TF Views

Because for some reason I neglected to report these things over the weekend (no excuse even, the forums were surprisingly active over this past weekend) I grabbed Ripclaw and Voyager Predaking. I was elated to find Ripclaw, I know her wave has been trickling out right now, but her and Smokescreen are major scalper-bait in it, so I expected I would have to wait longer to find one on the pegs. Predaking is much more interesting than I was expecting, though some of his cleverness is of the type that I wholly expect many people to miss, so he’ll likely see weak reviews due to that. Granted, he’s got other issues as well, being that I’ll concede he needs more paint and some of the materials he’s made out of feel iffy, but he’s an interesting, well-designed figure nonetheless. Ripclaw totally steals the show though. I know I don’t always follow through on my promises for full reviews, but I would like to fully review her. If Transformers were graded based on how often I was compelled to pick them up and mess with them, then Ripclaw would be winning by a country mile.

I've been curious about Predaking. I don't know why that figure is tempting to me. Maybe the black and orange dragon robot with the extra power up dragon heads gives me nostalgia for Cybertron Scourge, I dunno.

BH Dlx Smokescreen - very good but possibly held back by a very intricate transformation that's finicky, and perhaps kibble issues and a few paint things, but really I quite like this figure.

138 Scourge wrote:I've been curious about Predaking. I don't know why that figure is tempting to me. Maybe the black and orange dragon robot with the extra power up dragon heads gives me nostalgia for Cybertron Scourge, I dunno.

I can't speak too much to comparisons to Scourge, since I've, ah, never handled any copy of that mold. The extra heads are handled a bit less gracefully than Scourge's seem to be though: Predaking's just stick on in beast mode, and have nowhere else to go if you want him to be the single-head kind of dragon. Their missile-launching/Night At The Roxbury action feature is kind of neat, but they don't really feel all that worth the hype. I find Predaking as a figure on his own much more interesting than his accessories, at any rate.

Anyway, as a haul, the Machine Wars Megaplex I scored on eBay came in today, because BotCon can suck a fat one. The *idea* of a MW revival got me craving an original Megaplex, and I managed to snipe an auction for one for $13 shipped which is...only slightly more than I would have liked to pay for him (hey, all the other Megaplexes on eBay go for over $25 at the cheapest! Whatever!). Still, it's a fun, cool-lookin' little toy of one of my favorite TF concepts that's never really been explored, and no way I'm shelling out for the now-revealed-to-be-shitty BotCon version, so!

Why yes I got my tax return recently, why do you ask?

I got my tax return, which means that I can finally afford to book the A+ Certification exam. I want to double-check and make sure a voucher I got last year ( for reducing the price of the test considerably) is still valid. But, either way, I can now afford to take the test.


Dom
-plans are coming to fruition....

Got a nice cheap new hoodie to replace the one I've been wearing for over a decade... with the Foxhound logo on! SUBTLE NERDERY IN PUBLIC

Vicarious haul: Got Rideback for my girlfriend's birthday, since it has a female lead and robot motorbikes. If it was set post-apocalypse I'd probably never see her again!

Meanwhile, actual Hauls get discussed in the current Hauls thread!

Following my lamentation in that other thread about not being able to find Generations wave 3, I tripped over a few of them at TRU last night. Grabbed Starscream and Ultra Magnus.

Starscream seems decent, though I’m being careful with him remembering how JT’s broke out of the box. The joints in the knees in particular seem dangerously tight, I wonder if hitting them with some shock oil would help things. Still, he’s more solid that I was expecting (the chest is *not* as hollow as everyone complains about, and it’s that way for transformation anyway, so), has impressive articulation in the limbs (love the double elbows and the ankle rockers) and some really cool gun functionality (the way it can peg to the back of the jet *in place* of the tailfin is cuh-razy). Also just makes a good Starscream. Remember how the Classics toy was a decent ‘Seeker’ but not really a good ‘Starscream’? Well this mold has more character to it, it works as Starscream. Which hopefully shouldn’t impede its ability to work as a Skywarp or Thundercracker or, be still my heart, Sunstorm later down the line.

Ultra Magnus I love WAAAAAAY more than I was expecting. I honestly only picked him up due to a genuine curiosity for the mold, and because his sword looked kinda cool. The way it’s packaged does not do this mold justice, he’s not nearly as rigid and dumpy as you would think from looking at him. A bit short, yes, but very lithe and dynamic. Great waist and leg articulation, he can really convey an arc of movement well, the biggest issue to his articulation being the way his shoulder block themselves, but even that’s not enough to bring it down. Transformation is far more interesting that I was expecting as well. It’s not on the level of the circus of detail rearrangement I love so much about the WfC Optimus Prime mold, but it feels involved and the way the robot crams down into the little space truck is satisfying. As for the sword, I knew it *looked* cool, but as an accessory I think it’s a lot of why I like this toy so much. The combining gimmick is great, the sort of thing I have a fondness for, and pushes the weapon to the point that it is actually taller than Magnus is, which I think is cool no matter what. That said, it does feel a little chintzy knowing that the Optimus version of this toy effectively only came with half (or even one-third) of the accessory, missing out on this kickass functionality. PS: This sword in silver would make a kickass accessory for a Megatron.

Seriously, I only had a little bit of fiddle time with him last night, but I can tell you Magnus is just great.

BWprowl wrote:Meanwhile, actual Hauls get discussed in the current Hauls thread!

That's just crazy enough to work!

Following my lamentation in that other thread about not being able to find Generations wave 3, I tripped over a few of them at TRU last night. Grabbed Starscream and Ultra Magnus.

Starscream seems decent, though I’m being careful with him remembering how JT’s broke out of the box. The joints in the knees in particular seem dangerously tight, I wonder if hitting them with some shock oil would help things. Still, he’s more solid that I was expecting (the chest is *not* as hollow as everyone complains about, and it’s that way for transformation anyway, so), has impressive articulation in the limbs (love the double elbows and the ankle rockers) and some really cool gun functionality (the way it can peg to the back of the jet *in place* of the tailfin is cuh-razy). Also just makes a good Starscream. Remember how the Classics toy was a decent ‘Seeker’ but not really a good ‘Starscream’? Well this mold has more character to it, it works as Starscream. Which hopefully shouldn’t impede its ability to work as a Skywarp or Thundercracker or, be still my heart, Sunstorm later down the line.

That knee joint design sucks ass, oil might help but be VERY cautious if it's fully seized as mine broke with virtually no pressure at all, the problem is that the friction pin pushed through the outer knee can easily seize that section up and that outer knee section is barely attached to the lower knee, so without somehow spreading the knee apart slightly I don't see this being an easy fix.

I didn't complain that his chest is hollow. It is hollow though, but I don't see it as a dealkiller on him.

The tailfin is removable? I saw that it looked like a peghole, but it looked glued so I didn't try. Wow, there's even a set of pegholes just for the combined weapon! That's wild. Too bad it doesn't look better.

What is it with you guys and Sunstorm???

Ultra Magnus I love WAAAAAAY more than I was expecting. I honestly only picked him up due to a genuine curiosity for the mold, and because his sword looked kinda cool. The way it’s packaged does not do this mold justice, he’s not nearly as rigid and dumpy as you would think from looking at him. A bit short, yes, but very lithe and dynamic. Great waist and leg articulation, he can really convey an arc of movement well, the biggest issue to his articulation being the way his shoulder block themselves, but even that’s not enough to bring it down. Transformation is far more interesting that I was expecting as well. It’s not on the level of the circus of detail rearrangement I love so much about the WfC Optimus Prime mold, but it feels involved and the way the robot crams down into the little space truck is satisfying. As for the sword, I knew it *looked* cool, but as an accessory I think it’s a lot of why I like this toy so much. The combining gimmick is great, the sort of thing I have a fondness for, and pushes the weapon to the point that it is actually taller than Magnus is, which I think is cool no matter what. That said, it does feel a little chintzy knowing that the Optimus version of this toy effectively only came with half (or even one-third) of the accessory, missing out on this kickass functionality. PS: This sword in silver would make a kickass accessory for a Megatron.

If I see it at $12, I might buy it. Same with Air Raid.

JediTricks wrote:

BWprowl wrote:Meanwhile, actual Hauls get discussed in the current Hauls thread!

That's just crazy enough to work!

I have a secret fetish for Hauls threads that continue with actual discussion after their month is up.

That knee joint design sucks ass, oil might help but be VERY cautious if it's fully seized as mine broke with virtually no pressure at all, the problem is that the friction pin pushed through the outer knee can easily seize that section up and that outer knee section is barely attached to the lower knee, so without somehow spreading the knee apart slightly I don't see this being an easy fix.

Yeah, I noticed the design of the outer knee connection when I was inspecting it before I moved it, remembering what happened to you. I don’t know if it’s recreating a detail from the game model or what, but it’s definitely not the best design for that part. The knees on mine move freely, with no seizing, they’re just very tight. A pity Hasbro doesn’t use real screws that much these days, or I’d just loosen them to free up the knees a bit.

I didn't complain that his chest is hollow. It is hollow though, but I don't see it as a dealkiller on him.

I actually wasn’t referring to you, you were one of the few people I’ve seen who’s fair on that part. So many other people are like “He has all this empty space in his chest and back!” and I’m like “Well yeah, where do you want his ARMS to go in vehicle mode?”

The tailfin is removable? I saw that it looked like a peghole, but it looked glued so I didn't try. Wow, there's even a set of pegholes just for the combined weapon! That's wild. Too bad it doesn't look better.

The little tailfin stuck on top looks a bit goofy, I admit, but it’s just such a crazy and unprecedented bit of functionality, I can’t help but give it some credit just for that.

What is it with you guys and Sunstorm???

Well I don’t know about everyone else, I think I’m the only one I see consistently bring up Sunstorm. Anyway, for one thing, I’m still entertained by the novelty of him being a ‘new/extra’ Seeker, I think it’s pretty neat that this one-shot background guy keeps getting new toys made of him. Plus the color scheme is just classy: creamsicle orange with white and yellow highlights? It’s bright, yes, but not violently clashing or anything, he compliments the other Seekers nicely.

If I see it at $12, I might buy it. Same with Air Raid.

They had Air Raid at TRU too, but I didn’t worry about him. The amount of retooling is impressive, I like that mold, but something about it just doesn’t grab me. I dunno.

If you could find him on sale/clearance that way, I’d think Magnus would be totally worth it. I was astounded at how much better he was than he looked in the box.

BWprowl wrote:Yeah, I noticed the design of the outer knee connection when I was inspecting it before I moved it, remembering what happened to you. I don’t know if it’s recreating a detail from the game model or what, but it’s definitely not the best design for that part. The knees on mine move freely, with no seizing, they’re just very tight. A pity Hasbro doesn’t use real screws that much these days, or I’d just loosen them to free up the knees a bit.

It is on the game model, I never thought to check for that. The game model doesn't need to be put together in plastic halves though, Hasbro's designers decided to only run that winged disk piece on one half of the mold - normally a part like this would either be entirely separate or also molded in halves so it's connected to as much of the leg as possible, but here I guess the shape and location was too complicated to mold on both sides of the tooling, and they made the wrong choice for functionality.

The knees on my replacement unit are also very tight. On this design, a screw would have made it worse, the torque from the screw would have probably taken that outer knee winged disk right off during manufacture. The design should have been better, there isn't even enough safe plastic to tap that hinge pin out a little.

I actually wasn’t referring to you, you were one of the few people I’ve seen who’s fair on that part. So many other people are like “He has all this empty space in his chest and back!” and I’m like “Well yeah, where do you want his ARMS to go in vehicle mode?”

What makes it passable where other figures don't get a pass is that there's a spine/torso inside there, the part that connects the chest to the legs is essentially saying it's the skinny bot inside a suit that way. But if this wasn't such a budget-hampered figure, there could have been panels to close up the chest gaps, or they could have had a bigger figure where the arms didn't need to take up such a large cavity, or the arms could have filled in the gap in alt mode between the head and the cockpit (this actually would be my preference as that gap in alt mode drives me nuts, you can ALMOST fill it in with the fists but they push against the legs which stresses the pegs), so I do see where those folks are coming from too.

The little tailfin stuck on top looks a bit goofy, I admit, but it’s just such a crazy and unprecedented bit of functionality, I can’t help but give it some credit just for that.

The tailfin assembly on top of the gun looks like a pagoda altogether, it's definitely better to leave it off if you're going for this look. I dunno if it's an unprecedented bit of functionality, we've seen other figures with battle modes in the past, but it's rare lately, that's for sure.

What is it with you guys and Sunstorm???

Well I don’t know about everyone else, I think I’m the only one I see consistently bring up Sunstorm. Anyway, for one thing, I’m still entertained by the novelty of him being a ‘new/extra’ Seeker, I think it’s pretty neat that this one-shot background guy keeps getting new toys made of him. Plus the color scheme is just classy: creamsicle orange with white and yellow highlights? It’s bright, yes, but not violently clashing or anything, he compliments the other Seekers nicely.

I think O6 also brought him up in the last 12 hours.

They had Air Raid at TRU too, but I didn’t worry about him. The amount of retooling is impressive, I like that mold, but something about it just doesn’t grab me. I dunno.

If you could find him on sale/clearance that way, I’d think Magnus would be totally worth it. I was astounded at how much better he was than he looked in the box.

You didn't buy FOC OP, right?