Tag Archives: Transformers

#3640: Ultra Magnus

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

ULTRA MAGNUS

TRANSFORMERS REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0119: This figure is one of my daughter Aubrey’s favorite toys.

And here’s the requisite Part 2 to the review I ran last Friday.  Did anyone see that coming?  I mean, I did, but I literally make the schedule, so, you know, drastically less impressive for me to guess what it’s gonna be.  Like I said last week, there’s two characters I need to see in any given Transformers line to get me on-board: Soundwave and Ultra Magnus.  I looked at the ReAction Soundwave last week, so let’s follow that bad boy up with a…good boy?  No, that doesn’t sound right…  Well, the point is that I’m following it up with my favorite Autobot, Ultra Magnus!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultra Magnus is part of the sixth series of Transformers ReAction Figures from Super 7, released in 2023.  The figure is about 4 inches tall and has 7 whole points of articulation.  That’s right, he gets extra movement!  Check out those moving shoulder rockets!  Oh yeah!  All the standard ReAction figures are the same basic size, so Magnus and Soundwave are more or less the same height, which isn’t really accurate to the source, I guess, but it fits the style more or less.  I talked about the general stylistic choices of the line in my Soundwave review last week.  It’s still…odd, but it’s kind of a done deal this far into things.  It’s an explicitly animation-based Ultra Magnus, which, honestly, we don’t see all that often.  Sure, we get pretty close ones, but there’s frequently some sort of compromise, which this figure doesn’t require.  Well, you know, apart from the pretty major “doesn’t transform” compromise that he gets.  It’s a fun sculpt overall, though.  My only really dig at it is that he’s somehow even more pigeon-toed than Soundwave was, which is once again pretty goofy.  Magnus is completely painted, rather than using any molded colors.  It’s pretty good base work, though I did find it was a bit sensitive to chipping.  Also, rather than proper red, white, and blue, as Magnus is classically shown, he’s got an off-white/light grey for all of his lighter sections, which is a slightly different look.  Though, again, that’s the sort of thing that dials into the style Super 7’s aiming for with these figures, so it makes a degree of sense.  Magnus is packed with his usual blaster rifle, painted up in that light grey color.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

It’s this guy’s fault I have the Soundwave from last week at all.  I’d passed on that one a good many times because there was no Magnus.  Then this guy got shown off, and I had to care about the line.  I actually missed out on the earliest portion of his run, but, on a chance, I swung past the toy aisle at Target a couple of months ago, and there was a whole peg of this guy.  He was…well, he was more than I wanted to pay, but for a Magnus, it was worth it.  Like Soundwave, he’s a fun little novelty figure, and I do enjoy that.

#3635: Soundwave

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

SOUNDWAVE

TRANSFORMERS REACTION FIGURES (SUPER 7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0114: This is the fifth non-transforming Soundwave I’ve reviewed on the site.

Before I can jump into any given Transformers product line, I always have to ask an important question: is there a Soundwave and an Ultra Magnus?  If there’s not, I’ve got some serious thinking to do.  Super 7’s ReAction had one, but not the other for a bit, and then both, but it took me a bit to get them, so, you know, more waiting.  But it’s okay!  No more waiting now!  Well, I mean, I guess a tiny bit of waiting, since I’m only reviewing one of the two.  It’s Soundwave!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Soundwave was released in the first series of Super 7’s Transformers ReAction Figures line, which hit in 2020.  The figure stands 3 3/4 inches tall and he has 5 points of articulation.  As with the rest of the ReAction line, he’s going for that vintage Kenner style, which is…well, it’s certainly a divergent style when it comes to Transformers.  They’ve gone animation model styled for these, which has been pretty much Super 7’s bag for TFs.  I’ll hand it to them, there’s a lot of internal consistency between this guy and the Ultimates version, so they’re certainly doing a good job of pulling the same general stylings there.  This one is, of course, a lot more rigid.  In fact, he’s downright pigeon-toed, which is just a tad goofy looking.  Other than that, though, it’s a decent enough sculpt.  Very squared off and technical, and very clearly Soundwave.  Hard to argue with that, really.  His paint work is basic, but decent itself.  It matches again with the Ultimate (or, I guess the Ultimate matches this one, since the ReAction came first), which goes hand in hand with the animation stylings.  The application is clean for the most part, with minimal fuzziness or bleed over.  Soundwave is packed with his concussion blaster, which is just one solid piece this time around, rather than having any of its usual collapsing components.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I recall seeing this one when the line launched, but I just wasn’t sure I wanted to jump in on it, especially without the certainty of a Magnus.  I did come very close to grabbing him on multiple occasions, though.  Unfortunately, by the time Magnus was announced, sources for this one had largely dried up.  Thankfully for me, a loose one got traded into All Time, and, hey, there we go.  Non-transformy-sound-boi.  He’s nifty.  I don’t know that it really elevates beyond that, but I wasn’t really expecting that.

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.

#3628: Soundwave

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

SOUNDWAVE

TRANSFORMERS PRIME BEAST HUNTERS: CYBERVERSE (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0107: There are five Prime Soundwave figures: three by Hasbro and two by Takara.  I own all three of the Hasbro ones.

You know what?  I’m feeling a little Transformers today.  Good thing I have this little Transformer on hand!  ….Get it?  Do you get it?  It’s funny!  Cuz the…okay, I’ll drop it.  I do feel like reviewing a Transformer, though, and when I want to pull and TF review out of the ether, it’s a solid bet it’s gonna be either Ultra Mangnus or Soundwave.  This one’s gonna be the latter, and from Transformers: Prime to boot!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Soundwave is part of the second wave of the third Legion Class Series of the Prime Beast Hunters: Cyberverse line.  Legion Class served as a smaller scale line for Prime, akin to the modern Core Class set-up.  In robot mode, the figure stands about 3 inches tall and he has 12 workable points of articulation.  He’s using his design from the show, which is honestly one of the coolest from the show, and one of Soundwave’s best.  While the translation here isn’t quite as cleanly done as the Deluxe Class version of the character, relying on a more rudimentary version of things, it still works very well, especially for the scale.  He’s got the proper angles and details visible, and even his vehicle mode kibble is pretty well-matched.  For me, the only real downside to the mold is the head being fused to the shoulders, but even that’s minor, given it was typical for the scale at the time.  His color scheme hits a lot of the same marks as his larger counterpart, at least in tone, but some of the exact details are moved around a bit.  Soundwave’s shading on the show is such that both schemes work closely enough to read as accurate.  The main thing missing from this one is the purple highlights.  Soundwave included a “Sonic Saw”, which is a bladed rifle thing which actually saw quite a bit of use in this particular line.  It doesn’t feel super Soundwave-y to me personally.  Like all the Prime Soundwaves, this one’s alt-mode is a spydrone.  It’s a pretty basic transformation, but one that works well, and the end result is a pretty nifty little drone.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Prime Soundwaves are honestly the perfect spies, because they just keep sneaking up on me.  The Beast Hunters one was notably my first modern TF purchase, in a time when I wasn’t into them in the slightest, and the standard version was a surprise gift from Max a few years back.  This one?  Well, Max and I were busy figuring out which one of us was getting a different figure from a collection that came into All Time, and this one was just there and I was like, wait, that’s a Soundwave I don’t have.  And then I had him.  Cool, right?

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.

#3618: Silverbolt

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

SILVERBOLT

TRANSFORMERS LEGACY: UNITED (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0097: Eagles and wolves are both apex predators, though their completely differing tactics of hunting prey and different places in their respective food chains mean they have little, if any, interaction.  Unless, of course, they make up the two halves of a Fuzor.

It was difficult for me to truly avoid Beast Wars as a kid, what with it being a toy-driven show in the ’90s that aired during the Fox Kids block.  That said, it’s never been a *major* focus for me.  I remember watching it a little, but I only had two toys from it, and only really ever latched onto one character.  Of course, that character is Silverbolt, and he’s one of the best Transformers just in general, so, you know, big win there.  Since Hasbro went back to the Beast Wars well for Kingdom, I’ve been patiently waiting for my Silverbolt update, and boy did it take a while, but, hey, here it is.  Oh yeah.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Beast Wars Universe Silverbolt is part of the second Voyager Class assortment of Transformers Legacy: United, the banner that goes along with the third year of the Legacy branding.  He shipped alongside Cybertron Universe Starscream, and he was the heavier packed of the two.  In his robot mode, Silverbolt stands 6 1/4 inches tall and he has 24 workable points of articulation.  His articulation is an improvement on his vintage counterpart, of course, and it’s especially notable that his wings actually sit flat to his back, rather than just jutting straight out the back like the old one.  The new sculpt aims for improved accuracy to his animation model, and it does a pretty good job at that.  The details are a lot sharper, and the proportions are far less blocky than the original.  His color scheme is nicely handled, with a lot of molded silver, of course, but there’s plenty of painted elements as well.  Unlike the original figure, all the proper details get their painted work, and the application is all nice and clean.  Silverbolt is packed with his “feather swords”, which he can either hold, or clip onto his wings, replicating the show set-up.  They just clip on this time around rather than being spring-loaded this time around.

Silverbolt’s alt-mode is, as is tradition, a merging of a wolf and an eagle.  It’s a distinctive mode, to be sure, and this figure does a good job of capturing it.  The transformation scheme is actually pretty intuitive, and the end result holds together nicely.  His hind legs sit a little bit further back than I’d like, but beyond that, it’s pretty solid.  He’s also generally more posable in this form than the original, and even gets a posable jaw.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I sure do love me some Silverbolt, and I really wanted this figure.  I was quite excited to see him shown off, and the end result is very, very fun.  I have some minor quibbles, I suppose, but it’s all very small and ultimately rather meaningless.  It’s certainly not enough to detract from how super excited I am to have an update on the character.

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.

#3582: Soundwave

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

SOUNDWAVE

TRANSFORMERS ULTIMATES (SUPER7)

Fun FiQ Fact #0061: Soundwave is actually one of the earliest classic Transformers characters to get a non-transforming figure, having been part of Action Masters.

I don’t circle back to Transformers quite as often these days, so when I do, I gotta make it count, right? Yeah, go for the best of the franchise, the things that best represent the whole thing. And what best represents the Transformers? That’s right, it’s figures that don’t transform at all! Yeah! So, let’s look at this not-transforming Soundwave!

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Soundwave is part of the fourth wave of Super 7’s Transformers Ultimates, which also features Starscream (a particular favorite of Super 7’s for this line) and a dead Optimus Prime. The figure stands 8 inches tall and he has 29 points of articulation. Sizing wise, he’s in the general scale of the line established up to now…which isn’t really to scale with anything else. I’m not sure exactly what they’re aiming for, but they’re okay for a standalone set-up. The articulation set-up here is okay. Super 7 can have some troubles with range of motion. Given Soundwave’s blocky build, some restrictions are expected, and they’re definitely there. The elbows do at least get about 90 degrees, but other areas aren’t so great. The neck and shoulders in particular are pretty stiff, meaning, amongst other things, he can’t do his tape eject pose. That’s a real bummer, and my biggest knock against this figure. His sculpt is all new, and it’s very much G1-inspired. Since this is territory that Hasbro’s R.E.D. line already covered, there’s a bit more of a comparison going on. There’s definitely some common ground, since they both use some pretty heavily animation-based inspiration, but the approaches are a little different, with Hasbro prioritizing movement over aesthetic, resulting in some odd looking spots. Super 7’s priority is more on the aesthetic, so he looks a bit better in the sculpt department. The ankles especially look a lot better. He’s got three different heads in play, with standard being the usual animation-based one. He’s also got one based more directly on his original toy, which we don’t see as often, and, for the first time ever in toy form, a head based on his mouthed appearance from the Marvel Comics run. Sure, it’s not the right color scheme, since that wouldn’t match the rest of the figure, but it’s still cool. Soundwave’s paint work isn’t bad. It’s pretty flat and clean, which is what you want. I’m not sure how I feel about the opaque window on the chest. It’s obviously more accurate for animation and comics, but it throws the toy look off. Soundwave is packed with 5 pairs of hands (which are *very* hard to swap), plus his shoulder cannon, blaster, a clear cube (which I assume is something episode specific that I’m just not up on), and a miniature version of himself in tape deck mode. The two cannons can be stored in his back, in an homage to his vintage figure.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I don’t have an overwhelming attachment to non-transforming Transformers, I’m hard pressed to pass on a Soundwave. So, it’s hardly a surprise that I broke on this one, especially with the fun extras he gets. He’s kind of a lateral move from the R.E.D. figure, I guess, but he has the benefit of more distance from other Soundwaves.

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.

#3580: Ultimate X-Spanse

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

ULTIMATE X-SPANSE

X-MEN X TRANSFORMERS (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0059: The X-Men’s primary mode of transportation, the Blackbird, was introduced by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum in X-Men #94, the first regular issue of X-Men following its major re-work in Giant-Size X-Men #1.

I’m still in a very X-Men mood.  Can’t imagine why that might be….certainly nothing to do with the launch of X-Men ’97 this week, right?  In an effort to keep things a little more diverse, however, I’m not *just* looking at strictly Marvel stuff, right?  No, I’m also going to look at a Transformer.  For variety.  So, um, here’s “Ultimate X-Spanse.”

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Ultimate X-Spanse was released under Hasbro’s Transformers: Collaborative banner.  He hit in early 2021, as a shared exclusive between Hasbro Pulse and Target.  As with a number of other exclusives, he was also offered up in limited quantities later through other Fan Channel outlets.  In his robot mode, he’s roughly 8 inches tall and he has 21 workable points of articulation.  X-Spanse uses the Leader Class Studio Series Jetfire as a starting point, largely for the purposes of his alt-mode.  The robot mode, on the other hand, is fairly unique.  Rather than dial in on one particular X-Man, X-Spanse’s design incorporates a number of different ones, for something more general purpose.  To my eyes, he still reads the heaviest as a Cyclops, but I’m more prone to seeing specifically the Cyclops elements, I feel.  I really like the flip-up visor on the head; it’s a lot of fun.  Beyond that, it’s a nifty design in general, and it certainly feels very X-Men-y.  X-Spanse is packed with three different effects pieces, all loosely patterned on Psylocke’s psychic weaponry.  One’s just a “blade” attachment, and another mimics Wolverine’s claws.  There’s also a version of her “psychic butterfly,” but it doesn’t actually go on his face at all, which makes its presence…odd.  Lastly, we get a small Wolverine and Sabretooth.  No Cyclops feels like a missed opportunity, right?

As with most of the Collaborative releases, the alt mode to this guy is an important selling point.  He turns into the Blackbird…or at least some approximation of it.  While the packaging plays up the ’90s angle, the actual vehicle looks more like the real world vehicle the Blackbird was based upon.  This is in part thanks to the re-used Jetfire pieces, since he was based on a real vehicle as well.  The transformation process is a bit tricky, and in full vehicle mode, the wings have a tendency to flap out of place very easily.  Still, it’s pretty cool.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

I wanted one of these when he was new, but he was exclusive, and I had some other stuff going on in 2021.  I had the opportunity to get one later when he got the Fan Channel release, but the moment had passed, and I didn’t jump on it then either.  But, then a used one came into All Time, and it felt like the moment was now unavoidable, so now I have one.  He’s fun.  I don’t feel like I really missed anything by waiting, but I do like finally having one, and he ties into my general X-Men excitement nicely.

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.

#3572: Rumble

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

CONCEPT ART DECPTICON RUMBLE

TRANSFORMERS: STUDIO SERIES (HASBRO)

Fun FiQ Fact #0051:  In 2018, there was a blue humanoid cassette bot released to tie-in with the Bumblebee movie, who was named Frenzy.  In 2024, there was a blue humanoid cassette bot based on concept art from the Bumblebee movie…named Rumble.  There has as of yet been no Bumblebee movie red cassette bot.

My love of Soundwave extends, at least somewhat, to his cassettes.  They’re his little buddies, and you always have to have at least a few of them, right?  What I’ve settled into is a desire to have certain ones in every style, and those certain ones are Laserbeak and Frenzy.  The trouble is, there’s some confusion about who’re Frenzy and who’s Rumble.  Now, I’m a firm supported of the blue guy being Frenzy, and I’m not about to let a label on a package tell me otherwise.  Okay, I might let it tell me otherwise, but I’ll still go to great lengths to file a formal complaint…in my mind.  The point is, sometimes, if I want a Frenzy, I have to convince myself a Rumble’s not really a Rumble.  Case in point.

THE FIGURE ITSELF

Concept Art Decepticon Rumble was released in the ninth Core Class assortment of Transformers: Studio Series, which serves as the first Core Class assortment of 2024 for the line as well.  He’s alongside Mohawk and (humorously) a re-pack of the 86 Frenzy, who’s red, so as to be animation accurate.  In his robot mode, Rumble stands a little over 2 inches tall and he has 18 workable points of articulation.  He’s actually surprisingly mobile; the articulation scheme here does a lot in its small space.  The mold is all-new, and it’s a fun one.  I really dig this design; it grabs all the classic cassette boi vibes, but also modernizes a bit.  I love working the thumper weapons directly into the arms, even if it’s at the cost of him not actually having hands.  He gets two guns, which he can’t hold, but you can mount them on his back, I guess, so there’s that.  Like Ravage before him, Rumble turns into a prism thing, which can be fitted into the Voyager Soundwave’s torso.  I found the transformation on Rumble a lot simpler, and a lot less fiddly than Ravage, so I far preferred it.

THE ME REMAINDER OF THE EQUATION

Since there were no cassettes beyond Ravage in the movie, I didn’t expect to get anyone else to go with my Bumblebee Soundwave.  This was a pleasant surprise.  He sort of fell into a different batch of figures I was buying when he came in, so I forgot about him, and wound up opening him while in the car for a long road trip, which was another pleasant surprise when I realized just how much fun he was.  Sure, his name may be wrong, but he’s still an awesome figure.

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.

#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.