TF:Prime Figure Review Thread

[JediTricks]

Knock Out's problem isn't just a lack of paint, but a poor expression of the deco that IS there as well. That said, he doesn't look plain the way Ratchet does, he just looks... poorly done.

I see them the opposite: Ratchet's at least got some decent red/white contrast with a little silver. Knock Out is just...entirely red.

KO is red with a lot of burgundy, some kinda yucky imitation of silver, black and gray. There's a lot of color and color variety on KO, whereas Ratchet is nearly all bald white.

[Dominic]

Wheeljack:

Yeah, I broke down and picked up Wheeljack. I do not like Wheeljack as much as I like Jazz, Prowl or Mirage. But, he is still pretty high on my list of favourites and this is essentially the truest canonical Wheeljack that we are likely to get. (If you assume that "Prime" and the "Exiles" are set in the same timeline, then "Prime" Wheeljack is idiomatically the same guy as G1 Wheeljack.

All said and done, this figure is better than I expected it to be. The transform itself is complex enough to be fun, but no so much that the toy is a chore to transform. The lower legs and feet are especially clever. Aside from the facade roof/windshield bits on the robot's arms, the biggest problem with Wheeljack's transform is the less than helpful instructions.

The care mode is actually better painted than some CHUG figures, (such as Jazz). And, the robot mode mostly captures the look of the character's animation model/

Grade: B/C



Dom
-still needs to pick up a few other "Prime" toys for customizing.

[Onslaught Six]

But, he is still pretty high on my list of favourites and this is essentially the truest canonical Wheeljack that we are likely to get. (If you assume that "Prime" and the "Exiles" are set in the same timeline, then "Prime" Wheeljack is idiomatically the same guy as G1 Wheeljack.

Forget about Generations, then?

[Dominic]

I like the "Generations" toy well enough, better than "Prime" Wheeljack actually. But, "Generations" =/= "Prime". "Prime" is Hasbro's core setting, making the "Prime" figures more canonically valid.

[Onslaught Six]

You have weird reasons for liking things sometimes.

Then again, I try very hard to enjoy toys in a vacuum, and have made an effort to do so since 2009 or so, when I ended up buying several toys I didn't end up liking very much simply because "they were in the movie." By the time DOTM rolled around, I didn't care anymore. I bought who looked cool.

[JediTricks]

They are different canons, Dom.

Wheeljack is an excellent figure who unfortunately suggests a better line than the other figures can deliver. He's the top of the curve so far.


I finally found a Voyager Megatron at Target for $20 and bought him. I like how they did the fine lines across the figure to give it a pearly sheen. The figure is hampered by a few articulation problems in the arms - a lack of rotation and shoulder armor that doesn't move with the arms and gets in the way. The figure is also a bit hollow and light, but is likeable. The transformation is complex. When you get near the end though you realize "they did this on PURPOSE?!?" because it just doesn't feel enough like anything, it seems like 70% of the way there and then they just gave up. The vehicle sculpting suggests good exciting ideas but can't quite deliver.

[Dominic]

Uh, Hasbro has said that "Prime" is part of their core setting, along with the novels, the games and related comics.


In any case,

Deadend: For some reason, the colouring seems to make this easier to transform than Wheeljack. (I am thinking that my eyes are having an easier time spotting seams.) One of the problems with Wheeljack, (the facade windows), is largely mitigated on Deadend by creative paint application. The inner windshield is painted a solid, if bright, green. It looks like something inside of the car's cabin in vehicle mode. Then, in robot mode, the facade windows on the arms do not look as out of place because the "chest window" is not a window at all. I have planes to customize this toy. But, I want to get a better look at "Beast Hunters" Wheeljack before finalizing anything. The colour make the vehicle mode look like a snake's head.
Grade: B/C

Vehicon: If not for Hasbro's recent price hikes, it would be easier to recommend this figure. The cleverness of the transform lives up to the hype. But, there is evidence of obvious laziness to the design and execution. The gun feels like something from the mid-Beast Era. It is not bad. But, a single piece of unpainted plastic does not compare well to other weapons and accessories from more recent toys, especially given its size relative to the figure it is part of. There is an unpainted Decepticon sigil on the vehicle mode's front. (Yes, I can fix it with a sticker. But, I *really* should not have to.) It is not a bad toy by any stretch, and it is nothing that I regret buying. But, I am not sure that I can argue for army-building this figure, despite it being the first legitimate army builder since "Cybertron" Scrapmetal.
Grade: B

Late edit: There is a Decepticon sigil on the front of the Vehicon's car mode. But, as Prowl points out below, it is dark enough that it is hard to see under some lighting.


Dom
-liked the "Loose Cannons" episode more than anticipated.

[Onslaught Six]

There is an unpainted Decepticon sigil on the vehicle mode's front.

Is this really a problem? Idiotic devotion to show accuracy aside, is it inconceivable that any given Transformer might not have a fully painted faction logo on them? Especially mass-produced throwaway drones.

[BWprowl]

There is an unpainted Decepticon sigil on the vehicle mode's front.

Is this really a problem? Idiotic devotion to show accuracy aside, is it inconceivable that any given Transformer might not have a fully painted faction logo on them? Especially mass-produced throwaway drones.

More importantly, what the hell is Dom talking about? The tiny Decepticon symbol on the front of the Vehicon's vehicle mode is tampo'd, not molded.

[Dominic]

The front of the car has a raised area that was clearly intended to have a faction sigil painted on to it. That is the "moulding" that I refer to. Maybe it is just my copy, but it does not have a painted faction sigil.

Dom
-and show accuracy is kind of the point.