POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by **Warcry** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 6:05 pm

The local comic-con is this weekend! Unfortunately it's nowhere near as exciting as it used to be, because as it's gotten bigger there's been fewer and fewer small vendors selling vintage stuff and more and more big shops setting up and selling nothing but brand-new recent retail figures. So unless you want to spend $50 for a CW Sky Lynx or $40 for a Marvel Legends figure that'll be on the shelves at Walmart in a couple weeks, the pickings have gotten very slim. I did manage to find a couple neat things, though!

Titans Return Highbrow: Selling for MSRP, amazingly (and actually a hair less when you realize they never charge taxes at these things). He's solid fun, like the other TR toys I own, and I'm impressed by how well they've captured the look of the 80s toy. Poseability is nice and the figure has a good look in both modes. I wish you could lock his rotors in place in robot mode, though.

Beast Wars Scourge: Is terrible! Though I can't say I wasn't warned. He's an awkward kibbly mess like some of the worst of the movie toys, and I can't think right now of any other Beast Wars toys that are even close to this poorly-conceived, though there are definitely some that are worse in the execution.

G1 Flywheels: The jet half of him, anyway. I've had the tank half for ages -- I got it from a buddy when I was still in elementary school and we had no idea what it was. But I've been looking for his other half for years now, ever since I figured out what the tank was. The simplicity of the figure means that he's probably destined for the "stuff it's okay for kids to play with" pile, eventually, especially since he's already survived a harrowing playdate with my two and a half year old nephew. As adults, I know we're supposed to scorn simplified, unarticulated bricks like this, but for a kid I honestly think this is perfect.

Brendocon 2.0 · Post by **Brendocon 2.0** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 6:24 pm

Flywheels iz best.

Post by **Clay** » Sat Oct 29, 2016 9:07 pm

Due to a coincidence of factors (mostly having not bought a Transformer in months and finding the whole group at once), I picked up the four principle Autobot headmasters from the titans line yesterday.

They're better than I had anticipated from the pictures online. Not overly complicated, reasonably detailed, and they actually look like who they're supposed to. I'd say Hardhead is the best mold overall, but Brainstorm works pretty well for being what's apparently an afterthought remolding of Blurr.

My Chromedome's headmaster doesn't have any paint on his itty bitty face, though. Did I get a bad one?

Tantrum · Post by **Tantrum** » Sun Oct 30, 2016 9:51 pm

If found CW G2 Menasor at TJ Maxx for US$40. I've read that G2 Superion is showing up there as well. I wonder if all the CW boxsets will. Between the G2s and Liokaiser, I could probably cobble together a gestalt garish enough to serve as Piranacon.

TR Clobber (Grimlock) and Skytread (Flywheels). They come with repaints of accessories I already have, so they aren't as exiting as finding Apeface and Brawn would've been. But, the head modes look great, and the tank/plane accessory looks a lot better in this deco. Now, I've got enough little guys to give each of my Deluxes a partner.

Kre-O Optimus Prime and Bumblebee brick boxes. The Bee box comes with different bricks that the previous one, released alongside Megatron. I tried to build something using all of the pieces in each box, and just those pieces. I'm pretty satisfied with the results, though I did have one large tile left over from the Bee box. Bee also came with a sprue of weapons, which I haven't used.

Brendocon 2.0 · Post by **Brendocon 2.0** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 6:59 pm

Masterpiece Optimus Primal is of the good.

Really tight joints and some fiddly panel stuff make it a bit frustrating to start with, but I'm sure I'll pick it up.

Faces are excellent. Really expressive. The alternate face stuff is a bit more secure than with Ironhide/Ratchet as there's no release button. Beast face swaps out easily but I'm still trying to find the right angle/grip to get the robot face out.

Lots of poseability in both modes though not a lot leg-wise in beast mode.

A really good enhancement on the original toy. Really hope they do the rest of the core cast now.

Post by **Warcry** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 8:20 pm

Even though I don't really expect it to be any more fun than the original mold, I've got a Primal en route myself, because, hey...just because the original was one of the best Transformers ever doesn't mean this one won't be cool too.

I'm hoping it looks as much like bad 90s CGI in person as it does in the promo pics.

(Oh, and Flywheels is indeed best.)

Post by **Clay** » Thu Nov 03, 2016 12:03 pm

In anticipation of the re release of masterpiece soundwave, I've ordered myself one of those knockoff MP ratbats. It'll be a bit before it gets here, but I'm excited.

ganon578 · Post by **ganon578** » Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:14 pm

Out and about over the last couple weeks and managed to find a few Transformers that I've been wanting:

CW Blackjack: Fun little guy that I'm liking a lot more than I anticipated. He's awesome to swap back and forth between modes and has great articulation for such a little Transformer. I find myself putting him in car mode a lot, simply because it looks really good to me.

TR Brainstorm: Wandered into Walgreens yesterday just to kill some time before picking up my daughter. I think I bought him more because he's an exclusive, but he does look neat and I missed out on the Thrilling 30 version. And the deluxe Headmasters have been a treat so far. The only problem I really had was Walgreens' price (which I feel bad complaining about since all you fans in Europe have it worse) that was $18. Not too far off the normal $15, but bad nonetheless. I didn't get much chance to fiddle with him yesterday because...

CW Cyclonus: Not a great toy. But one of my favorite childhood G1 figures. And I nabbed him at Marshall's for a measly $15. Cyclonus has several problems, but I like him A LOT. His weapons are ridiculous, he's got a huge wing backpack, and his look doesn't scream 'Cyclonus'. But all that aside he's quite a bit of fun. Good articulation (not great balance), fantastic jet mode, and he's purple. Like, really purple. I like this version's description that he can mind control any Combiner limbs he wants to do his bidding. It's awesome. And I'm glad I got him so I can swap around all my combiner limbs: Prowl, Ironhide, Trailbreaker, Smokescreen, Swindle, Brawl, Vortex, and Blast Off into any which way I please! That said, I don't think I would be as pumped had I shelled out $25 for him.

Tantrum · Post by **Tantrum** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 4:30 am

CW G2 Superion at TJ Maxx. I don't care for the numbering on each bot, but am amused that the numbers don't match those on the back of the box, which in turn don't match the numbers on the boxes of the individual G1 releases.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Sat Nov 05, 2016 6:53 am

...but do they match the numbering on the original G2 Aerialbots...?

I picked up one of those funny Mini-Con things from the RID line in the Entertainer's Penny Sale. All I can think is, "I'm glad I only paid a penny for this". Its called Sandsting and is a scorpion with bits of plastic jam that you stick on it. And er, that's it. And these cost £7 RRP? No wonder they shelf-warm.

Post by **Clay** » Sun Nov 06, 2016 3:10 am

I brought the Titans Powermaster Prime that had been sitting at the store for a couple of weeks now.

Wasn't impressed by the pictures online, and wasn't that impressed with it in the store. Now that I've got it out and have played around with it? I luurrve it. It's just... so perfect for what it's supposed to be.

Cyberstrike nTo · Post by **Cyberstrike nTo** » Wed Nov 09, 2016 4:54 pm

Titans Return Fortress Maximus, Powermaster Optimus Prime, and Galvatron.

All 3 are very cool toys.

Tantrum · Post by **Tantrum** » Sat Nov 12, 2016 6:17 am

Skyquake87 wrote:...but do they match the numbering on the original G2 Aerialbots...?

Yes. I just thought it was odd that they had a numbering scheme defined already by the original G2 toys, but didn't think to follow it on the packaging. The CW toys lack the names prineted on the original G2 toys, but that's probably due to Quickslinger/Slingshot.

I was going to skip CW Scattorshot, since I plan to get Computron, but TJ Maxx had marked it down even further, so I picked one up. The solid red torso mode looks better than I thought it would, especially with all red limbs. Using Fireflight here, and Alpha Brave and Quickslinger on my all white Nova Prime left me short on limbs for G1 Superion. I was able to make up for it with a spare Blast-Off and using Powerglide as shin armor.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Nov 12, 2016 3:17 pm

Clay wrote:I brought the Titans Powermaster Prime that had been sitting at the store for a couple of weeks now.

Wasn't impressed by the pictures online, and wasn't that impressed with it in the store. Now that I've got it out and have played around with it? I luurrve it. It's just... so perfect for what it's supposed to be.

Got one loose from eBay, and I do like the sculpt in general (even more with yellow eyes -- the headtitanmaster from Blaster works well, plus swapping them gives Blaster a neater chin, or putting some gold paper around the inside of the helmet provides a more cartoony and less angry look). Even the chest is much better than in pics. Have also shuffled one of the guns on to Stomp.

Downsides are it weighs nothing, panels feel like they'd snap off without much force, the legs won't move and stay tabbed together, articulation's not much better than the original except in the arms because the legs can't meet in the middle, the lack of ankle articulation means even less flexibility, and the cab is permanently attached.

It's possible to get a nice pose or two out of him off-centre that feel appropriately statuesque but at retail I'd feel really bilked. Not sure the Takara one's going to be better enough to justify the import tag.

numbat · Post by **numbat** » Sun Nov 13, 2016 8:17 pm

Denyer wrote:Not sure the Takara one's going to be better enough to justify the import tag.

I have high hopes.

ganon578 · Post by **ganon578** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 6:24 pm

Bought my first non-Classics-ish figure in ages this weekend:

RiD Warrior-Class Starscream at TRU on sale. Would have passed if he wasn't on sale, but the cost combined with it being Starscream sucked me in. Nice little figure, but his hips are pretty loose. The robot mode is really nice looking, and I like the 'pistols' he has opposed to his more traditional null-rays. The front-swept wings in jet mode are pretty neat too. All-in-all a good buy for the price, and it brings my Starscream count up to 4.

Post by **Warcry** » Mon Nov 14, 2016 8:48 pm

Masterpiece Optimus Primal arrived today!

First impressions are that it pretty much meets expectations. It's very show-accurate, amazingly so, but along the way it loses a bit of what made the original design so much fun, all of which were what I expected. And really, I totally get why they did Optimus first, but it's hard for this toy to have the same mind-blowing impact that some of the G1 Masterpieces do when the original was so damned good to start with. This is a solid 9/10 figure, but I can say the same about the original and Robot Masters versions of the design too, so my reaction is a lot more muted than it was when I opened up MP Soundwave or any of the Autobot cars. But he's definitely in the same class as those!

The swappable faces are neat, and way easier to use than any others I've seen, though to be honest the robot ones are all so samey that I kinda wish they'd left them out and given us a couple more hammy beast-mode ones instead. Thoughtful and confused faces would have been awesome in addition to the standard frown, grin and RAGEMUNKY.

Transformation is a bit more complicated than my older Primals, though not inordinately so, and the same basic pattern is there. There's a few more moving parts in order to maximize (pun definitely intended) the show-accuracy, but nothing that felt excessive to me. I had to peek at the instructions my first time though but after that it was easy as pie.

If you're not a fan of the show, I could see the beast fur being annoying -- there's no texture, just a pattern painted on a smooth surface to emulate the old CGI. As a fan of the show I like it, but it's hard to argue that it actually looks better than the old toy. But it's what the character looks like, so m'eh.

Overall, I think the little Robot Masters Primal is still my favourite take on the design, edging this one out just by a hair. And I'm not so in love with show-accuracy that I'd say this is a must have on it's own, if you own any of the others. But as a hard-core Beast Wars fan? Well, I can never get enough, and this is a great addition to my collection even if I'm not jumping up and down for it. And if we get as many BW MPs trickling out over the next few years as I'm hoping for, it's going to start to feel more and more "essential" as time goes on.

I'll be on the edge of my seat waiting for Cheetor now, too. Because if he's anywhere near as good as Primal is, then compared to the old toys he's going to be a revelation.

Brendocon 2.0 · Post by **Brendocon 2.0** » Wed Nov 16, 2016 8:06 pm

MP Thrust then.

Pretty much the same deal as Ramjet, but with some design tweaks here and there. Wings, most obviously, working on a 180 rotation which is nice. Weaponry design is different too - whereas Ramjet's cluster bombs fit over the machine guns, Thrust has machine guns AND rocket launchers.

The machine guns are a bit fiddly, as they fold in half and have to pivot under the body in jet mode - trick is to rotate them at the balljoint that pegs them into the arms, rather than their swivel joint. Points for intent in the engineering, but it doesn't quite come off.

Can still do the thing where the nosecone rotates backward in robot mode, so it's not hanging down between his legs, but the back obviously ends up looking like a car crash. Viewed straight on it looks fine. Wings can be folded back in robot mode or left jutting straight out without interfering with anything.

The purple kneepads look silly, but that's the animation model for you. Overall solid if unspectacular. If you've got Ramjet you know what you're getting yourself into. Could do with alternate faces as per the other recent MP figures, tbf.

Brendocon 2.0 · Post by **Brendocon 2.0** » Thu Nov 17, 2016 7:10 pm

Aaaand another TFC Seacon. Ironshell this time, aka Snaptrap.

Not sure what I make of him, tbh. Transformation feels a lot simpler than the previous two, with the tortoise feet just sort of hanging off the back of his elbows/ankles whereas it feels there should have been a way to fold them away inside the forearm/legs.

Whereas conversely, while it's relatively simpler, the added bulk makes it feel more awkward. Good range of poseability, as expected, though the backpack is larger and more intrusive than I'd have liked. Part and parcel of making it non-detachable, but it feels like compromising the toy on a point of NOPARTSFORMING principle.

Colour scheme and general aesthetic is still cool, though I really wish they'd gone with the black robot head from the original toy/comics rather than using the green one, per the 2010 reissue.

So yeah, mixed impressions so far. Hopefully it is just because it's the torso piece, and the next two limbs (and Tentakil if they ever ****ing do one) will be more on a par with the first two.

Post by **Denyer** » Thu Nov 17, 2016 7:30 pm

numbat wrote:I have high hopes.

It's certainly not that the Hasbro version's a bad sculpt -- this custom paint job's simple but fab, for instance:

http://tfnd.net/xf/index.php?threads%2F ... D.38755%2F

http://i.imgur.com/TrQDNMe.jpg