When it rains, it pours. Like Cybertron Acid Rain! Or Hurricane Sandy. October was a downpour full of Transformers, I was finding newly released figures multiples times per week. This will be a long post. Prepare yourself.

• Generations GDO Swerve, toysrus.com, $14.99
• Generations GDO Springer, Toys R Us, $14.99
• Generations GDO Wheelie, Toys R Us, $14.99
• Generations GDO Cliffjumper, toysrus.com $14.99

• Generations GDO Brawl, Toys R Us, $9.99
• Generations GDO Laserbeak, toysrus.com $9.99

• Transformers Prime Rumble, Walmart, $15.47

• Transformers Prime Airachnid, Target, $15.49

• Transformers Prime First Edition Terroron Cliffjumper, Toys R Us, $14.99
• Transformers Prime First Edition Vehicon, Toys R Us, $14.99

• Transformers Prime Voyager Dreadwing, Target, $21.99

• Transformers Prime Kup, Walmart, $15.47
• Transformers Prime Vehicon, Walmart, $15.47

• Generations Fall of Cybertron Onslaught, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.99
• Generations Fall of Cybertron Blastoff, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.99
• Generations Fall of Cybertron Vortex, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.99
• Generations Fall of Cybertron Swindle, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.99
• Generations Fall of Cybertron Brawl, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.99

• Generations Ultimate Gift Set (Jazz, Combat Hero Optimus Prime, Motorbreath, Thundercracker), hasbrotoyshop.com, $29.99

• Generations GDO legend Silverstreak, Toys R Us, $5.99
• Generations GDO legend Thundercracker, Toys R Us, $5.99

Whew! That’s a lot of TFs! I knew October was gonna be special, when back in this post I said October is off to a great start. 24 TFs for the month. That’s gotta be a new single month record, even for me. 7 figures came out of TF Prime, and the other 17 all belong to Generations. And out of the 17 Generations, 5 are Fall of Cybertron, and the rest GDO. I guess this month more than makes up for the last few months, where I found virtually nothing in the stores.

Out of the 24 figs, 13 are repaints of molds I already have. Still, Hasbro made them different enough for me to want them. They sure know how to keep me interested.

Notice I bought the little legend GDO Thundercracker twice. First came with the Ultimate Gift set from hasbrotoyshop.com, and the second was a standalone purchase at Toys R Us. I guess I could’ve left the the 2nd one on the shelf, but these little guys are rare finds so I couldn’t help myself.

But yeah, so many TFs in such a short span. I’m barely able to process it all. The pic below shows the only figures that I opened so far. And believe me I plan to open them all (except for the 2nd Thundercracker).

I recommend all these figures that I opened. Well, maybe except for Airachnid. Her robot mode is pretty crappy. But the heli mode is cool and she is a rare fig, so there are still some reasons to get one.

Today is also Halloween. So I thought I do a shot of all my orange TFs with a stuff pumpkin that I have. Check it out below.

And speaking of orange, here’s a plug for a totally unrelated topic: San Francisco Giants are world champions! As a sports fan living in the SF Bay Area, it’s something I must mention. Their colors are orange and black, very fitting for Halloween. Coincidentally, the victory parade is also on this day. It will be crazy in the city! I wanted to take a pic of my orange TFs with some Giants memorabilia, but can’t find any. Earlier in the year I went to a Giants game, and I got a Brian Wilson gnome as a stadium give-away. I sold it on eBay for $50, which I’ve come to regret now for 3 reasons: 1) It’s a great piece to take a pic with my orange TFs, 2) Now that Giants are world champs, it’s probably worth way more than $50, and 3) It’s a great memento to keep around for a championship year. Though Brian Wilson has made no contribution to this championship run since he’s been hurt since May, so maybe it’s not a big deal.

Happy Halloween everyone! Transform and Roll Out!

Quick post on some of the TFs I have out displayed at the moment. I happen to have a bunch of Decepticon jets out in the open, for various reasons. So I put them together, as a not-so-gentle reminder to the Autobots that they will have a very tough time winning the battle in the skies.

This kinda feels like a rag tag bunch of Decepticon jets put together for no reason. Masterpiece Thundercracker and DOTM Hatchet was bought just last month, that’s why they’re still out and about. BTW, MP Thundercracker is pure awesomeness! I dug out MP Skywarp so the two MPs can be displayed together.

Earlier this month I bought GDO Laserbeak. I went into the Mindwipe and Laserbeak combination back in this post. I tried it too with Sunspot, that’s why these 3 figures are appear here. I also tried combining Sunspot with Strafe (not pictured), and that just looks plain weird.

In the middle of all the action is Airachnid. She would enjoy being the center of attention. I was lucky enough to find this figure earlier in the month. I like her helicopter mode, but her robot form leaves a lot to be desired.

Perhaps I need to dig out a Starscream to lead them all into battle. Or not. Starscream’s track record as a field commander is questionable at best.

Transform and Roll Out.

When people mention Transformers, my first thought always go to G1 and its derivatives (CHUG, MP, Binaltechs). Very often, it actually takes a sec or two for me to realize they mean Transformers of the Michael Bay variety. Movie TFs will forever be secondary priority for me, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any good figures from this line. In fact, one of my favorite figs from the past few years in any TF line is ROTF voyager Mindwipe. I don’t think Mindwipe made an appearance in the movies, but he’s an excellent figure that every TransFan should pick up. He’s a good update of the G1 Headmaster character for the modern era. The fact that he transforms into a stealth bomber is very fitting, and his color scheme certainly doesn’t disappoint those of us that can still recall the G1 character.

Some months ago, I stumbled upon a listing on Amazon for this G2 Dreadwind & Smokescreen Set. I’m aware of the Strafe repaint, but I did not know about this one. Anyway, at first glance this blue repaint didn’t seem all that cool. But upon closer inspection, I see that there’s a drone sitting on top of Dreadwind. Looking even closer, I see that the drone is actually a repaint of Sunspot! I bought Sunspot when I went to BotCon 2011. Sunspot is not a bad figure. But I had no idea that these 2 figures can be combined like that. I’m not sure if Hasbro advertised this feature anywhere.

So then I did come quick Googling and found that there was a Scout figure called Skystalker that was released at the time Mindwipe was released. I have seen Skystalker in the stores, but back then I paid little to no attention to Scout figures. Which is shame because Skystalker is now worth big bucks. Skystalker’s color scheme is designed to match well with that of Mindwipe’s, and the two combined looks pretty awesome. Lots of fans apparently knew about this combination gimmick. I guess I missed out for not paying attention.

I mentioned in my last post that I bought a bunch of GDO figures, including Laserbeak. Laserbeak is a repaint of Skystalker/Sunspot. Laserbeak arrived this week, so I thought it’s time to dig out Mindwipe and try this combo for myself. But first let’s see how this looks with Sunspot.

I got mixed feelings about this particular combo. I kinda like the black and white contrast, but it does look weird. Still, I now verified first hand that this can be done. Now I’m wondering if there are other figures out there meant to do this sort of thing.

But now let’s see how it looks with Laserbeak.

Much better in my opinion. The black on the 2 figures match real well. The red on Laserbeak is also a good match for Mindwipe’s cockpit. All in all I like this look quite a bit.

If you’re wondering how this is done, take a look at the pic below. There are pegs on the bottom of Laserbeak that are designed to go into holes on the top of Mindwipe.

I guess the Laserbeak mold is designed to perch on Mindwipe’s shoulder in robot mode, but I think it looks kinda goofy.

Below is a proposed Mindwipe and Laserbeak combination in robot mode. Some fan came up with this, I can’t take credit. The result is pretty cool, though it looks quite freaky too. Like some kind of Gerwalk/Alien thing. Definitely resembles something Michael Bay could cook up.

That’s all for now. Lots more TFs to come! Transform and Roll Out!

October is starting off right! Today I visited my local Toys R Us store and found me some GDO figures. These went up on toysrus.com last week. When I found out, Springer and Wheelie were already sold out. I did manage to order Swerve and Cliffjumper, but I was starting to worry that I missed out on the rest. This week they’re not even listed on the website anymore. So I was super happy when I saw them in store! Check out the pics I took on my phone.

I really like the look of the GDO packaging. The Chinese writing really adds that extra something. All these figures are repaints, but the Deluxe figures all have new head molds. The new paint schemes on some of the Scout figures look quite good as well. So even though I have every single one of these molds, I still wanted most of these. For a long time they were Asia only, and I’m glad TRU is able to bring them out here as exclusives.

For the Deluxe size figures, Wheelie appears to be the most rare. On the website, he was the first to be sold out, and in store there was only 1 of him and 2 or 3 of the rest. Same goes for Brawl of the Scout figures.

Anyway, I left the store with Brawl, Wheelie, and Springer (most bottom pic above, taken in the trunk of my car). Like I said, I got Swerve and Cliffjumper already. In that same order I also got Laserbeak. This means the only ones I decided against were Dead End and Sandstorm. I’m not too impressed with that Dead End mold (I have Oil Slick). And I already have 2 of the Sandstorm mold (as Dune Runner and Beachcomber).

It’s a good feeling to finally find some new TFs. That hasn’t happened for some time. Now I’m hoping to find some GDO Voyagers, and the US version of MP Optimus.

What does GDO stand for anyway? Girl’s Day Out? Garage Door Opener? We may never know. But know this… head to Toys R Us now before they disappear! Transform and Roll Out!

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!

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!

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!

In the past I have assembled all my Optimus Prime figures for a group photo. Similarly, the leader of the Decepticons deserves a group shot of his own, and that’s what I’m doing today. I dug out all my Megatron figures, scattered across shelves and closets, and combined them for one pic. If all these Megatron really joined forces, they would take over the world, if not the universe. That’s of course if they don’t start fighting among themselves.

With the exception of the Masterpiece (MP-05) and Classic Ultimate Battle 2-Pack, all my Megatrons are in alt modes. They appear in the pics below.

From left to right:
Top shelf: Titanium (GIJoe vs TF), Titanium (War Within), Generations Deluxe (War For Cybertron), Reveal the Shield Legend G1, Classic Voyager, TF Prime Voyager, TF United Voyager, DOTM Voyager, Hegemon
Bottom shelf: TF Animated Leader, TF Animated Voyager

Below is a pic of my unopened Megatrons.

Alternity (top left), Japanese G1 Re-issue (bottom left), Encore G1 Re-issue (right)

Two of my Megatrons are in storage, so I’ll just use pics that I took before.

Masterpiece MP-05 (the gun, duh)

Classic Deluxe G2, in the Ultimate Battle 2-Pack, top left

Some random thoughts as I look at all these Megatrons:
• I only have one Megatron from the Movie-verse. That tells you how much I like Bay’s re-imaging of the character. I only got the DOTM Voyager version because the toy itself is kinda cool. And that cape gimmick is unseen in the TF World.
• Most of these figures are pretty good, if not exceptional. The only one that I would not recommend is the TF Animated Voyager Megatron. This is one of those figs that I wish I could take back to the store, if I didn’t buy him online. Both alt and robot modes are weak, and there are constructions issues galore. Get any of the other Megs on here before this one.
• The Titanium GIJoe vs TF Megatron is also not that great, but his tank mode looks cool. And he’s quite heavy, something sorely lacking in today’s TFs. And for those reasons, I put him above the TFA Voyager.
• I can’t say which is my favorite Megatron on here. The MP is just a brilliant piece in TF engineering. Same goes for Hegemon. The TF Prime Voyager, TF Animated Leader, and WFC Deluxe are all very impressive figures. These are probably my top 5. Hard to put a rank on them, though.
• As for having multiples, I got 2 of the TF Animated Leader, 2 of the Japanese G1 Re-issue, 2 of the MP, and 2 of the RtS Legend fig. I got a 2nd TFA Leader fig because TRU was clearing them out one time for $20. As for the Japanese Re-issue, I was forced to buy 2. You can see the $130 price tag in the pic, which is for 2. I got this set from a dealer at AX. I figure at $65 per Meg, it’s still a good price. I got 2 MPs purely for the purpose of selling one later. I don’t even know if the MP has gone up in price. The RtS Legend Megs was only found at discount stores, for $3.99. First time was at Marshalls, and then some months later at Tuesday Morning.
• The most difficult of these to transform is without a doubt the MP, which I mentioned in this post (BTW, that post seriously needs an update).
• And speaking of transformation, maybe one day I’ll transform them all into robot mode and make another post. No time for that today.

Here are links to my other collection posts:
Optimus Prime
More Optimus Prime
Cliffjumper
Ratchet

Long Live Megatron! Transform and Roll Out!

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.