griffin
2nd January 2010, 04:28 PM
http://www.otca.com.au/tr10002a.jpg
Review 10-002 - Soundwave.
Series - Animated
Sub-line - Activators
Size - Activators
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 6/Final Wave.
Released here - November 2009
Approximate Retail Price - $15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - SUV
Main Features/Gimmicks - Springloaded conversion to robot mode.
Main Colours - Dark Blue, black.
Main Accessories - none
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 1.5
Stability - Fairly stable in robot mode, but has issues holding itself together in vehicle mode.
Poseability/articulation - Enough to make it playable, but probably too much, preventing it from locking up securely in vehicle mode.
Playability - Fairly good play value, but the vehicle mode is spoilt by it not holding together fully.
My Thoughts - The regular Soundwave toy was a good size and easy enough to transform, making this version more of a novelty than a prefered format for this character. Despite the big bit of kibble behind the head, it is a good representation of the cartoon character.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 7.5 (buy it)
Review 10-002 - Fireblast Grimlock.
Series - Animated
Sub-line - Activators
Size - Activators
New/remould/redeco - redeco
Wave - 6/Final Wave.
Released here - November 2009
Approximate Retail Price - $15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Dinosaur (resembling a T-rex)
Main Features/Gimmicks - Springloaded conversion to robot mode.
Main Colours - Red, maroon, black, yellow.
Main Accessories - none
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 1.5 (can be a bit tricky to get the right bits in place to lock into alt-mode)
Stability - A bit unbalanced in robot mode with its big back-pack of kibble. Alt-mode is surprisingly balanced when the feet are flat, no matter what angle the body is at (upright or horizontal).
Poseability/articulation - Minimum articulation, but not much you can do with it in robot mode as the heavy backpack requires a set pose in robot mode. In Dino-mode the jaw moves and the little arms can move (but are very tight), but try adjusting either without setting off the spring-loaded transformation.
Playability - Often falls over in robot mode, and sensitive spring-loaded activator in alt-mode, leaves little that can be done play-wise with this toy.
My Thoughts - A pointless redeco, as I can't seem to recall Grimlock being in a 'lava bath' deco in the cartoon. The spring-loaded feature is very sensitive, limiting play in dinosaur mode. And the long arms bug me.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 3 (best to avoid it, or get the original grey version)
Review 10-002 - Battlefield Bumblebee.
Series - Animated
Sub-line - Activators
Size - Activators
New/remould/redeco - redeco
Wave - 6/Final Wave.
Released here - November 2009
Approximate Retail Price - $15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Sporty hatchback with police roof light.
Main Features/Gimmicks - Springloaded conversion to robot mode.
Main Colours - Yellow, black, silver.
Main Accessories - none
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 1
Stability - Very good in both modes. The big feet make balancing really easy.
Poseability/articulation - Lots of moving joints, and big feet for all sorts of poses.
Playability - Very playable, with quick convertability back to alt-mode.
My Thoughts - What would seem like a pointless minor-redeco, I see the need for it, and unlike other redecos, this one still lets kids and parents recognise the character from the cartoon. As stores like Walmart demand new toys every few months, toy companies are required to put out a new mould or a redeco... but what if you have a cartoon show that has a core cast... Either make multiple toys of the one character, or do a redeco. The more minor the better, for all those kids who got into the show late and missed the initial toy release. This is Bumblebee - it is still yellow, and has black windows for its signature colour scheme on the show. I remember almost missing this on the shelf because it didn't stand out enough from the original for me to recognise it, but it took a second look as the silver caught the corner of my eye. It is one of the better Activator toys, in terms of engineering and transformation, and is a great size for those wanting better scale with the regular toys of the rest of the cast.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 8.5 (buy it, or the original version)
Review 10-002 - Armor Up Optimus Prime.
Series - Animated
Sub-line - Activators
Size - Activators
New/remould/redeco - redeco
Wave - 6/Final Wave.
Released here - November 2009
Approximate Retail Price - $15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - Springloaded conversion to robot mode.
Main Colours - Red, blue.
Main Accessories - none
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 1.5 (converting to truck mode is a bit fiddely)
Stability - Another with big feet, and no real kibble to overbalance it in any way, so very stable. Truck-mode is a bit of a mess though.
Poseability/articulation - Very good, for such a small toy. I think back to Gen1 times and the amount of articulation the mini-vehicles came with back then...
Playability - Quick conversion makes better play value (for me), so a spring-loaded gimmick has its advantages. Unfortunately with Optimus being the most complicated to convert back to alt-mode, it spoils the play value a bit compared to the other Activators.
My Thoughts - The silver head bugs me, as it seems out of place. Looks to be a homage to JP Gen1 Star Convoy, with the yellow chest detail. Just like Bumblebee, this is a minor redeco that would have been useful if the cartoon was still going, as kids and parents wouldn't have even noticed, but would have been able to buy a toy that actually resembles a cast character (unlike other redecos like the Activator Grimlock, Shadowblade Megatron, Yellow Ratchet, Roadbuster Magnus, etc...). Optimus was probably the most complicated Activator to convert to alt-mode, which can be a bit annoying if you have overly large, adult hands.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 5 (get it if cheap)
(too lazy to convert them all, pose them and convert them back, so just photographed the packaging alt-mode pics instead)
http://www.otca.com.au/tr10002b.jpg
Review 10-002 - Soundwave.
Series - Animated
Sub-line - Activators
Size - Activators
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 6/Final Wave.
Released here - November 2009
Approximate Retail Price - $15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - SUV
Main Features/Gimmicks - Springloaded conversion to robot mode.
Main Colours - Dark Blue, black.
Main Accessories - none
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 1.5
Stability - Fairly stable in robot mode, but has issues holding itself together in vehicle mode.
Poseability/articulation - Enough to make it playable, but probably too much, preventing it from locking up securely in vehicle mode.
Playability - Fairly good play value, but the vehicle mode is spoilt by it not holding together fully.
My Thoughts - The regular Soundwave toy was a good size and easy enough to transform, making this version more of a novelty than a prefered format for this character. Despite the big bit of kibble behind the head, it is a good representation of the cartoon character.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 7.5 (buy it)
Review 10-002 - Fireblast Grimlock.
Series - Animated
Sub-line - Activators
Size - Activators
New/remould/redeco - redeco
Wave - 6/Final Wave.
Released here - November 2009
Approximate Retail Price - $15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Dinosaur (resembling a T-rex)
Main Features/Gimmicks - Springloaded conversion to robot mode.
Main Colours - Red, maroon, black, yellow.
Main Accessories - none
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 1.5 (can be a bit tricky to get the right bits in place to lock into alt-mode)
Stability - A bit unbalanced in robot mode with its big back-pack of kibble. Alt-mode is surprisingly balanced when the feet are flat, no matter what angle the body is at (upright or horizontal).
Poseability/articulation - Minimum articulation, but not much you can do with it in robot mode as the heavy backpack requires a set pose in robot mode. In Dino-mode the jaw moves and the little arms can move (but are very tight), but try adjusting either without setting off the spring-loaded transformation.
Playability - Often falls over in robot mode, and sensitive spring-loaded activator in alt-mode, leaves little that can be done play-wise with this toy.
My Thoughts - A pointless redeco, as I can't seem to recall Grimlock being in a 'lava bath' deco in the cartoon. The spring-loaded feature is very sensitive, limiting play in dinosaur mode. And the long arms bug me.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 3 (best to avoid it, or get the original grey version)
Review 10-002 - Battlefield Bumblebee.
Series - Animated
Sub-line - Activators
Size - Activators
New/remould/redeco - redeco
Wave - 6/Final Wave.
Released here - November 2009
Approximate Retail Price - $15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Sporty hatchback with police roof light.
Main Features/Gimmicks - Springloaded conversion to robot mode.
Main Colours - Yellow, black, silver.
Main Accessories - none
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 1
Stability - Very good in both modes. The big feet make balancing really easy.
Poseability/articulation - Lots of moving joints, and big feet for all sorts of poses.
Playability - Very playable, with quick convertability back to alt-mode.
My Thoughts - What would seem like a pointless minor-redeco, I see the need for it, and unlike other redecos, this one still lets kids and parents recognise the character from the cartoon. As stores like Walmart demand new toys every few months, toy companies are required to put out a new mould or a redeco... but what if you have a cartoon show that has a core cast... Either make multiple toys of the one character, or do a redeco. The more minor the better, for all those kids who got into the show late and missed the initial toy release. This is Bumblebee - it is still yellow, and has black windows for its signature colour scheme on the show. I remember almost missing this on the shelf because it didn't stand out enough from the original for me to recognise it, but it took a second look as the silver caught the corner of my eye. It is one of the better Activator toys, in terms of engineering and transformation, and is a great size for those wanting better scale with the regular toys of the rest of the cast.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 8.5 (buy it, or the original version)
Review 10-002 - Armor Up Optimus Prime.
Series - Animated
Sub-line - Activators
Size - Activators
New/remould/redeco - redeco
Wave - 6/Final Wave.
Released here - November 2009
Approximate Retail Price - $15
Approximate Size - 10cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - Springloaded conversion to robot mode.
Main Colours - Red, blue.
Main Accessories - none
My Difficulty rating (out of 5) - 1.5 (converting to truck mode is a bit fiddely)
Stability - Another with big feet, and no real kibble to overbalance it in any way, so very stable. Truck-mode is a bit of a mess though.
Poseability/articulation - Very good, for such a small toy. I think back to Gen1 times and the amount of articulation the mini-vehicles came with back then...
Playability - Quick conversion makes better play value (for me), so a spring-loaded gimmick has its advantages. Unfortunately with Optimus being the most complicated to convert back to alt-mode, it spoils the play value a bit compared to the other Activators.
My Thoughts - The silver head bugs me, as it seems out of place. Looks to be a homage to JP Gen1 Star Convoy, with the yellow chest detail. Just like Bumblebee, this is a minor redeco that would have been useful if the cartoon was still going, as kids and parents wouldn't have even noticed, but would have been able to buy a toy that actually resembles a cast character (unlike other redecos like the Activator Grimlock, Shadowblade Megatron, Yellow Ratchet, Roadbuster Magnus, etc...). Optimus was probably the most complicated Activator to convert to alt-mode, which can be a bit annoying if you have overly large, adult hands.
Overall Recommendation Rating (out of 10) - 5 (get it if cheap)
(too lazy to convert them all, pose them and convert them back, so just photographed the packaging alt-mode pics instead)
http://www.otca.com.au/tr10002b.jpg