Toy Review - JP TFPrime & Microns AM01-AM06

[SkyWarp91]

Oh man that Ratchet and his sword micron...

Oh man...

*proceeds to take off shirt*

[GoktimusPrime]

I personally don't care for the Mini-Cons... it's the main 'bots that interest me.

Speaking of Mini-Cons, the Autobots' Mini-Cons' names are transliterated in this thread (and possibly other Anglophone sources) as:
Ōpī, Bītsū, Shieru and Arue. These names are actually kinda like "codes" for the names of their Autobot partners, and should be transliterated thusly:

Ōpī = OP
Bītsū = B2 (because Bumblebee is AM02)
Shieru = CL
Arue = RA

The Decepticon Mini-Cons' names seem to be play-on-words based on their bestial robot modes.
e.g. Megatron's is Gora, and the Japanese word for gorilla is "Gorira." Soundwave's Mini-Con is Zori and the Japanese word for scorpion is "Sasori". I'm not sure about Baro (Skywarp's MiniCon) or Jita (Terrorcon Cliffjumper's Mini-Con) cos I have no idea what Baro's robot mode is mean to be, and Jita's robot mode resembles ROTF Ravage's robot mode... but the Japanese word for jaguar is "Jagaa" (which was G1 Ravage's JP name). <shrug>

Is it just me, or does OP resemble G1 Shockwave?

[SkyWarp91]

Is it just me, or does OP resemble G1 Shockwave?

Yep, saw that too.

[Doubledealer]

I've bought every AM so far.

I'm pretty torn. For the most part however, I am preferring Hasbro with the exception of FEs where I cannot stress enough just how worthwhile the Takara versions are. The sticker component is very frustrating and irritating though I do note that you get a sense of satisfication once you are done. However, for me TFs are about engineering and aesthetic not model building/completion. I still would much rather not have to worry about the stickers. It's uselessly time-consuming and detracts away from the core activity of transforming. I'd rather spend that half hour going from mode to mode then trying to apply these stickers

The key question mark in the long term about the AMs is around stickers. They were and unlike G1 which had a litany of flat surfaces compared to modern figures which have curves, ridges and angles, it does make me wonder. In particular, the stickers on the mini-cons are frustrating. They are hard to apply and imo much more likely to peel if you overhandle your figures.

The ports are also an issue particularly on the Autobots. I think they are not a significant issue on the Decepticons and are much better integrated into the alt mode look of the figures. I think this is b/c we're accustomed to the look of cars and having holes in them makes them look silly whereas with jets and futuristic vehicles, you have leeway to add parts without detracting too much.

Some thoughts on the ones that particularly stood out for me:

AM-01 Prime: nice colours. Mini-con okay. The colorus compared to the Hasbro are amazingly superior and I can see myself at least wanting to display this as oppose to cringing. Stickers aren't overly necessary, they're already quite well done. Recommended if you "energy arm" look on Prime but I'd still point you to the FE Takara Prime as the go to.
Verdict: Chase down Takara FE Prime instead


AM-02/AM-03: Neither do much for me as I'm more than happy with the Takara FEs. These feel cheap and under-engineered in comparison.The yellow on BB is richer than the Hasbro edition but I just can't stand the mold enough and will only want exposure for it via Hot Shot. Cliffjumper's mini-con is a delight though. Stickers however make it painful. The -worst- transgression on these two are the ports. They're smooth looking cars but have these jarring holes in them. If I had to recommend, I would say grab Cliffjumper for the mini-con at best as it still looks decent compared to BB which I think is hideous and not even remotely show accurate.
Verdict: Pass


AM-04: Ratchet: I was really looking forward to this one. The prime reason being the red was darker and more in line with the realistic colours of the show. Wasn't too excited about the stickers but I'm very happy with it in hand compared to pics I've seen online of the Hasbro one. Of the lot, this one is the most bare if you don't apply stickers. However, the stickers are quite well done with the uneveness of the surface for the stickers on the chest. I'm a sucker for good colours and although I detest stickers, I'm happy to go this route to get a nicer aesthetic for my Ratchet. The ports aren't as bad in person as they appear in the pictures for Ratchet. Still not ideal but nowhere near as bad.

The mini-con is an absolute winner though. Love the execution and the weapon. The handle of the minicon means it can be wielded in any number of ways by the figure opening up a lot of cool poses. The stickers work well enough but I can't help but wonder how awesome it would look if it was all painted in silver rather than the bland gray.
Verdict: Buy

AM-05 Megatron: I was quite excited by this one b/c we got a fusion cannon mini-con. Overall, like Skywarp, you could avoid all main-bot stickers and just apply the faction logo and you'd be fine. The stickers add a nice touch though and I'm happy with them on although i'd be much happier if they'd just been painted. The mini-con is a bit of a mixed bag. lots of stickers and the most painful mini-con to apply stickers to. My bigger gripe is that the cannon doesn't close properly. I'm going to try again but even when I referenced pictures online, it doesn't appear easy to close the gap between the two sides of the fusion cannon to make it feel 'complete'. The other problem with my Megatron was the peg isn't very tight on the weapon. With a nudge to the figure, it'll just drop off. It does come together when you finally set about displaying it, however, it's not very firm playwise.
Verdict: Buy

AM-06 Skywarp: The only reason I chased this down was b/c I'm not sure if Hasbro will release it. The mini-con colours are really flat but work well for this one because it's a drill. The stickers are also pretty good with only the ones on the tailfins and the feet worrying me. I'm pretty happy with it. The added bonus with this figure is that if you wanted, you could get away with applying just one sticker to the main-bot, the chest insignia and it'd still look pretty complete. I do like the metallic purple finish provided by the stickers though. The minicon is okay and I don't like it that much compared to the others. The stickers are not fun to apply at all.I'm not happy with my finish but I reached a CBF point after giving it a fair few goes and just left them as is.

Verdict: Buy

A most insightful write-up there STL, I enjoyed reading it.

You've piqued my interest in AM Ratchet...How would you rate his Micron next to Gora and Bulo (the only ones I currently have in my collection)? Can you get his chest/collar stickers to lie flat against the plastic or is crinkling in this area unavoidable? Cheers mate.

[STL]

A most insightful write-up there STL, I enjoyed reading it.

You've piqued my interest in AM Ratchet...How would you rate his Micron next to Gora and Bulo (the only ones I currently have in my collection)? Can you get his chest/collar stickers to lie flat against the plastic or is crinkling in this area unavoidable? Cheers mate.

I highly rate him. I think his weapons mode is very versatile and would translate across both Deluxes and Voyagers very well. A point I failed to make previously is that the BB and CJ microns are also too big for their Autobot partners. This mini-con works well across all scales.

The chest sticker does not lay flat. On parts it does but b/c the surface is uneven, you can see a gap from the bottom up. Doesn't instill great confidence but it looks quite good front on and from above. Crinkling looks avoidable as the area isn't area you'd commonly touch and it isn't touched in transformation.

The stickers that particularly bother me though are the two on the side blades. They sit partially on top of open hole. Not happy about that as it is very high candidate for crinkling or even just peeling off by accident if placed in storage and then rolls around.

[Doubledealer]

I highly rate him. I think his weapons mode is very versatile and would translate across both Deluxes and Voyagers very well. A point I failed to make previously is that the BB and CJ microns are also too big for their Autobot partners. This mini-con works well across all scales.

The chest sticker does not lay flat. On parts it does but b/c the surface is uneven, you can see a gap from the bottom up. Doesn't instill great confidence but it looks quite good front on and from above. Crinkling looks avoidable as the area isn't area you'd commonly touch and it isn't touched in transformation.

The stickers that particularly bother me though are the two on the side blades. They sit partially on top of open hole. Not happy about that as it is very high candidate for crinkling or even just peeling off by accident if placed in storage and then rolls around.

That's a shame about the chest sticker, if it can't sit well then they really should have painted that area.

Those blade stickers sound a bit strange. Why would they have them resting over a hole I wonder?

Here's Megatron getting his drill on: