Power of the Primes

Power of the Primes Duocons

Posted on April 2, 2018
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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

Prime Masters Part Two

Posted on March 31, 2018
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Wave two of the Power of the Primes Prime Masters has arrived at Junkion HQ!

Alpha Trion

Alpha Trion comes with Landmine as his Decoy armor.

The Landmine Decoy armor transforms into a blaster.

Alchemist Prime

Alchemist Prime Comes with Submarauder as his Decoy armor.

The Submarauder Decoy armor transforms into a trident weapon.

Power of the Primes Grimlock

Posted on January 17, 2018
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The Dinobot leader has arrived at Junkion HQ!

The Card

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

I suspect that those “truths” are all the same – “Me Grimlock smash”.

The Dinosaur

The weakest mode is the dinosaur who has far more “junk in the trunk” than previous releases. The top half is extremely accurate and has a great look and feel that screams Grimlock. The lower half however looks like he stomped through some poison ivy and is a bit swollen. Still a fun figure but the proportions seem a little off.

The Robot

The robot mode is a lot of fun and is, without question, G1 Grimlock. The weakest element is probably the chest which, due to the transformation, is split down the front which can leave a gap if you’re not careful.

The Combiner

In this line Grimlock is not only the leader of the Dinobots but also the torso of their combined form Volcanicus. I can’t wait until the last two Dinobots are released so that I can fully build this out.

Sadly, my Volcanicus is totally armless.

Dinobots

Grimlock joins Slash, Swoop and Slug in my PotP Dinobot collection.

The Dinobot swarm continues to grow.

Power of the Primes Starscream

Posted on January 7, 2018
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Voyager Starscream has arrived at Junkion HQ!

The Card

My version of Starsream came with a card for the Onyx Prime combination. The power of “the patience of a vulture” seems incredibly appropriate for Starscream.

The Jet

Sadly the jet is disappointing and easily the weakest mode. The decals on the wings are as poor as expected and give it a cheap feel. Also, there is no good way to get the feet out of the way so it tilts forward awkwardly.

The Robot

My initial impression of Starscream was that it was a Popeye version but in hand I get a more Robot Heroes feel. All it needs is an oversized head to complete the impression. Passable but certainly not a replacement for the original Classics update.

The Combiner

This Starscream can also form the torso of a combiner and this is where this mold shines.. He has no official team that we’ve been informed of but pairing him with the Combaticons and Liokaiser are popular.

Just to be different – Menascream

I like the torso mode which has a strong movie-Starscream vibe. The biggest flaw here being the doors for the Enigma of Combination chamber which are very thin and easy to accidentally push into the body during transformation.

Power of the Primes Slash

Posted on December 14, 2017
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Power of the Primes introduces us to the sixth Dinobot (no, not Paddles, he’s non-cannon!), Slash.

The Card

My version of Slash came with a card for her Vector Prime combination.

The Robot

The robot mode is clearly in the Dinobot family with big Grimlock-style shoulders and the red chest that all of the other wave 1 Dinobots should have.

One thing that is obvious when you put Slash with any of the other wave one Legends is that she’s tiny – with legs and a torso only half the size of her wave-mates.

The Dinosaur

The Dino mode is a surprisingly fun little velociraptor!

Prime Master Integration

The same spot that hides the dino head in robot mode doubles as a Prime Master cockpit.

Vector Slash – finally a combination that matches one of my cards!

Dinobots

Slash joins Swoop and Slug in my PotP Dinobot collection.

Clearly the “little sister” of the group. I imagine she follows them on missions even when she’s told to stay home.

Here they are together in dino mode.

Half way there…

Power of the Primes Beachcomber

Posted on December 12, 2017
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Wave one of the Power of the Primes Legends continues with Beachcomber.

The Card

My version of Beachcomber came with a card for the Megatronus combination.

The Robot

Like Windcharger, Beachcomber looks like he just stepped out of the original cartoon.

The Dune Buggy

The dune buggy looks great too, I especially like the silver engines on the back.

Two flaws that I have to mention, there is a large gap in the back of the vehicle mode where the head is stored and the torso does not lock securely in place so it is easy to accidentally compact it.

Prime Master Integration

To access the cockpit you flip up the back of the roll-bar.

The Comparison

PotP Beachcomber is a big improvement over the, much smaller, Universe/Henkei version.

The previous mold is clearly from the “updated design” phase of the Classics/Generations line and looks nothing like what we saw in the cartoon.

Power of the Primes Windcharger

Posted on December 9, 2017
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We’ve had several Windcharger updates over the years but this is the first version that really reflects the G1 design.

The Card

My version of Windcharger came with a card for Alchemist Prime.

The Robot

If I had to pick one nit with this version of Windcharger would be how the windows are attached to his forearms, they just feel out of place. Other than that it looks like it stepped right out of the original cartoon.

The Car

The car mode is straight out of the cartoon as well.

Prime Master Integration

The Prime Master integration is clearly an afterthought with this figure and requires you to partially transform the back half of the car in order to access the cockpit.

The Comparison

While I still love the Reveal the Shield/United Windcharger mold, this version captures the character far better.

Even the vehicle mode is more G1 than my United Windcharger.

Power of the Primes Swoop

Posted on November 29, 2017
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Finally, my favorite Dinobot has been updated and is here at Junkion HQ!

The Card

Like previous lines, deluxes and above come with trading cards.

Unlike other lines, there are twelve different cards for each figure, one representing that character’s power when combined with each of the Prime Masters. My version of Swoop came with a card for Nexus Prime.

The Robot

My only complaint is that I would have preferred the red-chested Swoop as shown on the card based on my established preference for toy-inspired decos for toys based on toys I owned as a youth.

Bonus shot – Predacon wing mode, just what I was hoping for.

Armor mode – aka Swoop with a black box on his chest.

The Dinosaur

Swoop in Pteranodon mode.

Here he is perched upright.

And with the BFH mounted, which much make flying so much easier.

Prime Master Integration

Here is Vector Swoop, enhanced with the power to vectorize the enemy, or something, my card doesn’t say.

Prime Master Vector Prime in weapon mode which comes in handy since Swoop only comes with a sword.

With Slug

Swoop joins Slug in my growing PotP Dinobot collection.

Here they are together in dino mode.

Power of the Primes Slug

Posted on November 27, 2017
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Finally, updated Dinobots have arrived at Junkion HQ!

Don’t call him by that old name, he’s the sensitive Dinobot

The Card

Like previous lines, deluxes and above come with trading cards.

Unlike other lines, there are twelve different cards for each figure, one representing that character’s power when combined with each of the Prime Masters. My version of Slug came with a card for Amalgamous Prime.

The Robot

There’s no question that this is the Dinobot Sla… Slug.

The BFH posts into Slug’s lower jaw, I’m still not impressed with this feature.

The Dinosaur

Again, an instantly recognizable Dinobot!

The BFH works a little better in dino mode even though it lacks any real function. The spikes are nice though.

Prime Master Integration

Here is Micronus Slag, an integration which empowers him to, uh, I don’t know. That was one of the 11 cards I didn’t get.

Prime Master Micronus in weapon mode to give Slag some extra firepower.

Just what we need, a more dangerous Dinobot.

Next up… SWOOP!

Power of the Primes Dreadwind

Posted on November 26, 2017
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Representatives of wave one of the Power of the Prime deluxes has arrived at Junkion HQ.

The Card

Like previous lines, deluxes and above come with trading cards.

Unlike other lines, there are twelve different cards for each figure, one representing that character’s power when combined with each of the Prime Masters. My version of Dreadwind came with a card for Onyx Prime.

The Robot

Since this is really a retool of Combiner Wars Skydive, the transformation does not feature the jet nose on the robot’s chest like the G1 version did. Besides that, this is a pretty nice looking interpretation.

I can’t say that I really like how the chest armor looks on the deluxes in this line.

There are two ways to mount the chest armor, locking it on with the tabs on the thumbs or using the port hidden under a door in Dreadwind’s chest.

The Jet

The jet mode is a bit more stubby than the original, but still a nice looking jet.

The Hand

Each deluxe comes with a combiner hand that also doubles as chest armor.

Unlike Combiner Wars, the combiner hands do not really work as weapons.

The Powermaster

One great thing about the hand is that it can be used to replicate the G1 Powermaster feature.

Prime Master Integration

While I still don’t like the chest armor, it does look a little better with a Prime Master in place of the included plug.

Dreadwind also matches well with Liege Maximo in weapon mode.

Overlord Powermaster

As recommended by Zircor on the TFW2005 forums, the filler plugs fit into Overlord’s chest perfectly.

Since it fits flush you can close the chest doors completely with the plug in place.