TF:Prime Figure Review Thread

[JediTricks]

Glad you got and dig Wheeljack. Your comment about the long arms sets me off, what is it with long arms on figures lately? FE Prime has that too, it's so annoying!

BTW, Wheeljack does have a sheath for each his swords, on either side of the robot there is a gap where the windshield splits away from the side that is between the "wing" and the shoulder joint behind the head.

[138 Scourge]

Glad you got and dig Wheeljack. Your comment about the long arms sets me off, what is it with long arms on figures lately? FE Prime has that too, it's so annoying!

BTW, Wheeljack does have a sheath for each his swords, on either side of the robot there is a gap where the windshield splits away from the side that is between the "wing" and the shoulder joint behind the head.

No idea what's with the long-ass gorilla-arm thing. Movie aesthetic carrying over to Prime, maybe? There were a fair amount of movie guys with crazy long arms, weren't there? Bonecrusher, Barricade, and Stockade spring to mind, anyway. I don't mind it on some characters, but it seems a little odd for Wheeljack. Then again, like I pointed out, there's some precedence with the original toy. Not that I think it's a deliberate homage, mind you. Just a coincidence that sort of works.

Thanks for the tip about the sheaths. I swear I fiddled with the thing for awhile before I wrote my thoughts on this toy, and couldn't find the damn things. So there's one less flaw that Wheeljack has.

Dang, liking Wheeljack as much as I do has me half-tempted to get Cliffjumper, or Soundwave if I ever see one.

[JediTricks]

No idea what's with the long-ass gorilla-arm thing. Movie aesthetic carrying over to Prime, maybe? There were a fair amount of movie guys with crazy long arms, weren't there? Bonecrusher, Barricade, and Stockade spring to mind, anyway. I don't mind it on some characters, but it seems a little odd for Wheeljack. Then again, like I pointed out, there's some precedence with the original toy. Not that I think it's a deliberate homage, mind you. Just a coincidence that sort of works.

Thanks for the tip about the sheaths. I swear I fiddled with the thing for awhile before I wrote my thoughts on this toy, and couldn't find the damn things. So there's one less flaw that Wheeljack has.

Dang, liking Wheeljack as much as I do has me half-tempted to get Cliffjumper, or Soundwave if I ever see one.

Sure thing on the sheaths. I also went over that figure 2 or 3 times before finding them.

I think the long arms on some of these characters like Wheeljack are just lazy designers. You look at his cartoon design and it's not like that, so I think the toy is just taking a shortcut to getting the whole figure out of the vehicle. Then again, it may be the rotating windshield gimmick requiring space, but in older days they would have had something to shorten the arms afterwards. The other figures these days I think are also just lazy toy design, it's easier to say they're alien and not find a different place to put the pieces.

[138 Scourge]

The other figures these days I think are also just lazy toy design, it's easier to say they're alien and not find a different place to put the pieces.

Yeah, you may have a point on that. And I don't even really have a problem with Transformers not conforming to the humanoid ideal, because, yeah, space robots. It does seem to be getting out of hand lately, and be more of a "Eh, this is close enough" decision than a deliberate aesthetic thing.

Still, manages not to kill the appeal of Wheeljack, at least.

[138 Scourge]

So I had a full review for Soundwave typed up, until I realized I was repeating a bunch of the same stuff that Prowl said. So I'll do a shorter one.

So Soundwave's got this recon drone mode. I have no idea if it's based on a real thing, but it looks mostly plausible. Except a lot of the back seems to be made of the same knives and pointy bits that a lot of the movie Decepticons are made out of. It doesn't wreck the whole thing, though. Overall you still have a really nice slick-looking plane here. Even with that bit of movie aesthetic creeping in, it still manages to look like something.

The transformation's simple enough to be fun, but does enough in a few steps that each mode looks entirely different. It's pretty neat, really.

The robot mode's just kind of cool looking. Something about it looks Vehicon-esque to me. Maybe it's just the wing-arms, I dunno. It's good stuff. Again, though, crazy-ass long arms. Soundwave's entirely capable of grabbing his ankles without having to bend over. It seems to be a deliberate thing, though, and it doesn't' hurt the look of this toy, so no big deal, I guess. Is this a thing with Prime toys, though?

Laserbeak...sort of looks like a bird, I guess. Whatever it is, it fits the bill of alien spy camera drone thing well enough. I don't care too much for Transformers that don't look like anything in either mode these days, and Laserbeak doesn't even have a proper alt. mode, really. Mainly I like how it seamlessly blends into Soundwave's chest. When it's attached, you can't even tell that it's there. And you can just leave it there forever, it doesn't have to come off for transformation or anything. Only downside it, with Laserbeak off, Soundwave's chest looks kind of empty.

So badass robot, decent plane thing, and kind of goofy accessory that becomes a pretty good armor thing. Honestly, even ignoring Laserbeak, I think Soundwave's pretty cool, and Laserbeak's not offensive or anything, it's just kind of there. For a show I dislike as much as Prime, I do seem to enjoy some of it's toys.

[JediTricks]

Yeah, you may have a point on that. And I don't even really have a problem with Transformers not conforming to the humanoid ideal, because, yeah, space robots. It does seem to be getting out of hand lately, and be more of a "Eh, this is close enough" decision than a deliberate aesthetic thing.

Still, manages not to kill the appeal of Wheeljack, at least.

Yeah, he's a lucky figure in that respect. I'd still like more range of motion for the elbows though, but at least he doesn't look ridiculous. I think my problem with ape arms is more that the figures are generally humanoid with 1 lazy trait, look at HA Leadfoot, that figure isn't supposed to have long arms, he's not inhumanoid in layout, it's only that figure design.


I typed up a review of Soundwave for my SW forums, so here it is...

So, I picked up TF:P Dlx Soundwave finally. I think this figure is a tad overhyped, it's not bad but it's not that well-detailed, it's small, it's gappy in the chest, Laserbeak doesn't look like much of anything, and there's not enough paint.

Soundwave's alt mode is a drone with a Transformer chest for an engine and no actual means of propulsion, so he's a cybertronian vehicle. The main look is roughly accurate, a little less sleek and smooth, less color, and has gaps that shouldn't be there. The underside isn't great, the obvious leg and arm bits hurt, the obvious bot chest, but it's not the worst flyer underside by a long stretch. There's a front landing wheel that folds down, but no rear landing gear - I think Laserbeak's wing hinges fold down to become the rear gear, they're the right height that way, although there's 2 non-movable chest points that also could be taken as landing gear.

Laserbeak isn't anything, as mentioned, he's just a set of simple panels like an origami bird, and the only articulation is a hinge for each larger wing which itself sits on rotating arm to fit as Soundwave's chest. Laserbeak's design is fairly accurate aside from a missing set of wings, but a lack of paint for the "eye" makes an already-obtuse design even more difficult to fathom.

Soundwave's transformation isn't much to write home about, it just moves the shoulders up and repositions parts on the arms and legs, then automorph causes the head to pop up when you open the back all the way (the trigger doesn't fire until the back plate is 90 degrees open). It's barely satisfying, really the only charm is the shoulders moving up.

Bot mode is fairly faithful to the show's design, just a little more kibble around the back of the legs, a touch less sleek due to the reality of making a toy, and there's a significant loss of details due to almost no paint - the upper body suffers greatly due to a lack of paint, especially when Laserbeak isn't installed. Soundwave is pointy with lots of panels going every which way, he's got very long arms with long fingers surrounding a 5mm hole, his chest is a docked Laserbeak, and his legs are chicken-legs. There is some blue paint showing around, but it's not in enough places so it doesn't stand out, and most of the electric fuchsia ends up getting lost. Soundwave is also a bit hunched forward at the lower torso, it's a joint you don't have to use but it gets gappy that way especially once Laserbeak is removed. With Laserbeak in place, Soundwave looks pretty interesting and alien with very long arms and a non-face, but with Laserbeak gone it's a lot of sad gaps in place of a chest, he looks incomplete - partly because it seems there was paint planned go to in there as well and got cut from the already wafer-thin budget.

Articulation is pretty good, lots of motion and range of motion except for the knees which are very limited in both directions by kibble. The head is a ball joint but on a horizontal axis so he has to **** his head to turn it not unlike a confused dog; the neck joint is very loose so the figure can't look up without his head dropping down lower than his shoulders - hence, he can't look upright - and there's an intended block which keeps the head from raising higher without dislodging the back plate, although it's worth it if you want a less-alien-looking Soundwave. The odd hands have a hole that can perch Laserbeak via a peg formed around a triangular "beard" the show design has; DvD has argued that the triangular tail can be used to treat Laserbeak as a handheld blaster, I like this, it means pegging him into the palm side instead of the perch side.

Soundwave is a really odd figure, the vehicle mode isn't that fun but it's true to the show, Laserbeak is a total snore, Soundwave's bot mode is pretty alien and true to the show but isn't really for everybody's tastes. I think a lack of paint for both characters ultimately keeps this set from being better than it could be. I'd give it a middle grade, a 6.5 or 7 out of 10.

[JediTricks]

Picked up TF:P Cyberverse Commander Starscream at Target yesterday, on sale for $8, with the pack-in DVD (episode is Masters & Students, I haven't watched yet, I think it's the very first episode I stopped at).

Vehicle mode is where I'll start because it's where the weaknesses are found. Vehicle mode is fair but the legs are too obvious and the feet are un-aerodynamically-placed - though they can be rotated to minimize that some. From the bottom it's not much worse, but the robot hands show, the robot legs are obvious, and the chest is an obvious odd shape. The real problem I have with this alt mode is that the rear end is just legs folded over. Also, the cockpit doesn't quite integrate with the rest of the vehicle that well. But it's not terrible, tho' it's also not really that good. It's very pointy, only the vertical portion of the tail is soft rubber, the weapons stick out too, so younger kids should take some precaution.

Transformation is basic but not unsatisfying. It's just unfolding and splitting, and a head reveal, but enough stays moving and clicks into place to make it acceptable. Back to vehicle mode is about the same, although the vertical tail doesn't lock into position - its notch is a fraction too shallow to hold the tab, I think. Folding the shoulders into the torso all the way causes the head to pop out of its socket, it's a nice touch though not enough to be called an automorph. The tail in package is rotated towards the figure, the instructions say to rotate it around but doing so shows that gap behind the head more than having the tail partly fill it in, so you have to decide what looks better to you.

Bot mode seems fairly accurate, except that he doesn't have the wings sticking out the shoulders -- ironically, I think this figure's solution looks far less kibbly than the actual character, those wings are lower and visually unobtrusive, although they are a considerable amount of backpack. There's a good amount of paint here, small details like the fin, eyes, and decepticon logo; and the light-pipe aspect - while considerable throughout the torso - is not as overwhelming as the other figures IMO, he doesn't look like a cheap clear figure. Aside from the wings/backpack situation, the only other real inaccuracy to the show is the cockpit halves end up as the outsides of the forearms, the tip going past the hands, but it's not a deal-breaker. Those cockpit shell parts can be dislodged from the forearms, but on mine one side of the elbow got bent by doing this, and the other arm's pin is so loose that the arm can't stay up without the shell, so clearly it's about manufacturing rather than play intentions -- that said, unpinning the forearms helps with holding the accessories in sword positions. Sculpting is ok, there's not a lot of detail in TF:P designs in general so it's easy to keep this character's sculpt simple yet accurate, although the small hollow behind the head has some tech details sculpted into it which is a nice touch.

Speaking of the accessories, each is a clear fuchsia blade/blaster/battle fork/missile combination with a peg underneath to be held as a blaster or pegged into the forearms or pegged into the wings, a peg hole above so they can be stacked, and a peg behind so the whole thing can be held as a sword; each weapon is sculpted to correspond to a specific side of the jet. The sculpted design of the weapons suggests that a blade has transformed into an open position, branching out to expose the blaster barrel within perhaps. The figure can hold the weapons fine, although in sword position the missile gets blocked by the cockpit shell part causing the blade to be slightly tilted back towards the figure, so dislodging that forearm straightens out the blade-holding. The thin hands are showing small signs of stress fractures but I think they won't get worse. The figure doesn't have any true 3mm clip-system rails, the tips of his wings are 3mm rail-like, but are a fraction too small to hold any clips, so they just slide right off; the missiles on the accessories are even smaller.

Articulation is ball-jointed shoulders with a small amount of rotation range built into the ball-joint receiver, hinged biceps, hinged elbows, ball-jointed hips, hinged knees that can bend almost 180, rotation feet, and a hinge that lets the otherwise-static head look up. That little bit of head articulation helps since the figure has no neck and is slightly hunched. The ball-joints are all reasonably snug, but the feet are so dainty that the figure has a hard time standing on his own; also, there's one angle on each shoulder on mine where the joint is entirely loose for about 5 degrees and it just drops down a little, the right is pointed straight ahead, the left is nearly slack, but both are easily compensated-against. The figure has a lot of range and can strike many poses, but the feet mean he can't hold most of them on his own. The neck not being able to turn also limits poses a bit.

The only thing you should watch out for in-package is the painted panel on the chest and the paint around the head - especially the eyes - where you'll risk slop, off-center faction logo, and scraped paint.

Overall, Starscream is not a bad figure, but it's not a great one either. I don't think the simpler lines of TF:P lend themselves well to the smaller format of Cyberverse compared to something like the movie aesthetics, here it makes a small figure look overly simple and basic when it actually has more going on. Also, I think Cyberverse Commanders pushing $10 is insane for a relatively simple build - these aren't complex lines and joints like Star Wars figures, and they only have a couple simple accessories - but the biggest issue is that they're not terribly satisfying as TRANSFORMERS, they're not generally fun to transform. The figure has a lot of personality in robot mode, that's where its strengths lie, so it gets a middle grade from me, a C, or a 6.5 / 10.

[Ursus mellifera]

I wasn't going to buy any Prime toys. Not a one, but MAN does Soundwave look good. I kind of want to get him, and Scourge's review makes it seem like my want is justified.

[138 Scourge]

I wasn't going to buy any Prime toys. Not a one, but MAN does Soundwave look good. I kind of want to get him, and Scourge's review makes it seem like my want is justified.

You could do worse. It's not the greatest toy, but I think it looks good in both modes and is decent fun to switch between modes. As much as I don't like Prime, I was pretty happy with Soundwave.

Half-tempted to get Ratchet sometimes, just because I like the VA on the show. Someone should beat me to it and let me know if it's any good.

[JediTricks]

I like Wheeljack a lot more than Soundwave, Soundwave is ok but a little compromised from minimal work on the deco.

I also will buy Ratchet for the voice actor, Jeffrey Combs, who has been a bright spot in this show.