The Energon Pub

News Credits: 5 · by **Maz** » Tue Nov 25, 2014 6:55 pm

Part 1 - OTS02 Brawny

Transformers are popular, minibots are popular, Masterpiece is popular. Takara Tomy have just put the elements of that formula together and created Masterpiece Bumblebee, but not before a bunch of 3rd party companies had a stab at it first. One of those companies was Cubex, their interpretation of Masterpiece Huffer, called “Old Timer Series 01 Huff”. I felt Huff was Masterpiece worthy in design but not execution, and honestly had it not flaked I would still have it because it hit all the right aesthetic notes. Cubex have re-branded themselves as BadCube and continued the Old Timer Series of MP-style minibots, starting with OTS-02 Brawny and OTS-03 Backland, Not-Brawn and Not-Outback respectively.

BadCube, Good Toys? (Part 1 – Brawny) | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

All the best
Maz

News Credits: 127 · by **Counterpunch** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 12:01 pm

Not to be critical, but are you now reviewing 3rd party product for TFSource?

News Credits: 5 · by **Maz** » Wed Nov 26, 2014 4:43 pm

Counterpunch wrote:Not to be critical, but are you now reviewing 3rd party product for TFSource?

Not directly. I still choose my own topic from week to week, I am never asked by TFSource to feature something specifically or drop a topic. One week I'll do something about my own collecting, maybe something about vintage, Animated, reissues, opinion pieces with contributions from friends and other collectors, interviews or a review of something I've just bought.

My reviews of 3rd party stuff that have started to appear more frequently are more a result of arrangements I've made with the companies themselves and all are additions to my own collection. It's just one more topic I can now write about for the Source Blog. I do pictorial reviews for my own blog of the same items when i feel like it as well. TFSource don't send me review samples.

All the best
Maz

News Credits: 5 · by **Maz** » Tue Dec 02, 2014 6:04 pm

Part 2 - OTS-03 Backland

Last week we got halfway to proving that BadCube make good toys with a favourable review of Old Timer Series 02 “Brawny”. This week we examine Brawny’s co-release, OTS-03 “Backland”, the third in BadCube/Cubex’s take on the Generation 1 minibots. Backland is of course supposed to be the series 3 minibot Outback – who was a remould of the G1 Brawn. It’s no coincidence that these two were released together, and while it’s no surprise that Brawny has proved the more popular of the two, there’s an emerging school of thought that Backland may actually be the better figure.

BadCube, Good Toys? (Part 2 – Backland) | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

All the best
Maz