It is the end of the month once again. From this point forward, at the end of every month, I will make a post about all the Transformers I bought for that month. I started this last month in this post, and I think I will continue the trend. And just like Feb, I bought a bunch of TFs in March.

• DOTM Basic Human Alliance Half-Track, Target, $6.92

• DOTM Deluxe Soundwave, eBay, $34.15 shipped

• TF Prime RID Deluxe Wheeljack, TRU, $14.99

• Masterpiece Optimus Prime (MP-10), Wondercon, $200
• Star Wars Crossover Clone Pilot Arc-170 Starfighter, Wondercon, $10

• TF Prime RID Bumblebee, Walmart, $12.88
• TF Prime RID Ratchet, Target, $12.99

• DOTM Deluxe Barricade, Walmart, $7.27
• DOTM Deluxe Jolt, Walmart, $7.27

• PCC Skyhammer, CVS Pharmacy, $8.49

• TF Prime RID Soundwave, TRU, $14.99

Some random thoughts as I look at what I bought this month:

• I got 11 TFs for the month: 4 DOTMs, 4 TFPs, 1 MP, 1 Star Wars TF, and 1 PCC.
• I opened DOTM Half-Track, DOTM Soundwave, TFP Wheeljack, TFP Bumblebee, TFP Ratchet, and PCC Skyhammer. The rest are unopened.
• Vigilant readers will notice that in Feb I got TFP Deluxe Bumblebee, and mentioned that I returned him back to TRU. I did that so I can get him again this month at a lower price somewhere else.
• It is for this same reason that I haven’t opened TFP Soundwave. I’m hoping to find him again for cheaper later.
• I bought a TF from CVS Pharmacy for the first time. I don’t usually hunt there, but I happened to see PCC Skyhammer which I didn’t see anywhere else. So I snagged it. Price wasn’t too bad either. Most non-discount stores still carry PCC 2-packs at $9.99. I thought CVS was gonna mark this up like everything else, so I was pleasantly surprised when they rung up $8.49 at checkout.
• Speaking of Skyhammer, why is PCC Skyhammer a Decepticon? DOTM Skyhammer is an Autobot. I’ve grown accustomed to seeing a TF character appearing very different from line to line, but switching allegiances? That’s just weird.
• I haven’t had any time to mess with MP-10, and that’s why he’s still unopened. I need to make time for this soon, especially considering he’s by far the most expensive piece here. Very looking forward to some quality time with what many is calling the best G1-style Optimus Prime ever made.
• Other than at the Target where I bought Half-Track, I have not seen him anywhere else. I started seeing him at this Target several months ago, but did not buy him b/c he’s simply a Sandstorm repaint. I only got him now since he’s on clearance. I wonder why he’s so rare in my area? In the pic above you’ll see that his left arm dislodged from the socket, but the figure is fine once it’s re-attached.
• DOTM Soundwave was bought on eBay from a Taiwan seller. This price is not too bad, considering he’s now Asia only.
• TFP Wheeljack and Ratchet are some of the best deluxe figures out there right now. Do not hesitate to grab these two if/when you find them.
• Bewteen this month and last month, the only TF I got at a discount store is Icepick from dd’s Discounts. I’m still very much hunting at discount stores regularly. Guess they just didn’t get anything good lately.

Too many TFs, too little time. Transform and Roll Out!

Due to personal reasons, I have not posted in a long time. But now I’m back with a vengeance! And on this extra day in the leap year! This day will not come again for 4 years, and what better way to celebrate than to list the TF items I bought this February. As I look back on the month, I realize I bought a lot of TFs. So here we go.

Clockwise from top left:
• Star Wars Crossover Darth Vader, TRU, $19.99
• Star Wars Crossover Darth Maul, TRU, $9.99
• DOTM Basic Human Alliance Thunderhead, Walmart, $5
• TF Prime RID Cliffjumper, TRU, $14.99
• TF Prime RID Bumblebee, TRU, $14.99 *Later returned to TRU
• DOTM Basic Human Alliance Backfire, Walmart, $5

Clockwise from top left:
• Heavy Labor, BBTS, $97.99
• Dr. Crank, BBTS, $99.99
• Neckbreaker, BBTS, $99.99
• Battle Tanker, BBTS, $102.99
• Structor, BBTS, $99.99
• Madblender, BBTS, $99.99

• TF Prime Series 02 legion Vehicon, Target, $4.99

• DOTM Basic Human Alliance Icepick, dd’s Discounts, $6.99

• TF Prime FE Voyager Optimus Prime, eBay, $57.98 shipped
• TF Prime RID Voyager Optimus Prime, Walmart, $19.96

• TF Animated Skywarp, Amazon, $13.95

• TF Prime RID Voyager Megatron, Walmart, $19.968
• DOTM Deluxe Optimus Prime with MechTech Trailer, Walmart, $29.96

Not counting the Bumblebee that was returned, that’s 18 TFs for the month. This is a total contrast from Januray, where I only bought 1 TF (PCC Heavytread). Still, 18 is a lot, even for me. Moreover, most of these were bought at MSRP. The only ones bought at discount were the 3 DOTM Basic HA figs, Skywarp, and one of the Star Wars figs (it was buy one get one half off). But screw it! I’m Hsunami Prime and approving TF spending is my job. Or maybe I should say that’s my function. TF Buyer. I like to see that on my business card. Or Tech Spec. If I owned my own business, I’m gonna make my business card look like Tech Specs.

As far as opening these guys, I opened all of them except Thunderhead, Cliffjumper, FE Optimus Prime, RID Megatron, and DOTM deluxe Optimus Prime with Trailer. I intend to open the rest of them soon.

I’m Hsunami Prime, and I’m back and better than ever. Transform and Roll Out!

As the most recognizable character in the TF franchise, it’s no wonder that Hasbro keeps churning out new figures of the great Optimus Prime. Sometimes they are new incarnations, a brand new design of the Autobot leader that deserves to be made into a figure. Sometimes they are simply repaints or slight retools of a previous figure, in which case purchase of the figure is questionable. And sometimes Hasbro/Takara goes back to the drawing board, and gives us new and improved versions on a previous design of Optimus Prime.

On Nov 23rd, 2009, I made a post about all my Optimus Prime figures. That was more than 2 years ago, so I think it’s time for another update. Below are the Optimus Prime figures I have bought since that time. And just like Nov 23rd, 2009, I have nothing better to do today than watch football and make this post.

From left to right:
Front row: Reveal the Shield (G1, legend class), Dark of the Moon (commander class, with 3D glasses)
Middle row: Reveal the Shield (G2, deluxe class), Generations War For Cybertron (deluxe class), Animated (Cybertronian mode, deluxe class)
Top row: Dark of the Moon (voyager class, Walmart exclusive), Dark of the Moon (voyager class)

Below is a pic in their alt modes.

Below are two more Prime figs that I never opened.

Hunt for the Decepticons, Battle Hooks leader class (left), Hunt for the Decepticons, Battle Blades voyager class

I seriously thought I bought more OP figures in this 2 year span, but I guess this is it. Most of these were bought on the cheap too. The G1 legend figure was found at Marshalls for $3.99. The DOTM commander class figure I got for free. Deluxe Animated Prime I got from TRU when they were clearing them out, I think for $7.99. The Walmart exclusive DOTM OP figure was $18.77, but he came as a two pack with Comettor. As for the unopened Primes, Battle Hooks leader OP I got for $19.99 from Ross (you can still see the price tag in the pic). As for Battle Blades voyager Prime, I first got him when he was only $10 at HasbroToyShop.com. That one was defective however, so I returned it and I got him again from BBTS.com at regular price.

Interestingly enough, the only figure here that I have multiples of is the Reveal the Shield G2 Laser Optimus Prime. I guess it’s because I keep finding him at discount stores for cheap, and I need at least one extra to turn into Nemesis Prime / Scourge (in case Hasbro does not do one). It also helps that FansProject is releasing Battle Tanker. When that happens, this figure may be a sought after item.

In the words of Optimus Prime, Transform and Roll Out!

Today I’m showing off all my Human Alliance TFs. They’re called that because each TF comes with a human figure. All HA TFs are of the Movie-verse. Hasbro started this in ROTF. I don’t have that many. Here they are in a group pic.

The following are my scout class HA figs, all from DOTM.

Tailpipe and Pinpointer, with Sergeant Noble
Tailpipe is the black motorcyle, and Pinpointer acts as his Targetmaster weapon. The pic above has Tailpipe in robot holding Pinpointer as a weapon, while in the first pic, Sergeant Noble is riding Tailpipe as a bike while Pinpointer is a robot standing to the side. This figure is alright. Tailpipe is not a bad figure with both decent robot and alt modes. But Pinpointer is very poorly constructed. I like him as a weapon, but his robot mode is a joke. It’s difficult to place Sergeant Noble on Tailpipe to make it look like he’s riding. Attaching Pinpointer as a weapon on Tailpipe in bike mode also takes some work.

Sandstorm, with Private Dedcliff
In my opinion, this is the best of the HA scout figs. Sandstorm has both a spectacular dune buggy alt mode and a balanced robot mode. He’s well constructed and he holds poses well. Transformation is refreshing for a scout class figure. There’s good amount of detail too. Getting Private Dedcliff to ride in the dune buggy is also easy since there’s plenty of room and the roll cage can be lifted to get him in. If you can only get one one scout class HA fig, get this one. When the DOTM toys came out, this was one of the first TFs that I got and that was a good decision.

Whirl, with Major Sparkplug
Whirl is not too bad. I like him a little better than Tailpipe, but he’s not as good as Sandstorm. I like the helicopter mode. The chest area is a tad bulky in robot mode, and he appears as if he’s on skis. Transformation is fun. Major Sparkplug can fit inside the helicopter without too much trouble. I’m pretty sure this Sparkplug is an homage to the G1 character in name only.

Technically, all the scout class HA figs are triple changers. They all have a 3rd “weapon mode”. However, this 3rd mode doesn’t really do it for me. It seems like the toy designers simply chose some halfway configuration between the alt and robot modes and called it a 3rd mode. I usually don’t bother with this weapon mode.

Below are the full size HA figs.

Leadfoot and Steeljaw, with Sergeant Detour
Leadfoot is the red Target Impala. I like the alt mode. The sports cars is nice and sleek. He rolls well on a flat surface and all the pieces come together well. However, getting Sergeant Detour inside takes some work. There’s not enough area inside for the legs. Leadfoot has probably got one of the worst robot modes in recent TF memory. And because of that, I can’t really recommend this figure too much. Steeljaw is the robot dog next to him. He turns into a weapon.

Bumblebee, with Sam Witwicky
These two partners need no introduction. Some fans have argued that this is the best Movie Bumblebee figure ever made, while others think this figure is pure crap because of how the seats appear on the arms in robot mode. Personally I can’t decide which is the best Movie Bumblebee figure. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. But as for me, I like the HA figure. I have no complaints about the alt mode, and in robot mode the seat issue is not nearly as distracting as some fans make it out to be. If I’m forced to pick one, I probably choose deluxe Battle Blade Bumblebee from ROTF as the best Movie Bumblebee. But the HA figure would be a close second. The human figure looks kinda like Sam too so that’s a plus.

Jazz, with Captain Lennox
HA Jazz is without a doubt the best Movie Jazz made, and to my knowledge this is something most fans agree on. The deluxe Movie Jazz is a horrible figure. HA Jazz has none of those weaknesses. He’s got both a solid alt mode and a robust robot mode. This figure comes with a bike for Captain Lennox, and the bike becomes a weapon for Jazz in robot mode. He does have one weakness in car mode. There’s too much stuff underneath the vehicle, so on a flat surface there will be other things touching the ground in addition to the wheels. As a result he does not roll well, but that’s a small gripe. The Captain Lennox figure leaves a lot to be desired though. He looks nothing like Josh Duhamel.

Roadbuster, with Sergeant Recon
Roadbuster is the green Chevy Impala. He is by far the most difficult HA figure that I have come across. In fact, I think the difficulty here rivals most Binaltechs and Alternators. The HA figure is way better than the deluxe. He’s got a good alt mode and a good robot mode so definitely pick him up, but smaller kids will most likely need help to transform the guy. He’s also quite large when he’s standing in robot mode. If you can only get one HA fig from DOTM, get this one.

I really should have took pics of these guys in robot form, but I was too lazy to transform them all. Oh, BTW, all of these are Autobots. I think some Decepticon HA figures are slated for later, but we’ll see. Transform and Roll Out!

Title of the post says it all. It has only been about 3 months since the release of the movie. Personally I thought the movie was pretty good. The GF didn’t like it one bit.

Now I maintain the position that only crappy movies get a quick home release. And that’s what makes DOTM so hard to classify. According to Wikipedia, DOTM is one of the most successful movies ever financially. It grossed $1.18 billion worldwide, and is the 5th highest grossing film of all time. However, critical reception was mostly negative and is usually not liked by anyone outside the hardcore Transformer fandom. I guess the quick home release makes sense if viewed from that perspective.

One of the very first post that I did when I started this blog was the release of Revenge of the Fallen. I definitely liked that one the least out of the three. Read that post to see my thoughts. Even Michael Bay himself has admitted that “Transformers 2 was crap.” Overall, DOTM corrected many of the flaws found in ROTF. DOTM cut out most of the juvenile non-sense, with the exception of that Asian character played by Ken Jeong. Story was more coherent. Bringing Cybertron to Earth is a worthy homage to the Ultimate Doom story arc in G1. Sentinel betraying the Autobots is an unexpected twist. In recent stories, Optimus’ predecessor has been less than perfect and the movie really explores that concept. I think Leonard Nimoy is destined to voice villains in the TF franchise. The acting was your standard Michael Bay cheese, but with so many big names in the cast it doesn’t get that bad. I liked Patrick Dempsey’s role. Good thing McDreamy and Josh Duhamel were there to keep the GF interested with their good looks or she might have fell asleep. But yeah, I liked DOTM, but the first film was still the best.

DOTM wrapped up things pretty good. I can’t think of any loose ends. All the baddies you expect to be killed off are terminated in spectacular fashion by the Autobots, or in some cases humans. I think this means we have seen the last of the Bay TFs. Shia LaBeouf has stated very clearly he’s not doing any more. That’s probably just as well. I think my interest for this trilogy has run its course and it’s time for something new. I like to see a new director take over and steer TFs more toward their G1 roots. J.J.Abrams perhaps? Every franchise he touches turns to gold.

But Michael Bay sure walks away a rich man. I don’t know how much of a cut he had in the 3 films and related merchandising, but he’s gotta be one of the wealthiest men alive in Hollywood today. That’s some good fortune for a director whose craft is questionable at best. He’s got TransFans to thank for this.

So am I gonna get the Blu-Ray? I don’t know. I like to get it on sale. A few months back I finally got ROTF on sale for about $10 at Amazon. I guess if I see one now for around $15 I’ll buy it, but if not I’ll keep looking.

The Bay TF movies have been fun, but I think I’m done with this franchise and I’m ready for another live-action reboot. I wonder what Hasbro has in stored for us besides TF Prime. One can only wonder… Transform and Roll Out!

Here we have another Gemini custom. This is the DOTM deluxe Sideswipe figure. I thought about buying this figure when he first hit the shelves back in May. This is a new movie-verse Sideswipe mold and I like how he’s a convertible this time. But the dull grey paint job just did not do it for me. Check out these pics on Seibertron to see what I mean.

Once again Gemini felt the need to correct this. And so he took this figure and painted him silver all over. The result is quite remarkable. This is Sideswipe as he was meant to appear. Check out pics below.

The last pic above shows off DOTM Sideswipe (center) with DOTM Walmart exclusive blue Sideswipe (left) and HFTD Sidearm Sideswipe (right). Don’t mess with DOTM Sideswipe in all his silver blingin’ glory!

In related news, it appears there will be a repainted version of this figure as Dark Steel. He’s looking pretty good and I will get this if/when he hits the shelves. I’m digging the color scheme, and using a new head mold is always a welcome feature. I included some pics below but you can see all the pics here.

As TransFans we all knew it was only a matter of time before Hasbro started repainting all the DOTM figs. It would be interesting to see what else they decide to repaint. And hopefully they will continue to make new molds too. The movies may have ended, but they toys don’t have to stop. Transform and Roll Out!

Roll for it! The third movie in the Michael Bay Transformers trilogy, Dark of the Moon, opens on June 29th, 2011. Here in California it is around 9:30pm of June 28th. But when the clock strikes midnight in a few hours, many of the bigger multiplexes around here will be showing the movie.

Normally I would be totally making plans to go to the midnight showing. If not, then this weekend for sure. But the GF is on vacation and she would kill me if I saw this before she did, so most likely I’ll catch it when she returns next week.

Some of my coworkers are planning to see this soon. I’ll be asking for their thoughts.

Prepare yourselves, my fellow TransFans! This is Earth’s Last Stand! Time to… Transform and Roll Out!

Over the weekend the GF and I went to a Korean place that we frequent for lunch. I mentioned to her that I found some new figures for Dark of the Moon at my local Walmart. She knew of a Walmart near where we ate, so she suggested we take a look. She didn’t know exactly where it was, but a quick search on my Droid X led the way. And her hunch was right! I found a whole bunch of DOTM figures! The shelves were stacked so full, I had to snap some pics. Here they are.
 

The above shows the sections where they kept Voyager and Deluxe figures. They also had a smaller section for the Scout figures, and another where they had the Leader figures. So yeah, 4 sections overall for the DOTM toys. I thought I was in TF heaven. The GF says she’s never seen my eyes light up so big before, haha. Anyway, I came away with Sentinel Prime, Optimus Prime, and Sandstorm.

The following Monday I decided to do a hunt on my own near my work. I’m glad I did because I really hit the mother lode! First stop was TRU. I walked to the TF aisle and immediately I see some DOTM stuff. But I noticed they also had some new Generations stuff, so I looked through that first. Lo and behold, I found me some Warpaths!

After I grabbed these 2 I started to go through what they had of the DOTM stuff. They had Topspin, which I didn’t see before, so I took one. Also, TRU was doing a special where if you buy $25 or more in TF, you get a free Commander class Optimus Prime (the one with the 3D glasses). Not that I really care for the figure, but if it’s free I’ll take it.

Next comes Target. This Target is right next to TRU so I just walked over. Here I found Shockwave and Skyhammer. I took the only ones they had.

I also saw a nice looking Powerglide. This is Commander class, like the 3D glasses Prime. I guess Commander class is bigger than Legend but smaller than Scout. The name doesn’t make a whole lot of sense if you ask me. Anyway, this Powerglide looks so G1 I had to have it, so I got it.

Not sure what is meant by Cyberverse, but whatever.

That was a lot of TFs over the course of a few days. I may be experiencing TF overload, but it’s all good. DOTM toys are officially available to the masses, so get them now! Transform and Roll Out!

News have been spreading here and there that toys from the third Transformers movie, Dark of the Moon, are spotted in the stores. On Friday I made a trip to Walmart, and sure enough, I saw some deluxe DOTM Mechtech figures in the TF aisle. They only had deluxe and nothing bigger, but it was still good to see them so early, nearly 2 months before the release of the movie. The figures I saw included Bumblebee, Crankcase, Skids, Starscream, and Roadbuster. Roadbuster looked kinda cool so I picked him up. He transforms into a NASCAR type car and he’s actually an official NASCAR endorsed product. Not that I’m a NASCAR fan. Check out some pics.

On the same trip I also saw many of the newer Generations figures, including Wheeljack, Thundercracker, and Kup. There were rumors that some of these figs would never see the light of day in retail due to Hasbro’s recent distribution problems. I guess these rumors are unfounded, or maybe blown way out of proportion. I should’ve took a pic at the store. I’ll do that next time.

But yeah, DOTM toys are out! Let the hunts begin. Transform and Roll Out!

I’m not the biggest fan of the Movie designs, something I’ve repeatedly mentioned on this blog. However, early prototype pics of Shockwave from the 3rd movie (Dark of the Moon, or DOTM) have begun to surface. I gotta say, this Shockwave looks pretty damn cool. I’m liking this look and the toy is shaping up nicely. Check out the pics.

Based on these pics I can’t tell if this is a Voyager or Deluxe, but he looks pretty cool regardless. His colors, head design, arm cannon, and the tube connecting the cannon, these are all terrific homages to G1. If the final production toy looks anything like this, I’m buying one for sure.

On a related note, I recently picked up a brand new Alternator Shockblast, who we all know is really Shockwave. I got him relatively cheap on Ebay. I could have got this at $20 when he was first released, but I waited too long and before I knew it they stopped making Alternators. I’m glad I was able to secure a brand new one now in the $30 range.

Go Shockwave! Transform and Roll Out!