by Sowndwave76 » Wed May 07, 2025 9:24 pm
- Motto: "They wanna play my emotions, but I'm like the ocean-- too calm to get upset by somebody's notion."
- Weapon: Concussion Blaster Gun
I think this is the best thread for this post about the Triple Takeover set...
My copy just arrived today and was going to share some initial thoughts, although I've only removed Astrotrain from the packaging since this is the first mainline figure I've had of this character since Classics and Henkei.
First, this may be an unpopular opinion, but the artwork on the large sleeve that covers the main box is oddly bad... While I appreciate that the illustration does represent the figures well and doesn't exaggerate anything, stylistically I just think it all looks derpy. Especially the Megatron in the lower right corner... Anyway.
Next, I'll also mention that I am a big fan of the Legacy Blitzwing mold. Sure the jet mode isn't great. But the bot mode is incredibly good, and I love the toon accurate tank.
The improved appearances of these figures just simply due to the colors is immediately noticeable.
Now, having Astrotrain out of the package, I still don't like the Siege greebling... And this figure may have it the worst of any I've seen; while the lower legs are pretty plan, it seems almost everywhere else-- the thighs, the hip skirts, the whole torso, the forearms, the shoulders... Hell, even the parts that connect the forearms to the upper arms... Just so many damn unnecessary lines and shapes...
And yet, despite some of this molded mess, the lighter gray still has me liking this figure.
In-hand this feels great. The outward movement of the right hip is slightly looser than I'd like, but it's still good. Everything else joint-wise is solid. I can objectively say the left knee joint is overly tight. But as always, I'll take that over being loose. Also worth noting, again, since I never had the Siege version; Astrotrain's proportions are really good... The shoulders aren't overly wide, and neither set of his limbs are too long or short. I also remember his wings being pretty wide in bot mode in the show, and that also seems pretty spot-on.
I have similar feelings about this version of Starscream. Again, even though he's not out of the packaging yet, just the appearance alone is an upgrade. ALL of the colors are better imo, even the main gray color is more neutral and less warm, yellow-ish gray. Also, now having seen this version next to my ER figure, the light blue is actually just light blue the way it should be and not a light blue-green... Although I'll probably sell it, even the coronation gear looks good.
Then my favorite of the three in almost every way-- Blitzy's show-accurate deco and colors are so, so good. I really don't think this can be overstated. Even though he'll be small compared to the new Megatron, this is truly the definitive Blitzwing for me. The variation of red-violet is beautiful. The more neutral tan, the additional gray areas... It's really pretty perfect in the looks department.
One critique I have with both Blitzy and Astrotrain-- I don't like faces with metallic paint. Starscream looks so much better with just the glossy gray... I think I'd only like a metallic face on a figure that had all colors done in metallic... Although I'm not positive I'd even like it then.
Overall, I'm very happy with this purchase, and honestly, Blitzwing and Astrotrain alone have me happy with this set. Do I love that the price ended up being $130? No, of course not... This probably should be $100. But it's going to really help once I sell My ER Starscream, Legacy Bltizwing, and probably the coronation gear.
IF SS86 Astrotrain is this exact same mold with cleaned-up, non-greebled parts, I'll get it.
However, I think that's unlikely. A new mold even more unlikely. With the state of things in general, I think it's going to be this same mold with a slightly different deco. I think the only new mold next year for any previously released characters (minus Windcharger of course) will be Soundwave.
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