June of 2015 is Robots in Disguise month! Check out all the RiD figs below. There are some third party items here too.

• Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime, Walmart, $14.97

• Robots in Disguise Drift, amazon.com, $12.80

• Robots in Disguise Jazz, Target, $14.99

• Perfect Effect Perfect Combiner PC-02 Upgrade Set, tfsource.com, $32.99

• Before & After Alpha Launcher for MP-18 Bluestreak, tfsource.com, $14.95

• ToyWorld Grimshell (Corelock), tfsource.com, $149.95

Before this month, I only bought one RiD figure. That was Grimlock from back in January. I was not terribly impressed with RiD Grimlock. So you might be wondering why I bought all these RiD figs here. Truth be told, I only bought them because there wasn’t a whole lot of other TFs on the shelves. Combiner Wars was in a slight retail pause, and my 3rd party orders haven’t come in yet. But I’m glad I got the RiD figs here. Drift is a great one. If you can only get one RiD fig here, get Drift. Both modes are good, transformation is fun, and build construction of the toy is solid. I love his twin swords. Jazz is a nice one too. I don’t know if I’m feeling that spear/gun weapon, but the figure itself is a worthy addition to Jazz. The Optimus Prime figure is not great, but not bad. There’s some fun stuff going on here, but overall he’s too simple and too small. It’s kind of the same gripes that I have for Grimlock. Though Grimlock is getting (or has gotten) a bigger, beefier version for the collectors. I hope OP gets the same treatment.

Now onto those 3rd party accessories. Perfect Combiner PC-02 Upgrade Set is meant to enhance Combiner Wars Menasor. I got some picks from back in this post. Most fans seem to be gushing over these sets, which is why I got them. I don’t know. I think they’re ok, but in my opinion they don’t add that much to the combined form. Maybe I’m expecting too much. Alpha Launcher for MP-18 Bluestreak by Before & After is an excellent upgrade! I got one pic below that shows it off. I like how the MP toy designers incorporated launchers as part of the transformation. But they are more reflective of Bluestreak’s cartoon look, and they look a tad small. With these Alpha Launchers, Bluestreak now has the firepower to be the true gunner that he’s meant to be. This upgrade set also comes with decals for the MP that are much like the decals of the original G1 toy. I did’t put them on. But know that it’s an option for those that like their figures all decked out with decals.

I have written about ToyWorld Grimlock several times already. He’s officially listed as Grimshell on the box, but sometimes he is listed as Corelock on store sites. Anyway, I have raved on and on about this figure here and here. So I won’t repeat my G1 fanboy praises yet again. Just go read those.

Below is a group photo of the bunch (minus the upgrade set for Menasor).

Transform and Roll Out.

May of 2015 continues with more Combiner Wars, and one unexpected finding.

• Combiner Wars Brake-Neck, amazon.com, $16.99

• Combiner Wars Quickslinger, amazon.com, $16.99

• Generations Scourge, Target, $17.09

I ranted before in previous posts about how it’s so lame that Hasbro don’t release all Aeiralbots or Stunticons in a single wave. And how they are adding new unheard of Aeiralbot or Stunticon characters, which replaces the legendary G1 characters that hardcore fans like myself would demand for. Hasbro has heard your screams and appropriately released the two Combiner Wars figs here. Seeing as they are for the hardcore fans, they came out as a limited release, a shared exclusive between Amazon and some of the bigger 3rd party dealers devoted to TFs. If you’re reading this blog, then you must know that Brake-Neck is really Wildrider, and Quickslinger is really Slingshot. Now with these 2, you can complete your Aeiralbots or Stunticons in full G1 glory. Brake-Neck is pretty much just a repaint of Dead End with a different head mold, while Quickslinger a repaint of Firefly. So I won’t go into them too much. Hasbro probably decided to go with the new characters (Offroad and Alpha Bravo) to minimize repaints. That’s probably a good decision for the general public, now that I think about it. But for hardcore G1 guys like me, getting Brake-Neck and Quickslinger is still a must.

The only other purchase this month is… drum roll please… Generations Scourge! When I saw this on the shelf, I was like WTF?!?!?! This figure was released all the way back in 2011. So what in Primus’s name is this figure doing on the shelf in 2015? I don’t know. Maybe they had an extra one in the back storeroom all this time that was left unsold. Or maybe someone returned one back to Target, after about 4 years. We may never know what really happened here. But I was pleasantly awestruck as to finding another Scourge, so I bought it. I may already have 3 of these, but one more wouldn’t hurt to add to my Sweep army. Oh, this was found at a Target in an expensive area where they always have a markup for unnecessary goods such as toys. Oh well.

This was a light month, only 3 figs. That’s a good thing. A little break from the TF madness that will ensue in the later months.

Transform and Roll Out.

April of 2015 continues with more Combiner Wars and 2 third party figs.

• Combiner Wars Breakdown, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.81

• Combiner Wars Dead End, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.81

• Combiner Wars Offroad, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.81

• Combiner Wars Air Raid, hasbrotoyshop.com, $14.81

• Combiner Wars Blackjack, Target, $9.49

• Combiner Wars Megatron and Armada Megatron, tfsource.com, $89.99

• Mastermind Creations Felisaber, tfsource.com, $75.95

• ToyWorld Roar, gift

The 4 deluxe figures are all from Combiner Wars Wave 2. They are not that different from the Wave 1 figures in the way they are constructed. Individually, I definitely like the CW Stunticons better than the CW Aeiralbots, because there is more variety for the limb figures. Air Raid is cut from the same cloth as Skydive and Firefly. Breakdown and Dead End are different enough from Dragstrip and from each other that it doesn’t feel like buying the same figures over and over. Hasbro came up with another figure called Offroad for the Stunticons, just like they did Alpha Bravo for the Aerialbots. Wildrider would be released later, so there is no reason to buy Offroad just to complete Menasor.

Blackjack is a fun little figure. I like his transformation from car to robot. Both modes look good. He’s not bad for a figure of this size. In combined form, he is meant to attach onto Menasor’s chest like a shield. I mentioned before in another post that he doesn’t connect that well in this form. This can be fixed, however. I will mention this again when I go into the 2nd Motormaster that will come out later (with fixed hips). But even the 2nd Motormaster has the peg problems for attaching Blackjack, so it will require this fix. Sometimes I feel Hasbro really should test these things before they put the figures on the shelves.

Next up are the 2 Megatrons. I love these Megatrons! The G1 version of the figure is especially sweet for a G1 purist such as myself. This is probably the best G1 inspired Megatron that Hasbro has made in quite some time. In robot mode, this is unmistakably Megatron. The head mold, body stylings, and colors are pure G1. Transformation to tank mode is actually fairly simple for a figure of this size, but there is enough to do here that should satisfy even the most hardcore of TransFans. Tank mode is superb as well. Construction of this figure is super solid. This Megatron will easily withstand some rough play. The Armada version of this figure is exactly the same mold-wise, but has different colors and a different had mold.

Next up is MMC Felisaber. I already went into Felisaber back in this post, so I won’t go into detail again here. Felisaber is meant to be Catilla. Catilla has the privilege of being among the first TFs to be named in a Before Carly post on this blog, so check it out.

Finally, there is Roar, TW’s homage to Snarl. I mentioned Roar here, so read that post for more info of Roar’s awesomeness. Roar was a gift from my wife (my fiancee at the time). I put a bunch of figures on my wishlist at TFSource, and she picked Roar. She has good taste!

I will be out of the country for the next 2 weeks, so I won’t be posting. I will be in Asia. Hopefully I will find some good TFs on the trip! Transform and Roll Out!

March of 2015 continues with more figures of Combiner Wars. Only 2 CW figs here, but they both happen to be trucks. This is what I call Truck Month (built Transformer tough).

• Combiner Wars Huffer, amazon.com, $10.99

• Combiner Wars Motormaster, hasbrotoyshop.com, $21.79

Huffer is a character that I never cared for while growing up. He’s a total whiner, and is quick to point out the absurdities of any situation. Why Optimus chose him to be one of the original 18 Autobots aboard the Ark is beyond me. Still, Huffer has been around all this time, so it’s finally good to have a figure of him in my CHUG line. In fact, not counting this Power Core Combiners Huffer, this is my only Huffer figure. This fig is a repaint of Generations Thrilling 30 Optimus Prime, so I won’t mention it too much. I know, Huffer gets no love. Hasbro only sees fit to produce Huffer figures when they’re convenient repaints.

Motormaster IS a character I cared for while growing up. Being the leader of the bad-ass Stunticons, you can’t help but like him. He forms the body of the mighty Menasor. I believe this is the first time after G1 Hasbro has made a Motormaster that can combine with other figures to form Menasor. I already talked about how this figure is individually with the Optimus Prime repaint in a previous post. Some differences for Motormaster include the colors, a different head mold, and he comes with sword weapons instead of the Optimus guns. In combined mode, this figure also has the problem with hips that I mentioned before. With Optimus, I didn’t really care that he has the problem, because Optimus is not usually a combiner. But with Motormaster, I see this as a big problem. Also, Blackjack (a CW legend size figure that will come later) is supposed to fit onto Menasor’s chest. The connection for Blackjack is very poorly fitted. As a result, Blackjack does not combine that well. I’ll mention this again when I go into Blackjack. But overall, I like Motormaster in truck mode. In robot and combined forms, the figure suffers from the leg and hips issue. Hasbro will reproduce a fixed version of this figure much later. I will again re-visit this, when I present the fixed version of Motormaster.

This is the first time in a LONG time that I have made 4 posts in my blog in one month. Yay! Blogging back on track. Transform and Roll Out!

February of 2015 was all deluxe figs from Combiner Wars. In fact, the 4 figs below are all from the same wave.

• Combiner Wars Firefly, Toys R Us, $16.99

• Combiner Wars Skydive, Target, $14.24

• Combiner Wars Alpha Bravo, Target, $14.24

• Combiner Wars Dragstrip, Target, $14.24

Firefly here is obviously Fireflight. Hasbro usually only changes names for trademark reasons. If anything, I would have thought that Firefly is a trademarked term. But a quick Google for Fireflight leads me to some rock band, so I guess they took that name. In any case, Firefly is the red and white F-4 Phantom from G1 that forms Superion’s right arm. This Firefly figure is not bad. Kinda simple to transform, but comes together as a jet nicely. Proportions in robot mode is also not half bad. Skydive is very similar to Firefly. Transformation wise, they share the same scheme. Skydive is remolded slightly to look more like a F-16. Firefly feels more robust out of the two, but that may just be the ones I own. Overall, these 2 are fun to play with. They are toys that you can just pick up and play. All the deluxe CW figs can form an arm or a leg. In limb mode, Firefly and Skydive adequately does the job. I plan to do another post about the CW combined forms, so I’ll go into more detail then.

Alpha Bravo is not an Aerialbot from G1. In fact, he does not have any origin in G1. They totally made up this figure for Combiner Wars. Hasbro would later more appropriately repaint this figure into Blades and Vortex. But for now, we get Alpha Bravo. I’m guessing this is just a ploy to sell more figs. Alpha Bravo is not a bad fig. I like both the robot mode and alt mode. His transformation is mechanically a bit more impressive than Firefly or Skydive. I like the toy, but you can pass on this fig if you’re a G1 purist. Hasbro would later release Air Raid in the next wave, and Slingshot (released as Quickslinger) would come later as an Amazon exclusive. So don’t feel like you have to get Alpha Bravo just to complete Superion. Unless you’re a completist.

Last in the wave is Dragstrip. I don’t know why Hasbro decided to release 3 Aerialbots and 1 Stunticon. CW is targeted after G1 Fanboys who want everything 80s accurate. They should have just released all 4 Aerialbots in this wave (and replace Alpha Bravo with Slingshot). Regardless, we get Dragstrip now. He’s pretty cool. The figure feels solid, and transformation from alt mode to robot mode is enjoyable. I like the F1 alt mode, and the robot mode ain’t too shabby. A very playable figure.

So that’s it for Feb of 2015. 4 figs from Combiner Wars. A pretty light month in terms of TF purchases.

Transform and Roll Out.

As promised, here are more pics of Transform Mission Menasor.

This is a new unknown company in a market where third party products are totally saturated. It remains to be seen if they can compete adequately with the current existing players. I am eager to see color pics of their products. I will of course post those pics as soon as they surface somewhere.

I am really hoping that Transform Mission will do the Stunticons justice. Don’t get me wrong. The existing offerings of our favorite Decepticon racers aren’t too shabby, but none of them are perfect. The FansProject Intimidator set is great in combined form, but I find issues with them individually. The limb pieces are small and too tough to transform for their size, while Diesel (Motormaster) is way too complicated to be any fun. The Hasbro Combiner Wars set has the opposite problem. They are fun to play with individually, but the combined form leaves much to be desired. I am hoping Transform Mission will rectify all these problems and give us the perfect Stunticons.

Transform and Roll Out.

A new company called Transform Mission is doing their version of Stunticons! Yes friends. Our favorite car combiner team from G1 is getting the Masterpiece treatment from a 3rd party.

Feast your optics on some pics below!

Breakdown

Dead End

Scale with MP Sideswipe

I will post more pics later… Transform and Roll Out.

It’s been a while since I did a post about what’s on my shelf. So I’m doing one today.

Same pic, different angle.

From left to right

Lower shelf: Thrilling 30 Rhinox, Thrilling 30 Rattrap, Mastermind Creations Felisaber

I especially like the three gestalts on the top shelf. Feral Rex and Giant have been featured elsewhere before in this blog so I won’t go into detail again. Combiner Wars Menasor is Hasbro’s official update of the Stunticons in combined form. Compared to Fans Project’s Intimidator, Menasor has it’s pros and cons. Individually I like the Hasbro figures better. They are larger, sturdier, easier to transform, and more fun to play with. However in combined form, FP has the better looking Menasor. Intimidator also stays together better than Combiner Wars Menasor, as the Hasbro figure feels like it could quickly fall apart. However I should point out that the Hasbro figures feel more like a true combiner. The leg components are not simply adding on top of Motormaster’s legs, like in FP’s offering.

Poor Rattrap and Rhinox. They are the only good guys here. Technically they are not Autobots, so I don’t have a single Autobot in this post. Decepticons forever!

Transform and Roll Out.

Earlier this year I bought a glass display case for all my TFs. I have a small shelf in my bedroom for such a purpose, but there are too many robots I want to display. So I got the Detolf case from Ikea.

It took some effort to put this case together. But in the end the display looks quite nice. Here is what I currently have displayed.

Here on the top shelf is a random collection of Autobots. On display is CHUG Sideswipe with the Beelzeboss Heroic Duo Custom Kit (v2) upgrade, MP Streak, MP Prowl (hiding in the back in alt mode), MP G2 Sideswipe, FansProject Smart Robin, TF Prime Voyager Ultra Magnus, and a Mega Bloks minifig from their Battleship line.

On the 2nd shelf is Maketoys Giant in the combined form, PCC Heavytread with Maketoys Mobine Armor Marine upgrade kit, Generations Thrilling 30 Dreadwing (hiding in the back in alt mode), and another Mega Bloks minifig from the same Battleship set (the GF insists I put these here).

Here on the 3rd shelf is my Wreckers team! I’m so glad Hasbro is taking the time to please us true fans, as most figures here are official products. On display here are Generations Thrilling 30 Springer, Sandstorm, Whirl, and Roadbuster. And from Mech Ideas are Apex and Geminus.

And here on the bottom shelf are some random stuff. FansProject Intimidator appears here in combined form. Other figures include a Samus Aran Figma, Nickelodeon TMNT Donatello riding a a Maisto motorcycle, and a Diarobo figure that transforms into a Japanese garbage truck. The teddy bear and shot glasses are random contributions from the GF.

I will probably rotate out the figures in here every so often, when I want some new stuff to look at. Til next time… Transform and Roll Out!

Continuing with the tradition of this blog, I will still document what I am buying each month. I am now back-posting what I bought per month since the start of 2014.

• Mastermind Creations Fortis, tfsource.com, $89.99

• Generations Thrilling 30 Dreading, Target, $17.99

• FansProject Diesel, tfsource.com, $119.95

I have opened all of these. Fortis (not Headstrong) is almost exactly like Bovis, which I was not expecting. I thought MMC would do more to distinguish between the 2 figures which forms the legs of Predaking. Dreadwing is a redeco of Generations Thrilling 30 Megatron. Only differences between these 2 figs are the paint job and the head mold.

Diesel (not Motormaster) is a complicated piece to say the least. He’s packaged in truck mode like you see in the pic above. In the pics below, I have him transformed to his robot mode, with and without armor.

And for course the real reason we hardcore collectors all get this figure is so we can form the mighty Intimidator (not Menasor)!

Intimidator looks totally kick-ass when combined! The limb components were bought in March and August of last year.

So that’s 3 figures for the month, two 3rd party figs and one generations figs. Not a bad way to start the new year.

Transform and Roll Out!