Transformers Kingdom

The modern comics universe has had such a different take on G1, one that's significantly represented by the Generations toys, so they share a forum. A modern take on a Real Cybertronian Hero. Currently starring Generations toys, IDW "The Transformers" comics, MTMTE, TF vs GI Joe, and Windblade. Oh wait, and now Skybound, wheee!
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Sparky Prime
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Sparky Prime »

Not a bad looking Waspinator, but I would have to say I prefer the overall look of the T30 Waspinator more...
Ursus mellifera wrote: Thu Jun 10, 2021 1:39 pmand I desperately hope they upscale it and retool it into BW Inferno.
That would be amazing. Inferno could really use a new updated figure.

Edit: More Waspinator images, with the wasp head transformed properly in robot mode.
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Shockwave
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Shockwave »

Got Soundwave today and he's FUCKING AMAZING!!! Seriously, this is like a mini version of the Netflix Siege version. Even comes with a Laserbeak that can pop out of his chest. I wish Laserbeak transformed, but that was still a cool detail to have included in such a small figure. Transformation is pretty straightforward Soundwave-ish, but still fun and interesting. Paint and detail are awesome. I don't think there's ever been a G1 style Soundwave in the Core/Legends class before, so if you still have a separate collection of figures in that scale you definitely need to add this to your collection. Heck, even if you don't, still add it to your collection. Seriously they really knocked it out of the park on this one.
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Shockwave
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Shockwave »

Found this on Target.com: https://www.target.com/p/transformers-g ... nk=sametab

I'm a maybe on this one. I like the idea more than the figure, I think, but I appreciate T-Wrecks getting some love. I love seeing obscure characters redone and updated. I'm actually glad they're doing this, but I'm not sure I'm actually going to get one.
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Dominic
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Dominic »

If that were not exclusively available based on having a store credit card, I would consider it.
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Shockwave
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Shockwave »

Dominic wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:33 pm If that were not exclusively available based on having a store credit card, I would consider it.
The Red Card is a rewards program, not a credit card. There are credit card versions of it, but it doesn't specifically need to be.
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Ursus mellifera
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Ursus mellifera »

Shockwave wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 12:01 pm
Dominic wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:33 pm If that were not exclusively available based on having a store credit card, I would consider it.
The Red Card is a rewards program, not a credit card. There are credit card versions of it, but it doesn't specifically need to be.
Yeah, my Red Card takes right from my bank account, just like my normal debit card, but it makes Target stuff cheaper. There's no credit involved.
Check it out, a honey bear! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkajou
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JediTricks
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by JediTricks »

Shockwave wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 12:01 pm
Dominic wrote: Thu Jun 17, 2021 5:33 pm If that were not exclusively available based on having a store credit card, I would consider it.
The Red Card is a rewards program, not a credit card. There are credit card versions of it, but it doesn't specifically need to be.
I believe you're thinking of Target Circle, Redcard is offered as a credit card and a debit card, both with 5% off and free shipping on many items on their website, but it's still a store credit/debit card program.

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Kingdom Rhinox is a beefy voyager-class, not as big as Cyclonus but bigger than Primal. I was skeptical about this figure but my feelings for the Thrilling 30 version are mixed and I do like the WFC articulation system. I won't be comparing T30 to this because my T30 is squirreled away. One odd thing I'm leaving out of the pros/cons below, his beast mode does have a pair of silver spiked testes, this may be either a plus or a minus.

Bot Mode pluses:
+ big, beefy dude
+ stable
+ strong joints, no floppy stuff at all
+ big beast jaw-styled chest plate has gold base and silver teeth
+ weapon storage on back
+ WFC articulation plus butterfly shoulders, limited up-down wrists
+ twin chainguns painted silver with dull gold middles, each has a pair of blast effects points in the middle
+ sports 5mm holes behind upper torso, sides of lower backpack, undersides of feet

Bot Mode minuses:
- design is a departure from BW look, with cylinders for ears and a totally different shoulder design, seems based on Forged to Fight look in the chest
- no Maximal logos anywhere, especially not on the head
- lower legs are massive, bulky things and not fully enclosed
- a few small gaps around the upper torso, the more you look around the more noticeable they get
- upper arms turn hollow when using shoulder articulation
- very waffled back torso
- backpack is cumbersome, moves out of position to block waist on handling
- chainguns are pretty shrimpy
- somewhat limited range of motion on neck, elbows, and waist
- no teeth in rhino mouth showing behind the head
- mouth-chest is wider than any Rhinox design I know of, very flat and has faux details from Forged to Fight's chest at the top

The bot mode +/- doesn't tell the whole story, the pluses are mostly all big and important things, while the minuses range from noteworthy to nitpicky.


Transformation pluses:
+ the arms add a little extra wrist articulation
+ the chest panel reveal is clever, probably unnecessary as the arms could have been sculpted around the panel, but fun
+ some interior tech detailing only seen during transformation
+ beast jaw can be opened all the way around to hide in bot mode
+ tabs feel substantial, not like they're gonna snap off with minimal use

Transformation minuses:
- lots of panels moving about in a very specific order with minimal clearance and even negative clearance, stuff like this is why I got out of Masterpiece
- tabbing on the robot lower legs isn't super great, they stay together but there's flex from poor tab positioning
- easy to forget to put in weapon assembly, challenging to get properly aligned inside beast mode
- lower belly panels want to ride up during transformation to bot mode, causing them to lock up the upper panel that's already miserable to get moving
- steps 15 through 33 are crucial in their order and hard to understand
- going back to bot mode, it's vital to understand that the bot-knee will clash with the rearmost large beast panels in order for them to move, you need to rotate that panel up via clearing that knee clash, and then it still won't move into its proper position which is actually inwards unless the rest of the leg is free; it won't be fluid and obvious the way it was going bot-to-beast because of that knee clashing so badly, and you need to adjust that knee a little to find the optimum clearance angle or bend the panel a lot

Transformation has a few nice bits, but becomes a miserable chore when you get to the bot legs/beast rear half. So much stuff clashes and is order-dependent that it sucks the fun right out of this figure, and practice doesn't seem to make it any easier. Even with instructions you basically have to already know what all the parts are going to do before you can follow them, it's really frustrating.


Beast Mode pluses:
+ thick, nicely bulky
+ fairly whole, no robot kibble showing
+ stable and solid
+ fairly well color-matched plastics
+ mouth opens, has silver-painted teeth and red interior
+ weapons store inside transformation
+ toes painted eggshell
+ can take a meditation pose (does need to be propped up)

Beast Mode minuses:
- nothing like BW cartoon design
- barely any movement possible
- underwhelming paint of some grayish spots around the horn and at the front of the front legs and ribs
- ugly gap top of the neck doesn't allow for much range of motion in either mode
- no upper teeth
- green rectangle at top of shoulders, back half of front legs
- horn layout is unusual, front horn curves over long rear horn
- proportions are a little simple
- red eyes
- waffled inside of rear legs, hollow front feet
- lots of bot junk visible on the very underside, only visible when you pick him up

Beast mode pluses and minuses mostly balance out, it's not very articulated or BW-accurate but it's stable and has a certain charm, I like it well enough.

Overall, this one's better than it looked in initial photos with a fair though not spectacular beast mode, and a decent but not perfect bot mode. Unfortunately, it's woefully damned by the miserably problematic lower leg transformation, it's really hard to like this toy as a whole because of that, there's a frustrating gulf between two nice modes. In some ways I can tell I like Kingdom Rhinox a lot more than T30 while in others, mostly details and transformation, I like it a lot less. For a WFC fan like me, I'm glad to have him, but I won't be surprised that not everybody gets on board.
Image
See, that one's a camcorder, that one's a camera, that one's a phone, and they're doing "Speak no evil, See no evil, Hear no evil", get it?
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Shockwave
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Shockwave »

Kingdom Rhinox. I've been looking forward to this figure since it was announced, largely because I've always hated the T30 figure, even when it came out. I've actually tried to sell that figure several times, but no luck, it's that bad. So I was all too happy to have something, ANYTHING to replace it. And Kingdom does well enough at fixing what I didn't like about the previous one.
1: No floppy legs, able to stand without any modification.
2: Transformation is a little complicated, but not nearly as frustrating as T30. I can actually tell where everything goes and locks together.
3: Weapon storage in Rhino mode is obvious and easy.

Other thoughts: Yeah, I wish it had Maiximal logos on the head, but not a deal breaker for me. I have reprolabels so I'll probably just put some on him. Articulation is decent, comparable to the T30 (one are that figure did get right) and looks decent in both modes. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you have the T30 figure, then I'd recommend to replace it with this one.
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Ursus mellifera
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Ursus mellifera »

Shockwave wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:25 pm Kingdom Rhinox. I've been looking forward to this figure since it was announced, largely because I've always hated the T30 figure, even when it came out. I've actually tried to sell that figure several times, but no luck, it's that bad.
Interesting. I have a completely different reaction to both figures. I love the T30 Rhinox, and I think the Kingdoms figure looks like a cheap knock-off of it.
Check it out, a honey bear! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinkajou
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Shockwave
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Re: Transformers Kingdom

Post by Shockwave »

Ursus mellifera wrote: Mon Jul 05, 2021 6:22 am
Shockwave wrote: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:25 pm Kingdom Rhinox. I've been looking forward to this figure since it was announced, largely because I've always hated the T30 figure, even when it came out. I've actually tried to sell that figure several times, but no luck, it's that bad.
Interesting. I have a completely different reaction to both figures. I love the T30 Rhinox, and I think the Kingdoms figure looks like a cheap knock-off of it.
I like the head on the T30 figure better, but that's about it. I tried to see if I could swap them out, but there's two problems with that: They're on different size ball joints and the T30 head is actually smaller than the Kingdom one. Which means that even if you could do it, it would look ridiculous.
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