Guess what I got in the mail a little while ago? What with all the sightings today I thought it was a good time to post my blog about the one and only Animated Ultra Magnus. I got mine about a week ago thanks to Hasbrotoyshop.com, an underrated tool. So how is the big guy? Well, read on...
Ultra Magnus is an awesome toy. However, I almost ended up hating him. Why? Well, before I get on with the rest of my review I have to mention what is wrong with MY Magnus, personally. He's got a sound effect in vehicle mode that's pretty annoying, but the problem is that on my figure the button is stuck. When he's not in robot mode, it has the potential to play non stop. In fact, in happens to play evey move I make in his Transformation. It's reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally annoying. I just needed to mention that in case anyone else has this problem. Beware Magnus buyers! I'm sure it's just my figure but something that is out there. If anyone has a fix, let me know. Now, onto the rest of the review-
Vehicle mode- Magnus' vehicle is pretty cool, very tough looking. It's incredibly well armed, to boot. Like, incredibly. Two giant cannons, guns that pop out of his cannons, two gattling guns in the bumper, and two sets of three barreled cannons on hte front of the vehicle. Add that to his armor he looks like he could drive into Con territory and take them all out himself. It carries on to robot mode as well. The only two things negative about the vehicle mode are this. The two flaps on the rear of his vehicle mode don't go flush, and thus he's got a wierd slanty thing going on back there. It looks wierd. I mean, at least the lights are angled so it fits, but I still think it looks wierd. The other negative also has to do with his look, and that's the ambiguity of the vehicle mode. What is it? A carrier? A truck? It's blocky in the front and curved in the back. It's not a huge complaint, but it does stick out in my opinion. As you can see, neither of those two things are big at all, so Magnus' vehicle mode is pretty damn awesome. It's really well detailed, including the bolts on the front of the cab, which I love. Hammer storage is a little weak, but you can even hold an Autobot on him if you pose the cannons back. His vehicle mode isn't as perfect as Megatron's, but it's still really really nice. Big, bulky and tough, like him.
Transformation- Here's where Magnus comes ahead of Megs. It's kinda complicated, bu its much more thorough and you feel like you're getting more for you money then Megs' simple one. The wheels fold in and make his legs thick and stable. It's innovative, and I just love the transformation. There's one huge problem, but it might just be my figure in particular. His front end of his cab become his shoulders and the fold up on hinges. But with mine, the hinges are so tight that I have to wrestle the hell out of them. I feel like I'm gonna rip his complex arm hinges apart, and the ones on my Magnus already feel a little weak. So, that makes me a little nervous. Transform with care.
Robot mode- Man does this design look amazing. I love it, it's so imposing and tough. It's incredibly show accurate too, a feat that never ceases to amaze me with these animated toys. He's got great contours and details, and despite being very regal and top heavy, his slick and wide legs keep him stable no matter what poses you put him in. Which leads me to my next point, he's very articulated. You can hit a lot of cool poses with Magnus. This leads me to the ONLY negative of his robot mode. I mean, sure, his wide shoulders interfere with arm posing a little bit but that's not nearly as distracting or bothersome to me as this. When you pose his arms upwards, the shoulders, leave their sockets. He can have his shoulders straight on, and then up one click, but after that it just looks wierd. His shoulders leave their sockets!!! I mean, come on! But then, if you think about it, it was probably a design thing that need to get done in order to make him as show accurate as he is. Oh well. Magnus is also incredibly well armed, as ALL his weapons from vehicle mode. And of course, let's not forget...THE HAMMER OF DOOM! Yes, it's here folks, and it's awesome. The handle is not as long as it should be, but minor complaunt. He's got a freaking hammer!!!
Conclusion-
Negatives- Wierd flaps in vehicle mode
Ambiguous vehicle mode
Shoulders in robot mode
Positives- Tough looking vehicle mode
Badass looking robot mode, tough and regal looking
Tons of weaponry
Posability and detailing
He's awesome
Basically, Ultra Magnus is an awesome figure, and a definate must buy. He's great. Go out and buy him now!
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
Weighing in on the Mouseformer!
Time for me to weigh in on the Disney Transformer issue that popped up a while ago.
I think this is an awesome idea. I am buying this.
I've been a huge Disney fan all my life and Disney World (where hopefully this will be an exclusive) is my favorite place to be on Earth. So combining my two passions in life is a no brainer.
And of course this has been met with the same large amounts of whining and moaning as several other things that have happened in Transformers in recent years.
Not everyone thinks this is the end of the world. I mean, come on, guys, calm down it's not like this is going to be a whole line. It's not, it doesn't make sense and wouldn't sell well. Not to mention that it's meant for Japan. Believe or not, people like Disney, especially in Japan. There's a lot of cool Disney merchandise in Japan only. Not to mention, Japan has done a lot stranger things Cough-kiss players-cough.
And look at Kingdom Hearts! Mass together Square and Disney and you get one of the best games ever!!!
Basically, what I'm saying is, chill out people. Let's wait and see what it looks like. And keep in mind some people, like me are in favor of this. I'm sorry if you're reading this and you're one of those people who are outraged, but I needed to put my opinion out there. I think it's great!
Hopefully it won't cost an arm and a leg to import.
I think this is an awesome idea. I am buying this.
I've been a huge Disney fan all my life and Disney World (where hopefully this will be an exclusive) is my favorite place to be on Earth. So combining my two passions in life is a no brainer.
And of course this has been met with the same large amounts of whining and moaning as several other things that have happened in Transformers in recent years.
Not everyone thinks this is the end of the world. I mean, come on, guys, calm down it's not like this is going to be a whole line. It's not, it doesn't make sense and wouldn't sell well. Not to mention that it's meant for Japan. Believe or not, people like Disney, especially in Japan. There's a lot of cool Disney merchandise in Japan only. Not to mention, Japan has done a lot stranger things Cough-kiss players-cough.
And look at Kingdom Hearts! Mass together Square and Disney and you get one of the best games ever!!!
Basically, what I'm saying is, chill out people. Let's wait and see what it looks like. And keep in mind some people, like me are in favor of this. I'm sorry if you're reading this and you're one of those people who are outraged, but I needed to put my opinion out there. I think it's great!
Hopefully it won't cost an arm and a leg to import.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Say what you want, Walmart has some nice exclusives...
I really love these repaint movie exclusives. I loved Cybertron, (Well, most of it) so the molds are already pretty aces in my book. I have four out of the seven releases, and I love em all.
Big Daddy- WHAT? Of all the G1 names to revive, you revive that one? Hilarious. An awesome nod to collectors, who are the only people who get the inside joke. Add that to the great paint scheme and cool figure and you have a must buy. Anyone who listened to Decepticast knows my love for black repaints, and Big Daddy adds to that by having badass flames. A great obscure homage that I'm very glad to have in my collection. It's just a nice figure. No wonder on his first release he flew out of Walmarts almost as fast as Masterpiece screamers.
Grindcore- Cybertron Landmine was a great figure that deserved a lot more play. In a line that was a large part repaints, he was never repainted once. Thank goodness he became a Botcon exclusive, he deserved it. So, I was very happy to see him here. With a cool brand new name to boot! "Grindcore"...sounds awesome doesn't it? Sure, the paint scheme is a little bland but it is Constructicon-ny, right? Ah, who cares about the boring green. The mold is great, I love the way his head is painted and he's an exclusive. Grindcore FTW!
Crankcase- Personally, I loved the Red Alert mold. Sure, it was a little short but he's incredibly posable, detailed and has a lot of personality what with his tools and robo cop head and flip up cannons. Not to mention the amazing Cannonball repaint immidiately won me over. Now THAT was a cool toy. When this was announced at Botcon 08, I thought it was great. Not only did have another great variation of Decepticon symbol (The Hazmat symbol, just like Barricade's amazing police one) but the rest of the deco was very through. He was also a great modern homage. I never thought of Red Alert and the Triggercon together, but it really works. Plus you can always never have too many Decepticons. The deco is mostly a great navy blue, combined with some black and metallics that looks really nice. And there's JUST enough yellow to compliment the paint and add the Haz-mat nature. GREAT REDECO, highly recommended.
Breakaway- He wasn't originally on my list, given that I already own three of this mold and despite the cool car mode and robot design it's not that posable. However, my girlfriend really liked him, and as I looked into him I was really impressed how much he actually does look like Getaway, to the point where i can't help but call him that sometimes. Vehicle mode is actually pretty snazzy with the white and the red tint on the windows. Robot mode, despite Cybertron's cool design suffers from not a lot of paint apps unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible but lacks the polish of Crankcase. Mine's a little loose too. Still, I don't regret the purchase, it's a cool homage but, frankly, no one is as cool as Big Daddy.
What about the other three?
Jolt- Eh, actually the color scheme is pretty cool but after going to Botcon and getting Jazz and Ricochet in addition to Crosswise and Smokescreen, I didn't need another one.
Divebomb- UGGGGH. Worst mold in the entire line with a puke yellow brown poo splotched paint scheme. Thankfully he was killed in Reign of Starscream.
Fracture- Since when does everyone love Gobots. The paint scheme is ok but that Mirage mold is boring. Not to mention he's a pretty wierd female. AND IT'S A GOBOT PEOPLE! Sheesh.
All in all, Walmart has made some awesome exclusives. I was more excited for those repaints then some of the new Universe molds. Call me crazy, but I'll take Crankcase over that new Ironhide anyday. Ratchet might be a different story...but that's not the point. They're awesome. Grab them before they're gone. Big Daddy's going again, and Fracture (For who knows why) is going fast. Here's my list:
1. Big Daddy
2. Crankcase
3. Grindcore
4. Breakaway
5. Fracture
6. Jolt
7. Divebomb
I know I don't have three of them but I have the molds and have seen the color schemes so I thought it was ok.
Big Daddy- WHAT? Of all the G1 names to revive, you revive that one? Hilarious. An awesome nod to collectors, who are the only people who get the inside joke. Add that to the great paint scheme and cool figure and you have a must buy. Anyone who listened to Decepticast knows my love for black repaints, and Big Daddy adds to that by having badass flames. A great obscure homage that I'm very glad to have in my collection. It's just a nice figure. No wonder on his first release he flew out of Walmarts almost as fast as Masterpiece screamers.
Grindcore- Cybertron Landmine was a great figure that deserved a lot more play. In a line that was a large part repaints, he was never repainted once. Thank goodness he became a Botcon exclusive, he deserved it. So, I was very happy to see him here. With a cool brand new name to boot! "Grindcore"...sounds awesome doesn't it? Sure, the paint scheme is a little bland but it is Constructicon-ny, right? Ah, who cares about the boring green. The mold is great, I love the way his head is painted and he's an exclusive. Grindcore FTW!
Crankcase- Personally, I loved the Red Alert mold. Sure, it was a little short but he's incredibly posable, detailed and has a lot of personality what with his tools and robo cop head and flip up cannons. Not to mention the amazing Cannonball repaint immidiately won me over. Now THAT was a cool toy. When this was announced at Botcon 08, I thought it was great. Not only did have another great variation of Decepticon symbol (The Hazmat symbol, just like Barricade's amazing police one) but the rest of the deco was very through. He was also a great modern homage. I never thought of Red Alert and the Triggercon together, but it really works. Plus you can always never have too many Decepticons. The deco is mostly a great navy blue, combined with some black and metallics that looks really nice. And there's JUST enough yellow to compliment the paint and add the Haz-mat nature. GREAT REDECO, highly recommended.
Breakaway- He wasn't originally on my list, given that I already own three of this mold and despite the cool car mode and robot design it's not that posable. However, my girlfriend really liked him, and as I looked into him I was really impressed how much he actually does look like Getaway, to the point where i can't help but call him that sometimes. Vehicle mode is actually pretty snazzy with the white and the red tint on the windows. Robot mode, despite Cybertron's cool design suffers from not a lot of paint apps unfortunately. Don't get me wrong, it's not terrible but lacks the polish of Crankcase. Mine's a little loose too. Still, I don't regret the purchase, it's a cool homage but, frankly, no one is as cool as Big Daddy.
What about the other three?
Jolt- Eh, actually the color scheme is pretty cool but after going to Botcon and getting Jazz and Ricochet in addition to Crosswise and Smokescreen, I didn't need another one.
Divebomb- UGGGGH. Worst mold in the entire line with a puke yellow brown poo splotched paint scheme. Thankfully he was killed in Reign of Starscream.
Fracture- Since when does everyone love Gobots. The paint scheme is ok but that Mirage mold is boring. Not to mention he's a pretty wierd female. AND IT'S A GOBOT PEOPLE! Sheesh.
All in all, Walmart has made some awesome exclusives. I was more excited for those repaints then some of the new Universe molds. Call me crazy, but I'll take Crankcase over that new Ironhide anyday. Ratchet might be a different story...but that's not the point. They're awesome. Grab them before they're gone. Big Daddy's going again, and Fracture (For who knows why) is going fast. Here's my list:
1. Big Daddy
2. Crankcase
3. Grindcore
4. Breakaway
5. Fracture
6. Jolt
7. Divebomb
I know I don't have three of them but I have the molds and have seen the color schemes so I thought it was ok.
Friday, September 12, 2008
TITANIUM ADVENTURE
My latest TF purchase (aside from the awesome Swoop) comes in the form of War Within Grimlock, the last of the Titanium line with Prowl and a Toys R Us Exclusive. I have to say, I was never in love with the Titanium line, but this guy is actually pretty damn cool. I wasn't expecting much, but he surprised me. But first, a little history of the six inch Titanium line and me:
When this was announced, I thought it was pretty cool but wasn't terribly interested in it. Sure, it seemed like a great idea as a side line for collectors, but none of the first wave grabbed me. I'd have to wait and see...
First wave: WW Optimus Prime and GIJOE Megatron. Prime was actually pretty cool looking, and I liked that Hasbro was branching into comic figures. Still...he didn't catch my attention long enough for me to spend twenty bucks on, especially since I was knee deep into being a completest for Cybertron (A line that I really, really liked.) So, unfortunately, Prime had to pass for Scott to save a little dough. And the Megatron? Ugh. What a boring robot mode, boring tank mode, and a transformation that I could work out just by looking at the vehicle mode. I mean, I know that the Titaniums had simple transformations, but this was ridiculous. I mean, you could see his crotch on the front of the tank. PASS. Things were not boding well. But then, a ray of light appeared....
Second wave: WW Jetfire and WW Thundercracker. Now we're talking. WW done right. Prime's coolness, but with more interesting designs and different characters. Thundercracker BEFORE Starscream? Sign me up! TC became the first purchase from this line. He's pretty cool, shoulders are a bit weak, but other wise a great figure. It really showed me what this line could do. Jetfire was nice too, but a little too skinny, and like I said earlier, my cash was almost all in Cybertron.
Third wave: Optimal Optimus and Scourge. The awesomeness continued with this wave. I'm not a huge G1 booster and I especially hate the movie designs. So Scourge was a definate pass for me, but even I could admit it was pretty nice. But Optimal Optimus? From Beast Wars, one of my favorite TF eras? I was actually excited for this toy. Not to mention that the actual Optimal Optimus figure was getting some weak joints due to all the excessive play from my youth. So I was eager for a new one. And it was great, the figure was a perfect scaled down model, and had metal in all the right places. Complete with show accurate chest guns! He's my favorite of this line to this day.
Fourth Wave: Rodimus and Soundwave. What went wrong here? Rodimus? Rodimus sucks. He sucked in the cartoon, his original toy sucked, why would we want another of him? Granted, this toy was the best he ever looked, but my hatred for all things Hot Rod and Rodimus drove me away from him, which I was A-Ok with. I did buy Soundwave though. I may not love G1 more then other Transformers series (don't get me wrong, I like the series, just not as much the movie-verse, animated-verse, and others) but it's impossible to not love Soundwave. He's awesome, pure and simple. And as I never had any Soundwave toy, and Classics Soundwave was not on the horizon yet, I bought him. And truthfully, he's not terrible, but the low crotch is definitely weird and my Soundwave is the definition of floppy. So he was good, posable for a Titanium, but not great, because he couldn't stand.
Fifth Wave: WW Starscream and RID Optimus Prime. Ah, the first repaint. Seeing as I like Thundercracker better then Screamer and I already owned the mold, I passed. And as for Prime, it was cool that they brought his trailer into the transformation, but the mold didn't look cool enough to take my money. Especially after Floppywave.
But then...Titaniums went away. They completely dried up. No new releases. Once they sold, they were nary to be found. Until some weird shipping schedule shipped out wave six and wave EIGHT into stores. A lot, actually.
Wave Six: Cheetor and The Fallen. New molds! Hurrah! Actually, for all the bad press surrounding Beast Machines, I actually kinda liked parts of it. Sure, a bunch a Cheetors were churned out, but hey, why not one more? It's not as good as Night Slash Cheetor but the figure was actually nice. The Fallen was an awesome choice, and even though the vehicle mode was a little weak, the robot mode had a lot of great details. Both of these interested me enough to buy.
Wave Eight: WW Sunstorm and WW Magnus. Sunstorm and not Skywarp? Um, ok, whatever. Not a bad looking repaint but the seeker mold was not good enough to warrant a second purchase having already passed on Screamer. As for Magnus, I'm actually in the minority of people that LOVE the white Optimus repaint. I have the Ultra Magnus from Universe, Classics, and OTFCC statue. So, since I passed on Prime I didn't have this mold, and bought him. A little floppy, but kinda cool. It was bittersweet, the end of Titaniums being a repaint of the first toy. And it was pretty cool...
Whats that you say? Wave Seven? Ah yes. WW Megatron was never seen on his own but plenty seen packed with Prime at Toys R Us. The toy didn't possess any of the power of WW Megs, looked dumb and had a really half assed vehicle mode. The Holy Grail of Titaniums G1 Ultra Magnus, complete with armor. I don't know why this is so popular. Are people that desperate for armor? He had an entire cab sticking out of his back and huge shoulders!
Oh, and let's not forget the comic con exclusives. I hate Rodimus but I'm a sucker for black repaints so Menasaur made his way into my collection. Yeah, the molds not that great, but at least the color scheme was cool. Looked much better at Botcon though. As for Skywarp, I was going to buy him...but unfortunately my budget kicked in so thats out of my reach. Oh well, I have one of the mold.
So that's it, including these two exclusives, twenty releases in all. In my collection, I gots eight. A cool line but hampered by simple transformations, simple alternate modes, and floppy joints that means they can barely stand. But Grimlock is truly the last of this piece of TF history. How does he stack up?
His vehicle mode is a little too simple. Legs stick out a bit too much. But that being said, it still looks pretty good. Much Better then WW Megs. It's fairly detailed, and looks pretty accurate to the comics. His weapon storage is not accurate but it's simply nice he has it. Transformation is, of course, very easy. But I don't really find that to be a detriment for these figures, I mean, they do have to deal with all that weight. Joints, now that's another story. How is his robot mode? Actually, great, almost perfect. No one is more fitting to be cast from metal then one of my favorites, Big Grim. The legs are fairly posable, although his shoulders lack and his arms suffer due to their design. Which brings me to Grimlock's only problem. His arms. The design is great and the mold looks cool except for his incredibly SMALL and puny arms. They just look so wrong. Not to mention they sort of stick out of his shoulders and limit any posablity. However, other then that big quip, he's my second favorite Titanium after Primal and a great TF on his own right. Fairly posable, bulky and detailed, he just looks pretty badass. And he comes with two different accessories, not just one or two of the same. It's great. So, ok posabilty, ok vehicle mode, and cool robot mode make Grimlock a cool figure on his own right. Certainly cooler now that he's an exclusive. Perhaps that's what this line should've been from the beginning.
So, in conclusion, Grimlock is recommended, I know there is a lot of Universe and Animated stuff out right now (BELIEVE me I know) But he's certainly worth a look. Can't speak for Prowl though.
Since I like making lists and in case anyone cares what I think, here is how I rate the eight molds that I own. I was going to add them all in but I guess it's only fair since the line gets beat on enough, so I won't judge those that I don't have.
1. Optimal Optimus
2. Grimlock
3. Ultra Magnus
4. Fallen
5. Cheetor
6. Thundercracker
7. Menasaur
8. Soundwave
Hopes everyone enjoyed my rambling trip through this line. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts! So drop a comment, or email, or whatever! See you guys next time!
When this was announced, I thought it was pretty cool but wasn't terribly interested in it. Sure, it seemed like a great idea as a side line for collectors, but none of the first wave grabbed me. I'd have to wait and see...
First wave: WW Optimus Prime and GIJOE Megatron. Prime was actually pretty cool looking, and I liked that Hasbro was branching into comic figures. Still...he didn't catch my attention long enough for me to spend twenty bucks on, especially since I was knee deep into being a completest for Cybertron (A line that I really, really liked.) So, unfortunately, Prime had to pass for Scott to save a little dough. And the Megatron? Ugh. What a boring robot mode, boring tank mode, and a transformation that I could work out just by looking at the vehicle mode. I mean, I know that the Titaniums had simple transformations, but this was ridiculous. I mean, you could see his crotch on the front of the tank. PASS. Things were not boding well. But then, a ray of light appeared....
Second wave: WW Jetfire and WW Thundercracker. Now we're talking. WW done right. Prime's coolness, but with more interesting designs and different characters. Thundercracker BEFORE Starscream? Sign me up! TC became the first purchase from this line. He's pretty cool, shoulders are a bit weak, but other wise a great figure. It really showed me what this line could do. Jetfire was nice too, but a little too skinny, and like I said earlier, my cash was almost all in Cybertron.
Third wave: Optimal Optimus and Scourge. The awesomeness continued with this wave. I'm not a huge G1 booster and I especially hate the movie designs. So Scourge was a definate pass for me, but even I could admit it was pretty nice. But Optimal Optimus? From Beast Wars, one of my favorite TF eras? I was actually excited for this toy. Not to mention that the actual Optimal Optimus figure was getting some weak joints due to all the excessive play from my youth. So I was eager for a new one. And it was great, the figure was a perfect scaled down model, and had metal in all the right places. Complete with show accurate chest guns! He's my favorite of this line to this day.
Fourth Wave: Rodimus and Soundwave. What went wrong here? Rodimus? Rodimus sucks. He sucked in the cartoon, his original toy sucked, why would we want another of him? Granted, this toy was the best he ever looked, but my hatred for all things Hot Rod and Rodimus drove me away from him, which I was A-Ok with. I did buy Soundwave though. I may not love G1 more then other Transformers series (don't get me wrong, I like the series, just not as much the movie-verse, animated-verse, and others) but it's impossible to not love Soundwave. He's awesome, pure and simple. And as I never had any Soundwave toy, and Classics Soundwave was not on the horizon yet, I bought him. And truthfully, he's not terrible, but the low crotch is definitely weird and my Soundwave is the definition of floppy. So he was good, posable for a Titanium, but not great, because he couldn't stand.
Fifth Wave: WW Starscream and RID Optimus Prime. Ah, the first repaint. Seeing as I like Thundercracker better then Screamer and I already owned the mold, I passed. And as for Prime, it was cool that they brought his trailer into the transformation, but the mold didn't look cool enough to take my money. Especially after Floppywave.
But then...Titaniums went away. They completely dried up. No new releases. Once they sold, they were nary to be found. Until some weird shipping schedule shipped out wave six and wave EIGHT into stores. A lot, actually.
Wave Six: Cheetor and The Fallen. New molds! Hurrah! Actually, for all the bad press surrounding Beast Machines, I actually kinda liked parts of it. Sure, a bunch a Cheetors were churned out, but hey, why not one more? It's not as good as Night Slash Cheetor but the figure was actually nice. The Fallen was an awesome choice, and even though the vehicle mode was a little weak, the robot mode had a lot of great details. Both of these interested me enough to buy.
Wave Eight: WW Sunstorm and WW Magnus. Sunstorm and not Skywarp? Um, ok, whatever. Not a bad looking repaint but the seeker mold was not good enough to warrant a second purchase having already passed on Screamer. As for Magnus, I'm actually in the minority of people that LOVE the white Optimus repaint. I have the Ultra Magnus from Universe, Classics, and OTFCC statue. So, since I passed on Prime I didn't have this mold, and bought him. A little floppy, but kinda cool. It was bittersweet, the end of Titaniums being a repaint of the first toy. And it was pretty cool...
Whats that you say? Wave Seven? Ah yes. WW Megatron was never seen on his own but plenty seen packed with Prime at Toys R Us. The toy didn't possess any of the power of WW Megs, looked dumb and had a really half assed vehicle mode. The Holy Grail of Titaniums G1 Ultra Magnus, complete with armor. I don't know why this is so popular. Are people that desperate for armor? He had an entire cab sticking out of his back and huge shoulders!
Oh, and let's not forget the comic con exclusives. I hate Rodimus but I'm a sucker for black repaints so Menasaur made his way into my collection. Yeah, the molds not that great, but at least the color scheme was cool. Looked much better at Botcon though. As for Skywarp, I was going to buy him...but unfortunately my budget kicked in so thats out of my reach. Oh well, I have one of the mold.
So that's it, including these two exclusives, twenty releases in all. In my collection, I gots eight. A cool line but hampered by simple transformations, simple alternate modes, and floppy joints that means they can barely stand. But Grimlock is truly the last of this piece of TF history. How does he stack up?
His vehicle mode is a little too simple. Legs stick out a bit too much. But that being said, it still looks pretty good. Much Better then WW Megs. It's fairly detailed, and looks pretty accurate to the comics. His weapon storage is not accurate but it's simply nice he has it. Transformation is, of course, very easy. But I don't really find that to be a detriment for these figures, I mean, they do have to deal with all that weight. Joints, now that's another story. How is his robot mode? Actually, great, almost perfect. No one is more fitting to be cast from metal then one of my favorites, Big Grim. The legs are fairly posable, although his shoulders lack and his arms suffer due to their design. Which brings me to Grimlock's only problem. His arms. The design is great and the mold looks cool except for his incredibly SMALL and puny arms. They just look so wrong. Not to mention they sort of stick out of his shoulders and limit any posablity. However, other then that big quip, he's my second favorite Titanium after Primal and a great TF on his own right. Fairly posable, bulky and detailed, he just looks pretty badass. And he comes with two different accessories, not just one or two of the same. It's great. So, ok posabilty, ok vehicle mode, and cool robot mode make Grimlock a cool figure on his own right. Certainly cooler now that he's an exclusive. Perhaps that's what this line should've been from the beginning.
So, in conclusion, Grimlock is recommended, I know there is a lot of Universe and Animated stuff out right now (BELIEVE me I know) But he's certainly worth a look. Can't speak for Prowl though.
Since I like making lists and in case anyone cares what I think, here is how I rate the eight molds that I own. I was going to add them all in but I guess it's only fair since the line gets beat on enough, so I won't judge those that I don't have.
1. Optimal Optimus
2. Grimlock
3. Ultra Magnus
4. Fallen
5. Cheetor
6. Thundercracker
7. Menasaur
8. Soundwave
Hopes everyone enjoyed my rambling trip through this line. I would love to hear everyone's thoughts! So drop a comment, or email, or whatever! See you guys next time!
BACK FROM THE DEAD
HUZZAH! I'M BACK!
Yes, as everyone probably realized (though I doubt anyone cared, ;)) Decepticast was no more. That's ok, because it just wasn't working. Writing and recording the podcast became such a huge task for me to do, and the listener-quota wasn't supporting it. Besides, I got killed by the competition, as such high profile sites such as Tformers and TFW2005 started their casts right after mine went down for re-tooling. Thats ok, easy come easy go. Besides, all of those podcasts have multiple people shooting off and bouncing ideas around, and mine only had my stupid voice. Not to mention that I was so afraid of popping Ps and other technical glitches I was bound to a pretty rigid delivery, not letting my natural comedy flow. Well, here's a blog, where I can write everything I want and anything I want and still be funny. Hopefully.
So I've revitalized the blog, and am going to focus all my attentions, reviews, comments, and other shenanigans right here. I hope everyone enjoys this blog and joins me week after week, day after day for Transformers fun.
Enough talk!
Transform and Rise UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, as everyone probably realized (though I doubt anyone cared, ;)) Decepticast was no more. That's ok, because it just wasn't working. Writing and recording the podcast became such a huge task for me to do, and the listener-quota wasn't supporting it. Besides, I got killed by the competition, as such high profile sites such as Tformers and TFW2005 started their casts right after mine went down for re-tooling. Thats ok, easy come easy go. Besides, all of those podcasts have multiple people shooting off and bouncing ideas around, and mine only had my stupid voice. Not to mention that I was so afraid of popping Ps and other technical glitches I was bound to a pretty rigid delivery, not letting my natural comedy flow. Well, here's a blog, where I can write everything I want and anything I want and still be funny. Hopefully.
So I've revitalized the blog, and am going to focus all my attentions, reviews, comments, and other shenanigans right here. I hope everyone enjoys this blog and joins me week after week, day after day for Transformers fun.
Enough talk!
Transform and Rise UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)