2024 Hauls

[andersonh1]

Wow, a PENNY per PAGE?! Holy cow.

Yeah, I couldn't believe it. They must have needed to clear some inventory!

[JediTricks]

SS Gamer Cliffjumper - $9 at Ross, and worth not even that. What a piece of crap this is, not only is the robot mode a total mess, but the transformation doesn't work because swapping in the Cliffjumper head was too big and it causes the back part to pop off. The vehicle mode is decent when it stays together, but this thing is such a disappointment even knowing it was going to be a let-down. I don't usually give figures a failing grade, but this absolutely gets an F.

SS Gamer Starscream - $29.99 plus $20 bonus off at Target, he's nowhere near as bad as Cliffjumper, but still a lot of weird choices. The whole look is thrown off by the extra wide canopy which is there to accommodate a head transformation that simply wasn't needed AT ALL, the head could have simply rotated around and stayed there, filling in the gap behind the cockpit in vehicle mode. Transformation is awkward and is too poorly connected at the midsection and the upper rear, but it's not loose, just wobbly. It's not a great figure, but it's not as bad as i feared.

Legacy Cybertron Starscream - $27.99 plus a chunk off from the recent sale at Target, this is an odd figure, it's a fairly nice Cy Starscream but a bit skinny, the shoulder parts come off too easily, and the swords are too short. Great articulation, really nice movement. Transformation is a messy affair of things kinda pegging in but not really staying put, everything wiggles around too much. The vehicle mode is a let-down, from above it looks the part but from any other angle the clumsy underside with its extraneous parts becomes a big issue. Great figure but not a great Transformer.

Legacy Tasmania Kid - part of that sale buy, so I think like $7? He's a fun little dude, not all that amazing in bot mode but charming and the open jaw as chest works well. The transformation has a couple clever moves. The beast mode is a bit too static and the skullcap doesn't wanna stay in place, but he's alright here too.

Legacy Magneous - I like this one a lot, the sculpting is sharper than most figures, the deco is simple but works excellently, the transformation is really fun for a weaponizer-type, and he just has a presence. The only knock is he's not a great weaponizer-type, his lower legs transform into a larger head for his pickaxe but the rest is just vague parts - a whole arm, a side panel, the entire bot head to legs. Still, an "A" figure in my book.

Star Wars Black Series Phase 1 Lt. /Phase 2 Ahsoka Squad Clone 2-pack - Target exclusive half price worked out for me, I got 2 of these. The joints are all light, one is actually loose at a shoulder, but mostly ok. Not huge surprises with these, one of mine had a second right shoulder in place of a left, so Target gave me a third set.

GI Joe Classified Retro Duke - I haven't opened him yet, the packaging is solid as hell though, taking a page out of the Marvel Legends Retro book, these things will stop a tank. The figure looks good in package, does a few things that the original doesn't, has a few unique accessories. I wasn't gonna get him but so much positive chatter and those swappable fists swayed me.

GI Joe VAMP - unexpectedly worth the money, it's a fun set with a good feel to it. Not super in love with the turret but it's alright. Clutch is adequate, not loving the tats but the rest of the figure does the job, although his main helmet is loose. Probably my last big vehicle in this line.

[andersonh1]

I got another set of the Nano Metalfigs Transformers on clearance for $7. If you haven't seen them, these are small 1" or so tall diecast Transformers figures, many with metallic paint. This set has a number of Beast Wars figures and some repaints, including Optimus Prime with the energy axe, Beast Wars Megatron and Optimus Primal, Soundblaster, Nova Storm, and some others. I grabbed the picture off Wal-Mart's website so you could see all the characters. I'm not sure how many of these sets they've had, I do have one other from a few years back. At any rate, while this didn't tempt for for $20, it was well worth $7 to me. Looked like most of the Transformers were on clearance, so maybe a reset is on the way.

[Sparky Prime]

Legacy Beast Wars Silverbolt - Thank you Amazon for brightening my day with this. The original was already pretty accurate to the show, and this figure improves on that. It's great that his wings have more articulation so that they can be folded up rather than always extended due to built in gimmicks. Although, at least on my figure, they are a bit loose. Not enough that I'd call it a problem, but still, I wish they were tighter. Transformation is changed up bit to accommodate the wings ending up on his back in robot mode, but it means the hinge detailing on the front of his shoulders are faux. The one disappointing thing about this figure for me is the lack of articulation for the eagle talons. He's got ankle articulation, but the talons cannot open and close, unlike the original toy. So, despite a drawback or two, I'd say this is overall a great figure.

[andersonh1]

Back in the mid-90s I started reading the Nightwing series by Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel, but my comic reading was very sporadic at the time, so I didn't get far even though I enjoyed the series. Now I'll get to catch up. Got the Nightwing Compendium vol. 1, which collects about 40 issues of Nightwing, including the mini-series that preceded the ongoing, the ongoing series 1-25, and some crossover issues. Looking forward to reading this one, and hopefully there will be a follow up down the road. I like the Compendium format, it's a lot cheaper than an omnibus but collects as much material. Problems with art being lost in the gutter of such a thick book are the only drawback.

[Shockwave]

Been a while since I've posted and a LOT has come in! Here goes:

Siege Impactor: Saw him for cheap and got him, adding to my Wreckers/86 Autobots shelf.

Legacy Sandstorm: One of the better triple changers. Each mode looks like it's own thing and he never feels like "buggy hanging off a helicopter, or helicopter on top of buggy" thing. Elements from both integrate really well. And the transformation is complex, but not overly so, I was able to figure it out on my own. Highly recommended.

Legacy Silverbolt: This was everything I wanted from this figure. It's basically the original with better articulation. Highly recommended.

Legacy Cheetor: Mini Beast Machines Cheetor. It's nice to see BM getting some attention, I hope this leads to more characters from that series. For a core class, I think it pulls off Cheetor pretty well.

Legacy Energon Universe Megatron: As stated, it's Megatron from Energon. Pretty decent for the scale, they even managed to get the mini tank mode Armada Megatron accessory included. Also highly recommended.

Legacy Bouldercrash: Core class, rock themed Motorcycle. It's... interesting. I like it, but it's not exactly selling me on the rest of the Rock Lords inspired figures. Maybe I need to find one of the larger ones. Still recommended though.

Legacy Tazmania Kid: I don't really have much to add beyond JT's review, so yeah, also recommended.

Studio Series 86 Ratchet: If you have Ironhide, then you know what to expect from this. Good figure, recommended.

Legacy Gears: Found him at Target. Not a big fan of how the chest is stuck to the back of the alt mode, but since I don't ever display it that way, the effect is minimal. Otherwise, it's a pretty decent figure, highly recommended.

Kingdom Huffer: Found this for cheap as well and since apparently I'm reacquiring the original 84 characters, I figured why not? Also a great update and highly recommended.

Legacy Chase: Not a bad figure, transformation is interesting. I've decided to liquidate characters in my collection that I don't have some sort of attachment to (either from nostalgia or just fun to play with) and this one got the ax. I actually returned him to Target. Not a bad figure, and a decent update to the Rescue Bots, just not one I need. Still recommended if you're into that though.

Legacy Windblade: Same as Chase: Decent figure, just decided I didn't need it in my collections so she got returned with Chase. Still recommended if you like the charcater though.

Legacy Tigerhawk: I never had the original so I don't know how it compares to that, but it's a great addition to any BW/Maximal shelf. Transformation is interesting and he looks great in both modes. Highly Recommended.

RID Powered X-Brawn: Still a great figure all these years later. Interested to see how Legacy Side Burn comes out in comparison.

Legacy Spedia 2000 RID Scourge: Another decent update to this figure and great to get one for a decent price (I think mine was $45 on Amazon). Highly recommended if you don't already have the original.

RID Rail Racer: Ok, this one has a bit of a story. There's a chain of stores in my area called The Cave. They sell nostalgia stuff, old video games, toys, movies, records, etc... Well I went to one location and saw all three trains in train mode sealed in a package and bought them. Got home, opened the package and... Rail Spike was missing his head! I'm still pissed about that. A friend of mine had an extra, so it's fixed now, but that's unacceptable. If you're going to seal things up, you need to list any defects on the outside so customers can decide BEFORE they buy it!! /rant

Earthrise Barricade: Found one cheap, bought it, put some chrome on it and got some Toyhax stickers for it. Same for Bluestreak, Prowl, and Smokescreen. Prowl is the Target two pack version, I swapped out an extra chest from Bluestreak and repainted it. So now I have an Earthrise Prowl without having had to pay through the nose for it.

40th Anniversary Blaster and Steeljaw: Never had Steeljaw before, so I got this. Pretty cool, but I'm going to sell it because I really don't need G1 Blaster or Steeljaw. Other cool thing about this set is there's no stickers, everything is tampo'd on there.

Bumblebees!!!: G1 red Bumblebee, G1 Yellow Cliffjumper, Bumblejumper (High quality knock off), G2 Bumblebee, G2 Hubcap (no, it's not Cliffjumper. It's Hubcap. In red.) G1 Pretender Classics Bumblebee, Henkei Bumblebee, Legacy Animated Bumblebee, Some sort of "3rd Party" KO Bumblebee, and the latest "World's Smallest" Bumblebee. So yeah, filled out the Bumblebee Shelf a bit.

Studio Series BB Shockwave: Not a bad movie Shockwave figure. Recommended if you want a decent Bayformers Shockwave.

Nemesis Bridge Set: Shockwave, Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak. STILL. NO. FREAKIN'. BUZZSAW!!! Once again, I had to customize my own. But everything else about this set is so so pretty. The packaging is glorious with it's two slip cases and even the box within still has great art on it. Megatron is a nice shiny silver, Soundwave is equally shiny where he needs to be and Shockwave has nice colors as well. Soundwave is the Walmart "Earthrise" version, so nice to get a version of that which isn't yellowed. Apparently the Walmart ones are yellowing inside the box! Megatron can sit on the throne, but it's tricky getting him to do it. Still, this makes the '84 G1 Decepticon shelf look good! Very highly recommended.

Ghost Starscream vs. Haunted Waspinator: Again, this set is so pretty! Starscream's colors catch the light WAY better than the Henkei version. And again, the packaging on this is so pretty! The outer black slip case reveals a box with rocky details printed on it with Decepticon and Predacon logos on it and when you open that, it looks like the original packaging for the Japanese Beast Wars vs. packs! Waspinator is slightly shinier than his Kingdom version, and he has Decepticon logos on his head, green is slightly darker and the yellow is now gold. Looks better, but you definitely are not buying this for Waspy, you're buying it for Starscream. And Starscream does not disappoint. Mostly. I only have two complaints about this figure and that the opaque plastic for the rear wings and the lower arms. I really thought it should be completely clear, but it honestly isn't even noticable in the right light. Very highly recommended.

Legacy Magmatron: I like to joke that this is what happens when a Transformer can't decide what to turn into. "I guess I wanna be a dinosaur?" "Great, land, air or sea" "yes." "What do you mean 'yes'?" "I'll take all three". "you'll have to split your consiou.... you know what? Fine, here you go" Joking aside, I do like this figure, partially for the batcrap crazy that comes with three conflicting alt modes all Frankensteining into one robot. My only complaint is the "Landsaur" tail in bot mode: it just sticks out and there's no way to move it down out of the way. So whatever shelf you display this on, he's going to be sticking out a bit. Still, interesting figure, recommended.

Origins Wheeljack: I like this figure and I like that they've been releasing the "Cybertron" versions of the G1 characters, but I only have this, Bumblebee and Jazz. I would have to get the Siege Seekers (good luck on Skywarp), siege Soundwave to complete the "origins" set. And... yeah, I don't feel like I need this in my collection. So I returned it too. It is a pretty good version and accomplishes what is sets out to. I like how origins Bumblebee is able to fit inside the alt mode. Highly recommended if you want figures from that first episode of the cartoon.

There's a bunch of other stuff too. At one point, I decided that instead of having the regular versions of the G1 Autobots, I was going to have their Diaclone versions. So I bought a bunch of the Siege, Kingdom, Legacy, Generations Selects Diaclone bots. I even got Shattered Glass Magnus to stand in as Powered Convoy because blue Optimus. But I don't feel like I need knock off Autobots, so I'm selling most of them off. I am keeping Cordon and Spin Out and Clamp Down because I enjoy the molds so much, but other than that, they're all going. I had like three versions of Skids, Two Siege Sideswipe bots, Detritus, Exhaust, Magnificus...

That's all I can remember for now.

[andersonh1]

That's an impressive haul!

[andersonh1]

War for Cybertron Quintesson Deseeus Army Drone - I picked this up today at the comic book shop while browsing their selection of Transformers. It's clearly an Ironhide repaint, and I've been wanting a new version of Ironhide lately, so this was a nice "close enough" purchase. He's a gray and black Ironhide with silver highlights and "wearing" with a lime green skullface insignia, so neither Autobot nor Decepticon. There's Netflix branding on the packaging, which is white with red and black graphics mainly. It definitely stood out from a lot of the other boxed figures there.

[Shockwave]

Legacy Deluxe Instecticon set: I can't remember the actual name of the set, but it's the one with Barrage and Chop Shop. I have to admit, Hasbro is getting a LOT of creative use out of the Bombshell/Shrapnel mold (in case for some reason, anyone here isn't aware, Legacy Shrapnel and Bombshell have the same lower half). Anyway, Chop Shop is a slight retool of Shrapnel, with enough different parts that it really does feel like an entirely new figure. Same goes for Barrage and Bombshell. And they look great together with Ransack from the 4 pack released last year. Now if Hasbro can just find a way to remold this into Venom, we'll be all set. But yeah, Highly recommended. And there's some sort of hammer/minotaur thing in there too.

Kingdom Sideswipe/Skywarp 2 pack: Since I'm apparently sticking with actual G1 characters, I figured I would get the version of Sideswipe I actually want. Skywarp is fine, if you like the Air Razor figure then this is basically that with new head, and is fine, but not why I bought the ticket. Sideswipe is just like the Siege version, but with the Lambo alt mode that Earthrise Sunstreaker has. Speaking of which...

Earthrise Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker. Found both for fairly cheap and decided to round out the characters from the Autobot 5 pack. But, with the Siege/Earthrise/Studio Series 86 versions. So now I have all 5, but with clear blue windows instead of that painted nonsense.

Video Game: Another Crab's Treasure. Do you like Dark Souls? Do you like Finding Nemo? Did you ever wish these two things were somehow merged together? Yeah, no, I never wished that either, but I am oh so glad this exists! So yeah, a lot of people simply refer to this as "Crab Souls" because the gameplay is basically Dark Souls, but with a Finding Nemo aesthetic laid over it. It also has an anti pollution environmental message that is... not subtle at all. There's subtext, there's actual text, and then there's whatever this is. Put it this way: The main city you keep going back to has bridges made out of CVS receipts! Which is both a hilarious dig at CVS, and simultaneously horrifying if you were to somehow actually see this in the ocean. And that's just one example. There's pollution everywhere, the in game currency is microplastics and you collect junk to trade for more microplastics. Junk like, fish hooks, bread clasps, those butterfly paperclips, hair clasps... Oh, and the main character is a hermit crab and you have to keep finding shells to use. Some of which are soda cans, tin cans, bottle caps, tennis balls, shot glasses, mason jars, and sauce bottle nozzles. Oh and a gun. Yeah, if you wanna play it on ridiculously easy mode, you can give your crab a gun, which one hit insta-kills everything, even bosses. Anyway, TL:DR, this game is awesome!!

Oh, and I'm playing this on XBox One because my 360 decided it wasn't going to allow me to log into my account anymore. So wiped it, and traded it in for the One and started a whole brand new gamertag. This REALLY irks me and is something that I long for the return of cartridge based console gaming: Because so many of the games I had on the 360 were digital only AND tied to my gamertag/XBLive account, I lost around 20 games that are no longer available on the service. Not to mention other content, like TF related Gamertag pics and avatar options... Yeah, just one more reason why online only gaming sucks. I don't have any of these issues with old NES little grey box. Just saying.

[Shockwave]

Siege Mirage: Finishing out my '84 Autobots, got this and the reissue of Earthrise Prime. Shelf looks good. Now if Hasbro can produce a deluxe scale Windcharger, that will complete the set. POTP is standing in for now.

Transformers One Bumblebee: It's an interesting version of Bumblebee. Transformation is also interesting, but the way the arms fold into the alt mode is not intuitive at all. I had to actually read the instructions

Target 4 pack with Cliffjumper, Tarantulus, Tarn and Squeezeplay. I bought this for Tarantulus. I'll keep him and Squeezeplay, but selling the rest. Cliffjumper is the Prime version which does not fit with anything aesthetically in my collection and Tarn is... fine I guess. I'm not a fan of the transformation.

The Go-Bots three pack: Had these on preorder through Pulse. Not Cosmos is pretty cool and makes me glad they're reissuing him, Not Gears and Not Warpath are both good as well. The Not Gears (I can't remember any of their names) actually has a slightly different head than the regular version, very Go-Bot looking. Cool set and worth picking up.

Don't know if I previously mentioned Comic Edition Shockwave, but it is oh so pretty! That beautiful comic cover, the deco on the figure, and you can pose him just like the cover and looks great in front of it. And the Optimus Prime head is cool too.

Transformers: RID (2001): Found a couple Spychangers for cheap, so picked those up. Also, Legacy Side Burn. We were all waiting for this one and now that it's out... Thanks, I hate it. The alt mode doesn't lock together all the way and the lack of chrome really visually takes away from the over all look. The change in alt mode doesn't resemble his previous one even remotely and the biggest problem is the lack of paint. The flame details were white, bright and vibrant on the original and barely visible at all on this one. Fail. Might actually sell this and just buy an original.