In terms of the ones I actually care about:
Bombshell looks neat. Will definitely try and pick up him and Shrapnel/Skrapnel. Hopefully we'll get a Kickback too.
Finally! An actual G1 Arcee! I'm almost disappointed I already have my Animated Arcee, but who knows, maybe if I brush up on my paint skills I can make this one into its own figure.
If it gets a Paradron Medic release I'll buy it though. No questions asked.
Kinda disappointed about the large amount of kibble, but G1 Arcee was heavily reliant on animation magic to transform (her thighs basically deform into the sides of her car mode) so I can forgive it.
Speaking of femmebots, Chromia looks ace too! Once again though I already have a Chromia (I use PRID Arcee as my Chromia) but that looks so nice I might get her anyway...Perhaps headcanon them as twins?
Looking closer, that is definitely a retooling of PRID Arcee. It has the same leg assembly and the almost exact same body. Still, that's near Four Star levels of retooling so I can forgive it (and it makes the Chromia Twins idea more workable) so regardless I like it.
That's a good looking Megatron. The robot mode looks a bit goofy but I imagine that's partially due to Hasbro's ever-wonderful stock photography (although I do worry about those feet). Regardless, I'm willing to forgive the iffy robot mode because that tank mode is not only gorgeous, but has
WORKING RUBBER TREADS. Seriously, we haven't had a figure with actual rolling treads in years. The only one I can think of is Armada Scavenger (who would have been awesome were it not for his stupid "roll and stomp" gimmick). So yeah, he looks magnificent.
...This one, however, I'm not impressed with at all. I get the idea, but it doesn't work. Armada Megatron (incidentally my favourite Megatron design ever, bar maybe the RID toy from 2001) is way too different from the G1 design to get a simple retool of a "G1" Megatron- he needs his own mold. The proportions on this are too lanky and narrow. Armada Megatron is wide, bulky and massive, with huge blocky legs on comparatively small thighs, and small but powerful looking arms with the colossal shoulder pylons formed by the front of his tank mode. This toy, whilst perfect for the very humanoid G1 Megatron, is too uniform and not nearly exaggerated/"anime" enough. He doesn't even have his shoulder pylons, just some rather weak back panels.
The colours are spot on though, and I can't see how they possibly could have retooled the mold to make him any more accurate to/evocative of the Armada character model. I just wish he'd gotten his own mold.
But then any continuity that isn't G1 or Beast Era seems to get the short end of the stick with figures. I guess they decided that Armada wasn't worthy of getting a new-mold big toy (and to be fair the cartoon was rancid, or at least the Western release with its unfinished animation and dodgy scripts). I'm blaming the Geewunners.
Who knows, maybe when Takara is finally back in the driver's seat with toy design we'll get some decent Armada updates. I'm still holding out for a Masterpiece Armada Megatron, as unlikely as that is.
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