Archive

Archive for September, 2012

Transformers Purchased in September 2012

September 30th, 2012 4 comments

September is yet another month where I found virtually no new Transformers in the stores. But I did manage to get some figures online. And for the first time in a long time, I bought a old figure from a discount store.

  • Generations Fall of Cybertron Jazz and Optimus Prime, Amazon, $24.98 shipped

  • Masterpiece Thundercracker x 2, toysrus.com, $69.99 each

  • ROTF Hatchet, dd's Discounts, $5.99

First up for the month is Fall of Cybertron Jazz and Optimus Prime. These 2 are old news by now. I waited so long because I already have on order a set of the Wave 1 from TFSource, which includes these 2 and Shockwave. I kept waiting for that to ship, but the green Giant set is holding up the stack. Sometime this month, Amazon had a sale for Jazz and Prime, which was $24.98 for both. I couldn’t wait anymore so I went ahead and bought both of these. At the time I thought this was a good deal. Turns out, TFSource also had these on sale at about $12 each, and BBTS at about $10 each. I guess Hasbro made way too many of these. Regardless, I opened both figures. I like Prime. Both modes are solid. His overall cheap plastic look leaves a lot to be desired, but overall he’s a good figure. Jazz I’m not too fond of. I got no complaints about the alt mode, but I find the robot mode disappointing. I don’t like the big hole between his head and chest, and his arms seem too long. It’s a shame too, because he’s so cool in the Fall of Cybertron game. Speaking of which, I finally finished Campaign mode today. That last chapter was totally epic! I’m gonna go back and try to get more trophies.

Masterpiece Thundercracker is a Toys R Us exclusive. I watched my TRU store for weeks, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally, he was reported to be available at toysrus.com. That’s where I got mine. TRU appears to be releasing him in increments. He would be available for a little while, then quickly go back to being out of stock. For me, TRU Masterpiece exclusives are near impossible to find in the store. The last such MP I found was Grimlock, I never saw Rodimus or Thundercracker. Anyway, I didn’t open Thundercracker yet, but reviews report him to be nothing short of amazing. This is my first MP seeker using the new mold, so I’m really looking forward to playing with this piece.

Lastly we have Hatchet. I saw him last summer when he first came out. He did catch my attention, since he looks kinda like Ravage and he’s got a cool jet mode. But he was one of those borderline figures for me, and eventually I just forgot. Last week I saw him again at a discount store for cheap. And since we’re in such a TF shortage, I figured why not. I opened Hatchet, and he’s not half bad. The robot beast mode is refreshing, and the jet looks cool too. My only complaint is that, in jet mode, there’s too much bulk where the arms go, under the wings. If it wasn’t for that, his jet mode would be perfect. But even as is, I do recommend the figure. Though he’s not a must-get by any means.

I checked TFSource earlier today, and green Giant is finally in. So next month I will have more TFs for sure. Transform and Roll Out!

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics

KO Combiners

September 11th, 2012 9 comments

Every once in a while I visit my local Tuesday Morning. They have a toy section, and sometimes you can find TFs that can be hard to find elsewhere for less than MSRP. For example, I have found Reveal the Shield legend class Megatron and Trailcutter (aka Trailbreaker) there at $3.99 each. Anyway, yesterday I was there looking for some items to furnish my new home (which is kind of what most of their items are), but I thought I stop by the TF section just in case. The knock-offs (KO) below caught my attention.

These KOs are not even to scale with the real deal. Check out a size comparison pic below with DOTM Nitro Bumblebee.

Still, I’m kinda tempted to pick up that KO Defensor. Counting only the G1 combiners from the first 4 seasons (IMO pretty much the only G1 seasons that matter), the Protectobots are the only set where I never played with any of the figures from the team. Back in G1, I had the Combaticons and Technobots complete. I had Air Raid from the Aerialbots, and I had Breakdown, Drag Strip, and Dead End from the Stunticons. My cousin had the Terrorcons and I played with them extensively. I never officially owned the Contructicons, but my KO set was enough to give me an impression as to how the real thing would be. And as for the Predacons, I never had them during G1. But I bought the reissue set sometime last year, and so now I know how they are.

And that just leaves the Protectobots. None of my friends owned any of them, probably because we all thought they were a bunch of pansies. I’m not sure if that reputation was well deserved, but it was the popular notion of the day. Even the legendary Don Figueroa has stated that, in his interpretation, Defensor is the smallest gestalt.

But that doesn’t change the fact that the toys could be cool. I might go back to the store later and pick up these KO Protectobots. This will give me a sampling of what the genuine article is all about. I’m not hearing of plans to reissue the Protectobots. At $5.99 for the set you really can’t lose (or maybe you could b/c they’re KO).

At the store they also had a KO Menasor (not pictured). I would get him, but the KO set is all messed up. It uses Afterburner as the left arm and Nosecone as the left leg.

On a related note, I have decided to not get the Encore Constructicons for two reasons: 1) The TFC Hercules set is so freakin’ amazing, and I also have the Giant set on preorder, the G1 set will pale in comparison, and 2) I stumbled upon this review of Encore Constructicons. The report of the set being “KO quality” has me discouraged. I’ve said before that I’m on a quest to get all the G1 combiners, but I don’t want to pay $120+ for a set that’s nowhere near as good as the originals. And speaking of reissues being inferior to originals, in 2004 I picked up a TRU exclusive reissue of Silverstreak (aka Bluestreak). Comparing him to an original G1 Smokescreen that I had since 1985, Silverstreak is most definitely inferior. The plastic feels cheap, workmanship feels coarse and shoddy, and some joints are way too loose while others are way too tight. These reissues are all made in China, and they simply do not measure up to the Japanese originals.

I have had absolutely no luck finding new TFs lately. So I might as well buy some KO. Transform and Roll Out!

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics

Transformers Purchased in August 2012

September 1st, 2012 8 comments

August has been kind of a eventful month for me. But not as far as TF shopping goes. In fact, I only bought 2 TFs this month, and it’s not from lack of hunting. Anyway, they appear below.

  • TF Animated Wingblade Optimus Prime, eBay, $42.74 shipped

  • TF Prime Cyberverse Ultra Magnus, Walmart, $9.96

There’s just a total lack of TFs in stores at the moment. Wingblade OP is a eBay purchase. And Ultra Magnus is a Cyberverse fig, which I usually don’t buy. I could’ve very well not bought any TFs this month. Scary!

Anyway, I bought Wingblade OP because I love the wing attachment. Even though I already have two Hasbro figures of this mold, I still felt justified in spending the $$$ for the wings. Plus this Optimus is in clear red plastic. In my opinion, this is one of the best molds in the Animated line. When this fig first came out, he was well into the $50s. In the low $40s, I didn’t even blink and just got one. TF Source had this on sale this month for $47. I almost bought OP there, but thought I check eBay just in case. Sure enough, some seller in Malaysia had it even cheaper. I wonder if a lost shipment of TFA Wingblade OP just suddenly turned up somewhere if they all got so cheap so quickly.

As for Ultra Magnus, I got him simply because he’s Ultra Magnus. I think Cyberverse is a fun distraction, but nothing I get too excited for. Still, I love the character, and this figure turned out to be a winner. He’s simple like all Cyberverse, but I have fun transforming Magnus back and forth. All 4 limb joints are kinda loose, but nothing a little clear nail polish won’t fix. The hammer weapon is cool too.

Even though that’s only 2 figures for the month, August does come with the release of Fall of Cybertron, which must be mentioned.

I’ve had the game for several days now, but had no chance to play it at all. I recently bought a new home, and anyone that has purchased property in the past will tell you that it’s no trivial matter. There’s a lot of crap that comes with the transaction. It hasn’t left me with much time, so playing FOC and making posts on this blog has kinda fallen by the wayside. But I should be done with it all soon, and I’ll be back in Prime form for even more TFs in no time.

I gotta do better than 2 TFs in Sept. I’m expecting a huge order from TF Source. Hopefully the Giant green set doesn’t get delayed again. Transform and Roll Out!

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics