Universe2.0/Generations Review Thread

[andersonh1]

The problem with Smokescreen is mainly the yellow. Drop that, and the figure improves immensely.

I'll pick up the Universe version, but this may be a case where the Henkei version appeals as well. Henkei Hound improves on the Hasbro version quite a bit as well, simply by going with a darker green and silver instead of grey.

[BWprowl]

I dig TFU Cyclonus, but am heartily looking forward to a chance to get the Henkei version, a first for me. He's just much more delightfully purple than the Universe version, and the chrome actually looks good on Nightstick.

[Mirage]

I dig TFU Cyclonus, but am heartily looking forward to a chance to get the Henkei version, a first for me. He's just much more delightfully purple than the Universe version, and the chrome actually looks good on Nightstick.

Yep, mine should be here any time now. C'mon, TFSource...

[andersonh1]

TFU Galvatron

Finally, we have a new mold for Galvatron instead of the continual Megatron repaints that we got in RID and AEC. This is meant to be the same character that was introduced in the original animated Transformers movie, though the bio for Universe Galvatron is vague about his origins, so there's no way to know if he's an rebuilt Megatron or not.

Opinion of this figure in fan circles has been mixed, to say the least. Time to throw my two cents into the mix.

Vehicle mode: In keeping with the Universe aesthetic of "generally realistic color schemes", the vehicle is a tank that's primarily dark grey, with silver highlights on the turret, gun barrel and the front and sides of the treads. Some less than realistic colors are visible, such as the purple on the back of the turret, some bright orange bits in two spots, and most apparent, the translucent orange barrel of the tank, which is clearly going to end up as Galvatron's arm-mounted cannon. I have no problem with some concessions being made to try and balance the vehicle and robot appearances, so despite the fact that you'll never see a tank with this type of gun, I'm not too bothered by it.

The turret rotates 180 degrees, and both sides have "GALV-25" in stencil type. The tank itself has plenty of molded details, some symmetrical and some not. There are hatches, vents, panel lines, and what look like spare missiles or ammo on the sides. There are black-painted treads molded on the underside, which are partially visible from the front and sides. Due to some of the colors, it's not a 100% convincing mode, but it's well-done, regardless.

Transformation: complicated. Whoever engineered this was impressively creative. There's more pulling, twisting and rotating than I care to describe. Much of the treads become legs, about a third on either side become a backpack, and the turret becomes the gun arm while the other arm is folded up above the head. I managed to transform the figure with only the cannon popping off in the process.

Robot: Should be bigger. It would make the transformation easier to accomplish, and it would be more fitting for the character's stature. Regardless, it's still a clever design that borrows nicely from the animation model more than the original toy. While still predominantly dark grey, there's plenty of purple on the feet, shins, hands, one shoulder, and in the largest concentration, the head and torso. A silver Decepticon insignia is on one shoulder. One hand is open, one is a fist. There's plenty of the usual articulation, and the figure is fairly stable, even with the big backpack.

Overall: I'm impressed. It's a pretty complicated for such a small figure, and it balances a fairly realistic tank with a robot that looks a lot like Galvatron's animation model. It's refreshingly full of detail as well, which I prefer to the flat animated style. I think the small size is the only drawback, otherwise I'd recommend the figure pretty enthusiastically.

[Dominic]

Cosmos: A sleek update of an old favorite. The "flying saucer" mode is a bit flatter than the original. Runes, similar to those seen in some movie tie-ins, are printed around the top of the saucher form. The transform is idiomatically similar to the original, though there are a few mechanical and aesthetic changes. The most obvious being the robot's (now larger) arms. Grade: A/B Worth looking, and easily worth picking up for $5. Worth considering at $10.


Warpath: Yet another H-tank is added to the line. Like Cosmos, Warpath is an update of an old, if obscure, favorite. Like the first wave's Brawn figure, Warpath looks the least promising in package. But, the fiddle value of the toys more than compensates for this. The transform is pretty intuitive. One nice touch is that the tank's turret can telescope into the robot's chest. Grade: A/B Note quite as good as Cosmos, but definitely worth picking up.


Both of these have recolor potential as Treads and Pathfinder, e-Hobby recolors of the original molds for Cosmos and Warpath.

Dom
-might snag extras for that purpose.

[andersonh1]

TFU Hot Shot and Jolt

Hot Shot is a remake of Armada Hot Shot. It's smaller and less 'playskoolish' than the original version. It's also lacking the Armada figure's gimmicks, which include the removable engine, flip open front bumper and the mini-con activated weapon, the axle bazooka. And while that last one may sound goofy, it's actually a nice use of the mini-con hardpoint activated gimmicks Armada is built around.

Universe Hot Shot jettisons the gimmicks in favor of a more details and a more complex transformation.

Jolt - like Hot Shot, is smaller than the original version. Transformation is different as well, even though the robot and helicopter look very simliar. Unfortunately, Jolt is way too back heavy to stand up unless he's trying to touch his toes. He looks better than the original thanks to more paint aps, but when a figure can't even stand up, that's a problem.

Hot Shot
Vehicle: the same fantasy yellow sportscar as before, with minor body-style changes. Mine is slightly twisted and difficult to get straightened to the point where all four wheels can roll at once. The front and back windshields are translucent plastic this time around, as are the headlights. The engine block cannot be removed. The license plate reads JAAM, a reference to a fan comic where Hot Shot was clearly deranged and wanted jam. See also Ben Yee's bwtf figure review scale.

Transformation: the doors open, and the front of the car splits apart to make the legs, as before. But it becomes apparent that the transformation isn't quite the same, since Hot Shot's head is at the opposite end of the car. The rear of the car splits apart to make the arms. Hot Shot still has restrictive shoulders, but this time the restrictions are formed by the rear bumper of the car which forms a backpack. The torso folds up and pegs into place, and the legs peg together at the crotch. In essence that legs and chest rotate 180 degrees. The feet fold out.

Robot mode: looks quite small next to the original. In essence, it's still the same figure with the same color balance and look, but the robot is generally better proportioned and has actual front to back shoulder movement, which is a tremendous improvement. Articulation is good all around.

Overall: improves on the original figure with regard to proportion and articulation, but is a little more fiddly with the transformation and I found that the arms can pop off a little too easily. The backpack gets in the way more than I'd like as well. I'd call it a nice update that solves some of the issues I had with the original figure, but sacrifices the mini con gimmicks.

[andersonh1]

Legends Wheelie

Bot mode: mostly bright orange with grey trim. The Autobot symbol is printed in red on the orange, a very low-contrast application that really makes me miss the white background on the insignia. Wheelie has bright blue eyes, the distinctive 'baseball cap' look on top of his head, and a blue molded slingshot on one of his shoulders, which is just a cool little detail. Very little knee motion in the right direction, though they bend forward for transformation. No elbows, but both arms and legs are on ball joints.

Transformation: nicely done for a figure this small. Legs become the back of the car, with feet folding under the rear. The front fenders and doors are the arms, and the hood is the chest. The whole torso folds around a central 'arm' that allows several contortions to make the robot fold up into a compact car.

Vehicle: a little bright orange, two-door sports car with large back wheels, small front wheels, yellow headlights and a blue triangle in front of the windshield. There's a spoiler on the back and red taillights. It rolls pretty well even with the less than 1/8" clearance. One nitpick, though. The cardback calls it his 'junk planet speeder mode', but he was on Quintessa.

Overall: A great update for one of the least popular characters ever. Wheelie is much improved.

[Dominic]

TFU deluxes, wave 6

A line that kicked off with such high expectations about a year bac k, and delivered what became my favorite all-time mould, ends with a wimper.

Ratchet: ambulance/robot
Like Ironhide, this is a very unbalanced toy. The vehicle form has some real aesthetic problems, largely due to intrusive sectioning and panel lines. The robot mode is a bit better. However, the real value for this toy is in the fiddling. This toy is primarily for people who prefer the "journey" (transforming) to the destination. Other than that, the only reason to get this toy is a specific fondness for Ratchet or for the sake of being a completist. (I bought this toy due to being a fan of the character.) The character profile specificaly references the US comic, though it is unintrusive enough that I will not complain about it being overinsular.

If you are looking at this toy for fiddle value, try to get Ironhide instead. (Aside from a few changes, both share a mold.) The quality control on the paint is likely to be worse on Ratchet, given the problems common to white paint. The only recolor potential I can see for customizers is to redo this toy as Takara ?movie" Ratchet, though I suppose Cannonball is also a prospect.

Grade: B/C Not worth going crazy for, but worth considering if you happen to find one.


Hotshot and Jolt: car/robot and copter/robot
Back in 2002, when "Armada" was first announced, the toy to complain about was Hotshot. There were few, if any, toys that got so much bad buzz before even being released. When the toy finally came out, I picked up a copy more for the Minicon than anything else. Between the fact that early buzz had set my expectations so low, and the fact that, like most of "Armada", the toy earned high marks for ambition if not full execution. The transformation had enough steps to be engaging, but was simple enough to not be a chore. And, for all the complaints about the toy's lack of articulation, there was real fiddle value. The Minicon was fiddly, both due to being well-articulated and having a good transform.

In many ways, the new Hotshot inverts this. Early buzz on this toy, based on early photographs, was great. Sadly, the delivery is lacking. The mechanical gimmicks that gave the original toy so much of its flavor are gone. (For all the complaints and jokes about the shoulder cannon, it was an ambitious design.) Hotshot is now just a run of the mill TF figure that can have a small copter stuck to it. While all TFs have some fiddle value, that can be diminished by a poor design. Sadly, that is the case with Hotshot. In engineering terms, this toy is more frustrating than an "Alternator" figure. While Ratchet is a pleasure to fiddle with if not display, transformeing Hotshot borders on being a chore.

While the original Hotshot was largely carried by the Jolt figure, this one is further hobbled by it. Besides the fact that the transform for the new figure is less fiddly, the new figure does not balance as well. I have yet to be able to get it to stand. The original figure from 2002 is far better. (This may sound like damning with faint praise, but the original figure is one of my favorite Minicons.) The fact the Minicon cannot stand on its own meaninfully diminishes the figure's display value, which more or less makes the whole set a wash. And, it gets worse. The hands are mis-molded, with the fist-holes being slightly smaller than on a standard figure. Hotshot cannot hold the "Armada" Starsaber, nor most any other inter-operable weapon. (There are "Animated" toys that can hold the Starsaber. But, the new Hotshot cannot hold one of the character's signature weapons.)

Even the soft properties of Hotshot are lacking. Hotshot was supposed to be the gate-way character, accessible to new/young fans. But, both the Hotshot figure and the character profile make specific to a fandom in-joke. While the license plate reading "JaAM" is unintrusive enough, the fact that is mentioned in the character bio is bothersome, and contrary to what Hotshot was supposed to be.

Grade: F "SuUK!"

[Onslaught Six]

The fistholes is a sucky thing, apparently he was supposed to be bigger but got downsized, and his fists stayed the same.

Also, the Hasbro release lacks the exhaust armguns that the Henkei release has.

[onslaught86]

I'm getting Henkei. Those bonus launchers were an easy sale. I'm unsure if his license plate also reads JaAm, but I do hope it does.

Sorry to hear you dislike that one, Dom, and I am rather disappointed about the fistholes. I too have a soft spot for Armada Hot Shot, although I actually got ML Hot Rod with the light-up fist. Heh, wish the Henkei release had a light-up fist..