I first featured Fans Toys Hunk in this post. FT’s version of MP Brawn is getting his 15 minutes today.

He’s packed in robot mode, so let’s start there.

Hunk in classic A-stance.

View from the side. A bit of backpack kibble, but not too bad.

Back view.

Close up of the face. That’s a great sculpt. Good job FT.

Overall I’m very happy with Hunk’s robot mode appearance. This is a robot mode that does Brawn justice. I can nitpick here and there, but I don’t think there is a figure in existence that comes closer to how Brawn look in the G1 cartoons. The face is spot on. The colors are spot on. Brawn is stockier in the animation, so you might say Hunk’s proportions are a bit too slim. But I like it.

Here we see Hunk with his trademark pistol that the G1 animators created for him. As far as I can tell, this gun resembles the cartoon weapon fairly well. Hunk only comes with three accessories: this gun, another face of Hunk yelling (not pictured in this review), and a drill bit he uses in vehicle (more on this later).

Hunk in action.

Hunk celebrating.

Hunk standing around looking cool.

The articulation in robot mode is ok, but some may find it too limiting. The arms are not bad. Shoulder, elbow, and wrist rotations are all there. The legs ain’t too shabby either. Hip swivel, knee bend, and ankle pivots are all accounted for. Head rotation is very limited. There is no up and down, and side to side is extremely limited due to the back flap behind Hunk’s head. I’ve seen pics of Hunk with waist swivel, but I could not get the waist to twist. If possible, it’s really hard to do. I didn’t try it too hard in fear of breaking the toy. All the official FT pics don’t show Hunk with any waist swivel. There’s no ab crunch of any kind.

Here is Hunk next to the famous MP-10 Optimus Prime. They scale together pretty well.

When I took this pic, I had Hunk in one hand and the MP-10 in the other. To my surprise, Hunk weighs more! This is the US Version of the MP-10, and it’s unclear to me if the Japanese version uses any die-cast. But to have Hunk weigh more than the Hasbro MP-10 is still a testament to the fact that FT uses some quality materials. Bravo.

I detect no weaknesses in Hunk’s construction. All joints are at the right tolerance, nothing too loose or too tight.

As far as the robot mode’s appearance, I have next to no gripes. At first I thought the feet looked weird, in that they’re too big and they’re the wrong shape. But then I checked the G1 animation model and the comic book model, and that’s exactly how they look (especially in the US Marvel comics). So again, props to Fans Toys for being so toon accurate, something they never fail to do. I already mentioned about the size of the backpack when viewed from the side. Yes it’s not perfect, but easily forgivable considering how well everything else looks.

Transformation to vehicle mode is more on the complex side for a figure of this size. He’s not impossible like FT Rouge, but he’s also not simple like FT’s earlier offerings (Stomp, Soar, Sever, etc).

The leg transformation deserves special mention. Each leg splits apart, and ends up forming the sides of the vehicle. It sounds hokey on paper, but seeing this transformation implemented in action is kind of cool. G1 purists will bash this for being an unfaithful transformation, but that would fall into the area of hardcore nitpicking.

Going to alt mode, getting the backpack to be formed properly as the vehicle’s top rear section can be a bit frustrating. It takes perfect alignment for the whole assembly to snap into place. There are also a bunch of small transformation pieces on both the waist and legs that, in my opinion, detract from the overall enjoyment of the transformation process.

Hunk looks good in alt mode once the transformation is complete. Check the pics below.

Super accurate alt mode to the cartoon.

Another angle. Hunk comes with rubber tires and rolls well on a flat surface.

Side view.

Front view.

Back view. They did not forget the gas canister.

Bottom view. Notice there is storage for the weapon. Nice.

Here we see Hunk using that alt mode drill that Brawn used in The Ultimate Doom. I see this more as a novelty accessory, but kudos to FT for including it.

Another shot of the drill.

Now for some alt mode size comparisons. Here he is next to MP Bumblebee.

Now next to MP Sideswipe.

Next to both of them. For a mini-bot Hunk does seem a bit big in alt mode. But seeing as he is a Jeep off-road type of vehicle, I think it works.

Hunk is definitely a worthy purchase for your Masterpiece collection. Most of my gripes are transformation related. I think he’s more complicated than he needs to be. Fan of intricate articulation may also find Hunk a bit lacking in this regard. But this figure scores high in all other areas. I recommend Hunk with no reservation. The only other Masterpiece style Brawn that I’m aware of is Bad Cube Brawny. I don’t have that figure. I’m told Brawny is good too, but comes with a very punishing transformation process that is not for the faint of heart.

On a completely separate but related note, this marks my third review of a Brawn figure. The other two are my reviews for Revenge of the Fallen Brawn and Titans Return Brawn. Why am I reviewing so many Brawns? Is he subconsciously my favorite character? Probably not. I hope not.

Transform and Roll Out.
 

Only 2 figures were purchased for Nov of 2018. Both figures are from the Power of the Primes Evolution series.

• Power of the Primes Evolution Optimal Optimus, Target, $44.99

• Power of the Primes Evolution Nemesis Prime, amazon.com, $32.99

Both these figures were presented in this special Black Friday post. There are some minor details that’s worth repeating here. Being that they are both from the Evolution series in Power of the Primes, they each have 4 modes.

Optimal Optimus

When I found this figure at Target, I wasn’t sure if I really wanted him. I enjoyed Beast Wars, but I’m a G1 guy at heart. Figures that come from other TF lines are a lower priority for me. But Optimal Optimus does look cool in the box. And I’ve been mostly impressed with the Evolution series thus far. “Just buy it!”, said my wife, as she got sick of waiting for me to make up my mind while in the store. That was all the nudging I needed. And that was smart, since I never saw this figure in store again.

Optimal Optimus is an entertaining and fun figure. He represents all 3 forms of Optimus that we see in Beast Wars. First we have the base Optimus Primal figure, which is the smaller black and white component in this toy. That’s the first mode. This component transforms into a flying hoverboard (yes you read that right) used by the next form of Optimus Primal, the larger transmetal gorilla figure. Alternatively, the smaller component can transform into a backpack with weapons for the gorilla. This is the 2nd mode. The two components then come together to form Optimal Optimus, the final evolution of this character in Beast Wars. This is the 3rd mode. In this mode, Optimal Optimus can transform into a Cybertronian jet. And that’s the 4th mode. Yes I know on paper this all sounds very hokey and gimmicky. And yes this figure is a bit guilty of all those qualities. But I’m gonna guess that BW fans love this. This is the first time in TF history that we got a single figure who can decently represent Optimus Primal in all his forms in the show. Hasbro should be applauded for even attempting this. The end result is not perfect, but each mode is decent enough on its own.

BW fans should definitely not pass up on this figure. And I do recommend this for all other TransFans that want something different and original. If you don’t fall into either of these 2 groups, then this purchase would be optional. Optional Optimus. Yes, bad puns at their best.

Nemesis Prime

Evolution Nemesis Prime is an Amazon-exclusive repaint of Evolution Optimus Prime, with some minor mold differences and the inclusion of some additional weapons. Checking my TF List, this is only my 3rd Nemesis Prime figure. The other 2 I have is Alternator Nemesis Prime, and the Thrilling 30 legend class Nemesis Prime.

The only mold difference I’m aware of is in the heads. Nemesis Prime’s head is designed to look like that of Optimus, but everything is more triangular. The mouth piece, eyes, crown, and overall shape of the face, all more extremely triangular and angled. Looking directly from the front, the face kind of resembles the Decepticon symbol. I love it! To me this makes sense too, since Nemesis is supposed to be a different character from Optimus. The smaller base figure gets a new head mold too, though I’m not sure what this is supposed to be. I have no idea who “evolves” into Nemesis Prime, or if that even makes sense.

Nemesis Prime gets quite a bit of additional weapons. The first are two large grey twin-cannons, that can be used in the large robot mode and the truck mode. Next is the inclusion of a red sword. Finally, we have a grey sword that can transform into a bird! All the new weapons alone make this set worthy of purchase on its own, even if you already have Optimus.

I need to mention that construction of this figure is not as good as Evolution Optimus Prime. It’s not terrible, and nowhere near as bad as Evolution Rodimus Prime. But I just wanted to point out that there are some joints that feel a tad too loose, and I don’t remember Evolution Optimus Prime having those issues.

I bought this figure for $32.99 on a Cyber Monday sale, from Amazon. Checking the site now, this figure goes for more than $250! Wow. TFs are like stocks. You never know how they’re gonna go. If I can go back in time, I buy a few more of these. Heck, I’ll buy more Amazon stock. Then come back to my own time and retire.

That’s it for this month. One more purchase post left for 2018, and then it’s on to 2019! Yay. Better late than never I always say.

Transform and Roll Out.
 

MP Optimus is back with another team of trusted Autobots to lay waste to some undisciplined Decepticons up to no good.

This is Team 5. Here were the previous teams: Team 1, Team 2, Team 3, Team 4.

• Optimus Prime
• X-Transbots Aegis (aka Trailbreaker)
• X-Transbots Neptune (aka Seaspray)
• Fans Toys Hunk (aka Brawn)
• Fans Toys Sheridan (aka Warpath)
• X-Transbots Klaatu (aka Cosmos)

With the exception of MP-10 Optimus, all figures here are 3rd party and purchased within the last year. This really shows how far 3rd parties have come.

Fans Toys got 2 representatives here in Hunk and Sheridan. Hunk is a great figure, possibly the best MP Brawn on the market today. Both modes look toon accurate. Transformation to car mode can be a tad frustrating in the final steps. I have yet to transform Sheridan, but he definitely looks good in robot mode.

X-Transbots have undoubtedly improved their status as a 3rd party company of transforming figures in recent years. I’m generally very impressed with their offerings, and I got 3 here to prove it. I chose Neptune after looking through many choices in 3P MPs of Seaspray. He is in my opinion the best MP Seaspray on the market, in terms of cartoon accuracy and figure engineering. (Sidebar: the upcoming Spindrift 2.0 by Fans Toys may change that, but only time will tell.) Klaatu was also chosen among many 3P MP offerings of Cosmos. He looks the most toon accurate in both modes. I went with the metallic version, and I’m oh so glad I did. The picture here does not do this paint job justice, it has to be seen to be fully appreciated. Klaatu is a bit chunky in bot form, and he does present a bit of scale issues with other Mini-bots.

X-Transbots Aegis stars as MP Trailbreaker. In G1, Trailbreaker was my very first Carbot, so I’m extremely partial to Trailbreaker. He was the last Carbot to get any love in CHUG, something that I wasn’t entirely happy about. And now he is the last Carbot to appear in my Autobot MP Teams. I feel kinda bad about that. But better late than never, and in this case I could almost say I saved the best for last. XT Aegis is better than all previous attempts at an MP Trailbreaker. I won’t go into what those are, but if you are in the market for a MP Trailbreaker, you need only consider Aegis.

Transform and Roll Out.
 

2018 continues with more TF goodies. Surprisingly, nothing from Power of the Primes (which was the current CHUG line at the time) and nothing from trusted 3Ps. Everything this month is Studio Series, G1 reissues, or 4P products.

• Studio Series Shadow Raider, amazon.com, $19.99

• Studio Series Bumblebee, amazon.com, $19.99

• Studio Series Ironhide, amazon.com, $29.99

• G1 Hot Rod, Walmart, $29.84

• NBK Drump Truck, eBay seller, $12.74

• NBK Mixer, eBay seller, $12.74

• Kubianbao MP10-V Tactical Container, eBay, $34.76

Shadow Raider

Shadow Raider is a repaint of Studio Series 11 Lockdown. Overall, I like Shadow Raider better. I dig the orange colors. And I like his head mold. It’s as if Lockdown is wearing that green night vision helmet that we see him sport in Age of Extinction. I also like that Shadow Raider comes with an awesome looking gun, as opposed to that claw or hook thing that Lockdown has. If you already have SS Lockdown, then you may not want to buy essentially the same figure again. But if you don’t, then I recommend SS Shadow Raider over SS Lockdown, for the reasons I listed.

And now that I think on it, this orange Lamborghini reminds me of Revenge of the Fallen Oil Pan. The only pic I have of Oil Pan on this blog is this Halloween 2012 Pic (scroll to the most bottom pic, Oil Pan is the orange Lamborghini). I probably still have Oil Pan somewhere. Shadow Raider was featured in a Halloween post here.

Bumblebee

And here we have yet another movie Bumblebee. I swear, I’m so sick of writing about movie Bumblebees. Hasbro churned these out over and over and really forced this character down our throats. But this Studio Series Bumblebee transforms into a VW Bug, so I felt obligated to get one.

G1 purists will get this figure for the VW alt mode, but that’s about all this figure as going for it. Mechanically, this feels like all movie Bumblebees before it. The figure offers nothing new as far as transformation scheme. Take any deluxe movie Bumblebee made in the last 5 years, and imagine that it transforms into a VW Bug and not a Camaro. That’s how this figure feels.

Construction wise, this figure is also not the best. The joints are tolerable, but a bit too loose for my liking. Going to alt mode, SS 18 Bumblebee feels very much like a panel former. And the panels don’t come together that easily, because of the sub-par construction. Trying to combine panels when the build is too loose is not a fun exercise. Everything does come together in the end, but getting there is not pleasant.

Hasbro does sometimes improve their figures, then release the improved mold as a new figure. Case in point, SS 01 Bumblebee was later improved and released as SS 27 Clunker Bumblebee. I don’t have SS 27, but supposedly it fixed some stability problems. Will SS 18 also get an improvement sometime in the future? Only time will tell. In the mean time, get SS 18 Bumblebee if you must have a movie representation of everyone’s favorite hero as the VW Bug. Just don’t expect any originality here. You’ve seen this before.

Ironhide

Studio Series 14 Ironhide is a figure that I still have not opened to this day. I’m not sure why that is. I had every intention of opening this, but life gets in the way, other stuff happens. And before you know it, nearly 2 years go by and it’s still sitting in a box in the closet, unopened and collecting dust.

And I doubt I will open it now. A quick search on Amazon tells me that a new copy of SS 14 Ironhide goes for nearly $150! Yikes! Why is this figure is so valuable? Did they not make that many? Looking through the Amazon reviews, SS 14 appears to be a terrific figure. Some even prefer this over the MPM version.

I am really tempted to open SS 14 to check it out for myself. But on the other hand I don’t want to intentionally destroy $150 of value. What am I gonna do? Woe is me.

Hot Rod

This G1 Hot Rod reissue is a Walmart Exclusive. In G1, I had the Targetmaster version, so this is a figure I know well. Hot Rod is definitely one of the better figures from G1 Season 3. Of course, he is the star of the G1 Movie, so it makes sense for Hasbro to construct a figure worthy of our hero.

I normally don’t purchase G1 reissues from Walmart that they have released in the last several years. I feel weird saying that, since I re-started my TF collecting 16 years ago with G1 reissues. Looking at my TF List, I certainly have bought a lot of G1 reissues over the years. This means I have most of the figures being released now. And these new reissues are kind of pricey, for what they are. Perhaps that’s why I don’t feel the love for G1 reissues anymore.

But with all that being said, I bought this reissue of Hot Rod. I did that for 4 reasons: 1) I had the Targetmaster version, not the Season 3 version, which is what this is, 2) I don’t have Hot Rod as a reissue, 3) this is a good toy for G1 standards, and 4) he is the star of the G1 Movie.

My only regret is that I bought him way too soon. I got him at regular MSRP of close to $30. Walmart apparently had way too many of these, and within a month started dropping prices at my local store. At first they dropped to $25. At that price they still sat on the shelves. Then they were slashed to $15. Even at this price, they weren’t exactly moving. My local store even put them in the clearance section. I thought they would go down to $10, and at that price I’ll buy another one. But that never happened. It was pushing up against the holiday season, and at $15 many parents probably jumped on this. Either that, or some scalper came in and bought them all. I should have got another one when it was $15. If I did, I would open up one of them, and compare to my G1 Targetmaster fig. Oh well.

Dump Truck, Mixer

Here we have 2 more NBK Constructicons. After buying the first 4, I had to get these last 2 to complete this famous sextet in my collection. Dump Truck and Mixer is obviously Long Haul and Mixmaster, respectively. I love how NBK is just using their alt mode as their names. Actually, these may be the names that Generation Toy is using for the genuine article, and NBK is too lazy to come up with their own.

I like Dump Truck. I like the look of both of his molds. Transformation is not hard, but feels complex enough for a figure of his size. Speaking of size, all the NBK Constructicons are about voyager size. Many other modern Constructicon teams absolutely butcher Long Haul. Some of them make him way too big or too bulky, being out of scale of with the other team members (I’m looking at you). Some of them have production problems, being that Long Haul fails to be stable enough to be Devastator’s center. NBK Dump Truck shares none of these faults. Alt mode looks good, robot mode is just a tad bulky (as he should be, from the design), and overall he’s stable enough to provide adequate center of gravity for the gestalt. There are some panels that are difficult to tab together when transforming back to alt mode. It’s a slight distraction and does reduce my overall satisfaction with the piece. But, on a whole, Dump Truck is still a recommended 4th party figure.

Mixer is my final addition to this team. Unfortunately, much like Crane, my feelings for this figure is not as positive. Mixer is another piece where shoddy construction ruins a figure. Going from alt to robot, as soon as you un-peg the arms, the giant mixer barrel falls out. I don’t think this is intended, as the instructions never show it removed for any purpose. Alt mode looks pretty good. Robot mode could be better. I don’t like the large side panels on the arms, near the shoulders. Having the mixer barrel stay on in robot mode is not easy (again, don’t think it’s supposed to come off). In their defense, I don’t think any of the modern Constructicon teams does Mixmaster that well. None of them have figured out what to properly do with the mixer barrel in robot mode. It’s possible that the genuine article from Generation Toys does have the barrel stay on. The NBK figure is a floppy, frustrating mess.

With all 6 NBK Constructicons complete, they can combine and form Devastator. That deserves a review of its own, but I’ll just say quickly here that the combined form is impressive. Many will undoubtedly compare this to ToyWorld Constructor. I don’t think it’s fair to say here which is better. A lot of it will depend on what you value as a TransFan. But I will review NBK Devastator. A discussion on comparisons will be offered in that review.

MP10-V Tactical Container

In March of 2018, I acquired KBBMP10-V by Kubianbao. Yes, we all know what this is, a KO voyager size figure of perhaps the most famous MP to date. And Yes, KBBMP10-V is the name of this figure. Any true TransFans should be able to easily decipher it. It’s original, humorous, and lazy. I can’t get enough of 4th party shenanigans.

MP10-V Tactical Container is the trailer to that figure. And I’ll get straight to it: this is good! KBBMP10-V screamed high production values, and its trailer is no different. KBB is 4th party. When 4th companies can produce products that are superior in quality to the originals, it’s high time HasTak take a look in the mirror and do some serious soul searching.

Everyone already knows what modern Optimus trailers needs to feature today. So I’ll just quickly point out the pros and features of MP10-V Tactical Container in bullet points:

• Beautiful paint job
• Rubber tires on trailer
• Spike figure included
• Roller included (silver color)
• Retractable ramp
• Extendable drone module
• Extendable antenna and claw on drone module
• Trailer also functions as repair bay
• Storage for all of KBBMP10-V’s weapons
• Spike can sit in Roller, drone module, and a control unit inside the trailer
• Drone module can be extended outside in trailer mode
• Gap covers for hole used for drone module extension in trailer mode
• Automatic down deployment of stabilizers when side supports move outward
• Roller’s rear top can be transformed to allow for towing of trailer

Look at all the features above – this thing is just awesome! I’m probably forgetting some features too.

MP10-V Tactical Container is totally worth the money. I recommend this purchase with no hesitation.

That’s it for this month. Stats for the month:

• 3 Studio Series figs
• 1 G1 reissue
• 3 4th party items

Until next time… Transform and Roll Out.
 

The title says it all! The long awaited Netflix series that I first reported here is finally upon us.

The first chapter is Siege. It’s made up of 6 episodes, at 22 min each. How quickly will I watch through this? Possibly one day. I’m really gonna savor this experience, so maybe I’ll stretch it to two. If I can control myself.

Go watch it now!!! Transform and Roll Out!
 

September 2018 is full of TF goodies. I bought products of all kinds: official, 3rd party, and 4th party!

• Power of the Primes Novastar, amazon.com, $16.99

• Power of the Primes Rodimus Unicronus, Target, $44.99

• Power of the Primes Quintus Prime, Target, $4.99

• Power of the Primes Solus Prime, Target, $4.99

• Power of the Primes Megatronus, Target, $4.99

• Power of the Primes Punch-Counterpunch, amazon.com, $24.99

• Bumblebee Bumblebee, Walmart, $4.93

• Cyberverse Shockwave, Target, $14.99

• Masterpiece Movie Series Barricade, tfsource.com, $79.99

• NBK Excavator, eBay seller, $11.81

• NBK Crane, eBay seller, $12.74

• MakeToys Downbeat, tfsource.com, $99.99

• DX9 Richthofen, eBay seller, $62.17

When I first started tracking my monthly purchases, back in Feb of 2012, I pretty much just listed the TFs along with where I got it and for how much. Somewhere along the line, I thought it would be cool to also include pics of each fig opened. Then I kinda went into mini-reviews of each fig. One of the more recent purchase post that I did was for July 2018. These kind of posts take way too long to do. Digging out the figures, taking pictures of them, then writing about them takes a lot longer than one realize. I’m never gonna catch up to where I am currently (July 2020) at this rate.

So today I’m going old school. Much like Feb 2012, I’m just gonna say a few bits about each. These posts are more about what I bought, and not reviews. Here we go.

Novastar

Novastar will always be Firestar for those of us hardcore enough in G1 to know better. I’m guessing the name change is for legal trademark reasons, as I can easily see the term Firestar used elsewhere. Power of the Primes Novastar is a repaint of Moonracer from the same line. And as such, this figure has all the same strengths and weaknesses. The biggest weakness is that giant kibble of a backpack in robot form. She’s also a bit of a shell-former.

Novastar does get a new unique head mold and different weapons, so there are some redeeming features here. Of course G1 enthusiasts like myself will be buying this figure, if purely for G1 nostalgia. Seeing physical manifestation of something designed in the 80s is more than enough reason to reach nerdgasm.

Go to the post for Moonracer for a more detailed discussion of the figure.

Rodimus Unicronus

The 2nd repaint this month is Rodimus Unicronus. This is a repaint of Power of the Primes Evolution Rodimus Prime. I sort of reviewed Evolution Rodimus Prime in that post, but I did kind of skimp on the details. This figure does need a more detailed treatment, but that’s for another day.

Fans seem to be very divided on Evolution Rodimus Prime. There are those that love the figure, like me. And then there are the haters. If you’re like me, you like how the figure has 4 molds, representing all the forms of both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime. The depiction is G1 accurate, and while the figure is not perfect, all forms are more than decent. If you’re a hater, then you don’t like the giant shoulders and giant back kibble in Rodimus Prime robot mode, the long arms of Hot Rod robot mode, and the puzzle-forming.

With Rodimus Unicronus, I thought I was getting the same fig as Evolution Rodimus Prime, just with different colors and a different head mold. That would have been sufficient. I’m sad to point out that Rodimus Unicronus is constructed so poorly that this feels like an entirely different figure. The prime (pun intended) culprit is the super loose hips of the large robot mode. Rodimus Unicronus weighs quite a bit with all pieces attached in robot mode, and the weak hips can barely support it in A-stance. Never mind posing him in any other stance in this mode. In the RV vehicle mode, pieces don’t seem to come together as well, when compared to Evolution Rodimus Prime. Connecting the car to trailer takes more work, and attaching the arms on top of the trailer is literally a chore. Getting everything lined up and flush seems impossible.

I cannot recommend this figure. Bad build has deemed this unplayable. Get Evolution Rodimus Prime, but stay away from this.

Quintus Prime, Solus Prime, Megatronus

This month features 3 more Prime Masters. I normally don’t pay much attention to “Master” figs. I feel like they’re not fully qualified figs, more like accessories. But I love Prime Masters, something I’ve mentioned repeatedly on this blog. I like that they’re both Targetmasters and Pretenders rolled into one. Yes I hate Pretenders, but only for full-sized figs. For accessory figs, I actually think it’s kinda cool.

I gave stellar reviews to Prime Masters in months past (see Jan 2018 and July 2018), and the 3 featured this month is no exception. I love how the shells are homages to G1 Pretenders. Quintus Prime is Bludgeon, Solus Prime is Octopunch, and Megatronus is Bomb-Burst.

Mechanically, these 3 don’t offer anything beyond a painfully simple transformation scheme, similar to all Prime Masters before them. But again, I see them more as accessories. So any transformation is better than none, no matter how simple. And at $4.99 each, you really can’t lose.

Punch-Counterpunch

Power of the Primes Punch-Counterpunch is a fig that I have been waiting for some time. I’m partial to figs that I own, and yes I have G1 Punch-Counterpunch. I still remember the day that I bought him. My parents dropped me off at the mall while they had some business to attend to. They gave me some spending money, which was rare. I ran straight to the toy store (I think it was KB Toys, but not sure anymore). I looked long and hard at all the Transformers, and after about 2 hours I decided to buy Punch-Counterpunch. Even the check-out clerk commented to me about my long decision.

For those that don’t know, Punch-Counterpunch is a “Double Agent”. He has both an Aubobot robot mode and a Decepticon robot mode, named Punch and Counterpunch respectively. And one car alt mode. (Sidebar: The only other fig in the entire TF-verse that has this twin robot feature is TF Animated Shockwave.) Punch is in reality an Autobot, but he transforms into Counterpunch to infiltrate the Decepticon ranks and gather intel. He had a very short appearance in Season 4 Rebirth episode 1. As Counterpunch he stumbled on Pounce and Wingspan up to no good, and tried to take them down as Punch. For that effort, he got his ass handed to him.

PotP Punch-Counterpunch is a fig that was worth the wait. As far as I can tell, he’s a brand new mold, designed specifically to be the character. The overall transformation scheme is similar to G1, but more advanced. The legs have panels that extend and wrap around the car mode. That’s probably the biggest difference.

As Punch, the robot mode looks pretty good. I think the car bits that form the shoulders are too long, and they could have perhaps did a better job to compact them in a bit more. But that’s my only gripe about this mode. The car alt mode is absolutely gorgeous. It feels solid and cohesively formed. There is room under the car to store the weapon, and even with that there’s enough clearance to have the car roll on a flat surface. As Counterpunch, I find no weaknesses in the robot mode. Even the red Autobot hands are flipped in for the blue Decepticon hands to flip out. Very very cool. Of course in G1 he had a completely separate set of forearms, but I like this interpretation equally well.

Punch-Counterpunch comes with another Prime Master, Prima Prime. He also comes with another Combiner War style accessory, that forms either the hand or feet for a Combiner. It’s a mystery to me why Punch-Counterpunch would need such an accessory. It’s possible that Punch-Counterpunch can be used as a limb to a Combiner.

My only gripe about this whole package is that he only comes with one weapon, the yellow pistol. In G1, that was only the weapon for Punch, while Counterpunch had a black rifle. Also, in G1, the yellow pistol was twin-barrel, while this new PotP version is single barrel. A minor gripe, but something to point out to all the G1 purists.

I recommend PotP Punch-Counterpunch with no reservation.

Bumblebee

I only got this Bumblebee because I was looking forward to the movie Bumblebee. And this is the first time in a LONG time that we got a mass retail Bumblebee that transforms into an official VW Bug. Plus at this small size, it reminds me of G1 Bumblebee. To this day, this figure remains the only figure I bought from Bumblebee. Yes I got Studio Series 38 Optimus Prime, but I consider that more Studio Series, and not Bumblebee.

All in all, this is an ok fig. Nothing wrong with fig itself, but nothing to write home about either. How you think this fig would transform is exactly how it does. Purchase of this is fig is completely optional.

Shockwave

The whole Cyberverse line of toys caught me completely by surprise. I was not expecting them at all, then one day at Target I saw Cyberverse Ultimate Class Optimus and Megatron. Warrior Class figs appeared soon after that. Many online reviewers gave glowing reviews to Shockwave, so I bought one.

I already went into this figure in this post. Overall, he’s ok. To summarize, he’s easy to transform. The gimmicks are kinda entertaining. The robot mode is unmistakably Shockwave, but the alt mode could be more G1 if you ask me. I’m not really feeling this walking tank. Cyberverse figs reminds me of Robot in Disguise figs. They feel like cheap plastic held together by even cheaper ball joints. Good for young children to mess with for a few hours, but collectors need not bother.

If you have a thing for Shockwave, then this fig should do you no wrong. For everyone else, this is not a required purchase by any stretch of the imagination.

Barricade

Masterpiece Barricade is a figure worthy of your time. I gave my thoughts in that same post mentioned earlier for Shockwave. Movie Masterpieces are designated MPM. I guess that’s short for MP Movie. To this day, MPM Barricade remains the only fig I have from this line. I am tempted to buy more MPMs, but I’m a G1 guy at heart and MPMs just aren’t a priority.

Truth be told, I only bought MPM Barricade because he was on sale. But I’m glad I did. MPM Barricade is the only Barricade you need in your collection. I have 3 other deluxe Barricades, and none of them are all that good. MPM Barricade fixes all that and more. He feels weighty in your hands, with high quality plastic used throughout the fig. There could be some die-cast, but I’m not sure. The alt mode is a great representation of the Ford Mustang as a police car, and the robot mode is the most screen accurate Barricade that HasTak has produced. The paint job on this figure is superb. Transformation is tad challenging, but nowhere near impossible. He only comes with one accessory, which is that spinning blade thing we see him use in the movie. The arm does need to be transformed a bit to attach the accessory.

MPM Barricade gets a strong recommendation from me. If you love movie figs, this is a required purchase.

Excavator, Crane

Here are two more 4th party NBK Constructicons. The first one I got was Bulldozer, and the next one I got was Scraper. At this point, I think I was buying them more to complete the set. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad figs. Not in the least.

Excavator is another fine addition in this NBK line. He’s not quite as good as Bulldozer, but better than Scraper, in my opinion. Both modes look good and the transformation is fun. The overall transformation scheme is fairly G1 accurate. My only gripe about this figure is that the excavator arm in robot mode is way too big. When attached, the fig becomes back heavy. It can be removed, but I didn’t try it. However it should be noted that this is a common problem among all modern Scavenger figures.

I would say Crane is the weakest figure in this line so far. The alt mode is quite solid, everything coming together with no issues. The crane arm works too, which is a plus. The robot mode is where this thing falls apart. Bad construction hurts this figure. Some parts of the robot becomes a floppy mess. Of note is the crane arm in robot mode. It doesn’t really stay in place on the back, and having it angled over the shoulder is even worse. I do wonder if the genuine article of this figure is better constructed.

Downbeat

As of this writing, if you want a Jazz in your MP collection, then go with Downbeat. There is not a better G1 MP Jazz on the market right now. I sort of featured Downbeat back in this post. Jazz is my favorite TF character of all time. I had to have him in MP form, and I got sick of waiting for HasTak to do it. So it’s MakeToys to the rescue.

Downbeat gets a strong recommendation from me on all counts. He looks good in both modes. Transformation is a pleasure, just challenging enough to be fun yet not frustrating. Overall transformation scheme follows the G1 paradigm, and not something out of left field. The looks of the figure is completely G1 accurate, in both modes. The aesthetics of the robot mode is simple, much like the animation. The door panels in robot mode can be hidden or flipped out, so you get to configure Jazz like the show or the toy. He comes with plenty of accessories (rifle, shoulder rocket launcher, grappling hook, and more). Downbeat is the perfect Jazz package.

Some fans complain about the alt mode, where from the back you can see bits hang down below the rear bumper. Honestly, when you see the figure in hand, it’s not that bad. It looks worse than it is in pictures. Personally I would not let this issue keep you from buying an otherwise great figure.

As of this writing, Fans Toys have announced their plans for Jazz. Fans Toys is generally considered the best in the business for 3P TFs. But FT’s plans for Jazz could literally be years away. FT announced their plans for Blitzwing more than 2 years ago, and so far we only see renders. Only Primus knows how long before FT Jazz really materializes. In the mean time, go with MakeToys Downbeat. I’ve had mine for almost 2 years now. FT Jazz may indeed be better, but Downbeat is already at the party. How long you want to wait for FT Jazz to show up is up to you.

Richthofen

Richthofen is another great 3P MP figure this month. I featured DX9’s Powerglide here and here.

Richthofen is the best MP Powerglide on the market now. And I’m not aware of any future attempts on a MP Powerglide. Richthofen has a fun, intuitive transformation. Both modes look extremely good and very G1 accurate. The build is super solid. Perhaps too solid, as some joints are a bit too tight. On the first run of this figure, some fans complained of loose tail fins. So on the 2nd run (which is what I have), DX9 may have over-corrected. But I rather have joints too tight than too loose.

Richthofen comes with a figure of Astoria, and his chest panel flips up to reveal a molded-on heart pattern. Powerglide is such a playa. He gets a girl on Earth, but still has his piece back on Cybertron (Moonracer).

That’s a lot of figs this month. Sometimes I don’t realize how much I buy in a month, til I do these kind of posts. The must-haves this month are Downbeat, Richthofen, Barricade, and Punch-Counterpunch. Everything else is optional.

Transform and Roll Out.
 

During the COVID-19 shelter-in-place order (which is still happening as of this writing), I gave myself a Transformers Challenge that involved transforming 5 difficult figures. One of those figures is Masterpiece Sunstreaker (MP-39). I already knew what an awesome figure Sunstreaker is, but transforming him from robot back to alt mode doubly reaffirmed that notion.

Sunstreaker’s twin brother Sideswipe was the first MP Carbot (MP-12). A review of that figure appears on this blog, nearly 8 years ago. It’s only fitting that Sunstreaker get a review too.

The box.

Look at what’s inside: Sunstreaker, a pistol, a rifle, two extra faces, Chip Chase, his wheelchair, and the monster mask from Hoist Goes Hollywood!

Instructions, bio-card, and extra side mirrors.

Let’s start with the alt mode.

Beautiful “Super Tuning” Lamborghini alt mode, with Sunstreaker’s iconic exposed rear-mounted engine.

Rear of the vehicle, in “Super Tuning” configuration.

Flip-up head lights.

Doors and front hood opens.

In alt mode Sunstreaker even has the rear-mounted gun that he uses to shoot down Laserbeak in Ep 2 of More Than Meets The Eye. Yes HasTak loves you. No detail was spared.

And because HasTak loves you, there is the ability to configure Sunstreaker to look like a standard Lamborghini, as opposed to the “Super Tuning” version. So don’t say that HasTak never does anything for you. In this configuration, Sunstreaker is virtually the same as his twin Sideswipe. The most obvious difference is the lack of the exposed rear-mounted engine, which is now hidden by a panel flip.

Rear of Sunstreaker in non “Super Tuning” form. Notice you get the rear brake lights instead of thrusters.

Before we go on to bot mode, I’ll include some alt mode side-by-side pics of the two brothers.

Transformation to robot mode is nothing short of amazing. It is quite intricate, and could easily make a Top 10 most difficult list if I decided to compile one today. But it’s not so difficult that you can’t figure it out without instructions.

Describing the transformation will not do it justice, so I won’t. I’ll just quickly mention that the forming of the backpack in bot mode deserves special mention. It is quite a feat in TF engineering. The designers of this figure have earned themselves a place in the TF Toy Engineers Hall of Fame.

Sunstreaker in classic A-stance.

Sunstreaker side view. The backpack is perfectly acceptable size. No kibble or junk whatsoever. Bravo.

Back view. Upper back looks extremely toon accurate. A tiny bit of kibble around the butt area, but nothing that I can’t overlook.

Close up of the face. Is Sunstreaker as handsome as he thinks he is? You decide.

Sunstreaker loves to kick butt and look good while doing it. So I included a whole bunch of action shots. This is action pose #1.

Close up of action pose #1. Because Sunstreaker wouldn’t want you to miss out on the details.

Action pose #2 – twin gun action.

Action pose #3 – looking cool after the shot.

Action pose #4 – only Sunstreaker can make kneeling down look good.

I love it when figures have spaces to store weapons when they’re not used. Sunsteaker can store the rifle on his back.

With Chip Chase. Why is Chip included with Sunstreaker? Is it because of that one G1 scene where Chip was riding on Sunstreaker’s shoulder? That seems like a flimsy reason. There are better suited Autobots to pair Chip with, like Prowl. But I’m glad we got a Chip figure somewhere.

Last but not least, this is Sunstreaker wearing the monster mask from Hoist Goes Hollywood. HasTak spared no detail. I wonder if I can get this mask on the other MP Carbots who also wore it on that episode. I should try that.

If you collect Masterpiece Transformers, you no doubt already have MP Sunstreaker in your collection. There’s no reason to be on the fence about this figure. Sunstreaker is one of the best offerings in the entire MP lineup. Both modes are beautiful. Plenty of accessories. Amazing transformation. Superb construction. I would sound like a commercial if I offered any more praises.

The only thing I can say that sort of remotely qualifies as a negative is that he’s not that playable, because of the transformation difficulty. MP Sunstreaker is not a TF you are likely to transform multiple times a day. Once you get it to the other mode, you will likely leave Sunstreaker as is for days, if not weeks or months. In my case, I opened Sunstreaker almost as soon as I got him and transformed him to robot right away. Then I left him like that for about 2 years before I transformed him back.

Fans will obviously compare Sunstreaker with Sideswipe. The are both good figures. Sunstreaker is the more impressive piece, from a toy engineering perspective. He came five years later than Sideswipe, so that’s not a surprise. Sideswipe, however, is more playable with a more straightforward transformation. In my opinion, Sunstreaker is purely a collector’s piece, while Sideswipe achieved the perfect balance of being a collector’s item and toy.

I give MP Sunstreaker the highest possible recommendation. This is another figure that does justice to the Masterpiece line.

“They can’t beat the best!” Transform and Roll Out!
 

The COVID-19 shelter-in-place is still sort of happening where I am. To pass the time, the wife and I started playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons on the Nintendo Switch.

My wife is a non-gamer, but she’s the one that got seriously addicted to the game.

As a TransFan, I immediately tried to look for TF related custom designs. I couldn’t find any. So I made my own. Below is my contribution to the Animal Crossing community.

Transform and Roll Out!
 

We live in a great era of Transformers. When I came back to collecting the toys in 2004, it was returning from a 16 year hiatus where I paid little to no attention to what’s going on with the toyline. Now in 2020, I’ve been recollecting for 16 years, as long as my hiatus. Time flies.

Hasbro certainly did not forget us older fans that grew up with the franchise. CHUG (Classics, Henkei, Universe, Generations) draws inspiration mostly from G1. Many G1 favorites were updated in the line, sometimes multiple times.

CHUG obviously started with some of the most popular characters, like Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee. And as the years went, more and more would be updated. Characters from the first 2 G1 seasons usually got earlier treatment. G1 Movie characters would soon follow. Even more obscure characters would later get updated. I wrote back in 2009 how I wished Sixshot would get an update, then in 2017 it became reality.

Now as I write this in 2020, and looking back, Hasbro has updated some TFs that seem as if they were reaching for the bottom of the G1 barrel. For example, they updated Jumpstarters (both Topspin and Twin Twist). They updated Duocons (Battletrap and Flywheels). Heck, they even did all the Monsterbots (Doublecross, Grotusque, Repugnus). I can think of way better G1 characters to update. And that’s where I got the inspiration for this post. I present below my top 10 G1 Transformers that desperately need an update today.

But first, some ground rules:

• I am not including any Pretenders. They suck.
• I am not including any Action Masters. They suck too.
• This list is for G1 TFs that got no update whatsoever. Even if a TF got a lame repaint of something else, or got revived as a Micron (like Titan Masters), or got a completely butchered Movie-verse update, that counts as an update. Yes I know that not having a real G1-style update sucks, but not having being updated at all sucks more. This list is reserved for the latter.
• There are G1 TFs where there’s no update now, but their update is coming. These TFs are not included.
• I am not counting 3rd or 4th party products. Only official products are considered

Here we go.

10. Hosehead
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Headmaster
Function: Emergency Rescue
Modes: robot, fire engine
 
 

You think there would be an update to Hosehead by now. He is a Headmaster that came around in Season 5, and he transforms into a fire engine. Hasbro LOVES making repaints out of something simply because two characters share the same alt mode. Inferno has been repainted into Hot Spot so many times that I lost count. How about giving some love to Hosehead. Yeah I realize no one outside of G1 has heard of him. But this is too easy to not do. And we all know Hasbro loves easy and quick cash grabs. Admittedly, I had Hosehead in G1. He’s still in pretty good shape. Yes I’m partial to TFs that I own, but this is my blog, so there.
 
 

9. Dogfight
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Triggerbot
Function: Aerial Combat
Modes: robot, jet
 
 

I must have a Triggerbot or Triggercon on this list. In G1 there were 3 Triggerbots (the good guys) and 3 Triggercons (the baddies), and I never had any. My favorite out of the 6 is Ruckus, a Triggercon. I wanted to put him on here, but then discovered that he was technically updated. He had a lame Transformers Figure Subscription Service update, being repainted from Combiner Wars Offroad. And worse, they called him Grabuge. Seriously?! Can Hasbro make him anymore trashy? But that technically counts as having being updated, so I went to my next favorite in this group of 6: Dogfight. I don’t know that much about Dogfight, but I do remember him having a scene in one of the IDW comics. In that scene, he was talking to the great Optimus Prime. And Optimus seems to not know who he is, hahaha! It’s refreshing to see that not all Transformers know each other, a concept that the G1 cartoons never explored. Anyways, he transforms into a jet with forward-swept wings. Similar to Conquest X-30 from G.I.Joe and YF-19 from Macross. They could repaint Terradive or Space Case from the movie verse, with a new head mold. Though I would prefer a brand new mold with a more G1-esque robot form. And I want the trigger switch gun action on the updated figure! That never gets old.
 
 

8. Freeway
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Throttlebot
Function: Saboteur
Modes: robot, sports car
 
 

I had to include at least one Throttlebot on here. I have all 6 Throttlebots. I know there was at least one update to Goldbug. There could be more. But what about the other Throttlebots? Anyway, Freeway is my favorite out of the six, so I elect him to get an update. I know ToyWorld produced updates to all 6 Throttlebots, including Freeway (which they called Highway). I have their update to Searchlight and Chase (Aurora and Trace, respectively). Speaking of Chase, I think Roadburn may be the modern update to Chase. Still, there is no update to Freeway. If Hasbro wants to be lazy, just take Roadburn and repaint him blue to be Freeway. Personally I rather see a real update with a new mold. C’mon Hasbro get on it.
 
 

7. Venom
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Insecticon
Function: Psychological Warfare
Modes: robot, cicada
 
 

Finally, a Decepticon on here! When I was compiling this list, I immediately saw that they were mostly Autobots. So I very consciously tried to include more Decepticons. But if playing with the rules that I laid out above, there are almost no Decepticons to include. When you exclude Pretenders and Action Masters, it feels like all G1 Decepticons got an update. I did’t specifically exclude Micromasters in my rules, but deep down I feel they are just not cool enough. Deluxe Insecticons never got any love in G1 in the cartoons. The toys came as early as Season 2, so I’m including one here. Out of the 4, Chop Shop is the only one to have had an update (a lame repaint of Generations Skarpnel). So I could have picked any of the other 3. I chose Venom to be on this list for 3 reasons: 1) I like his wacky head mold, 2) he’s technically the Insecticon leader, though realistically that’s Shrapnel, and 3) he shares the same function of Psychological Warfare as Bombshell, my favorite Insecticon. In G1 I never had any of the Deluxe Insecticons, and I don’t know anyone that did. Thus I have no idea if the toys were any good. But if HasTak chose to update them now, I bet they could do something pretty nice.
 
 

6. Slugfest
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Cassette
Function: Messenger
Modes: stegosaurus, cassette
 
 

Another Decepticon on here! Slugfest is one of the few that I could find without any kind of update. I have the G1 toy, along with Overkill. You get these 2 in one pack. That’s how G1 sold the cassettes. Again, I’m partial to toys I had, and I still got these 2 in pretty good shape. They repainted other toys to be Overkill a bunch of times, probably anytime Hasbro felt like making a repaint from another T-Rex for a quick score. Slugfest never got any love. The character does not exist past G1. That’s a crime. Slugfest is just as cool as Overkill, for G1 standards. If you wanna go the repaint route, take Power of the Primes Snarl and give that Slugfest colors (that would look kinda cool, actually). Though I like a new mold, that transforms from stegosaurus to cassette. While you’re at it, do Overkill too. A real update from T-Rex to cassette. Hasbro this is your chance to impress me.
 
 

5. Sizzle
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Sparkabot
Function: Interceptor
Modes: robot, funny car
 
 

A Sparkabot or Firecon is required on this list. These 2 Sub-Groups feature another popular toy gimmick at the time. All figures have a friction-motor that produces cold sparks. For the 3 Sparkabots, the cold sparks fire out the rear exhaust in vehicle alt mode. And for the 3 Firecons, sparks come out of their mouths in the monster alt mode. Sizzle is my favorite out of this 6 (and again, he’s the only one I had out of this bunch). For most G1 Fans, Sizzle is the one that everyone thinks of when this group is mentioned. In his tech spec bio, he’s described as a daredevil of an Autobot, akin to Hot Rod, Fastlane, or Air Raid. He transforms into a cool funny car. I think Hasbro needs to update Sizzle for that reason alone; I can’t think of any other funny car Transformers. His color scheme is also quite unique, going from an ash brown in car mode to tangerine red in robot mode. I very much would like to see cold sparks in a modern day figure, though I imagine Hasbro would never do it.
 
 

4. Slapdash
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Powermaster
Function: Interceptor
Modes: robot, F1 race car
 
 

I love Powermasters. I first mentioned that here, and probably elsewhere on this blog too. From a toy perspective, having a Mini-con that transforms into the engine to unlock the transformation is kinda cool. But from a story perspective, it’s kinda lame. Now that I think about it, all Master technology makes no sense. If I was a TF, no way I share my head, weapons, or transformation ability with someone else. Nevertheless, the Powermaster toys were all really good for G1 standards. My favorite Powermaster is Getaway, who was updated as Breakaway. So I’m going to include the other 2 Autobot Powermasters not updated. The first one is Slapdash. I really don’t know much about the character, and I only vaguely remember the toy. He transforms into a F1 race car. Hasbro could just be lazy here and repaint WFC Siege Mirage. But don’t be lazy, be cool. Make a new mold.
 
 

3. Joyride
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Powermaster
Function: Warrior
Modes: robot, dune buggy
 
 

Joyride is the other Autobot Powermaster that was released with Getaway and Slapdash. I know very little of Joyride as well, other than that his toy was pretty cool. He transforms into a dune buggy. Off the top of my head, I can only think of 2 other Earth mode dune buggies in the entire TF Universe: G1 Beachcomber and G2 Jetstorm. I like the color scheme on Joyride as well. He kinda has the same color palette as Skullcruncher (or Skullsmasher in recent updates). This is a very unique color scheme that belongs only to these 2 TFs. Maybe this needs to be explored. Or not.
 
 

2. Sureshot
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Targetmaster
Function: Sharpshooter
Modes: robot, Cybertronian buggy
 
 

I love Targetmasters. So in preparation for this post, I looked through every Targetmaster ever made in G1. As far as I can tell, all the Decepticon Targetmasters have had an update for some kind. As for the Autobots, there are several that could use some love. One of them is Sureshot. I don’t know much about the character. He appeared in “Rebirth”, but his role was next to non-existent, so you would only find him if you really squint your optics and look. I never had the G1 toy, and I don’t know anyone that did. But it looks pretty cool, based on pictures. HasTak can really go to town and make a terrific update of this character if they chose to. If they opt to be cheap, they could make one mold and use it for both Joyride and Sureshot. They are both buggies in alt mode. Make the head mold different. Give Sureshot a Battlemaster and Joyride some kind of engine accessory. This is almost too easy to not do. I’m almost confident enough to bet that this will happen.
 
 

1. Pointblank
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Targetmaster
Function: Enforcer
Modes: robot, Cybertronian car
 
 

I can’t believe Pointblank has not been officially updated yet. Back in G1 Season 4 when Hasbro introduced all the “Master” gimmicks, Pointblank is widely regarded as one of the best figures produced for that period. Many G1 fans jumped on getting Pointblank very quickly. His Cybertronian car alt mode looks great, and the robot mode looks well proportioned too. The color combination of red and baby blue sounds hokey on paper, but on the figure it doesn’t look too shabby. I am told too that Pointblank has a bigger role in the Japanese TF Continuity after Season 4. I have the MakeToys update of Pointblank, called Contactshot. Overall, Contactshot is not a bad 3P product, but there could be improvements. He’s a big figure in robot mode, which presents scale issues, even for MP. And the transformation is more complicated than it needs to be for a character like Pointblank. It’s high time HasTak stepped up to the plate and gave us an official update. Pointblank should probably be deluxe size to scale with other CHUG figs. Modern HasTak figures of this size are all very playable, which is exactly what I’m looking for in a Pointblank update.
 
 

So what do you think of my top 10? I know if another G1 fan had to make a top 10 based on the rules I laid out above, it would be very different. Feel free to comment below.

Transform and Roll Out.

 

It is now April 15th. Yes I am still doing the whole Shelter in Place thing. But more importantly, I wanted to give an update on how I’m doing with my Transformers Challenge that I outlined in the last post.

I was only able to complete 3 out of the 5 that I set out to do. A bit less than I hoped for, but a 60% completion rate is better than 0.

Fans Toys Roadking

Roadking is successfully transformed into truck mode. Pic below.

From an engineering perspective, this is a really impressive piece. Roadking (aka Motormaster) is only a bit taller than the MP-10 in robot mode, but this truck is equal in size to the MP-10 in alt mode with the trailer! That’s some awesome mass-shifting going on there. Lots of panels collapse onto itself in Roadking’s robot mode, and for alt mode they expand out and form the trailer.

I would say this is a challenging piece, but not impossible. On my next transform I will probably need the instructions again. But I feel like this process can be committed to memory if done repeatedly. At this point I am undecided as to if I would call this a fun transformation. I enjoyed the overall process, but lining up the panels in alt mode is more chore than pleasure.

Masterpiece Sunstreaker

Here is a figure that I had fun transforming back to alt mode. Sunstreaker is looking super sexy in his awesome Lamborghini Countach!

For this transformation back to alt mode, I resorted to using the instructions. But that was more because I didn’t want to accidentally break something (which I’ve done from time to time). Without the instructions, I probably could have figured this out in reasonable time.

Going back to alt mode felt about the same as going to robot mode in terms of difficulty. There are some really small pieces on this figure which makes for an intricate transformation. Engineering wise, Sunstreaker is probably the most impressive official MP Carbot made to date. Definitely a lot going on for a toy this size. One side mirror popped off during my transform back to car mode, and getting it back on took some effort. Other than that, the conversion process is a joy. I intend to transform Sunstreaker more in the future, because it’s fun and challenging. I would say his twin brother Sideswipe is still the better piece as far as being the perfect balance of toy and collector’s item, but Sunstreaker is the more accomplished figure in terms of TF engineering.

Fans Toys Rouge

You could almost say you’ve been to hell and back if you have successfully transformed Fans Toys Rouge. With much sweat and tears, I got this MP style Arcee back to her robot mode.

Looking at the instructions is a must for doing this piece. However, the instructions only show how to go from robot to car. Sure, just “reverse steps to go back” like what all instructions say. That is way easier said than done for something as frustrating as FT Arcee. There a bunch of pieces held together by thin plastic and metal poles. All these pieces move and rotate around these poles, so during transformation Arcee is one hot mess. There is one waist hinge that seems like it would totally break off if you bend her the wrong way. The instructions proved to be only marginally useful. I had to look at another transformation video of FT Rouge going from car to robot. Thank you Chosen Prime for putting that vid together.

The positive about this figure is that Arcee looks absolutely beautiful in both modes. I have no complaints about the appearance of either robot or car mode. She looks like she stepped straight out of the G1 movie. Fans Toys is really all about show accuracy and Rouge is no exception. FT engineers are to be commended for coming up with a figure that looks so good and so accurate in both modes, while the transformation requires no cheating (ex: parts-forming, fake parts, etc). But this figure is not fun at all. It is highly unlikely that I will ever transform Rouge back to car again.

At this point I still got about 3 weeks of Shelter in Place remaining, if plans don’t change. I will get to Megatron and Gewalt in later weeks.

Stay strong and stay home my fellow TransFans. We can beat this pandemic together. Transform and Roll Out (again, not literally out).