Toy Review: Generations Metroplex (all versions)

[drifand]

I think this is one of the best TF's to come out in Aus retail for a long time, it will become iconic in years to come.

On stickers, I didn't have much intention of putting them on but when I felt Metro's plastic it seemed to have a slick almost slightly oily feel to it which means the stickers will not stick around over time. He looks great without them anyway

I stated this that you should have done a 1:1 scan for anyone who hasn't.
I am getting decal replacements made for this guy.

On the note, here's is my rating for this toy (Hasbro ver).

Price for Hasbro: affordable, comparably cheap for its size,

Quality: Above average but would require some care. The plastic is not
extremely high quality, I wouldn't recommend modellers to try airbrushing as thinners may melt the plastic.

Lights and sound: Hit and miss, should have better connectors? Otherwise good.

Transformation design: could have done a bit better, as people have stressed the tracks (toes) area. The head worried me a bit trying to bend and tilt down.

Fun factor? 7.5/10 The Hasbro lacks of the second gun, with scamper the only figure in the base, it feels a bit empty, otherwise probably kids dream for Christmas this year.

I would almost rate it a 8, but just below.

[GoktimusPrime]

If you're going to make a hi res scan, why not submit it to reprolabels?

[drifand]

If you're going to make a hi res scan, why not submit it to reprolabels?

might not be a bad idea, wonder how much it will cost.

[M-bot]

If you're going to make a hi res scan, why not submit it to reprolabels?

I'd be reasonably certain that they already have the toy and are scanning the sheet themselves. I'm torn whether to sticker mine up now or wait for news and a possible extra purchase from Reprolabels.

[Hursticon]

On Tuesday my Tak/Tom version of Metroplex arrived; here's a couple of pics that might help to highlight some of the differences between theirs & Hasbro's releases :
(Please Note: I've not applied any stickers as of yet )

[Omega Metro]

On Tuesday my Tak/Tom version of Metroplex arrived; here's a couple of pics that might help to highlight some of the differences between theirs & Hasbro's releases :
(Please Note: I've not applied any stickers as of yet )

Looks a lot more colourful than the Poverty Pack version doesn't it? My only gripe with it is the white runway/road sections on the legs.

[UltraMarginal]

So Hursty, does the Takara version speak English?

[willocrew]

REVIEW

I bought this toy a few weeks back from target at $119+.

To be honest I was a little apprehensive about this figure because I have some space issues at home and the last thing I need is a robot that is the size of a small child.

I haven't really worked out where I'm going to store this fella but at the end of the day I really think it is worth the trouble and hassle. IMO this isn't just another transformers toy but rather a huge milestone in transformers collecting history. I figured that if I didn't get metroplex now, then I probably never will. Shipping for this thing will really kill and I think the discounted hasbro version is such a good deal.

Robot Mode 9/10

Robot Mode is definitely the standout feature for metroplex. The proportions are just fantastic. Admittedly the paint application (or lack of) is a bit bland and I think there is lots of potential for a customizer to give it some weathering and paint details to bring out all the molded details in the plastic. This will certainly take the overall aesthetics a few notches higher. I would have preferred a few matte silver highlights particularly for the face and the middle section just to break up the white plastic look. But I think I can probably modify this myself with a silver sharpie.

That being said, the figure is impressive and expensive-looking out of the box and it certainly doesn't look like a big oversize plasticky toy for preschool kids.

In terms of the robot mode design, if this was voyager size or slightly bigger, I would give it an 8/10. But when it is 2ft tall and so spectacular, I've just gotta add one more point to make it a 9/10. It is that impressive. There are also some nice features like the light up moving eyes and the articulated hand.

It is not quite 10/10 because i thought the figure lacked just a few things to warrant a perfect score. I would have liked better neck articulation and the robot visor gimmick doesn't really work as well as it should. You have to pull the antennas back and then lift his helmet forward and then back again for the visor to click and be hidden away. It works half the time so it is a rather unreliable feature. Also, I would have preferred better hand articulation. That thumb just gets in the way.

City & Vehicle Modes 5/10

The alternate modes for this toy are both a little disappointing. It is essentially robot mode doing a series of yoga and pilates exercises. But to be fair, city mode and vehicle mode aren't complete rubbish (there are some REAL rubbish alt modes out there but this is not one of them). However it is quite disappointing when you compare it with the excellent robot mode.

IMO, one major reason why the alt-modes don't work so well is that the slim torso of the robot really stands out and you can't help but notice its a humanoid robot sitting down rather than a building.

Quality 7/10

The overall quality of this Hasbro metroplex is slightly above average.

Some of the features that Hasbro came up with is quite clever, but unfortunately the implementation is quite poor. For example, the retractable visor while neat, doesn't work as smoothly as intended. Also the ratchet arms and legs are not as fine as I would have liked but fortunately the figure seems to hold its pose in between ratchet clicks. Also the instructions are quite bad and the pictures and words are sooooo small. FYI, I do not have eyesight troubles.

I guess my review is for those who are sitting on the fence. If you have not intention of getting this toy then I guess your mind is already made up. But if you're toying with the idea of getting this toy, then you need to get this toy locally as soon as possible before it runs out. If you haven't got space in your house you need to make space. Sell your bed and sleep on the floor if you have to. On second thought maybe not. But nonetheless, If you miss out on getting it locally, it might be a pain to hunt for one later because I suspect shipping this from interstate or overseas can't be cheap.

Only time will tell if this big huge toy novelty factor will wear off leaving me with a huge white elephant. I guess I will find out soon. But until then I'm enjoying having metroplex answering the call of the last prime in the corner of my living room.

Overall this toy scores a 7/10 on average based on my above ratings. But subjectively, I would give it an 8/10.

[Hursticon]

So Hursty, does the Takara version speak English?

You know I cannot believe that after all this, after SO much time wondering, I completely forgot to disclose this!

Takara-Tomy's - Generations: Metroplex does indeed speak in English.

[UltraMarginal]

Mot interesting indeed. now to deide if I get the hasbro version from Big W or spend nearly twice as much for better (robot) paint apps and a second gun.


BTW Willowcrew, Great review. thanks