Mini Warrior Max (aka Cosmos) has arrived at JunkionHQ! I’ve been anxiously awaiting this figure since receiving Harry, which was a massive improvement over the already great Flipper.
The Box
Max’s box is an even stronger homage to the G1 Autobot packaging style than Gremlin‘s was.
Mine got a little beat up in the mail.
In the box you get the, probably X-Transbots Klaatu inspired, three piece “beam up” stand and instructions.
The Robot
Max is an enormously adorable rotund little figure!
Robot mode side viewRobot mode back view – this was my first view of the figure since it’s how it was in the box insert.And the face that only a mermaid could love.
Unfortunately, the articulation is more limited than their previous releases:
The shoulders, being jointed inside the torso don’t have much vertical movement
The hips, with their large side panels, do not have much forward and backwards movement
The feet have an extremely minor ankle tilt
The UFO
The UFO mode is straight out of the G1 cartoon!
(Autobot symbol sold separately)UFO mode side viewUFO back viewThe details of the UFO frontUFO mode on the includes stand (Autobot symbol sold separately)
The Comparisons
Here’s Max with the Generations Thrilling 30 Legends Scale Cosmos.
(Autobot symbol sold separately)
And here with the, Masterpiece-scaled, Spaceracer from Toy World.
(Autobot symbol sold separately)(Autobot symbols sold separately)
The Conclusion
Overall, I’m happy with Max, although not as much as Harry, which still holds the top spot in this line. Articulation issues aside, this is still a fun figure. The transformation is a little more fiddly than either Harry or Flipper requiring the instructions for the first go.
Unlike every other version of this mold (including the exclusive clear version) Flipper only includes the pistol and instructions there’s no jet pack here.
(Autobot symbol sold separately)
Just like the main figure, there are a lot of details on the tiny little pistol
The Robot
(Autobot symbol sold separately)
The paint on my version isn’t great in this close-up but It’s not noticeable normally. Even with the flaws the sculpt is still impressive.
The Volkswagen Bug
The biggest flaw in the vehicle mode is that the black shoulders are extremely obvious and break up the door panels.
(Autobot symbol sold separately)(Autobot symbol sold separately)
Even though they don’t spin, the wheels are fully painted.
Harry (aka Prowl and, presumably, “Clean” Harry), the newest release from New Age‘s new legends-scaled line has arrived at Junkion HQ!
The Box
Harry comes in a Diaclone-inspired window box.
Apparently the Autobot car-inspired releases are Ark Warriors while the mini-bot-inspired releases are Mini Warriors. Harry is also labeled as Alliance Military Strategist which is a designation the Mini Warriors lack.
In the box you get a rifle, two missile launchers and instructions.
The Robot
One thing I really like about New Age’s products is that they feel very sturdy in hand which encourages you to spend time with them. I have plenty of third party products that are larger and more expensive that are both more fragile and less fun.
Harry is extremely well articulated! In addition to ball joints in the arms and hips, Harry also has thigh swivels and ankle tilts.
New Age also didn’t skimp on the details, here’s a close-up of the amazing head sculpt.
And the tiny details on the robot’s waist.
And now, fully armed!
The Fairlady Z
The biggest change with Harry is that, unlike Flipper, the wheels actually spin!
There are just so many details for such a small vehicle that I wanted to spend some extra time with the macro lens to really capture them all:
Hood logo and turn signalsHead lightWindshield wipersDoor badgeFully painted rolling tires!Tail lights
I’m amazed by the paint apps on this figure!
The Comparisons
Looking at Harry and Flipper in robot mode really shows off how much detail they put into this release.
(Autobot symbols sold separately)
The vehicle mode continues the trend making Flipper (who really is a nicely painted figure) look plain by comparison.
(Autobot symbols sold separately)
To give a better sense of scale, here’s Harry with Masterpiece Prowl.
(Autobot symbols sold separately)
The Rest of the Legendary Warriors
At the 2018 Shanghai Wire Factory (SGC) show, New Age showed off sixteen different figures!
New Age’s Legendary Heroes line as shown at SGC 2018 (photo by Chicken Fritters on Weibo)
Heaven knows how long it will take to get all of these released but here is the full line up:
* I’m not actually sure which one is H2C and which one is H2W – I’m just guessing that W is for ShockWave. Corrected after TFcon 2019 ** More guesswork: McCoy just seems to fit Ironhide better. Confirmed, TFcon 2019
It’s unlikely, but I’m hoping that H10 ends up being their version of Optimus Prime for the MP-10 nomenclature symmetry.
The only disappointment that I can come up with for this line is that, by what we’ve seen for the pre-orders, it looks like they’re not giving the Max repaints unique names like they did with Gremlin and Critter. If that’s the worse thing that they do I’ll be very, very happy.
The Conclusion
I’ve never been a Legends-scale collector but I am now certainly a New Age collector. This line is just pure fun! Transforming them is a joy despite their diminutive size. I am really looking forward to their upcoming version of Cosmos and hope to hear more about their other releases very soon!
New Age‘s Gremlin “gold” repaint of their Flipper mini-bot has arrived at Junkion HQ.
In the box is an extremely tiny pistol, jet pack and instructions sheet.
Like the original G1 Goldbug, Gremlin is more of a mustard yellow than a gold.
The VW Bug
The only drawback with the vehicle mode is that it lacks rolling wheels.
The Robot
This is a super fun little figure!
It’s very poseable for its size and has a great intuitive transformation.
Unlike Flipper, Gremlin includes the jet pack from Dinobot Island.
The Comparisons
This is not my first New Age mini-bot: I picked up Flipper a while back but never got the chance to review it. This where the clever transformation really shines. Because of how the rear window transforms it allows Gremlin to have a Throttlebot-style hood and hides that kibble for Flipper.
(Autobot symbol sold separately)
Flipper has one big flaw in vehicle mode compared to Gremlin, his black shoulders stand out awkwardly just under the side windows.
(Autobot symbol sold separately)
Not having one of his own, Flipper has to borrow Gremlin’s jet pack to recreate TOE*.
(Autobot symbol sold separately))
360 Degree Turnaround
* “That One Episode” – the obligatory accessory that the character used once in the cartoon.
