Toy Review - Generations Combiners & group reviews/comments

[Zommael]

Initially, I had next to no interest in this line at all. I didn't think the combiners would be good or fun. I thought the four limbs attaching to a central torso was an old, boring, and obvious concept. I thought the line would be just pure G1 homage and bring nothing new to the table. I thought the toys would be a floppy mess.

But because I didn't have a "true" Generations Prime, and because I liked the look of Armada Megatron, I bought those two. I was blown away by the quality of the figures. Megatron is so good I'm now actively looking for a G1 version, if only to slap the Autobot sticker on, because the toy is worth owning twice. Optimus Prime is a big, chunky toy with a cool transformation, an original alt mode, and oodles of style. Neither of these toys are "Geewun" but they do have the elements of a great G1 homage, whilst still being innovative. I love them both.

So today I went and bought Silverbolt, Alpha Bravo, Drag Strip, Skydive, and Firefly. And they lived up to my expectations. They are solid, cool toys that transform nicely. All the joints, except on Skydive, are nice and tight. The transformation schemes are fun, innovative, intuitive, and not too complex: there are no parts that need to be pulled through other solid pieces with these guys. And in combined mode - either combined mode, despite what some have said about Prime/Menasor - they make a big, solid, oh so cool looking and poseable toy.

So forget what I may have said before about CW. These are the best toys we've had in a very long time. I will be collecting the entire line, redecos and all (within reason).

[Bidoofdude]

I received my Aerialbots today and I am supremely impressed. The colours pop a lot more in person. I like Alpha Bravo (even his limb mode) way more than I thought I would. Superion was much bigger than I'd thought he's be. The antennae are a little sucky, but I can live with it.

I need the rest of Menasor now. Hurry up Target and TRU.

[Omega Metro]

Wave 2 deluxes arrived today. Have not opened them yet but they look really impressive. Better than Wave 1. I love how Breakdown and Deadend have a 'cover/flap' that covers the hideous combiner pegs on their chests. Why couldn't they have done that on all of them?

[Zommael]

Wave 2 deluxes arrived today. Have not opened them yet but they look really impressive. Better than Wave 1. I love how Breakdown and Deadend have a 'cover/flap' that covers the hideous combiner pegs on their chests. Why couldn't they have done that on all of them?

I don't have the wave 2 figures in hand, but I'd say the lack of a flap is almost certainly because the combiner pegs on the Aerialbots and Drag Strip are on that swivel with the head and thus need to be able to flip round.

I don't think they look hideous. They just look like part of the robot chest to me.

[UltimateGalvatron]

Hello all.

I REALLY like the look of CW figures.
I would like some peoples opinions, I am thinking about getting a few figures to start off with, would you recommend a Voyager Class figure or a Legends and a Deluxe Class?
Also, for a VOyager I would be getting Silverbolt, but witch Deluxe and Legends is best in your opinion? I don't really wanna get Dragstrip but witch Aerialbot for Deluxe?

[G1Optimal]

I got bored so i typed down the Aerialbots and Stunticon Combiner Wars bios that were on the app before it eventually disappears.

Aerialbot Bios:

Air Raid
If you need one warrior to fly into a hotbed of enemy activity, AIR RAID is the bot to call. He's at his best when he's a one-bot wrecking crew. There's something about improbable odds that pushes his circuits to function at beyond-peak pefermance.

Alpha Bravo
While the rest of the AERIALBOTS are built for speed, ALPHA BRAVO is geared for precision. His VTOL engines let him maneuver into and out of spots other team members can't reach.

Autobot Powerglide
Aerial acrobat well-versed in dogfighting tatics

Firefly
The AERIALBOT recon expert hides in plain sight, FIREFLY skips stealth armour and cloaking programes, relying purely on speed and his unmatched evasive ability.

Skydive
If it happens in aerial combat, then it lives in the memory circuits of SKYDIVE. The master tactician has cataloged every airbourne maneuvers and tactic, and the AERIALBOT flying ace has mastered them all.

Silverbolt
The leader of the AERIALBOTS forms the core of thte team's combined form SUPERION, a single-minded force bent only on DECEPTICON destruction.

Superion
The mighty union of six AERIALBOTS, SUPERION thinks of little else besides destroying DECEPTICONS

Stunticons Bios:

Breakdown
Breakdown is alway worried that he is being watched. The DECEPTICON take full advantage of his need to remain unseen, and mobilize him as a scout. Paranoia comes in handy when you're trying to avoid detection.

Deadend
Most DECEPTICONS would say the AUTOBOTS are doomed. DEADEND is the only one who'd say the same about the DECPTICONS. He's convinced the end of the universe is right around the courner, and he going out with his blasters blazing.

Decepticon Blackjack
Clever warrior calculates the odds and hatches his plan

Decepticon Dragstrip
No DECEPTICON is as relentless in the pursuit of victory than DRAGSTRIP. To him victory means power, and second place is as good as a place on the scrap heap.

Decepticon Offroad
The newest member of the STUNTICONS is pressed into action on missions his teammates want no part of, giving him the opportunity to show off his extreme-conditions combat training. It's dirty work in the most dangerous situations, but it's the only way he'll win his teammates trust.

Motormaster
MOTORMASTER punishes enemies and allies alike with the brute force of a tyrant, breeding fear and hatred in all who encounter him, even his STUNTICON Teammates.

Menasor
The ultimate DECEPTICON weapon with only one flaw: he's prone menacing fits of unfocused rage.

[prjkt]

Ok, so wave three arrived today - photos to follow as usual.

Voyagers:

Hot Spot: Probably my favourite voyager of the Combiner Wars line so far, simply for how the combiner torso is formed - the ladder apparatus wraps around the entire figure, pegs into place holding the arms/combiner ports in place better than on OP/Motormaster and then the head pegs into place on the top G1 style (from the ladder).

Alt mode is probably the weakest, especially at the hips - the don't seem to peg in too well on my copy, but it's still a solid, believable airport-style fire engine.

Bot mode is Hotspot dead on. Blue Optimus prime-like head, red chest plate and red strips on his shoulders/legs. Really brings back memories of G1 Hotspot (who was one of my favourite toys as a kid - in fact I think I had all the Protectobots as a kid, but I don't ever recall combining them completely...)

Cyclonus: A surprising retool of Silverbolt in a couple of ways - his head no longer flips forward into the chest, instead simply rotating backwards - the "gap filler" part of the combiner torso flips into place much easier for it.

The heavily retooled parts made the alt-mode almost unrecognisable in comparison - very Cyclonus, and only the robot shoulders give hints that the mould originated with Silverbolt. The wings hold the arms and the legs into place (the legs are tougher to plug in that on SB.)

Again the retooled parts make bot mode quite unique, although due to transformation constraints, he doesn't quite have the long horns that I associate with Cyclones. I don't think he'll replace the RTS version on my Lost Light shelf, but I may stand him beside Mania King. I have to say the shade of purple they chose for this release is impeccable - quite a deep shade, with a gloss hint in parts - much to the contrast of the quite pale RTS version. Big points just for that.

Deluxes: One overall comment, compared to previous waves, the plastic here feels "stiffer" and less malleable, especially on First Aid.

Blades: Easy one up, no real changes from Alpha Bravo apart from a new head (with a nice angry grimace) and paint job. Same pros and cons as A/B.

First Aid: Quite a retool of Off Road - almost all the "shell" pieces are new, along with a new chest piece, only the front of the bonnet and the transformation scheme hint back at Off Road.

As he's no longer a ute style truck and more an ambulance, it seems to me that they've lowered the overall height a little - those windows seem quite small, but the overall bulk of the figure doesn't suffer IMO. As I've mentioned in the past, I wish there was still translucent plastic in use, especially for the light bars, but I'm not taking points off for that.

The legs in bot mode look a little weird with arm shaped cutouts down the sides, but otherwise no faults here - and head sculpt looks straight out of MTMTE - big positives.

Streetwise: Retool of Deadend (apart from Blades, the most obvious one - and even then you've gotta take a good look.) I'm not sure if it's due to the plastic in use, but he comes together in alt and limb mode better than dead end, and the peg holes aren't as loose (big positives for that hand/foot attachment.)

Alt mode, of the protectobots, looks the most "futuristic" - something you'd see in Back to the Future's version of 2015, but not so out of place that he doesn't fit in with the rest of the team. Again those lightbars need translucence....

Again that head sculpt is quite comic accurate from what I can recall, and the bot mode has all the pros and cons (minus the looseness) that apply Dead End.

Rook: The new mould/new character of the wave, first impressions are you would not want to be in his way - in all modes he looks solid, beefy, and would pack one hell of a punch.

Transformation is quite simple, and a bit of fun, but the end result is a bit nondescript. A tapered box on wheels, but I guess that's what SWAT vans are in real life?

Head sculpt looks like a bot wearing an American Gridiron helmet, and there's no doubt of his allegiance with the Autobot sigil smack bang on his forehead. The whole upper front end of his alt mode ends up on his back, but it's not in the way much, and does hint that potential retools in the future could be quite different.

Legends:

Warpath: Deep red repaint of Legends Megatron. Haven't opened as I've already got Deluxe Gen Warpath on my shelf.

Viper: Blue repaint of Powerglide with a new head and big Cobra/Decepticon sigil on his chest. His legs still have trouble coming together for alt/weapon mode, so no real difference from PG.

Groove: My favourite Legends figure of Combiner Wars so far.

His alt mode is a sleeker, modernised version of the G1 toy, but actually has leg and arm articulation in bot mode. Though his legs are a little long in proportion.

His combiner add-on mode beats Blackjack hands down - there's a peg on Defensor's chest that connects to the centre of Groove, and there are pegs on Groove's arms that hold onto Defensor's chest quite well - no chance of him falling off with the slightest touch like with Blackjack/Menasor.

Overall: I might be saying this simply because he's new, but Defensor might be, at least in my opinion, the best combiner so far. Four solid limb bots, the best voyager/legends pair so far and the best overall proportions.

[prjkt]

just a few "teaser" shots to get you started.

"Where's the emergency?"

Groove hangin' on

Cyclonus' less than happy face

[griffin]

That was fast. It takes longer to get something posted from Melbourne to Brisbane. (I had something posted by Autobreadticon on Tuesday 14th and tracking says it arrived at my Postbox on Monday 20th - six days!)

[G1Optimal]

Thought i would post the bios of the protectobots here

Blades
Blades can take his alternate form - a chopper - a little to literally. Sure, he carries plenty of firepower. But he'd much rather shred enemies with his rotors, bringing them down with a whirling flurry of copter kung fu.

First Aid
FIRST AID is just as likely to be first on the scene to help a wounded bot as he is to show up to repair a broken dishwasher. To the PROTECTOBOT medic, the greatest enemy is malfunction. Human, bot, or machine - if it's broken, FIRST AID won't carry on until it's back up and running.

Groove
Freedom fighter would sacrifice his own spark if it would bring peace.

Hot Spot
The duty of the PROTECTOBOTS dose not stop when the battle is over. Hot Spot and his team of heroes will come to mankind's defense whenever danger threatens.

Rook
If you need a rescue deep behind enemy lines or deep beneath battlefield rubble, Rook can get it done. His durabyllium super-alloy armor can withstand punishing blasts and hold up under crushing weight, and his tactical knowledge can get him out of any jam.

Streetwise
Fully capable of wiping out any target, Streetwise would rather track 'em down and let justice take its course. Of course, that justice starts with heavy damage to a few of his enemy's key systems. They can't do any harm if they can't function.