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...

Ruckus Brewing Hoptimus Prime

Ruckus Brewing HOPTIMUS PRIME - Double India Pale Ale (2011)
Brewed and Bottle by Ruckus Brewing Co., in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, USA.
Year Round Beer.

22 fl. oz. / $7.49 USD / 9.0% ABV

About: "Aggressively formulated with five different hop varieties, Hoptimus Prime is then dry hopped for two weeks, ensuring a MASSIVE hop flavor and aroma. Perfectly balanced with three types of malt, Hoptimus Prime is truly the pinnacle of hop flavor. This Double IPA pairs fantastically with spicy Thai food, Mexican cuisine, or a big ol' bowl of chili."

Thoughts: This is my first beer from Ruckus. How could I pass up a beer named Hoptimus Prime!? I simply couldn't. And what timing to post this review, with tonight being the Hub's Transformers "Mega Saturday".

Prime poured a very hazy orange amber with a two finger off-white head full of tiny bubbles and a layer of froth on top. There are carbonation bubbles rising everywhere around the edges of the glass, non stop. Once the head died down it clumped in a few areas.

Smells fresh and citrusy, a little bit fruity and there's a little bit of sweet spice in there too. A low level of alcohol lingers around the back end of it all.

Bitter and hazy first off. There's a twirling of flavors in there, kinda like a peach cobbler... and once swallowed a mellow bitterness lingers. There's a bit of a caramel background. As I've been drinking quite a few more IPAs lately, I'm not exactly surprised as to how malt dominated this seems to be. There's the hints of hops everywhere of course, in the nose and mouth, but the malt is sustaining and not really dropping back. It's like a honey-oat bread type taste. The hops aren't really grassy at all, but smokey rather.

This beer is very fluffy and though not too heavy of a medium, it doesn't go down too easily because of that.

The bitterness that I'm getting at the end isn't truly bitter at all. It's very mild, like I just smoked a cigarette. My mouth is only somewhat dry, but it didn't dry me out. This is a pretty good beer. I'm not disappointed, but I'm not exactly enthralled by it either. This was an exciting experience that ended up leaving much to be desired.

Are you watching Transformers: Prime - Season 2?

I sure as hell am! Today is "Transformers MEGA SATURDAY" on the Hub, so check your local listings if you're ready for the Season 2 Premier of Transformers: Prime, at 8:30pm Eastern Time, so drop off an hour or three depending on where you are if in the US. The hub will also being showing the Animated Movie (for those of you who don't own it already) as well as some episodes of Transformers: Rescue Bots. I'll be skipping that kiddy shit however. Here's a few previews from this upcoming episode entitled: "Orion Pax".

Teaser:

Promo:

Promo 2 (very good promo, but lesser quality):

And, a 12 Minute first look:

Oh and don't forget that Transformers: Prime - Season 1 just came out on Blu-Ray.

I'll be picking that up sometime 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.

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.

Are you watching Transformers: Prime?!

If you're not watching the new CG Animated series Transformers: Prime, then I've got a few words that may catch you by surprise:

Zombies. Do I have your attention? Robot Zombies! Muahahhahahaa! Yessss...

I was skeptical at first upon seeing the sleek yet very strange character designs. It's movie-verse meets the last cartoon series TF: Animated. The result? I'm really, really liking it. And I don't know why for sure. The movies sure as hell piss me off with characters that look indistinguishable junk piles and the Animated cartoon was a bit too kiddie for me. But it seems as if the very best aspects from both programs, as well as past history, have been fused together to form something special this time. (Welker and Cullen are back together once again performing their original voice roles for Megatron and Optimus Prime. Nutbust?)

The third episode aired today, and will air once more tomorrow at 6pm ET followed by episode 4. Then again the next day with 4 and then the last part of the mini-series. *UPDATE* All five episodes have been uploaded on the Hub website! Check it out.

Transformers: Prime - Darkness Rising Part 1
Transformers: Prime - Darkness Rising Part 2
Transformers: Prime - Darkness Rising Part 3
Transformers: Prime - Darkness Rising Part 4
Transformers: Prime - Darkness Rising Part 5

I suggest that you check it out. I haven't at all been interested in a Transformers cartoon since Beast Wars ended. Even when that show began, I was anti their new direction. Animals?! That's bullshit I said to myself. It wasn't until I blazed one boring afternoon and caught the Season 2 episode Bad Spark which introduced the Psychotic monster of a bot Protoform X, also known as Rampage! Soon I caught all episodes and the whole series, and it became my very favorite aside from the original film. Since then, the new TF cartoons (and not to mention the films) have ranged from "I want to kill the guy who did this!" to "Watching this makes me want to kill myself!" The only in between being "Meh!" and "I guess I'll watch this whenever it comes on..."

So far what I had considered to be potential flaws have not been that bad. One which worried me were the fact that there are "drones" in this. There's nothing worse than nameless faceless bots in a Transformers series. [Rant] Bob Skir tried to bring that shit in when he did Beast Machines, and don't get me started on that big fucking pile of crap. It's bad enough that he brought plant life and hippies to a Metal world (do induce vomiting), but he damn near tied score with that horrid crime by making the first season of that forsaken show boring as all fuck with nothing but non-transforming bastard versions of beloved characters chasing or being chased by identical drones! It's no wonder nerds all over the country were breaking out their homemade sniper rifles and sent multiple death threats to the guy, causing him to cancel his appearance at Botcon that year. It would have been his disappearance, had he shown... from what I was told. [/Rant] The drones aren't horrible this time around. They look cool and they're strong and they speak... and for now they're not overused. Let's hope things stay that way. Or they develop some personality. I'm hoping some of the Robot Zombies develop personality and [Bay]Shit Gets Real![/Bay]

The introduction of Darkness Rising Part 2 between Megatron and Starscream really caught my interest and I can tell from part 3 today, that I will be enjoying this series. There's so much potential. Let us pray to the dark lord that they don't muck it up.

Did I mention that Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson voices CliffJumper?

If nothing I said here affects you, there's no denying that The Rock is totally badass. You candy asses!

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.

Farewell, Megan Fox...

I don't know if it's the deep rooted apathy talking, or perhaps I just can't conjure up enough energy to do anything more than simply sigh at the thought of Megan Fox not being in Transformers 3, but alas it is still on my mind this morning. I've been thinking it over for about a day now, and can honestly say that I'm against it. Then again, I was against how Bay and Co went about making the first film (so damn shitty)... and how they squandered the possibilities of the second (The Fallen? Really?)... oh, and how human characters were put above the Bots, given more screen time, and how their screen time was used for mostly inane bullshit that nobody gives a fuck about. Then of course, there's Megan, who should by all means be a simple side character whom nobody would really care if she were in the next film or not. She at least had my attention when all the stupid human drama was going down. What do we got now? Patrick Dempsey? Wait, that's a dude! I can see it now, "Shit just got real... gay, that is." Rumors are going around about who's going to "replace" her for the part, but I couldn't care less who it is since I don't even care for the storyline enough to support it. For the sake of continuity however, I'd like to see Michael Bay and the company just get over it all. Oh but it might just have been Megan's decision to leave. Right.

I know what this is all about, she didn't f'n want to use any of that fake tan in a can shit anymore for the films and Bay blew a gasket! Being compared to Hitler one can get over easily, but this!? I don't think it's about any of the dumb shit that Megan said in the "press". After all, it's the new fad for young dumb full of ramen girls to say stupid things for attention. Just look at Ke$ha, not that I wanted to but I read two interviews with her and my brain nearly shut down. Same thing with Megan. I just disregard about 99% of what she ever says, preferring to listen to the voices inside my head while admiring her beauty. Meh. I guess it's because she's the only human character in the films I really cared to look at which is why I've got that bitter taste in my mouth. I'll still see the third film, knowingly beforehand even that it will most definitely suck. This time however, her acting won't be part of the blame. Still, there's more Megan to be had with the new Jonah Hex flick. Oh, and bring on Fathom, FFS! That is the perfect role for her and the time is now, futhermuckers! Imagine all the wet. This has been today's edition of the fake news. (Above is a picture of Megan as Mother Theresa. Another role, I find her fit perfectly for... so hot... so damn hot...)

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.

TF's: 2/6/10

By the grace of Wal-Mart I’ve added two newcomers to the collection of my ever rising debt problem. In a bit of a ‘holy shit’ moment since I hadn’t been doing research and didn’t expect this at all, I ran across multiple Bludgeon figures up north. Those who don’t know, Bludgeon (bio) is a comic book only character, never appearing in any of the animated series… and yet despite this (and being a Shell), extremely popular. Released in 1989, Bludgeon was originally a Pretender bot Green Tank hidden inside of a fuckin’ Japanese Skeleton Samurai shell that looks scary as shit! I’m not really into Pretenders, and see them pretty much as added baggage to the real toy. But I accept them in the continuity and all that trash...

Twenty years later. This mothersuckers making a comeback in the Revenge of the Fallen N.E.S.T. line, though, he’s more of a Universe figure seeing as he’s a classic character and doesn’t appear in the films (that’s only a packaging dispute however). His vehicle mode is a modified Japanese T-90 Tank, staying true to himself, and this time around, there’s no shell action… just straight conversion to Undead Samurai bot mode. His cannon barrel slides out to become his Katana, and inside his tank turret hides his Wakizashi blade. Both blades can connect at the ends to for a double-sided weapon. Also since this figure’s arms are so articulated, he can hold his Katana with both hands simultaneously. Badass. ‘Mech-Alive’ is a special feature they’re doing now where when you open something up, you can see gears rotating around and it’s pretty neat. There’s only a few problems with this guy: Head only moves slightly left and right, some of the paint apps could have been more detailed (though, the colors are definitely him) and he’s a bit hard to stand sometimes. ‘Voyager Class’ means that he’s basically a medium size figure (3rd from smallest), and comes in a box instead of in a bubble card. His tank mode is actually considerably smaller than his robot mode, which I found kind of strange. Here are galleries at seibertron.com for both his 1989 and 2009 figures.

Leader Class Bulkhead (bio) from the new Animated Series came as something of a surprise to me. I don’t really like the new series, as the character designs and the show itself is all a bit too goofy for my tastes. But damn this is one cool looking dude. Bulkhead is the bigbot of the show, and though he seems kind of dumb (likes to lounge, watch the tele, eat buffalo wings and drink beer, ect) he’s actually a pretty smart dude. He’s a thick, strong fellow with a “heart of gold” who also loves to fix things, as well as break shit.

I got this 2008 toy in the Clearance section for twenty bucks (smaller, yet just as tall somehow, Bludgeon was the same price). He’s got a red, push button Autobot symbol on his chest that activates flashing yellow LED lights in his eyes, shoulders and chest. Pressing the symbol also makes his head turn, mouth open and gives you one of three catchphrases: “Time for the big guns!,” “You can do it buddy!” and “Sorry, My bad!” Heh. When the non-transforming Headmaster helmet (bio) is locked in place, his lights flash red and he screams in an angry and British tone, “OWNAGE! Total OWNAGE!”… this is presumable while he’s ripping up shit and going on a rampage. The figure’s shoulder ‘kibble’ (extra vehicle parts that stick out awkwardly after transformation) is show accurate as it can actually fold down and become his chair. I’m not quite sure, but I think he’s the first Transformer with this lazy ass yet awesome feature (gallery). It’s definitely a thing of beauty. Though I’m not really into Autobots, this guy is really cool to just stare at. His design is badass, and his colors thankfully aren’t ugly, just a little boring (I miss Stickers...). Bulkhead comes packaged in Robot Mode and I haven’t transformed him into his S.W.A.T. Tank mode yet. I will sometime, but he’s definitely staying as a bot after that. And he just looks funny as hell with that purple headmaster attached. Ah, one last hidden sound effect... once Bulky is transformed into tank mode and his head covering is pressed downward, he lets out a slightly slow variation of the classic Transformation sound. OWNAGE!

TF's: 1/22/10

Say hello to my six new friends. First up, the Japanese Encore #19 Cassette "Big Mission (3) Set"... Rumble, Frenzy, Laserbeak & Overkill. F'n Kick Ass! I really would have liked Ratbat to be included in this set instead of Overkill, as 'Kill fits it much better with the #17 Set with his counterpart. It seems out of place here. "Sadly," I also already own another Laserbeak from my Commemorative Edition Soundwave (also w/ Battle Ravage). But I mean, I'm hoping to get all the sets anyways (if I can) so I'm not exactly stressed. And just look at those Jets! That's the Japanese Encore #11 Skywarp and Thundercracker set. The drunken' bastards those two...

These sets are beautiful beyond fuckin' imaginable! It's almost a damn shame to even open them up and apply the stickers(for the jets). Looking upon a pure untouched Transformers sticker sheet is just a sploogeworthy occasion. But nah, fuck that, I’m gonna sticker em up. And it’s gonna be sweeeeeeeet. I got these from Big Bad Toy Store, a place that's been around for years and years before I got a little serious into collecting. Their shipping costs are pretty good compared to the other places too. I found both of these sets for lower prices at another online shop, and when I got the checkout, the price was actually about twelve dollars more than what I payed at BBTS w/ shipping, and they tried to charge me state tax. WTF? Yeah, this place doesn't pull that bullshit.

Looking at those pictures above, I'm live serious when I say they do no justice at all to the beauty of holding these in your hands. The jeans have been creamed... not that the stickers weren't sticky enough. Buy hey, whatareyagonnado? Once I get a good setting, more pictures will follow.