Tag: Bringing the Unexpected

Bringing the Unexpected: Part Six – The Final Clones

The clone two pack has finally arrived at Junkion HQ and they saved the best for last. (If, like me, you are not lucky enough to have found one in your local Walgreens store, you can order your own on their site.)

Wingspan

The second Decepticon beast is just as fun as the first.

The Robot

Not surprisingly, the new clones look pretty much the same in robot mode.

The Bird

The transformation on these are more satisfying than the first two clones since they include a few more steps. Wingspan’s arms have an extra little piece attached to the shoulder that links the wings to the body and locks everything into place. We can also finally see the reason for the second hinge int he robot hips since it is required for the transformation of the final two clones.

Comparison

Here is Wingspan with his G1 self: shorter but better articulation.

Sadly, my G1 Wingspan can only be called “span” since he no longer has any wings but here they are together in beast mode anyways.

Evil Decepticon Span transforms into a vicious cyber-turkey

And with his updated pal Pounce, he’s the one on the… he’s one of these two.

They’re easier to tell apart in beast mode.

Titan/Prime Master Integration

You can put a Titan or Prime Master onto his back and finally recreate those Lord of the Rings scenes with Transformers like you know you’ve always wanted to.

Cloudraker

Although his jet mode is no more convincing than the original, I still enjoy the air-based Autobot clone.

The Robot

Again, not a radical new look for the robot mode, as expected.

The Plane

Here is where all of the new comes in.

Titan/Prime Master Integration

Like Fastclash before him, Cloudraker includes a flip up panel on his chest that becomes a cockpit in alt mode.

This is a totally natural way to ride a jet

Comparison

Sadly, my G1 Cloudraker has gone missing so here he is in robot mode with G1 Fastlane.

The clone look is really broken by the large spoiler and wheels on Fastclash’s shoulders.

Air and Land attack!

These are totally real vehicles!

Extra: Weapons

Thanks to ToyHax’s Black Friday sale I picked up several of their label and parts sets including the missing weapons for the Autobot clones. Fastclash’s weapons are included in ToyHax’s Chaos on Velocitron set and Cloudraker’s are in their own set.

Cloudraker’s weapons really work well with the jet mode and help give the “arms pointed backwards” fuselage a bit more purpose.

360 Degree Turnaround Videos

Along with the new year, I’m introducing a new feature 360 degree turnaround videos. With these you’ll be able to see front, back and side views of each figure in each mode.

Cloudraker

Wingspan

January 1, 2018
Bringing the Unexpected: Part Five – Jumpstarter Targetmasters!

According to Planet Iacon Takara will be releasing both Jumpstarters as Targetmasters!

You can read more on TFW2005 and Seibertron.

I was already debating the Takara versions before this announcement but now I’m eagerly awaiting the preorders!

October 2, 2017
Bringing the Unexpected: Part Four – Twin Twist

Twin Twist has finally arrived at Junkion HQ and the Jumpstarters are finally complete!

In photos Twin Twist’s tank treads can look very thin and Topspin’s wings do not lock in place so I had been a little concerned about how the treads would work. But with the actual toy in hand I’m happy to say that they stay in place very well in both modes. There’s no real lock but they are tighter than Topspin’s wings.

Like his mold-mate, Twin Twist has a great transformation that compacts everything into the vehicle mode for a very solid feel. Not only is it a great update of the original, but the cockpit is very well integrated and feels like it should always have been there.

Also like his mold-mate, Twin Twist’s biggest difference from the original is the height difference. There is no question that these are the same ‘bot. You may notice that my G1 Twin Twist is not exactly pristine – it is my original toy and features a catalog Autobot symbol that I glued on after the sticker wore off.

After seeing a solid color parts swap of Twin Twist and Topspin on TFW2005 and realizing how much I loved Topspin I decided to double-dip. After much debate I finally settled on donating these bodies to Clobber and Ptero. I thought that he blue for Ptero would evoke the Diaclone figure while the white Clobber would have a Beast Wars feel.

Swoop was another figure that I owned “back in the day” and I was very excited when Ptero was announced, especially after seeing how great Clobber’s beast mode turned out. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed by Ptero’s mini-vehicle and am much happier with him in his new form (at least until we receive the true Swoop next year).

October 1, 2017
Power of the Primes Musings

At SDCC we were introduced to the next chapter of Transformers Generations – Power of the Primes – with some exciting reveals including Starscream, Rodimus Prime, Jazz, Dreadwind & Blackwing (aka Dreadwing), Beachcomber and Liege Maximo with Skullgrin. We’ve also, due to a huge Weibo leak, seen pretty much the entire first year of the line (the leak has since been plugged and most of the images removed at Hasbro’s request).

New Play Pattern

From SDCC we discovered that Titan Masters are being replaced by Prime Masters described as containing the sparks of the original Primes. They’re basically Titan Masters with the face on their back replaced by an abstract symbol representing the Prime in question and a Decoy shell (a modern interpretation of a Pretender shell). The core Prime Master will still drive Legends class figures but now fits into the chest of Leader Class figures and will be mountable on Deluxe and Voyager figures, apparently using updated combiner hands/feet which snap onto the chest of Deluxe figures and the arms of Voyagers.

More Combiners

Predaking!

It appears that all Deluxe and Voyager figures are combiners including the Terrorcons! Some potential non-traditional combiners include the Dinobots (now with a sixth Legends class member which strongly implies a weapon or other combiner integration mode) and G1 female Autobots (including Voyager Elita-1 who appears to be a Starscream remold).

Continuing the Unexpected

In addition to new Pretenders, it also looks like we’re getting the Duocon Battletrap and Firecon Cindersaur!

In the leak we got a peak at Prime Master Metalhawk whose Decoy shell could go with the Metalhawk’s Professor Go Titan Master from the Siege on Cybertron box set to very nearly recreate the original Pretender.

Leaders

Since the leak showed a new Leader Optimus Prime Leader Class figure that looks like it will have the same “evolution” feature that was shown for Rodimus Prime at SDCC, I’m betting that there will be an Ultra Magnus remold that will satisfy the “white Optimus in armor” purists.

With a Voyager Grimlock featured in the leak as a the core of a Dinobot combiner it makes me wonder if we’ll get the rumored Leader Class Grimlock. I was very surprised by Titan Return’s double-dipping releases of Brawn but that was a Legend and radically different Titan Master. Even Titan Return’s two Optimus Primes were very different with a Tripple Changer and Power Master version. They could still pull it off if they used the “evolve” gimmick that was introduced with Rodimus Prime. But what would a Grimlock Prime look like? Unlike Optimus Primal’s “Optimal Optimus” mode there is no upgraded version of Grimlock from fiction and you can’t just add a trailer (he’d have to wear a “cone of shame” or he’d just chew it off). I’d still like to see a non-evolving Leader class Grimlock but don’t know that it would be different enough from the Voyager version to justify a separate release.

July 27, 2017
Bringing the Unexpected: Part Three – Clone #2

Today we found out that the last two clones will be arriving in a two-pack instead of with larger box sets as had originally been expected. Hopefully the other two box sets that we’ve been anticipating will still happen just without the clones.

Will we get sets to fill in the other two icons?

Since my Siege on Cybertron box set recently arrived this seemed like good timing for a review.

The Box

For some reason the Siege on Cybertron box set comes branded with the Beast Wars logo. I suppose it does come with a puma and a guy called MetalHAWK but it’s still a bit of a stretch.

Brought to you by Beast Wars and the letter H

Beast Mode

As mentioned above, Pounce’s beast mode is officially a puma but, to me, it looks more like a robot on all fours wearing a dog costume. Still, like Fastclash, it’s a little figure.

To integrate with Titan Masters Pounce features a saddle on his back where the figures can be attached.

While his front legs are a bit spindly at least they’re white to match the head instead of the purple used on the G1 version.

Transformation

His tail folds back onto the pink hindquarters and the puma head folds back into the Titan Master saddle. Straighten the rear legs and fold the beast feet into the robot shins. Spin both shins so the beast feet are on the same side as the tail. Fold the front beast legs together then push the robot arms around to the side. Push the beast front legs down so they sit flush on his back against the puma head. If you twist the arms to hide the hollow bits in beast mode like I do rotate them back so that the forearms can fold forward normally. Twist the robot head and you have transformed Pounce the clone.

Robot Mode

The key aspect of the clones was their identical robot modes and the new version stays true to this. There is no doubt that these are clones.

In robot mode all of the beast parts are pushed into a good sized backpack with what looks to me like formal suit tails.

To enable sitting you can change the suit tails into a duck tail.

Like Fastclash, Pounce also includes the unexplained second set of hinges in the hips. Hopefully, now that the other two clones have been revealed we’ll find out what this is about soon. [UPDATE: now that we’ve seen more photos it’s clear that the extra hip joints are part of the transformation of the final two clones. They’re not just designed to look the same they’re using the same engineering – true clones!]

Comparisons

When seen with the original G1 versions the pedigree is obvious, they did a great job with the new clones.

While the new versions are slightly shorter than the originals they easily make up for that with their expanded articulation.

I mentioned Pounce’s backpack earlier, this is the biggest difference from the original G1 version which hid the alternate head inside the torso.

Here Pounce is with Fastclash from the back with his prominent kibble visible.

Conclusion

Like Fastclash I’m enjoying Pounce more than I would have thought when they were first announced and can’t wait for the final two clones. My only issue with the figure is the back kibble, especially the tail section which often gets in the way when posing.

Yeee Haw!

June 29, 2017
Bringing the Unexpected: Part Two – Comparisons

Yesterday’s post was inspired by the arrival of Topspin and I didn’t take the time to dig out the original G1 figures for a full comparison. Part Two corrects that omission:

Clone Generations

Both Clones are roughly the same height and are clearly the same design.

That shared design extends to the vehicle mode where the two have pretty much the same transformation.

Sadly, Fastlane is missing his spoiler, he probably left it “somewhere safe.”

Jumpstarter Generations

It is clear that these are both the same bot. But it is equally clear that the Titans Return version is a much more advanced and modern design that greatly benefits from the removal of the Jumpstarter gimmick. For my money exchanging the G1 gimmick with the Titan Master is more than a fair trade.

-Hey buddy, don’t loose your head!
-Quiet tiny!

One of the trademarks of the G1 Jumpstarters was their transformation: step one – fold in half, step two – there is no step two.

May 9, 2017
Bringing the Unexpected

Titans Return is a line full of the unexpected. We’re seeing toys based on G1 figures that I thought would never have been considered, much less released. I’m still kind of stunned that I have modern versions of both a Clone and a Jumpstarter sitting beside me on my desk. The very idea that the Twin Twist and Pounce are already announced and Cloudraker and Wingspan practically guaranteed is just mind boggling.

The Clone

Part of the Chaos on Velocitron box set, the diminutive Fastclash (Fastlane to his friends) is the first modern clone to arrive on the scene. The figure itself is pretty simple and has, except for the missing hip swivel, about the expected amount of articulation for a figure of this size. In the center of the chest is a tribute to the heat sensitive sticker unique to the G1 Clones that identified which vehicle each clone transformed into.

Transformation is simple, fold in the fists, pivot the arms onto the chest, snap the legs together, fold down the feet then pivot the head so that the spoiler is on top.

Just like with the G1 version, the drag racer mode is, let’s say; not quite an accurate representation of a real-world vehicle. However, the new fold up driver seat for Titan Master drivers is a nice touch.

The oddest thing about Fastclash, aside from actually being released, are the extra hinges built into his hips. These strange hinges seem to imply sort of secondary combined configuration with the yet to be announced Cloudraker. I can’t quite imagine what that configuration could be but there must be some reason for it aside from enabling cheerleader poses.

The Jumpstarter

Part of the fourth wave of deluxes, Topspin is an impressive modernization of the character. Back in the day, I only had Twin Twist in my collection so this purchase was just a preview of the figure I really wanted. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like this mold. The transformation is fun and the robot folds up in a fashion similar to Combiner Wars limbs to give the vehicle mode a nice solid feel.

As with all headmasters, transformation begins by decapitating the figure. The back panel of the legs pivots out allowing you to fold the feet into the robot calf. Pushing the calves up will slide them over the robot thighs, the legs then snap together. The hips fold forward and the knee flaps fold in to become the air intakes of the jet mode. The bottom half of the figure rotates to move the back of the legs so that they face the robot chest. The front of the robot chest then spins so that the hips can be locked onto the robot shoulders. The nosecone folds down to reveal the Titan Master cockpit. Make sure that the peg on the back of the Titan Master legs is pushed in at the very front of the slot in the floor of the cockpit or the canopy will not fully close. A door on the back of the robot forearms opens so that the fists can fold in and the forearms can be folded back over the upper arms. After closing the flaps the arms slot snugly beside the cockpit and snap into place. The robot weapons slot into the underside of each wing to complete the transformation.

The Conclusion

I’m quite pleased with both of these figures but Topspin is, by far, my favorite. My anticipation for Twin Twist is even greater now that I’ve had such a great introduction to the mold.

An Aside

Perhaps, it’s all just monkey business…

May 8, 2017