mikeszekely

Well there you go. Officially, it starts at 11:00 am ET. It covers more than Transformers, though, and I don't know when exactly the Transformers panel will be. Pulse premium members will have access to preorders as they're announced during the panel, then to everyone at 5:00 pm ET. There will also be something just for Pulse premium members at 4:00 pm the day before. Hasbro's presser mentions Kingdom wave 3, Netflix, and the Ark. Unofficially, I'm hearing yes to Rodimus and Galvatron, possibly some Gen Selects including some Shattered Glass stuff, but no new Studio Series announcements.

Walmart and Pulse put up pre-orders for the Beast Wars reissues and some third wave Netflix stuff (no Deluxes). The Netflix stuff is already sold out at Pulse, though. I ordered the sparkless seeker at Walmart, passed on Primal and the spoiler pack (which I'm told is Siege Megatron and a purple Paleotrex).

No promises, but I'm hearing rumblings of a Transformers-themed Fan First Friday being scheduled for April 9th. I'm hearing rumblings that there will be something new announced. Unclear if that means new like Hasbro hasn't announced it or new like no one's announced it yet. I'd bet that's when preorders will open for Rodimus, but I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it's the unveiling of the whole third Kingdom Wave, or at the very least Galvatron. Maybe some more Studio Series 86 figures, if we're lucky- I'm down for more Dinobots, and I'm really curious to see how Sweep is different than Scourge.

I heard that the wave 2 Voyagers and Ultra Magnus are hitting Walmarts. Perhaps I'll swing by tomorrow.

I have mixed feelings, but I wasn't into Beast Wars back in the day so maybe I'm not the target audience. But I'm kind of thinking that Kingdom has you covered for well made, well-articulated, cartoon-accurate Beast Wars characters, right? The main reason to go for the reissues is because you had them as a kid. But if it's that nostalgia driving you, wouldn't you want them to be just like when you were a kid? Like suppose I did get my wish for a G1 Bruticus reissue, but they ditched Vortex's magenta torso, Onslaught's black head, and Bruticus' silver chest armor for more cartoon-accurate colors. It wouldn't appeal to me nearly as much as a straight reissue. I was thinking about that... This is true, but we don't know much room there might be for the legs. That said, it looks like Rodimus will have a similar transformation with Hot Rod, and that the spoiler is on a panel that covers his legs in alt mode rotates and folds onto his back for bot mode. Suppose the spoiler itself can actually rotate. Then you might be able to partially transform then panel its on to a robot-mode position, then turn the spoiler 180 degrees. This would allow the spoiler to sit in the same obvious slots on the trailer, but allow the cab to tuck in more. Promo and test shots are frequently mistransformed. My theory about how it might/could work aside, I agree. I'm thinking that what you see is what you get. Yeah. It's funny, because when I was a kid I thought Hot Rod was cool in the movie with an awesome alt mode, but I hated Rodimus for replacing Optimus and swapping the sports car for a camper. As an adult, though, I find Hot Rod's cocksure recklessness less-than endearing and blame him for getting Optimus killed, but I find Rodimus to be a more self-reflective character and I'm actually a sucker for that space Winnebago. I bought PotP Rodimus because I want to reward Hasbro every time they give me an actual Rodimus Prime instead of yet another Hot Rod. I'll be preordering this one as soon as it's available. I think the only other figures I'm anticipating as much are Slag and Galvatron. I expect Slag will be big, simple, chonky goodness like Grimlock, but I wonder now about Galvatron. Kup, Blurr, Cyclonus, and Scourge came out excellent. Hot Rod's pretty good, too, minus the shoulders issues. Springer's good but a bit more compromised, and that's where Rodimus looks like he's going to fit. Then Ultra Magnus and Arcee are not the best WfC releases. Where's Galvatron going to land?

So all those 5mm peg comparisons can be put to rest. Warden is confirming Rodimus scales with Optimus. Also, looks like Walmart is going to be carrying some Beast Wars reissues, specifically the old Ultra-Class Primal and Megatron, Deluxe-class Cheetor, and Basic-class Rattrap. I was kind of hoping for more G1 reissues (I really want Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, and Bruticus), but it is what it is. What's interesting is that they seem to be the old '90s molds, but the decos appear to be all-new, cartoon-accurate ones.

I'm keeping an ear to the ground, but I haven't heard anything yet. I re-upped Pulse, just in case. I expect soon, though.

OK, I think this everything left to be released in Kingdom this year that hasn't been officially revealed. Could be some previously-released figures coming in later waves, since not all the slots are full. Note that all I was told was Wheeljack and Starscream, I don't know if they're going to be new versions (like the rumored coronation Starscream) or just the Earthrise versions repackaged in Kingdom like Prime and Arcee. It's also likely that I'm missing some store exclusives; Walmart has a page up announcing that they're going to have new Transformers up for preorder on March 15th at 1:00pm EDT, and it's expected to be the third wave of Netflix WfC figures. Wave 3 Soundwave (core) Dracodon (core) Tracks (Deluxe) Wingfinger (Fossilizer, Deluxe) Scorponok (Deluxe) Wheeljack (Deluxe, ER in Kingdom packaging) Rhinox (Voyager) Galvatron (Leader) Rodimus Prime (Commander) Ark (real name unknown, Titan) Wave 4 Waspinator (Deluxe) Pipes (Deluxe) Shadow Panther (Deluxe) Slammer (Deluxe) Tigatron (Voyager) Starscream (Voyager) Generations Selects Artfire (Voyager) Galvatron (Toy colors, Leader) Not sure what's all still coming for Studio Series, but I'm hearing Leader-Class Grindor for the regular SS stuff, and Slag, Wreck-Gar, and maybe Sweep in SS86.

There is a rumor going around that there may be an alternate way to attach Rodimus' trailer so the cab isn't stupid long, but we're not sure where the rumor started and it's likely untrue. I'm also being told from a more credible source that the effects parts will include the rifle blast, a matrix glow that's different from SS Hot Rod's, two that go on the car/arm pipes that may or may not be like SS Hot Rod's, and a big effect part or two like Jetfire's or Sky Lynx's that can be used with the trailer's guns or blasts from the back of the trailer in alt mode. The big gun in the trailer is indeed removable, and can also be attached to the top of the trailer.

I posted about Rodimus yesterday in the other TF thread (this is the 3P one). I agree that he'll be too long in alt mode, but I really don't think he'll be significantly bigger than Optimus in bot mode. They don't always get it right, but scale is part of WfC's stated goals.

Mostly parts count. Prime was a typical Voyager-sized figure with a gun, a matrix, and a mostly-empty trailer. Rodimus should be about the same size, but he looks like he's based on SS86 Hot Rod, a Deluxe-sized you that was already at the Voyager price due to more advanced engineering and higher parts count than normal. Then he's got his gun and matrix, but what looks like a bigger and more complex trainer with more paint apps that's full of that double-barrel gun, a sword, and I'm hearing 10(!) effects parts. Is that enough to justify a $30+ price increase over Optimus? I guess that's going to be subjective. But I'm in; after you tally in how much I spent on upgrade kits to paint, sticker, and add parts to Optimus' trailer just to bring it up to the same level of quality as the G1 toy Rodimus will actually be cheaper, and I'm betting his box will contain a lot more plastic.

Interesting. There's no description, just a button that says "remind me when this becomes available," but I found it on US Netflix.

I think it wasn't supposed to be revealed until tomorrow, but the cat's out of the bag. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I love that we're getting an in-scale Rodimus Prime. I love that he's got the battle platform trailer and the space winnebago mode. I like that he turns into a car that docks with the trailer, as opposed to turning into a cab with legs. I like that the car is visually distinct, and not necessarily trying to pull a Hot Rod and Rodimus like PotP and the MP. The pipes on his arms are a little long, but I think the robot mode looks pretty great, with an older face and broader chest that doesn't simply look like a taller Hot Rod. On the other hand, the engineering for the car looks extremely similar to SS86. You can see that his arms are going to flip the same, his backpack will be bigger and cover more of his legs but it's going to unfold the same, the pipes on his arms are going to rotate the same, and the rest of the pipes rear wheels are stored in his calves the same. I'd venture that the bits of the front end that cover the silver spots on his shoulders fold out of his torso the same. The big difference seems to be that the hood is his actual chest this time. Now, that's fine on the one hand; Hot Rod has some fun engineering and looks great in both modes. But, I'm concerned that Rodimus will have the same shoulder articulation issues. Then there's the alt mode. The front of the cab looks great. The trailer looks great. But dear Primus I wish they could have shoved the car in further, because the middle of the cab is way too long. Still, the whole thing looks like a big improvement over PotP Rodimus, and overall I'm really looking forward to getting this guy in hand. Takara's release date is August first for 14,300 Yen. If the patter follows with Sky Lynx and Jetfire we'll probably get him in May in the US, but no price or preorder has been announced here yet. EDIT: It's listed as coming with Rodimus, the trailer, his gun, his sword, the Matrix, a battery, and 10 effects parts. Not clear on the battery; if they mean that battery like a power cell, and something lights up, or battery like a heavy gun emplacement, and they're referring to the trailer's big guns (which seem to have molded treads and looks like detaches from the trailer). Sorry, the rumored fishing pole doesn't look likely.

Yeah. Also, Megatron had a pistol in one of the early MTMTE stories after he joined three crew. It's frustrating that MMC gave Tyrantron so many accessories giving him the inacurrate miner mode and G1 weapons he didn't use in the comics, then releases another figure with even more accessories for Tyrantron that included more random stuff no one asked for like that weird crested head that assisted one time in Megatron Origin, but they couldn't manage one or two accessories that were actually in MTMTE. Still a really good figure, though. I'll probably pick up Jaguar, too.

Optus Pexus, MMC's Orion Pax/Optimus Prime, was so good I decided I needed a Megatron to go with him. And since MMC's Reformatted scale is too small for MP and too big for WfC and therefore doesn't really scale with anything but other Reformatted stuff it pretty much had to be MMC's Tyrantron, their take on one of a couple of versions of Megatron to appear in the IDW comics, this one specifically being based on Alex Milne's design for More Than Meets the Eye (which means that version of Megatron and Pexus' version of Pax/Prime weren't contemporary, but refer back to the problem of MMC's stuff only scaling with MMC's stuff). Spoilers for the comics, I suppose. Tyrantron is basically the same height as MMC's Kultur (Tarn) or Pexus, which is pretty much right where he's supposed to be. MMC's IDW-inspired Reformatted stuff has ranged from pretty accurate, but with sacrifices made to work as a transforming toy (like Kultur and Pexus here) to fairly loosely inspired (like their Cyclonus or their Whirl). Tyrantron falls more into the first category. From the front most the details and colors are spot on to the comics. However, the flaps on the outside of his shoulders are different, his backpack is a little different, and he's missing the gray pads on his elbows, the panels that stick out at an angle from the tops of his shoulders, and the boxes on the outsides of his lower legs. Debatably, the silver part of his shins should actually be closer to the gray color on his chest and abs, too. I'll also note here that the while much of the black and red is bare plastic almost all the silver is paint, and it's an interesting color. I don't know how well you can see it from my photo, but it doesn't match the silver used for Kultur's accents or Pexus' silver parts. Instead it's got subtle golden undertones. The result is still definitely silver, but one that's less bright and shiny which seems appropriate for Megatron at this phase in his life. If you're curious, here's how he compares with Earthrise Megatron and Gen Selects Super Megatron. As you can see, he's quite a bit taller. In fact, he's just a little short of Studio Series '86 Grimlock. Tyrantron comes with a ton of accessories that actually make my usual review format a bit challenging. See, the earlier pictures are Tyrantron exactly as he comes out of the box, but his shoulder flaps, chest plate, and head are all removeable. Then you get one short cockpit, one long cockpit, a round barrel attachment for the short cockpit, a drill section for the short cockpit, an alternate chest, alternate shoulder flaps, an alternate Tyrantron head, an alternate Kultur head, a new mask for Kultur, a gun barrel attachment, a drill attachment, an energon mace he never had in the comics, and a light saber that looks an awful lot like the one from the '86 movie but that he also didn't have in the comics. Tyrantron's head is on a ball joint with decent upward and sideways tilt, but his big chin doesn't leave a lot of room for downward tilt. His shoulders rotate on ratchets and move laterally 90 degrees on friction joints- in theory. In practice, although they're jointed correctly, he'll fall a bit short of 90 if you raise his arms then spread them, but I think what you get is still adequate. His biceps swivel. His elbows are technically double-jointed, but the lower joint is really for transformation and you'll only get a little past 90 degrees. His wrists rotate, and his fingers are pinned so that they can open as one solid piece. His waist swivels. His hips are ratcheted and his hip skirts do move, but we're still only talking about a bit under 90 degrees forward or backward, and about 60 degrees laterally. His thighs swivel. His knees are double-jointed and good for about 130 degrees, revealing some red joints in the process. As near as I can tell his whole feet are on ball joints, giving him some limited up/down tilt, about 30 degrees or so of ankle pivot, and a little ankle swivel, plus the front of his foot and his heel are are separate hinges with their own up/down tilt. The heels on my copy are a bit loose, though. I'll note that there are treads on the backs of his legs, and the bottom of the tread can fold out in a way that allows them to brace against the heel. That bit of fold out tread isn't used in transformation, so maybe it's meant to brace the heel. Officially, the longer cockpit with the hexagonal red tip is meant for Tyrantron like this, even though he never had anything like it in the comics. It has a large squarish plug on it that fits into a gap on either of Tyrantron's forearms. Unfortunately, if you're not using it (which would be comic-accurate 99% of the time for this version of Megatron) you've got large squarish cutouts on his forearms. Also note that it's a pretty big thing to stick on his arm, and the back end of it might get caught on his backpack when you're trying to get some poses out of him. The small gun barrel plugs into Tyrantron's backpack. This is necessary for a comic book-accurate look. As for the mace and saber, Tyrantron's hand is molded into a 5mm shape so they just slide right in. Note that Tyrantron's wrists have hinges that allow him to point the saber down/forward, which is a really nice touch. Another nice touch is that, since the handles are really just 5mm pegs, you can use these two accessories with other Transformers toys like Earthrise Megatron. If you swap the heads, the chest plates, and the shoulder flaps, plus you remove the gun barrel from his backpack and replace it with the little drill, you can get another look that's loosely based on Megatron's miner appearance from Megatron Origin, also drawn by Alex Milne, and some of the flashback scenes in later comics. I say loosely, because the head's pretty accurate and the caution stripes on the chest and the new shoulder flaps are in the ballpark, but the rest of the look isn't really even close. I mean, Miner Megatron wasn't even silver- he was more of a dark gray or gunmetal. Ostensibly this is Megatron before he gets his fusion cannon, so the second shorter cockpit is for this version of robot mode. You can plug it onto the same square cutouts on either forearm then plug the drill into it so he's just carrying a big mining tool on his arm. That said, swapping the drill for the round black barrel gives him something a little closer to his traditional fusion cannon, albeit a large one that isn't accurate to any version he carried in the comics. Of course, using the short cockpit with either barrel is technically an option even with the standard MTMTE parts. Likewise, with cutouts on both forearms, dual-wielding is also an option. However, if you're looking for something that's more accurate to the one he did use in the comics, during the "Dying of the Light" story arc, it looks like Shapeways is your only option. So, about those Kultur parts... how do I even talk about them without major spoilers? All I can say is that I don't like the new head. The new mask has a cool gimmick, but it unfortunately doesn't work with the old Kultur head. You can read the spoiler section below if you want a more elaborate explanation. Anyway... Tyrantron has a very simple transformation, and you can see now why his fusion cannons are also cockpits. Fun fact, although I don't recall if Megatron later transformed in the Lost Light series (which Roberts continued to write but Milne didn't draw), he never transformed in More Than Meets the Eye. This wasn't all that unusual; MTMTE was a very character-driven book and most of the characters only made brief appearances in alt mode. It meant, though, that MMC had to invent an alt mode for Tyrantron on their own. Perhaps, bolstered by recent versions of Megatron like Don Figueroa's stealth bomber from earlier in the IDW run, Transformers Prime, the '07 movie, and maybe The Last Knight (I can't remember whether that film or Tyrantron came out first) MMC decided to eschew the all-too-common tank mode for a space jet. With the polygonal cannon/cockpit and the rectangular bits on the wing tips it's also clear that MMC was inspired by Super Megatron (the original manga version, since Tyrantron beat the Gen Selects version by two years). It doesn't have to be a space jet, though. If you're using the alternate miner Megatron parts (which can be swapped even in alt mode; you just have to swap the head after removing one cockpit but before replacing the other and you have to undo the arms a little to get the clearance to swap the flaps) you get a vehicle that's got much the same appearance but, having traded wings for some caution-marked panels that fit closer to the curled-up arms, is ostensibly some kind of drill tank. Of course, mixing and matching is still an option. Tank with a huge gun barrel? Jet with a drill nose? You can do as you like. I'll mention, though, that Milne did eventually reveal the alt mode he'd designed for Megatron on Twitter. It was a tank. Whatever combo you go with, Tyrantron rests on four treads in the back (two that were on his calves, two that were on the backs of his biceps) and one in the front that folds down from the cockpit part. Although the treads on his biceps can swivel none of the treads roll or even have little wheels, so Tyrantron doesn't doo much in this mode. There's no place to store any of his other accessories. Tyrantron's alt mode isn't the best, but chances are if you're interested in this figure it's probably because you're a fan of More Than Meets the Eye and it's really the robot mode that matters to you. On that note, Tyrantron isn't perfect- he's got the cutouts in his forearms, there are a few minor details that aren't totally comic-accurate, and he could use a tad more articulation, but he's still quite good at capturing Alex Milne's art and has a strong presence overall. My biggest complaint might be with the accessories. I really don't care to make a nowhere-near-accurate miner Megatron. I'd rather MMC skipped those parts and instead gave us a smaller, more comic-accurate fusion cannon, even if you'd still have to swap it out for one of these ones in alt mode. Overall, it's one of the best Megatron toys out there, and not simply because it's based on the best version of Megatron. I'd recommend picking him up if you can, then reading More Than Meets the Eye to find out why this version is the best Megatron.

I know I'm probably hoping against hope, but I do hope they won't be too hard to get. I wouldn't mind getting something with a bigger screen for portable mode and 4K for my TVs, plus my daughter's getting to an age where she's starting to show some interest. I was thinking that instead of selling my current Switch to upgrade like I normally would I'd just let my daughter have my old one.

That looks hot. Scale it up to CHUG and/or MP, please

If anyone still needs the Amazon Barricade & Punch/Counterpunch pack it's in stock at Pulse. (Not sure if you have to be a premium member or not). EDIT: X-Pants, too.

I mean, cool if true, but this rumor has been going around so long that I'll believe it when pre-orders go up.

That particular screenshot is from "The Face of Nijika". About 13 minutes in Rodimus gets knocked off a cliff in alt mode. He transforms into robot mode, and his trailer shoots off to who-knows-where. At the bottom he turns into a car, and the trailer rolls up to attach to it. The screenshot is just before the trailer attaches. Could be, but the hilts look different. On that note, Regeneration One was a worse continuation of Marvel G1 than Generation 2 was. Side note, avoid TFW for awhile. It's a ****show right now, with some people insisting that Rodimus is a repaint of SS86 Hot Rod (despite the clear differences) and therefore the same size, and while others are acknowledging that Rodimus will be the same size as Optimus half of those are complaining that a Voyager-class figure with a ton of accessories* and a trailer are some kind of rip off at the Commander-class and are insisting that they'll just buy the definitely-not-in-scale PotP Leader Rodimus instead. *Not at all confirmed, but in addition to the sword and rifle seen in the leaked image I'm hearing that yes he will have the trailer, with the G1 battle platform gimmick and not just a mostly-empty box like Optimus' trailer, plus I'm also hearing he'll either have a Matrix or his chest will have storage for Optimus/Hot Rod's, he's going to have some more blast effect parts, and a fishing pole for SS86 Hot Rod.

Yes.

Assuming Hasbro is keeping things in scale then Rodimus shouldn't be taller than Optimus. Hot Rod with a rifle and a sword sized up to Optimus is still a Voyager, maybe a Leader if the engineering is crazy. To be a Commander he pretty much has to have a trailer and can do space winnebago mode. Best guess is the car mode is a reference to a specific episode.

Where's the trailer?

Hasbro's Transformers Crossovers are moving out of the '80s and into the '90s... it's Ultimate X-Panse, representing X-Men X Transfomers. Could Hasbro really not have come up with a better name for this guy? At the very least, it's X-Men in the '90s, so he should have been called X-Treme X-Panse. But I'm just going to call him X-Pants. Anyway, X-Pants is a big boy! He's like the Leader-class of old, dwarfing Gigawatt (who's the same size as most of the WfC Autobot cars) and Maverick (who's a bit taller than WfC Prime or Megatron). To the top of his head he's actually just a bit taller than Studio Series Grimlock. Not as big as Siege Jetfire, though. As an original character I can't go and point out all the deviations from the original but... he's kind of a mess, isn't he? For one, the yellow paint isn't the best. Some spots, like his right knee, are fine. Some spots, like his left knee, needed another coat. And in some places, like his left shoulder, they went out of the lines. And yeah, he's technically remolded from Studio Series Jetfire, and it's kind of impressive how much of him isn't that toy... but the parts of him that are still Jetfire leave a ton of kibble on his back. The nose backpack and the "wings" I can live with, I suppose, but the flaps just hanging out behind his head are atrocious. Still, they definitely captured a lot the '90s X-Men vibe, with the mostly blue body, the yellow belt with extra chest and leg straps, and Cyclops' visor. So I don't exactly love it, but I don't really hate it, either. Note that the instructions have the landing gear sticking up from his hips as pictured above. You can rotate them so they're pointing backward instead. Cleans him up a little. X-Pants doesn't come with a weapon, but he does come with two slugs, Sabertooth and Wolverine, and three effects parts. One of the effects parts looks like the thing that appears around Psylocke's face when she uses her powers, but there doesn't seem to be any way to use with directly with X-Pants. The instructions say you can put it around one of the slugs' waists, but that really doesn't make a ton of sense. Speaking of the slugs, they're not great. Sabertooth isn't too bad, but Wolverine is painted terribly with far too much black on his face and he's molded into a pose that he can barely stand in. They and the Psylocke effect are probably going back in the box. Credit where it's due, because I don't recall Jetfire having great articulation, but X-Pants can move. His head is on a hinged swivel, so he can turn his head, he can look up a good amount, and he can look down a bit. His shoulders rotate and extend laterally a hair over 90 degrees. His biceps swivel. His elbows bend 90 degrees, and his wrists swivel. Despite his large backpack his waist can swivel and a small ab crunch- it's not the best for posing, but it may be to aid in transformation or a leftover bit of Jetfire's engineering. What is new is a hinge that gives him a sideways bend. I'm not sure why it's there, though. The range is limited, and the joint is very loose on my copy, but it doesn't seem to serve any other purpose. Anyway, his hips can go forward and laterally 90 degrees on ratchets. Backward is a little more limited, maybe 45 degrees, due to his backpack getting in the way. His thighs swivel. His knees are double-jointed and ratcheted, but they still only get about 90 degrees of bend. The front of his feet tilt up, mostly due to transformation, and maybe a little down. He does have about 30 degrees or so of ankle pivots. Take care when posing him. He's a little back-heavy. His hands aren't molded in a way that can hold any accessories. However, he's got some bumps on the backs of his hands with a 5mm port on each one. That allows you to use the other two blast effects. One is very akin to Psylocke's psychic blade. The other is the same color, but the trio of claws on it are reminiscent of Wolverine's. So is he supposed to be like Cyclops, Psylocke, or Wolverine? I don't know. But I do know that, unlike Cyclops, X-Pants can lift up his visor and you can see his eyes without him blowing your face off. Like the other Crossovers the idea here is that he's a famous vehicle re-imagined as a Transformer. In this case, it's the X-Men's private jet, the Blackbird. I guess, at some point in the comics, it actually was an SR-71 Blackbird, but it wasn't in the cartoon. X-Pants, starting from a toy that is an SR-71, kind of splits the difference, with new engine nacelles, new wings, and a new first section of the fuselage. The rest of the fuselage and the vertical stabilizers, though, come right from Jetfire. The result is something that isn't really cartoon accurate, but the colors and silhouette are close enough that you'd recognize it as the Blackbird even without the X-Men emblems on the wings. Transformation is not very much like Jetfire at all. It's mostly straightforward, except for the legs, which are a bit of a pain. Here's a look at the underside. Yeah, he's got a bit of kibble under there, but honestly I think it does a fairly good job stuffing most of it between the nacelles, so it's really not the worst (especially for an SR-71 derivative). He's got three working landing gear (compared to Jetfire's one), and there's peg holes in the gap between his robot chest and waist that allow you to store his arm blade and claw effect parts. Alternatively, there are small peg holes on the effect parts, and tiny pegs under the wings, allowing you to mount them there. (While I'm at it, there are little pegs on the landing gear on his belt, so you can also store them on his hips in robot mode. But how are you supposed to hang an energy blade from your belt?) I'm a bit surprised, but there aren't any peg holes in the engine nozzles, though, so he can't put the effect parts there or even borrow from Siege Jetfire or something. A note on those little wings... mine came packaged in the correct forward-swept position. They don't seem to be popping off; I've only had it happen once, and I definitely bent it farther than it was meant to go at the time. However, they're loose in the sense that they have two stopping points, one for bot mode and one for plane mode, and there's almost no friction between those points. And even at those points there really isn't enough. My wings like to droop, especially the left one. It's a shame they couldn't have some way to tab into place. As for the slugs, well... they can stand on top of the Blackbird. He doesn't ahve a cockpit for them to sit in, though. The instructions also show that they can stand on the flaps behind his head in robot mode, but that doesn't seem like a great idea. There's no peg holes on the slugs and none of those little Titan Master bumps on X-Pants, so they don't secure onto him the way Wheelie secures onto Grimlock. They literally just stand there. X-Men was one of my favorite cartoons in the '90s. It's largely responsible for getting me into comic books, a habit I indulge to this day, and drawing my own comics in high school is why I started college as an art major. But, either I'm just not as nostalgic for the '90s as I am the '80s, or the Blackbird isn't as much a character as the DeLorean time machine or Ecto-1, because I'm not feeling it the way I did with those two, or the way I would with something like KITT, the Batmobile, or the TMNT Party Wagon. And unlike Maverick, who I also didn't have a ton of nostalgia for, X-Pants doesn't have the clever engineering, which leaves him as my least favorite of the Crossovers. I probably wouldn't have even bought him, as $65 seems a bit much for him, but thankfully I had reserved him with a coupon that gave me a pretty significant discount. If you're into the Crossover thing and you're a fan of the X-Men, then by all means give him a go. But if you pass on him I don't think you're missing much.

FedEx has never been reliable in my area. They're always slower than UPS and USPS, they often miss their estimated delivery dates, and the worst thing they did was deliver a $2000 Razer Blade laptop to my neighbor's porch (no signature) instead of me. More recently they delivered a DVD by tossing it in a bubble mailer onto my porch, then dropping a case of canned cat food on top of the mailer. But yeah. Even when they're not screwing up they're inconsistent. Figure my Ultimate X-Panse shipped when yours did, probably, but I'm still waiting for it after it spent three days in Indiana (it looks like it should be tomorrow, finally). Meanwhile I ordered Bravely Default 2 from Walmart on Friday and FedEx delivered it Sunday.