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Archive for April, 2022

War For Cybertron Kingdom Pipes Quick Review – with G1

April 27th, 2022 Comments off

I have said many times on this blog that I’m partial to TFs that I have owned during G1. So today I’m going to do another review of a figure updated in the War For Cybertron line with G1 roots. Ladies and gents, I give you… Pipes!

Most TransFans outside of G1 will not have heard of Pipes. He was a mini-bot that came around in Season 3. According to my research, Pipes appeared in the original US Transformers run a whopping 2 times. Pipes had more comic book appearances in both G1 and later incarnations, but that media is reserved for the hardcore. So yeah, this is a very minor G1 character that most just brush off as a Huffer repaint.

But I had Pipes during G1. So he’s getting some love today. And to be fair, Pipes wasn’t simply just a Huffer repaint. They’re based off of the same overall scheme. But they had different head molds, different arm molds, but most importantly, they don’t transform exactly the same. Opposite sides of the truck are used to form the front side of the robot. There’s enough examples of this in today’s figures (Universe Sideswipe and Sunstreaker comes to mind), but for G1, this achievement in variation off a same mold is beyond epic!

In WFC, Huffer came first, and rightly so since he’s the more famous character. It was only a matter of time before they got to Pipes. We all know HasTak is not going to make a mold to release it just once.

WFC Kingdom Pipes in the package.

First let’s take a look at how Pipes appeared in the animation models.

In the pics on the left, Pipes appears with pipe arms and a visor-type face, just like his G1 toy. But then in the pics on the right, he appears with pipes as attachments on his forearms and a face with two separate eyes. This was classic G1… no definitive appearance and lots of discrepancies between animation studios. Whatever the case, the latter interpretation is what WFC Pipes went with. See below.

Pipes in classic A-stance. Notice the pipes attachments on the forearms.

Pipes side profile. A bit of backpack kibble, but not too bad. Very G1 accurate and the size is more than acceptable when viewed from the side.

View from the back. The backpack kibble looks a bit big from this view, but it’s part of Pipes’ defining attribute since G1. Speaking of which, let’s take a look at G1 Pipes.

This is an authentic G1 Pipes that I had since either ’86 or ’87. I believe he was acquired at Lucky. I went shopping one day with my mom, and she was nice enough to buy this for me. If memory serves, he was an item placed on a hanging strip, possibly in the cereal aisle. Lucky didn’t always put toys in the toy aisle back then. This G1 Pipes is not in the best shape today. Nothing broken, but very loose joints. I transformed this guy literally hundreds of times.

G1 Pipes with WFC Pipes – about 35 years between them.

Another shot of this duo.

WFC Pipes is able to use the pipes as twin guns.

Another alternate pose for Pipes, with the pipes attached on the shoulders.

Close-up of WFC Pipes. They obviously used the animation model.

Close-up of G1 Pipes. I have no idea why there’s a smudge on the cab, to the left of the Autobot symbol. Looking at the two pics above, it’s clear they very much kept the chest design intact. Bravo!

Now for some action shots. Pipes is fairly poseable. Lots of articulation points for a $20 figure.

Another action shot.

Same action shot as above, but with the focus on one pipe.

Pipes kick. Hiyah!

Now for some size comparisons. First with Studio Series 86 Perceptor.

With Generation Selects Exhaust. Why did I use Perceptor and Exhaust? Because I had them handy. No other reason.

Transformation to truck is fairly obvious. Detach arms from the shoulders and flip the front wheels out. Rotate cab around the place over the head. Place arms to the back and sides of cab. Angle the fists inwards. Rotate and flip legs in. Very straightforward transformation for a G1 derivative.

Truck side view.

Alternate configuration view from the side, without the pipes.

View from the back. The paint on the rear brake lights is a nice touch.

WFC Pipes bottom view. I could’ve rotated the head so the face is not visible, but whatever.

Now for some pics of G1 Pipes in alt mode. I think there was a rub-on faction label on the top of the cab, but it fell off. Transformation from robot to truck is beyond obvious so I won’t even describe it.

Another shot of G1 Pipes in alt mode.

Below I present G1 and WFC Pipes together in alt mode, in various angles.

In summary, I recommend WFC Kingdom Pipes. They certainly did not forget his G1 roots when he was conceived, the design aesthetics taking cues from both the G1 toy and G1 animation. The figure is well built and very poseable. Transformation is fun, intuitive, and straightforward. Both modes look superb. I like this figure so much, I got this mold 4 times. See below.

Clockwise from upper left: Pipes, Huffer, Road Ranger, Puffer

You certainly don’t need to get them all. But all TransFans should get at least one. All these can still be had at MSRP as of this writing. Pipes is asking you to collect them all – read his tech spec bio if you didn’t get that reference.

Go Pipes. Transform and Roll Out!

 

Categories: Pics, Toy Reviews

Beelzeboss Heroic Duo Custom Kit with WFC Siege Sideswipe and Red Alert

April 15th, 2022 Comments off

A few days ago, I was browsing old content on this blog. I stumbled on posts regarding the Beelzeboss Heroic Duo Custom Kit version 2. This upgrade kit is designed to enhance Universe Sideswipe and Generations Red Alert for a more G1 accurate look. So this got me thinking… does this set work with War For Cybertron Siege Sideswipe and Red Alert? I love to experiment. So I dug out this set, the 2 WFC figures, and proceeded to weaponize them G1 style.

Box of the set. Nice artwork.

The above pic shows what’s in the set. Included are:

  • 1 grey rifle for Sideswipe
  • 1 red rifle for Red Alert
  • 1 white launcher with white missile for Sideswipe
  • 1 white launcher with red missile for Red Alert
  • 4 shoulder pads for attaching the missile launchers
  • 2 pile drivers for Sideswipe
  • 1 G1 accurate red head for Red Alert

First I’ll go over what’s not usable with WFC Sideswipe and Red Alert. The hands on the WFC figs cannot be detached, so the 2 pile drivers are useless here. The shoulders on the WFC figs are molded completely different from the CHUG figs, so the 4 shoulder pads have no where to go on the WFC figs. And without the shoulder pads, the missile launchers cannot be attached. Total bummer.

It is unclear to me if the G1 accurate Red Alert head can be used. WFC Red Alert’s head does appear to sit on a ball joint, but getting it off could take some work. it’s positioned in between the chest/hood and the back, and getting to it is not easy. So I didn’t try it. WFC Red Alert already has a pretty good looking G1 head that is different from Sideswipe.

This only leaves the rifles. Below is a pic that compares the Heroic Duo rifles with the stock WFC Siege weapons.

So how does it look? See for yourself.

All in all, not too shabby. For WFC Sideswipe, my gripe was always that he didn’t come with good weapons. The stock 2 piece attachment could function as either the missile launcher or the gun, but it doesn’t look G1 enough to really qualify as either. You could take apart the 2 pieces and have a launcher and a gun, but that kinda looks worse. With the Heroic Duo rifle, that obviously becomes his hand weapon, and the stock weapon can now be fully devoted to be the missile launcher. I like this look.

As for WFC Red Alert, he comes with a stock rifle. So I chose to use the red Heroic Duo rifle over his stock black one for a more G1 look. The stock rifle doesn’t look bad, but Heroic Duo is better, in my opinion. I could’ve had him use both rifles, but Red Alert never did that in the G1 cartoons. WFC Red Alert does not come with any pieces that he could use as a shoulder launcher.

I should point out that the fit for the weapons isn’t the best. For Sideswipe, the Heroic Duo rifle feels pretty loose in either fist. It’s ok for posing. But during play it’s sure to fall off. The fit is a bit better on Red Alert, but not by much.

Now for the alt modes. Here are some ways to use the Heroic Duo weapons.

It looks ok. Neither attachment option looks that natural. The fit on Sideswipe with the weapon on the side is not too bad. All other fittings is as loose as the robot mode. Again, ok for posing, but not the best during play.

My final verdict is that the Heroic Duo kit is great for the figs they were designed for. But for Siege Sideswipe and Red Alert, I would only get this set if you can find it cheap. Only the rifles are of any use. They look pretty good, but the fit is only good for posing.

Transform and Roll Out.
 

Categories: Pics