Classics 2.0/Universe Comments thread

[Paulbot]

I haven't got the Hound love that everyone seems to. It's a nice new toy of Hound but the big front-loaded boots, the loose pelvis, the angles you have to get just right when transforming back to jeep mode, the shoulder gun that doesn't clip on right... Maybe I'm transforming him wrong?

Still he looks nice alongside Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Silverstreak, Mirage and Ironhide. More 84 Autobot Cars please Hasbro! :)

[Lord_Zed]

I haven't got the Hound love that everyone seems to. It's a nice new toy of Hound but the big front-loaded boots, the loose pelvis, the angles you have to get just right when transforming back to jeep mode, the shoulder gun that doesn't clip on right... Maybe I'm transforming him wrong?

Still he looks nice alongside Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Silverstreak, Mirage and Ironhide. More 84 Autobot Cars please Hasbro! :)

I wasn't excited about Hound myself, but Henkei Hound won me over, the toy is just nice, the colours are perfect and while it still has flaws they are not as obvious as those of the previous Antobot cars. I have no experience of universe Hound though.

I would prefer less 84 Autobot cars and more Decepticons myself. ;)

[lcz128]

We forgot to renew the HK-TF domain and it expired... :o My friends are already working on it. :p

Haha! LoL!
Anyone know what the scale on those GaoGaiGar hands are? Cause ... what scale Gundam ones would be a comparable size?

[Kyle]

No idea. I knew there were GGG toys but never knew model kits existed... :o

I finally have Universe/Henkei Ultras to play with and really like them. Silverbolt is nice in both modes. His transformation is very simple but the cool transformation sound gimmick wins him back some points. :p Powerglide's plane mode and transformation are nice. Robot mode has funny proportions and looks a little better than in photos. Overall a good toy. Onslaught's robot mode is nice and bulky. I also like the little gimmicks here and there on these toys. :)

[Zippo]

Dangit! Anyone save the pics? :S The link is now dead :(


Wow, thats amazing. Were did those hands come from? Revoltech perhaps?

[Doubledealer]

I haven't got the Hound love that everyone seems to. It's a nice new toy of Hound but the big front-loaded boots, the loose pelvis, the angles you have to get just right when transforming back to jeep mode, the shoulder gun that doesn't clip on right... Maybe I'm transforming him wrong?

Still he looks nice alongside Prowl, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Silverstreak, Mirage and Ironhide. More 84 Autobot Cars please Hasbro! :)
You're not transforming him incorrectly, it's just poorly designed in some area's. I can't get the shoulder cannon to clip on at all (I kinda rest it on his shoulder and it stays there as long as he's upright enough). :/

My favourite part about Hound? Definitely how the car seats become his thighs, very clever! :)

[autobreadticon]

Hay looks like Henkei Hound will have a major restock in April according to various online stores

[Sam]

You're not transforming him incorrectly, it's just poorly designed in some area's. I can't get the shoulder cannon to clip on at all (I kinda rest it on his shoulder and it stays there as long as he's upright enough). :/

My favourite part about Hound? Definitely how the car seats become his thighs, very clever! :)

I kinda had difficulty transforming my Hound as well. His fists don't seem to come out right, it seems the back of his wrists had a little too much plastic, preventing the wrist from rotating fully.

[k.wong23]

Just looked at those pics of Universe superion and hands...

Now I really wish I did keep/pickup one for the $40 odd dollar DAMN.

[Thanatos]

So, where can I get some of these hands? I'm supremely keen to make Superion actually look good.

[lcz128]

AHAH!!!
:b

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/lcz128_photos/Transformers/08032009001.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/lcz128_photos/Transformers/08032009002.jpg

[blackie]

LIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNK please?

[lcz128]

LIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNK please?
uhm ... my table in my house? :S

[Golden Phoenix]

uhm ... my table in my house? :S

Nice hands. Only problem is the shoulder look a bit odd. Being so big compared to the arms. Although has has elbows. That's always a plus.

Where did you get the hands from?

[MV75]

Hey! It's Wil-e-coyote with his blue rocket boots on!. :D

[blackie]

uhm ... my table in my house? :S

link where you got the hands from :P

[Kyle]

If you guys are willing to wait a little, then you won't have to go look for suitable hands... :p

[lcz128]

If you guys are willing to wait a little, then you won't have to go look for suitable hands... :p
That's awesome to hear :D

That said guys - I took those deceptive shots for fun :b
They're actually Alternator Jazz's fists - just popped out from the forearms and blue-tacked to the arms of the universe superion. They're a little larger than ideal I believe - the pix of that dude from HK with the GGG hands appear to be the best fit size-wise :)

[Gutsman Heavy]

If you guys are willing to wait a little, then you won't have to go look for suitable hands... :p

:eek:

:D:D:D

[SilverDragon]

Behold, as I buck the trend of everyone talking about Cyclonus and Hound and instead talk about Cheetor!

...I should have gotten Cyclonus.

Not that Cheetor is total crap, mind you. Just that he is something of a let down. Namely, the robot mode, which likely aimed at being show accurate, only the designer didn't know which of Cheetor's incarnations to be accurate towards, resulting in a mish-mash of features, ranging from the original, his transmetal form, and to an extent his Beast Machines form (which was likely why he has throwing stars instead of his gut gun).

Also, the eye colour gimmick. While I like it, I don't like the fact that it leads to a giant humpback in robot mode (and a huge un-cheetah like chest in beast mode) to accommodate the mechanism. It could have simply been a matter of manually opening the mouth-incidentally, it seems like less and less beast modes can have open mouths without having a button pressed.

Upsides are:

-The throwing stars
-The beast mode
-The eye colour gimmick
-Beast mode posebility (which is notable, unlike robot mode posebility nowadays. Incidentally, Cheetor suffers in this regard because of the arm kibble).

6/10, Or 7/10. I can't decide.

[Kyle]

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=3753

[SilverDragon]

I got Cyclonus yesterday. He. Is. Awesome. Seriously. Also, Nightstick is poseble!

[Paulbot]

I'm quite fond of Dinobot. The raptor mode is great. I keep seeing it sitting there on a pile of books and thinking: that looks great. I particularly love the tail has been given a natural looking bend to make it look like a real dinosaur. The robot mode is pretty well hidden. They could have got the arms a bit better hidden but it's a much better job than the original Dinobot with his robot legs in their place. The heels at the back at the foot are easily ignored.

The transformation has some nice extra touches using extra panels in the chest and thigh which are just there for appearances sake and I appreciate those. The two types of hands are another extra the toy doesn't need but allow you to pose the toy with a more classic look or a show like look. The Predacon/Maximal gimmick has a nice side-effect that you can hide the insignia altogether in in raptor mode.

The colours aren't perfect, but they evoke the cartoon character. Both of his weapons, missle sword and swirling open tail are there. Shame no green light up eyes for the other main weapon he used in the show. Good head too. I'm glad I waited 11 years to get a toy of Dinobot as this IMHO the best one we've seen.

[SilverDragon]

I'm quite fond of Dinobot. The raptor mode is great. I keep seeing it sitting there on a pile of books and thinking: that looks great. I particularly love the tail has been given a natural looking bend to make it look like a real dinosaur.

Slight problem about the tail on this Dinobot: the bend isn't natural. Dromaeosaurids (the group of dinosaurs that included Velociraptor) had tails stiffened by rods of bone to act as a counterweight for the dinosaur. So Dinobot should realistically only be able to bend his tail at its base.

HOWEVER, upon looking up Wikipedia to clarify this information, I found that a Velociraptor fossil was found with a tail that was curved laterally in an S-shape, which suggests that it was capable of some movement. So Dinobot may actually be realistic.

Also, he should have feathers. And a longer head, if he's supposed to be a Velociraptor. As it is, Dinobot's beast mode looks more like a Deinonychus, a larger dromaeosaurid.

[Lord_Zed]

c.
Also, he should have feathers. And a longer head, if he's supposed to be a Velociraptor. As it is, Dinobot's beast mode looks more like a Deinonychus, a larger dromaeosaurid.

This has always been a problem not only in Transformers but Jurrasic Park, I guess people just think Raptor sounds cooler than Deinonychus. At least Dino Riders got it right.

http://www.toyarchive.com/DinoRiders/DinoRiderRulnDeinonARMOURED.jpg
If its this BIG it's a freaking Deinonychus!

[Paulbot]

Slight problem about the tail on this Dinobot: the bend isn't natural. Dromaeosaurids (the group of dinosaurs that included Velociraptor) had tails stiffened by rods of bone to act as a counterweight for the dinosaur. So Dinobot should realistically only be able to bend his tail at its base.

HOWEVER, upon looking up Wikipedia to clarify this information, I found that a Velociraptor fossil was found with a tail that was curved laterally in an S-shape, which suggests that it was capable of some movement. So Dinobot may actually be realistic.

Also, he should have feathers. And a longer head, if he's supposed to be a Velociraptor. As it is, Dinobot's beast mode looks more like a Deinonychus, a larger dromaeosaurid.

I bow to your greater dinosaur knowledge... Dinobot seems like a real dinosaur based on my knowledge from TV shows and movies. :)

[i_amtrunks]

HOWEVER, upon looking up Wikipedia to clarify this information, I found that a Velociraptor fossil was found with a tail that was curved laterally in an S-shape, which suggests that it was capable of some movement. So Dinobot may actually be realistic.

The curvature of the tail may also be from the shrinking of the tail muscles as the carcass rotted away, pulling the tail into an unnatural position. It's a theory that has been discussed since the 60's.


Also, he should have feathers. And a longer head, if he's supposed to be a Velociraptor. As it is, Dinobot's beast mode looks more like a Deinonychus, a larger dromaeosaurid.

Yeah a Deinonychus would be a better fit, Jurrasic park made the Velociraptors quite a bit larger in the film than their skeletons indicate.
The Raptors in JP3 had feathers, which was rather silly since they didnt have any in the previous 2 films...
And feathers are still only a theory (albeit one that makes a lot of sense).

[Gutsman Heavy]

JP3 was rather silly.

[SilverDragon]

Yeah a Deinonychus would be a better fit, Jurrasic park made the Velociraptors quite a bit larger in the film than their skeletons indicate.
The Raptors in JP3 had feathers, which was rather silly since they didnt have any in the previous 2 films...
And feathers are still only a theory (albeit one that makes a lot of sense).

Theory? Like hell feathers on dromaeosaurs are a theory-fossils have been found showing the preserved marks of feathers. Granted, not Deinonychus itself, but the bird-like features that all dromaeosaurs had makes it likely. There's even debate over whether they were really dinosaurs or flightless birds based on this.


This has always been a problem not only in Transformers but Jurrasic Park, I guess people just think Raptor sounds cooler than Deinonychus. At least Dino Riders got it right.

http://www.toyarchive.com/DinoRiders/DinoRiderRulnDeinonARMOURED.jpg
If its this BIG it's a freaking Deinonychus!

If it's THAT bit, it's a Utahraptor!

omfg Dino Riders.

Aside from Transformers, I think Dino Riders will be the other thing I'll go after on eBay.

[MV75]

So I opened my three universe characters today, hound, inferno and galvatron.

Now, let's get it out of the way. Galvatron sucked. Big time. Looks great, but why oh why did they have to do such a hard transformation? Parts popped off everywhere, I got entirely lost on the back kibble, what the hell man? 2d instructions still suck arse. It had every single element that annoyed me about certain cybertron and especially movie toys all in the one package.

I tried to put it back to tank mode, no way man. I couldn't figure out the "feet" to get the legs back together, so it's staying in robot mode. So I suggest to get two of these, one to transform and the other to leave as tank because it aint turning back into a tank. Not unless you take whatever drugs that will warp your mind as much as the designer did.

Next is hound. Looked sucky in the pictures, much better in real life. Ravage was pretty cool that it folded up into half its size.

Next hound, much better than I expected, still pretty average to me though. Meh. Big daddy kicks its arse every way.

Next inferno. Transformation was awesome. 100/10.

BUT! Mine was very loose in the joints. Keeps flopping all over the shop. Pity that. Lacked ratcheted joints.

[SilverDragon]

I got Dinobot. Aside from the colours, he is a rather good toy. Both modes look good (the dinosaur looks like a genuine dinosaur species), the robot mode optional claws are fun, as is the faction insignia and the sword/missile, and overall it's a great toy.

The instructions say to turn his dinosaur arms up onto the tops of his shoulders. I don't do that, since in my opinion it looks rather messy (it doesn't nearly have the effect of, say, Prowl's door wings) and detracts from the rest of Dinobot's appearence.

[Lint]

I got the Jetfire repaint, Tread bolt over the weekend. He's a beautifully designed figure but it seems the jetfire mold is suffering from some wear. Heres some things I noticed.

-The hole which is meant to hold the engine panel of the aircraft to Tread bolt's back in robot mode isn't big enough for the peg.
-The clips which hold the booster pack are molded poorly so the pack sags to the front a couple of mm.
-The fist holes for the half guns are really tight making it difficult to put guns in. the combined gun peg is fine.
-The pegs which hold the engine panel of the aircraft in alt mode seem loosish
-The piece behind the cockpit doesn't fit into place near the air brake naturally. You need to purposefully fit it.

On the plus side
-I dont have to line up the springs for the missile launchers in order to put them in like I have to do with Jetfire (tho i did get him second hand)
-Beautiful paint apps
-The brown doesn't look as horrible as the 'enhanced' Hasbro pics make it out to be
-The bruticus helmet is super cool :p
-Tread bolt's booster back is rather bland compared to jetfire but I display him in his blue angels glory anyway.

Overall great looking figure with good detailing (by universe standards) but seems to be suffering from some issues due to what I think is mold wear.

[STL]

Overall great looking figure with good detailing (by universe standards) but seems to be suffering from some issues due to what I think is mold wear.

Oh god, Blue Angels... Blue Angels! Damn Kyle!!!

I've got three Blue Angels (I think that's the perfect number and I'm going to give each one a little paint addition to vary them a little) and the quality control across them varies. I found one was all round great another had really dodgy back begs for when the back wings fall down and the other has a really droopy nose. I think it just varies across the range

[Lint]

Ah, looks like its more than just mold wear then. I kinda feel a lot better about mine now, thanks! :D

[SilverDragon]

I have come late to the Universe Sunstreaker party. This is because I lacked interest in him until I got Movie Bumblebee and realised that car Transformers are actually pretty cool. Also because he isn't widely available nowadays since he was one of the first Classics-Universe toys.

Sunstreaker is fabulous. Both modes rock (car mode rolls, and robot mode is really poseble), and his 'dramatic head reveal' only sweetens the transformation process. I really appreciate the fact that his head is on a ball-joint, since all the other Universe figures I have can only turn their heads, not look up or down without moving the body.

Sure, there's the mismatched paint on his roof compared to the rest of the car, but I'm not going to nitpick on that when the rest is utterly awesome.

10/10

[kup]

Today I got Henkei Dinobot. This Dinobot is arguably an improvement when it comes to show accuracy but just like Henkei Cheetor, he does not represent 10+ years of progress in toy technology. Althogh this guy is more show accurate he is not a better toy and the original toy feels more sturdy and playable.

[Lint]

Universe Inferno. The transformation evokes a very retro G1 feeling rather than the modern/classics feel. He's impressively tall and poseable in robot mode and deceptively compact in truck mode, which is great because I believe he's actually in scale with the deluxe cars. I'm a bit of a ballistics nut so the swivel and tiltable spring fired water cannon is much appreciated. I must also note he's the best-rolling car transformer i've bought in a very long time.

Unfortunately the majority of the non-ratcheted joints on my inferno are quite loose which makes him fail the most basic of kung-fu poses.

If this weren't the inferno character I might have complained about the lack of weapons for a voyager class toy.

[jaydisc]

Forgive me as I've mentioned this elsewhere, but of the two Infernos I have, one is nice and tight (the other quite loose). Those with extremely loose ones should consider asking for a replacement.

[i_amtrunks]

Inferno is the cause of a whole hunk of love from me.

other than his cannon being mildly loose, his other joints seem to be fine and dandy. He ain't the most poseable of bots, but overall he is a fair whack of awesomesauce.

Now I have to hold off on the urge to attempt (and royally stuff up) making an Artfire and/or Grapple.

[GoktimusPrime]

Now I have to hold off on the urge to attempt (and royally stuff up) making an Artfire and/or Grapple.
+1. At $25 a pop I was tempted to get one to repaint as Artfire. ;)

I just saw Gutsman Heavy's photo of Henkei Cliffjumper, Brawn and Beachcomber in the May Acquis(i)tions thread;
+ Beachcomber: Looks the same as Universe.
+ Brawn: Looks nicer than Universe. TakaraTOMY have used a nicer green. Still not a fan of the black face though.
+ Cliffjumper: 9 flavours of fail. Shame on HasTak for trying to palm off another red Bumblebee as Cliffjumper.

[kup]

+ Cliffjumper: 9 flavours of fail. Shame on HasTak for trying to palm off another red Bumblebee as Cliffjumper.

I have a feeling that they did that as a compromise. It seems that they wanted to release Cliffjumer in the Henkei line but didn't want to repaint toy that was clearly Bumblebee such as the deluxe so instead they went for the Legends class Bumblebee which is arguably less G1 Bumblebee character model accurate.

Also Takara rarely makes unretooled repaints unless the mold is paying tribute to a G1 figure who was a originally a repaint such as Bluestreak and Smokescreen unless its an exclusive of some sort.

[jaydisc]

I've been using Movie/Universe repaints as my method of obtaining Cybertron molds. Before Drop Shot was available, Overload had been announced and looked considerably better, and I had no intention of getting both. During a sale, I thought I'd grab Dropshot, and planned to not open him until I could compare with Overload when released and return the unopened lesser of the two. One night, before that happened, during a moment of weakness, I opened up Drop Shot. While somewhat simple, I enjoy the toy. I really liked how the combined arms in alt mode could still rotate. Very clever engineering.

So then Overload showed up, and did so at the glorious price of $25, so I decided I could keep both and opened up Overload. However, I thought the colorings of Overload's head ruined an otherwise, very nicely designed and painted toy (quite superior to Dropshot for those only interested in one).

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05201.jpg

Then I noticed how each of the colors of their heads seemed like it would work on the other, so I did a swap which was VERY easy simply unscrewing the one small screw in the back of their heads.

I much preferred this. When Krayt saw it, he suggested that I should also switch the visor, so I tried it, and agreed. Here they are with swapped heads. The color matching isn't perfect, but to be honest, it's probably no worse than Hasbro would have naturally done anyway.

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05203.jpg

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05206.jpg

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05207.jpg

* Note that the color mismatch is accentuated in the photos (much like the early prototype pics of Hound and Cyclonus we saw).

So in the end, I think Overload looks much better, while Drop shot only looks slightly worse. A worthy trade in my opinion.

[TheDirtyDigger]

Have they been personally renamed Dropload and Overshot?

[Lint]

Thats a brilliant switch, I actually thought it was natural at first glace.

I don't actually know what they originally looked like but by the sounds of it I really don't want to know.

[SilverDragon]

I'm a sucker for Legends TFs, and I'd wanted Starscream for some time, so when I found him at K-Mart, I got him.

He is rather cool. Despite the mold not being originally Starscream (it was originally Cybertron Thundercracker-what irony, Thundercracker being repainted into Starscream), it still looks very much like G1 Starscream, especially in the colours used (grey, mostly, with red along the wings and tail, blue tailfins, and an orange cockpit-and the robot has a black helmet, orange eyes, and blue/grey limbs). It's likely coincidental, but the robot mode, with the jet wings pointing down, bears a resemblance to the IDW redesign of Starscream for their G1 comics.

Also notable is that he's one of the very few Legends toys with weapons that aren't carryovers from the vehicle mode (e.g. tank turrets)-Starscream's left arm has a huge gun attached to it. It's stuck on by a ball-joint, meaning that it's detachable if you don't want it there. Also of note is that the back of his jet mode can open up-this is supposed to simulate the Cyber Key gimmick on the larger Deluxe Thundercracker toy. It's kind of superfluous, but you can imagine he's hiding stuff in there or something. Interestingly, opening it in robot mode gives Starscream his G1 shoulder ornaments.

[GoktimusPrime]

what irony, Thundercracker being repainted into Starscream
It's not the first time either. War Within Starscream is a repaint of War Within Thundercracker despite the fact that in the War Within comics the three Seekers are all different (i.e.: they're not repaints!). The War Within Thundercracker mould was also repainted as War Within Skywarp.

Reference (http://www.unicron.us/tf2008/toypix/warwithin_skywarp.htm): Scroll down to view images of the 3 War Within Decepticon jets.

[Ironhide63]

my fav universe/classics 2.0 is Ironhide...inferno comes close but Ironhide all the way. Soundwave is close aswell.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Response to Ironhide63's question here (http://otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=4331)

My favourite would be between Sunstreaker (I only got one of this mould) and Hound in deluxe, and Onslaught in Ultra. Since i don't think i've done this before, here's a recap of the ones i have (all Henkei excepting Powerglide).

Sunstreaker - there's basically nothing wrong with this toy, 2 great modes, non-intrusive gimmick on the head, great colour matching and chrome on Henkei version, universe has mismatched yellows.

Prowl - almost nothing wrong here either. Perhaps the black bit his head rests on is strange looking, and his feet aren't the most poseable. Henkei has great chrome shoulder cannons.

Galvatron - Realistic alt mode, but chrome looks a bit out of place. Robot mode is a pretty good representation, feet look a bit awkward and he has a backpack which makes him a bit hard to pose. Henkei has nicer colours IMO, and no fluro orange connector bits that look ugly on Universe.

Ironhide - Nice shape on alt mode, but messy zig-zagging seam lines ruin it a bit. Chrome on henkei is misplaced IMO, they have it on the headlights whereas it should have been on the bar at the front. Robot mode is a good representation, but has a bit of limited poseability in the arms, and his head is tilted down a touch.

Hound - great value since it comes with a decent Ravage toy. No real faults in vehicle mode, nice dark chrome on the front . Robot mode looks exactly like Hound should, only he has slightly gappy ankles from some angles.

Cyclonus - pretty much perfect robot mode, no kibble thanks to clever transformation. Alt mode is good, but back end is a bit gappy and more robot part-ish than the rest. Both Henkei and Universe have colour schemes that work well (one like the cartoon, one like the G1 toy) - but both have faults. Henkei nosecone is a different shade of purple, and the purple is arguably too light (i would have preferred the same purple as Henkei Galvatron). Universe has a load of unpainted grey and mismatched colours on the thighs. Nightstick looks much higher quality on Henkei, with the chrome barrel.

Hot Shot - Decent alt mode but has mismatched window paint (should have been transparent like the prototype), and gaps in the spoiler at the back to accomodate a crappy Jolt toy. Robot mode is a good representation, but has shoulder kibble that hinders poseability. Henkei comes with chrome missile launchers that cleverly double as exhaust pipes.

Onslaught - Both modes look great, USA Edition has a lovely metallic dark blue/green colour - though from what i've seen the Universe version is pretty good too. Transformation is simple, and works good, but i wish for a more complex transformation at this size.

Powerglide - Looks a bit top heavy in robot mode, has small feet and big obvious breasts. Size seems wrong for this character. Jet mode is decent but a bit gappy on top. USA Edition version is more faithful to G1 with it's colours, Universe a bit more realistic looking in alt mode, but has an out of place red head in robot mode.

Oh by the way, which Soundwave are you referring to? There is no specific Universe 2.0 release, so i imagine you're talking about the G1 reissue that was released in classics packaging?

[lcz128]

I've been using Movie/Universe repaints as my method of obtaining Cybertron molds. Before Drop Shot was available, Overload had been announced and looked considerably better, and I had no intention of getting both. During a sale, I thought I'd grab Dropshot, and planned to not open him until I could compare with Overload when released and return the unopened lesser of the two. One night, before that happened, during a moment of weakness, I opened up Drop Shot. While somewhat simple, I enjoy the toy. I really liked how the combined arms in alt mode could still rotate. Very clever engineering.

So then Overload showed up, and did so at the glorious price of $25, so I decided I could keep both and opened up Overload. However, I thought the colorings of Overload's head ruined an otherwise, very nicely designed and painted toy (quite superior to Dropshot for those only interested in one).

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05201.jpg

Then I noticed how each of the colors of their heads seemed like it would work on the other, so I did a swap which was VERY easy simply unscrewing the one small screw in the back of their heads.

I much preferred this. When Krayt saw it, he suggested that I should also switch the visor, so I tried it, and agreed. Here they are with swapped heads. The color matching isn't perfect, but to be honest, it's probably no worse than Hasbro would have naturally done anyway.

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05203.jpg

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05206.jpg

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05207.jpg

* Note that the color mismatch is accentuated in the photos (much like the early prototype pics of Hound and Cyclonus we saw).

So in the end, I think Overload looks much better, while Drop shot only looks slightly worse. A worthy trade in my opinion.

WAITAMINUTE.

My dropshot had an UNPAINTED FACE. >_> I thought that was just how it was supposed to be - but - I guess not- I had just recently repainted it gunmetal...so not a good point of reference I suppose - :\ That said, I have swapped visors of mine with Overload - but I decided against the headswap :) Also painted the 'eyes' behind the visors silver, but u can't really make it out :(

:\ Dammit - what's this and bad QC with me!?

[kup]

I just received a second hand Universe Countdown (Big thanks to Blackie)

Don't buy him! He is not worth the rip off TrU price tag of $80. He is made of considerably cheaper plastic than Cybertron Defense Red Alert and Botcon06 Megatron - the painted parts are not well applied either. It is very disappointing that such an expensive and over priced retail figure is so dodgyly made and on top of that a store exclusive.

I can understand why Blackie wasn't impressed with him - It is of cheap KOish manufacture and it shows despite the overall concept of the character and repaint being rather good.

Note: Quality of figure is Hasbro's fault not Blackie's. I am thankful to Blackie for selling it to me at a decent cost.

[TheDirtyDigger]

I just received a second hand Universe Countdown (Big thanks to Blackie)

Don't buy him! He is not worth the rip off TrU price tag of $80. He is made of considerably cheaper plastic than Cybertron Defense Red Alert and Botcon06 Megatron - the painted parts are not well applied either. It is very disappointing that such an expensive and over priced retail figure is so dodgyly made and on top of that a store exclusive.

I can understand why Blackie wasn't impressed with him - It is of cheap KOish manufacture and it shows despite the overall concept of the character and repaint being rather good.

Note: Quality of figure is Hasbro's fault not Blackie's. I am thankful to Blackie for selling it to me at a decent cost.


Well Hasbro said in their answers somewhere months ago that because they sell such a larger quantity of Transformers now they did have to drop quality. :rolleyes:
When will they understand that we'll pay higher prices for better ingredients in our product? Sick of seeing that almost transparent plastic...especially the grey.

Thanks for the honest review though Kup. It's ensured I'll keep mine MISB. No point in opening crap...it looks better in the box.

[jaydisc]

Well Hasbro said in their answers somewhere months ago that because they sell such a larger quantity of Transformers now they did have to drop quality. :rolleyes:
When will they understand that we'll pay higher prices for better ingredients in our product? Sick of seeing that almost transparent plastic...especially the grey.

I thought they said it was because their costs in China had gone up.

While you, me, Kup and probably others might be willing to pay higher prices for high quality, the Walmart clientele aren't, and that's from whom Hasbro is making their money.

[Vector Prime]

Classics 2.0/Universe are the whole reasons why I got back into collecting Transformers after almost a 20 year hiatus.

After seeing what they've done to the classic characters in terms of articulation and design, I was instantly hooked.

Admittedly the quality does suck compared to their G1 counterparts.

I still have memories of dropping Hound off a table onto concrete and all he did was bounce whereas nowadays, do the same and he'll probably shatter into a hundred pieces.

The paint jobs on some of these guys are also pretty crap too with mismatched colours and almost complete lack of paint application in certain areas, leaving the plastic translucent.

Henkei's seem to be better finished in terms of paint and manufacturing process, however even some of them fall apart while you're transforming them (Galvatron), but are at a higher price premium.

(Ducking for cover) Despite their shortcomings, I still wouldn't trade any of them for their G1 versions!

I may not be a purist in the sense of the word, but I do enjoy TFs and it's because of the classics/universe range, I have come back to the fold... and that's a good thing, I think? :)

[jaydisc]

Sure is.

While it was the 1st movie that brought me back to the fold, Classics & Henkei are my favorites now.

[TheDirtyDigger]

I thought they said it was because their costs in China had gone up.



They did say that later but initially stated that they hadn't anticipated the massive demand caused by the movie and the first waves of the Classics and, in the roundabout style of political-speak, blamed that on QC issues.
It's why I proposed a while back that we discourage children and noob collector's from infringing upon our hobby with their purchases.

[Deonasis]

Darkwind
"Silverbolt is an unfortunate looking bot but Darkwind makes this $hit look good!~"

Looking at Darkwind in bot or alt mode can make data banks of a transformation process almost fade away. Repaint is such a dirty word, and sadly, undeniably, Darkwind is one. Sadly to the horrible Silverbolt. It has been known for many cycles that focusing your optics on Silverbolt WILL fill your core with rage OR sorrow, and searching for redeeming features about Silverbolt WILL only remind you of this model's lame arse transformation. If Darkwind was created for a reason, that reason is stand beside Silverbolt as proof, that not all repaints are inferior to the original, and that Darkwind is 1000x better.
-Darkwind is worth buying this crappy mould (if on sale) while Silverbolt is not.

Countdown
"Countdown likes the ladies who in turn like giant shoulder mounted cannons. He has a knee gun cause he hates kids and his visor makes him look like a rad dude :cool:."

This is my 1st version of the Countdown mould and/so the plastic quality seems fine IMO. Countdown comes with enough gimmicks, has good colours, and a great head sculpt.
-As with Darkwind, I was happy to buy Countdown for $40.

[Wheel-J]

Countdown
"Countdown likes the ladies

That's because they often thought of him as someone else (http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww296/Wheel-J/Misc/8d16b2d6.jpg)....:D

[GoktimusPrime]

that's nothing... you should check out Beast Wars II Galvatron's drill tank mode. It looks even _more_ phallic (it has a distinct shaft and head) and it spins! :D

[dirge]

Looking at Darkwind in bot or alt mode can make data banks of a transformation process almost fade away. Repaint is such a dirty word, and sadly, undeniably, Darkwind is one. Sadly to the horrible Silverbolt. It has been known for many cycles that focusing your optics on Silverbolt WILL fill your core with rage OR sorrow, and searching for redeeming features about Silverbolt WILL only remind you of this model's lame arse transformation. If Darkwind was created for a reason, that reason is stand beside Silverbolt as proof, that not all repaints are inferior to the original, and that Darkwind is 1000x better.

While it's an undeniably simple mould for the pricepoint (and should have been done as a Voyager or even a deluxe), a large part of the reason why TFU Silverbolt sucks is that the colours are off. The blue/grey and maroon really weaken the tribute - which should be the best thing Silverbolt has going for him.

The Henkei Verson is a _lot_ stronger since the white is actually white and the red is pure red. Sure, the mould is still weak, but the colours - like those of Darkwind - make it worthwhile.

[Deonasis]

While it's an undeniably simple mould for the pricepoint (and should have been done as a Voyager or even a deluxe), a large part of the reason why TFU Silverbolt sucks is that the colours are off. The blue/grey and maroon really weaken the tribute - which should be the best thing Silverbolt has going for him.

The Henkei Verson is a _lot_ stronger since the white is actually white and the red is pure red. Sure, the mould is still weak, but the colours - like those of Darkwind - make it worthwhile.


Yeah I should have mentioned I was talking about the Hasbro colours. If you need to get a Silverbolt then get the Henkei version!

[Oilspill]

I gotta say, I've been messing with my universe Darkwing lately and I really like him. Yeah the transformation is about as simple as a scout class and there's a lot of under-kibble, but his alt mode is nice and his bot mode looks really great. He pulls of some great poses, and can do some particularly heroic ones that are appropriate for Silverbolt.

There's something to be said for a simple transformation too, it can be quite fun to have the odd figure that you can transform back and forth in 30 seconds rather than 5 minutes.

At first I thought his late-80s color scheme was a bit garish, but all the colours actually work really well together and his purple is vibrant and very Decepticonish.

And he has one of the most satisfying methods of activating the transformation sound.

So a big thumbs up for both Silverbolt and Darkwing for me, though if I had to pick one, it'd be Darkwing for sure.

[Doubledealer]

There's something to be said for a simple transformation too, it can be quite fun to have the odd figure that you can transform back and forth in 30 seconds rather than 5 minutes.

That's very true. One of the things I really like about Supreme Devastator is how easy it is to transform! :D

[Lint]

The fanfare was right, Universe Hound really is love. I couldn't find anything overly deficient (as per typical modern Hasbro standards). Joints a bit loose though.

Then for absolutely no reason he comes with an awesome rendition of Ravage!

I've also been impressed by the super-cool Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. I'm a little miffed that Sunstreakers accessories are so blandly deco'd in comparison to Swipes. Did those automorphing ears really break that much of the budget Hasbro?

[Lord_Zed]

I picked up Stormcloud recently. Even though I think he should have been painted blue like Tailwind I though he looked kinda cool and sleek looking in the package, I don't have the powerglide mould and he was real cheap. But man even at the cheap price I really don't care for this mould. The colours are kinda nice and Decep looking, but his small arms and big chest just look so wierd, he towers over most of my Universe/Henkei toys but his arms look deluxe size. And what's with his Techspecs? how can an A10 based jet have such minimal firepower?

I really have to stop buying Ultra's they always seem to dissapoint me. :(

[Oilspill]

I agree, my Henkei Powerglide is one of my least favourite Universe/Classics figures. He just doesn't feel like powerglide even though his head is powerglide and his alt mode is powerglide and his bot mode is semi-powerglide but I just don't like him.

But as far as Ultras go, you can't complain about Onslaught surely? I love that big, bad Decepticon. I like Silverbolt/Darkwing too but I understand why most people don't - but Onslaught is buckets of win :)

[GoktimusPrime]

Powerglide's light up orange boobs are like a traffic accident... awful but you can't help staring at them!

[Lord_Zed]

But as far as Ultras go, you can't complain about Onslaught surely? I love that big, bad Decepticon. I like Silverbolt/Darkwing too but I understand why most people don't - but Onslaught is buckets of win :)

I don't have Onslaught, I haven't seen him for a price i'm willing to pay, while he is the most complex of the three, I still don't think he is anything that couldn't be achieved in a smaller scale. I have seen others toys though. He does seem the best mould of the three, but he just doesn't feel like Onslaught to me. His vehicle mode bugs me, and he looks like a big lug, where as G1 Onslaught was always more slim and clever.

[kaiden]

I bought Bruticus in preparation for the fansproject add on kits and wow was i severely disappointed.

The biggest problem is that blast off is a tank of the same mold as brawl and swindle is a copter, the same as vortex.

The only one i actually like is onslaught. he has a solid robot mode and alt mode.
I love his arms and legs - they're fun to play with and are his strongest attributes.
the only problems would be his ugly head - it makes him look like princess leia, and his head is not even hidden from view in alt mode.

brawl... i hate the treads as back kibble. they cant even be used as wings. the cannons on his arms make him look like seekers. his head is ugly and both alt and robot mode are stupid. fail.

vortex in alt mode is not so bad but i hate his arms that are just hangin underneath. his robot mode sucks.

gestalt mode is a horrible mess. i hate his arms and legs.
whoever design this should really have looked at the henkei/classics line. thats beautiful.

one thing that would have helped is if the 4 smaller transformers were all deluxe size. then they could have been more creative.

i wish fansproject would remake both brawl and vortex - the hasbro ones are horrible.

[Vector Prime]

whoever design this should really have looked at the henkei/classics line. thats beautiful.

Hate to tell you this, but Universe Bruticus is a redeco of Energon Bruticus ~ so essentially it was designed sometime circa-2004 (if not earlier).

Being an Energon based toy, it naturally would have it's limitations compared to the later evolutionary lines (like Classics, Henkei and even Cybertron figures)

[Oilspill]

A valid point. And I know that the number of moulds that they could produce was limited by their budget, hence why 2 are repaints, but I gotta agree with kaiden, it is a pretty disappointing purchase.

I bought him for the same reason and man the set is so effing ugly. I had them combined next to Superion (with upgrade kit) but those hands and feet are so pathetic I had to disassemble them back to individual bot modes, and even those aren't great.

I would definitely buy a Brawl, Vortex and Onslaught if FP ever decided to replace them too. Swindle and Blast-off are definitely going to upstage the rest of the crew when they're out in a couple of months time.

Or as a simpler improvement, I'd be happy with new heads for those three.

[snazzbot 101]

I bought Bruticus in preparation for the fansproject add on kits and wow was i severely disappointed.

The biggest problem is that blast off is a tank of the same mold as brawl and swindle is a copter, the same as vortex.

The only one i actually like is onslaught. he has a solid robot mode and alt mode.
I love his arms and legs - they're fun to play with and are his strongest attributes.
the only problems would be his ugly head - it makes him look like princess leia, and his head is not even hidden from view in alt mode.

brawl... i hate the treads as back kibble. they cant even be used as wings. the cannons on his arms make him look like seekers. his head is ugly and both alt and robot mode are stupid. fail.

vortex in alt mode is not so bad but i hate his arms that are just hangin underneath. his robot mode sucks.

gestalt mode is a horrible mess. i hate his arms and legs.
whoever design this should really have looked at the henkei/classics line. thats beautiful.

one thing that would have helped is if the 4 smaller transformers were all deluxe size. then they could have been more creative.

i wish fansproject would remake both brawl and vortex - the hasbro ones are horrible.

So basically you dislike nearly everything that makes him what he is? He was sold in a window box...

Most of what you listed are legitimate gripes (not sure about the Princess Leia comparison though. Or the Seeker comparison. Or the Henkei comparison) but to me he's really nifty.

He showcases what I imagined as a kid what a Combiner would be: small robots transforming into a fully realised and imposing robot. Up until I got Energon Bruticus Maximus most of my Combiners felt lacking.

They connected sure but they didin't become something more. I adore my reissue Predaking but Damn! he just stands there, slumping under his own weight. Sure slumping and ominous, but slumping none the less.

[kup]

the only problems would be his ugly head - it makes him look like princess leia, and his head is not even hidden from view in alt mode.



I have been fantasying about the possibility that Fan Projects or someone else could make custom heads for both Silverbolt and Onslaught from the Energon combiner molds.

[kup]

Hate to tell you this, but Universe Bruticus is a redeco of Energon Bruticus ~ so essentially it was designed sometime circa-2004 (if not earlier).

Being an Energon based toy, it naturally would have it's limitations compared to the later evolutionary lines (like Classics, Henkei and even Cybertron figures)

Beast Wars is older than Energon yet it had far better gestalts IMO.

Despite the extra kibble (which these Energon combiners aslo rely upon) G1 gestalts were also much better - Yeah they were bricks but its not like the Energon combiners are fully articulated either, specially when they have 20 years of toy design technology to draw upon.

Energon was just overall a crappy line.

Without the custom upgrades, these toys are not worth it.

[Oilspill]

I have been fantasying about the possibility that Fan Projects or someone else could make custom heads for both Silverbolt and Onslaught from the Energon combiner molds.

I reckon Kidbash (http://www.kidbash.com/) are the ones most likely to make head replacements for these figures.

It was mentioned in a recent post (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/266590-kidbashs-corner-83.html#post4628001) on TFW2005 that they may consider doing an upgrade kit including heads and new wings etc to make the individual figures more g1 accurate - for Superion at least. They did a Bruticus upgrade kit a while back, before FP announced theirs, which I think included an Onslaught head.

You'd have to crack out the paints but that's something I'm willing to have a shot at.

[kup]

I reckon Kidbash (http://www.kidbash.com/) are the ones most likely to make head replacements for these figures.

It was mentioned in a recent post (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/266590-kidbashs-corner-83.html#post4628001) on TFW2005 that they may consider doing an upgrade kit including heads and new wings etc to make the individual figures more g1 accurate - for Superion at least. They did a Bruticus upgrade kit a while back, before FP announced theirs, which I think included an Onslaught head.

You'd have to crack out the paints but that's something I'm willing to have a shot at.

Yeah but they seem more like kitbashers than actual third party mass release custom accessory manufacturers.

[Oilspill]

Yeah they're kitbashers for sure, well they have a store, so they'll make a few hundred parts and you can buy them, and they're restocking in a couple of days time I believe, but not what I would call mass-release.

I think their quality is meant to be quite good, but like I said you gotta paint it up yourself.

They're developing a modular head system, where they make up the head from 4 different pieces, so you can make recognisable heads or mix and match to make your own custom character. Definitely something I'm looking forward to seeing.

[kup]

Yeah they're kitbashers for sure, well they have a store, so they'll make a few hundred parts and you can buy them, and they're restocking in a couple of days time I believe, but not what I would call mass-release.

I think their quality is meant to be quite good, but like I said you gotta paint it up yourself.

They're developing a modular head system, where they make up the head from 4 different pieces, so you can make recognisable heads or mix and match to make your own custom character. Definitely something I'm looking forward to seeing.

Thanks. The Onslaught head is rather good too. If they sell it by itself then I would buy one.

[GoktimusPrime]

Beast Wars is older than Energon yet it had far better gestalts IMO.
Yeah but to be fair the Beast Wars gestalts don't have interchangable limbs like the Super Link/Energon gestalts do. Build King (aka RiD Landfill) is probably a better comparison -- it predates Super Link/Energon, has interchangeable limbs, no excessive tack-on kibble, and each mould is unique. I think the Build Team has nicer alt modes too in terms of being more realistic as robots in disguise - but of course, Energon was all "futuristic" fantasy alt modes.


Despite the extra kibble (which these Energon combiners aslo rely upon) G1 gestalts were also much better - Yeah they were bricks but its not like the Energon combiners are fully articulated either, specially when they have 20 years of toy design technology to draw upon.
The G1 Scramble gestalts are better than the Energon ones in terms of having more unique moulds. e.g. G1 Combaticons you got 5 unique moulds whereas with Energon there are only 3 moulds.

You bring up a good point about the lack of articulation though. It seems that we haven't seen any articulated gestalt modes since Beast Wars and Car Robot/RiD. Not even ROTF Combiner Class Devastator is terribly articulated (which is even more shameful considering that he's not a "fully transformable" gestalt set :()

P.S.: It's possible that even Transformers Animorph's Tri-Rex might have better articulation... I dunno for sure as I don't have the toy nor have I ever handled a loose one. You know you're a sad gestalt if you're outclassed by an Animorphs toy! :p

[kurdt_the_goat]

I was just playing with my Henkei Prowl and to my surprise, i yanked his feet a bit harder than normal, only to find there's a sliding region that gives him an extra 75mm clearance, meaning he can do poses much better!!

Looking at the Henkei instructions.. and doh, it is in fact very clear that you can pull the feet further! But, looking online at the Universe Prowl instructions (http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/83667.pdf), it doesn't show this movement!

I remember a lot of people complaining about the limited feet movement, so i thought i'd mention incase i'm not the only one figuring this out now!