Toy Review: Generations Metroplex (all versions)

[Deonasis]

The SDCC version also features metallic stickers which the other versions including the ACG-con version lack.

Wait, so the ACG-con does not have the metallic stickers? I thought the only difference between it and the SDCC version was the decoy colours??

[griffin]

Clash of the Titans....



Regular and SDCC Hasbro versions. (plus a couple Gen1 decoys thrown in for comparison to the SDCC decoys)

Shiny stickers are more vibrant up close, but in photos look a lot darker. The foil stickers are also thicker, so don't fold to well, which means they don't stay stuck to areas that aren't flat. (they will need to be glued, or else those stickers will eventually catch something and come off)

Scampers are almost identical... but I think there is a slight variance in the shading of the red plastic. (it could just be my eyes though)

I'm not planning to get the HK version, as the main toy isn't really any different to the SDCC version... but might be tempted to buy a JP version if I see one at retail over there (if I end up going there later this year), as I'd just bring it home on the plane with me as checked luggage and save postage.

A look at how much bigger the SDCC box is to previous Metroplex boxes (with a Classics seeker toy thrown in for scale)...

[Paulbot]

That SDCC art/box is very nice but I thought the box I carried home was big enough!

My initial thoughts on the regular Hasbro version:

Big! So big. A bit too big for his legs. It's not really a figure you can pose on the shelf but he's got enough joints to be flexible.

The fake kibble helipad on the robot mode shoulder is a bit odd.

He looks good without stickers, enough textures. I don't miss the chrome. I will add stickers but don't really like the ones with Cybertronian on them.

I love the vehicle mode, it's the space battleship I imagined back in the 90s, but both vehicle and city mode do suffer a little by the very long legs. They look fine in robot mode but stretch out a bit too far when folded out.

I had trouble getting the ramp out the first go, was worried about breaking it because it was so tight.

I like that that the city-to-battle station transformation adds a little more complexity than the G1 version had.

It's a great homage/remake to the original toy, the big toy I always wanted Metroplex to be, and I think for the size quite a reasonable priced figure.

[griffin]

One thing I want to mention now that I have the SDCC version that already has the right arm attached... if you pop in the arm of the regular one and it keeps coming out while transforming it - plug it in at 90 degrees (instead of the prongs being top and bottom - have them front and back). It is very tough to get it in (which is why I didn't think it went in that way at first), but when it does go in, it STAYS in.
(thanks to JustOwen for helping me figure it out)

[Paulbot]

I didn't even think of plugging it in with the prongs at top and bottom. I did look at the instructions, which were useless. The prongs back and forth just felt right despite how tight a squeeze it seemed.

[GoktimusPrime]

Hmm... I haven't had any problems with the arm popping off at all. I must've plugged it in the "correct" way.

My thoughts (after spending over 2.5 hours tonight applying freakin' stickers...):

Tall and lanky but lacks the sheer bulk and mass of Fortress Maximus (though it is bulkier than I thought it would be). It certainly feels a lot lighter than Fort Max, and little surprise because a lot of this toy is hollow (because the city mode has lots of compartments for Cyberverse figures to interact). The transformation is fairly basic, though not as simplistic as I'd expected for the city mode - that has a few neat surprises. The electronic sound block is a hindrance though (but Metroplex's voice does sound very cool ).

I have no idea why Hasbro decided to put orange tips on the gun barrel. That's just stupidly unnecessary. The sculpting is wonderful and the toy is by no means awful, but it's really not exploiting current day engineering standards IMHO. The stickers are a massive pain in the backside to apply -- the instructions for them are terribly drawn and a few of the stickers are incorrectly numbered.

I wouldn't say it's worth paying full RRP for -- my advice: if you really want this toy, get it on sale. Btw, is there a trick to getting the visor to stay up?

P.S.: I noticed that those black things that hold the twist ties on the back of the tray now have recycling numbers on them. So be sure to chuck 'em in your recycling rubbish and not regular household rubbish bin.

[liegeprime]

I don't have mine yet, but as far as the fake shoulder helipad is concerned Paulbot, I think because it becomes the helipad when in mobile battle station mode - just looking at the promo pics from griffins first post.

Is there a big difference why the boxes are bigger? Is the sdcc one already preassembled? coz most photos Ive seen (Hasbro regular version) is that
the arms need to be attached. Just curious.