Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

I have a 45 min transit every day so what I plan on doing is taking some toys with me, which I havent played with in a while, and convert them back and forth on my trips to pass the time. I will write short reviews about what I see with these toys now that the dust has settled, looking at all of them equally and judging them along these lines:

Alt Mode

Conversion

Robot Mode

Quality

And then give a final rating on 10.

Alt Mode(s): These are nice updates to the G1 version while reusing the Blitzwing mold. Sure, neither the Tank nor Jet are similar to the Missile APC vehicle and giant dong chicken mode of the G1 version but they both homage those modes and work better. I do miss the giant missile APC, but the Jet mode looks better than the blue g1 chicken and the detail on the jet nose homages that beast face. The Tank mode is great with a fully rotating turret. the only problem are the robot feet in the back. They dont look like robot feet, but don't look like part of the tank either. The jet mode suffers a bit from the wide frame of the vehicle and I dislike the empty cavity in the back. But kudos to the faction symbol changing from Tank to Jet mode.

Conversion: The conversion from Tank to Jet isn't phenominal but either of those to robot mode is super fun. I do enjoy how the tank treads form with the legs though, that's a witty way of storing two vehicle parts in the same piece. I like where the head hides as well.

Robot Mode: It looks fine but the darn shoulders are SO bad. I hate how I can clearly see where things are supposed to tab and see how it is just failing to tab anywhere right. The good thing though is that moving the arms outward works fine, which is surprising. It feels loose though but you can get some great poses none the less.

Quality: The deco is ok, but there is no preimium feel to it, which makes sense for a standard release. I dont like the plstic used though, it doesnt feel sold and certain parts that make up the tabs have a softer flimsier plastic that I just can't stand. And certain piece will fall off during transformation, which not everythig tabs properly.

I like the Tank mold best and it is a nice homage to the original while not outright replacing it.

6/10

Alt Mode: By far the best part of this toy. This alt mode rocks and is such a beautiful upgrade to the original Slugslinger which is very much an 80s sci fi looking space ship. The legs becoming the nosecones is genius. Too bad it doesnt tab together all that well.

Conversion: This is not a fun conversion. It's annoying and everything feels loose. This si the kind of toy where a shot of it in midtransformation looks like the toy exploded (like the T 1000 at the end before it was thrown into the foundry).

Robot Mode: The robot mode is ok and sleeker than the G1 versions since there is no backpack. Most of the alt mode kibble is integrated, like the nosecones becoming the legs (this is the best part of the design by far). The forearms are attrocious though and a dumb design decision since they always look like they are flipped on the wrong side. I am not a big an of the headsculpt either.

Quality: It is an Energon toy so the quality is there. The deco is absolutely stellar and I caot beleive this is a toy from Hasbro and not Takara. The detailing on the alt mode is beautiful and the colours cary onto the robot mode. The problem here though is that a lot of the tabs are small and dont hold the toy together all that well in the different modes.

5/10

Alt Mode: It's serviceable. It rolls very nicely and has the back lights painted, which surprised me. And the design is fun since it has the shape of a wolf head hinting at the robot mode.

Conversion: I would have found this boring, especially since it cheats in giving a fake chest instead of having the robot mode chest be the windshield of the car. However, I was very impressed that they still found a way for him to have a long wolf tail and I like how it totally disapears within the car mode when transformaing it. The tail is very important since along with the clawed feet and the head, it is what gives this robot mode that extra animal edge and I love how they incorporated it.

Robot Mode: Like with the vehicle mode, it's serviceable. I dont like the fake chest and the legs aren't great either, they are too blocky. He isn't very articulated either. Nice headsculpt though but the clawed feet look more like duck feet, so that's a mistep.

Quality: I like that it rolls in vehicle mode, that's a nice plus, but I dislike the lack of articulation. There aren't that many paint apps either.

If you find it lower than 5$, then fine but any higher is not worth it. The only thing that impressed me was how they incorporated his wolf tail. Other than that it's a very run of the mill transformer. Any pro coming from the design aspect gets counterd by the con that is the lack of articulation.

5/10

Classics Megatron (voyager)

Alt Mode: The colours are odd and it's too bad that Hasbro had to turn Megatron into a Nerf-type gun but that doesnt undermine the fact that they found a way to give an updated megatron that actually turns into a gun. It looks pretty good and out of every version of the deco out there, this is the one that works best in alt mode since it has the appropriate colours. I love how we see parts that would eventually be the legs in robot mode but they totally integrate into the alt mode. I love that the trigger actually makes a clock and the scope is nice.

Conversion: This is a phenominal conversion. The engineering on display here is at an all time best. This is a very satisfying transformation. While it may appear fiddly since the limbs are sprawled everywhere, it's actually very manageable and enjoyable with many steps that chain together well. I recomend every fan to try this transformation in their lives, it wouldnt be complete without it.

Robot Mode: I will admit that the wings are off but that is the problem with him being a shellformer. Still, its not like they look bad and Megatron himself looks great. His legs are perfectly Megatron like and he has a nice big arm canon.

Quality: The one problem with this mode though is that his wrists do not rotate and thus the one on his arm with the gun canon looks like it is upside down when posing the canon. The rest is stellar. Lots of paint apps, which actually make this toy an homage to the Action master Megatron deco, and perfect durable plastic.

The transformation is the highlight of this toy. It is a perfectly fine Megatron for a classics collection, even if the deco might not work best in robot mode. But at least the deco shines in alt mode where it is right at home on a Nerf gun. Gun Megatrons are very rare and this one succeeds by being something new and well executed with modern articulation and a complex transformation.

8/10

Generations Combiner Wars Hotspot

Alt Mode: This mode really looks bad. It doesnt even look close to what it is supposed to be (and airport fire truck) since it is just way too elongated. The grilled part also looks very cheap. It is a far cry from the charming alt mode of the G1 version which was a perfect looking Japanese fire truck from the 80s.

Robot Mode: This looks better than alt mode, thankfully. And the big backpack actually tucks away decently and doesnt get in the way. My big beef with this mode is how the leg ratchets dont let you pose him dynamically since the ratchets dont give you many options to pose his hips. Also, the feet really look inverted. It would make much more sense for the inside part of the lower legs/feet to be the outside since it just looks awkward. Great Headsculpt though!

Torso Mode:Not bad. The headsculpt is great and it loks very distinctive, bringing about new details we have not seen in any other modes. However, the massive amount of kibble around the shoulders restrict the combiner arms from moving freely. It is also a very short torso compared to the others.

Conversion: The transformation from robot to vehicle is standard and has no surprised. It does get annying that the chest piece comes off though. The real highlight is the transformation into the torso mode and how that is accomplished by wraping the ladder around the torso length wise. Very original.

Quality: This toy feels really cheap. Pieces keep coming off, that ladder section is made of squishy soft plastic that just doesnt feel right. There is also a locking mechanism for the robot knees that is absent from the instructions. It is a light and hollow toy with a restrictive ratchet system.

The transformation into a torso is the highlight. That and the headsculpts make this toy passable. I really dislike how cheap and hollow it feels though and pieces coming off during transformation are a huge turn off, same with the ratchets restricting poses. However since the torso looks good, it makes for a decent looking combiner, albeit one you cannot pose as well as others.

5/10

Transformers Prime Weaponizer Optimus Prime

Alt Mode: The front looks great, just like he is in the cartoon. The back looks terrible though, with the hands and feet (especially the heels) being really obvious. He rolls fine though and it's fun that his gimmick works in this mode too.

Robot Mode: He looks really awesome. This is by far his best mode and while it has a massive backpack, I do love the articulation that lets you pose him dynamically. The chest detail is great and looking at him dead on he looks just like his CG model. I really love how beefy he is and that headsculpt is perfect. The big heels really help him stand well too. I don'tcare for the gimick in this mode though since while it's badass to have 2 gattling guns come onto Optimus' shoulders, I dislike that it leaves two tall plastic pieces rising from his shoulders. It doesnt look good. This is also the perfect toy to include in a TF Prime collection if you want an Optimus in scale with the other figures.

Conversion: It is simple and fast. Nothing imaginative but it's still fun to mess with and works really well to minimise steps while still giving good looking modes (seen dead on) and there is no detriment to the articulation. I am also not a fan that the simplistic transformation mens he ends up with fake windows for his chest.

Quality: Weaponizer Bumblebee feels cheap, I will admit that. But Optimus doesn't. At all. He feels like good quality toy. The ratchets in the legs work really well and allow for good poses. He feels super solid.

My main problem with this toy is how ugly both modes look from the back (or side). The conversion doesn't leave you satisfied, though it is interesting how quick a toy can change from a truck to a robot when you just orient some pieces differently. I still admire the effort to give a simpler toy for kids that still feels good and looks awesome with no sacrifice to the articulation. This is definitely better than the later attempts to simplify toys. I do love how big and imposing he is.

6/10

Takara Transformers Masterpeice MP 27 Ironhide

Alt Mode: It's perfect. There are no gaps, there is great ground clearance, it rolls fine, it has added functionality with the canon/lazer accessory, you can store someguns under it very securely, there is abolsutely no robot kibble from any angle and you even have a fun easter egg of having the G1 root face detail in the front. The best part is that it is a vehicle specific detail and you can only see it in this mold making even that robot kibble homage not actually be robot kibble. For realistic vehicles (this one is licensed too), this is the absolute summum.

Robot Mode: I don't have any roblems with the robot mode. I can see where some would, like with the side panels, but nothing bothers me. The side panels add some width to that area and some fun ehicle integration I love in Transformers toys, even if it isn't accurate to the G1 cartoon. I don't mind that there isn't much detail in the legs because I marvel instead at how this lack of detail is the diligent use of reusing a panel from the alt mode and flipping it. I like that he has a solid back and the fact that he gets smaller at the waist at every angle is very interesting. It gives the toy more character and beef up the look of his torso. The wheels tab in the back is very silly though. While it is a fun way to hide them away and everything tabs in very well, it looks silly from the back. But it does add some mass that area and the profile works better because of it. The proportions on this toy are stellar.

Conversion: This is a very involved and satisfryign transformation that never gets you frustrated. Maybe aside from the arms when bringing him back to alt mode. I find it really impressive how the MP line has a knack for making the changing from mode to mode as interesting and fun regardless of what mode you are going to the next. It is mighty impressive how there is a ton of new robot mode detail with not a lot of the Van detail still showing and yet this is not a shellformer in any way. Many panels get converted and flipped and this is my favourite kind fo transformation since it minimizes kibble in either mode and makes the most of every panel and part. The legs are a lot of fun to Transform. This ir probably the second best transformation in the MP line after Wheeljack.

Quality: The articulation is great and there is nothing I can think of that is missig in that department. Same for accessories. They threw everything at this toy, even the kitchen sink. I especially love how he can recreate his discovery of the dinosaur skeletons on his chest.

This toy has a pefect alt mode, an amazing transformation and a very proportional robot mode. This is my favourite MP after Wheeljack and he gives me hope in the continuation of this line after my dissapointment with Tracks/Roadrage.

9/10

Review for MP 28 Hot Rodimus

Alt Mode: It looks phenominal and the colours are all perfect. I do have an issue with the ground clearance issue. I find its the wheels that give me a hard time, they dont move freely enough, even when they are the only things touching the ground.

Robot Mode: While I dont have any problem with his legs (I think they are great and sexy!), I do have a problem with how tiny his waist is. It doesnt look or feel right to me. The backpack is not terrible, but it isnt as compact as I would like it and I have an issue with those tall red pieces that come out of his back. Those are odd and they keep reminding you of the backpack's presence. But that's about it. I love his headsculpt and I think the goggles are fun. There is something else but its not as big an issue. I am not a fan of how his arms tab to his back. Thoe plastic pieces look so small. But it fits tight for now, I am just scared of breaking them of the tightness wearing off. But technically that is not a knock against the toy until something happens

Conversion: It's fine but nothing out of this world. I am not fond of how the arms tab into the back, as I said above, but it does the job.

Overall this figure is perfectly fine but I am still more amazed at Animated Rodimus Minor, especially when he achieves a similar look while having no backpack.

7/10

Robots in Disguise Warrior Quillfire

Alt mode: very much like the show. Its not the most exciting vehicle but that's the idea of this character. There is no robot kibble either, and the underside doesnt look like a bot hiding under a car. The vehicle reminds me a lot of Beast Hunter Bulkhead for some reason. What I really like is the nice mix of brown tones and the paint in the front that brings out the sculpted detail. There isnt the same in the back but, and this is very surprising, the wheel's rims are painted. Also, there is great weapon storage. You can fit his gun right between his feet and calves, it sticks there really well. I love how there are a ton of small tabs that keep panels secure in this mode. Everything fits well and stays secure.

Robot mode: this is a very strong outing from Hasbro. He has the features you would want from Quillfire, with the right proportions. His articulation is perfectly serviceable with swivels in all the right places. He can even open adn close his mouth which is a lot of fun with Transfomrers that have snouts. He has a nice array of quills in the back with a big quill that can be removed and used as a dagger or pointing stick. It's these nice little touches that mean a lot to me. The only thing that is a bit too bad is that while he has a lot of alt mode integration, there is the top part of the car that hangs off his back, and he ends up with a fake chest instead of it being his actual windshield. Still its better than Strongarm or Sideswipe where the chest has to peg in. Here it is a nice solid piece that wont unclip. He is a superior mold to almost every autobot actually (maybe tieing with Drift).

Conversion: straight forward with the arms and legs but still a nice mix of complexity with some slight innovation in the way the quills are stored. Especially since the front of the car end up folding onto itself.

In a way, this mold has everything I look for in a transforming toy. Original design (with the robot mode), weapon storage in alt mode, no extraneous kibble in alt mode, a ton of new detail in robot mode which still sports some nice alt mode integration. Good poseability and a neat transformation with some fun features that we havent seen yet or dont see much (like the removeable quill and articulated jaw in robot mode). And good deco all around, even if the colour mix is due to different coloured plastic rather than paint, he later of which is still present and serves to highlight the sculpt.

8/10

Can anyone post here or is just for Willaim James's

When looking at early pics of Quilly I wasn't excited. Kinda just "oh. ok". But he's really quite a jem. And I was worried that his head wouldn't have any movement or his mouth wouldn't open, but it does all that! Color me surprised by this lil fella.

shajaki wrote:Can anyone post here or is just for Willaim James's

When looking at early pics of Quilly I wasn't excited. Kinda just "oh. ok". But he's really quite a jem. And I was worried that his head wouldn't have any movement or his mouth wouldn't open, but it does all that! Color me surprised by this lil fella.

I actually use this space as drafts for reviews I end up putting on amazon, and people can see them here at the same time, so anybody can post, sure

Yeah, his head is pretty awesome. What impressed me is that it is on a ratchet meaning that he can look up (you have to open the flap) and it will stay up. And extending his shoulders out gives you room for his head to turn left and right. Really, I do not know what more I could want with this toy aside from a transformation where he has the windshield as a chest (maybe some projectiles of old, but I have outgrown missiles anyways).

Ok, so I got myself Titans Return Galvatron and I think he is awesome.

Mostly Pros but a few cons too. Lets start with the cons.

The titan master gimmick makes it so hat he cant turn his head with the Galvatron crown and that hurts the toy quite a bit. I dont mind the aesthetic though, aside from how unpainted his face is. It's really sad how they first displayed him with some colour and only the eyes are painted in the end.


Also, I have some problems with the back of the cannon mode. It looks like he either has a bad case of hemorrhoids or is waiting to pinch his loaf. And the pegs there are useless, I dont know why they are there.I am referring to the pegs at the top and bottom centered that should keep the legs together. But they are loose fits and nothign would change if they were there or no.

One last thing is that whule i dont need all my transformers to have wrist swivels, this guy needed them. I am totally ok with having his cannon peg onto the front of his bicep in robot mode but in that case, he should have a wrist swivel to turn his wrist sideways for some decent poses of him about tofire at someone.

The rest is all pros

I dont mind that he is a Headmaster in the least. The crown fits onto his face well and very close. It looks fine and as if it is part of his face. Its like a cresta the edge of his head, kind of like Spider-man's electro. It works for me and he still looks menacing. Plus the head being a little guy makes him able to pilot the spaceship mode.

Oh, thats right, Galvatron turns into a spaceship, along with a cannon. While the titan master gimmick might be intrusive on the figure, the triple changer feature is a perfect example of how to implement some more play value without hurting the toy in the least. Since it basically just an extra cockpit, it stores away very well in either mode to the point that you dont notice it (or care to). Everything folds back if you want it too. I love that optional antenna behind the cockpit which can give Galvatron his G1 look in robot mode and adds to the uniqueness of the spaceship mode, by adding to the aldready existing fin and making it bigger.

Its not he best spaceship ever, with the back being weak, but it doesnt hurt and the nice functional cockpit makes it leagues above the cybertronian vehicles found in the film toys or animated megatron (uurgh).

This toy has some subtle innovations and a good example is how several different pieces will rotate around the same pin. It happns with the landing gear and the cannon as well as the tank treads and arms. You can multiposition different parts among a common axis which gives multile configuration options which helps divers the 3 modes while being efficient on the parts count.

Like I said, I dont mind the cannon being on his bicep. Its big, yes, but it still works with the figure. And what I love is how it doesnt get stuck on his shoulderpads when you position it up or down. They made the spaces perfect so taht there would be minimal intereference. Its subtle, but makes a difference. Just like all the subtle pegging that goes on. Like how the hips fit perfectly against the crotch in canon mode or how the eet tab into the sides of the arms in spaceship mode.

There is also the delightful use of ratchets in the right places and with actual options for posing rather than when a ratchet limits you into a pose that is to stiff or too wide.

I also love that plastic used on his feet and chest. That purple looks so delicious and the feet are a gorgeous shiny gun metal grey. I want more of it on other toys. Oh and here is something Hasbro really did not need to do (but thank the Lord they did): they actually gave him flabs behind his legs. They didnt do that on several figures lately (even in the Prime line) but they did it here. And they really didnt need to since those pieces dont add anything in the other modes and instead are just extraneous kibble they try to fold away (and partly aciece it thanks to some good pegs).

As you can see, I have way more good to say about this toy than bad. Its the best official Halvatron toy by a long shot, definitely the best articulated and a very welcome addition to my collection.

Ttans Return Rewind

His altmode is a smartphone. You can tell due to the screen and apps found on it, along with that central button. You also have a nicely sculpted power button on the side and buttons to regulate sound level. While it makes no damn sense for this object to interact with a boombox, I see it as 2 independent things. Like in G1, they can git into Soundwave or Blaster, and for a new generation they have a totally new alt mode. Most of these toys already have the ultimate version of the G1 casette that turns into a bot with the masterpeice line, so doing that again would have been redundant (and inferior). So instead we have something new that new fans can enjoy too (and be lured to muahaha).

Rewind's third mode a tank, is better than most third modes out there. Sure as hell beats Gen Whirl's or Straxus' and I am thiking Energon Shockwave's too. I mean, it has dedicated parts such as the tracks. It rolls. It has ports for a minifigure to stand on. And best of all it homages both the fact that there were casette tanks in G1 and that Rumble/Frenzy/Eject/Rewind were minitanks in their previous classic version.

The gun is super narrow, yeah, but I do love the weapon storage in robot mode and I find it really cute how they were able to connect it in tank mode. Its not a plug but a hinge, thats pretty original.

And as for Robot mode, the forearms are not great (neither are Wheelies, its like Deluxe Brawl in terms of engineering, i would like a proper elbow) but there is the cool added detail of that camera on his head which gives him that extra MTMTE look. His shape mimics the G1 toy but he has way more articulation and better proportions, especially with his legs.

Robots in Disguise Warrior Windblade

She has very dyamic legs that and offer great balance so fun poses are easily achieable. I would have loved some wrist joints, especially to go with her fan but aside from those, the articulation is good. She is built really solid, unlike the original flimsier windblade we got in the generations line. Everything has been streamlined in comparison so that pieces fit in together better, most especially the feet and tail fin piece which is now one piece instead of 2. That makes the halves combine together better. She also doesn't feel hollow and the jet mode stays together really well with 0 gap at the top (unlik the original version). I also really like the weapon integration, where the legs connect to create a really nice port for you to store the sword and that sword has just the exact curvature to match the undercarriage. I also like the landing gear at the front and how they make it really easy to fold out thanks to an extra nib. The jet ends up being perfectly horizontally elevated when landed.

My only problem with this figure is the large backpack which looks terrible in picutres (but for some reason is very tolerable in hand), the lack fo wrist swivel, and the lack of black paint. However, Takara doesnt paint the underside of the jet so the red is very abundant in their version too. There is less of it, but its still not that great, hence why I went for Hasbro (it will also end up costing me at least half of what Takara's would cost me).
Also, the jet looks chubby rather than sleek, but its far more solid than before.