Universe2.0/Generations Review Thread

[Onslaught Six]

You can also attach Sunstreaker's jetpack/engine to his gun, making it into a spiffy, bulkier weapon. It's an odd decision, though, see, since Sunstreaker's 'toy' had the jetpack but Sideswipe had it in the cartoon. Continuity flub!

[Dominic]

Molds like Sunstreaker are why I collect TFs. The sheer amount of engineering and thought that was put into that mold is staggering. And, the execution is pretty good too.

Dom

[BWprowl]

You can also attach Sunstreaker's jetpack/engine to his gun, making it into a spiffy, bulkier weapon. It's an odd decision, though, see, since Sunstreaker's 'toy' had the jetpack but Sideswipe had it in the cartoon. Continuity flub!

More of an animation error/model sheet mix-up, if you want to get technical about it. Anyway, how in the heck do you combine the engine with the gun? Are you supposed to clamp the grey bits around the gun? Because mine doesn't fit; the gun just pops out...

And for the record, the gun goes on my Suntreaker's shoulder just fine, his chest doesn't get in the way at all. His 'ears' kinda do, though...

[138 Scourge]

I was wondering why those bits on the engine folded down...

Of course, I can't get the gun and engine to combine, either.

I did finally get Sunstreaker's proper transformation figured out, though. I swear, I'm getting dumber as I get older.

[Onslaught Six]

More of an animation error/model sheet mix-up, if you want to get technical about it.

Actually, if you want to get technical about it, it's likely that they were originally going to be in opposite colours--Sunstreaker red (as Spinout) and Sideswipe in yellow. It's likely that it was the *bios* that were switched, see, and the colours were swapped to reflect it. Yeah.

Anyway, how in the heck do you combine the engine with the gun? Are you supposed to clamp the grey bits around the gun? Because mine doesn't fit; the gun just pops out...

Yes, that's what you need to do. It takes some fiddling--the Wiki says that it doesn't fit securely, but it does if you do it right. Just keep trying and you'll get it eventually.

And for the record, the gun goes on my Suntreaker's shoulder just fine, his chest doesn't get in the way at all. His 'ears' kinda do, though...

Are you facing the gun forwards? That's where I have issues.

[CrossRook]

I like keeping the intake on his back because it looks more like the G1 version. Though I will definitely be making it into a shoulder cannon for Sideswipe, a la G1, again.

[BWprowl]

Are you facing the gun forwards? That's where I have issues.

Ah-yup.


See, straight ahead. No trouble at all.

[Onslaught Six]

What the hell. Clearly I'm not doing something right.

[Dominic]

Transformers Universe Dropshot:
This toy is a straight recolor of Cybertron Defense Scattorshot from the "Cybertron" line. (I actually skipped the CD Team molds from "Cybertron" back, so this mold is actually new to me.) Instead of the Autobot faction key, this toy, (a Decepticon), has an unpainted Earth key that looks like it was molded form frozen tea.

The vehicle is a missile tank. The key gimmicks are one of the reasons I skipped the DC team back in the day, as they all scream "Garth Ennis writes anime". In Dropshot's case, they missile racks unfold to reveal a cannon and spring-loaded missile launchers. The robot form is not bad, but not great. Each arm holds half of the missile turret for the vehicle mode. (Despite this, the missile turret turns and can be aimed up or down in vehicle mode.)

At this point, I am prepared to eat a bit of crow for something I said in an earlier review. I recently called "Animated" Ratchet garbage owing to its not having integrated weapons. I incorrectly noted that it was the first new mold toy since the Beast Era to not have integrated weapons and bits. As it turns out, this mold has the same problem. The robot's rifle does not fit gracefully anywhere on the vehicle. It can be clipped onto an otherwise useless hardpoint on the side of the tank. But this is not listed in the directions and the gun does not look like it should be there.

The bio-note is nothing spectacular. Apparently, Dropshot is a big violent thug who likes killing things. Wow, that was not done 2 or 3 times just in the last line.

Grade: C It is not terrible, but this mold is way over-rated.



"Universe" Blades:
It is not unusual to see old names applies to recolors of old molds. That has been standard for the line these last few years. But, this is the first time I can think of when the recolor not only looks better than the origional toy, but actually fits the recolor character better than the first-use character. The fact that this mold is from a time when molds were intended to be character specific, at least to first-use characters, makes it even more notable how well Blades goes with this mold.

The rescue chopper mold was originally used for "Cybertron" Evac. Evac was the Prime of Earth in "Cybertron". The toy featured a working rotor and a retractable hook. Blades, both in the original series and here, is listed as being an Autobot known for fighting aggressively.

The chopper's rotor blades are mounted on the left arm of he robot, and seem to beg to be used as melee weapons, as is listed to be Blade's habit. The old Blades figure did not have a hook mounted on the right arm of the robot, but it works well here. (Every character bio for Blades, be it on the back of a package or in a sourcebook, lists him as the kind of guy who could make good use of a hook in a fight.)

On top of that, the colors actually look pretty good. As an added bonus, the hook's winch mechanism does not have an Autobot sigil pasted across it, meaning it can be posed more flexibly without the sigil looking wrong.

The key is an Autobot faction key.

The biggest problems with this toy are quality control related. My copy has badly applied paint on the robot's chest, (impossible to check for without opening the package), and the waist piece does not lock properly. These may or may not be universal defects.

Grade: B/C This is worth picking up, but be wary of QC problems.

Dom
-almost forgot this was the review thread.

[JediTricks]

What? Scattorshot's an awesome mold, one of my favorites! And that gun fits in alt mode under the rocket battery, between the fists - it's unofficial so it's a little loose, but it stays there and looks good. Man, I don't get your criteria for reviews at all - a fantastic, fun, cool, and badass TF is brought down because his weapon doesn't have an official spot on the alt mode that you agree with, fun action gimmicks, and an underwhelming bio note? None of that is paramount to the toy (except the action gimmicks, which are fun, and I don't get your Garth Ennis reference) - I honestly don't see how you're reviewing the toy itself at all, just least-important the trappings.