New Age has finally returned to the mini-bots with their two-pack of Hogan (aka G1 Brawn) and William Bonney (aka G1 Outback)!
The Box
The box is about what you expect from the Legendary Heroes line but with red details.
Inside the box you get both figures in robot mode, a combined set of instructions covering all three releases of the mold, a large cannon, a pistol, 2x gas tanks in matching colors, a die-cast drill and the die-cast Initial Premium set which includes a drill for Agamenmnon and a claw for Lucifer.
The Transformation
I found it impossible to transform the arms into vehicle mode as shown in the instructions. There are post on the forearms that have to slot into the folding piece that fits between them and, if the arms are in the final position, there is not enough clearance to slide everything into position. I have to rotate the forearms out (as seen below) so that the posts clear the bottom of the center piece then use the fists to fold the arms into the final position.
The Gas Tank
The gas cans fold out into odd-looking blasters.
They also fit into the back of the vehicle mode very tightly. So tightly that I had trouble getting them back off. They’ll probably end up in my New Age parts bin.
H19 Hogan
Each figure gets an unique head and chest so that they maintain the unique look of each character.
And a close-up of his face – Hogan is apparently very unhappy.
In vehicle mode the only difference between the two figures is the bottom of the grill, for Hogan, there is a hole for the drill attachment.
The different head and chest really helps the two figures stand apart.
Since the spare tire on the roof is identical to the regular tires, including the mounting rivet, it is not possible to mount the cannon in the middle of the roof like on the G1 toy. You’ll have to pick a preferred side and use that fist to mount it.
The Conclusion
After the recent releases it is a bit of a shock going back to such small figures but the quality and poseability certainly don’t suffer.
* “That One Episode” – the obligatory accessory that the character used once in the cartoon.
For those who pre-ordered all three of New Age Toys’ Stormtroopers (aka G1 Seekers) the arrival of Leviathan includes replacement parts for Agamenmnon in the form of new hips and legs that resolve the unnatural hip joint in the original design.
Comparisons
At a very quick glance you might not even notice the difference:
(Decepticon symbol sold separately)
But the closer you look, the more obvious the changes become. A side view emphasizes the new, longer, side skirts.
From the back, the new hip is even more obvious, and looks more “gappy” than the original.
The pistol mode is even more similar at first glance.
(Decepticon symbol sold separately)
A close-up of the original pistol handle.
And a close-up of the new pistol handle showing the new joints.
Installation
There are no instructions on how to install the part included in the box (at least there weren’t with mine) so I’ve detailed the steps I took below:
Separate the figure by pushing the hips backwards to slide the mushroom cap out of the torso. This will require a firm hand since the cap is held tightly in place.
Remove the toes from each leg by pushing them in from the outside of the leg to slide the mushroom cap out of the calves. Just like the waist, the cap is tight and will require a bit of pressure to release.
Get a PH01 screwdriver to remove the leg panels (be careful not to strip the screws!). I removed the outer panels first since they’re bulkier but the order doesn’t appear to be important. When removing the leg panels, make sure to keep the correct screw with the correct panel – the inner panel has a shorter screw.
To install the new part, reverse the previous steps:
Attach the toes to each leg: line up the mushroom cap with the slot then push them out from the inside of the leg until the cap snaps into place.
Use your PH01 screwdriver to attach the leg panels to the new part.
Reattach the bottom half of the figure by lining up the mushroom cap at the top of the hips with the slot on the torso then pushing them forward until the cap snaps into place.
The Transformation
The new transformation is more complicated than the original.
Here’s the original design where the hips simply folded down:
The new transformation starts with folding the legs down, similar to how the original hips worked.
Then fold in the flaps at either side of the front hip skirt panel. Here is a view of one of these panels opened in pistol mode:
And a view of the cap that it is meant to cover:
You may also notice that there is another hinge behind this one. That is the connector for the new side skirts which fold flat into the pistol grip. Here it is during the transformation:
And as viewed from the back:
The Hip Joint
The best part of this upgrade is the relocation of the hip joint.
Here’s the original design:
And the new one:
The Waist
The biggest flaw with the new part is the sliding hip panel which does not lock into place. In many poses it drops down leaving a gap at the waist:
Of course, in the alternate position it gives Agamemnon visible underpants:
Update: Correct Transfomation
After posting on TFW2005 I got more information about the official transformation which includes a lot more tucking than I originally realized.
Turns out that the “visible underpants” look is how it is supposed to be. You need to fold in both sides of the front hip skirt then fold up the tips of each side skirt to cover the resulting gap. This will hold the hip assembly in the correct location.
Here’s a comparison with the hips properly transformed:
The Conclusion
I’m not sure that this upgrade was completely necessary but it is just as solid as the original. Each has one large flaw so you can choose your poison. Personally, I’ll keep my original version on display and save the upgraded version for any time that I need a pose that would highlight the hip joint.
According to New Age Toys, the replacement parts for the other repaints might be made available for purchase “at cost price” due to people not wanting to buy another figure just to get the part.
New Age’s conehead Stormtroopers have arrived at Junkion HQ!
The Box
I was surprised at how large the box was when it arrived, even though I have no idea how it could have been smaller. It’s features a Multiverse-style artwork cover with the coneheads attacking Unicron‘s head.
Inside the box are two separate trays, one that contains the figures and accessories (see the sections for each character below for the contents), and one holding the 3x Spacebridge stands, 6x blue gradient jet blast effects and 6x red gradient medium blast effects. Packed in separate baggies are the Initial Premium (yellow blast effects, no sticker on the bag this time) and 6x wing bomb shells. The instructions sheet covers all three figures and is huge – the photo below shows only 1/3 of it.
The Initial Premium contains: 3x long yellow blasts and one short yellow blast.
If you ordered in time to get the Initial Premium, this set will add a total of sixteen effects to your collection:
6x jet engine effects – blue to clear gradient
6x medium blasts – clear to red gradient
3x long blasts – yellow
1 short blast – yellow
Overall Observations
Wing Bombs
The new wing bombs are a bit odd – they’re shells that snap onto the standard Stormtrooper blasters:
I don’t understand why they didn’t make the bombs a complete piece. It doesn’t seem like they saved all that much material going with this plan since they now require internal reinforcements to lock onto the original blaster. If amount of materials was a concern, couldn’t it have been hollow with a post?
Heel Spurs
To make use of the hollow calves, New Age has added a flip-out heel spur.
An unfortunate side-effect of these new spurs are the posts they lock into which really stand out in jet mode.
I never had any problems posing Lucifer so I’m not sure that the heel spurs are worth the posts’ negative impact on the jet mode.
New Knees
The coneheads all get bulkier and fully-painted knee pads.
The Heads
The heads in jet mode are awkward at best – they point down and the top of the cone folds backwards.
Unfortunately the head it too large to rotate 180 degrees so that the cone points forward and like the end of a fuel tank or something similar.
Transformation
Something that I should have noted with my Lucifer review: When transforming the arms, always start with the left – it has a post that locks into the right arm (see below). If you try to start with the right it’s much harder to get it started.
H16 Beelzebul
Beelzebul, aka G1 Ramjet, comes packed in jet mode and includes the same Stormtrooper blasters from Lucifer, 2x bomb shells, a set of pointing hands and a set of open hands.
The Robot
The robot mode, like the rest of the Legendary Heroes line, looks like it just stepped out of the cartoon.
It’s hard to see in-hand but each conehead has an unique face.
The Jet
With the exception of the already mentioned head, the jet mode is very nice.
H17 Mammon
Mammon, aka G1 Thrust, includes 2x blasters, 2x bomb shells, a set of pointing hands and a set of open hands.
The Robot
Another great robot mode, clearly I prefer the original Stormtrooper blasters for this one.
Mammon’ sneering face is the most unique, and visible, of the three.
The Jet
The only thing I don’t like about the jet mode is the second set of tail-fins that they’ve added.
Here is a close-up of the o”fin”ding additions.
Like Beelzebul, the back panel hinges do not match the color of the rest of the top of the jet, but here they really stick out as something that shouldn’t be there.
Thrust was the only Decepticon jet that I had “back in the day” so I’m very attached to the toy interpretation. I’m holding out hope that there will be an EX-style version of Thrust with shoulder wings although I don’t really expect it to happen. If it were a simple parts swap that would be one thing, but I’m not sure that the potential Nacelle repaint would be enough to justify the remolding cost.
H18 Mephisto
Mephisto, aka G1 Dirge, includes 2x blasters, 2x bomb shells, a set of pointing hands and a set of open hands all in matching grey.
The Robot
Probably the weakest of the robot modes – the “winglets” do not lock into place so they’re very easy to knock askew. I presume that’s why all of the photos on the box show them pushed to the side instead of pointing up like in the instructions.
Mephisto’s face is very similar to Beelzebul’s with the main difference being the detail of the chin.
The Jet
The Comparisons
Robot Mode
Just like G1, the big differences are the head and wing arrangement.
(Decepticon symbols sold separately)
Here are the new knees beside the original, both are snap-on pieces and not part of the calf.
Jet Mode
Here’s Beelzebul next to Lucifer in Jet mode.
(Decepticon symbols sold separately)(Decepticon symbols sold separately)
Mammon, as expected, is far closer to the standard Stormtroopers but still decidedly unique so here he is again.
(Decepticon symbols sold separately)(Decepticon symbols sold separately)
The Conclusion
While there are a few things that I would change (if I had the power to do so) this is still a great set and a nice addition to the line!
