Universe2.0/Generations Review Thread

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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138 Scourge
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Re: Classics Review Thread

Post by 138 Scourge »

The vent, yeah, that I got.

I'll have to go mess with him some more and try to pull out everything further. Of course, Sideswipe won't be giving me these kind of problems. See, Sunstreaker, all you can do is screw up. Be more like your brother, ya yellow jackass!
Dominic wrote: too many people likely would have enjoyed it as....well a house-elf gang-bang.
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Re: Classics Review Thread

Post by Dominic »

Sunstreaker is my favorite of the current molds. That rumoured Hotshot might topple it thought.

Dom
-wants to troopbuild Sunstreaker unto infinity.
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BWprowl
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Re: Classics Review Thread

Post by BWprowl »

Dominic wrote:Sunstreaker is my favorite of the current molds. That rumoured Hotshot might topple it thought.

Dom
-wants to troopbuild Sunstreaker unto infinity.
Heh, that's awesome. I just realized that, thanks to IDW, Sunstreaker is totally Troop-Buildable! Can't believe I didn't think of that...
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Re: Classics Review Thread

Post by Dominic »

Ah, but IDW's Sun Streaker troops are all based on the G1 model. Sunstreaker himself takes the "Classics" model in "All Hail Megatron".

Still, I plan to make:
-a faction switcher
-Tiger Track
-red Sunstreaker.

So, I think my fetish will be fed.

Dom
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andersonh1
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Re: Classics Review Thread

Post by andersonh1 »

I just bought Sunstreaker yesterday, and I have to say that I'm pretty impressed with the figure. I don't think I've seen a figure deliberately designed with multiple transformation schemes, with the possible exception of Punch/Counterpunch (which I never actually owned, so I'm just guessing). Makes future repaints all that much more distinct and appealing. I'm looking forward to Sideswipe, who'll look quite a bit like his original self with the hood as chest/rear of car as legs. In fact, Sunstreaker, despite being different in several ways, still ends up with the engine behind his head and the roof of the car as his chest. There's a clever blending of both characters here so that each has some distinctive features, but can still be produced from the same basic mold. I'd like to see more figures produced this way.

The car suffers a bit from some panel gaps, but is otherwise a decent semi-Lamborghini. The removable engine and the gun that doubles as the exhaust pipes are both nice accessories, and the way the engine sits behind Sunstreaker's head but can also be used as Sideswipe's jetpack is very nice. I get some semi-Alternator vibes from the licence plate (we r 84... nice) and the way the feet unfold from the legs in robot mode much like Alt. Prowl.

A top-tier Transformer, in my view. A lot of thought has gone into the design, and both car and bot modes work well.
Last edited by andersonh1 on Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Classics Review Thread

Post by Dominic »

Sunstreaker has almost as much conversion potential as a 25 "GI Joe" figure. Considering the mechanical demands on a TF, that is amazing.

Dom
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Re: Universe Review Thread

Post by Dominic »

note: I modified the title of the thread to encompass the entire line, not just "Classics".


Heavyload w/Drillbit:
As this is the first toy at this price-point I am gettiing for Universe, I may as well include packagine notes.

These oddly shaped boxes have not gotten any easier to open over the years. As soon as I figure out the trick to one, Hasbro redesigns the whole business. The best option seems to be to just cut the front or back panel off and shuck the outer box. Unlike the boxes from "Cybertron", "Classics", or the movie line, the new "Universe" boxes have odd indentations mid-way down the sides on one end, making it impossible to slide the inner tray out from the top or bottom. The co-sells are Ultra-scale Powerglide and Onslaught. I have no idea how they even got some of the twist-ties into the tray for this one.

Heavy Load is a recolor of "Cybertron" Quickmix.

The bio-note is one of the better ones I have read in a while. Heavyload was a scientist/engineer working on developing more efficient fuels. Continuted exposure to hazardous materials used in the experiments drove him insance, and he now builds chemical weapons for the Decepticons. There is neither mention nor description of the Minicon aside from his name appearing on the box. I am just going to assume he is a lab worker.

The toy itself is worth picking up, having better colors than "Cybertron" Quickmix. The orange of Quickmix worked well enough on the cement mixer form and gave the robot form a "municipal work" look. However, the yellows and greys on Heavyload bring out more details, and still evoke a "working bot" theme. (As an aside, this toy looks quite a bit like a Commander from "Total Annihilation".) The Minicon has vaguely Constructicon colors.

As with Quickmix, the key is a Gigalonian key. As good as the molding is, especially with this mold, the paint work leaves a bit to be desired, consisting of bright gloppy yellow applied to the purple key base plastic.

This mold being recolored as a Decepticon adds a bit of logic to the "attack form" on the cement mixer. (The key unlocks the mixing drum, revealing a missile launcher.) I had a hard time seeing Quickmix using an attack form, given that the character was from a planet and culture focused on construction. But, with Heavyload, it works.

note: As the bio does not specify a planet, I am not sure if this is intended to be a Gigalonian or not. No mention of Heavyload's pre-madness faction is made, indicating that he may have been neutral, as many of the colonists in "Cybertron" were.

Grade: A Pick it up, even if you have Quickmix.


Dom
-dreading the bad fanfic that will no doubt try to fit "Universe" Heavyload in with "Cybertron" Heavyload.
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Re: Universe Review Thread

Post by BWprowl »

Reviewing Onslaught now, will do Powerglide later. Sleep, blah.

Onslaught
Backstory: This was the first figure we were shown from Universe Classics, on the cover of the club magazine way back when. The original Onslaught toy has been repainted dozens of times throughout the years, but this is a full update, in the newly revived Ultra size class to boot. Heck, they even got the old name back, I’m guessing since Hasbro owns the Marvel license now. Odd bit of trivia: Being a SWAT van Decepticon, this Onslaught is an evil cop, not unlike the Movie’s Barricade. And what was Energon’s Onslaught homage named? Barricade.

Vehicle mode: This is the second SWAT van Transformer we’ve gotten so far this year, and Onslaught’s about as far away from Bulkhead as you could possibly get. Whereas Bulkhead is sleek, simple, and almost cute in his vehicle mode’s super deformity, Onslaught is big, heavily detailed, and MEAN looking, between the scoop-like claws mounted on the front, and the cannons mounted on top (one of those trademark Onslaught details that fans would’ve gotten all irritated about had they not included them). The claws can flip up, either getting out of the way, or smashing whatever was scooped onto them into the underside of the van. Flipping them up also lets you see the blaster on the underside. This is cool, since the gun is mainly intended for his robot mode, but they managed to position is so it’s useful here. The cannons on top are the main vehicle weapons, and this turret also stores the soundbox. Pressing a red button cycles through two different sounds: a machinegun noise that continues for as long as you hold the button, and a siren noise that DOESN’T continue, and is all too brief. Still, what’s cool about these is they use different lights. The machinegun noise lights up long bits behind the actual guns, which are enhanced via little reflective bits underneath the clear orange plastic. The siren noise lights up the flashers on top, and just makes it all the more painful that it lasts less than a second. The shield can be mounted on top of the turret…for some reason. Cool functionality though: there’s ridged slots in it that expose the machinegun lights, and it fits over the flasher, so that’s exposed. There’s even a little moveable bit that allows you to press the button with the shield attached, good thinking with this one. There’s one more gimmick in this mode: if you roll the vehicle along the ground, the middle left wheel trips a switch and creates a sort of rolly-smashy sound, which is a nice touch. Equally nice is that it actually takes a fair bit of force; it’s not a hair-trigger you’re going to set off by looking at the wheel funny.

As for other interesting things about the vehicle… Be sure to notice the headlights. They come flipped down, but are supposed to flip up into a proper, usable position. They can also angle down to spotlight something on the ground. He’s got ‘S.W.A.T.” stenciled in white on the sides of the vehicle and on the shield, and ‘MONZO 12782’ printed on the sides of the hood, whatever that means (Is this the type of van he is? I’m no expert…) Almost all his armor plating has bolts molded in, which looks great, and there’s a nice black spray-op on the outside of the claws. Oh, and there’s a rubber ring around each of the middle tires, presumably to help it get traction for the rolling gimmick. Mind the cannons, by the way, they’re just clipped into the turret, and tend to pop out more than I’d like.

Transformation: Most of the vehicle body swings down with the legs, then origamis together in a rather nifty way, with chunks and shell pieces clamping together in a way reminiscent of the boots on God Fire Convoy. The upper body is decidedly less clever; you just split the hood into the shoulders, then fold the rest of it down and clip it into his chest. Then fold the hands out and you’re set.

Robot Mode: He’s a big guy, tall and very powerful-looking, thanks in no small part to his big, bladed shoulder pads (the Decepticon symbol on the left side of which looks very snazzy). He doesn’t have the tall, thin look the original Onslaught had, but otherwise he’s very reminiscent of that one. The legs, with their boxy, wheels-on-the-side look, connecting to thin, black thighs are a lot like the original’s, and his head is a dead-ringer for Onslaught, especially with the cannons sticking up behind it. Also, between the colors and the tall shoulder pads, there’s almost an Armada Megatron thing going on here, which looks cool enough, I guess.

The turret’s electronics can still be used in this mode, and awesomely enough, light up a red LED in his visor, which looks sweet. You can also press the tiny switch on the left side of his hip if you want to use the rolly-smashy sound in this mode, though I can’t imagine why you’d want to. His armaments are…oddly minimal. He’s got his shield, which pegs solidly onto his left arm via a little flip-up chunk, and there’s also the blaster I mentioned way back at the beginning. Pressing a little black button causes it to flip forward. It looks…unimpressive really. Hardly worthy of a guy named ‘Onslaught’, especially considering the original wielded a big ol’ rifle. I mean, you can have him lean forward and use his back cannons if you want a bit more firepower, but the lack of ANY other robot mode weapons stings badly. The wrist blaster seems more like something he’d use as a backup.

Other niggles… The right leg on mine likes to pop apart a bit, but it’s not that big a deal, and I get the feeling that it’s not something you’ll see on every toy. What everyone SHOULD watch out for are those damn cannons! Now on a swiveling turret on the back, with a roof panel between them, they pop off at what seems like the slightest provocation, and can be a bit of a pain in the neck to track down, at least for me anyway, since they blend in annoyingly well with the carpet in here. Also, as I mentioned before, you’ve kinda gotta pelvic-thrust him to get him looking straight up, but that’s really a matter of personal taste, you might not be as bothered by it.

So yeah, the cannons are annoying as hell and I wish he had a bigger gun in robot mode, but it’s still an incredibly sweet design. The bolted-on look of the armor plating looks fantastic, and the head is perfect. The electronics are okay too, not being too loud and rather clever in their execution, I just wish that siren could be held down. Anyway, if you’re a fan of Onslaught (Hm, I don’t know ANYONE like that…) you’re going to want this one, since it’s virtues far outweigh it’s flaws. A strong return for Onslaught, and the Ultra Size Class.
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Re: Universe Review Thread

Post by onslaught86 »

note: As the bio does not specify a planet, I am not sure if this is intended to be a Gigalonian or not. No mention of Heavyload's pre-madness faction is made, indicating that he may have been neutral, as many of the colonists in "Cybertron" were.
Heavyload's box says he's Classic Series, not Cybertron Series, so he's a G1-universe character. If you want context..TFCC it is. On the plus side, that means Marvel continuity for the most part.

one of those trademark Onslaught details that fans would’ve gotten all irritated about had they not included them).
I seriously doubt there's any casual fans who've spent more time studying Onslaught's design and moulding than I have. I ADORE some of the detail nods they put into that toy, have already ordered Takara's, and plan to get two of Hasbro's. Plus whatever repaint he gets. Must..own..more..Onslaughts.
Hadn't heard about the sounds, cheers for that. Can't wait to see his optic panel light up. I may have to modify one of mine to have an orange LED instead of a red one, because his optics MUST BE ORANGE.

How's the range of articulation? I'm certain his wrists turn, but haven't had that confirmed. Standard peg means he can hold the original rifle, which should be snazzy.
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Re: Universe Review Thread

Post by BWprowl »

Well, his optic panel is still molded in clear orange, but lights up red (a pity, I admit).

As for articulation, his wrists do turn (a pleasant surprise, since that point tends to get nixed with this transformation scheme) and he's articulated in all the usual places. Shoulders swing back and forth on smooth ratchets (you know what I mean? The kind that don't actually click...?), and out on smooth swivels. There's smooth upper arm swivels and elbow swivels. Head turns, hips are ratcheting universal joints, smooth mid-thigh swivels, ratcheting knees, and the toes point on transformation joints. About the only thing he's missing is a waist joint, but that doesn't feel like too huge a loss on this toy, honestly. So yeah, he's quite mobile.

Haven't tried giving him my Mega-Octane's gun yet (I'll need to dig it out) though I did think of that option while I was at work today.
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