Whatever it was, Hasbro finally got the message.
And, thus, this is happening:
NEW GODDAMN WRECK-GAR
I'm yours to ruin / don't ask me why
6 days ago
Showing posts with label Transformers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transformers. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Hasbro loves me.
Maybe it's the multiple emails I've sent to various Hasbro people. Or all the times I've asked about this at cons, or had friends ask.
Whatever it was, Hasbro finally got the message.
And, thus, this is happening:
NEW GODDAMN WRECK-GAR
Whatever it was, Hasbro finally got the message.
And, thus, this is happening:
NEW GODDAMN WRECK-GAR
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
Friday, September 18, 2009
Transformers Animated Megatron (Leader Class)
One of the interesting story elements from the first season of Transformers: Animated was the fact that Megatron was more or less out of the picture. He showed up at the beginning, was blown up, and then spent more of the season as a head in Isaac Sumdac's lab. Sure, he was able to slightly influence events, such as inspiring the Dinobot's creation, making the Autobots think their new HQ was haunted/trying to kill them, and becoming a voice in Lugnut's head, among other things. It freed up the writers to create stories different from previous TF series, including using a lot of human supervillains. But, in the season finale (appropriately titled Megatron Rising) when Megatron got his new body, it was awesome.
This is the third Animated Megatron toy, and the first with his new, Earth mode body. It was released a few months after the first bunch of Animated toys (And the two toys of Megs's Cybertron mode), which seems to have been planned to not spoil the big reveal of the new and improved Decepticon Emperor of Destruction's body, but, given the long delay of the toy's release, it was pointless, as everyone had seen Megatron rising already. 
Anyways, this is a beautiful toy. Megatron's Earth mode was based off Super/Ultra Megatron from the Japanese G1 manga, which were upgraded forms of G1 megs, so TFA Megatron here looks very much like the original, yet is still very distinct. As a Leader hetowers ovetr most TF toys, like he towered over everyone in the show. His overall look is accurate to the cartoon. Like most TFs, Megatron is mostly molded in color, but what paint there is has basically no errors, other than a stray bit of red on the helicopter cockpit piece. It's worth noting that I love the red used for his highlights. It's not particularly bright, but has a nice sort of purpleish tint to it. His 'Con symbol is red because of the lights, but I have since painted it purple.
Luckily, Megatron is no slouch in the articulation department (He has articulation! If you didn't get that, you suck and should talk to Darth as he never shuts up about that JaAm comic). He has swivel/pin shoulders, hips, and knees, swivel head, biceps, and wrists, ratcheted hinge elbows, and very nice rocker ankles (You can also use the conversion joints in his feet a little for posing). He can't raise his arms up a high as most TFs, because his big, tall shoulders, which house the pin joint, block them. Luckily, his shoulders aren't tall enough to hit the wings on his back. His elbows are a bit odd. Like a lot of Animated toys, the "default" position for his arms are with the elbows sideways, so you have to swivel hi arms to bend them properly. But, his wrists mean this isn't really a problem, like it is with Starscream and Blackarachnia. There's also a conversion joint that you can use to give his elbows a bit larger range of motion.
Conversion is simple, but still pretty good (I ten to like the tougher ones, but I do appreciate the simple conversions, if they're well done). His legs are particularly innovative, with the outer shell of his lower legs flipping around and moving up. Make sure you push the wings (With the rotors) down and his arms out. That little step was left out of the instructions.
His helicopter mode is nicely huge, and very cool looking. It is, of course, a completely made up model, but still looks like it would actually fly in the real world. The 'copter has various nice details, like the jet engines (Which are used on some advanced attack helicopters) and even a seat in the cockpit. There's landing gear, with working wheels on the underside of the fusion cannon, and on the bottom of the tail. 
You can also remove the fusion cannon, and flip down another set of landing gear under the cockpit.
Megatron's main weapon is, of course, his fusion cannon. It's nice and large, and has some parallels to the G1 cannon, with the larger bits on the end and in the middle. It's removable due to the conversion process, so it can be put on either arm, though the right is the default place. Unfortunately the base of the cannon is rather large, butIt does look sort of like extra armor to protect Megatron's arm from the recoil such a large, powerful gun would surely produce.
But wait! There's more! Megatron's helicopter rotors can fold up to become twin sowrds. The hilt uses the standard TF 5 mm handle size. You can also leave the words where they go in vehicle mode, storing them on his back.
Like all Leader TFs, Megatron has lights and sounds, plus a few other gimmicks. But, instead of telling you about them, I made this (very low quality) video:
I love that evil laugh.
Now that the movie stuff has come out, and the Animated cartoon has ended, the TFA Leader toys are going on clearance in many places (I got Megatron for half price), but even if you only find him for full price, I still HIGHLY recommend him.
This is the third Animated Megatron toy, and the first with his new, Earth mode body. It was released a few months after the first bunch of Animated toys (And the two toys of Megs's Cybertron mode), which seems to have been planned to not spoil the big reveal of the new and improved Decepticon Emperor of Destruction's body, but, given the long delay of the toy's release, it was pointless, as everyone had seen Megatron rising already. 
Anyways, this is a beautiful toy. Megatron's Earth mode was based off Super/Ultra Megatron from the Japanese G1 manga, which were upgraded forms of G1 megs, so TFA Megatron here looks very much like the original, yet is still very distinct. As a Leader hetowers ovetr most TF toys, like he towered over everyone in the show. His overall look is accurate to the cartoon. Like most TFs, Megatron is mostly molded in color, but what paint there is has basically no errors, other than a stray bit of red on the helicopter cockpit piece. It's worth noting that I love the red used for his highlights. It's not particularly bright, but has a nice sort of purpleish tint to it. His 'Con symbol is red because of the lights, but I have since painted it purple.
Luckily, Megatron is no slouch in the articulation department (He has articulation! If you didn't get that, you suck and should talk to Darth as he never shuts up about that JaAm comic). He has swivel/pin shoulders, hips, and knees, swivel head, biceps, and wrists, ratcheted hinge elbows, and very nice rocker ankles (You can also use the conversion joints in his feet a little for posing). He can't raise his arms up a high as most TFs, because his big, tall shoulders, which house the pin joint, block them. Luckily, his shoulders aren't tall enough to hit the wings on his back. His elbows are a bit odd. Like a lot of Animated toys, the "default" position for his arms are with the elbows sideways, so you have to swivel hi arms to bend them properly. But, his wrists mean this isn't really a problem, like it is with Starscream and Blackarachnia. There's also a conversion joint that you can use to give his elbows a bit larger range of motion.Conversion is simple, but still pretty good (I ten to like the tougher ones, but I do appreciate the simple conversions, if they're well done). His legs are particularly innovative, with the outer shell of his lower legs flipping around and moving up. Make sure you push the wings (With the rotors) down and his arms out. That little step was left out of the instructions.
His helicopter mode is nicely huge, and very cool looking. It is, of course, a completely made up model, but still looks like it would actually fly in the real world. The 'copter has various nice details, like the jet engines (Which are used on some advanced attack helicopters) and even a seat in the cockpit. There's landing gear, with working wheels on the underside of the fusion cannon, and on the bottom of the tail. 
You can also remove the fusion cannon, and flip down another set of landing gear under the cockpit.
Megatron's main weapon is, of course, his fusion cannon. It's nice and large, and has some parallels to the G1 cannon, with the larger bits on the end and in the middle. It's removable due to the conversion process, so it can be put on either arm, though the right is the default place. Unfortunately the base of the cannon is rather large, butIt does look sort of like extra armor to protect Megatron's arm from the recoil such a large, powerful gun would surely produce.
But wait! There's more! Megatron's helicopter rotors can fold up to become twin sowrds. The hilt uses the standard TF 5 mm handle size. You can also leave the words where they go in vehicle mode, storing them on his back.Like all Leader TFs, Megatron has lights and sounds, plus a few other gimmicks. But, instead of telling you about them, I made this (very low quality) video:
I love that evil laugh.
Now that the movie stuff has come out, and the Animated cartoon has ended, the TFA Leader toys are going on clearance in many places (I got Megatron for half price), but even if you only find him for full price, I still HIGHLY recommend him.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Transformers Aniamted Jet Twins
I usually spell it "Jettwins" so I'm gonna go with that while writing the review.
Jetfire on the left and Jetstorm on the right, they look pretty badass right?
I'm going to say upfront there's a few small details in which the twins are a bit lacking, but it's to be expected considering the fact that they're combiners. My biggest gripe really is how lame their hands are. My other problem is how easily their hip armor pops off...and how hard it is to get it back on...
If you can get past those two things then it's all up-hill to Awesome Land from there.
Minus the flames on his head/arms Jetfire is pretty show accurate. I assume the flames are a nice little detail added in from the comic. They look better in vehicle mode if you ask me. It's not all that easy to see, but Jetfire has this cute, cheeky little smirk on his face.
On a side note: THE GOGGLES, THEY DO NOTHING.
Legit they do nothing, molded right onto his head.
On another side note my living room carpet is hideous...
Back on topic I might as well mention the flames on his legs, which you pull out when you put him into jet mode...It ups his badassery a few points...
The handsome blue mech to the right is Jetstorm. Other than his head he's basically the same as his twin, other than his little "wind" extensions on his arms and legs...Persoanlly I think his powers should have been ice. Cause fire and ice just sounds better together...
While I love Jetfire's goggles I am SUCH a sucker for visors >.>
Jetstorm, like his brother is smirking, just not as prominently.
Next up is their alt modes; Autobot jets!
This is what happens when a bunch of NERDS get a hold of poor ol' Starscream. Thanks to Percy, 'Jack, and Red these two now transform into jets...We'll just ignore all the size changing, okay? They obviously get it from Perceptor...
As I mentioned earlierabout their leg-thingys flip out become fire and...wind...Obviously Jetfire looks way more badass with this gimmick.
Just a close-up on their alt, chose Jetstorm for this because the camera seems to take to his coloring a bit better. For the record my hands are TINY.
You can now see the nice little detail of the Elite Guard symbol on his hip plates. Naturally Jetfire has this as well.
Another thing I'd like to point out if their "grappling" gimmick. I'm not one for it, but at least they used it in the show, so it's forgivable.
The next topic to cover is the most important of them all; SAFEGUARD MODE.
Yes, they combind! Vertically!
As a warning a lot of people find it hard to get the twins into Safeguard mode for the first time...For the record it was actually one of my partners in crime, Nexas, that put the twins into Safeguard mode for me today.
As far as combinders go I think this too look pretty amazing, very comic/show accurate.
All their arms get folded up onto their back, so the get leg arms and feet hands =D
When the punch you, they're actually kicking you...How awesome is that? I'd LET them punch(kick) me just because of that!
One last thing I want to point out is that their cockpits open...for no reason...It's a nice little detail I suppose...even if it is pointless...
...Also that is so not my lacy bra in the corner...not at all...
Well, that's enough from me for tonight.
~Zel~
Jetfire on the left and Jetstorm on the right, they look pretty badass right?I'm going to say upfront there's a few small details in which the twins are a bit lacking, but it's to be expected considering the fact that they're combiners. My biggest gripe really is how lame their hands are. My other problem is how easily their hip armor pops off...and how hard it is to get it back on...
If you can get past those two things then it's all up-hill to Awesome Land from there.
Minus the flames on his head/arms Jetfire is pretty show accurate. I assume the flames are a nice little detail added in from the comic. They look better in vehicle mode if you ask me. It's not all that easy to see, but Jetfire has this cute, cheeky little smirk on his face.On a side note: THE GOGGLES, THEY DO NOTHING.
Legit they do nothing, molded right onto his head.
On another side note my living room carpet is hideous...
Back on topic I might as well mention the flames on his legs, which you pull out when you put him into jet mode...It ups his badassery a few points...
The handsome blue mech to the right is Jetstorm. Other than his head he's basically the same as his twin, other than his little "wind" extensions on his arms and legs...Persoanlly I think his powers should have been ice. Cause fire and ice just sounds better together...
While I love Jetfire's goggles I am SUCH a sucker for visors >.>
Jetstorm, like his brother is smirking, just not as prominently.
Next up is their alt modes; Autobot jets!
This is what happens when a bunch of NERDS get a hold of poor ol' Starscream. Thanks to Percy, 'Jack, and Red these two now transform into jets...We'll just ignore all the size changing, okay? They obviously get it from Perceptor...
As I mentioned earlierabout their leg-thingys flip out become fire and...wind...Obviously Jetfire looks way more badass with this gimmick.
Just a close-up on their alt, chose Jetstorm for this because the camera seems to take to his coloring a bit better. For the record my hands are TINY.
You can now see the nice little detail of the Elite Guard symbol on his hip plates. Naturally Jetfire has this as well.
Another thing I'd like to point out if their "grappling" gimmick. I'm not one for it, but at least they used it in the show, so it's forgivable.
The next topic to cover is the most important of them all; SAFEGUARD MODE.
Yes, they combind! Vertically!
As a warning a lot of people find it hard to get the twins into Safeguard mode for the first time...For the record it was actually one of my partners in crime, Nexas, that put the twins into Safeguard mode for me today.
As far as combinders go I think this too look pretty amazing, very comic/show accurate.
All their arms get folded up onto their back, so the get leg arms and feet hands =D
When the punch you, they're actually kicking you...How awesome is that? I'd LET them punch(kick) me just because of that!
One last thing I want to point out is that their cockpits open...for no reason...It's a nice little detail I suppose...even if it is pointless......Also that is so not my lacy bra in the corner...not at all...
Well, that's enough from me for tonight.
~Zel~
Friday, August 7, 2009
Transformers G1 Ultra Magnus
Got my hands on this handsome fellow back in May at Anime Boston. He was in great condition, and a great price. so there was no way I could pass up getting him. Anyways in the pictures you will notice once of his smaller smoke stacks is missing. That's the sad result of my kitten taking a liking to poor ol' Magnus, and Magnus having the unfortunate luck of meeting the floor one day when Madeline (my black little terror), got too curious. Needless to say I am looking for a way to make him a replacement, cause the little black terror ATE the piece that broke off.
Sob story aside I'll get on with the review.
Out of the 3 G1 toys I own (the other two being Optimus Prime and Megatron) Ultra Magnus is by far the best constructed, and the best appearance wise. The plastic making up his "power suit" I believe it's called, is of excellent quality, and I don't expect that to be breaking anytime soon...Unlike his fragile smokestacks on his main body, but we'll get to that in a minute.
As to be expected of any G1 toy he's very easy to transform, both his main body, and power suit (I'm just calling it that from now on).
Minus his armor he is a white repaint of G1 Optimus (who for the record can be put into Ultra Magnus's armor...and actually looks better in it...)
Personally the red optics have always bothered me, makes him look like a Decepticon (obviously). Which makes no sense because this is Ultra Magnus, and not Nemesis...but I guess no one thought about that back then...Oh well...So yes, you can now clearly see his missing smokestack (again thank you Madeline, you little monster).
In general he was hard to get good shots of because of the type of plastic/metal used on him.
Both bot symbols on him are stickers, as was the custom back in the 80's. Thankfully my Magnus has all his stickers properly applied...unlike my poor Optimus...
His alt mode without his armor is, like G1 Optimus Prime, a semi-cab. The nub on his trailer bed looks like it would plug into something, but it actually doesn't, it's just there to catch on the lip of his trailer. This confused the hell out of me for an hour before I finally sat on the floor and tried to figure out how to make him and his trailer roll together. Once I figured it out I smacked myself because of how simplistic it was...
With his armor he's a...I actually have no clue what exactly they were getting at with this toy...Car carrier? Mobile battle station? A bit of both? Personally I would write him off as both, seeing as in G1 we have seen him transporting his fellow Autobots into battle. As for the mobile battle station...well I mean just LOOK at those missile launchers!As far as articulation and such goes Magnus (with his armor) is a brick, and the only mobility is in his arms, and that's pretty limited.
Overall Ultra Magnus was a great find for me (being a big fan of the guy). He looks great on my shelf, really holds a nice presence there. If you like G1 toys I'd recommend picking him up, cause other than being a BRICK he's one of the best G1 toys I've had the chance to handle.
Well, there goes my first review here, hope it was decent.
~Zel~
Thursday, July 30, 2009
RotF Ejector
He's a goddamned toaster. If that's not enough to make you want Ejector, continue reading.
So, Ejector. As a Scout he's packaged in robot mode, so I'll start there.He has a very different overall look. The most obvious example of this is his VERY cartoony face. He'll stand out well in your collection, which is always a plus. His paint is simple, but it's not like you see many multicolored toasters, you know? Anyways, What paint there is is well done, but he is mostly molded in color. One neat little feature is his tail. It's a string with a little plastic piece on the end that looks like an electrical plug.
His articulation is pretty much standard for a Scout. Balljointed shoulders, elbows, and hips, hinged elbows (4 of them. He has 4 lower arms and 4 hands), fingers (On the inner, main lower arms), and knees, and swivel thighs. Because of the design of his head, he doesn't have any neck articulation, but because of the transformation, you can open his mouth wider. And, of course, his tail is a string, so it's also posable.
So, there you have it. The toaster. It's a nice little toaster, with 4 slots, a painted dial, and a little painted switch. The silver is all paint, so he looks good. The back is rather open though. Reall not much to say about his alt-mode, except that it is awesome.
Really, I got Ejector just for the weird style and silly alt-mode. Luckily, he's a well made and fun toy. Definitely recommended.
~Raw/Monty
So, Ejector. As a Scout he's packaged in robot mode, so I'll start there.He has a very different overall look. The most obvious example of this is his VERY cartoony face. He'll stand out well in your collection, which is always a plus. His paint is simple, but it's not like you see many multicolored toasters, you know? Anyways, What paint there is is well done, but he is mostly molded in color. One neat little feature is his tail. It's a string with a little plastic piece on the end that looks like an electrical plug.
His articulation is pretty much standard for a Scout. Balljointed shoulders, elbows, and hips, hinged elbows (4 of them. He has 4 lower arms and 4 hands), fingers (On the inner, main lower arms), and knees, and swivel thighs. Because of the design of his head, he doesn't have any neck articulation, but because of the transformation, you can open his mouth wider. And, of course, his tail is a string, so it's also posable.
So, there you have it. The toaster. It's a nice little toaster, with 4 slots, a painted dial, and a little painted switch. The silver is all paint, so he looks good. The back is rather open though. Reall not much to say about his alt-mode, except that it is awesome.Really, I got Ejector just for the weird style and silly alt-mode. Luckily, he's a well made and fun toy. Definitely recommended.
~Raw/Monty
Animated Grimlock
Me Grimlock write toy review for me Grimlock's toy! Me Grimlock rule as Dinobot! Me Grimlock have snapping jaws. Soundwave says, "It's not a kung-fu grip, but it'll do." Me Grimlock not know what kung-fu grip is.
Me Grimlock also easily transform to fight stoopid car and truck robots! But not motorcycle robot. Me Grimlock like motorcycle robot. But me Grimlock like spider lady even more.
Me Grimlock wish me Grimlock knew where spider lady and motorcycle robot are.
Me Grimlock also have big flaming sword. Me Grimlock liiiiiiike.....
Me Grimlock done reviewing me Grimlock's toy. Me Grimlock's toy ruuuuuuuuuuuuuules! Me Grimlock say you should buy me Grimlock's toy! Uh what go on over there?
Sorry about that. Anyway, Grimlock is right. The Transformers Animated Voyagers Grimlock is big, has snapping jaws, transforms easily, and has a big flaming sword. See you guys later.
Also, be sure to put Akra Nui on your watchlist as well!
http://akranui.blogspot.com/
Friday, July 3, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Ravage is stalking my mouse.
Get it? He's stalking my MOUSE!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Shut up, there are worse puns.
Seriosuly though, RotF Ravage is awesome. Expect a review.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen MOVIE REVIEW!
Okay, first off, I know that many of you have not seen this movie yet for various reasons. So, here's what I'm going to do. First up, I'll have a basic review. Technical stuff, my overall opinion, non spoilerific things. Then, after ample warning and a bit of a gap, I'll talk about anything with spoilers. If you haven't seen RotF, skip that stuff, AND GO SEE IT RIGHT AWAY.
It all started upon my arrival in the theater. There were so many people there, I had to wait until the 12:11 showing, instead of 12:01. There were other showings as well. They all pretty much sold out. So, I walk in, with my chili cheese nachos and Coke float, and I was surprised to find that they had put in leather seats! Comfy! Then I discovered that a good friend of mine was there as well. I didn't even know he was in town. Finally, before I get on with talking about the movie, during the trailers there was a Twilight preview, and I yelled out something along the lines of "VAMPIRES DON'T FUCKING SPARKLE!", causing the young woman in front of me to turn around and glare at me. All this meant I was in a jolly mood, and felt that my $9.50 was already well spent.
Okay, here's the shit you actually want to read.
Now, the movie hasn't done well with the "professional" critics, at least according to Rotten Tomatoes. But here's a secret. "Pro" critics are dumbasses when it comes to this sort of movie. They don't want robots beating the holy shit out of each other. They want giant robots talking about their feelings, or some shit like that. No, this movie isn't for them. It's for us. The normal people. The nerds. The TransFans.
So, how does it do? Well, I'll start with the looks of the movie. Visual effects are Michael Bay's trademark. And they're just as great, if not better, than the first movie. The robots looked real, the fights were epic, and there were explosions. Lots and lots of explosions. The camera work was Bay's usual style. Always moving, with something always happening in front of them. I've always liked this, but it did get a bit dizzying at one point, as it spun and spun and spun around Sam and Mikaela.
Speaking of them, they were both much better in this one. Not only has Megan Fox's acting improved (Making me somehow want to look at here even more!), but their characters were more fleshed out. All the humans were, Sam's parents, Leo, Sam's roommate, Epps and Lennox, even... Well, that's a spoiler, so you'll have to wait. It was the same with most of the robots. All of the returning characters had much more personality. Megatron was VERY evil and cunning. Starscream was a treacherous coward. Optimus was, well, Optimus. And so on. Except for Ratchet. Seriously,. he got shafted. I think he maybe got one line, and he was completely absent for the first part of the movie. Even when... Oops, almost said another spoiler. The new bots were kinda half and half. Other than The Fallen, most of the new 'Cons were just there. The Constructicons were almost drone like, and Devastator was more or less an animal, though he's really always been that way. Sideways didn't even get a chance. Amongst the 'Bots, Sideswipe showed some character, but not much. The Twins, however, got a lot of focus. I thought they would be annoying, but they were hilarious.Then there's Jetfire and Wheelie, who aren't really in a faction. They were both enjoyable. Jetfire was funny, and I rather liked him. He was, of course, old, and falling apart. Wheelie was, incredibly surprisingly, NOT ANNOYING! He didn't rhyme once! I actually liked him! WTF?!
Finally, the story. I t was much deeper this time. The story was entertaining and engaging. The writing and actors went together great. I felt for the characters. I shared their hope. Their despair. Why the fuck am I getting so deep here? Just still amped up, I guess. Anyways, throughout most of the movie, I was leaning forward in my seat.
Overall, I loved it. I'll probably see it again tomorrow.
SPOILER ALERT. AFTER THE FOLLOWING GAP, THERE ARE SPOILERS. DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING SECTION UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE.
SPOILER ALERT. THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Okay. The whole movie was FILLED with Transformers references. Optimus actually died, in an epic fight with Megatron, near the beginning of the movie. Just like in '86. BUT! He was brought back! Again, just like... every other time an Optimus has died. Guess what brought him back? THE SLAGGING MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP. FUCK. YES. It only shared a passing physical resemblance to the G1 Matrix, but it functioned similarly. At one point after Sam temporarily died, he actually had visions of long gone Cybertronian leaders, within the MAtrix. There was also some references to the idea of a group of original Transformers (The aforementioned dead leaders). However, this time it was 7, not 13 or one.
Energon played a major role. It was actually the entire reason the Fallen and other 'Cons were on Earth. Basically, it was the power within the AllSpark, and could be created by devouring the power of a sun with a special machine, activated by the Matrix. The Fallen wasnted to use this on a world with life, which is why he broke off from the other Primes (Those old leaders), becoming The Fallen.
Ravage, he was perfect. Not only were his weapon on his hips, but he was used to infiltrate a human base. He generally spyed on everyone, like Ravage has always done. He had a good death, being torn in half by 'Bee (Wgo I love even more after what he did to get rid of "Alice"). Soundwave though, I was kind of disappointed with. His voice lacked a lot of the magic, I liked it, but it was too deep, and lacked the musical quality of G1. And he never converted into robot mode. What the fuck is up with that?
Lastly, a few incidentals. Simmons (The main Sector 7 agent from the first movie) returned, but this time he was a hero. John Turturro was just as quirky and funny as before. The weird Decepticon infiltrator/Terminator like... thing named "Alice" was fucking nightmare fuel. Soooo creepy. Same with "The Doctor". The appliance bots given life by the AllSpark shard were a nice bit. Finally, repaints definitely exist in the movie universe. A lot of 'Cons shared body types, even with guys from the first movie.
END OF SPOILERS.
THE SPOILERS ARE OVER. YOU MAY RESUME READING IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE.
So, my final conclusion is this: If you dislike this film, you suck. You're not a real TransFan. There were plenty of G1 references, and every complaint I've heard about the first movie was fixed. You just need to accept change. If you can accept change, and you're a TransFan, go see the movie right away. If you want an enjoyable 3 hours, go see it.
Basically, if you're alive, go see it.
It all started upon my arrival in the theater. There were so many people there, I had to wait until the 12:11 showing, instead of 12:01. There were other showings as well. They all pretty much sold out. So, I walk in, with my chili cheese nachos and Coke float, and I was surprised to find that they had put in leather seats! Comfy! Then I discovered that a good friend of mine was there as well. I didn't even know he was in town. Finally, before I get on with talking about the movie, during the trailers there was a Twilight preview, and I yelled out something along the lines of "VAMPIRES DON'T FUCKING SPARKLE!", causing the young woman in front of me to turn around and glare at me. All this meant I was in a jolly mood, and felt that my $9.50 was already well spent.
Okay, here's the shit you actually want to read.
Now, the movie hasn't done well with the "professional" critics, at least according to Rotten Tomatoes. But here's a secret. "Pro" critics are dumbasses when it comes to this sort of movie. They don't want robots beating the holy shit out of each other. They want giant robots talking about their feelings, or some shit like that. No, this movie isn't for them. It's for us. The normal people. The nerds. The TransFans.
So, how does it do? Well, I'll start with the looks of the movie. Visual effects are Michael Bay's trademark. And they're just as great, if not better, than the first movie. The robots looked real, the fights were epic, and there were explosions. Lots and lots of explosions. The camera work was Bay's usual style. Always moving, with something always happening in front of them. I've always liked this, but it did get a bit dizzying at one point, as it spun and spun and spun around Sam and Mikaela.
Speaking of them, they were both much better in this one. Not only has Megan Fox's acting improved (Making me somehow want to look at here even more!), but their characters were more fleshed out. All the humans were, Sam's parents, Leo, Sam's roommate, Epps and Lennox, even... Well, that's a spoiler, so you'll have to wait. It was the same with most of the robots. All of the returning characters had much more personality. Megatron was VERY evil and cunning. Starscream was a treacherous coward. Optimus was, well, Optimus. And so on. Except for Ratchet. Seriously,. he got shafted. I think he maybe got one line, and he was completely absent for the first part of the movie. Even when... Oops, almost said another spoiler. The new bots were kinda half and half. Other than The Fallen, most of the new 'Cons were just there. The Constructicons were almost drone like, and Devastator was more or less an animal, though he's really always been that way. Sideways didn't even get a chance. Amongst the 'Bots, Sideswipe showed some character, but not much. The Twins, however, got a lot of focus. I thought they would be annoying, but they were hilarious.Then there's Jetfire and Wheelie, who aren't really in a faction. They were both enjoyable. Jetfire was funny, and I rather liked him. He was, of course, old, and falling apart. Wheelie was, incredibly surprisingly, NOT ANNOYING! He didn't rhyme once! I actually liked him! WTF?!
Finally, the story. I t was much deeper this time. The story was entertaining and engaging. The writing and actors went together great. I felt for the characters. I shared their hope. Their despair. Why the fuck am I getting so deep here? Just still amped up, I guess. Anyways, throughout most of the movie, I was leaning forward in my seat.
Overall, I loved it. I'll probably see it again tomorrow.
SPOILER ALERT. AFTER THE FOLLOWING GAP, THERE ARE SPOILERS. DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING SECTION UNLESS YOU HAVE SEEN THE MOVIE.
SPOILER ALERT. THE FOLLOWING CONTAINS SPOILERS.
Okay. The whole movie was FILLED with Transformers references. Optimus actually died, in an epic fight with Megatron, near the beginning of the movie. Just like in '86. BUT! He was brought back! Again, just like... every other time an Optimus has died. Guess what brought him back? THE SLAGGING MATRIX OF LEADERSHIP. FUCK. YES. It only shared a passing physical resemblance to the G1 Matrix, but it functioned similarly. At one point after Sam temporarily died, he actually had visions of long gone Cybertronian leaders, within the MAtrix. There was also some references to the idea of a group of original Transformers (The aforementioned dead leaders). However, this time it was 7, not 13 or one.
Energon played a major role. It was actually the entire reason the Fallen and other 'Cons were on Earth. Basically, it was the power within the AllSpark, and could be created by devouring the power of a sun with a special machine, activated by the Matrix. The Fallen wasnted to use this on a world with life, which is why he broke off from the other Primes (Those old leaders), becoming The Fallen.
Ravage, he was perfect. Not only were his weapon on his hips, but he was used to infiltrate a human base. He generally spyed on everyone, like Ravage has always done. He had a good death, being torn in half by 'Bee (Wgo I love even more after what he did to get rid of "Alice"). Soundwave though, I was kind of disappointed with. His voice lacked a lot of the magic, I liked it, but it was too deep, and lacked the musical quality of G1. And he never converted into robot mode. What the fuck is up with that?
Lastly, a few incidentals. Simmons (The main Sector 7 agent from the first movie) returned, but this time he was a hero. John Turturro was just as quirky and funny as before. The weird Decepticon infiltrator/Terminator like... thing named "Alice" was fucking nightmare fuel. Soooo creepy. Same with "The Doctor". The appliance bots given life by the AllSpark shard were a nice bit. Finally, repaints definitely exist in the movie universe. A lot of 'Cons shared body types, even with guys from the first movie.
END OF SPOILERS.
THE SPOILERS ARE OVER. YOU MAY RESUME READING IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE.
So, my final conclusion is this: If you dislike this film, you suck. You're not a real TransFan. There were plenty of G1 references, and every complaint I've heard about the first movie was fixed. You just need to accept change. If you can accept change, and you're a TransFan, go see the movie right away. If you want an enjoyable 3 hours, go see it.
Basically, if you're alive, go see it.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Soundwave
Ahh, Soundwave. In G1 many of his fans (AKA everyone who watched Transformers) loved him partly for his voice. That oddly musical electronic hum. It was soothing, and yet epically awesome. This, and his all around coolness, made him a fan favorite (As proof, he was chosen ina poll on Rooster Teeth.com as my first RotF review He won unanimously). And now he's in the new movie! WITH THE SAME VOICE ACTOR (Frank Welker) THAT HE HAD IN G1!
WOOOOOOO!
And, thus, we get a toy of him.
In G1 Soundwave was a mini-cassette tape recorder. Not a tape player like everyone thinks. M'kay? This has made him particularly hard to update. No one uses cassettes anymore. Plus, he went from a tiny alt mode to a big-ass robot through a process known as "Mass Shifting" (Megatron also used it, as he turned into a gun), which Hastak has been phasing out recently. However, the movie makers had a great idea. Let's make him a communications satellite! It has the same sort of communications based function as G1 Soundwave, and it references his ability (At least in the comics. I don't know if he used this in the cartoon) to read the minds of other Cybertronians. His satellite mode looks nice, and the various parts fit together well without many visible breaks where his body parts fit together. The translucent blue plastic is nicely distributed, and parts of those panel things on him look like solar cells.
BUT WAIT! There's more! Sort of.
You can rearrange bits of his alt mode (The panels on the back, side wings, and spiky things on the side) to make a spaceship "mode" that looks a hell of a lot like his satellite mode. This is somehow enough for Hasbro to call him a Triple Changer (Despite the movie makers not wanting to introduce Triple Changers until the next movie. It's always supposed to be Combiners THEN Triple Changers guy! Well, other than Animated...), but he's really more of a "Two-and-a-half Changer". So, yeah.
Converting him to robot mode is moderately easy. About what you would expect from a Deluxe. He has the typical movie details all over the place. 
His face is awesome. In G1 the Decepticon symbol was actually a stylized version of Soundwave's head (Some Transfans believe he was originally going to be the 'Con leader, while Prowl would have been the Autobot leader, as their symbol looked like him) and RotF Soundwave's face looks like the 'Con symbol. He's still got the visor eyes, crest, and pointy bits, but it's more angular and inhuman, like the other movie 'Cons. His paint is nice. Though he's mostly gray, he's got a bit of blue, evoking his G1 paint, and the translucent blue bits are still great.
He moves at the neck, shoulders, and hips (Balljoints), knees and double elbows (Hinges), and biceps, ankles, and toes (Swivels). His various flaps and stuff are also jointed, so you can pose them how you like. His elbows are odd though. Due to his transformation, when you put his arms down naturally, with his fists sideways, his elbows bend inward. He has bicep swivels so you can bend his arms normally, but wrist joints would have helped.
His only accessory is a missile. It's supposed to be shaped like Ravage's "Entry mode", and fires out of a launcher on his back. It's forgettable and I didn't even take a picture of it.
Overall, Soundwave is a very nice toy. Not my favorite, and he has a few small issues, but he's a serviceable update of an old favorite, and I heartily recomend him to any fan. There will also be a store exclusive repaint in his G1 colors, but that will only be available in a tow pack with the first movie Voyager Megatron. Not really worth it if you ask me.
WOOOOOOO!
And, thus, we get a toy of him.
In G1 Soundwave was a mini-cassette tape recorder. Not a tape player like everyone thinks. M'kay? This has made him particularly hard to update. No one uses cassettes anymore. Plus, he went from a tiny alt mode to a big-ass robot through a process known as "Mass Shifting" (Megatron also used it, as he turned into a gun), which Hastak has been phasing out recently. However, the movie makers had a great idea. Let's make him a communications satellite! It has the same sort of communications based function as G1 Soundwave, and it references his ability (At least in the comics. I don't know if he used this in the cartoon) to read the minds of other Cybertronians. His satellite mode looks nice, and the various parts fit together well without many visible breaks where his body parts fit together. The translucent blue plastic is nicely distributed, and parts of those panel things on him look like solar cells.BUT WAIT! There's more! Sort of.
You can rearrange bits of his alt mode (The panels on the back, side wings, and spiky things on the side) to make a spaceship "mode" that looks a hell of a lot like his satellite mode. This is somehow enough for Hasbro to call him a Triple Changer (Despite the movie makers not wanting to introduce Triple Changers until the next movie. It's always supposed to be Combiners THEN Triple Changers guy! Well, other than Animated...), but he's really more of a "Two-and-a-half Changer". So, yeah.
Converting him to robot mode is moderately easy. About what you would expect from a Deluxe. He has the typical movie details all over the place. 
His face is awesome. In G1 the Decepticon symbol was actually a stylized version of Soundwave's head (Some Transfans believe he was originally going to be the 'Con leader, while Prowl would have been the Autobot leader, as their symbol looked like him) and RotF Soundwave's face looks like the 'Con symbol. He's still got the visor eyes, crest, and pointy bits, but it's more angular and inhuman, like the other movie 'Cons. His paint is nice. Though he's mostly gray, he's got a bit of blue, evoking his G1 paint, and the translucent blue bits are still great.
He moves at the neck, shoulders, and hips (Balljoints), knees and double elbows (Hinges), and biceps, ankles, and toes (Swivels). His various flaps and stuff are also jointed, so you can pose them how you like. His elbows are odd though. Due to his transformation, when you put his arms down naturally, with his fists sideways, his elbows bend inward. He has bicep swivels so you can bend his arms normally, but wrist joints would have helped.His only accessory is a missile. It's supposed to be shaped like Ravage's "Entry mode", and fires out of a launcher on his back. It's forgettable and I didn't even take a picture of it.
Overall, Soundwave is a very nice toy. Not my favorite, and he has a few small issues, but he's a serviceable update of an old favorite, and I heartily recomend him to any fan. There will also be a store exclusive repaint in his G1 colors, but that will only be available in a tow pack with the first movie Voyager Megatron. Not really worth it if you ask me.
Monday, May 11, 2009
New Transformers M&M's are out!
I just got these new M&Ms packs:
The plain packs have "Chocl-O-Bots" (Autobots) while the peanut packs have "Delect-O-Cons" (Decepticons). I have not found the Skids and Mudflap "Strawberried Peanut Butter" M&Ms, but a source says "Those will be released when the movie actually comes out", and "They are amazing."
The plain packs have "Chocl-O-Bots" (Autobots) while the peanut packs have "Delect-O-Cons" (Decepticons). I have not found the Skids and Mudflap "Strawberried Peanut Butter" M&Ms, but a source says "Those will be released when the movie actually comes out", and "They are amazing."
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