Tag: Legends

Mech Fans Toys MF-26 Sharktticons

Due to a recent eBay sale I added Mech Fans Toys Sharktticons (the extra “t” is for intellectual property rights!) to my collection.

The Box

The box features a movie-inspired scene of the Sharktticons attacking Hot Rod.

Inside the box are three Sharktticons, their maces, antennae (including spares!) and newly-designed pistols.

Note: The antennae do not come installed, I installed mine before taking this photo so the ones you can see here are the spares

The Regular Edition

A much darker version of the Legends Sharkticon, with the paint apps on the head removed and the beast hands painted blue like Titans Return Gnaw. In addition to the antennae, the robot fists have been modified so that they can be rotated or removed.

Robot Mode

The antennae are extremely thin and, in robot mode, point down. I’m actually worried about leaving them in robot mode for fear that they’ll wobble and snap one off.

Beast Mode

Here is where those antennae really shine!

The Special Edition

The third shark in the box is a version with clear pink parts and a slightly different paint application.

Robot Mode

I’m not crazy about this version, but I do like that they put a little extra effort into it with the new paint scheme on both the figure and weapons.

Beast Mode

The antennae are clear pink to match the arms, fin and jaw.

Quality Control Issues

Sadly, the left arm on mine came off during the first transformation. Also, the left side of the beast head was loose out of the box and eventually came off of the rivet.

Comparing the Editions

As mentioned above, it’s not just clear plastic, but a reworked paint job that makes this version stand out.

Robot Mode

Standing next to the regular version you can see that the special edition is very pink in robot mode.

Beast Mode

The beast mode is not quite as pink since those parts are mostly on the underside.

The Comparisons

These are 1 to 1 knockoffs of the original.

Robot Mode

Legends on the left, Sharktticon in the middle and Titans Return on the right.

Beast Mode

The Conclusion

The first thing to remember is that these are not toys, the antennae alone would fail any safety inspection. That said, they do make nice display pieces.

Here’s a shot with the rest of my Sharkticon swarm.

September 11, 2018
LG-44 Sharkticon

Recent releases from both Hasbro and TakaraTomy have been a celebration of the original animated movie, the latest example of this is LG-44 Sharkticon & Sweeps.

Sharkticon

The Sharkticon mold is a great little ball of terror!

To transform; remove the mace and fold the fin back. Disconnect the top half of the beast mode, split it apart and fold it back to make the robot legs. Fold the beast head halves back to become the robot heels. Move the beast hip joints up until they snap into place to become the robot solders. Spin the beast feet around to become the robot forearms. Fold the beast lower jaw down to become the robot chest then rotate the robot head up out of the torso. Spin the head to face forward then fold up the fin against the robot back.

There’s something almost lovable about this rotund little bot.

Gnaw

This mold was originally released in the US as Titans Return Gnaw.

Takara’s version is mostly grey with purple and blue accents. The fin, beast arms, upper legs and mace are all molded in the same grey as the lower-half of the beast mode. The fists and robot thighs are now in purple to match the beast mode’s mouth.

Sweeps

I skipped LG-26 Scourge the first time around but picked one up specifically to go with Sharkticon’s Sweeps Head Master. There are no differences between the two Head Masters

Sweeps Head Master mustache goes upwards over his cheeks instead of down like Scourge’s.

The Swarm

I’m not usually a troop builder but something about this figure made me want a swarm.

I might have managed with just the one if not for ToyHax and their label upgrade set. The set includes enough labels to customize three figures in their own color scheme. After seeing this, I immediately pictured Gnaw with three squad leaders each backed up with half a dozen color coordinated drones. Sadly, reality and budgetary limitations forced me to scale this back a bit. Now, with the Legends version, my swarm is a quintet – rather appropriate for servants of the Quintessons, I think.

QC Punishment

After greedily ordering three additional Gnaws Karma decided to punish me a bit. Although my first Gnaw is perfect, none of the others can keep their tails in place in beast mode. It was so bad that I even labeled each tail/mace to make sure it gets back to the figure it originally came with.

Conclusion

Despite a few loose tails I’ve really enjoyed these figures and wanted to end with a scene inspired by the movie.

October 29, 2017
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