Tag Archives: combiner wars

Apr 14 2016

Transformers Combiner Wars: G2 Stunticons Box Set by Hasbro, Part 1: Motormaster

Well, looks like I was able to get Transformers Thursdays kick-started a little early thanks to this big box of garishly colored plastic that arrived on my stoop earlier in the week. Lest you think Hasbro isn’t willing to take risks these days, I present to you the Combiner Wars Stunticons in those glorious Generation 2 colors that never actually saw official release here in the US. That is, until someone recently dropped an obscene amount of money on an un-circulated set via Ebay. It’s worth noting that this is actually the second G2-inspired Combiner Wars set Hasbro has sent to retail, the first being the Aerialbots, which I will probably get to eventually. Now, I was already out of buying Transformers and in college by the time G2 hit the shelves around 1991, but it’s impossible for me not to fall in love with the vivid coloring that the line used. Today I’m going to start with a look at the packaging and Motormaster…

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The box is somewhat reminiscent to the packaging Takara uses for their Unite Warriors giftsets, although this one is a completely enclosed box with no window or front flap. Still, it’s impressively large and features very nice artwork on the front and the back shows the combined Menasor mode. It doesn’t actually make the connection to the G2 homage anywhere on the box, so anyone buying this set sight unseen and expecting to get the regular Stunticons will be in for a delightful or horrific surprise, depending on their personal tastes.

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Inside the box, the six figures come packaged in their vehicle modes, just like the old G1 giftsets and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The weapons and combiner parts are laid out beside each figure. The box also contains an instruction sheet and a collectible character card for Menasor. Just look at these lovelies! They look like they would be right at home cruising the streets in GTA: Vice City. This is so damn cool!

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A far cry from his drab black and gray G1-style deco, Motormaster’s cab now sports snazzy purple and two-tone blue coloring with stylish red stripes running down the sides. You also still get some of that great silver paint on the front grill and the smokestacks and the wheels are still black. I’ll also point out that they did a fairly good job matching the purple plastic on the corners with the purple paint on the rest of the cab. Although, I still wish they could have painted in the rest of the windows to match, even if it meant bumping up the price of the set a little bit. I don’t have anything new to say about the cab mode itself. It holds together pretty well and I’m surprised the Third Parties haven’t come out with trailers for Motormaster yet. Right now, they could get two versions out of whatever mold they cooked up. Four, if you count the two Optimus Primes. GET ON IT, DUDE’S!!!

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Wow… he’s breathtaking! I mean, holy hell does he just pop! In robot mode, the new deco carries over from the cab with few surprises. You do get more blue showing than purple and the extra red paint hits really makes for a striking touch. It’s fascinating to see the profound differences that a drastic new color scheme makes, especially over a figure that was essentially just monochrome black and gray with a little purple. And the fact that there’s still a fair amount of purple and black means that this deco still works quite well for me as a Decepticon. Also, it feels like this figure was built off the updated mold with the more forgiving hip ratchets.

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The vibrant silver paint used on the face is as eye catching as ever and there’s that epic G2 Decepticon emblem stamped right in the middle of his chest. I’ve got to admit, I never thought I’d see it on a modern toy that wasn’t some kind of Con Exclusive. It’s so damn cool to see that this is a regular retail release.

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Motormaster includes the same two weapons that came with his original Combiner Wars release: His gun and sword. There’s really nothing new to be said about these. They feature the same brilliant silver paintwork and can combine with each other to form the larger Menasor sword.

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What can I say, other than I am smitten with this guy. Granted, this mold has had its ups and downs with me. I didn’t care for it as Optimus Prime, mostly because of the big arms and the unpainted corners of the cab. But when it was released as Motormaster, I was totally on board and it still holds up for me just fine with this new release. The larger arms suit Motormaster’s brutish nature and both of the color schemes work perfectly for me. Sure, the first release will still be representing on my Combiner Wars shelves, but I’m already planning a second shelf for these G2 re-releases. This is simply a gorgeous figure and a wonderful homage to that quirky span of Transformers that held the franchise together until something new came along. I really can’t thank Hasbro enough for bringing this out, and you know what’s great? I still have five more figures to look at! Next Thursday, I’ll be back to check out a pair of limbs!

Apr 7 2016

Transformers Combiner Wars: Legends Class Shockwave by Hasbro

While I’m not ready to bring Transformers Thursdays back full-time, I did get lucky this week when picking up my Force Awakens Blu-Ray and found Legends Class Shockwave hanging on the pegs. I’ve been hunting this guy for a while now, since he’s going for scalper prices on most online sites, so you can imagine my excitement when I spied him there among all the other common peg fodder. It also worked out well because I am craaaaazy busy this week and I really needed something that I could do quick-and-dirty today and this little guy should do nicely!

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The Combiner Wars packaging has grown on me a bit. We get some nice character art on the top of the card and a big bubble to see the figure, which is packaged in robot mode. The back of the card identifies Shockwave as specifically interacting with the Onslaught figure by attaching to his alt mode, and also points out that in this aspect of the Transformers fiction, it was Shockwave and not Starscream that created the Combaticons. I’m going against convention today and starting with his robot mode.

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Yup, that’s Shockwave! Generally speaking, I’ve been pretty impressed with the recent crop of Legends Class figures and Shockwave does nothing to buck that trend. Yeah, I have a few minor quibbles, like I wish he had less molded kibble on his forearms, and I wish his gun hand was a little more pronounced, but on the whole, this little guy is pretty great. There’s a crazy amount of sculpted detail on him for such a small figure, the purple and translucent purple plastics look great together and the extra little silver paint hits go a long way to jazz things up. The tiny little cyclops head is also right on point!

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From the back, we’ve got some hollow leg syndrome, which is perfectly acceptable to me in this smaller scale figure. The T-shaped backpack isn’t the prettiest thing around, but as far as kibbly backpacks go, it isn’t terribly intrusive either.

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You get a lovely range of articulation for such a small figure. This includes ball joints in the shoulders, which are also on hinged posts, ball joints in the elbows, ball joints in the hips, hinges in the knees, and swivels in the thighs.

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Transforming Shockwave is pretty simple and the result is a cannon or perhaps some kind of space cruiser a little reminiscent of the Fall of Cybertron Delxue Shockwave. On it’s own it isn’t much to look at and since I don’t have Onslaught (still waiting for the Takara version) let’s see how he works out with a couple of other figures…

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Probably the most disappointing thing is that he really isn’t designed to be held by Combiner Wars Megatron and that’s because there’s a square peg right in front of the regular circular peg that would otherwise fit into the hand. I can get it to work, but it’s hard for me to comprehend why they wouldn’t have designed the figure to work better with the Leader Class Combiner Wars figures.

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Ironically, it does work perfectly in many Third Party figures with the hinged knuckle. Above is Warbotron’s Not-Onslaught wielding Shockwave quite comfortably and I think this is where the little dude is going to stay for the time being.

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See? I told you today was going to be quick-and-dirty! Legends Class Shockwave is an excellent little figure, but I’m glad I didn’t break down and overpay for him. He’s going for $20 now on Amazon and that’s just plain cray-cray. But at just under ten bucks, I’ll pick up the Legends Class all day long. They’re fun, they’re posable and while I wish the hand grip on his gun mode was a little more forgiving, the fact that he can work as a weapon for larger figures makes him all the more enjoyable.

Jan 7 2016

Transformers Combiner Wars: Legends Class Groove by Hasbro

Like yesterday, today’s Feature is fueled by a little something that I was Christmas gifted by a friend and co-worker who happened to know I like me my convertorobots. It’s Legends Class Groove and it was a pleasant surprise because I didn’t have him and probably wasn’t going to buy him, but was still a little curious about him. And hey, it’s Transformers Thursday, so that’s convenient!

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A sloppy gift-wrapping job has left this card a little worse for wear. Good thing I’m not one of those MOSC sickos! Seriously, MOSC collectors… no offense. I’m my own kind of sicko. Anyway, this little Protectobot comes packaged in robot mode, but I’m starting with his alt mode. Oh yeah, Hasbro, cool it with these damn plastic strips, especially on these tiny figures. I hate these things and it took me forever to get the figure out.

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So, as any red-blooded geewunner would guess, Groove is a police motorcycle and a fairly good one. This is one of those alt modes where you can tell they made some sacrifices to balance out the robot mode, and I’m hoping that paid off. The coloring is a pretty basic black and white and grey with a little red and gold, and an Autobot emblem tampo’d on the side surrounded by a star. There’s also a kickstand to help display him as a motorcycle. So, all in all he’s not bad, but nothing amazing. I find it rather difficult to get his two back halves to peg together closely, so there’s a nagging gap. Let’s see if his robot mode can wow me…

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OK, I can get behind this. While he lacks that certain hint of G1 aesthetic that many of the Combiner Wars figures have captured, I still think this is a pretty good bot mode, especially considering that it spawned from a motorcycle. The proportions aren’t bad at all and while I find his arms to be a bit messy, he works rather well for me. The healthy dose of ball joints and hinges also make him a rather fun fella to play around with. I can’t say I’m all that enamored with the head sculpt, but I’m willing to let it slide. Of course, like Blackjack and Rodimus, Groove has another alt mode that allows him to merge with Defensor and form a chest piece. How does that work out?

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Mmmm… I didn’t think I was going to dig this because of how far the chest sticks out now, but I think I kinda like it. He adds some much needed color to Defensor’s torso. Groove secures very well to the chest too, which is ironic considering how complex this alt mode is. Blackjack couldn’t stick to Menasor’s chest for shit and that was just his car mode.

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And while I really hope that Deluxe Groove someday gets a Stateside release, I’ll confess having a more properly scaled motorcycle on the team is pretty neat.Over the years there have been some pretty weak motorcycle Transformers and some of the worst have come from the Scout/Basic/Legends scale. Thankfully, Groove is not one of them. I think Hasbro made the right call taking back a little from his alt mode to make his robot mode shine and the more I play around with him the more I dig him. He’s definitely a welcome new member of my Protectobots!

Dec 10 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Legends Class Rodimus by Hasbro

I almost didn’t have anything new for Transformers Thursday this week and then I saw this little guy swinging on a peg and decided to pick him up. I’m really feeling the bite of pressure from real life this week, so I figured this was the perfect day to kick back and chillax with a Legends Class quickie. Let’s take a look at Combiner Wars Rodimus…

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Package shot. He comes in robot mode. Bubble held on with scotch tape. Keeping it classy, Hasbro! Nothing else to say. Let’s move on to the alt mode…

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Of course, Rodimus is a repaint of the Stunticon Blackjack, a figure that I liked a lot as a stand alone piece, but he doesn’t really fit into my Menasor, so I don’t really consider him an official Stunticon. The car is re-cast in a pleasing crimson plastic with blue painted windows and a bitchin’ flame deco on the hood. But, why you no have Autobot symbol on your hood, Rodimus? It seems very conspicuous by its absence. But also, apart from the deco, I’m not really feeling this as Rodimus. It’s missing something…

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Oooooh, yeah. Well, plug the axe weapon into the top and it sort of looks like a spoiler and now it kind of looks more like Rodimus to me. But seriously, Hasbro, why isn’t there an Autobot symbol on his hood? That’s really pissing me off. Anyway, transformation is the same as Blackjack…

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It’s quick and easy and it results in a nice looking robot mode, but one that is still a bit of a reach for me as Rodimus. Again, the coloring works well enough, and the new head sculpt looks pretty good, but the homage isn’t as tight as it could have been. Hasbro has done some impressive stuff with shared molds for different characters, but to me, this one isn’t one of their better efforts. Maybe if there was a way to put his axe on his back, it would have helped it along a little more.

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And yes, the axe still serves as a cool weapon, but again… an axe for Rodimus? Meh, not really.

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I know what you’re saying. Quit picking on the little guy. Well, don’t get me wrong, I think this is a cool little figure and I picked it up for under eight bucks so I’m not going to be super demanding of it. It’s an attractive figure and it’s fun to play around with. So while it sounds like I’m being really tough on him, I’m still plenty glad I picked him up, as he’s another little bot to wage war around my Titan Class Metroplex. I just don’t think he’s going to get to keep his name. Maybe I’ll just call him Hot Shot.

Dec 3 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Prowl by Hasbro

Ugh, it’s been a brutal week and I’m pretty sure I’m coming down with something. I want nothing more than to crawl into bed and hug a bottle of Jameson. But, it’s Transformers Thursday, and I can’t let that pass me by, so I’m mustering up the resolve to take a look at a new convertorobo. Last week I mentioned that I was sitting out most of the Autobot wave of Combiner Wars. I picked up Mirage, just because I wanted to try out a bulkier version of the character for my Classics shelf, and I also picked up today’s figure, Prowl. Prowl is one of the Classic figures that just hasn’t aged well. I think the mold is passable enough, but there was a lot of clear plastic on that figure painted white and, unfortunately, it just turned out looking like garbage. And so, I decided to give the new Combiner Wars version a try to see if it could serve as a worthy stand in.

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There he is in package and since I’ve got nothing new to say on the subject, let’s take a moment to talk about mold reuse. Holy hell, it’s the fourth outing for this mold this year! Yeah, it’s been tweaked quite a bit from the Brake-Neck and Dead End figures, but still. Four times in the same line? If you set aside the Seekers, that’s got to be some kind of record even for Hasbro! Who the hell is going to buy four variations on the same mold in one series? Oh… yeah. I did. Let’s start with his alt mode…

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While Prowl may be remolded from Dead End and Brake-Neck, in auto mode, he’s a straight repaint of Streetwise. That hits pretty close to the mark, considering both vehicles are police cars and were released close enough that they’ll likely be sharing the pegs in a lot of toy aisles. That having been said, Hasbro did their best to get Prowl’s deco as close as possible to the original G1 toy. The plastic is more of a pure white and there’s plenty of black trim. The sides even have the Police Highway Patrol tampos to match the original Prowl’s auto mode. It’s an interesting homage, but to me this version of Prowl just doesn’t distance itself from Streetwise enough to make it work and this auto mode is just too far removed from his original Datsun mode.

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In robot mode, Prowl is missing all of his most distinctive G1 features. Gone are his door wings, the front bumper chest, and the shoulder cannons. He doesn’t even look like the Prowl depicted in the pages of the comic that’s bundled with the figure. All that’s left to make this Prowl is the new head sculpt and the G1 inspired deco. And yet, somehow it’s almost enough. The black trim around the chest piece works wonders to drive the homage home, despite being flat and not the front of the car. And the headsculpt? Yeah, there’s no doubt as to who that’s supposed to be. It’s a great noggin and I particularly love his blue eyes. By all reason this figure shouldn’t work at all, and yet it does… kinda.

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Prowl comes with the same shotgun we got with Streetwise, only this time cast in white plastic. Again, a big departure from Prowl’s trademark laser rifle, but I like it and it suits him.

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I know that I’ve gone on record here before about how much Prowl has meant to me over the years. He was one of my very first Transformers figures and he always factored big in whatever story I was playing out. In my own Transformers canon, Prowl has been and will forever be Prime’s First Lieutenant and Right-Hand Bot. So I’m surprised even at myself when I say that this figure works for me, at least in robot mode. Sure, it helps that the Classics Prowl figure is positively prehistoric. In fact, Classics Prowl has probably aged worse than the original G1 figure, which is just plain crazy. And maybe that’s a big part of why I have no problem putting this version of Prowl on my Classics shelf and retiring the old one. And keep in mind, this is all coming from someone who has no plans on combining this figure with anyone.

Nov 26 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Legends Class Skywarp by Hasbro

It’s Transformers Thursday and it is also Thanksgiving, which is very appropriate as I am always thankful for little robots that turn into other things. I’m taking today to relax and be with family so I’ll be honest, I looked for a figure that I could do quick and dirty and Legends Skywarp seemed like the perfect fit.

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Here’s the packaging and there ain’t a lot new I can say about it. Mine came from Amazon and it’s sort of beat to hell. It was way back in the Summer of last year that I started down the path of Legends Seekers with Generations Starscream. In February of this year, I looked at Combiner Wars Thundercracker and now Skywarp finally gets his due. He’s packaged in robot mode, but let’s start with his alt mode.

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No surprises here, as this is the second straight repaint of this mold. It’s a great little jet mode, which straddles the line between update and homage. Of course, Skywarp does have a leg up by sporting the most bitchin’ deco of all the Seekers. Ooooh yeah. The Decepticon flag is purple and black, baby, and these colors don’t run! Seriously, look at him. He’s gorgeous! He’s got his null rays slung under the wings and a hinged landing gear under the nose.

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Transforming Skywarp is simple and fun and the robot mode is still just as solid as ever. Again, nothing new to the mold here, even the head is the same, but at this scale who’s going to notice anyway? There’s some nice sculpted detail on the chest intakes, and a surprising amount of detail sculpted inside the chest cavity behind where the cockpit piece goes. You’ll only see it going from one mode to the next, but it’s there! I also dig that the painted face of the wings face forwards, which is something that even the Leader Class versions of the Seekers didn’t do.

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The articulation on these figures is lots of fun. You get ball joints in the shoulders, elbows, hips, and the knees are hinged. The null rays on the arms can rotate and they don’t even have to be removed for transformation.

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The price on these little Legends have been all over the place, but I was able to complete my Seekers with Skywarp at the laughable price of $7.50. What a bargain! It’s great to have all three Seekers finally together in this scale so they can start their futile attack runs against Metroplex. And so, I am indeed thankful for cheap little changeable robots that I can stuff in my pocket and play with as I’m waiting for the turkey to digest.

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I’m also really grateful for everyone who reads my crazy ramblings about toys and the many people I’ve befriended (whether through emails, comments here, or on Twitter) since I started this silly little blog so many years ago. The Internet is many things, a lot of them bad, but for me it’s shining virtue is that it can bring together kindred souls and make fast friends of people who have never even met. And so, to my Internet Family, and if you’re reading this, you have a seat at the table… Have a Happy Thanksgiving and may The Matrix light your darkest hour! Gobble, Gobble!

Nov 19 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Mirage by Hasbro

Y’all have no doubt noticed that I’ve been dipping into the older ChangeFormerBots in order to supplement my Transformers Thursdays. That’s because I’m sitting out most of the current wave of Combiner Wars, which gives us new takes on some of the 1984 Autobots. I am, however, picking up two of these guys and I thought I’d check out one of them today. Yes, it is Mirage!

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Here’s the packaging and I’ve got nothing new to say about it, other then it comes with a reprint comic and if you’re expecting Mirage in it, you’ll be disappointed. So instead, let me take this time to say that I went with this new Mirage just to see if it might stand in for my Classics version. Don’t get me wrong, I really dig the Classic version, but I also wanted a bit of a chunkier version in my collection. Which version of Mirage will prevail and reside on my Classics Shelf? Let’s press on and find out…

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Yes, Mirge is a repaint of Combiner Wars Dragstrip and as far as the vehicle mode works it’s a slam dunk. Indeed, this car actually works better for me as Mirage because it’s missing the extra wheels from Dragstrip’s original alt mode. The coloring here is also a lot more appealing to me and the toy looks gorgeous with the white and blue deco. Damn, the blue plastic they used here sure is pretty! You also get a little bit of black paint in the cockpit and a nice coat of silver paint on the spoiler. The nose of the car features an Autobot emblem and “62” and the side panels feature “62 Circuit Racing.” I maybe would have enjoyed having a little more in the way of decals, but what’s here is good. Yup, in terms of alt modes, I am totally in love with this toy as Mirage.

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In robot mode things get a tad more iffy. Iffy but not entirely off. Again, the colors look really nice on this figure and the arms and legs actually work perfectly fine for me as Mirage. Obviously, the biggest departure from the original Mirage design is the chest, which sports the combiner post recessed into it. Again, it’s not a deal breaker for me, and the Classics version of the character didn’t really match up to the original either, so I’m willing to give it a pass. It’s just that with some of the ingenious engineering Hasbro has been doing with shared molds these days, it’s almost criminal they couldn’t find a way to have his back land on his front. Sure, you can turn his head and bottom half around and try to fake it, but the front of the car sticks out too far and the arms are still wrong. I’m chalking it up to the fact that this is already a combiner and has too much going on to be messing with that kind of cross-figure engineering.

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Hasbro did supply Mirage with a brand new head sculpt and while it looks perfectly fine when viewed normally, when I get in real close and, OH MY GOD, WHAT’S WRONG WITH HIS NOSE? It looks like he got punched one too many times. Damn, Hasbro, how’d you muck up Mirage’s face so badly?

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Mirage comes with a combiner foot/hand piece, which I won’t be using and also the gun-sword that came with Dragstrip, this time cast in grey plastic. Nothing else to say here… moving on.

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Turns out I really do love this figure and it works better as Mirage for me than I thought it would. But am I going to swap out Classics Mirage on the shelf with this figure? Honestly, I can’t decide. On the one hand, I do like the bulkier and more G1 feel of this guy. On the other hand, the svelt body style of the Classics figure meshes nicely with Mirage’s ninja-like sneaking abilities. Chances are, I’m going to end up leaving Classics Mirage where he is and keep this guy with the Combiner Wars figures, but it’s a huge credit to this figure that it’s such a hard decision.

Oct 8 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Starscream (Leader Class) by Hasbro

It’s the first Transformers Thursday in a while that I’m not talking about Protectobots, but I am still sticking with the Combiner Wars line this week. Back in July, I checked out Hasbro’s bold new take on the Seekers with their Leader Class Thundercracker, built from the Generations Jetfire mold and if you haven’t read that Feature, I suggest glancing back at it. Starscream is, as expected, a repaint of the same figure so I’m going to try to be brief and focus on the minor differences.

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Not much different to say about the box. It’s the now standard Combiner Wars deco with Starscream packaged in robot mode. There is no comic book included, but you do get a nifty art card. While there are some troublesome twisty ties to remove, the package is totally collector friendly. Let’s start with his alt mode.

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Yup, the mold is identical to Thundercracker and it’s basically the Jetfire mold without the booster pieces and with a brand new pair of wings. This is a very attractive jet mode and works beautifully for me as a Seeker. I’m also still impressed that the cockpit actually opens. Nice! The new deco is very pretty and looks appropriate for Starscream. The off-white plastic is a little light, but not too bad, and the striping on the wings coupled with the Decepticon insignia look outstanding. All the paint is crisp and clean and when you toss in a little blue plastic trim and the yellow tinted cockpit and I’m very pleased with how this jet came out.

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Transformation is identical to Thundercracker and Jetfire and I like the engineering here a lot. It’s relatively simple, but there’s some clever stuff happening. Probably not the depth of engineering everyone is going to be expecting from a Leader Class toy, but in my old age, I’m getting to appreciate figures that can convert back and forth without too much frustration.

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Obviously, the robot mode is also identical to Thundercracker, except for the new deco, which carries forward the same red, blue, and off-white as the jet mode. Again, I think the colors here are great and this robot mode makes for a fantastic updated Seeker. The only thing I’m really missing are the shoulder scoop towers, and I’m throwing it out there to all you third-parties… if you want to make a set of shoulder scoops for these guys, I’ll buy them. There are even obvious crevices where they could be made to fit. Easy money! I’m just saying!

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Of course, the cockpit on the chest is faked out and Starscream actually wears the nose of the jet mode down his back. It’s the biggest departure from the traditional Seeker look, but it doesn’t bother me all that much. I still would have liked it if the front of the wings were finished like the back, but I’m sure that would have added a lot of cost to production.

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The only real disappointment here is that the head sculpt isn’t new. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great looking noggin, and at least the face is painted differently, but for a Leader Class repaint, I would have thought Hasbro could at least pony up for a new head with a douchebag Starscream smirk. I would have much preferred it to the dopey crown.

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Yes, the crown is the only thing really new here and I’m really tired of this running gag based off such a small scene in the original movie. It can go into the Tote of Forgotten Accessories and rattle around in there with my MP Grimlock crown.

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Of course, you also get all the guns that came with Thundercracker. I like the null rays, but I still wish they pegged into the biceps rather than the forearms. You can get them into some great positions, but they sometimes impede articulation more than I would like. The smaller blue guns can still be mounted on his legs and wings, or just leave them off if you think they pollute the Seeker homage. I’m actually fine with them. Lastly, you get the same missile launcher handgun that came with Jetfire and Thundercracker, this time in black. I’m definitely giving this one to Jetfire so I can deep six his red blinged out gun. But be warned, this thing has a hair trigger and I’ve already had to wrestle the missile away from the cat a couple of times.

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There are no surprises here at all. Starscream is the straight repaint we all expected and I imagine he’ll be as polarizing a figure as CW Thundercracker. As someone who doesn’t like the Masterpiece Seekers enough to pony up the coin for them, I’m content for now adding Starscream to my MP Decepticon shelf, alongside Combiner Wars Megatron and Soundwave (and soon Shockwave!). I think he’s a great looking figure and now all that’s left is to sit back and wait for Leader Class Skywarp. And man, do I think this mold is going to look amazing in the deco!

Oct 1 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Defensor by Hasbro

Ah, Combiners… they’re the Transformers that keep on giving. Even once you’ve played with the robot and alt mode, you still have a treat waiting for you when you collect that last bot on the team and can cobble them together. Hasbro’s track record on these in the modern age has been pretty spotty. Indeed, only with the recent releases of Superion and Devastator that I’ve been able to give them a passing grade and even there you have Menasor pissing in the punch bowl. Will Defensor be another for the plus column? I’m about to find out…

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Protectobots…

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Transform!

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And merge…

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Into…

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DEFENSOR!!!! Now, you’ll note I went with an even swap out between Rook and Groove to form the right leg. To be fair Rook, Streetwise, and First Aid are all rather chunky and to me make for better legs than arms, especially when counterbalanced against Blades’ more svelte form, but someone had to be the left arm, so I stuck with tradition and made it First Aid. I have the same issue with Streetwise, where I’m never happy with the position of the head and chest plate on the knee. I went with lifting it up and out of the way, but then it exposes the back of Streetwise’s head. It’s a compromise. I’m also waffling back and forth as to whether I like Blades’ rockets straight out and locked in or angled to match First Aid’s door panels.

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So, let me start with the good stuff and it’s mostly all good stuff! I love Defensor’s overall look. The engineering for Hot Spot as the torso kind of blows my mind. It’s simple, but really cool, especially the way the ladder wraps under his groin and up his back. Hot Spot just makes for such a cool and unique looking torso and it’s such a far cry from the mediocrity of poor Motormaster’s torso mode. The deco works beautifully, especially in this configuration with the red and white matching on the arms and the blue and white on the legs. It all goes well with the powder blue of Hot Spot’s legs and that gorgeous red and silver paint on Hot Spot’s thighs and chest plate really make the figure pop, especially against all that black. Stability is much better than Menasor too. Oh, Defensor still has some nagging issues, like the two chest flaps do not want to stay tabbed into place for long, but at his shoulders are so much more solid than Menasor’s making him a lot more fun to play with.

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The head sculpt is pure love and the silver and blue paint look great framed by the black “helmet.” The head does have a habit of popping out of the body from time to time and it feels like Hasbro could have come up with something a little better to do with those angled flaps, but there’s nothing here that ruins my fun with the figure. I should also mention that I’m opting out of picking up the Legends Groove. I honestly don’t think Defensor needs the extra chest ornament. I like him just the way he is.

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Defensor’s rifle is just Hot Spot’s two guns chained together. It’s OK, but nothing special. I do, however, like the way it looks when split and stored on his back. I think the two aerials just look neat and give him a little more personality.

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I really love the way Defensor turned out and that’s a huge bonus when you consider how great the individual figures are. I haven’t taken a lot of time to experiment with him “scramble city” style, but I’m sure I’ll get around to it eventually. If we’re ranking these guys by combined mode, Defensor certainly blows away the crappy Menasor on every level, but he doesn’t nudge out Superion, at least not in my book. That may have something to do with me just having much stronger nostalgic ties to Superion over Defensor, but overall I just feel Superion is a slightly more refined robot with overall better stability. All that’s left to say is that I really hope Hasbro eventually brings the Deluxe Groove Stateside. I don’t think I can afford to double dip by picking up the Takara set, but I’d still like to get that figure into the mix and see how he does.

Sep 24 2015

Transformers Combiner Wars: Hot Spot by Hasbro

Alrighty, folks, over the past four weeks I’ve been through all of the Deluxe Class Protectobots and that means there’s just one bot left to look at: Hot Spot! I can remember coming close to picking up the Generations version of him, which was just a repaint of the Inferno mold, and now that Hasbro has delivered a brand new version of the character, who also happens to be part of a genuine combiner team, I’m mighty glad I never pulled that trigger. Let’s take a look…

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I don’t get to show off the Combiner Wars Voyager Class packaging here too often. In fact, I think the only other one I’ve picked up was Motormaster. Don’t forget my Silverbolt came in the Takara Giftset.  The overall deco isn’t changed. It’s still a mostly black box with Transformers running up the side and a decent piece of character art on the front. There’s no free comic book, but you do get an art card. Hot Spot comes packaged in his robot mode, but as usual, I’m starting with the alt mode…

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It wouldn’t be Hot Spot without a powder-blue fire engine as the alt mode and that’s exactly what you get here. While still plenty long, Hot Spot’s truck mode is a lot less bulky than I imagined it would be. That’s not really a criticism, just an observation. He still looks great with the rest of the Protectobot vehicles and while he’s a modern take on the fire engine, I find he still remains faithful to the original G1 toy. Everything tabs together beautifully making him a solid truck, although if you don’t get everything locked together just right he can have some clearance problems and you don’t want his beautiful chestplate scraping the ground.

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There aren’t a lot of paint apps here, Hot Spot gets by mostly with blue, black, and white plastic. And that’s fine because he looks great. You do get a little red paint on the lights and some silver paint on the front of the vehicle. He also sports some bitchin’ “FIRE RESCUE” tampos on the sides complete with a flaming Autobot symbol. Nice! The mold also features a lot of nice sculpted details like grills, doors, equipment lockers and other doo-dads.

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The ladder does raise and lower and it can rotate 360-degrees at the base, so there’s a little bit of play value there. You can also plug his guns into the side of the ladder base and they actually look like they’re meant to go there, rather than just tacked on goofiness. All in all, this is a great looking truck and a fine compromise between modern look and G1 nostalgia. He’d also make for an interesting RID Optimus Prime repaint. Just saying, Hasbro.

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Transforming Hot Spot holds few surprises, but I do love the results. His legs are made up of the front of the truck with the lights forming his knees and the front of the cab his feet. The fact that the wheels land inside the legs is an interesting mix up and I dig the sculpted springs between his armor and his arms. The proportions here are quite nice too.

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Yeah, Hot Spot is a fire engine, so obviously there’s going to be ladder kibble. I’ll concede that his back isn’t exactly pretty, but everything does pack away as neatly as can be expected. The ladder does clear the ground when Hot Spot is standing straight and it can be angled back so it’s out of the way for those wider stances. It does also come in handy sometimes as a counterbalance when posing him.

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The headsculpt is pure G1 Sunbow goodness and between the “helmet” and that mouth plate, Hot Shot does indeed bear more than a passing resemblance to Optimus Prime. The darker blue for the mouth plate and the sharp red paint for the eyes are nice extra touches. I’m particularly impressed by the sculpted detail in the chest and shoulders and the silver and red paint really give the figure that extra pop. Very pretty!

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Hot Spot comes with a pair of rifles, which can be neatly stored by pegging them into his backpack.  You know, for those times that he’s not murdering the shit out of Decepticons and actually rescuing people. These guns continue the trend of Hasbro giving the Protectobots some truly great looking weapons. They can also combine into a longer weapon, but I’ll save that for the Defensor Feature.

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The Combiner Wars Protectobots have been exceptional figures from the get-go and Hot Spot is no exception. In fact, I’ll just go ahead and say that he’s my favorite of the CW Voyager Class figures so far. The only real nitpick I can level against him is that he still has those rather unforgiving ratchet joints in his hips that don’t allow for a lot of subtlety when deciding on his stance. But that’s hardly a crippling issue and when a figure looks this good, I’m willing to overlook certain things. But can a team of figures this good possibly still manage to pull off a great combined mode? Well, I’ll find out next Thursday when I combine them all into Defensor!