POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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

Post by Denyer »

MAGA Jazz to go with Titans Return Bumblebee and the 5" Authentics Grimlock (and a knackered CW Optimus I'm idly patching back together with LEGO) as a sort of updated Classic Pretender squad. Setting aside the Hasbro ****wit who was probably popping over from the Joes product team, it's actually quite nice having simple versions of some key characters.
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ganon578
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by ganon578 »

WFC Netflix Hotlink w/ Heatstroke & Heartburn as a gift from my wife.

Nice set, overall. Hotlink has a really unique deco: most of the plastic is black, but he's got various shades of purple in interesting patterns. Surprisingly there's a lot of paint on this figure compared to a lot of the mass retail releases. I dig the small splotches of orange here and there too. The mold itself was already pretty good, so no surprise there. The battlemasters are neat, with their only difference being visor color. The shooting effects that came with them are great too. I wasn't aiming to have so many versions of this mold, but this was a nice surprise. :D
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Skyquake87 »

I've have mostly been picking up some unwanted guff off ebay:

Beast Machines Mechatron
I passed on the Beast Riders (stop your sniggering) when they first came out as they looked rubbish. Like the Deployers, they seemed to a sort of play accessories that couldn't really be used properly with other figures in the line and seemed to have stumbled in from another toyline entirely. Anyway, you can just about jam a Basic sized figure on the back of this dragon head chariot. Pressing the head down activates a dynamo and thing then shoots off, waggling its arms about. Diverting fun, if an odd inclusion into Beast Machines. Would be more fun if this had come with the missiles.

Beast Machines Scavenger
Came with Mechatron and now my third one of these weird little animal crane things. I love this figure and it lends itself well to being a drone, as it looks like an industrious little helper of sorts.

Energon Rodimus
I've really wanted one of these for years now. In hand, it's a bit of a disappointing mess, all massive legs and not much else. I do like the colours and the exciting drag racing tractor cab mode. The Energon weapon is a bit of an inconvenience - it's a big long pipe and can't face forward on the vehicle mode. Like a lot of the Energon Autobots, it's got a clunky charm that's appealing.

Arms Micron Swerve
Ooh look at me with my fancy Japanese import. Largely bought so I could experience the Breakdown mould without paying the silly sums of money people want for that thing these days. Having had a go on it, I'm puzzled why Hasbro didn't think this would be worth releasing in western markets. It's a little bigger than Bulkhead, but still fits the Voyager size class. As with all the Arms Micron figures, he's incredibly plain and you have to jazz him up with the sticker sheet that's chucked in. Haven't built the Arms Micron figure yet, so don't know if that's any good. Looks alright from the pictures - a little dude that turns into a buzzsaw. Overall, a nice chunky figure that turns into a nice boxy vehicle. Good fun.
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Denyer
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Denyer »

TFNation stuffs so far (that's happening online as we speak);
http://tfarchive.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=56166

Should have on the way;

Animated Grimlock
G1 Wildrider
Action Masters Rumbler
Robotmasters BW Megatron
FOC Brawl -- not sure which deco
Classics Starscream
Combiner Wars Ironhide
Universe Galvatron (Takara) -- not a good mould, I tried re-painting one years ago to improve it and ended up binning it in frustration, but will go with the other deluxe class Con leaders I've got out on a shelf better than the Legends-class 3P KO
Grimstone Power Core Combiner 5-pack
Bot Shots

https://gumroad.com/tmuk fanzine bundle
https://morethanmerch.com/collections/t ... 991-heroic
https://themanlylobster.bigcartel.com/p ... enamel-pin
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HeavyArms
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by HeavyArms »

War for Cybertron: Earthrise Voyager Seeker 2-Pack Skywarp & Thundercracker - Bought this pack from eBay but at a marked up cost, unfortunately.
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zigzagger
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by zigzagger »

Earthrise Dirge and Ramjet showed up today, packaged rather... dubiously. Though, I suppose, technicallyyyyyy the set's actual packaging counts as a shipping box, right? Right? Seriously though, Amazon simply slapped a postage label on the toy's package and, uhhh, shipped it. No shipping box, no foam or bubble-wrap. Just as is.

:|

If I actually collected (newer) figures-in-package, I'd have been SUPER pissed. But, I generally don't, so in the garbage the box went! Weeeee! Tore it to pieces too! More amused than annoyed, really--though I was initially worried that my coneheads were going to be damaged.

They weren't.
....

Not a terribly interesting story, I'm afraid, though maybe someone was amused....??

Anyhooo, I guess I'm now committed to getting Thrust, aren't I? It's not often we get the '85 seekers, and I didn't want to pass these two up. Plus, I am super partial to Dirge. Huge fan. Was the first Decepticon toy I owned as a wee brat, purchased with my very own allowance money.

I am mostly pleased with Dirge; it's a new Dirge, and Dirges don't happen too often. I like Dirge... with the exception of two things (one of which that carries over to Ramjet). Firstly, the screaming face-sculpt is an odd choice, and a little off-putting. Especially for a character that is supposed to be dour and mopey.

The second, is the lack of decals, especially on both Dirge and Ramjet's wings. Those little embellishments that the original '85 seekers had just popped--they're not here. Ramjet especially could do for some more paint and decals, particularly on the arms, and again, the wings and tail-wings.

Toyhax, I freaking hope, will get some stickers in order for these guys soon. They really need them.

But hey, I got a new Dirge! So, I'm happy.
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Clay
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Clay »

zigzagger wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 4:33 am Earthrise Dirge and Ramjet showed up today, packaged rather... dubiously. Though, I suppose, technicallyyyyyy the set's actual packaging counts as a shipping box, right? Right? Seriously though, Amazon simply slapped a postage label on the toy's package and, uhhh, shipped it. No shipping box, no foam or bubble-wrap. Just as is.
Yeah, I remember reading that the general bulkiness of the packaging is so that it absorbs the damage and not the figure inside. I've never heard of it being tested that directly, though.

My Conehead collection is modest. It's Classics Ramjet with Genkei Thrust and Dirge and the DX9 War in Pocket set. Looks like this.. What I found interesting is that the Genkei Thrust and Dirge are decidedly more colorful than their generations counterparts, which in turn fit better with Henkei Ramjet than they do with the classics version. It's a bit odd that they're mismatched between lines like that, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

The DX9 Coneys are cute and little and I like them. I always mean to collect Coneys more than the regular seekers because there's fewer of them and they're more interesting anyway, but they usually end up as too expensive (Masterpiece, third party figures) or out of stock (this earthrise set). Ho-hum.
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Heinrad
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Heinrad »

Netflix War for Cybertron SIEGE Megatron: I wasn't going to get this figure. I really wasn't. Then I read the new comic. And I really like how they're portraying Megatron, enough that I wanted to get the figure, even though I really like the TR Megatron.

Oddly, the included battlemasters let me make the Siege Megatron kind of look a bit more G2. Yes, the fusion cannon is arm mounted and the handgun is shoulder mounted in this case, but that's more down to the G1 colors. It's not a bad figure, really.
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zigzagger
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by zigzagger »

Clay wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 11:58 pm
Yeah, I remember reading that the general bulkiness of the packaging is so that it absorbs the damage and not the figure inside. I've never heard of it being tested that directly, though.
I'm not even mad about it--and I did gleefully destroy the box. Wonder if should I be? :laugh: I mean, the figures could've been damaged--but, they weren't. Which, I suppose means the package passed the durability test after all! Maybe someone out there reading this will find that information useful.

Besides, I'd rather be amused than annoyed by the sheer audacity of it of it all.

"Meh, **** it!" haphazardly slaps postage label on package "That's good enough for the greasy neck-beard*! Ship it! I got, like, laundry and stuff to do."

At least, that's how I hope it all played out.

* - I'll have you know I am clean-shaven, and have great hygiene.

My Conehead collection is modest. It's Classics Ramjet with Genkei Thrust and Dirge and the DX9 War in Pocket set. Looks like this.. What I found interesting is that the Genkei Thrust and Dirge are decidedly more colorful than their generations counterparts, which in turn fit better with Henkei Ramjet than they do with the classics version. It's a bit odd that they're mismatched between lines like that, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.
See, I've always appreciated the Genkei deco of Dirge and Thrust, lightning bolts, shiny blue stripes and all. I felt it was perfectly in theme with the original Classics seekers, in that they all sported those showy, razzledazzle-esque paint jobs (Classics Starscream, Skywarp, and Ramjet all looked as if they zoomed in from an airshow). This was before Hastak opted to switch to everything being deco-ed like the G1 toys or (bleh) the G1 cartoon.

I suppose my conehead collection is "modest", too. :laugh: The '85 dudes, Classics Ramjet, and Timelines Dirge and Thrust (managed to get my hands on them separately when that boxset was released--don't recall paying a whole lot either,), and now, the Earthrise Coneys.
I always mean to collect Coneys more than the regular seekers because there's fewer of them and they're more interesting anyway, but they usually end up as too expensive (Masterpiece, third party figures) or out of stock (this earthrise set). Ho-hum.
Yep, and that's really all the incentive I need to nab them; they're nowhere near as common as the more "famous" Seeker trio, true, but I find they're visually more interesting.
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Denyer
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Denyer »

Studio series wartime Hot Rod from the Kapow TFN sale. Not to be Hot Rod, I liked the sculpt but wasn't sure what I'd do with it. Then I remembered one of the TR heads that wasn't in the parts box and did a ten minute switcheroo and tidy up with the back of Sky Shadow's head since it's under a helmet anyway. Note for budding parts-swappers: the face plates on titanmasters don't line up and other parts aren't coloured very consistently so have a knife, glue and paint ready.

Either it's the more obvious character choice for a short, buff figure or an OC --

Steadfast is aptly named. An experienced soldier, his battle plans make him as useful an asset as his steel skin and he has the brawn to back up both. Gregarious by nature, on Earth has adopted a Dick van Dyke cockney accent. In the theatre of war this is an Autobot what appreciates a bi' o' performance, gov'ner.

Image
https://i.imgur.com/gcrqwB0.jpg
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inflatable dalek
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by inflatable dalek »

Double Dealer:

Mad, but I've no idea what the **** he is and the bird is as lazy as hell.

Autobot Mirage: Yeah, imagine if Mirage was an *Autobot*. Blows your tiny mind.

Really fun toy, probably the best WFC figure I've gotten yet.

Third Party Minerva: Fantastic till I broke the foot off a day in.
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ganon578
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by ganon578 »

Studio Series Overload. He's a big, honking dude and I like him. Seems a bit unbalanced to the forward and back, but I think I just need to get used to positioning the arms properly to distribute weight.

Now I just need Skipjack to ship so I can put together Devastator!
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Warcry
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Warcry »

Generations Selects Hubcap: Even smaller than I expected from seeing Cliffjumper in package, somehow. But if you can put that aside, he's a neat little toy. I'm pretty sure I've never seem a toy this small with this much engineering from Hasbro before. The transformation is more different from the old MP Bee than I'd expected. The partsforming rear end is a bit vexing, but it's easy enough to ignore in both modes if you want to. He's quite poseable and well put together for a toy this size. But that's the rub. I'd be hard-pressed to recommend him because the size-to-cost ratio is pretty nuts, well-done or not.

But Hubcap is one of my favourite Autobots of all time, and I'm pretty sure the only other options are even more expensive 3P Legends, so...I'm a sucker, is what I'm trying to say. :)
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Skyquake87 »

I bought some robot gubbins from the Kapow! Sale :swirly:

Reissue Gurafi, Noizu & Frenzy
The two Dinosaur cassettes are really cute, but I can see why Hasbro haven't made a thing of the combined mode Deicbel. For one, it's pretty awful and for two, the two tapes connect together only by a port on the back of Gurafi's neck - which has to support the weight of Noizu who extends some way back from the robot mode, and it's just too much and it ends up in heap. Could have used another point of connection to keep the robot mode together. Frenzy feels a bit ho-hum after the exotic nature of these Japanese lads, but I think he looks awesome - he's got a spot of extra paint and the stickers looks good.

Siege Firestormers that aren't actually called that but I've forgotten the over caffeinated name
Its the set with G2 Sideswipe, Slamdance (Flywheels repaint) and Trenchfoot (cool one of the Targetmasters repaint that looks boss with Sideswipe). It's not as exciting as some of the other 'exclusives' / Selects / etc, but is a good use of the moulds to give us two 'new' characters and Sideswipe's awesome G2 palette. A fun pack of shoot robot good guys.

Platinum Edition Autobot Heroes 5 pack (Ultra Magnus/ Springer/ Blurr/ Kup/ Arcee)
Swish Transformers: The Movie 30th Anniversary set of figures, so you can recreate the Movie Poster (one of them) artwork at home! A great set of figures spruced up with some money spent on paint applications and a bit of vacuum metalizing. Ultra Magnus in particular looks way more impressive than his Combiner Wars counterpart. The crisp white plastic and brighter colours really helps. Kup is a new one for me. I like the figure overall, but find the front a bit finicky transforming. Headsculpt is a off - he's got this fairly huge, hulking body and then this tiny wizened head. Blurr is awesome, I much prefer this over the Titans Return toy. It's chunky, looks cool in robot mode, has some nice weapons and the alt mode is curvy and all kinds of blue. Love it. Springer is still great, and I like the colours and paintwork. Feels a little looser in places than the regular retail release, but I think this is down to the plastics, more than any mould degradation. Arcee is cute. Nice sporty alt- mode and a decent vehicle. I would have preferred better wheels though, these are so thin they look like rollercoaster cart type wheels. I've had my eye on this for a while, but the aftermarket prices are silly, so I am really, really pleased to have this.
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Warcry
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Warcry »

Earthrise Snapdragon

Kind of night and day with his pal Apeface, who suffered from bad material and bad QC that weren't up to the task of making his ambitious engineering work in the real world. Snapdragon is a lot less ambitious, but he feels so much better in-hand. The engineering is fairly basic, but the fit and finish is pretty much perfect.

Snapdragon doesn't have the greatest range of motion compared to other recent Voyagers, especially in the arms, so he's definitely not the greatest "action figure" out there. But he's got some things that most modern triplechangers don't: an intuitive, straightforward transformation and three modes that look good with minimal kibble. The last time I had this much fun just switching a triplechanger between modes was probably...Classics Astrotrain? So you can definitely call him a fun toy. Not world-shattering or a must-have, but solid fun.

Also...am I wrong, or does Snapdragon here leave us one Slugfest away from having the complete 1987 Decepticon lineup available in Generations format? I feel like everyone else has gotten a new toy in the last five years or so -- Headmasters, Targetmasters, Terrorcons, Duocons, Clones, Sixshot, and even Overkill. Try going back to 2015 and getting anyone to believe THAT!
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Skyquake87 »

Ooh I'm excited for Snapdragon (I have mine on pre-order) - he was my favourite when I was smaller. Looked after him for many years, then traded him in for a complete set of Combaticons, Groove, plus the Micromaster Decepticon Sports Car Patrol. I just really wanted to complete Defensor and the lad I did swapsies with said Snapdragon was in such good nick the trade was worth it.

Wow. Haven't thought about that in years.

Yes, just Slugfest missing from the 1987 Decepticon line up -surprised he didn't get turned out as a repaint of the POTP Snarl mould.

Things what I've bought off ebay:

I watched some reviews of Earthrise Ramjet and Dirge. Looking at the transformations, they didn't have that much more going for them than the old Generations versions, apart from the size, obvs. As they're Amazon US exclusives, I sighed and move on. Then, I thought, as I've re-bought Classics Ramjet recently, I might as well see if I can get Generations Dirge & Thrust, because I bet there'll suddenly be people off-loading these now that there's exciting new 'proper' sized versions.

There were, so I now have:

Generations Dirge & Thrust
I don't know what it is about the Coneheads, but this old mould really suits the pointyheads. It's blocky and they all look grumpy. Dirge's blue and tan is still a mad colour combination, but I approve. I like the paint apps that recreate the old label sheet. Yeah, paint apps. Stuff that up your Toyhax. Thrust is a slightly darker and more morose looking character, being largely a shade I like to call varnished magenta. He has some paint apps, but his palette is so murky that they don't pop as much as they should.

RTS Jazz
Came with Dirge, and I was a bit surprised to win this, as this is still a bloody great figure 10 years on. The milky pearl white plastics aren't my cup of tea, but at least they don't seem like they're going to discolour anytime soon. Some silver rims and proper Autobot sigils would have made this extra awesome, but it's smashing enough as it is. And poops all over the POTP version from a great height. Fantastic.
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ganon578
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by ganon578 »

WFC ER Thundercracker & Skywarp: Nice set I was able to order off Target's website. They go great with ER Starscream, but I can't imagine continually buying more of this mold, even the coneheads. Glad they brought back silver on these two; I wasn't keen on the grey used in the Siege ones. I like that they gave Skywarp a unique face, and kinda wish they had also done something with TC, or given SS a smirk or something. Oh well. Nice to have the trio back together in a great mold. They all look very nice together on a shelf, but since they're derivative of the 2006 version, excitement is wearing out quickly.
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ganon578
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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SS 67 Skipjack: Finally able to put together Devy! Skipjack on his own is pretty neat with the whole pogo-stick look. The arms a little funky, but oh well. The bulldozer mode is surprisingly great. :D

SS Devy is all huge and chunky and awesome when assembled. I love it. Shoulder and arm joints could use a little reinforcement though.

SS 65 Blitzwing: What a gorgeous figure. Robot mode is phenomenal. Jet mode is great from the top, quite garbled on the bottom as you might expect. Comes with a great blaster and the stabby-hand he used on Bumblebee. Articulation is superb too. Very pleased with this guy. :love:
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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DOTM Sideswipe (Walmart Exclusive)
Picked up this fancy blue and yellow version of Sidearm Sideswipe. It's awesome and rolls really well in vehicle mode. I do like the look of this thing, with its big smiley grill. Such a happy car. Robot mode is capable of standing up, which makes it something of a first amongst movie Sideswipe toys, and the vibrant colours on these busy sort of movie figures looks excellent. The figure's also pebble-dashed in all sorts of tedious fanboy references, but they're not the worst thing in the world. Only down side? The powder blue pistols that make him look like's just waving two water pistols about.
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Skyquake87 »

Bit of a silly week for Transformers for me.

Earthrise Scorponok
Cor, he's a big lad. Nice and solid too. One of the things I didn't like about the last Titan I owned (and sold) Trypticon was how hollow and rattly he was. None of that with Scorpy (well, not quite true - some hollowness in the chest and legs for transformation) who feels nice and chunky. Robot mode is nicely proportioned and the forehead doesn't look as massive in person, although it's still quite Tefal. I've not got into the city mode, but the scorpion mode is impressive and I like that it has a proper beast head this time around. Lacks the accessories of the original - some extra cannons and a gun would have been nice. The Headmaster, Zarak, is cracking. Looks just like the '88 Animation model from Transformers: The Headmasters, which I normally don't care for, but here I really appreciate - particularly as the double Headmaster gimmick gives the larger robot a properly proportioned head, something the original toy could only dream of. If there's any major problems it's that you need some serious space to play with this guy, which I don't have in my tiny house.

Collectors Club Timelines Over-Run and Runamuck
I've been thinking I'd like the Earthrise Runamuck, but I'm expecting his fellow Battlecharger to be bundled in with other figures in some unobtainable online exclusive, which kind of puts me off. That and he's incredibly plain, being all white (pretty much). SO after grumbling about exclusives, I only went and got the Collectors Club versions carved out of the Reveal The Shield Tracks/ Generations Wheeljack mould. I really love these two! They're surprisingly colourful and look really great. Sure, they're a bit flabby here and there due to the curves of the alt-mode, but otherwise look the part. Even the carry over wings and shoulder cannons seem to suit these two. The alt mode is still a stunner after 8 years, although the transformation remains a bit of a ratbag getting the back half of the roof/ rear of the car clipped into place. Nice box too.

Generations Hoist & Trailbreaker
Vicitims of the endless recycling of 1980s characters, these Thrilling 30 Generations lads are now popping up on the secondary market following the release of Earthrise Hoist. They're both a bit tidgy next to RTS Jazz, who's still chilling on my coffee table, but scale well with the POTP Dinobots, so I figure they'll fit in with the smaller Deluxes we've seen in recent years. The plastics are nice and I like the wedgy feel these have in hand. Decent amount of paint apps too. Articulation is decent and they turn into very cute little trucks.

Cyberverse One Step Gruesome Chomp Repugnus and Whirlwind Slash Bludgeon
Fun One-Step Changers. Nice, chunky designs and decent robot modes. Repugnus' monster mode is adorable. Robot mode is decent, but the plain yellow head isn't something I'm particularly fond of. Bludgeon is just his awesome RID15 design reheated for Cyberverse. The Whirlwind feature is sh*t. You just pull his left hand out it's socket, so it can spin around on an axle holding his sword. Woo. No wheels in the tank mode, so it can't roll, which limits playtime fun. What a jip.
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