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Transformer Kamen
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Cybertron Shortround [Proofed]

Post by Transformer Kamen »

Name: Shortround
Fuction: Transport
Subgroup: Cybertron Basic Vehicles

Some might call Shortround obsessed because of the way he follows Thunderblast around, but most Decepticons just call him annoying. Still, he serves his purpose running supplies at speeds up to 250mph over land and sea, and whenever the Autobots show up he freaks out - filling the air with enough super heated plasma to allow other Decepticons to escape in the confusion. He may be a nerd, but at least he's a destructive nerd.

Strength: 6 Intelligence: 5 Speed: 7 Endurance: 6 Rank: 4 Courage: 5 Firepower: 6 Skill: 5


Alternate Mode:

Wow. That’s the best way to describe Shortround’s hovercraft mode. The level of detailing that went into this guy puts most larger figures to shame. Granted, it could merely be because all the details are crammed together, or a trick of his also fantastic paint job. I am not willing to let either of those possibilities detract from what is a very good mode, though. Aside from the detailing and colour palette, Shortround rolls extremely well on the three wheels underneath his skirt; in fact, he rolls much better than many figures who are supposed to have wheels! Insert a Cyber Key into the port at the rear of the vehicle and his engines will flip forward to reveal missile launchers. It’s an unobtrusive ability, and the catches are actually weak enough that you can forgo the Key . I haven’t used the Key since I first got him, and there have been no ill effects, though I can’t guarantee that they will hold up after extensive or continuous play. The only thing that detracts from this mode’s strength is that his robot head is plainly visible on the top of the hovercraft, though it can be somewhat hidden by plugging his weapon into the tab just in from of the head. However, doing so kinda ruins this paint scheme as there is suddenly a block of teal.

Even so, Shortround has one of the best vehicle modes I’ve seen for a small figure.

Robot Mode:

Wow. That’s the best way to describe Shortround’s robot mode. Although I normally like strangely proportioned robot modes, Shortround showcases how that route can be a very bad idea. His detailing is still pretty good–I particularly like the scuba-mask sculpt for his face–and his colours still distribute nicely. Shortround’s articulation, however, is terrible. Although his legs are fairly standard for a basic, his arms, horribly long, mangled pincers, can only twist into unnatural contortions. This effect is made worse when your realize that his gun can only be held on the inside of the pincers. His key gimmick works here as well, but deploying the guns effectively robs him of head movement.

Yes, he can turn into a toilet. Get over it.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Transformation: Very simple. 2

Durability: He seems very sturdy. 10

Fun: Even though it doesn’t do much, I find his vehicle mode to be quite amusing. His robot mode makes me sad. 5

Price: I’ve seen him anywhere from $8-25(!) USD. Frankly, I’d look for him in the bargain bin instead. 3

Overall: Despite a strong showing in vehicle mode, his robot mode is a horror. Perhaps pick him up if you find him cheaply; otherwise, don’t waste your time hunting him down. 4
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Universe Cheetor- The Review [proofed, needs pics]

Post by secretcode »

Name: Cheetor
Allegiance: Maximal

TECH SPECS:
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 5
Speed: 10
Endurance: 8
Rank: 6
Courage: 9
Firepower: 7
Skill: 7

BIO: CHEETOR has always been fast. Other robots move at speeds that seem agonizingly slow to him, as if they were trapped in tar. Unfortunately, a lot of the time he moves a lot faster than he thinks, and finds himself in situations that, in retrospect, could have been avoided. Still, his speed has gotten him out of a lot more jams than it's gotten him into, and when speed isn't enough he can always break out his blades.

Growing up, my favorite show as a child was Beast Wars, and Cheetor was my first Deluxe toy. (Got him alongside the first Rattrap) While the 25th Anniversary Cheetor has quite a few differences from the original toy, he's still quite solid.

CHEETAH MODE:
In what is a complete opposite of the original toy, this version of Cheetor seems to focus on his beast mode. Instead of being a completely immobile brick like the original, Cheetor has several points of articulation in this mode, mainly on the legs and slight movement allowed by the tail. The core gimmick in this mode is a lever on the back of the cheetah's front shoulders that opens the jaw of the head. When the jaw is open the eyes change from the standard green to red- A bizarre throwback to the variants of the original toy.

Like I said before, the cheetah mode is what seems to be what the designers worked on the most. He's fairly poseable and quite durable. One problems I have with this mode is the fairly loose back panel (Seems to be a wide issue) and zero head articulation which is due to the engineering of the toy. I also would wish that there was some way to keep his mouth open without having to hold down the button, but there isn't one as far as I can tell. Otherwise, the mode is very detailed, with very little robot bits showing with the only ones being on the back of the neck, under the belly, and on the sides of the cat.

One quick random thought before I move on to his Transformation. This beast mode is a WHOLE lot more cat-like than the original. As most of you know (or SHOULD know. If you don't, shame on you) the original toy was repainted into Tigatron. Not quite sure it'd work this time as I don't quite see an acceptable way for them to give this thing a Tigatron scheme and be able to pass it off as a tiger. Maybe with a remolded beast head, but as it is now it just seems unlikely.

ROBOT MODE:

Poor, poor Cheetor. Barring one exception (Transmetal Cheetor) each of his main line toys have always had a bunch of small issues that ended up being a point of frustration. For the original Cheetor, it was the brick of a beast mode. For Transmetal II Cheetor, it was it's Igor-like appearance...

This guy is no different. Let me just get this part over with: Big. Freaking. Backpack. The biting mechanism (which DOES work in this mode.) has to end up somewhere, and apparently the back is the only place for it. It doesn't look that bad in person, but it does cause some major stability issues due to him being really top-heavy. Sadly it's not the only beast-kibble problem. His forearms are also hampered to an extent as well, due to an ENTIRE front leg being placed under it, weighing down the arms (If yours is loose, that could be a big issue) and limiting elbow articulation to the point where his arms CANNOT be completely straightened out.

His poseability in this mode is somewhat okay. His head is on a swivel joint, like Cyclonus, and sadly cannot look up and down (Also difficult to arrange the body so it CAN, due to back kibble.) Arm can rotate and move on the shoulder joints, and at the elbow as well, but not completely. Legs are extremely poseable, something that carried over from the beast mode.

Cheetor has two different weapons in his disposal. The tail you can set aside during transformation can peg into his fist hole, into what is a club-like sword similar to Transmetal Cheetor's Axe. On his calves are panels that when you flip downward, reveal his secondary weapon- Twin Shurikens. These shurikens are well designed, and are easier to place in the hands, and unlike Animated Prowl, these want to stay in place and will unless you manage to screw it up.

Sculpt-wise, this mode is just as great as the beast mode. Same great fur pattern and the cheetah head doesn't stick out as far as the original. His feet are one of the worst part of the design however, as they look like giant clown shoes, and the other pair of legs just sits there. If they delayed this a couple of waves, I'm sure something could have been figured out.

TRANSFORMATION: 5- A couple of great ideas, but sadly poor placement on a few parts of the beast mode may ruin the experience.
DURABILITY: 7- Tabs pop off every now and then, and the back of the beast mode is very loose. These problems are easily fixed.
FUN: ??- Really depends how big of a Beast Wars fan you are. For me he's an easy 9.
PRICE: 9- With Wal-Mart's current $7.77 deal, it's worth it.
OVERALL: 7- Despite it's flaws, Cheetor is a very solid figure, and the second best of his wave right behind the Hound/Ravage 2-Pack. I'm looking forward to future Beast Wars products from you Hasbro, especially Dinobot.
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Treadshot A1
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Post by Treadshot A1 »

Pic of the toilet? :lol:

Yeah, i agree his arms are crap. Very crap.
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electro girl
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Post by electro girl »

-------------------------
A Chinese cartoon where the robots turn into blingwads!
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Is it actually worth sitting through the seemingly endless logo's and email adresses for whatever the punchline is at the end of the video?
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Well, not when you consider in the side menu there are three versions without the twattery - http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Eubi9YI2dKE

Do we reference ourselves in reviews now? How terribly gauche..
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Post by electro girl »

Sorry it was the first I saw :( too many logos.
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Post by secretcode »

Edit- Nevermind, Chester Cheetah FTW, Family Guy FTM (For The Meh), Advertising up the ass FTL.

I'm working on the review on Notepad at the moment, I'll have it up by Monday at the earliest.
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And now for the pictures!

Post by Detective Barricade »

1) Beast mode
2) VehicleTransportation mode
3) Robot mode
4) Telling others where to kiss it? Or assuming the position? You decide!;)
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TMWaspinator_Robot.JPG
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Post by Clay »

It's written well, but what opinion do you have of the toy? The review is all description.
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Post by poyguimogul »

I never really looked at this toy before.. That Jet mode is pretty sweet. Now I want one... man that woulda been so sick in the show.

LoL- had to edit, after I scrolled back up to review and DB says the "Transportation" mode is "nothing to write home about"

Rattraps is weak, cheetors.. is none existant, Just some jets he used to fly around. Rhinox, Is kinda cool, just cuz it supports the idea of him being "like a tank" but he still, looks like a rhino, on roller skates.

Waspinators Jet mode is the best of them all, better then Primals, well In my opinion, just cuz its sleaker, looks kinda like bw2/energon starscream
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Review of Animated Optimus Prime (Activators) [proofed]

Post by zeoman4.5 »

Name Optimus Prime

Function Autobot Space Bridge Repair Crew Commander

Group Animated Activators

Young and inexperienced, but also utterly fearless, OPTIMUS PRIME commands his squad of loyal AUTOBOTS with strength and wisdom. For its own reasons, the Allspark chose him to protect it, and he has sworn to do so with all his might. He is a natural leader and a powerful fighter for peace. Where he goes, his AUTOBOTS willingly follow.

Well, its been a while. My last review was months ago, and yet I can't think
of a better one to start off with than Animated Activators Prime. This is one
of the planned purchases this year that actually exceeded my expectations.

I guess I should say something about Animated OP. Well, he is a young
rookie commander of a crew of Autobot misfits who work on the vast amounts
of space bridges in their universe. One day the Allspark, a source of incredible
power appears out of the blue and the next thing you know good ol' Prime
is fighting a giant sword wielding Decepticon named Megatron, and his ship
is about to crash into an unknown planet. After the crash he and his men
wake up decades later on earth, and become heroes. Unlike most other Primes
he is young, inexperienced, and relies more on skill than raw power. He's got
a shady past and a certain spider-bot resulting from it. Other than that he's
pretty straight forward, honest, kind, wise, heroic, blah, blah, blah. Review
time.

Vehicle Mode
Ordinarily I would start off with a the robot mode since that's how he is
packaged, but this time around I'll start off with the vehicle mode since, I
like to save the best for last. So as not to keep you in suspense, he is a
truck in vehicle mode. I know what your thinking though,"Isn't animated OP
a Fire Truck?" Well yes, on the show and in his voyager class figure he is, but
in this instance I can not in good conscience call him a fire truck. The
entire build of his vehicle mode screams Semi-truck cab. It lacks the
full rear section of the fire-truck mode and the water hose. It does however
try to make itself look like a rescue vehicle by having a pair or siren flashers
on the roof of the truck cab. It is very sleek, and looks heavy duty so there
is little doubt that it belongs to an Optimus. There is a little bit of kibble, but
it is easy to overlook, and doesn't detract from the play value. All of the robot
mode parts are well hidden so it doesn't have the, "hands under wings
problem" Starscream has.

As far as color scheme is concerned he is very show accurate. Red on the
upper portion of the cab, blue on the lower portion and rear section, black
side panels and windows, silver bumpers and stripes, yellow head lights.
It looks alright, but it gives you the feeling something is missing. It would
have been a lot better if he had been given a full rear section, but because
of packaging and other reasons he lacks that which would make him whole.
While it does seem to lack for being an Animated Optimus, as far as being a
Prime goes, he looks good.

The vehicle mode is pretty basic for play, wheels roll well. The only problem
I have with the mechanics is that the connection between the cab and
rear sections is just a pair of ball and socket joints. That makes it so that
there is no way to get the vehicle to rest on its wheels 100% evenly. This
isn't the mode you'd want to display him in but it isn't bad.

Transformation
This is an Activator, which is basically a scout class figure with spring loaded
conversion to robot mode. Optimus' conversion is good, I've had no problems
as of yet with him changing. It takes a little more manual transformation to
finish the robot modes legs, and of course you have to fight the springs to
get him into vehicle mode, but the gimmick is well done.

Robot Mode
After pressing the tab on his flashers, and fixing his legs he is in his robot
mode. The look of the figure is impressive, nearly flawless representation of
the Animated Prime's appearance. The proportions are right, as well as the
shape of his body pieces, with the exception of the silver bumper parts on the
back of his wrists which stick out a little, although it makes it look like he has
some sort of arm hammer thing going on.

The color scheme is exactly like how it should be, not to dark like the
Deluxe two pack figure. Red on the chest, torso, and shoulders. Blue is on the
lower arms, lower legs, and waist. Black windows on the chest, yellow bits on
the waist, and other various minor details pull his look together perfectly.
His face is the pinnacle, it looks so G1, but at the same rate it is definitely
the animated style. Blue helmet, face plate, and light blue eyes definitely
give him the perfect look for a Prime. The finishing touch on this guy is the
Autobot insignia on his shoulder; it's red, not silver. I can't really emphasize
how good he looks by comparison to many other activators. Best so far.

He has decent articulation. Ball joints on hips, knees, shoulders, and neck.
plus elbows that bend and rotate. He actually has better articulation than the
Deluxe class figure, and that's saying something. Of course it can't all be good
and every activator Autobot so far has had this flaw. He completely lacks a
weapon of any kind, no axe, no grapple, no fire extinguisher, nothing. It
doesn't detract from the figure itself, but if he had an axe this might just
be the coolest toy I've gotten all year. He is still by far the most playable and
displayable figure of the entire lot of Animated Activators and truly befitting
the Prime namesake.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Price 7/10 He is the regular cost for a basic figure and I'd say he's
well worth it. I just wish the cost would go down a bit.
Transformation 5/10 It is a bit tough to get into vehicle mode, but it
is very fun.
Durability 9/10 He is very tough, can take rough play well, but if
anything were to happen to his springs well....
Fun 10/10 He's a little Optimus, that is near perfectly show acurate
and has a spring loaded transformation, even without
weapons he is cool.
Overall 9/10 Highly recommended. He is worth while even if you don't
like Animated figures, a good figure with a lot of potential.
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Post by Detective Barricade »

Clay wrote:It's written well, but what opinion do you have of the toy? The review is all description.
Added a bit of an overall opinion of it at the end. I'm a bit out of touch with this...:o

And Waspinator's transportation mode pales in comparison to Rampage's.;)
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Post by secretcode »

Review still in progress. Things just sorta came up in the last two days.
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Post by Clay »

Edited the review to reflect that Red Alert wasn't actually in Energon. For whatever reason, he skipped a series.
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Post by secretcode »

Ready for proofing.
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Post by Transformer Kamen »

Nice Review :up:

It's always nice to see some beasties, and I'm also quite pleased with the look of the beast mode. The robot mode, however, looks like utter pants. All in all, from your review it seems like both the original mold and the Transmetal mold kick this one's skidplate in a variety of ways, so I think I'll stick with them. ;)

I may gaze fondly upon his beast mode while I pick up Dinobot, though...
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Post by secretcode »

Actually, I think this one is better then the original, if not just for the beast mode. The Transmetal one is still king.
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Post by Clay »

Cliffjumper wrote:I was being tactful... I already checked... I'm just wondering what the powers that be are going to do with two spare reviews, and trying to make sure he does bother next time...
I skimmed through them and, since they weren't a nightmare to proofread, I'll go ahead and stick them up. Having two reviews of a given toy isn't unprecedented.

But if he willfully ignores what's already on the site before writing a review again, I'll just willfully ignore uploading it.
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Movie Air Raid-[PROOFED]

Post by Blackjack »

Name: Air Raid
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Air Warrior
Redeco of: Energon Skyblast

"If you look first, you may not leap."

I had some money to burn, you see. So there on the Walmart shelf sat Air Raid. I have been intrigued by the Energon Scout class Omnicons, which frankly are wonderful. Having experienced Elita-One and Crosshairs, I couldn't resist buying him.

Plus, his weapon of choice is a spear. And a really badass one, not like the kibble-weapons of the Arcee and Strongarm molds.

The name Air Raid has been used first for an Aerialbot in G1, then his reincarnated Cyberjet form in G2. I also believe there are Universe and Universe 2.0 versions of him. Then there's this fella.

Air Raid appeared in the second installment for Reign of Starscream. He, along with Camshaft, Smokescreen and Cliffjumper make up Arcee's team on Mars. A group of repaints (except Arcee) against the fella whose name is on the title. You guess the outcome. Air Raid was shot down by Thundercracker, and later finished off by Screamer. Poor Air Raid... Ah, the fate of repaints.

Alternate mode

Right, since Air Raid's packaged in this mode, I'll start here. In G1, Air Raid turns into a fighter jet. Now, the Autobot turns into a Cybertronian jet. Or at least a very futuristic jet. And even without attaching the weapon pieces (which frankly makes Air Raid look strange) Air Raid looks armed to the teeth. If he had teeth. First, on the sides of the cockpit, feet kibble are molded to resemble artillery ports. While the best weapon is under him. Claws that seem to be able to grab an enemy. Running down the edges of his jet mode, I can just imagine, say, Stormsurge happily blasting away at other Autobots. Come Air Raid, opening his claw-trap thing, carrier Stormsurge into the air and drops him screaming fifty feet below.

What? That's Vortex's trick? Then he should've placed a trademark on it.

Unlike Skyblast's red-and-whitish paint job, Air Raid sports a green-based camo paint job, with smatterings of black, brown and light brown thrown in to liven it up. Overall, he looks like a tiny version of Acid Storm. The resemblance is uncanny.

You can place the energon star over the Autobot symbol spark crystal. There's a Sector Seven symbol on the body of the jet, but how Air Raid can hope to masquerade as a Sector Seven jet with his trigger-happy nature and his funky paint job is beyond me.

The jet mode is kinda squat, but is a rather solid alternate mode. Kibble, other than the head (which you can see if you turn the little bugger around), are very well hidden.

Not the best jet mode in Transformers history, but I've seen worse. Much worse. This little thing is just charming in his own way, despite a non-G1 paint job. Hey, Acid Storm's gotta be proud.

Robot mode

I love the robot mode. Unlike the Elita-One or Shortround molds, as a Scout class toy Air Raid has actual arms with holes. And do he look bad ass with that spear--nearly as tall as himself.

The head sculpt shows confidence, and is rather fitting for Air Raid. But Alex Milne redesigned his head in the Reign of Starscream, giving him some difference with Skyblast. Poseability is moderate. The head is a bit blocked by the cockpit kibble, while his legs only have movement where they connect to the body. He has toes, though. Four a' em.

Air Raid is a charming little robot, and I clearly see why some (well, most. But let's play nice.) people like only the Scout class figures in the Energon line. Heck, the Air Raid mold placed some of the Cybertron and later-Energon molds to shame. You hear that, Sky Shadow? This fella rocks! And about, oh, one-fourths of your price point!

Detailing is also very impressive, with Autobot insignias molded onto the wings, and, well, results in a rather busy robot mode while keeping the more Geewun-style body intact.

The black energon star is placed right in his chest, making it look like an insignia. Between the spear and the star emblem, it reminds me of a comic superhero whose name I forgot. Probably a coincidence.

Yeah, the robot mode is even better than the jet mode, but the pinnacle of this toy is the-

Spear

Remember that thread we had some time ago about best weapons? Well, between the Omnicon molds, Air Raid's/Skyblast's energon spear is FTW. Arcee's crossbow doesn't look as impressive, while Strongarm's axe is virtually kibble parts.

The spear splits into four parts--the long handle, a middle piece, and two blades. In jet mode the blades can attach to the wings, but the long handle just look silly placed under the cockpit. Yeesh.

In robot mode, there's the spear. Bad ass in all it's glory. To make us feel better, the energon spear could be wielded by most Energon/Cybertron, as well as Movie and Classic molds that still use holes in their hands.

And then, it can be disassembled into two shoulder guards (same with jet mode), a long stick/scythe thing and a triple barreled gun. But the spear is much more impressive.

Marks out of ten for the following:

Durability 9/10 The head can go loose, but that's about it. Mine is very sturdy.
Transformation 4/10 He's a Scout class after all.
Price 9/10 Worth every penny (or cent or whatever currency you're using) you spent for him.
Fun 10/10 Besides being a fan of jet mode 'formers, there's the Energon Spear.
Overall 10/10 Hell, unless you have Skyblast, grab him. Solid jet mode, solid robot mode, possibly the greatest energon weapon, undisruptive gimmicks, adequate poseability, detailing, not a bad price point, a name harking back to G1... Go Air Raid!
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Airraid_robot.jpg
Airraid_energon_disassembl.jpg
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