Super as in size, not quality. (Sorry folks, it's 5:01 AM and this is about the only time I've had in the past 24 hours to do anything on here.)
I had quite a hectic week and a half here...
I got:
Arcee
Dreadwing
Dropkick
Longarm
and with them...I'm caught up, pretty much all at once, so I'm gonna give a quick review (rather than in depth, given the time) and hopefully give you an idea of what to expect or whether or not you'd even be interested in these figures.
So...without further ado...
Arcee
Vehicle mode: A sleek black and purple (ugly purple mind you) motorcycle with excellent detailing. She even has a Massachusetts license plate! (TF 7407 to be exact)
Robot mode: Captured the female form perfectly...from the waist down. From the waist up, however, is a different story. I mean, when's the last time you saw a woman with half of a wheel hanging over each breast? Not to mention the lopsided head. (At first glance.) Kinda wonky robot mode, but...passable. (C- passable, mind you.)
Automorph: Near as I can tell...it's her weapon. You insert the missile, and the gun turns into a crossbow automatically. Other than that...I fail to see the Automorph. Anyone?
Pros:
Nice vehicle mode (to look at.)
Considering her construction, her posability isn't too bad. (Could be better though.)
Weapon has a nice look to it, fits on her arm quite nice, without any problems.
Cons:
The vehicle mode doesn't want to stay together. (One bump to the gas tank and her connections all want to pop loose. The leg assembly/engine section snaps onto two pegs, one on each side of the vehicle mode. Problem is, it's just like Deluxe Class Brawl...goes in, doesn't lock. That's where her missile (yes, you read right) comes in! It pegs onto the side of the bike to form the tailpipe (and considering what it's intended for, it at least looks the part quite convincingly.) Without that pipe, she'd pop loose all over the place. The tailpipe is literally what holds her together all the way around. You drop the legs, the rest of it wants to come loose as well.
The head is weirdly designed and she's got a face that only a mother could love (but even then, with alcohol involved...that's pushing it.) I will give Hasbro credit though...the little "bump" on the right side of her head is intended to recreate a hairstyle that a woman would wear (you can tell once you have her in person.)
The articulation (while good, all things considered) in her arms is hindered by her wheel assembly and how it sits over her shoulders like a body armor bra of doom. Once you figure it out, eh...she's passable.
The transformation is basically a glorified growth spurt of Energon Arcee's. You pull the legs forward, send the windshield/front wheel back behind her, pull the seat/arms apart and swing them down to the sides. Difference is, instead of the wheels hanging behind her like on the Energon model, these swing forward and over her chest. Considering she's a brand new mold, a new transformation wouldn't hurt.
I recommend her for:
Completists
Arcee fans (they'll love her)
Those of you willing to try something different, but not entirely perfect.
I give her a solid
Dreadwing
Vehicle mode: From a top down view, it gets the job done. From the bottom or sides...no. It looks like there's a round cylindrical bomb attached to his underside...that does nothing. Kinda kills the authenticity, ya know? Not to mention the glaring Decepticon symbols on his tail fins.
Robot mode: He's not as bad as he looks in the numerous galleries. He's not as good as he could be either. His head transforms very much like that of the G1 seekers ('Cracker, 'Scream and 'Warp) and the giant lens gives him a creepy War Of The Worlds invader look. (and it actually fits him okay.) His arms are the worst part of the robot mode. Next to no articulation from the elbows down, whatsoever. His waist and legs are dinky considering his torso is quite large.
Automorph: Pull his wings and fuselage in separate directions and his chest springs out, and so do the fins on the side of his head.
Pros: Holds together quite nicely in both robot and vehicle modes. He can take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.
His robot look (keyword: look) isn't too bad, all things considered. I expected worse and he surprised me.
He actually has claws for hands. (They don't do anything, but it's better than stumpy ol' Armada Thrust. (oooh Booo-uuurns...)
His weapon is painfully simplistic, but it gets the job done. (can't complain there.)
Cons: His arms from the elbow down...are just awful. AWFUL. There's no articulation (and even if there was... his construction would hinder it all around. =\)
His vehicle mode goes only so far and then out of nowhere *BAM*...there's a stupid to go along with the cool. The topside looks pretty much topnotch. The bottom looks like he's carrying a telescope of doom (imo) and with no landing gear...he's just...eh.
I recommend him to:
Completists
Drone fans (he does look nice, along side them)
Kids (they'll love his googly look, and his projectiles actually do what they're supposed to.)
I give him an iffy
Dropkick
Vehicle mode: Quite detailed, nicely colored Chevy lowrider pickup truck, and his tailgate actually works. Not to mention his bed cover comes off!
Has a massive Decepticon symbol slapped on him (and he wears it well!)
Robot mode: Also quite detailed, colors work nicely here as well, and he's got an actual face, not just a camera like the other Decepticon drones. Fitting really. He's the best of the Decepticon drones, so he should have the best face. (The only one too!) A nice amount of articulation, and even with Starscream-esque raptor legs...he pulls it off.
Automorph: Pull up sides of hood, doors swing up like the gullwing doors on the Delorean.
Pros: Excellent vehicle and good robot modes.
The aforementioned articulation.
The Automorph works efficiently and without a hitch. (can't complain.)
Cons: His weapon is ridiculous. A giant claw? Come on! "I peench. HARD." Oooh...what an imposing fellow. (leave off the claw, and he'll kick your brains out with his coolness.)
His arms don't lock in place, just like Deluxe Class Brawl. (*sighs* seems to be a trend here...) However, with his construction and back kibble in place, his arms stay together pretty good. They won't pop out of the way like Brawl's do.
His back kibble/truck bed is easily strainable, perhaps to the point of breakage. The hinge has stop points on it so you can pose him however you want, but due to the construction, you have to grab it where you can, thus leading to stress. I've got a white stress mark on mine right now. I ended up filing down the hinge so it's smooth. Once that's done, no worries about stressing the plastic. Shouldn't have to though. =\
I highly recommend him to:
Completists
Fans
Drone fans
TransFans in general
....he really is that cool of a figure.
I give him a solid
(the claw sucks that much)
Longarm
Vehicle mode: Nicely detailed tow truck, with Autobot insignias on both sides, and the name Orson's Towing. (A nod to Orson/Aaron Archer who posted under that moniker on TF2005 and actually took time to talk with the fans.) His tow arm actually works! You can hook a fellow TF's bumper on there and he can pull them.
Robot mode: Fantastic. His arms are nice and big, giving him that bruiser look. His head doesn't seem like an Autobot, but he clearly is one. One who will knock your teeth out, and then haul you off. His big ol' weapon 'o doom is quite impressive, and it's transformation is rather neat. Considering his weapon is permanently affixed to his right hand, and he has no waist to speak of...his articulation is quite good. The feet could use some work though.
Automorph: Pull his hood and the legs will automatically extend, along with his feet. (some user interaction beyond that is required though.)
Pros: A functional vehicle mode. It does what it emulates. (How frickin' cool is that?!)
Nicely detailed in both forms, right down to the "steel" plates on his bed.
Quite nice articulation, considering his weapon situation, and that he basically has no waist.
Overall look is just wow.
Cons: Gun permanently affixed to right hand. (It's only held in by a screw and can be removed, thus I didn't see it as a negative, but many others might, so I went ahead and placed it in the cons catagory. You may see differently.)
Putting his legs back into vehicle mode is absolutely frustrating. His heels have to be inside first, his thighs have to start collapsing before the nose of the vehicle will start to form, his feet are his hood, and they have a catch that sits underneath the windshield, making for a difficult transformation. It all basically folds one piece on top of another, and you have to make sure everything's in it's right spot, because one thing out of place will make you have to start from scratch again. Argh!
His feet are two thin panels of plastic and they're hard to work with in certain poses. Fortunately, he's built like a rock, so eventhough the feet are thin plastic, they're solid and no breakage imminent.
I highly recommend him to:
Completists
TransFans in general
Drone Fans
Kids (they love trucks, and robots, and robot trucks that could pummel a building. lol)
I give him a solid
(the leg transformation sucks that much)
NOTE: Realize that I am not a perfect Christian, nor do I profess to be. I apologize if anyone's ever offended by me, I'm not perfect. Don't hold my posts and opinions against other Christians.
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