Monthly Archives: July 2017

HasCon TF Exclusives

HasCon TF Exclusives

According to io9, HasCon will have two Transformers exclusives; Optimus Prime and Arcee with Ultra Magnus.

Optimus Prime power bank

Looking for a backup battery for your phone? This one transforms!

If charging your phone is too dull for you you can use the battery to power Optimus’ light-up sword!

A bit out of left field, but also something of a continuation of Takara’s Device Label.

Box Set Refugees

TR Ultra Magnus
Titans Return Arcee leaked card

They’re releasing the Blurr repaint Arcee with the Ultra Magnus Titan Master as a set. I suspect the trading cards, which many pointed out don’t match most of the other cards from TR, are for this set and use art from the cancelled box sets.

Update

More photos from the Arcee & Ultra Magnus set have surfaced including the packaging and both Titan Masters.

Packaging
Titan Masters

Leinad (or Daniel if you prefer) has a blank silver face and, disappointingly, is not the same mold as the Exo-Suit Spike that’s coming with Legends Bumblebee. I’m sure we’ll see some face swaps once both figures are out in the wild.

Power of the Primes Musings

Power of the Primes Musings

At SDCC we were introduced to the next chapter of Transformers Generations – Power of the Primes – with some exciting reveals including Starscream, Rodimus Prime, Jazz, Dreadwind & Blackwing (aka Dreadwing), Beachcomber and Liege Maximo with Skullgrin. We’ve also, due to a huge Weibo leak, seen pretty much the entire first year of the line (the leak has since been plugged and most of the images removed at Hasbro’s request).

New Play Pattern

From SDCC we discovered that Titan Masters are being replaced by Prime Masters described as containing the sparks of the original Primes. They’re basically Titan Masters with the face on their back replaced by an abstract symbol representing the Prime in question and a Decoy shell (a modern interpretation of a Pretender shell). The core Prime Master will still drive Legends class figures but now fits into the chest of Leader Class figures and will be mountable on Deluxe and Voyager figures, apparently using updated combiner hands/feet which snap onto the chest of Deluxe figures and the arms of Voyagers.

More Combiners

Predaking!

It appears that all Deluxe and Voyager figures are combiners including the Terrorcons! Some potential non-traditional combiners include the Dinobots (now with a sixth Legends class member which strongly implies a weapon or other combiner integration mode) and G1 female Autobots (including Voyager Elita-1 who appears to be a Starscream remold).

Continuing the Unexpected

In addition to new Pretenders, it also looks like we’re getting the Duocon Battletrap and Firecon Cindersaur!

In the leak we got a peak at Prime Master Metalhawk whose Decoy shell could go with the Metalhawk’s Professor Go Titan Master from the Siege on Cybertron box set to very nearly recreate the original Pretender.

Leaders

Since the leak showed a new Leader Optimus Prime Leader Class figure that looks like it will have the same “evolution” feature that was shown for Rodimus Prime at SDCC, I’m betting that there will be an Ultra Magnus remold that will satisfy the “white Optimus in armor” purists.

With a Voyager Grimlock featured in the leak as a the core of a Dinobot combiner it makes me wonder if we’ll get the rumored Leader Class Grimlock. I was very surprised by Titan Return’s double-dipping releases of Brawn but that was a Legend and radically different Titan Master. Even Titan Return’s two Optimus Primes were very different with a Tripple Changer and Power Master version. They could still pull it off if they used the “evolve” gimmick that was introduced with Rodimus Prime. But what would a Grimlock Prime look like? Unlike Optimus Primal’s “Optimal Optimus” mode there is no upgraded version of Grimlock from fiction and you can’t just add a trailer (he’d have to wear a “cone of shame” or he’d just chew it off). I’d still like to see a non-evolving Leader class Grimlock but don’t know that it would be different enough from the Voyager version to justify a separate release.

Power of the Primes @ SDCC

Power of the Primes @ SDCC

Hasbro has been revealing new Power of the Primes figures at SDCC today including some exciting figures like Leader Rodimus Prime, Jazz, Pretender Skullgrin, Beachcomber, and combining Dreadwind & Darkwing.

Pretender Skullgrin from Power of the Primes

Gotta love a true Pretender Skullgrin!

Check out the photos at Seibertron.com & on Aki Aki’s blog!

Announcements include:

  • Voyager-class Starscream who appears to have been eating spinach since his last release with some huge forearms which apparently contain Combiner War ports
  • Leader-class Evolution Rodimus Prime who has a deluxe Hot Rod component that evolves to become the full Leader figure and includes a Titan Masters port compatible Matrix of Leadership
  • Jazz who screams for a Wheeljack remold
  • Dreadwind & Black(aka Dark)wing who have Combiner War connectors so they can become limbs for existing gestalts, according to reports they do combine into Dreadwing
  • Beachcomber who looks great and has an extremely natural Titan Master cockpit
  • Prime Master Liege Maximo (shown above) who is a Pretender Titan Master Skullgrin!
  • According to Seibertron.com Prime Masters will replace “Titan Masters” and, except for driving Legends-class figures, will have a totally new integration with the rest of the line including chest-pieces (Deluxe) and arm-candy (Voyagers).

Power of the Primes is off to a great start!

Titans Return Legends Class Seaspray

Titans Return Legends Class Seaspray

Another long awaited release has arrived here at Junkion HQ – Titans Return Seaspray.

Titans Return Seaspray on card

Seaspray was one of the TFs I had as a child and I’ve been waiting for an update that matched the original. Unfortunately, the earlier Ultra class figure was too big to truly capture the feeling of the G1 mini-bot.

The Robot

Titans Return Seaspray package content

As you’ve probably heard, Seaspray’s weapon is an unique design that has evoked many, many, pizza box jokes. I give them credit for integrating it with the vehicle mode (something I always appreciate) but it needs a little extra something to really work as a weapon. Either a fold-out muzzle or way to wield it as a shield would have been a vast improvement.

Since it doesn’t really work as a weapon for me, my preference is to keep the pizza box connected to the robot chest for a more G1-esque look.

The Transformation

To transform Seaspray start by folding up the robot back so that the shoulders are flush with the robot chest. Rotate the arms up and lock the wrist pegs into the holes at the back of the chest piece. If you have the “pizza gun” on the robot chest, remove it so that you can fold up the flap that covers the face. Flip out the robot heels to form the sides of the hovercraft. Snap the feet together then flip them around so that they are upside down. Fold the knees backwards then rotate the hips and waist in until you can lock the sides of the hovercraft into the side of the robot chest. Replace the “pizza gun” on the top of the hovercraft and Seaspray is complete. Overall I’m satisfied with how everything locks together in hovercraft mode but I do wish the fists locked in just a little more solidly.

The Comparisons

Titans Return & G1 Seaspray

The biggest difference between G1 Seaspray and TR Seaspray, aside from the modern articulation, is the location of the Autobot symbol which has moved from the top of the foot to the chest. The G1 chest decals have been replicated almost exactly on the TR version.

In hovercraft mode you can clearly see how much more angular the TR version is when compared to the original. It’s most noticeable in the flattened front and the squared off fan mounts at the back. This is also where the Legends class sizing really shines, Seaspray fits easily in the hand just like his G1 predecessor.

The Case-mate

TR Legends class series 1 consists of Seaspray and the re-release of Cosmos. I’m using the Combiner Wars version of his case-mate in the above photo. The TR version is a darker green with a slightly lighter blue on the windows and an Autobot symbol that’s about half the size of the CW version.

The Conclusion

I highly recommend TR Seaspray, it’s a fun figure that’s nice and solid in both modes. If the “pizza gun” bothers you you can leave it in the bubble and never miss it.

While writing this post I received notification that Fans Toys FT-27 Spindrift is on it’s way so we’ll have another Seaspray-centric post in about a week.

Mini-bots travel in packs

Mini-bots travel in packs