POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Figures, collectables, customs and collecting.
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Skyquake87 »

Kingdom Cyclonus
So. Apparently, he's quite good. He's certainly a massive improvement over the CHUG and Combiner Wars efforts - the Transformation is outstanding and a blinding bit of work - but I don't think he's quite worthy of the full on Stigmata fandom seems to be giving him. The knees are certainly an odd one, hovering above his lower legs, rather than looking properly connected to them. He's also incredibly blocky in robot mode, which is fine, it works and all, but it just doesn't look as sleek as expected. Face is quite flat and chinny too. I do love the alt mode and the lovely mix of purples, silvers and his nicely sized gun. He is very, very good but not quite the Second Coming everyone makes out.

Generations Selects Rotorstorm
This guy came out in 2010, he'd probably get a lot more buzz around him. Yes, it's a repaint of the Siege Spinister mould with a new head, but he feels so different that I might ...I might actually like him a smidge more than Sinister. I think it's the absolute riot of colours going on. He's so bright and brash looking and he's great. My only quiblle? That he could have done with a match set of cannons - they don't need to ape two missing Targetmasters, after all.
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Denyer
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Denyer »

ganon578 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 3:25 pm About a week or so ago I found SS86 Jazz at Walmart. Passed on Kup and Blurr, since I don't have any interest in those two. But Jazz is pretty great. Very clean aesthetic (as it should be for the cartoon) but I think it has enough panel detail to work in a Classics collection. Even though I have the ToyHax updated POTP Jazz, this one easily replaces it on my shelf. Transformation is pretty fun, good articulation, and everything seems to work well. "up:
Yeah, I'm fairly impressed... although (and I know I'm harping on having gotten the figure after seeing photos) the lack of shoulder doors does take some of the shine off a really good sculpt. It feels like they could easily have been done on a ball joint or dual hinge to satisfy the maximum number of people without detracting from anything. Would also naturally benefit from a shoulder cannon, but at least that can probably be improvised. The figure's almost up there with the (probably false) mental image I have of a dynamic rendition of Pretender Jazz I'm struggling to place but might have been in an updated Annual profile.

Rocker ankles and articulation are good, as is detailing and particularly the head sculpt. The relatively weightlessness doesn't bother too much, but it's incredibly short for a deluxe. There's maybe 80% of the plastic there would have been in an equivalent figure a few years ago, which the design hides well and complements with a white plastic that isn't terrible for a change, but I think the recent Cliffjumper/Bumblebee/Hubcap/etc mould got away with it better. RTS Jazz remains closer to the ideal (although had worse plastic).

Was Jazz this short in the show?
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Clay
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Clay »

Denyer wrote: Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:36 pm The relatively weightlessness doesn't bother too much, but it's incredibly short for a deluxe. There's maybe 80% of the plastic there would have been in an equivalent figure a few years ago,
Longer term, it's much worse than that. Took this pic today to show the point.

$20 in 2004 versus $20 in 2020:
Image

Granted, those two are both extreme cases in either size class (deluxe and voyager), and dollar inflation has effected everything over the same span of time and not just toys (at minimum wages, Wing Saber was something like four hours of work then whereas Bumblebee is a little over two hours now, for example). But it still illustrates the point that making gradual changes over time can both make massive differences and be completely unnoticeable in the day-to-day.

And honestly, why they sold Wing Saber as a voyager, instead of an ultra or whatever class Scorponok was, I don't know. But they did!
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HeavyArms
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by HeavyArms »

Generations Selects Super Megatron - This was a lay-by I had with EB Games, he is quite an impressive retooling/remoulding of Titans Return Galvatron.

Kingdom Cyclonus - A somewhat hard to find figure that I quite like the look of, especially the jet mode with the reverse pointing wings.
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Kingdom Megatron (Beast)
Wow. I am impressed! Hasbro have done a tidy job with the Beast Wars characters in the Siege line and Megatron continues the trend. The overall level of finishing and paint apps are superb. Not having things like wheels seems to have afforded these figures a bit of extra budget for things like that. Robot mode is excellent, really great sculpt which is faithful to both the old toy design and the animation model. He;s got a bit of backpack of crumpled up dino parts, but it's no worse than the '96 toy (if anything, it's slightly less obnoxious). Articulation is great and I like that there's an effects port in the dino mouth :)
Transformation just riffs on the old toy, but with a much heavier use of panels to give a slightly more tidy robot mode. I like the use of a rubbery plastic for the hide of the beast mode, like with Generations Rhinox. As with that toy, it does mean getting everything joined up is a bit of a faff and can leave the best mode a bit gappy here and there, but I don't mind it. The beast mode itself is fantastic. Nice stompy T-Rex in those silly Barney colours. Absolutely loving these figures!
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Unicron
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Unicron »

Studio Series 86 Scourge: I was surprised to find one of these earlier today, being that every other time I found anything from this line it was a lone Hot Rod.
This is easily the best toy of the ol' flying bathtub they've made, and likely will be the best unless/until they're crazy enough to design a Masterpiece version.
I'm a little annoyed they decided to make an army builder in the Voyager size.
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zigzagger
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by zigzagger »

Kind of went nuts on some of these newfangled '86er dudes. But TLDR, most of these guys they're kind of great, aren't they?

Again, most of them.

Studio Series 86 Hot Rod - Cutting right to the chase, this is very much the best of the bunch. Easily. I'm not one to get too caught up in hype, though the buzz around this guy is reminiscent of the excitement folks had toward Thrilling 30's Springer (the one with the IDW design). But, without resorting to too much hyperbole, this proooobably is the best mainline Hot Rod toy to date--though I can see how the pricing might be a turn off for some folks (especially if they're not stoked about the accessories)

And to be fair, he is pretty close to being that "Mini-Masterpiece" folks are clamoring on about. That said, the transformation can be a bit fiddly at moments--worryingly so. Good pay off, regardless, as both bot and vehicle modes are spot on. Impressive range of articulation for a figure in the this size, if that's your thing-- and if it's not, he will still look pretty darn dynamic and sexy just standing there on your work computer (as he is on mine).

Hot Rod is great--even if he's not deco-ed out in magenta.

Studio Series 86 Kup - I do like Kup. I do, but I'm also very conflicted about him. Firstly, I'm not at all fussed about the head-sculpt or the more-lankier frame; I barely notice the former, and as for the latter, I was a fan of early IDW Kup, lankiness and all, so this works for me (and Kup's old school character model was never really all that bulky to begin with).

Nah, my said conflict comes from the excessive friction joints, and those @#$%ing swiveling-shoulder-joint-things. Go on, try NOT to pop the arms out of their friction-jointed sockets when attempting to push/swivel the shoulders out in order to transform this @#$%ing thing into car mode. It's going to take you a few tries, I promise you ;)

Still, the vehicle mode is on point, and for the most part, so is the robot mode. Looks the part. A nice companion piece for your SS86 Hot Rod, I'd say--ooooor, a sweet addition to your Wreckers collection.

Studio Series 86 Blurr - I don't have any complaints... but also not a whole lot to say either. It's a pretty solid Blurr.

Kingdom Cyclonus & Studio Series 86 Scourge - I get the nagging suspicion Hasbro ran out of room to cram all of these '86 fellows into one sub-line (and rumor has it more are to come). Which, to be far, makes perfect since, as most of that space is currently being occupied by the first season cast of Beast Wars.

Still, Cyclonus's smoother detailing and pastel hues better suit the toon aesthetic of the Studio Series '86 subline imprint. But whatever--subline imprints mean f%$# all when the packaging ends up tossed into the recycling bin. I certainly could care less, because SS86 Scourge and Kingdom Cyclonus pair nicely together, as they're clearly intended to.

Similar to Hot Rod, SS86 Scourge is easily the best figure of the blue bar of soap to date. For a shellformer--as most Scourges tend to be--he's pretty satisfying to flip to and from forms.

Didn't realize Kingdom Cyclonus was as popular as it was in the fandom right now, and while I don't quite share in the zeal, I do think he's awfully nifty. Transformation is inventive and brilliant at moments (i.e the way the nosecone tucks away), the robot mode is big and chunky, and that jet mode is totally swoosh-able. Just look at it; you know want to swoosh it around!
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Clay
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Clay »

zigzagger wrote:
Studio Series 86 Hot Rod -And to be fair, he is pretty close to being that "Mini-Masterpiece" folks are clamoring on about.
I've had some thought that they like to figure out the masterpiece design first, then walk it back for regular retail stuff. Hot Rod, Beast Wars Megatron, G1 Inferno and Grapple, etc. A lot of the visual design study seems to carry over, at least.

And yes, Hot Rod really is that good. He's absolutely a deluxe-sized figure with a high part count and extra bits thrown in a voyager box, but once you're past that, it's really obvious they put the work in.
Kingdom Cyclonus & Studio Series 86 Scourge - I get the nagging suspicion Hasbro ran out of room to cram all of these '86 fellows into one sub-line (and rumor has it more are to come).
I've of the mind that the SS86 figures aren't any different, design-wise, from the Siege/Earthrise/Kingdom figures. The hallmark of that trio of lines has been the 5mm holes for attaching weapons/armors/boots, and the little nodules for blast effects. Kup even comes apart the same way as the weaponizer guys.

I suppose the real reasons for "SS86" are a combination of getting retailers to reset the assortment from the live action movie figures and giving the cast a higher profile in the same time frame as Kingdom. Alternative might have been to spread out the SS86 figures across the waves of Kingdom, but then you'd have the problem of some figures getting scarce due to being in later waves.
Similar to Hot Rod, SS86 Scourge is easily the best figure of the blue bar of soap to date. For a shellformer--as most Scourges tend to be--he's pretty satisfying to flip to and from forms.
I dunno, I think the 2010 B2-style plane is better, but it's obviously no spaceboat. I do quite like the wings on the new one, though.
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Heinrad
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Heinrad »

Studio Series ‘86 Jazz: Thanks to Amazon, I got him. And I love the figure! It’s the first Studio Series figure I’ve gotten that doesn’t fight me with some part of the transformation. It does have the one thing I hated about Legend/Pretender Jazz, the roof mounting for the gun, although this time around they’ve already put the hole in the middle of the stripe for you.

He does seem a bit more squat, though. Like his torso needs to be a bit longer. But it’s still a great Jazz figure.
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zigzagger
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by zigzagger »

Clay wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 4:25 am
I've had some thought that they like to figure out the masterpiece design first, then walk it back for regular retail stuff. Hot Rod, Beast Wars Megatron, G1 Inferno and Grapple, etc. A lot of the visual design study seems to carry over, at least.
That's kind of what I was thinking, too, though I'd also like to to think that they learned from what didn't quite work from the previous two Masterpieces, and improved on what they could, within the usual constraints of mass-released figures.
And yes, Hot Rod really is that good. He's absolutely a deluxe-sized figure with a high part count and extra bits thrown in a voyager box, but once you're past that, it's really obvious they put the work in.
He does feel like a labor of love, doesn't he? Rather, from the design team's perspective, I mean. Hasbro themselves; probably not as much. :sweatdrop There does seem to be an extra layer of attention put in here. It's the same sort of attention to detail Earthrise/Kingdom Optimus had/has.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Hound »

zigzagger wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 5:30 am
Clay wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 4:25 am
I've had some thought that they like to figure out the masterpiece design first, then walk it back for regular retail stuff. Hot Rod, Beast Wars Megatron, G1 Inferno and Grapple, etc. A lot of the visual design study seems to carry over, at least.
That's kind of what I was thinking, too, though I'd also like to to think that they learned from what didn't quite work from the previous two Masterpieces, and improved on what they could, within the usual constraints of mass-released figures.
I wonder how much of that is the designers at Hasbro taking a pass over the concept because aren't the Masterpiece figures completely designed by the team at Takara?
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Unicron
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Unicron »

Clay wrote: Tue Feb 23, 2021 4:25 am I've had some thought that they like to figure out the masterpiece design first, then walk it back for regular retail stuff. Hot Rod, Beast Wars Megatron, G1 Inferno and Grapple, etc. A lot of the visual design study seems to carry over, at least.
Having just gotten a Kingdom Cyclonus today and giving him the once over, to me he feels like the Hot Rod does in terms of possibly being a scaled back masterpiece. The way the whole nosecone and everything in front of the cockpit folds into itself really seems like the sort of engineering they'd pull in an MP figure.
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Beast Wars Neo Crazybolt
Nice repaint of the Beast Wars Iguanus figure. Probably one of the best of the early Kenner flip-changer designs. The texturing and detailing on the mould is still impressive after all these years. Robot mode is horrible toothy ratbag and is great. One of the cheaper Japanese Beast Wars figures to pick up on the aftermarket, which is nice. Got him with the box and everything.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by HeavyArms »

Transformers X Collaborative Gigawatt - I bought from EB Games.

Paradron Medics (Ratchet & Lifeline), GS Cordon & Autobot Spin-Out & GS Deep Cover - These were from the TCCA freight forwarding group that I'm a member of.
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Skyquake87
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Post by Skyquake87 »

Generations Selects Deep Cover
What a lovely figure this is. As with the E-Hobby release over a decade ago, this is quite possibly my favourite set of colours on toys that look like Sideswipe. I still think the E-Hobby version is aces. I bought this as Takara never did an MP version, which I didn't understand. There's just something about these colours that absolutely rocks. Love it.
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Unicron
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Unicron »

Siege Omega Supreme
Missed this the first time around for varying reasons, so snagged a preorder when BBTS put one up for it again. Finally arrived today. Hims a big chonky boy.
But seriously, Omega's a little bit bigger than I expected. Hell, the rocket portion of the alt mode is surprisingly tall. Middle chunk of the base mode is bit meh, given it's just half the torso sitting there but it's understandable. Doubt there's much they could have done with it while keeping it sturdy.
Robot mode is pretty great and the new Countdown is a nice update on the original.
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Heinrad
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Heinrad »

Earthrise Blustreak: I now have all of the Datsuns again, and while Prowl is still generally my favorite(once ToyHax gets a set of labels out for him. He needs more badging. Hell, he needs badging period), I really like the looks of Bluestreak. The grey/black really works on him. Not only that, but his back piece hasn’t broken off yet, which seems to happen a lot from what I’ve heard. And despite being only a color change from Prowl, he’s got the same shoulder locking problem Smokescreen has. And he wasn’t that hard to get off of eBay, either.

Bluestreak also pushed home the fact that I really need to file the nub on Prowl’s head down so I can swap over the Siege version.
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Warcry
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Warcry »

Three new arrivals from eBay today!

Beast Wars Jetstorm: Way cuter than I expected from a Predacon bug! The head sculpt is adorable. The fact that it's just blatantly hanging out there in beast mode is even more so. Dragonfly mode is super slick. Robot mode less is so, it's pretty pudgy and not very dynamic. The water sprayer gimmick is a nice surprise, I was expecting some half-useless dribbly thing like Cheetor's but this guy can startle an unsuspecting spouse from several feet away. The more I mess with this toy the more I like it.

Beast Machines Scavenger: I had one before. I hated it, but in the intervening years I've come to find the Vehicons pretty charming. After giving him a second chance, Scavenger is still probably one of the weaker efforts on the Vehicon side but there's still a lot to like. I really appreciate the mouth-shovel in vehicle mode and the articulated silver claws in robot mode. Really wish the robot mode torso locked together in some way, though. Both modes do a good job of getting across a stripped-down demolitions robot vibe that I quite like.

Sidenote: does anyone else who's re-bought a figure they used to own get weirded out by all the small differences? Different joints are looser or tighter, the little nicks and bits of paint wear are in different spots... I feel like my subconscious was expecting that I'd be receiving the exact same toy as the one I used to own and now it's revolting over all the tiny deviations from what I was used to.

RiD Slapper: I love how different he is from Spittor. The paint masks are totally different, and the mold itself has so much detail. The deco teams chose entirely different details to pick out with paint on either toy, and the end result is they look super different in spite of not having any remolding done. The two of them are a nice pair, and a great example of how to do redecos right.
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Warcry
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Beast Wars Transmetal Waspinator: You know what one of the best parts about collecting Beast Wars toys is? Thanks to 90s toy speculators, MISB or MOSC stuff is usually cheap enough that you can buy it with the intention of opening it and not have to question your own sanity for doing so. I love being able to be able to get my hands on something 20+ years old and still have it be 100% brand new. Waspy here wasn't much more expensive than some of the loose examples I saw on eBay.

As for the toy itself...the transformation leaves something to be desired, the engineering is kinda weak and since the red plastic is on the softer side, some of the joints were loose right out of the package. And all of those things should matter, but they really don't because the figure is so damned gorgeous in every mode that it's impossible not to love it. Those colours! That chrome! Those wings! Those face sculpts! If the light piping worked worth a damn he'd be a solid favourite on appearance alone. It's not among the line's most fun toys to play with, but it's going to look great in a squad with a bunch of other blingy Transmetals.
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Skyquake87 »

I love how dynamic all the Predacon Transmetals look together. So cool. Waspinator looks so jacked in his TM body. I can see why he didn't get it for the show. Hard to be the comic relief when you look AWESOME.

So, some gubbins turned up this week which took the edge of my dad suddenly passing away on Tuesday :( Thank God for hobbies and silly distractions. I'll miss the big lug and hope he's resting well :)

Beast Wars Neo Stampy Vs Sling
A rabbit versus a dinosaur doesn't seem like a fair fight, until Stampy busts out his ridiculous Scissors mode! Sling turns into a massive flower to avoid being seen by his scissored nemesis and hides amongst some daises, unconvincingly. I don't know if this was Takara trying to one-up Kenner, or what but I love these daft play features. Toys with personality. Great fun!

Beast Machines Skydive
A dinosaur who's not a BM Dinobot. Curious. Anyway, he's another winner from the Beast Machines line. A very sleek looking Pteradon with springy wing and snappy beak action. Transformation looks pretty good on paper, but there's a bit of a feeling of 'is that it?' once done. It's pretty decent, but I just don't feel like he's done in someway. I think it's because there's not much to do with the legs between modes. They just move down a bit and the feet turn around. Robot mode is super slim, but pretty flamboyant looking. I love the colours on this guy. And his incredibly snooty expression. I bet he's quite well to do.

Energon Darkwing
This was a find. I say I find, it was on ebay and I bit the seller's hand off for it when I got an offer through as some of the later waves on Energon figures rarely show up here. He's a boat that turns into a robot and my my, is he awesome. Proportions aren't great and his chest is hollow, and there's great ostentatious kibble flapping around him, but he is impressive. A very angry and angular looking fellow, he's a tall drink of water with fantastic sleeve-based missile launchers and two that flip up from his back. Boat looks excellent - sleek, fast and armed to the teeth. Brilliant looking thing. On top of all this awesome roboty goodness is a fantastic palette - powder blue, grey and translucent purple. Looks amazing. What a great, great figure.
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