I have said many times on this blog that I’m partial to TFs that I have owned during G1. So today I’m going to do another review of a figure updated in the War For Cybertron line with G1 roots. Ladies and gents, I give you… Pipes!

Most TransFans outside of G1 will not have heard of Pipes. He was a mini-bot that came around in Season 3. According to my research, Pipes appeared in the original US Transformers run a whopping 2 times. Pipes had more comic book appearances in both G1 and later incarnations, but that media is reserved for the hardcore. So yeah, this is a very minor G1 character that most just brush off as a Huffer repaint.

But I had Pipes during G1. So he’s getting some love today. And to be fair, Pipes wasn’t simply just a Huffer repaint. They’re based off of the same overall scheme. But they had different head molds, different arm molds, but most importantly, they don’t transform exactly the same. Opposite sides of the truck are used to form the front side of the robot. There’s enough examples of this in today’s figures (Universe Sideswipe and Sunstreaker comes to mind), but for G1, this achievement in variation off a same mold is beyond epic!

In WFC, Huffer came first, and rightly so since he’s the more famous character. It was only a matter of time before they got to Pipes. We all know HasTak is not going to make a mold to release it just once.

WFC Kingdom Pipes in the package.

First let’s take a look at how Pipes appeared in the animation models.

In the pics on the left, Pipes appears with pipe arms and a visor-type face, just like his G1 toy. But then in the pics on the right, he appears with pipes as attachments on his forearms and a face with two separate eyes. This was classic G1… no definitive appearance and lots of discrepancies between animation studios. Whatever the case, the latter interpretation is what WFC Pipes went with. See below.

Pipes in classic A-stance. Notice the pipes attachments on the forearms.

Pipes side profile. A bit of backpack kibble, but not too bad. Very G1 accurate and the size is more than acceptable when viewed from the side.

View from the back. The backpack kibble looks a bit big from this view, but it’s part of Pipes’ defining attribute since G1. Speaking of which, let’s take a look at G1 Pipes.

This is an authentic G1 Pipes that I had since either ’86 or ’87. I believe he was acquired at Lucky. I went shopping one day with my mom, and she was nice enough to buy this for me. If memory serves, he was an item placed on a hanging strip, possibly in the cereal aisle. Lucky didn’t always put toys in the toy aisle back then. This G1 Pipes is not in the best shape today. Nothing broken, but very loose joints. I transformed this guy literally hundreds of times.

G1 Pipes with WFC Pipes – about 35 years between them.

Another shot of this duo.

WFC Pipes is able to use the pipes as twin guns.

Another alternate pose for Pipes, with the pipes attached on the shoulders.

Close-up of WFC Pipes. They obviously used the animation model.

Close-up of G1 Pipes. I have no idea why there’s a smudge on the cab, to the left of the Autobot symbol. Looking at the two pics above, it’s clear they very much kept the chest design intact. Bravo!

Now for some action shots. Pipes is fairly poseable. Lots of articulation points for a $20 figure.

Another action shot.

Same action shot as above, but with the focus on one pipe.

Pipes kick. Hiyah!

Now for some size comparisons. First with Studio Series 86 Perceptor.

With Generation Selects Exhaust. Why did I use Perceptor and Exhaust? Because I had them handy. No other reason.

Transformation to truck is fairly obvious. Detach arms from the shoulders and flip the front wheels out. Rotate cab around the place over the head. Place arms to the back and sides of cab. Angle the fists inwards. Rotate and flip legs in. Very straightforward transformation for a G1 derivative.

Truck side view.

Alternate configuration view from the side, without the pipes.

View from the back. The paint on the rear brake lights is a nice touch.

WFC Pipes bottom view. I could’ve rotated the head so the face is not visible, but whatever.

Now for some pics of G1 Pipes in alt mode. I think there was a rub-on faction label on the top of the cab, but it fell off. Transformation from robot to truck is beyond obvious so I won’t even describe it.

Another shot of G1 Pipes in alt mode.

Below I present G1 and WFC Pipes together in alt mode, in various angles.

In summary, I recommend WFC Kingdom Pipes. They certainly did not forget his G1 roots when he was conceived, the design aesthetics taking cues from both the G1 toy and G1 animation. The figure is well built and very poseable. Transformation is fun, intuitive, and straightforward. Both modes look superb. I like this figure so much, I got this mold 4 times. See below.

Clockwise from upper left: Pipes, Huffer, Road Ranger, Puffer

You certainly don’t need to get them all. But all TransFans should get at least one. All these can still be had at MSRP as of this writing. Pipes is asking you to collect them all – read his tech spec bio if you didn’t get that reference.

Go Pipes. Transform and Roll Out!

 

Welcome to another one of my special St Patrick’s Day posts! This is the time of year when I feature my green Transformers. I always try to look for green figures that I have not featured before. For 2022, I came up with the figures below, all from the War For Cybertron line.

This St Patrick’s Day feels quite different from the last time I did one of these, in 2020. COVID caught the United States by storm at that time, marking an unusual start to the decade to say the least. But we’re now in 2022. It’s debatable if we can say COVID is behind us, but life goes on.

Quick bits about each figure:

• War For Cybertron Galactic Odyseey Lifeline – I call her the “Green Queen” of this bunch. She’s basically a WFC Earthrise Arcee repaint. Lifeline came packaged with WFC Ratchet in Earth mode. This was an Amazon exclusive, and the only way to get WFC Earth mode Ratchet. So yeah, Lifeline is a totally unnecessary repaint to get us G1 hardcore dummies to buy more figures. I love and hate Hasbro.
• War For Cybertron Earthrise Allicon – This guy has got enough green on him to qualify for my St Patrick’s Day features. The fact this even got made as a toy is a treat for all G1-ers. The Allicon was another Quintesson foot soldier designed purely for the 1986 TF Movie without a toy origin. In the film, they love the energon goodies, but get seriously hangry when there are no more. The Allicon figure is not bad at all. It’s a fun figure to just pick up and play, transforming between a mechanical humanoid Alligator and robot.
• War For Cybertron Earthrise Hoist – this character need no introduction. The WFC Earthrise figure is not bad. Good looking robot and alt modes. Not hard to transform and very G1 accurate.
• War For Cybertron Kingdom Waspinator – Another terrific update to Waspinator. I need to dig out Generations Thrilling 30 Waspinator and compare him to this one. The two seems very similar, but I’m going purely by memory here.

On a separate note, St Patrick’s Day usually means March Madness. In 2020, the NCAA Tournament was cancelled. But in 2022 it’s alive and well. Can my UCLA repeat last year’s surprising appearance in the Final Four? Of course they can. They’re going all the way this year!

Happy St Patrick’s Day! Transform and Roll Out!

 

CHUG 2015 Lineup
Pic taken from Generations Season 3 Autobots.

• Combiner Wars Ultra Magnus
• ToyWorld Corelock (TW-D03)
• Generations Thrilling 30 Arcee
• Reveal the Shield Rodimus
• Generations 30 Thrilling Springer

CHUG 2021 Lineup

• War For Cybertron: Kingdom Ultra Magnus
• Studio Series 86 Grimlock
• War For Cybertron: Earthrise Arcee
• Studio Series 86 Hot Rod
• War For Cybertron: Siege Springer

 
Who wore it better? You decide.

Transform and Roll Out!

 

CHUG Lineup

• War For Cybertron Earthrise Optimus Prime
• Studio Series 86 Grimlock
• Studio Series 86 Jazz
• War For Cybertron Kingdom Warpath
• War For Cybertron Earthrise Trailbreaker

 

3P MP Lineup

• Transform Element OP Leader (TE-01)
• Fans Toys Grinder (FT-08) with Dinohead
• MakeToys Downbeat (MTRM-09)
• Fans Toys Sheridan (FT-41)
• X-Transbots Aegis (MX-8T)

 

Who wore it better? You decide.

Transform and Roll Out!
 

I haven’t made any posts in such a long time that I’m beginning to feel guilty. So I’m doing one today. And getting his 15 minutes of fame today is… Warpath. Yes, this guy is way too hyper and loves explosions way too much. Warpath is perfectly suited for a Michael Bay movie, so it’s kinda surprising that he never appeared in one. These two need to be introduced.

I have most of my Warpath figures out and about for some odd reason. So I dug out the remaining ones from their hiding spaces, and I proudly present to you my Warpath collection. Pics below.

From left to right:
Back row: Generations, War For Cybertron Kingdom, Fans Toys Sheridan
Front row: Universe, G1, Combiner Wars

I’m going to present some quick thoughts on each of these figs, in what I think was the order released.

G1
G1 Warpath is the toy that started it all. I believe what I have here is a genuine G1 article, acquired in the early 2010s off eBay. He’s in OK shape. Obviously for today’s standards, this toy is not the best. But for 80s standards, this little transforming tank is quite a marvel. The tank mode looks good. The robot mode, while weird, has a great design in that the main cannon ends up on the chest. The Autobot forces needed more than just cars, and Warpath’s unique tank alt mode gave the good guys something to brag about.

Universe
Universe Warpath is probably the oldest of these figs, if you don’t include G1. This was probably the first G1 style Warpath released in the modern day. I was happy to get this fig at the time, simply because there was no other figs to represent Warpath in CHUG. The legend size is good, reminiscent of the G1 Mini-Bot. Neither mode is all that G1 accurate, and the overall color scheme definitely strays from G1. If you don’t already have this Warpath, there’s really not much reason to get this fig now.

Generations
In my opinion, this is the first quality Warpath that we got in the modern day. And to my surprise, this figure still holds up well today in 2021. The figure is good size, being the 2nd largest of the Warpaths I have. And it was only $10. Hasbro does not make figures of this size for this cheap anymore, that’s for sure. Generations Warpath feels solid and well-constructed. Transformation is fun and intuitive. Robot mode is well-proportioned. Colors are G1 accurate. The head mold is modeled more after the G1 toy, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Detractors will say that Generations Warpath is not too G1 accurate overall, and at deluxe size he’s too big in CHUG for his Mini-Bot stature. These are legitimate gripes. But as far as being a nicely built figure and being a playable toy, this is my favorite Warpath here. If you can find one today, buy this figure.

Combiner Wars
Combiner Wars Warpath (say that 3 times fast) is probably my least favorite of the Warpaths here. Other than his head mold, colors, and scale, he’s not at all G1 accurate. He’s the only Warpath here to not have the tank main cannon placed on his chest in robot mode. Instead, the cannon ends up on the arm, explained by the fact that this figure is a repaint of legend size Thrilling 30 Megatron. Transformation scheme is vastly different from all other Warpaths. The arms come together in alt mode to form the main turret, squeezing the main cannon between them. This scheme is used way too often for tank Transformers. But worst of all, this is not a fun figure. Transformation, while simple, feels more like a chore than enjoyment, partly because this figure is not that well built. There is no value to getting Combiner Wars Warpath today.

Fans Toys Sheridan
Sheridan is Fans Toys’ take on a Masterpiece-style Warpath. And all fanboys of Fans Toys will tell you that G1 cartoon accuracy is held in the highest regard in all of Fans Toys’ offerings. Sheridan is no exception. He looks great in both robot mode and tank mode. The tank mode is especially fantastic, exactly like how I imagine a M551 Sheridan tank to look represented in MP form. The robot mode, while good, looks a tad skinny in my opinion. I think he should be shorter in robot mode. Next to some standard size MP Carbots (like Sideswipe or Prowl), Sheridan feels too tall. Transformation of Sheridan from one mode to another is somewhat challenging. I needed the instructions from robot to tank. On the reverse transformation, I kinda needed it too. The transformation can be committed to memory, but you will have to transform the figure quite a few times. If you can find a copy of FT Sheridan today without too much markup, definitely get one. All FT figures go for double these days, so expect to pay a premium. Sheridan looks great in your MP lineup. And quite honestly, I’m not aware of any other MP style Warpaths. I can’t imagine anyone transforming Sheridan over and over. This figure can be played with, but not many will.

War For Cybertron Kingdom
Last but not least, we have the recently released Warpath in the WFC Kingdom line. The newest Warpath is by far the most G1 accurate Warpath that Hastak has ever released. The robot mode, alt mode, colors, and scale, all subscribe to Warpath’s G1 design. He’s sold as deluxe, but he is a bit shorter than deluxe Carbots made in the WFC line. Transformation is not difficult, but it’s not super simple either. The legs can be a bit complex, but nothing that experienced TransFans can’t figure out. There is a shield in robot mode. And this shield is used to lock the legs together in alt mode at the bottom. Hardcore G1 nitpickers will probably bash the existence of this shield, and I do wish they engineered the transformation process sans shield. But this is not a deal breaker by any means. WFC Kingdom Warpath is the truest G1 update we have got as a mass retail product. No G1-er would pass this up.

BAM! POW! KABOOM! Transform and Roll Out!
 

I haven’t posted anything in so long. This blog seriously needs some love, so I’m doing one today. And once again, a bunch of random Decepticon jets are lying about here and there. Which means it’s time for another Decepticon Air Superiority post!

Prior such posts in years past:
2012
2017

Here are the jets to give the Autobots nightmares in 2021.

All 5 jets come from different TF toylines. In order of release:

• Dreadwing is from Transformers Prime Beast Hunters
• Armada Starscream is from Generations Thrilling 30
• Snapdragon is from War From Cybertron: Earthrise
• Cyclonus is from War From Cybertron: Kingdom
• Scourge is from Studio Series 86

In terms of continuity, Cyclonus and Scourge are obviously related in G1, with Snapdragon appearing with them a season later in the US continuity. Armada Starscream and Dreadwing are on their own.

As for the toys, Armada Starscream and Dreadwing are fairly outdated by today’s standards. These are still good mass-retail deluxe figs to pick up and play with. They present no challenge transformation-wise, and both figs look decent in both modes.

In my last post I reviewed Kingzilla, a 3rd party MP homage to Snapdraon. Here we have the official CHUG version of the same character released in the WFC Earthrise line. And just like Kingzilla, I like WFC Earthrise Snapdragon quite a bit. This is a fun figure, easy to transform between the 3 modes. Not only that, all 3 modes look fantastic. This is not an easy feat by any means for a Triple Changer. Of course the Headmaster gimmick is still in place. Krunk functions as the head for both robot and dragon, and he can sit in the cockpit in jet mode. G1 purists may whine over the minor alteration in transformation scheme, in that the jet nosecone become part of the legs instead of being on the robot’s back. Personally I don’t see it as a big deal.

The 2 newest figure here are Cyclonus and Scourge. I acquired them both in 2021. It’s unclear to me why the 2 figs are released in separate toylines. Cyclonus could have easily been released as part of Studio Series 86 as well. Perhaps he has an appearance in Kingdom, the upcoming final chapter of War For Cybertron.

WFC Kingdom Cyclonus is hands down the best Cyclonus that has ever been made. This one easily tops my other Cyclonus figures, such as the one from Generations or Combiner Wars. WFC Cyclonus looks great in both modes. The jet mode is nice and sleek, while the robot mode is proportionate and toon-accurate. Transformation is pure joy. For a mass produced toy, the transformation difficulty is above average yet very satisfying. There are enough steps to fully qualify this piece as geared towards collectors, but at the same time the whole process is intuitive and ingenious. The jet nosecone transformation deserves special mention. The entire unit folds and compacts into itself that it’s the perfect way for Cyclonus to go from alt to robot. Construction of the figure is superb as well. Cyclonus gets the highest recommendation from me.

Studio Series 86 Scourge is a terrific addition as well. I don’t think he’s as good as Cyclonus, but this is also without a doubt the best Scourge figure made to date. Both modes look good. The robot mode is toon-accurate, while the alt mode replicates that boat-looking space craft that he’s supposed to be. The transformation is tweaked a bit from G1 so that SS86 Scourge is not as much a shell-former. It does take some work to align all panels of the alt mode, but it can be done with just a bit of effort. In alt mode, SS86 Scourge can be configured with his head exposed above the space craft, something we often he him do in the G1 cartoons and Movie. Hardcore G1-ers will probably multiples of this figure to create a Sweep army. This makes even more sense if some 3P will create a head for the Sweeps (basically Scourge minus the mustache).

So who’s leading this bunch? Other than Snapdragon, all the others have a claim to Decepticon leadership. Though individually, Snapdragon may be the most powerful.

Transform and Roll Out.