Tag Archives: Transformers

#3564: Ultra Magnus

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ULTRA MAGNUS

TRANSFORMERS PRIME: CYBERVERSE (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0043:  There are 7 Prime-style Ultra Magnus toys.  I own 5 of them, and I’ve reviewed four of them here.  Here’s the fifth!

I do love me an Ultra Magnus review, because it signifies that I get to talk about a new Ultra Magnus.  Is there anything better than that?  Well, yeah, probably.  But it’s certainly high on the list!  I’ve still got a sizeable collection of Magnuses, and I haven’t yet reviewed them all, so I get to pull one off the shelf every so often and jump back in.  So, that’s what I’m doing here!  This one’s on the tinier side!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Magnus is part of the third Commander Class wave of the Prime: Cyberverse line.  In contrast to these days, where Commander Class is a size above Leader, during Cyberverse, it was the larger of the two smaller scale lines, more on par with the likes of the modern Core Class.  In robot mode, Magnus is just shy of 4 inches tall and he has 11 points of workable articulation.  Much like his larger scale Powerizer counterpart, Magnus is using his pre-show appearance design, which is a bit more unique.  As such, he gets a unique sculpt, rather than re-using Optimus parts.  I remain a fan of this design, even if it never did get any show use.  It’s smaller scale equivalent is a little more rudimentary and has more obvious bits of his vehicle mode hanging off, but that doesn’t make it less cool.  His coloring is similar but not identical to the larger version; there’s a larger proportion of red on the torso and shoulders this time around, and the blue’s a little darker.  Magnus gets a hammer weapon, which is kind of a half-way point between the Powerizer and Arms Micron releases of the weapons included with the larger mold.  It converts into a cannon mode, but definitely works better as a hammer.  This Magnus’ alt-mode matches the larger figure, with more of a tow-truck vibe than we tend to see on Magnus.  The transformation is pretty simple, and it locks together pretty well.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Max has been very supportive of me in my goal of acquiring all the Magnuses, and this is one of those instances.  He went out of his way to make sure this guy got to me, in the midst of a very rough patch of time for me.  He’s just a little guy, but he’s a little guy I really do love.  I’m always down for another Magnus!

#3503: Ultra Magnus

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ULTRA MAGNUS

TRANSFORMERS: STUDIO SERIES (HASBRO)

“Ultra Magnus leads defensive measures against the Decepticons invading Autobot City.”

Well, it’s been another few months with no Transformers around these parts, so, you know, maybe I’ll address that?  Yeah, let’s do that.  And the best way to address a Transformers drought is…well, let’s be honest, with me it’s either gonna be Ultra Magnus or Soundwave.  Today, let’s focus on the former. Back in 2021, Hasbro started working Transformers: The Movie figures into their Studio Series line, in celebration of the movie’s 35th anniversary. At the same time, Earthrise and Kingdom added a few more compatible characters in a fairly close to movie style. Ultra Magnus’s anniversary-related figure wound up in Kingdom, and sort of walked the line between cartoon and toy, having an animated style exterior, while still retaining the toy style inner bot. This doesn’t quite hit the same mark as a Studio Series release, so, obviously a follow-up was needed, right?  Sure, yeah, let’s go with that.  I will literally never turn down a new Magnus.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Magus is a Commander Class release in Hasbro’s Transformers: Studio Series, where he’s numbered 86-21.  Magnus is notable for being the first instance of a Commander release under the Studio Series banner; previously, they were just a main line thing.  It also means he bumps up a class after being typically in the Leader category.  In his robot mode, the figure stands 9 inches tall and he has 30 workable points of articulation.  His articulation is generally improved compared to the usual Magnus, so he get a lot more poses than you might expect from a guy that’s so bulked up.  In particular, he gets a really cool set up on his hands, allowing for “fists”, basic grip, trigger grip, and even pointing.  The only part I’m not super keen on is how the shoulders work when extending out to the side; you’re effectively just popping them out of the socket, and the hinge isn’t strong enough to actually hold them up.  Magnus’ sculpt is all-new, and, as noted in the intro, it eliminates the inner robot mode, since he had nothing of the sort in the movie or cartoon.  This allows the design to focus purely on Magnus’ armored up design, and not have to worry about contending with an additional mode.  As such, his proportions work out slightly differently, and he doesn’t have spots where you can still see the smaller bot poking through.  It’s a strong sculpt, definitely capturing his movie design very well.  The only part that feels off to me is, again, the shoulders, which seem to be a little too wide for proper animation accuracy.  It’s not far off, mind you, and has to do with folding up parts from his alt-mode, so it’s not the end of the world.  Ultra Magnus gets a few built-in features.  To replicate the scene in the movie where he is drawn and quartered, his arms and legs are removable, by way of a spring-loaded locking system.  Magnus also gets a spot in his torso to house the Matrix of Leadership (as he does for a while in the movie), which is likewise spring loaded.  Pulling up the blue armored section of the torso flips the two chest doors open, revealing the included Matrix.  Magnus is packed with his toy-style rifle, plus his smaller emergency rifle from the movie, both of which can be stored on his back.  He also includes 7 different effects pieces, which are modular, and can be combined into different set-ups in conjunction with the rifles and the rockets.

With no inner bot, this Magnus transforms directly into his car-carrier vehicle mode, rather than the separate cab/carrier set-up of the Kingdom and Siege molds.  He’s a Commander Class, so there’s a definite complexity to the transformation.  It’s definitely a little more on the fiddly side, and I was consulting the instructions more on this one than others.  That said, it’s not terribly unintuitive, and its still a Magnus, so there are certain broad strokes that still land for the sequence.  The resulting vehicle mode is honestly pretty good.  There are a few spots where it doesn’t *quite* tab together perfectly, but otherwise it works, and the carrier portion is even large enough to properly carry Deluxe Class car bots, which is definitely a plus from the compatibility stand-point.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After getting the Kingdom Magnus, I didn’t think I needed another G1-style Magnus.   I mean, that one’s, like, really solid.  How do you top it?  You don’t, as it turns out.  You go a different direction.  This one definitely was a surprise, but a happy one.  He’s definitely fun.  I don’t know that he beats out Kingdom Magnus in my *personal* order, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate another Magnus for my Magnus shelf.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3434: Hot Shot – Armada Universe

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

HOT SHOT — ARMADA UNIVERSE

TRANSFORMERS LEGACY: EVOLUTION (HASBRO)

Hey, remember back in February, when I was talking about Transformers: Armada?  Cool.  Well, um, I’m gonna talk about it again.  So, there.  Specifically, I’m talking about Hot Shot, a character created for Armada, who was specifically designed to fill a role somewhere between Bumblebee and Hot Rod.  Which makes sense, because he totally looks like a cross between those two.  Well, at least in his original incarnation.  Which is the one I’m looking right now!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Hot Shot is part of the first Deluxe Class assortment of Transformers Legacy: Evolution.  Evolution serves as the sub-branding for everything in Legacy‘s second year, and they started hitting in early 2023.  He’s the second Armada update in Legacy, following up on last year’s Starscream. This is our second update to Armada Hot Shot since the show’s tie-in line ended, following the Universe one from 2009.  In robot mode, Hot Shot is about 5 inches tall and he has 22 workable points of articulation, as well as the original figure’s moving visor for his helmet.  All of the Armada figures were pretty restricted in terms of articulation, and Hot Shot was pretty notable for his complete lack of neck movement, as well as shoulders that didn’t go forward and back.  This one addresses both of those points.  The neck is really just a swivel, but that’s better than no movement at all.  His sculpt was an all-new one at the time, but it’s already been tapped for a Powerlinx re-paint.  The sculpt does a pretty solid job of capturing all of Hot Shot’s key design elements, both from the toy and the show.  There are a few areas, mainly the lower legs, where there’s a slightly off construction due to transforming elements, but he generally goes together pretty solidly.  Also, it’s a minor little thing, but I miss the goofy smirk on the face.  Sure, the stoic expression’s more accurate, I guess, but I miss it nonetheless.  Guess it’s a good thing I have my old one still.  Hot Shot is designed to keep the original’s “axlezooka” weapon.  It’s not spring-loaded this time, so you just deploy it manually, but it’s still there, which is very much appreciated.  His color scheme mimics the original figure pretty closely, albeit with a few trade-offs.  He’s got more detailing on the face and head, but loses some of the details on his legs.  Certainly still looks very Hot Shot-y, though.  Hot Shot is packed with his gun, which he can hold, but cannot mount on his chest the way his original version could.  Still no minicon present for this one either, but there’s a Jolt coming with the Power Linx version later in the year.

Hot Shot’s alt-mode is the same stylized sports car as his original release. The transformation scheme is a bit more involved, as expected, but it’s not too terribly hard to figure it out. In car mode, he gets fancy clear windows, and he even has a Minicon port, a very pleasant change from Starscream. As with the “axlezooka” for the robot mode, Hot Shot’s vehicle mode includes a non-spring-loaded version of the original’s “driving claws.” Sure, it’s just flipping the feet out, but that’s all the original did, so, you know.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Armada is really the closest I get to having a thing that’s “my Transformers,” so I’ve got a real soft spot for it, especially when it comes to the three figures I had as a kid. Hot Shot was one of those, and I’ve held onto him the whole time. I got the Generations Select Hot Shot when he came out, and he was cool, but he was a placeholder for the real deal. This guy was a birthday present from my son Matty, who has also gained an appreciation for my old Armada figures. This one’s cool. I like him a bit more than I did Starscream. I wish he had Jolt, but other than that, I do really like him.

#3383: Ultra Magnus

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

ULTRA MAGNUS

TRANSFORMERS PRIME: ROBOTS IN DISGUISE (HASBRO)

“If there is any Autobot the Decepticons fear as much as Optimus Prime it is Ultra Magnus. His battle hammer has crushed chassis from one side of the galaxy to the other. No battlefield on which his armored feet have stepped has ever been yielded to the Decepticons.”

Back when Hasbro was having a go at running their own television channel, and they needed a bit more material to fill out the schedule, they launched a few new incarnations of their in-house brands.  Transformers Prime was part of this launch, and was certainly a more successful launch than its G.I. Joe equivalent, Renegades.  It also spawned a rather expansive tie-in toyline.  And, as you can probably gather from my usual Transformers habits, I’m most interested in the Ultra Magnuses.  I’m looking at one of those today.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Magnus was released in the fourth Voyager Class assortment of Hasbro’s Prime: Robots in Disguise line, referred to internally as “Powerizers” to better distinguish them from everything else to use “Robots in Disguise” in its title.  Takara also released him under their Arms Micron banner, which features some differences I’ll touch on later down.  In his robot mode, the figure stands just shy of 7 inches tall and he has 18 workable points of articulation.  In contrast to many Magnuses, including most under the Prime heading, this figure sported a sculpt wholly unique to him, and shared no parts with any of the Optimus figures from the line.  As he predated Magnus’s appearance in Season 3 of the show (where he largely re-used Optimus’s Season 1 design model), this figure has a distinctly different design, which, apart from the head (which was transplanted onto the aforementioned Season 1 Optimus), was never actually used in the show.  It’s honestly a pretty good design it its own right, and it translates nicely into toy form.  He keeps with the show’s lean and mean aesthetic, while still holding onto Magnus’s usual boxier build.  His color scheme is far heavier on blue than the final show design, and the Hasbro release makes use of a nice, deep, metallic blue plastic, which I really dig.  The Micron release has a flatter, brighter blue, which is also pretty fun, though it ends up losing a lot of the smaller details present on the Hasbro version.  Of the two, the Hasbro one’s definitely a little stronger.  The Hasbro release is packed with a large hammer, which can turn into a rifle, as well as a single rocket; he should really have two for that classic shoulder set-up, but I suppose you could track down an extra if you’re so inclined.  The Micron release drops those in favor of his “partner,” a small bot that turns into a different version of the hammer.  He’s a pretty fun little guy, and I like the final hammer a bit better on the Micron version.  Magnus’s alt-mode for this release is again unique.  Rather than sharing Optimus’s mode, this one is more of a tow-truck vibe, which is different, but fun.  The transformation is involved, but not too difficult, and the whole thing is honestly pretty satisfying to mess around with.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I got the Prime Magnus figures effectively in reverse order, which is a bit of an interesting way of looking at them, since it means they get more unique as you go, rather than becoming more prone to re-use.  I added the Hasbro version of this guy to my collection a little while back, when he came into All Time as part of a trade-in a few years ago.  I got the Takara one quite recently, comparatively, courtesy of a different trade-in.  They both have their strengths, and it’s one of the few cases where I really feel there’s a benefit to both.  In general, I really like the different take on the character that this era granted.  It’s fun to see how the development process works out some times.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with these figures to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3373: Ultra Magnus

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

ULTRA MAGNUS

TRANSFORMERS: TITANIUM SERIES (HASBRO)

Hey, how about some Transformers?  Would that be good?  Would that be good for you guys?  Cool.  As is usually the case with Transformers reviews more recently here, we’re going back to the well of the two characters I put most of my focus on, Soundwave and Ultra Magnus. I’ll be focusing on the latter in particular for today’s review.  In particular, I’m jumping to the Titanium Series, a franchise-spanning banner that Hasbro ran under its Galoob arm from 2005 to 2007.  They had lines for Star Wars (which served largely as a replacement for Micro Machines), Marvel, and, of course, Transformers.  Transformers had two sub-lines running, a smaller non-transforming line called Robot Masters, and a larger transforming line called Cybertron Heroes.  The larger line had not one, but two Ultra Magnuses, the first of which I’m taking a look at today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Magnus was released in 2007 as one half of Wave 7 of the Cybertron Heroes sub-line of Transformers: Titanium Series.  He was based on his G1 design, specifically the fully armored-up version.  This was the first time that the armored look had been officially updated since the ’80s.  Furthermore, this was also the first time that a fully armored Magnus figure had no inner-bot mode.  In his robot mode, he stands about 6 inches tall and he has 14 workable points of articulation.  The articulation is a bit wonky.  The balljoints for the shoulders are kinda loose and tend to pop out of place a lot.  Also, due to a design flaw, the knees bend far more forward than they do backwards.  The rest of the articulation is generally limited at best, and, due to the metal portions of the figure and the weird tolerancing of the joints, he tends to be a bit floppy.  Like the articulation, the sculpt is also a bit wonky.  There’s odd spots of flatness, a lot of obvious joints, his arms are set way back, and there’s just a lot of weirdness to the whole thing.  There’s also the whole flip-up panel on the torso thing, which feels like it’s kind of a half-formed idea that never went anywhere.  Magnus’s paint work is at least pretty solid looking.  I dig the bright blue with the metallic finish.  It doesn’t all hold up super well, of course, so you do have to be careful about it.  Magnus included a blaster, two rockets, and a “stand” with his name on it.  The stand, of course, does nothing to actually support him, but I guess it looks sort of cool.  Magnus’s alt-mode is his classic car carrier mode.  Since he has no inner-bot, he transforms straight from the fully armored mode directly to his car carrier mode.  It’s not a super complex transformation, and it results in not a super complex alt-mode.  The basic skeleton is there, but it only barely tabs together.  It feels like more of an afterthought to the robot proper.  There’s a concept there, sure, but the execution is just not there.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

This review was very nearly an “I Blame Max” review.  As it is, it’s kind of an honorary one, I guess.  I wasn’t routinely collecting anything Transformers when this guy hit, so I didn’t get one new, even when they were kind of everywhere.  So, I was reliant on used ones.  Max had a damaged one in his big bin of mixed TF parts he was sorting through some years back, which he handed over to me to fill the spot in my collection, which he did for a few years.  However, a much nicer, more proper one was traded into All Time, and that’s the one I’ve got in the review here.  I’ll admit, he’s not a *ton* better, even when not damaged.  He’s a rough offering, like most of the Titanium figures.  But, he’s also a Magnus, and I’m hard pressed to truly dislike any of those.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3344: Silverbolt

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

SILVERBOLT

BEAST WARS (KENNER)

“Shadows of mystery cloak this silent and proud warrior. Part wolf, part eagle, Silverbolt possesses all the attributes of a great lone warrior: speed, power, wisdom, intelligence. His uncanny ability to track and then ferociously overcome Predacons by himself, only to suddenly disappear into the backdrop has inspired myths describing a fierce winged warrior who has come to defeat their evil ranks one by one. Preferring to work alone, Silverbolt is a ferociously intelligent fighter: extremely dexterous, he seems to be everywhere at once, striking with fearsome talons and firing hidden point-missiles from his wing tips to ultimately surface victorious.”

After being largely focused on machines that turned into other machines for their first decade and some change, in 1996, the Transformers brand reconfigured into Beast Wars, which gave the robots in disguise a bunch of animal-inspired alt-modes, as well as a prehistoric setting.  After rather quiet reception for Generation 2, Beast Wars rather revitalized the brand, and even brought in a lot of new fans.  It had a rather strong four year run as a toyline, as well as a rather successful tie-in cartoon running at the same time.  Both of those also had a follow-up in the form of Beast Machines, but nobody really likes to talk about those.  The whole “Beast” thing is getting worked into the live action films this year, with a number of the characters playing pivotal roles in Rise of the Beasts.  But we’re not here to talk about that today.  No, today, we’re talking about “Fuzors.”  See, while the early run characters were all just one lame animal (totally objective fact, there, by the way), the Fuzors were *two* animals fused together!  The best of the bunch (again, objective fact) was the Maximal Silverbolt, who I’m looking at today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Silverbolt was part of the first Deluxe Class Fuzors wave of Beast Wars, which was released in 1998.  He was one half of the wave, with the Predacon Sky Shadow being the other half.  In his robot mode, Silverbolt stands about 5 1/2 inches tall and he has 11 practical points of articulation.  Due to the nature of his transformation, there are a few spots where he can get a little extra movement from joints that aren’t really meant for articulation, but it’s all pretty minor adjustments.  His movement wasn’t terrible, which was honestly something that was pretty consistent for Beast Wars.  They certainly weren’t as focused on just the transformation as the G1 stuff was.  Compared to more modern stuff, he’s a little stiff, of course, but 25 years removed, it’s not so bad.  The sculpt is a bit rudimentary, but again not bad.  It tracked well with the animation model he got on the show, especially when it came to the head sculpt.  That said, the proportions do look kind of wonky; the torso is particularly blocky, and the limbs are a bit chunky.  He’s also got a fair bit of kibble on the upper half, with his back legs just sort of hanging off the elbows, and the wings not really folding into the main body, instead just sort of sticking straight out from the back.  It’s a little awkward.  There are also a lot of rather obvious joints and hinges in the robot mode, which breaks up the flow a bit.  His color scheme was predominately the grey he was molded in, with a healthy helping of bronze and darker grey accenting.  It was all pretty cleanly applied, and pretty solid for the era, and it’s held up well over time.  Silverbolt was packed with two feather “missiles” that, in robot mode, were meant to sort of be swords.  They looked more like clubs, but that’s neither here nor there, because I don’t have them anyway.  Silverbolt’s alt-mode, the source of his “Fuzor” title, was a wolf and an eagle, making him a pseudo griffin type thing.  It’s a fun mode, and his transformation into it is a pretty well-engineered one.  In the beast mode, a lot of the uglier parts of the sculpt are hidden, and his overall look is a lot more cohesive…which is actually kind of ironic, since he’s supposed to be a merging of two rather different things.  In this mode, the missiles would go at the ends of his wings, and moving the wings inward would fire the missiles.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I was not super into Beast Wars as a kid.  I watched the show, but really only because it was between other things I liked to watch, and I didn’t change the channel.  I owned exactly two of the toys as a kid.  One of them was a gift, so I didn’t have much say in it, and the other was this guy.  I actually quite liked Silverbolt; he’s the only character from the series that I have any sort of attachment to, and as a kid I actually made a point of tracking down his toy.  That one took quite a beating over the years, and ultimately wound up a few limbs shy of where he should have been.  The one reviewed here was actually not mine originally, but was instead Max’s.  He was sorting through several large bins of his old Transformers, and this was one of a few figures that he fished out and gifted to me.  He shows his age to be sure, but I do still really love the figure.

#3339: Autobot Rewind

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , ,

AUTOBOT REWIND

TRANSFORMERS: TITANS RETURN (HASBRO)

Soundwave’s not the only Transformer to get his own cassette boi sidekicks. He’s got the Decepticons covered, but over on the Autobot side, there’s Blaster, who gets his own selection of the little guys. In recent years, whenever one of the tapedecks and their cassettes showed up, you could be sure the other wasn’t far behind. For Titans Return, it was Blaster who was first out of the gate, and, by extension, so were his sidekicks. Among them was Rewind, who was, at the time, getting a bit of focus in the More Than Meets the Eye comics from IDW. That seemed like a pretty good justifiable for a figure, right?

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Autobot Rewind was part of the first Legends Class-scale assortment of Hasbro’s Titans Return line, which hit in 2016. Legends Class is roughly the same size as the modern Core Class, which certainly made this a larger than usual Rewind.  In robot mode, he stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and has 11 practical points of articulation.  Rewind debuted this mold, which would subsequently be tweaked and re-used for both Rumble and Frenzy.  Curiously, it was never used to make Rewind’s fellow Autobot cassette, Eject, despite the two classically sharing molds.  The design for this guy was based on Nick Roche’s design for Rewind in More Than Meets the Eye, which was a good focus for the character, so it made a lot of sense.  The difference between this guy and Frenzy is the head, which for Rewind has a plate over the mouth, which makes him all extra sleek and stuff.  That’s fun.  The mold is genuinely one of the best for this style of the cassettes, and just one of the best cassette bot molds in general.  His color work matches up with Rewind’s usual color scheme, and is pretty striking overall.  He’s packed with a small rifle, which works with one of his transformations.  As with all of the TR-era cassette bots, Rewind’s first alt-mode is a data pad, which is vaguely cassette looking, and gets some stickers to help with the overall effect.  He also gets a second alt-mode, which uses the rifle in order to turn Rewind into a tank.  It’s honestly a pretty effective one, and I really dig that they did the two alt-modes here.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After getting the Greatest Hits Soundwave, I was really settled in on just one of each of the cassette molds.  Since I had Frenzy, I didn’t need to track down Rewind.  Or, at least I thought.  I then sat down and read through most of More Than Meets the Eye, since it’s rather Magnus heavy and all, and I grew to quite like Rewind’s portrayal.  So, when one was traded into All Time back in 2020 or so, I went ahead and grabbed him.  I do really like the mold, and it’s distinctly different enough from Frenzy to make it worthwhile to me to have both.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website and their eBay storefront.

#3334: Bumblebee Cassette Pack

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , , , ,

BUMBLEBEE, FRENZY, BUZZSAW, & HOWLBACK

BUMBLEBEE: GREATEST HITS (HASBRO)

What good is a Soundwave without his cassette buddies?  Well, not so good, I suppose.  Sort of thing you don’t like to see happen, really.  So, whenever Hasbro does a new Soundwave, there’s invariably some sort of cassette component included as well.  Just to really sell the gimmick.  When the Titans Return Soundwave mold was retooled for a Bumblebee tie-in, they could have let people just try to track down the TR cassettes, I suppose, but where’s the fun in that.  And, more importantly, where’s the money in that?  So, instead, we got a whole companions set, just for that guy.  Nice!

THE FIGURES THEMSELVES

The Bumblebee Cassette Pack was part of the Target-exclusive Bumblebee: Greatest Hits line, which was under the umbrella of Hasbro’a larger Bumblebee movie offerings.  It was specifically designed to coincide and go along with Soundwave and Doombox from the same line…for the most part.  The set includes three cassette boys, Frenzy, Buzzsaw, and Howlback, who are clearly meant to go with Soundwave.  However, it also includes a Bumblebee, who is not at all in scale with the other stuff, and really just exists to put a Bumblebee in the set, since it was tying into his movie and all.  It’s still a tad odd, though.

Bumblebee was a re-deco of the Age of Extinction High Octane One-Step Changer Bumblebee.  It’s *a* movie Bumblebee, but it’s not the one seen in the movie at all.  I mean, I guess it *kinda* works for Bee at the very end of the movie.  Ah, I’m overthinking it.  In robot mode, he’s about 4 1/2 inches tall and he’s got workable articulation via universal joints at the shoulders.  He’s not very mobile, but that’s not what he was designed for.  He gets an okay approximation of his later film robot mode, albeit a bit chunkier, and with some notable hollow spots.  Again, given that he’s built for play more than accuracy, it’s not bad.  His transformation is, as advertised, one step.  Essentially, he folds and unfolds much like a butterfly knife, with the top of the car/chest being spring-loaded to flip it into place for each respective mode.  It’s admittedly pretty fun.  His main change-up is the color scheme, which sticks more closely to classic Bee than the initial release, which was predominantly black.

With Bee out of the way, we get to the real meat of the set: the cassettes!  The first of them is Frenzy, in his proper blue color that Frenzy is always supposed to be, because Frenzy is blue.  Always.  Right?  Right.  Rumble, the other humanoid cassette, was released on his own during Titans Return, but poor Frenzy was left out in the cold until this release.  In robot mode, he’s about 3 1/2 inches tall and he has 11 workable points of articulation.  Frenzy’s actually quite posable given the scale and construction, especially when compared to the rest of the set.  His mold began as Titans Return Rewind, before getting a new head for its release as Rumble, and then that version got a full re-use here.  It’s a pretty decent mold, and honestly one of the best when it comes to the cassette bots.  Certainly the most advanced of the TR era molds for the cassettes.  His color scheme is very, very blue.  I like that a lot.  There’s a decent amount of smaller work going on, and I dig the gold accents.  Application’s pretty clean, but the paint is prone to a bit of wear, especially on the face.  His main alt-mode is a “data tablet”, which is largely an excuse for a rectangle shape that works as a stand-in for a tape.  He gets some stickers with actual cassette details on them, which are very cool.  Frenzy gets a second alt-mode, which turns him into a tank.  Both transformation sequences are rather intuitive and generally pretty fun.

Next up is Buzzsaw, the not-Laserbeak bird cassette, who’s largely notable for being included with Soundwave’s original G1 release.  Interestingly, while Frenzy was thus far uncovered in this style, Buzzsaw had already been done during Combiner Wars.  His robot/bird mode can sort of move at his neck and wings, but not a ton at either.  His bird mode is pretty clunky.  It’s always a little clunky, but especially in this instance.  The color scheme is duller than the CW version, with more black and actual gold.  It’s not bad, and honestly a little closer to the vintage version, I suppose.  Buzzsaw’s first alt-mode is the data tablet again; fairly similar to Frenzy, though the actual layout of the pieces is different.  He also gets a sort of tank-looking thing as his third mode, which doesn’t work quite as well as Frenzy’s.

The last of the cassettes is Howlback, who’s like Ravage, but…not Ravage?  So, you know, there’s that, I guess.  Howlback’s robot mode has movement on the legs, but like Buzzsaw, her motion is generally pretty restricted.  You can get her standing, but that’s really about it.  It’s another rather clunky mold, but I’ve honestly felt that almost every Ravage mold was rather on the clunky side.  So, you know, this one just fits with that, I suppose.  Howlback gets the data tablet alt-mode, which is again chopped up a little differently than the others, but results in the same general end.  Howlback also gets a third mode, which is not a tank, but is instead a plane.  The bird doesn’t turn into a plane, but the jaguar does.  It’s again pretty clunky, but it’s at least unique and different.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

After getting a really good deal on the Greatest Hits Soundwave, I found myself in the market for some cassettes to go with him, and this was the most economical option at the time, provided you were able to find it at retail.  Which I did.  Hahaha.  Bumblebee is sort of unneeded, but fun enough.  Buzzsaw and Howlback are limited by the format a bit, but okay.  Frenzy is the real star, like, far and away.  He’s just really good, and holds up even after going through several Cassette boi style changes.

#3329: Soundwave & Doombox

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , ,

SOUNDWAVE & DOOMBOX

BUMBLEBEE: GREATEST HITS (HASBRO)

Let’s jump back to the faraway year of 2018.  There was a new Transformers movie, Bumblebee, and after five prior live-action offerings of diminishing success, this one was a slightly different approach.  The scale was largely brought back, and focused almost entirely on the title character in his own smaller-scale adventure.  However, the initial cut of the film had a brief appearance from Optimus Prime, who now sported a more G1-inspired design than in previous installments, and when word of this design got out, fans wanted more G1-inspired elements.  This led to the film’s prologue on Cybertron, which sported a whole ton of G1-ish looks.  They were largely absent from tie-in toys, since they were all pretty last minute, but there were a few things thrown together to not leave them totally out in the cold.  Given the film’s ’80s setting and emphasis on music, it’s not terribly surprising that Soundwave made his way into the tie-in stuff, even if he didn’t have a musically-based alt-mode in the movie.  And I’m a sucker for Soundwave stuff, so, you know…

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Soundwave and Doombox are a Leader Class release from the Target-exclusive Bumblebee: Greatest Hits line, which was part of their larger Bumblebee movie offerings.  He was the only of the three offerings from the subline not to include a Bumblebee of some sort, and was presumably chosen because of his thematically appropriate alt-mode.  Also, because he’s Soundwave.  Always have Soundwave.  And Magnus.  Him too.  Always have both.  I’m getting side tracked.  Just talking about the Soundwave today.  Calm yourself down, Ethan.  In his robot mode, Soundwave stands about 10 inches tall and he has 19 points of workable articulation.  This release is a retool of the Titans Return/Legends Soundwave mold (itself a retool of Titans Return Blaster).  The only change-up for actual sculpting between the releases are the leg panels, which mostly serve to change up how he looks in his alt-mode.  The mold is definitely a very G1-esque Soundwave, albeit one that’s perhaps a little more rudimentary and boxy when compared to more recent updates to the look.  He gets a bit more kibble on his back, keeping a rather noticeable handle protruding from his shoulders.  He’s also got a fair bit of hollow construction, which was more prevalent at the time of the mold’s original release.  He’s certainly a nice, chunky figure, though.  His color scheme was adjusted to fit a bit more with how he ended up looking in the movie, or at least an approximation of it.  It’s a little darker and greyer than typical G1 figures, which is of course more on par with the usual movie stylings.  Soundwave was packed with a blaster rifle, his usual shoulder mounted cannon, and a sort of a stand-in piece for his usual tape-deck-inspired associates.

Soundwave’s primary alt-mode isn’t his original tape recorder, but it’s closer than other updated modes, since it’s a boom box (a mode he inherited from the Blaster that used the mold first).  It’s honestly a pretty good alt-mode.  The transformation’s not too complicated, and everything folds up and into place pretty convincingly.  The updated leg panels change the detailing of this mode’s speakers, going from the mesh-style to the slit style.  Not crazy important or anything, but it does at least add some variety to him.  Since this mold began as a Titans Return release, his head is a Head Master, so it’s removed during transformation and can turn into “Doombox”, who’s a little mini version of the classic Soundwave look.  He’s obviously a lot less detailed, but it’s a fun gimmick.  It also works really well with Soundwave’s third mode, which turns him into a base, which can be used with any of the Head Masters.  The stand-in for the tape deck can be used as a vehicle for Doombox, which is honestly a lot of fun.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

I’ve had this figure since he was still at retail, and I just never got around to reviewing him.  I know, bad Ethan.  I had gotten a gift card from someone at work, and happened upon him at Target, which was enough of a justification to grab this guy.  He’s never been my go-to Soundwave or anything, but he’s surprisingly fun, and he’s a good showcase of the gimmicks from this era of the line.  And, most importantly, he’s another Soundwave.  Hard to beat that.  Unless you’re a Magnus.

#3308: Dinobot Slug

Posted by Ethan Wilson in Reviews and tagged with , , , ,

DINOBOT SLUG

TRANSFORMERS: LEGACY EVOLUTION (HASBRO)

I’m getting to the point now where my Transformers reviews are infrequent enough that I’m honestly not the greatest at coming up with compelling intros for them anymore.  Mostly I talk about how long it’s been since the last one, and that’s kinda boring, right?  And sure, I can stumble my way through a “let’s prattle on about the complex differences between this and that version of Ultra Magnus or Soundwave” intro, but what happens when I’m out of that comfort zone?  This.  Rambling.  Meta.  Yikes.  Alas, there’s just no helping it, I’m afraid.  One of the subsets of Transformers in the G1-incarnation is the Dinobots, a group of Autobots that turn into, you guessed it, dinosaurs.  The main one is Grimlock, who I’ve looked at previously, but there’s a whole contingent, which are slowly being done in Studio Series, and before they’ve even wrapped up there, they’re also being done in Core Class!  So, I’m looking at one of the little guys, Dinobot Slug, today!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Dinobot Slug (formerly Slag, before that word’s use as a slur in the UK led to a rebranding) is part of the first 2023 Core Class assortment for Transformers: Legacy, which is now brandishing the additional Evolution heading for the year.  He’s one of two Dinobots in the line-up, the other being Dinobot Sludge.  That’s not bound to get confusing at all!  In his robot mode, this guy stands just over 4 inches tall and he has 10 practical points of articulation.  As you might expect for a character with this chunky a build, his movement is a bit on the restricted side, but he generally manages pretty well; the most notable things are the lack of elbows, and the iffy movement of the neck, but those aren’t terrible.  Also, in his robot mode as shown by all the official shots, the waist joint is rendered motionless by the back, but if you flip the back pieces up, you can make use of it.  It also simulates the “wings” that prior versions of the character had, so it’s honestly how I prefer him to be.  The sculpt is an all-new one, which is quite G1-inspired, of course.  He’s a bit more kibbly than, say, the Studio Series equivalent, but given the scale, he makes for a good recreation at this size.  Adding to his out of the box quirks, he also had the upper legs reversed when I opened him, but since they’re on ball-joints, they’re easily swapped back to the way they’re supposed to be.  Or are they?  The innards of the thighs, the part stamping indicates that they’re meant to go as they were assembled out of the box.  So…umm…it’s a toss-up?  I personally like them the way I have them, so I’m leaving them that way.  So there.  As per usual, Slug’s alt-mode is a robotic triceratops.  It’s not a terribly difficult transformation, and the end result is a fun little chonky boi, so I consider that one a win.  He also gets an additional mode, which turns him into the upper torso and head for Volcanicus, the combiner that all of the Core Class Dinobots are going to add up to.  I’m not planning to get the others, so it doesn’t really do much for me, but I guess it makes for a nifty bust sort of thing?  Sure, let’s go with that.

THE ME HALF OF THE EQUATION

Back when the Studio Series Dinobots started, I was still pretty deep into Transformers stuff, so I was actually entertaining the thought of picking them all up.  By the time Slug hit, I was already moving away a bit from the line, but he was a triceratops, and that’s, like, my favorite dino, so I wound up grabbing one of them…who then proceeded to sit under my desk for over a year, untransformed, unphotographed, and unreviewed.  I felt like maybe I wasn’t really fully appreciating him the way I should, so I decided it might be time to let go of him, right around the time that this one got shown off, meaning I could still have a triceratops, without needing to go to Leader Class scaling for him.  I honestly wasn’t expecting a ton from this figure when he came in, but he’s one that I find myself surprisingly impressed by.  He’s just a very fun little guy.  I dig it.

Thanks to my sponsors over at All Time Toys for setting me up with this figure to review.  If you’re looking for cool toys both old and new, please check out their website.