Transformers War For Cybertron (Earthrise) Deluxe Class; Cliffjumber: Well... Deluxe might be a stretch...

Oh boy... time to delve into some of these issues of the War for Cybertron line... Starting in Siege (not counting Studio Series as I don't actively collect the line), the size classes seem to be more of an indication of difficulty, rather than size. While that acts as a benefit when they release the larger Deluxes like Ironhide and Spinister, Earthrise, year two of the trilogy looks to be pushing those limits. Honestly it's impressive that they're trying this as people are still angry at the Leader Class Shockwave and Astrotrain from Siege. On top of the size issues, a practice known as Partsforming is looking to play a big part of the line. While people were fine with it for the Weaponizers, and that will continue with the... Modularizers? Is that what they're calling the bases? Armorizer still sounds nicer to me. Anyway, while those still use the process, people are less forgiving of it when it comes to the upcoming Arcee, who I'll go into detail on when she's released. Partsforming, and being shrunk down to a Legends Class sized character being sold at deluxe prices though? You can just imagine how people have been reacting to the new Cliffjumper. Is it warranted though?

To quickly deal with them. Inside the boxes of Earthrise toys, you get a piece of a star map, and a "scanner", and by the end of Earthrise, you should be able to complete a full map of the Transformers universe. I'm not bothering with the map, so I'm not going to be covering it from here on out. Starting in Car mode, and giving credit where it's due, this is a nice looking Cliffjumper car mode, just that compared to other Deluxe car bots, it's tiny. It's smaller than a Nintendo Switch Joycon (look, I'm writing this while I kill time between shifts, I don't have many size comparisons on hand right now). It's a solid little Sports Coupe, with the only major bit of kibble being robot mode hands being slightly visible, something that weapon storage helps cover-up. Cliffjumper does at least scale nicely with the other mini bots in car mode, along with the robot mode. Speaking of...

While one specific part of the transformation is frustrating to do on my copy of the toy, when he's in robot mode, it's hard to deny that he doesn't look like a great Cliffjumper, and it's nice to see a G1 Cliffjumper that isn't just a red Bumblebee (though I don't think anyone is expecting that to last, this guy screams "Retool me into Bumblebee!", maybe even some Throttlebots in the Generations Selects line. Goldbug, Chase and Freeway for example). Due to being labelled as a Deluxe, he has got the advantages of the size class and price range, he's way more articulated than any of the other Minibots released in the Generations line, and the transformation itself is very interesting and fun to do. I also like the fact that he gets his Bazooka, and the weapon itself can be rearranged for numerous configurations in both Robot mode and Car Mode. But... the "Shield"... here is where the partsforming comes into play. The back of the car has to be removed for the transformation. While it can be used as a shield, the main purpose is to be used as a back cover to clean up his back in robot mode. While it works for that purpose, the effect would probably look better if it didn't look like he stuck the backend of some random car onto his back. At the time of writing this, I have both Cliffjumper and Hoist in terms of the Earthrise Deluxes, with Hoist being who I got first. Because of that though, I'm struggling to see where the cut costs from producing a smaller figure went too. Though there aren't as many unnecessary gaps in the pieces, they are still there, though not as obvious as on someone like Hoist. While I can tolerate gaps for joints and engineering, holes like in his forearms and legs that are just there to cut some of the cost away from the moulding process I, and many others find annoying, and it's something that I would have liked to have seen dealt with for Cluffjumper, who's already smaller than all the other Deluxes in the line.

Though Cliffjumper justifies the cost in terms of engineering, not having a class between Deluxe and Micromaster does hurt the perception of the toy. It's not in any way a bad toy, and it would be nice to get other Minibots with the same engineering treatment. But when looking at it on a shelf next to the other wave 1 Deluxes, it's a hard sell to the average customer. Here's hoping Runabout and Runamuck are the usual Deluxe size, especially because I want to put them side by side Topspin and Twin twist,, but right now the main goal is being able to actually get both of them in Australia at all. 

Top 10 Transformers Purchased in 2019

With a new year and a new decade upon us, I thought it might be nice to look back on what's been, because 2019 was a solid year for Transformers. Siege was a huge step up over Power of the Primes, Cyberverse gave characters not cast in plastic for several years a new chance on life, and Studio Series continues to replicate the movie designs (whether or not this is a good thing or not depends on your view of the movie designs). With 2020 looking to continue the upward trend, and even improve on the engineering in Cyberverse, I thought I might look back at the 10 best figures I obtained in 2019. They don't need to be released this year, they don't have to be objectively the best, just the stuff that I've enjoyed the most that I obtained this year.

10. Cyberverse Skybyte

While the spark armour gimmick of the Cyberverse line was more of a mess then I'd hoped for, I will admit that Skybyte on his own was a nice figure. Basic engineering, but fitting for what is basically a Legends Class toy. As good as previous Skybyte toys? No idea, this is the only one I own, but perfectly serviceable. A fun toy to fidget with, thanks to the basic, but to the point transformation and small size. Besides, it's nice to see something other then G1 get nostalgia love.

9. Siege Shockwave

I like a good spaceship Transformer every now and then, and while many purists might not like all the extra stuff added in to turn a space gun into a spaceship, it doesn't take away from how playable Shockwave is. If you want to completely ignore the armour, you've still got a good voyager sized Shockwave that turns into the space gun. At the end of the day, I love toys that are fun to mess with, that don't feel like they're going to break if you do something wrong. Shockwave's fun, a strong release in Siege bogged down in the controversy of all the extra plastic that a lot of people didn't want but had to get to avoid the "you're selling a gun to my child" controversy. He also looks great in black, at least based on pictures I've seen.

8. Studio Series Hightower

I had to put this thing somewhere on the list. Is it a good toy? No, but it's hilarious that it exists at all, considering as the design itself is universally hated. I'm not against non-humanoid robot designs, but Hightower's design is a joke, and that's honestly the best thing about it. I love how stupid this thing looks, I find it hilarious that someone legitimately thought that this was a cool design. Until the rest of Devastator comes out, and even probably after, this guy has the title of the funniest transformers I have, and for that alone, he makes the list.

7. Siege Micromasters

I'm lumping all of them together for this one (except for Wave 5, I'm missing those two), as, like Skybyte, they're fun to fiddle around with, and with Earthrise teasing at Micromaster bases in the future, it'll be fun to have a modern take on the Micromaster play pattern. If I had to pick a favorite of the wave 1 moulds, it would have to be the one used for Flak, along with Roadhandler at number 2, Lazerbeak at number 3. All I can really say is "more Micromasters please, and try to refresh the stock here once in a while, I'm sick of seeing Wave 2 on shelves! (While you're at it, for the love of Primus, stop putting Studio Series Blackout and Grimlock on shelves!)

6. Siege Jetfire

Jetfire is probably one of my favourite characters in Transformers, so from the announcement of it happening, I was onboard for Siege's take. The end result is a fun display piece. As good as third party offerings of Skyfire? No, but again, it's that playability that I enjoy in collecting Transformers, so while Siege Jetfire might not be as amazing as the Fanstoys one, but he can certainly outgun him. A very minor complaint of mine is that I wish he had a bit more weight in him. He feels a bit too light for someone of that size. Not KO levels of light, nowhere near it. It might just be a me thing because while I'm not what you'd call buff, my job requires moving heavy stuff around.

5. Studio Series Dropkick (Car mode)

Why aren't their more muscle car transformers? I'm not joking around here, there are a surprisingly large amount of vehicles that have the potential to be cool transformers, but you never see them (or rarely see them at best), with Muscle cars being one of them. It's why I've enjoyed the car forms of Bumblebee villains Shatter and Dropkick. While Shatter has a bad kibble problem, Dropkick's

4. Studio Series Scrapmetal

What've I've enjoyed the most about figures in the Studio Series line like Scrapmetal is that while they've taken creative liberties, to me at least they're creative liberties that improve the looks of the characters, decluttering the movie designs and making them stronger as a result. To me, while there are parts of the movie designs I like, they always look messy with parts overkill cluttering the look, and parts coming out of nowhere to make it look even worse at times (I swear movie 1 Bumblebee has two engines for feet). The simplification for the sake of making working toys does mean that we get nicer looking designs (for the main body at least), and Scrapmetal is probably the best example of this. It's nice as a standalone toy, and I'm curious to see how well it holds up as Devastator's left hand.

3. Siege Impactor

A long-awaited figure to join The Wreckers, and one that certainly didn't disappoint. While locking the IDW head behind a US exclusive is annoying, the original looking head still looks great and doesn't detract away from how great of an overall figure Impactor is. It's strong, commanding, might have been better as a voyager, but there's still a clear presence to him on a shelf, in both tank mode and robot mode. Perfectly fitting his long-awaited arrival as an official toy. Would have been nicer though if his legs weren't so visibly hollow though.

2. Siege Spinister

From an absolute nobody that no one expected to be any good, to what many, myself included, view as one of the best Siege toys released, and also the best helicopter Transformer released (though when your competition includes Studio Series Dropkick, there's not that much competition in it). Spinister's a lot of fun to mess around with, movement feels effortless, the transformation is fun, there's very little I can actually fault him for, and what faults I have, most of them I can easily look past for the sake of the overall figure. If you could only get one figure in Siege, get Spinister.

Before moving on, a few honourable mentions

• Siege Skywarp: Fun in a squad, just wish those Rainmakers weren't US exclusives
• Studio Series Drift (Helicopter): A bit too much kibble on him for my liking, but it's a far better Helicopter then Dropkick's one was
• Siege Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime: I really wanted to love this thing, but the Ultra Magnus retools get in the way, and to this day I still don't know how those shoulder pads are meant to store in space fire truck mode.
• Studio Series Ironhide: Honestly the biggest issue with this guy has just been the release schedules of Studio Series with entire waves being almost impossible to find on shelves while older stock keeps being brought in and shelf warming.
• Siege Optimus Prime: I've got more to say about him in the new year, as a joint review of him and Takara's Nemesis repaint is a goal of mine to cover. A lot of fun to mess around with though, I just don't want to give it to the toy that's guaranteed to be good because it's Optimus Prime

And for number 1...

 Galaxy Force Megatron

A collection such as toy collecting is a representation of who you are. The stuff you gravitate towards tells a bit about yourself, what you enjoy, what you hate. It's an amazing feeling to find a grail from your childhood, something you've wanted for a long time and now finally own, and Galaxy Force/ Cybertron Megatron was one of my grail pieces. While I was introduced to Transformers in late Armada/ early Energon, Cybertron design-wise was a line that felt like it could do no wrong for me as a child, and even to this day holds a special place in my heart. If I had the space and the money, I'd probably try and put together a complete collection of that line. I'll admit Megs isn't quite as graceful about gimmick integration as Optimus is, but he still has a presence to him that I do think some incarnations lack. For that reason, Galaxy Force Megatron is my number 1 Transformer toy purchased in 2019.

With that, it'll be interesting to see what happens in 2020. I've got some things lined up, like a review of the Generations Selects Seacons, a goal of mine is to try and track down a MakeToys Thunder Manus so if that happens, you'll see that as a review. Studio Series Devastator is still happening as far as I know, and Earthrise looks to have a lot of interesting stuff in the pipeline if leaks are to be believed (I'm hyped for Snapdragon and Doubledealer).

Transformers War for Cybertron Siege Prowl and Barricade: Good Cop and Bad Cop

As with tradition, whenever one of a large handful of characters gets a new toy, there are bound to be repaints of the characters that share their original look. But, every now and then, there are curveballs that for better or worse, give a version of a character never seen before. While Prowl will always have the Bluestreak and Smokescreen variants in time (in this case, locked behind more exclusives), a curveball no one saw coming was Barricade, a G1 Micromaster F1 car nobody, given Holywood star power for being one of the few Decepticons people actually recognize, given a Generations toy based on a fan concept by Transformers Artist Guido Guidi. Combined with the fact that he's the better of the two general retail releases of the mould, and 2019's been a good year for Barricade.

I'm jumping ahead here, but it should be said that even taking out Decepticon bias, Barricade is a more interesting take on the mould in terms of deco. Due to Prowl's mostly white colours, and "sparing" paint applications like the headlights, it comes off as extremely dull when compared to the striking, yet blending colours of Barricade. Most of it coming from the purple windows with the silver paint underneath it. Barricade makes more of a statement compared to other Siege toys, especially compared to Prowl. If you can only get one version of the mould, between the two, I highly recommend Barricade. As for if you should get the mould at all though, that's another question.

The mould itself is fine for a deluxe class carformer, but due to the simple nature of the robot mode, and the habit of not making things move that doesn't need to move, I can't help but feel this is a bit too basic when compared to something like the Universe 08 toy and the Masterpiece version of the Fairlady Autobot moulds (at least based on pictures). Simplicity has its merits, but just by looking at pictures, you can tell how this transformation process is going to work. There's no exciting part of the transformation, nothing interesting, nothing that encourages me to keep bouncing between the two modes. Even something like the ability to hinge the door wings up a bit would at least help with that process, and give the robot something resembling an interesting look. A part of that though comes from how repetitive this general look feels for Carformers. Back windows become the legs, the hood becomes the chest, the doors become kibble wings, and the roof becomes the back. How many characters does that describe in the 35 years of Transformers? Gear wise, neither of the two feel complete, thanks to the Fairlady mould known for having a handgun, and two shoulder guns. While Smokescreen and Bluestreak have the set, Prowl gets the handgun, and Barricade gets the two shoulder guns (that I personally prefer to plug together and use as arm blasters thanks to the C.O.M.B.A.T weapon port requirements. Especially on Prowl, this makes a forgettable looking character look even more forgettable.

While Barricade has the paint, paint can only help so much with a mould. I don't think the toy is bad, just uneventful, not very exciting, especially when compared to other Deluxe Class toys in Siege like Spinister, the Weaponizers, even other Autobot cars. While it's a great representation of the character for a cheap price, in a line full of fun and interesting transformations, this mould just seems underdone, basic, like it's a part of a combiner (but that might just be the fact that Jazz was in Power of the Primes).

Transformers Titans Return (And Takara Legends) Monsterbots: A few days after Halloween is still ok, right?

On the subject of Monsterbots, following on from that G.I Joe review, we actually have a recent set of the Monsterbots thanks to Titans Return... though the release of them did not help, due to most of the team being locked behind exclusives. Because of that, the version of Twinferno (be quiet purists, like it or not, Twinferno is a cooler name then Doublecross) I will be reviewing is the Titans Return release, while the version of Repugnus and Grotusque are the Takara Legends release. Does it change much? No, mostly just more paint on the Titan Masters themselves. So let us look at some of the creepiest Transformers to exist before Beast Wars came around with attempts at realism.

Starting with the Monster modes, and one thing that I find interesting with them is that once their original Cold Spark gimmick was removed, these guys do not a very cohesive team, with the only thing connecting them together (other than shared engineering) is that they're all monsters of questionable design. You have Twinferno that turns into a two-headed dragon, Grotusque that turns into... a purple and grey naked mole rat with wings and a dragon tail... and Repugnus that turns into one of the stupidest looking bugs that I have ever seen. I honestly love Repugnus' alternate mode the most because of how undeniably stupid it is, while still being sincere about it, like the other two are trying to be scary monsters, while he's just happy to be along for the ride. Twinferno's problems can be identified here already, as I wish the dragon necks had more movement in them. While they are ok in dragon mode, robot mode becomes more of an issue. I am honestly surprised no one has made an upgrade kit to give this thing better dragon necks. As what was standard in the line, all of them come with a Titan Master to act as their robot mode heads, and the robot mode weapons can become seats for the Titan Masters. However, a problem I had with the line, something that became worse the further along the line went, was that the deluxe class guns do not have somewhere to mount onto the bases in a nice way, a central post that could plug into the bases to act as the turret. Repugnus' swords are actually the worst offender of this as there is nothing to do with them once they are in Titan Master Seat mode.

Onto the robot modes, and while they all look ok, they rather loose their appeal here, and look generic save for the odd bits of kibble. I think these three best describe my views on the G1 beastformers, because while they could have great alternate modes, a lot of them especially in the post movie characters, loose much of what made them interesting when in robot mode. I think the worst of them is probably Twinferno, mostly because of those arms. I hate Transformers that make me have to choose between holding the guns in the right way (cannot really say hands cause here the dragon heads are the hands), and having an elbow joint, and all that would have been needed is a small swivel at the dragonheads. Grotusque, though more generic, is the clear standout between the two, but not for being anything exciting, more so just not doing the basics worse. Repugnus is the worst when it comes to the generic look, because with the exception of the bug arms becoming noticeable robot pecks, he is extremely basic. If you got the Titan Master version of Repugnus, you can replace the titan master with it, giving him larger, more noticeable eyes (which I personally think looks better.

The Monsterbots are kind of like the Autobot and Decepticon clones in terms of relevance now, but they also have the added issue of no longer having the gimmick they were known for. While it is nice to have representations of them now, the modern age, is not kind to them, due to them falling into the generic category, existing for a gimmick, and nothing more? What do you do with them now? They are a good novelty piece, but until someone does something interesting with them, that is all they will be, a novelty.

First Impressions: Transformers War for Cybertron: Earthrise

With the current news coming from New York Comic Con coming out a few days ago, I figure I might as well cover it as a lot of the Transformers news relates to the 2020 line, Earthrise. The second chapter in the War for Cybertron trilogy. My thoughts, views, and opinions based on what we've seen. If you care about that, read on.

Transformers War for Cybertron; Siege Deluxe Class Weaponizers (Cog, Sixgun and Brunt): The ultimate upgrade kits

Encase the fact that this review is looking at three completely different toys that only share a gimmick does not imply this, this is going to be a very wordy review, with many large paragraphs. It is highly recommended that this review be viewed on a computer or a tablet, rather than a mobile phone. 

One thing that many people were annoyed about when the Titan Class releases of Metroplex, Fortress Maximus and Trypticon came out was that they felt incomplete. Parts of it came from just how many accessories they came with in G1, but while many could look past missing radar dishes, or a base mode that does not look like Fortress Maximus' base mode (I certainly cannot), many were annoyed about missing objects. Metroplex originally came with two small Transformers called Scamper, a small car to interact with the play functions, a small, non-transforming tank, and Six-Gun a Transformer made of excess parts, such as some of the guns and tower pieces, with the Generations release only coming with Scamper. Similar story for Trypticon, though he was missing a futuristic tank that used to come with his G1 toy, and for Fortress Maximus, two small vehicles could combine into the Transformer Cog. While I am not sure if any third party company made a Cog and the tank for Fort Max and Trypticon, there were third party Six-Guns popping up since the Generations release. It is fair to say though that originally, all three of these things were accessories, and mixed at best ones at that, and normally they would not see a general release as a result (the tank especially as it did not have a robot mode). Maybe there was a way to make them being accessories into a feature though?

Enter the Weaponizers, a sub category of the Deluxe Class in Siege, which borrowed a name from Robots in Disguise 2015. It gave the tank a robot mode in the form of Brunt, and allowing Hasbro to get away without straying too far away from their origins, to the point where all three are still parts formers, transformers you have to take parts off to go between modes. These things have exploded in popularity with the fans thanks to how creative you can be with them, to the point where all three are going to get repaints as all but forgotten Powerdrivers. I guess it shows that the designers are bigger nerds then the fans are at times. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that we live in a world where the G1 craze is giving us a Red Wing, Galactic Man, and the Powerdrivers. How well do the originals work though?

Starting in their vehicle modes, we have one or two tank looking vehicles for Cog, an awkward looking airship for Six-gun, and a cool looking space tank for Brunt. I will get this out of the way now, if you are looking for whom I think the best one out of the three are, it is Brunt. All three of these go for the hard G1 accurate look, but these are three that I am perfectly fine with that because all three of them are absolute nobodies, who probably will not get toys again for another 34 years. From what I have seen, all three do look good alongside their respective Titans (I do not have any of them so I cannot speak from experience). While Cog and Brunt's vehicle modes are accurate, Six-Gun has a completely original alternate mode..., which looks ridiculous even for a space jet. Six-Gun has always had an air of overcompensation to his design, from once being made up of guns and buildings, to his new look that has a jet mode with two VTOL engines, eight rear thrusters two wing mounted guns, eight missile launchers, and four underside canons. It is bad in a good way, because as much of a NRA on steroids as this jet is, it is like a hyper charged flying tank, which is somewhat awesome. Brunt's sci-fi tank is more toned down by comparison (which is a shame because you would think overcompensating would be the Decepticon's MO), though he's still packing a giant canon, which does have a working turret swivel. For reasons I will get more into in Robot Mode, Brunt is the only one of the three Weaponizers that I have been tempted to get multiples of, as he remains just far enough in the ambiguous Decepticon camp to be unique without being an individual. I could see a tank battalion of Brunts guarding Tripticon from Autobot attacks thanks to this small but menacing looking purple tank. Cog on the other hand I find to be the weakest of the three in vehicle mode. The two vehicles look awkward, and the combined vehicle mode does not lock in together at all, making it feel like a useless gimmick, even though out of the three, he's the most G1 accurate thanks to having both a vehicle and robot mode to begin with.

Onward to the robot modes, and while all three do require varying amounts of parts forming, you do get three unique looking robot modes. Cog's tank legs thankfully stay connected in robot mode, so there's no issue with him pulling a movieverse Jazz when playing around with him (though that is something that you can do with both him and Brunt if you so choose. Brunt can even pull off a rocket torso mode because of this). Considering as all of them are designed to come apart, I am honestly surprised at how mobile the robot modes are, with no major sacrifices to articulation when compared to the other Deluxe Class releases of Siege, and better then Studio Series Deluxes (more on that one later). I love Brunt's robot mode, it has all the classic generic grunt soldier looks, and the tank pincer hands are a nice touch. Honestly, the body shape reminds me a lot of Beast Wars Scorponok, I honestly could see this mould making for a good pre beast wars look for him. Cog, like his alternate modes, is a faithful recreation of his G1 toy, while Six-Gun feel more toned down compared to his vehicle mode. It is honestly a shame, but that is because I love how ridiculous the vehicle mode is.

The reason why all three parts form is the Weaponizer gimmick. What is it? The simple way to describe it is this: They act as upgrade kits for other Siege figures. By breaking down each of them into their component parts, you can attach the pieces to any other 5mm plug-compatible figure, and it is why all of Siege's figures have many weapon ports on them. Do you want Sideswipe to have two shoulder mount canons, a giant double barrel canon and tank treads on his feet, and still have guns to spare? Break Cog apart and plug those bits into him. Want Ironhide to fly, carry a giant gun in one hand, and have a rocket fist in the other? Give plug all of Six-Gun's parts on him. Want to give Refraktor an excavator look while carrying a blaster bigger than he is? Use Brunt's bits. You could buy multiples and make super modes of the three of them, or stick all of them together for an absolute abomination. I love this gimmick; it reminds me a lot of the Autobots in the Transformers Energon toy line, where the main combining gimmick gets better with each toy getting better with each new toy you get. It should be stated that these three do not really work on larger figures, mostly due to them being bigger, and having more awkward weapon ports (there is no central weapon port on Voyager Optimus, Megatron and Soundwave, just as an example). The gimmick also does not seem to play nicely with the look of Siege Chromia, but that is more of a case of loose ports (on mine at least) and a slimmed curve look they gave her. It is fun to experiment with the gimmick though, see what else can come from it, and I honestly hope we get more Weaponizers in this trilogy (mostly cause I doubt the Powerdashers are being added to my collection).

What I always enjoy about the Generations line is the amount of care that goes into characters that no one really cares about. These three are a lot of fun, and make other characters more entertaining to play with. The amount of creativity you can get from these three alone is impressive, almost like a version of Lego's Galidor that actually works and is interesting, and not one of the worst jokes in the company's history. It would be interesting to see this gimmick for larger characters, it could be a good way to release the Takara versions of Godbomber and Powermaster Optimus (that box set does not count due to it being almost impossible to get outside of America if you didn't want to spend a fortune on shipping). Another character with a potential for the gimmick Victory Leo, if those theories about Commander Class Jetfire being able to be retooled into Star Saber turn out to be true (I'd personally be happy with a Leader Class one). There is a lot of potential here that I would like to see explored more going forward, I would love more of these. I wish I could say mores coming, but SDCC was somewhat mediocre in reveals aside from Unicron. Up next will be Refraktor, and then Movieverse Devastator gets another foot.