Tag: Titans Return

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
Power of the Primes Cindersaur

PotP Cindersaur is a remold of Titans Return Slash.

The Card

My version of Cindersaur came with a card for the Amalgamous Cindersaur combination.

Uh, is that a Fire Truck or a truck made of fire?

The Robot

The robot mode doesn’t really look like Cindersaur from G1 except for the color scheme but it is a good excuse to re-release a great new mold.

The Velociraptor

Cindersaur’s original beast mode was really more of a dragon than a dinosaur but this is passable for a repaint.

Prime Master Integration

Like Slash, there is a Prime Master cockpit on the dinosaur’s back.

Comparisons

The only difference between Cindersaur and Slash is a new robot head.

June 25, 2018
Power of the Primes Outback

PotP Outback is a remold of Titans Return Brawn.

The Card

My version of Outback came with a card for the Quintus Prime combination.

The Robot

The robot mode replaces the Autobot logo on the chest with a multi-color box like the one the original G1 figure had. The down side to this is that there really isn’t an Autobot logo visible in robot mode. It also features a new head to better reflect the character.

The Truck

The truck mode seems a bit incomplete since there is no cannon included with this figure which was, literally, a big part of the G1 release.

This is the only mode where the single, tiny, Autobot logo is visible.

Prime Master Integration

Like Brawn, the cockpit opens so that you can put a Prime Master inside.

Comparisons

Aside from the head and the paint job, there aren’t any changes from the original Brawn release.

This is my second Outback in rapid succession having recently picked up BadCube’s Backland.

June 20, 2018
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
Titans Return Brainstorm

Due to a very brief appearance on clearance, I was able to grab myself a new copy of Brainstorm from Walgreens.

The Robot

Brainstorm wears this mold well, the white, grey and teal are very striking. Like with Nautica, the shoulder mounted wings really help to break up the Blurr outline.

The Titan Master

Teslor is a simple repaint of the Blurr Titan Master with a new backpack.

The Space Jet

The most noticeable difference with this version compared to G1 or the Generations Voyager is the single tail-fin necessitated by sharing Blur’s transformation engineering. The second biggest difference is the fact that the robot arms lay flat along the sides of the jet instead of doubling up under the wings – this worked OK on the G1 version but was a bit awkward on the Voyager so I don’t mind the change.

The Mold

I’m quite fond of the Blurr mold and now have all four versions along with Nautica and Arcee. I’m even considering picking up the soon to be re-released Legends version of Blurr that I missed the first time around.

As you can see from the photos Brainstorm and Arcee got the most remolding with new shields, spoilers and shoulders while Nautica simply got snap-on wings.

Walgreens Exclusive?

I still find it totally bizarre that Walgreens, of all places, has exclusive Transformers. The reason I caught this deal was that I’ve been watching the site closely hoping for this year’s Walgreens exclusive, the Clone two pack, to reappear online.

Brainstorm was released in the US as an exclusive twice, also appearing in the Titan Force box set at SDCC and later Hasbro Toy Shop in a lighter, more anime inspired, deco.

Price Roller Coaster

When originally released, Brainstorm was $17.99 on the Walgreens site. At the beginning of November, it was marked as “clearance” and the price on the listing dropped to $11.09 – unfortunately this price was not honored when adding it to the cart where it still came up at regular price. That was during the “good old days” when the Clones were still listed on their site.

It didn’t take long for the clearance label to be dropped and, at the same time, the price went up to $19.99. Over Cyber Weekend, when I got this one, it went on clearance for real and the price dropped to $8.59.

That didn’t last long either and the price went up to $14.99 ~~where it remains as of this writing~~.

Pricing Update

The proverbial ink on this post was barely dry when I checked Walgreens site for the clones and found this:

Back up to $19.99, and no clones.

December 3, 2017
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
Fans Toys FT-27 Spindrift

The Seaspray inspired masterpiece-style Spindrift from Fans Toys has arrived at Junkion HQ.

The Box

The first surprise with Spindrift is that it comes in a very small box for a masterpiece-class figure.

Along with the styrafoam insert Spindrift comes with full-color instructions, trading card, three weapons and a spare head with a more boxy design.

The Robot

One thing that is immediately obvious is that this is a post-diet version of the character. Spindrift is very thin, especially when viewed beside TR Seaspray.

Spindrift includes a pistol in the G1 cartoon generic handgun style as well as two small blasters that can mount on the forearms.

The Hovercraft

A word of warning, the white side pieces lock into the arms very tightly making it difficult to disconnect them when transforming back to robot mode.

The two blasters can be mounted on the hovercraft deck with the pistol between them for a “fully armed and operational” hovercraft.

The Comparisons

As mentioned earlier, Spindrift has a much flatter chest than the G1 inspiration.

The hovercraft mode is shaped much like G1 Seaspray with a pointed bow.

The Conclusion

Although I like the figure, the proportions seem a bit off, with the very thin chest and the trademark oversized feet it looks extremely bottom heavy.

It’s just a bot without a Badge

October 5, 2017
Box Set Refugees

At New York Comic Con 2017 today Hasbro announced the immediate availability of Grotusque with the final die-cast Titan Master Scorponok!

Grotusque is a remold of Titans Return Twinferno (aka Doublecross) with an all new beast head and arms.

I doubt it will be long before Botcon’s Headmaster Scorponok starts showing up with this new die-cast head attached.

Grotusque and Scorponok will be packaged just like Arcee (now available from TRU) in a special black box.

I’m glad to see that we’re getting another refugee from the two cancelled box sets and hope that we see more!

October 5, 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
Titans Return Tripplechangers

After much waiting and anticipation the last two Tripplechangers from Titans Return have finally arrived at Junkion HQ.

I hate to say it, but I’m disappointed.

I enjoyed Laser Optimus Prime from Chaos On Velocitron so much that I purchased the original Diac & Optimus Prime to go with it.

I especially liked how the Rodimus Prime head looks on this mold.

But, right out of the box, Blitzwing and Octone both have mangled Decepticon badges. I was able to smooth out the one on Octone but Blitzwing’s was unrecoverable.

I don’t have the pre-mold Megatron version so I was really looking forward to Blitzwing but the stickers are just so poor that it sucks the fun out of the figure. I wasn’t happy with the stickers on Laser Optimus Prime’s trailer, but they’re mostly out of the way, especially in robot mode.

Another disappointment is that one of my Octone’s wings is extremely loose and rarely stays in place. The only good thing about this is that is that, while looking for more stable configurations, I stumbled on a fun Shockwave mode.

The good news here is for ToyHax who will probably be selling two more sets of labels to clean up my sad Tripplechangers very soon.

September 12, 2017