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I know I got distracted at the end of 2025 with Magic Square's Bruticus, but let's remember we're in the middle of round two (or is it three?) of the Devastator Wars. So I went ahead and picked up Concrete Warrior, Dream Star Toys' version of Mixmaster. Five bots in and I think we've got a handle on DST's aesthetic... curves and lots of angular planes that give off an almost organic shape. I've complained with other guys in this set that the aesthetic combined with the lack of obvious G1 features has given them kind of generic vibes, like at a glance you don't know which guy you're actually looking at. But on closer inspection, with wheels on his shoulders, a head that's definitely got that Mixmaster forehead, and even the two rounded bits on the middle of his torso that there's definitely elements of G1 Mixmaster here. I think the most obvious thing he's missing is the thing with the nozzles above his head, but if you look behind his head you can see a pair of gold circles that actually do recall those nozzles. Really, I think the biggest change from how we normally think of Mixmaster is that DST kind of turned him upside down. There's no big mixing drum hanging out on his back. Instead, the drum is split and becomes the backs of his legs. That, in turn, means that his legs are the back of the truck, and if you look you can see that he's sporting a little backpack that's made from the cab instead of the mixing drum. On the one hand, I think that takes one of Mixmaster's more defining elements and kind of minimizes it, but on the other hand I can't help but admire how tidily it all cleans up. After the last couple of releases coming with cool melee weapons with translucent red blades and build-a-figure Megatron parts that turn into Devastator's combiner kibble, I'm a tad underwhelmed. Concrete mixer just comes with this gun, and a stick. The stick can telescope into a longer stick... I expect that these accessories will all ultimately combine into larger weapons for Devastator. Concrete Warrior's head is on a ball joint with pretty good up/down/sideways tilt. Shoulders rotate on ratchets, and can move laterally a little over 90 degrees. His elbows are double-jointed, but you'll get maybe 115 degrees before his forearms bang into his shoulders. Wrists swivel, the thumb is connected via a ball joint with two pinned knuckles. His fingers are pinned at the base, with two more pinned knuckles; the index finger is separate from the other three, which are molded together. His waist has a ratcheted swivel, and a small ab crunch (too much will cause his tummy armor to pop off). He's even got a little sideways waist bend. His ball-jointed hip skirts move enough to let his hips go just under 90 degrees forward, maybe 45 degrees backward, and over 90 degrees laterally, all ratcheted. His thighs swivel, and his knees bend 90 degrees. No upward foot tilt, but they can tilt down, and his ankles pivot a little under 45 degrees. There's a slot in the gun's handle that fits onto a tab in either palm. The connection is kind of so-so. The instructions tell you to plug the stick onto the side of Concrete Mixer's forearm, like an arm-mounted baton, but I found the best thing to do is to simply jam it into his gun's barrel, turning it from more of a pistol into a rifle. Concrete Mixer's transformation is probably easier to figure out and remember than some of his fellows. His forearms curl up, attach to his shoulders, and scrunch in, then his backpack unfolds, expands, and connects with his arms to form the cab. The rear is a little more involved, as the sides and backs of his legs open and unfurl to get all the wheels in place. What you're supposed to do exactly with his feet isn't super obvious, though... frankly, I'm still not sure they're 100% correct. The real frustration is just the fit... there's a lot of squeezing stuff to make sure it's tabbed in, and you have to bend some parts around others to get them to hook in where they're supposed to go. As usual, DST's instructions are a bit trash, often unclear and missing steps. The resulting truck is, like the robot, pretty in keeping with the others aesthetically. Translucent windows, realistic details like skid plates, caution marks, and ladders, has the correct general shape, but is also sort of sci-fi and definitely not a real-world vehicle. The back of the truck doesn't look totally finished to me, the cab has some unsightly hinges, and the grill could probably have used some more paint. It's not the worst mixing truck I've seen, though. I certainly don't hate it. He rolls ok... on the tires, I mean. The mixing drum doesn't move. There are a pair of peg holes on the tops of the fuel tanks between the wheels on either side. The rearward holes are slightly smaller, and just the right fit for the small pegs on the end of the stick. The larger hole is big enough to shove the entire handle of Concrete Warrior's gun into it. And that, friends, is his alt mode accessory storage. I want to stress that Concrete Warrior isn't bad by any means, but compared to the other DST Constructicons he does seem a little underwhelming. There's some frustrations with his transformation, even if it's easier to figure out what you're supposed to do, and he comes with less accessories than anyone but Scrapper. I also am not a fan of the fact that the wheels on his shoulders have little bits of kibble that help lock them into the back, but they don't lock into place in robot mode. Still, this has been a pretty good set so far, so being the weakest of five pretty dang good figures isn't the worst thing ever. If you've been in on this set, there's nothing so egregious that you should quit. I think it ultimately comes down to the same thing as the other four... do you like DST's aesthetic? Then get Concrete Warrior to go with the others. Not a fan of the stylized take? Skip Concrete Warrior like you probably skipped the first four. I, for one, do not regret getting Concrete Warrior (or his buddies) and I'm looking forward to DST's Scavenger, hopefully in the spring. (BTW, you might recall that when I reviewed some of the other DST guys I used more comparisons than just Mecha Invasion's... I started messing with GT's Mixmaster, but quickly became frustrated at how kibbly he was and how poorly some elements of his design worked. MI's, though, was an absolute treat to play with again, and even though this review is for DST's Concrete Warrior, I can't help but gush again about how very solid, playable, and affordable Mecha Invasion's guys are and remind you again that you should probably check those guys out.)

I'm more shocked they did the DYRL Kaki 1A before either Max or Roy.. to say nothing of Hikaru's 1A, which is an even smaller change from his existing 1S. In terms of schemes, both the DYRL and SDFM groups are missing one member at this point*, but I'll be similarly shocked if we get a second Kakizaki release before we ever get a DYRL Max. * Technically DYRL is missing two, but at least Roy's scheme is close enough for me to cover both versions with a pilot/cockpit swap.

I did like that the TV Series used Kansas’ Dust in the Wind for a pivotal scene, and I could see them re-using here depending on what story-beats they use. But the Queen songs just work too damn well.

Agreed! I'm sure the Highlander reboot will be good but I doubt its soundtrack can be better than what Queen brought to the original.

That's fine but aren't we all a little too old to play with toys? lol

I also held onto my Super/Strike packs after picking up the Mechanic Edition Hikaru 1S. At the time, I was hoping for a DYRL Max 1A, but at this point I’d be happy with a DYRL Fokker 1S or a DYRL Max 1S. What’s puzzling is that they chose to release the one other Skull Squadron member—Kakizaki—in DYRL colors rather than the TV version. At this point, I would’ve much preferred a TV-version Kakizaki, at least so there could be a complete Vermillion set.

$120 USD, June - August 2026... Is this worth wasting $120 USD for a bare bones figure?

I'll watch the movie, but want nothing to do with these toys. The Mattel Retro-Play figures (or whatever they're called) are too perfect. I don't want or need actor's faces on my He-Man toys.

I’ll have to see the sword fights before saying one way or another. And just pay the royalties to Queen already. Can’t be a Highlander movie without them in the soundtrack.

Interesting,

Panther Lake-based (Core Ultra 300-series) laptops reviews are trickling out. Definite performance gains with much better battery-usage. Definitely sounds like a W for Intel. The downside are laptop pricing (Thanks AI, RAM and SSD supply) and Intel missing the AI boat (i.e. with everyone aiming at datacenter $, Intel doesn't really have a true product in that space. Their enterprise/DC products lean more toward general purpose compute. Consumer $ is pennies compared to datacenter $). On the flip side, the Ryzen 7 9850X3D review are out. Yeah....$40 for ~4% performance uplift coupled with more heat and more power usage. Yep, AMD recreated Intel's KS SKU of CPUs.

What does he look like with the gear on?

https://collider.com/highlander-remake-first-look-images-henry-cavill-chad-stahelski/ Habemus Cavill MacLeod

Cobra Eel.

Cobra HISS.

Changeables FR-13S.

I don’t remember seeing anything for this one yet, but unfortunately it’s not a standard release. looks like a cool weapon set included

Hello and happy new yeah to all. here are some decals iv'e been working on. I have more to give (Cause i love you guys) but the size limit on the website was reached. I still have Apsaras and the right side of Cyun Yan. These pics can also be used in 3d programs to decorate your yukikaze 3d assets with the alpha channels. Remember to use the 'print scale' not the 'size scale'. The tiffs carry the alpha channel which is why they are larger in size and there is very little compression compared to PNGs Also when placing decals, the nose of the subject on the decal usually always points forward. e.g. Minx dress will flow backwards to the back of the jet. I honestly hope the website doesn't change the format of the pics after i post them. It is possible they may not show up on the site, but once downloaded to your computer they should appear again. I think................ any issues please let me know. J. Posting now... Fairy Air force high command.tif Fairy Air force logo.tif Fairy sleeve emblem.tif Minx 1.tif Zouk.tif Carrmilla nose art yukikaze.tif Cyun Yan spring swallow left.tif

Just hope they also gave the Berserga WP the same kind of cockpit treatment they gave the B-ATM-03 FATTY! 🤗 which was a nice surprise!

Whoever had my post removed: I'm not posting in this topic ever again. Hope you're happy with yourself. 😠

I've never coated any of my units. The panel lines are too embedded to come out, and your fluorescent paints are quite away of any scratch area.

Also, short video of Fighter mode proportions for a better idea: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1FpF6GgrBo/?mibextid=wwXIfr

https://x.com/vs_hobbytengoku/status/2015711311590801864

I'm not a huge fan of the Berserga WP, but I gotta admit, it does looks pretty nice in that most recent pic and I'll defintely pick up one when it's released.

Bandai - Dragon Ball Super - Dragon Stars Series - Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta (DBS Broly Ver.) Action Figure x 3