Toy Review - Titans Return Triggerhappy

[SharkyMcShark]

TRIGGERYHAPPY w/ BLOWPIPE
Series – Titans Return
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New mold
Wave - 3
Released here – November 2016
Approximate Retail Price - $29.99
Approximate Size - I can hide it swiftly in my desk drawer when my boss comes a knocking, so small enough
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode – Starfighter
Main Features/Gimmicks – Titan Master
Main Colours – Blue, Grey
Main Accessories – two matching guns, Blowpipe Titan Master

Review in capsule form because I'm a bad b****.

- Starfighter mode is to be blunt completely effing awesome. It looks sleek, it looks lethal, it's not got fat undercarriage despite having a quite deep pilot area. I absolutely love to death the Titan Master interaction in this mode, but then I'm a major sucker for any and all things related to space dogfighting.
- Starfighter mode has front fold down landing gear. No rear landing gear, and the guns have nubs that sort of look a bit like wheels but I've not found a way to use them so that they form rear landing gear like on Highbrow.
- Transformation didn't have to be as complex as it is (by 2016 standards anyway) but by the Matrix am I glad that it was done this way.
- Going back to starfighter mode I've got a few issues. The first is that it's quite difficult to get the shoulders to unclip and I'm worried about the effect my yanking at them will have over time. The second is that the tabs along the side of the alt mode that the arms peg into are slightly loose on my figures right side. It doesn't flop even with a good shake but it doesn't take a lot of force to come loose. Finally, the double barrel cannon on my figures right side doesn't sit flush with the arm but one or two degrees. It annoys me that it doesn't point perfectly forward, but I'd imagine it's an easy fix once I find what I can only assume is a piece of flash gunking up the works.
- Robot mode is actually surprisingly squat, but not at all in a negative way. It's on the small side but it looks fantastic. The colours pop, it's poseable, everything on mine is tight. It interacts will with other Titan Masters quite well - no loose or floppy connections with the bunch I've tried.
- Again a surprising amount of paint on this figure. Gold thrusters and gold/silver/light blue highlights throughout, not to mention the splash of red on the face. The Titan Master itself is again entirely unpainted apart from the head, though at least it's two tone plastic.
- Love the face sculpt - the deep set eyes, the burst of red, the yellow eyes, the way the arms form the crests, an the bolts on the cheekplate are all highlights.
- No major complaints except... the much dreaded hollow forearms. I hate hollow forearms. I will live in servitude to whoever 3d prints me some non detaching forearms covers (or similar) because at this point that's basically all that's stopping this figure from automatically going into my top ten of all time. Such is the hate I have for this now commonplace design feature.


Anyway, great figure, definitely get it. I'll also live in servitude to anyone that sorts out a Targetmaster for this on Shapeways.

Wouldn't mind a Misfire remold from this. You'd have to lose the double cannons on each side and replace the fist covers with something else I suppose.

[GoktimusPrime]

Poll please?

Approximate Size - I can hide it swiftly in my desk drawer when my boss comes a knocking, so small enough

13.5cm to the top of the head and 14cm to the top of the shoulders.

- Going back to starfighter mode I've got a few issues. The first is that it's quite difficult to get the shoulders to unclip and I'm worried about the effect my yanking at them will have over time.

Are you sure you're talking about the jet mode and not the robot mode? Cos I find that it's incredibly easy to disconnect the shoulders from the sides of the fuselage, but tricky to disconnect the shoulders from the torso in robot mode.

If you're talking about the robot mode, or if anyone else is having issues with detaching the shoulders in robot mode, here's the trick. Grab the torso with one hand and using the tip of your thumb, push out from the bottom of the shoulder connector outwards. Then it's really easy to simply grab the top of the shoulder and detach the top clip (as there's no more resistance).

The second is that the tabs along the side of the alt mode that the arms peg into are slightly loose on my figures right side. It doesn't flop even with a good shake but it doesn't take a lot of force to come loose. Finally, the double barrel cannon on my figures right side doesn't sit flush with the arm but one or two degrees. It annoys me that it doesn't point perfectly forward, but I'd imagine it's an easy fix once I find what I can only assume is a piece of flash gunking up the works.

I have none of these issues at all on my figure. Sounds like you might've gotten a QA dud.

- Love the face sculpt - the deep set eyes, the burst of red, the yellow eyes, the way the arms form the crests, an the bolts on the cheekplate are all highlights.

I'm in two minds about the face sculpt. On one hand it is a beautiful rendition of the comic/cartoon face for Triggerhappy, but on the other hand, I actually prefer the mouthed face on the original G1 toy. Although I do like how Blowpipe's arms coincidentally resemble antennae (another feature from the G1 toy's head that the comic/animation model omitted).

IMO Triggerhappy is the best of the Decepticon Titan Returns figures released thus far. The G1 fanboy in me would still have preferred to see this toy as a Targetmaster rather than a Headmaster, but eh... spilt milk. Overall this is an incredibly nice toy. My main gripes would be:
* The dual cannons clash with the wings when the arms are rotated outwards in robot mode.
* There's no locking mechanism for the dual cannons in robot mode, just like the G1 toy. And we know that G1 Triggerhappy's cannons are prone to erectile dysfunction. Here's hoping that TR Triggerhappy doesn't inherit this problem.
On the other hand, these issues seem unavoidable if you want to keep the dual cannons on the sides of the arms (thus being more G1 accurate) and allowing the arms to have a good range of articulation. The alternative solution might be to have the cannons swing up the back of the arms and lock in behind the shoulders. It would be visually less G1 accurate but it would functionally allow the arms to have unhindered movement and for the cannons to have some place to clip into.

But overall the pros outweigh the cons on this figure. Highly recommended.


PHOTOS

Robot mode



Jet mode



Blowpipe


While the colours of the Nebulan mode don't do much for me (about as bland as Stylor and Throttle), I do like the sculpt which does a good resemblance with G1 Blowpipe. It'll be interesting to see how this mould looks like with a TakaraTOMY colour scheme.

Comparison with G1


Triggerhappy was my very first Targetmaster that I got back in '87 and holds a special soft spot in my heart. So I'm pretty stoked! He's always been my favourite among the 1987 Decepticon Targetmasters (my favourite '88 Decepticon Targetmaster would have to be Quake)

[SharkyMcShark]

If you're talking about the robot mode, or if anyone else is having issues with detaching the shoulders in robot mode, here's the trick. Grab the torso with one hand and using the tip of your thumb, push out from the bottom of the shoulder connector outwards. Then it's really easy to simply grab the top of the shoulder and detach the top clip (as there's no more resistance).

This is good advice.

I have none of these issues at all on my figure. Sounds like you might've gotten a QA dud.

Everything on the right arm is out by about 2 degrees, including the actual wing (I noticed that this morning).

[5FDP]

Picked this guy up today. Love it!!! Easily the best figure in the range if not for the year. It's that good

I do agree with Goki's comments though about preferring him to be a Targetmaster. But hey, you can't have everything.

Get him on sight.

10/10

[Maruten]

I wasn't particularly interested in Triggerhappy, but he looks great in both modes and has a pretty interesting transformation, so I'd highly recommend him.

[5FDP]

I'm lovin' this figure more and more. Can't stop fiddling with him.

[Thurmus]

I WISH I COULD FIND ONE. AAAARRRGGGHHH.

[Thurmus]

Finally got one. It has two left hand guns with it.

Now I have to take it back and try and find another.

[Dimi194]

The raving is pretty right; this is an awesome figure!

The transformation is excellent and both modes look great! Love the sunken eyes too; look very evil.

Only small gripe with the shoulder articulation is that because they're both pins, it's a tad limited in some poses, but otherwise an awesome toy.

[yoshi594]

Finally got one. It has two left hand guns with it.

Now I have to take it back and try and find another.

Mine has 2 left guns too. I wonder if it's a common issue. Does anyone know if hasbro is like lego where they give out missing parts? I don't think he's available anymore near me