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.
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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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverDragon
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.
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.
$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.
Is it just me, or does the Fallen look like the Gobot Vamp?
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.
Do you really want a RotF Wheelie in scale with other RotF toys?!? Cos he'd be giving Smallest Ravage* 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!
Legend please.
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SilverDragon
Well I for one think the Fallen looks more of a Bionicle reject.:D
I got Movie Soundwave yesterday. What a terrible toy!
The G1 toy despite its age is inmensely better and has greater play value and arguably possability as every pose doesn't make him look like a gorilla in robes.
In my oppinion movie Soundwave is certainly the second worse Soundwave toy ever with Nappywave (titanium) being the worse but not by a far.
Music label Soundwave is god next to the piece of crap Movie Soundwave - How dissapointing - I expected a mediocre toy but not this bad.
Wut he said. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
Just noticed something neat about The Fallen I hadn't previously seen. You can connect the pieces on his back to the pieces on his forearm in robot mode for increased accuracy. ;)
http://itfdb.com/temporary/tf/DSC05328.jpg
I like positioning his head this way to make him look slightly more screen accurate:
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...SDleE0U24Q.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...WCrt1qHwoN.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...pS5IKtG1qs.jpg
http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/a...FoSw0sz6UT.jpg
I was wondering what that peg was for. Especially since it just sits there in alt mode. Great find.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
Managed to score a Long Haul today, a lone one hiding behind a Mixmaster just for me.
The figure in robot mode looked so much better in person. Just to see it's curves and quality paint apps and use of much brighter colours than the dull tones of other figures made me appreciate this figure more.
In bot mode the dump bed sitting atop his back doesn't really peg onto anything and tends to be easily moved out of place. His head is wedged inside his shoulders and requires a bit of effort to turn his head. At least it rotates! The flip out swords are nice, but surprised to see it using just plain clear plastic instead of orange or some other hue. The arm kibble where the sword rests can get in the way of posing but easy to work around. The working pistons (4 on each elbow) looks and works a treat and being black gives it a nice highlight. Well articulated on all the right places with ratchet joints for the waist. No waist rotation though.
The conversion to vehicle mode isn't too complicated but folding the legs and feet into place requires some exact positioning in order for the cab to sit atop it and peg perfectly, but once done sits comfortably secure and still.
The alt mode is certainly LARGE. Surprised to see it's volume greater than Demolishor and clearly cannot fit in the Voyager box hence packaged in bot mode. The cab front has some nice details and while the paint apps is scarce, they do stand out and is applied well. The use of clear plastic for the headlights and windscreen is nicely done. The dumping bed actually tips backwards thanks to some clever engineering. The downside to the alt mode is the robot kibble visible along the sides. The torso can be clearly seen and also the handsvisible at the back end of the truck. Despite that it isn't a deal breaker and can be seen as mechanical parts for the dump bed. The wheels are plastic but rolls well. Works well in alt mode for the most part.
Overall a great figure. A solid tall humanoid robot mode, with a menacing look and a large convincing alt mode let down by a little bit of robot kibble visible. Still a worthy purchase, especially for Constructicon fans.
Piccies pls Stompy.:)
Was a bit disappointed that The Fallen didn't come with a spear like he has in the Movie. Maybe it's like TF1 Optimus having Swords at the last minute and was too late for Hasbro to include in their toy.
Fallen doesn't even have any weapons/missiles... what the heck is supposed to give him a rating of infinity/unknown for firepower? It doesn't even say in the bio where this firepower comes from.
Without a spear, he now "holds" my pen for me on my desk. :p
Heh. Long Haul has a fireblast of 9, despite lacking any ranged weapons. Whoever is composing the stats for the ROTF toys isn't too attentive :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by griffin
What's notable about Long Haul is that his stats are all either high - 9s and an 8 for Endurance, Strength, Courage, Fireblast - or really low - 2s for most other things. Sounds like he'd be a really loose cannon (if he had a cannon!).
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
I took Jetfire and Long Haul out of there boxes. They were both better than I excpected.
Jetfire is not to bad for a leader, still not quite worth his discounted price, but close. I like his jetmode despite its huge flaws. Although he has more robot kibble on his underbelly than Universe Silverbolt, the fact that he looks like an awesome real jet from above makes him much more tolerable for me, plus he only cost $10 more. I'm also glad they used a nice matt black rather than the usual shiny black plastic. His robot mode ain't bad either though his knees seem to give way in some poses, I guess that's why he needs his walking stick. The combined mode is better than I excpected to, it makes Prime look even bigger and actualy seems rather solid.
The main problem with Jetfire IMO is that they could have done even better if they removed the sound box.
Long Haul is good to, as most have said. I don't favour him as much as previous poster, the roof above his head in bot mode bugs me a bit, other than that he is pretty good.
He's displaces Mixmaster who previously held two places as 3rd favourte Voyager, and favourte Constructicon.
Firstly, we're not really talking about medieval times, and even if we ere, that's not really comparable as their adversaries were similarly equipped. Long Haul is shown to be a slow, lumbering character. There's no way he's going to get close enough to an Autobot to use those swords without being shot.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Again, you're a bit off the mark as I'm not talking exclusively about melee weapons. I'm talking about what I perceive as an unrealistic decision to give a toy, based on a slow-moving lumbering character, a weapon that give him little value in the type of warfare he is shown to be participating in. Perhaps your discussion of the pros and cons of various weaponry would be better served here.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
This is a fairly useless barometer.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Firstly, no two people will have a similar assessment of a toy's financial worth, as no two people are in the same financial situation, which is always going to be strongly tied to that assessment. Would a toy's worth be similar to a collector earning 80K per year, vs. another making 30K a year, or to a student who can only work 5 hours a week? Of course not.
Secondly, we all know that there's no way in the world that we should get the toys we get at the prices we're paying for them. You can be sure someone's doing back breaking labour and ridiculous hours in order to get you your plastic at what you might deem to be a worthy price.
So, back on topic, rather then lecturing me about my opinion on his weapons, or assuming we're all in the same financial situation as you, why don't you tell us what you like and dislike about the toy.
Getting a bit more of topic here, but I think his weapons whatever there value, look more like axes than any sort of sword, unlike Prime's there's no edge for thrusting. All he can do is cleave with then.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
It's not really a barometer of anything except Gok's appreciation of the toy. It's simply one person expressing his opinion of value for money. He feels it's worth the money... he's not making any other representation there than this expression of opinion.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
Okay, I also feel that it's worth $50 (and that most Voyagers aren't), but that's based on my experience with the toy.
Regarding the swords... you're both looking at it from a different point of view. Gok's looking at the usefulness of the swords in a general sense - expanded universe, if you like. jaydisc's looking at it based on what we see on Long Haul in the film. Neither point of view is wrong (although Gok's has a very open mind about what we _didn't_ see of Long Haul).
Quote:
Originally Posted by dirge
+1
RE: Long Hauls swords
In the game Long Haul is the decepticon heavy hitter, suited to close quarters combat. He can take lots of damage,heal and has bad-ass flamethrowers that can only be used at short range. So the swords don't seem like a radical departure, hell he might even have them for melee in the game (don't remember if he does or not)
I like the swords because they make him a Triggercon :cool:
I also notice that his and Mixmaster's boxes do not use the word Constructicon. Anyone else notice that?
I had trouble getting the legs into the right position for truck mode at first but once I figured that out I like it.
Melee weapons are "ancient" weapons. They were phased out of modern warfare with the advent of the sub-machine gun.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
Which would be a MASSIVE problem for a human - hence why nobody ever uses melee weapons in war anymore! Your typical Taliban fighter will more likely use explosives or a rocket-propelled grenade against their enemies than say, a scimitar. :p But of course, Long Haul isn't human.Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
With the exception of small Transformers like Frenzy, Alice and Wheelie, most Transformers are shown to be _extremely_ durable thanks to armour and energy shielding. Even a simple drone like Scorponok was able to withstand _incredible_ amounts of artillery, even able to survive those Sabot rounds to dig a quick retreat. Other Transformers like Blackout, Brawl/Devastator, Optimus Prime and Megatron were all able to withstand incredible amounts of enemy fire. With such incredible endurance, it's definitely possible for these Transformers to take a lot of enemy fire and get close enough to use melee weaponry or even _closer_ combat with bare handed fighting.
I don't remember seeing Long Haul engaged in melee range combat. A person who's a slow mover isn't necessarily a slow melee fighter (and vice versa). As dirge alluded to, I am _assuming_ that Long Haul has the skill to wield those hook swords. Having said that, his tech specs don't really support my assumption very well - with a paltry skill of just 2 he's liable to lop his own head off with his own blades!Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydisc
But I've never been a fan of HasTak giving Transformers melee weapons without also giving them guns. :/ It's a gripe I had with some Beast Wars toys - a problem that the cartoon writers obviously realised as they gave a lot of characters melee weapons where the toy had no range weapon (e.g.: Dinobot's eye lasers, Rhinox's chain guns of doom etc.). When I play with Long Haul I pretend that the wheels above his shoulders are missile launchers.
They're not axes; in terms of usage hook swords are like a hybrid between a sickle or scimitar and a sword; a very _unusual_ combination which is really hard to use! I think any Transformer equipped with a hook sword (especially _twin_ hook swords) should have a minimum skill rating of 8.Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Zed
You're missing Jaydisc's point. This thread is for discussing the toys not human weapons and fighting styles. As he pointing out you have another thread for that.