Revenge of the Fallen Toys comments/discussion

[SilverDragon]

Yeah, yeah, I know it's early, but the toys seem to be coming out all over the world now, and they're set to be released here this month, if I remember correctly. So I think it would be nice to have some pre-release discussion of them, and eventually actual discussion when we start getting them.

Naturally, there could be SPOILERS.

I'm not too fond of the movie aesthetic when it's applied to transforming toys-it works on screen, but not so much in plastic transforming form. That said, I'm wanting to get Preview Soundwave, Ravage, Dune Runner, Ransack, and any Scorponok re-release, since I like his beast mode. I may decide to get Voyager OP since I didn't get him last time and I would like a big Optimus in my collection.

The Scouts class looks really interesting, and not simply because they're new molds. Aside from conventional alt modes, there's some ones that I'm finding interesting because they don't show up all that much, such as boats (Depth Charge). I'm especially interested in Ransack (or Baron Ransack Von Joy, as Vangelus has named him) since we haven't had a TF biplane.

[damnyouhussies]

I have never been a fan of the movie aesthetic at all, just seem to lack a certain character and they also favor complexity of intuitive creative simplicity.

That said, as you pointed out , the scouts actually look really interesting and quite unique. Baron von ransack definately looks a good pick up just for his uniqueness.

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm not too fond of the movie aesthetic when it's applied to transforming toys-it works on screen, but not so much in plastic transforming form.
I can understand your sentiment. :)

You're right, it's a very difficult concept to "translate" into toys. Transformers are traditionally engineered as toys first, then artists and animators adapt them into comic books and cartoons - it seldomly works the other way around. And in the case of the movie, it's even harder because of the aesthetics used in the movie. For example, the CGI model of Optimus Prime has 10,108 individual parts, 1,830,898 polygons, 27,744 rig nodes and 2336 texture maps. The volume of all pieces combined came to 153 cubic metres! And like you said, it looks fantastic on screen - which is what it was intended for. The movie designers aren't toy designers (obviously).

So really, HasTak has to do the best with what they've got. With that in mind, I think they did a pretty good job with most toys - and disappointingly with others. The Leaders could've been done better if Hasbro hadn't insisted on them having electronic gimmicks (meaning that the torsos must be blocks, limiting the engineering). But even with that limitation I thought the leaders were reasonably well done - particularly Optimus Prime. There were some disappointments here and there... Scorponok was a complete WAFTAM as a Deluxe action figure (he really should've been a non-transformable scaled down accessory for Blackout, like maybe Scout or Mini-Con size) - but overall I was pleased with the line considering the challenges the designers had.

I think when appraising the movie toys we need to be mindful of the fact that HasTak have had a daunting task of translating highly complex models into miniature and relatively affordable (remember that they do work to a budget) action figures. And for me, I personally prefer a good, well engineered toy that's fun to play with over visual movie accuracy any day. That's why I'm disappointed with what they've done with the Constructicons/Devastator. I understand that they've sacrificed the Constructicons' ability to merge and Devastator's ability for his components to transform into their individual Constructicon forms because they're striving for greater movie accuracy... but for me, I'd rather have movie accuracy sacrificed for the same set of Constructicons who cane transform from robot to vehicle and merge into Devastator. Yeah, I'll admit that a big factor in this is money - this hobby is expensive enough as it is. But another big factor is the play value... to me the way they've engineered the movie Constructicons makes them _less_ like a real Transformers gestalt in my eyes. But that's JMHO of course.


I have never been a fan of the movie aesthetic at all, just seem to lack a certain character and they also favor complexity of intuitive creative simplicity.
I like the movie aesthetics. I like them because firstly they really make the Transformers look otherworldly - there's no reason why Transformers should have human-like facial/body features. Secondly because they're more practical in real life. Having done Transformers cosplay several times I gotta tell you that the orthodox "boxy" Transformers body design makes it really bloody hard to move around. In a real life setting they're just going to look like Power Rangers Zords - i.e. people in cardboard boxes (as my costumes are! :p). These complex designs allow them to do basic things like fold their arms, touch their toes, cross their legs, scratch their bottoms etc. - something not even Binaltech or Masterpiece toys can do. Transformers have human like movement in comics and cartoons because artists cheat by basically warping their bodies and ignoring laws of reality - something that doesn't work in a live action film set against photographed backgrounds, actors, vehicles etc.

Having said that, the designs are very different to the standard Transformers aesthetics, so I can understand how they wouldn't be everyone's cup of oil. ;)

[SilverDragon]

Yeah, Gok, as you said, despite the movie aesthetic being not all that toy-friendly, the designers managed to capture at least some of it. I think the toys that best showed it were the Concept Camaro Bumblebee and Voyager Ironhide toys. It's a combination of the fantastic automorphs and the placement of vehicle bits in robot mode that do it, IMO.

Mmm, yeah, the fact that the Constructicons don't transform AND combine does suck-I'd like to be able to collect the individual bits of a combiner and then assemble it once I have them all, rather than buy a big box set (which is why I didn't buy one of the Universe combiners). However, as was pointed out on TFW2005, there will inevitably be an add-on, like the City Commander armour, that will let the individual toys combine.

Incidentally, what do people think of the new 'Mech Alive' feature? FYI, if you don't know, moving one part of the toy causes other things to happen, such as spinning gears (which is apparently what turning Voyager Starscream's head does). This apparently gives them greater capacity to deflect ranged attacks, according to the call out on the larger toys' boxes. I like it, since it conveys the idea that they are living machines, so bits should move in tandem with other bits moving. It also doesn't seem to interfere with transformation, which is a good thing-the only problem that I had with Concept 'Bee was the hood automorph not working (so he's stuck in robot mode until I realign the gears), and I'd very much like that problem not to be occurring.

[GoktimusPrime]

I hope it doesn't interfere with posing playability. i.e.: I don't want to be moving one part of the body to have another part move that I didn't want to.

[GoktimusPrime]

I saw both Bumblebee and Soundwave this morning at Target. Bumblebee looks like a retool of the previous Concept Camaro Bumblebee mould rather than a whole new toy as I thought it might be. There's a new head, bonnet panel, front fenders and a new right arm which is a missile launcher. Otherwise it looks like the same basic mould, so I passed on Bumblebee. I really don't like the new head - looks way too cutesy/cartoony to me.

I was always intending on getting Soundwave just because he's a movie character and at least a brand new toy.

Space cruiser mode
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/rotf_soundwave1.jpg

Satellite mode
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/rotf_soundwave2.jpg

Robot mode
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/rotf_soundwave3.jpg

The engineering is better than I expected - but it's nothing to write home about. The alt modes are very unearthly which can be good or bad depending on your tastes - those of you who prefer realistic alt modes may find it somewhat less than appealing.

Calling this toy a "triple changer" is a real stretch. There's only two transformation steps between the space cruiser and satellite modes... so the 3rd alt mode is more like an intermediate mode similar to those on the Beast Wars Transmetals. At 12cm he also kinda short for a Deluxe, although he is pretty bulky looking - his shoulders are as wide as his height. Overall I'd only recommend this toy if you actually want a movie Soundwave toy or a completist.

[doubleclouder]

Other than Sideswipe, I guess I probably will not get any ROTF toys. And I would prefer him to be in his vehicle mode too. ROTF Devy is tempting, as I like big bots. :)

Well to me, enjoy the visuals of ROTF. That equals the pleasure of collecting other of my favourite toylines :)

[Stompy]

Soundwave was a lot better than I expected. The paint apps were great with some very nice detailing in parts I never expected and the clear blue parts are a nice touch. Robot mode is a little mistransformed in package and looks much better out of package and done properly. It's a little stout and could have done with a little more length on the legs but otherwise a very nice poseable robot mode, with a good weight balance and decent articulation. The joints are nice and tight but the right leg did pop off the thigh. Also, the torso fold is unsecured and tends to fold up when handled.

The alt modes are decent and the triple changer is a bit of a stretch as mentioned above. The difference between the two alt modes is so minute that it's laughable. It's a nice cybertronian jet mode but the sattelite mode is a fail in my books. The conversion is a lot more involved than I guessed although don't expect too much. It's actually a very simple conversion.

The "Ravage" missile, if on scale, shows how huge Soundwave is.

Overall, I really dig this figure. It's got a lot more plastic than the average deluxe figure and feels very solid. It's a promising start to the line and hopefully the quality is on par in regards to the paint apps and feel of the figure for the rest of the line. I can't wait for the Constructicons.

[Defcon]

I'm going to wait until they hopefully release soundwave in a pack with ravage. He is a nice preview figure to start with.

[GoktimusPrime]

Btw there's alternate robot mode transformation. The one in the photo in my previous post is based on the robot mode as illustrated in the instructions and as the toy is packaged (http://www.whoblackpool.com/bmz_cache/5/51bca674c698b570b4d79b6e5944790a.image.367x600.jpg ). The alternate robot mode is based on how the toy appears in Hasbro's doctored photography (http://fusedfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/shockwave-2.jpg) - including photos on the card and top of the instruction sheet etc., and that alternate robot mode looks like this:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/rotf_soundwave_robot.jpg

So which one is supposed to be the correct robot mode? Without having seen any images of Soundwave's movie model I can't be certain... but I reckon this alternate configuration is more correct.

[kup]

It's not unheard of for Hasbro to Officially mistransform their figures so its pretty much what the design of the toy plus the movie model tells you.

[GoktimusPrime]

...now I'm starting to think the first robot mode is right. Gah... yeah, I don't think I'll know for sure until I see the movie model. (-_-)

[SilverDragon]

I saw both Bumblebee and Soundwave this morning at Target. Bumblebee looks like a retool of the previous Concept Camaro Bumblebee mould rather than a whole new toy as I thought it might be. There's a new head, bonnet panel, front fenders and a new right arm which is a missile launcher. Otherwise it looks like the same basic mould, so I passed on Bumblebee. I really don't like the new head - looks way too cutesy/cartoony to me.

Yeah, I think Bumblebee is a retool. I already have the mold (plus his new head mold is friggin' scary), so I'm passing on him. Soundwave, though, looks quite good and nicely spiky, and I don't have a Soundwave toy yet. Also, he turns into a giant fork.

[Stompy]

I'm thinking the original one is the real bot mode for the fact that the three clear blue circle discs on his chest are visible. Just the fact that it is decorative.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, I've come to think that too Stompy.


I already have the mold
I already have two versions of the Concept Camaro Deluxe Bumblebee mould - the standard one and the Premium version with the battle mask. I want a version of the RotF Deluxe, even as a retool, for the alt mode (it has a body kit and bonnet vent)... but I'm not impressed with the Preview version. I might get it with a discount but I don't wanna pay full price for it. Also, isn't there going to be another Deluxe Bumblebee with Sam Witwicky?


(plus his new head mold is friggin' scary),
+1!! It looks both cute and scary! I don't care if it's more movie-accurate, I still prefer the old head.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/th_bumblebee_lightpipe.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/bumblebee_lightpipe.jpg) Toy accuracy ftw!!


Soundwave, though, looks quite good and nicely spiky, and I don't have a Soundwave toy yet. Also, he turns into a giant fork.
Useful for eating giant Autobot sausages. :p

I only got this toy because I've already decided to collect all the movie characters. That and the fact that as a completely new mould, I thought it offered me better money than Bumblebee. If it weren't for that I'd probably pass it.

[SofaMan]

Overall I'd only recommend this toy if you actually want a movie Soundwave toy or a completist.

+1

[i_amtrunks]

Soundwave is definitely a figure that will benefit from any future premium edition repaints with metallic paints.

Glad he is so fugly in both modes, make him a very easy figure to skip.

[kurdt_the_goat]

I already have two versions of the Concept Camaro Deluxe Bumblebee mould - the standard one and the Premium version with the battle mask. I want a version of the RotF Deluxe, even as a retool, for the alt mode (it has a body kit and bonnet vent)... but I'm not impressed with the Preview version. I might get it with a discount but I don't wanna pay full price for it. Also, isn't there going to be another Deluxe Bumblebee with Sam Witwicky?

The one with Sam is the "Human Alliance" set, and seems to be closer to Alternator size in vehicle. IMO the deluxe retools don't offer enough over people who bought the originals; though i don't mind the new head, i'm only gonna pick up the Human Alliance set since it's a complete redo, seems to be more accurate all round and should compliment Alternators/Binaltech on the shelf nicely! Though i wish Takara would use some of the GM vehicles on real BT or Alternity's!



+1!! It looks both cute and scary! I don't care if it's more movie-accurate, I still prefer the old head.

With my original BB'08, I used a silver Sharpie marker to highlight the black panels on his mask, and this makes a huge improvement for movie accuracy! Sharpie's work really good for adding simple highlights and bringing out detail on raised molded areas and is really easy to do.

[GoktimusPrime]

Errkk... I wanted a Deluxe Bumblebee mould from the movie for the vehicle mode to compliment the other Deluxes. Gah. *sigh* In that case I think I will get the movie preview Bumblebee then - preferably discounted though (c'mon TRU!). The only toys I have on my Binaltech/Alternators shelves are Binaltech and Alternators. Period. My movie TFs are displayed separately. Also, it would be odd playing with a 1:24 scale Bumblebee alongside the other movie toys - while the scale may not be consistent, a 1:24 scale Bumblebee would be way out of whack compared to say Leader Prime, Voyager Ratchet etc.

Gah!!

[kurdt_the_goat]

You know there's the other deluxe mold, the 'shoulder cannon' variant yeah? But personally, i think it's even worse than the preview one.. you gain shoulder cannons but at the cost of the 'split' hood effect, and the front wheels are also under the bonnet in robot mode, like Universe Sunstreaker.

[GoktimusPrime]

I hadn't heard of that variant before. Link? Anyway, considering that I'm primarily wanting this toy for the vehicle mode (the robot mode just blows chunks compared to the TF1 08 Deluxe one) I might go with the preview one. (T_T)

[kurdt_the_goat]

Dl3anksak47 review on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmLEO3Ci5Bg)

Huge gallery with a few comparisons of Preview & Cannon (http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/viewthread.php?tid=11649&extra=page%3D1)

[GoktimusPrime]

I got Bumblebee today and it was even more disappointing than I'd expected. It seems that they've just reused this mould too many times... many of the joints are very loose and some of the panels don't clip together properly in vehicle mode. I do NOT recommend this toy unless you're a completist or like me you're looking for a Deluxe scale version of the RotF Bumblebee vehicle mode... even then consider carefully. Oh yeah, the missile launcher gimmick is fail too.

Here are some photos...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/rotf_bumblebee1.jpg
L: TF1 Bumblebee, R: RotF Bumblebee

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/rotf_bumblebee2.jpg
L: TF1 Premium Bumblebee, R: RotF Bumblebee

[kurdt_the_goat]

Sucks that you're not happy with it Gok. Maybe it's time to take my advice on MP Grimlock now :)


... forgo a bunch of crappy regular line toys you might have otherwise picked up..

[gamblor916]

If there's a battle mask version of 'bee I'd buy that and give it a paint job.
That'll probably be my only ROTF purchase.

[STL]

Sucks that you're not happy with it Gok. Maybe it's time to take my advice on MP Grimlock now :)


^ good advice :)

[Bumbleb33]

I got my ROTF BB today and love it, extremely happy with him, I love his new head sculpt and his gun arm is actually pretty dam cool, only complaint I had with mine was the missile was too long and would not load properly but a set of wire clippers made short work of this issue.

Though I will admit I am a Movie BB completist so I would of bought him regardless so far with a total of 13 BB variants. I cannot wait for Double Cannon and Human Alliance!

[Sutton]

I picked up the preview figures today, Soundwave's awesome but the fourth TF I've bought this month with utter BS alt modes (Animated Jetfire, Jetstorm and Shockwave). The robot mode is menacing, I really like the cape effect.

Preview BB I picked up mainly because I can get these toys quite cheap, and because I'd like to paint him up with some scuffed silver to match the movie model. I agree with Goktimus, it does feel very loose and I had a hell of a time getting the doors to lock in for the final part of the Transformation; I've had the other version of 08 BB for a year and a half and never had any trouble with the doors (although his chest gears get out of synch very easily now).

[Sutton]

Oh and I think the car mode looks better on this one, if ever so slightly. It's a more visually interesting design.

[snazzbot 101]

I got Bumblebee today and it was even more disappointing than I'd expected. It seems that they've just reused this mould too many times... many of the joints are very loose and some of the panels don't clip together properly in vehicle mode. I do NOT recommend this toy unless you're a completist or like me you're looking for a Deluxe scale version of the RotF Bumblebee vehicle mode... even then consider carefully. Oh yeah, the missile launcher gimmick is fail too.



Isn't that the same figure you weren't going to to buy because you felt to was crappy?

As they say, don't think; feel. Trust your instincts...

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, but I wanted it for the alt mode at the same size as other Deluxe movie Bumblebees. It was a beeotch to transform to car mode and I'm just gonna leave it as such. (-_-)

[snazzbot 101]

Yeah, but I wanted it for the alt mode at the same size as other Deluxe movie Bumblebees. It was a beeotch to transform to car mode and I'm just gonna leave it as such. (-_-)

Yeah, but given Hasbro squeezed out about a dozen Deluxe Bumblebees the last time 'round, odds are... he might show up again.

[Zahhak]

The "Ravage" missile, if on scale, shows how huge Soundwave is.



..or how small ravage is, there has been talk that ravage is only the size of a real jaguar(considering frenzy was smaller then a human I agree with this) Plus (spoilers maybe) :you see soundwave in both alliance and defiance comics and there is enough to see he dsn't scale to a size bigger then most of the bots.

I got the figure today and I'm happy with it...althought I have the same problems that no matter how I pivote his chest it makes me feel like that I've done it wrong and that the other way is right :(
Also on a sidenote, if they make a ROTF blaster he better not be a recolor of this mold because I can't imagine an uglier colour scheme to use then red/yellow. On the same note a Soundblaster scheme would be welcome and I might even pick up another one to do it myself.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, but given Hasbro squeezed out about a dozen Deluxe Bumblebees the last time 'round, odds are... he might show up again.
You're probably right. If they release a better version of this mould later I might get it and sell this one off.

[lcz128]

Finally saw these at retail (haven't gone shopping in ages)...
Soundwave looks so ... short...
But I do like Bumblee's new head - anyone want to sell me one for cheap? Haha- Not interested in the mould anymore - just need that damn head!

[Kyle]

Finally saw these at retail (haven't gone shopping in ages)...
Soundwave looks so ... short...
But I do like Bumblee's new head - anyone want to sell me one for cheap? Haha- Not interested in the mould anymore - just need that damn head!

I'm tempted to get an extra of this new ROTF BB and put his head on a Premium BB from the first movie... This way I'll have the definitive version of the first movie Bumblebee... :p

[lcz128]

I'm tempted to get an extra of this new ROTF BB and put his head on a Premium BB from the first movie... This way I'll have the definitive version of the first movie Bumblebee... :p

EXACTLY what I was thinking off, mate!

[GoktimusPrime]

Just remember guys - if a better version comes out, I'll be looking to unload my current loose one. No need to pay full price for a MOSC one just for a head swap/custom. ;)

[dirge]

Some quick thoughts on the scouts I picked up at Chadstone this week:

Dead End (red car): Two good modes although the arms are a little long and it's tricky to line up all the panels in vehicle mode. The colours work very well.

Knock Out (green bike): They're getting better and better with bikes. Excellent bike mode, strong robot mode. The colours work well. I love the way the muffler becomes a hand weapon. The transformation is new. The only shortcoming: the side panels pop off fairly easily.

Dirt Boss (fork lift), Rollbar (delivery van): unopened at this stage. Both feature original vehicle modes. Dirt Boss looks really good in packaging although his colours area little garish. Rollbar looks somewhat panelly but still decent. Full reviews will hit my website (as usual).

[Stompy]

Got 3 of the scouts and 3 of the legend figures.

The scouts I am quite impressed with. The legends even moreso.

Knock Out - A somewhat newish conversion for a bike mode. I especially like the conversion up front. Still not a fan of the wheel kibble dangling over the shoulders and the panels on the legs, but it's still a well proportioned alt mode and an ok robot mode.

Dead End - Very nice and sleek alt mode with great detail sexy curves. As Dirge mentioned, it can be tough to align the panels and I found that the instructions for those panels aren't sufficient. The bot mode is decent with some pretty cool spindly hands.

Dirt Boss - is my favorite of the new scouts. A great bot mode with good articulation on both arms and legs, although the head is stuck in one spot. Using the forks as a baton like weapon is a stroke of genius and retains a nice solid connection with his alt mode. The conversion is a winner for me. To put it simply it's like turning a sock inside-out. The way the chair and steering wheel folds out and just the sheer small size of it's alt mode compared to a proportionately bigger robot mode is engineering genius. It still has it's faults though but I'm just a lot more forgiving if the conversion is inspired (ala Universe Galvatron). It can be a little tough to align particular pegs together during conversion and can feel a little loose.

All 3 scouts did have a loose ball joint or two. Especially on Dead Ends elbow joints which makes his arms dangle. The forr joint pins are also a little loose. So Hasbro QC strikes again.

Legends Springer - A really excellent robot mode with nice articulation on the forearms and overall a great look. Would have been nice to have knee articulation but I guess cost restrictions prevented that. Conversion is quite graceful and not overly simple. The alt mode is also solid with very minimal robot kibble.

Legends Jetfire - Bot mode has a slightly small torso and the legs may look dispropotionately long in packaging but it has 3 points of articulation to allow you to bend it to it's "proper" position as a "chicken walker." His arms are long withonly a ball joint on the shoulder and his walking stick on his left arm. Conversion is interesting especially for the arms. The alt mode is nice and sleek although there is a lot of visible bot kibble, namely the head sticking out at the back and the arms very visible (not helped by its contrasting silver colour) underneath. But you can't expect too much int his size class.

Legends Optimus Prime - This is perhaps the best Legends class Optimus Prime I've ever laid my hands on. The bot mode is well proportioned with the only real kibble being the large forearms (which resembles the FAB arms actually) but it just makes him look buff more than anything. Conversion is the biggest winner here, with an amazingly engineered transformation that is best left to experiencefor yourself. At this size it's just well engineered. The alt mode itself is also well proportioned and looks highly accurate. With the only real visible kibble being the hand/fists. Otherwise very accurate. I'm well impressed.

There was no official instructions or pictures alluding to having a combined mode for OP and Jetfire. From what I could tell you just peg the two together. Jetfire in alt mode and OP in bot mode. Looks great if just a backpack.

[Kyle]

Legends Optimus Prime - This is perhaps the best Legends class Optimus Prime I've ever laid my hands on. The bot mode is well proportioned with the only real kibble being the large forearms (which resembles the FAB arms actually) but it just makes him look buff more than anything. Conversion is the biggest winner here, with an amazingly engineered transformation that is best left to experiencefor yourself. At this size it's just well engineered. The alt mode itself is also well proportioned and looks highly accurate. With the only real visible kibble being the hand/fists. Otherwise very accurate. I'm well impressed.

There was no official instructions or pictures alluding to having a combined mode for OP and Jetfire. From what I could tell you just peg the two together. Jetfire in alt mode and OP in bot mode. Looks great if just a backpack.

The transformation of Legends OP is simply amazing. He's like a mini version of the Leader Class toy from the first movie. Brilliant.

Pics and comparisons of the combined mode:

http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/viewthread.php?tid=12099&page=4#pid178926

[jaydisc]

Sideswipe First Thoughts

He has a puzzle-former look in alt mode, although no where near as obvious as Universe Ironhide. His paint job is very similar to Premium Jazz, so he looks nice and shiny, but there's plenty of room for smudges, chips, blobs and other blemishes. I think it's a pretty impressive alt mode. Very nice.

It's been so long since I played with new Movie toys, I've forgotten how fiddly they are :rolleyes:. Nothing popped off, but both of the toys I've played with require the plastic's flexibility to get certain parts around other parts, and it does have a light and thin feel to it.

The transformation reminded me a bit of Animated Blurr as I pulled this shard out this way, and another out that way. There's a lot of kibble in robot mode (basically all the planks of the Corvette minus the boot where his head pops out), but it's folded up as a backpack and I don't think it hinders his aesthetic too bad.

His bot mode has great proportions. The flip out blades are automorphed so that if you move one half, the other half flips around perfectly in sync. There are three hydraulic looking connectors from his thigh to his shin, one in the back and two in front. The two in front are soft rubber plastic and give the bot mode and his movements a very realistic feel, but you have to be considerate of them as you move his thighs around as they can get caught in a crack and get snapped. Unfortunately, his face seems to just be the light, plain gray they covered up so well nearly everywhere else with metallic paint.

Lastly, I've only transformed him to bot and back once, but while he was in bot, I simply could not stand him up. Not due to balancing issues, but this is another bot with wheels for feet, a la Bonecrusher. The only difference being he doesn't seem to have that stabilizing peg that Bonecrusher did.

Leader Prime First Thoughts

Leader Prime is pretty amazing. The first transformation was painful. I used the instructions and it still took me around least 20-30 minutes. By the I returned it back to robot mode, I was much more comfortable and already in awe of some of the subtleties. There is a peg and a slot for everything (w/one slight exception).

The robot is considerably more posable than 2007. However, there's a slight annoyance in that you can't have his arms straight at his side (or even close) with the blades retracted. They really conflict with the back of his shoulders. His neck is not on a ball joint, but the plank it sits on has its own articulation therefore giving you pretty much any position that a ball joint would.

Fear of Premium Series: The red and the blue are more reminiscent of the 2007 Premium Series than the regular series. Unfortunately, there's still an abundance of "Hasbro Gray". The two shoulder points are painted metal, but that's about it. I hope there is a Premium Series, or even better a Takara Premium Series, because some painted metal and a touch of chrome would give this thing utter perfection.

Interestingly enough, it's approximately the same height as MP Grimlock and Starscream and looks surprisingly well next to them. I recently re-boxed up my MP-4 because it didn't blend well with MP-3/8. This new Prime will hang with them in the meantime. :cool:

[Stompy]

I concur witht he impressive engineering feat that is RotF Leader Optimus Prime. When I finally got the bot in my hands I just couldn't fathom how that thin lanky bot would convert into a truck.

The robot mode is relatively kibble free except for the biggest downfall of the figure... the damn shoulder kibble and forearm kibble plus the blades completely bash against each other overlapping and just cannot sit right. It affects arm movement and I was severely dissapointed with that. The legs were great with hip joints, knee joints and a ball jointed feet. The mech alive gimmick is not all that good and the effect makes it look like OP is about to combust.

However the real winner here is the conversion. Like jay said. Initial transformation took me a good 30 minutes as Hasbro's instructions were of no help and there was even a few errors. Just be careful at:
- step 4 (requires precise alignment and pegging them properly in the right spots)
- step 7 (the chest piece that looks attached inside his chest grille is meant to be popped out of it's groove)
- step 10 (requires a fold down of the shoulder pin joint while swivelling the shoulder joint back wards)
- step 16 (the diagram is actually helpful here, just pay attention as you need to wedge it into the wedges in the arms)
- step 18 (requires the canisters to be up and not in the spot shown in the diagram, as you will never get the panels to fold over the canisters).

Of note in the conversion is the amazing way the full smokestack converts together and how the chest turns into the actual truck cab and still retain the mech alive gears gimmick.

The truck mode is beautiful with nary any seams or any obvious visible bot kibble on the underside. Absolutely seamless and you feel rewarded for such a puzzling conversion at just how it all fits together. If I was to point out something - the gap near the utility box and gas tanks are a little annoying but nothing major. You may wonder where the button for the truck mode sound effects is, it's just on the back of the cab on the grey panel, the small square on the left with the little triangle. Thanks to jay for pointing that out to me as there was nothing hinting it in the instructions and only a vague useless pointer in the back of box.

Quite simply an engineering marvel. This is why I love Transformers.

[Robzy]

Leader Class Optimus Prime is a work of art!!!

Honestly, the figure is so impressive in so many ways I cannot even begin to describe them all. It's very movie accurate (well, in relation to the 1st movie anyway) and both modes are exceptional!

I will agree with others though and say that the first transformation is very painful. I got frustrated on many occasions - the instructions are useless at some steps! :rolleyes: But once you get your head around what's actually supposed to be happening, it flows easily. The second and third transformations are a breeze - just push through that first one! :p

I was very impressed by the look of Leader Megatron too - I haven't got him yet but I will in the next day or so.

Prime has won me over - I'm looking forward to several of the ROTF figures now... I just hope the others can live up to the lofty heights of expectation that this wonderful Optimus Prime has set.

[GoktimusPrime]

Leader Prime looks hard to transform and the instructions are useless. :( I might go watch a video review or something before attempting to transform the toy because I'm afraid of breaking something - particularly the chest panels.

My thoughts on other figures I got...

Leader Megatron: Much like Leader Megs from the first movie, it transforms from an alien robot into a mashed up alien robot that's meant to be a vehicle. If you didn't like Megatron from the last movie line then you won't like this one any better. In robot mode the left arm is ridiculously small while the right cannon-arm (there's no hand) is ridiculously huge. The electronic block in the torso really hampers engineering, much like in the last Leader Megs toy. I'm glad I got this on sale at Kmart... even then I feel ripped. If you really want a RotF Megatron I'd recommend getting the FAB version over the Leader.

Demolishor: A clever transformation which achieves a silly robot mode. And the engineering in this toy really doesn't justify it being a Voyager - I think this toy could've easily been done as a Deluxe. As one may imagine, the toy's a bugger to stand.

Rampage: Like Demolishor, there's a lot of cleverness in the transformation but the end result is disappointing. Hasbro's instructions are also inaccurate with the transformation to robot mode. Boo. Considering that the supposed reason why the Constructicons cannot merge is to make the individual toys better, I am really disappointed. After transforming these Constructicons I thought to myself, "That's it? And you guys don't even merge??!" (o_O) Fail!

Sideways: Quite fiddly for a Deluxe. Some clever elements in this design include a free-spinning false wheel on the left arm. The red is kinda garish and the tiny-tiny feet make the toy nigh-impossible to balance.

Sideswipe: My favourite RotF deluxe so far. Surprisingly this toy isn't that hard to make stand. The trick is to position the toy so that it leans forward and the panels on the front of the feet will support the toy in a standing position. I've tried this on both a smooth surface and on carpet and it worked on both surfaces. Win!

Dead End: A small, simple yet elegantly designed toy.

[blackie]

Sideways: Quite fiddly for a Deluxe. Some clever elements in this design include a free-spinning false wheel on the left arm. The red is kinda garish and the tiny-tiny feet make the toy nigh-impossible to balance.
+a zillion
his legs are like that of a goat XD

[Lord_Zed]

I must say I'm tempted by Leader Class Optimus, and I usualy hate Leader Class toys. I wish I could find some Deluxe toys or Scouts, instead of lame FAB's everywhere. Don't Kmart want to sell thier stock???

[Autocon]

leader OP - unopened so far
leader megs - unopned so far - am i the only one who has bought him?:o
rampage - unopened so far
knockout rollbar dirt boss well you get the picture

you all make me want to open them!!! argh

i have serious issues with the paint ala my thread
also have issues with the pricing

apart from that im really looking forward to being broke for the next year or so:cool:

[Stompy]

Holy moly. The new Starscream mould has a mindblowing conversion. It may look like it has the same conversion based on the bot mode looks but it's completely brand new. Nothing of the old mould has been reused at all. This is a must have for conversion/engineering fans.

The alt mode is definately a gigantic step up from the kibble heavy belly of the original and now looks like an actual jet.The only real complaint is the ridiculous hands/claws visible up back. It totally ruined this alt mode. What makes it worse is that the instructions show a claw with a double joint that allows you to fold the fingers inwards over the palm to hide it in alt mode. I guess manufacturing costs held it back in this already joint heavy delight.

The bot mode retains the look of movie Starscream but what is amazing is the conversion and what parts of the jet form together to form the robot parts. Quite stunning in its execution especially considering the mech alivwe gimmick works a treat despite its unusual conversion.

Also got my hands on Double Blade Optimus Prime Fast Action Battler and although it looks the same as the first movie's FAB version, it is a completely new mould. The bot mode is a little rough with no elbow joints and a rather short arm, but the foldout launcher and the double blade gimmick works very well. The conversion is a lot more involved for a FAB which almost makes it deluxe quality. The alt mode is seamless. No real visible robot kibble nor does it look like a shellformer like most other FAB's. It's quite stunning in truck mode. The use of silver paint baffles me considering the size class when compared to the Leader version where it was just Hasbro Grey™. Baffling. For FAB fans this one is definately the best of the range so far followed by Long Haul.

[i_amtrunks]

Nabbed me a dirtboss last night and he is a fun little figure.

Could do with a touch more paint (but all the scouts could) but the transformation is clever without being difficult, and my version was well built, the arms are tight, but not to the point that you fear they will snap off, and the legs are sturdy enough to support his arms and blades.

I want a second one to play around and paint on, the green suits him, but the grey needs to go.

[GoktimusPrime]

leader megs - unopned so far - am i the only one who has bought him?
Did you read my last post (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=100483&postcount=45)?

[dirge]

I wish I could find some Deluxe toys or Scouts, instead of lame FAB's everywhere. Don't Kmart want to sell thier stock???

I went to Target @ Rockdale last night and found both classes. You can't miss em, Z, they're at the front entrance :)

[Kyle]

leader megs - unopned so far - am i the only one who has bought him?:o

I bought him too. :D

http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/attachments/month_0905/20090529_1748573b10998ed2692e1hkLqsyI3fyd.jpg

[GoktimusPrime]

I liked your comparison photos between the Primes on the May Acquisitions thread Kyle. :)

I think that RotF Leader Prime is better in terms of visual movie accuracy, but overall I reckon that the movie 1 Leader Prime is a better toy. As others have mentioned, the blades really do interfere with the arms (why couldn't they be detachable?!) and there's a certain coolness to just having a nice chunky and beefy Optimus Prime. :)

[kurdt_the_goat]

waaaah? I can't fathom how you can prefer the original! I guess i'm not fussed with the swords and the arms since I want the swords deployed all the time anyway.

They're definitely both great toys, and compliment each other nicely, the new one doesn't make the old one completely obsolete.

[Kyle]

I like the new one more. :o:p To me the older Leader Class Prime is still a GREAT toy and part of the evolution. I'll have him standing next to the new Prime in my display. I see him now as "G1 Prime with movie styling" or "Movie Prime with G1 proportions". Sort of half way between G1 and Movie. :p

http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/attachments/month_0905/20090529_273d0510b36b89d6ee825Av40fedwe7C.jpg

[Lord_Zed]

Wow nice Line up there.

Going on the pictures above the first guy in the line is the best, then the last one, not that fussed with the middle guy myself. :p

I don't mind the look of the Big megs except for that silly little arm he has, that's just wierd looking!




I went to Target @ Rockdale last night and found both classes. You can't miss em, Z, they're at the front entrance :)

Rockdale is a little out of my hunting grounds, not sure I'll be able to get there any time soon. I've also yet to check Miranda so that will probably be the first port of call.

Thanks fer the tip though.

[JuzMel]

Only opened up Legends Bumblebee so far and I've gotta say I just love him! Much detail packed in a small figure...

He's definitely a new mould and there seems to be some shine/glitter on the yellow paint? :confused:

[GoktimusPrime]

waaaah? I can't fathom how you can prefer the original! I guess i'm not fussed with the swords and the arms since I want the swords deployed all the time anyway.
Not looking at movie accuracy and evaluating both leaders purely on their merit as toys alone, I prefer the original because the arms' mobility aren't impeded by weaponry and also the hands have articulated fingers. The transformation on the movie 1 toy is more fun to me; more simple and elegant; and I'm not afraid of breaking anything during the process.

More subjectively, I prefer the darker metallic blues and transparent electric blue on the windows on the movie 1 figure. And as I said before, I just prefer the bulkier look - but again, that's subjective. The red toes on the RotF one also looks kinda weird.

RotF Leader Prime wins in terms of movie-accuracy, but I prefer a less movie-accurate toy that's well engineered, and to me I find movie 1 Leader Prime a better designed toy. Not by a whole lot - RotF Leader Prime is still a very fine toy in its own right. :)

[kurdt_the_goat]

What about the legs though? 1st version has kibbletastic tyres that always unclip and get in the way of posing.

[GoktimusPrime]

That's true. RotF Prime also has a better sculpted head with nicer articulation (although I think the movie 1 Prime's head was based on an earlier version of movie Prime's head so I don't fault HasTak for it). I think both toys have good and bad points. Objectively speaking I think they're both as good as each other - but I have a personal preference for the first movie Prime as a toy. Aside from the blades and fiddly breast panels, there's nothing I really dislike about RotF Prime either. :)

[kurdt_the_goat]

Wicked :) I'll be sure to let you know my Human Alliance Bumblebee impressions over the weekend.. since i know you were disappointed with the Preview Bee. The Human Alliance will look out of scale in a regular leader-voyager-deluxe display setup, but other than that it looks awesome :)

[roller]

i no read the comments

but how can y'all be commenting on it

its not out till the 22nd o june

[Lord_Zed]

i no read the comments

but how can y'all be commenting on it

its not out till the 22nd o june

Sorry Roller, can't tell you unless you read the comments. :D

Don't worry there not Spoilerific.

[Kyle]

Forget the other Ultimate Bumblebee... The Human Alliance Bumblebee is the REAL ULTIMATE Bumblebee!!!!!! So impressed! I'm not sure if I like this or the new Leader Class Optimus more now... :p

Both modes look MUCH nicer in person than online pics. Transformation is very nice and not as frustrating like some BT/AT can be. Compared to BT/AT, this is a REAL toy that you can have fun with. Battle mask is implemented nicely. Even the dumb looking Sam figurine is pretty cool in person. :D Reminds me so much of the M.A.S.K. toys from childhood.

http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/attachments/month_0905/20090529_a00552c6e4e556275eef64k3FAvNwB2v.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/attachments/month_0905/20090529_c4e52b4875d1da1920b3mjSwmZlHEvUo.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/attachments/month_0905/20090529_a878db61b98c8dcd58f1BPnvCsnm0YEN.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/attachments/month_0905/20090529_9957031a5348072c3a0bsnYfWW9H9Q4r.jpg

I'll let Kurdt give you guys a much more proper review. :p

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm not interested in the Human-Alliance line, but I want human figures! :(

[kurdt_the_goat]

The Sam figure is pretty decently articulated! Head can rotate, arms up and down and rotate at shoulder, chest can move around a bit, no waist but his legs can rotate and bend at the top, and bend at the knee. I don't think Sam's worth $50, but the Bumblebee is a nice bonus :p

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, I might stick with my Mutt Williams figure. :p

P.S.: Whereas Soundwave was a midget of a Deluxe, Sideways is the opposite - he's tall! He's about the same head height as Blackout! Of course, this is due to the fact that he's quite lanky. :)

[GoktimusPrime]

I finally worked out how to transform RotF Prime into truck mode (with assistance from Rimfyre's video review :p). The engineering is really quite clever, achieving a more movie-accurate transformation with the arms going into the bonnet instead of the legs. Not an easy feat so my hat off to HasTak for achieving that. It's a bloody fiddly transformation though - so putting movie accuracy aside, I find TF1's transformation to be more simple and elegant; RotF Prime is much more of a panel former than TF1 Prime. Having said that, RotF Prime's truck mode is quite beautiful.

I took some comparative pics of TF1 and RotF Leader Primes in truck mode.

Front view:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_leaderprimes1.jpg
+ The clear headlights and windows on RotF OP are arguably more realistic, but I personally prefer the blues on TF1 OP.
+ The blue just behind TF1 OP's grill (which are his robot feet) are absent on RotF OP - so in this regard RotF OP looks nicer.
+ The grey used on TF1 OP - and I remember whinging about how cheap it looked when I got this toy 3 years ago - is actually a nicer grey than that on RotF OP, which is an even cheaper grey (or as jaydisc would call it, "Hasbro grey" :)) - they're both Hasbro greys... but RotF OP's are "Hasbro greyer" :p. Having said that, RotF OP's "step-boxes" are blue and with silver paint which looks nicer.
+ The Autobot hood ornament is better sculpted and better painted on TF1 OP. RotF's one is just completely smeared in red like some pre-schooler coloured it in.
+ I'm not fond of the black Autobot insignia on the window on RotF Prime.
+ TF1 OP has silver windscreen wipers which look nicer than RotF Prime's unpainted red wipers.

Side view:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_leaderprimes2.jpg
+ RotF OP has wing mirrors! Sure, they're completely transparent, but at least he has them! :)
+ RotF OP's rims/hubcaps are silver which is nicer than TF1 OP's Hasbro greys.
+ The way that RotF OP's smokestacks and tanks are done and the way they transform are nice and clever. However RotF OP exposes a little bit more robot kibble from the side view.
+ The smoke stacks are also sculpted nicer - with the tips pointing backward instead of directly up. They're also of a softer rubber, which might be good in making them less brittle. When I was taking these photos I dropped my TF1 OP and the right side smoke stack broke off. :( I've since glued it back on... but yeah. I wonder if RotF OP would've survived better having softer smoke stacks. I'm not going to test this theory! :p

Rear view:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_leaderprimes3.jpg
+ No unsightly gun on RotF OP!
+ The sleeper compartment looks much nicer on RotF OP as it doesn't have the big gap that TF1 OP has. It does have a small gap between the sleeper compartment and hitch which shows a little bit of robot kibble - but not much.
+ RotF OP has clear tail lights which look much nicer than TF1 OP's unpainted ones.

Length comparison:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_leaderprimes4.jpg
RotF OP is a bit longer than TF1 OP. I've heard that this is more realistic and movie-accurate.

Height comparison:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_leaderprimes5.jpg
RotF OP is a bit shorter than TF1 OP - again, apparently this is more accurate. I don't have turtle_boy's level of knowledge about trucks, so this is just going off what I've heard from others so don't take what I'm saying about truck proportions as gospel. ;)

I'm seeing a lot of good and not so good points in both of these toys' truck modes - so overall they're both pretty good toys and I think which one people would prefer would greatly depend on personal preference. Fans of movie-accuracy will love RotF OP. :) I'm gonna display my TF1 OP in truck mode with my RotF OP in robot mode next to it.

[STL]

Damn. That Human Alliance BB is awesome. Love the look of them and I reckon him and that version of Sideswipe will be my picks of the movie line. Great car details, great scale and basically playable BTs! WANT. NOW.

And even at $50 I'd buy that straight out despite being the biggest Scrooge around with the RRPs I pay.

[Kyle]

Damn. That Human Alliance BB is awesome. Love the look of them and I reckon him and that version of Sideswipe will be my picks of the movie line. Great car details, great scale and basically playable BTs! WANT. NOW.

And even at $50 I'd buy that straight out despite being the biggest Scrooge around with the RRPs I pay.

I too thought $50 was great! Especially from a Toyworld nowadays... :D:p

[Zahhak]

I picked up sideways and sideswipe yesterday, while I defiantly prefer the Sideswipe toy I do enjoy the smiliarities/potential Sideways has with Kickback. (the wing like windows and backwards legs) he can even be posed to a decent grasshopper mode. I saw pictured of a black sideways with a remolded head that could easily be turned into a movie kickback..now all I need is something for the other two insecticons...hmmmm

[Doubledealer]

Picked up ROTF Leader Prime and Deluxe Sideswipe. I think most of us know just how good these two figures are by now. ;)

Out of what I saw at Kmart I'm looking forward to picking up Rampage, Demolisher (not at full price though), legends Prime (shame about all the PVC grey) and maybe a few others. The new mould used for Screamer is mental but I'll hold off for a repaint - the symbols thrown all over the jets body totally ruins the alt for me.

The Megatrons are okay. I definitely agree with Gok when he suggested buying the FAB over the leader which is hard to justify spending $79+ on. The main torso and legs do look very cool though.

I was tempted to buy Gravity bot BB but at $29 it was easy to leave on the shelf. :(

[GoktimusPrime]

The new mould used for Screamer is mental but I'll hold off for a repaint - the symbols thrown all over the jets body totally ruins the alt for me.
Ditto. I'd be all over this mould if they released it without the "tats" :)


The main torso and legs do look very cool though.
Like TF1 Megatron, the body is just one big block, which I find disappointing.

RE: TF1 v. RotF OP - I keep forgetting to mention another cool thing about TF1 OP over RotF OP are his rubber tyres (whereas RotF OP has plastic tyres). According to TFwiki the prototype RotF OP's tyres were able to split apart like in the movie model, which would explain why they're plastic and not rubber. But it must've exceeded the toy's budget so the concept was scrapped. Apparently the prototype other cool features which were scrapped for apparently budget reasons - which I can understand. Adding in all these extra whizz-bangs would've made the toy exceed the Leader Class price point. Still, I don't think that making the blades detachable wouldn't have exceeded the budget. (-_-)

[kurdt_the_goat]

I think the cost cutting was done in the right areas. Poseable fingers need to be like MP Starscream to be worth it - IMO the ones on TF1 Prime are pointless for posing anything other than a fist anyway. The splitting of the tyres is a minute detail i wouldn't have expected them to do.. and the extra hinge on the cab steps wouldn't add much either. Perhaps those features could be added back in for a MP Movie Prime.... :D

[Kyle]

I think the cost cutting was done in the right areas. Poseable fingers need to be like MP Starscream to be worth it - IMO the ones on TF1 Prime are pointless for posing anything other than a fist anyway. The splitting of the tyres is a minute detail i wouldn't have expected them to do.. and the extra hinge on the cab steps wouldn't add much either. Perhaps those features could be added back in for a MP Movie Prime.... :D

Agreed. At least they did the cost cuttings in minor areas most fans will forgive. I wish now though a third party will make the guns for him... as seen in the first movie and in the new ROTF trailers... :p

[willocrew]

Imo, adding articulated hands wouldn't have added a lot to the final cost. But it would certainly have pushed the price above the $100 mark and even though 90bucks isn't that far off, parents will definitely gawk at triple digit figure toys.

Overall, I must say I'm satisfied with the figure. While I wouldn't mind paying slightly over a 100 bucks for a really good OP figure - silver paint, chrome, articulated fingers, streamline torso with mechalive feature removed to reduce backpack size - the value of a cheap[er] toy cannot be understated.

Expensive toys are not fun cuz you're afraid of breaking it.

[SMHFConvoy]

Expensive toys are not fun cuz you're afraid of breaking it.

Truer words have never been spoken :)

[willocrew]

Just a little note to those who have leader prime:

WHen you're removing the red chest pieces (for robot to truck conversion), I think its best not to pull the chest pieces outwards by force.

Instead, push the two pieces medially (i.e. towards the centre of the chest) & then slide it outwards towards you.

If you pull it out without sliding it first, I foresee that the little red hook might break if its done too often & the whole figure would be stuffed up since its the an important piece.:p

[Lord_Zed]

Woo I actualy have ROTF toys now, Targets 15% of was just to much to resist, that said i haven't opened any yet, so there's no commentary...yet.



The new mould used for Screamer is mental but I'll hold off for a repaint - the symbols thrown all over the jets body totally ruins the alt for me.



I know I'm in the minority, but I've kinda come to like Starscreams tattos, its not every day we see a TF into body art. :D Still i'm sure there will not only be a clean repaint but endless seekers to if the mould really is good.


Originally Posted by willocrew

Expensive toys are not fun cuz you're afraid of breaking it.

I dunno. I will always risk playing with my exspensive toys as I feel everything has its time as long as you extract an appropriate amount of enjoyment from it. When something breaks before its time though that sucks. :(

[Krayt]

what the hell am i doing wrong with rampage???

behind the bulldozer blade, where dowes the bit between the 2 pistons go???

[k.wong23]

Just spent about 20 minutes transforming Leader prime, must say i'm impressed with how everything slots in but as other have mentioned, the instructions really don't help at all.

What a fine piece! But prefer bot mode :)

[kup]

I saw the leaders today. Megatron's gimpy arm didn't look as bad as in pics but it is still bad. Leader Prime on the other hand looks awesome but I still think his paint job is somewhat cheap.

The voyager Prime looked very mediocre to me, almost KO red plastic but Starscream looked pretty decent with a greatly improved Jet mode but the claws sticking from the back really hurt it.

[Lord_Zed]

The voyager Prime looked very mediocre to me, almost KO red plastic but Starscream looked pretty decent with a greatly improved Jet mode but the claws sticking from the back really hurt it.

Oddly enough that's the only ROTF TF's Ive had a chance to look at so far, and overall I must say I'm impressed. I really like the jet mode, the claws at the back are a bit of a pain, but at least there flat black so they don't jump out at you. Overall though I find him to have a very good jet mode for a regular Hasbro toy, certainly the best depiction of a F22 to date. He also has landing gear that's not embarasing, a rarity for a TF these days.

Robot mode is pretty cool, though it does lose out to the original in some places, mainly that ROTF Starscream has even more distance between shoulders than the original. He's also a bit smaller though I consider this an advantage as he looks better standing next to Blackout, deluxe Brawl etc etc. The mecha alive gimmick is pretty meh, but it does add some nice detail. And as long as were talking detail, I love Starscream's new head sculpt it looks spot on to the movie.

Overall though aside from the Jet mode the other place ROTF Starscream outcalsses his predecessor is in his transformation. ROTF Starscream is way more interesting.

So overall my first ROTF toy experience has been a good one, overall ROTF excitment for me has increased by 15%. We'll see if that lasts when I open the next one.

[TheDirtyDigger]

ROTF Knock Out is cool. In the Diggerverse he is the little brother of Energon Arcee.
I like ROTF Dead End as well. Creepy looking little bastard with great hands although at some angles the wrist and elbow articulation is a little loose.

[Doubledealer]

what the hell am i doing wrong with rampage???

behind the bulldozer blade, where does the bit between the 2 pistons go???
I didn't really spend much time with this (as I converted it to bot and haven't changed it back yet) but I know what you're talking about. When turning it into bot those 2 pistons fell down and I was trying to think where they'd go when converting back... From what I could tell at the time there isn't anything to attach them too (like there is in bot mode) - they just kinda float around amongst the other stuff. :/

[Kyle]

Difference on TakaraTomy Japan release of Leader Class Optimus Prime:

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=4399

[Stompy]

what the hell am i doing wrong with rampage???

behind the bulldozer blade, where dowes the bit between the 2 pistons go???

If you look at where his two front legs sit in alt mode. You will see the black tips on the end of the legs which should have enough space to sit the piston connection to. Although it isn't too secure. I would have thought it connects to the back of the blade but there's not such connections.

[lcz128]

As cool as the toys may be... the lack of paint makes me sad :( Will be skippin' most of the movie toys I think...

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Likewise.

Was most annoyed at the amount of paint damage to various sideswipes from twist ties no less. Have had less trouble than I thought getting him to stand up and have actually managed to get some cool poses. The Mech-alive thing is pretty cool, with the "tendon" bits on the thighs and kneecaps.

Dirtboss is nifty, but when I have him forky mode, the side panels don't sit flatly. Am I doing something wrong? I have the arms pegged to the legs and everything looks as it should, but they just don't fit right.

Like Knockout, especially the way his head looks like the nose of the bike!

Leader Prime is lovely jubbly. Nice to have a movie accurate toy this time. I like the lanky look over chunky TF1 version. I will have 1in trck mode and ROTF in robot mode for sweetness. Shame about the blades blocking arm movement, but at least they are there!

Soundwave. Hmm, cool robot mode as he looks nice and regal, but the vehicle modes dont do it for me. Probably coz they don't look like anything. STill not too shabby.

I like the look of Starscreams Tats, but I won't be getting one.

[Doubledealer]

I recently bought deluxe class Rampage and I have to say it's the first ROTF toy I'm disappointed with.

The transformation is fiddly and generally not much fun, it has WAY too much yellow (Bonecrusher was broken up really nicely with different pain apps, what happened here??) and the 'centaur' look they are going for is one big epic fail. Instead it looks like a weedy bipedal decepticon pushing up against some weird bit of machinery with legs.

Having said all that it's not a terrible figure, but it's certainly not as enjoyable as the other ROTF toys I've bought so far and by no means is it a must-have.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v106/AE_King/rampage.jpg

[Lord_Zed]

Likewise.

Was most annoyed at the amount of paint damage to various sideswipes from twist ties no less. Have had less trouble than I thought getting him to stand up and have actually managed to get some cool poses. The Mech-alive thing is pretty cool, with the "tendon" bits on the thighs and kneecaps.


My Sideways is pretty fine as far as paint QC goes. And I don't find the feet a problem. Having difficulty getting his rear wheels right when transforming him back to car though. overall though his biggest flaw is he has to much red plastic in robot mode. other than that I think he's a really good deluxe.



Leader Prime is lovely jubbly. Nice to have a movie accurate toy this time. I like the lanky look over chunky TF1 version. I will have 1in trck mode and ROTF in robot mode for sweetness. Shame about the blades blocking arm movement, but at least they are there!

Haven't had a look at him yet though I did get him, but you hilight my main problem with a number of the old movie toys including old Leader Prime, I like my Movie toys lanky rather than chunky. I think it suits the alien movie style better and defines it from classic G1 style. As such though its a bit splayed to the side I prefer ROTF Starscream to the 1st movies chunky Starscream. I just wish they would redo Ratchet now, he's to blocky for me.

And ofcourse a new Jazz, but that's not gunna happen.

[Gutsman Heavy]

I just wish they would redo Ratchet now, he's to blocky for me.


your wish will be granted ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

Rampage's jackhammer gimmick is really stupidly annoying as it impedes with the toy's poseability in robot mode. Teh suck. :(

[i_amtrunks]

I like the complexity in ROTF Sideswipe, its a decent transformation that is not as painful to align back into car mode as Barricade, but the robot mode really irks me when it comes to posing, his wheel-feet make getting him to stand-up a chore.

I like Sideswipe, easily the best of the first wave of deluxes, yet I much prefer Dirtboss as a figure.

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't have any serious problems posing/standing Sideswipe. I brought him with me to a buffet restaurant on Saturday night where the table would have a few gentle movements from people dining on it, and it never fell down. And I've been able to do some dynamic poses with it too (one of which I posted on the Action Pose thread). <shrug>

I don't have Dirtboss yet. I got Rollbar last night and he's full of win. One of my all time favourite Scout/Basic figures since the original Rattrap toy. :) My only gripe is the lack of weaponry; this toy cost me nearly twice as much as what I paid for Rattrap, yet there's no weapon. Even if including a small weapon would've exceeded the budget, they could've sculpted a weapon onto the toy (e.g. forearm) like what they did with some Mini-Cons. My Rollbar is also a victim of Hasbro's QA because the paint on one side of the truck panel has a small chip. Can't be bothered exchanging it - but yeah.

[Stompy]

Sideswipe actually fits right in with Alternity Prime. The head sculpt and size, also the detail. Sideswipe and OP will be hard to top in this line. Sideswipe is one of the best TF figures I've ever laid my hands on. Figure of the year so far for me.

[SilverDragon]

My only gripe is the lack of weaponry; this toy cost me nearly twice as much as what I paid for Rattrap, yet there's no weapon. Even if including a small weapon would've exceeded the budget, they could've sculpted a weapon onto the toy (e.g. forearm) like what they did with some Mini-Cons.

Hence why I got Dirt Boss-his forklift becomes arm-mounted blades. And I love arm-mounted blades.

Dirt Boss is cool. He feels a little loose, but that may be innate or something.

I'd get Rampage (or, as I call him, Flatwhips McCracken) if he was better.

[GoktimusPrime]

Hence why I got Dirt Boss-his forklift becomes arm-mounted blades. And I love arm-mounted blades.
Melee weapons are fine but guns are better (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJOXLryzs8g&NR=1). ;)

[Lord_Zed]

Melee weapons are fine but guns are better (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJOXLryzs8g&NR=1). ;)

Unless there G1 lasers that just knock TF's over, except in the movie. :D

[SilverDragon]

Melee weapons are fine but guns are better (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJOXLryzs8g&NR=1). ;)

Unless you're in the G1 cartoon. Then swords can be used as lasers. Of course, like all other lasers in that continuaty, good luck trying to hit something.

Of course, if you have swords in the G1 Marvel comic, then you're just screwed.

[Lord_Zed]

Of course, if you have swords in the G1 Marvel comic, then you're just screwed.

Unless your name is Bludgeon. :D

[kup]

Unless there G1 lasers that just knock TF's over, except in the movie. :D

and the comics, a lot of carnage there more so than the movie.

[Autocon]

argh! so i opened my three scouts all had paint problems:(:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

dirt boss has a wierd brown smudge, symbol scratched
rollbar symbol scratched both of them
knock out slightly scratched

knock out - flimsy side panels, bike cant stand up on its own, pretty good overall

dirt boss - fiddly so many holes and pegs to slot in place and getting the legs right in forklift mode, his seat go over his back and kinda just hangs there in bot mode

roll bar - mine has a crap left arm that keeps popping off! lil tricky have to get the fin things spot on to get the sides up, overall good

mainly the paint apps are shocking and let the line down:(:mad::mad::mad::mad:

[Paulbot]

How are Sideways and Breakaway looking in Australia? The ones in stores in the US seem to be lighter in colour (Sideways silver, Breakaway light brown) than the ones we bought at Botcon. ???

[Lord_Zed]

Sideways is a dark gunmetal sort of colour, quite nice really. Not sure about Breakaway I've only seen him in the store once.

[willocrew]

Spotted this repaint on another forum...



http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1240/dsc80071.jpg

[jaydisc]

How are Sideways and Breakaway looking in Australia? The ones in stores in the US seem to be lighter in colour (Sideways silver, Breakaway light brown) than the ones we bought at Botcon. ???

How bizarre. Sounds like you got TakTom versions.

[Ironhide63]

Spotted this repaint on another forum...



http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1240/dsc80071.jpg

now thats a sweet custom...id love to do that to mine...but im to scared ill ruin it. :p

[Firecracker]

How bizarre. Sounds like you got TakTom versions.

It does actually seem like a running change. Members on TFW have purchased the normal and variant coloured figures from the the same store, in the same purchase. The darker variants come with the US instructions not the Japanese issue.

Let me do a quick search... Here (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/236708-rotf-sideways-breakaway-variant-comparisons-information.html). 'ams' does a comparison and listed the different product codes.

[SilverDragon]

Does Rampage have working treads? Because Demolisher doesn't (he apparently has little wheels like fake-treaded TFs).

[RageOnTheRoads]

Does Rampage have working treads? Because Demolisher doesn't (he apparently has little wheels like fake-treaded TFs).

nah, they're fixed. :( Kind of disappointed when I found that one out. And Demolisher doesn't have little wheels either, their fixed in his vehicle mode. They do rotate in his bot mode...but not easily.

[GoktimusPrime]

They need to be fixed as part of the toy's transformation. But yeah, Demolishor really is a rather disappointing toy. Really should've been a Deluxe. Oh well. Rampage I can forgive because his treads breakapart in the transformation to form the whip weapons.

IMO the best Transformer toy with working caterpillar treads is Beast Wars Rampage (http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Rampage/rampage.htm). That's gotta be one of the sweetest feats of Transformers engineering - simple yet so amazingly awesomesauce! I love how the treads can roll in tank mode, but in robot and crab mode you can't see any trace of them at all!

[Autocon]

IMO the best Transformer toy with working caterpillar treads is Beast Wars Rampage (http://www.tfu.info/1998/Predacon/Rampage/rampage.htm). That's gotta be one of the sweetest feats of Transformers engineering - simple yet so amazingly awesomesauce! I love how the treads can roll in tank mode, but in robot and crab mode you can't see any trace of them at all!

i will have this toy!!:mad::o:D

[Doubledealer]

Saw FAB Longhaul in Kmart today (along with the animated Sun/Shock 2-packs :eek:). That is one horrible, horrible shade of pea green. Bleugh! I really hope the voyager is a more vibrant green!

[Golden Phoenix]

Spotted this repaint on another forum...
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/1240/dsc80071.jpg

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/jimmey-11/emotes/worshippy.gif

[SilverDragon]

Determined to make good where his Decepticon father (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Incinerator_(Movie)) went bad, Springer joins the Autobots!

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/Dinoman42/S7303151.jpg

In robot mode he's a chubby little guy. He's predominately green (with small sparkles) with grey and orange. His head resembles a flying mask/goggle set like the ones worn by fighter pilots. An advantage he has over Incinerator is that he actually has hands, rather than rotor blades for fingers. However, he isn't very poseble, even by Legends standards-his arms move up and down, his legs move back and front stiffly, and his hands and feet can move as a result of the transformation.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y57/Dinoman42/S7303153.jpg

Springer's alt mode is a V22 Osprey, like Incinerator. His rotors can only point forwards-likely the cause of his vehicle mode being labelled as a 'plane mode' as opposed to Incinerator's 'helicopter mode'. What is cool is that the rotors spin if you blow on them hard.

What is also cool is that he has his name printed in 1337 on his wings.

Apparently, Springer was due to be in the film, but was cut for some reason. Hasbro, though, saw fit to turn him into a toy (he also got a Robot Heroes figurine, too). Overall, he's pretty cool, but he could have been better with even a tiny bit more articulation, despite the size class restrictions.

[GoktimusPrime]

RotF Springer reminds me of Obsidian.


Apparently, Springer was due to be in the film, but was cut for some reason. Hasbro, though, saw fit to turn him into a toy
I believe the same thing happened in the last movie with Arcee.

[Lord_Zed]

Is Springer a Scout or Legend?

I can't tell.

[Kyle]

Is Springer a Scout or Legend?

I can't tell.

Only the Legend version is out at the moment.

[SilverDragon]

Only the Legend version is out at the moment.

As is the Robot Hero version, packaged with Starscream.

So far they're the only two Springer toys announced in the RotF line. I think he'd get a bigger toy later on, once all the robots in the film get toys and non-movie characters are put in to boost the numbers.

My bet is that he'd be either a new mold or a remold/redeco of Incinerator.

[snazzbot 101]

As is the Robot Hero version, packaged with Starscream.

So far they're the only two Springer toys announced in the RotF line. I think he'd get a bigger toy later on, once all the robots in the film get toys and non-movie characters are put in to boost the numbers.

My bet is that he'd be either a new mold or a remold/redeco of Incinerator.

Since Hasbro never got the chance to redeco him even once, a green Incinerator is the most likely option.

And wouldn't be too shabby I reckon.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Picked up Mixmaster today - have only had a chance to transform once to robot (not his third mode yet, but that doesn't look too convincing on the box!). First impressions - Vehicle mode is a bit smaller than an average Voyager. The hood and mixer itself form the basis of shellforming, but the transformation is otherwise very involved and clever - the resulting robot looks pleasingly menacing. Visually, he reminds me of the Bonecrusher deluxe, but more fleshed out and overall, i like him better :)

[Firecracker]

Mixmaster reminds me of Beast Wars Ramulas; the colours and 'hooven' feet I think.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3651/3597638954_1b1064ffd8.jpg

Excellent figure. Buy him. Now!

[RageOnTheRoads]

The hood and mixer itself form the basis of shellforming, but the transformation is otherwise very involved and clever - the resulting robot looks pleasingly menacing. Visually, he reminds me of the Bonecrusher deluxe, but more fleshed out and overall, i like him better :)

Second that. :)

For a figure I didn't expect much of, Mixmaster has turned out to be the my fave of the ROTF line so far. One of those fig's that's even more impressive in person.

[Doubledealer]

Second that. :)

For a figure I didn't expect much of, Mixmaster has turned out to be the my fave of the ROTF line so far. One of those fig's that's even more impressive in person.

Totally agree on all acounts and yes I don't think photo's really do him justice. It's not until you have him in your hands that you can take in all the small details and that transformation. Wow, just awesome. :D Can't wait to see him in the movie!!

[kurdt_the_goat]

Hey, can one of you guys with Mixmaster take a photo similar to the one i've done below? I tried transforming to 3rd mode and can't seem to do it (i hope i'm not just tired!) - Looking at the instructions, i think this long bar with hinges has been assembled wrong - thankfully it doesn't affect the other 2 modes. From what i could do, the 3rd mode really looks crap and nothing clips nicely like the other 2 modes do very well - so i'm not really fussed, just curious if it is indeed assembled wrong.

http://www.australian-postcodes.com/P1030651.jpg

[jaydisc]

Me and STL found the same issue last night. Also confirmed that Peaugh's is also misassembled. I'm going to fix STL's by removing the pin if he'll let me.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Good to know i'm not going crazy :)

[Firecracker]

Did you have to point that out... now I have to fix it. :p:D

[kurdt_the_goat]

Oh sorry :o What's involved in taking the pin out? Is it heating it up or something? If so, I really don't think it's worth the hassle.

[Firecracker]

Punching the pin(s) out doesn't require much effort. You just have to be careful.
I need to do the mod as I'll never look at ol' Mixy the same again. It'll bug me... :D:o

[Autocon]

:mad: i just wont open my mixmaster:rolleyes:

[jaydisc]

Oh sorry :o What's involved in taking the pin out? Is it heating it up or something? If so, I really don't think it's worth the hassle.

Not really. You have to assess which direction the pin was put in as you have to tap it out the reverse direction using a hammer and a nail. Ideally doing it on a piece of would wood (:D) which has a small hole you can work over so the pin can go into the hole as you tap it. LCZ128 sent me a link to a helpful page when I asked about this some time ago. It was quite help. I'll ask him again.

[Lord_Zed]

Well finally had some time to have a look at leader Prime, and yeah ok I agree with pretty much everyone who's harped on about how awesome this toys is. I mean I usualy avoid leader class like the plauge, Th las leader I bought was the extremely mediocre Cybertron leader Prime, I intended to eventualy get the previous Movie Prime leader but never quite.

But this guy is awesome, and his transformation makes him worthy of his size. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned how his wheels are plastic as it had been intended to make them split apart ala the movie but it would of cost to much. Understandable but I kinda wish they had done that, given him chrome and a silver paint job, add a gun that Transforms into his fuel tanks and sold him of as Ultimate movie Prime. Don't get me wrong I think this Prime is awesome and actualy worth what I payed for him for a change, but with a few more tweaks he could pass of as a Masterpiece I think.

it makes me want to buy Leader Megs, but I know he'll dissapoint me compared to Prime, I know it was the same way with the first movie to. I wonder though do the designers get the brief for Megs and Prime at the same time and get say 6 months to make them, and then then spend 5 and a bit months designing Prime and then mock up Megs up in the last 2 weeks before deadline? it sure seems that way.

I also bought Breakaway who I thought was rather mediocre, untill Kup pointed me to the mod to fix his issues, I'm quite happy with him now he's an interesting toy with a novel transformation. While he was in pieces I decided to try and make the blue look a bit more metalic with some rather slapdash painting.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd31/zedkaiser/Minatures%20and%20toys/100_1051.jpg

I also added some metalic chips and scratches to Sideways, and washed his red torso with black ink to bring down the colour and expose his detail. I really like the toy, except for the over use of red plastic. unfortunately none of the pics I took turned out to well.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd31/zedkaiser/Minatures%20and%20toys/100_1043.jpg

[kup]

Well finally had some time to have a look at leader Prime, and yeah ok I agree with pretty much everyone who's harped on about how awesome this toys is. I mean I usualy avoid leader class like the plauge, Th las leader I bought was the extremely mediocre Cybertron leader Prime, I intended to eventualy get the previous Movie Prime leader but never quite.

But this guy is awesome, and his transformation makes him worthy of his size. Someone earlier in the thread mentioned how his wheels are plastic as it had been intended to make them split apart ala the movie but it would of cost to much. Understandable but I kinda wish they had done that, given him chrome and a silver paint job, add a gun that Transforms into his fuel tanks and sold him of as Ultimate movie Prime. Don't get me wrong I think this Prime is awesome and actualy worth what I payed for him for a change, but with a few more tweaks he could pass of as a Masterpiece I think.

it makes me want to buy Leader Megs, but I know he'll dissapoint me compared to Prime, I know it was the same way with the first movie to. I wonder though do the designers get the brief for Megs and Prime at the same time and get say 6 months to make them, and then then spend 5 and a bit months designing Prime and then mock up Megs up in the last 2 weeks before deadline? it sure seems that way.

I also bought Breakaway who I thought was rather mediocre, untill Kup pointed me to the mod to fix his issues, I'm quite happy with him now he's an interesting toy with a novel transformation. While he was in pieces I decided to try and make the blue look a bit more metalic with some rather slapdash painting.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd31/zedkaiser/Minatures%20and%20toys/100_1051.jpg

I also added some metalic chips and scratches to Sideways, and washed his red torso with black ink to bring down the colour and expose his detail. I really like the toy, except for the over use of red plastic. unfortunately none of the pics I took turned out to well.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd31/zedkaiser/Minatures%20and%20toys/100_1043.jpg

Yeah the pictures are not doing Sideways justices, his new touch ups do a lot to add more movie like realism into the figure.

Breakaway is pretty awesome too, his little fixes and mods were a bit harder than anticipated but Zed pulled it off pretty well and its amazing how much more 'life' a bit more articulation can add to a figure.

Breakaway's new awesome metallic paint job also brings much added realism more true to the feel of the movie bots than that bright blue. Awesome job!

[Stompy]

Thanks for the pin removal tip jay/lcz. I'm gonna do it with my Mixmaster.

Also picked up Crabitron (Voyager Megatron) and I must say that despite being shellformerish and teal in colour. It is solid in both modes. His bot mode is especially menacing with excellent sculpt detail, chunky legs and a left arm that isn't too puny. Not to mention the automorphing claw as his right arm and the mech alive gears inside his torso. He is very poseable with a head on a ball joint, swivel waist and 3 points of articulation for the arms and chicken walker legs allows for some great poses. It could have done with more paint apps on the chest but the head is painted well enough to make the focus of your eyes go towards his toothy grimace. Also some gradiated silver to highlight portions of his limbs. This is definately a figure worth considering and from the looks of things much MUCH better than Leader Megatron. Probably the one to get. Let's hope for a premium silver version.

[TheDirtyDigger]

All Movie toys look like Bionicles.

[jaydisc]

Well, I busted my leader Prime. The first time I transformed him I couldn't disconnected the chest panels as I was sure the instructions were telling me to. I kept trying exerting a bit more force each time. Eventually I got it out. But I instantly noticed a stress mark on the small peg that holds it in.

After transforming him the 2nd and subsequent times, disconnecting the panel was seamless, putting no pressure on said peg. However, the damage was done, and today the peg fell off. I'll get a replacement this week.

I think this will be common.

(It's still an awesome Transformer!)

[Paulbot]

Well, I busted my leader Prime. The first time I transformed him I couldn't disconnected the chest panels as I was sure the instructions were telling me to. I kept trying exerting a bit more force each time. Eventually I got it out. But I instantly noticed a stress mark on the small peg that holds it in.

That bit puzzled me a lot when I was transforming Prime and the instructions aren't very clear at all.

[Lord_Zed]

That bit puzzled me a lot when I was transforming Prime and the instructions aren't very clear at all.

The instructions made it harder for me the first time, they spind the arms about in every direction when all I wanted to know was the proper allginment. I't took me a while to figure out how Primes chest pegs work to, but now I've got it.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Well, I busted my leader Prime. The first time I transformed him I couldn't disconnected the chest panels as I was sure the instructions were telling me to. I kept trying exerting a bit more force each time. Eventually I got it out. But I instantly noticed a stress mark on the small peg that holds it in.

After transforming him the 2nd and subsequent times, disconnecting the panel was seamless, putting no pressure on said peg. However, the damage was done, and today the peg fell off. I'll get a replacement this week.

I think this will be common.

(It's still an awesome Transformer!)

Argg, that sucks! I thought there might be a twinkle in your eye for the upcoming <$70 Big W sale though :D

Can you take a photo of how (badly?) it sits in robot mode without the peg? Definitely a case for using Movie Leader 1 Prime for truck mode display! ... or at the very least, shaving a tad off those pegs.

[Stompy]

There's a stress mark on one of the pegs on my Leader OP as mentioned by jay. It will pop off after a few too methinks. This is not good. Might leave him in bot mode.

kurdt - it kinda springs up to about ear height of Optimus' head. So it's noticeable.

EDIT:
After fear of a broken peg for the chest piece on LEader Prime I figured the best way to get it off with minimal stress on the pegs.

1. Slide it up to the widest gap. There should be about half a centimeter from the top.

2. Don't pull it out by force!!! Just gently tilt it inwards and just pry out the peg and it should come out with little force.

3. Reattach at the same point for bot mode.

[blackie]

mine shall forever live in bot mode methinks
too much hastle
when they go on ultra clearance, ill get an extra to play with :P

[Doubledealer]

For the fans of Demolishor here is a nice stop motion detailing his articulation and transformation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIi8Ajvdjo

[jaydisc]

For the fans of Demolishor here is a nice stop motion detailing his articulation and transformation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIi8Ajvdjo

That's awesome. He rocks.

[Stompy]

For the fans of Demolishor here is a nice stop motion detailing his articulation and transformation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SIi8Ajvdjo

You and your demolishor love! That clip convinced me that he isn't as bad as I expected.

[Firecracker]

Demolisher rocks! Buy legends class Optimus for added fun. :D

[Doubledealer]

Yes indeed! Maybe if they included legends prime (battle damaged version perhaps?) with Demolishor more people would think him worthwhile, who knows. Man I can't wait to see him command his troops in the movie. :D

[kurdt_the_goat]

For you guys still a bit worried about Prime's chest pieces, i can recommend using a touch of light sandpaper on the red pegs. I'd read about it elsewhere and decided to give it a try tonight - shave a few mm's off, and the peg will ease into the chute and makes it a cinch to get out (still close to the top, widest point). Of course it doesn't affect anything adversely either, still easily held in position by the springs and shoulder top pegs.

I find it really surprising such an awesome toy has such an easily fixable engineering problem! The chute should have been shaped like a "7" instead of an "l". The chest piece never returns to the top unless you unlock the shoulders.. so there wouldn't be a risk of it coming out, even if the top was much wider than the rest of the chute and the peg thickness.

[jaydisc]

Can you take a photo of how (badly?) it sits in robot mode without the peg?

Sorry about the delay. Have actually been doing work the past few days. :D

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/DSC05253.jpg

It doesn't go up to the ear as Stompy said because of course the blue bit that sits on top of his shoulder pegs in, but regardless, it's completely unacceptable look.


For you guys still a bit worried about Prime's chest pieces, i can recommend using a touch of light sandpaper on the red pegs. I'd read about it elsewhere and decided to give it a try tonight - shave a few mm's off, and the peg will ease into the chute and makes it a cinch to get out (still close to the top, widest point). Of course it doesn't affect anything adversely either, still easily held in position by the springs and shoulder top pegs.

I find it really surprising such an awesome toy has such an easily fixable engineering problem! The chute should have been shaped like a "7" instead of an "l". The chest piece never returns to the top unless you unlock the shoulders.. so there wouldn't be a risk of it coming out, even if the top was much wider than the rest of the chute and the peg thickness.

Yeah, that's a great idea, and yeah, it's a bad design. I actually tackled the first transformation WITH the instructions, but for those that don't, or for those like me that just didn't "believe" the instructions, trouble ahead.

[kurdt_the_goat]

I wonder what effect removing the coil/spring that connects the lower (red) waist with the truck window pieces would do? I'm not positive but i think that without the spring, it might just sit where it's supposed to even without the peg. At least if the spring isn't the only thing connecting it i guess!

[Lord_Zed]

Not sure wether to do the fix, as mine seems to slide in out fine at the highest point, it's the first time that was the potential problem.

[Paulbot]

A couple of thoughts on the ROTF figures I've played with so far. in order of preference:

Sideswipe: Excellent transformation, cool robot and vehicle modes, fave so far
Leader Optimus Prime: great toy, best regular Optimus toy in ages
Rampage: Tried to transform into robot mode with out using the instructions or box for guidance... I don't think I'm anywhere near it yet! Puzzling so fun
Voyager Starscream: So much better than the first movie version, big improvement and well worth getting.
Ransack: Convinced to buy this when Sleeve pointed out the Insecticon-look to the robot mode, cool alt mode and complex transformation for a scout
Chromia: Also weird and complex in a good way! Wish her body compressed a bit more in robot mode though
Wheelie: Rather neutral on this one, but the screw for the gimmick always gets in the way when transforming to vehicle mode
Demolisher: Too small, but some points for originality
Legends Optimus Prime: Alright, but nothing great

[Kyle]

Legends Optimus Prime: Alright, but nothing great

At least he looks unmistakablly Prime-ish, compared to the version from the first movie. :p

[Deceptic_Optic]

At least he looks unmistakablly Prime-ish, compared to the version from the first movie. :p


Yeah everyone looks more movie like than last movie

[Paulbot]

After looking at the toys on the rack in Big W yesterday I really miss the character art on the side of the box that Animated and Universe had. Those pictures made it so much easier to check what was on a peg and it's a shame that they are gone.

[Vector Sigma 13]

At least he looks unmistakablly Prime-ish, compared to the version from the first movie. :p

I reccon hes a huge improvement!

[jaydisc]

After looking at the toys on the rack in Big W yesterday I really miss the character art on the side of the box that Animated and Universe had. Those pictures made it so much easier to check what was on a peg and it's a shame that they are gone.

Yeah, I loved that aspect of Animated and Universe.

[Firecracker]

Knock Out just got cooler...
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3601/3624246604_d476556a85.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/3623428797_2861e1206f.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3640/3624247274_443a6dc050.jpg
I don't know if others have realized you can do this. I just figured it out while fiddling.

[jaydisc]

Got Depthcharge yesterday, my first ROTF scout, and I like him a lot.

The back of the boat mode is a bit loose and sloppy in alt mode. I need to see if that's a general issue, or just my instance.

His feet are a bit bizarre. The boat's cockpit folds all the way behind his legs as shown in the instructions, although there is a midway point with a little clip that the feet can clip into. Any figure out the purpose for that?

[Autocon]

opened starscream - i can see the mech alive gimmick braking whos with me? felt sticky stiff from the get go overall liked it lots:D

dead end - look on the back of the box they cant even get a decent paint job for the promo photo on the back!! HA not the best scout

sidways feels better than sideswipe more solid. having trouble with sideswipes tyres back in alt mode. good match up i can see sideways v sideswipe, swerve v dead end (swy repaint)

FABs jetfire - is hopeless in alt mode, big block underneath no landing gear. goods bot mode, long haul also good though only has punch attack lame, sideways good but lack articulation in the arms cool shooting saw weapon that they didnt include with sideways del why?

note: what is the spare tyre on sideways arm for? what can you do with it? also i find it hard to get the panels back in precise position once ive transformed the bots back to alt mode

ironhide - how much different transformation does he have compared to movie one mold?

yet to open mixmaster and leaders:cool:

[Paulbot]

note: what is the spare tyre on sideways arm for? what can you do with it?

Spoilers? I think it's supposed to be one of the front tires, the other becoming the bladed weapon, and they are on the arms to make the toy look more like what Sideways looks like in the movie

[Gasaraki]

note: what is the spare tyre on sideways arm for? what can you do with it? also i find it hard to get the panels back in precise position once ive transformed the bots back to alt mode

ironhide - how much different transformation does he have compared to movie one mold?

yet to open mixmaster and leaders:cool:

Sideways is sooo Barricade... it's almost like a redesign rather than a new character. And that goes right down to the wheels on the arms. I think the wheel is there because the movie model's transformation scheme makes the front wheels end up on the arms, but because they couldn't quite manage this with the toy, they came up with the (rather smart) compromise of hiding away the front wheels and bringing out a different tyre/saw combo in robot mode.

From vides I've seen, Ironhide is pretty much the same as movie one, with the exception of a few items:
1. The weapons, obviously. If you have the original mold, it looks like you can clip the old weapons onto the new figure (or the new weapons onto the old figure).
2. The colour... again, rather obviously. I prefer black.
3. The head, which appears to be a new mold.

[SilverDragon]

I got Ransack today. Holy crap, he is really, really, really awesome. Aside from the uniqueness of the biplane mode, the plane itself lacks major undercarriage junk (aside from the folded up arms), and looks very good. The robot mode looks appropriately movie-esque, like it's a biplane that bent itself into a humanoid form. It's poseble to a good degree, looks great (especially with the cape-wings), and for once the battle mode doesn't look too much like a midway point in the transformation.

[lcz128]

From vides I've seen, Ironhide is pretty much the same as movie one, with the exception of a few items:
1. The weapons, obviously. If you have the original mold, it looks like you can clip the old weapons onto the new figure (or the new weapons onto the old figure).
2. The colour... again, rather obviously. I prefer black.
3. The head, which appears to be a new mold.

Does it have a new head? Anyone else able to confirm this!? :o

[Deceptic_Optic]

Does it have a new head? Anyone else able to confirm this!? :o

More movie accurate

[STL]

Got Ransack and Depthcharge over the weekend. Love both of them. The 1st wave of scouts was mediocre at first but these guys blew the others out of the water. Depthcharge's transformation despite being a shellformer for that most part really intrigues me.

Ransack though is the surprise packet. So much detail and complexity on a small toy. It's quite mind-boggling how they could come up with this in such a size class but make it seem just right. The transformation is great fun and all the clips and pegs give it a wonderful sense of completeness and solidity.


Does it have a new head? Anyone else able to confirm this!? :o

Check.

My own question

[jaydisc]

Played with Krayt's Desert Brawl today, and was pleased to find that the shoulder problem has been completely fixed. I'm tempted to get one myself just to fix my original Deluxe Brawl. I tested it out to see how badly the colors stuck out, and it's not that bad. Not sure if I'll do it though.

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/P6170320.jpg

[Vector Sigma 13]

That shoulder problem on the first incarnation still gives me the S$%t's.

[jacksplatt11]

I stuck a couple of rare earth magnets on my Brawl's shoulders cause they were rubbish

[GoktimusPrime]

I got Knock Out last night and I must say that he's the first RotF scout toy that I've bought that I'm disappointed with. The leg panels are particularly aggravating, but the worst part is the torso which doesn't seem to be able to lock in properly in robot mode. It's even worse than Deluxe Decepticon Brawl's shoulders. (-_-) Considering returning this toy to the shop. :/

[Firecracker]

The leg panels are particularly aggravating...

Easy, move 'em:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/3623428797_2861e1206f.jpg

[jaydisc]

I stuck a couple of rare earth magnets on my Brawl's shoulders cause they were rubbish

Ooooh. I'd love to see that. Bring it around next time you are around stranger.

[dirge]

I got Knock Out ... the worst part is the torso which doesn't seem to be able to lock in properly in robot mode.

Yeah exchange it. Mine locks together fine.

The panels are theorised to have been designed as wings, as Firecracker's photo indicates, so you have the option of moving them if you like. Personally, I prefer them on the legs, but the wings are nice all the same :)

[Paulbot]

I took Chromia to lunch (as she was a toy that isn't in general release here yet) and she was very unpopular. Also learnt that Samurai Prowl's sidecar can not be attached to her motorbike mode.

[iceburn]

nah i love Chromia...albie hate fembots :D

[Stompy]

I picked up Demolishor after much aprehension and I must say... I take back the negatives I had. This is a nice figure. Great sculpt. Nice looking alt mode and a bot mode that is definately a challenge for those of us who are so used to humanoid shapedbots. The conversion is the real winner for me. Well engineered. Solid in both modes. Can't wait to get Long Haul.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Picked up Springer, Ransack and Starscream from Kmart sales today - and i'm impressed with all of them, but most of all Ransack. I wasn't too interested at first, but bought into the hype, and i'm glad i did! If any of you are sitting on the fence with this guy, get off now and pick him up! An incredible little figure and a steal at sale prices.

On a side note, my Starscream came with a ROTF brochure, styled similar to the Kmart price booklet - one side is a poster of Human Alliance Bumblebee and the other side has Prime, Megs, Ironhide, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Starscream stock photos. I never got one with Mixmaster, my only other voyager. I'm guessing it's not news, but I loves me some brochures, reminds me of the old days :)

[GoktimusPrime]

I refunded my Knock Out and got another one. Same problem as the last one. :( I really don't want to go through the whole Animated Blitzwing incident again where I'm forever exchanging the toy and not finding any that's not defective in some way. (T_T)

[jaydisc]

That's why you should buy the replacement first. Otherwise, you're always trading the devil you know for the one that you don't.

[Doubledealer]

I picked up Demolishor after much aprehension and I must say... I take back the negatives I had. This is a nice figure. Great sculpt. Nice looking alt mode and a bot mode that is definately a challenge for those of us who are so used to humanoid shapedbots. The conversion is the real winner for me. Well engineered. Solid in both modes. Can't wait to get Long Haul.
I knew you'd come good in the end, haha.

[jaydisc]

Well, I'm definitely drinking the Demolisher Cool Aid too, but unfortunately not the Ransack Cool Aid.

I got Rollbar today which is the only Wave 1 scout I intend on getting after having a play with all of STL's. I really dig his the way his chest rotates through in the transformation. It's almost like an Activator without a spring. Everything clicks in to place nice and firmly as well.

[kurdt_the_goat]

I refunded my Knock Out and got another one. Same problem as the last one. :( I really don't want to go through the whole Animated Blitzwing incident again where I'm forever exchanging the toy and not finding any that's not defective in some way. (T_T)

Time to start opening them at the returns counter methinks! :D

[Deceptic_Optic]

I picked up Demolishor after much aprehension and I must say... I take back the negatives I had. This is a nice figure. Great sculpt. Nice looking alt mode and a bot mode that is definately a challenge for those of us who are so used to humanoid shapedbots. The conversion is the real winner for me. Well engineered. Solid in both modes. Can't wait to get Long Haul.

see for some reason when i got demolisher i liked him because his unusual to the others and his ugly i mean in a good way as a decepticon. what about mix do you like mixmaster?

[Lord_Zed]

I have Mixmaster now, also Green Megs bought em both real cheap but haven't opened them yet so no opinion on them yet. Give, I can't decide with Demolishor should I get him or not? I might grab him tommorow If I can score him cheaply.

I bought Deadend and Dirtboss. There both pretty good, I don't like them as much as thier larger comrades but still fun. Deadends hands seem to fall of a bit during transformation which is annoying. For some reason though he is my favourte of the two, I assumed from the early pictures I'd prefer Dirtboss but I actualy Like Deadend better, cause he's just more unusual looking and interesting. I do like Dirtboss alt mode a lot though.

So my personal score so far is 7 ROTF toys I've enjoyed and no duds, so far.....

[Firecracker]

I'll chime in on the Ransack love. :D Did everyone know Ransack secretly desires to be a Vehicon. :p
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3382/3640145845_1b78703a41.jpg

What are peeps opinion on Voyager(Green) Megs? Him and HA Bumblebee are the only figures so far I haven't picked up.

[Stompy]

Deceptic_Optics: I too adore the creepy bot modes of the constructicons. Demolishor just had those gaps that made him look so incomplete, but in person he is a lot better than I imagined.

I love Mixmaster. He's a bit of a shellformer, which to me is the only negative with this figure. The alt mode is pretty darn good with great detail right down to the little slide tube for the cement to pour out to. The bot mode is just gorgeous with numerous amounts of articulation soy ou can pose him in very creepy ways. Although the arm kibble is annoying and gets in the way. The biggest annoyance with Mixmaster is the assembly error. They put one of the articulated joints on the wrong way and, in turn, makes him look like he has a nappy. I've tried to punch out the pin with a nail and hammer but I got nowhere. Certainly a great figure.


Firecracker: Green Megs or Crabitron is not too bad at all and is worth considering. His alt mode is very crab like and is just passable. Conversion is relatively simple and he's pretty much a shellformer. His bot mode is the real winner though with a great sculpt, a geared snap out pincer thing on his right arm and a head mould worthy of the great decepticon leader. The articulation on the arms, ball jointed head and swivelling hips allow for some great poses. Although his legs could have done with a few more articulation. The shell back pack actually adds a nice menacing spiked back look or if you fold down the top fins, almost mimics his original movie wings. The green scheme is an odd choice although he does have some silver paint to highlight his jointed areas. His mechalive gimmick are some spinning gears inside his torso (seen thru his armor cracks) when swivelled around.
Click the link below for a more thorough look at him in both modes.
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/229221-rotf-voyager-megatron-gallery.html

I like him. Much more appealing than the leader version.

[Firecracker]

Thanks dude. I'm a bit hesitant to pick him up as he'd be the 4th Megatron I'd own. However he's probably the best out of all of them! Damn my completist mentaltiy! :D

[Doubledealer]

I dunno about Crabitron. First of all, the colour, as with the Fallen, is an instant fail for me. Second, let's face it - he looks like a crushed alien crab attempting to bring back 1920's cigarette holders. Third, exactly what is a tank doing at the bottom of the ocean? Harpooning whales so they can harvest enough fat to start a Decepticon soap company? Fourth, I've had far too much to drink tonight..Goodnight

[jaydisc]

Third, exactly what is a tank doing at the bottom of the ocean?

All the dead 'cons from the first flick (including Brawl) are at the bottom of the ocean.

[Doubledealer]

(specifically regarding Megatron)...exactly what is a tank doing at the bottom of the ocean?^

[Autocon]

is the voy OP much different from the first movie mold?

[Kyle]

(specifically regarding Megatron)...exactly what is a tank doing at the bottom of the ocean?

Maybe they don't want him to stay at the bottom of the ocean for the rest of the movie...



is the voy OP much different from the first movie mold?

Exact same toy, just different plastic colour-wise (very nice) but less paint details (not so nice).

[lcz128]

nah i love Chromia...albie hate fembots :D

I'll stick with real-life-human-gals pls ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

specifically regarding Megatron)...exactly what is a tank doing at the bottom of the ocean?
Or maybe he's helping the Japanese to huntscientifically study whales - from below! What a villain!!

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I was a bit iffy on this little guy in the packaging, but with KMart sale prices figured what the heck and am really glad I picked him up. The fugly-in-package neon green actually works pretty well out-of-package, though I'd prefer orange myself. In terms of sheer playability/poseability Dirt Boss kicks ass in bot mode - he's up there with some of the better Animated figures. Despite a bit of difficulty getting everything to fit together in alt mode - the steering wheel especially could have been done better IMO - his forklift mode is really fun too.
If you don't have this guy he's totally worth getting, and with the KMart sale he's an absolute steal.

[GoktimusPrime]

I wish they'd given him the prototype colours as shown in the photograph on the back of the card.

[i_amtrunks]

Opened Depth Charge and Ransack today, and I love the two of them, Depth Charge for his simplicity and Ransack for being fiddly... go figure!

But Gravity-bot Bumblebee was the more popular figure with my gf, and the cat, it's a damn simple transformation, but the automation of changing from robot to car just looks spiffy, watched it dozens of times already.

Might pick up a few more gravity bots, but I think I am done with the scouts for now, rollbar and Dead End do not interest me in the slightest

[Lord_Zed]

I opened Voyager (under the sea) Megs.

I quite like him, he has his flaws ofcourse but compared to most Megatrons associated with the Movie lines I think he is pretty good.

His tank mode is very wierd, but I do like that it maintains the movie cybertronian look established on previous toys. And the crabshell look makes sense for an armoured fighting vehicle. His colour choices are odd , but I far and away prefer the green/grey with airbrushed silver splashes to the light grey used on the previous movies Megatrons. Although I think the new Leader megs may have more accurate paint aps.

The big winner is the robot mode, he is decently articulated and both his arms have elbowjoints so he can do some cybertronian kungfu on protoform Prime. And a decent headsulpt and his big claws make him look like a menacing Decepticon leader, if a little short. Though he looks just right fighting the protoform cometbots from the previous movie line.


Or maybe he's helping the Japanese to huntscientifically study whales - from below! What a villain!!

In Transformers slang that's called chucking a Longtooth. :D

[Paulbot]

Hey, can one of you guys with Mixmaster take a photo similar to the one i've done below? I tried transforming to 3rd mode and can't seem to do it (i hope i'm not just tired!) - Looking at the instructions, i think this long bar with hinges has been assembled wrong - thankfully it doesn't affect the other 2 modes. From what i could do, the 3rd mode really looks crap and nothing clips nicely like the other 2 modes do very well - so i'm not really fussed, just curious if it is indeed assembled wrong.

http://www.australian-postcodes.com/P1030651.jpg


Me and STL found the same issue last night. Also confirmed that Peaugh's is also misassembled. I'm going to fix STL's by removing the pin if he'll let me.

I looked at Mixmaster is store today and then remembered these posts. Does this issue only affect the "base" mode? Any obvious way to tell there's an issue when the toy's in vehicle mode (and still in the store!?).

[kurdt_the_goat]

Impossible to tell inside the box - the bar in question is right underneath the truck. It only adversely affects base mode - actually, I think robot mode's back kibble would be more visible if it was assembled correctly - but not much :)

[Deceptic_Optic]

what: voyager class 'the fallen' and 'desert tracker ratchet'

where: big w blacktown

when: exactly 1002 am

pricing: ask counter to compare price to kmart. item acquired at 39.20 a pop!, normal price was 48.90 i think somewhere around there.

availability: 3 more fallen and 1 more ratchet, probably more stock at the back

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt202/Deceptic_Optics/IMG_0388.jpg
http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt202/Deceptic_Optics/IMG_0389.jpg
http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt202/Deceptic_Optics/IMG_0390.jpg

[Autocon]

leader megs - great alt mode i love it, push the missile and it makes a launching sound. the arm spoils it in bot mode:( i spent 10 or somins trying to snap of his leg before i rotated the leg around and realised.

leader OP - great bot mode but i prefer movie one in alt mode. the back wheels are hard to keep straight

demolisher - meh. the treads could have easily been modified to rotate around. good but could have been better

voy OP and del BB, how different are these molds compared to the movie one molds?

[Lord_Zed]

I opened Demolishor.

He is the first of the new Movie toys I've bought who hasn't made the grade. I don't mind the strange bot mode, but couldn't they have found a way to make him stand, even using his arms doesn't work cause there splayed.

My other main dislike is the lack of articulation in the arms, he just can't seem to do much with them, if they had at least articulated them so he could punch. He just looks way to static for a guy who can't stand.

He does have some amusing mis-transformation potential though.

That said this is my first ROTF toy that I consider below average. As far as I'm concerned he is the Scorponok of the ROTF line.

[STL]

That said this is my first ROTF toy that I consider below average. As far as I'm concerned he is the Scorponok of the ROTF line.

Ouch! I don't think he's that bad. But he's certainly at least got a transformation. But point taken. Next to a lot of the ROTF toys he is pretty disappointing.

Can anyone find anything to clip the underbelly of Rampage together? The toy really frustrates me there as there doesn't appear anything to clip it to.

[Stompy]

It clips to nothing from what I've looked at and have tried so many times. Those two prongs looks like it clips onto something though. Perhaps a secret gestalt mode connector!!!! Ok I stop now....

[Ironhide63]

It clips to nothing from what I've looked at and have tried so many times. Those two prongs looks like it clips onto something though. Perhaps a secret gestalt mode connector!!!! Ok I stop now....

AAAAAAAAA you tempt me so much to go out and buy every individual constructicon they have a toy of...which i will anyway but arrrghh, you are filling my brain with wonderful thoughts.

[liegeprime]

Hmm I seem to be unlucky with the scouts..:( I got firstly a Deadend, unfortunately the hood was both for right panel, :( So I bought another one with correct panels. That was 2 weeks ago. So I cant return it anymore, what is the policy on how many days before you can exchange a defective item. Now I opened Knockout 3 days ago, sigh, everything is there except the left handlebar which i didnt notice at first until I started transforming him again last night.:( and Ive already thrown the reciept and his packaging ( collected as well by the trashies:(. Now I dont wanna buy another one jkust because he's missing that one stupid handlebar (Arrrgh) might have to wait if anyone at Parra Fair sell a broken/incomplete/cheap loose one with that part still intact.
Word of warning to all youse guys scan as much as you can while their still in the store - there's really poor quality control on these ROTF toys :(:(

[i_amtrunks]

Word of warning to all youse guys scan as much as you can while their still in the store - there's really poor quality control on these ROTF toys :(:(

Just like the first line where the extra detail meant a drop in quality...

I've been doing extensive checks of each figure, too many figures have had pieces floating around in the packaging, but yet to see any figures with obvious problems like two left feet...

[jaydisc]

That was 2 weeks ago. So I cant return it anymore, what is the policy on how many days before you can exchange a defective item.

Where did you buy it? You can always buy the replacement before you return the original.


and Ive already thrown the reciept and his packaging ( collected as well by the trashies:(. Now I dont wanna buy another one jkust because he's missing that one stupid handlebar (Arrrgh)

Always save your receipts ;-)

And same as above, buy the replacement, then return the old one.

[Kyle]

Bought these today:

-ROTF Deluxe Wave 3 Ravage
-ROTF Deluxe Wave 3 Mudflap
-ROTF Deluxe Wave 3 Cannon Bumblebee

The Barricade redeco didn't really interest me. Ravage is a decent figure but not really a "transformer". :p Mudflap is nicer than I expected, with nice mech-alive features on his chest and left arm. Cannon Bumblebee is a little disappointing. The arms are very short and the wrists have zero articulation. Only the thumbs move, but the hands can't hold the gun/sword from the original movie Bumblebee figure.

[Doubledealer]

I've been doing extensive checks of each figure, too many figures have had pieces floating around in the packaging, but yet to see any figures with obvious problems like two left feet...

Deluxe Mudflap is the first ROTF toy I've had a problem with so far. He had two left feet and the instructions for Cannon BB. :/

Lord Zed, if you fiddle with the arms a bit you can get the shovel halves of Demolishor to face forward. Looks much better and allows him to stand solid as a rock. You really need to totally disregard the arm instructions when it comes to Demolishor, imo. The default config is beyond crap.

[Kyle]

Deluxe Mudflap is the first ROTF toy I've had a problem with so far. He had two left feet and the instructions for Cannon BB. :/

Mine had both left and right feet :) but the left foot was on the right leg and the right foot was on the left leg... :o

[Stompy]

Those above are horrible QC problems. glad to see the figures I have don't have any problems yet.... YET. I should check them thoroughly. I usually end up with QC issues with my figures (TRU exclusive Soundwave reissue has two left hands :()

I've seen a lot of Scout packaging bubble coming off the card due to lack of glue or mishandling by customers.

[Doubledealer]

Mine had both left and right feet :) but the left foot was on the right leg and the right foot was on the left leg... :o

Mate that's the exact fault my 2nd Mudflap had! Thankfully easily fixed but you have to wonder how they do it...Either we both have bad luck or Mudflap is one to be especially careful of QC-wise. People who haven't bought him yet, when you open the pack look on the cars underside...Little toes should be pointing out towards you if yours is done correctly!

[jaydisc]

I've seen a lot of Scout packaging bubble coming off the card due to lack of glue or mishandling by customers.

I've seen this everywhere!

[Lord_Zed]

Deluxe Mudflap is the first ROTF toy I've had a problem with so far. He had two left feet and the instructions for Cannon BB. :/

Lord Zed, if you fiddle with the arms a bit you can get the shovel halves of Demolishor to face forward. Looks much better and allows him to stand solid as a rock. You really need to totally disregard the arm instructions when it comes to Demolishor, imo. The default config is beyond crap.

I actualy did that a bit of my own accord then saw your message, it certainly does improve him, though I still find the arms under articulated. Certainly he can stand though but he's still my least favourte of the ROTF toys I have so far.

Even Rampage who I opened today edges slightly higher, I don't mind his wierd 4 legs, I just wish that like Demolishor he had better arm articulation.

I have yet to find any wave 2 deluxes, doh!

[i_amtrunks]

Ravage is a fantastic toy, that does a top job representing the screen character. However he is an action figure, not a transformer,a s his transformation is total bullocks.

Great articulation, nice gimmicks, and top paint, this is one of the best made, and nicest looking toys from wither of the movie lines.

I have not had a chance to transform mudflap, but beware he has dodgy paint applications, make sure to really give him a good eye over on all sides, the edges of the doors, the front bumper and the wheel rims all suffer from either missing paint, or mis-applied paint.
The Orange paint used is of the reflective variety that has glitter or somesuch in it, and the roof of some figures has rather swirly paint, sometime it looked really thin, whereas others seemed to have really thick paint.

[Paulbot]

So weird that Mudflap is everywhere instead of Skids. I was playing with Skids last night, liking him more now that I have a proper idea of his character (he's not exactly Mater from Cards like I thought...). But I can't figure out how the top of the car is supposed to fold up into his backpack. I dread to use excessive force but there doesn't seem to be enough joints! I may need to dig out the card back or the instructions. I also had trouble getting his legs to fold up properly back into vehicle mode. I do look forward to seeing Mudflap alongside Skids.

[1AZRAEL1]

Was it just me, or did others hear Lazerbeaks name mentioned?

When Sam and Mikaela were hiding in that house when they were trying to get to Optimus, and then that little TF bug came through the hole in the wall and Sam tore its head off.

Listen out for it if your going to see it.

[Dylbot]

I did love the bit where the constructicons killed one of thier own to bring back megatron.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah - so violent and cruel! Ditto the way that Demolishor raped the other Constructicons to form Devastator and the way Jetfire sacrificed himself and the Autobots just cannabilised his body to upgrade Optimus Prime! PHWOAR!!

[Stompy]

Recently got Cannon Bumblebee, Mudflap and Ravage.

Canon Bumblebee I like a lot. Prefer it over the original mold now despite it's solid torso panel. They could have engineered to have the headlight portions of the car slide upwards to be more accurate and less blocky as the rest of the torso make Bumblebee a lot more solid and meaty than the thin wiry original. The arms may look a tad small but works for me. The new head sculpt is awesome a massive improvement over the original mold and i think is different to preview mold. The legs are exactly the same right down to the gap and pegs for the original mold weapon to slot into in vehicle mode but with his new hands, he is unable to hold that weapon. All clear plastic posrtions now use soldi plastic painted over with glittery blue paint to simulate a glass look, which works ok. This is my preffered movie Bumblebee now. The cannon is ok but nothing to write home about. Probably more striking in vehicle mode. Worth considering.

Mudflap's vehicle mode is actually bigger than it seem to appear in package and is probably too large to be in scale with the likes of deluxe Bumblebee, Sideswipe and Sideways although his robot mode is definately in scale being a good deal shorter than any of the other autobot deluxes. His conversion is quite funky with some folds, swivels and flips of panels everywhere and a very nice springloaded gimmick for the chest and a simple but effective "mechalive" arm cannon. Am glad to say that my Mudflap have the correct feet and assembled properly unlike some of the unlucky owners from previous posts. Also no paint app problems here.

Ravage has a very nice feline figure with highly articulated legs and a great sculpt all around. While the legs are really well articulated with excellent hinges all over the right spots. His tail though while well articulated could have done with a few more to allow for greater poseability. The spikes on his back are a nice look and is made of ruberry plastic. The head is stuck on its one position due to the gimmick which is a lever on his back that you slide forward (not press or flip) to make his head stretch out, jaw open and ears flip back. While a very nice gimmick, its dissapointing that there is no articulation for poses. The "entry" mode is a little forced but isn't as big an after thought as I anticipated as there's a lot more folds and pegging than I expected, although its still not a convincing alternate mode and laughable in the line. Don't get this assuming the entry mode is like TFM Preview Protoform Prime or Screamer's entry mode. Those had more believable comet shapedentry modes. I still love the figure due to my love for Ravage but it's probably a pass to a lot of others.

[Paulbot]

I've only just learnt that Legends Optimus Prime and Legends Jetfire can combine! That's so neat, it makes me like both figures a lot more!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2423/3661767049_34228e44f9.jpg
(Excuse crappy webcam pics!)

[roller]

i bought Dirtboss today, my first TF2 toy
hes a forklift

its a very fun toy, lots of detail for a small toy. Could have had a bit more to make it even more realistic.

The robot mode is good, but i like the vehicle mode better. the forks tilt

bought it at pricey Myers, and i couldnt find a competition entry form or any info on the comp. :mad:

Dirtboss is a forklift, he rocks!

[GoktimusPrime]

Comparison between TF1 and RotF Voyager Starscream:

Jet mode:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_moviestarscreams1.jpg

TF1 has nicer colours (even disregarding the tattoos which I'm not a fan of as a toy-enthusiast but have come to accept as a fan of the fiction). Overall RotF Starscream has a more realistic looking F22 mode except for the length of the nose - I think it should be longer like TF1 Starscream, but I can easily forgive it because of the nature of the toy's transformation. Also the accuracies in RotF SS outnumber the inaccuracies when compared to TF1 Starscream. The tail fins look more realistic and the missiles under the wings look nicer than the oversized gattling cannons on TF1SS. Mind you, the gattling cannons are more fun to play with (:D). There's also a certain "G1" coolness to the way that the missiles stow under the wings of RotFSS too.

Another huge plus with RotFSS is the absence of the gap on TF1SS's canopy. But my biggest dislike of TF1SS's jet mode is the way that the robot head is so poorly concealed. This is not a problem at all with RotFSS whose robot head is completely hidden from view. The main drawback in terms of exposed robot kibble with RotFSS is the hands. The instructions show that the hands can be folded in, but the toy seems incapable of doing this. I suspect that this may be an earlier design feature that was removed for budget/cost reasons.

The undercarriage:
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_moviestarscreams2.jpg

Making a jet mode is never easy due to its streamlined design, but here you can see that RotF Starscream does a much better job in concealing the robot parts with a far less chunky undercarriage. It makes the jet mode look not only more like a real F22, but also look like it could actually take off!! (whereas TF1SS looks more like a tank with wings). The only complaint I'd make is that the plane tends to lean down forward.

Robot mode (front):
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_moviestarscreams3.jpg
One word: HANDS! The way that the gattling guns have been converted into forearm-mounted missile launchers on RotFSS is also a neat "G1" feature (whether intentional or coincidental). RotFSS's robot mode is also a helluva lot more movie-accurate than TF1SS for those of you who really care about that sort of thing. I don't, so I must say that overall I prefer TF1SS's robot mode. I prefer the head sculpt on TF1SS, the way that TF1SS's chest and cockpit split apart is cool (this doesn't happen at all on RotFSS) and I'm not a fan of how those two panels just stick out on top of RotFSS's shoulders like that. You can fold them down, but the official transformation has them sticking up. For some odd reason, RotFSS's light piping has been negated because the eyes are painted... same with what Hasbro did with toys like Animated Starscream and SlagSnarl. RotFSS's shoulders don't sit as securely as TF1SS's and for no apparent reason, he has more limited elbow articulation. The groin formation on RotFSS is better than TF1SS's though.

Robot mode (back):
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/comparisons/comparison_moviestarscreams3a.jpg
Here we see RotFSS's greatest flaw - he's a bit of a shellformer. And that backpack doesn't lock in anywhere securely... it just kinda sits there. :/

Overall I would agree with what others have said about RotFSS being a better toy than TF1SS. Both toys have good and bad points, but RotFSS balances out with far more merits. The jet mode looks more realistic and the robot mode looks more movie-accurate. The gimmicks are more peripheral and far less overwhelming than on TF1SS, thus allowing more for actual engineering of the toy -- TF1 Starscream's main body kinda 'expands' from jet to robot whereas RotF Starscream actually transforms from jet to robot!

I don't know if this toy is worth a standard Voyager price, but since it's currently on sale at Myer, coupled with a MyerOne discount if you have the card, it allows you to get it for about $6 above the standard price of a Deluxe... at that price I think it's well worth it. :)

[Ironhide63]

i will most definitely NOT be getting Sideways unless it comes in some sort of pack. Seriously the quality of this figure is just...UGH. Sure it might please some people but not me...jeez, useless excuse for a transformer

[Lord_Zed]

I prefer ROTF Starscream to his predecessor in both jet and robot mode, the new one is just so much more sleek and mean looking. I guess in the case of the movie toys acuracy is a big draw for me because I realy despise the TF1movie SS's head sculpt.

ROTF Starscream is probably one of my most favourte Voyagers in the whole movie series 1 and 2.


i will most definitely NOT be getting Sideways unless it comes in some sort of pack. Seriously the quality of this figure is just...UGH. Sure it might please some people but not me...jeez, useless excuse for a transformer

Yep he pleases me, he is also among my favourtes, though I did need to give him a black wash to bring out the sculpts detail. :D

[GoktimusPrime]

My main gripe with Sideways are his tiny tiny feet which make him a mongrel to stand. Otherwise I'm satisfied with the toy. Far less satisfied with his on-screen appearance!!

[SilverDragon]

Was it just me, or did others hear Lazerbeaks name mentioned?


Nah, I thought I heard it too. It made me anticipate a Movie Laserbeak appearing...in vain.

I got Depth Charge yesterday. He's really quite weird. For one, his head sculpt is more Decepticon than Autobot (making me think that he may be repainted into Tidal Wave later on). The other weird thing is his legs. They're completely inverse of how normal legs should look-think backwards satyr legs.

An interesting feature is that he can have two different feet arrangements. The first (official) one is with the hull halves flat on the ground. The second one, which I prefer, has the tower halves slightly folded out to form feet using a small peg hole which has seemingly no other purpose than for this, which looks better to me. This also makes him a very tall Scout.

I like his deco a lot, and also his ball-jointed missile launchers, which, as a friend pointed out, can be pointed backwards to become rocket engines.

[Lord_Zed]

My main gripe with Sideways are his tiny tiny feet which make him a mongrel to stand. Otherwise I'm satisfied with the toy. Far less satisfied with his on-screen appearance!!

But you can cheat and use his wheels to support his feet, I have a harder time trying to stand Sideswipe.

[Deceptic_Optic]

Was it just me, or did others hear Lazerbeaks name mentioned?

When Sam and Mikaela were hiding in that house when they were trying to get to Optimus, and then that little TF bug came through the hole in the wall and Sam tore its head off.

Listen out for it if your going to see it.

yes his name was mentioned, i saw it last night i was actually waiting for that scene. or was it laserbee? hehehe

[Paulbot]

Does anyone have the new Barricade yet? And if so what do you think? I am tempted to get it but the removal of Frenzy and replacement of the probe arms don't make it seem worth it. I presume it's otherwise exactly the same toy. Is Frenzy perhaps still in there but locked in place like the Screen Battles version?

My brief thoughts on Barricade's wave partners:
Ravage is cool in beast mode, but the re-entry mode is a complete joke.
Mudflap is too hunchbacked, but the transformation is complex and he looks good with Skids.
Cannon Bumblebee I like. Not complex but has some nice changes and those cannons hide away easily enough. I am pretty sure I wont get the Preview version now.

[SilverDragon]

According to Tformers, the new Barricade is exactly the same as the old one save for the probe arms and the absence of Frenzy in any form.

[Paulbot]

According to Tformers, the new Barricade is exactly the same as the old one save for the probe arms and the absence of Frenzy in any form.

Thanks, there's my answer: not worth getting it.

[sanbot]

The Fallen's transformation is terrible! There isn't much transformation!

In the "vehicle" mode, it looks very similar to megatron from TF1.

The robot mode is kinda cool though.

But overall very disappointed.

I hope Jetfire does not disappoint as thats probably the only other one I'll get and maybe human alliance bumblebee.

[Bartrim]

I would just like to admit that I have bought 4 ROTF toys so far (Sideswipe, Rampage, Skids and Mudflap) and I've had trouble transforming them all. Are Skids and Mudflap supposed to have big backpacks?

[Paulbot]

As far as I can tell Skids not so much, Mudlap yes. Skids took me a while to get right though and I needed to check the instructions to figure out how it was supposed to fold in and not just hang behind his legs.

[Kyle]

It wasn't hard to get Mudflap back into the shape of a car. But it took me AGES to figure out how to fold the leg bits that were stick out under the car so all 4 wheels could touch the ground...

[Lord_Zed]

I rather like Mudflap. He is a little tricky, but was a nice TF to play with after the dissapointing Soundwave and the FallenI bought.

[Zahhak]

According to Tformers, the new Barricade is exactly the same as the old one save for the probe arms and the absence of Frenzy in any form.

I really want those probes but I can't see myself paying full price for it...on the other hand I was thinking of using Barricade as a custom so I can make a stunticon set but I don't know if barracides vehcaial will be suitable.

Also I just wanted to express my love of Ransack and belive that he should be givivng the staring role in the next movie..any movie acctuly dosn't have to be transformers. Harry Potter and the Decepticon Bi-plane sounds like a winner to me.

[GoktimusPrime]

Thoughts...

Skids: Better than I expected. I prefer this toy a lot more than Mudflap, which I was disappointed with.

Wheelie: Simple but nice toy. :) I like the addition of struts on the feet which can be retracted for greater movie accuracy or deployed for balance support.

Chromia: Nice bike mode but rather odd robot mode - much like Demolishor she stands on one wheel and unlike Wheelie (or BM Thrust and Motorcycle Drone) the supporting wheel doesn't transform to help her stand. The toy does come with a clip-on stand though, which I'm grateful for... but I would've preferred some kind of wheel transformation. Not recommended unless you're a movie completist.

[Doubledealer]

$25-30 for each slurry bike bot is a bit of an ask but they're in the movie so must be bought. >_< If there was justice in this world they would have been released in a 3-pack at a voyager price point.

[SilverDragon]

Is it just me, or does the Fallen look like the Gobot Vamp? (http://www.toyarchive.com/Gobots/Regular/Vamp.html)

[Doubledealer]

Wheelie: Long cat is loooooooooong. Seriously, Wheelie's bot mode is HUGE which is odd because a) he's a tiny remote control car in the movie and b) not only is he big, he totally dwarfs all other rotf deluxes. Despite this annoyance (and it is bloody annoying, he looks ridiculous next to the other toys) he is a great deal of fun and being one of the saving graces from the movie is a bit of a no-brainer purchase.

Skids: Such an improvement over Mudflap. Skids has a fantastic transformation, probably the best out of all the rotf toys & everything locks into place just beautifully. Keep in mind he is quite top heavy so you may want to angle his leg guards (the doors) down at the back to better support him in robot mode. Another excellent toy whose bright green really adds to the overall look of the Autobot army.

Chromia: There's no real wow-factor to this toy. The head sculpt is a massive improvement over 2007 movie Arcee but other than that it's all a bit ho-hum. As Gok suggests, only buy this if you want to complete the movie cast.

[GoktimusPrime]

Do you really want a RotF Wheelie in scale with other RotF toys?!? Cos he'd be giving Smallest Ravage (http://www.tfu.info/2003/Destron/SmallestRavage/ravage.htm)* a run for his money if that were the case!

I'm happy to have him as a Deluxe. :)

-----------
*Smallest Ravage is only 1mm wide!

[jaydisc]

Legend please.

[Paulbot]

I was wondering when people would start commenting on Wheelie's height.

The Legend's coming next year. I'd prefer a life size "Ultimate" version. :)

I opened and played with Voyager Fallen and Megatron today. I like Megatron more overall, but the Fallen is a very impressive alien robot mode.

[liegeprime]

Is it just me, or does the Fallen look like the Gobot Vamp? (http://www.toyarchive.com/Gobots/Regular/Vamp.html)


Well I for one think the Fallen looks more of a Bionicle reject.:D