POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Figures, collectables, customs and collecting.
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Tantrum
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Tantrum »

Denyer - Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I didn't realize they wouldn't fit.

Cyberverse Energon Amor Ramjet - He's a head taller and much bulkier than the Warrior Cyberverse Seekers, so he doesn't look out of scale next to them. He's just the big guy. Transformation is similar to Cyberbatallion Jetfire/T30 Legends Seeker, but with a faux cockpit chest to accommodate the Energon Armor gimmick.

I can't figure out how to deploy the armor properly. I forced it out once, and got it to pop out once, but don't know what I did to make that happen. It doesn't matter, since the armor doesn't sit properly, and wouldn't look good if it did.

So why should a TF fan who likely already owns many Seekers consider adding this one? Two reasons. First, the face sculpt is excellent. It's the sneer of a low level mob thug who smells a rat, either literally or figuratively. Use the ball jointed shoulders and elbow to out his fists against his hips, and he's the perfect representation of dumb muscle whos job is to guard the door behind which bots that matter are deciding peoples' fates.

Second, the thrusters detach from the backs of the legs to form a staff. This is a vey clever use of partsforming weapons, in that the parts can be left attached to the figure in bot mode. There's a slight flaw in that the handle that connects the two pieces is slightly too big to fold fully into the thurster, so that thruster doesn't sit flush in jet mode.

Kingdom Wingfinger is less fun. The bot torso has no decoration at all, just a plain cylinder with a 5-mm post on it. The limbs look fine. But, the helmet doesn't open fully, or stay open. I thought I wasn't opening it all the way. but it really doesn't seem to want to open any further.

Pterodactyl mode is almost good, except for the head. Black paint on the skull interior is horribly out of place. This looks like Zero from the Nightmare Before Christmas did Alec Baldwin's head stretching bit from Beetlejuice. The paint's also in the jaw, which is either fully shut or wide open, never ajar. Is this supposed to help the parts attach in fossilizer mode?

This may be the only fossilizer I use as armor for other bots. The other two are decent enough figures, in both modes, that I enjoy them on their own. The wings bits looks good either as wings or as a crossbow. But, some of the other pieces only have 5-mm holes, no post, so can't actually connect to other figures directly. The instructions suggest using the rib cage and head to make an axe. But, the rib cage bit is too bulky, and the head has the aforementioned paint issue.

I don't play with Wingfinger because I enjoy him. I play with him trying to find some reason to justify his existence.

Not yet opened: SS Thrust, Cyberverse Thunderhowl
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Denyer
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Denyer »

I think Wingfinger's my favourite of the three, being a giant pterosaur (like theropods they spanned a huge range of sizes) and the most unexpected... a t-rex, sure, a styraco, sure, but a skeletal pterosaur really only hints at the soft animal parts so it's a more out there choice. I'm sure I'm repeating earlier comments but even though fossilizers make even less sense than TFs in general and they don't really transform, it's nice having articulated versions of their alt modes.

Took a punt on Kingdom T-Wrecks because he was on clearance with In Demand, and the very solid, weighty slightly rubberised plastic really suits a BW figure like this (and presumably helps it pass drop tests). That's an acceptable leader class figure.

I got it because I like the colour scheme more than the Megs Barney one, and because the Jurassic Park two-pack version is an absolute rip off. The transformable Explorer is meh, and a suitably sized diecast JP jeep is less than a tenner. So for what's a neat idea of the set doubling as a t-rex chase scene, it's almost down to a third of the RRP of the set. That's an absolutely obscene mark-up for a not-very-well-realised exclusive.
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HeavyArms
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by HeavyArms »

Netflix Maximal Cheetor & Quintesson Deseeus Army Drone, Generations Selects Decepticon Red Wing and Artfire - These were all acquired through the TCCA freight-forwarding service.

Red Wing has a nice red deco and Cheetor has a darker blue that I feel is better than the light blue on the Kingdom version. Deseeus could have done with less battle damage and more grey/black and I kind of like Artfires colours more than Grapple, but I think grapples yellow looks kind of boring to me.
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Tantrum
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Kingdom Cyclonus - I'd passed on this guy before, regretted it a bit, and happened to see him again, and corrected my error.

SS 86 Wreck-Gar - I'd heard this guy was short packed with SS Thrust, which I believe, since I've seen close to 20 Thrusts in various stores, but only this one Wreck-Gar. His nipple guns droop a bit, rather than pointing straight out as they did decades ago, which is to be expected.. Hopefully they're either pliable rubber I can bend into the correct position, or articulated and I can just pose them correctly.

I'll find out when I open him. Right now, he's with my unopened Cyberverse Seekers, Wheeljack, Cyclonus, Thunderhowl, and Thrust. I'll start on those once the newness has worn off Cyberverse Ramjet and the Worlds Collide set.
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Skyquake87 »

Kingdom Road Rage
I was all set to pass this up, as the internet has said the Tracks mold is awful. I've ended up enjoying it, but I can completely understand why it's no-ones favourite. The design choices are questionable. I don't mind the clear plastic carapace that makes up most of the alt-mode (it's no worse than SS86 Jazz), but the legs are awful. Like with the MP design, someone's thought the successful 'just turn the bonnet around and split it in half' of the original (which was perfectly fine) is 'too easy' for modern tastes, so you've got this silly gymnastics going on that leaves an unsatisfying end result in both modes. I'm also still not a fan of clipped on wheels. This has the fun of pinned rear wheels but clipped front ones. It's the toy equivalent of rear-wheel drive.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Cyberstrike nTo »

The Transformers War For Cybertron Trilogy: Kingdom Beast Megatron
The Transformers War For Cybertron Trilogy: Kingdom Maximal T-Wrecks
The Transformers: Studio Series 1986 Dinobot Slug & Daniel Witwicky
The Transformers: Studio Series 1986 Jazz
The Transformers: Studio Series 1986 Kup
The Transformers: Studio Series 1986 Gnaw
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HeavyArms
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Netflix Spoiler Pack Nemesis Prime.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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GS G2 Ramjet - A Click & Collect lay-by I picked up from EB Games, really like the G2 colours in general.
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Warcry
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Warcry »

Kingdom Shadow Panther

The only thing I really knew about the Cheetor version of this toy was how the tab on the beast-mode neck was apparently getting stuck and ripping big chunks out of the figure's back. So I was pretty amused to find that the tab in question literally fell off of my Shadow Panther the second I took him off of the box. I just brushed it with my fingertip and it came right off. Dodged a bullet there, I guess? :lol:

The figure has a nice, poseable robot mode that's a lot of fun to mess around with. The beast mode could use a bit more articulation, though. The head in particular looks like it should move, but doesn't. The transformation is a fun, creative take on the original, and overall I think it's a nice figure. It really doesn't feel very "Cheetory" to me because of how slender it is in both modes, but really that just makes it a great choice to be repainted into a different character. Shadow Panther getting a main line figure was a pleasant surprise. I don't think the character has gotten an official release outside of Japan before?

I love that they used the mutant head in robot mode to make him look extra different. The sculpt isn't super accurate to the original, though...since it has to fit into a pretty narrow space during transformation, it winds up being less "twisted, bestial muzzle" and more "Zant from Twilight Princess". But that's a cool look too, and another thing that really helps to separate the toy from Cheetor in my head.
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Skyquake87
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Skyquake87 »

Generations Selects Sandstorm
Nice redeco of the Ramjet mould in an unreleased G2 colourscheme. I like the pattern on the jet and the shark face, but boy does this look like a whole load of beige in robot mode. It reminds me of the sort of carpet encouraged by Estate Agents, along with Magnolia walls. to avoid putting off potential buyers. That sort of unoffensive non-colour. I'd have liked a bit more of the darker brown to break up the monotony in his ambulatory mode. Toy itself is still banging and I'm happy with him to add to the Siege Neo-G2 collection :)

Kingdom Shadow Panther
For a simple repaint and new head, he's remarkably effective. I like him better than Cheetor, mostly I think because the black hides a lot of the flaws of the mould.

Energon Sharkticon
Another re-purchase from days of yore. The Energon Decepticons really were great toys. I really do miss this sort of thing; new designs, takes on the whole Transforming robots thing. They have a freshness and fun that's honestly lacking in the Generations line and it's 94th regurgitation of geewun. Nice chunky plastics and mad colours make Sharkticon awesome. And he looks like the sub from Stingray in alt-mode. Great stuff :)
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Warcry
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Warcry »

Skyquake87 wrote: Thu Nov 04, 2021 8:29 pmI'd have liked a bit more of the darker brown to break up the monotony in his ambulatory mode.
The chest plate really should have been dark brown, and probably would have if they'd made this toy a few years ago (kinda like how the Universe and MP Acid Storms were more than just bright green). The palatte is nice and I'm a fan of the toy but the layout could have used a once-over.
Skyquake87 wrote: Thu Nov 04, 2021 8:29 pmEnergon Sharkticon
The guy is great! I love the colours, I love the creativity of the design and I absolutely adore the ship mode. The articulated gun turrets are one of my favourite features on any Transformer toy ever! It's probably my favourite Unicron Trilogy toy.

[EDIT: I forgot to gush about the head sculpt. I love that too!]
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Unicron »

Because I'm a goddamn idiot and did a stupid thing, my latest acquisition is...
Haslab Unicron
Him big. Him very large. Very cool though. Haven't gotten to putting it properly into robot mode, due to time and space constraints. Fiddled with it yesterday enough to confirm everything was fine.
Only issue I have with it so far is that I have absolutely nowhere to put the ridiculous thing.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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I haven't purchased anything since my last post, but have been making my way through my pile of unopened stuff.

Kingdom Wheeljack doesn't roll or transform as well as Exhaust. He looks good, but if I want to play with the mold, I'll grab the eveil twin.

Cyberverse Thunderhowl looks like he'll be another stand-up-to-transform beastformer, and he technically is, but it's a bit more involved than that. The beast tail splits in half to become robot coattails, and the torso fold in half lengthwise when transforming, requiring reorienting the hip and shoulder joints and armor to align with each mode. The only let down is the materials used. I would regret not picking this guy up earlier when he came with a head I maybe could've attached to a Kre-O body. But, he was priced as a $13 Warrior instead of a $20 Deluxe, and the head ain't worth $7.

Kingdom Wreck-Gar does have articulated nipple guns since they need to adjust slightly to point ahead in each mode. One of his knee spikes droops a tiny bit, as does one of his handlebars. I understand that the spikes have to be rubber for safety, but can't see why they didn't use plastic handlebars. Maybe it's to give a little for posing in a rider's hand.

There's a slot in the taint and a tab on the seat. Hopefully they're repeating the CHUG gimmick of one riding the other. I like how the faux windshield in the head ends up within the real windshield on the bike.

Still unopened (for now): SS Thrust, Kingdom Cyclonus, and Cyberverse Seekers.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Collaboration X Universal Monsters Draculus.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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I finally opened my Cyberverse Seeker 4-Pack. It's 4 copies of a very simple mold that I already own, so there's not a whole lot of excitement from the transformation. They look great, though, especially the clearish ones.

Rather than having a black head and mainly grey torso, Thundercracker is blue throughout. It looks good, just not like TC in bot mode. The red stripes on the wings help sell him as TC in jet mode. Similarly, Skywarp is almost uniformly clear purple. They both look more like Rainmakers or some other extras rather than 2/3 of the main trio. Starscream has a solid red torso, solid grey thighs, solid black head, and clear limbs, making him look more like a fully thought out design. This, G1, the T30 Legion, and the Kreon are the only molds I own all 3 main Seeker in.

The instructions say to rotate the heads 180 when transforming into jet mode so the face can't be seen from below. But, the two that are packed in jet mode didn't do this, leaving the face visible. Given that the rest of the undercarriage is a completely undisguised robot torso and arms, I'm not sure how much rotating the head helps.

I had some trouble getting some of the null-rays to snap back into place under the wings. I wondered if
that was due to the mold being worn. Then I saw one of the null rays on my original, non-ghost Starscream popped up. So, I guess it's been a flaw since the beginning.

I bought and opened Cyberverse Energon Armor Sludge last night. His dino neck is hollow, and the dino back could use some paint, but he looks great from the sides. He's got little cylinders molded into his dino rear to represent the hinges used to fold the tail away on the G1 toy. Here, the tail detaches to become a lance for the bot mode.

Bot mode looks good overall, very good for what is basically a $20 Voyager. My biggest gripe is the Energon Armor gimmick being triggered by sliding the backpack down. It's very hard to get it to slide back into place. Transforming him into dino mode and back seems to work for some reason. I own 5 of the Energon Armor figures, and like them in spite of the armor, not because of it. So, I won't be missing out by leaving it undeployed.

Other minor issues are the wait rubbing against the backpack slightly during transformation, and the hand gripping the weapon too tightly. He needs to choke up on the handle to hold it securely. But, when you try to remove it from his hand to transform him back, the handle tends to detach from the tail.

That's 3 paragraphs of complaints, but I actually like him. He's better proportioned in both mode than his PotP counterpart. He's bigger than the Deluxes/Warriors the other Cyberverse dinos are, which suits him as the big guy.

He doesn't transform into arms of Volcanicus like in the toon. I'm hoping for a NuRiD style combiner, but not holding my breath, since there's a non-separating Volcanicus coming.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by HeavyArms »

Scorponok - picked up from Big W.

Shattered Glass Megatron & Starscream and Kingdom Road Rage and TF:TM Steelbook - Imported via the TCCAs freight-forwarding service, affectionately known as J-Mart, as it's run by a man named Jason.
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Tantrum
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Core Class Soundwave - He's pretty great for what he is, a $10 3-inch G1 Soundwave. I've already transformed him back and forth more times than I have Netflix Soundwave. The small size works really well for what's a pretty simple design. Plus, larger figures can carry him around on one shoulder, like an 80s boombox.

His toes stick up in alt mode, but I knew that from reviews. The peg on his shoulder cannon is too long, so it doesn't sit flush against the torso, but I can sand that. My only real issue is the chest door is too opaque to see Laserbeak inside. I checked the packaging for the little tape 3 times before realizing it was already in the chest.

Selects G2 Ramjet - Found at Gamestop for $30. Other than seeing Starscream a few times, this is the only version of this mold I've seen in store. I saw the Deluxe Con exclusive at a comic shop a couple years ago, in box, for I think $40. I passed on it, and kind of regretted it. Now, I have a larger version of the same figure for less money. Victory is mine!
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

Post by Heinrad »

Rattrap looked at the two figures. “Ya get th’ feelin’ things at Hasbro are gettin’ a little weird?”

Dinobot tapped one of the figures on it’s chest. “They are functional.”

Kind of looks like they’d work great as Decoys, if it wasn’t for the fact that they’re both in color.

Kingdom Core Class Optimus Prime and Soundwave: Are you looking for figures that let you recreate that one panel out of a pack-in comic from the 86-87 toy line? Well, even if you aren’t, these two are pretty good. Soundwave is the better figure, though. They both have great robot modes, but Soundwave nails it in tape deck mode as well. Prime’s vehicle mode looks a little off. I got them both more for the novelty of actually seeing figures in Walmart. They had more than two figures on the shelf for once.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Rattrap’s ears perked up at the sound of three explosions in the distance. “Aw, great. Now what?”

Dinobot transformed to robot mode, his sword glinting in the light. “Whatever it is, we shall face it. And die as warriors should.”

“Speak fer yerself, Lizard Lips. I ain’t gettin’ killed t’day.”

“You may have….. no choice, Vermin. Whatever it is approaches quickly.”

A sliver car festooned with cables and equipment came screaming around the corner, skidding to a stop, transforming to reveal a blocky robot, his optics looking like goggles. “Great Scott! I’ve found you! You must come with me! We must prevent what happens to your future selves!”

Rattrap and Dinobot looked at each other, then back at the new arrival. “What?”

The new arrival pointed at Rattrap. “You will be released as a smaller version of yourself, and will have virtually no characterization in Kingdom.” Then he pointed at Dinobot. “You will be given an arc meant to evoke memories of the show you’re from. On the up side, the voice actor will at least try to mimic you.”

Rattrap sighed. “Yeah, sorry. Yer kinda late. Kingdom already happened. We’re rampin’ up fer Legacy now.”

“Oh.” The new arrival sagged somewhat. “You win some, you lose some.” He looked at Rattrap. “Got any garbage? My Mr. Fusion is drained.”

Generations Selects Collaboration Back To The Future Gigawatt: Actually, I currently have two. I got one as a Christmas gift for a friend of mine, and fortunately won’t have to cannibalize mine to make sure he gets the whole thing. Looking at it, I think I’ve have been disappointed if I actually got the mold as Sideswipe, mainly because my go-to Sideswipe is the Masterpiece G2 version. The stocky, blocky build works a lot better for Gigawatt than Sideswipe. It’s a really neat little figure.
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Re: POST YOUR NEWEST ACQUISITIONS!

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Studio Series '86 Slag with Daniel.
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