Wave two of the Power of the Primes Prime Masters has arrived at Junkion HQ!
Alpha Trion comes with Landmine as his Decoy armor.
The Landmine Decoy armor transforms into a blaster.
Alchemist Prime Comes with Submarauder as his Decoy armor.
The Submarauder Decoy armor transforms into a trident weapon.
Wildhunter, the final member of TFC Toys’ Trinity Force not-Road Caesar, has arrived at Junkion HQ.
(Autobot symbols sold separately)
Like both previous releases, Wildhunter comes in the same fantastic retro box inspired by the original Road Caesar packaging.
The fully pose-able hands can celebrate victory and wish you long life and prosperity. (Autobot symbol sold separately)
Wildhunter comes with all of the combiner parts required to assemble the team, including the hands and feet.
Just like the previous releases, the Brainmaster is still absurdly small. And, just like the previous releases, I immediately installed the spare head.
(Autobot symbol sold separately)
It’s quite a relief to get a release in this team with no twisty pipes! Although the backpack can be tricky to get into place, there is nothing in this release that generates anywhere near the frustration level generated by the legs of the previous team members.
On that note, one thing this review reminded me of is how much I dislike the heels on Red Knight which, on mine at least, pop off whenever they’re touched or come in contact with any other surface. Kind of an annoying feature for a foot.
(Autobot symbol sold separately)
Huge! That was my first impression when taking at this beast out of the box.
Yes, this is a totally normal size for a dune buggy. (Autobot symbols sold separately)
Finally we can put together the Trinity Force combiner!
A properly located chest logo for Wildhunter ends up in an unfortunate position on the combiner. (Autobot symbols sold separately)
Although I’m not thrilled that they had to include separate parts-forming ankle pieces, I have to admit that they work well. However, the hip joints are the weak point of the combiner and are not strong enough for the robot to stand on one foot.
(Autobot symbols sold separately)
One issue that you’re going to run into with putting the combiner together is the clarity of the printed instructions. Someone at TFC must have realized that since there are QR codes that you can scan with your phone that will bring up videos of the process; Part 1 covers robot mode and Part 2 covers the combiner mode. Unfortunately, the video assumes that you’ve already transformed the other two members so you’ll still need the printed instructions for those.
The most difficult step is the connection between the leg bots which involves folding down an extremely stiff connector (as seen below). The video instructions show this piece already folded out which is reassuring since it really does not feel like it should move.
Another thing to be aware of, there are two panels that snap into place on the bottom of the feet that appear to help lock the weapons from Raging Bull and Red Knight in place on the sides. I found that if I tried to remove the weapons with them in place they had a tendency to pop off dramatically and fly across the room.
The first production run includes a stack-able rotating display with LED lighting. Unfortunately, it is a bit too small to use with the team combiner but should work well for smaller figures.
Here it is with the support posts in place. They’re extremely wobbly which makes me wonder how stable this would be with another stand on top.
The exclusive Cassettebot vs. Cassettron set has finally arrived at JunkionHQ!
It’s not an original thought, but if there is a logic to TakaraTomy’s Masterpiece numbering system I have yet to decipher it. For a release containing a straight repaint and a remold from MP-15, a straight repaint from MP-13B and an unreleased pre-mold, the 15/16 release number seems odd to say the least. I would think that a new number or a Legends inspired MP-EX would be far more fitting.
One thing that surprised me is that everything in the box is in a little plastic baggy. I don’t remember the previous Takara cassette sets being packaged like that.
Enemy is a repaint of the Rumble/Frenzy mold inspired by the G1 radio and voice changer accessories. As you can see, Enemy is a deep burgundy and navy blue which looks very good on this mold.
He does come with pile-drivers but, even though he’s red, he’s not Rumble so isn’t allowed to use them.
Stripes is a slight remold and repaint of Ravage inspired by a character in an early draft of the original Transformers movie. The original Encore cassette was Ravage with Steeljaw’s weapons so, in this version, Ravage’s rockets have been dramatically reduced in size and vertical wings have been added to the sides. Unfortunately, since the wings and rockets are part of the hip they can end up in odd locations when posing the figure.
I know this is due to how parts line up in cassette mode but, for a character called Stripes, he has very few actual stripes.
Wingthing is a Ratbat repaint based on G1 Soundwave’s Action Master companion. Like Stripes, this is another orange repaint, but it is a slightly darker shade which helps it stand on its own.
I do like the Ratbat mold, for anyone who doesn’t have it yet this is probably the least expensive way to get an official version.
Nightstalker is the only new mold in this set and is clearly a pre-mold of Steeljaw, which will hopefully see a release soon along with a Masterpiece Blaster. According to TF Wiki, Nightstalker is most likely inspired by a G1 Marvel UK “design-a-decepticon” contest winner. The original Encore cassette was Steeljaw with Ravage’s weapons so, this version has rockets with flip out side wings to mimic those on G1 Ravage. Unfortunately the missile pods do not lock in place when in cassette mode.
Due to the mechanics of the transformation he turns out to be about 2/3 the size of Stripes or Ravage. Despite the size however, Nightstalker is very pose-able and fun.
