Happy Holidays! I hope everyone got what they wanted this Holiday season. There’s no better way to celebrate the Holidays than to get some new TFs! OK maybe there are, but new TFs are worth celebrating any time of the year. Below are some TFs that I received or found in the past week or so.

The pic above are the 3 Transformers Prime figures that are now out in mass retail. I went into TF Prime figures in this earlier post.

TRU Exclusive Rodimus appears in the lower left in the pic above. I have yet to open this, and I’m hoping this version is equivalent to the Japanese MP Rodimus Prime 2nd Release since the 1st Release is not without its faults. It will be interesting to see if this US version can attach the Japanese trailer in alt mode. In the lower right of the pic is PCC Double Clutch. Haven’t opened this either, but he seems promising for a PCC. In the upper left is the Walmart Exclusive Deluxe DOTM Optimus Prime. I opened this figure and he’s not half bad. The alt mode comes together well, transformation is not overly difficult, and I like the MechTech weapon. And last but not least, in the upper right is Skywarp. Did any of you out there think this is the Japanese Exclusive Takara DOTM Skywarp? Look carefully. It is inside the Japanese packaging, but it is actually a custom made by my buddy Gemini. He took a DOTM Deluxe Starscream and painted it into Skywarp. Very cool. Look for a review of this custom in a future post.

And finally, yesterday I found some Generations Junkheap. Wreck-Gar was such a pain in the ass to find when he was released. In fact, I didn’t find any in retail until this past November at discount stores. So I kept my eyes open for Junkheap. Last year a new Target opened near my home in SoCal that is within walking distance. I had some free time yesterday so I walked over. The trip paid off with these 2 Junkheaps.

This is probably the last post I will make for 2011. Looking back on 2011, I think I bought a record number of TFs for the year. It’s hard to say what Hasbro has in stored for us next year, but I’m curious to find out. See y’all in 2012! Transform and Roll Out!

OK, after more than 6 months of reviewing MP Rodimus Prime in alt mode in Part 1, today I’m going to review the robot mode in Part 2. I know, its way too late and I’m procrastinating way too much. But I just hate to do Part 1 then not do Part 2. Better late than never I always say.

Click here for pics of the box if that’s your thing.

Just like in alt mode, this Masterpiece figure will let you transform it as both Hot Rod or Rodimus Prime. Though I should point out now that the differences between the robot modes are slight. Let’s start by looking at the Hot Rod robot mode.

I think the first thing that should jump out at any hardcore G1 TransFan is how show accurate this figure is. MP figs are revered for their show authenticity and this fig did not disappoint in this area. Just look at it. This is exactly how Hot Rod looks in the G1 movie. The MP designers certainly did their homework and engineered a figure that captures Hot Rod down to the last detail. The colors are unmistakably Hot Rod with the red, orange, and yellow flames. They even got the legs right as that’s dark gray just like his G1 movie appearance. And speaking of legs, I’m particularly impressed here, because the shape of these legs is exactly like the animated design. The head mold is perfect Hot Rod. As far as toys go, this is most show accurate Hot Rod ever made. No complaints here.

Some might be quick to point out that Hot Rod did not have twin guns in G1 animated. In fact, he never really used guns as Hot Rod. In the Movie he simply shot lasers out of arm cannons the whole time. However, the G1 figure came with twin guns. The guns here is simply an homage to that fact, and personally I think he looks quite cool with the twin gun action. And if seeing Hot Rod with guns ain’t your thing, then don’t use them.

As far as poseability goes, this figure does a pretty good job. There’s plenty of articulation below the waist. The hips, knees, and feet are all capable of a wide array of motion. Ratchet joints are used at the hips and knees so he’s able to hold poses well. He can rotate at the waist. The head can turn from side and side and look up and down. Hand articulation is good, thumb and the rest of the hands are separate pieces like all the other MP figs. The arms suffer a little in this area because the shoulders are a little long. If you raise the arms straight up, the shoulders start to come in contact with the frame and that limits his overall arm motion. But that’s a small complaint for poseability and I feel there’s enough here to satisfy most fans.

The above pic shows off some of the gimmicks of the figure. We see Hot Rod use these features, though this fig is designed so you can use them in either robot form. The first one is the blue visor. We see Hot Rod use them as binoculars and for targeting early in the G1 movie. These visors are kept in the helmet of the fig. To display them, simply slide them down over the face. The second gimmick featured in this pic is the saw blades. You can do this on either hand. To use the saw blade, rotate the hand into the forearm at the wrist. The saw blade attachment is flipped out when you do this. The blade is a separate piece that you have to attach. There’s no place for it when its not in use.

MP figs of the Autobot leaders will always come with a Matrix. This figure continues that trend. This Matrix is smaller than the one that comes with MP Optimus Prime because the figure is smaller. It can be stored in the chest area like in the above pic. You simply flip down the lower chest panel to reveal the housing for the Matrix. You can take it out and have Hot Rod hold it as if he’s gonna open the Matrix since there is enough hand articulation designed to do just that.

Above is a pic for size comparison. The MP fig is obviously much bigger than the Classic fig. I probably should have taken pics of Hot Rod with other MPs but I didn’t have any handy.

Now let’s look at the Rodimus Prime robot mode.

Transformation from Hot Rod to Rodimus Prime is very subtle. All you have to do is the following:

• Stretch out the legs at the hips. Look carefully at the very top portion of the legs where it’s orange, at the location connected to the waist. Notice that as Rodimus Prime, the legs are lowered more.
• Raise the wings up a tad, and angle them in toward the center. This is hard to see from the pics (and I probably should have took some back shots). Its a very minor change. Most fans probably won’t even notice unless someone points it out.
• Change the face plate. This is probably the most obvious difference. The figure has a cool mechanism of how to do this (again, should have took a pic). Both face plates are built into the head. To change, raise the helmet and position the face you want in front while the other one hides behind it. I know it doesn’t make much sense when I describe it in words, but believe me it’s cool.
• Combine the two guns as one into a larger rifle. G1 Rodimus Prime used a rifle and it’s good to see the makers of MP not forget this. The concept of combining the twin pistols into a larger weapon is also ingenious. A very slick way of accounting for the weapons of both robot modes.

There you have it. That’s all there is to transforming Hot Rod to Rodimus Prime. Extending the legs out does make Rodimus Prime a little taller than Hot Rod, but not by much. The face plate change is good as the figure does look older and wiser as Rodimus Prime, and the twin guns combined as the rifle is a nice touch. But still, I don’t feel there’s enough of a difference here. I was really hoping for more distinctions between the two robot modes. Maybe some mechanics that clearly make Rodimus Prime larger. As is, the surefire way to distinguish between the two robot forms is the face. But if you’re looking at the figure from far away, it can be hard to tell if Rodimus is supposed to be Prime or not.

Poseability as Rodimus Prime is exactly the same as Hot Rod, so I won’t go into it again.

The Rodimus trailer converts to a battle station, just like the G1 toy. To do so, simply press the black button on top of the trailer and the two halves of the trailer shell will fold down (to see the back button, check out pics from Part 1). Then lift the cannon stand to an upright position and pull it up. Finally, raise the cannons themselves forward and rotate the handlebars up. A very simple transformation, but this piece feels very solid. Rodimus Prime can then ride this battle station like the pic below.

I should also point out that the trailer can hold all of Rodimus Prime’s accessories.

Unfortunately, this figure is not without its flaws. I touched on some of them already, both in this post and in Part 1. But there are others that I’ve yet to mention. Below I list them all in bullet points.

• There are construction issues galore. The first one I will mention is the one concerning the visor gimmick. The visor has a tendency to fall down in front of Rodimus’ face when you don’t want it to. Many other fans have complained about this problem. With this issue present, I almost wish they didn’t do the visor.
• Another construction issue: the hands are way too loose and way too weak. It’s not too bad when he’s not holding the gun, but the problem becomes obvious the moment you try it. Wrist joints have practically no support so it’s difficult to have Rodimus hold good poses with the guns. This is especially true when using the combined rifle since it’s twice as heavy. But more importantly, it’s very hard to place the guns in Rodimus’ hands. There are holes in the palms of the hands that are designed to have pegs on the guns stick in, but they just don’t work well. The guns fall off real easy if given a slight shake. I’m very disappointed with the whole hands mechanism. I almost wish they just keep it simple and do your standard fists with holes.
• The figure is not good value. MSRP was $200. There are no diecast pieces. At first I thought the feet would be diecast, but upon closer inspection I don’t think they are. They are just high quality plastic with good paint.
• More construction issues: the back of the figure does not hold up too well, on mine anyway. There is a tab mechanism that is supposed to lock the back in place, but more often than not it doesn’t work. On mine it’s always coming apart when I’m trying to pose him. He’s also a bit back heavy which further contributes to this problem.
• I mentioned this in Part 1. But to re-iterate, transformation to alt mode is complex. You have to align everything just right or the alt mode won’t come together. The transformation process is not necessarily hard, but it’s very unforgiving. The slightest mis-alignment will mess up the alt mode’s appearance. And even after you do everything right, there are still gaps that appear on the sides of the vehicle. I expect more out of a MP figure.
• Transformation to Rodimus Prime alt mode is lame, another thing I mentioned in Part 1. Having a front cab piece that folds over the figure like diaper is not my idea of transformation.
• There’s not enough differences between Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime in their robot modes.
• Rodimus Prime is not to scale with other MPs, with the exception of Grimlock and the upcoming smaller Optimus Prime MP. So the natural conclusion to draw here is that Takara is starting to scale them down. I guess this gripe applies to new MPs as a whole and it’s not exclusive to Rodimus Prime, but it’s something worth noting if you were expecting this figure to scale with previous MPs.

That’s a lot of gripes. MP Rodimus Prime is not a figure I can wholeheartedly recommend. Certainly not at the full MSRP of $200, which is what I paid. There are some design flaws, but what really chaps my hide are all the construction issues I listed.

At this point I should mention that Takara is working on a Version 2 of this figure. That will be the 2nd release and supposedly they will have fixed all the construction issues. My review is for the 1st release. Many retailers have the 1st version for $150 now, maybe because they know Version 2 is coming.

My final verdict is that this figure is good, but far from perfect. Rodimus is the weakest of the MP figures in my opinion, so get all the others first before you consider this one. He does have his strengths, the biggest one being the show accuracy of the figure in both alt and robot modes. But too many construction issues, combined with some questionable design choices and the high price tag, prevents me from giving this figure a strong recommendation. If possible, check out a friend’s first to see if you really want one. Or as an alternative, try to locate the US TRU exclusive version, which is only $59.99 (Rodimus only, no trailer). This version, however, has been released once already and scalpers quickly bought them all. No word on if more are coming.

In G1, Rodimus never really lived up to Optimus. It’s sad to see this trend continue, even in the Masterpiece line of TFs. But I think we should be appreciative of the fact that Takara tried something new and produced a MP Rodimus figure. Of course, right afterwards they went back to their usual ways of re-working the same old figures (eg. the new Optimus MP). C’mon Takara, enough is enough. Don’t forget that pioneering spirit that made Transformers so successful in the first place. Don’t forget to take transforming toys into new areas. Don’t forget to… transform and roll out!

Last month I made an order from TFSource.com. The order was shipped through Fedex. I’m not the biggest fan of Fedex and this recent order has further reaffirmed that sentiment. I’ll spare you all the details of everything that went wrong with this shipment, but this afternoon it finally arrived. Every item in my order appears to be intact. Here’s what I got:

• Predaking 2010 Reissue Boxed Set by Takara
• BTS-03 G1 Prime Matrix of Leadership Upgrade Set by BTSToys
• TFX-04 Protector Trailer by FansProject
• TFX-05 Sidearm by FansProject

They shipped this in a pretty big box, though its not the biggest box I’ve received for ordering collectibles. Here’s a pic next to a soda can for size comparison.

TFSource is known for packing their items well and I would have to agree.

All items are brand new, but to save money I bought all C9 versions. As far as I can tell, the boxes for TFX-04, TFX-05, and BTS-03 all seem perfect. However, the box for the Predaking set is flawed. Below is a pic.

Notice the side of the box is kinda pushed out. There is a piece of tape holding the side panel in place. The tape looks factory to me, but I really don’t know. Not sure if a C10 would be better, and I’m not sure if Takara boxed them up bad or if TFSource messed with it. But regardless, I’m not too concerned since I plan on opening this set. I’m cool as long as there are no issues with the figures. As a kid I dreamed of owning the Predacons. In my youth, there was no way my parents would’ve bought me all 5 Predacons, and my allowance was next to nothing. There was a reissue set in 2005. This was around the time I got back into TFs. Most dealers asked between $150 to $200 for the set. That amount can seem like a lot when you’ve just started to buy TFS. So I hesitated, and before I knew it they were all sold out. 6 years and 350 TFs later, I’m now kinda desensitized to TF spending and I didn’t even blink when I chose to buy it this time. In retrospect I’m glad I didn’t buy the 2005 set, because I hear the 2010 set has die-cast and the 2005 set does not.

I am on a mission to have all the G1 Combiner sets. The figures could be G1 or reissue. I now have 4 Combiner teams complete: Combaticons (G1), Technobots (G1), Seacons (reissue), and now Predacons (reissue). I have some other figures of various teams from G1: Air Raid, Breakdown, Dragstrip, Dead End, and Seawing. Dead End is missing all accessories, and Seawing is kinda unnecessary since I got the complete Seacon set as a reissue. I’ll be looking for other Combiner figures, and I’m hoping Hasbro/Takara would do more reissues.

I’m looking forward to opening the other items as well. Actually, I already opened BTS-03 and I’m really liking this upgrade set. I like it so much I may review it in a future post. And I’ve heard nothing but good things about the Protector armor and Sidearm, so it’s a pretty sure bet I will be impressed with those.

As a sidebar, this is my 100th post on this blog. I’ve been enjoying the experience and I will keep this blog going for as long as I can. Long Live TFs! Transform and Roll Out!

As mentioned in my my last, I bought Masterpiece Rodimus Prime. Here is part 1 of the review. I’m going to go over the alt modes first, even though he comes packaged in robot mode. I transformed him to alt mode so I figure I do this now before I transform him back.

Here is a pic of the figure as Hot Rod.

As far as appearance goes, this is probably the most show accurate Hot Rod alt mode in the history of TFs. The G1 toy was very good for its time, and the Henkei/Classic version was an excellent update of the star of the G1 Movie. But in terms of show accuracy, the MP figure has them both beat. Take a look at the outline of Hot Rod’s vehicle mode. This is exactly how he was shaped in the Movie. Masterpiece figures are known for show accuracy and this figure certainly did not disappoint. I think this is even more obvious when you look at the rear of Hot Rod’s alt mode, which is pictured below.

Check out the scene where Hot Rod races up the hill with Daniel to catch the shuttle, early in the Movie. During this scene there is a good shot of Hot Rod from the rear view. This figure has captured that look perfectly. No other Rodimus figures even come close to the MP as far as reproducing this look.

The colors on this figure is classic Hot Rod. I think everyone knows what his colors are supposed to be so I won’t go into it. The red, orange, and yellow on the figure is reproduced faithfully. Windows are painted blue and that is accurate also. All the chrome bits that you would expect are there, including his side thrusters, engine, and rims. Clear yellow bits are used for the headlights. Overall, no gripes from me about the paint apps or the detail on this figure.

Tires are made of rubber like other vehicles in the MP and Binaltech line. Hot Rod comes with two guns like the original G1 toy (the non-Targetmaster version). On the engine you can attach a gun like pictured below. You can do this with either gun, but not both at the same time. Personally I think it’s kinda lame, but it was a G1 feature so it’s good to see the MP fig still account for that.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few issues with the MP Rodimus. I will go into each of them.

Hasbro/Takara stopped using die-cast in TFs long time ago, even in the MP line. Rodimus is no exception. Only die-cast I can detect are the feet pieces. Considering I paid over $200 for this fig, I expected a little more die-cast.

Transformation from robot to car was quite difficult. He is complex in terms of design, and in my book that’s a good thing. But what makes it an issue is that the pieces on this figure do not come together as well as they should. Add to it the already difficult transformation and you have a figure that is simply frustrating to do. Hasbro/Takara has made complex figures before, such as MP Megatron and leader class Optimus from the 2nd Movie. But those figures are well engineered and all part and pieces fit where they’re supposed to go when you do it right. MP Rodimus is not one of these figures.

My main gripe is on the sides of the vehicle. Check out the pic below.

Notice there is a very large “hole” on the side, around the thrusters where his hands go. This is pretty much the best that I can get it. I’ve checked the pics on Seibertron and they have it at about the same configuration. The figure is designed so the parts would come together more, but this is simply not the case. I really don’t like the design of the hand placement. It gets in the way of the connection. The pic below shows a bottom view and illustrates how the hands are placed in this mode.

I’ve checked the instructions carefully and I looked at Seibertron pics and I’m confident this is the proper placement. There is simply too much there for the sides to come together nicely. The irony is that the hand is designed so it can fold into the forearm. The reason for this is so Hot Rod can whip out his saw-blades (I’ll go more into this in part 2), but I would rather they ditch the saw-blade feature if it means there’s room to fold in the hands so in alt mode the sides would come flush.

The other construction issue I have has to do with the large bottom black panels towards the rear in the leg area, also pictured above. Mine doesn’t seem to want to snap in nicely, at least on one side. Not sure if I can get this to be better. It is sometimes dangling off, and this leads me to my next issue. There is practically no clearance on the bottom in alt mode. Those black pieces I mentioned, the large red piece right next them, and the head, they are almost touching the ground when Hot Rod is placed on a flat surface in alt mode. And they will touch the ground if you don’t get everything just right. This figure is not meant to be rolled around or you might damage these pieces.

Below is a shot for size comparison. MP Rodimus with Animated and Henkei Rodimus.

Now let’s look at this figure in Rodimus Prime alt mode. To do it, you attach the trailer that comes with the figure. He looks quite solid in this mode. It’s show accurate the the details and colors do not disappoint. He kinda looks like an RV in this mode, but that’s just how he looks. Maybe that’s why he never lived up to Optimus.

My main gripe with this mode is has to do with how the trailer is attached. The trailer comes with a hidden front piece that resembles Hot Rod’s hood and seat area. To attach the trailer, the Hot Rod fig goes into the trailer head first, then that front piece come around and covers Hot Rod’s ass. See the pic below for yourself.

I’m very disappointed with this mechanism. I didn’t think that front piece would be necessary and the trailer can attach toward Hot Rod’s rear, like MP Optimus.

Last pic for part 1 shows off MP with Titanium Rodimus.

I’ll reserve my final thoughts for when I do part 2, which is the robot mode. Until then… Transform and Roll Out!

EDIT 09/22/2011:
Click here for Part 2 of the review.

Several weeks ago I received MP Rodimus Prime. I still have not opened this figure. I intend to do this soon, but before that I thought I take some pics of him sealed in the box.

Rodimus is finally getting the MP treatment that he deserves. Could Galvatron be next? That would complete the G1 leaders. Anyway, I plan on doing a full review. Until then… Transform and Roll Out!

I think by now, all TransFans are aware that Transformers Animated have officially ended. All remaining TFA toys that were planned are exclusively released in the United States through Toys R Us. I’m really only aware of 4 figures: Cybertron Mode Ratchet, Arcee, Rodimus Minor, and Cybertron Mode Ironhide. Cybertron Mode Ratchet came out as early as January of this year, and I think I found them locally in February. Toys R Us ordered way too many of this figure. Every store I visited recently is overstocked with Ratchet. This is not true with the rest of the figures. Arcee I only saw once in May, and never again. And because of this, I had a feeling that Rodimus and Ironhide were gonna be rare finds as well.

Fans have been reporting sightings of these two figures as early as August, so I’ve been keeping my eyes open. I was lucky I was able to find some right before Columbus Day weekend. My local Toys R Us didn’t have that many either, only 4 Rodimus and 3 Ironhide figures. Needless to say, I quickly grabbed some and proceeded to check out. I only left one of each on the shelves. The girl at the checkout was like, “Damn, you got them all! People have been asking about these!” LOL. I have been back to the store once since, and yeah, they’re all gone. I don’t anticipate my TRU to get anymore either. Ebay dealers ask a minimum of $25 for these, and that doesn’t include ship. These appear to be rare indeed.

Anyway, today I’m doing a review of the Rodimus Minor figure. I have not yet opened Ironhide, but he’s a repaint of Ratchet so I already know what to expect. I may do a review of him and Ratchet later in a future post.

Check out some pics of Rodimus Minor in the package.

I really like the look of this Rodimus in alt mode. His appearance is most definitely G1 inspired. The figure is mostly red with some stripes of yellow on the hood and on the wing. In G1 he had flames, but I think the yellow triangular stripes actually looks better. The window is in that famous blue like all other Rodimus figures. The engine on the hood is faithfully represented here. In G1 and Classic Rodimus, the side exhaust pipes are located on the side bottom of the vehicle. However in Animated, they’re located higher on the side, a little above the rear tires. I rather like this design, it manages to make the look refreshing, but still identifiable. Compared to other Rodimus figures, the shape of this one is more streamlined and more sleek. I have no complaints on the looks of the alt mode whatsoever. I haven’t seen Season 3 of Animated so I can’t comment on show accuracy, but if it looks anything like the package image then I would say the figure represented his look faithfully.

Functionally, Hasbro’s toy designers did a great job in the engineering of this figure. Rodimus is quite solid in this mode. As with most other TFA figures, the various parts and pieces come together well to form the vehicle. Everything snaps together nicely, and there are no dangling bits to be found. The alt mode will not come apart easily even if you choose to play rough with the figure as the car. On a flat surface, Rodimus rolls well on all 4 wheels and I see no balancing issues. The only noticeable seam line is towards the rear, above the wheel area, but that is something I can easily live with.

Size-wise, Animated Rodimus is a little smaller compared to Classic or Henkei Rodimus in alt mode. Check out the pic below.

His bow-type weapon can be attached in alt mode. Simply plug the pegs on the weapon into the slots on top of the vehicle. The missiles fire a good distance, though it’s not the strongest when compared to recent Hasbro offerings. If I was to name one gripe, it’s that the weapon is not that easy to attach in this mode. This weapon is angled upwards when mounted, and the tail end of the missiles make contact with the wing, so attaching this thing is harder than it looks. Not only that, the obvious place to apply force downwards on the weapon to mount it is exactly where the firing buttons are, so you almost always accidentally fire the missiles. I’ve learned to attach the launcher first, then connect the missiles. Also, even with all this, it’s real easy to accidentally make contact with the weapon, in which case you will almost always knock it off the figure (very similar to Arcee’s wings, though not that bad). I opened two Rodimus figures (more on this later), and they both have these issues with the weapon, so I’m going to assume this is an issue with the mold. Still, this is just a little gripe, and I think he looks better without the weapon in alt mode anyway so I just prefer to leave it off.

Overall, I’m very happy with the alt mode.

The transformation to robot mode is quite unique for a Rodimus figure. The standard transformation for Rodimus in other lines has the hood forming the chest, cockpit and wings becoming the back, the sides folding out to be the arms, and rear section of the car as the legs. Animated Rodimus Minor puts a slight spin on this familiar theme. The legs are buried entirely underneath the vehicle, with the feet connecting to below the front hood area. The arms go over the rear wheel area, and during transformation there are joints that will connect them with the chest. The front wheels also fold into the chest, and the engine can flip over in robot mode to reveal the Autobot insignia. It’s nice to see Hasbro trying something new in the transformation. The result is a process that feels both refreshing and familiar at the same time, something not easily achieved for such a recognizable character. And in my opinion, the transformation difficulty level is just right. It’s complex enough to be a fully qualified Transformer, but at the same time still fun enough that it doesn’t feel like work to transform it.

In robot mode, Rodimus looks great. He’s well proportioned and there’s not any body parts that look too big or too small. Again, I have not seen this character in the cartoon, but it appears that the toy captured the look of Animated Rodimus quite well. The paint job on a standard $10 Hasbro figure usually leaves a little to be desired, and on this figure it’s no exception. However, I don’t detect any color goofs, so at least Hasbro got that right.

Design wise, there is no mistaking that this is Rodimus. Anyone who is vaguely familiar with G1 Hot Rod will easily identify this character. His overall color scheme, his trademark wings, and his arm cannons are all here. The figure is capable of a wide range of poses. Ball joints are used almost everywhere. Fans big on poseability will find nothing to complain about here.

Functionally, Rodimus is well built. All pieces lock into place where they should, resulting in a solid robot mode. When I transformed him the first time, I thought the chest piece would dangle around. But after you lock in the cockpit window into the upper back, everything stays put. The side exhaust on the upper legs also clicks into position. The figure is very, very well engineered. Overall, I have no complaints about the robot mode of Rodimus Minor whatsoever.

Below are some size comparison pics with other Rodimus figures. Notice in robot mode, Animated Rodimus becomes a little bigger than Classic/Henkei Rodimus, whereas in alt mode he was smaller.

I mentioned that I got two of these and I opened both of them. For really rare figures that don’t cost much, I sometimes buy multiples, one to open and one to keep mint in the package, maybe to sell later or just to hang on to so I can say I have a mint one. Well, the first one I opened came with two left hands! Check out the pic below. The two-handed one is on the right. Functionally that’s just wrong, so I opened the other one as well. By the time I opened them, there were none left at TRU so exchange is not an option. I could return it, but I thought I keep it just for laughs. I googled this and I don’t see any other fan reporting this issue, so I’m forced to assume this is an isolated incident. But just keep in mind this could happen if you find and buy a Rodimus figure. And I’m just happy that I got a 2nd one so I don’t have to live with the two left-handed one.

So there you have it, my thoughts on Animated Rodimus Minor. I can’t recommend this figure enough. Compared with other Rodimus figures, I would say this is the second best one of all time, right behind Classic/Henkei Rodimus.

Come and think of it, all the recent figures that I opened have been really good. Hasbro has been on a roll when it comes to doing new molds. I will be doing reviews of some other great figures that came out recently, so stay tuned. Transform and Roll Out!