Transformers Titans Return Deluxe Class Hot Rod and War For Cybertron Siege Battlemaster Firedrive: Transforming guns? Well it worked for Megatron

And it's also far easier to justify making toys of because it's hard to confuse these with real guns.
 
So, we've gotten heads that plug into vehicles to become guns, little humanoid robots that lay on their stomachs to become guns, third time's the charm, and Hasbro's finally giving us actual Targetmasters, now branded as Battlemasters because, as you'll see in a few weeks, guns aren't the only weapons being released. I want to try something different this time though, as a way of covering more of these little guys when compared to the Prime Masters. Each Battlemaster will be paired with a review of a larger figure that makes some kind of sense, at least when possible. While some like Pteraxadon are going to be a stretch, the Targetmasters are pretty easy, reviewing them with the characters they originally came with back in Generation 1, and because Firedrive (originally known as Firebolt) came with a re-release of Generation 1 Hot Rod, Titans Return Hot Rod will be the bot he's paired with, mainly for two reasons.

Transformers War for Cybertron; Siege Deluxe Class Skytread: He's like a baby Overlord... only a bit less evil

I say a bit less evil because he's still a Decepticon.

At last, let the Siege begin. A new line, no combiner sacrifices, longer transformation instructions, and a simple gimmick to not interfere with the toys, unless you're not a fan of them not having a lot more holes in them than normal. Welcome to the War for Cybertron Trilogy, and what better way to start of Siege, then with the missing Duocon from Power of the Primes, now no longer needing split personality requirements to be sold as two toys. Skytread, the new, and honestly far more fitting name for Flywheels. There's no Sky high and Tank tread (you try thinking of something better...), new character obligations here though, unlike his partner in split fashion sense, Battletrap though, so how well does this Duocon go as just a Duocon?

Transformers Titans Return Brawn and Power of the Primes Outback: Political views of the day not included

It's rare that I can write these to coincide with something, either due to distribution, or the rapid turnover I'd have to do in order for it to work. It's the reason why the two sites adopt a "When we get to it" policy. But every now and then, the stars align to allow Hailee's Commit to reveal the winning lottery numbers, allowing for good Australian internet, and I can do a perfectly timed review in some form. In this case, Australia Day, a public holiday here that I will gently side skirt the political is it's gotten for the sake of reviewing an Australian G1 Transformer, and the original release of the mold. Brawn and Outback... just be glad I'm not doing what I did for Talk Like a Pirate Day and that Lego Dimensions review...

Takara Legends Clonebot Set and Clonecon Set: Ahh, gotta love localized names

Allow me to take you to a place that some would describe as magical, for better or for worse. Where, in the case of Transformers, general retail gets extra paint applications, references are everywhere, and pack in Manga strips can sometimes step a little too close into the realm of Hentai... Welcome, to Japan, and the Takara Legends toy line. Takara Legends is the mainline release from Transformers R&D Partner, and original designers behind a good chunk of the G1 toys, TakaraTomy, their stand-in for the Generations line Hasbro uses as the blanket name for several sublines for around 4 years. Why do we go here instead of the usual Hasbro releases? Allow me to explain why with a brief history of today's review, the Autobot Clones, Fastlane and Cloudraker, and the Decepticon Clones, Pounce and Wingspan.

Transformers; Power of the Primes Leader Class Nemesis Prime: Everyone gets a black repaint!

So following on with our two week theme of the black repaints (kinda), let's look at the original black repaint of the Autobot leader, Nemesis Prime, another surprise of Power of the Primes, but not to the same extent as last week's Rodimus Unicronus was, because there have been many black repaints of Optimus Prime. For a full history of them, you can find them under one of the following names. Black Convoy, Scourge (not the one G1 fans remember), and Nemesis Prime. For now, though, we look at the one that western markets got during the Prime Wars Trilogy. While Japan got Grand Scourge during their version of Combiner Wars, the evil repaint of Optimus Prime was a no show during Combiner Wars and Titans Return. He was going to be a club exclusive during Combiner Wars, but due to Takara's Grand Scourge, was changed to be Toxitron instead, and the toy that inspired his incarnation in Robots in Disguise 2001, Generation 2 Laser Rod Optimus Prime, was the excuse base template for the release of Optimus Prime in Titans Return, using what would eventually be the Octone mould, and even getting a Laser Rod Prime release in one of the box sets. As a result of this oversight, he comes to us now, with an air of overcompensation.

I know this isn't the PotP artwork, it was the best I could find

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.

Transformers Armada Giga-Con Class Jetfire with Comettor: The stars aligned for this review

I felt it fitting to close this three pack of reviews by looking at the one that not only inspired this set, but also the one that got me into Transformers in the first place, or at least the version I have because I don't have that version anymore. For you see, like how Pokemon Emerald was my first main experience with Pokemon, the repaint of this toy, Powerlinx Jetfire, was my first Transformer. While that one has been mostly lost to time, the original version of the mould was included with Prime and Overload, and so now lives in my house again, though this time as the original release of the mould in Japan, this is the Takara version (only main difference is some deco choices like the removal of the re-entry fire). How well has the figure held up though?

I'll start with Commetor, which, while I wasn't able to keep the Jetfire, this is the Powerlinx deco. Why do I bring it up, it's because one thing that often happened when it came to the Powerlinx decos for repaints is that the colours would flip. The main colours of the Mini-Con would become the main colours of the main toy, and vice versa. Why do I bring this up? Because if you do a switch and give Powerlinx Comettor to Original Deco Jetfire, the two compliment each other very well. But it also means that Comettor blends in a bit too much. The deco on Powerlinx Comettor is very basic, with about as much detail on it as some Legion Class toys now. What also doesn't help Comettor is that it's held down by gimmicks, though they are quite ingenious. The alt mode is a little Luna Rover-like vehicle, and while the alt mode's got as much movement as the next time Hasbro would try to combine Optimus and Jetfire (spoilers, Jetfire has a Pants Mode), Comettor can connect to a port in Jetfire's Space Shuttle Mode and act as the front landing gear. Is it necessary like Overload and Rollout? Nope, but it is a great way to integrate the Mini-Con into the alt mode, albeit a tedious one to work. While I prefer how Tidal Wave and Ramjet integrate (maybe someday), this is still one of the best cross-functionality between main bot and Mini-Con.

As for Jetfire himself in Space Shuttle mode, I won't lie, this is a great looking Space Shuttle. There are some creative liberties taken, mainly around the boosters for the sake of Robot mode legs along with the paintwork, but this does pull off the shape of a Space Shuttle really well. It also has a feature that a lot of Transformers nowadays struggle with, or just outright ignore, Integrated Weapon Storage. The gun is the third Booster engine, and a Shield Jetfire has become the rear landing gear. The gun is also where all the electronics for the figure are held, which does mean that the common figure killer is contained to something easily worked around. While the cargo doors are somewhat useless (unless you want to break up the look of the shuttle), the three other visible Mini-Con ports do have functionality other than just a place to plug Mini-Cons on. It can change the sound effects the Gun plays, and two missiles can be dropped from the wings when plugging them on. There's a feeling of refinement in this toy, like the designers wanted a strong alt mode that wasn't held back by the gimmicks, and to me at least, they did succeed, even if the alt mode isn't something as interesting (in terms of being turned into a toy) like a tank or a helicopter.

The tighter focus does continue into robot mode, though not as gracefully. Proportions and minor cracks in the illusion are big problems for Jetfire in Robot mode, thanks to his small arms (the gun is bigger than his arms), and the way the legs connect to the body. Pudgy is also a word that can be used to describe his robot mode. Not fat per se, but definitely on the plus side in terms of weight. However, unlike Optimus and Overload, this guy can actually move around and is surprisingly poseable for a bot in this line (or at least what I've been exposed too, which is sad when you think about it). Head swivel, ratcheted shoulders, friction ratchet in the elbows, nothing at the hips, but he does have knee ratchets, knee swivels and ankle tilts. Not ideal possibility, but workable, and the lightweight, but the sturdy feeling plastic makes it great for kids to play around with. Alas though, there is one major flaw with Jetfire, and that comes down to his third mode.

I'll say it upfront here and now, Jetfire's Combined Mode feels forced, like a last minute inclusion because aside from the clips needed to connect to Prime, the parts needed to make it work aren't there, it doesn't improve Prime at all. This is no more poseable then the trailer's legs are, the only difference is that one is a locked A-frame stance, the other can also stand straight and is a little taller, you're still not going to get Prime to walk, something you'd think either one of these would consider making a priority. it is possible to get Prime, Overload and Jetfire to connect together, though it's not a solid connection. You do have to move one part of Jetfire pretty far out of the way to make the connection work, and it never feels pleasant to do. Like I said during the Overload review, I feel sorry for those who have to connect to Optimus Prime, though at least Jetfire gets away with it to the best that he can.

While many older fans might think I'm crazy by saying this, I'm glad that this was my first introduction to Transformers. It's not flawless and is certainly not the best that Armada has to offer, but it is one of the better toys in the Armada line. The gimmicks are controlled, the alt mode looks great, and while the robot mode suffers a little bit, it's due to the limitations of the time rather than the combined mode. When I say that there are gems in the Armada line, this is one of the examples I point to, because while it might not be a flawless gem, it certainly has its charm. Next week will return to some more recent figures, for the Dinobots return to the site. It is time, for Volcanicus to rise!... look, distribution for Power of the Primes has been awful here in Australia ok? The delay was really because I only got them a few days ago (at time of writing).