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Post by machsabre on Oct 12, 2021 21:55:49 GMT -5
I got Wreck-Gar and I can see the confusion with the chest and torso, but I got it pretty much right away. I will say knowing to expect some issues with it helped me prepare and make it easier for me.
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Post by Optimal Megatron on Oct 25, 2021 18:31:41 GMT -5
So, due to some eBay purchases, it's a step into yester-decade. Released in 2013 as part of the Thrilling 30, it's the very MTMTE versions of Skids and Trailbreaker.
Skids: The most hilariously overarmed theoretician ever. I initially got the Crosscut version of this mold, but was able to pick up Skids for a good price. Also included is his combining rifle and the "nudge gun" from MTMTE. Leave it with Skids or give it to your TR Getaway to cause your own toy shelf mutiny. So many guns here in his robot mode and a fairly fun transformation. Interestingly, my copy had a well known misassembly error where the hips were reversed, preventing them from pivoting forward and severely hampering his poseability. However, ball-joints and mushroom pegs mean fixing it was the work of a few seconds. Less fixable is how back heavy he is. You have to pose him leaning very far forward or give him a surface to lean against, as standing up straight causes this nerdy geek to fall over under the weight of all the weapons he's packing. The shoulders are also kind of wonky in preventing more dynamic poses in favor of the giant missile racks, and he's missing some things we've become accustomed to being default these days, like ankle tilts for more dynamic posing, a function that didn't become basically expected in everything until Siege. Car mode is slick as ever though. 7/10
Trailbreaker: Winner for a "could be a Furman level 'what the hell was that even about?' kill in MTMTE" award, Trailbreaker has a significantly more techy look than his recent Kingdom toy. Transforming into what looks like it could be the SUV you picked on in school who went off to military basic training and got *jacked*, he's fairly good lookin this mode, if somewhat troubled by his front wheels not always rolling the best. But I've got toys that have zero wheels to roll on despite being tanks, so it's not a big deal. His robot mode is actually pretty good, lots of detail and a fairly easy transformation. Good posing, and his roof gunshield actually works pretty well for weaponized kibble. You can also peg it into his back mounted...sensor...thing... and make it a decent backpack. His stability is very good despite also lacking later line ankle tilts. Really, my only complaint with this is the wheels and some slight "cramming everything in makes panels not quite align all the time" syndrome. 8.5/10.
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Post by Optimal Megatron on Oct 28, 2021 11:57:14 GMT -5
Shattered Glass Goldbug:
So it's the Cliffjumper mold again, but with such a nice paintjob I had to grab Bumper and compare to make sure they hadn't remolded stuff besides his new head. The paint really brings out the details in the mold previous versions haven't, and there is of course a brand new head for this one. I think it's nice, but if you've been getting the new Autobot Seeker mold that is this mold, you may not care for one more paintjob. That said, I'd say this one a better one to grab than Bumper in terms of overall looks.
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Post by Optimal Megatron on Nov 3, 2021 20:01:19 GMT -5
Pulscon Exclusive Predacon Ravage: So for a retool of Cheetor/maybe Tigatron (I don't know about the latter given that despite winning Pulsecon's Transformers Hall of Fame for 2021's best Kingdom Toy, he has neither been officially announced by Hasbro nor officially *released*), Ravage is actually pretty cool. His arms do some completely different stuff to make up for the fact that his shoulder pad panther legs have to slot in completely differently to get that BW profile. The guns, while slotting on the thighs in both robot and beast modes, unfortunately point backwards in the latter, which is a shame for the G1 ref. His robot mode is the huge selling point here as if you've got Cheetor, you're aware of all the benefits and failings of that particular mode. But he's astonishingly good as an in-scale version of Ravage that looks right out of Mainframe's early CGI. Also, he comes with a G1 Ravage with tampographed decals and all the accessories, which in person only more heavily shows me how much camera work everyone who's ever taken pictures of G1 Ravage has to do to keep him from looking ridiculous. He is almost as thin as a cardboard cutout, and from the front, he's nearly 2-dimensional. It's hysterical, for all the bits I've seen about how "elegant" his transformation is. A cute bit of trivia, but there have been better Ravages that turn into tapes since, and I include the Siege one in that list. Overall, a good set, if a bit pricy because con exclusive. 8/10 Cyberverse Deluxe Slag/Slug: First off, where the hell was this during the early Cyberverse line? It's so good, and even compared to Snarl, I think this is evidence of the really awkward throw shit at the wall that held Cyberverse back. Half a dozen size classes, different gimmicks at random, and no consistency on who or what is in each. This figure is as good as Generations ones, and his transformation is completely different than I expected after it looking like a carbon copy of every other Triceratops Dinobot you'd ever seen. The detail work is great, the robot's super poseable, several accessories, and the Dino-mode...stands there, but that's Slag's entire history. Really, if you want to get A Cyberverse toy, this one is on par with Deluxe Prime and Megs for being a standout, solid toy in every respect. 10/10
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Post by machsabre on Nov 3, 2021 20:12:46 GMT -5
Cyberverse Deluxe Slag/Slug: First off, where the hell was this during the early Cyberverse line? Every line has that weak ass start when a new creative direction comes on board. Usually they figure it out pretty quickly and by the middle to the end of the line, they get their groove. (Seriously, some of the late RiD15 toys were super underrated and fun! Blurr, Soundwave and Stormshot compared to Sideswipe and Steeljaw is like a night and day deal.) Same with Cyberverse. The earlier waves kinda suck and were too gimmick heavy... But later guys? Totally fun toys. Rumor has it that the next series will be similar, so we'll have a creative team already on the ball.
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Post by Optimal Megatron on Nov 4, 2021 22:34:26 GMT -5
I do hope that we actually get more in this size class and complexity level. It'd be a shame to only get like one or two toys at this level of quality. Maybe a Tarn since he's showing up in one of the upcoming movies, apparently.
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Post by machsabre on Nov 4, 2021 23:25:07 GMT -5
The funny thing is, I remember looking at the Bumblebee movie toys... Not the Studio Series ones, the smaller ones you actually play with. (That came with those neat pull back motorblocks.) And honestly, ignoring the imitations on articulation, they were detailed enough to look like you could sit them right next to a Generations toy with no issues. And engineering wise, they're the same as the Cyberverse toys.
From what I understand, the reason CV's toyline was underreported all the time was due to older collector's lack of interest. I... I can't say that I don't understand why. I get it. They're fun, but they did NOT get off on the right foot. So what I would like to see? Keep the same engineering, and unless the show has a distinct cartoony style with it (Animated, Rescue Bots), go with a more "standardized evergreen" look for them as far as detail and stuff goes. Just looking at the recent CV Ramjet Ultra toy, which is just a half a head shorter than Generations Rammy... You could have a lot of fun with these guys if their look was a little more unified. And it might interest the older fans more, allowing for more resources to be made for a variety of toys.
For example, if the new cartoon series had a new Seeker toy that functions just like CV Ramjet, but looked more traditional? That's a multiple redeco potential right there, taking some of the burden off the Earthrise and Siege seeker molds.
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Post by iacon45 on Nov 5, 2021 21:30:00 GMT -5
From what I understand, the reason CV's toyline was underreported all the time was due to older collector's lack of interest. I... I can't say that I don't understand why. I get it. They're fun, but they did NOT get off on the right foot. I don't think it was just the older collector's lack of interest but some of the first Cyberverse toys had very poor quality toys. My brother bought his wife's nephews some of the first CV toys and they were already broken within the first week and they are not rough with their toys either. But I'm glad that Cyberverse finally found it's footing with better QC and design. I wouldn't be upset if they dropped Evergreen or folded it into Cyberverse and keep it going after the series is over. The biggest thing I love about CV are the hidden gems and the fact this line can still hold some surprises in a day and age where Hasbro's other lines are getting leaked left and right.
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Post by Optimal Megatron on Nov 13, 2021 16:01:40 GMT -5
JP-93 and Tyrannocon Rex
Right away, both of these are going all out with their paint jobs. The truck and classic JP Rex paint schemes are very well done and highly detailed. In robot mode, this carries over, with Tyrannocon having a bright color scheme in her robot mode parts that complements the other fleshy bits well. Her very Grimlock head is actually what sold me on this set, as it differentiates her enough from being a Megatron recolor and the paint job all over is just great. That said, her smaller head is on a more reactive joint than Megatron's bigger box, so it can flip backward so she's looking straight up and need some readjustment. It feels off, but I don't think it's going to actually break anything.
JP himself is a pretty simple deluxe transformation. He's essentially a Titans Return scaled Deluxe, though he has very box feet that don't have very visible toes. He does have all the usual articulation including ankle tilts and the like. This tooling would easily make an Armada Red Alert, btw. Visually, he's as impressive as Tyrannocon.
Overall, both of these are good toys. If you're familiar with Kingdom Megatron, you know the ups and downs of that mold. JP is new and he does have some clear painted plastic in his mold.
And of course, there's the pricetag. You are paying for that paint, new tooling, and the JP brand. If that's worth it to you, it's entirely up to you. I had the funds, so I don't regret getting these two. But the licensing cost IS a notable factor.
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Post by iacon45 on Nov 13, 2021 16:21:15 GMT -5
JP-93 and Tyrannocon Rex Right away, both of these are going all out with their paint jobs. The truck and classic JP Rex paint schemes are very well done and highly detailed. In robot mode, this carries over, with Tyrannocon having a bright color scheme in her robot mode parts that complements the other fleshy bits well. Her very Grimlock head is actually what sold me on this set, as it differentiates her enough from being a Megatron recolor and the paint job all over is just great. That said, her smaller head is on a more reactive joint than Megatron's bigger box, so it can flip backward so she's looking straight up and need some readjustment. It feels off, but I don't think it's going to actually break anything. JP himself is a pretty simple deluxe transformation. He's essentially a Titans Return scaled Deluxe, though he has very box feet that don't have very visible toes. He does have all the usual articulation including ankle tilts and the like. This tooling would easily make an Armada Red Alert, btw. Visually, he's as impressive as Tyrannocon. Overall, both of these are good toys. If you're familiar with Kingdom Megatron, you know the ups and downs of that mold. JP is new and he does have some clear painted plastic in his mold. And of course, there's the pricetag. You are paying for that paint, new tooling, and the JP brand. If that's worth it to you, it's entirely up to you. I had the funds, so I don't regret getting these two. But the licensing cost IS a notable factor. On JP93, is there any clear plastic on any high stress areas like hinges and does it feel fragile in any spots? Also how are the eye's on Tyrannocon's dino head?
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