Perfect Effect PC-05 Upgrade

As I've made abundantly clear, I am not a big fan of the Combiner Wars line.  The figures in an of themselves are fine.  Combined modes, also, are fine.  The fact that there are only something like 4 base "frames" is also something I'm kind of o.k. with.  After all, the same basic argument could be made for the original Scramble City fusilateral quintrocombiners.  What I still can't get over are the hands and feet for these new combiners.  Man, do I hate those things.  They look like that weird character Kristen Wiig used to do on SNL.

Is this where Hasbro gets their inspiration?

I admire the fact that Hasbro wanted to include playability with each piece of combiner kibble.  Have you tried having G1 Streetwise hold Defensor's footplate?  It isn't fun, or easy.  However, the execution that Hasbro put into the Combiner Wars kibble just left a lot to be desired.  Enter the third party companies!  Enter me dropping another $30 on a kit to make Superion look acceptable after spending around $100, once Slingshot is factored in, to even have a Superion!  There were a number of different options to choose from, but I opted to go with Perfect Effect's PC-05 kit because it looked the best, and, frankly, it came in white, the color that Superion should have for his extremities, not black.

I must say that with the addition of the new feet, Superion actually looks powerful and menacing!  The feet feature swivel tilts that allow for a range of motion that just wasn't afforded with the original feet.  Dynamic poses are much easier to achieve this way.

The fists are much improved as well.  For some reason, it's popular for these 3rd party guys to release new hands where each and every finger is articulated.  Really, that's something that I could care less about.  From what I've seen on Facebook and other social media sites, the main purpose of these newly articulated hands is to flip the bird, so to speak.  On the bright side, the new digits do allow Superion to get a better grip on his weapon.

Taking a cue from Hasbro, the Perfect Effect hands and feet are more than meets the eye!  See what I did there?  Anyway, the feet separate to become gatling guns, which if my math is correct, means that you would wind up with 4 gatling guns once the feet are separated.  In the above pic, you'll notice that I'm only showing of said weapons.  I wanted to show Silverbolt holding the weapons as well, but one of the feet would not separate.  Well, it started to, but I could tell that the tab that holds the two halves together was about to break, so I just left it intact.  That proved to be a bit of a letdown, to be honest.  As you can see, the gatling guns can be held in a variety of ways.  They look rather good.

Not to be left out, the hands also convert into guns.  While not as big as the gatlings, I think they look better.  They're certainly much better suited for the Deluxe sized figures.

Overall, I'm pretty impressed with what Perfect Effect has managed to create with this set.  I've normally eschewed upgrade sets because I just never saw the need for them.  The upgrade sets for the G1 combiners always seemed to make the figures look worse, to me.  Sadly, in my view, the upgrade sets are a necessity for Combiner Wars gestalts.  It's a crying shame that I had shell out another $30 to make Superion look like a normal gestalt. 

Combiner Wars Ultra Mangus

Ultra Magnus is pretty popular these days, isn't he?  Thanks to the fine work of James Roberts on More Than Meets The Eye, Ultra Magnus' popularity is pretty much at an all time high.  Gone are the days of "I can't deal with that right now!"  In it's stead, we have the Ultra Magnus that will cite his fellow Autobots for having a crooked insignia, the former Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord.  More importantly, we have an Ultra Magnus that is this:

TFWiki.net

Minimus freaking Ambus, baby!  The introduction of Minimus has made Ultra Magnus a much more enjoyable and intriguing character.  Coupled with Alex  Milne's design, this is by far the best version of Ultra Magnus ever.  Hasbro has certainly taken notice of what Roberts andMilne have been up to and graced us with a new mold! 

I spent some time deciding between the Hasbro of Takara versions.  The Takara version certainly had a nice deco, much better than Hasbro's, but Takara made the cardinal sin of making Ambus Alpha Trion.  Uh, no thank you.  Hasbro it is.  I actually located my Magnus at my LCS when I went to pick up my comics a month or so ago.  The owner mentioned that he finally had some Transformers, and I took that as vintage figures, but it was Magnus.  When I asked how much he wanted for Magnus, I was told $74.99!  Once I explained that I could get him from BBTS or Hasbro Toy Shop for far, far less, the price came down to an acceptable rate.  It's good to help out a local business.

Right out of the box, Ultra Magnus is pretty impressive.  The Alex Milne design is just breathtaking to behold.  I've read online where people have opened their Magni (Magnuses?) to find one of the shoulder rocket launchers missing.  Luckily, both were present in mine.  Man, we have been blessed with some nice G1 Magnus action this year, what with this and the Masterpiece version.

Combiner Wars Magnus features a bit more maneuverability than the Masterpiece version, and he's certainly a fair bit lighter.  This Magnus comes with two rifles that can combine with the shoulder rockets to form an axe, like the Animated Magnus carried.  I'll be honest - I haven't even tried that configuration.  I'm not a fan of the axe.  Axes are good for warrior dwarves and vikings, but bot for the Duly Appointed Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord.  He needs rifles to do some enforcing.

Speaking of the current Enforcer, open up his chest, and you'll find the bot currently wearing the Ultra Magnus armor!  Sadly, the way that he sits in the chest, it makes it a bit hard to show Minimus' head.  It looks more like Minimus is piloting a mecha, rather than wearing armor. 

This new iteration of Ultra Magnus features a transformation scheme that is similar to the Masterpiece version's.  It's nice to know that there was some cross-pollination in respects to engineering.  The cab does not separate from the trailer, but I'm fine with that.  The only weakness that I can find with Magnus is the cab itself.  Just looking at it, it looks, I don't know, scrunched up?  I'm not sure I'm describing it correctly.  I dare say that it looks as though the cab was in a head on collision; it just looks odd.

Did you know that Ultra Magnus can store cars in this mode?  It's true!  However, Magnus can only hold two Deluxe class figures.  To be honest, I don't know if Ultra Magnus is designed to carry Legends class figures.  Looking at him, it appears as though the Legends figures would not be very stable there.  More than likely, I could look this information up, but I'm lazy.

Before we go, let's take a look at Minimus Ambus.  He's pretty freaking great, if you ask me.  Look at that pencil mustache!  He seriously looks like he has Errol Flynn's facial hair!  Articulation in this mode is extremely limited, due to his size, but his knees do bend.  It's more for transformation, but it does help with seating him the armor. 

Transformation to vehicle mode is a bit more involved than I imagined.  What would seem like a one-step transformation is instead a two-step process.  Please forgive the horrible photo, but I was having trouble getting a clear shot for some reason. 

At the rate that we're getting Ultra Magni lately, I wouldn't be surprised if a third mold was introduced at the end of the year.  Takara and Hasbro will have to do a lot to top the two that we've already gotten in the span of six months.  Next week - more Combiner Wars!  Or maybe a Masterpiece figure.  We'll see.

Combiner Wars Hot Spot

Hot Spot is my favorite combiner leader of all time.  Heck, he's one of my favorite Transformers ever.  His G1 figure looked great in both robot and fire truck modes.  The face sculpt?  Perfect.  The torso mode?  Beyond perfect.  Everything just fits together, and Defensor is sturdy and imposing.  Defensor, to me, is the epitome of the Scramble City sets.  Just incredible.  With that in mind, I was very excited to hear that Hot Spot would be getting a new sculpt for the Combiner Wars series.  Initial photos for him looked decent, but I was still concerned after the letdown that was Superion.  My love for Hot Spot overrode any concerns that I may have had, and Hot Spot was mine thanks to BBTS.

We'll start with the fire engine mode.  It's a nice update to the original.  The ladder rotates a full 360 degrees, however the ladder does not extend.  There is a bucket on the end of the ladder, something the original lacked.  Hot Spot is certainly long in this mode. 

I'm not too fond of the back end of the fire engine. It's just plain, and there are hollow portions that I think should have been filled in.  Really, other than that, this is a fine looking mode, even with Defensor's chest shields sticking out like a sore thumb with the ladder. 

Robot mode is Hot Spot's strong suit.  Hot spot really does hit the upgrade aspect that I felt was missing from both the Titanium and Universe versions.  The freaking red chest plate alone enamored me to this version.  The red and silver stripes are nice little details that just stand out.  The head sculpt is just dead on to the animation model.  And look!  Hot Spot can put his hands on his hips!  Progress!

Hot Spot comes with two rifles that I'm sure will look ridiculous while being held by Defensor.  They do look pretty decent with Hot Spot, however.  Like any good combiner torso, there isn't any waist articulation, but the thighs are able to rotate, so there are opportunities for some decent poses. 

The feet on Hot Spot are a little odd to me.  It almost seems as though they should be on the other legs.  Am I the only to think this?  Most likely.  At any rate, Hot Spot is by far my favorite Combiner Wars figure thus far.  Then again, I'm pretty much done buying figures from this line, but I'll save that for another post.

Here's what the Defensor torso looks like.  It's a bit more complicated a transformation than Silverbolt, but it looks a bit better than Superion as well.  Sadly, I won't ever know what Defensor looks like when completed since this will more than likely be the only Protectobot I get.  I really don't like how the Defensor looks in the Combiner Wars.  Still clunky and all that.  But man, Defensor's head looks great. 

Well, I'm nearing the end of Combiner Wars figures.  There are only a couple of figures left that I figure are worth getting and one of them doesn't come out until later this year.  Just was well, anyway, since I need to take a few weeks off.  I have inventory coming up and jury duty, so I'll be occupied until the beginning of August, which is a shame, since I have so many other figures to cover.

Combiner Wars Cyclonus

So the Combiner Wars cavalcade continues.  Up next, we have Cyclonus, a retool of Combiner Wars Silverbolt.  I opted to preorder Cyclonus from BBTS rather than wait and hope that he showed up in a store.  I'm winding down on new figures that I find interesting, and decided it was best to just get what I wanted now.  Besides, Cyclonus is awesome in IDW's Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and he really deserves a new figure.

There aren't a lot of changes with the Silverbolt mold.  Cyclonus features a new color scheme (duh), new head sculpt (double duh), a remolded chest, and a new canopy.  Oh, and new wings.  And those cool wing things on his forearms, which I have upside down for reasons that I can't explain.  Also, the parts of his legs that form Galvatronus' chest are new.  So maybe this was a bit more extensive a retool than I thought.  Cyclonus still has Silverbolt's gorilla arms, however.  A bit of the transformation scheme has changed as well.  Where Silverbolt's head folded into his chest, Cyclonus' just folds back.  I think that his antennae make Cyclonus' head too big to fit in the chest cavity.

Sadly, Cyclonus still comes with Silverbolt's weapon. Since the wings on his forearms preclude placing the "shield" on them, Cyclonus gets to hold it.  It's an odd look, to say the least.  Still, look at that shade of purple that was used on Cyclonus.  It's gorgeous.

The jet mode suffers from the same rear box-like design necessitated for the legs.  However, the rest of the jet mode is terrific.  Certainly miles ahead of the Universe version.  Can you believe that the Universe version was released seven years ago?  Time flies.  At any rate, the jet mode, for the most part, really looks like the version from season 3 of the show.  It's very impressive.

Since this is Combiner Wars, Cyclonus is now able to merge with other figures to form a super warrior.  In this case, that super warrior is known as Galvatronus, which I guess is an homage to that time Galvatron merged all of the Decepticons together to destroy Cybertron.  Cyclonus doesn't have his own team, apparently.  This is really a bit of a surprise, as I really thought that there would be at least Scourge, if not a Sweep or two, to add to the mix.  Sadly, Cyclonus is forced to add members from other teams against their will.  For this pic, I used Alpha Bravo, Dead End, Fireflight, and Slingshot.  Since I really don't like the look of any of the gestalts, this will be only time I'll ever see Galvatronus in action.

Cyclonus is an improvement over his Universe incarnation, especially in jet mode.  The combination aspect, I think is unnecessary and downright ridiculous.

Combiner Wars Dead End

I don't know why, but I purchased Combiner Wars Dead End.  The new iteration of the Stunticons aren't exactly thrilling to me, but I was a bit curious about Dead End's transformation scheme since he doesn't seem to have feet, at least what I consider to be feet.  My curiosity had to be sated.

Dead End's alt mode looks like a Ferrari, but not quite there.  It's a decent approximation of his G1 vehicle mode.  I really like the large rear tires.  This guy is sporting some rims that look pretty decent as well.  The color scheme and offset stripe do justice to Dead End's G1 version and so far we're off to a good start.

Here's Dead End with his weapons attached.  The cannon looks cool, mounted on the roof, as it reminds me of the G1 weapon.  The sword can be attached as a muffler on either side of the car.  This, this I'm not too crazy about.  I don't know much about cars, but I believe that those side mufflers should be on both side.  More than likely, I'm wrong, but just seeing it on one side just feels off.

I'm actually extremely impressed with Dead End's robot more.  He's very versatile and poseable.  The sword can double as a gun, I guess, and that's how I'll be using it.  It looks much better than the sword.

At first blush, judging from photos, I was worried that Dead End's lack of actual feet would make the figure look odd or cause some stability issues.  I was incorrect in my assumptions.  Dead End is capable a variety of poses, most of which I'm not skilled enough to do.  Suffice it to say that Dead End is a good figure to play with.  Yeah, I said play.

My main motivation to get Dead End was to answer some questions that I had in my mind.  Dead End is certainly a great looking figure, and I'm intrigued to see if this carries over to Streetwise.  I don't think I'll be picking up any other Stunticons, as I really don't like the way Menasor looks, but I will most likely pick up additional uses of this mold.  It's just an excellent figure.

Combiner Wars Quickslinger

First off, let's just get this out of the way - Quickslinger is a horrible, horrible name.  I know that there were rights issues and all that, but surely someone could've thought of a better name.  Stupid name aside, I managed to snag this guy on Walmart.com before he sold out.  From here on out, he shall be known by his true name.  If you don't know what that name is, you may have stumbled across the wrong blog.

Super Slingshot?

Right out of the box, I had an issue with Slingshot's landing gear.  As evidenced, it will not stay put while in robot mode.  This means that Slingshot is constantly getting hit in the back of head by it.  Being an online exclusive, it's not like I could just return it and get another one.  Everyone was sold out of this guy.  No matter.

Slingshot is a retool of Combiner Wars Firefly, also known as Fireflight.  Chaned from Fireflight, that I can tell are his head, and that's about it.  The new head sculpt closely resembles his animated model.  Everything else about this guy is exactly what you got with Fireflight. 

Here's Slingshot in jet mode.  Other than the color, he's identical to Fireflight.  I think the real reason that everyone snagged Slingshot is so they could have a G1 accurate Superion.  What does that look like?  Glad you asked.

Well, there isn't a helicopter as an arm, but Superion looks pretty much the same.  Still looks pretty rough, however.  I don't care what my kids say.

My Kids Review Combiner Wars Superion

After posting my review of Combiner Wars Superion, I felt a little off.  I condemned the figure, even if the review was short, I think it conveyed just how little I cared for the figure.  Still, I don't want to be one of those guys that just shoot out the negative about figures.  Then again, I'm not a sycophant that immediately loves everything that's released either - I'd like to be fair and balanced.  I also remembered that while adult collectors are kept in mind when new figures are designed and introduced, these are toys meant for kids.  With that in mind, I decided to let me kids have a crack at both playing with and reviewing Superion.  I had each kid spend time with Superion and do whatever they wanted with him.  I didn't try to put any of my ideas about Superion in their  and let them form their own opinions.  Let's see what they have to say.

Aidan - Age 9

Aidan was fairly impressed with Superion.  He spent about 10 minutes playing with him on the coffee table in the living room.  Here's his analysis:
" I like how it's made out of fiver different robots!  When you split his chest open, he looks like a giraffe!"

Giraffe mode

"I like that his ears are made of rubber and that his gun splits apart.  I don't like that his gun won't stay in his hands the right way." 

Olivia - Age 6

Olivia spent about 10 minutes playing with Superion as well.  She ran around the room with him making airplane sounds.  She had a lot to say about Superion, so we'll dive right into that.

Superion's jet mode

"He's so cool!  He can turn into a jet and he can fly so fast!  His gun looks like a rocket!  His antennae let him talk to animals and his colors are so cool!  I don't like how his gun is hard to hold in his hands, and his legs go everywhere.  I also don't like how his arms mess up while I'm flying him."
So far, two kids agree with me on the gun issue.  Wonder if a third kid will agree?

Caroline - Age 3

I had to pry Superion away from Caroline after about 30 minutes because she really enjoyed playing with one of her dad's figures.  She didn't have a lot to say, but what she did blew my mind.

"He turns into a little man, but sometimes he becomes a horse!"  I have no idea how he could turn into a horse, and Caroline couldn't tell me how this happened, either.  Caroline was just adamant that Superion could turn into a horse.  Anyway, Caroline continues: "Your big robot keeps hitting me with his gun and he keeps attacking my favorite toy.  He shoots bad guys in my room, too."

Superion attacking Caroline's favorite toy

Well, that about wraps up my kids reviewing Superion.  I also had the baby play with Superion a bit, but all he did was drool on him, which is what any 8-month-old would do.  It was a blast seeing the kids play with a Transformer without any preconceived notions, just kids playing with a toy.  Seeing all of that actually made me appreciate what Hasbro has done with Superion a little.  I still don't really like the guy, but the kids sure as heck did.

Combiner Wars Air Raid

So I finally decided to ship Air Raid from my pile of loot at BigBadToyStore.  I actually let him sit there for a bit before I shipped him, really, because I was having way too much fun with my Masterpiece Star Saber.  But, know I have him.  Instead of a full review, we'll make this a quickie since he's just like the rest of the Aerialbot limbs.

Air Raid has perhaps my favorite jet mode out of the limbs.  His wings are moveable and his tail fins are rubber.  One downside to Air Raid, he comes with a comic in place of the collector's card.  I'd rather have the card, to be honest.

Quite a bit of Air Raid should look familiar if you already own Skydive since Air Raid is just a retool of Skydive.  I really like Air Raid's head sculpt.

Poseability is what we've come to expect from the Combiner Wars line, so I'm not going to rehash anything I've already said before.

Still wish he would've come with a collector's card...

Group shot!  I'll talk about Superion in my next post.

Combiner Wars Bombshell

Funny what happens when you aren't looking for a figure: it generally just pops right into your life.  I had to make a stop at a store when I got off work one day to pick up some ink for my printer and I wandered over to the toy department and lo and behold!  Bombshell! 

Combiner Wars Bombshell is a spot on upgrade over his original incarnation.  I'm really impressed with his rhinoceros beetle mode.  It retains that old school look, but with modern flourishes.  Gone are the wheels and odd insect legs.  In their stead are actual legs!

Here's an overhead shot of Bombshell.  I'm still working on my black background photography, but I think I've gotten better with it.  I certainly like the results more than the white background.

Robot mode is where Bombshell stands out.  Waist and arm articulation are just outstanding on Bombshell.  He isn't as fiddly, if that makes sense, as Combiner Wars Powerglide and certainly much more sturdy than Tailgate/Windcharger.  The head cannon is at a much better proportion than the G1 version.

Bombshell's new found ability to pose allows for a Maz-styled running shot.  It also allows me to point out the cannons on Bombshell's knees.  Certainly, this is an Insecticon I wouldn't want to run into.  My only complaint with Bombshell is the lack of a hand-held weapon, but I can't really be too upset about that.  According to the TFWiki, Bombshell has a third mode.  Just what it is, I couldn't tell you, since it isn't included in the instructions.  Maybe one day intrepid scientists will discover this mysterious third mode, or I could Google it, but I'm a bit lazy.

Combiner Wars Megatron Review

So there's a Leader Class Megatron out there and he's apparently a big deal.  Yes, he's large, being a Leader Class figure, but after viewing numerous pictures of him online, I was unconvinced that he'd be any good.  He just looked stiff.  Then again, Hasbro stock photography isn't known for being that great.  I've actually run into a few copies of this figure and passed him up multiple times, but I decided to take a chance on a $45 dollar figure just to see if I was wrong.

Out of the box, Megatron has a lot of mass; he feels much heavier than Leader Class Jetfire.  The sculpt is heavily reminiscent of the classic G1 look.  I do have a bit of an issue with the arm mounted cannon as it really limits the movement of Megatron's right arm.  Luckily, it can pivot a bit, allowing the arm to bend at the elbow.  Still, it's a bit of a letdown.  The tank treads on the back actually look better than anticipated. 

Megatron's cannon comes with a missile that launches a fairly good distance.  Range of motion was definitely a concern going in since every single stock photo made Megs look super stiff, but it isn't as bad as I thought.  He twists at the waist and his legs had have decent articulation.  I can't pull off a Maz-styled running pose with Megs, but he does what I need him to do - look menacing.

For some reason, Megatron comes with a rifle.  Megatron has a huge honking cannon on his arm, so he naturally needs a rifle too.  This will be the only time he sports it.  There are also decals to give him more of a G1 look and optional Autobot insignias if one felt the need to adhere to what's going on with the IDW books.  I've opted out of the decals entirely.

Since this isn't 1984 anymore, the days of a mass release Megatron transforming into a gun are long gone.  Tanks is the mode du jour these days.  I really, really like the tank mode.  To be honest, it's highly evocative of the No Limit Records tank logo from the 1990's, what with the silver finish.

The barrel is almost comically long in tank mode, but it still looks decent.  The turret itself is able to rotate a full 360 degree. The treads on the tank are rubber.  There are posts littered around this mode that I'm guessing are for the Armada Megatron redeco to use for Minicons.  I passed on the Armada version because, uh, that series just isn't for me.

The rifle that Megatron comes with breaks in two and can mount on the turret for added firepower.  It's a good look.

Finally, here's a shot of Legends Class Bombshell riding Megatron.  Until next time!