TF Views

onslaught86 wrote:

Onslaught Six wrote:If they did things slightly different, they could've even made it so ClaPrime's hatgun was inconsequential and you could even take it off entirely for his vehicle mode.

They sorta-kinda did, you just have to turn the head face-down. It's not terribly intrusive, but it does prevent me from citing that as too prime an example.

Prime an example. Ho ho ho.

HAHAHAHA YOU SO FUNNY!

JediTricks wrote:

Dominic wrote:The gun does not have any official place it can be stowed. It can also fit on the side of the tank. But, that is not something I am willing to credit the designers with.

Fine, I'll ask you again, what if the figure never came with that rifle then? He certainly doesn't NEED it, he's well-armed as it is. How does the extra accessory HURT the figure?

The guns popping out of guns thing annoys me as it is so over the top and fan-boyish, getting into the kind of self-parody that is the only thing writers like Garth Ennis can handle.

Ok, but you have to admit, they're different kinds of guns.

I would rather have fewer accessories that integrate gracefully than extra accessories that I can lose. Give me something with a place in both modes that looks good. For example, BW Ramulus has that horn weapon. It is the ram'e horns and the robot's skirmish weapon. That is fine as it has someplace to be in both forms.

The use of the hard-point on Dropshot annoys be because it is not a legitimate storage point. It works, yes. But, it feels very post-hoc.

As for the guns, yes there are different kinds of guns, but they are still guns popping out of guns, with the problems I mentioned above.

Dom
-rather likes "Cybertron" Downshift.

I would rather have fewer accessories that integrate gracefully than extra accessories that I can lose. Give me something with a place in both modes that looks good. For example, BW Ramulus has that horn weapon. It is the ram'e horns and the robot's skirmish weapon. That is fine as it has someplace to be in both forms.

That's a prime example of the other kind. I HATE that kind of accessory, because the toy is ruined if you lose it (In Ramulus' case, it demasculates him), making buying second-hand that much harder. It's also essentially legoforming, which is where my true issue with it lies.

Universe Sunstreaker's exahust pipe gun, that's a well-integrated non-essential accessory. Hell, even G1 Megatron's fusion cannon is a well-integrated accessory. But Ramulus' horn assembly, aside from being a stupid gimmick and a terribly 'gun', forms an essential part of his alternate mode, and that's inexcusably poor. While weapons with nowhere to go in a mode are bad, I'd sooner have the kind that tack on lamely with a peg (See: Cybertron Hot Shot) than the kind that 'have' to be there to transform the toy at all (See: Ransack). An exception comes when the removal of said component is entirely optional (See: Undermine). I like my accessories to be accessories, not chunks of the toy that should become part of the robot.

The thing is that with a weapon like Ramulus', it is impossible to lose the piece if you are half-way paying attention when fiddling with it. Each piece has a place to go on both forms. (I am not a fan of Ramulus as a toy either, but it was a good example for what we are talking about.) That beats the heck out of toys that have parts that do not integrate in, as those toys are just about guaranteed to be missing parts on the after-market. (When I clean out my collection on occasion, the stuff that is missing parts is the stuff I tend to sell.)

Sunstreaker's gun is needed in both forms. Without it, the robot would be unarmed, and the car would be incomplete.

As an aside, one of the guys at the comic shop mentioned (with some annoyance) that TF and Joe fans are two of the only groups that tends to be picky about toys being complete. Apparently, Micronauts fans are okay with incomplete junk, which makes no sense.

Dom

Dominic wrote:The thing is that with a weapon like Ramulus', it is impossible to lose the piece if you are half-way paying attention when fiddling with it. Each piece has a place to go on both forms. (I am not a fan of Ramulus as a toy either, but it was a good example for what we are talking about.) That beats the heck out of toys that have parts that do not integrate in, as those toys are just about guaranteed to be missing parts on the after-market. (When I clean out my collection on occasion, the stuff that is missing parts is the stuff I tend to sell.)

Sunstreaker's gun is needed in both forms. Without it, the robot would be unarmed, and the car would be incomplete.

As an aside, one of the guys at the comic shop mentioned (with some annoyance) that TF and Joe fans are two of the only groups that tends to be picky about toys being complete. Apparently, Micronauts fans are okay with incomplete junk, which makes no sense.

Dom

I'm not really picky, But I'm not gonna buy a toy with missing body parts.

I've bought toys with missing limbs before. Custom fodder, yay.

Custom fodder is different though. If you only need certain parts, and they are all there, they you are getting what you need. I buy all kinds of junk for customs. But, in terms of buying for my collecting, I want something in good condition.

And, yes Crossrook, the store I am talking about will sell TFs with missing hands and such.


And, hey, look, an actual review! (Because, ya know, that kind of is the point of this thread.)


TFU Onslaught:

Images from BBTS:
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/prod ... ode=retail

As with most of "Universe", Onslaught is a new take on an old character. The original Onslaught was leader of the Combaticons, being the strategist for the military themed Decepticons. The bio note reflects this much. However, while the original was an artillery truck, the modern Onslaught is a SWAT vehicle.

Given that SWAT teams are essentially urban combat and siege specialists, this type of alternate mode works for the character. But, I am curious if any police departments use vehicles as heavily armed as this one is.

On of the most striking things about the vehicle, (and this carries over the robot form), is how small it is. I have toys from the next lower price-point that are actually the same size or larger. Like most Decepticons intended to represent larger vehicles, Onslaught is in a unique scale category that does not quite correspond with anything else in the line.

The toy includes a riot shield that can clip on top of the main turret, functioning as an extra piece of armour. Those who leave the batteries in their toys will appreciate that the riot shield has a folding plate that fits over a button on the turret. This button activates a sound feature, (machine guns or a siren), and the folding plate makes the button accessible even with the riot shield attached.

Despite that nice touch, the turret is also the place one will find the biggest real problems with this toy. The guns themselves do not attach firmly to the turret, popping out at the slightest disturbance. (These are actually worse than movie Brawl's guns in some respects, but they do not pop out and fly as Brawl's cannons do.) I am tempted to glue mine, but that may not solve anything as the guns may simply snap. (Given the fact this toy is molded largely out of metal flake plastic, I see all kinds of stuctural-failure fun.) The other problem is the use of stickers. Besides making the toy look 15 years out of date, (I have seen toys cast from molds older than I use painted detail instead of stickers), stickers are not known for lasting. I expect there will be a good many Onslaughts with soiled turrets at future Botcons.

The transform has some fun touches, primarily in the legs and chest, but I can see some places where quality-control may be a concern.

The robot mode is, allowing for the problems that carry over from vehicle mode, not bad. But, it is also not spectacular. It nicely evokes the original Onslaught, just as other "Universe" toys evoke other older charactes. It even has a couple of extra points of articulation one might not expect, though these also add few meaningful options for posing the toy. The riot shield clips onto the left arm, and the right deploys a wrist mounted gun.

Grade: C/D Not an inherently bad toy, but some serious flaws and generaly lack-luster execution bring it down quite a bit. Skip this unless you really like the character or type of vehicle.


Dom
-might display this with RiD Bruticus. Onslaught brings 'em in, and Bruticus sees to their incarceration.

Dominic wrote:And, hey, look, an actual review! (Because, ya know, that kind of is the point of this thread.)

I still intend to review this guy.

On of the most striking things about the vehicle, (and this carries over the robot form), is how small it is. I have toys from the next lower price-point that are actually the same size or larger. Like most Decepticons intended to represent larger vehicles, Onslaught is in a unique scale category that does not quite correspond with anything else in the line.

While, yeah, his vehicle mode is kinda small, I don't see how it carries over to the robot mode. He's clearly an Ultra there, as he's taller than Heavy Load/Quickmix who's clearly a Mega/Voyager.

Despite that nice touch, the turret is also the place one will find the biggest real problems with this toy. The guns themselves do not attach firmly to the turret, popping out at the slightest disturbance. (These are actually worse than movie Brawl's guns in some respects, but they do not pop out and fly as Brawl's cannons do.) I am tempted to glue mine, but that may not solve anything as the guns may simply snap. (Given the fact this toy is molded largely out of metal flake plastic, I see all kinds of stuctural-failure fun.)

Mine don't seem to pop out too readily. Could it be that you guys are doing something I'm not, like forcibly ripping the things out of their slots? Seriously, I just attempted to flick them to get out of their slots, but the whole turret moved instead.

The other problem is the use of stickers. Besides making the toy look 15 years out of date, (I have seen toys cast from molds older than I use painted detail instead of stickers), stickers are not known for lasting. I expect there will be a good many Onslaughts with soiled turrets at future Botcons.

What.

This is the first mention I've seen of ClaSlaught having stickers, at all, anywhere. Even DVD has no mentions of this. So, er...yeah, what're you on about?

The robot mode is, allowing for the problems that carry over from vehicle mode, not bad. But, it is also not spectacular. It nicely evokes the original Onslaught, just as other "Universe" toys evoke other older charactes. It even has a couple of extra points of articulation one might not expect, though these also add few meaningful options for posing the toy. The riot shield clips onto the left arm, and the right deploys a wrist mounted gun.

Grade: C/D Not an inherently bad toy, but some serious flaws and generaly lack-luster execution bring it down quite a bit. Skip this unless you really like the character or type of vehicle.

I just...I don't get it. What's lackluster about his execution? The guy nails 'everything' about Onslaught that could ever be nailed. He's awesome. In every way. Are there any toys you've gotten recently that you *haven't'* hated?

Also, somehow it really helps the package along if you give him G1 Onslaught's rifle. It boosts up his whole Onslaughttiness tenfold. Somehow.
http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... 550/1/133/

I just...I don't get it. What's lackluster about his execution? The guy nails 'everything' about Onslaught that could ever be nailed. He's awesome. In every way. Are there any toys you've gotten recently that you *haven't'* hated?

He liked Sunstreaker!

But yeah, stickers? What stickers? As always, Dom, you pick the strangest reasons for hating a toy..

*recalls Cybertron Defense Red Alert's 'seat' and Barricade's two doors*

If there's stickers on Onslaught, you can just put some clearcoat on them to make them stay, I think.

As soon as pay day comes, I plan to get both him and Powerglide.