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!

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!