Monday, August 23, 2010

Transformers Collector's Club Exclusive Punch/Counterpunch review

Hey guys, I'm here with another review and this time I'm doing.......
Punch/Counterpunch. Now this guy is a nice 2 in 1 figure. He is a triple changer but instead of having two vehicle modes, he has two robot modes. One Autobot and one Decepticon. The figure is a true beauty and is most worthy of the special packaging given by TFCC.
Punch/Counterpuch is a repaint of Universe Sideswipe/Sunstreaker. The mold was practically made for Punch given his ability to transform from heroic Autobot to evil Decepticon and back. This transformation is as simple as turning him around and moving some limbs to the appropriate locations. The head is specially molded to shift between 2 faces by moving his visor in a specific direction. For added flare, I like to put the engine parts on his back much like one would on Sunstreaker. This adds a little more to the figures look and hides the opposing factions symbol from view.
While on faction symbols, I like how Hasbro used the rub-symbols for this figure. It makes him feel even more undercover somehow. There are only 2 gripes about this figure. First, his head is very small compared to his body. I realize they had to do this to fit it inside when in vehicle mode, but its a little annoying. the second is that while in Punch mode, his feet can't balance unless in a duck like position. Other than these small gripes, Punch/Counterpunch will look great on any Classics display, no matter which side you put him on.

Take care guys and I'll see you later.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Transformers TRU Exclusive Masterpiece Grimlock

Hi guys, back with another review and this time we are looking at...........
Masterpiece Grimlock! This is the Toys R Us exclusive version made by Hasbro and released in the US just this month. As I write this, I've only had the figure a few hours but I can definitely say that Grimlock is every bit as impressive as Masterpiece Optimus Prime. The amount of gimmicks he has is amazing, both in robot and dino mode. and each form is articulated enough for great poses. In the box with Grimlock are his Energy Sword, Twin Barrel Blaster, and the Dinobot Crown of Leadership that was part of Takara's MP-08X "King Grimlock". Now lets get a good look at each mode shall we.

Grimlock's T-Rex mode is done faithfully to his original G1 figure, fitting in as a robotic version of what people thought a t-rex looked like in the 80's. He is also highly accurate to what he looked like in the G1 cartoons and comics, complete with a dial on the inside of his head that lets you choose his eye color. He has chromed teeth, claws, and a tail as well as a gold chromed belly. His toes and the parts his legs connect to are made of die-cast metal. The robot modes crotch is also die-cast. In dino mode, Grimlock has articulated arms, claws, legs, tail and head. His mouth opens and closes and he has a gimmick where when you move his tail from side to side, his head will turn left and right. The only thing i don't like is that he cant look down at his foes. The molding is done excellently, hinges used for transformation are well disguised, like the ones that are attached to his robot mode wings look like rocket thrusters in dino mode.
Grimlock's transformation to and from robot mode is a bit trickier than the G1 version but the end result is most stunning. Grimlock is every bit a dead ringer for his cartoon self as MP Optimus. His right hand doesn't have finger articulation but it does have a led light that will show through either his gun or sword, making them glow red. The left hand doesn't have the light, but is fully articulated. He also has full arm, leg, head, and waist movement. A switch on the back of his head will allow you to change the color of his visor from cartoon blue to comic red and back, and the Dinobot Crown of Leadership looks most regal on him with his red visor showing. The level of detail in robot mode is just as amazing as dino mode. He seems near perfect.
Size wise, Grimlock could be compared to a Leader class figure. He seems rather short compared to MP Optimus, but when you put him with the Classics/Universe/Generations series figures, he fits right in. In the G1 series, Grimlock was a big guy, just as tall if not taller than Optimus himself. Even Megatron had to look up at Grimlock at times. This fact makes MP Grimlock feel in perfect scale next to the Classics line and makes him a worthy candidate for any Neo G1 display.

Hope you guys enjoyed this little review and I'll see you next time. Take care.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Transformers Universe 3-Pack "Challenge at Cybertron" Part 3

Hey guys, the time has come to review the star of the "Challenge at Cybertron" set and that star is none other than.......


Cyclonus! Thats right, this repaint of Universe Cyclonus is not only the best figure of this set, but the best paint job this mold has ever gotten, even better than his Henkei version. I have always considered Cyclonus to have one of the best molds of all the Classics/Henkei line. He matches the Movie and TV series perfectly in form and now so also in color scheme. His partner in crime Nightstick has also recieved an improved paintjob that matches the TV series just as well as Cyclonus.

There is one small problem that I have noted. The ball joints in his hips/thighs are very tight, so tight that when I got him out of the box and moved his leg, it popped off as i was movint the leg forward. I'm not talking just fell off either, the thigh pushed the ball out as it was moving. I was able to fix this by scraping off some plastic from the thigh joints inner workings (the part the ball goes into). This fixed the popping out problem, without making the joint loose. It's an annoyance, but forgivable, especially given this is the 5th use of the mold.

That minor gripe aside, Cyclonus is the best figure in the set, followed closely by Rodimus and leaving Galvatron in last place. This is a must have if you missed out on any of these figures before, or want more TV accurate versions. So lets wrap this up with a few more shots of this sets star.

Hope you guys enjoyed this look at the "Challenge At Cybertron" set. Let me know if you have any requests for future reviews. Take care

Transformers Universe 3-Pack "Challenge at Cybertron" Part 2

Hey guys, its time for part 2 of the "Challenge at Cybertron" 3-pack, but before we get down to business I thought I'd let you know that you can find this nice little set at www.tfsource.come , www.bigbadtoystore.com , and www.robotkingdom.com which is where i got mine from. I recommend Robot Kingdom because their price with shipping included is about the same price as the other stores without shipping. Now they are in Hong Kong so if international shipping scares ya a bit, TFSource and BBTS are great US shops to visit.

Ok, down to business. Today we are going to be looking at the weak link of the group and that would be.....

Galvatron! Yea, I know what you guys are thinking, "Thank you Captain Obvious" right. Well it's true. For those who never seen the Universe/Henkei Galvatron figure, he was the victim of the worst mold of the entire line and a candidate for worst mold in Transformers history. He suffers from an over complex transformation, joints that pop off effortlessly, and the Universe versions always have this hideous neon orange plastic for the connection bits. This version is no exception to any of these problems, and while his legs stay on better than the original release, I found that his left arm will pop off rather easily. Also found that in his tank mode, some tabs just wont go into their proper slots which makes him feel even more delicate.

His paint job is a vast improvement over the previous release of the figure. It matches the TV show color scheme better but still not perfectly. The purple plastic has a slight metallic sparkle that gives him a nice look. The details in his chest, legs and left arm really bring out the best that this figure has to offer. Vehicle mode looks a bit bland, just a white tank with an orange cannon barrel. All and all, Galvatron was made for display in robot mode only.
Now here are a couple Vehicle mode shots and comparisons with Universe Galvatron.





Hope you guys enjoyed this look and will come back for Part 3 and the star of this set Cyclonus.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Transformers Universe 3-Pack "Challange at Cybertron" Part 1

Hey there all. Thought I'd start my review blog with a bang and bring you the new TF Universe 3 pack which includes Classics Cyclonus, Galvatron, and Rodimus (Hot Rod).


Now this is a wonderful set to commemorate the 1986 "Transformers the Movie" with, and given that these were the top 3 characters of season 3 of the G1 series, this is going to be a well sought after set. So lets take a closer look at each of these fine figures, starting with.............

Hot Rod! Now this is the guy most everyone is going to buy this set for. He is my reason for getting it since i never had the Classics Rodimus. Rodimus figures are hard to come by and with the eminent arrival of FansProject's Protector upgrade kit, everyone wants Rodimus. This is proven in the fact that a Classics Rodimus alone can go for up to $100 on eBay. Now this Hod Rod is a little different than your basic classics Rodimus. Hod Rod here has a new paint job that almost perfectly matches the G1 Transformers cartoon series. The original Classics Rodimus had a color scheme that was more closer to the G1 toy of Hod Rod. Also noted are the lack of translucent plastic for the windows (now painted on) and the "flame" missile (also painted now). Other than that, this is the exact same mold as Classics Rodimus. He's a very good figure, with decent posebility and a couple cool features, including a flip out saw blade and firing missile launcher. For the set though, I will have to rank him #2 as far as which one is best, here are a few more pics and some comparisons with the G1 Hod Rod figure.




Please let me know what you guys think and stay tuned for part 2: Galvatron

Sunday, August 8, 2010

First Post, Intro

Hey there guys, I'm Grimmy. I'm a big Transformers fan whos started to notice quite a few nice video reviews on youtube. Now i tried my hand at making vid reviews of my own, but i realized i dont really have the voice for it so im gonna do some written reviews instead, i do hope you guys enjoy them and let me know if you have any requests or questions. See you again soon.