July is another semi-productive month as far as TF shopping goes. What sort of goodies did I acquire? Open your optic sensors and behold!

• TF Prime Cyberverse Dreadwing, Walmart, $9.47

• Hegemon, eBay, $99.99 shipped

• Generations FOC Shockwave, TRU, $14.99

• TF Prime Weaponizer Optimus Prime, Kmart, $29.99

• TF Prime FE Cliffjumper, eBay, $33.90 shipped

That’s 5 TFs for the month. 3 from TF Prime, 1 from Generations (Fall of Cybertron), and 1 third party product.

I have written enough about Shockwave in this post and in this post, so I won’t repeat my Shockwave hunting adventures again. I have since opened the figure though, and let me tell you, he’s awesome! He’s definitely worth reviewing. I may do one if I find the time.

Dreadwing is OK. I was quite impressed with Cyberverse Ironhide, so I gave Dreadwing a shot, even though Cyberverse figs normally aren’t my cup of Energon. Both of Dreadwing’s modes look pretty good. But he’s got this problem with the alt mode where the feet don’t line up right. His legs also fall off a lot during transformation. I’m waiting for the Voyager version of this figure.

I finally got to opening the Japanese-only zombie Cliffjumper last month, and I was very impressed with the figure. FE CJ is way better than the mediocre RID CJ that Hasbro saw fit to stick with us here in the States. So I had to track down a regular non-zombie FE version of Cliffjumper. I checked eBay, and prices for this figure is actually reasonable in the low $30s. When Gemini and I went to Wondercon, we only saw one dealer have this figure, and they wanted $50! One guy on eBay now had it at $33.90, and I wasted no time to get one. He arrived sometime last week. I’ve yet to open this figure, but I already know how the mold is from zombie CJ. Another addition to my Cliffjumper collection.

I opened TF Prime Weaponizer Optimus. I think in robot mode he actually looks pretty cool. I like the shoulder cannon gimmick, and I find myself playing with it often when I’m bored. He’s also got enough weapon ports that you can stick a lot of ordnance on him. So when you have him hold a rifle in each hand, and got the shoulder cannons going, and all tricked out with weapons from other TFs, he looks like he’s ready to kick some serious Decepticon ass! Totally worthy of the name Weaponizer. He does have a bulky back, and his legs are hollow in the rear, which can be a turn off for many. I haven’t transformed this figure yet. I’ll reserve final thoughts til I do.

And that leaves Hegemon. This is a third party product from new comer ToyWorld. I didn’t know how this figure would turn out, but all my doubts are put to rest after I got him. Hegemon is an amazing interpretation of the famous Decepticon leader. In my opinion, this is tied with MP-5 for being the best looking G1 Megatron made. I’m actually a little tempted to give the honor to Hegemon, since the legs look better. In gun mode he also looks perfect, and comes with all attachments (unlike the MP). Hegemon is also easier to transform than the MP, though I wouldn’t call the transformation easy when compared to your average TFs. Construction wise, he’s a little delicate so you have to be careful. But overall he’s an excellent update of Megatron for your CHUG line.

On a separate but related note, I was not able to secure a order of the SDCC exclusive FOC G1-colored Bruticus. I watched HTS for weeks, and they sell out as soon as the figure goes up. Looks like I’ll have to pay some markup if I really want the item. Total bummer. But I could have a lot of TFs next month, since I got so much stuff on pre-order. Until then… Transform and Roll Out!

Shock to the system! It looks like the fear I mentioned in my last post was quite unfounded. I went to a different TRU today and found me some Fall of Cybertron Shockwaves!

There were only 6 FOC figures total, but 3 of them were Shockwave! Totally shocking! I never thought I would see him outnumber the 2 Primes and 1 Jazz that were there. But whatever. I’m happy to find some before my pre-order arrives. I grabbed 2 of them, one for me and one for my buddy Gemini. Left 1 Shockwave on the shelve for another lucky TransFan.

I will have another Shockwave when my order from TFS arrives. Earlier in the year I mentioned I stopped buying multiples of the same figure. Guess there goes that rule. Oh well. I have a feeling Shockwave will have some good value later on. Might be a good idea to keep more than 1 around.

“Clarity of thought before rashness of action.” Go Shockwave! Transform and Roll Out.

At lunch today I went to TRU. I made my way to the TF aisle like I usually do, and was surprised to see a whole bunch of people crowding the space. I saw some guys hovered over a specific section of rack space, and so I look in that direction. To my surprise, I see that TRU already has Fall of Cybertron figures!

I knew these figures were coming since there are tons of reviews on YouTube already. Not to mention that many online dealers have them in stock. I just didn’t expect my TRU to have them so soon. I visited TRU to find TF Prime figures, but was pleasantly surprised to see FOC figs nonetheless.

However, my concern was realized when I saw that there is not a single Shockwave on the racks! Out of the 3 Wave 1 FOC figs, Shockwave is the most sought after. My feeling is this is the figure that will be very difficult to find, similar to TF Prime Vehicon (which to this day I still have not found).

I made a comment on Pax Cybertron about my concern for Shockwave. And so, last night I made a order at TFSource for all 3 of the Wave 1 FOC figures. Set for all 3 is $47.95. That comes to about $16 per fig. TRU has each of these at $14.99. After taxes, it will be more than $16 per fig (CA state tax is pretty painful). So by buying from TFSource, I’m actually getting a better deal (no taxes and free ship). But the real reason I made the order was to lock in Shockwave. I knew he would be hard to find, and so far that seems to be the case.

Anyway, I left Prime and Jazz on the racks. The 3 FOC Wave 1 figs are part of my current stack at TFSource, along with TF Prime Voyager Breakdown and the green Giant set. As soon as Giant comes in, I will get them all! Can’t wait!

And as for the other dudes that were in the aisle, none of them bought anything. Some commented on the high price tag. Some were probably just looking for Shockwave. Some of the other individuals there, like moms and kids, were probably just there by accident and not looking for FOC. It was just weird that so many people were at that aisle at the time.

The Fall of Cybertron has begun! Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Friday the 13th! You might think you will be plagued by some bad luck and run into some freaky stuff, but the only horrors you can potentially experience today is if you don’t act quickly on these Amazon Exclusive TFs, and they run out!

G2 Bruticus

First up is a G2 redeco of the upcoming Fall of Cybertron Bruticus figure. This team of 5 Combatcions combines to form the mighty Bruticus.

Apparently there are three versions of this set. There is the standard mass retail set that I covered in this post. Then there is the San Diego Comic Con Exclusive G1 colored set. Now Amazon is offering a G2 colored set. Hasbro sure knows how to milk it. Long time readers know that I have repeatedly mentioned that the Combaticons are my favorite combiner group, both in this post and in this post. And for that reason alone, I’ll probably buy all 3 sets. Will Hasbro put out a 4th redeco? Wouldn’t surprise me.

Click here to order your G2 Bruticus from Amazon. Pre-order went up last Friday morning, then it stopped after a few hours. It finally went up again yesterday, which is when I got mine. Gets yours while they last!

Optimus Prime Jetwing Movie Deco

This is a redeco of a Optimus Prime figure that was previously only available in Japan. I think MSRP of the Japanese version was something in the range of $250. I thought of buying it then, but the price was too much of a turnoff. Glad I waited, since this is like half as cheap!

Many fans consider the Japanese version of this to be the best transformable Movie Optimus Prime figure made. I think the base figure is from the ROTF leader mold, but it’s modified slightly to accommodate the Jetwing. This redeco does look a little different from the Japanese version. Personally, I like the G1 blue stripes on the wings, but not sure if I’m feeling the gold and blue on the Jetwing guns. Still, the only other Jetwing OP I have is a tiny commander-sized figure. So I don’t mind finally getting a leader-sized one.

Get the Amazon Jetwing Optimus Prime here.

Get yours now before they’re gone! Transform and Roll Out!