J.T. Silversmith Posted October 17 Posted October 17 I am too poor to be able to get both Ultra Magnus and Delta Magnus, so this one is the one I want to get! he looks really appealing to me. Quote
Valkyrie Hunter D Posted October 17 Posted October 17 Hawt! In my head canon they would be Roadbuster and Whirl. Quote
J.T. Silversmith Posted October 17 Posted October 17 The front grill of the VelociRaptor 6x6 truck mode has I-Hide sculpted on it. Quote
Valkyrie Hunter D Posted October 17 Posted October 17 29 minutes ago, J.T. Silversmith said: The front grill of the VelociRaptor 6x6 truck mode has I-Hide sculpted on it. Nothing a little styrene and glue couldn't fix if I were so inclined. I'm real curious about this Overgear series. It just might pull me back into TFs. Quote
J.T. Silversmith Posted October 18 Posted October 18 yeah these look real neat! If the Truck Ironhide turns into is real, what about the Helicopter? This is the only thing I have found so far, a Hellhound from Patlabor with the landing gear on the wingtips and tail like the new Blackout. I am not very familiar with helicopters in general so perhaps one of you has a better idea. Quote
Valkyrie Hunter D Posted October 18 Posted October 18 55 minutes ago, J.T. Silversmith said: yeah these look real neat! If the Truck Ironhide turns into is real, what about the Helicopter? This is the only thing I have found so far, a Hellhound from Patlabor with the landing gear on the wingtips and tail like the new Blackout. I am not very familiar with helicopters in general so perhaps one of you has a better idea. It a completely fictional design, but there may be hints of a Tiger Eurocopter gunship in there: Quote
Hikuro Posted October 18 Posted October 18 I'm digging the overgear, particularly Ironhide. Gonna wait and see the overall look before I try to preorder. Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 18 Author Posted October 18 1 hour ago, Hikuro said: Gonna wait and see the overall look before I try to preorder. Well, that and the price. Quote
David Hingtgen Posted October 18 Posted October 18 The radar dome screams "Apache Longbow". https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rotor_Head_and_Radar_Dome_of_ROCA_AH-64E_810_20140531.jpg Quote
pengbuzz Posted October 18 Posted October 18 (edited) Missing Link Delta Magnus (Diaclone Powered Convoy) Official Announcement: (more): https://tformers.com/55789 Edited October 18 by pengbuzz Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 21 Author Posted October 21 (edited) A few more repaints, then I think I'm just waiting on a few crossovers and, despite it still being warm enough to skip a jacket most days, I think I'm done for the year. Up first we have Seaspray's wavemate, Retro Brawn. And... he's kind of unimpressive. To be honest, I was going to skip him entirely but I got to thinking, "well, I have Retro Gears and Bumblebee, and Seaspray's Retro (especially if they do eventually release a toon version), and I started getting FOMO. So when I saw him on a peg at my local store I grabbed him. So he does have a new head that matches the G1 toy. They also altered the colors of the green to better match the toy, they painted the windows black instead of blue, and they put a spot of black under the badge on the hood. But that's where they stopped, and that's kind of disappointing. I mean, I get it's a Walmart line and they're not going to dump a ton of money into remolding figures for it, but the stocky cartoon body doesn't match the clawed jank that was the G1 toy. But forget about giving him claws and shoulder pads, they could have at least tampoed some sticker detail onto his waist and pelvis. The moral of the story is don't be me. You have SS86 Brawn? You've got all the Brawn you need then. Coming from Hasbro Pulse, we've got a two-pack of G2 Dinobots. One of which is Snarl. There's some minor paint differences. Most notably they painted the eyes red like the toys whereas SS86 Snarl went for cartoon blue. Other than that, they used a slightly darker shade of red for the parts that were already read, and a lighter shade of red for the parts that were gray, and that's it. The other Dinobot is Snarl, and it's pretty much the same story. The gray plastic has been swapped for a greenish blue, and he's got a silver lower jaw, red eyes, and red horns to mimic the original G2 toy. He's also got black thighs and a black head. But there's no changes to the actual mold. It'd have been cool if they'd has some remolding; keep the dino kibble on the outside like the toys, for instance, but broad strokes this is probably fine. A bunch of Leader-class repaints with no remolding is probably a tough pill for a lot of people to swallow. Still, especially with Grimlock still on shelves, it's kind of cool seeing the team together but sporting more individualistic colors. Again, maybe not for everyone, but I say bring on the expected orange Sludge and green Swoop. Finally, we have our NYCC-exclusive Nemesis Prime. Unlike more recent Nemesis Primes, this isn't simply a black repaint of regular Optimus. This version, one of the first to actually bear the name "Nemesis Prime" AFAIK, actually had screen time. And to mimic the cel-shaded colors of that episode (also the Hasbro version of the original toy), Nemesis Prime is more dark blue than black, with a messed up face also pulled from the episode. Aside from the new head and colors, he's the same figure as the Commander-class toy, with the same Matrix, gun, and forearm pipe-guns. He doesn't, however, come with a trailer. Instead, he comes with the Star Saber from Transformers Armada. Not the Vorpal Saber he wielded in the show, but I guess Hasbro figured that most fans would want the Star Saber more? The Star Saber is an awkward-looking sword, and that sword breaks into three smaller minicons. The Minicons are, of course, the Air Defense team- Runway, Jetstorm, and Sonar, from left to right. Note that I have Jetstorm mistransformed. His tail should slide back, then swing over his head to sit on his chest (a bit like Runway's). You might notice, however, the crack on one of the hinges. The tolerances don't seem to be right and the plastic is too thin for the stress, so I'm leaving it permanently where it's at. Aside from being the Star Saber, and aside from the fact that Armada fans seem to genuinely want more Minicons, I don't think they're much to write home about. They're a little larger than the Siege Micromasters, with slightly better articulation, but not by a lot. Moving back to Nemesis, he of course transforms into a truck. Although he doesn't come with a trailer, he can pull the one that came with Optimus. He can even combine with it; despite not technically needing them, he's got the head and fists for combined mode. Kind of makes you wish he came with a trailer of his own. What makes you wish it even more is the price tag. Optimus, as a Commander, was $90, right? Well Nemesis here is also $90. In other worse, he's giving up the trailer and extra play patterns that come along with it for a trio of honestly-not-that-great Minicons that turn into a sword. I dunno about you guys, but I'd have rather had the trailer. I mean, how does that even add up? Optimus' trailer has WAY more plastic and more parts than the Air Defense Team. I know, recent tariffs and price hikes would likely mean that Armada Optimus would actually cost even more, but still, a repaint of the core bot with some dinky and fragile minicons instead of the trailer is a really hard pill to swallow. Edited October 21 by mikeszekely Quote
Scyla Posted October 21 Posted October 21 @mikeszekely I thought Armada Nemesis Prime was also $90 (he is €92 in the EU). Since he is such a weird release (no trailer, no regular face sculpt, not the correct sword, odd animation shading color), I hope we will get a full commander release with the trailer and a "correct" color for Nemesis Prime down the line (maybe akin to the Nemesis Bendy Prime version). I think Armada Nemesis Prime is supposed to be black in the cartoon but because you cannot shade black the animators decided to make him this dark green. RiD Scourge is also sometimes depicted as a very dark blue (and sometimes black) but it is easier to have parts of Scourge a pure black because he has other colors on him whereas Armada Nemesis Prime is predominantly black. Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 21 Author Posted October 21 8 minutes ago, Scyla said: I thought Armada Nemesis Prime was also $90 (he is €92 in the EU). You're correct. I don't know why I thought I paid less... eh, I'm getting old. Must have had something else shipped around the same time that cost $80. I'll have to edit my review, but really the takeway is that the Air Defense team is now fully equal in price to Optimus' trailer, and I dunno about that. The math ain't mathing, as my daughter would say. 10 minutes ago, Scyla said: I think Armada Nemesis Prime is supposed to be black in the cartoon but because you cannot shade black the animators decided to make him this dark green. I 100% agree. Just like animators in the '80s couldn't shade silver, and now we've got a whole mess of people insisting that Optimus' legs and thighs should be white when they're clearly supposed to be the same silver as the toy. And if I'm being honest, I'd have preferred that NYCC Nemesis Prime was black. It's how Takara did the original Armada toy. But, like I said in my review, they're not just copying how the animation was done, it seems that the Hasbro version of the original toy was also dark blue. Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 25 Author Posted October 25 First look at Brawl's leg mode. I'm not loving it... I prefer the toy look in combined mode, so a tank with the front noticeably folded over and a silver foot. But it is sort of cartoon accurate, especially when you consider that Onslaught's frame will form the rest of the leg. Speaking of Onslaught... Prototype looking way better than Combiner Wars, eh? And they're going the Warbotron/Iron Factory route, Onslaught himself is forming the cab of the truck, the combiner bits are forming a trailer that can double as a gun emplacement. Sadly, it doesn't look like they're showing off the whole combined mode/frame. Looks to me like Bruticus' chest is folded into the the waist, with the backpack guns folded down over them, and Bruticus' thighs are folded backward. Then the flatbed portion of the trailer behind the guns is the back of Bruticus' leg and bottom of his feet, but the stuff under it with the rear wheels is his arms. And, last but not least (well, yeah, probably least for most of you) is the other Japan-themed Timelines back. Once again, since set 1 was Prime and Starscream, set two is Megatron and Bumblebee, as a boar and a flying squirrel, respecitively. Quote
M'Kyuun Posted October 28 Posted October 28 Missed the preorder window with Pulse again, so I managed to get Blast Off and Brawl through Amazon. at least I get free shipping as a Prime member. On 10/25/2025 at 7:46 AM, mikeszekely said: First look at Brawl's leg mode. I'm not loving it... I prefer the toy look in combined mode, so a tank with the front noticeably folded over and a silver foot. But it is sort of cartoon accurate, especially when you consider that Onslaught's frame will form the rest of the leg. Speaking of Onslaught... Prototype looking way better than Combiner Wars, eh? And they're going the Warbotron/Iron Factory route, Onslaught himself is forming the cab of the truck, the combiner bits are forming a trailer that can double as a gun emplacement. Sadly, it doesn't look like they're showing off the whole combined mode/frame. Looks to me like Bruticus' chest is folded into the the waist, with the backpack guns folded down over them, and Bruticus' thighs are folded backward. Then the flatbed portion of the trailer behind the guns is the back of Bruticus' leg and bottom of his feet, but the stuff under it with the rear wheels is his arms. If that Brawl leg/foot transformation is legit, that's an interesting way to go, especially since they're using the frame system. I'm not complaining as it's all-in-one engineering, which is unexpected from Takara/Hasbro considering the methodology for Menasor and Superion where the vehicles are essentially accoutrements and the feet are part of the frame. I don't mind their taking the Motormaster approach with Onslaught. Both depart from their G1 toys by splitting the trailers from their cabs, but Motormaster was well-executed, IMHO, and it makes sense to use the trailer as the frame for the combined mode. Thanks to a quick demo at the MCM London TF convention, there's confirmation that the trailer enjoys a bit of swivel which should be a requisite when it comes to Onslaught's long alt mode. So few companies work it in, so I'm glad Takara did it here, even if the arc of rotation is somewhat limited. With all of the Combaticons revealed, the team and Bruticus are shaping up to be some of the best AotP releases. Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 28 Author Posted October 28 Missing Link Optimus (and, to a lesser extent, Bumblebee) were interesting to me because it took a figure I (and I expect most Transformers fans) was incredibly familiar with, but gave it a more modern level of articulation and made a few improvements to eliminate the partsforming elements of the original. Missing Link Sunstreaker was interesting to me because I wasn't familiar with the original. Although the Missing Link version featured articulation and integrated hands that the original never did, it was my first time experiencing even the basic transformation engineering. The newest entry in the Missing Link line is interesting to me for third, brand new reason—because there never was a G1 toy. Yeah, we're talking about Missing Link Arcee. Note that she's based on an unreleased prototype, though there's a Missing Link version of said prototype. This made for a tough call on my part... the prototype version, with its different head sculpt and mix of orange and purple colors, could be argued as being more toy accurate. Except that it literally only existed as a hand-sculpted, non-transforming prototype. I'm not even sure if the images that were making the rounds were even of the physical prototype. Frankly, it's not certain that the toy would have actually been orange had it gotten further along in production, and I ultimately went with more traditional Arcee colors (though I wish they'd have kept the prototype head sculpt). Regardless of color, Missing Link Arcee gives a reasonable depiction of what a G1 Arcee toy might have looked like, with awkward shoulders, a flat chest, wide hips, and knock knees, though she still seems a bit more modern than the likes of G1 Kup, Blurr, or Hot Rod. Heck, her car kibble even cleans up quite a bit tighter than the SS86 toy! There seems to be a big departure here compared to the other Missing Link figures released so far. See, while Prime and Sunstreaker did come with stickers, if you wanted that look, their sticker details were actually sculpted and painted onto the toys already. Arcee, on the other hand, is looking pretty plain here. She doesn't even have an Autobot badge on her chest. But there are stickers that provide that badge, as well as covers for the screws on her shoulders and colorful bits for her toes and belly button. Her sole accessory is this pink gun. Although not a match for the gun she uses in the '86 movie (which the SS86 toy's gun is based on), I do believe that it's based on a gun she briefly used in the third season. If you want the movie-style pistol, well, I hear it comes with the prototype-colored version. Takara really wants you to double dip on this mold. Articulation isn't quite up to modern standards, but far beyond most of the actual '86 toys. Her head can swivel, and she can look about 45 degrees upward. Her shoulders, including the car fenders, can swivel, while a hinge gives her maybe 60 degrees of lateral movement. Her biceps swivel, and her elbows can bend just over 90 degrees. No waist or wrist swivels. Her hips can go about 90 degrees backward and nearly 180 degrees forward, though you have to move them out enough to clear per pelvis. Speaking of, they move 90 degrees laterally. She has a restricted thigh swivel; you can turn her legs about 45 degrees outward and just a touch inward. Her knees bend about 120 degrees. Her feet can tilt up and down about 45 degrees, and her ankles pivot about 45 degrees. Arcee can hold her gun in either hand. There are also peg holes on her backpack you can plug the gun into. The transformation is, honestly, kind of similar to the SS86 toy. Hinges move her hips to the rear of the vehicle, and her legs swing up so they can tuck under it. The front of her torso flips up to form the nose of the car, while the hood scoop, seats, and rear section with the fin are all parts of her backpack. The big difference is that SS86 Arcee has a lot more backpack to unfold, using it to make up more of the car's exterior while hiding her limbs. Meanwhile, Missing Link Arcee uses the arms to make the fenders and sides of the car, with her actual thighs making parts of the rear. And, y'know, maybe G1 toys didn't always have the best robot modes. But the vehicle modes were still pretty good, and that's definitely the case here. Not exactly cartoon-accurate, as she's significantly narrower with a longer nose that goes way past her front fenders versus the cartoon, yet it does so in a way that captures the sporty, almost hourglass shape the car had with wider fenders and a narrower cockpit, a short, round butt, and a long, sloping nose in a way that Titans Return, Kingdom, and even MMC's third party version didn't quite get. My only real gripe is the corners of her pelvis sticking out a bit from under the nose. Weapon storage on G1 toys wasn't aways a give, but there are two holes near the fin on the back of Arcee's car mode. Either of them can be used to store her gun while she's in alt mode (they're the same spots you can use the store them on her backpack). Growing up poor, I had more Gobots than actual Transformers prior to the '86 movie, but in the Christmas of 1986 I got the entire movie cast save for Cyclonus, Scourge, Gnaw, and Springer. I've rectified that as an adult, and even posted here comparing the '86 toys to some modern Siege, Kingdom, and Studio Series counterparts (something I could update, what with newer SS86 versions of Magnus, Springer and Galvatron). Despite being an important part of the new-for-the-movie cast, and despite having her SS86 figure hanging with her modern movie counterparts, Arcee is not among my 1986 G1 toys. While not truly a 1986 toy, or even a reimagining of an '86 toy with additional articulation, Missing Link Arcee is a sort of "what if?" that can represent the character with my actual 1986 toys. I think that's all I really needed her to be, but the fact that she's kind of decent even by modern standards, with a lot less kibble on her than most Arcee toys, makes her the sort of toy I want to recommend regardless. Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 28 Author Posted October 28 (edited) 31 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said: Missed the preorder window with Pulse again, so I managed to get Blast Off and Brawl through Amazon. at least I get free shipping as a Prime member. 2 hours ago, sh9000 said: Preordered Blast Off and Brawl at The Chosen Prime. I preordered everything but Razorclaw (wake me when it's G1 Razorclaw), Wreck-Gar, and Jalopy. I wasn't a big fan of those fan-fic Junkions in the first place. Though, I might buy Jalopy if I happen to see him in stores one day; with his more traditional colors and Autobot badge he makes a better part of "Junkasaurus" than Axlegrease. Edited October 28 by mikeszekely Quote
M'Kyuun Posted October 28 Posted October 28 1 minute ago, mikeszekely said: I preordered everything but Razorclaw (wake me when it's G1 Razorclaw), Wreck-Gar, and Jalopy. I wasn't a big fan of those fan-fic Junkions in the first place. Though, I might buy Jalopy if I happen to see him in stores one day; with his more traditional colors and Decepticon badge he makes a better part of "Junkasaurus" than Axlegrease. Brawl and Blast Off were my only two orders this time. I'm not a big fan of their homegrown Junkions either, and IMHO, they wasted what could have otherwise been a good fig by reusing a Junkion mold for Animated Wreck-Gar. I have the OG toy, which is far superior than this wannabe. Quote
mikeszekely Posted October 28 Author Posted October 28 53 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said: Brawl and Blast Off were my only two orders this time. I expect that'll be the case for most of the MW. Maybe a few purchases of Sureshot. In a fanbase that already skews more toward G1 than later Transformers, MW tends to skew even further into "geewunner" than average. I love the deeper lore, though, and the Thirteen have fascinated me since Furman first started cooking them up in his Dreamwave days/DK's The Ultimate Guide to the Trasnsformers, so I'm also very looking forward to Quintus and Amalgamous. I like the design and colors of the Japanese Lio Convoy and Big Convoy better than Optimus Primal, so I'm in for Big Convoy. I debated whether or not I really wanted Quickstrike or not. He made the cut because he was a regular (albeit late) member of the cartoon Beast Wars cast (correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that just leaves Depthcharge and Rampage, and then maybe the Transmetal versions of some characters, to wrap up the cartoon cast). Razorclaw, on the other hand, is based on a 2003 Universe toy and isn't even the original Beast Wars toy to bear that name... that'd go to a 1997 toy that turned into a crab. 55 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said: IMHO, they wasted what could have otherwise been a good fig by reusing a Junkion mold for Animated Wreck-Gar Agree bigly. I got Trashmaster, that's enough of that mold. Quote
mikeszekely Posted Friday at 05:40 AM Author Posted Friday at 05:40 AM 2 hours ago, sh9000 said: Spotlight Optimus 3 Pack. Pass. Yeah... it's supposed to be gray prototype, colored prototype, and finished product. And it's cool that the finished one has more cel-shading than the regular SS release, and that there's a rifle this time... but the two prototypes have me scratching my head. I get that they want to give the designers some spotlight and show of the design process, but release a book or something. Don't try to talk me into dumping $85 on three copies of the same figure in decoes I don't want or need, especially when there are so many other decos they could use that would get me to open my wallet... Nemesis Prime, Ultra Magnus, dead gray Optimus, Shining Magnus, Delta Magnus, etc. Quote
tekering Posted Friday at 05:44 AM Posted Friday at 05:44 AM 2 hours ago, sh9000 said: Spotlight Optimus 3 Pack. That's a shameless cash-grab, even for Hasbro... 🙄 Quote
M'Kyuun Posted Friday at 05:53 AM Posted Friday at 05:53 AM 5 minutes ago, tekering said: That's a shameless cash-grab, even for Hasbro... 🙄 And for what, honestly, is not that good a figure, especially when compared to either the ER mold or SS86. I assume these are deluxe scaled, but if they're smaller, I'll stick with my far superior Magic Square fig, thanks. Quote
JB0 Posted Friday at 06:16 AM Posted Friday at 06:16 AM 35 minutes ago, mikeszekely said: Yeah... it's supposed to be gray prototype, colored prototype, and finished product. More like Dead Optimus, Devastation Optimus, and Unpainted Unstickered Bootleg Optimus. Quote
Scyla Posted Friday at 12:20 PM Posted Friday at 12:20 PM I have to be thankful that they didn’t pack a Nemesis Prime into this multipack. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.