catgut, Chop Shop, Cyclonus,

Darkmount, Darkwing, Dead End, Devestator, Dirge, Doubledealer, Drag Strip, Dreadwind, Dreadwing,

Fangry, Frenzy, Full-Tilt, 

Galvatron, Gnaw, Grabuge, 

Hook, Hun-Grrr, 

Jhaixus,

Kickback, Krok,

Laserbeak, Leozack, Liokaiser, Long Haul,

Megatron, Menasor, Mindwipe, Misfire, Mixmaster, Motormaster,

Needlenose, Nightbird, Nightstick, Nemesis Striker,

Octone, Onslaught, Overkill, Overlord

Pounce

Quake

Ramjet, Rampage, Ratbat, Ravage, Rippersnapper, Rodimus Unicronus, Rumble, Runabout

Scavenger, Scourge, Scorponok, Scrapper, Shockwave, Singe, Sixshot, Shrute, Skrapnel, Skullgrin, Skullsmasher, Sky Byte, Sky Shadow, Skywarp, Slice, Slipstream, Slugslinger, Soundblaster, Soundwave, Spinister, Starscream, Submarauder, Sunbeam, Swindle

Tankorr, Thrust, Thundercracker, Thunderwing, Treadshot, Triggerhappy, Trypticon

Vortex

Waspinator, Wildrider, Wingspan, Windsweeper, Wolfwire,

Zputty

Random Reviews

Movie Review – Teen Titans Go!

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In the latest cartoon show to be translated to the big screen, we have been presented with Teen Titans Go! To the Movies.  The cartoon show had a very polarizing effect on fans of this particular team from the DC universe.  Some fans love the off-kilter zaniness, constant 80’s references and dashes of potty humour.  Other fans hated what they called a bastardization of a classic team, the childish antics and the low quality animation.  Personally I have been in the first group and found the show very funny to watch on Saturday mornings with my son – even if it has left him with a penchant to constantly ‘Do the Booty Scooty’.

This movie could be said to be DC’s response to Marvel’s Deadpool.  The Deadpool Movies have been immensely popular, made fun of the whole Super Hero Movie franchise, constantly broke the fourth wall and demonstrated that super heroes can be funny!  DC movies have been accused of being too dark, too overly dramatic and frankly not much fun.  This is what Teen Titans Go! attempts to rectify.

 

The plot of this movie is simple – every serious super hero is getting their own movie and the Teen Titans, particularly Robin, want one too so they and he can be considered real super heroes.  The problem is they are a bunch of goofballs that spend more time eating waffles and singing songs than actually fighting crime.

So off they go to get themselves an arch nemesis in order to be taken seriously and are provided with Slade, the main antagonist from the Teen Titans cartoon from the late 90’s.  They are summarily trounced by him, so decide they need to come up with another plan.

The pacing of the first half of the movie runs a bit too slow.  In fact nearing the half way point I was actually getting bored, which is saying a lot considering how much I love animated movies.  It lacked the banter that makes the cartoon show so much fun – instead of constantly arguing with each other and the team as a whole picking on Robin, they act as one unit and they always follow Robins lead without complaint.  Much like the My Little Pony Movie, they have removed one of the key elements that made the cartoon show as popular as it is.

 

Thankfully the second half picks up the pace.  The heroes time travel to get rid of all the other heroes so that they are the only ones to make a movie about, leading to some funny scenes where they alter other heroes origin stories.  When that fails they end up actually having a decent fight scene with Slade which leads to getting a movie.  Of course by now the audience starts to twig that the movie producer is actually Slade in disguise and uses this to break the Teen Titans up so that he can get back a crystal they stole and take over the world.

The final act of the movie is all the regular super heroes, now mind controlled, hunting the heroes and then the Teen Titans facing off against Slade in a giant robot.  Another good fight scene ensues and they naturally save the day, earning the respect of all the other heroes in the process.

 

This isn’t a bad movie on the whole, but it isn’t great.  As mentioned, it lacks a lot of the humour that the cartoon show does.  There are a few funny bits, such as the Titans all using a prop toilet that doesn’t work, the references to the Back to the Future movies and Robins final line of the film.  The movie even references Deadpool from which it draws inspiration – they mix up Slade with Deadpool, talk to the camera, lampoon the whole super hero genre and have cross-universe gags such as Stan Lee making a cameo even though it is a DC movie.  However much of the humour falls flat and lacks that certain spark, the Batman LEGO Movie delivered far more chuckles.  Besides Robin there is zero character development with the other Titans and Slade is an OK villain at best.

If your kid is a massive Teen Titans fan such as mine is, it’s worth taking them to see it on the big screen in the short time it will still be in the cinemas.  However if you and/or your kids simply like the show and not love it, you can wait for the movie to come to DVD before watching.

 

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

 

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Fan Interviews & Art

Interview – Greens Member: Natalie Abboud

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Usually fan interviews on this blog consist of people who are fans of Transformers and/or yours truly.  However today we are interviewing someone who I am a fan of. As the big sis of long time blog reader Maddy, this is a person whom I have had the honor of meeting once or twice, as well as conversing with online when I’ve had a few too many and want to vent about the current political issues plaguing this country.  She is The Greens Councillor for Moreland, North-East Ward, Natalie Abboud.

Given it can sometimes mean a life where you are working hard for a populace where the fashion is to openly distrust and dislike politicians, what lead you personally to enter a life of politics? 

I get a $28k taxable allowance at Moreland (the Moyoralty is more but it’s full time) so it’s certainly a job you do for love or challenges. I’ve always been engaged in politics and ran in a couple of elections I couldn’t win so when I was tapped on the shoulder for council I was up for it. I also work hard and answer calls in an effort to break the stigma. People don’t always need to agree but we all want to be heard. I had some great conversations about Australia Day. 

 

For those of us that are ignorant of what politicians actually do, what are some of your primary responsibilities?  How does a usual day at work play out for the Councillor for Moreland?

Monday’s and Wednesday’s are blocked out for emails and meetings but I often do stuff most other days too. 

I’m the Cr responsible for Youth, status of women, and Social Diversity, multiculturalism and Reconciliation. I sit on the Oxygen Committee, audit and risk committee, chair the Human rights committee and I’m the council rep for the Disability working group and the reconciliation working group. 

This means I attend up to 4 night meetings a week and occasionally(once a week) I go to other conferences and events. 

 

As a Member for The Greens, what do you believe are the three main issues (among the many) that need immediate and significant action in our country today?

-Renewables (why do the Gubs keep resisting them?)

-Transport (why can’t we have trains like Japan?) 

-Addressing the Climate emergency

 

Where do you see The Greens in ten years time?

Holding balance of power in Vic which will lead to more action in State Parliament. Not sure about Aus. I’d like to see two more in the Federal lower house and maybe a few more senators. 

 

As a young man I didn’t care much about voting, I just liked the requisite sausage sizzle.  My first election I voted for The Democrats as I had a crush on Natasha Stott Despoja.  My second I voted for The Shooters Party as I thought it would be funny if they won and would give me material for my stand-up comedy routines.  My third I voted for The Sex Party because a big fat bearded guy in a bright yellow T-shirt gave me a flyer while I was waiting in line to vote.  Now that I am (somewhat) more mature, as well as a parent, I vote for The Greens because I care about the state of the planet my kids will grow up on, as well as many of The Greens policies aligning with my personal moral compass.  Do you find young people are more ‘switched on’ to voting and politics now than in decades past?  Or does one need to get a few years under their belt in order to understand the depth of the issues and the importance of ones vote?

Young people are more engaged than ever. Young people understand the risks we face. Politics is very conservative in Aus which has alerted people. (This could be wishful thinking but the Greens have many young active members so I exist in a bubble)

 

I’ve never understood those that treat Political Parties like football teams, as in they will ‘barrack’ (vote) for that Party no matter what they do or what their current policies are.  What methods does one take to sway voters of that mindset?

Vote compass is effective. Get people to talk about policy not personality. Having a crush won’t get the results you want from your government 😉 

Show people where government is active, any action is about getting votes. Ie the schools money and Scott (Hillsong) Morrison or trying to throw Barnaby Joyce at the drought. In Vic it’s all about marginal seats. Moreland council has been asking for a really dangerous intersection to be fixed for years, now that Pascoe Vale has gone marginal we were just promised $11m to fix it. Meanwhile in Frank McGuire’s electorate of Broady (next door) the Windows of the schools are literally rotted shut and the carpets are rotted or threadbare. 

 

There is a growing movement in rural areas by farmers for the government to take action on climate change.  Yet a large amount of country people remain voters for The Nationals, even though as part of the Coalition they have taken no real action on this issue and have within their ranks a significant number of climate-change deniers.  Do you think this may signify a possible shift in rural voting habits for the future and what can The Greens do to bolster their presence in these regions?

I sure hope so. We are running a guy called Serge Simic who is a farmer for the seat of Ripon. He came here escaping the breakup of the Former Yugoslavia as a child with his family. 
Water will be the real issue. The cockies are already involved in “hay battles” South Aus is unhappy that NSW is getting their hay, grain is being freighted from WA. That kind of thing is completely unsustainable. 

Sad thing is, Serge is getting trolled by hunters who don’t wanna be locked out of the national parks so we have a way to go. 

 

On our farm we subsist on rainwater (not easy in a drought) and if we want our rubbish taken away we have to drive it ourselves to the tip.  This contributes towards our mindset of conserving water as much as possible as well as trying to create minimal waste.  How do you encourage people in a large city to be ‘waste conscious?’

We are heavily focused on getting food waste out of landfill at the moment. The container deposit scheme was voted down again by the old parties which is disappointing. 

No matter, it took gun control ten failed bills to parliament by the Greens before a massacre at Port Arthur finally got it over the line. 

 

Now for a few personal questions if I may:

*Living in the second most populated city in Australia, what do you in your own life to ‘stay green’?

Try not to use a lot of plastic, compost everything we can, grow veggies, ride my bike when I don’t have the kids, shower in a bucket and use the water for plants, we are about to have solar installed on our new house and I don’t do stuff like get acrylic fingernails or consume a bunch of unnecessary crap. I still regularly feel like I can do more though. 

 

Your sister has been raising some lovely chookies over the last few years.  Where you live do you have a yard big enough to have any animals? Or perhaps a couple of fruit trees and a veggie patch?

We have had chook but they got eaten by foxes, bit by snakes and other fatal things. My FIL has 4 so we get eggs from him. We live on 1500sq m so we are very lucky. We have a big veggie garden and this year we will grow tomatoes, peas, Lebo cucumber, pumpkin, beans, lettuce, beetroot, sorrel, corn and I’m trying Okra for the first time. We have heaps of herbs and rocket. We also have apple, olive, orange, tangelo, lemons, peach, nectarine, plums, apricot, avocado and a passion fruit vine and a walnut. (Most of those trees are established and bear fruit but some are still young). I want to add cherry and almond. 

 

And of course I have to ask, with three strapping young lads of your own, who are their favorite Transformers?

Percy: Definitely Bumblebee

Patrick: Bumblebee

Mally: Optimus Prime

 

Ms Abboud, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions.

Do you have any questions for Ms Abboud?  Pop them in the comments section below!

 

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