Toy Review - Siege Battlemasters

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't think that the Battlemasters are worth having individual threads for each one, so this is just one discussion/review thread for all Siege Battlemasters. Too tired to type a review atm so here are some pics for now.

https://i.ibb.co/bJvHBtG/SIEGE-Battlemasters01.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/DYMBqmF/SIEGE-Battlemasters02.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/8jbfxwf/SIEGE-Battlemasters03.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/GngR03D/SIEGE-Battlemasters05.jpg

[Golden Phoenix]

Has anyone seen any comparison shots between these guys and the Targetmasters Takara released with some of the Legends figures?

[TaZZerath]

Hey Goktimus are you going to follow this up with a mini review or summary? These guys actually look like they're worth it

[GoktimusPrime]

I wasn't planning to. WYSIWYG with these little dudes. Each have four points of ball jointed articulation and those with gun modes have little missiles sculpted on the bottom of the feet that make it look like launchers in gun mode. A neat upgrade from the G1 Nebulans whose legs always just sorta sat there not doing much, now they're more functional (albeit less slavishly G1 looking if that's your sort of thing). Not sure why Firedrive's limbs are white instead of grey... maybe to make him stand out more from Blowpipe.

Oh, I took some photos of Lioniser with my Henkei Hound last Saturday but haven't post them here yet.

Weapon mode.
https://i.ibb.co/J7KjTtg/henkei-Hound01.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/wcm5SZf/henkei-Hound02.jpg

Robot mode
https://i.ibb.co/318y11x/henkei-Hound04.jpg

Messin' around with Lioniser's ... uh... blade blast? Sword swoosh? That little blue plastic thing!
https://i.ibb.co/28ctFJm/henkei-Hound03.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/3Msbqzx/henkei-Hound05.jpg

[TaZZerath]

Looks like Hounds about to get to 88 miles per hour in that last pic :D

[GoktimusPrime]

Looks like Hounds about to get to 142 kilometres per hour in that last pic :D
This is why I cannot wait for Siege Swindler to come out! #GreatScott

[TaZZerath]

I picked up Siege Blowpipe today. I'm pretty impressed with him for what he is (bar the price but thats just the way of things these days!) Very sturdy and poseable robot mode, very compact and rigid gun mode. A great accompaniment to my Triggerhappy and now he feels more complete. Love the little fireblast effect and its compatibility (already used him with my Siege Topshot and it looks fantastic firing his projectiles!)

The Headmaster/Targetmaster combo that TT did with some of their TR figures really appealed to me, but the price at the time didn't... so I'm super happy to emulate that now!

[GoktimusPrime]

I feel the same about Blowpipe and how he enhances Triggerhappy but... really... Triggerhappy should've been a Targetmaster in the first place. Screw the Headmaster gimmick. IMO the Decepticon CHUG Targetmasters should've all been done in the same vein as CHUG Cyclonus.
#cryingoverspiltmilk #firstworldproblems

[TaZZerath]

About the only downside is the fact I can't plug him into Triggerhappy in alt mode easily :(

I have given his original TR 'pistols' over to BattleTrap and they suit remarkably well!

[Sinnertwin]

About the only downside is the fact I can't plug him into Triggerhappy in alt mode easily :(

I have given his original TR 'pistols' over to BattleTrap and they suit remarkably well!


Provided you don't fly him up and down the driveway, you can manipulate Triggerhappy's legs and kind of jam him in between the ends of his feet where they meet his body.

[KELPIE]

I feel the same about Blowpipe and how he enhances Triggerhappy but... really... Triggerhappy should've been a Targetmaster in the first place. Screw the Headmaster gimmick. IMO the Decepticon CHUG Targetmasters should've all been done in the same vein as CHUG Cyclonus.
#cryingoverspiltmilk #firstworldproblems

How should they have done the Autobot Targetmasters?

#floggingdeadhorse #keepdreaming

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

About the only downside is the fact I can't plug him into Triggerhappy in alt mode easily :(

I have given his original TR 'pistols' over to BattleTrap and they suit remarkably well!If it's not too much trouble, would you mind posting some pics of Battletrap with the guns up somewhere? I'm tempted to grab a Blowpipe and do the same thing.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I bought a second Blowpipe for the effect part and one of them doesn't break up the same way.

The frts one I got, it proke down into 3 pieces

Circular muzzle flash thing
Fat jet boost thing
thin jet boost thing


The second one only breaks up the muzzle flash and the other two are stuck together. Does anyone else's break up into 3?

I'm curious to know which one is the "busted" one...

[Lint]

Does anyone else's break up into 3?


Mine only breaks into 2. Though now that I inspect it the long piece is indeed comprised of 2 pieces, I previously assumed it was a single moulded item.

On the topic of Blowpipe I'm finding he's the best of the Battlemasters released so far purely because he has the best effect piece of the lot. I like wearing it on his back like a booster jet.

[Dimi194]

I bought a second Blowpipe for the effect part and one of them doesn't break up the same way.

The frts one I got, it proke down into 3 pieces

Circular muzzle flash thing
Fat jet boost thing
thin jet boost thing


The second one only breaks up the muzzle flash and the other two are stuck together. Does anyone else's break up into 3?

I'm curious to know which one is the "busted" one...

I think mine was stuck together and then I broke the glue to pull them apart :o:o

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Mine only breaks into 2. Though now that I inspect it the long piece is indeed comprised of 2 pieces, I previously assumed it was a single moulded item.

On the topic of Blowpipe I'm finding he's the best of the Battlemasters released so far purely because he has the best effect piece of the lot. I like wearing it on his back like a booster jet.


I think mine was stuck together and then I broke the glue to pull them apart :o:o
Yes, I had a look at my second one and it seems they are meant to be stuck together, so I got lucky on the first one. I ended up soaking it in some warm water and pulling it apart so now I have what I want. I recommend doing this as it makes the effect part even better! Have a look at what you end up with.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/EcMoHmDSBcxwhcmksG3yb1_JyGQkcdVM5YY7sdZzH-ppMxFWIBh0A6-3XL2jgTuwDW85BS1Lztl7jT-VUPSuK87OOeK75LOtTFq3wbqtZvl2jLxh6oULPWEl-lm2tAjjc6agTUHP=w800

Two for the price of one! (Or in my case four for the price of two!)

[DELTAprime]

I got Smashdown today. The robot mode is pretty blocky thanks to the requirements of the alt mode and isn't very posable. The alt mode though is a rather cool though. What Transformer wouldn't look better with a giant red hammer?

[GoktimusPrime]

SINGE

https://i.ibb.co/PwSfwZ5/SIEGE-singe02.jpg

Singe, of course, was one of Spinister's Nebulan Targetmaster partners in G1. As Siege Spinister (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/26834-Toy-Review-Siege-Spinister) comes with no Targetmasters of his own, Singe has been released separately. He's basically a repaint of Firedrive, and a rather mundane one at that, being predominantly black and gunmetal grey with a metallic blue face. It also means that he lacks the more distinctive features of G1 Singe, like the War Machine style shoulder cannons. The overall palette is too monotonous and I think that it would've helped to have some grey or silver and more metallic blue to break up the black. The dark gunmetal grey, while quite nice, is too close to black to give a good contrast.

https://i.ibb.co/89GXmRM/SIEGE-singe01.jpg

I personally would've preferred if Hasbro just did what they did with Generations Scoop (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/18316-Toy-Review-Generations-Autobot-Scoop) and just included two simple 1988 style Targetmasters. Being much simpler Targetmasters they would be much cheaper to make and wouldn't need to be sold separately - they're basically just solid mould guns with flip out barrels and handles. Scoop showed us that this is cheap enough to do at a Deluxe Class price point. Just repainting Scoop's Targetmasters (as they did for Combiner Wars Spinister (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/23031-Toy-Review-TFSS-Spinister)) to save more money would be preferrable IMO. The thing with repainting existing Siege Battlemasters is that they're styled like the 1987 Targetmasters, not 1988. They're also more expensive and likely not feasible to include a pair of them as bonus accessories. As a 1988 Targetmaster character, Spinister doesn't need fancier 1987-style Targetmasters. And if you include two of them that can combine, then I think collectors will easily forgive the simpler designs.

Overall: Not really worth it unless you want to give Spinister his Targetmaster weapon and you're willing to shell out extra bucks for the purchase of an additional Battle Master on top of the Deluxe that you've already bought. :/ IMO toys like Generations Scoop was much better value for money -- one single Deluxe Class purchase gave you a Deluxe figure with two Targetmasters.

[GoktimusPrime]

RUNG

https://i.ibb.co/5MnzsnX/SIEGE-rung01.jpg

I'm really happy with this toy! :) This is a toy that I've been wanting for a jolly long time (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/15218-New-series-of-Generations-toys-coming-this-year?p=335262#post335262) and it's awesome that Hasbro has finally given us a Rung toy. :cool: And the fact that its alt-mode is hilariously so much like his original comic mode is also quite bold, and I think only possible at this small/cheap price point. I know that a lot of fans would want a larger (e.g. Deluxe) Rung toy, and I do too - but I don't know if it'd be possible to do a larger Rung toy with that alt mode. How many kids and even adults who don't read the comics would want a toy that transforms into a Matrix Forge (https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/8/88/LL24_Rung%27s_Last_Transformation.jpg)? :p I do think a larger Rung toy is doable, but I reckon the alt mode would have to be something more marketable, like a motorcycle or spaceship or something. They could do a "marketable" alt mode and have the Matrix Forge as an undocumented tertiary mode (akin to Siege Shockwave's Not-A-Gun mode :p). But I digress...

https://i.ibb.co/p02YsGt/SIEGE-rung02.jpg

Admittedly this toy has a very niche appeal. If you're a fan of the comics then I highly recommend this toy, but I understand that for people who don't read the comics (especially kids, cos let's face it, the IDW comics are unapologetically written for adults) I get that this won't mean much if anything to them. And the toy itself doesn't hold a whole lot of appeal (unlike say, Spinister or Impactor, who are great toys even for people who didn't grow up with G1).

https://i.ibb.co/SV9rPSt/SIEGE-rung03.jpg

They even sculpted in Rung's trademark John Howard-esque caterpillar-like eyebrows! :D Although they are unpainted, should be easy enough to paint or even colour them in with a Sharpie. :p

[Paulbot]

I reckon more kids will think this is a new version of RID Fixit than know anything about the comic character.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

SINGE

https://i.ibb.co/PwSfwZ5/SIEGE-singe02.jpg

Singe, of course, was one of Spinister's Nebulan Targetmaster partners in G1. As Siege Spinister (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/26834-Toy-Review-Siege-Spinister) comes with no Targetmasters of his own, Singe has been released separately. He's basically a repaint of Firedrive, and a rather mundane one at that, being predominantly black and gunmetal grey with a metallic blue face. It also means that he lacks the more distinctive features of G1 Singe, like the War Machine style shoulder cannons. The overall palette is too monotonous and I think that it would've helped to have some grey or silver and more metallic blue to break up the black. The dark gunmetal grey, while quite nice, is too close to black to give a good contrast.

https://i.ibb.co/89GXmRM/SIEGE-singe01.jpg

I personally would've preferred if Hasbro just did what they did with Generations Scoop (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/18316-Toy-Review-Generations-Autobot-Scoop) and just included two simple 1988 style Targetmasters. Being much simpler Targetmasters they would be much cheaper to make and wouldn't need to be sold separately - they're basically just solid mould guns with flip out barrels and handles. Scoop showed us that this is cheap enough to do at a Deluxe Class price point. Just repainting Scoop's Targetmasters (as they did for Combiner Wars Spinister (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/23031-Toy-Review-TFSS-Spinister)) to save more money would be preferrable IMO. The thing with repainting existing Siege Battlemasters is that they're styled like the 1987 Targetmasters, not 1988. They're also more expensive and likely not feasible to include a pair of them as bonus accessories. As a 1988 Targetmaster character, Spinister doesn't need fancier 1987-style Targetmasters. And if you include two of them that can combine, then I think collectors will easily forgive the simpler designs.

Overall: Not really worth it unless you want to give Spinister his Targetmaster weapon and you're willing to shell out extra bucks for the purchase of an additional Battle Master on top of the Deluxe that you've already bought. :/ IMO toys like Generations Scoop was much better value for money -- one single Deluxe Class purchase gave you a Deluxe figure with two Targetmasters.OK, so, having just gotten Spinister today, and not having Transformed him yet, but having put him with robot-mode Quake with a newly-opened Aimless, I'm now sort-of of the opposite view re. Targetmaster partners - Spinister's guns look about right, while Aimless looks too damn big and clunky. I'm planning on picking up Singe, but I'll actually probably just give him to my Slugslinger, G1-inaccuracy be damned. For the updated Double-Targetmasters I like the static dual guns - I want some for Quake as well now.
At some point I'll just pick up an old G1 Misfire and give Aimless to him, but for now I'm going with Siege Targetmasters for 1987 Targetmasters, and Something Else for the Double Targetmasters.
Not sure how I'd feel if the simpler Scoop-y Targetmasters had been the case - suspect they would have still been too large for my tastes.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Sort-of a necro-bump/rehashing old figures, but I sort of feel like I need to express my appreciation...Siege Blowpipe looks really good with Titans Return Triggerhappy. :)