Showing posts with label shattered glass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shattered glass. Show all posts

Sunday 2 January 2022

Top 10 Best Transformers of 2021

2021 has come to a close, and it's time to begin looking back at the year that was. Throughout January, I'll be looking over the figures I've bought this year, seeing who's the best of the best and the worst of the worst. Both Transformers and G.I. Joe will have two posts each, today being the Best of Transformers. Between the Bots and the Joes, there's going to be a smaller miscellaneous list, covering some of the other 6-inch figures I obtained in 2021, to give them a send-off as well. However, a golden rule for all of them is that these are all figures I own. As a result, Unicron is automatically disqualified, as I don't own a copy of that toy. With that said, come with me on this trip down memory lane. Here are the Top 10 Best Transformers I got in 2021 (most of which came out in 2021).

 

10. Shattered Glass Jetfire.

 


I'm starting the list with some returning moulds that I enjoyed back then and still enjoy now. Many of my issues with Siege Jetfire still hold true with the Shattered Glass repaint; he still feels very light for a bot of this size (especially when compared to Sky Lynx). Some things also feel a bit too clunky (such as the Titan Master support), but the positives still outweigh the negatives, and the colour change on the Shattered Glass repaint makes a solid mould even better.


9. Generations Selects Galactic Man Shockwave. 

 

 

"He also looks great in black, at least based on pictures I've seen.". A quote from my 2019 Top 10 Transformers list and... Well, yeah, he does! Functionally this toy is just a repaint of the Siege Shockwave mould using the colours of the original, pre-Transformers toy in Japan. I was shocked by the little extras included in this toy, including painting some of the moulding detail to look like wires for a nonexistent light up gimmick (again to homage the original toy). I'm glad that the controversy about all the extra pieces has died down, probably because we live in a world where a Deluxe can be sold as a Voyager, Voyagers can be sold as Deluxes, Voyagers can be sold as Leaders, and a Voyager can be sold as a Commander if given enough accessories. Is Galactic Man a must buy? No, it's only for those who like the niche repaints.


8. WFC Kingdom Megatron (Beast Mode). 

 


"He's just a degimmicked re-release of the original!" Is that a bad thing? Though I haven't gotten the Beast Wars reissue of Megatron yet, it's something I've been on the fence on since learning about how similar the toys are because the Kingdom one is really good. Many of the Kingdom Beasts (and don't worry, there's more of them later on in this list) blend cartoon accuracy with realism, something that I think the brand has been missing up until recently. Sure, if they did a version of this toy in more cartoon accurate colours, I'd buy it because the cartoon colours are beautiful. Even without that, though, this is what I wanted in a modern take on Beast Wars Megatron. The dino skin is excellent; the gimmick integration is fun, the modern articulation makes him so much more dynamic in both beast and bot mode. This is the boss of the Predacons redone two decades later; what more is there to say?


7. Generations Selects Transmutate.

 

 

Representing the Fossizers and "partsforming made fun" for 2021, how could it not be Transmutate? The moulding and the gimmick work so well as a fresh take on the half a bot we all know, love and who haunts our nightmares thanks to the ugly 90's CGI and that godforsaken scream. While she's fine in official configurations, the nature of being a Fossilizer has meant that people have gone to town with configurations for her, bringing her closer to the original body horror-based design. Still don't like her as a standalone, independent fembot that don't need no Maximal's help? Well, rip her apart and turn her into a golden axe for Primal. Everybody wins! Just, please don't make her scream. I'm not kidding about that "haunts our nightmares" part.


6. Studio Series 86 Grimlock and Slug.

 



Wheelie and Daniel not included. I couldn't decide between the two of them which one I enjoyed more, which is why both of them made the list. Both begin to tease us with what we've been missing in our lives, a complete set of Leader Class Dinobots that tower over the cars and trucks of the Autobots. However, neither wholly outshines the other in my eyes. Grimlock's very imposing, but I'm not a fan of the transformation as it's a very safe transformation for Grimlock. On the other hand, Slug is more complex and exciting but not as burly in some areas, and the backpack looks far more cluttered when compared to Grimlocks (thanks to the new transformation. Together, both are great, I can't wait to get the other three, and Sludge had better have the Googly eyes as an accessory, dammit!


5. Netflix Optimus Primal

 


As tempting as it is to include all three versions of the mould here, I prefer the Netflix release just a bit more out of the three. The paint applications are more in line with the cartoon while still keeping the Kingdom detail, and some of the annoyingly tight elements of the original release are smoothed out here, making him effortless to move around and pose. The differences between this version and the regular Kingdom version are minor, though, so if you can't find one, the regular Kingdom release is still a great option. As for the Nemesis Primal repaint included in Buzzworthy Bumblebee, my only complaint is the black fur. After seeing all the customizers repainting the black gorilla fur white, it just looks so much nicer.


4. Golden Disc Collection Mutant Tigartron.

 


 A more recent inclusion that I only got a few days ago at the time of writing. I include it, though, because of the history of Tigartron and Cheetor. If you have Kingdom Cheetor, Netflix Cheetor or Kingdom Shadow Panther, you'll know how this mould's going to mostly work, as the original Cheetor mould was used for Tigertron back in the '90s. With the upscale to Voyager class, Tigartron gets to have more of the bells and whistles that the little cat didn't get. Extra joints, extra accessories, a few minor tweaks in the transformation, pretty much everything I wish was done for the Deluxe Class release is done here. I love the fact that this is a nod to the original plan for Tigartron, and I can't wait to get the regular release of him next year. Hopefully, I'll go into more detail early in 2022, but that will have to wait until I get the regular release. 


3. WFC Kingdom Rodimus Prime.

 


I wouldn't be surprised if this is Number 1 for many people. Rodimus is a great toy with a lot of playability and display options. I love how effortless he is to move, a perfect refinement of Studio Series Hot Rod from earlier this year (even though I got mine last year). The only issue with him is that he's a little overpriced at RRP, something that sales, especially holiday ones, easily fixed. So why isn't he Number 1 for me? Two do beat him. This year was just an excellent year for Transformers.


2. WFC Kingdom Cyclonus.

 

 

Refined Perfection. This is what the Earthrise Seekers wish they could be. An updated take on the 2008 toy is the Cyclonus toy people have wanted for years. Cartoon accurate without being bound to the aesthetic (looking at you modern Masterpieces), Voyager Class scale, with all the articulation and modern engineering tricks made standard in the 13 years since the original's release. If Starscream and his merry band of repaints got this kind of treatment last year, they would have made the Top 3 easily. Easily the best of the G1 stuff in Kingdom.


Before Number 1, a few honourable mentions. 

  • Kingdom Vertibreak
  • Kingdom Dinobot
  • Pulsecon Covert Agent Ravage
  • Generations Selects Sandstorm and Ramjet
  • Studio Series Dino
  • Buzzworthy Bumblebee Origin Bumblebee


And the best of the best is...

 

1. WFC Kingdom Airazor.

 

 

Beyond the perfect articulation, the beautifully sculpted feathers, and the delightful transformation, the reason Airazor gets Number 1 is because this is a long time coming. While a good chunk of the Beast Wars characters have had toys since the late '90s, some like Scorponok, Terrorsaur, and Airazor haven't. Until this year, the only other option for a Beast Wars Airazor on your shelf WAS her 1997 toy. This didn't need to be this good, and cases like Scorponok show that we still need to wait for a perfect version of some beasts. Kingdom Airazor is a perfect figure for the character, though. Not only that, she's the best female transformer toy to date as she doesn't get bogged down with alt mode junk on her back, putting recent releases of Arcee, Chromia and Elita-1 to shame. She's more dynamic than many other Aerialbots (not just the combiner team); what few faults she has are easily drowned out by the positives. Not only is Kingdom Airrazor the best figure of 2021, but I'd also go so far as to say it's one of the best Transformers figures I've ever owned, right up there with the likes of Cybertron Optimus Prime and Energon Tidal Wave. Without a doubt, Kingdom Airazor is a must-have figure.


And with that, that wraps up the best of the best. Let me know what you think if you agree or disagree, and I'll see you next week for the worst of the worst.

Sunday 19 September 2021

Transformers Shattered Glass Voyager Class Megatron: Last time, I promise...

With the inclusion of Shattered Glass Optimus in the last review and a parcel that was due in with Shattered Glass Megatron, I figured I'd delay the review by a week and cover something a bit more recent. The original plan was Earthrise Runamuck and Runabout, but instead, let's continue on this mini Shattered Glass marathon I was planning on doing anyway. Plus, it gives another chance to look at that tried and true mould that's now had three posts dedicated to it (at least I didn't review the Netflix ones), the Siege Megatron review. This won't be a review looking at engineering (barring one exception). This is the third review covering this mould; nothing's changed in terms of engineering. This is a figure sold on the aesthetics, so how well does it pull that off? 

 

Credit where it's due with this version of Megatron when compared to the five previous versions (not counting Earthrise). This has three modes: the tried and true Tank mode. Thanks to some bonus accessories and half transforming Megatron from tank to robot, a Jet mode inspired by the original Shattered Glass Megatron, a repaint of Transformers Energon Megatron. Though I have an Energon Megatron, I'm not going to make a proper comparison for the sake of review as it's not complete (I'm missing the sword and the missile), one comparison I can't help but make between the Energon version, and even the other Siege versions is the stability. Because this is a tank that's being forced into something looking like a plane, the connection points required to complete the look aren't there, it makes the jet mode feel as flimsy as it seems. In the looks department, though, once again, it's a tank that's trying to be a jet, and seeing as the back of the tank becomes the front of the plane, the flimsy feeling just becomes stronger. Thanks to the fact that the front of the tank does not change at all for the sake of the jet mode, all it gets are some extra wing pieces that plug into 5mm ports. That is the only change to give it the jet mode. I go into this more at the end of the review, but while I respect the effort of trying to make this work, it does sting and blatantly feels like a downgrade. The tank mode isn't even an official mode. Was it too much to ask for the front track sections to be remoulded into something resembling thrusters?


Remoulding of parts is also one of the most significant issues I have with the robot mode. Like with the G2 repaint reviews, it's hard to get anything out of this mould other than "G1 Megatron in different colours". One of the biggest reasons for this likely traces back to Generation 1 and the new toy regulations that meant that Megatron couldn't be a gun anymore. Unlike Optimus, Megatron hasn't had a consistent design until relatively recently, with media designs that change drastically compared to his Autobot counter, who has had a mostly consistent set of design cues. On its own merits, this is an excellent looking repaint. I love the black and white head (though I wish the eyes were brighter, and the evil scowl, the blue vents on the backpack, all the little painted details on the chest; objectively, this is a good repaint of the Siege mould. But is it a good version of Shattered Glass Megatron? If your perception of what SG Megatron is meant to look like is closer to the Energon toy, then no, it doesn't do it. Ironically, if they put the work into making Kingdom Galvatron look like SG Megatron, it would have been closer to the original due to how many cues Energon Megatron's toy took from G1 Galvatron. 


 

I remember a few weeks ago, myself and a group of Transformers fans were talking about why we collect the lines we collect, what our endpoints are in our collections. One thing I mentioned in that discussion is that I personally don't feel like I've started looking at an endpoint because the biggest draw of Generations (and all its subline rebrandings like War for Cybertron), the line I primarily collect, isn't doing the stuff I want yet. Don't get me wrong, it's doing a lot of exciting things, and I've enjoyed my time collecting the line from late Combiner Wars and onward. But if you were to ask me what I want, what I want to see if the line had no limits, and what my possible, if unlikely to happen, the endpoint is, it's modern versions of the Transformers I grew up with, the Unicron Trilogy. While many of those toys wouldn't benefit much from a modern toy, due to how stagnant engineering has gotten from the early 2000s to now, all that would happen is the toys getting smaller and the removal of gimmicks. But for someone like me who is starving for representation of those designs and representations done properly, I'll take it. When you compare Galaxy Optimus from Siege to the Transformers Cybertron toy, it feels like they did the design dirty by making it a retool of Ultra Magnus. Cybertron Hotshot from the Generations Selects line feels like they did the design dirty by making it a repaint of Siege Hound, and this... this feels like it's rubbing salt in the wound. I've got some parts coming in that may help bring this toy closer to the Energon Megatron that was the base mould for the original Shattered Glass Megatron because this is not a good retool. This is an excellent paint job for the Siege Megatron mould, but this is an awful modernization of the Energon toy. What saves me from hating this is the fact that I wasn't expecting much. When rumours were circulating about this line of repaints, I was honestly expecting even less than this; I was just expecting a repaint with no extra pieces. Given the limitations they had going into this, this is a fine toy, same as the other examples I mentioned earlier. They're fine toys when looking at the limitations they had to work with. It just hurts for someone like me who sees all the love American G1 gets in recent years. From modern reimaginings in Generations, stylized redesigns in lines like Cyberverse and faithful adult premium collectables in the Masterpiece line, not to mention the majority of media that comes out for the brand, a consistent thought in the back of my mind when I see all of it is "can we get some love too?". At best, it feels like, at least before Kingdom started, anything past Generation 1 was given scraps, passable repaints to hold onto trademarks. I know G1 will never go away, that G1 will always be on shelves. But, Generations is a plural after all, and 80's nostalgia isn't the only nostalgia to exist.

Sunday 5 September 2021

Transformers War for Cybertron Trilogy Optimus Prime Marathon: Nothing but Prime Time today.

For health and safety reasons, do not do a drinking game involving the number of times the word Prime is used in this review. 

 

 

So it occurs to me that I've only reviewed one War for Cybertron Optimus Prime, the Galaxy Upgrade one that was a remould of Siege Ultra Magnus designed to look like the Galaxy Force/ Cybertron Optimus Prime. I'm surprised no one noticed that, though these posts aren't exactly known for igniting internet attention. Because I haven't covered WFC Primes in detail, there may only be two moulds, but six toys covered, along with some upgrade kits acquired along the way. The subject material for today? Siege Optimus Prime, Netflix Nemesis Prime, Earthrise Optimus Prime, "Alternate Universe" Optimus Prime, Netflix Optimus Prime and Generations Selects Shattered Glass Optimus Prime. Funnily enough, this is not the biggest review I have planned. Bigger ones are coming. 

 

So, six trucks, but before tackling the trucks themselves, allow me to take a moment to go over everyone's accessories. Siege Optimus is probably one of the easiest of the lot, second only to Shattered Glass Prime (who I'll refer to as SG Prime for short). You get a nice looking, though very hollow Ion Blaster and a shield that can unfold into an axe. I like the axe, and it's a shame that it's only available here and on the cell-shaded 35th-anniversary toy (I skipped because I'm not fond of cell shading paint applications on toys). With the Earthrise mould, and all the primes that were sold as Leader Class toys in 2020 (Earthrise Prime (ER Prime from this point on), Alternate Reality Prime (Dead Prime) and Nemesis Prime), a trailer was included as an accessory. The trailer took me a while to appreciate, and was what got me into buying upgrade kits last year. Out of the box, I hated all three of these trailers, but with some help from kits found on TFSafari (though potentially not officially) and then later Nonnef Productions, the trailers now look really good. It's nice to have Optimus moulds with trailers, and the inclusion of Roller for those who couldn't get the Centurion Drone helped make the trailer an excellent modernization of the G1 trailer. By default, the trailers came with the repair unit/ laser turret that was blast effects compatible and could double as a jetpack for the Earthrise mould (the effect doesn't quite work on Nemesis). Still, while it's a neat play feature, it doesn't look good from an aesthetic perspective. Dead Prime's trailer also doubles as the table he died on in the 86 movie, a perfect accessory for Studio Series Perceptor coming next year! All the Earthrise versions also come with a Matrix compartment (I still wish Kingdom Magnus had one) with the same Matrix that came with Studio Series Hot Rod; this was the toy to have it first. My thoughts on the Matrix then also apply here, but my copy of SG Prime didn't have the paint applied properly. It's only painted on the front for some reason. How odd. The final accessory the Earthrise moulds share is a new compactable Ion Blaster that can fill out a gap in Truck mode, be stored on the back in robot mode, and be held. Though I think the Earthrise blaster is a bit too small, I do like that it's not hollow like the Siege one and looks a lot better overall when compared to the 2019 version. Netflix Optimus comes with two exclusive Battle Masters, Enerax and Sheeldron; Yellow Energon themed repaints of the Battle Masters Pterexadon and Soundbarrier, respectively. Enerax I'm fine with, though a minor issue with QC on mine makes the pin connecting the handle a bit too loose for my liking, Sheeldron on the other hand, is one that I'm not a fan of. For things intending to be shields, I prefer characters hold them in their hands, something that you can't do with Sheeldron because they engineered him. It's an easy fix with a 3D printer, sure, but a letdown nonetheless. For Nemesis Prime, you get a mix of Power of the Primes, Siege and Earthrise Prime accessories. You get the arm cannons, Dark Saber and Battle Master Giza, all of which I enjoyed from the Power of the Primes version, though my only complaint is that I wish the arm canons were smaller to better scale with the toy. You get the Ion Blaster from the Siege version, the trailer and repair unit/ laser turret/ jetpack from the Earthrise mould and encase that wasn't enough accessories; you get a Battle Master in the form of Fangtron from the Slitherfang mould (which with a minor modification can be held in the robot's hand), a blast effect for the shield and three Energon cubes. You physically cannot fit all the accessories into the trailer. You can barely get everything onto the truck mode, and that was before the Nonnef upgrade, including a black Roller. It's excessive but impressive that all of it was included at all. Many would have accepted a lot less. The only other "accessory" to mention is that SG Prime came in a two-pack with a Shattered Glass themed repaint of Ratchet, but that's a story for another day.


 

Before reviewing the trucks themselves, there is one question that should probably be answered first. Why so many? There are differences between the six of them, some more so than others. Siege Optimus and Netflix Nemesis are designed to look more like a futuristic cybertronian truck. It's the design used by both characters in the War For Cybertron series on Netflix. If I had to pick a mould I prefer, this one would probably just beat out the Earthrise one, though the keyword there is "just". I like futuristic vehicles, and the little design cues give the truck mode an aggressive feel without straying too far away from what many views as the traditional Optimus design. This look feels like an Optimus in his prime (pun not intended). This has a very early war feel to it, something the Netflix series doesn't portray when it comes to voice direction. It's not flawless; I'm not a fan of the Cyber Mud on Optimus, something they thankfully ditch for Nemesis, and the gap in the back of the truck looks bad when looking at it. It's also a gap that's easily ignored, thanks to it only being visible from the back, making it feel like far less of a problem. There's a lot of fun to be had with the mould. It feels more like a toy than the 2020 Prime mould does, and it's why I think it just nudges out the 2020 version.

 


 

The remaining four all use the Earthrise mould, which is meant to look more like a normal earth truck. Earthrise Optimus is the standard Optimus Prime colours, bright red, bright blue; if you've seen an Optimus Prime design, chances are you know what to expect (this version was also available in Kingdom, so if you are looking for this toy, you might still be able to find it on shelves). Netflix Optimus is similar in that regard, but with one key difference, the shade of blue. The darker shade of blue and the duller clear plastic (a more traditional toy glass colour compared to the blue on the regular release) is meant to resemble the original Optimus Prime toy, as the cartoon did change its colours slightly. It's a nice nod that I wish they went all the way with, but that's best saved for robot mode. Dead Prime's colours are designed to be precisely what they sound like they are; they're the colours of Optimus Prime's corpse in the 1986 animated movie, a design cue that's frequently reused to depict a dead Transformer. You don't get the full effect of this one until you get to robot mode, though, so once again, put a pin in this for later. Finally, there's SG Prime; a colour scheme meant to replicate the colours Optimus had in the Shattered Glass universe, Transformers version of the "Evil Mirror Universe" popularized by Star Trek. It's the reason why the colours are meant to be more sinister in tone; it's for an Optimus that's more sinister, sadistic, a tyrannical leader of the war-hungry, destructive Autobots. An excellent colour selection, to be sure, a Prime for all your needs, but as a toy in truck mode, it feels more boring to me. That's not to say it's not impressive, far from it. This is probably the best looking G1 Optimus Prime toy released on the mass market (the Masterpiece doesn't count). It feels like an evolution of the Siege version, leaning more into the "robots in disguise" mindset. It's not entirely original though, a fair chunk of parts are reused from the Siege mould (mainly parts of the lower legs, feet and head), and the wheels come from a Studio Series Optimus (I think the Bumblebee one, but I could be wrong). Engineering wise, something about it doesn't feel right to me when comparing it to the Siege version. The robot legs don't seem to sit in place properly, and the lack of a locking point for the cans on the side of the truck does get annoying when playing with the toy. Weapon storage for this one is a lot nicer when compared to the Siege version, but the Siege version does get a pass on the traditional weapon storage of "stick it on top" as the whole story, and aesthetic of Siege was "guns everywhere!". 

 


 


For all the issues I have with the Earthrise truck, it's hard to deny the improvements made for the robot mode. While visually I like the truck mode for the Siege version because the robot mode tries to stick as close to the G1 cartoon model as possible, the truck mode parts that have nowhere to go stick out a lot more. Some parts like the underarm machine guns are enjoyable in their own way, but the backpack is unsightly, at least on the Optimus version; it blends in very well on the Nemesis version, probably due to the colour differences. The only thing that comes close to that on the Earthrise mould is the front bumper and front wheels, but thanks to that assembly being on a clip, if it really bothers you that much, you can just take it off. I prefer leaving it on as the bar assembly on its looks out of place without the bumper. Regardless of the mould, though, both toys do an amazing job representing the character. I love the overall proportions of the Siege mould, both toys do have the same proportions, but the way they handled the Earthrise mould's hips makes him look lanky compared to the Siege version. The leg assembly for the Siege mould is also a lot more interesting when compared to the ER one, but on the flipside of that, the way the torso works on the Earthrise one and how neatly the truck cab compresses into the chest is really impressive. It's a minor miracle, though I wish the head cavity for the truck mode was a bit bigger; it's a very tight fit in there. In terms of individual elements between the six of them: 

 

  • Siege Optimus: Like with the truck mode, the cyber mud does not look good. I still think that the only figures that did the Battle Damage look properly (officially at least) was the Netflix toys that had the battle-damaged paint jobs.
  • Netflix Nemesis: The muted colours look imposing in robot mode, an impressive feat considering as this is just a repaint, unlike his Power of the Primes incarnation where he did get a new, more menacing head. As I said earlier, I wish some more work was done in the accessory department, mainly downscaling the arm cannons. A version that Takara put out on their own with a different paint scheme also came with a different sword, a repaint of the sword that came with Titans Return Alpha Trion, which I think looks a lot better than the sword we got, mainly due to the blade. While I'm not entirely sold on getting that version of Nemesis Prime, I want that sword and a Star Saber repaint of it.
  • Earthrise Optimus: I'm not a fan of the plastic moulding distribution for this one. I know that sounds like a weird complaint, but hear me out on it. Because of how they split the plastic moulds, paint was needed to make parts the right colour, that that feels wasted and due to things like the grip texture on the gun, and the tight space for the head that I mentioned earlier, it has lead to paint chipping, which is why I know the back of Prime's head was cast in red while the front was cast in blue, while the hands were cast in grey. On the subject of the heads, though, the lack of silver around the eyes (something that the two Siege toys had) makes the blue eyes blend into the head. Many people have taken the Siege head and put it onto the Earthrise body for this very reason, especially as they are the same parts.
  • Netflix Optimus: There are no moulding issues with this one, making the whole thing feel more sturdy when compared to the regular release. However, the eyes remain an issue, something that likely wouldn't have been a problem if they went all-in on the callback and gave him yellow eyes. I feel this was because when Earthrise was revealed, the prototype of the regular retail version they had on display had yellow eyes, and people got upset about that. It's a shame, too, because it would have helped with this one.
  • Dead Prime: The mould distribution is also apparent here, but it doesn't feel like an issue due to the more muted colour scheme and (mostly) more durable paint (though once again, the hands are an issue, I think it has something to do with how the gun is designed. Robot mode is where this toy shines, with subtle but well-done battle damage and new moulding on the head to make it look like it does in the movie as he dies. A nice touch, as well as the fact that the only vibrant thing on this toy is the Matrix compartment, even if it's not accurate to the movie. 
  • SG Prime: The only one of the Earthrise mould to not have the blending eye issue (though it once again makes sense for Dead Prime). The blood-red eyes recessed into that dark blue head does just enough to make this look imposing and take away the heroic qualities many consider baked into an Optimus head sculpt in the head sculpt. I also like the fact that the red is brighter than the red used for Nemesis' eyes. It's a nice bit of detail to help separate these two evil versions of Optimus. I'm not a fan of how they handled the inverted Autobot logo; due to it being on the shoulder with a lot of detail on it, it makes the shoulder look more cluttered while the other looks very barren now that it no longer has a faction symbol. 




To repeat myself (for those who skipped to the end), while I think the Siege mould is slightly better due to personal preferences for the truck mode, the Earthrise toy has the better overall robot mode; neither toy completely outshines the other. Both are excellent toys. I think the only reason I prefer the Siege one is for the same reasons as my preference for the Siege Datson squad; many people were willing to toss the Siege version aside for the sake of more G1 accuracy. "Not being completely G1 accurate" isn't a bad thing. Which one should you get if you can only get one? I don't know. As much of a cop-out answer as this is going to sound, get both and decide for yourself. They are just that close in terms of quality. You have options, at least if you don't want two G1 looking Optimus Primes. 




Sunday 6 January 2019

Transformers; Power of the Primes Leader Class Rodimus Prime and Rodimus Unicronus: The hot head and his emo twin

It's rare that a new release gets a lot of surprises tied to it when it comes to Hasbro Transformers. A new Rodimus Prime in the mainline? Cool! It's been a while cause most of the time we just get Hot Rod. A Rodimus Prime that can also become Hot Rod while the Rodimus stuff becomes the trailer? Great! It's about time they managed to do something like that! A Rodimus toy that does all of that and gets a repaint into an obscure version of Rodimus from a spin-off comic that only die-hard Transformers fans know of, let alone have read... I'm sorry, what was that last one again?


Yes, in their commitment to getting the most out of a mould, not only did we get a Rodimus Prime, but we got a Rodimus Unicronus, facial hair and all. Who are they, you ask. The red one was intended to replace Optimus Prime in G1, but due to backlash from the 86 movie, that... didn't quite happen, so now he's the Autobot equivalent of Luigi, though at least people know who he is, it's more then I can say for characters like Star Saber and Thunderclash. Unicronus on the other hand... is a bit more complicated to explain. While I haven't read Shattered Glass, I have enough of a handle on it to be able to say this. Shattered Glass is the inverse reality. Autobots are evil, Decepticons are good, and this version of Hot Rod backstabbed Optimus, took the power of Unicron for himself, and basically became what Galvatron was in the original G1 show. Are there mistakes in that? Probably, you're better off reading the comics to find out the full details, we're here to review the plastic, so let's get to it after... 7 weeks?! Look, things were a bit chaotic this Christmas period, and not always for the best reasons.