Toy Review - RtS Solar Storm Grappel

(Please post comments, photos or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details to start you off)

Toy Review - Solar Storm Grappel

Series - Reveal the Shield
Sub-line - n/a
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - Remould
Wave - 1
Released here - not at this time (released globally Nov 2010)
Approximate Retail Price - $45-50
Approximate Size - 20cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Crane truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - Extending crane
Main Colours - Orange, grey, black
Main Accessories - none

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/rts13.jpg

No idea why they spelled it 'Grappel', as a prefix (in this case, Solar Storm) should allow them to use names they otherwise wouldn't be able to on their own.

hmmm guess they couldn't use the plain Grapple name legally ei? Still Id get this figure...

Huh?! Why did they have to call it "Solar Storm Grappel"??? I thought the mispelling of Grapple was already done to get around the legality, so why tack "Solar Storm" on the front of it? If they're going to tack a word (or two) in front of the name, then why couldn't they have spelt the name correctly? Also, when Hasbro reissued Grapple, they got away with calling him "Autobot Grapple". Gah... sometimes I just don't get Hasbro Legal. ???

I wasn't a fan of this mold, but grabbed him anyway...he's just like Universe Inferno except he has a crane attached to his right forearm.... 'nuff said.

The forearms, hands and head look different from Inferno's though.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

The forearms, hands and head look different from Inferno's though.

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Correct - also his feet are different too so it's a retooling of Inferno, but the transformation remains pretty much the same.

As I said, I wasn't a fan of Inferno and this mold, so I haven't seen fit to open him up since he's packaged in his bot mode anyway (and that's how I display all my figs).

Hasn't arrived yet but I decided to go with the United version of this toy (only $10 more after shipping) for its cartoon accuracy. Also thinking the yellowy orange head will better differentiate his mold from Inferno's. Looking forward to this one. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Huh?! Why did they have to call it "Solar Storm Grappel"??? I thought the mispelling of Grapple was already done to get around the legality, so why tack "Solar Storm" on the front of it? If they're going to tack a word (or two) in front of the name, then why couldn't they have spelt the name correctly? Also, when Hasbro reissued Grapple, they got away with calling him "Autobot Grapple". Gah... sometimes I just don't get Hasbro Legal. ???

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Problem is they can't call him "Autobot" Grappel because it's Reveal the Shield, Hasbro has deliberately altered the names, which apparently they hope
will make it impossible for us to tell their allegaince without rubbing their chest!:eek: Hence Turbo Tracks, Black Ops Jazz etc.

Solar Storm Grappel sounds strange but too be honest the only significant thing I remember Grappel doing was building his solar tower in the cartoon, so it fits.:p

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fonecrusher

Problem is they can't call him "Autobot" Grappel because it's Reveal the Shield, Hasbro has deliberately altered the names, which apparently they hope
will make it impossible for us to tell their allegaince without rubbing their chest!:eek: Hence Turbo Tracks, Black Ops Jazz etc.

Solar Storm Grappel sounds strange but too be honest the only significant thing I remember Grappel doing was building his solar tower in the cartoon, so it fits.:p

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So why couldn't they call it "Solar Storm Grapple"? Yesterday at the Parra Fair I was talking to people about Grappel and said Grappel quite a few times -- someone (I think it was liegeprime) remarked that it sounded like I was trying to "Frenchify" Grapple's name. :p

*sigh* I really want to get this toy (just can't find it anywhere!) but it's gonna be strange calling it "Grap-Pell" all the time. (just as well I'm getting practice in now ;))

"Fetchez le Grappel."
"Quoi?"
"Fetchez le Grappel!!"
"Oh!"
"If you do not agree to my commands, then I shall...
*TWONG*
(Mmooooooo!)

I would have though it has to be spelt 'Grappelle' before you'd pronounce it 'Grap-ehl'.

As it stands 'Grappel' is still pronounced 'Grap-uhl', c'est non? :D

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Originally Posted by Doubledealer

I would have though it has to be spelt 'Grappelle' before you'd pronounce it 'Grap-ehl'.

As it stands 'Grappel' is still pronounced 'Grap-uhl', c'est non? :D

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I pronounce "Grappel" as "Grapp-Pell" and others remarked that I sounded like I was trying to 'Frenchify' the name "Grapple" in a comical way, like how some people pronounce Target as "Tar-Jay". ;) It was never my intention to Frenchify anything... I'm just trying to pronounce "Grappel" correctly and apparently it sounds Frenchie to some people. <shrug>

If I say "Grap-Pull" then I'm referring to either G1 Grapple (or any of its reissues) or United Grapple. But if I say "Grap-Pell" them I'm specifically referring to Reveal The Shield Solar Storm Grappel.

That seems complicated. I just call him Grapple.

Why is nearly every comment on this thread about the name which was discussed at length already when the toy was first announced. Sigh!

I got the Hasbro one because I like the look of the black head. It breaks up an otherwise too orange toy and looks like the toy I remember from 1985 (Oh and it's it's cartoon accurate too).

The new hook is nice, but makes me think Inferno should have had a ladder. Hanging off the arm though does sort of get in the way though like Cybertron Mudflap.

Like Inferno the back of the truck mode still feels incomplete, and I also don't like the way the front bumper sits in robot mode. The truck mode overall though looks better in these colours than Inferno IMO.

My Grappel also has really loose hips, which is weird as they aren't ball joints. This could be a QC issue but with few people owning the Hasbro version yet it's hard to tell.

All up I'm very happy with it.

I still can't find Grappel despite persistent searching. :( :mad:

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22..._nosuccess.jpg

I opened up my United one yesterday. I went with United because I intend to be a United completist, and will only get a Hasbro release of the same figure (and in tandem at that), if it offers something compellingly different, or for army building.

I feel that Classics et al, in and of itself, is generally an effort to give greater cartoon accuracy to all of the figures, so I don't understand a preference toward toy accuracy. Wouldn't the original toy fulfill that need? Wouldn't every difference between the new and the original reduce toy accuracy?

The head mold, regardless of color, looks much better in person than in pics, and I agree with Paul that the presence of the hook easily shows that Inferno could have had a ladder, and also that said hook is cumbersome. There is some other subtle remolding, specifically the forearms and toes, which don't detract or add much. As to Paul's complaints of looseness, I noticed drastic differences in hip looseness between multiple instances of Hasbro's Inferno. My United is fine.

Other than the head, I don't think there's much difference between Hasbro and TT (unlike Jazz & Tracks), so I'd suggest choosing solely based on head preference or price.

I like the Inferno mold, and thus, I like this one too. Another great inclusion to my Autobot car collection.

I quite like this guy, but I thought I would as I liked the Inferno mould. Nice and chunky, good movemtn options, easy lightpiping eyes. Paint is lacking, but effective enough, I just wish the hook could be removed from his arm and clipped on his back somehow. having the arm hook sticking out like it does, really lokks a bit silly.

I look at him and think he stands on the side of stages, waiting to pull bad acts off the stage by the neck:D

"So I see all these humans driving around in little boxes, Why is that?"
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k3...5032011008.jpg



"BOOO! GEDDOFF! Sienfeld jokes aren't funny!!"



HOIK!
http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k3...5032011006.jpg

YAY!

I got the United release. It is a little disappointing to see that the head is actually molded black but painted yellow/amber. I don't mind it too much but it could have been done better as in the pointier bits of the sculpt expose the black underneath but it isn't too noticeable (at least on mine). It is also unfortunate that the hook isn't chromed or painted at all, just yellow. I painted mine with silver paint and that a lone is a huge improvement.

On the positive side, it's not just the crane that has been remolded. This is actually a pretty extensive retool of the Inferno figure. He now has new forearms, fists, feet and of course the crane and head. This is much more than I expected so I am very pleased with the figure despite it's previously mentioned flaws.

It's a really nice head really :)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17...s/4eef5e0f.jpg
I'm repainting my RTS head myself :)

Yeah, my main gripe is the poorly repainted head. A few more coats should have covered up the black gooderer. The crane weapon on the arm can be a bit annoying, but that's a carry over design feature from the Inferno mould so I don't fault Grapple for it per se.

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Originally Posted by jaydisc

I feel that Classics et al, in and of itself, is generally an effort to give greater cartoon accuracy to all of the figures, so I don't understand a preference toward toy accuracy. Wouldn't the original toy fulfill that need? Wouldn't every difference between the new and the original reduce toy accuracy?

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As someone who doesn't care that much for cartoon likeness, it hasn't bugged me all that much... but I do see your point. Hasbro have certainly gone to the effort of making clear tributes to cartoon models in their moulds (e.g. Bumblebee's head, coneheads for the 2nd series Seekers etc.) - so one would think it only logical to then give them more showlike colours which is what TakaraTOMY have been gooderer at doing than Hasbro. So for people who prefer show likeness I can definitely see why you would have a strong preference for the Japanese versions.

I like what they did with Classics Jetfire where his mould carries homages to both the original toy and the cartoon/comic model. :)

But as far as Grapple's concerned, as Paulbot has pointed out before, the black head is occasionally show-like because in the cartoon there were times when animators coloured his head black like the toy, and other times when they coloured it amber. So whichever version of Grapple(Grappel) you get, it's only going to be occasionally cartoon accurate anyway. ;)

The main advantage I see with Grapple's head colour over Grappel's is that it helps to distinguish the figure more from Inferno. I imagine when placed side by side the amber head would be better off set against Inferno's black head (much like how Henkei Alert's red head better off sets against Classicsverse Sideswipe's black head -- while I prefer Universe Red Alert's more toy accurate black head, when I saw Deceptic_Optic's display with Henkei Alert I have to say it did look nice in terms of standing out more :)).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaydisc

As to Paul's complaints of looseness, I noticed drastic differences in hip looseness between multiple instances of Hasbro's Inferno. My United is fine.

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No hip looseness on my United Grapple either.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jaydisc

I like the Inferno mold, and thus, I like this one too. Another great inclusion to my Autobot car collection.

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My thoughts exactly. ;)

I do wish TakaraTOMY would go back to printing their tech specs on collectable cards again. (-_-)

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Originally Posted by lcz128

I'm repainting my RTS head myself :)

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And it looks like you've done what TakaraTOMY should've done -- give the head an undercoat before repainting!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lcz128

It's a really nice head really :)
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17...s/4eef5e0f.jpg
I'm repainting my RTS head myself :)

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Sweet man, looking forward to seeing the final re-painted head. :) Did you start off with a United or RTS Grapple? And I agree, it's an excellent head sculpt.

That's the first picture I've seen that does the head mold justice. It is indeed quite excellent.

I havent opened my united grapple yet. still playing with lugnut. i am annoyed that the packaging pics still use the silver paint hook. comparing to my henkei inferno, its disappointing they didnt use chrome so the 2 would be a better match with each other.

I'm a bit disappointed that TOMY has followed Hasbro's suit in giving the United toys light piped eyes, but then paint the eyes over which effectively blocks and newters the light pipe gimmick (so what's the damn point of having the light piping in the first place??). I already noticed with United Tracks that the paint blocks the light, although it's a bright sky blue so it looks okay.

But anyway, I got bored while waiting around while my wife was shopping for clothes, so I played around with United Grapple and to my surprise discover that in spite of the painted eyes, they still manage to light pipe quite well.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22..._lightpipe.jpg

The blue paint actually illuminates rather than blocking the light! Now I don't know if this is because they've used a special kind of paint that allows the light to go through, or if it's just a fluke because the paint's too thin. If it's the former, I wonder why they don't just go with giving the toy transparent blue plastic? Weird. So I suspect it's the latter.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

The blue paint actually illuminates rather than blocking the light! Now I don't know if this is because they've used a special kind of paint that allows the light to go through, or if it's just a fluke because the paint's too thin. If it's the former, I wonder why they don't just go with giving the toy transparent blue plastic? Weird. So I suspect it's the latter.

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Uh dude - this is olllldddd news. They've been doing it since inferno or earlier. The clear blue paint is so that they can use the clear plastic for everything else on the figure - eg the windows, headlights but still have the option for blue lightpiping. ;)

think about it. All the clear parts will be on the same sprue. If they do a clear blue and a clear plastic then that'd increase their cost. If they instead do all clear blue plastic, they cop crap from fans saying they should've gone clear. Now instead they've gone clear and painted over blue and now they get people complaining they should've gotten clear blue? @_@

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Originally Posted by lcz128

Uh dude - this is olllldddd news. They've been doing it since inferno or earlier. The clear blue paint is so that they can use the clear plastic for everything else on the figure - eg the windows, headlights but still have the option for blue lightpiping. ;)

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My Henkei Inferno has pure blue plastic for its eyes dude.

I know Hasbro's been doing this practice for some time... but it's only been recently with United that I'm noticing that TakaraTOMY are now following suit.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lcz128

think about it. All the clear parts will be on the same sprue. If they do a clear blue and a clear plastic then that'd increase their cost. If they instead do all clear blue plastic, they cop crap from fans saying they should've gone clear. Now instead they've gone clear and painted over blue and now they get people complaining they should've gotten clear blue? @_@

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I wouldn't have complained if Grapple's windows were blue. And if they wanted to give him clear windows - fine... give him clear eyes. White light piping works too, just look at G2 Laser Optimus Prime. And I find clear light piping works really well too.

But I guess they want to appease all those "show accuracy" people who insist on having Grapple with blue eyes... *sigh*

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...summoner08.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...summoner09.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y22...summoner10.jpg

Grapple,
He excels at engineering and design and this is reflected quite well with this mold which, just like the G1 figures, is a retool of the Universe 2.0 Inferno mold. :)

As a mobile crane, his truck based Alt mode carries the look of a utilitarian vehicle quite well. :D
With accurate markings, emergency clearance lamps and an extending arm with hook he differentiates effectively well with his Fire Engine counterpart although one should pay particular attention to his Crane Arm which is unfortunately quite precariously fixed only to his right arm and could possibly break if excess force is applied. :(

His transformation, whilst being identical to Inferno, is quite fun and intuitive with intelligent use of folding panels and a spring loaded head reveal, Grapple may serve as a slight challenge to younger fans but will easily be figured out upon multiple transformations. ;)

Bot mode is where this figure really shines if not only hampered by a somewhat disappointing Crane Arm placement that often interferes with certain poses and shelf display. :o
Thick limbs and a bulky torso really help to make Grapple standout as a construction expert whilst also lending his look to that of a heavy weapons expert - If only he had these weapons... :rolleyes:

He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for a solid and reasonably large transforming robot toy, Grapple is a must have for G1 collectors, fans of construction vehicles and/or those who are just looking for that tough Autobot to fill out their ranks. :cool:

The arms tend to snap off easy too... which can be annoying during toy play. I had him throwing Beachcomber across a ravine on an alien world where Decepticon sappers had destroyed a bridge (aka, the space between two beds :p) - and during mid-hurl one of his arms came off. Kinda broke the exciting tension I was building up there. Gah. Then later I had Grapple lift his arm up to speak into his wrist to talk to Beachcomber on the other side - other arm from his throwing arm... it came off. Gah! So yeah... gotta be a bit careful when moving the arms about, which may be okay if you're just fiddling for display poses, but can be mighty annoying when doing "real time" toy play.

Btw, does anyone know what differences there are between Grapple and Grappel other than the head colour and Autobot logo?

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

The arms tend to snap off easy too... which can be annoying during toy play. I had him throwing Beachcomber across a ravine on an alien world where Decepticon sappers had destroyed a bridge (aka, the space between two beds :p) - and during mid-hurl one of his arms came off. Kinda broke the exciting tension I was building up there. Gah. Then later I had Grapple lift his arm up to speak into his wrist to talk to Beachcomber on the other side - other arm from his throwing arm... it came off. Gah! So yeah... gotta be a bit careful when moving the arms about, which may be okay if you're just fiddling for display poses, but can be mighty annoying when doing "real time" toy play.

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Btw, how old are you again Gok? :D

0.398 Vorn

Made a Grappel and Grapple comparison pics thread here.