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Transformers Purchased in September 2016

May 17th, 2017 Comments off

Here are the purchases for Sept of 2016. What kind of goodies did I get? Well… nothing too special. 3 repaints and 2 RiD figs. Nothing to write home about, but better than getting nothing.

  • Titans Return Rumble, Target, $10.29

  • Titans Return Laserbeak, Target, $10.29

  • Titans Return Ravage, Target, $10.29

  • Robots in Disguise Starscream, Toys R Us, $14.99

  • Robots in Disguise Windblade, Walmart, $14.97

Let’s start with the Titans Return cassettes first. Actually, in the modern era, they are all tablets. And it hit me just now that all 3 of these are about $10 each. Oh man… there was a time when deluxe class figures were $10. Now all you can get with $10 all super small figs. Sigh. And in retrospect I totally see Hasbro’s “release-the-famous-character-later” tactic for repaints. Double sigh.

Anyways, these are all repaints. Rumble is my favorite out of these three. At least he gets a different head mold from Rewind. Ravage is a repaint from Stripes, and Laserbeak is a repaint from Buzzsaw. You can see Laserbeak’s release coming from a mile away. But in G1 these 2 were also exact repaints of each other, so I guess the trend must continue. I won’t comment any more about these 3, other than they are all famous G1 chracters from Season 1. So as much as you hate Hasbro’s double dip tactics, you still open your wallet and make the obligatory purchase. Damn you Hasbro.

Now onto some new stuff. First up is Robots in Disguise Starscream. I really tried to watch Robots in Disguise now that it’s on Netflix. But it just doesn’t grab me like any of the TF shows before it. I’ve tried starting the show on three separate occasions, starting with Ep 1. I don’t get too far before I lose interest, and before you know it, a few months has gone by and I kinda forgot what happened in Ep 1 and I had to start over. So I really don’t know what’s going on in the RiD story line. But to see Starscream on the shelf, that took me by surprise. I didn’t know if this RiD figure would be any good, but it’s Starscream, and as a hardcore G1-er you always buy Starscream.

RiD Starscream is not too shabby. I like the jet mode. It’s nice and sleek. He’s not a F-15, but some kind of futuristic jet that resembles something out of Macross. The forward wing design is a nice touch. When you look on the underside of the jet, there’s a bit of bulk but not too much. He’s got the iconic Starscream colors of light grey, red, and blue. Canopy is in a cartoon orange, and in this case I think it works. The guns go underneath the tip of the wings. If I got a gripe, it’s that the arms are under the wings in jet mode, and that makes the wing area a bit thick. But all in all I like the alt mode. It’s a familiar yet refreshing Starscream alt mode.

Transformation of RiD Starscream is pretty cool. It’s definitely different from how Starscream usually transforms. To start, the nosecone folds backwards onto the top of the plane and stays there. The arm and chest section are formed by moving it from the rear and wing of the jet and attaching it more forward. The legs fold out from the top. In robot mode, the design is still most certainly Starscream, but with RiD aesthetics. The wings on his back make it look like he’s wearing a cape, and it’s not a bad look for him. His head mold looks like a cross from various Starscreams of the past. And his shoulder design resembles his G1 shoulder ornaments during his short lived coronation in the G1 movie. Construction of the figure is solid. Everything tabs into where it should so nothing flops around. A lot of the figure is cheap ball joints, but that does make for some nice articulation. The right hip joint is a bit loose on my figure, but a little nail polish should fix that right up. To sum up, I like this Starscream figure. I wouldn’t put it in the must get category, but it’s a solid addition to your RiD lineup, or if you just want something extra to play with during a TF dry spell. Oh, I got the exclusive Toys R Us version. There is a mass retail version of this figure, but I don’t know how they’re different.

The last entry for the month is RiD Windblade. Again, I know next to nothing about RiD so I was not expecting this figure at all. And what a sweet surprise she was. Windblade as a character is getting some love in the IDW Transformers comics. Reading the IDW comis is something that’s been on my mind for a long time now, I just can’t find the time for it. And if my understanding is accurate, Windblade is a central character in some of the recent IDW plot lines. Hasbro has already produced a figure of her IDW incarnation. However, I’m not particularly fond of that figure. It looks ok, but it’s too flimsy for my liking. I have been wishing for a better Windblade.

And along comes Robots in Disguise Windblade. In my opinion, this is the Windblade to get. RiD Windblade is mostly decked out in red with patches of black here and there. Her jet mode is fairly unique. She seems to be a hover jet in every continuity, and RiD Windblade is no exception. She’s got the iconic turbines on the wings. In this mode, the figure comes together fairly well as most parts tab into place. A lot of the female figures that Hasbro has produced are flimsy (even in alt mode), but Windblade does not share that problem. There is storage space on the underside of the jet for the sword inside the sheath (more on this later). However, that’s not possible if you want to place the jet nicely on a flat surface. It will get in the way of the landing gear.

Transformation to robot is mostly derivative of what we have seen before. Legs fold out from the rear of the jet, arms untab from the sides, and the jet nosecone and wings folds to the back. Windblade implements a tried and true jet to robot formula, but there are some original mechanics. The jet turbines flips to the other side of the wings in robot mode, and the top of the jet collapses on itself in robot mode. This transformation is more about the execution and it’s done very well.

I love how Windblade looks in robot mode. I’m gonna assume she looks accurate to her RiD appearance, and I like the overall red upper body motif with black legs. The frame and shape of the robot mode makes it obvious that this is a female character. And for a female TF, she feels much more robust than other female TFs that have been done in the past. Windblade comes with her iconic sword. The sword can be placed into the sheath when not in use. There is a peg on the sheath that can be placed on the outer side of either leg for a sword-carrying samurai look.

Windblade has got some great articulation due to liberal use of ball joints. Yes, cheap ball joints again, but I can overlook it when it’s done this well on a $15 figure. She can be posed holding the sword in all kinds of ways. The figure comes with this yellow fan looking piece that I didn’t know what to do with for the longest time. I thought it was some kind of fan-based weapon, like in the old kung-fu movies. Turns out, you insert it to the back of her head. I should have looked at the packaging art more closely.

To sum up, I highly recommend RiD Windblade. Get one if you see one. However, the latest batch of Windblades that I see in the stores appears different. Take a look at pics of mine, then look at this pic I snapped today at Walmart.

At first my thought was Hasbro forgot to paint her face. Then comparing this pic with my figure, I see that the store figure now is quite a bit different. I see bits of yellow on her chest, and bits of blue on her abdomen. Her knees are also painted yellow instead of blue, and the legs are almost entirely black. I guess this is a 2nd version (much like how they did two versions of Megatronus), and she wears a face mask. I don’t know if I like that look.

More TFs to come. Transform and Roll Out.

 

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics

Transformers On My Shelf, June 2013

June 11th, 2013 Comments off

The “active” TFs on my shelf have changed somewhat from the last time I did a post like this. So here they are. Most of the figs on the shelf are new for this post. Some are the same as last time, with some of them in a different mode.

Same pic, different angle.

From left to right
Top shelf, back row: FOC Blaster (with Steeljaw inside), FOC Omega Supreme, FOC Air Raid (on Omega’s shoulder), FOC Grimlock, TFP Beast Hunters Optimus Prime
Top shelf, front row: Generations Springer, FOC Starscream, FansProject Car Crash, FansProject T-Bone, TFP Rumble, TFP Beast Hunters Smokescreen
Middle shelf: TFP Breakdown, TFP Dreadwing, TFP Shockwave, TFP Beast Hunters Starscream, TFP Jet Vehicon General
Bottom shelf: TFP Beast Hunters Soundwave, MP Soundwave (with Laserbeak insde), FOC Soundblaster (with Buzzsaw inside)

All these TFs are excellent. There’s not a single one on here that I would not recommend.

I believe all the figures on here are 2013 purchases, with the exception of Breakdown and Dreadwing (which were late 2012). The middle shelf appears to be a TF Prime Decepticon shelf, and the bottom shelf is a turning into a Soundwave exclusive shelf. Maybe I should add a few more Soundwave figs here.

The most recent acquisition displayed here is Springer. I have only transformed him from robot to car, but I can already say that he’s AWESOME! I can’t wait to do the heli mode next. He must be reviewed and I intend to do one.

Transform and Roll Out.

Categories: Pics

Transformers On My Shelf, April 2013

April 8th, 2013 6 comments

Quick post today. I got this little shelf in my bedroom where I like to display my “active” TFs. Usually this refers to the figures that I recently bought and are still playing with, before they get boxed and stored somewhere. Occasionally this could be a TF that I dug out from said storage, for one reason or another. It’s impossible for me to display every single TF that I have, and quite frankly I don’t like having a lot of clutter. So I display my TFs with this more limited approach.

But the TFs are adding up on this shelf, and it does look quite awesome to see them all together.

TFs on my shelf

Same pic, different angle.

TFs on my shelf 2From left to right
Top shelf, back row: MP Optimus Prime (US TRU exclusive), FOC Air Raid, FOC Omega Supreme
Top shelf, front row: Reveal the Shield Battle in Space Rodimus, MP Soundwave with Laserbeak, TFP Beast Hunters Trailcutter, Reveal the Shield Windcharger, FansProject Car Crash, FansProject T-Bone, TFP Wildrider, TFP Rumble
Middle shelf: GDO Megatron, TFP Breakdown, TFP Dreadwing, GDO Powerdive, MP Thundercracker
Bottom shelf: GDO Cliffjumper (with G1 head), FOC Kickback, TFP Beast Hunters Wheeljack, TFP Beast Hunters Bulkhead, TFP Beast Hunters Smokescreen
To the side: Spike, Roller, and Trailer for MP Optimus Prime (US TRU exclusive)

Most of these are recent purchases. Reveal the Shield Rodimus and Windcharger are the only two older figures that I dug out from boxes, and even they aren’t that old (2011 I think). MP Optimus, Cliffjumper, and all the figures on the middle shelf were all purchases late in 2012. The rest were acquired in 2013.

FOC Omega Supreme is such an awesome figure! He’s robust, well built, and very playable. Not to mention easy to transform. The details on this figure is also superb. This Omega functions well as both a toy and a collector’s piece. I need to do a full review on this figure soon.

Notice that Spike is sitting inside Roller. And Roller is hauling the Trailer. Optimus can be such a slacker sometimes.

Transform and Roll Out.

Categories: Pics

Transformers Purchased in February 2013

February 28th, 2013 4 comments

February is a short month. Last year at this time was when I started keeping track of my monthly purchases (that post appears here). I can’t believe it’s gonna be March already. Didn’t seem like that long ago when it was New Years. Anyway, here are the TFs for this month.

  • Generations Fall of Cybertron Starscream, Amazon.com, $14.99

  • Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Predaking, Target, $19.99

  • Masterpiece Soundwave and Laserbeak, amiami.com, about $124

  • Transformers Prime Arms Micron Wildrider, amiami.com, about $17
  • Transformers Prime Arms Micron Rumble, amiami.com, about $17

  • Generations Fall of Cybertron Grimlock, Amazon.com, $22.99

7 figures total for Feb 2013. A good number of TFs for one month, not too many, not too few. 2 figs come from Generations FOC, 2 Masterpiece figs, and 3 TF Prime figs. With the exception of Predaking and Wildrider, I opened all the figures.

FOC Starscream is pretty legit IMO. I think he’s one of the better FOC deluxes. In fact, other than the Shockwave / Air Raid mold, the Starscream mold may be my favorite.

MP Soundwave and MP Laserbeak is pure TF awesomeness! I may do a review soon. There are plenty of reviews out there already though, so don’t just take my word for it. Many fans consider Soundwave to be the best MP figure out there. I don’t know if I would go that far (since I love MP Sideswipe so much), but he’s definitely in the top 3. And Laserbeak, he’s just too cool! I think the cassettes are G1 size, but this Laserbeak is 10 times better than his G1 incarnation. He’s way more show accurate, and his back/thruster/laser is part of the transformation. If you like G1, this purchase should be a no brainer.

Arms Micron Rumble is cool, much like the US version of RID Rumble. The head mold is different, but the AM one is more G1 by far. I got this so I can have both Rumble and Frenzy. Obviously one of these Rumbles need to be Frenzy. Maybe they will take turns being Frenzy, depending on my mood.

Last but not least, we have Grimlock. Grimlock figures always kick ass (well maybe not the Classic figure). I might review him too, but I touched on him briefly in my last post. I think overall, the T-Rex mode leaves a little to be desired, but the robot mode is amazing. As for the Dino Grimlocks, the MP is still the best. But either this or the Animated figure would deserve to be number two.

So that’s it, my TFs in Feb 2013. 4 of the figures (2 MPs and 2 AMs) are Japan only. The other 3 US figures are still somewhat rare as of this writing. But they can be found if you keep your optics open. So keep hunting my fellow Transfans… Transform and Roll Out.

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics

Transformers Purchased in January 2013

January 31st, 2013 7 comments

The first month of the new year is already over. So far in 2013 it feels like I did nothing but work. Not really a good way to start the year, but it could be worse. My start to 2012 was really crappy, for personal reasons that I won’t mention here. So I guess, in a way, anything’s better. Uneventful, but better. Sometimes no news is good news.

But let’s now get to what’s really important: my TFs for the month. There were a total of 10 purchases this month. This is drastically different from how 2012 started, where I only found 1 TF worth buying for the entire month (PCC Heavytread). So here’s another way that 2013 is off to a better start!

  • Fall of Cybertron Ultra Magnus, Toys R Us, $15.99

  • PCC Steelshot, Toys R Us, $9.99

  • Masterpiece Red Alert, amiami.com, about $57 shipped

  • Fall of Cybertron Soundblaster with Buzzsaw, Toys R Us, $11.99

  • Fall of Cybertron Sideswipe, amazon.com, $14.99

  • TF Prime Beast Hunters Wheeljack, Toys R Us, $4.99
  • TF Prime Beast Hunters Lazerback, Toys R Us, $15.99
  • TF Prime Beast Hunters Soundwave with Ravage, Toys R Us, $15.99

FOC Kickback and Air Raid

  • Fall of Cybertron Kickback, amazon.com, $14.99
  • Fall of Cybertron Air Raid, amazon.com, $14.99

That is a total of 10 purchases for 12 figures. 1 Masterpiece, 1 PCC, 6 Generations FOC, and 4 TF Prime. Not bad for a full month.

I gave MP Red Alert a quick review. Check that post for my thoughts on the figure. Or better yet, just buy it now. I’ll just mention here real quick that I think I got an awesome price for the figure.

For the Generations FOC figures, I opened Ultra Magnus, Sideswipe, and Soundblaster. Ultra Magnus is cool, with a new head mold. The colors on this figure are undoubtedly Ultra Magnus. Actually, I think I like this mold better as Ultra Magnus. I like the Prime figure too, but I think War for Cybertron Optimus is better. And I always felt that Magnus got gypped throughout TF history by being the Prime repaint. So in this TF Universe I like to use the WFC figure as Prime, and have Magnus use this new mold. Sideswipe is cool too. For the longest time I didn’t even know this is a repaint of the Jazz figure. Sideswipe still has all the same weaknesses that I mentioned for the Jazz mold, which are the long arms and the hole in the chest. But for some reason, the arms don’t look as long on Sideswipe. The chest cavity is still an issue though.

Soundblaster is basically just a darker version of Soundwave of the same mold. Both colors have their charm, so I can’t decide which one I like better. Buzzsaw is a straight up repaint of Laserbeak. The two toys are identical in every way other than the colors. However, on my figure, it does seem like the launching mechanism of Soundblaster is a bit better than Soundwave. I only tried Soundblaster ejecting Buzzsaw, but that works well every time. I should try Soundblaster with other discs and see how well that fares. The $11.99 price tag is because I had $11 worth of Toys R Us dollars, he’s usually $22.99 there.

You may wonder why I’m buying a PCC in 2013. They weren’t even all that cool back in 2010 and 2011, when they were released. I’m buying them now because of these Mobine Missile Launcher Sets made by MakeToys. I think they look really cool, and I will probably buy this jungle set to use with my PCCs. Maybe get the marine type too. Anyway, I got Steelshot because this mold is featured in one of the pics for the set. I’m positive I could have got this figure last year for $5 at Ross, so I am kicking myself a little for paying full price now. Still, PCCs have gone way up if you believe Amazon prices. So I think I’m still lucky to find one at MSRP. Steelshot is an ok figure. Not the best figure by PCC standards, but not the worst either.

The only TF Prime Beast Hunter figure I opened so far is Wheeljack. He’s just a slight remold of the first deluxe Wheeljack figure. I like the weapon on the new figure, but if you already have the first Wheeljack then you will want to consider if you like this figure enough to get something so similar. Again, the $4.99 price is because of some more Toys R Us dollars. The other 2 Beast Hunter figures I will open later.

Air Raid and Kickback arrived from amazon just this evening. I barely had time to take these pics. I’m sure I’ll like Air Raid since I found the Shockwave mold so impressive. I had no idea he would be Air Raid though. When I first saw the figure back in this post, I thought he would make a better Strafe. The jet looks high-tech, and the head mold more resembles Strafe. As Fireflight he fits too, I guess. And on amazon he’s also listed as Fireflight. Now I have the package in hand, I see they made him Air Raid. I still say this head mold is a better fit for Strafe. I bet a customizer out there is already making him Strafe. Kickback looks cool. I love the Insecticons. I’m looking forward to opening this figure. Oh yeah, amazon listed this figure simply as Insecticon. They can’t get any of these names right.

So that’s it, my TFs in January of 2013. I also made a whole bunch of pre-orders this month for 3rd party items, but that will be for another time, when they arrive. Until then… Transform and Roll Out!

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics

Transformers Purchased in December 2012

January 2nd, 2013 2 comments

Happy New Year!

Before I say goodbye to 2012, it’s time to count up the Transformers acquired in December.

  • DOTM Jetwing Optimus Prime, Amazon.com, $104.99

  • TF Prime RID Vehicon, gift from Pax Cybertron

  • TF Prime FE Bulkhead, Toys R Us, $24.99

  • FOC Soundwave and Laserbeak, Toys R Us, $22.99

FOC Data Discs

  • FOC Frenzy and Ratbat, Toys R Us, $10.99
  • FOC Ravage and Rumble, Toys R Us, $6.59

That’s a total of 9 TFs for the month. 6 from Fall of Cybertron (FOC), 1 from Dark of the Moon (DOTM), and 2 TF Primes.

The Vehicon is from Pax Cybertron. See this post for full details.

As for Bulkhead, this is my 2nd purchase of this figure. I know, I said no multiples this year. But at $24.99 it feels so cheap compared to what I paid for the 1st one, which was $69.99. I really like this fig too, so I got another. Though it does make me feel stupid for buying the 1st one from eBay. Toys R Us has FE Optimus Prime at $24.99 also. It took a lot of willpower for me to not buy a 2nd one of that fig. This 2nd Bulkhead I’m leaving sealed in the box, and the pic above is of the 1st figure.

The FOC figures I found all on the same trip to Toys R Us. I have opened them all and they are all recommended, especially Soundwave. My only gripe about these is that the discs don’t eject all that well, and that the auto-transform mechanics of the discs more hinders than helps. But don’t let that stop you from buying them if you see them. On my visit, TRU was doing a buy one and get one at 40% off on all TFs. This is why one of the pair of discs was only $6.59. I really wanted to get another TF to pair with Soundwave for another 40% off (again, really considered FE Optimus), but in the end only decided to get the new figs.

DOTM Jetwing Optimus I have not opened. I might someday. I really want to checkout the wings. I believe the base figure is a slight remold of ROTF Leader class Optimus, which is an excellent figure. The only new gimmick here is the wings. Some fans have said that the Japanese version of this fig is hands down the best transforming movie Optimus made. That one retailed for over $200 US, so I wasted no time to pre-order the US Amazon Exclusive version at $104.99. However, around mid-December, Amazon dropped the price of this figure to only $52. That kinda pissed me off. I could’ve got this for half the price. Oh well. At this very moment, Amazon has it at about $100, so I don’t feel too bad anymore.

2012 was the first year where I kept stats on the number of TFs I purchased. Here are the year to date statistics:

  • 12 figures from Dark of the Moon (DOTM)
  • 32 figures from Transformers Prime
  • 3 Power Core Combiners (PCC)
  • 1 figure from Cybertron
  • 5 Masterpieces
  • 19 figures from Generations Fall of Cybertron (FOC)
  • 16 figures from Generations GDO
  • 1 Alternity figure
  • 2 Animated figures
  • 3 Star Wars figures
  • 7 3rd Party figures

That’s a grand total of 103 figures for 2012. Is that good? Who knows. That’s about 8.5 figs per month. Or close to 2 figs a week.

And as I look at the stats from month to month, I noticed that most of my purchases came at Q1 and Q4. Right after and right before new years. From April to Sept there was a real drought of TFs. I guess this is normal for a non-movie year. It’s also not surprising that most of the figures came from TF Prime, since it is the active TF show.

On a more personal note, I’m happy to be done with 2012. It’s been a weird year for me, in both good and bad ways. I’m looking forward to 2013. I don’t know what kind of TFs Hasbro has planned for 2013, but they come up with something to keep me interested every year.

I’m ready for 2013! Transform and Roll Out!

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics

Transformers Purchased in October 2012

October 31st, 2012 4 comments

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!

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics

Decepticon Air Superiority!

October 19th, 2012 2 comments

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.

Categories: Pics

Mindwipe and Sunspot/Laserbeak Combination

October 6th, 2012 4 comments

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!

Categories: Pics, Toy Reviews

Transformers GDO Figures Found at TRU

October 2nd, 2012 9 comments

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!

Categories: On The Hunt, Pics