Toy Review - CW Pipes

[BigTransformerTrev]

PIPES
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Combiner Wars
Size/class - Legends
New/remould/redeco – Redeco of CW Huffer
Wave – Wave 5
Released here - not yet
Approximate Retail Price - $18
Approximate Size – 8cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode – Truck Cab
Main Features/Gimmicks – n/a
Main Colours – Blue, Grey
Main Accessories – n/a




Robot Mode
His weakest mode. Nothing about this figure really says ‘Pipes’. No backpack, no pipe arms… heck they even gave him a full face which they made red for some damn reason that I can’t fathom - makes him look like Huffers even more grim Spark Brother or something. It’s a good enough robot toy, just like Prime and Huffer before him, just not really Pipes.




Truck Mode
A nice little truck. Could have used a darker blue paint job and some… well… pipes/smokestacks. But certainly passable for Pipes. Quite nice really.




Transformation
Same as Prime and Huffer before him – pretty easy.


Overall
I’d say Pipes beats out Scattershot and Blast Off for the ‘Least effort put into a Combiner Wars figure’ Award . Besides a new paint job change – and not a massively accurate one at that – nothing about this figure says Pipes. I know he’s a minor character but we’ve been waiting for a CHUG version of Pipes for years so it’s disappointing this is what we got in the end. On a personal note G1 Pipes was one of my first dozen ever TF’s and the first one I ever had two of so I was extra disappointed at the lack of effort here – considering how many years it will probably be before we get another Pipes I may end up looking of the 3rd Party market for a better one.

Only recommended if you want a CHUG version of every G1 character you can, even then I'll be keeping him in truck mode.

[GoktimusPrime]

I've decided that my Pipes will be a Hispanophone.
"Ven conmigo, mi amor. Yo te mostraré las maravillas de la galaxia y vamos a derrotar el mal con nuestro amor."

[CHILENO20]

Sounds like some bad telenovela Gok nice work

[dirge]

Just opened my Pipes. I like him, I feel Pipes in the toy, even if there are no... pipes. But I feel I'm missing something. What are the lift - up shoulder pads for?

[Dimi194]

Just opened my Pipes. I like him, I feel Pipes in the toy, even if there are no... pipes. But I feel I'm missing something. What are the lift - up shoulder pads for?

To give him extra shoulder articulation i.e. you can lift the flaps up to gain more outwards motion of the shoulders.

[millhouse]

I'll be honest, I've never bought one of this mold and I don't plan to. The IDW Optimus wasn't my thing and Huffer and Pipes are pretty lazy and not G1 enough for me to use them as filler in my display.

That said, given that, besides some 3P stuff, my display is mostly MPs (with a notable exception for Takara Legends Arcee), I suppose that's not saying much, although I do own a tonne of CW things (Prime, all the Combiners/limbs and a heap of the Legends - Powerglide nearly made it in as a MP stand in, but I decided to use him with Superion's gun to match the G2 team).

[FatalityPitt]

Got Pipes today, cheap. My first impressions:

- His on-card bio reads "Curious collector picks up junk gadgets like they're precious treasures." Pipes is perhaps the closest character to represent the fandom. Like us, he's also an avid collector of things that most people simply don't understand.
- Transformation was a bit tricky the first time, but that's because it was my first time handling the mold (Never bought Optimus Prime, and I kept Huffer MOC). Plus, I was being a little over-cautious .
- He's actually very nice in-hand. The blue is very pleasing to the eye, and proportions are good. Sure, it doesn't look exactly like G1 Pipes, but if you can get past the fact that he's a straight repaint of Huffer, or block out any preconceived ideas about how Pipes should look like, he's actually very nice. Recommended, especially if you're buying for a casual fan who's unfamiliar with G1.

[GoktimusPrime]

Got Pipes today, cheap. My first impressions:

- His on-card bio reads "Curious collector picks up junk gadgets like they're precious treasures." Pipes is perhaps the closest character to represent the fandom. Like us, he's also an avid collector of things that most people simply don't understand.

Dude... this has been part of Pipes' personality since G1 (1986)! And the original G1 bio was more detailed than his CW bio. Pipes isn't quite a collector like most of us though. He collects "worthless junk" to add to his personal museum of modern consumerism. He collects things like blenders, musical wristwatches, hair straighteners, portable electric fans, vegetable & fruit juicers -- all the crazy crap you see on those TV shopping channels. He displays this stuff in an unused corner of the Ark. IMO Pipes is arguably more of a borderline compulsive hoarder.

For a Transformer who's more like the fandom, I would look at Shortround from Transformers Cybertron, as his bio explicitly states that he collects Transformers toys, and that the two most prized pieces in his collection are his mint complete unreleased G2 Defensor and Menasor.

[FatalityPitt]

Shortround must be awfully rich. G2 Menasor (unreleased prototype) has a reputation for selling on eBay for US$26k.

Oh, I wouldn't knock the musical wrist-watches, they could save lives one day (somehow..). Also, if you dig through Pipes' collection close enough, you might find a Green Lantern Power Ring.

[GoktimusPrime]

Shortround must be awfully rich. G2 Menasor (unreleased prototype) has a reputation for selling on eBay for US$26k.

When not fighting Autobots, Shortround moonlights as a luxury harbour cruise ship, hosting parties etc. US$26k?!? Well... Shortround's Intelligence rating is just 5*, so...

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*The average Intelligence of a Dinobot is 5.2.