Toy Review - MENASOR (Legacy)

[GoktimusPrime]

MENASOR
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Legacy
Size/class - Deluxes and a Commander
New/remould/redeco - New (ex. Breakdown)
Waves - I to IV
Released here - 2022-23
Approximate Retail Prize - variable
Approximate Size - 31.5cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Sub-Group - Stunticon
Alt-modes - 1 race car, 3 sports cars, 1 truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - Gestalt
Main Colours - grey and black (accented by colours of individual Stunticons)
Main Accessories - x1 sword, x1 gun battery

NOTE: Menasor is a gestalt comprised of Legacy Breakdown, Dead End, Drag Strip, Motormaster and Wildrider. See the individual review threads on each Stunticon for comments on the individual robots. This review thread will focus on the combined Menasor gestalt, as well as the Legacy Stunticons as a complete set.
For some reason, the board won't let me embed hyperlinks to the review threads into my text, so here are the direct links:
Breakdown http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...view-BREAKDOWN
Dead End http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...D-END-(Legacy)
Drag Strip http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...con-Dragstrip)
Motormaster http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...ommander-class
Wildrider http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...rider-(Legacy)

Stunticons (group shots)

Standard vehicle mode


Assault vehicle modes


Robot mode


Team assault formation


"By our powers combined..."


MENASOR

Neutral stance, unarmed


Action stance, armed


Rear


Overall Thoughts

My initial thoughts on Menasor, based on when I only had Motormaster and Drag Strip, can be seen here:
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showth...870#post652870
Now that I've completed the set, my views haven't really changed, because Legacy Menasor really just exists as Motormaster alone; the four Deluxe Class Stunticons are little more than kibble that attach to the arms and legs. None of them form the actual limbs, they just fill them out. This is very different from G1 and Combiner Wars Menasor, where the limb robots actually become the limbs. In the regard, and purely from a toy POV, it's rather unsatisfying as it's a cheat. It reminds me of the gestalts that Machine Men had with those Power Suits. Okay, not quite that lame, but still... they're not "proper" gestalt limbs. Legacy Menasor also predictably loses the "Free/Scramble Combination" (or "Jizai Gattai" as it would have been called in Diaclone) gimmick from G1 and CW/UW Menasor. Of course, this is all intentional because TL Menasor is based on the G1 cartoon version, which - aside from just one time - never used the Scramble gimmick. The animation model varied between the limb robots actually being the limbs or just being kibble for Motormaster, but the latter is what TL Menasor is based on. And I get it, this is the second CHUG Menasor (or third if you count CW and UW separately). CW/UW already gave us a more toy-accurate CHUG Menasor that had "proper" limb formation and the ability to mix and match limbs (not only with other Stunticons, but any other Scramble City style gestalt; e.g. Combaticons, Protectobots etc.). It does make sense for Hasbro to give us something new if they're going to do Menasor again in CHUG, because otherwise why bother collecting the set again? I know I wouldn't have.

And Hasbro's plan has absolutely worked on me. I collected the Stunticons in CHUG all over again (ended up selling my CW Menasor). And TBH, if Hasbro releases the rest of the TL Stunticons in G2 colours; and especially with new names/personae like Shadowstrip etc., then they can shut up and take my money. Aesthetics aside, there are some objective improvements here:
1. Dedicated hands and feet. Many CW toys suffer from the feet and hands being the one style of accessory that could transform into either hand or foot. Even Hasbro realised that this was less than ideal, as they shifted away from this in later CW/UW figures (e.g. Computicon, Victorion etc.).
2. TL Motormaster is a far more solid torso. CW Motormaster was always a sub par gestalt torso, even by CW standards.

My only real gripe about this toy is the gun battery accessory that is part of Motormaster's trailer. I understand that it's access parts that they couldn't figure out how to incorporate into Menasor, fine. Why not make it also connect to his back as a backpack (e.g. rocket pack)? Sure, it's not G1-accurate, but neither is the cannon tower. Otherwise there are no unacceptable drawbacks to this toy, and I would recommend completing this set. But hey, if you're perfectly happy with your CW/UW Menasor, then you can just keep that too. In hindsight I probably should've just kept CW Menasor and just completed TL Menasor in G2 colours (but G2 Shadowstrip only came out after I'd sold off CW Menasor).

P.S.: re: cartoon likeness

In terms of cartoon-likeness, as mentioned above, the cartoon did have two main character models for Menasor; one with Drag Strip and Dead End (and once Breakdown) forming the actual arms themselves, and the other where Drag Strip and Dead End just attach to Motormaster's arms, but it's really Motormaster's arms that become Menasor's arms. Legacy Menasor has opted with the second version (as it did appear more frequently in the cartoon). The legs were more consistently portrayed as Breakdown and Wildrider simply attaching to Motormaster's legs to become Menasor's legs. There is no other variation to this design in the cartoon IIRC, so TL Menasor's legs are faithful to how they always looked like on screen.

[SharkyMcShark]

You can assemble a version of this figure that doesn't have any loose pieces.

The gun turret base can plug into the port on the centre of Menasor's back. The gun itself can plug into the forearm - you splay the two handles out to line up with the pegs at the rear of Dead End/Dragstrip's vehicle modes.

The connection is solid and it feels like intentional design.

I don't have Breakdown yet, but I can say that I quite like this figure. It is hefty and has a solidity to it that a lot of gestalts simply lack. I am aware that it is in part created by the fact that the car bots are basically armour padding, as opposed to being structurally integral.

The only real downside for me is that the sword is piddly, and I wish that the individual figure's guns could combine into a mega gun.

Otherwise, I liked this one and am all in for the G2 version as well.

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't have Breakdown yet, but I can say that I quite like this figure. It is hefty and has a solidity to it that a lot of gestalts simply lack. I am aware that it is in part created by the fact that the car bots are basically armour padding, as opposed to being structurally integral.

Which is both the best and worst part about TL Menasor, depending on which criterion you're judging it from With G1 and CW, there was a journey to completing the set and finally forming the gestalt. It took me about 9 months to complete CW Menasor (with Brakeneck being the hardest to acquire), and four years for G1, as I didn't collect Dead End and Wildrider until 1990 as Classic reissues. With TL there was no journey to complete Menasor; more of a journey to complete Menasor's kibble. It was still a journey, but it's really not the same journey as waiting months or years to complete a "proper" gestalt (recent/current examples being Studio Series Devastator and Masterpiece Raiden).


Left: Legacy Menasor, Right: Legacy Menasor with oversized Mini-Cons

[KELPIE]

Aahh Gestalt.

Such better word usage over "Combiner".

[SharkyMcShark]

I finally completed this set yesterday and am really happy with it. I'm all in for the G2 version, as that slowly dribbles out over the next few years.

My only two complaints are that the sword is tiny in combined mode, and that the guns of the limb bots don't really do anything. There's enough 5mm ports to plug them all in, but I guess I was expecting some kind of combined mega-gun or something.


I enjoy looking back on the last few years of combiners and seeing HasTak slowly iterating their designs.

To be fair, it's not the fairest comparison as CW and POTP stuff didn't have the benefit of the extra mass from Motormaster's trailer, and needed the limbs to do more than plug on. A big part of why I like this set is that in combined mode it feels very solid, but then that is in part down to every single one of the combined mode joints being set up specifically for that mode. A lot of why I didn't like the CW combiners that much was because a lot of the engineering that had to pull double duty (limb robot mode waists having to be combiner mode elbows, and the actual combiner port joints needed to be shoulders and knees) was a mess.

Those factors aside, this is massively helped by a few things from a design perspective.

1. Big, broad feet with solid ankle tilts. Compared to the first wave of Combiner Wars stuff (tiny feet with no tilts) and the later POTP stuff (still tiny, some ankle tilt), its night and day.
2. The chest and shoulders are set up to stop the arms from bowing inward at the shoulder.
3. I think the idea of having dedicated roles and engineering for each limb helps. I got absolutely nothing out of CW and POTP's "everyone can be either a leg or arm" play pattern, and the hand/foot/guns actively made me like the figures less. The parts having to pull triple duty made them worse. You get a tiny foot the size of a hand that has gun barrels for toes, you get a hand that has gun barrels hanging off the front that can't actually extend fingers, or you get a gun with a thumb. This set benefits from each figure having a set role.

[Deano85]

I completed Legacy Menasor last week. Got Wildrider and Dead Ends Toyhax stickers on order to add some much needed detail.

[jaydisc]

I completed Legacy Menasor last week. Got Wildrider and Dead Ends Toyhax stickers on order to add some much needed detail.

Nice. It's great to see them side-by-side. I no longer think Legacy is the clear winner. I find its legs so dull and disappointing. The Unite Warriors Menasor, with the Perfect Effect kits, might still be the winner for me.

[Tha_Phantom]

Nice. It's great to see them side-by-side. I no longer think Legacy is the clear winner. I find its legs so dull and disappointing. The Unite Warriors Menasor, with the Perfect Effect kits, might still be the winner for me.

FWIW there is a Legacy upgrade kit also. If you compare apples with apples (either both upgraded or both standard) Legacy will always win.

[Deano85]

I'm glad Toyhax has got stickers to fix the plain looking legs on Legacy Menasor

https://toyhax.com/for-legacy/7323-l...wildrider.html