View Poll Results: GEN Minicon Team - Worth buying?

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  • Yes

    12 63.16%
  • Only if cheap

    5 26.32%
  • Only if (other)

    0 0%
  • No

    1 5.26%
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    1 5.26%
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Thread: Toy Review - Generations Mini-Con Assault Team

  1. #1
    Join Date
    27th Dec 2007
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    Default Toy Review - Generations Mini-Con Assault Team

    Mini-Con Assault Team
    Series - Generations
    Sub-line - N/A
    Size/class - Deluxe
    New/remould/redeco - New
    Wave - 8
    Released here - should be March 2014
    Approximate Retail Price - about $25~30
    Approximate Size - 13cm (Centuritron)
    Allegiance - Mini-Con
    Alt-modes - fighter jet (Runway), assault helicopter (Windshear), tank (Heavytread).
    Main Features/Gimmicks - Mini-Cons combine to form Centuritron gestalt robot. Individual weapons combine to form gestalt weapon.
    Main Colours - black and green with yellow accents
    Main Accessories - dual cannon (Runway), minigun (Windshear), long barrelled cannon (Heavytread). Comic book (reprint of MTMTE #24 (Dark Cybertron Part IV))

    Stock image

    Windshear
    Alt mode
    First of all, glad to see that Hasbro has finally worked out the correct contextual spelling of 'windshear'! It's only taken them 12 years... The helicopter mode looks nice enough, but the robot legs are quite plainly visible and there isn't much done to incorporate them into the alt mode other than just tucking them up like an Olympic diver. This is also due to the robot mode being more stylised than the typical Armadaverse Minicon - a lot more sleek and humanoid looking. And of course the toy needs to be able to combine, so all things considered it's not an unacceptably bad weakness for this toy IMHO. What I find more irritating are the two fins on the back of the arms. They don't really do anything useful for the alt mode, but they do get in the way of the primary rotor blades, inhibiting it from being able to spin freely (which is surely the main gimmick of any helicopter alt mode Transformer). And as these little wings don't really even really add anything meaningful to the alt mode, I just don't see the point of them. The tail has "7H3 7A" written on it, and a Mini-Con insignia located just in front of the main rotors.
    Robot mode
    As mentioned before, a rather stylised robot mode that's designed to look more rounded than would otherwise be permitted with a conventional helicopter mode. A rather slender build with feet that remind me of TF Prime Starscream's, I think Windshear has an arguably feminine looking robot mode. So unless canonically stated otherwise, I'm regarding Windshear as female. The shoulders and hips are on ball-socket joints and the knees are on single swivel joints, so a total of 6 points of articulation all up. The thin legs makes it impossible for the toy to stand itself up on its own feet, but the helicopter tail sits behind the robot to help support it (kinda like a kangaroo's tail).
    Gestalt
    Windshear forms the head component of Centuritron.

    Runway
    Alt mode
    A jet that kinda resembles a highly stylised cross between a Dassault Rafale and F22 Raptor with massively oversized turbines at the back. Otherwise it's much like Generations Thunderwing in that it looks fairly good from above, but you can see the robot arms tucked along the sides and unlike Thunderwing there's nothing to conceal the head (but to be fair, it's a Mini-Con, not a Deluxe). This toy has "VPS1LN" printed along the port side of the cockpit and a Mini-Con insignia printed on the port wing.
    Robot mode
    The way that the legs and arms transform remind me of Thunderwing. It's a very big and imposing Mini-Con. One thing that the instructions don't mention are two panels which cover the back of the legs. Aside from concealing Centuritron's fists, it also assists with heel support. The shoulders and hips are on ball-socket joints and the knees are on single swivel joints, so a total of 6 points of articulation all up.
    Gestalt
    Runway forms the torso component (including the arms) of Centuritron.

    Heavytread
    Alt mode
    The turret vaguely resembles an Abrams, but the body is stylised with anti-mine sweeping prows attached on the front. Visually this is the most solid-looking alt mode of the Mini-Cons, revealing very little of the robot. However it lacks tabs to lock the side panels and legs into place, so 'physically' it's not actually as solid as the others. There's a Mini-Con insignia located on the left side of the turret above the rear left treads is "TVCB1D6."
    Robot mode
    A suitably bulky looking robot (as one would expect from a tankformer). The "monocled" right eye is also an interesting touch. This toy has four points of meaningful articulation.
    Gestalt
    Heavytread forms the leg component (including the waist) of Centuritron.

    CENTURITRON
    I think Hasbro might've intended to take the word "Centurion" and throw "tron" in there, but it ends up sounding like "Century Tron." So now I'm imagining cheesy lines like:
    "A strike team will land on the Centuritron and deactivate the shield generator."
    A big and impressive looking Mini-Con gestalt robot who looks like he could rip off Armadaverse Perceptor's head and deposit waste Energon down his neck. The middle of the body is a bit hollow, but forgiveable given the nature of the toy and rather clever engineering with how Runway transforms into the torso component. The shoulder locking could've been better designed, but it's better executed than say MP Lambor's shoulders. The way that each individual robots' weapon can combine into Sanctuary Moon's weapon is a neat touch.

    Powerlinx!
    Each Mini-Con and their weapon has 'dead' Mini-Con ports and posts. So they should be compatible with Armadaverse toys and be able to activate Armada Transformers' Powerlinx gimmicks! I'm always appreciative of these kinds of reverse compatibilities. So they're not just Mini-Cons in name, but they do actually function as proper Mini-Cons!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    30th Dec 2007
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    Default

    It annoys me when they take a word and just atr "tron" on the end of it. Just seems lazy to me.

    It worked well enough for Megatron (and therefore Galvatron), but now we have Thundertron and Centuritron (which just sound really awful to say...). Boring, they should have come up with something else.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    27th Dec 2007
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    Default

    Not to mention:
    Magmatron
    Gigatron
    Tigatron
    Tigertron
    Dinotron
    Terranotron
    Banzai-Tron
    Banzaitron
    Mototron
    Reptron
    ...just off the top of my head, so there's probably moretron.

    P.S.: Cybertron, Destron, Sabretron, Insectron, Cassettron, Jettron, Stuntron, Combatron, Buildron, Gobotron
    Last edited by GoktimusPrime; 29th December 2013 at 08:59 PM.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    12th Jun 2011
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    Got him on preorder at BBTS with the rest of the wave. Not the strongest figure but they are new Minicons and we haven't had any of them for a while now.

  5. #5
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    7th Feb 2013
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    Preordered mine from BBTS also as soon as they were available. I did consider ordering a second set to open, but i think i'll just stick with the one for now.

    Speaking of -tron
    Dragotron
    Gravitron
    Mechatron
    Preditron
    Tyrannitron
    Anima/Blend/Terror -tron

  6. #6
    Join Date
    31st Dec 2007
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    Western Sydney
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    3 strong minicon sized figures that combine into a decent gestalt as long as you ignore the chest cavity.

    Good colour scheme and the head looks like it was taken directly from the comic.

    If this was released in stores some people may have gotten the comic including to read before it was actually released!

    Not a bad figure, but the individual components are stronger than the combined mode.
    Looking For: Wreckers Saga TPB Collection (with Requiem)

  7. #7
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    27th Jan 2008
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    Quote Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime View Post
    there's probably moretron.
    Preditron, Alligatron, Animatron, Tamayatron, Dragotron, Tahtibtron, Mechatron, Cobratron, Transfixatron, Chromatron, Taurotron, Jointron, Deltron, Saybertron, Insectron, Falcatron, Thundertron, Omnitron, Cosmitron, Albitron, Blendtron, Natron, Dancitron, Velocitron, Toxitron, Altron, Omnitron, Yoketron, Fisitron and Computron?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    1st Feb 2008
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    I really like this deluxe figure.

    Given that Hasbro seems to be shafting us of late and giving us smaller, more hollow deluxes with simpler transformations this really is good value for money.
    3 minicons with decent transformations who combine very solidly into a highly poseable deluxe sized gestalt!

    The articulation is great and I really like Runway in particular. His transformation is cool and he has a decent robot and alt mode as well as providing a solid looking chest to Centuritron.

    I also like how the individual weapons are well integrated into the individual alt mode and then combine nicely into the large weapon for Centuritron.

    My favourite figure from the current wave!
    "I am Supreme" [Magneto]

  9. #9
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    The cockpit keeps falling off my Windshear...

  10. #10
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    Just got my TT version in the mail. This is definitely up for the worst transformer toy of the year award.

    PROS
    • I actually like this 'maxi' size of minicon
    • I like how the weapons 'integrate into the alt modes
    • Ball joints are tight and beautiful metallic green plastic


    CONS
    • It seems minicon design has not evolved at all in the last decade, despite the larger size they really haven't capitalised on the possiblities. I've seen legends/cyberverse/legion class toys that are more interesting to transform. Overall, both bot and alt modes are underwhelming.
    • The combination is awkward and the articulation in combined mode is limited. The combined figure looks awkward.
    • Wind Sheers rubberised bits are warped.
    • The combined weapon looks stupid
    • Paint apps are only so-so and the lack of paint detail on their faces is just dissapointing

    I swear TT just lose their wits whenever they have to design a combining figure. It's like they throw their standards out the window and the end result matters little so long as everything plugs into each other.

    If you want to save some money this year, this is the figure you skip.

    Quote Originally Posted by snaketales View Post
    The cockpit keeps falling off my Windshear...
    Ditto

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