Toy Review Archives

[electro girl]

He arrived a few days ago and I'm thoroughly chuffed. With regards to the R.I.D bullet trains I seem to remember them racing through snow?

[Knightdramon]

Thanks for checking it through man!

Did you pick this guy up as well?

No prob man.

Also picked this guy up back in June [along with Henkei Hot Rod], wasn't disappointed at all. It was my first time handling that mould and I loved it, quite poseable and fun to transform, but above all, the colour scheme is miles better than the classics version!

[Knightdramon]

Name: Ultra Magnus
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Supreme Commander

Ultra Magnus has almost always been living in the shadow of his former mould brother, Optimus Prime. Ever since their G1 days, Magnus has been a white repaint of Prime, occasionally with a different trailer. It wasn't until Dreamwave's comics that the white Prime was acknowledged as the basic body, the trailer serving as add-on armour.

RID was the first line to give Magnus a completely new mould – that of a car carrier. That mould was complex and detailed but suffered from somewhat wanky proportions (legs too long attached to a seemingly minuscule torso). After that, we got a crappy Armada Overlord mould (originally called Magnus in Japan) and white Prime repaints reigned supreme ever-after. The Titanium line brought us a standalone Ultra Magnus that fared poorly, in my opinion.

So let's just say there was a lot of hype around the release of this figure. Thankfully, the figure delivers in all aspects. Read on to see why you should own this figure, sooner or later.


Alternate Mode:

Ultra Magnus debuts in the animated line as a military truck of sorts. I believe it's called an assault carrier on the box but I may stand corrected. The front of the truck bears a resemblance to the more recent Universe Octane. Eight wheels are used for rolling the toy around (when transformed smoothly it rolls freely on all eight) for play purposes.

Unlike many animated figures that lack in sculpted details, Ultra Magnus does not disappoint. Bolts are sculpted on various parts, evoking a tough style military presence, along with grilled surfaces. Of special notice is the part the wheels connect to – there are (non-functional) pistons nicely sculpted there.

Traditionally, UM is cast in navy blue for the rear end of the truck and a very, very light tone of baby blue for the cab section. On many promotional shots of the toy, the light blue parts appeared (or photographed) white, but that is not the case. Much like Sentinel Prime, the dark blue is a pearly tone. Silver is used for highlighting some details such as the fuel tanks and baby blue is also prominent on some small parts. Transparent blue\green-ish plastic is used for the hammer on the back and the muzzles of the cannons.

Speaking of which, Ultra Magnus features an attack mode. Flipping the front halves of the cab reveals two missile blasters, and opening up the headlights (the right one of mine was extremely tight, though) presents you with two four-barreled Gatling guns. Lastly, turning the cannons of the back around presents you with a cool gimmick – pushing a lever up and forward reveals cannon muzzles from an extending part. I assume the cannons light up and give off a sound, but I took out the batteries long before giving it a go.

To sum up, Magnus has a nice, fitting and playable vehicle mode. Whilst not as good as Movie Prime, it's still entertaining and locks together very well. The carrier measures a good 23cm (9”) from one end to another.


Robot Mode:

After transforming him back and forth a couple of times, I must say that the designers took the classic form of UM and tailored it pretty nicely for the stylized Animated design standards. He stands a tad shorter than 23cm (9”), making him one of the tallest figures in the line so far, if not the tallest.

All colours are carried through from the vehicle mode with the addition of some red on the chest area (the elite guard symbol and the pads next to it), the waist panels and on his feet. The upper parts of the limbs are cast in black, with navy blue governing the lower parts. Black is also present on his torso, with some light blue for his "abs". His face is also painted light blue, while the helmet is navy blue.

Generally speaking, UM is relatively simple on the detail side in this mode. His actual robot parts have little detailing and rely on paint to stand out. True to that, most of his parts have additional paint tacked on (the stripes on his elbows, his thighs etc). The head sculpt is nicely done, with the top of the helmet leaning on one side. Pressing the elite guard button activates his sound effects and also moves the head, cocking the side of the helmet and opening the mouth, creating a unique ‘WTF’ expression at times.

Articulation is just as I love it; ratcheted and plentiful. There's around 22 points of articulation; five on each limb and two for the head (I also counted his mouth\helmet gimmick). Almost all of them are on ratchet joints, providing balance and stability for his otherwise heavy parts.

The assault mode configuration is also present here, but besides the cannons on the back, all the other fold outs look ridiculous in this mode. The hammer can be held in either hand very securely, but the grip is placed too high – somehow limiting display options on that arm. It should also be noted that besides the halves of the cab on his shoulders, Magnus has NO kibble. The entire wheel assembly folds in on his lower legs (think of it like Movie Leader Brawl's treads, only this time they made it right).

This time Hasbro has nailed it. This comes from one who's not a fan of the Animated styling on toys, but I'm contemplating whether or not to keep the forthcoming FansProject City Commander Trailer (unofficial armour for Classics Ultra Magnus) pre-order when I have this articulated and imposing figure on my shelf. Definitely recommended and by far the best Magnus produced...at least up to now.


Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation: 10 – It's neat how all the parts fit in and lock in vehicle mode – the whole thing is steady in both modes because of multiple "locking" points.
Durability: 10 – Take the batteries out and you're set. Just my take, but the inner blasters of the missiles for the front of the cab might snap if you fiddle with them too much.
Fun: 10 – With that much thought put in to the transformation and a highly poseable robot mode, I can't give it anything less.
Price: 9 – At around 40 USD retail, you might want to wait until his Roadbuster repaint is released to see if prices drop. I got mine for 47 USD before shipping and am still happy with it.
Overall: 10 – Highly recommended to casual collectors and fans alike; this is a much anticipated figure that lives up to all the hype generated around it.

[Blackjack]

Blackjack's review of Cryotek... Err, Cryo Scourge, mark 2, completely rewriten after realizing who Cryo is based on.
_____________

Name: Cryo Scourge
Allegiance: Decepticon, the Jungle Planet
Function: Warrior
Subgroup: Jungle Planet
Alternate mode: Dragon

To provide more toys at the end of the Cybertron line (to plug in the gap between Cybertron and the Movie), Hasbro repainted nearly all of the first and second wave of the Cybertron line, releasing them with MiniCon repaints from Armada, as well as the Alternators and Classic lines. As you might have well guessed, repaints are less attractive compared to the new Classics and Alternators mold. Therefore, Cryo Scourge, a repaint of Scourge which they didn't bother to give a new name to, stuck shelf warning at my local Walmart alongside Metroplex, Crumplezone and Nemesis Breaker. I was not interested in TFs at this time.

Then came the movie. Suitably impressed, I went and picked up my first Transformer--Power Up. Later I got Speed Dial and Starscream. In the few months that follow, I collected almost the entire Deluxe toys and the comics. Not bothered by the Titan reprints (hey, that was 24 years ago.) I fell in love with the Transformers. After watching the Cybertron VCDs, I was curious and bought Crumplezone (yup. The original release) and Cryo Scourge.

An example of bad merchandising, Cryo's bio contradicts the TV show. In the TV show he later became a good guy. Horrors. In this bio, it says he is mutated by space cold and turned into this new form. Of course, this mutation could happen after the TV series ended. Honestly, I can never stand bad guys who turn good in films. (Good guys who turn evil though... That's another matter. I like Darth Vader. And Nova Prime.)

Anyway, enough about me. Scourge's history then. Scourge has appeared in Generation 1 as the recreated form of Thundercracker, a herald of Unicron. He leads an army of Sweeps, generic soldiers identical to him. Scourge is famous for his large bat-like wings, claws, and... beard. Okay, moving on... The G1 Scourge would get a second Targetmaster toy, with Fracas. The next Scourge, from BW, is a toy-only Transmetal 2 locust. Well, he appeared in IDW's Beast Wars books actually. Next up, CR's Black Convoy is dubbed Scourge in English. Therefore, that was the first Scourge to be an evil Prime. The next Scourge, this one, is also a twisted leader, the evil (but honorable) king of the Jungle Planet. Later, due to the nagging of his human 'little sister', Scourge became good. Disgusting. There are also rumours of a Classics 2.0 Scourge, but not sure if this is confirmed. Probably true, as we have Galvatron and Cyclonus, hmmm?

ALTERNATE MODE
Scourge transforms into a mechanical ice dragon. By the looks of it, he's some sort of Transmetal 2. Maybe... I never saw a Transmetal 2 toy in the flesh, only pictures and photographs. Regardless, when I saw RiD Cryotek's art, it hit me that Cryo Scourge is done in honor of him. Personally I would have preferred a Hun-Grrr reference, but I'll take what I can get.

Scourge has a spiked head, and the head is quite well sculpted. Actually, his body is very detailed, with numerous sculpted detailing, resembling what pictures I have seen of Transmetal twos. However, it does make the beast mode looks to busy and mechanical.

Scourge's frontal shoulder spikes are beautifully molded, with spikes and detailed mechanics. This completely makes up for the lack of wings. No wings, unlike a certain dragon, Yessssss......

Scourge's claws (transmetal claws according to Hasbro's website) are now moulded in translucent blue plastic, symbolizing the icy death he is bringing to the Autobots. The limbs are very poseable, especially the dorsal ones, they have ankle joints, yea!

The tail is the huge disappointment. Unlike the huge whip like tail we see in the animated show, Scourge's tail is a stiff brick, with only a single joint in the middle to move it. Actually Scourge looks better displayed WITHOUT the tail. The point where the tail connects with the arse is also moulded in icy blue.

Little kibble is seen, other than the back of the robot mode head on the neck. There is a button on the back, press it to create some freaky dragon sounds. Well, maybe not too realistic, but it lights up the dragon head with red lights. This should be blue, as Scourge is now a creature of ice, not fire. But then...

Insert the jungle Cyber Key included and the Generation 1 transformation sound effect kicks in and you get the...

'HYDRA' MODE
Yes, the box labels Scourge as a triple changer. Don't make me kill you, Scourge. Actually, the Cyber Key causes two smaller dragon heads to pop out from the shoulders, and looks cool, really. The heads are also accessible in robot mode, hanging from the shoulder.

That's all folks. After a Transformation that ends up suspiciously alike with G1 Wierdwolf and Animated Snarl, you get the robot mode.

ROBOT MODE
Badass! Robot mode actually manages to look very nice. Well, due to the poseability anyway, especially on the lower part of the body. Poseability is the name o' the game with Scourge.

The elbows, frankly, suck. They don't bend all the way, not too poseable, but then at least they can move. Scourge's shoulders are impressively done, with the sculpted designs working good in both modes. Colouring is also very impressive, with white and light blue and aquamarine blending excellently. Just watch out for white paint wear on the tips of the shoulder spikes.

Scourge's legs has an ankle joint, enabling him to pose very excellently, (is that a word?) and the clear icy plastic on the beast claws adds to the icy frosty feeling it delivers. Ice ice baby...

Scourge's axe weapon is too long, and the tip, that folds out, breaks easily. Mine does. Oh, and the tiny piece that sticks in Scourge's fist falls off from the axe easily, meaning Scourge can't pose too well with the axe. Therefore, the axe has been delegated into my accessories box, where few ever come out... Stuff there include Salvage's truck bed, Movie Starscream's missiles, more than half a dozen Cyber Keys, Animated Prowl's traffic light, Legends Jazz...

Head sculpt actually resembles G1 Blaster from the back, but from the front it looks like the Animated thing. And the yellow eyes are quite cool. And, to emphasize again, the ankle joint is rather unusual for a Transformer, especially since some legs are bricks anyway. Need an example? Payload. The Strongarm mold. Armorhide. Sky Shadow...

Anyways, that's the robot mode in general. Love him, but not the axe. Burn and melt the ice axe. He has two cannons... Er... hydra heads... Why does he need the axe? Please Hasbro... Make a Hungrrr redeco of the LOC mold...

DURABILITY 6/10 the axe is easily broken, but who cases?
PRICE 4/10 Not what I expected from an Ultra class, but alas, I can't stand shelf warmers. It's a weakness.
FUN 9/10 good poseability=hours of fun.
TRANSFORMATION 1/10 easy for such a big toy.
OVERALL 6/10 a great toy, but not warranting a second purchase he you have the original Scourge.

[Blackjack]

I can't take pictures as mine is not in good condition anymore...
________________

Name: T-Wrecks
Alligeance: Dinobots
Alt mode: T-Rex
Series: Beast Machines Dinobots Ultra
Redeco of: Beast Wars Megatron

I get sentimental with Dinobots. Before I get to the review on T-Wrecks (I know the name is stupid) let me tell you how I got upon him. I was a big fan of dinosaurs when I was a little boy. My parents bought of all sorts of Dino-merchandise, and at that time, around 2001(?) the Beast Machines sub line, the Dinobots was launched to appeal. I happened on my first transformers without even knowing it! As I reflect back now, I know for sure I played with Airraptor, Dinotron and T-Wrecks. Now T-Wrecks (the pun is not lost on us) is a red and blue redeco of the Ultra sized Beast Wars Megatron. Right, since typing 'Tee-Wrecks' is annoying, I'll call him 'Wrecks' in this review.

Wrecks (at least most of him... I lost a piece of side, the beast hands and the robot mode head) is the only Transformer I had left before I began collecting seriously. The others, including an RiD Megatron, has been gone and gone. Ah Wrecks.

Wrecks is standing in my room's display case, beside some relics of my childhood, the Zoids line of mechas. I remember creating my first Zoid during my eighth or seventh birthday. It was a T-Rex, and that one ('Grimlock') is now in my room too, beside 'Sludge', 'Snarl', 'Swoop', 'Shrapnel', 'Barrage' and 'Depth Charge' among others. But I collect TFs now. Much more interesting.

Anyways, you came here to read a review on a toy, not to read about my collecting hobbies, so on to the review.

ALTERNATE MODE

Wrecks transforms into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the 'king of Dinosaurs'. Frankly, in an unbiased manner, this mode sucks with a big 'S'. It can't even stand properly. But at least it got a new paintjob...

The main colour is red with neon blue to appeal to children I guess. But I remember wishing for a more realistic shade of red without blue, kinda along the lines of Jurassic Park. The head is kinda too big for the body too, and the mouth can't even move! What good is a T-Rex without a moving head? Wrecks has two tiny hands that are useless, as in the real beast. So useless that I've lost them...

Wrecks is rather large compared to Dinotron (Hardhead redeco) and Airraptor (Archadis redeco), but falling in the same price range as Magmatron I expect much more from him now. He's larger than Classics Grimlock, if that matters. Fact: Beast Wars Megatron was the first mold that used the sleeker, horizontally and correctly inclined Tyrannosaur, instead of G1 Grimlock's vertical way of standing. Other Transformers with T-Rex alt modes included G1 Grimlock, RiD Megatron (but he had one of every mode...), BW Megatron, Energon Grimlock, Classics Grimlock, Animated Grimlock... Um... Who else?

Poseability is almost nonexistent, other than the legs and the hands. The legs are nice though, with proto-ankle joints. Being a transition mold at early Beast Wars, this is understandable, but still...

ROBOT MODE

After a complicated transformation (more fiddly) and we get to the robot mode. Look ma, no hands! Yes, one of Wreck's hands is a seriously oversized dinosaur head, the other is a 'tail turned nutcracker' in Sir Auros' words. On the top of it, the hands don't even work, too large to be of any use. Impossible to pose anyway.

Why wouldn't Hasbro repaint the much better TM Megatron mold I don't get.

Wrecks basically is Megatron done in red for the purple parts and black for the others. Like Beast Wars Megatron, this guy is a rather pathetic excuse of a Tyrannosaur transformer. Black obscures details.

The head was unchanged much, or so I was told. Lost the head a long time ago. But BW Megs had a nice sculpt. I was also told it has a 'Mutant' head, but that's gone too.

To be nice to a toy that accompanied me while young, this guy is quite fun to play and fiddle with. But does that put him in par with Grimlock? Nay. At least Wrecks has a more realistic paintjob than Megatron.

Overall, an old repaint of an older toy in more realistic colours. I'll play nice.

...

Still, this guy is what got me into liking Beast Wars. I was like 'what the **** I owned a Beast Wars toy' when I flipped through the Ultimate Guide. Ah, mem'ries... Gotta get me more beast toys. Waspinator, I'm coming!

Marks out of ten for the following:

Durability 4/10 Seeing I lost half the parts... But then, I was very forceful as a kid with my toys.
Transformation 9/10 For an Ultra he's very hard. Come to think of it, being hard in transformation is the reason I broke it anyway.
Price X/10 I. Have. No. Idea.
Fun 3/10 Not too poseable, and in robot mode he's prone to fall down. But I keep him anyway. Call me sentimental.
Overall 7/10 Well, beast mode ain't realistic, robot mode sucks, name freaky and is a repaint of a lesser Megatron mold. But I like him. He's nothing compared to Airraptor, but he's a first transformer for me, and that's enough for me. Call me sentimental. At least he's not an Action Master.

[Treadshot A1]

1. Action Masters RAWK.

2. U left out Dinobot in ur list of t rex (he is a rex, rite?)

3. You are senti-MENTAL! He should not get a 7! Bias!

[Treadshot A1]

1. Sky Shadow is Not a Brick. Unless You're talking the Jetfire Repaint.

2. Hun-grrr is Confirmed.

3. You should have gotten Metroplex.

4. My location (and all affiliates) is trademarked. Anything similar enough is also illegal, under the 198th page of the A1 constitution, chapter 3, paragraph C, sentence 2. Thank you.

5. Your rank. You realise there's only 12 mont... Oh, i get it.

[Detective Barricade]

No, Dinobot is a Velociraptor. (though now proven to have had feathers)

[Blackjack]

Name: Bulkhead
Allegiance: Autobot
Alt mode: SWAT Truck
Function: Demolitions
Version: Animated Voyager

"I kinda broke this. And that. And that pile of things over there. Sorry."--Bulkhead's motto

Ah, the dawn of a new Animated series. With a new Stylized 'sleek cartoon' look, Transformers is not the first animated series to have a reboot like this. +points at Batman+ This new Transformers series focuses on capturing a new audience as well as reliving some old toys and characters for die-hard fans. And they have excellent toys. Everyone wins.

Bulkhead is the only core Autobot, nay, the only Autobot whose name and appearance is not from G1 whatsoever. We get Bumblebee, Prowl, Prime, Ratchet, Magnus, Blurr and all that, and Bulkhead remains the odd one out. Yet he appears in more episodes than Jazz and Ironhide combined. That's fairness for you.

Bulkhead is a gentle giant and a very very clumsy one at that. Of the few Animated episodes I read online (and on those Cinemanga stuff) Bulkhead is close to Bumblebee, and is a contrast to the sneaky ninja Prowl. (Seriously, Prowl as a ninja? I half expected Mirage to fill the position.) Bulkhead is one of the main five Autobots, however, and he's here to stay. Actually, a character that looked like Bulkhead appeared in several episodes in Season 3 and the Movie. No, seriously, I'm just kidding.

The name Bulkhead has been used once as a character based on Springer in Energon. So this Bulkhead is the main torchbearer for his name. In his short career, he has been lobotomized, had his head stolen by a purple guy, fell from a cliff, trashed entire parking lots, trashed entire blocks, was kidnapped by Decepticons, was beaten up by Decepticons, was constantly abused by Bumblebee, tried to be a ninja, fought with a musical toy, (musical toy superior, Bulkhead inferior), and had his arse burnt by Dinobots. Yet, he is still able to keep the smiley face on. How amazing.

ALTERNATE MODE

I never planned on getting Bulkhead. I was more interested in the likes of Prowl, Blackarachnia or Blitzwing. But then, two versions of Bulkhead caught my eye--the kickass Leader class version with lotsa weapons, and this modest Voyager. Since money is the issue here, I bought the Voyager.

The one feature that attracted me originally was the alternate mode. A heavy duty SWAT Troop Transport or some such. Anyway, it is big and bulky, and embodies what Bulkhead really is. C'mon, if you see a giant SWAT truck like this charging like a bull towards you, won't you run away?

That said, Bulkhead's alternate mode of choice hides his peripherals excellently... Except at the top, where you can see his two bulky arms, which is essentially the back. But whatever.

Detailing is rather limited to blend in in the 'stylized' look, but enough to guarantee my like towards it. Sure, it's on alternator or Movie material, but this is Animated people!

Bulkhead rolls well on his six wheels, and the colour of choice is a militaristic dark green, slightly darker than the one used for the show, with black and white for secondary colours, red for the headlights and gold in the front grills. There is a large star on each side of Bulkhead's alternate mode.

You should probably keep Bulkhead in this mode and don't transform him. What's that? He's a transformer? Well, don't say I didn't warn ya...

ROBOT MODE

And we get the bulky rolly-polly guy. Hi squat! In this mode, Bulkhead is no taller than Lug Nut or even Ratchet. He's bulky and very fat, with stubby legs and large arms.

His design ain't original, no. His head is a stylized ripoff from Cybertron Crumplezone, and the green coloring, big arms and stubby legs are probably from him too. The difference? Crumplezone has two bad ass cannons on his shoulders, and his arms and legs are not too... Exaggerated.

Bulkhead the Voyager suffers from what I call the 'Bulk Out syndrome', read my Lug Nut review to know all about it. Sufficient to say, he's sorely out of scale with the other Animated toys. His wide and thick back doesn't help either.

Bulkhead's head is sculpted in such a way that the green jaw thing hides the mouth, and he's cocking his head to the side, with one eye narrowed, like he's saying "Y'wanna mess with me? You DO?" It's quite an improvement to Crumplezone's static face.

Bulkhead has two arms that are ginormous for his size, and they end up in pincers (think Omega Supreme) enclosing a black ball in the middle. Now here's his main gimmick. With the pull of a lever in his left hand, the ball shoots out, attached to a white string, to represent the Wrecker Ball he so loves to use in the series.

Here's the error you see throughout the series: in the animated series, Bulkhead's feet are caterpillar treads, yet there's no such feature in his alternate mode. There is though, in his tank-like Cybertronian mode. So that should be slanted wheels under his foot, like the toy. I am particularly fond of his legs, with an unique transformation.

He has an Automorph feature when transforming his head. It automatically slides into place when you slide the chest into place. The hands and shoulders also move into place with the aid of springs too though.

He looks like a gorilla. An over-sized gorilla. Or Hulk. (Hulkhead) Or King Kong. With the proper head sculpt and paint job this guy could pass as Cybertron mode Optimus Primal.

What else now... Ah yes. Bulkhead is the very reason we get the Dinobots. He and Prowl did it. Watch the episode.

Overall, a solid alternate mode, a solid gimmick, but a weak robot mode. Recommended to those who are too cheap to buy the Leader Class.

Marks out of ten for the following:

DURABILITY 9/10 Bulkhead is very durable. Watch out for the panels with headlights, those are the ones that can actually pop off.
TRANSFORMATION 2/10 Easy, nothing that will kill you.
PRICE 3/10 I feel cheated getting such a short Voyager without a verifiable reason. Lugnut and Blackout had the excuse of having a weapon from half the alternate mode, yet they're still taller than Bulkhead.
FUN 9/10 Fun? With those big arms? All you need is Lugnut as a sparing partner. Hell yeah.
OVERALL 7/10 Recommended, but the Leader Class looks much better in my opinion. After all, these are supposed to be for an intergalactic alien war. And for making a royal mess in the house. And filling the odd shelf.

[Blackjack]

1. Action Masters RAWK.

1. Really?

2. U left out Dinobot in ur list of t rex (he is a rex, rite?)

2. No, Dinobot is a raptor. The ones I left out are Overkill and Trypticon.

3. You are senti-MENTAL! He should not get a 7! Bias!

3. correct, he should get an 8.

[Blackjack]

1. Sky Shadow is Not a Brick. Unless You're talking the Jetfire Repaint.

1. Of course I am talking of the Cybertron version, not your Aerialbot 'brother'.

2. Hun-grrr is Confirmed.

2. YAY!

3. You should have gotten Metroplex.

3. I did, and I wrote a review of him.

4. My location (and all affiliates) is trademarked. Anything similar enough is also illegal, under the 198th page of the A1 constitution, chapter 3, paragraph C, sentence 2. Thank you.

4. Which part of my review is similar? *Nonchalant look*

5. Your rank. You realise there's only 12 mont... Oh, i get it.

5. You noticed! :):):):)

[Treadshot A1]

1. Of course I am talking of the Cybertron version, not your Aerialbot 'brother'.

4. Which part of my review is similar? *Nonchalant look*

1. I am not a transformer.

4. You should know. You changed it. Apparently now you're 'in the shadows'.

[Treadshot A1]

1. Really?



2. No, Dinobot is a raptor. The ones I left out are Overkill and Trypticon.



3. correct, he should get an 8.

1. YES! 'Specially Treadshot.

2. Looks close enough to me. Hmm, didn't know u were old enough to know about G1...

3. Ladies and gentleman, it has been confirmed! BIAS!

[Treadshot A1]

1. Wrong quote. Should have been ' I think i'm gonna blow a gasket'. Much funnier.

2. These are not for war. These are for making a mess in the house. And filling the odd shelf.

3. Ninjas don't have 'electro disrupters'.

[The Reverend]

Name: Runamuck
Generation: One
Faction: Decepticon
Function: Shock Trooper
Sub-Group: Battle Charger

"The road is my playpen, cars are my toys."
Cackling like a mechanical wildman, this Battlecharger is a twirling, tumbling two-lane terror. Spreading fear is his favorite pastime. Admires junkyards like humans admire art museums. Maximum speed: 180 mph. Range: 600 miles. Uses friction rifle that increases kinetic energy of its target's molecules for 5 minutes. Even the slightest movement results in tremendous friction, causing flames and melting. Afraid of heights.


Runamuck (and his near-twin, Runabout) debuted in 1986 as low-price-point Decepticon offerings, similar to the Autobot Jumpstarters. They had relatively low profiles in the US cartoon, but had some gleeful moments of vandalism in the Marvel comic (it was they who spray painted "Humans Are Wimps" on the Statue of Liberty, as shown on the cover of issue #23). They are extremely similar in appearance with the obvious exception of their colors, although they are not strictly different-colored versions of the exact same mold.

Alternate Mode: Runamuck is a Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, relatively typical of the era (the 80s, not 2006), and does a pretty good job looking the part aside from the painfully obvious joint right across his hood. He's rendered in clean white with black windows, black rubber tires and gold-foil strips at the underside of the front and sides of the car mode, and bears a large Decepticon symbol on his hood. The car itself is a relatively good size - roughly the size of G1 Prowl/Bluestreak/Smokescreen. There's a rub sign on its roof. Detailing in the plastic itself is mainly limited to the hood., with a slight bit of concave beveling in the middle, the hidden headlights of the model, and part of the front bumper picked out. The rear has only the the bumper shape molded in, no taillights. (I infer Runamuck sees no reason for brake lights.)

Robot Mode: Runamuck is a Battlecharger, so transformation is achieved by pulling the car back along a surface for some distance and letting it move forward until it suddenly uprights into robot mode (mostly). This is achieved by a spring-loaded mechanism near the rear wheels that forces the car's chassis into the upright position when spring tension is released by the pullback motor. It would be much easier to show than describe, so I won't get into the uber-specifics here. Runamuck's robot mode, having so few moving parts in transformation, is essentially the car mode standing nose-down (the hood forms the feet) with the top of the car now making his chest, the side panels becoming his arms and the rear of the car folding back to reveal his head. The head is surrounded by an orange plastic piece that fits in nicely with all the white, and his helmeted, masked face has a grey visor. The rear end of the car's wheelbase hangs down from his back (it's part of the transformation trick), so he does stand well with it propping him up, although it does make him appear to be leaning back a little. In most aspects, you can think of him as a taller Throttlebot - he's slightly more complex due to the automatic transformation, but his design is still very similar. Unlike the Throttlebots, though, Runamuck comes with a "friction rifle". He can't hold it in his hands, but each shoulder has a notch at the top into which the rifle can be fitted, so at least it points forward. (Okay, it's disappointing, but is it any worse than Flywheels' "toe blaster"??) His pullback motor does not work in robot mode.

Transformation: 1. You don't actually handle the transformation, the spring and pullback motor do it for you.
Durability: 9. Actually not so bad. His arms get loose, but that's not a big deal.
Fun: 5 - I'll say that much because some people like pullback motors more than others. The gimmick is cute, the toy is, well, excellent cannon fodder. But his vehicle mode looks really good, and having another maniacal Decepticon up to dirty deeds is well, always fun.
Price: 7 - You can find Runamuck for cheap. Mine was $6 US at a comic shop, rifle included.
Overall: 4 - Certainly not the greatest TF, gimmick or no. But if you're really attached to car-mode TFs this is a nice (and cheap) addition to get.

[numbat]

Proofed.



Great review, as always!

I'm not a fan of the stylized Animated designs myself, but Magnus is eyecatching. He's obviously won you over!

He seems an impressive figure.

If I had more room, I may even end up buying him - but he does sound rather big, and space is at a premium.

[Blackjack]

1. I am not a transformer.

4. You should know. You changed it. Apparently now you're 'in the shadows'.

1. Fine. I was not referring to Sky Shadow A3. Happy now? :D

4. Seriously.

[Blackjack]

1. YES! 'Specially Treadshot.

2. Looks close enough to me. Hmm, didn't know u were old enough to know about G1...

3. Ladies and gentleman, it has been confirmed! BIAS!

1. Hm.... You have a point there. To avoid offending you I'll change that bit to 'Cyber Slammer'. Better?:D:D

2. Internet: the elusive secret to time travel.

3. YES!

[Blackjack]

pictures:
1. Alternate mode
2. Robot mode
3. 'Attack' mode

[Treadshot A1]

1. Wrong quote. Should have been ' I think i'm gonna blow a gasket'. Much funnier.

2. These are not for war. These are for making a mess in the house. And filling the odd shelf.

3. Ninjas don't have 'electro disrupters'.

1. Added.

2. Added.

3. No attention paid whatsoever.