Transformation Videos for Transformers Studio Series Megatron and Brawl

Oh shit, I just realized Takara also mistransforms toys in their pics, they forgot to rotate the shoulder wheels revealing the brand new movie accurate headlight details:

Even at full price, all leaders are gone from everywhere. I do hope Leader Grimlock won't do me a "Gen Leader Thundercracker" on me and have a limited release for reasons. Hope that he and Blackout will be like all 1st wave figures and be aplenty everywhere soo enough. And why not on sale to boot?

-Kanrabat- wrote:Even at full price, all leaders are gone from everywhere. I do hope Leader Grimlock won't do me a "Gen Leader Thundercracker" on me and have a limited release for reasons. Hope that he and Blackout will be like all 1st wave figures and be aplenty everywhere soo enough. And why not on sale to boot?

PM me your current address and I will mail you a raincheck

william-james88 wrote:

Gotta love that Megatron on Megatron makeout session, lmao! Seriously, that's a level of narcissism I thought only Starscream was capable of.

Megatron looks fantastic, btw. Hasbro has finally gotten smarter about their gray plastic choices. Even without silver paint, Megatron has a nice metallic sheen to him, and the rest of the paint apps only serve to enhance the look of the plastic instead of starkly contrast it. Well done!

I'm liking Brawl too, but I do wish he didn't have so much tank paneling just having off his arms in robot mode. Would also have been nice if the arm mounted accessories sat a little more flush with his actual arms.

william-james88 wrote:Oh ****, I just realized Takara also mistransforms toys in their pics, they forgot to rotate the shoulder wheels revealing the brand new movie accurate headlight details:

Yeah those bits are my fave new feature of the Studio Ratchet figure. As lame as that sounds.


I still can't figure out whether or not i like Brawl. I may just have to buy it to be sure and ebay it if I don't like it much. Megatron is a definite purchase.

william-james88 wrote:Oh ****, I just realized Takara also mistransforms toys in their pics, they forgot to rotate the shoulder wheels revealing the brand new movie accurate headlight details:

Does some one go to jail for every mistransfom toy no who cares if toy product images are not transformed properly there toys not work of art that person walk by and look at them in museum little kids don’t care if there transformed properly there toys not Mona Lisa sculpter better thighs to worry about in life than mistransfomrwd toys such as paying taxes spending time with family and going to work

I think will was on about the fact that everyone jumps on hasbro's photos as not being transformed properly, so a case where Takara's is mistransformed proves that it can happen to anyone.

dragons wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Oh ****, I just realized Takara also mistransforms toys in their pics, they forgot to rotate the shoulder wheels revealing the brand new movie accurate headlight details:

Does some one go to jail for every mistransfom toy no who cares if toy product images are not transformed properly there toys not work of art that person walk by and look at them in museum little kids don’t care if there transformed properly there toys not Mona Lisa sculpter better thighs to worry about in life than mistransfomrwd toys such as paying taxes spending time with family and going to work

Wait, isn't this also the Hasbro stock photo?

Wolfman Jake wrote:Wait, isn't this also the Hasbro stock photo?

Nope, this is the Hasbro image (with that part properly transformed)



I took the takara image from the HLJ listing https://hlj.com/product/TKT10908/Act?utm_source=seibertron.com&ut ... gKw4vD_BwE=&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=news%20post

And yes, I was indeed referring to how people always say Hasbro should take good pics like Takara. I guess this brand unification is rubbing off on Takara in other ways.

bacem wrote:i am still not fond of brawl's shoulder.

they're just mis-transformed for the sake of packaging.

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are personal opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.


Ranking All Wave 1 Figures From Transformers Studio Series

The Studio Series is a new initiative from Hasbro to give us a Generations Type line for characters from the live action Transformers films. It definitely had more coverage and attention than previous lines, especially with the angle that this would be more collector oriented (similar to Star Wars Black Series or Marvel Legends), along with being sold at a more premium MSRP. So, with wave 1 well in hand and wave 2 most probably dropping next month, I thought it would be a great time to look at what the line provided so far in comparison to what we were hoping for, by ranking every entry from wave 1 available at wide retail. A tiny detour from our usual top 5 lists but hopefully you still enjoy it.




8. Bumblebee

This toy is your mileage can vary kind, but that includes the possibility for this toy to suck more than any Transformers toy of the past 10 years (at least). I honestly can't remember a Transformers toy which fell apart this easily. Nothing breaks, things just fall apart. The roof simply wont stay on with clear plastic hinges looking warped. Mine came with the back piece floating loose in the box! I also find the feet have a clearance issue during transformation, as do the wings and front wheel wells in robot mode. But these are all just minor issues compared to the massive f** up of the back piece (which has clear signs of a being manufactured to have a pin). I totally understand why it was literally destroyed by some toy reviewers.






7. Ratchet

This toy is just meh. I was fascinated at either how much the fanbase had rejuvenated or how short the memory span was, because it seems people don't remember the Dark of the Moon toy. This is basically that same toy with all new molding, which doesn't feel new. But the general look and transformation is about the same, but worse (you can see the comparisons below). He has the worse deco of the wave 1 toys so far, very bland, just a sea of unpainted chartreuse coloured plastic. But the biggest grievance is the back. He has a major butt flap problem. It's the whole roof cage of his car just hanging off his ass ... and it looks like ass. They could have made the cage removable and turn it into a weapon, give us some more folding options, but no, they just leave it there. For a line that promotes brand new molds, and the best version yet of the onscreen character, this toy is very disappointing.






6. Crowbar

These next three are essentially as good/bad but each for different reasons. But when you look at the pros and cons, Crowbar, Optimus and Stinger end up at about the same place, so the order is almost arbitrary with Crowbar being the less original of the three. Regardless, Crowbar is the best dread we have ever gotten. However those dreads of his become his downfall in vehicle mode with them having no place to go giving him a real bad case of hemorrhoids. And the transformation isn't all that fun, since he is a major shell former, but the shell does tuck in nicely and I do give Hasbro props for fixing the issue of falling panels which they had with his partial tool partner Berserker. Plus he has a pretty awesome head sculpt!




5. Optimus Prime

This freaking toy !!!! The designers had such odd priorities. He is very complex and yet both modes don't look all that great for all the effort put in. Like there is a big effort put into a screen accurate chest and torso section but the use of fake kibble gives these off putting black lines dead center. Plus you get these odd parts on his side to hide the truck front, which feels like a big sacrifices just to have more screen accurate calves.

It still is so weird that the character which seems to be the most problematic is the one whose character model has a bunch of alt mode showing. There is also little effort is made to diminish the backpack and the feet have no effort in hiding in vehicle mode. And lastly there is both the size and colour which regardless of whatever to wiki bio or movie screenshot you show me, look really off.
He still has a fun transformation and what could be considered a premium style deco but I don't think the result for either mode is good and in a line where its all about getting definitive versions of the characters we see on screen, this might be the biggest fail.






4. Stinger

Of all the deluxes, Stinger is the only one which felt really new, and transformers by him the first time felt like breathing in that fresh country air after before no too long in the city. But as we all know, that country air usually has a hint of manure, and Stinger is far from better my flawless. I love the transformation and that alt mode is sublime, but they could have handled that car kibble better. The car roof hanging off his arm does not look like a gun and it reminds me more of an RID brother or Cybertron Crosswise. Those are of course fun and unique toys with awesomeness me alt modes, and Stinger gets the same accolade as a toy. But as a representation of the on screen model, he falls a bit short. Still, major props for that superb Pagani alt mode!




3. Blackout

I like Blackout more than I think I should. It turns out every issue I thought I would have with him did not turn out to be deal breakers, far from that. However, other issues I would nt have thought of creeped up. Judging from early images of his feet, I thought it would be a simple transformation with little do do, especially with the feet. Boy was I wrong. It turns out that to avoid this toy from being a shell former, lots of panels end up being neatly flipped or turned, hiding them under the feet. It becomes probably my favourite part of the figure. I think both modes look great and while I feared for a small looking bot mode, he still feels massive to me. Especially when transforming him. He does have a few flaws though. While not being the panel nightmare of ROTF Jetfire (or Death Star Vader), there is a definite issue with the panels. I have never been able to connect everything seamlessly. Also, the hand orientation is just odd and gives the impression that they were assembled backwards. But hey, its overall a great looking representation of the first live action Transformer we saw on the big screen.




2. Starscream

Upscaling a toy might be an easy way to put "new" products on the shelves but it can also result in great toys, like Beast Hunters Voyager Predaking. And the result for this voyager Starscream is awesome! Even being familiar with the deluxe mold from Dark of the Moon, the bigger pieces made for a very fresh transforming experience. And it being an upscale did not feel in any way like it had less parts than it should. It felt complex enough for a voyager. I really appreciate the attention to detail like covering parts that used to show hollowness adding parts to beef out the sides, add detail to the sculpt and, best of all, use that now famed Takara MP Beast Wars technology for adding a digital textured deco layer all across the alt mode. Really cool. I am a huge fan of the DOTM leader Starscream and I am not sure if this one beats it (especially when you factor in how much each cost at retail) but it is at least the second best movie Starscream we have ever gotten and easily the best one in this size class.




1. Grimlock

Grimlock ticks a lot of boxes for me and my ideal Transformer. I really like mean and lean Transformers, toys which use the same parts to convey different elements for each of their modes. this always results in a fun transformation (since there is no shell forming bit) and no back packs or extraneous kibble, hampering the look of the toy. It also means alt mode integration is a must and I just love that since to me, that is what Transformers are all about, one mode becoming another (not just a robot hiding in a shell a la Break). And this one does that, in spades. Almost every part of each mode is reused either in bot or dino mode and to great effect. I just love how his robot arm is right there front and center hiding in plain site in dino mode, but I would have never realized that until I transformed him. This is the perfect example of a perfectly efficient design.

The transformation does give some nice callbacks to one of my all time favourite toys, Beast Was Megatron, but builds off of it by giving us some more to do with the legs (both in terms of steps and them having different feet for either mode) and eliminating the shell former aspect. Also it does a cool bit by having the show accurate two full dino heads in robot mode and turning having one melt into the alt mode detail in dino mode. My wife isn't the biggest fan of my hobby or the space it takes, so her to actually be impressed with a toy (she didn't think it transformed) is high praise.

The fact that he is also a transforming Tyranosaurus Rex and has an absolutely gorgeous deco just adds everything one could love about a toy.

The only Studio Series not on the list is Thundercracker. It should have been there even though it's just a repaint. So, allow me to squeeze it onto the list, even if I keep mine sealed. Based on my experience with TLK Nitro and with that rocking deco, SS Thundercracker would have been ranked solidly between Stinger and Blackout, making him #4 out of 9.

Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Thanks for the reviews. I was always shying away from them. Now I have a reason.

Oh, and in BB's review - language!

-Kanrabat- wrote:Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Oddly enough, the only leader ss figure I’ve seen in retail was Grimlock. Still want to see Blackout

AlvinC wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Oddly enough, the only leader ss figure I’ve seen in retail was Grimlock. Still want to see Blackout

In my neck of the woods, all SS leaders were instantly gone. Yes, even at full price.

I dunno. I have issues with some of these reviews. Particularly with Bumblebee. It has that fault with the roof (and I have trouble moving the hood during transformation both ways) but nothing that couldn't be fixed (which I did) and I really love the look of the toy in both modes and it's a lot of fun. Certainly one of my fave Deluxes ever and one I pose a lot on my desk along with the larger TLK figure.

Crowbar's alright but I don't like the robot mode anywhere near as much as Berserker (and again NONE of my Berserker figure came apart, I even tried pulling at those supposed loose panels and they don't come off) who is one of my all time fave Decepticon toys (especially when you use Toyhax stickers to make the rather bland alt-mode much more interesting). Those dreads are really off-putting to someone like me who likes much more tidied and structured parts.

Ratchet I can't decide on. There's aspects of the smaller DotM figure I like more and aspects of this one I prefer too. Paintjob certainly could have been better particularly on the forearms. The deco of Takara's MTB release of the old Deluxe is great and this one should have had the same. If they could merge the two...

Am fine with Stinger. He looks great in both modes and that roof gun thing might not look as good as a proper gun but it still works for me better than most other attempts (That Deluxe Megatron stealth bomber toy where you use two bits from his wings to form his gun is much, much worse in my opinion).

I agree with the Starscream review. It's a fantastic toy and makes previous attempts at the Voyager scale of him quite embarrasing. Not much else to say on it other than looking forward to the RotF redeco. Certainly my fave Starscream toy. The Leader one might be more 'masterpiece'-like (and indeed was reused for such) but this one suits my scale choice more and was a lot easier to find and cheaper too and in a few specific areas of the mold I think the Studio figure is better.

I'm still having a lot of fun with Optimus Prime. Again mainly waiting for Toyhax to produce their sticker sheet which they've hinted is in development and I've enjoyed thinking up ways to make it more accurate with paint and extra parts but yeah overall it's got some flaws but I can't seem to hate it.

I like Grimlock but I find it only works because it's pretty much the same colour all over. Things like the arm hiding would be blatantly visible in more G1-esque character colour layouts (I never liked Beast Wars Megatron so the praise for that figure is lost on me)

Blackout I really haven't had much chance to examine myself. He looks great in photos and videos but haven't seen that one in person yet like I have the others so for all i know he may annoy me in posing or stability or something but I'll comment when I get that one or when my friend does.

Overall, despite some issues, this has been one of my all-time fave Transformers toylines and the one I've been most excited in collecting and giving Hasbro my money in recent times. Not something I thought I'd be feeling in 2018 given how much I've found Combiner Wars, Titans Return and Power of the Primes so massively underwhelming (some good toys but most are absolute junk or yet another use of a mold retooled to infinity) and in some cases just insulting. Anyways yeah Studio's keeping me a Transformers fan at least until it comes to it's own end. Which I'm not sure when will happen whether they stop after all the popular on-screen characters or do all-new movie-style toys like they used to in the first couple of movie toylines (for example the likes of RotF, Bludgeon, Dropkick, Mindwipe etc)

Anyways have a good weekend.

I got Crowbar to complete my Dreads. I got Bumblebee to have the first Camero. Luckily mine is fine. I got Starscream even though I like my leader class one. And I now have Grimlock. If I can find Blackout, I am done. I don't need the rest of this wave.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

AlvinC wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Oddly enough, the only leader ss figure I’ve seen in retail was Grimlock. Still want to see Blackout

In my neck of the woods, all SS leaders were instantly gone. Yes, even at full price.

Transformers rarely go on sale here. That and the limited quantities of figures we get you’d have to buy them before they’re gone. Better to pay full price than overprice

AlvinC wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

AlvinC wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Also, Grimlock when, dear retailers?

Oddly enough, the only leader ss figure I’ve seen in retail was Grimlock. Still want to see Blackout

In my neck of the woods, all SS leaders were instantly gone. Yes, even at full price.

Transformers rarely go on sale here. That and the limited quantities of figures we get you’d have to buy them before they’re gone. Better to pay full price than overprice

There’s always one or two who say “i won’t pay full price. I’ll wait for int be marked down for over half off than maybe get it” and then they complain they nevergot one.

I have stinger, crowbar and Starscream and I really like all of them. I hope crowbar gets retooled as a Dreadbot.

Starscream I love. I think he’s my favorite character and design of the movies and if you’re gonna barrow engineering to make a new toy it’s either the deluxe or leader and ofcourse the deluxe for the sake of size and I adore him. If they make that rumored tattooed version I’ll snag it too.

Pretty much agree. The deluxes were all pretty underwhelming (still picked up Stinger and Crowbar since its the only toys of those characters though, lol), and voyager OP is a big contradiction, a good toy that utterly fails as a likeness to the character in the movies.

The two leaders and voyager Starscream are all top of the heap, easily. Blackout is kind of fiddly with all his panels, so transforming him ain't that fun, but he looks great in both modes. Starscream is the best voyager version of him, and if I didn't already have the HftD leader version I'd snap him right up. And Grimlock is amazing, a huge improvement over the original, looks great in both modes and is fun to transform.

Of the three SS figures I have (Crowbar, Stinger, and Bumblebee) Bee is actually my favorite after some minor adjustments

So I got Stinger today. Really good figure, not flawless but still great.

The Good:
>Amazing proportions, looks lithe and vicious.
>Arm gun is weird but cool, has a sort of abstractness to it I love.
>Headsculpt is wonderful.
>Poses reasonably well.
>Transformation is one of the coolest things I've ever witnessed at a Deluxe size.
>Car mode is gorgeous.

The bad:
>Articulation is limited in places, the lack of a waist swivel and ankle rockers kinda bites (but only a little).
>Could have done with more paint on the face.

The ugly:
>Throwing stars make him awkward to roll in car mode without some fiddling.

Overall, he's absolutely amazing and I'd recommend him to anyone.

I really need to get on the ball. The fact that I have 2 guys and have only actually seen 1 in store is sad, especially as a movie fan. You have a list and I only have 1 on it, and both of mine are incredible

william-james88 wrote:Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are personal opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.


Ranking All Wave 1 Figures From Transformers Studio Series

The Studio Series is a new initiative from Hasbro to give us a Generations Type line for characters from the live action Transformers films. It definitely had more coverage and attention than previous lines, especially with the angle that this would be more collector oriented (similar to Star Wars Black Series or Marvel Legends), along with being sold at a more premium MSRP. So, with wave 1 well in hand and wave 2 most probably dropping next month, I thought it would be a great time to look at what the line provided so far in comparison to what we were hoping for, by ranking every entry from wave 1 available at wide retail. A tiny detour from our usual top 5 lists but hopefully you still enjoy it.

Great list, William. the only one of these I'm interested in getting is Blackout. And yeah, that Bumblebee looks pretty damned dire all-around. Yikes!

I'd love to see more lists like this, not just new lines, but old ones as well. Best 1984 G1 figure, best Beast Wars Transmetals, stuff like that.

Emerje

I've softened up a bit on Bumblebee. It's still annoying how easily his roof pops off, but the figure looks very good and the smaller size looks great on display with other properly scaled figures. It's certainly miles above the original 2007 version of "Beater Bee."

I like Ratchet quite a bit over all previous attempts at him, even the deluxe versions from 2010 and Dark of the Moon. He's just about the right size (though still just a tad small for my tastes). I don't think the Studio Series version is really lacking so much in paint apps either. He's got almost all of the detail he should, honestly. The alt mode looks spot on, the headlights and other small vehicle details are well painted, and he's got gray and black color for robot mode in all the right places. I think the real issue is that Ratchet is just very plain, even on screen, being primarily a very unappealing color (e.g., chartreuse). Backpacks never really upset me all that much on figures either, so the roof cage draped down his back in robot mode is not a big issue to me.

Stinger is my favorite deluxe so far. I kinda like the car hood turned "stinger" in robot mode. It was a creative way to make use of his mass and avoid having a huge backpack or lots of hanging panels. His car mode is excellent, too. Honestly, it totally replaces the deluxe Movie Advanced version from Age of Extinction, being just a red Bumblebee repaint.

I'm with Willy on the Voyager and Leader figures, though. Starscream is wonderful! Blackout is so much better than his Voyager version from 11 years ago. Grimlock is the Leader scale figure we've wanted since Age of Extinction. Optimus is a disappointment as a display figure, though. I do admit that his transformation is very fun. I brought him to work a while back just to have him to fiddle with on my desk.

I think the Studio Series is off to a great start. I'm excited to see what they can do with the likes of Barricade down the line. Until then, bring on Jazz, Lockdown, Megatron, and Brawl!

I liked the top, the new mold of Grimlock is a jewel, I would not be surprised if in the future reuse that mold for an MP Movie.

Primitives RLZ!!

Seems like it's just me, and I don't really want to be a downer on a figure so many people love, but Grimlock isn't reeeally doing it for me? I picked him up a couple hours ago and while he's not bad at all, he doesn't feel like the crowning masterpiece I'd seen him hyped up as.

That doesn't mean there isn't plenty to love! His robot mode, weirdly-angled elbows aside, is absolutely killer! Barely any kibble (and nothing obtrusive), astounding paintwork, and the detail is crisp and beautiful to looks at. (The painting and the sculpting on this figure is awesome!) Of course the double-head is everybody's big thing, and yeah I agree it's cool but I guess I never really minded him having a half-head on each shoulder in previous toys. I am a little bothered by his mace-hand - it reminds me of Animated Leader Bulkhead, and how annoyed I was that he didn't just have two hands - but it's not a deal-breaker.





What is a little more of a deal-breaker to me, sadly, is the dinosaur mode. From certain angles, it looks absolutely incredible, and it's impossible to imagine a transforming Grimlock looking any better! But from other angles... yeesh, his neck is just kind of terrible. Gappy, thin, and yet another Grimlock whose dino arms just look wrong. If I think of him as a skeletal T-Rex instead of a "living" one I can give it a bit of a pass, but what I'd really like to see is a Grimlock where I don't have to justify "giving it a pass".





But of course, he is the best Movie Grimlock we've ever had. I won't deny that. He's fun, he's a joy to look at (in robot mode), oh yeah and he's MASSIVE (he actually almost stacks up to ROTF Leader Prime!!). But out of the two Studio Series toys I now own, I think Starscream is still my favorite by a considerable margin.




Man, I reeeeally don't want to want Blackout now, but I do want him! I don't have the money for this. What to do, what to do...

Qwan - I largely agree with you. Starscream is my favorite SS figure as well. Grimlock is nice but maybe a bit over-hyped.

I'm 1000% on the "Grimlock is over hyped" train. It is by no means a bad figure, but the best in the line? Hell no.

I also don't get the hate for Bumblebee. Maybe I just lucked out and got a good figure. I dunno, but I didn't have the issues so many others seem to have.

My ranking of SS wave 1:

9. Ratchet (I left him in the store)
8. OP
7. BB
6. Stinger
5. Crowbar
4. Thundercracker
3. Starcream
2. Blackout
1. Grimlock

Carnivius_Prime wrote:Ratchet I can't decide on. There's aspects of the smaller DotM figure I like more and aspects of this one I prefer too.

They seem about the same size to me, depending on the pose.



Have you placed them side to side youself?

william-james88 wrote:

Carnivius_Prime wrote:Ratchet I can't decide on. There's aspects of the smaller DotM figure I like more and aspects of this one I prefer too.

They seem about the same size to me, depending on the pose.



Have you placed them side to side youself?

Putting these two side-by-side just emphasizes that Studio Series Ratchet really isn't lacking at all in the paint apps department. He's got just about everything the Dark of the Moon figure has, and more, particularly on the front grill, bumper, and headlights. The newer mold even has some new tricks, like getting the lights up on the shoulders for robot mode. About the only advantage to the DotM figure, really, is the lack of the roof cage "cape."

Wolfman Jake wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Have you placed them side to side youself?

Putting these two side-by-side just emphasizes that Studio Series Ratchet really isn't lacking at all in the paint apps department. He's got just about everything the Dark of the Moon figure has, and more, particularly on the front grill, bumper, and headlights. The newer mold even has some new tricks, like getting the lights up on the shoulders for robot mode. About the only advantage to the DotM figure, really, is the lack of the roof cage "cape."

Not lacking in quantity of paint apps themselves, or even number necessarily. What he lacks is more like what I'd call "color separation" - notice how DOTM Ratchet's forearms and head are broken up with plenty of gunmetal/black, where SS Ratchet just has vast seas of bright green instead. Same with the shoulders, where the white on DOTM breaks up the other colors, but SS just puts red decals right on top of the green and leaves it at that.

I don't remember the movies well enough to tell you which is more accurate color-wise, but in terms of what looks better to my eyes, DOTM Ratchet uses his colors way better to create a much more appealing-looking toy.

Qwan wrote:

Wolfman Jake wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Have you placed them side to side youself?

Putting these two side-by-side just emphasizes that Studio Series Ratchet really isn't lacking at all in the paint apps department. He's got just about everything the Dark of the Moon figure has, and more, particularly on the front grill, bumper, and headlights. The newer mold even has some new tricks, like getting the lights up on the shoulders for robot mode. About the only advantage to the DotM figure, really, is the lack of the roof cage "cape."

Not lacking in quantity of paint apps themselves, or even number necessarily. What he lacks is more like what I'd call "color separation" - notice how DOTM Ratchet's forearms and head are broken up with plenty of gunmetal/black, where SS Ratchet just has vast seas of bright green instead. Same with the shoulders, where the white on DOTM breaks up the other colors, but SS just puts red decals right on top of the green and leaves it at that.

I don't remember the movies well enough to tell you which is more accurate color-wise, but in terms of what looks better to my eyes, DOTM Ratchet uses his colors way better to create a much more appealing-looking toy.

They're both accurate to their respective movies. Ratchet's on-screen deco looked like the Studio Series figure in the first two movies. When Dark of the Moon came around, Ratchet got a deco overhaul with a lot more large swaths of white paint to break up all the chartreuse. I said so above, and I'll say it once more: this is just how Ratchet looks, for better or worse. You can't fault Hasbro and Takara for making a screen accurate toy in a line that's supposed to be all about screen accuracy.

Wolfman Jake wrote:

Qwan wrote:

Wolfman Jake wrote:Putting these two side-by-side just emphasizes that Studio Series Ratchet really isn't lacking at all in the paint apps department. He's got just about everything the Dark of the Moon figure has, and more, particularly on the front grill, bumper, and headlights. The newer mold even has some new tricks, like getting the lights up on the shoulders for robot mode. About the only advantage to the DotM figure, really, is the lack of the roof cage "cape."

Not lacking in quantity of paint apps themselves, or even number necessarily. What he lacks is more like what I'd call "color separation" - notice how DOTM Ratchet's forearms and head are broken up with plenty of gunmetal/black, where SS Ratchet just has vast seas of bright green instead. Same with the shoulders, where the white on DOTM breaks up the other colors, but SS just puts red decals right on top of the green and leaves it at that.

I don't remember the movies well enough to tell you which is more accurate color-wise, but in terms of what looks better to my eyes, DOTM Ratchet uses his colors way better to create a much more appealing-looking toy.

They're both accurate to their respective movies. Ratchet's on-screen deco looked like the Studio Series figure in the first two movies. When Dark of the Moon came around, Ratchet got a deco overhaul with a lot more large swaths of white paint to break up all the chartreuse. I said so above, and I'll say it once more: this is just how Ratchet looks, for better or worse. You can't fault Hasbro and Takara for making a screen accurate toy in a line that's supposed to be all about screen accuracy.

Ah, if that's how he actually does look then fair enough! Can't fault them for trying to be screen-accurate. In that case, I guess I just vastly prefer Ratchet's DOTM look over his original one - thanks for clearing that up for everyone too lazy to check (read: me).

Speaking of Ratchet his leg popped off today. I popped it back on with no issue. Balmatrix said his hips were loose on his copy of the figure. I am wondering if that is because it is kinda a pita to fold his legs into the back of the patient compartment due to it being square. If I were Hasbro I would design them to pop off rather than have the hip joint snap under stress.

It does also make me wonder if the older DOTM/Movie Ratchets were not designed with looser parts as a lot of the ones I saw on eBay have a lot of missing parts. (I would guess that if a part could be popped back on the owner would have done so before selling). Might be chasing rabbits here but can anyone verify?


Its about at the 34s mark that he notes the loose hips. Ratchet is a grumpy ol bot so be careful with his joints haha.

Thanks to a tip from regular news source Scottimus Prime Toy Hunter, we have what seems to be confirmation of a second run for the Transformers Studio Series Bumblebee deluxe figure, fixing some of the quality concerns that affected the figure in the first place: loose joints, loose window attachment, loose feet, among others. The second run code appears to be 80201 - so do check your figure to see if there is a difference, and if this later code batch has indeed fixed all the issues!

the studio series bee does have second running of it check the code on the back, mines 80201 check yours from the first run.

I just got him from target and he’s got no qc issues: tight joints in feet and window does not pop off every moment and tight hips so please check this out among others issues with the first run I may have a second run

Another really nice list, William-James. Think I agree with almost everything in terms of pros and cons, just to varying degrees. Some things bother me more. Some things less. I think that me liking Prime as much as I do, really makes me the odd one out. After fixing Bee’s backpack, I’ve started to come around on the figure. He’s better than I first thought, but overall he’s still not great. Blackout continues to be, far and away, my personal favorite. I’m sincerely hoping we get a Grindor. I want more helicopters.

I’m curious to see what your top list will look like when the whole SS line is all wrapped up.

Am I the only one who had a Starscream with a floppy crotch?
Anyway, after a couple of Pledge Floor Finish everywhere it's not tight, but it's not floppy anymore.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Am I the only one who had a Starscream with a floppy crotch?
Anyway, after a couple of Pledge Floor Finish everywhere it's not tight, but it's not floppy anymore.

My Starscream was more than fine - it's (theoretically) got soft-snapping points because of the hinge's non-rounded shape, so it's not going anywhere on my copy. Glad to hear yours was mostly fixable at least!

Mine's left shoulder doesn't quite line up, though. That perpendicular panel on the wing that's supposed to sit right under the shoulder-block (does that make sense?) doesn't do it on that side, and instead sits behind that part and pushes it forward a bit. Totally unnoticeable unless I think about it or look at him from the top in robot mode, luckily.

william-james88 wrote:

Carnivius_Prime wrote:Ratchet I can't decide on. There's aspects of the smaller DotM figure I like more and aspects of this one I prefer too.

They seem about the same size to me, depending on the pose.



Have you placed them side to side youself?

Well yeah, it was one of the first things I did when I got SS Ratchet and so just took another photo now. The DOTM mold can't stand it's legs up totally straight in the hips or the knees either.



Hm didn't realise on the SS figure there are actual tabs in the shoulders to fix the wheel panel things in securely in robot mode. I thought they just folded in and that was that like on the old figure. Anyways I wanna do some painting on this figure. Nothing much, just add some to the head, foreharms and knees and inner thighs and such.


EDIT:

did some rough painting. Will clean it up later. Way overdid the silver on the..whatever you call the bit on the front of the vehicle hood. Will scrub that and redo that properly with drybrushing.

What has the world come too? Now all of a sudden everybody cares about Bumblebee. Dude even took pics from Chipotle lol. Isnt the same character we all crucified michael bay and hasbro for the last 10 years?

Rated X wrote:What has the world come too? Now all of a sudden everybody cares about Bumblebee lol. Dude even took pics from Chipotle lol. Isnt the same character we all crucified michael bay and hasbro for the last 10 years?

Um. No. I've always loved movie Bumblebee. Sure there's maybe too much merchandise of him but that ain't his fault.

Qwan wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Am I the only one who had a Starscream with a floppy crotch?
Anyway, after a couple of Pledge Floor Finish everywhere it's not tight, but it's not floppy anymore.

My Starscream was more than fine - it's (theoretically) got soft-snapping points because of the hinge's non-rounded shape, so it's not going anywhere on my copy. Glad to hear yours was mostly fixable at least!

Mine's left shoulder doesn't quite line up, though. That perpendicular panel on the wing that's supposed to sit right under the shoulder-block (does that make sense?) doesn't do it on that side, and instead sits behind that part and pushes it forward a bit. Totally unnoticeable unless I think about it or look at him from the top in robot mode, luckily.

My starscream has the same issue but its not that bad. He is easily my favorite starscream, movie or otherwise.

beastwarsbrah wrote:

Qwan wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Am I the only one who had a Starscream with a floppy crotch?
Anyway, after a couple of Pledge Floor Finish everywhere it's not tight, but it's not floppy anymore.

My Starscream was more than fine - it's (theoretically) got soft-snapping points because of the hinge's non-rounded shape, so it's not going anywhere on my copy. Glad to hear yours was mostly fixable at least!

Mine's left shoulder doesn't quite line up, though. That perpendicular panel on the wing that's supposed to sit right under the shoulder-block (does that make sense?) doesn't do it on that side, and instead sits behind that part and pushes it forward a bit. Totally unnoticeable unless I think about it or look at him from the top in robot mode, luckily.

My starscream has the same issue but its not that bad. He is easily my favorite starscream, movie or otherwise.

Mine is slightly loose in that area but only notice it when transforming. It stays in place in both modes just fine.

Carnivus, quick question, do you just paint straight onto the figure or do you prime it first?

ZeroWolf wrote:Carnivus, quick question, do you just paint straight onto the figure or do you prime it first?

test ones like these i just paint straight on and if i wanna do a better job later when i can afford better equipment and paints i scrub/wash it off and start over with priming and such. Most of the time i just do them to help give folks better ideas of how the figures could look. These are just for my personal collection anyways, no way will i ever be good enough to be a pro customiser and sell them like some of the great customisers. My various health issues just don't allow it (for example the anxiety making my wrists shake). Is just me tweaking lil bits of the figures so I'm happier with my purchase.

Bucky wrote:Another really nice list, William-James. Think I agree with almost everything in terms of pros and cons, just to varying degrees. Some things bother me more. Some things less. I think that me liking Prime as much as I do, really makes me the odd one out. After fixing Bee’s backpack, I’ve started to come around on the figure. He’s better than I first thought, but overall he’s still not great. Blackout continues to be, far and away, my personal favorite. I’m sincerely hoping we get a Grindor. I want more helicopters.

I’m curious to see what your top list will look like when the whole SS line is all wrapped up.

Thanks a bunch Bucky! And yeah, hopefully the Studio Series line lasts long enough that a top 5 would look different from this ranking.

Cheers!

Also, to Emerje, I do plan on making more line specific lists. So far, I think all I did was the best Prime, Combienr Wars and Animated toys. RID 2015 is next for line specific lists, then Cybertron.

Carnivius_Prime wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Carnivus, quick question, do you just paint straight onto the figure or do you prime it first?

test ones like these i just paint straight on and if i wanna do a better job later when i can afford better equipment and paints i scrub/wash it off and start over with priming and such. Most of the time i just do them to help give folks better ideas of how the figures could look. These are just for my personal collection anyways, no way will i ever be good enough to be a pro customiser and sell them like some of the great customisers. My various health issues just don't allow it (for example the anxiety making my wrists shake). Is just me tweaking lil bits of the figures so I'm happier with my purchase.

Thanks for the help