All Hail Megatron!

I've been bumming around the stores waiting for this to arrive and I finally found one amongst a thrashed display of one and two year old figures (next to the two new Optimus RID Prime figures that it must have shipped with). This is Transformers: Prime - Voyager sized 'Robots in Disguise' Megatron [The second Megatron figure in the Prime series, (with a brand new yet similar looking mold) but the first Voyager (Second biggest to Leader Class) and stand alone piece]. Series 1.5, and release 002, but not the First Edition. Confused yet?

TF:Prime Megatron comes in a really nice window package box with some cool artwork on one side and a mini-bio on the other. It's a pretty standard bio for the guy and everything is presented nicely. His stats have been fairly similar throughout the last 30 years. I had to cut two strips of tape to open the box, nine fibrous threads to remove the figure and his fusion cannon... then three more strips of tape to loosen the plastic backing so I could cut another thread to remove his extra claw weapon. Pain in the ass? You betcha! But at least the wires aren't made out of... uh, wire, anymore.

Straight out of the box this second Megatron from the Prime 'RID' series is pretty impressive. Sadly, I don't as of yet own the First Edition (never came upon it), which is a bit smaller scale, more of a silvery color and more beautiful. The gimmick of the RID figures is apparently translucent plastic parts. In Megatron's case, he's mostly all light gray with a silver face, a few off shades here and there... and royal purple (a color signifying his Supreme Decepticon Pride) which is both solid and a lot of transparent. I like translucent parts so I've got no problem.

The head sculpt is pretty fucking awesome once you get a closer look at it, and the figure holds up pretty solid. His fusion cannon has a push switch that slides a middle blade outward and two outer blades around and down that form his Forearm Sword. When you press the feature and it all combines together, and orange LED light shines like a laser sight (which you gotta admit is pretty badass!). Once transformed, Megatron is of course a gnarly Cybertronian Jet. His claw weapon connects to his Cannon which then pegs onto the top of his Jet mode, producing a much needed third darker gray color to offset the light gray and purple.

This version of Megatron is a strange mix of the Film version, Animated and little bits of previous. And I think it works magnificently! He's not all jumbled and unrecognizable as the film version, but still some of the better attributes from that design remain which is nice. Overall the design is sleek and menacing. The only extra kibble on this figure is an incredibly small backpack with some shoulder wings that nothing can really be done about. You can fold them completely back so they're not visible from the front, but then they're protruding outward from the side angle, or you can store them up or downward. Storing them downward shows off his jagged pointy spiked shoulders a bit more, whereas upward you get some extra upper body and shoulder width. Either way it looks OK to me, but I think I'll keep them up. A closer look, coming soon...

It's Unicron!: The Planet Eating... uhh, Planet!

Guess that makes him a cannibal. So if you guessed that I was really quite buzzed the other night and dropped a whopping $60.00 on the Amazon.Com Exclusive 25th Anniversary Edition Unicron, then you guessed correcitically.

A lot of people online were pissed off because Amazon only carried a few dozen of these releases at a given time upon release. The product sold out rapidly and then the 3'rd party sellers (read: scalpers) were re-selling them on Amazon for triple the price. So the sixty dollar exclusive was now "SOLD OUT" and being re-sold for anywhere from $180 thru $260 by some bitch-tits motherfucker who bought six of the things all at once.

I wasn't really hard up. Sure, I wanted the new version since I was never truly satisfied with the original Armada toy... but I wasn't going money mad to get it. It wasn't until it sold out about two or three times that I finally decided to grab it once it came back in stock. I just said, fuck it, and I've been wanting to sell the old one off anyways along with some other crappy figures that suck.

After all, this figure's got a much better (silver) paint job, a newly sculpted "Movie Accurate" head, and well... that's about it. But I guess the little differences like some new head that makes you think twice about this kinda shit. I was never particularly fond of the first to be released Unicron mold. I always thought that the Neo Prototype looked way more awesomer than this.

Most of the Armada molds sucked. You may disagree. But this one stood out, only on the sole fact that it's Huge as fuck and it's Unicron. It would have been great if Takara/Hasbro went back and re-designed the whole thing. I got a few mini-cons in a box somewhere and I'm in no hurry to bust 'em out, unless I'm selling them. Yeah. And perhaps it's the fact that I got Masterpiece Hot Rod and Grimlock (US Versions) for about 40-60$ each, that it really doesn't bother me to spend that much on Unicron... at least he looks a lot more badass than before. Still not the greatest mold, but an improvement nonetheless.

What's In The Box?

Let's guess what's in the box today. Ooh, I love this game!

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....Here's a hint.

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Yeah, I'm not much for giving "hints" I guess... more of a spoiler guy myself.

Fewture's Winged Devilman (Cold Sleep Version)

This guy feels nothin' inside... just like his dead girlfriend. Ouch!

This is my Limited Edition, Super Festival 17 Event Special Version, Cold Sleep Winged Devilman... 666 of these bad boyzz supposedly exist in the world and man, is it a thing of beauty! Believe me when I tell you that it is Insanely difficult to get this figure on camera in its real color. It's a clear blue figure with white underbrushing, and if that's not hard enough to capture in what limited light I've got... I also have kept the figure in the Mint on Card bubble, making admiring the true glory of this LE figure rather tedious. Especially since the wingspan can't be displayed, and that damn camera glare ruined what non-blurry pictures I could capture. It's really 'bout time to buy a new camera since mine is from 2002 and is on its deathbed.

And it wasn't just the random desire to make a cool looking version of the toy that brought about this release. Ice plays a big part in the Devilman mythology, as it is in ice where the demons have been trapped for many years. Enslaved if you will, after a violent upheaval against humans, but not forgotten as you see, like all species have a natural enemy, Demons are the human's natural enemy. In the Manga and Anime, Akira Fudo has horrifying visions and nightmares about falling into a cold and seemingly desolate ice world. Seemingly desolate apart from the hideous demonic figures frozen in time. Beaches turn to ice as he heads over a sand dune, and Amon's glaring face.

After this release in Series 1, they gave this whole "frozen in time" thing another badass chance with Zenon (I'll get to him later) in Series 2. It was the right thing to do, and though while I do own two versions of that Zenon figure, I do not own the Blizzard Version. Just saying that while I type this means that I must someday or somehow own it. Typing that last sentence has done a swell job of pissing me off, which means that I'm probably blitzed. So uh, Enjoy the show and let's see if that Glow In The Dark shit works out for my next post. Thanks for viewing.

Devilman: Fewture's Winged Devilman

All of the figures from Fewture Models were released, as I mentioned earlier, not only in their original versions but also in repainted special editions. Every figure had a black version which was very common to find in comic shops, as they are quite unremarkable and nobody was buying them. They suck! It's just a black plastic figure with some silver paint highlights. They're fucking horrible and should burn in the inferno. The limited Festival repaints as well as a many of the other Limited color versions were stunning to say the least. Many of them featured vibrant and sometimes psychedelic paint schemes, and there were a lot with translucent plastic and far superior colors to the originals. There were also some pretty straight up transparent versions of figures, all ranging in colors and some with no color at all.

The second Devilman series went heavier on the gimmicks, accessories and took things to a whole new level in regards of the standard figures. The one standard character from the first series that got a real gimmick feature (apart from a superior mold job like Gelmer and not counting his tail's skeleton prop) would be Winged Devilman, with his Glow-In-The-Dark skin. He's also the only other character apart from Gelmer with removable parts. Each wing on WD is removable, and Gelmer's tail can detach. Devilman doesn't always display his wings so this is a welcome addition to the toy, whereas Gelmer's tail isn't really meant to be taken off and is a bit unnecessary. Unlike the standard black and blue tinted skulls base that half of the figures came with, WD's comes with a GITD base as well.

Luckily for everyone, Winged Devilman is a completely new mold of the character. And that's not to rag on the original Devilman figure from the line, but looking at them side by side you would think that WD would be from Series 2. The original Devilman toy is severely lacking. He's got the worst sculpt job out of every character from each series (that's twenty altogether), which is crazy because he's the main character! It's as if this (and perhaps the original Amon as well) were the test molds to show off and get funds before sculpting the other characters. Devilman, Amon, WD, and Zenotic Amon were all sculpted by the same person: Yu-ji Oniki, so I can only assume that time and money had something to do with this. Original Devilman has some weak old-school straight cut neck and shoulder joints and tabbed elbow joints while Winged Devilman has a slanted neck joint, shoulder and wrist joints, tabbed elbows, knees and ankles.

Even the paint job is Vastly improved on WD. They both have gold colored eyes, but while on Winged D the eyes are bright and outstanding, the eyes on Original D are dull and lifeless. My Devilman figure must have been painted hastily and without regard, because there is some shoddy work here which only helps bring out those horrendous ab muscle work. Overall the whole production of Winged Devilman seems like a labor of love that these guys really took their time on. It is really a special figure that was skimped on at no point. One scary decision about this figure though, is the choice of plastic for the wings. They are mold injected, very hard but at the same time, very slender and fragile. Care must be taken not to let this figure fall to the ground as the sharp points on these wings could snap off on impact. That however was the collaborated choice of the toy's creators, as they didn't want the wings to ever "droop".

Winged Devilman is my favorite toy from not only the first series, but both of the series lines. A hard decision to make, I assure you, but it's not too hard to see why. The sculpt is sheer perfection. The colors are perfect, as is the paint job. And aside from being slightly top heavy and tipsy due to the combination of ankle joints and long outstretched wings, the design is top drawer.

 Ah, Winged Devilman. Such as sinister, yet beautiful looking creature. More to come on this one...

Devilman: Fewture's Zenotic Amon

So this is Zenotic Amon from Series 2 of the Fewture Devilman run. A series given the title: "More than Demon". They did a Winged Devilman and an Amon figure from the first series, and while Winged Devilman was superior to all others, Amon was also not too bad. They've always had great direction with this entire line and did the total sweetness when they mixed the two character designs. A fusion of both figures, which were already similar but had been given their own unique touches (way more so with WD), combined all in a hard crackling chocolate shell.

According to artistic designer Yasushi Nirasawa, 'this is Amon from the first series, though more Demonic' (however that is possible). Just 'like the first Amon figure, he's got his Skull ring', and the 'brutal expression on his face is confrontational to other demons' who would be stupid enough to step into his path. The third version of Amon was ridiculously buffed and red like hellfire, while the first was a bigger, badder and elongated version of Devilman. Zenotic Amon is more of a new version of Winged Devilman with a lot more black, and instead of the fur that covers Amon, he's got pointy scales. He's also got one more special feature and it's a favorite of mine... yes, I'm talking about that bloody palm. The one with the Skull ring too. Looking like he just bitch slapped the blood out of someone. Heh!

Oh, and regarding those pointy scales, I will tell you that these fuckers sure got a sadistic streak in them to sculpt such a sharp toy. You cannot pick this guy up without stabbing yourself in fingers, palms or wrists. I imagine if I were ever to step on this thing in the middle of the night, not only would my feet bleed, but I would end up screaming a lot of shit that would wake the neighbors in sheer terror. Laugh it up all you want ladies, but your painful toys are different than ours... uh, this figure's got a ball joint (though limited movement) neck, hinged jaw (yes it opens and closes), double hinged shoulders, hinged elbows and wrists, hinged legs and knees, and finally ball jointed and hinged ankles. That's 18 points of articulation altogether, with unfortunately no waist movement. His wings, which are removable, also have a tab point on each one wherein the wings can extend outward. His tail, which is also removable, features a tip which is like a mix of the "inner mouth" from Alien, with the mandibles from Predator. Freaky to say the least, but cool as Fuck.

Despite over about forty sharp points that'l hurt you (and that's not counting all the points, just the sharpest ones) I can't put this guy down. Winged Devilman is a bit scary to hold and fuck around with since the wings on that figure are hard plastic, they're thin and I'm just constantly worried that if this thing even falls one time it's broke. Zenotic Amon has these removable wings that are soft plastic and fold up which is a wee bit of a relief, but the downside to this softer plastic is that over time depending on their position, they'll bend or droop. That again is a problem with some of the other Devilman figures, as a few (original Amon is the most extreme example) are top heavy and the feet will bend forward since it's a solid plastic work - aside from arm, elbow and neck joints.


Zenotic Amon stands against few others in this and the previous series as the most badass and insane looking figure. By far one of my favorites, but for now it's too hard to choose teh bestest. Perhaps, in time, after I have posted on each figure, we'll see which is the true masterpiece of insanity.

Your period ain't gonna stop me grrl... I'll use those tampon strings to floss when I'm done!!1

Devilman: Fewture's Mecha-Terror Devilman

I probably don't have to tell you who Legendary artist Pushead is. But if you don't know then I guess the easiest way to conjure up a recollection would be to tell you that he pretty much designed the artwork for every single Metallica T-Shirt that's ever existed. So you've probably seen his work around at various malls or at an old metal concert held at an abandoned local airport. Recently, some of his artwork for that band Cocobat has been transitioned into Vinyl toys in Japan. His first two pieces of work for their album covers were heavily Devilman influenced as well. In 2002 he took that Devilman skull from the first one and redesigned it for this toy, released by Fewture Japan in their MECHA-TERROR collection. He designed a few different wind-up toys for this particular collection, including a Witch, Mummy and Evil Santa. All of the designs were sculpted by Toshimitsu Usui and were released in several Limited Edition versions with different paint apps for festivals.

I own the Regular Edition of the Devilman wind-up, which I bought for about 20$ at a local comic shop when it was first released. As well as the festival version and black & white version (I detest those), there was also a box set with a T-Shirt, Art Print, Special Color Version, and Sticker limited to 250 pieces. Oh how I love finding out about those once they're long gone... don't you? The packaging for this figure is one of the major draws, as it is really solid and well done. All of the artwork and design is just killer and that special clear plastic window on the back with the sticker on top is a supremely awesome touch. And if you're a sucker for childish Satanic humor, the toy is for all kids ages 6-66. Hehehehehe... As you can tell I've never opened mine so I can't tell you how fun the toy is, but oh well, it's looked damn good on my shelf for a long while now and that's what's made me happy I guess. I had a chance to own some of the other figures (and still do since some of them go for about ten bucks online), and if I ever get back into spending money on anything other than beer, maybe I just might. Wink! Feeling bored? Check out the Toypunks Vol. I Teaser. Looks like a pretty good doc. I especially like the part about the old gentleman who's been hand painting these Vinyl figures for the last Fifty Years!

Devilman: Marmit's Silene

Maybe there's a god above, but all I've ever learned from love... is how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya.

Bio: (Note that  all [SIC]) "Silene is a beautiful warrior of the demon tribe. She was terrified by other demons as a formidable, cold-hearted warrior with an extraordinary psychic power. Silene with her good servants, Ghelmer and Agwel, attacks Akira Fudou to perish Amon the hero, that is, Devilman. The antenna on her forehead call lightning, clouds, and smash up her enemy with a thunder attack. Her gigantic wing on her head call deadly storm. With the pride of demon tribe, Silene keeps challengig to Devilman who has intelligence of human and demon's invincible body."

I've probably got five or six Siren figures by now. She was and has always been my favorite character from the Devilman series (can you guess why!? ;)) , and you can read about my thoughts HERE. This figure is made by the Marmit company and is perhaps one of the only from that series I own. When I got into Devilman early on I was heavy into collecting the works of Yasushi Nirasawa, which he did many for the Fewture company. Often times for the US releases they would do a "special" breast covered (by feathers or fur - additional molding) version. There were also, with many of these figures from each company, different painted versions, clear versions, and so on.

I bought the "First Edition" of this Silene figure because it's her colors here which I appreciate the most. Not that I don't mind the purple and blue old-school covered-up Manga version, but the Anime is what originally drew me in and I like the nudity, white and yellow (not that there's much yellow here, more browns). I didn't really have a special reason for not opening this figure other than when I got it I didn't have the display space. Also, I had my other Siren figures hanging about and just decided not to. Many of the Devilman figures from Japan aren't very articulated (as you'll come to notice when I post more of my collection), with the exception of Microman versions [which happen to be about two inches tall but feature for the least part, around 30 points of movement]. Devilman figures for the most part, from Vinyl figures to Action figures, have mostly really been Statue figures. I'm hoping for a revival with new toy technology, but it doesn't seem to be in the books.

Behold... Predaking!

Hello fellow nerdlings. And gaze upon my newest prize. I treated myself this year because hell, I'm worth it, right? Yesterday this arrived in the mail, the 25th anniversary box set 2010 Takara reissue Predaking! All hailz. Sure, it set me back about 190$, but I've been wanting this guy for about ten years since I first laid eyes on an actual one in person. But back then for the original version, out of box, with sticker wear and who knows what other problems, it was going for around 400-600$. One day, I would have my own. That day is now, and that time is also now.

Predaking (right) with King Poseidon (left) and bottle of Viper (middle).

This version of Predaking comes with signature old school Die Cast Metal components, and man is he a heavy son of a bitch! It's like picking up a gallon of milk. Well maybe that doesn't sound heavy, but this fucker is massive! Combining of five Predacons: Tantrum, Headstrong, Divebomb, Rampage and the team leader Razorclaw, Predaking developed a strong fanbase after his original release and has always been highly coveted and desired by virgins and nerds alike. This version also gets rid of the yellow plastic in favor of majestic Gold. You could argue all day long, Pizza or Chinese, Big Mac or Whopper, eat and gain weight or buy toys and get thin... but there's no argument, that Predaking is the grand trophy of any basement dwelling collection.

From his bio: "Weaknesses: Predaking has no known weaknesses." Ha... I love that.



Welcome to Transformers 2010! New Artwork.

The back of the box. Featuring bios and release information.

What's in the box!?!

Look at those sticker sheets. Talk about fucking beautiful huh?

It's almost a damn shame to peel them off and apply them.

The Predacons in their beast forms.

TF's: Valkyrie (3rd Party Arcee) Bot...

Well, I suppose the sour taste in my mouth is from the mix of rum and brew, but I'm at a strange place right now as I admire my newest acquisition. See that up there aside that single pack of Miso flavored ramen is a 3rd Party product action figure of what is obviously Transformers' Arcee, yet aka 'TRNS-01 Valkyrie' for copyright reasons. I don't see why using an exact to the point likeness wouldn't be a copyright reason, but I guess since Takara and Hasbro refuse to make the girl public, who really gives a shit? The closest that the official brand has ever come to this came earlier this year with their release of the TFAnimated Arcee. This was the very first official Arcee that was (somewhat) mass produced and actually for the first time resembled the old-school character, though with artistic differences. Even with this, many a young nerdlings longed for an Arcee figure from the film and/or 1985 television series. There were prototypes (customs?) from undisclosed locations about ten years back, and since then, Nothing!

Yeah, it happens, right? Sure it does. But why wait to put your product out when people could have been paying for it ten years ago, or even say, back in the mid 80's when the movie originally came out? I've always wanted an Arcee fig. Why? Because I like chick figs. The pinker the better. I see these test shots for an incredible G1 accurate figure online, and can only dream they make it official. But that day doesn't come, and long time pass. Other official products are painted as if they are Arcee for conventions, and the Alternator line got a bulky repaint of a Guy character which never should have seen the light of day. Then after all that, when the movie comes out, she's a motorcycle, looking like something that's been shit out of Optimus Prime's exhaust. It seemed as if there was no hope, but things are about to get expensive. ImpossibleToys just released the figure above, and Arcee fans rejoiced. For a short while, at least...

I got her and the first impression was (and I don't know if I should post the absurd picture of the huge ass shipping box this came packaged in with the little thing inside) that of shock. My eyes haven't opened that wide since I originally saw Peter Jackson's Bad Taste back in 1995. This baby is SMALL! And 70$ for her is rather big. After I opened her box up, I found out just how delicate the figure is. I'm genuinely scared to actually hold the thing. If pressure points on official figures scare you, which they should, then this thing is like that part in Indiana Jones where he's gotta replace the treasure's weight with that bad of sand. You know that face he gets when he fucks it up? Yeah, I don't wanna make that face. I could probably smash this figure into sand with a tight squeeze of my fist if I wanted to, and that's scary.

So there definitely are PROS and CONS which are immediately recognizable. Cons first, being there are no snapping-in points of the robot mold, which means that she doesn't "stay together" as well as normal figures do. You can't really position her without her chest plate rising up, which in turn raises her back junk and leaves her arms to flail. That sucks balls. Two, is that she is hard to balance considering her back weight, and yet, no ass. Which brings me to three, her waist does not move at all. Bad. The toy is also quite light. On the plus side, for one, she looks pretty damn sweet. Two, she's actually scale despite at first feeling disappointingly small. Yes, whoever designed her made it so she'd be able to stand alongside figures from 1984, and it worked out perfectly. Rather amazingly actually. This is possibly the major saving grace of the girl. Three, it just feels good to hold one of these, despite the "sour taste".

Some early purchasers complained that the paint job on theirs was rather shoddy. They may have been reviewers with free test runs, and I don't know if that's the case with many people, but the paint application on mine is Hasbro quality. Meaning it's not perfect, but it looks a lot better than on those online complaint pictures and videos. Maybe I got a "good" one, I don't know. All the joints are solid. In fact, the neck is so solid that I was afraid to move it sideways, but I did, and yes, the head actually moves. Left, right, up and down. The waist doesn't move but the hips have a ball joints and they swivel which doesn't do too much, but definitely helps. Arms are on ball joints, with a swivel and bend at the elbow but no wrist movement. She bends at the knees, ankles, and she's got two guns which are small but removable. Colors are simple pink, white, black and a transparent blue windshield. No stickers as of yet, but who knows if ReproLables will be working on some for the future. 

The price is way too high for this figure, and cannot be recommended by me unless you're seriously hardcore into this sort of thing. Even then, when I hold her in my hands, it feels like she should be thirty dollars or less. I'm not exactly regretting anything yet, but a couple days after this arrived news was posted by I-Gear regarding another Not-Arcee figure: Delicate Warrior, by another 3rd Party Company is out. Sadly, it is looking far superior to this version of the figure (better head mold, little bit of a buffer bod,  more details, some Die Cast to weigh her down... but similar problems?), even though they're both based on the same custom design. If 70$ wasn't bad enough, this other one is 100$. If I had been patient, I would have got this one instead. Still may have gotten both, but probably wouldn't have been feeling mental spasms right about now. Come on with that Masterpiece figure Takara and put an end to my suffering!

Upcoming KO Conehead Seeker Spotlight

What you're looking at here are prototype shots for the three I-Gear Masterpiece Conehead Seekers, PP03E (Not Dirge) PP03J (Not Ramjet) and PP03A (Not Thrust). I-Gear, a third party accessory shop, is now acting as "distributor" to these Third Party KO toys created by "Partner Products". These jets are based off Customs using the original Masterpiece Starscream mold. There have been major wing-remolds, new weapons, new heads, and character specific paintjobs.

I've got to say that I've always loved the look of the MP Starscream mold. I'm not sure how far I would go to call the MP Jet the perfect figure, but it's a definite 10/10 me thinks. So far I've got only the US Version MP Skywarp (30$ Reduced at Walmart), but I've got plans on getting the whethered Starscream with Cartoon Acurate Colors. MP Starscream was first released in Japan sans Red, White(Grey) and Blue... just a blue-greyish tint throughout. Very displeasing to the eye, I would say. Twas later released by Hasbro as a Walmart Exclusive in his original colors, and afterward, Re-Relased in Japan by Takara-Tomy. Thundercracker and Skywarp were both released in Japan, and since Skywarp has been released in the US with what I feel to be a better paintjob. Thundercracker has not made his way over yet for some reason. Also, just recently, another MP Starscream was released in Japan, the Ghost Version! (Click HERE to see the video from TFsource).

And now, the re-tool KO's are set to be released by I-Gear, no doubt either making certain individuals unbiasedly giddy or extremely pissed off. I'm not going to go into legalities here, but some are claiming this is WAY over the line. Hasbro has yet to comment, and the overall feeling is that they just don't give a shit about these things really. Personally, I'm f'n excited! No matter what your stance is you can't seriously look at these photos and say that they're not absolutely beautiful figures. They're lean, mean and full of cream! The only questions now are A) Will these truly be released? B) What will the prices be for each? I'm guessing 100$ a piece, but there might be a three pack deal so who knows if there will be a discount for that. And C) What will the quality be like?

I'm hoping they'll be 60$ a piece like most official Masterpiece releases, but I doubt it. After all, they've got to make money somehow and who knows... maybe it's the high prices of these "collectibles" that keep Hasbro from worrying so much. I'm awaiting any type of review, more pictures, more info and ordering information to be readily available until I even consider buying these. Do I want them on my shelf to fondle and drool over? You bet your sweet ass. But I'm not made of cash, plus I just purchased a Third Party figure and two official Re-Releases that's putting me out just about 300$. And no, that's not even including the upcoming US Masterpiece version of Grimlock. Japan is really going off with their 2010 line, and Hasbro seem to be making advances as well. Not all of it looks shite like it did a few years back, and the wallet is taking a pounding.

TF's: 6/22/10, Revisited...

The picture posted is of my KO Clear Optimus Prime w/  KO Clear Buzzsaw and Rumble (the card features Lazerbeak and Frenzy). Matched with my official reissue of Soundwave for purposes of visuals, along with Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, and Overkill. I've got to say that it all looks gravy. KO Optimus Prime came with a few different parts from the original and re-release. First, the hands are a little bigger and even though this is a clear-former they are very watered-down cool-aid purple. I actually like the new hands as they're cooler than the originals. Then there's the Die-Cast metal Gold gun that wasn't even advertised but came in total ownage style.  Now for some good news: My order has shipped from BigBadToyStore... and it's a figure I've been waiting to see happen for about ten years now. It's going to be sweet as hell, so stay tuned.

Well, Colton Harris-Moore finally got apprehended. Not going to say "caught" since well, we never really know do we? As in, what kind of lucrative deal he was offered to be "taken in" and such... but no matter how you feel about the 'goin's on's', or what your stance on governmental bullshit happens to be (ie, "we gotta pay them darn taxes from teh planes he done 'crashed", "he's a criminal", ect...), I was downright rootin' for the guy. It could be like another 'Catch Me If You Can' (a very decent non-horror movie starring Leo and Tom that this could fit in quite well with if done right). Sell those rights Colton, and get some real cash once things settle. Or be used to your best ability, either way or maybe both. No matter what you do my advice is to live the dream, and if you've gotta endure the nightmare for a while, don't forget that at some point your dreams really will come true since you've got the talent. Head up, and stay strong. Not that I need to tell ya. Just remember that in America non-violent criminals (especially the eccentric ones) get thirty year sentences while violent thugs who assault people on a daily basis over a Prostitute or a Snickers Bar get six months and/or sometimes not even that and just probation. Momma may have tried, but now is the time for the American Public to try harder and support this SOB.

TF's: 6/22/10

Two words: Dead center. What a month. It's been all out frustration and disaster... but I'm feeling good for some reason, while I'm feeling bad. You know those days where everything you try to pick up falls out of your hands, and your multitasking skills are put to the test? It's like that, only every short while I get a positive reinforcement or some good news. Weird. One good bit of news seems to be that Hasbro and Takara are finally going to venture away from the absolutely shittyness of the Transformers Movie figure designs for a short while in favor of more Gee Wun inspired themes. The new Generations / Universe line combined with the War For Cybertron videogame figures is bound to bring back those early 80's memories in all the late twenty-somethings. Scroll down this Seibertron.com news page to see pics of the new Soundwave, Darkmount, Blurr, Dirge, Thrust, and then click page 2 because that's got all the goods. So yeah, I'm excited about that.

[ I mean, have you seen the figure for Revenge of the Fallen Soundwave? It's SHIT! Absolute shit. I fucking hate it. And they released it three different times in various colors. But this WFC fig that's coming out now is a thing of beauty! ] To the point, I made a few drunken purchases recently from KOToys. Many people are seriously opposed to buying or owning knock-offs for various reasons, but I (like many other instances in my life) am rather apathetic. That being said, I've seen many many cheap knock-offs and have passed them up since they looked like garbage. However, I did a little research and found that this company Zhong Jin does un-fucking-believable high quality and worthy reproductions. So I said why the hell not, since 1) I'm not paying four hundred bucks for an old and used G1 Shockwave with rotted rubber tubing, battery acid damage and worn edges and stickers. Not to mention neither the American nor Japanese makers of Transformers have the rights to that mold anymore. And 2) They have a clear Optimus Prime which I thought would look kinda cool. Being rather buzzed at the time I also threw in a few extra bucks for a clear Frenzy and Buzzsaw. Hell, why not.

Each figure came in deluxe reproduction packaging complete with Rubsigns, Stickers, Instructions, Catalogs for the other G1 figures, and even a little plastic baggy of SARS. Just kidding, China. They have two Shockwaves for sale, one with the standard Grey barrel end and one Purple. I went with purple since I like to get the figures that are a little different. The clear Optimus came with a little unexpected surprise which was noted nowhere: in addition to his clear rifle, he comes with a f'n die cast gold plated metal version as well. Sweetness? You bet your ass. These three clear knock-offs have some very nice special touches that aren't really expected from such a purchase, but I am overall satisfied despite a few parts of the mold being slightly loose or really tight. This isn't the case in Shockwave however who is a solid figure all over. I grabbed myself a C batter and stuck it in... the resulting lazer blasting sounds nearly deafened me, while the lights had me blinking for about a minute since I did it in the dark.

Aside from that I recently pre-ordered a Third Party figure that I brought up in an earlier post. "Third Party" meaning that it's not a "knock-off" but rather a representation of their character with a generic name (say for instance, Nurse Bot) but is quite strikingly reminiscent of a certain 1985 character. More on that one later once I get the sweet thang in my hands. After picking up Lockdown (the beautifully evil and non-symmetrical  damage causing armor racing vehicle), I sent out my three Nest stickers and on the same day my KO toys came in I received my Mail-In figure of Deluxe Recon Ravage. This RotF Ravage figure was released domestically in Canada (a for-once, for them) and gave buyers in the US a reason to buy three shitty movie sequel toys to get the little bugger. I'm not really fond of the design and mold (prefer the new legends fig about to be released), but this one's got some special deep reds, vacuumed silver metal pieces and looks pretty damn sexy when you get over how ugly it is. I'm keeping him in package... a package which by the way came in a special box with a "letter from big OP" and a five dollar off coupon for a, you guessed it, Revenge of the Fallen figure.

Unfortunately, the only other RotF toy I've been looking forward to owning was Mindwipe. I already have his little buddy Skystalker, but had not seen this thing anywhere at all. I had actually given up hope, but in one bored swoop, walked into a K-Mart (I never go there) and there were two of him. Ain't that some shit. So I snagged him. The coupon was for a figure over 20$, for some reason it rang up for sixteen and I got it for eleven. If you ever see this at WalMart I guarantee it'll cost 30$, so that was pretty sweet. Mindwipe is a stealth fighter jet, black, perfectly symmetrical, with shades of red and bronze, glowing red eyes and just looks badass as fuck. Mindwipe of course is a non-movie appearing character that Hasbro put out in the movie toyline... which means basically that he's got a 75-80% chance of not completely sucking, since he may not be based on a Michael Bay approved design.

He fortunately, is not, and is rather an example of team Takara and/or Hasbro, or the designer(s) of this figure, that they are capable of downright awesomeness! Damn near everything about Mindwipe is sheer perfection: his sinister colors scheme, amazing stability, interesting transformation, sleek look in both modes, compatibility with smaller drone, minimal but eye-catching use of transparent red plastic, and the fact that he's a rather weak bot who uses his special powers to hypnotize others to do his violent bidding while he hides out and can make a most speedy getaway if needed. Oh, and he's got four bits of landing gear. One minor issue is with his weaponry (which I guess makes sense since he's a "weakling"). His mech-alive mini wing blades, while they look neat in folded bot mode, don't really do anything... and his blades which are hidden under his forearms only flip downward into stabbing position (think Psycho shower scene). I don't mind that last bit much, but there is no option to have him hold the blades any other way unless it's kit-bashed. Which I'm not into.

So things seem to be looking up and hopefully Hasbro will be able to get out some of these new and worthy products before TF3 hits the theaters and it all gets pushed aside for another hundred re-releases of slightly repainted and hardly modified Bumblebees... though, it has been confirmed that the newest Decepticon in the third film is Shockwave(!). Wonder how they'll ruin him. Or for that matter, continue to ruin Soundwave as well. We shall see.

TF's: 5/2/10

Over the years I’ve seen only two prototypes for Arcee toys that I’ve absolutely loved. One was a fully painted and transformable custom (?) from sometime back in 1998 that mirrored the GeeWun character perfectly. The second is one currently in production by a third party manufacturer that looks f’n gorgeous and shall be mine. Other than that, Arcee has had a rough toy past. Firstly, there’s this idea from toy companies that female characters as figures, don’t sell. This for one pisses me off, since the female characters are usually my favorites… apart from the most evil, monstrous Villains. So right there its shaky ground. Secondly, there’s never really been an accurate representation of Arcee. She’s been made into a motorcycle numerous times while her original design and form have been avoided. Why? Incarnations of her have been bulky (and in one case Overly bulky as a toy that should have never been painted pink and named after her), and she was once an exclusive repaint of Transmetal 2 Blackarachnia. So imagine my delight when Hasbro finally released the Animated Arcee which not only transforms into a pink Cybertronian car, but also looks a lot like the original character and has a sweet ass design.

The only problem… it’s a ToysRUs exclusive, there were limited quantities made and on top of all that, seemingly all ToysRUs stores around me are all selling shit from a year ago. Shit that they can’t get rid of so they’re offering deals every week and yet, the thirty boxes each of shelfwarmers still aren’t moving. Thus, they don’t put the new stuff on the shelves… provided they even have the new stuff. So I travel. An hour here, forty miles there, and nothing… every weekend for two months, in every spectrum of Mall from ghetto to uncomfortably rich however that is possible. I guess my area is diverse, depending on which way you point your finger. I found nothing at all. Then amazingly, I found a mall only a half an hour away in a town that I’ve never been to and you know what? This mall has everything! Best mall I’ve been to by far ever in my life. The ToysRUs across the street from it had three Arcee figures; I bought two (pictured) and finally snagged the Revenge of the Fallen NEST Lockdown figure (also) which is one of the best action figures ever made in history. So incredibly badass! And after traveling a lot and seeing some shit that I would have preferred to not ever experience again, the town I visited that day was so clean. Just driving down the street I saw not a single piece of trash on the street, not even when I passed McDonalds. The golden arches were sparkling like they’d been dipped in real gold and polished.

So I got these two that I had been searching for (because face it, I’m not paying some thirty-five dollars or more online for an already sold out Arcee figure when I can buy two of them for twenty [if I can find em])… got my third NEST sticker and sent off for my Mail-In Ravage, which hopefully should arrive soon. Boo-yah! Yeah, and I guess I also picked up Legends (which means mini-figure) Decepticon turncoat, ugly bugger and major robo-perv Wheel-E. You know, the one that humped Megan Fox’s leg… er, yeah. So check it out: Here's a GALLERY of Animated Arcee, a GALLERY of RotF Lockdown and here are Peaugh's youtube reviews for Arc and Lock... I'd say watch the vids. He likes to somtimes pop the arms off the figures, but he really shows you how neat these figures are.

TF's: 3/15/10

What is there to be said about The Fallen? Ignoring any storyline from The War Within and past characterization, and also that Michael Bay claims that the character in his film is the same… I can pretty much say that The Fallen sucks balls. The fact that Megatron refers to this guy as “My Lord” in the second film pisses me off to no end. And that is even considering that Megs is most surely only using him for the time being and will eventually disown him. Still, it bugs me. And speaking of bugs, the f’n guy looks like one big mosquito or some shit. I know all of the Film designs have been jumbled, and Megatron himself looks like a bag of glued together rocks… but bringing a Bionicle into the mix? That’s not to say that he doesn’t look like an evil bastard, but I’d like to see them all get a bit less alieny in design, and to get blockier. So how about The Fallen’s good traits? I don’t know, he was voiced by Tony Todd. Does that help? Perhaps I’m just bitter that these two movies could have been far superior to the gonzo bullshit that they actually are.

The Fallen Burning Version is a Target Exclusive in the US and retailed for 22$. Of course, there’s no way in hell I would have paid that for this Voyager sized figure… but after a while of sitting on the shelves, the price was reduced thrice and I finally picked it up today for 5$. Mine didn’t come with any instructions, which is not good at all since this toy is extremely difficult to comprehend (everything about it is weird, the joints, the design, ect) and I have no clue as to what in the hell his alt mode is supposed to be. Some sort of Cybertronian Jet, I guess. Apart from my dislikes, the toy is actually pretty damn sweet. It’s fun to handle and mess around with, and it does look a lot prettier out of the package when you can pose it dramatically. It’s got closed spring loaded feet which they’ve been doing on a few figures lately. This feature is sure to bug the crap out of some people, but it is a little bit neat how when you set his down-pointed toes to the table and his feet just open up.

It’s a sturdy toy and while all of the new toys could use some extra paint apps for details, this Repaint (different color plastic actually) Exclusive is a rather cool representation of ol’ Fally since if he is who he really is, he should be constantly on fire! So the great pumpkin orange is a nice touch. I wouldn’t advise paying more than 10$ for any Fallen figure, but after checking this guy out for a while, I’m glad I picked it up.

Skystalker is a non-movie Scout Class figure from the RoTF line. First of all, this guy is completely badass in both Stealth Jet mode and Robot form. Colors: Black, Grey… tiny shades of purple. He’s got one eye since he’s ‘supposedly’ a drone (and a sneaky near-cowardly one at that), landing gear (they didn’t have to, they just did and it’s great), some kickass hook swords (which hide into his wings), those pesky spring loaded toes, and he can ride humpback on the supremely awesome looking big brother Voyager Class Mindwipe! Check it out.

From the first second I saw a picture of Mindwipe I was all over it. This guy and his little drone both are the most killer looking new figures to come out in the last few years… and come on, they’re both Black Decepticon Stealth Fighter Jets! The only problem is I can’t seem to find the hypnotizing bot anywhere, and there haven’t been too many sightings online either. All in due time I guess. Takara and Hasbro have put out a few damn ugly as all shit toys as of late, but when they come up with dudes like these, it’s all forgiven. Hopefully they’ll quit with the non-transforming crap, the Tonka Toy TF’s that have been littering up the shelves, and those damn Matchbox cars. What the hell Hasbro? Focus! Bring it back old school and deliver some sweet products.

TF's: 2/14/2010

Fuck to the yes. Masterpiece Skywarp. After the last year of seeing these on the shelves at Walmart for 60$ and online for 80$, finally, it goes on Clearance. 30$ out of ye ol’ bank account and I am now formally introduced to my very favorite toy... EVER! This jet (a redeco of MP Starscream of course) is ridiculously badass! It’s a f’n piece of art, and it makes me feel good to be alive enough to just stare at the thing on my desk. Not only does it look damn beautiful aside it G1 counterpart, it just outshines everything around it. It’s got so many cool little features that make it special, like the opening nosecone, adjustable thrusters and even a hidden face! Yeah, one grimacing and one smirking.

I got the US version obviously. It differs from the Japanese version in a few ways: They’ve got a way better box to hold the set. The US packaging shown above is decent (kind of shitty), but the Japanese version is serious collectors stuff. The Jap version comes with stickers (!) while the US version is all painted (and there are various different details). I like the paintjob on the US version so there’s no complaint (US Skywarp looks a lot more like the original toy which is a big deciding factor), and I had a choice of a few different figures so I got one without flaws. But I do miss stickers… Then there’s the price difference, say about 80 - 100$ or so compared to what I paid. So uh, yeah, rock on.

Here's a GALLERY of the Japanese version (they don’t have one of the US) if you’re interested.