I have finally found my camera, so new reviews shall commence soon.
Possibly tonight.
Civil War pt. 12
9 hours ago
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Trans-Scanning Bumblebee Guest Review
Tonight we have a review of the Japanese exclusive "Trans-Scanning" Bumblebee (More like Dress Up Bumblebee, amirite?) by General Tekno, the artist and writer of the webcomic Big Time Toons!
*Note: Everything in black was written by GT, and eveything in red, I added.
Ahoy-hoy, everyone! General Tekno here with a very special guest toy review for RawToys! Only several months late! (Looks around to make sure he's not about to get shot) [POW! -ed.] Today, I'll be looking at one of the more original figures to spin out of the Transformers movie toyline: TakaraTomy's TransScanning series Bumblebee. To give a bit of background, the TransScanning toys were based off the concept in the movie where generic Autobot protoforms would crash to Earth and scan a new alternate form- as such, these figures are Shellformers, and yet they're not...
Each Trans-Scanning figure is made up of a base protoform robot - a superposable stickman with a sparkcore on the chest and the same generic build/color/head. Both figures that were made, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, share base robots. These suckers are very posable, in keeping with the fact that they're designed to contort like crazy for their transformations.
Snap on the first set of armor that comes with Bumblebee to give him his "landing" mode. As far as I know, this is no different than Prime's re-entry armor save for color - it's basically a bunch of neatish looking clear armor pieces that give the robot some pizazz. However, this isn't THAT recognisable as Bumblebee at this point save for the fact that it's yellow armor.
With this armor applied, Bumblebee has properly placed pegs and holes to transform into his comet altmode. All things considered, it isn't THAT bad - it looks like a contorted body, but honestly there's not much more they could have done. However, in a definite plus, he comes with a stand that pegs in and allows him to at least look like he's re-entering an atmosphere.
Where Bumblebee really gets neat though is when you apply the Camaro shell. Suddenly, he now looks like his movie self!
Sadly, there IS a bunch of kibble on his back, legs, and arms, which seems garishly out of place, he's got a fake chest, and his "wings" don't work quite the same in how they're formed as the movie model. HOWEVER, there is a great tradeoff for this - as aside from the fact that you snap on armor, he is NOT a shellformer...
...he can TRANSFORM. With NO REMOVING OF PARTS. This figure forms a VERY nice Camaro, through contorting around, and no removal of armor is necessary at all to transform it. This is where the Trans-Scanning concept of having modular Transformers with different sets of altmode "shells" becomes brilliant in its execution, and as a proof of concept it is a VERY neat idea. [GT wanted me to mention that the crazy difference in the yellow colors is a result of the camera flash, and not nearly that noticeable in person -ed.]
Plus, you can mix and match the armor, to get more of a Cybertronian mode Bumblebee, and to remove the kibble which restricts his movement at the same time. 
He can be tricky to balance in poses with all the kibble, but since you can choose to give him as much as you want, it's not that big of a deal.
Overall, this Bumblebee is a VERY cool concept, but if he suffers from anything, it's that he's constrained to the movie designs. As a proof-of-concept though I would LOVE to see a toyline just like this, where we got a core figure with snap-on-armor that could STAY on while he transformed to his altmode.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Pros: Nice Camaro mode, cool concept, very posable
Cons: Kibble, kibble, kibble! Protoform mode kinda weak too.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: If you find one on sale, get him. Otherwise, maybe not.
GT also sent me some other pictures, and I can't really find a place for them, so here they are!:
The back of 'Bee's altmode
Bumblebee with Marvel Universe Iron Man (IM is roughly 4" tall)
Bumblebee close-up
Bumblebee's chest and spark without armor
*Note: Everything in black was written by GT, and eveything in red, I added.
Ahoy-hoy, everyone! General Tekno here with a very special guest toy review for RawToys! Only several months late! (Looks around to make sure he's not about to get shot) [POW! -ed.] Today, I'll be looking at one of the more original figures to spin out of the Transformers movie toyline: TakaraTomy's TransScanning series Bumblebee. To give a bit of background, the TransScanning toys were based off the concept in the movie where generic Autobot protoforms would crash to Earth and scan a new alternate form- as such, these figures are Shellformers, and yet they're not...
Each Trans-Scanning figure is made up of a base protoform robot - a superposable stickman with a sparkcore on the chest and the same generic build/color/head. Both figures that were made, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, share base robots. These suckers are very posable, in keeping with the fact that they're designed to contort like crazy for their transformations.
Snap on the first set of armor that comes with Bumblebee to give him his "landing" mode. As far as I know, this is no different than Prime's re-entry armor save for color - it's basically a bunch of neatish looking clear armor pieces that give the robot some pizazz. However, this isn't THAT recognisable as Bumblebee at this point save for the fact that it's yellow armor.
With this armor applied, Bumblebee has properly placed pegs and holes to transform into his comet altmode. All things considered, it isn't THAT bad - it looks like a contorted body, but honestly there's not much more they could have done. However, in a definite plus, he comes with a stand that pegs in and allows him to at least look like he's re-entering an atmosphere.
Where Bumblebee really gets neat though is when you apply the Camaro shell. Suddenly, he now looks like his movie self!
Sadly, there IS a bunch of kibble on his back, legs, and arms, which seems garishly out of place, he's got a fake chest, and his "wings" don't work quite the same in how they're formed as the movie model. HOWEVER, there is a great tradeoff for this - as aside from the fact that you snap on armor, he is NOT a shellformer...
...he can TRANSFORM. With NO REMOVING OF PARTS. This figure forms a VERY nice Camaro, through contorting around, and no removal of armor is necessary at all to transform it. This is where the Trans-Scanning concept of having modular Transformers with different sets of altmode "shells" becomes brilliant in its execution, and as a proof of concept it is a VERY neat idea. [GT wanted me to mention that the crazy difference in the yellow colors is a result of the camera flash, and not nearly that noticeable in person -ed.]
Plus, you can mix and match the armor, to get more of a Cybertronian mode Bumblebee, and to remove the kibble which restricts his movement at the same time. 
He can be tricky to balance in poses with all the kibble, but since you can choose to give him as much as you want, it's not that big of a deal.Overall, this Bumblebee is a VERY cool concept, but if he suffers from anything, it's that he's constrained to the movie designs. As a proof-of-concept though I would LOVE to see a toyline just like this, where we got a core figure with snap-on-armor that could STAY on while he transformed to his altmode.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Pros: Nice Camaro mode, cool concept, very posable
Cons: Kibble, kibble, kibble! Protoform mode kinda weak too.
Rating: 3.5/5
Recommendation: If you find one on sale, get him. Otherwise, maybe not.
GT also sent me some other pictures, and I can't really find a place for them, so here they are!:
The back of 'Bee's altmode
Bumblebee with Marvel Universe Iron Man (IM is roughly 4" tall)
Bumblebee close-up
Bumblebee's chest and spark without armor
Monday, November 2, 2009
Joes For Tots
Paul, formerly of ToyBender, has put up a post on Poe Ghostal's site concerning this year's Joes For Tots contest, which you can read here. Basically, you donate stuff to Toys for Tots, send along proof, and you can win freaking AWESOME stuff.
But to sweeten the deal, anyone who reads any of my blogs (Or even writes for them), who enters and sends me the proof as well (Email me at reilly_weakley@yahoo.com or rawtoys@live.com) gets a free, black and white, artwork commission from me, and if you win, I might even throw in something else.
So! Go! Donate! Enter! DO IT!
But to sweeten the deal, anyone who reads any of my blogs (Or even writes for them), who enters and sends me the proof as well (Email me at reilly_weakley@yahoo.com or rawtoys@live.com) gets a free, black and white, artwork commission from me, and if you win, I might even throw in something else.
So! Go! Donate! Enter! DO IT!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
A few things
First off, happy Halloween! Or All Hallow's Eve, or even Samhain, if you so prefer. I, of course, implore you all to have as much fun and cause as much trouble as possible (Though, anything illegal you do is MOST CERTAINLY not my responsibility, m'kay?), while also staying as safe as possible. Can't have my readers dying on me, can I? To help get you in the spirit, here are a few scenes from the first 2 Evil Dead movies:
The creepily realistic pencil scene:
WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!
"Groovy."
Secondly, I have decided that this whole going a month or more between reviews WILL STOP. I'm going to review more, get the others to review more, and try to get some guest reviews. So, yeah, if you'd like to review something for RawToys email me at reilly_weakley@yahoo.com or rawtoys@live.com.
Third, I recently read Deadpool #900, and it was great. I have no idea WHY it was #900, but it's Deadpool, so reason doesn't matter. Be warned though, it has Liefeld "art" in one (Otherwise nice) story. Yech.
Finally, you should all read Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. I've been reading it lately, and it's one of the best comics I've read. Seriously. Read it. All of it. Torrent it if you have to.
The creepily realistic pencil scene:
WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!
"Groovy."
Secondly, I have decided that this whole going a month or more between reviews WILL STOP. I'm going to review more, get the others to review more, and try to get some guest reviews. So, yeah, if you'd like to review something for RawToys email me at reilly_weakley@yahoo.com or rawtoys@live.com.
Third, I recently read Deadpool #900, and it was great. I have no idea WHY it was #900, but it's Deadpool, so reason doesn't matter. Be warned though, it has Liefeld "art" in one (Otherwise nice) story. Yech.
Finally, you should all read Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. I've been reading it lately, and it's one of the best comics I've read. Seriously. Read it. All of it. Torrent it if you have to.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
The wierdo with the long hair is part of RawToys.
Cam, you lucky son of a bitch...
(Cam's in Evil Dead: The Musical and Bruce came to see it)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Need a little help from my friends...
I don't know if any of you collect Mattel's DCUC, but there's an awesome Joker figure out now. There's also a Man-Bat and Power girl I want, in the same series.
Unfortunately, that series is a Walmart exclusive, which, coupled with Mattel's usual crap distribution means I probably won't find him without help.
So that's where you guys come in. Next time you're in Walmart, could you PLEASE check and see if they have this series, and if so, if they have either of those three figure, and if they do, please pick one up for me. I will gladly pay for it, plus a reasonable finder's fee.
Obviously, Joker is the most important and the figure I want the most, then Man-Bat, then Power Girl.
PLZ HALP MEH.
Unfortunately, that series is a Walmart exclusive, which, coupled with Mattel's usual crap distribution means I probably won't find him without help.
So that's where you guys come in. Next time you're in Walmart, could you PLEASE check and see if they have this series, and if so, if they have either of those three figure, and if they do, please pick one up for me. I will gladly pay for it, plus a reasonable finder's fee.
Obviously, Joker is the most important and the figure I want the most, then Man-Bat, then Power Girl.
PLZ HALP MEH.
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