TR Slugslinger & Caliburst ***Proofed Skyquake87***

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ganon578
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TR Slugslinger & Caliburst ***Proofed Skyquake87***

Post by ganon578 »

Name: Slugslinger & Caliburst
Function: Targetmaster
Subgroup: Titans Return
Size Class: Deluxe

Using the power of Titan Masters, the Decepticons rise up to destroy the Autobots! Caliburst gives Slugslinger an ultra-high-speed fireblast. The less time Slugslinger spends taking out targets, the more time he has to brag about it.

Over the last few years, I have been increasingly impressed by the Titans Return line. The play functionality of the figures across size classes has been fantastic, and the line truly is a showcase for relatively obscure characters/figures to shine. Four of the original Decepticon Targetmasters (Triggerhappy, Misfire, Slugslinger, and Scourge) have been updated with modern toy technology, and the results have been quite impressive. Only Cyclonus didn’t make the cut this time, but he was ‘updated’ in the CW line as a Voyager-sized torso (unless you count the Universe Deluxe that came with Nightstick, which was released in 2008).

I never owned the original Slugslinger (or the other Targetmasters for that matter), nor did I know he existed back in my youth. I didn’t even care about the Titans Return Decepticon Targetmasters until Triggerhappy came my way last year. Heck, I didn’t even know I needed a Slugslinger in my collection until I got him as a Christmas present! And now I think I also need Misfire. This guy is really fun! Granted, that may be because he is a heavy retool of the excellent Triggerhappy, but there’s enough fresh stuff going on here to make him feel quite different.

Alternate Mode:

Slugslinger’s alternate mode is best described as a double-cockpit Cybertronian space jet (technically triple in this case, if you consider the Headmaster seat). The double-cockpit is such a funny concept, and totally unnecessary, but absolutely fun and interesting. The concept isn’t something that’s new with this figure, as double cockpits have been around in Sci-Fi for quite some time, perhaps most notably seen in the Cloud City ‘cars’ in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. In a real world sense, this concept has been used in the F-82 Twin Mustang and possibly other aircraft that I am not familiar with. At any rate, Slugslinger’s ship mode looks awesome.

The spaceship is fairly sleek looking from the top, but not so much on the bottom. Given that it’s a Cybertronian spacecraft, I’ll give it a little more leeway for leaving some robot parts underneath. Otherwise, everything is tucked in nicely and well hidden. The two front cockpits are essentially there for show, as Caliburst is tucked away in a separate cockpit squarely in the middle of the ship. The ‘glass’ of the cockpit opens and shuts easily enough, and Caliburst fits rather well in there. The wings of the ship are aptly proportioned, and can hold the weapons underneath nicely. Molded detail is done well, and is mostly new for Slugslinger. The only noticeable carryover parts are the legs/rear fins, which are directly used from Triggerhappy. Aesthetically, the colors are a nice update from his original G1 toy, and tampographs on the wings and top of the jet are crisp and do a nice job of breaking up the cream/blue monotony that could have been.

Robot Mode:

Following the TR staple of fairly simple yet fun transformations, Slugslinger doesn’t disappoint. While not as ‘flippy’ and ‘twisty’ as Triggerhappy’s transformation, the use of the engineering has been handled well. You get the feel that some of the design of the transformation still remains, yet it feels fresh. The robot mode, like the transformation, is the same: familiar to Triggerhappy, but also different (in a good way). The only detraction in my opinion, is that the wings just sort of ‘hang out’ on the lower back. While they don’t really get in the way, I almost wish something different had been done with them.

Aside from the wings, articulation is good (standard if you will), and most of it is not hampered. The legs have nearly the same range as Triggerhappy, but conversely the arms have much better range since there isn’t anything else in that area. Balance is great, and I haven’t found many instances where I couldn’t get him into a dynamic pose.

Slugslinger can wield both weapons just fine, and in true TR fashion, one can hold a Titan Master, or they can both be combined into a single BFG. Obviously he can also accommodate any Titan Master as his head, but other than as a head or in his blue gun, there aren’t any other options for Titan Master interaction with the robot mode.

Caliburst:

Caliburst is mostly a standard Titan Master, though he gets a couple bonus points for being one of the seemingly few with a painted face - and two paints at that!!! The face is done in the white/cream coloration, and he also has a tiny pink/purple visor. It’s honestly surprising to see two colors, considering there are many TM’s out there with no paint. Otherwise, he’s got the standard two color body, nothing special.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation Design: How enjoyable is the transformation? This isn’t breaking any records, but it’s fun and streamlined. Nicely different than his parent figure, Triggerhappy. 7/10.

Durability: Slugslinger is quite robust. The only thing that I’ve had happen is one of the fists came off, and I popped it back on. 8/10.

Fun: Slugslinger is a ton of fun! Quick to transform between modes, a handful of weapon options, and cross-play with other Titan Masters. Add all that to his great range of movement, and you've got yourself a lot of fun in one package. 10/10.

Aesthetics: I think this is a great, yet faithful update to the original. And it looks good too. 8/10.

Articulation: The shoulders have much more range than the aforementioned Triggerhappy, and the legs aren’t hindered that much with the wings in the back. Fairly well balanced too. 9/10.

Value/Price: I think the pre-Power of the Primes retail price of $15 is fair given that Slugslinger is really good. That’s maybe stretching it if you’re looking at a $17-20 price. 8/10.

Overall: Slugslinger is absolutely well above average. The Titans Return line has been (in my opinion) releasing many more good-great figures than the bad ones. Slugslinger surely falls into the former category. I’ve had a lot of fun with him - both modes are very enjoyable, he’s got great articulation, and Titan Master cross-functionality. I honestly think you can’t go wrong with this one. 8/10.
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

Photos attached.
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Slug1.jpg
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

Stop making me want things I can't have. :(

No, wait, that's not accurate.

Stop making me want things that would cost me too much above retail price to get. :(
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

Warcry wrote:Stop making me want things I can't have. :(

No, wait, that's not accurate.

Stop making me want things that would cost me too much above retail price to get. :(
I'm sorry.

No wait, I'm not sorry, I'm an enabler! GO GET HIM!

Just kidding. He's a great figure, but double retail would be really hard to justify. I got lucky that my family found it around Christmas time, apparently the only one on the shelf. And luckily my 5 year old son realized I didn't have that one out of the ~100 I have on my shelf. That's my boy!!!
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

And the last couple...
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

ganon578 wrote:Just kidding. He's a great figure, but double retail would be really hard to justify. I got lucky that my family found it around Christmas time, apparently the only one on the shelf. And luckily my 5 year old son realized I didn't have that one out of the ~100 I have on my shelf. That's my boy!!!
You've raised him right! Does he like Transformers himself, or is he just paying attention to what his daddy likes?

Slugslinger looks really good. But not quite as nice as Triggerhappy or Misfire, which really makes it hard to justify putting a lot of effort into tracking one down. Ironically I think the Takara version is actually cheaper than the domestic one right now, but I really prefer the Hasbro figures' real weapons over Takara's folded-up runts.
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Skyquake87
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Post by Skyquake87 »

...I want one of these!!! It looks lovely :)
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ganon578
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Post by ganon578 »

Warcry wrote:You've raised him right! Does he like Transformers himself, or is he just paying attention to what his daddy likes?
He likes Transformers himself (because of me). He has a bunch of Rescue Bots, and they're appropriate for his handling abilities, though he's starting to lean more towards the more complex figures/characters. Unfortunately, he just doesn't have the ability yet to figure out something like a deluxe. Might need to get him a legends figure or something - I think he would do OK with a PotP Beachcomber-type, or maybe one of those simple Walgreens ones that are 'Voyager' class, or even one of the Transformers 'Authentics'.

We (my son & daughter and myself) watched the 1986 movie the other day, which I figured they would think was boring and old... they actually enjoyed it quite a bit! They're coming along nicely... MWAHAHAHAHA!!!
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

My little boy has really made me appreciate G1 figures again -- he's made off with a couple and can generally transform them pretty well, even at two and a half. Simple stuff like a Battlecharger or a Pretender inner robot, of course, but it really drove home how much easier it was for a little kid to get hooked on the blocky, simple figures we had in the old days. He's also, uh, borrowed a couple modern figures from me, but while he knows they can transform he hasn't even tried yet.
ganon578 wrote:We (my son & daughter and myself) watched the 1986 movie the other day, which I figured they would think was boring and old... they actually enjoyed it quite a bit! They're coming along nicely... MWAHAHAHAHA!!!
:up:

My little guy has shown some appreciation for the old cartoon, but mostly because he knows Bumblebee and likes to run up, point him out on the TV and say "Bumb! Bumb!"
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