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!

I am back from this year’s Wondercon in Anaheim! I always have an awesome time at geek Conventions and this year is no exception. Once again I was there with Gemini. This is only our 2nd Wondercon. We went once before in 2010 when it was still at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. You can check out Gemini’s coverage of Wondercon 2010 here. Not sure why the organizers decided to move it to the Anaheim Convention Center this year in SoCal. But for me it really doesn’t matter since I’ve lived in SoCal and NorCal.

I was only there Friday and Saturday. I probably should have taken more pics, but still I’ll post what I have here.

 

Capcom Booth

 

This is the only pic I took at the Capcom booth. They were heavily promoting two games. One was Street Fighter X Tekken, which came out early March. I’m a big fighting game fan so I’ll probably pick this up later. The other game was Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, pictured above. This is an awesome looking game! I only vaguely heard about this, but seeing it live in person has convinced me that I must get this. RE Operation Raccoon City is a multi-player third-person shooter set in the famous city of RE origin. I don’t play FPS or TPS all that much, but this I must play! I’m a RE die-hard, having completed the original RE, RE Director’s Cut, RE 2, RE 3, RE Code Veronica, RE 0, and RE Outbreak. Not sure what the story is, but the players appear to be military forces sent in to contain the bio hazard outbreak in RC. Very cool. The game came out 2 days ago. Get yours now!

 

Kotobukiya Booth

 

The Kotobukiya booth was located right in the center of the dealer’s room, so there’s no way to miss it. And chances are you would pass by it multiple times. They are releasing some very cool figures at reasonable prices. There’s a figure of Christie from Tekken that is begging for me to buy. I really don’t collect bishoujo figures anymore, but part of me is still tempted, so it took a lot of willpower to walk away. Still, if I find one someday for cheap, I just might buy it. I took several pics at this booth and they appear below.

 

Avengers Booth

 

This is a booth promoting the upcoming Avengers movie this summer. The booth was quite large. Hollywood booths are always grandiose and extravagant. I’m not sure what was happening here when I took this pic. We have some nice cosplayers of Cobra Commander and some random Cobra chick. They were doing some kind of dance and moving way too fast for me to shoot a nice pic. Not sure if they were fans or hired.

 

Other Dealers’ Booths

 

Below are some pics of smaller local retailers. I took pics of their items. I’m always left in awe at how much stuff they bring to these events.

 

Cosplayers

 

No anime/comic/toy convention is complete without Cosplayers. There were some good ones at Wondercon 2012, but I only managed to snap one pic of these gorgeous ladies below. I don’t know who they’re supposed to be though.

 

Last but certainly not least…

 

Sara Jean Underwood! Yes gentlemen, the beautiful Sara Jean was on hand to sign autographs. I probably should have lined up to take a pic with her. The line was not that long and she seemed real friendly with the fans. If you don’t know who she is, this should help educate you. NSFW!

 

My Wondercon 2012 Haul

 

No trip to any anime/toy/comic convention is complete without acquiring some loot. And so I proudly present my acquisitions from Wondercon 2012 :

• Masterpiece Optimus Prime MP-10 – I have been wanting to get the latest Masterpiece figure of the legendary Optimus Prime for some time now. This is a brand new mold from MP-1 or MP-4. He is smaller like the more recent MPs and he doesn’t have any die-cast, but he is more show accurate and he’s got even more features than before. I’ve seen many YouTube reviews about this figure already and there’s nothing but praises. I can’t wait to open mine, when I get some time. Best part: a dealer I know at Wondercon hooked me up with this MP-10 for only $200!
• Star Wars Transformer Clone Pilot Arc-170 Starfighter – I’ve seen this figure before, like at TRU or Walmart. A dealer saw me eyeing this and offered it to me for $10. I’ve been disappointed with most of my SW TFs recently, but for $10 you really can’t go wrong so I figured why not.

Before I wrap up this post, I’ll include some misc and random thoughts:

• On Friday there was a panel with Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill to promote the opening of 21 Jump Street. We didn’t try to go, but I can only imagine what a mad house it must have been. I don’t think we could’ve got in even if we tried.
• On Saturday there was a panel with Milla Jovovich promoting the 5th Resident Evil movie. Me, Gemini, and his wife tried to go to that. We made it up to the 3rd floor right before security stopped people from going up the escalator. We barely made it, or so we thought! When we finally got in line, security quickly pointed out that if you’re behind a certain spot in line, you probably won’t get in. We were way behind the spot and so we left. We then learned that some people have been lining up since 7AM. Crazy!
• Parking for Wondercon 2012 was a total bitch. On Fri I waited about 15 min on Katella Ave before I got into the parking sturcture. On Sat I waited about 30 min. I can’t even begin to imagine what parking would be like for the BIG conventions, like SDCC or AX. Speaking of AX…
• My very first Anime Expo was in 94. Back then it was at the Mariott Hotel right next to the Anaheim Convention Center. That was my first geek convention of any kind. In 94 it broke records too, with about 2000 attendees. Parking and lining up for things were not an issue at all. Seeing that Mariott again after all these years, it sure brings back memories. Good memories. And I’m left amazed at how far these conventions have come.
• There was a girls’ Volleyball thing going on right next to Wondercon, in the same convention center. That was pretty big too. I wonder what those girls thought of Wondercon…
• Eating near Anaheim Convention Center for Wondercon is not an issue. We ate at a nearby IHOP and a Chinese place that’s like a Panda Express. Getting a seat is no problem, unlike going to AX these days.
• As a TransFan, Wondercon is probably not the best convention. But tickets are affordable and they’re easy to get. I had fun so I do recommend it.
• Oh yeah, on Fri at the con I checked March Madness scores. That’s when I found out that my pick to win it all lost in the 1st round! Stupid Missouri. Total bummer for me.

That about covers it. My experience at Wondercon 2012. It is growing and I think next year it will be even better. Until the next convention… 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 doing another Star Wars Transformer review. I’ve only done one of these and it was the Commander Cody Clone Turbo Tank.

This was a pure impulse buy. I was at Target yesterday and saw this smaller Star Wars TF of Anakin. I didn’t even know they made these. Up to now, all Star Wars TFs came in one size, which is somewhere between a deluxe and voyager class. Looks like Hasbro is extending into more petite scale for the Star Wars line as well. This figure looked pretty good in fighter mode so I bought it.

Check out pics in the package.

I’m not exactly sure if this figure is scout class. Star Wars figs never have their sizes stated on the package. I’m only saying it’s scout class based on its price of $7.99.

In fighter mode this figure is fairly robust. For the most part, all the pieces come together quite nicely so nothing would flop around. There’s a lot of good detail. The colors look pretty accurate to Anakin’s Jedi Starfighter. For something this small, I don’t have any complaints about the appearance.

As far as gimmicks go in alt mode, you can extend the tips on the wings like the typical Jedi Starfighter. There’s also a retractable landing gear located on the bottom of the cockpit area, making it possible for the jet to be posed with the wings out on a flat surface.

Check out this pic below for alt mode size comparison, next to DOTM scout class Sandstorm.

My main gripe with the alt mode is that there is nowhere to store the lightsabers. I only expect non-storage for accessories with G1 figures. TFs today really shouldn’t have this problem anymore and I find it unacceptable. Come and think of it, my full size Obi-Wan Episode II Jedi Starfighter TF that I got at BotCon also had this issue. Earlier Star Wars TFs didn’t seem to have this issue though.

Transformation to mech mode is not at all difficult so I won’t describe it. He looks okay in mech mode. Construction is pretty solid. Details and colors are also adequate for figures of this size. Having twin lightsabers is kinda cool too.

There are many weaknesses in mech mode. Poseability is extremely limited. The arms are not bad, but there’s not too much to work with in the legs. The head appears to be able to rotate, but there’s so much kibble behind it I don’t think you can. He’s way too much of a shell former in the G1 Scourge fashion. The shells/wings end up on his back. This makes him totally back-heavy that it’s very difficult to pose him standing up without falling backwards. I also don’t like the wing tips on the arms. I guess they’re supposed to be shields, but functionally they’re really awkward and I just don’t like how they make the arms look.

Below is a pic of Anakin in mech mode next to Sandstorm in robot mode. Notice Anakin is much smaller. He’s probably more of a commander class figure.

Even at $7.99, I can’t recommend this figure all that much. The alt mode looks kinda cool, but that’s about it. Sometimes I think about opening one of my full size Ep III Jedi Starfighter TFs and see how they compare to this. Hopefully the larger ones are much better, but the Force is not with these smaller figures.

Transform and Roll Out!

I usually don’t buy Star Wars Transformers. I’m both a Star Wars fan and a TransFan, so you might think I would be all over these. I don’t have anything against this crossover. It’s just that, in Star Wars, vehicles don’t transform, and in Transformers, no characters transform into Star Wars vehicles. These reasons made it easy for me to ignore this line. Back in 06 I bought some SW TFs, never opened them, put them in storage, and then kinda forgot about them.

However, there are many figures released in this line, and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. They must be selling pretty well if Hasbro keeps making them. And if they’re selling they can’t be all bad. Moreover, TF customizers have made some pretty good creations with Star Wars TFs. Long time ago I came across an image of a customized Cybertron version Optimus Prime on Seibertron.com. It looked really good and the mold chosen was very fitting of how Prime would look on Cybertron. That Optimus was made using the Commander Cody Clone Turbo Tank figure from the SW line of TFs. It was painted to match Prime’s colors (red body, blue legs) with a customized head mold of Prime. I could totally picture Prime’s Cybertron alt mode as something similar to the Turbo Tank from SW. Unfortunately I can’t find that post anymore, but in the process of googling for it, I came across this equally good cutomized Ultra Magnus, also using the same mold.

And so, I had to get this figure to check it out for myself. This is an awesome figure! I did not expect SW TFs to be of such high quality and I am thoroughly impressed with Commander Cody. Let’s get on with the review.

Front of the package.

Back of the package.

I bought him for $16.95 at Walmart. I think it’s a little pricey, considering that Voyager sized figures only cost a little more (sometimes less) and they are bigger. Maybe Hasbro has to pay licensing fees to George Lucas.

Here is the alt mode. The turbo tank is really solid. It rolls well on a flat surface, and all the parts and pieces come together nicely. In fact, you don’t realize how well everything fits together until you transform it back into this mode from the robot mode. The parts that become the legs, arms, waist, and back all have tabs and grooves to lock the components into place. The tank itself looks accurate to the movie incarnation, except for maybe the color. This figure is kind of a weird gray in alt mode, and I think in the movie the tank is closer to white. The antenna is attached to the back, and the gun to the front. The missile does shoot. To my surprise, that thing fires pretty far! Don’t let that small launcher fool you, this thing packs a punch, and I almost lost the missile twice already from testing the mechanism. The button is kinda small, but you get used to it.

 

As you can see from this shot, the middle wheel on each side can open up. On this side it is the compartment for a small pistol. On the other side it holds missiles (that don’t come out). A nice touch. And I apologize for the bad pic. My photography skills are next to non-existent and my camera is not exactly top of the line.

 

The figure also looks solid in robot mode. He is nicely proportioned and no parts look out of place. The colors in this mode more closely resembles the colors from the movies. I know it’s hard to tell from the pic, but the detail on the figure in bot mode is really nice. The lines on the body, arms, and legs resembles the clone trooper armor very closely. I especially like the head mold. This is exactly the look of the Clone Commander helmets. I like the wings too. It adds a little extra something to his appearance.

 

He’s got a decent level of articulation. The joints at the shoulders, elbows, waits, and knees all bend or rotate fairly well. The only thing is, he’s got a lot of “stuff” on him (wheels, armor, wings) so it can be hard to get him into a specific pose simply because there’s too much in the way. The missile weapon fits nicely into either hand. The antenna is removed from where it is in the alt mode and plugged behind the right shoulder. The connection is a little loose here, but that’s a minor gripe.

 

Check out the wheels on the shoulder. It can be extended out to reveal more missiles. Very cool. He’s also holding the pistol that was mentioned earlier. It’s kinda hard to put the pistol in his hand, but again that’s a minor gripe.

 

Fighting along side Obi-Wan. Go Commander Cody!

The final verdict on this figure is that he’s very, very highly recommended. If all SW TFs are this good, I would definitely buy more.

Maybe the Force be with all Star Wars Transformers. Transform and Roll Out!