Bruticus

Bruticus transforms into the five Combaticons. Can destroy his enemies with ultrasonic waves and smash metal bridges with a single chop of his hand. Cold blooded, likes nothing more than destroying Autobots. Once he starts running wild he is unstoppable. Has small brain circuits, making him simple-minded. Carries a sonic stun gun and a missile cannon

STRENGTH

10

INTELLIGENCE

3

SPEED

1

ENDURANCE

9

RANK

5

COURAGE

10

FIREPOWER

8

SKILL

6

OVERALL

52

Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances

First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 24, January 1987 / Issue 35, December 1987
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 63, May 31st 1986 / Issue 65, June 14th 1986
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 58 (Season 2 #42), December 10th 1985 / Episode 94 (Season 3 #29), February 24th 1987
First Toy Appearance - 1986

Click here to see Figure Details and review

Figure Details and review

Manufacturer - Hasbro
Toyline - ROTF

Additions/Mods:
- FansProject Munitioner/Explorer v2 upgrade set
- Added various Decepticon symbols

Review

Bruticus was briefly the most imposing of all combiners, after Devastator was mysteriously sidelined for the scramble city-type combiners and before the animalistic fury of Predaking became a reality. He was definitely the most well armed of the four combiner teams who debuted at roughly the same time; the others being the Aerialbots, Protectobots and Stunticons. Even their team name, the 'Combaticons' sounded like they meant business and they certainly did, comprising 5 kick-ass military vehicles. Such was the enduring popularity of the mould, that some 15 years after they disappeared from toy shelves across the globe they were back, this time making up the majority of the Decepticon cast in the 'Robots in Disguise' continuity. The fact that the toys were still cool in 2001 was testament to their iconic design. It's safe to say that I have always had a soft spot for Bruticus and was excited to hear that we would be getting a modern makeover of this set, and then crushed to learn that the 'Bruticus Maximus' Energon set was being re-purposed to homage the G1 figures of old. The Energon combiner was pretty poor, with hardly any articulation and, most damning of all, only three distinct moulds. Thankfully though, a still-fledgeling company called FansProject, buoyed by the success of their Superion upgrade kit, announced their plans to supplement the Combaticons with 2 brand new moulds, and enough accessories to improve the rest of the figures too. Most crucially of all, they would replace the existing head and add some much-needed bulk to the combined robot. The rest is history.


Appearance (Robot Mode) 9/10
The cleverest thing FansProject did was to re-deploy the existing Hasbro figures in a way that would enhance the whole set, and seamlessly blend this in with their new vehicles. Thus, we now have two legs which are coherent with each other, with Brawl barely touched, save for his new foot, which now looks like a foot and not a mess of transparent sticks. He is matched by the great new Swindle figure complete with an updated more G1 colour scheme, and the result is a solid base for the behemoth towering above. Moving up to the torso, Onslaught has been augmented with a new waist panel which really beefs up the figure. The torso now also sports huge cannons - this was something sadly missing from the Hasbro combiner, and is perhaps the most identifiable feature of the original character. Bruticus without gigantic back cannons just isn't Bruticus. I mustn't forget the new headsculpt, which is great and easily one of FansProject's best. Moving onto the arms and Vortex is now an articulated arm as opposed to a stump with no hand. The robot legs have been cleverly re-purposed as elbows, and the forearm bulk is yet another piece of kit supplied by FansProject. The hands are all new, and look great. Each finger terminates in a gun barrel - another example of how tooled up this giant S.O.B. is. Also, the way that Vortex attaches to the torso has altered, with FansProject thinking outside the box again to come up with an attachment point. Moving onto the right arm we have the other new figure, Blast Off, who is deployed very similarly to the left arm, without the need for additional bulk on the forearm. The overall impression is superb. Bruticus is a vast, coherent death machine in muted colours. I did add Reprolablels to the figures as I think that they do provide some much-needed additional detail. All of the Fansproject accessories perfectly complement the good aspects of the original Hasbro combiner, and most people would never notice that these were 2 different manufacturers at play here - a testament to the seamless integration FansProject have achieved. Bruticus is remarkably tooled-up as well - he has a combat knife, sniper rifle and two shotguns. Mess with him at your peril.

Appearance (Alternate Mode) 8/10
These vehicles work together very well as a coherent unit. There are also various FansProject enhancements to each vehicle which work to varying degrees of success. We'll start with Brawl again, who has gained an additional 2 guns to sit atop his existing turret. These guns look pretty good and also serve to obscure the fist holes, usually visible to the rear of the turret. Swindle just has the roof-mounted gun, and looks relatively underpowered when compared with the others. But then, Swindle's most effective weapons have always been his brain, and mouth! Vortex has perhaps gained the most - there are now large missile pods underneath each wing, along with 'skis' which nominally act as landing gear in this configuration. It is actually a challenge to align the pods up so they look symmetrical, and the overall added bulk of the 'copter seems like you would need a meatier rotor to achieve lift-off! Blast-Off has zero additional accessories, but then he sits on perhaps the most impressive alteration of all... The Onslaught figure alternate mode was a very stunted truck, with missile pods protuding from the rear, and projecting over the cabin. It was a very unconvincing mode, and FansProject have used come clever engineering to add a lot of length to the truck, enough so that Blast Off can be housed on the back of it. This is another example of great engineering by FansProject. The 'piece de resistance' is those twin cannons, crucially lacking from the original figure. The convoy of these vehicles is one of the most imposing you are likely to see and would likely fill the Autobots with dread!


Transformation 8/10
Onslaught's central component is slightly altered to allow the inclusion of the waist piece - his hips are reversed and his bum ends up as his crotch, in a procedure that sounds more painful than it is. The sides of the vehicle cockpit are opened, to obscure the arms which are spread more widely. It is this change that gives Bruticus his broader physique. The huge guns are then slotted into re-purposed tabs on Onslaught's back, and of course the head is flipped up from the cabin section. The legs are left in vehicle mode, with the fronts being attached to the feet (transformed from Onslaught's trailer) and the rear plugging into the existing Energon connector 'stumps'. The arms are mainly left as vehicles, with the rear sections elongated to give the required length and articulation. The hands are then added, along with the Vortex forearm 'armour', and the arms are then attached to the torso via the transformed missile pods, which now become the shoulder joints. All in all, it is a pretty painless transformation that is a lot of fun.

Poseability 8/10
This is another area in which Bruticus does well in. He has a ball-jointed neck and waist swivel. His hip joints are ratcheted, ans allow for lateral and side-to side movement. His knees bend courtesy of the Energon connectors and it is not uncommon for lower legs to detach at this point, which can be annoying. His feet always point straight ahead but he does have ankle tilt, which is useful given that the figure always has splayed legs. The original Hasbro configuration also suffers form splayed legs, but slightly less because the original Swindle (being a helicopter) is nowhere near as wide as brawl. There is no thigh swivel, but the fact the lower legs can move freely in the Energon ports negates this issue somewhat. His shoulder articulation has some problems, you do get some lateral and side-to-side movement but it could be better. Instead of bicep swivel, the waist swivel of the individual figures is used. also, the fact there are 2 legs acting as a knee joint mean that you can do quite a lot of acute elbow poses. The hands have great articulation, the fingers have 3 joints, there is also a tab on each palm to assist with carrying the provided weapons. There is also wrist swivel. Couple this with large feet which help enormously with balance, and you have a surprisingly poseable figure.


Quality 7/10
Apparently there is a flaw in the missile pod which holds the combined form of Vortex to the torso - the holes which are used to slot to existing circular tabs on the figure are reportedly a bit small, and in some cases the thin plastic has split, rendering the connector unable to support the weight of Vortex. This is not a problem I have observed, but I know that it's out there. This just wouldn't be a FansProject figure if there wasn't at least one design flaw though! Elsewhere the plastics used in both the FansProject and Hasbro components feel nice and solid.

Overall - 40/50
This is probably the greatest example of why third parties have a place in any serious collection. Hasbro produced a set of figures that were flawed to say the least, and then implemented a combiner which was a shadow of even its G1 self. Thanks to FansProject, Hasbro sold out of these much-maligned figures quickly which shows how a symbiotic relationship can be beneficial to both parties. I still feel that someone (preferably FansProject) could re-visit this set and replace all Hasbro components, but until then, this is a remarkable improvement on the original. It makes you whet your appetite for FansProject's forthcoming Menasor really...

Devastator

"Thinking and winning do not mix."

Awesome and terrifying, this Decepticon is a bizarre combination of six Constructicons: Scrapper, Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Hook, Long Haul, and Mixmaster. He is pure brutality as his sole purpose is to crush all in his path. His mind is a melding together of his six parts, but he is limited by their competing thoughts. He possess enormous height and incredible strength -- can knock down a bridge with one punch. He carries a 10,000 degrees Celcius solar energy beam rifle. Devastator is slow, awkward, and not too bright.

STRENGTH

10

INTELLIGENCE

2

SPEED

1

ENDURANCE

9

RANK

6

COURAGE

10

FIREPOWER

8

SKILL

4

OVERALL

50

Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances

First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 10, November 1985 / Issue 19, August 1986
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 61, May 17th 1986 / Issue 62, May 24th 1986
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 16 (Season 1 #16), December 15th 1984 / Episode 93 (Season 3 #28), November 19th 1986 First Toy Appearance - 1985

Click here to see Figure Details and review

Figure Details

AKA 'Giant'
Manufacturer - Maketoys
Toyline - Type 61

Additions/Mods:
- Added Decepticon symbols to various parts

Review

There were many defining moments in the Transformers animated movie - such as the death of Optimus Prime, Megatron (kinda), and half the 1984 cast, the arrival of new characters and races, as well as the appearance of a giant planet-eating demi-god intent on devouring Cybertron. It is perhaps surprising then that my over-riding remembrance of the movie is when Devastator suddenly went from a rather innefective, bumbling and easily-defeated combiner into the Decepticon ultimate weapon. Springer et al attempted to down him with a huge missile launcher (which they could barely move), only to have half a building thrown at them for their trouble. Even the mighty Dinobots (well, four of them) were tossed around like ragdolls. he basically kept half of the Autobots occupied day and night with his imposing presence. He would revert to type later in the movie by being easily de-combined by Frenzy and Rumble. He was also criminally underused in the comics, being soon brushed aside for the newer Scramble city-type combiners. But, thanks to his defining appearance in the movie, I am not alone in my admiration for this awesome character. Since his initial release back in 1985, Hasbro have managed a few homages, but none which you would be happy to include in a Neo-G1 collection. Thankfully, 2 third parties decided to give him some much-needed attention, and so we were treated to the release of 2 homages within a year. TFC toys with their massive Hercules, and Maketoys with their smaller Giant. I plumped for Maketoys, beacuse I preferred their aesthetic, and also the overall size sat better with the existing FansProject-augmented combiners. So, is this Maketoys offering worth the agonizing wait?


Appearance (Robot Mode) 9/10
The biggest praise I can give this figure is that it is Devastator. More than any other re-imagining of the original toys I have seen, this is what I see when I imagine the lime green menace from the movie. From top to bottom he exudes power. The shoulders are suitably broad with the silhouettes of the 2 Constructicon vehicles representing them perfectly. The lower arms are superbly sculpted, with large articulated hands which look like they could do significant damage. The vast gun is made up of all of the individual robot's weapons and is impressive. The upper legs are extremely solid thanks to Long Haul being such a hench individual robot. The lower legs perfectly homage the original combiner. I have a slight criticism of the upper torso, which is that there is a significant gap in the cabin side of the Hook component. This is caused by the weight of the combiner arm, as the gap is not present when the arm is not there. I have made matters worse by adding a Decepticon symbol, which is neatly bisected! For many people, the head and facial expression caused some controversy. I actually like the original head and its inscrutible expression, which you can see in all of my photos. The Hercules set was similarly criticised, and as a result, there are about 8 billion 3rd and 4th-party heads available for it. Maketoys sought to address this by making a head with a poseable mouth. It was a nice idea, and some people like it. I despise it and to me it looks like a ventriloquist's dummy. But, props to maketoys for adding it in as an extra. I have spoken at length about the quality of the paint apps on the individual figures and the colour of plastic used which is the perfect lime green shade, so it is no surprise that the overall impression is excellent. I doubt that there will ever be a better looking Devastator (unless you ask Hercules fans!)

Appearance (Alternate Mode) 9/10
I class the combiner alt mode as being all the vehicles together, and how well they display as a group. And I can't really fault these, at all. The Constructicons were always the most cohesive of the combiners, being a uniform colour and having vehicles that you would naturally associate together. They were always piling around together, up to mischief, building whatever Megatron's latest diabolical scheme was. Even though scale is way off with these guys, there is nothing really glaring which looks stupid. The fact that Long Haul is larger and bulkier than the rest of the components makes sense as well, since the dump truck would be huge in the real world. The great thing about the alt modes is that everything required to make Devastator can be stowed on them. I choose not to display the pheumatic drill/screwdriver bits which attach to Long Haul because they are a bugger to remove, and offer little value in my opinion, although I have seen some collectors use them more imaginatively. Also, all the guns can stow on the vehicles but this ruins the look of them for me. The forearms becoming trailer hitches is genius.


Transformation 8/10
Combining Devastator is pretty simple, the various sections clip together with quick-release catches that keep the alt mode rigid. The legs require some modification to the front end to tilt the cabin sections forward, this entails pressing a tab to extend the waist joint somewhat, which then allows for a bit of extra height and articulation. Scrapper's heel is a pain to put together to be honest, and the engine block is uesd to solidify the whole thing. Even the release button for his waist is devilishly positioned, as I have moaned about in his individual review. I would definitely say that Scrapper is Devastator's 'Achilles heel' which is appropriate in this case.

Long Haul has to be transformed the most from his alt mode (standard fare for the torso combiner components), and you take him halfway to robot mode, but reverse the leg transformation. The 'codpiece' (for want of a better word) can be pulled out slightly to allow more articulation in the hip area. Affixing the 2 legs to Long Haul is straightforward, with the components locking satisfyingly into place. Next Hook suffers the indignity of being folded in half, and a couple of clever flaps are lifted up to reveal the arm sockets. The combiner head is then unfolded, and shimmied into the center of the folded vehicle via a precariously-small bit of plastic. I find attaching Hook to Long Haul rather difficult, as there are a couple of tabs you must find before engaging the clips. But once all together, again the connection is very nice and solid.

The 2 arms have an identical transformation which involves moving their treads down to free the combiner joint and placing the treads back into position. They are then affixed to hook, and the forearms are attached. The forearms are then opened to reveal the hands. Finally the chest plate is slotted into place, and the gun is assembled. And, with that, Devastator is ready to go forth and smash stuff.

Poseability 9/10
For such a huge and ungainly-looking figure, there is an awful lot of articulation on offer. The head is ball-jointed and has a good range of movement (something improved following issues with the yellow version) and the waist swivels on a solid ratchet. The shoulders are ratcheted and offer some lateral movement as well. The elbows are jointed and the wrists have swivel, with individual articulation for each finger, and a ball-jointed thumb. There is also bicep and thigh swivel. The Hip articulation is exactly the same as for Long Haul, and this is where the meaty ratchet joints really come into play. The knees also have solid joints, and the ankles are on ball-joints, allowing the feet to be firmly planted in most situations. Devastator is a very heavy robot but thanks to his large feet, clever distrubution of weight and solid connections/ratchets he can be posed surprisingly dynamically. Really excellent.


Quality 8/10
Overall, Devastator is rock-solid and he has been designed superbly well, in terms of how the various robots interconnect. The plastic used is very high quality which you appreciate all the more when you realise the forces conspiring to make this impressive figure collapse. You can pick up the robot by the torso, and, while appreciating the qualitative and weighty feel of the thing in hand, give him a shake. Not that I'd advise that, but mine holds together perfectly. I have some small niggles with the individual robots (particularly Scrapper) but my only real gripe about the combined figure is the head balljoint, which is pretty small, and the small piece of plastic the head sits on. I have placed various smaller robots in Devastator's clutches (for scientific reasons, of course) and the joints are up to the task.

Overall - 43/50
A combined Devastator is a beautiful thing to behold, and Maketoys have captured the core essence that made the original figure so wonderful, and propelled it into the stratosphere with modern poseability and engineering which make this an absolute must-have. Every collector needs to have at least one iteration of the big green menace in their ranks, and it is really a question of which one you feel does the character justice. The current Hasbro choices are incredibly disappointing. The Energon remould comprises only 5 characters and 2 of those share the same mould, so there are only 3 distinct moulds! The ROTF Devastator is a disastrous Michael Bay-inspired clusterf**k and even the special lime green version cannot save it from being terrible. Hasbro's ineptitude leaves 2 clear frontrunners - Maketoys or TFC Toys - the choice is yours. But, for me, the Maketoys version is cheaper, scales better with my other figures, is better out of the box (Hercules apologists have to spend loads more money 'upgrading' their set to make it look decent), and, most importantly, is the right shade of green! Giant is a fantastic figure and I urge you to get him if you have any interest in doing this iconic combiner justice.

Fortress Maximus

"Prepare for war, but strive for peace."

Valiant, courageous, a warrior without peer... but peace is his most fervent wish. Fights only out of necessity; believes all violence is ultimately pointless and counterproductive. Transforms to battle station and city modes. Armed with twin laser-guided mortars on legs, heat-seeking dual laser blasters, and fusion-powered photon rifle. Has communications, detection, and repair equipment. Controls two armored vehicles, Gasket and Grommet, which combine to form Cog. Head transforms to semi-autonomous Cerebros, who is binary-bonded to the Nebulan leader, Spike.

STRENGTH

10

INTELLIGENCE

10

SPEED

10

ENDURANCE

9

RANK

10

COURAGE

10

FIREPOWER

10

SKILL

9

OVERALL

78

Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances

First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - The Transformers: Headmasters Issue 1, July 1987 / Issue 79, June 1991
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 199, January 7th 1989 / Issue 205, February 18th 1989
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 98 (Season 4 #3), November 11th 1987
First Toy Appearance - 1987

Click here to see Figure Details and review

Figure Details

AKA 'Warden'
Manufacturer - Perfect Effect
Toyline -

Additions/Mods:
- Added an Autobot symbol to the chest
- Added Autobot symbols to the front of the tank

Review

I think it's fair to say that Fortress Maximus's size over the years have been somewhat inconsistent. And that's about the nicest way I can phrase it. As a kid growing up in a Maximus-less UK, the figure had achieved legendary status despite the fact that no-one had ever seen him. How we laughed as we were regaled with stories about how he was 2 feet tall. Nonsense, surely. I had Scorponok and I could barely conceive of a figure over twice his height. Turns out that the rumour-mongers were right. So tall was Fortress Maximus that it would take over 25 years for Hasbro to finally beat it (if not in bulk), with their rather glorious Metroplex. Outside of the physical world, his appearance in the cartoon was fleeting, he appeared for all of one episode in the US run and was vast, making the other Headmasters appear like ants next to him. In the comics, he was definitely big, but not beyond the size of, say, Powermaster Optimus Prime. In fact, some artists rendered him shorter. So we have a figure in one continuity who could crush Galvatron like a bug, and in another get beaten (and eaten!) to a pulp by the same antagonist. Perfect Effect decided to address (or add to) the confusion by creating a figure who could either stand in as a IDW or G1-esque Fort Max in its own right, or alternately act as a (rather large) Cerebros for the original G1 figure. I really hated the idea. "Too small as a standalone figure and too awkward as an enhancement to G1 Fort Max!" I thought. And then I saw the initial photos and I was smitten.


Appearance (Robot Mode) 10/10
"So why was I smitten?" you might ask. Simply because this is the finest looking robot I have seen. Let alone 3rd party or official Transformer, just robot in general. It's just a wonder to behold. The proportions are perfect, evoking a bulky and powerful figure who still manages to carry an underlying grace about him. This is not an overly-tall figure, somewhat shorter than Ultra Magnus in his FansProject finery, but he conveys a lot of power through his 'muscle'. Speaking of FansProject, Fort Max displays very well with their Headmasters, and also Toyworld's Hardhead. The headsculpt is perfect, and works equally well as a Cerebros and Fortress Maximus homage. For those who are interested, I use this as the latter. Some of the details do not evoke the G1 figure, with this more firmly replicating the IDW-verse character, but there are enough common details. I suppose the glaring omission are the hip-high red cannons, but I always felt these looked a little dumb anyway. The paint is the best I have seen on any Transformer, masterpieces included. It is just flawless, rich, shiny, resilient, beautiful. I hope that you're getting the sense I like the paint. It is quite the achievement for Perfect Effect who have been a bit hit-and-miss with some of their efforts, particularly the step up in size from Motobot which had a few flaws has impressed me immensely. This is a versatile figure with a couple of main display options. There is the 'minimalist' mode which is just the dude sans armour with a little sidearm, I imagine him employing this mode for chilling. Then there is the 'almighty thunderbastard' mode which comprises of extra armour, a massive back-pack resplendent with tank treads and a gun which speaks volumes about the (lack of) size of Fort Max's manhood. The fact he can wield the gun without it looking like he is about to fall over is testament to Perfect Effect's fine work. I would imagine this robot being highly useful in the Autobot front lines, using his almighty god-cannon to blow combiners back into their constituent parts. The gun also replicates and improves upon the G1 figures main weapon. This is really a figure without peer for me, I am utterly in awe of the fine work Perfect Effect have done. This chap also comes with a very large display stand which I have nicknamed the 'almighty discus', obviously they quite like it too.

Appearance (Alternate Mode) 7/10
You'd think with a robot so nice that the flip-side would be a less-than-stellar alternate mode, and in some ways, this is true. This is a difficult one to score or describe, really. The official alternate modes on offer are a gigantic head, and a tank. The head is great but I have entirely no use for it, choosing to use this as Fort Max itself as opposed to Cerebros. The tank mode is rather less sophisticated, and is less squat then you would hope. Nonetheless it is largely successful and imposing to boot. There's no escaping the fact it is pretty much the robot folded over with tank treads and a whopping great gun stuck on, however. There is also no articulation on the cannon itself, although the treads are amazing, they actually drive and can also pivot, making them suitable for any terrain. There are loads of fan modes popping up too - this has been made possible by the original figure having transformations such as 'robot lying down' and 'robot lying down a bit more' but it is great to see how versatile this figure is. I would score this higher if I was concerned with the head, but I'm not, so I can't. I also feel it looks a little daft plonked onto the G1 figures body, it is too large and doesn't quite work stylistically, a brand new mould unsurprisingly clashing with the aesthetics of a figure over 25 years old.


Transformation 6/10
Anyone with experience of Perfect Effect will know that these guys specialise in parts-forming, which is obviously not to everyone's tastes. Their Reflector homage had a myriad of parts, all of which could be employed and/or stowed in all modes. This figure follows that pattern with most of the kibble set aside and combined to form the drone tank, which I suppose if you squint could be an up-sized Gasket/Grommet hybrid. When making the main tank mode, this kibble is dis-assembled and re-used in other ways. In terms of the robot, the fists are folded into the forearms, and the arms are rotated, lifted up to where the head would be after removing it, and the forearms tabbed together. The legs are similarly rotated and tabbed together - the feet need to be folded up but they collide a bit. You bend the waist and basically end up with the robot folded over double. Then the assembly begins, with one set of missile pods used to secure then 2 halves of the figure together. The shoulder/chest armour forms a cab area of sorts, which you are supposed to perch Cerebros/Spike on. For me, I can't fathom how to do it. The smaller gun form part of the cab too. The gun can be a pain to attach, being connected by a small black connector, and then held in place by slotting it into a chest cavity and sticking 2 more missile pods either side. The whole arrangement is a bit fiddly and can be annoying. The legs then stick to the tank treads by several tabs, which have to be aligned perfectly. It is all a bit of a fiddle, to be honest, and I don't think that the lot holds together as well as it should.

Poseability 9/10
One of my acid tests with Headmasters in particular, is "can they take their own head off"? A bit of a weird test, granted, but one that Fortress Maximus passes with ease. Articulation-wise, he has a neck which can rotate and tilt, although the head has a tendency to move independently of it for some reason. The waist is on a swivel. The shoulders and lips have both lateral and side-to-side movement. The biceps and thighs both have the all-important swivel. The elbows and knees are also jointed. The ankles have tilt and swivel, and the heel and toe can be moved independently of each other. The hands are can rotate, and while the fingers are not independently-articulated they can open and close. This is a very heavy figure, thanks to use of Die Cast on parts of his legs, He is also back-heavy when the tank treads are attached, however he does not fall over due to his poseable feet and reassuringly-tight joints. Another sterling job from Perfect Effect.


Quality 9/10
I am greatly impressed with how Perfect Effect have evolved in this area. This was a real concern for me as soon as they started to gravitate towards larger figures, and then disappointed with their Motobot mould. Thankfully this effort shares none of the fragility of that figure and is finished to an extremely high standard. I really can't emphasize enough how good this feels in hand. The die-cast adds weight and prestige. The fact that the rubber tank treads not only move but also move very well is testament to the lengths these guys went to to produce a very high-end product.

Overall - 41/50
This is a thoroughly decent figure overall, which would score much higher were it not for the slightly unsatisfying alt mode and fiddly parts-forming transformation. In robot mode it deserves to be the centre-point of any collection, such is its beauty; and as I have mentioned the quality is thankfully top-notch, which represents a tangible improvement for Perfect Effect as a whole. This works great for me as a comics-scale Fortress Maximus, and now I urge Perfect Effect to give Scorponok the same treatment. Please!

Grimlock

"Among the winners, there is no room for the weak."

Most fearsome and powerful Dinobot. Although dedicated to the Autobot cause, resents authority. Cold merciless, but a valiant warrior. Has contempt for the weak, including all humans. Great strength, uses jaws to break almost anything in two. Carries energo sword and galaxial rocket launcher in Dinobot mode. Other than arrogance and lack of speed, has no real weakness.

STRENGTH

10

INTELLIGENCE

7

SPEED

3

ENDURANCE

10

RANK

9

COURAGE

10

FIREPOWER

8

SKILL

10

OVERALL

67

Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances

First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 4, March 1985 / Issue 80, July 1991
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 29, October 5th 1985 / Issue 289, September 29th 1990
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 8 (Season 1 #8), October 27th 1984 / Episode 91 (Season 3 #26), November 18th 1986
First Toy Appearance - 1985

Click here to see Figure Details and review

Figure Details

Manufacturer - Hasbro
Toyline - Fall Of Cybertron

Additions/Mods:
- Added an Autobot symbol to the chest, covering the tampographed 'dinobot' symbol
- Added an Autobot symbol to the t-rex head, covering the tampographed one
- Added the FansProject G3 Trailer weapon
- Added the Iron Factory Chest filler upgrade

Review

"Me Grimlock smash Hasbro Building!" Is what Grimlock would say if he ever saw the state of his 'classics' incarnation. This truly awful specimen is probably the low point of the entire Classics line and its successors. It was the case that the only alternative was the beautiful but slightly too big Masterpiece figure. That was until Hasbro released a voyager-class Grimlock within their 'Fall Of Cybertron' line. But would this do Grimlock justice, or would it be flimsy and insubstantial as with some of the other FOC figures?


Appearance (Robot Mode) 7/10
I finally got sick of looking at the terrible Classics Grimlock, and as soon as this version arrived I melted him in my waffle iron. I can tell you that this figure is a major improvement! Early pictures of this figure had me very worried, but I must say that in hand, this figure is quite a lot nicer than those early photos led me to believe. The headsculpt is impressive, and the broad chest and shoulders give hime a very powerful look. The silver plastic is quite nice, but I'm not a fan of the pale gold, which looks washed out in my opinion. My biggest worry with this figure was gappiness, but actually it ain't too bad. The lower legs are hollow at the back but are kind of filled in by the tail tips. The back of the torso is completely hollow but reasonably filled in by the dinosaur neck and head. Also the addition of the Iron Factory filler makes the back slightly more complete with 'wings' which can evoke the G1 appearance if you wish. Compared to other figures on the FOC line, this feels very substantial. Size wise, He is about the same height as United Megatron, albeit lighter, so scales very well with Optimus Prime, being slightly taller than him. I also augmented the figure with a FansProject sword, which looks nice and shiny.

Appearance (Alternate Mode) 7/10
I'm not a major fan of this mode, which is a massive step backwards from the Masterpiece version, but it is still a lot nicer than the 'Classics' version. That thick tail will annoy you from certain angles, I won't lie. The hollowness was a major problem in Dino mode, with there being obvious voids from the neck all the way down to the baby maker. Unfortunately because this approximates an old-skool T-Rex, the 'chest' area is on full display. Thankfully, Iron Factory have produced a very decent filler which plugs in snugly and does not need to be removed. Also, they have done a great job in matching up the paint and plastic colour of the main figure - so much so that you do not notice this is a 3rd-party add-on at all. The light-up gimmick works impressively, but I feel that the surrounding plastic needed to be thicker to accentuate the effect, seeing as in dinosaur mode the entire head lights up like a Christmas tree. Also, it is a shame that the mouth cannot be posed 'open' - you have to pull the trigger or prop the mouth open with something, as I elected to do.


Transformation 8/10
The transformation is fun, with some elements which invoke the G1 figure. The dinosaur head and shoulders flip back to reveal the robot head, which is similar to the original, the main difference being that the shoulders do not split in two to form the distinctive 'wings' in robot mode. The tail splits apart to reveal the (not very well-disguised) legs. The bottom of the tail folds into each lower leg. Lastly, the fists fold out from the legs, giving the robot mode a very G1 feel in this area.

Poseability 8/10
The articulation is very good, with a ball-jointed head (although his chin prevents much downwards movement) good movement at the shoulder, wrist swivel, elbow joints, bicep swivel, decent hip articulation, thigh swivel, knee joints. No waist swivel though. Because of the transformation, the arms can also be posed inwardly or outwardly at the shoulder. Most of the joints are like little cogs, and these will obviously wear down with excessive use - a poor man's ratchet joint. Surprisingly this figure balances well, despite hollow heels and some back kibble.


Quality 6/10
Nothing feels immediately problematic on this mould, but the quality of plastic certainly feels lesser when compared with other figures in my collection. Also, those crappy ratchet-like joints are very tight and every time you move them it is akin to stripping the plastic cogs they hinge on. So I wouldn't like to say what the long-term prognosis for this figure is.

Overall - 36/50
I know a lot of people will consider using this figure in their 'classics' lineup. does it work? For me, it does, I stuck Reprolabels over the dinobot insignia and it looks pretty good. He scales very well with classics Voyager Prime in robot mode. Aesthetically, you can get away with it - it's not as jarring as trying to incorporate a Movieverse figure into your collection. So in summary better than I thought. As a stand alone figure people will definitely like this, and I feel that if you wanted to display this figure in your 'classics' collection in robot mode, he is a better fit in your collection than any other Grimlock out there. But if you prefer to display Grimmy as a dino, then it is MP all the way.

Megatron

"Peace through tyranny."

Megatron combines brute strength, military cunning, ruthlessness and terror. Aches to return to Cybertron to conquest after destroying all Autobots on earth. Plans to possess all Earth resources. Incredibly powerful and intelligent. Fires nuclear-charged fusion cannon. Can link up interdimensionally to a black hole and draw antimatter from it for use as a weapon. No known weakness.

STRENGTH

10

INTELLIGENCE

10

SPEED

4

ENDURANCE

8

RANK

10

COURAGE

9

FIREPOWER

10

SKILL

9

OVERALL

70

Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances

First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 1, September 1984 / Issue 78, May 1991
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 13, March 9th 1985 / Issue 286, September 8th 1990
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 1 (Season 1 #1), September 17th 1984 / The Transformers: The Movie, August 8th 1986
First Toy Appearance - 1984

Click here to see Figure Details and review

Figure Details

Manufacturer - Takara
Toyline - United

Additions/Mods:
- I made the shell of the gun removable so he doesn't sport the winged look in bot mode
- Decepticon symbol added to the chest to cover the ugly sculpted one

Review

Every good story requires a hero and a villain. Optimus Prime obviously fits the description of the former, being an upstanding type of guy, looking after his fellow Autobots and ruling by consensus rather than a fist of iron. How dreadfully boring, which is why Megatron is just such an important character. I mean what better alt mode to choose than a gun. Nothing says 'baddie' more than changing into gun, an instrument with one use and one use alone: killing. And kill things Megatron did. Not until the movie maybe, when he inexplicably and finally found the 'kill' setting on his arm-mounted WMD, and executed Ironhide in the most ruthless act I had seen in any media as an 8-year-old. Parents felt that the writers and animators had crossed the line - I just thought Megatron was finally badass, freed from the shackles of daytime TV cartoons. Then came Galvatron who was supposed to be the ultimate version of Megatron, but no way was he as good a character. Megatron was the autocratic overlord, swatting would-be usurpers like Starscream away with his open palm, kicking sycophants with his shiny metal boots. Galvatron had to answer to Unicron, Megatron had no such qualms, ruling without interference for millennia. After Optimus Prime, Megatron is probably the most iconic character ever to spring from Transformers in any incarnation. Ever. It is, then, with perhaps with some trepidation that the toy designers at Hasbro sat down and updated him. Did they do a good job? Kinda.


Appearance (Robot Mode) 8/10
I absolutely love this mould, but it is fundamentally and inexorably ruined by the huge wing-like kibble that sits there on his back, looking extremely stupid. So stupid, that I took a dremel to an expensive figure, and removed them. So bear in mind that my score is based on how mine looks, not how he looks out of the box. Also, the non-Japanese release of this figure has a frankly awful colour scheme. Of the 2 available Japanese releases, I have United version, as the palette used is a bit less offensive than the Henkei one. A lot of people don't like the way that the cannon sits underneath his arm, but I think it's great. His headsculpt is also pretty nice, but he looks sad rather than malevolent. Poor guy. The grey used is actually quite a shiny silver, which for me goes against Megatron's fundamentally utilitarian design. However the expanses of black and red dampen down the glitz somewhat, leaving behind a robot which would have surely been Stalin's wet dream.

Appearance (Alternate Mode) 8/10
OK, I know that this is a Nerf gun, but with the right paintjob, it looks like a vaguely Bladerunner-esque handgun. I really like it, actually. The trigger is spring-loaded and clicks rather nicely. You can also see down the sight, which is another nice touch in a well-thought out toy. Ironically, what makes the alt mode so nice is what cripples the robot mode; the two sides of the gun provide so much nice detail, but they also form the damn stupid 'wings' in the robot mode.


Transformation 9/10
Ostensibly a shell-former, a fair amount of trickery is required to squish Megatron into the requisite shape so that his damn wings can be stuck on. However, the transformation is imaginative and really good fun as well. It is one of those figures where you can only guess how the whole thing fits together when you first get hold of it. Easily one of my favourites and the instructions were well-thumbed the first few times. One leg is used as the handle with the other forming part of the barrel; the chest piece rotates completely away from the groin and pretty much the whole figure collapses. There are also very satisfying features too; I love the way that the leg pieces are slid up into place with a satisfying 'click'.

Poseability 8/10
Not quite as good as he ought to be, he has head swivel but no waist swivel. He has lateral and side-to-side movement in his shoulders, with an elbow joint and bicep swivel. He has satisfying ratchet joints in his hips, and thigh swivel with jointed knees. His heels ald long feet aid with balance, and he certainly looks great from all angles. I think having a massive cannon strapped to your arm helps with that. Of course, the 'wing' kibble may well cause balance issues, but I don't have to worry about that.


Quality 9/10
Megatron feels extremely well made, and all the plastic is nice quality, as I can testify. My dremel struggled to cut through the superior plastic, such was its obstinate resistance. You get the feeling that a dumb kid could hammer away at this toy all day, without snapping anything off.

Overall - 42/50
If I had the Hasbro release of this figure, and also had not removed the nasty kibble from the robot mode, then I would be scoring this toy in at around 37, which is the difference between a nice figure and a great figure, in my opinion. Make of that what you will. I haven't seen any other mould out there at this scale which does as good a job of Megatron, and I include the pending 3rd-party releases in that. My advice to you would be to pick up either the United or Henkei version of Megatron and then cut off that horrible kibble. You will still be spending less than half the cost of a Hegemon.

Menasor

"Leave no Autobot uncrushed."

A clanking, crushing terror that destroys all in his path -- the ulimate Decepticon weapon if he wasn't so confused by the opposing thoughts of the 5 Stunticons who comprise him. (Motormaster is loathed by the other four.) Tremendous strength, his punch has the force of 140 tons. Impervious to most artillery. Uses Motormaster's cyclone gun and carries an ionizer sword with a 50,000 volt charge.

STRENGTH

10

INTELLIGENCE

3

SPEED

2

ENDURANCE

9

RANK

5

COURAGE

9

FIREPOWER

9

SKILL

6

OVERALL

53

Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances

First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 22, November 1986
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 63, May 31st 1986 / Issue 259, March 3rd 1990
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 57 (Season 2 #41), November 26th 1985 / Episode 84 (Season 3 #19), November 10th 1986
First Toy Appearance - 1986

Click here to see Figure Details and review

Figure Details and review

AKA 'Intimidator'

Toyline - Causality

Additions/Mods:
- Added a Decepticon symbol to the chest
Manufacturer - FansProject

Review

Menasor was the combiner with the pointy ears, and that's about when my recollection ends. He was used extremely sparingly in the cartoon and the comics, with less than a handful of appearances over all media. He was rather lost in the mix when it came to his contemporaries, being second-best to Bruticus in my estimation. He was also the shortest of the G1 combiners, save the late appearance of Piranhacon and Monstructor. That said, I suddenly became rather excited when it transpired that FansProject were going to produce a homage to him. This took me by surprise because unlike their Bruticus and Superion add-on sets, they had no base figure to augment. No, they would be doing this from scratch - the first 100% FansProject combiner. When you consider that both TFC and Maketoys beat them to this, it is rather surprising. So it intrigued me how one of the original 3rd party companies would fare against these other guys. FansProject teased about this set for what seemed like an age, waiting a looong time before the first fleeting glance of the completed combiner was spotted. One day, a rather innocuous box arrived at my house, containing a very slender box which supposedly contained Motormaster plus all of his combiner kibble. Could it really have everything in it? Of course. So, join me, finally, in finding out how well FansProject can do a combiner when they are unconstrained by Hasbro...


Appearance (Robot Mode) 9/10
Let me say first that this is a stunning figure, and then I am going to get my one criticism out of the way right now. FansProject kinda cheated with this one. Unlike the combiners churned out by Maketoys or MMC for example, none of the limbs incorporate any combiner kibble. Where Maketoys made decisions such as attaching trailers to their arm bots to at least try to integrate and keep the kibble with the relevant figure, FansProject just thought "nope" and didn't bother. I can understand their reasoning; I mean how can you store giant feet or hands without ruining the lines of sleek sports cars? Moreover, both Breakdown and Wildrider simply attach to the front of Motormaster's extended legs - they are actually not required at all. A total skinflint could simply ignore these guys and just buy the 2 arms and Motormaster would still be standing tall. Well, anyway, that's my moaning done. This is simply the best combined robot mode I have seen by some distance. It is tall - larger than both FansProject Colossus and Maketoy's Giant figures. Despite this extra height, it is extremely elegant. By no means does it look weak, but it is lithe, athletic, it looks like it could move extremely quickly whereas Devastator, Bruticus and Predaking look like lumbering battering rams in comparison. As the Central component, the combiner-mode for Motormaster is fantastic. The 'boxed in' head configuration of the original is nicely referenced without imposing the poseability restrictions which would annoy modern collectors. Then there is the headsculpt, which is a rare hit for FansProject, I normally dislike or feel apathetic towards them. This sculpt It is samurai-esque and invokes calm but with a potential for carnage. The dull red eye paint is applied expertly as is the silver of his face. Some people have complained about the arms and how they are configured but I love them. Using the knees as elbows just seems so logical to me - you benefit from 2 joints working in parallel, which can be independently moved providing extra posing options. They do not look overly thin. Dead End suffers by being quite narrow at the forearm, but you can add the collapsed rifle components to bulk this up. You can live with the narrow forearm and employ the rifle too if you like. Then there is the quite ridiculous sword which adds some extra and not really warranted 'menace' (sorry) to the figure.

Appearance (Alternate Mode) 8/10
I wouldn't like to see these coming down the road. This is where Motormaster's trailer comes in use, as the combiner kibble is on board but neatly stowed. The only exception to this is the folded up rifle, which sits across the trailer doors. It looks a bit lame if you ask me. Otherwise we have a very sleek, coherent unit. Squint and they look just like the team of old, with FansProject making some alterations and concessions. Wildrider is probably the oddity in the group, as his vehicle mode looks the most angular and futuristic. Drag Strip actually looks less futuristic, stripped of the 6-wheel Tyrell configuration of the original toy. All in all, they look great and the cars scale well with the truck. They can't really display with figures outside of their group in this mode, with the exception of a few scout class figures.


Transformation 8/10
As combiners go this is rather simplistic, with Drag Strip and Motormaster requiring the most alteration. Motormaster essentially makes use of the multitude of waist joints to put what is Motormaster's chest in robot mode to the underside of the torso. This leaves Motormaster's head protuding from the stomach like something out of Total Recall. This is temporary thankfully and can be folded in once Menasor's head has been pulled from the rails it is contained on. On mine, the head takes some work to stow again - not sure if this is limited to mine. The horns on Menasor's head should be fully unfolded after deploying it. This leaves the head sitting in basically the middle of nowhere. Motormaster's arms are used to build the shoulders which keep Menasor's head firmly in place. Then after an extended period of Origami Motormaster's leg stumps are ready to receive the components of his trailer, which are transformed and clicked into place backwards and rotated after that. Both the leg-bots just require their rear panels to be lifted slightly, to allow the hexagonal slots on their chest to tab into the leg sections. Both Dead End and Drag Strip need to be altered to accommodate both the fists and the shoulder connectors - this is a far more convoluted process with Drag Strip, however. I'm not entirely happy with how Drag Strip grips the fist connector - it feels like a tenuous connection and cannot support he weight of the sword or gun. Perhaps I'm doing it wrong...

Poseability 10/10
One area where this figure stands out for me is its ability to pose. It really is incredible given the sheer size, complexity and weight that so many poses can be achieved. Starting with the articulation, the head is on a ball-joint, and the waist has a quality, ratcheted swivel. The shoulders allow for controlled lateral and side-to-side movement thanks to the clever connectors, and the hips have a similar range of articulation. These joints are ratcheted and feel extremely durable. The elbows comprise of 2 sets of knee joints, allowing for radial movement of the forearm to boot. This negates the need for bicep swivel, which is not present. There is thigh swivel, as well as strong ratcheted knee joints. The fists can swivel and bend inwards and outwards, and each finger has 2 joints, as do the thumbs. The palms of the hands have tabs so that the weapons are held securely, without you having to mash the fingers together to get them to stay. The ankles are ball-jointed so there is no limitation articulation-wise. The feet are actually a marvel. FansProject made the simple addition of rubber on their underside which means that even on a smooth surface, this figure will never suffer from doing the splits involuntarily. The feet are also large, accounting for the centre of balance. You can also display this figure with one leg off the floor, such is the combined strength of the ankle ball-joint and the grip on the foot. This is really a top-rate job.


Quality 8/10
I have expressed some gripes about the individual figures, but as a combined entity this feels very solid. As I have already said the joints feel of the utmost quality, easily capable of bearing the load on them. I think FansProject have learned from criticisms leveled at them regarding the arm connectors for Bruticus. I guess only time will tell though, but so far, so good. The fact that the connectors are not part of any of the figures and that they are standardised would potentially make them easier to fix or swap out if they did fail. One person has complained that they had stress marks on the chest of their leg-bot after connecting it, but so far mine have emerged unscathed.

Overall - 43/50
This is a great combiner and in some ways, probably the most accomplished I have yet seen. It is large but not overly so, it succeeds in providing great alternate and individual robot modes without detracting from the gestalt and feels entirely robust. Hopefully FansProject have dispelled some of the QC issues which have plagued them in the past. This certainly feels like a very refined and well-implemented project. They took their time about releasing this collection of figures, but it appears that biding their time has paid off, rather than rushing them to market. Apparently the addition of the rubber for the feet was a late change, and this is an example of making sure everything was as perfect as possible before release. I am really hoping that FansProject's next move will be to take on the Protectobots, as I need them in scale with my other combiners. Hot Spot is getting mighty lonely.

Metroplex

"Vigilance is the foundation on which victories are built."

Startlingly versatile, staggeringly strong, the Autobot's last line of defense... a mighty insturment of titanic destructive force. Extremely modest about his achievements... berates himself for not doing more. In robot mode, he can lift 70,000 tons, has shoulder-mounted twin high-energy maser cannons and omni-directional receiving and transmitting antenna. In city mode, has helipad and fully equipped repair bays that can handle four vehicles at once. Left rear tower transforms into tank, Slammer, who has rocket-propelled mortar cannon. Scamper is sports car with side mounted electro-blasters; transforms into robot, uses high-energy particle beam pistol. Six-Gun is small robot, has ion-pulse rifles for arms, twin surface-to-air guided missile launchers on back, acetylene pistol. In battle station mode, uses all these weapons and twin disrupter rays, laser lances, powerful anti-matter projectors.

STRENGTH

10

INTELLIGENCE

8

SPEED

2

ENDURANCE

9

RANK

8

COURAGE

10

FIREPOWER

10

SKILL

9

OVERALL

66

Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances

First/Last Comic Appearance (US) -
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 186, October 8th 1988 / Issue 187, October 15th 1988
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - The Transformers: The Movie, August 8th 1986 / Episode 94 (Season 3 #29), February 24th 1987
First Toy Appearance - 1986

Click here to see Figure Details and review

Figure Details

Manufacturer - Takara
Toyline - Generations

Additions/Mods:
- Added an Autobot symbol to the chest, covering the tampographed one

Review

I have to admit that I was rather late to the party as far as Metroplex was concerned. Apparently it was he in the movie whose defenses were activated; albeit manually because his Transformation cog was knackered. Is this the first retcon in the cartoon continuity, or were the writers acutely aware that Metroplex would have easily beaten all the Decepticons, without the need for Optimus Prime to sacrifice himself? Either way, Metroplex was reduced to a weapons platform as a small part of the sprawling Autobot City complex. He did feature relatively prominently in the next series of the cartoon, but unfortunately some of the storylines he was involved in were very daft, as was the case when his eyes were stolen to replace Unicron's in one of the most notorious cases of mass-shifting in Transformers folklore. Metroplex was but a component of a large city, Unicron was a planet. How their eyes would have been therefore interchangeable is beyond me. Never mind. It was really the single comic story that Metroplex appeared in which caught my attention - during the UK Space Pirates story, Metroplex is awoken to dispatch the Quintessons and, boy, is he impressive. The sheer size he is portrayed at is just awe inspiring. He is able to squish multiple Quintessons under foot, for starters. Then way later, Metroplex got his own IDW spotlight where he incapacitated the most powerful Phase-sixer, Six-shot, with one clumsy stomp. So for me the key aspect of the character I most enjoyed was sheer size. But the G1 toy was not really very tall at all. And he was a brick, and an extremely flimsy one at that. For this reason, I was never inclined to get the figure. Then, last year, rumours began to surface of a new Metroplex figure. Buoyed by a prominent role in the very successful 'Fall of Cybertron' videogame, I guess Metroplex suddenly became viable for Hasbro again. I expected a redeco with maybe some minor retooling of an Energon figure, as was the case with Omega Supreme, but to my surprise, we were treated with a brand new mould. And a figure big enough to topple Fortress Maximus as the tallest Transformer of all time. Oh boy.


Appearance (Robot Mode) 10/10
I must say that this mould is fantastic, not only for the fact it is resplendent with detail, proportionally spot on and with an amazing head sculpt, but the size is super impressive. I could stop here but I elected to plump for the Takara version, which is superior to the Hasbro version for a number of reasons. Firstly, there are soo many more paint apps, and in key areas these have made a fundamental difference to the figure. The Hasbro version, nice as it is, is just too sparse when it comes to paint. One of the main criticisms leveled at the figure is the blank white face as opposed to the chromed original. I am pleased to say that the shiny chrome is present and correct here. And the lower legs provide a great contrast to the rest of the figure as they are now finished in dark grey instead of white. There are also individual changes too numerate to mention which all add up to make this figure look so much more substantial and balanced. It's not just big, it is extremely elegant at the same time. Secondly, There are far less stickers to apply on the Takara version of this figure. Don't get me wrong - there are still about 80 stickers, but this is a vast improvement over the hundred plus required to make the Hasbro version look less sparse. Metroplex comes with 2 large shoulder mounted guns, and 2 absolutely huge (probably ultra-class height) rifles, which unfortunately do not transform into Sixgun. There is also no Slammer but Scamper does get an update and is Legends sized. Metroplex is designed to work best with figures on this scale, but he dwarfs any other figure anyway. Omega Supreme was my largest Autobot prior to this acquisition and he is about half the size. The headsculpt is large, and therefore one could expect a lot of detail which is what we are presented with. I particularly like the visor which is optional, so Metroplex can walk into a (very large) nightclub at night without looking like a massive idiot. The eyes are not light-piped but then who needs that archaic effect when the eyes light up via battery instead? As well as this light up feature, Metroplex also repeats several phrases lifted from Fall of Cybertron and can also make a mean omelette (OK, I made that last bit up). Despite this being a Japanese toy, the sound chip is identical to the US version so Metro speaks English, hooray! One last thing and than I shall move on - I was never happy with the windows immediately below his 'neck' as they had stupid stickers of Prime, Arcee and some other Autobots which just looked awful. Thankfully, Takara have had the good sense to paint the windows on in a nice, solid red, and thus you can display this bloke with one of the aforementioned Autobots without it looking like they are in 2 places at the same time. Phew.

Appearance (Alternate Mode) 7/10
I suppose that not only is Metroplex the tallest Transformer ever, but he is also the tallest triple changer ever, to boot. To be honest, base formers are pretty uninspiring and pretty easy to achieve since most of the time you are merely putting the robot into a vaguely pornographic pose and unfolding a few ramps. The only large Transformer who ever had a decent alt mode for my money was Scorponok. But I digress. Metroplex had a base mode and a mobile aircraft carrier, both of which are present here. Starting with the base mode this is definitely the most accomplished, featuring a multitude of ramps and a helipad. All of the guns form various towers in this mode, although they could only conceivably accommodate humans given their relative size. There are a couple of nice play features which are compatible with Legends class toys: A gun platform under the robot head and another in one of the forearms. A lot of stickers are employed in this mode to flesh out some of the nice moulded panels, providing screens aplenty. My main issue with this mould is the stowing of the hands, which are just very obviously folded over, but equally obviously hands. This is an issue with both alt modes and almost makes you hanker for the days of removable (and inevitably lost) limbs. The Aircraft carrier on wheels concept is still pretty daft, although the multiple stickers at least add some depth to the runways. There is a small articulated crane which adds another dimension and a smaller helipad, but, yeah those are really obvious hands at the back there. Not bad overall but definitely Metroplex's alt modes remain pretty weak.


Transformation 7/10
This is simple stuff really, again due to the somewhat suspect alt modes mainly you are just revealing panels and unfolding them. Anyway for the base mode, the head folds forward to reveal a gun platform, with the rear of the head lifting up to provide a sight and frontal protection for the gunner. The legs are folded backwards and the ramps are unfolded, this forms the base of the base(!). One leg is pivoted outwards to an angle of 45 degrees. The right arm is lifted straight forward and kind of sits there, and the hand kind of sits there too. There is a weapons platform which is unfolded from the forearm and then slid forward. The rear of the lower legs are opened up to reveal things vaguely resembling open-roofed rooms and the knee pads are lifted slightly to form roof-type things? I don't know really. The left arm is folded behind the back, as if a meddlesome bully had just done it and the chest splits in 2 to reveal the helipad. Then you just have to swing out a few tower-like appendages and pull a ramp out here and there, attach the guns in vaguely tower-like configurations and you are done! Moving onto the carrier mode, and the head is transformed in the same manner. This time Metroplex's legs are moved forward, with what was the bottom of the figure in base mode becoming the top. There is a crane appendage rather close to the groan area. Both arms literally pivot back and just kind of sit there. That's really kind of it, with the exception that the legs are slotted together in this mode as well.

Poseability 9/10
Well, colour me impressed. Metroplex offers the following articulation for your posing pleasure: Head and waist swivel, lateral and side-to-side ratcheted shoulders, with the same on the hips. He also sports sturdy elbow and knee ratchet joints, bicep and thigh swivel, Wrist swivel and tilt, individually articulated fingers (although no secondary joint) and even articulated eyes. Yes, eyes. You can move the 'iris' of each eye from side to side, very much like the old Action Man figures. Obviously, this is only apparent when you activate the light 'n' sound feature. My only gripe is that there is not really much in the way of ankle articulation, but still, this figure is more poseable that I would expect, thanks to super-strong ratchets which help him hold dynamic poses even under all the weight of his huge guns and forearms. I am seriously impressed by how dynamic you can pose this figure, who manages to look intimidating and massive without looking remotely lumbering or clumsy.


Quality 9/10
This figure feels extremely well balanced between something of huge size whilst retaining flexibility. The plastic used is great, and the additional paint apps provided courtesy of Takara really add to this figure. All of the paint is well applied and the chrome is spectacular. Even the decals are very high quality. The ratchet joints take me back to a time before ball-joints existed, and add a real qualitative weight to the figure which is quite rare in this day and age. They all feel suitably large and hard-wearing enough to cope with the load and you can be pretty rough with this figure without ever feeling like something is in jeopardy. Really fantastic work courtesy of Hasbro and Takara.

Overall - 42/50
I am the first to criticise Hasbro when they make moulds which are skinny or just too small, so it is only fair that I praise them when they deliver a product as good as this. This is probably one of my favourite figures they have ever produced, in terms of sheer size, quality and aesthetic. This can slot straight into a 'classics' collection or easily sit with War For/Fall of Cybertron figures. You could probably even surround him with Bay-verse figures and he would look at home. This is some achievement and it feels like Hasbro have managed to get it just right in terms of the look this figure evokes. For me, this is the figure which finally fulfills the promise of the original G1 character. I only have one criticism of this figure, and that is how the hell do my Decepticons hope to compete? It doesn't matter how many combiners I have, they all pale into insignificance when faced with this behemoth. So now, I am tasking Hasbro to bring me a Trypticon on the same scale. Then when they get time, an updated Scorponok and Fortress Maximus would be nice!

Omega Supreme

"Unyielding resolve has no conqueror."

The ultimate defensive force. Great strength, even greater courage. Serious, even grim... last line of Autobot defense. Protects the Ark and all else vital to his cause. As robot, can shatter a mountainside, lift 300,000 tons with clawed arm, destroy 12' steel cube with plasma blaster arm... has head-mounted laser cannon. Can transform to laser cannon tank and launching pad with rocket. Rocket can achieve planetary orbit.

STRENGTH

10

INTELLIGENCE

5

SPEED

3

ENDURANCE

10

RANK

7

COURAGE

10

FIREPOWER

10

SKILL

6

OVERALL

61

Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances

First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 14, March 1986 / Issue 50, March 1989
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) -
First/Last Cartoon Appearance - Episode 39 (Season 2 #23), October 23rd 1985 / Episode 85 (Season 3 #20), November 12th 1986
First Toy Appearance - 1985

Click here to see Figure Details and review

Figure Details

Manufacturer - Hasbro
Toyline - Platinum Edition

Additions/Mods:
- Added an Autobot symbol to the shoulder, covering the tampographed one

Review

Omega Supreme: Awesome. That was my esteemed opinion as a young chap despite the fact that the toy was derpy at best, with roughly 1,000 seperate parts to lose down the back of the sofa. In the cartoon, it would later transpire that he and Devastator had a rivalry spanning millions of years, which makes his absence from the Movie even more bizarre. Without Devastator being able to smash up Autobot city pretty much unopposed, would Optimus Prime have had to pay the ultimate sacrifice? This kept me awake at night after tearfully witnessing Prime's death back in 1985 - where was Omega Supreme? IDW later attempted to explain this absence in their Movie adaptation by pitting him and the 2 Autobot combiners up against Menasor and Bruticus. I make that 3 against 2, so that explanation is rubbish. Even in the UK comic, when Ultra Magnus was getting his butt kicked by Galvatron in Target:2006, Omega didn't appear, despite Magnus even discussing the use of him as a possibility. I have therefore decided that for all his strength, Omega Supreme is a bit of a coward. Despite this, I still leapt at the chance to buy this great retool of the Energon toy of the same name. And unlike the fictional character, at least the toy showed up when I needed him.


Appearance (Robot Mode) 8/10
The Chinese year of the snake has been the Transformers collector's gain with this quite ace retooling of Energon Omega Supreme. One change is the new head, which is no longer detachable but is frankly amazing. The face looks so good and is masked by the sheen of clear plastic which really evokes memories of the G1 figure. The light-up gimmick is gone, which I won't particularly miss but some might find this a shame. The major change, however, is the completely new 'claw' forearm, which is suitably impressive and upsized as if to resemble 'War For Cybertron' Omega Supreme. In fact the whole colour palette is reminiscent of the videogame character. Considering the quite loud paint scheme employed for the Energon toy, this paint job is remarkably coherent and understated. I do have 2 gripes though and they both center around the legs - The 'Omega Train' leg is too bright a red and I would have loved to see a more burgundy hue used, and the 'Omega Battleship' tower is black, when matching burgundy would have the more obvious choice. The copper highlights are fantastic though and really bring out the impressive amount of sculpted detail on this huge robot. I didn't mention how massive this figure is. He dwarfs Devastator and Bruticus with ease, and only Unicron is taller in my collection. He is also extremely barrel-chested, with huge arms which just evoke extreme power. 'Last line of defense' indeed.

Appearance (Alternate Mode) 7/10
First off, I am not going to complain about the various alt modes at your disposal too much when it comes to this figure, since the G1 original was pretty odd in this regard. The spirit of the original has been referenced here though because the alt mode comprises of 2 seperate entities - The Omega Train and the Omega Battleship. I really like the battleship because it is bristling with weaponry - the three turrets near to the bow rotate in unison which looks both impressive and menacing at the same time. There are also firing missiles on the largest gun, and then another gun to the stern. It's a slightly incongruous mode in the Transformers universe but I guess he can always hang out with Broadside. Then there is the Omega Train which is also pretty nice, were it not for the previously-mentioned bright red areas. There are 3 small cranes as well as the massive rear crane, which adds significantly to the play value of this toy. These 2 individual vehicles can be combined to form a mega-massive combined trousersnake train thingy but frankly I don't have room to photograph such a large object. There are also 3rd modes for the 2 sections, one being a crane and one being a weapons platform. Both of these kinda resemble Omega split in half and leaning over, which is appropriate because they are just that.


Transformation 6/10
Transforming this figure is pretty much the matter of bisecting the poor chap at the torso, which may come in handy if I decide that he and Bludgeon should have a fight. Other than this the legs and arms are moved about a bit, and that's pretty much it. For some reason Hasbro determine that this is an 'advanced' transformation - not sure if moving a few bits around justifies that categorisation. Oh yes and the head sinks into the surrounding plate and the whole thing is swivelled out of sight. Not necessarily a bad thing though, a bit of simplicity.

Poseability 6/10
I feel like this figure is missing some key articulation especially when they had such a large dude to work with. The head is on a swivel, there is no waist swivel though, which is pretty forgivable. There is front-to-back and side-to-side jointing in the shoulder, as well as elbow swivel and forearm rotation. The claw actually has 'knuckles' and is surprisingly poseable with the abilty to grip even small objects. The hips are articulated as per the shoulders, and the knees are jointed with lower leg swivel. So why the low mark? Because there is no bicep or thigh swivel. This severely limits poseability and is a real shame because the centre of gravity and other articulation have the potential to make this great.


Quality 9/10
This figure would probably become shelter for Cockroaches in the event of nuclear destruction. It is incredibly solid, in part due to its simplicity and also sheer mass. The plastic feels a world away from more recent Hasbro offerings and I'm sure could stand up to much battering at the hands of an overzealous child.

Overall - 36/50
This huge figure should be added without consideration to any collection, unless space is of a real concern. It really is an example of Hasbro maximising the potential of moulds from other lines and making them work perfectly with a few tweaks. This may be the best we can hope for in these austere times. I just hope that they do the same with their Unicron trilogy versions of Scorponok and Metroplex so there are a few more classic names ticked off the list. This is a great homage to an imposing (albeit cowardly, if you subscribe to my controversial beliefs) Autobot legend.