Animated Wave 1 toys - comments and poll.
Now that the first wave of Animated will be appearing in Australian retail stores over the next month, and some have already acquired a number of Animated toys (and already been reviewing some of them), this is for general comments on the first wave. And a poll ONLY IF YOU HAVE THE TOYS OR REFUSE TO BUY THEM.
First Wave:
Deluxe Bumblebee
Deluxe Lockdown
Deluxe Optimus Prime
Deluxe Prowl
Voyager Bulkhead
Voyager Megatron
Voyager Starscream
2-pack Megatron Vs Optimus Prime (battle damaged) with DVD.
(the delayed release of Animated toys means that some of the second wave are being released as well, like Ratchet, Blackarachnia, Leader Megatron, Leader Bulkhead, Activators Bumblebee, Activators Bulkhead, Activators Starscream - each of these can be mentioned here as well if you get them)
This is not for reviewing later wave figures that people are buying loose from non-retail sources, as they are not official (or maybe even legal) purchases. Figures must be bought complete in packaging to make sure you get the final (real) version.
Deluxe Bumblebee
Would probably end up being a more iconic character to Animated than Optimus, due to screen time and plot focus, so the toy has to be better than average. Unfortunately, I found that as good as it looks in both modes, the transformation difficulty level would be above the younger age group this show is aiming for. It is a very fiddely toy, and requires a significant amount of force to separate and merge the legs together. The car mode is almost flawless, with all the robot bits tucked inside a shell made from many parts and panels. The robot mode has very little kibble as well, which adds to the complexity and fiddely nature of the transformation to get ever panel and limb in place. The rockets are a nice accessory, reflecting events in two episodes (so far). Plus he also has the hand 'guns' like in the cartoon, making him the only Autobot in the first wave to have a 'laser type' weapon. Very recommended.
Deluxe Lockdown
Wasn't sure if this character would return before the end of season 2, but apparently does have more than one appearance. Which is good, as we don't have many semi or non-alligned characters in the Transformers universe. The toy was said to be originally intended as a Voyager size, but I guess the scale of the car mode made it more suitable as a Deluxe. As such, they engineered the transformation to get as much height from the robot mode as possible, with the folding at the waist and leg extensions. It ends up being the tallest figure in the first wave, taller than the three Voyagers. One major problem I have with this figure is that the legs slide up against the painted chest in car mode, and starts scratching away the green paint. Also, the paint apps seem to be a little messy on this toy. Both modes are great though, and the transformation is fairly easy - getting the arms in the right spot in car mode can be a bit tricky. Very recommended.
Deluxe Optimus Prime (Cybertron mode)
Very similar in general shape and appearance as the 2-pack Earth mode Prime, and have the same 'retarded looking' truck mode. Not very impressed by this figure, as it really needs a trailer to hide the legs and gaps and arms and, well, everthing at the back. The front isn't too good either with a huge segemented hinge thing in the middle below the windscreen. Fairly simplistic transformation though, but make sure you get to transform it to robot mode (and not someone else) so that you get an idea where everything fits. Or you could just follow the instructions. I'd be tempted to say, wait for the Voyager sized Optimus and see which of the four main ones (Deluxe, 2-pack, Voyager, Super) is best. I haven't had a good look at the Voyager one, but of the other three, the 2-pack version is the best to me. This one is not recommended unless you want the Cybertronian mode and face version (different face to the 2-pack Prime).
Deluxe Prowl
Motorcycle Transformers are very difficult to engineer, and this one is done so well that it would be virtually impossible for a young kid to properly transform it back to bike mode. The robot legs and waist are just so fiddely and obscured by the bike's side panels, you need coordination of an adult but tiny fingers of a child to best get the parts into where they need to go. The bike mode is amazing, with almost no sign of robot or non-motorbike parts showing to even give it away as a Transformers toy. The 'star' weapons are good, and 'hide' well on the bike mode, but the traffic light weapon is strange. Can't recall it in the cartoon, and it seems a little destructive for an Autobot, or crude for Prowl for that matter, to destroy a human object and use it as a weapon. If the upcoming sidecar attachment is also sold as a deluxe, I guess the traffic light weapon was just thrown in to bulk up the pack a little (it's the smallest looking carded figure on the shelf). Recommended, but be prepared for frustration when trying to get it back to bike mode. Perhaps wait a little to see if there is an announcement on if the side-car version is a recolour. If it isn't and it is also sold as a deluxe, wait for it instead (if not a completist).
Voyager Bulkhead
The pleasant surprise of the first wave. It was actually shelf-warming in America when the Animated toys were being released in Cincinnati, either due to it being in greater quantities in the assortment cases, or the character and vehicle mode being the least exciting of the first wave (people prioritising their spending). When people get the toy though, there doesn't appear to be much negativity over it. It's robot mode is almost entirely concealed in the vehicle mode, while there is very little kibble in the robot mode itself. It even uses two of the vehicle panels like wings behind the head, which are so unobtrusive, it just suits the figure being there. Transformation is very simple as well. The robot mode is a bit out of proportion, but then so is the cartoon version, so it matches. The ball and chain weapon is a bit of fun. The size of the figure to other toys has been an issue to others, but not to me, as I've never really been too fussed about size scales. The Leader size may help compensate that though. Very recommended.
Voyager Megatron
Both Megatrons in this first wave are the Cybertronian form, which is so bizarre, I'm still not sure which is the front - the pointy end of the body section, or the rounded end of the cannon section (which could be seen as cock-pit windows). The packaging for both has the jet mode flying with the pointy end at the back, which means the cannon isn't used as a weapon in the jet mode. The cartoon doesn't help either, as his Cybertronian mode is used for about 3 seconds, and most of that is distant while he is flying to the Autobot ship. The flat end of the cannon looks like it is facing to the front, but is too far forward, while the parts of the jet mode are all different to the toy. This toy looks to be something Hasbro designed without any requirement to accurately resemble its appearance on the cartoon. As such, it is difficult to know which is the front. Ah well, I'm calling the pointy end the front, which looks more 'jet-like'. It's all rather moot though, because in either direction, the jet mode looks terrible. It's a scrunching up of robot parts into a ball, and calling it something. The packaging should say 'kid's imagination required', like when it says batteries are required on other figures. Transformation has an 'auto-morph' element (many of the Animated toys do), which is something carried on from the Movie era. It's a nice gimmick, but shouldn't be used too often or spoil the engineering of a toy to include it. Robot mode is good, but the arm cannon is wrong - packaging pictures suggest that it can fold up onto the arm, but the actual toy and instructions have it sticking out like unwanted kibble. Maybe a late engineering change to fix up a design flaw, but it has spoilt the look of the robot mode. Robot head reflects the transition in the cartoon of Movie Megatron head (start of series as Cybertronian mode) to Gen1 Megatron head (in Sumdacs lab and in Earth mode). This one and the 2-pack have the pointed, almost diamond shaped head like Movie Megatron, while the Earth mode Megatron has the bucket shaped head like Gen1 Megatron. It's like the Animated cartoon reverse-evolved the Megatron head from Movie universe to Gen1 universe. If wanting just one Cybertron mode Megatron, maybe get the cheaper 2-pack, since they are both very similar in look and transformation. Otherwise get this one as the bigger of the two, if wanting better size scale. Barely recommended though, as there is the much nicer Earth Mode Leader sized Megatron toy in the second wave.
Voyager Starscream
I love the jet mode of this thing, at least from the top. It is very Cybertronian in its look, and has a bit of an Armada Starscream look to it as well. As much as I like realist Earth moded Transformers, I like the look of alt modes that remind me of the classic Cybertronian vehicle modes, and this looks like something you'd see in the background of a Gen1 comic like the Headmasters series or UK comic. Even side-on, the robot bits don't stand out or stick out, and the legs join up seemlessly to the body of the jet mode to make it a really nicely designed jet mode. I think the two main auto-morph gimmicks have actually hurt this toy though. The arm panels connected the missile launchers have prevented the launchers from being removable and relocated to somewhere like the wings (which would be the case in past jet-formers), so now look like jet exhaust, from a part that isn't even its engines. Meanwhile the jet's nose looks a little odd as a retractable extension, just so that it can retract for the robot mode. Admitedly, the robot mode would look worse if the nose stayed long, but past jet-formers would have had it fold back or something. Transformation to robot mode is very easy, but getting the limbs lined up properly for the jet mode gets a little frustrating, and looks to affect the cog alignment in the auto-morph front section. The robot face and hands of this figure are sculpted to make some very nice looking poses. Very recommended though, as one of my favourite in the first wave.
2-pack Megatron Vs Optimus Prime (battle damaged) with DVD.
Right up until I actually got this set, I was under the belief that these were just two recoloured toys that were being released separately, without the battle damage. Well, I was totally wrong. These two figures are not just two new moulds, but aren't even just shrunken down versions of their Voyager sized versions. The battle damage is just paint apps, but at this time, there has been no indication yet that these two figures are to be release outside of their 2-pack format. They are both deluxe sized (Optimus is exactly the same size as the Deluxe Cybertron mode Prime), and come with a bonus DVD. Okay, so the DVD only has one episode to make sure people still buy the retail release 3-episode intro to the series, but it is still a nice sampling of the main cast of Autobots and Decepticons.
Both figures come with a 'power punch' gimmick, which like the 80s He Man toys, you swing around the top half of the robot mode at the waist, and it springs back around, punching at the opposing toy. Unfortanetly, as with most Transformers gimmicks, it has ruined my Optimus toy, preventing it from being lined up properly at the waist.
Optimus Prime - This being the earth mode version, the front of the truck mode has a different looking windscreen and emergency lights, but otherwise the overall appearance is very similar to the Cybertronian Mode version. So much so, it suffers as well at the back with the legs and gaps and arms and stuff, and really really needs a trailer/fire truck rear section to cover it all up. But at least the front cab section from the front and sides, doesn't look as bad. For some reason I like the axe on this one. It seems that all four regular line Prime toys have an axe, but this one I like the most. And take note of the different face on this one, as it has the battle mask, looking more like a real Prime, rather than the 'young-bot' face of the Deluxe Cybertronian mode toy. Transfomation is almost identical to the Deluxe figure.
Megatron - Same issues with the jet mode as the Voyager sized figure above, so I won't repeat myself here. Transformation is similar but a little less fiddely. The big problem I have with this toy is the knee joints. They are designed to pop out if too much force is applied, but with a slight variance on the parts sizes (either through production or playing), the lower leg just falls out of the 'socket'. The 'joint' requires pressure against it to transform the leg section, but it's design to make the knee very mobile and articulated means the 'socket' isn't able to take the force of the transformation in mine, and probably others. Just holding the toy in robot mode, and the leg falls off, which is a pity, because I would probably recommend this version of Cybertron version Megatron - for the cheaper option of a vehicle that appears for only 3 seconds on the cartoon, and a better usage of the arm cannon in robot mode (it actually plugs into the arm on this one).
Overall, slightly recommended to recommended, but it depends on if you want Voyager or 2-pack (Deluxe) sized versions of these two Mode versions. Personally, I'd prefer the Voyager sized (Earth) Optimus and the 2-pack sized (Cybertron) Megatron for their comparative alt-modes.
