KO Classics / Henkei Sunstorm released!

Umm yeah, as an avid Sunstorm fan I gotta pass on this. Unfortunate indeed. All the things that make him Sunstorm were ignored. I know the silver replaces that white. I question why not a silver nosecone? I await the KO revision or better yet a Hasbro RTS release - after all the mold originated with the rubsign, I'd like to see it come full circle.

Edited for bad idea...

The guy wants $28 + $10 for shipping. If I'm not mistaken that's more than an actual figure w/out shipping costs. I would pay that for an actual classics Sunstorm but not a KO.

On the other hand, he looks really good for a KO. The silver doesn't turn me off to it, but it should be white.

It looks decent but, personally, I would rather wait for them to release an official version. Also, I passed on Acid Storm because of the weird camouflage look, but if Sunstorm was released officially and had a simillar colour pattern to this I think it would be quite the success.

There go our chances at getting a real Classics Sunstorm.

Oh well.

I recently started liking the way the Henkei seekers were styled with the particular color layout, and while I can appreciate the same with this KO... eh, the choice of colors that were mixed here just seem kinda off. The yellow is too mellow(rhyme intended), the silver is kinda overbearing, and the gold is completely washed out against it. Also, the nosecone looks like it's been someone's chew toy.

I'd say pass as well, but damn if my seeker mentality will let me sleep at night if I do

I might have considered this if most of the silver was orange instead.

am i the only one who noticed the lack of launchers, or am i missing out something here? Also, i agree that the silver should have been of white.

I'm very sorely tempted by this, but the dodgy choice of colours just doesn't warrent the purchase of a knock-off. Plus those yellow highlights on the silver look really bad.

Come on Hasbro, Takara. Hook the fans up.

Sodan-1 wrote:I'm very sorely tempted by this, but the dodgy choice of colours just doesn't warrent the purchase of a knock-off. Plus those yellow highlights on the silver look really bad.

Come on Hasbro, Takara. Hook the fans up.

Same here.......

I've been wanting Classics Sunstorm forever, but I am not buying a KO. Hasbro/Takara needs to make one and not let these rip-offs make a profit.

headsortails wrote:

Sodan-1 wrote:I'm very sorely tempted by this, but the dodgy choice of colours just doesn't warrent the purchase of a knock-off. Plus those yellow highlights on the silver look really bad.

Come on Hasbro, Takara. Hook the fans up.

Same here.......

Agreed.

When I first read the title I really went "Finally!" Then the pictures loaded and, well, ugh... Looks like a watered down glass of OJ or something.

"YOU! This is all your doing! Despite my offer of redemption, you where unable to resist temptation, sacrificing me for the slightest taste of power!"

Sunstorm DW G1 #6

So yeah that's about how i feel. My first attempt at my own generations Sunstorm was more likeable. Perhaps i should just purchase another Mp Skywarp and comission a repaint.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It's too bad it's not perfect, but I'm now fairly uncertain that Hasbero will ever make a Sunstorm. Thundercracker seems much more likely. So this is good enough for me.

I'd like to give Hasbro my money and buy official ... I really would ... but it's just not in the cards.

Let me break the chain of negativity here. All yall (including myself) have been begging for a classics Sunstorm for years, and when sombody finally answers your call, you diss him ???

OK I admit the silver instead of white looks crappy, but so did Hasbro's camoflauge Acid Storm and yall bought it. (I did too) And our beloved "Henkei" that everybody sticks up for didnt bother to retool Acid Storm G1 style.

Am I the only one that feels 40 bucks wont make or break me ??? This may be our only chance to get a classics Sunstorm. I say get em while theyre hot !!!

Rated X wrote:OK I admit the silver instead of white looks crappy, but so did Hasbro's camoflauge Acid Storm and yall bought it. (I did too)

You miss the part where I said I didnt buy Acid Storm due to his ganked up camouflage look?

I do like that they've made the guy, but he's very odd. It's obvious that they know who Sunstorm is. And yet they got the colors wrong. Not just the silver, but the yellow too. I'd be similarily disappointed in Hasbro.

However, Suntorm was one of my favorite characters in DW's G1 series. And I'm loving to put a classics style version of him into my collection.

I guess I like my own version of Sunstorm better.
Even if it's not as flawless painted as this one, but I like mine use of colours better than that one,
considering though it was my first repaint ever.
And a lot cheaper, that's for sure.

just came on to check up on news and didn't know anything about this KO at all, clicked on the topic drooled over the pictures and almost wet myself.....within 30mins of reading this topic I went straight to the website and brought one. doesn't bothers me one bit its a "KO" as I've waited for the classic seekers mold to be done in these colours for years now and lets face it, hasbro are never gonna release him. the silver to me actaully looks really nice and the price is pretty cheap. I paid easy £40-50 for each henkei skywarp, thundercracker, thrust and dirge even henkei starscream was about £30 so this mold has always been around that kinda price to me. Can't wait for him to turn up within the next few weeks :D:D:D:D:D

Horrible horrible paint job.

He's supposed to be orange and white not mustard and grey.

I hope this lets HasTak know that we all want this figure (an official version anyway) along with a better painted Acid Storm unlike the stinker that Hasbro released a couple of years back.

Skyfire-5 wrote:Umm yeah, as an avid Sunstorm fan I gotta pass on this. Unfortunate indeed. All the things that make him Sunstorm were ignored. I know the silver replaces that white. I question why not a silver nosecone? I await the KO revision or better yet a Hasbro RTS release - after all the mold originated with the rubsign, I'd like to see it come full circle.

Edited for bad idea...

If your edit was along the lines of you suck for trying to sell this to us you bad news idiot.
Don't worry you could have left it, as I hate this toy too.

I would also say that, well if you want a Classics style Sunstorm, wait a little longer. Hasbro has proven to us that the mold still exists, they'll want to release the core characters first and then they'll tackle the rain-makers including Sunstorm eventually. It might not be better quality but at least it'll be a 3rd of what this thing is.

According to the KOToys message board "you will get a "ehobby" colored matched version", so those of you who fret this will ruin your chance at an "accurate" colored Sunstorm, don't worry.

JaZzTaStIc wrote:just came on to check up on news and didn't know anything about this KO at all, clicked on the topic drooled over the pictures and almost wet myself.....within 30mins of reading this topic I went straight to the website and brought one. doesn't bothers me one bit its a "KO" as I've waited for the classic seekers mold to be done in these colours for years now and lets face it, hasbro are never gonna release him. the silver to me actaully looks really nice and the price is pretty cheap. I paid easy £40-50 for each henkei skywarp, thundercracker, thrust and dirge even henkei starscream was about £30 so this mold has always been around that kinda price to me. Can't wait for him to turn up within the next few weeks :D:D:D:D:D

Watch Haasbro release a more accurately coloured one next year.

Dead Metal wrote:

Skyfire-5 wrote:Edited for bad idea...

If your edit was along the lines of you suck for trying to sell this to us you bad news idiot.

Okay, why not... I don't know if you remember it or not, but there was a GI Joe Line by the name of Sigma 6. The latter part of that 8" figure line included the figure "Dark Ninja Master." White paint on translucent red plastic. The effect was masterful to say the least. As far as Hasbro releases of translucent figures, there was one instance - the Target excl. Animated Stealth Lockdown. But paint on translucent transformer is just a bad mix in theory - especially on a friction riddled mold like classics seeker. I had this in mind initially:

...but then I thought, if Hasbro recons were reading these threads, I'd just want the simple idw/dreamwave comic direct homage with a nice rubsign (as a true Sunstorm would have a hidden allegiance & fit right into the whole reveal the shield concept - conveniently as it would be). And why not throw a monkey wrench in the whole continuity of the character and have him reveal a Unicron insignia .

Preemptive "No, you're a seeker dork..."

...and the gold chrome version.

Skyfire-5 wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:

Skyfire-5 wrote:Edited for bad idea...

If your edit was along the lines of you suck for trying to sell this to us you bad news idiot.

Okay, why not... I don't know if you remember it or not, but there was a GI Joe Line by the name of Sigma 6. The latter part of that 8" figure line included the figure "Dark Ninja Master." White paint on translucent red plastic. The effect was masterful to say the least. As far as Hasbro releases of translucent figures, there was one instance - the Target excl. Animated Stealth Lockdown. But paint on translucent transformer is just a bad mix in theory - especially on a friction riddled mold like classics seeker. I had this in mind initially:

...but then I thought, if Hasbro recons were reading these threads, I'd just want the simple idw/dreamwave comic direct homage with a nice rubsign (as a true Sunstorm would have a hidden allegiance & fit right into the whole reveal the shield concept - conveniently as it would be). And why not throw a monkey wrench in the whole continuity of the character and have him reveal a Unicron insignia .

Preemptive "No, you're a seeker dork..."

Sorry for taking sooooooo long to answer.

Yea that sounds incredibly cool and yes paint on clear toys isn't that cool, especially hasbro paint on Transformers.
That does make me want to see what it would look like if someone took one of those clear KOLD seekers and painted the inside of the toy with the needed colours, maybe that would create a pulsating energy induced glowing effect without paint scratches?

Scaleface wrote:...and the gold chrome version.

And now I kind of want it, because it's just so damn gaudy!

I've personally have already ordered this from KOTOYS.com. I don't understand the color debate. I don't like the original orange and white scheme. Makes him look like a race car from the seventies. If you're gonna have the word "sun" in your name you should be yellow and white does not go with yellow - silver or black does.

SentinelA wrote:I've personally have already ordered this from KOTOYS.com. I don't understand the color debate. I don't like the original orange and white scheme. Makes him look like a race car from the seventies. If you're gonna have the word "sun" in your name you should be yellow and white does not go with yellow - silver or black does.

What's not to understand? It's not colored like Sunstorm ... and when it coems to Seekers the colors are the key. So those of us waiting for this are kind of disappointed.

As you can see from the in-package photo, this Sunstorm comes from the CHMS mold. The packaging is clearly taking a page from the Takara Henkei line. If there actually had been a legitimate Takara Sunstorm made, the packaging would give away the KO status of the toy. CHMS is clearly marked on the top right of the card and on the left of the blister over the "Transformers" logo. Also, the card-art is blurred and a bit smaller than the real deal would be. Packaging tends to be a little neater than the other Seeker KOs in circulation right now. The toy comes bundled with launchers and a ziplock baggie with instruction sheet and character collector's card. There are only two twisted ties around the body of the airplane. (The other mold also has ties around the wing tips.)



Here we see Sunstorm in his F-15 jet mode. Unlike many of the KO seekers out there today, Sunstorm fits together quite well in jet mode. The piece directly behind the cockpit is a little bit difficult to fit in, but it does snap together (and quite tightly, at that.) The wings all sit securely. The blasters peg in under the wing, though the pegs are almost too big for the wing mounts. Extreme caution should be used to avoid stress marks.

Now, the question that's on everybody's minds... Just how yellow and/or orange is this guy? Judge for yourself.



As you can see here, Sunstorm falls somewhere in the middle of Classics Bumblebee and Solar Storm Grapple. My wife's immediate response when I asked her the color was "mustard yellow." I think most fans were looking for something closer to e-Hobby colors, but I have to say, in person, Sunstorm really does look good. Given that there is a recolor that matches the e-Hobby version more closely in the works for later, some fans may choose instead to make Sunstorm their yellow rainmaker. Witness:



Now...on to the quality of the figure.

Joints on this one are EXTREMELY tight. In fact, in some places, they're almost too tight. The feet are one problem area, as they are a pain to fold down. The chest area is a bit difficult to open and then put back together. The nosecone is very stiff. Don't get me wrong, it can be done, but this figure is built tight! At some points, I became worried about putting stress marks on the joints and at times outright breaking it. To my great relief, nothing broke, so I have a solid figure.

Perhaps the best news is that the launchers peg into the arms VERY tightly. There is no slippage, and they do not fall out on their own. Poseability is the same as any Hasbro/Takara version of this toy. Paint apps are well done. Overall, the figure is very solid, with only the few negatives that I've mentioned above. I would, however, recommend that you leave this toy in one mode, as I am not confident that it can hold up to massively repeated transformations. This is a display piece and for collector's only, and should not be given to kids who are going to want to play with it aggressively.



KOToys has this in stock and is shipping it out now.

I will have more outdoor and natural light photos tomorrow!

Thanks for the review and nice pictures, I see you have him pictured/displayed with his legs straight and I'm wondering, how are the knee joints? I have KO TC and SW Version 1 and my main complain from that mold is how floppy the knees are.

Macross wrote:Thanks for the review and nice pictures, I see you have him pictured/displayed with his legs straight and I'm wondering, how are the knee joints? I have KO TC and SW Version 1 and my main complain from that mold is how floppy the knees are.

Not floppy AT ALL. This is the CHMS version. The joints are very very tight.

That actually looks pretty nice and I may have to pick one up. I would have preferred white paint rather than silver, but I can always take care of that myself.