August Hauls

[Shockwave]

Blue Bluestreak only exists as a prototype and a million customs.

If you're referring to US boxed ones sure, but I've actually owned two authentic Diaclone ones. I really hated having to sell those.

[donosaur]

Heyo, a haul:

ROTF Rampage, cause apparently now I have a thing for constructicons, and I can't think of a single other deluxe from this line I want to spend money on. He's as problematic as everybody says, to me it seems not so much like he's over ambitious but more like they just stopped halfway through the design and said "well, close enough." Right now my favorite mode for him is leg mode for the nonexistant Devastator.

[Onslaught Six]

Rampage gets better the more you fiddle with him, even if he's still a failure.

I think what finally made him click with me was having NewBee fight him. Like, for reals fight him. He was holding onto those movey pistons with one hand and 'punching him in the face' with the other.

[donosaur]

He really could make such a good leg though. I'm wondering if it's possible to give him a pair of actual feet in robot mode, and if so he just needs a pair of tabs worked in that can peg into the holes on his blade, fixing the achilles heel problem he's got right now in leg mode. I kind of just want to display him that way

[Shockwave]

We all do, Don, we all do. Finally got a package from a trade over on TFW. Nabbed Alts Bluestreak and movie 1 Jazz. And because he took a while shipping it, he included a Combaticon. I think it's one of the WM versions of Swindle. Orange camo-type deco. Bluestreak is a European version as the steering wheel is on the left side. Still all plastic so definately not a BT. Jazz is ok. I really hate his lower arms. Or what passes for them anyway.

[onslaught86]

Oh hey, it's me! I've been all annoyingly busy and pretty meh about TF after ROTF, so I've not spent as much time online as I normally do. Remains to be seen whether this is a good thing, but hey, it's some kind of thing! Mmyeah.

Got me a couple new toys yesterday, finally got some new waves in.

- ROTF Jolt
- ROTF Ice-Cream Truck Twins

Yay, new stuff. Not only that, good new stuff. Both of them.

Jolt is surprisingly good. For such a nothing product-placement character, I was expecting an interesting-if-not-great toy. Turns out he's quite refreshingly neat. A fairly basic vehicle mode, simple yet satisfying transformation, although I wish he locked together a bit better. Great articulation with good range of motion in the epically jointed shoulders, kibble moves out of the way, some really good poses here. I'd worried his giant shins would be a problem, turns out the legs are digitigrade and mistransformed in stock photos - don't expect any help from the instructs on kibble placement though, he's got the worst instructs I've seen in a long time, tiny and incomplete, very vague. Does have the now-expected budget cuts, they gutted his flippy whips, which are now just turnable - better for display this way, so I don't mind. Cool headsculpt, very different, kinda cute. Nifty undocumented mech alive turns a gear visible through the translucent chest when the waist is turned. Annoying peg added after the fact for durability in alt mode ends up on the bottom of the robot foot though, that's stupid. Missing paint apps make him a bit bland, but this is definitely one of the better entries in the line, I like it a LOT more than I expected to and recommend him quite heartily.

Ice-Cream twins get by mostly on novelty value, we don't get enough TFs that are older vehicles. This one's especially oddball and quite endearing, nifty concept. Complex transformations on both, also very well articulated but with fairly poor range. There're kibble issues, parts like to pop off, vehicle mode takes a bit of clipping to get together but is solid and cutesy once done, robots are better-looking than their larger counterparts and both have springy head-reveals, fiddly and more fun than they first appear. Instructs are pretty useless here too, but some of the vague kibble placement can be seen clearly in final shots, helpful. Both little robots do a good job of evoking the larger designs and have lots of common elements, the kibble's quite clever. I dig the icecreams on Mudflap's arms, too. Worth a look even if you hate the Twins and all they represent, this is a pretty unique and dinky set. Few jointing issues, one of Skids' arms likes to pop off, nothing serious mind you. Not as solid a buy as Jolt, well worth a look though.

[BWprowl]

Oh hey cool. Thanks '86, you reviewed two of the most interest-holding toys in the line for me. And they turned out to be good too, awesome. Heh, I'm actually thinking of getting the FAB version of Jolt too, since he actually has flippy whips.

Anyway, two days, two boxes:

First one had a couple guys I'm leaving in the box, since I already have them (or will soon), but also had Energon Steamhammer. My recently ignited love affair with Ebay has led me to start collecting Energon toys, since that was the line I missed out on most of (I only ever got Rodimus, Divebomb, and much later, Sharkticon). Anyway, Steamhammer is pretty awesome. Even without the Combiner element, he's a great little toy, with a fun vehicle mode (poseably scoop and fully rotating treadbase are fun, and he rolls really well). Transformation is pretty simple, but the resulting robot is good. Very poseable, powerful-looking and dynamic, and he holds together really well (after I swapped his treads, that is, so the hip-pad connection tabs were on the right end). I really like the opening scoop 'hand'. He's just worlds better than Storm Jet. Speaking of which, I used my Universe Superion limbs to try out his combination mode, which is also worlds better than Storm Jet. Really solid, and I like the scoop becoming a shoulderpad, even if it inhibits the use of the jet-limbs in alternate-transformation arm mode. Cool head design. Woulda been awesome if he came with a G1 Dev style chestwing to plug into that conspicuous hole on his chest, but aw well. I'll need to track down Classics Devastator now.

Second Box had the Megatron Energon Roleplay Sword. Sweet. Sadly, it's not as long or as intricately painted as on the box pics, but it's still cool. Annoyingly, I know I had some 'C' batteries around here, but I can't find them, so I can't try out the sound effects. But it's a cool, decently large sword, with neat little flippy bits. It's fun just to swing around. I'm such a dork.

...okay, I mainly got it because I want to use it in a Kicker cosplay eventually. Shut up.

[Onslaught Six]

Woulda been awesome if he came with a G1 Dev style chestwing to plug into that conspicuous hole on his chest, but aw well.

The Hook-style Constructicon limb-bots come with a cruddy claw weapon that, when unfolded, makes for a half-decent chestwing. It's what I've been doing with my ClaDev.

ClaDev really is a good toy, and what's more, he works wonderfully in either setting. I recall 86 buying him when rumours of Devastator being in ROTF were just starting (months before we even knew the subtitle) and him going "If Movie Dev looked like This, that would rule."

Well, we all know how that turned out, but...whatever.

[Shockwave]

Just nabbed ROTF Leader class Prime. Mostly to compare how this one and movie 1 Prime are different. And so that I'll be able to combine him once I get Jetfire (and I will get Jetfire). Haven't had a chance to crack Prime open yet.

[Mirage]

Took advantage of TRU's second sale on movie Joes (2 for $10 again) and snagged Paris Pursuit Snake Eyes and the Ice Viper. Snake wins over the alternatives on design-- no mouth (yay!) plus the trenchcoat balances out the much-hated baggy pants. And the Ice Viper is as solid and cool as he looks (love the uber-baggy pants on him).