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I suspect the same. Oh well, I'll just have to scab another spear from some other toy and give it to The Fallen.Quote:
Originally Posted by griffin
You know... ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by griffin
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...s/Quagmire.gif
...that's right: his spear can expel energy like Dino Force's melee weapons in Victory. :p
I opened up my Long Haul last night and I've been drinking the Long Haul flavored Kool Aid since!
Great alt mode:
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul1.jpg
As Stompy said, there's some kibble visible here with the torso and hands, but the only bit I consider as kibble is the hands. The rest just seems like part of the massive machinery that would sit underneath such a massive dump truck.
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul2.jpg
The mech alive gimmick are pistons in the robot mode's upper arms which is very well executed, and made even better by the fact it's also used in the alt mode for the raising of the bed.
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul3.jpg
Stompy, regarding the bed not clipping into the back, it does for me. There are two pieces that clip. I suspect you got the first right shown here:
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul5.jpg
But the next bit, which is the bed, you have to slide the connector down between the back of the robot's head and its back, and when you do, the peg and hole of the bed line up:
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul6.jpg
The last folding bit of the bed does not clip to anything, but that folds out of the way nicely.
Regarding pegs, tabs and holes, there is a defining place for every bit of this conversion, and I love that! Everything clicks into place with certainty, and everything has a place to be put. It makes for a very solid alt mode.
As Stompy said, articulation is in all the right places. The leg rotator cuff is well above the knee (unlike Classics seekers or Jetfire) giving much more natural poses. The feet and heels rotate together allowing great balance in any position, and the knees are double jointed. The only bit of articulation I'd like is wrist rotator cuffs, as without them, many of the positions of the hands are unnatural.
I was initially disappointed by the initial pics I'd seen as the position of the double tires seem a bit suspended in the air over the shoulders, and I find this is unfortunately the case. Otherwise, the accuracy is really quite good.
Excuse the bad screenshots:
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul10.png
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul11.png
The planks on the side of his arms are accurate, the part of the bed coming over his head is quite accurate, it's pretty impressive how well HasTak nailed this one. However, I don't think the overall hulking presence was achieved. His legs are too long and he seems to be missing the necessary bulk.
His default transformation is as such:
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul7.jpg
I find that by twising the wheels back and flipping out the sides of the dump truck bed on the arms, it adds a bit more bulk. So while reducing accuracy, I feel it improves the general feel of the character:
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul8.jpg
On this note, the inclusion of swords seems ridiculous. How could such a big lumbering thing be of any use armed with swords. This guy should have something more boorish, like a hammer or BFG.
Lastly the head:
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/longhaul9.jpg
When looking at it on the toy, it looks quite Predator-like. After seeing the movie a couple times in the cinema and a few more times on ghetto-vision, that just wasn't how I was seeing it. I prefer to think of the chin as the mouthpiece to avoid seeing the Predator likeness.
All in all, I'm a big fan. It's my favorite ROTF Voyager yet, and 2nd only to Leader Prime.
Long Haul is pure awesome!
Thanks for the hint on lining up his back, jay.
This toy is win! It's challenging enough to be fun but not frustrating - and the end result is rewarding. For the first time in ages I actually feel that this toy was actually _worth_ its hefty Voyager price tag!
It's absolutely possible. Do you know how heavy a knight was when fully equipped with mail and plate armour?! Yet they still had to wield around various melee weapons such as swords, spears, shields etc. with sufficient speed and dexterity!Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
Warhammers are good for impact damage whereas blades are superior in terms of penetration. Guns aren't melee weapons so there's no comparison there - although having a huge gun _would_ explain his Fireblast of 9!! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
What do the swords look like?Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
Don't say I didn't warn you.Quote:
Originally Posted by kup
He's easily my second least favourte ROTF toy, Ravage is number one FAILURE though. The gorilla shaped bot just does not look soundwave even if the Satellite mode is sorta accurate. Rampage despite his flaws and wierd bot mode easily kicks Soundwaves metal backside.
I don't think he is the second worst Soundwave toy, Cybertron Soundwave is at least as crap if not crapper.
They're basically hook swords. They're a rare weapon in martial arts and there's a good reason for it -- they're bloody hard to use!! We have them in Seven Star Mantis, but there are very, very few people who bother to train with them! Most practitioners who choose to do weapons training opt for the regular Chinese long sword or 2 metre pole. Great for mounted cavalry though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kyle
I havent seen his weapon either but hook swords are dangerous, just watching someone use them is terrifying, the linking and stuff... :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
He just doesn't look the type that would use them I think he would lack the agility.
Great pictures and review jay. Thanks for pointing out the tabs and pegs for the dump bed in bot mode. I was too hasty with my play with the figure. He certainly is awesome and I agree about the head. I'm not keen on the dweeby looking insect like predator mouth. It just doesn't suit the boorish look of the figure. A large mouth piece would have given him a much more menacing look.
I didn't like the wheels facing back on his shoulders. I like the movie way with them pointing up,but as you mentioned there's a gap from his shoulders to the tires and gives it a suspended look.
The weapons are an odd choice, a set of claws is what I would have liked personally. But this Voyager is a winner.
Yeah, I didn't know about the dump bed thing until jay pointed it out - so kudos. :) I also really like how this toy has pistons on the elbows like Masterpiece Convoy!
Looks can be deceiving. Like I said, an armoured soldier (knight, samurai etc.) are _very_ heavily weighted, yet they can move with very impressive speed and dexterity. ;) And as I also mentioned before, hook swords were effectively used by mounted cavalry, as they were an excellent way of decapitating unmounted opponents as you ride past them.Quote:
Originally Posted by TF76
Some twin hook-sword videos:
Six Harmony Boxing
Bagua
Taichi - sticking application
And for anyone who cares less for actual technique and just wants something showy and fancy (but probably useless in a real fight) to watch:
Hook swords vs. spear
Hook sword demo