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RID 2015 Figure Review thread

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 5:15 pm
by Shockwave
I don't see a separate thread for this so here it is.

Warrior Class Strongarm: Got this at Target last week. Apparently the regular deluxes for this line are called "Warrior class". The new naming on this line kind of threw me off and made it a little difficult to figure out what, if anything I wanted. The one step changers don't really interest me and I figured there were probably regular deluxe size figures but I didn't actually see them listed as such. Anyway, seeing them on the shelf actually helped with that. So I got Strongarm. This one appeals to me for a couple of reasons, 1: I figure this is the closest I'll ever get to getting a Diaclone colored Bluestreak. Also, she's a new character and a new female character to boot. Bot mode design is interesting. It evokes the classic Autobot car design without slavishly adhering to that transformation. The car hood actually becomes her arms and the rest hangs off her back the back end flips around to become her legs. She's got good articulation and can take a fair amount of poses. She passed the "Mortal Kombat" test (where I pose the figure in a fighting stance from MK). I particularly like the head sculpt which really does look like a female Diaclone Bluestreak. And I also like the color scheme too. Paint is pretty decent on mine and apparently the faction logos are stickers designed to unlock the characters in some sort of smart phone/ipad game. Might be interesting to see that in action.

Vehicle mode is some sort of police... jeepish thing. Having seen some of the cartoon it appears this was done so that she can speed through human traffic without arousing suspicion. Alt mode is pretty solid, everything locks down and stays where it's supposed to be and nothing scrapes the ground.

Overall I would highly recommend Strongarm. If you're looking for a good toy from the new series, this is it. Solid, decently painted and posable bot mode with lots of detail and an equally solid altmode, what more could you ask for? Yeah, I know what some of you might say: Wrists and ankles. Ordinarily I'd be right there with you but on this figure for some reason I don't miss them.

Re: RID 2015 Figure Review thread

Posted: Mon Jan 12, 2015 11:04 pm
by BWprowl
Shockwave wrote:I figure this is the closest I'll ever get to getting a Diaclone colored Bluestreak... I particularly like the head sculpt which really does look like a female Diaclone Bluestreak.
This is kinda weirding me out in that I don't think Strongarm looks a gosh-darned thing like Bluestreak. Her transformation, vehicle mode, everything are utterly different that you drawing some sort of parallel between the two just comes off as totally random to me. The head-crest is marginally similar, but hardly unique amongst TFs, and everything else... I dunno, it's just a very odd conclusion to draw that Strongarm is supposed to have anything to do with Bluestreak.

I mean, I quite like the toy a lot too, and the character appeals on a conceptual level, but the whole supposed Bluestreak connection you're drawing here...just doesn't register at all.

Re: RID 2015 Figure Review thread

Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2015 10:08 am
by Shockwave
BWprowl wrote:
Shockwave wrote:I figure this is the closest I'll ever get to getting a Diaclone colored Bluestreak... I particularly like the head sculpt which really does look like a female Diaclone Bluestreak.
This is kinda weirding me out in that I don't think Strongarm looks a gosh-darned thing like Bluestreak. Her transformation, vehicle mode, everything are utterly different that you drawing some sort of parallel between the two just comes off as totally random to me. The head-crest is marginally similar, but hardly unique amongst TFs, and everything else... I dunno, it's just a very odd conclusion to draw that Strongarm is supposed to have anything to do with Bluestreak.

I mean, I quite like the toy a lot too, and the character appeals on a conceptual level, but the whole supposed Bluestreak connection you're drawing here...just doesn't register at all.
Oh I'm totally on my own here, I guarantee that Hasbro doesn't intend for there to be any connection. It's just me and I admit it. It's the blue helmet, yellow head crest and silver face along with a largely blue and silve color scheme on the rest of the figure. And that's where the similarities end.

Re: RID 2015 Figure Review thread

Posted: Wed Jan 14, 2015 11:15 pm
by Onslaught Six
You aren't alone, actually. I definitely see the resemblance, and when I showed pics of the cartoon to a fringe fan who doesn't pay attention to new stuff, the first reaction was "Is Bluestreak in this cartoon?"

Re: RID 2015 Figure Review thread

Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 6:07 pm
by Shockwave
Warrior class Grimlock. Yup, he's a robit dinosaur (of some kind) but the similarities to any other Grimlock end there. The head looks nothing like any previous versions and neither does the color scheme. Not that it has to, but I'm just comparing it to his namesakes. I guess I'm saying he's new and different from what came before. Bot mode is black and green with a couple of gray parts (the t-rex arms) He's got decent articulation, passes the "Mortal Kombat" test well enough and is solid and stable. I like that the hands look like claws, without actually being his T-rex foot claws.

Transformation is somewhat similar to previous Grimlocks in that the legs become the back half and the torso becomes the front half of the alt mode, but it did manage to do it differently.

Not much to say about t-rex mode, yup, that's a t-rex alright. He does have a lever on his head that moves the jaw up and down. And also has decent articulation in this mode too.

Overall I'm also pretty happy with this Grimlock. The color scheme doesn't 100% set me ablaze but it isn't an eyesore either. But, interesting updates on the character, good paint, articulation and easy yet complex transformation make Grimlock a winner. Recommended.

Also, I did try putting Bombshell and Powerglide in his hands as weapons, but they were too heavy for Grimlock to hold them. They did fit though.

EDIT: I do like how the T-rex head can just flip over on top of his robot head, making him look like a humanesque robot with a monster head. I kind of wonder if this is deliberate. From what I've seen of the show so far, it seems like Grimlock was a Decepticon before joining the Autobots, so maybe that was how he looked in his Decepticon Beastish Bot mode and the more human looking head is something he got later when he joined the Autobots. It's a bit of a stretch, but seeing that all of the Decepticons in this series have beast based bot modes, it would kind of fit that theme.