mikeszekely

I was just wondering if you had gotten them yet. I just ordered them myself yesterday.

As I was saying on a certain other message board, I think I'll try to grab that Gears. But between the Netflix release and the SS86 one I'm probably good on Bumblebees. I did the retro card-style packaging, though. EDIT: Preorders are live at Walmart.com Bumblebee Gears

The Naruto Crossover is available to preorder at Pulse, but I'm going to pass on this one.

Decided to re-watch Seed and Destiny first, since I never saw the remasters. Really wish Seed Freedom suits were in Gundam Breaker 4. Rising Freedom's arms and Might Strike Freedom's head would go better on my Frankenfreedom than Destiny and ZZ, respectively. Since I started watching Weed and playing GB4 I started building Gunpla again for the first time since my kid was born. HG Freedom, Strike Freedom, and Rising Freedom are done, currently working on Mighty Strike Freedom. (Yeah. UC is my favorite Gundam universe, but Freedom is my favorite MS.)

What? Per my source:

Yeah. I think as a truck 86 Prime looks better with 86 Magnus and Legacy Motor master than Earthrise Prime, but again, I'm not an expert on trucks or anything. I didn't put them together as bots, but given Magnus was already pretty big I think 86 Prime works better there, too. 86 Prime's extra height means he's going to be a head taller than Motormaster now, but that doesn't bother me, either. As a kid I thought it was kind of cool that a bad guy turned into a truck like Optimus, but I never saw them as direct rivals that absolute need to be the same height. Megatron, Shockwave, Soundwave, and the Seekers need bigger molds, though (and RiD Scourge/Laser Optimus... I'd actually love for a Commander-class Scourge with a similar trailer glow-up to go with Haslab Fire Convoy.

Rathalos Prime is available to preorder on Pulse. @Tking22

Oh, and an addendum to my review... I was so busy comparing SS86 Prime to Earthrise Prime to show much much of an improvement he is, but I neglected to show how a larger Prime compares to other Legacy trucks. Well, here's the thing. I don't know a ton about trucks (maybe @David Hingtgen can chime in), but I do know that Bayverse Prime was a Peterbilt 379, and I think G1 Prime is a Freightliner FL86, which means that in truck mode 86 Prime is way bigger relative to the various Bayverse SS Primes. Assuming that Laser Prime/Scourge are also bigger trucks, they're also out of scale with Prime... which means the smaller Earthrise trailer and the tanker trailers, while still too small, should be smaller than 86 Prime's trailer. Well, the movies exist outside of the main G1/G2 continuity, so it doesn't bother me too much that Bayverse Prime and 86 Prime don't scale well in alt mode, but it does make me wish for a bigger (and color accurate this time) Scourge. Maybe he'll get a Commander-class glow up, with a Gen Selects Laser Prime to follow. A guy can dream. I think the bigger concern a lot of people are going to have is "how does 86 Prime look with other G1 COE trucks?" This is especially concerning if Motormaster was built to scale with Earthrise Prime. But honestly... not as bad as I feared. (Forgive the poor lighting, I didn't take these pictures in my usual space.) Magnus is actually wider than Prime still, and his vertical height is only shorter because he's got rectangular windows instead of squares. Magnus is also a bit shorter horizontally. Motormaster, meanwhile, manages to remain taller than Prime even without counting the extra height from the sleeper. Motormaster is a similar length with Prime, but a bit narrower. Prime's trailer is the longest, but Magnus' is taller and wider. Motormaster's is also taller and wider, but comically shorter without any upgrade kits. Frankly, Motormaster's stock trailer didn't look good next to Earthrise, either. With the DNA upgrade kit, which I have on here, Motormaster's trailer is maybe half an inch shorter than Prime's. All-in-all, I think Earthrise Prime might actually scale better with these guys than Earthrise did.

Try Target. They might have some at your local store, and they have VERY few available for shipping. Plus there's a Target Circle deal this week. $20 off $75 on toys. DCPI is 087-26-4645.

You were expecting a hover truck?

Nearly five years ago, I said I was "blown away" by Earthrise Leader-class Optimus Prime. I acknowledged the toy's flaws, but also talked about how excited I was to have that much accuracy in a mainline Optimus Prime toy, the first mainline G1 Optimus to come with a trailer and repair drone (even if it was missing Roller). Despite my praise for the figure, I started buying accessories to improve the figure. Stickers added the missing yellow to the crotch, the lackluster paint on trailer stripes, and added color to the repair drone's cockpit. Multiple kits replaced his rifle with a more proportional one, replaced the weird shield door on the trailer with a more G1-accurate one, added Roller, added the supports for the command deck, etc. Meanwhile, other issues, like the gray plastic on the insides of Prime's legs, the visible wheels, and the lack of fuel tanks on his legs were left unaddressed. Now... what if, instead of buying a $50 figure and then dumping a ton more money into upgrades... we simply had bought a Prime with a higher initial price tag that benefitted from a larger development in the first place? I supposed the result would be Studio Series 86 Commander-class Optimus Prime. Wow... just, wow. OK, given that accuracy to the '86 movie is the objective, I'll note that he's got white pants and more of a flat gray for the stripe around his ribs, on his face and forehead, and on his toes rather than silver, and the vents on his shins are more like molded details than actual vents. These things might not be my personal preferences for an ideal Prime, but they're still an A for this assignment. The proportions are less svelte than the Earthrise toy, bringing that cartoon chunk. The molded triangles and lines on his forearms are spot on, and he's even got the little triangles on his shins... so it kind of pains me to point out that the molded details on his thighs are actually not accurate. There's also a tiny bit of red poking out from behind his shins. To be fair, you can probably use a little alcohol to remove a line of paint from the part behind his shin without affecting anything. Whereas all six of Earthrise Prime's wheels were visible, none of them are showing on SS86. The backs of his legs have that sloped shape the cartoon did, plus he's got his missing fuel tanks. The blue on his crotch wraps the entire way under and around to his butt. His smokestacks are taller, and not marred by peg holes. I'd say the elephant in the room is probably his backpack, which is giving me MP-44 flashbacks. It's a little large, yes, and gappy in ways that are definitely not cartoon accurate, but I think it's still better than the wheels on the back of Earthrise Prime. Actually, scratch that. The backpack's not too bad, the real elephant is Prime's size. We've been told since Siege that Hasbro has been paying attention to scale, but suddenly Siege/Earthrise Prime are too short? Too be fair... yeah, kind of? I think SS86 actually does scale better with most of the Autobots released in the last five years, and SS86 Prime is now about the same size as Galvatron. However, this does mean that Prime is taller than Siege/Earthrise Megatron, which is not ideal. Thankfully we're supposedly getting a Leader-class SS86 Megatron next year, which I'm sure will address the height difference with Prime... while simultaneously making Megatron too big for Soundwave, Shockwave, and the Seekers. I guess it's a good thing that Soundwave and all six Seekers also appeared in the '86 movie. I have a feeling that upgrades are inevitable. We're not here to talk about potential SS86 Seekers, though, we're here to talk about Prime. The bump to Commander didn't just make for a slightly taller, more accurate Optimus. Some of that budget went to accessories. Prime's got his trailer/command deck, which is much larger and has a proper ramp door but is as disappointingly barren inside as the Earthrise trailer. Where are the blue consoles? We again have Prime's ion rifle, with much better proportions and a nice coat of gunmetal paint. We've got a Matrix of Leadership, and... actually I think it's the exact same one that Earthrise Optimus came with. We've got a repair drone. It's larger than the Earthrise one, accurately done this time with both blue and gray plastic instead of all gray, with a translucent cockpit door, just one arm, and an antenna, making it more accurate to the G1 toy than the Earthrise one. Then, going beyond the Earthrise toy, we've got an Energon axe and some orange effects parts, plus we've got Roller. While I prefer a blue Roller, silver does better match the maybe two episodes it appeared in the cartoon. Roller is larger and less hollow than the one that came with the Centurion Drone. The trailer has landing gear for staying upright without a cab, but also the side underride guards that were missing from the Earthrise trailer. Like the MP and G1 toys, the underride guards can swing out to help support the sides of the trailer when it's in command deck mode. Unlike the MP version, there's no mechanism that automatically lowers the feet as you swing the guards out, instead you have to twist the ends 90 degrees. Side note, while we're looking at it... yes, I prefer the blue stripes on the trailer. But the trailer is more screen accurate without the blue, so I can't actually criticize the choice. I'd already shown that the trailer does in fact open up into the command deck, but I'll mention that you can still stand it up, and the drone does still attach to the end oppose the trailer door. When the trailer is up like this the repair drone can do, well, repairs on Prime. Or you can lie it back down and the drone is an AA gun. The cockpit on the drone opens, and it can plug into Roller to drive around outside the trailer. There's three hinges in the stem of the drone, a swivel for the antenna to fold down (but no swivel for it to spin around), a swivel for the arm's "shoulder" and "bicep", a hinged elbow, and a hinge in one of the claws so it can open and shut. The spots where the missiles would go on the G1 toy have little nubs that are compatible with some of the effects parts. Roller can also roll around without the drone. You could instead plug in Prime's rifle, which is also compatible with the blast effects. If you still have some, Roller's seats can accommodate four Titan Masters, though the ones that sit in the back have to face backwards. Roller's 5mm ports aren't just for attaching Prime's gun or the repair drone. You can also use one as a hitch so Roller can pull Prime's trailer. All of Prime's accessories can be stored in the trailer. The drone plugs in near the front, as I already mentioned, and folds up. Roller has to notches under it's front end that grab onto two tabs on the front of the drone's base. There are nubs with clips below them on either side. The ones closest to the front are for the axe, while the ones next to roller are for the laser beam effects. There's also tabs near the axe clips that can plug into slots on the sides of Prime's rifle, allowing you to lock it in place as well. Meanwhile, fold the bumper down and you'll unlock the rear wheels. You'll find a space between them where you can toss the rest of Prime's effect parts. Accessories are good and all, but you guys are probably more curious about Prime himself. So, Prime's head is on a ball joint. He doesn't have a ton of up/down tilt, but it swivels and he's got decent sideways tilt. His antenna are separate parts now, and can swivel, though that's really more for transformation. His shoulders swivel and can technically move 90 degrees laterally, though clearances with his smokestacks and backpack can limit the lateral movement when his arms are raised. His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend 90 degrees. His wrists swivel. In what I believe is a first for a mainline toy, not only are his fingers hinged at the base, but they have a second knuckle as well, plus his index finger is separate from the other three for pointing or to pose as a trigger finger. His waist swivels. His hip skirts hinge up to give him 90 degrees forward, backward, or laterally on his hips. His thighs swivel, and his knees bend about 120 degrees. His feet can't tilt up, but his toes can tilt downward, and he's got 90 degrees of ankle pivot. Really, the only things I could wish for are deeper elbow bends and an ab crunch*. Despite having articulated fingers, Prime's hands are still compatible with 5mm accessories, which is how he holds his rifle. To use Prime's axe, you have to fold his fists into his forearms like you're going into truck mode, which will leave a peg on Prime's wrist. You can then plug the axe onto the peg. While you're playing with gummy translucent orange parts, Prime's smokestacks swivel for no reason except that you might want to pretend that they're guns. The tips of his smokestacks are even compatible with the beam effect parts (just don't leave them on there, as I've heard that prolonged exposure to the rubbery effect parts can damage the paint). Most of Prime's accessories will have to go in the trailer when he's not using them. He can, however, carry his rifle on his backpack. There are tabs on either side that fit into the same slot that the rifle uses to secure itself into the trailer. This being a Studio Series release instead of a Legacy one means that Prime doesn't have the abundance of 5mm ports for Weaponizers, Fossilizers, Armorizers, etc. Aside from his fists, the only ones he has are under his toes. As for the Matrix, just like Earthrise Prime, you can open the chest on SS86 Prime and wedge the Matrix handles around some tabs you'll find in there. Unlike Earthrise Prime, SS86 Prime has an additional door that folds down over the Matrix before you close up his chest, similar to what was seen in the movie, though less detailed. The Matrix is pretty tiny in Prime's hands, but you can take advantage of that finger articulation to pinch his index fingers around the handles. Plus, Prime's got butterfly joints in his shoulders that serve no transformation purpose. They're just there so Prime can get his hands close enough together to hold the Matrix. *You probably thought, "what about butterfly joints?" when I said the only extra articulation I'd wish for was deeper elbow bends and an ab crunch, but Prime had butterfly joints all along. I was just saving their mention for this part. Clearly, it's not just that Prime's bigger or has more paint. There's definitely a higher parts count going on here to help justify the price difference between a Leader and a Commander. There's even little bits like this, where you have a this extra armor part that fits around the hip joints. Prime's transformation into truck mode is definitely a more elaborate affair. If you didn't appreciate the aesthetic improvements a Commander-budget brought, you'll definitely notice it here. His fists fold into his arms, which then rotate 180 degrees at the bicep and bend backward at the elbow. The blue part of his butt detaches and folds between his thighs. The top of his backpack folds up, freeing his backpack to fold away from his back. He rotates 180 degrees at the waist, then panels on his sides fold up so his chest can rotate 180 degrees back. Prime's head folds into his back, then another panel that was underneath his head double hinges outward. His bot-mode grill folds up to hide his face, and his lats double-hinge into the space his grill just vacated. The flaps on his sides go back down, then his arms do the classic Prime transformation to tuck in. Meanwhile, back on the front side, the back of his backpack unfolds to the sides so you can fold the backpack further down, revealing the bottom half of the cab. The grill opens so you can fold out the rest of the grill, then the whole thing hinges up under his chest to fully complete the front of the cab. Panels on the sides open then fold up to fill in the sides of the cab. His shins wrap around to the insides of his legs, similar to MP-10's, and a tab swings out from between his left heel and toes while a matching slot folds out from his right foot, allowing you to tab the legs together. The toes fold down, and you lift the skirts on his butt up, then his hips and crotch detach from the front of his pelvis and swing backward. The top of the backpack can fold into the space his crotch and hips left, tabbing in between the front wheels. His calves fold up, plugging into the back of the cab as well as plugging into and covering his thighs, which also frees his heels to fold down. Finally, the sides of his legs swivel at the fuel tanks, with the part running down his leg below the tank spinning 180 degrees to fill in the bottom of the cab under his arms between the front wheels and the fuel tank, then his rear wheels fold out from the insides of his legs. I might again decry the lack of a silver stripe on the cab, or point out the molded but unpainted windshield wipers, but there's that pesky cartoon accuracy. It's not all cartoon accuracy, though. Whereas, even in the '86 movie, Prime's truck mode is largely devoid of detail, the designers of this toy seemed to look at MP-44 for inspiration. There are the aforementioned molded windshield wipers, plus a number of rivets and the intake vent, orange paint on the marker lights on the roof, silver wing mirrors, and the rectangular double-square headlights. There are steps on the sides of the cab, and molded doors and handrails. More steps are behind the rear wheels, and taillights molded into Prime's heels. It's still not totally accurate to a real truck, but the rear doesn't just look like robot legs chilling out. Instead we've got a fairly cohesive (and far cleaner than MP-44) area with a molded hitch. My only real gripes are that the fuel tanks stick out a bit while the real wheels don't, and the back of the cab is still a bit gappy and unfinished. The molded hitch has a peg hole that you can plug the trailer into. The bigger cab means that, even though the trailer is bigger, it's still a tad undersized. However, I think it's far more proportional than Earthrise Prime, where the entire truck and trailer can fit on SS86's trailer alone. And for those curious, although I didn't take a picture, I did compare it to the G1 trailer. SS86's trailer is a smidge shorter vertically, but a bit longer horizontally, and almost the same width. Prime and his trailer roll, and there's enough clearance for Prime to make tight turns with the trailer... which I'm realizing that I'm only now giving you a proper look at the rear of. As you can see, more accurate molded doors, painted taillights, and a proper bumper. The doors don't open like a real truck (or MP-10's), they just fold down like the G1 toy's, which is fine. The interior of the trailer is wide enough for most Deluxe cars to fit into- I had no issues with Earthrise Sideswipe and Prowl or SS86 Jazz, but be aware that a few like Armada Hot Shot here are a bit too wide. In case you were wondering, yes, SS86 Prime can pull the Earthrise trailer, and vice versa. The 86 trailer doesn't look too bad with the Earthrise cab, if it would only sit back a bit further. SS86 Prime looks ridiculous with the Earthrise trailer, but that's not the point. The real point is that other figures like Kingdom Huffer that could pull the Earthrise trailer can still pull the SS86 one. There's nowhere on Prime's trailer to stow any of his accessories, so again, it's fortunate that we have the trailer for that. However, there are some effect parts that are meant just for alt mode; the one that store in the cubby under the trailer rather than in it. You combine them to make two bits with flat bases and tabs on the top. The tabs fit into these slots next to the front wheels, so Prime can recreate that scene from the movie where, after mowing down a few Decepticons, he jets into the air to transform and gun down a few more before landing. There's one last thing that needs mentioning. As far as I know, every copy of SS86 Prime is misassembled. Basically, his heels are swapped. It's almost not noticeable in robot mode, and barely even then in truck mode. You could probably ignore it, but it's the kind of thing that once you know it's there it might bug you. Fixing it isn't supposed to be too difficult, but it will require removing two pins to take the heels off, turn flip them over, and then swap them to the other feet. Oh, one final thing... over then months ago, when the existence of this figure leaked but we didn't know anything about it except it was a Commander, I said: Aside from the upper body transformation being like MP-10's (not that it's like ER's either), boy, did I nail that or what? Anyway... 40 years after The Transformers debuted Takara celebrated by giving us the toy from 40 years ago, but with better articulation. Meanwhile, Hasbro celebrated by giving us the most cartoon-accurate Optimus Prime toy to ever hit a regular retail line. No, it's not perfect, and I did point out a few nitpicky flaws. And, yes, a Commander-class toy is significantly mor expensive than a Leader-class one, which is going to rub some people the wrong way. That being said, SS86 Prime is a brilliant figure that addresses the flaws I had with the Earthrise figure that I already loved, as well as some more flaws that I didn't know I had. Given Hasbro's propensity to keep the money-making characters in rotation I'm hesitant to say that this is the definitive mainline G1 Optimus toy, but this is the first one that makes me feel like I don't need for there to be a newer, better one down the road, and I don't need to shop for some kind of upgrade kit to address my quibbles. If you're a fan of G1 Transformers, buy this toy. Simple as that.

I was gonna say it's on Amazon for $130, but then I saw you're in Canada, and the only listing I saw on Amazon Canada is 254 loonies.

But so many stores quit selling them. ...plus, then I'd have to get up, put the disc in, go back to the couch, watch the disc, get up, change the disc... Seriously, though, trying to keep track of which streaming service has which show I want to watch is getting to be a hassle. I'm *this* close to cancelling all 8 or 9 of 'em and signing up for cable.

I didn't preorder, but I keep thinking about buying the set. They're weird... they're too big to be CHUG, but the aesthetic doesn't jive with Masterpiece, but they look sturdy and fun to mess with.

Yeah, he's reasonably close, considering he's re-using some parts. But as a Transfomers fan first, I just wish he looked more like Senior's work on TF UK. The Infinite series is 3 3/4", right? I was thinking the Marvel Legends figure is a tad taller than I'd like, but I was thinking a good fit for Transformers would be maybe a half an inch shorter or so. Infinite is too small, I think.