The second half of Dreadwing has arrived at Junkion HQ! Now Dreadwind won’t be lonely anymore.
The Card
My version of Blackwing came with a card for Megatronus Blackwing.
The Robot
The robot mode is very close to the original and is very clearly “Darkwing” despite the copyright-inspired renaming.
As with Dreadwind, the armor mode is a bit awkward.
The Jet
Blackwing is a remold of Combiner Wars Air Raid, which is a close match to the original.
The Powermaster
Like with Dreadwind, the combiner hand 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.
Dreadwing
Like the originals, the PotP versions can combine into a super jet mode. It’s not terribly stable since the two are held together by a single post. One interesting thing to note is that the instructions label this combination as Duocon Dreadwing.
The Combiner Limb
Like the other Deluxes in this line, Blackwing can also become a combiner limb.
The instructions say he goes with Hun-Gurrr but I’m not buying that. I just wish we had two more jets in the line to complete a Super-Seeker gestalt.
Power Masters United
One nice feature of the cover plates that these two come with is that they match closely with Titans Return Overlord and make passable stand-ins for the missing Giga and Mega.
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.
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.
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.
I was a member from the start to the finish and always looked forward to the annual membership exclusive figure.
Inspiration
Tomorrow will see the final mark-down in the closing sale of the TFCC store with everything dropping to 90% off. I’ve been following the thread on TFW2005 and some of the conversations there got me thinking about how much I’ll miss the Club. I’ve made three purchases from the clearance sale so far, only two of which have arrived, and expect to make one final purchase tomorrow.
While preparing this article, I took a look at my collection and realized just how many Fun Publications figures are still prominently displayed.
The Beginning
For me, it all started with Nexus Maximus and the translucent member exclusive figures that populated the first five years of the club. Here are Topspin and Breakaway from years 4 and 3 respectively.
The only Botcon that I was able to attend was the 2007 convention in Providence Rhode Island and it made a lasting impact. Not only was it the perfect theme for me with it’s continuation of Classics but it was close to home and allowed me to attend the premiere of the first Transformers live-action movie. Here are Dreadwind, Thrust, Thundercracker and Bugbite from that year’s set.
Still my favorite, toy-accurate, version of Thrust.
Seekers
The Classics Seeker mold is still a favorite of mine. It was also a favorite of the club; not only did we get Thundercracker and Thrust years early, we also got the More Than Meets The Eye Rainmakers (Bitstream, Hotlink and Sunstorm), G2 Ramjet and Japanese G1 catalog inspired Nacelle!
There is no other official mold with as many different versions available.
G2
Generation 2 was a weird time in the franchise that not only spawned some neon repaints but also introduced modern levels of articulation. Botcon 2010 featured the Generation 2: Redux box set. Here we have Ramjet (not technically from Botcon but still G2), Rapido, Spark (rear), Streetstar and Breakdown.
As mentioned in a previous post, one of their last exclusives (and the only Masterpiece figure that they released) was a Marvel Comics inspired repaint of the Ratbat mold, the only time this mold has been officially available in the US.
Turbomaster (aka Scorch) and Spinister have also managed to remain on display over the years.
The Vitriol
Anyone who’s spent any time in any TFCC-related thread on the TFW2005 boards knows that there is a certain portion of the fandom that simply cannot help themselves but to express their deep hatred of the Club and their glee that it is no longer around. I will never be one of them. I feel that the end of the Club and Botcon is a huge loss for Transformers collectors and, I fear, we are unlikely to ever see the same breadth of obscure characters again.
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.
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).
