Month: April 2018

Power of the Primes Optimus Prime

Wave one of the Power of the Primes Leader Class figures has arrived at Junkion HQ.

The Card

My version came with a card for the Onyx Prime combination.

The Truck

The cab is a great disappointment, with weird proportions and awkward kibble.

The trailer is a bit better, although the front and top look more like what one would expect from a Powermaster version than a classic G1 Optimus. The stickers are as awful as expected, misaligned, ripped and peeling right out of the box – they actually seem to be getting worse with every release.

The Evolved Robot

From the front, a nice version of Optimus Prime. The illusion is broken by the large pair of legs sticking out of his back. Also, the double opening windshields for the Matrix Chamber are just plain weird.

The Devolved (?) Robot

As a representation of Orion Pax as seen in the G1 cartoon this succeeds fairly well. However, like the evolved mode, the illusion is broken by the entire front of the truck cab jutting out from his back. On that point, if taking possession of the Matrix is the first step for Orion to evolve into a Prime, he’s going to need a friend since there’s no way he’ll be able to reach.

The Matrix

The Matrix of Leadership continues the “nice from the front” design philosophy which appears to be the central theme with this figure.

The back exposes the hollowness of the central unit which, at the very least, should allow for some light piping effects.

The Conclusion

The evolving Prime concept is an interesting one but not one that has translated well into an actual physical form, at least with this release.

April 28, 2018
Power of the Primes Tailgate

Repaint or no, I’ve been looking forward to Tailgate and now he’s here!

The Card

My version of Tailgate came with a card for the Solus Prime combination – Solus Tailgate which, ironically, seems to give him Windcharger‘s special magnetic power.

The Car

The black and white is very striking on this mold and the large Autobot symbol gives it a G1 Sideswipe feel.

Unfortunately, the color-matching (or at least gloss level) between the painted parts and the white plastic is very poor giving the car a bright white stripe across the middle.

The Robot

I really like how the painted chest details makes this figure look dramatically different from Windcharger. I also like how the new head has the little panel on the back to invoke the feel of the G1 toy.

Fortunately, the color-matching issue that is so obvious in vehicle mode is barely noticeable in robot mode.

Prime Master Integration

Of course there’s a Prime Master inside, can’t you see the empty armor?

As I mentioned in my Windcharger review, getting a Prime Master into the cockpit is a very awkward process which requires you to transform the entire back half of the car. The Prime Master fits in well but the windows are so dark that you cannot tell that it’s there.

The Comparisons

The only physical difference between the two is the head but, as mentioned above, the deco on Tailgate does a great job of differentiating the two.

Although the Thrilling 30 version captures the IDW look extremely well, it looks spindly next to this one which is equally good at capturing the G1 feel. PotP Tailgate will definitely replace the T30 version on my display.

It’s more of a draw when it comes to vehicle mode. The T30 version, despite the busy hood deco (which was omitted in the Legends release), is a good looking muscle car and holds up well with the PotP version.

April 8, 2018
Impossible Toys MC-07 Tapper
Today’s post is a retro-review: Impossible Toys MC-07 Tapper.

The History

Back in mid-2013, Impossible Toys announced a series of updated mini-bots. These were an updated “remold” of the original G1 Machine Man Penny-Racer inspired robot. The transformation scheme was retained but with some tweaks allowed by modern manufacturing techniques.

Tapper is a version of Tap-Out (who was a repaint of the Fun4All Cliffjumper key-chain release that was originally available at BotCon 2002) and retains the look and feel of a G1 mini-bot.

The Penny-Racer

(Autobot symbol sold separately)

Unlike most modern versions of the mini-bots these retained the super deformed look in vehicle mode.

The Robot

(Autobot symbol sold separately)

Again, the robot mode very reminiscent of the G1 mini-bots.

The Variations

Originally there were three molds with three versions each. Three additional heads were created to add some some more variety.
1. MC-01 Bumble-Bug
  Their version of Bumblebee with a face based on the cartoon and The Transformers Collection Minibot Team Set re-release.
  (Decals sold separately)(Decals sold separately)
2. MC-02 Hill Jumper
  Their version of Cliffjumper.
  (Decals sold separately)(Decals sold separately)
3. MC-03 Bump
  Their version of Bumper (aka Bumblejumper).
4. MC-04 Hub
  Their version of Hubcap which reused the MC-02 mold with a new head.
5. MC-05 Gold-Bee
  Their version of Goldbug which reused the MC-01 mold in gold and dark purple with a new head based on the G1 Bumblebee toy.
6. MC-06 Glypher
  Their version of Glyph (also originally available at BotCon 2002) which was a blue repaint of MC-05.
7. MC-07 Tapper
  As mentioned above, their version of Tap-Out which reused the MC-02 mold in aqua.
8. MC-08 Bee Bite
  Their version of Bug Bite (based on a Go-Bot who first became a Transformer when Takara re-released the Minibot Team Set repainted as Go-Bots characters) which reused the MC-01 mold in white and light purple.
9. MC-09 Wasper
  Their version of Wasp, from Transformers Animated, which reused the MC-03 mold in green with a black stripe and a new head.
As a final gift to their fans, Impossible Toys released individually numbered black and red repaints of their first three figures:
1. Night-Bee
2. Night-Jumper
3. Night-Bump
The Comparison

I didn’t have my Tap-Out handy so I’ve used the Bumblebee key-chain for these comparisons.

As you can see, aside from the size, there isn’t much difference between the two in vehicle mode.

Here you can see some of the upgrades added to this mold. The shoulders, elbows, hips and knees are all ball-jointed. There is also a hip swivel.

From the side you can see another of the upgrades – the head-flap slides forward so that the face is more centered on the shoulders.

And a dynamic pose-off between the generations.

Sadly, Tapper is a sore winner.

Still in Stores

I actually purchased this figure just recently and plan to put it on my desk at work. ~~If you’re interested in picking one up, they’re still available from Big Bad Toy Store at clearance prices:~~ ALL SOLD OUT
April 3, 2018
Power of the Primes Duocons

Power of the Primes, like Titans Return before it, has given us some unexpected releases in the form of Pretenders and now – the Duocons.

Roadtrap – The Card

My version of Roadtrap came with a card for the Quintus Prime combination.

Roadtrap – The Truck

The front half of the truck is convincing, the rest – considerably less so being made up entirely of Roadtrap’s chest.

Roadtrap – The Robot

Although the robot mode looks more convincing than the truck mode it has a few issues. The upper arms are not capable of moving backwards since they hit up against the hinge that they’re attached to. Also, the chest does not lock together as solidly as I would like and is prone to splitting.

Battleslash – The Card

My version of Battleslash came with a card for the Liege Maximo combination.

Battleslash – The Helicopter

Unfortunately, Battleslash’s helicopter mode is a bit awkward with a tiny rotor and a big gap in the nose where the two figures connect.

Battleslash – The Robot

Fortunately, the robot mode is much better, although it has a similar problem to Roadtrap where the shoulder joints cannot move backwards.

Battletrap

This is where these two Legends shine. The one flaw is the unfortunately placed rotor in the combined mode which hangs down behind the robot.

The Conclusion

Although the individual robots were not entirely successful, I’m glad that the designers put in the extra effort to create them. A big improvement on the original G1 figure with a very solid combined mode.

360 Degree Turnaround Videos

Roadtrap

In this video, you can see Roadtrap’s dirty little secret – his very hollow back.

Battleslash

Battletrap

April 2, 2018