Youtube Highlights: Youtube was naughty and suddenly CATS!?

Here we go, another week of youtube highlights, and we have to start off on a sad note. Buckle up.

Doug Walker and Channel Awesome seemingly ran afoul of youtube's automated systems this past month, and lost monetisation for their videos. He put up the following appeal.

Less than 4 hours later, they got their monetisation back. Youtube really needs to get is act together, but in the meantime, your best plan is to go public if you have a problem with your account and copyright.

NerdSync had a very similar experience.

BanditIncorporated also had a lot to say about this.

Speaking of youtubers being subject to copyright claims by corporations, Super Bunnyhop has done a video defending online-only multi-player.

SciShow meanwhile did a video on cancer misconceptions. Please note, this post went up BEFORE I heard about Sir Terry Wogan passing this morning.

Almost, but not really, on the same theme, we have The Film Theorists. Here they ruin the ending of Dark Knight Rises with science. Although, it was pretty ruined before they got there, to be fair.

And finally, ever hear of cyriak? You probably have seen at least a few of his animations, they tend to stick in the mind. Well, he did a music video for the RunTheJewels track "Meowpurrdy”, where they rap over kitten sounds. The whole album is like that, apparently.


So........yeah. I feel like I'm falling down a rabbit hole on this one.


Anywho, here it is. This is proper rap music, so expect some very NSFW words, but I don't think you'll notice.

I apologise for your nightmares.

Radical Regenerations: Age Of Extinction Hound

Amongst my readership, I'd be interested to know what the overall opinion of the Michael Bay films is. There's a tendency for them to be vilified by the fanbase, and almost any film critic you care to name, but they keep making pots of money. Pots, and pots, of money. I mean, Age of Extinction made more money than Guardians of the Galaxy, and the giant metal dinosaurs of the former only goes so far to justify that. Its the sort of thing that makes snobs out of otherwise fair people, as even within the stereotypically low standards of Hollywood blockbuster summer fare, the transformers films aren't very good. I'm fearful of the day the wider public figures that out, for now, they seem to be a consistent money spinner for Hasbro and Paramount, whom have no reason to change. And Bay is back for Transformers 5, yay.

Right, I think that's my bias covered, on with the review.

Image Copright: Paramount Pictures. sourced from the wiki. 

The Context

While the Dinobots were the obvious draw for Age of Extinction (AOE), something which I will give the production staff credit for trying to vary the Autobot cast a bit. Given the preceding movie line was a sea of cars that we'd seen at least twice before, this was welcome. Yes, I will not go so far as to call them “good characters”, what the film did is a can of worms when you get into it, but some of them could justify a two sentence bio. Hound is one of those characters, and probably the most memorable as he was voiced by John Goodman, whom gave a good account of himself, given what he had to work with(1). Hound was of course a version of the G1 character who had been around since episode one, but given certain design elements, its easy to think they were aiming for Animated Bulkhead instead. More obviously though, like his teammates, he was channelling a warrior stereotype, a WW2 vintage soldier, and this probably made him more relatable than most bayformers. Not necessarily a nice or likable person, but by the standards of bayformers he was at least distinctive amongst all the flying metal.

Unfortunately for collectors like myself, AOE was part of a new strategy by Hasbro, which is still evident in today's Robot in Disguise toys. While most dedicated Transformers fans were obsessing over the Thrilling Thirty releases, AOE toys would become something more akin to superhero film merchandise. You know, definitely recognisable as the character, but simple, gimmicky, sometimes not transforming, and not something that compared well to The Dark Of The Moon (DOTM) toys. It was like they were relying on the movie to sell the toys, rather than selling a good transformer. This was partially due to the reduced toy budgets and increased oil costs the brand had struggled with, and what many would consider to be the “proper” transformers ended up under the Generations banner. Which, of course, proved to be a major pain in the bum to acquire in the UK, retail releases being limited and incomplete. I didn't see a voyager Hound in person until January 3^rd of this year, when I immediately brought it because it was discounted. And so, this review.

Robot Mode

Big, green and over-armed, Hound evokes comparisons to both American soldiers and gun enthusiasts. The most interesting and uniquely AOE aspects to the appearance of the toy are the rubber bits, the distinctive beard and ammo belts. There have been bearded cybertronians before, the most famous being the Unicron-affiliated Scourge, but this looks more like hair, as opposed to a beard shaped bit of metal. It makes him look older, but not ancient while the ammo belts make his army connections a bit obvious. His head is clearly wearing a WW2 vintage helmet. The general impression is of an old soldier whom enjoyed his job, or maybe someone whom was in the reserves, rather than active service, and wants to make up for lost time with a metric ton of bullets. This is of course pretty far from G1 Hound, or indeed Bulkhead. G1 Hound was Bumblebee before Bumblebee, and Bulkhead was a gentle giant. I suppose you could make the case the Prime Bulkhead was a gruff ex-Wrecker, but not so much as this. While visually I say its okay/nice for a bayformer, such designs being busy and often very inhuman, we've got a few problems here. The likeness to the film just isn't that good, the colour scheme being much more green for example. While by no means skinny, Hound lacks the gut of his film depiction, a design element that tied him to Bulkhead, and shifts him a bit more G1. This looks like Hound after the diet and work-out regime Mr Incredible planned for him, he's never gonna be lean, but he's back in shape. Not a bad thing, as such, and Hound certainly isn't the only toy to have significant variations, but could be a lot better. This most likely arises from the engineering, which is functional, but the toy is a blatant shellformer(2) with faux kibble feet. The arms have big and unsightly panels on them, with the forearms having an odd curve to facilitate vehicle mode. Also as a sign of his time, there's a fair few hollow bits, including on his main feature, which I will now address.

Hound offers something very Micheal Bay, but I refuse to apologise for enjoying, all the guns. Sorry folks, I rip those films to bits for any number of reasons, but I have a great deal of time for a robot loaded with weapons. He has a total of eight weapons, with a minor combination feature. Hound should really be a member of the Wreckers, and no, not the trio of Stockcars, I mean the proper team of Autobot asskickers. This was something of a theme back in 2014, as we also got Whirl and Roadbuster that year, two other militaristic Autobots with extensive and modular accessories. Hound's accessories are similar, but distinct. He starts out with a triple gatling gun, which by itself would be enough to fill my dakka-dakka requirements, but it goes further. Slightly more restrained are a pair of four-barrelled shotguns, with folding handles. Then we have a pair pistols. Then a pair of smaller, hold-out, pistols. Then a knife painted silver. These can joined together via a a combination of specialised tabs and 3mm ports, giving us some quite ridiculous guns, more importantly, they all stow. At once. In multiple places(3). With some left over, so he take even more guns. Hound keeps his options open, although its not without flaws, arising from the toy's slightly sub-par build quality. The shotguns for example won't stay on, the main weapon actually affects the toy's balance if stowed on the back, and the larger pistols are hollow on one side. Play value is through the roof though, and articulation is on the good side of competent. Its entirely universal joints, and limited by the rubber at the wrist, but there's 24 points there, including a waist. The claim of being a “fat ballerina” is an exaggeration, although not a vast one.

 

Vehicle Mode

Transforming the toy essentially turns the robot inside out, into an Oshkosh Defense FMTV truck, a six wheeled, military cargo hauler. Its this that suggests Animated Bulkhead rather than G1 Hound as a primary inspiration, as he had a six wheeled military altmode too. If you'd wanted to bayformer up G1 hound, he would have been based off a Humvee(4). As it stands this vehicle is not that well-known, but is credible in green. It also confirms to the convention common to all film Autobots, bar the dinos, in that he's licensed car the end of the day. In so far as I can work out, the vehicle isn't intended for frontline combat, there's no weapons, and its main function is to cart stuff about. At least until the guns come into it, anyway, but I do like the look. The cab ends up clearly separated from the cargo, with a spare wheel in-between, and its general blocky shape. Its not perfect though, as with the robot mode, there's some visual problems, and depending on your preference, these may be worse. The robot mode legs for example are easily picked out, and there's some noteworthy seams. Generally speaking, shellformers have more convincing shells. There's a also a mis-allocation of materials in the cab. He does have transparent windows, a luxury it seems these days, but they only reveal a load bearing strut of grey plastic, so they probably shouldn't have bothered. While interesting from an aesthetic perspective, that's why I'm doing this as a “Radical Regeneration”, the engineering ain't too good here. Ground clearance is  also poor, while the lack of paint does tell here.

Fortunately, play features and little design do come along and redeem things a bit. You know those 8 assorted weapons? They all stow, and there's an additional 5mm port on top should you wish to use one on the move. How they stow varies. The tiny pistols remain in the calves, while his main gun unfolds in attempt to replicate some detail form the prop vehicle, with the knife on the underside. The shotguns and larger pistols just mount on the sides. Its not a brilliant mode, but its okay.

 

Conclusion
Hound the toy is as unrefined as Hound the movie star, and in several not good ways. The most obvious one is the engineering, because, as shellformers go, he's not a good one. His modes aren't really separate, with ugliness in both as a result. This also leads to his questionable resemblance to the film. I suppose its possible that this toy was based on an earlier design that changed during production, its been known to happen. But then again, AOE toys in general tended to be simplified and bright versus the film depictions, with even Generations releases following that lead, especially in comparison to DOTM toys. I'd be more inclined to suspect a reduced budget and maybe a lack of care, than anything else. This does however raise an interesting question. Given how horrid/shallow bayformer characters can be, does it actually matter if the toys resemble them closely? Maybe not, but Hound was perhaps the only Autobot I remotely liked in that film, and something a bit closer would have been nice. If I'd splashed out and played scalper prices, I'd be feeling a bit disappointed, so I'm glad I found this for 15 quid. The toy is however made worthwhile by accessories, and solid articulation. I continue to make no apologies for liking a toy with more guns than sense, it makes an otherwise mediocre transformer a lot of fun, and so there's so many display options. Hound was worth getting in hand after such a long wait, but he isn't all he could have been.

Foot notes

1. Although I do remember a report of him only recording his lines a month before release, so he maybe wasn't that closely involved with the project.
2. Although out of basic fairness, the Galvatron of the same wave is a much bigger offender.
3. There's also one on his backside which is either loose, or intended for a figure stand.
4. Probably the same for Prime Bulkhead, too.

Prototype Watch: Unite Warriors Blast Off

Today, I introduce a new, irregular format. I've done various news-related articles in the past, often based on leaks or suddenly revealed images of unfinished toys at news events. I tended to comment on such things as alternative to writing reviews, as while they age badly, its often more interesting than the old toys I tend to talk about. "Prototype Watch" will comment on newly announced toys, leaks, in so far as it can reasonably be made. With lots of speculation, and opinions. Expect the next one just after New York Toy Fair.

Now, let's talk about Blast Off. As you may recall from my recent review, there was some controversy about this guy in Combiner Wars. The original toy was, for reasons lost to time, a space shuttle in a team of military vehicles. Think about that for a moment: Tank, Jeep, Helicopter, Anti-Air Vehicle, and then fricking Orbiter. Spot the odd one out. Hasbro seemingly had an attack of common sense, and made him a Harrier Jump-jet, but were lazy with with the execution. TakaraTomy decided to do a new Space Shuttle mould in the name of G1 cartoon accuracy. This is laudable, here's how it turned out.

Source:  @nakigao_san, taken from Figure King magazine

Yeah. I don't have nostalgia goggles thick enough for this one. Compare and contrast the grey prototype with the animation model they helpfully provide. Making allowances for size, combination, and budget, they missed their target. They got the thruster feet, but the proportions are terrible otherwise, with a huge chest, huge feet, thin arms, and a tiny head. He's also go thruster hands, a major deviation from the animation, but more on that in a minute. The shuttle mode is no better, and quite unconvincing. Like Alpha Bravo, there's exposed arms, although the attempt to conceal these as thrusters is much less successful than Bravo's missile racks. These are meant to be external booster rockets, I think, but look like what they are, angular robot arms. It doesn't help they are on top of the wings, and seemingly vent an inch before the actual engines. Said engines are also massively out of scale with the rest of the vehicle, and there's only two of them, rather than three. One hopes he plays better than he looks. Maybe he just photographs badly, but then again, aren't these meant to be the best possible images for advertising purposes? Right?

Source: Knoted of TFW2005.

Still, a new mould is nice, right? Maybe not. There's some speculation as to the originality of the design, and while probably not a retool, elements of engineering seem familiar. The leg and thigh components seem similar to Rook, a feeling reinforced by the thruster hands. That may explain how his chest ended up so bulky, as Rook had a big shell backpack, just mounted on the front here. We won't know for sure until someone does a comparative photo shoot, and these moulds have to be similar for combination purposes, but would not be a surprise he resembled another toy rather closely.

I could be wrong. He may turn out to be awesome in hand. But unless you absolutely must, and really must, like take insulin or I go to hospital “must”, have a space shuttle in the Combaticons, I don't see the appeal here. If anything, you'd think more people would be complaining that they fumbled the ball on this one.

Damn shame.

Looks like you are safe in my house, mate.

Youtube Highlights: He needs no sympathy

Well, its been another week, here's some more videos to while away your Sunday with...


Warner Bros. Pictures unleashed a new trailer for Suicide Squad, the third film in their DC cinematic universe and the most interesting by a country mile. One criticism of that universe is that it seems to be a humourless and depressing dirge of a franchise, this trailer however makes the film look like it has some sense of humour. Yes, the Joker is a hard sell, and fans can find understandable reasons for concern, but I actually went and brought the source material after this.

Unfortunately, this has also meant I've had Bohemian Rhapsody in my head for THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS. Not helped by the fact I keep mixing up the original, the one from Wayne's World, and the one The Muppets did. Its awesome, BTW.

Warner Bros. did however do something to remind the world at large how corporate they are, cancelling support for Mortal Kombat X on the PC platform. AngryJoeShow has this to say:

Speaking of games, This Exists took a stab at explaining Dwarf Fortress. This is a game I want to try, but its so impenetrable it baffles me. Ever hear of Boatmurdered? It sounds insane.

The sequel to Terminator: Genesys, A.K.A the one which did really well in China only, was cancelled recently. While most people consider this a good thing, BanditIncorporated  made an impassioned defence in the form of a "Hitler Reacts" video. I don't agree with him, but he makes a good case.

And finally, because this is the internet and I am legally obligated to post cute kittens, here is a cute kittens video. Coming via Cole and Marmalade, here's a look at San Diego Humane Society’s Kitten Nursery.

Sorry for the mood whiplash, there.

Being Wrong: The Combiner Wars Technobots

I was quite adamant that the team was not happening, but after a run of leaks, an Australian listing, and a confirmation at New York Toy Fair presumed certain, its on. We may have something to look forward to before Titans Return, despite what I said in my Combiner Wars opinion piece. I was wrong, sorry folks, but at least we get a classic combiner team.

I went back to double check exactly where I'd got the impression the Technobots weren't happening, and I can't find an outright denial. It seems I misinterpreted the lack of them in waves 4 & 5, along with Hasbro not giving a definite answer. Here's what is known, via various low quality images which I shall not post here due to legal concerns(1). Scattorshot is back after his solo release, Nosecone is Brawl with a drill, Lightspeed is either Dead End or Streetwise, Strafe looks to be Air Raid and most surprising of all, Afterburner is a retool of Deluxe Groove. You know, the toy Takara supposedly made because Rook wasn't G1. They come as a $100 boxset, release date given as August/September for Australia, and May for America. This great news, up to a point. Its not immediately clear what level of retooling is going on with the limbbots, and the toys where we have a solid idea, aren't that brilliant. Scattorshot, subject of a rather nasty review over at Tformers, regrettably retains all of the Superion bits, although it looks like the combiner hand and feet might be different. Nosecone looks to only differ from Brawl with the weapon, and Brawl ain't that good. One hopes they'll fix the waist issue on the mould for its reuses. Recent images from Botcon regarding General Drill Horn also imply that the proper way to form the vehicle mode is to have it drive around backwards with a drill sticking out of its butt.

Speaking of Predacus, like most people, I'm increasingly of the opinion that this represents a de-facto preview of the Technobots. Looks nice at least.

Anyway, I'm tempted to make comparisons to the Combaticons I just reviewed. Its probable that a majority of the team would be simple repaints, not necessarily a bad thing, but a clear a step below sci-fi revamp the team needed. But if they really are in the 100 $/£/warbucks bracket, that ain't a bad deal. Now we need to talk about the other big surprise, of which the only supporting evidence is a piece of official-looking artwork. It is however very interesting, as it would answer a long stand question, who could they possibly retool Sky Lynx into? With every mould in Combiner Wars fated to be used as often as a pair of my shoes, what could they possibly use a dino-cat-bird for?

The answer seems to be Liokaiser.

For those whom are not au fait with the Japanese exclusive series Transformers Victory, Liokaiser is both a combing holy grail for fans, and a demonstration of a Japanese toy company misusing English words in the stereotypical “Engrish” fashion. Unusually for the time, Liokaiser was formed from a team of six, whom integrated the gestalt hands and feet into the individual toys. Only the combiner head and weapons were separate. The actual sub-group however had an unusual gimmick that leant them their name. Brace yourselves. The Breastforce.

Please take a moment to process that.

This team, and the leader of the Decepticons at that time, had partner animals that turned guns, and chest armour, so, The Breastforce. They had a few curious names like that, such as Kilbison, and Helbat. As why they they are using the team? Well, probably because they don't have beast modes, and so could be done with existing moulds. At which point, a reader should probably ask “hang on, why Sky Lynx then?”. Well, there was a non-combining Breastforce member, the aforementioned leader, Deathsaurus, and he had a bird monster mode. It would appear that he is filling in for two team members, but then again, the body is in Leozack's colours, who was a jet.

I'd probably get the set, despite the fact that it has two Brawls in it.

Image copyrights Hasbro, TakaraTomy, and Botcon, art sourced from TFWiki.

Foot notes

1) Hard to give proper credit if I don't know where it comes from, which I usually like to do with images. Plus, the quality is terrible.

A Concise Combaticon Review of Combiner Wars Onslaught (And Bruticus) In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Voyager, 2015/2016.

Modes: Robot, Anti-aircraft Vehicle, Combiner Torso.

Transformation Style: CW voyager, expanding backpack style.

Play Patterns: Robot and vehicle, combiner, 5mm weaponry, partner legends mould.

Points of Interest: Extensive retool of Hot Spot with an inverted vehicle mode.

The Good

Onslaught retains most of what was good about Hot Spot, and gains a few articulation related refinements. He has 21 joints, gaining a heel spur, adjustable toes, and a smaller backpack. This allows for easy posing, gun-fu being very much a strength. Visually, the robot mode is a good interpretation of the character, a new head, chest, and shoulders going a long way. The transformation has been reworked, giving us a completely different altmode, and its possible to change between all three modes without removing the guns. Bruticus meanwhile has a gorgeous head sculpt, a balljointed neck, reduced kibble at the knee, and a rather impressive silver chest plate. More importantly, as rubberised plastic has been removed from the mix, he's a more solid torso than Defensor. Its a nice looking combiner too, with effective use of grey on all five main components, and the limbbots pair so well.

The Bad

Onslaught inherits Hot Spot's myriad of vehicular sins, and warning lights, while displaying Bruticus' scalp. The new parts look nice from many angles, but all those gaps still remain, it doesn't roll that well, and some play value went with the ladder assembly. There are some slight tolerance and tabbing issues, notably with his neck and the front end of the truck. Bruticus ends up with wheel assemblies on the shoulders. You can fold these down, with the instructions indicating this, but this affects stability. Bruticus also has a slight tendency to lean forwards.

The Mediocre

Both Onslaught and Bruticus are characterised by the twin back cannons, which in this case are Hot Spot's weapons in grey. As no other accessories are provided, using them spoils the look of the toy, but Shockwave would compensate for this. Be aware: his knees are mistransformed in box.

The Alternatives

Onslaught is relatively well-served with alternatives, as not only did he get a non-combing version for Universe, he's remained a constant in the team. While most of these are worth considering, his TFSS remould Bludgeon has swords, the FOC version is pretty bad. A running change will bring a tan combiner chestplate to this toy in wave 6.

The Verdict

Onslaught typifies the Combaticons as a whole, capturing the character, but with a questionable altmode and a feeling we've seen this all before. He's basically the same as Hot Spot, with a great robot mode, but with a flawed vehicle mode. Bruticus however shines brightly, and I expect him to shine more once I get my hands on Shockwave. It makes up for all mould reuse. Long-story-short: buy this guy for the combined mode, but he's not without his own charms.

Youtube Highlights: Mary Seacole Gets No Respect

Okay folks, its that time again. Here's your Sunday viewing.

Extra Credits has just finished a rather inspiring two part series about Mary Seacole, A.K.A an awesome woman you've probably never heard of.

In another haunting and strange video, Electron Dance, talks about video game exploration.

Striking a blow for etiquette, Mr Sunday Movies has recently posted a video on how to behave in the cinema.

And finally, in a year that's shaping up to be pretty bad for celebrity cancer victims, David Bowie passed this week. Here's my favourite peice of his music, a collabouration with Queen.

A Concise Combaticon Review of Combiner Wars Swindle In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2015/2016.

Modes: Robot, Jeep, Arm, and Leg.

Transformation Style: CW deluxe limb, hollow legs.

Play Patterns: Robot and vehicle, combiner, modular 5mm weaponry, a pack-in comic in the USA.

Points of interest: Extensive retool of Rook, A.K.A the best Combiner Wars Deluxe.

The Good
Swindle builds on an exceptionally solid base, retooling almost everything. The robot mode has unmistakable head sculpt, and chest detailing evoking the original toy. Articulation is amongst the best in the line, 16 points with ankle tilts and free moving balljoints. The humvee-like vehicle mode is covered in ammo pouches, rivets and other gubbins, with the steering wheel even visible beneath the roll cage. Its impressively beefy, like the robot mode, and sidesteps the Visible Head Syndrome of the original by detailing the back of the head like an engine. Both forms also benefit from the accessories, the combiner piece in that nice Combaticon grey, and triple-barrelled gun painted in that black gunmetal. These both have a 5mm port built-in, allowing you to stack and combine them a variety of ways, Swindle inheriting Rook's 5mm peg and shoulder ports into the bargain. Limb modes meanwhile continue the beefy theme, the leg mode retaining the 5mm ports. As a side effect of the remoulding, the big backpack shell is gone.

The Bad

While there is an attempt to work them in as seats, the fists are very obvious in Jeep mode. Said vehicle also is lacking in paint to bring out that detailing. The retooling has resulted in the loss of some 5mm ports compared to Rook, 2 less overall., while tabbing the legs together is an annoyance.

The Mediocre

Swindle has conventional hands, as opposed to Rook's distinctive fist ports. On the plus side, this means he can hold regular weapons, but on the downside, no hulk hands. Some may find the mould to be too bulky for Swindle too.

The Alternatives

Swindle is actually better off than his teammates when it comes to substitutes, Off Road or the TFSS 4.0 version of Ruckas not being bad stand-ins. There is also the Fall Of Cybertron and Energon moulds, but they have some issues, the Energon version lacks a direct equivalent. If all you want is a really nice, characterful, Decepticon armsdealer, consider Animated Swindle. He has a bolo tie.

The Verdict

In a strange twist of fate, Swindle ends up being the best deluxe in his wave. This is despite a problematic vehicle mode, a remoulding job that actually takes away some functionality, and that doesn't reflect that well on his teammates. Swindle is better than any other Combaticon on an individual basis, and of real use for the combined mode, but he's a step below Rook in terms of overall awesome. If you only ever buy one Combaticon, buy Swindle.

A Concise Combaticon Review of Combiner Wars Blast Off In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2015/2016.

Modes: Robot, Missile Helicopter, Arm, and Leg.

Transformation Style: CW deluxe limb, collapsible legs.

Play Patterns: Robot and aircraft, combiner, 5mm weaponry, a pack-in comic in the USA.

Points of interest: Redeco of the limited release Quick-Slinger toy, A.K.A the missing Aerialbot.

The Good

Blast Off retains all the strengths of the Aerialbots, and feels slightly nicer in hand due to plastic changes. The colour scheme is nice, the head having some nice paintwork and a grumpy expression. Robot mode articulation is typically solid, with 14 assorted joints, a flamer-thrower, and combiner gun. The flame-thrower is painted a gunmental black, with the combiner piece left unpainted grey, but both highlight detail the original obscured. His jet mode is similarly competent, with a 5mm port under each wing, landing gear, and nice wing decals. Limb modes meanwhile are functional if thin, and joint tolerances seem slightly improved.

The Bad

In addition to an absence of retooling, the designers probably used the wrong head here, Blast Off having a faceplate in all other depictions. As an Aerialbot, there's also a lot of exposed robot pits in jet mode, but colour choices downplay this. His tailfins also reportedly interfere with Shockwave's gun form.

The Mediocre

Blast Off was in his original form a space shuttle, hence the name, while this is a harrier jump jet. While I would say that this makes a great deal more sense in the context of a tank, anti-aircraft gun, jeep and helicopter, this will bother some.

The Alternatives

Blast Off is shaping up to be a repeat of the Groove controversy, with Takara doing a Space Shuttle version which makes this toy redundant, although details are unclear. Otherwise options are bit thin on the ground, with the all choices being essentially the same as the other Combaticons, the less than ideal Energon or FOC moulds. The Energon version lacks a direct equivalent, his FOC mould is however one of the nicer examples and a spaceship.

The Verdict

Let's not kid around here, even if you can get over the lack of a space shuttle mode, Blast Off feels a bit phoned in. He needed a different head at least, and if I was gonna re-purpose any Aerialbot, it would have been Air Raid, because he's the pick of the litter. All that being said, he does all of his modes well enough, and that's more that can be said for some Combaticons. Consider him a necessary and competent part of the team, but only buy him as part of the team.

Youtube Highlights: "Its still technically New Years" Edition

Right then folks, here's new/old Sunday thing. Youtube videos I have enjoyed in the time since I last did this. buckle up.

TotalBiscuit put a number of videos up over the holiday period, notable given his battle with cancer, but I'd like to single out the "TotalBiscuit's Arbitrary Video Game Awards - 2015" as being an enjoyable way to mark the year.

Unfortunately, this happened just before game service Steam had a nasty security breach, which TB would take a swing at. Valve has since apologised.

Super Bunnyhop also did a review of the year.

As the more politically minded of you might be aware, America has extensive and horrible issues with firearms, and this is me being polite about the matter. In this Channel 4 News video, Jon Snow interviews pro-gun campaigner Neil W. McCab. Hard questions get asked and ignored.

And speaking of questionable possession of guns and 'Merica, the vlogbrothers have took a stab at explaining that business in Oregon with the militia.

And finally, Thew Adams  has re-uploaded his infamous "10 Shots, 10 Bots! Drunken Transformers Toy Review Challenge!!". It is an epic tale of inebriation and toys.

A Concise Combaticon Review of Combiner Wars Brawl In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2015/2016.

Modes: Robot, Tank, Arm, and Leg.

Transformation Style: CW deluxe limb, collapsible legs.

Play Patterns: Robot and aircraft, combiner, 5mm weaponry, a pack-in comic in the USA.

Points of interest: Only original deluxe in Combiner Wars Wave 5, suspected Technobot in waiting.

The Good

Done up in olive drab, lots of detailing and with integration of both weapons, Brawl looks pretty good in tank mode. The combiner piece attaches in a way that evokes the G1 toy, and there's three 5mm ports in useful places. Brawl also makes for a very beefy leg or arm, matching Swindle well, with those ports still being convenient. The robot mode has 16 points of articulation, happily including ankle tilts, and uses the tank gun as a rifle, or an arm cannon. It engineering meanwhile attempts to replicate the G1 toy in terms of transformation, while the smoke launcher in robot mode evoke the old Marvel design.

The Bad

Brawl is infamous for his waist, which does collapse fully or securely, drastically affecting the appearance and the articulation. While I took steps to minimise this, careful use of glue and fiddling with the combiner post, Brawl has other design flaws. The turret is fixed, an almost unforgivable sin on a tank of this size, and there's a minor case of Visible Head Syndrome. His combiner piece suffers from an over-large fist hole on one side, and things don't peg together as they should. Robot mode proportions and cavities are also iffy. He also has loose shoulders.

The Mediocre

While the transformation is obviously new and therefore interesting, but fiddly.

The Alternatives

Due to a quirk of fate, the Combaticons struggle for legitimate alternatives within Combiner Wars, but is well-served elsewhere. Putting aside the unreleased Takara and G2 versions, there's the Energon era toys, the Fall of Cybertron toys, and the upcoming TFSS 4.0 Mayhem Attack Squad. The Energon toys are popular, if having their own repaint paint issue, but the FOC toys aren't. The TFSS toys are based off known Combiner Wars moulds, made a bit nicer, at a bigger price. Brawl lacks convincing alternatives in either, so I'd point you towards Generations Warpath instead.

The Verdict

Brawl makes for a sharp contrast between himself and any other CW deluxe, demonstrating how good the line actually is, by being one of its few misfires. I'd personally rank him above at least two of the Constructicons, but the designers clearly bit off more than they could chew, and I feel we'd all have been better off if they had just turned Rook into a tank. Then again, he wouldn't be as G1 that way, and the tank mode looks nice. Long-story-short, he's not as good as he should be, you wouldn't buy him if he hasn't needed for Bruticus, but you're gonna combine him anyway, so whatever.

A Concise Combaticon Review of Combiner Wars Vortex In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2015/2016.

Modes: Robot, Missile Helicopter, Arm, and Leg.

Transformation Style: CW deluxe limb, collapsible legs.

Play Patterns: Robot and aircraft, combiner, 5mm weaponry, a pack-in comic in the USA.

Points of interest: Redeco of wave 1 Alpha Bravo, and suspected original for the mould.

The Good

Coming across as much more sinister version of Alpha Bravo, has a nice colour scheme and lot of guns. The robot mode has six decorative missiles, a machine gun, and twin gatling gun as a combiner accessory, and this fits the Combaticon theme. His face looks surprisingly evil given only colours have changed, and articulation is above average with 16 points. The helicopter mode retains the missiles, can use the combiner piece as a de facto stand via a port on the underside, and has two 5mm ports worked in as mechanical detailing. His limb modes meanwhile benefit from those ports, the underside port being handy, and matches well with Blast Off.

The Bad

Vortex retains all the problems inherent kibble problems of Alpha Bravo, with the most of the robot mode visible on the rear/underside of the helicopter, and the arms not going anywhere. Colour choices unfortunately highlight this, with four different tones on the head and chest area. The blades tend to get in the way for robot mode, mine got slightly bent. Arm mode also requires a slight mistransformation to get full use of the elbow.

The Mediocre

Vortex is a potential concern with respects to mould degradation. My example leans towards being over tight with joints, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I'd advise caution with the elbows.

 

 

 

 

The Alternatives

Due to a quirk of fate, the Combaticons struggle for legitimate alternatives within Combiner Wars, but is well-served elsewhere. Putting aside the unreleased Takara and G2 versions, there's the Energon era toys, the Fall of Cybertron toys, and the upcoming TFSS 4.0 Mayhem Attack Squad. The Energon toys are popular, if having their own repaint paint issue, but the FOC toys aren't. The TFSS toys are based off known Combiner Wars moulds, made a bit nicer, at a bigger price. Vortex has worthwhile alternatives in each.

The Verdict

With Combiner Wars being what is it, you probably already own this guy, and know exactly what you are getting. I personally would have preferred some remoulding here, such as by changing to a more angular helicopter form, but on its own terms, its okay. And the mould really suits the heavily armed Combaticon theme. Alpha Bravo was one of the better things about wave 1, and an evil version of him is welcome. While you probably won't buy this guy without the rest of the team, if you did, there's things to enjoy here.

Blog Watch: New Years Hangover Edition

Hi there, loyal readers. I trust you all had a pleasing crimbo or the equivalent winter festival to which you partake. It has been pleasant for me, accounting for the fact I work in retail. I almost feel refreshed.

So, what about the blog? Well, having thought things through, I've decided to limit myself to three posts a week, the Caturday posts being retired. Its daft bit of fun, but it was shallow clickbait too, and prefer my clickbait to be deep. I also have a secret project in the works, which is gonna take up some time. Its not blog related, and I don't want to describe it lest it fails, but it does get somewhere, you'll know. The new plan is to do two transformers themed things a week, Tuesday and Thursday, with a youtube highlight article on the Sunday. I will of course chop and change a bit, and in January, I'm doing something of a theme: Concise Combaticons. Yes, the image above is representative, I got the new Combiner Wars Combaticons, no they didn't arrive soon enough to get in my Top Ten. You'll have to wait until next week to have some idea how they actually are, and I am hoping to source a Shockwave to go with the team soon. I had wanted to get him, but I only ever saw him for sale in a case with three other toys I'm really not interested in. Now, I can't find him at all, so this theme will last for 2.5 weeks or 3.

Hope to see ya back here soon.

The Clickbait Top Ten: The Best Transformers Things of 2015

Well, its that time of year again. Or it would be, if I ever bothered with awards type things before. But you know, I never brought enough Transformers in a single year to justify one before. Bloody Combiner Wars, making me spend money. A few ground rules. This list largely derives from things I've brought this year. Combiners are treated as a single release, but their individual parts can be recognised too. Here we go, but first, the honourable mentions.

Honourable Mention: Ultra Magnus And Minimus Ambus

One of the few collector slanted releases without a combination focus, this represents the first truly good toy in the modern leader class. A great rendering of the character with lots of play value, whom is suitably big, and has an Animated inspired hammer gimmick. This writer is particularly pleased that Hasbro bit the bullet, and created a Minimus Ambus toy, despite the predictable and extensive complaints from G1 purists, and disappointed that Takara chickened out and made it Alpha Trion. The pair don't make the top ten proper due to the hollow construction, and the well-intentioned, but regrettably loose, opening hands. 

Honourable Mention: Devastator

When it comes to being a colossal big green and purple robot, Devastator was no equal. Seriously, if you want a big bloody thing to step on people, he's your guy. His presence is commanding, and there's a strong 80's feel to events. Unfortunately, that 80's feel is also a weakness, individual Constructicons having patchy articulation and proportions, which means they don't make it into the top ten, fun as the set undeniably is. Takara's version may made have the cut though, with its improvements.

Number Ten: Silverbolt

Combiner Wars toys have often have simple yet elegant engineering, doing exactly what they must do in each form, but Silverbolt demands recognition. While having a solid robot form, and a characteristically flawed Concorde mode, his transformation into Superion's torso via a handstand was pure genius. This is easily the most innovative engineering this year, and possibly for the last three. That's not his only strength though, as the robot form nails the character, looking nicely heroic. This is definitely one of those toys you don't mind seeing remoulded, although maybe Scattorshot was a step too far.

Number Nine: Air Raid

The Aerialbots are the archetypal Wave 1 releases, big names highlighting what the toy line is about, but not the best of that line overall, as the bugs are being worked out. While still the best toys these characters have ever got, the Aerialbots are associated with unconvincing altmodes, articulation weaknesses, and Powerglide being a nuisance in gun mode. Coming out in Wave 2 however, Air Raid shows a sudden up-tick in refinement, so much so that had the rest of the team been of a similar standard, they'd be making a bigger showing today. His joints are tighter, 5mm ports are plentiful, and the overall appearance is great. The jet is about as convincing as it can be given the largely white robot mode, and you can have five different guns on it at once. Its a crying shame, given the rampant recycling that characterises Combiner Wars, we are only seeing this mould again in exclusive boxsets. And its an even bigger shame that UK fans had to import this guy to complete Superion.

Number Eight: Blackjack

While both literally and figuratively overshadowed by other toys on this list, Blackjack makes the cut for being exactly what he needs to be for his price point. He's a nice little car. His transformation is new and interesting, but familiar. His robot mode is effectively articulated, and he has a hand weapon, unlike so many of his kin. With so many of the Legend pricepoint being inferior remoulds from 2013/14, or of questionable use in the combination thing, Blackjack's only real competition is the juuuuusssssst-released Shockwave, which I don't have. Blackjack only fails due to a fault in Motormaster's design, preventing a secure connection in chestplate form, but let's not hold this against him. They took a single piece plastic accessory, and made it into a showstopper.

Number Seven: Transformers: Devastation

As an 80's original fan whom actually likes new things, I often feel that G1 fans get pandered to far too much. Rose tinted glasses aside, the 80's cartoon was a poorly made toy advert, and we've had much better fiction since. But, applying that style to a video game? One made by Platinum Games, masters of the spectacle fighter? Even I was interested. Overcoming obvious time and money restrictions, captures all that was great about the cartoon, and applies to a frenetic combat system with loads of 80's hair metal. A heady cocktail of nostalgia and bone-crunching gameplay, TF: D's only sin is that there is not more. Sequel please. DLC please. Game inspired redecos please.

Number Six: More Than Meets The Eye #47

Now for some Mood Whiplash. Some things aren't worthwhile because they are fun. Some things aren't nice. Some things are worthwhile because they are are challenging reads that go to dark places. Some things....some things, make you cry. This is one of those things. As compelling as it is tragic, this issue breaks new ground for transformers media.

Joint Number Five: Dead End And Protectobot Streetwise

I knew both of these toys would have to appear in this list somewhere, but separating them proved impossible. On the one hand, wehave the best deluxe of wave two, with possibly the most gorgeous car mode this year, and works well in all four modes. On the other, Streetwise completely changes the toy visually, and address the two common complaints of Dead End, by avoiding the “grey biceps” flaw and replacing the club with a triple barrelled shotgun. He's not as nice to look at Dead End, but he's not ugly at all. The aggressive recycling of moulds mean its probably you'll have either version or both in some form, and while familiarity breeds contempt, these are still great toys.

Number Three: Protectobot Rook

The best deluxe toy in all of Combiner Wars, bar none, and probably its singular break-out character. Strong enough to be a worthwhile purchase even if you never touch the rest of the line, Rook's main selling point is play value, backed by competence in all other things. He's big, he's visually interesting, and very functional in all four modes. But that all pales in comparison to his party piece, the ability to use combiner accessories as hulk hands. If you like your toys to be fun, Rook is your man. G1 purists? Come on. Get over it.

Number Two: More Than Meets The Eye Omnibus Volume 7 “Elegant Chaos”

I could fill this list with individual issues of MTMTE, and I'd have no trouble defending it. Its just that consistently good a series. Comics Alliance just gave it two awards, for flip's sake. This omnibus however is notably highpoint for the invested fan. The conclusion to plot threads that James Roberts started as far back as 2011, this sees an epic time travel plot that goes back to pre-war Cybertron, and the very conception of the Decepticon cause. With horrific parallel universes, betrayals, political commentary, temporal paradoxes, intense character scenes, and sheer WTFery like Megatron's fear of needles, this volume is an exercise in excellence. If you are new to the series, maybe pick an earlier volume, but if you like what you see here, you won't regret working through the back catalogue.

Number One: Defensor And The Protectobots

I had almost no interest in the Protectobots prior to Combiner Wars, excluding First Aid's place in the MTMTE cast, but this team have found a place in my heart on merit. Simply put, wave 3 and the Protectobots was the best bit of Combiner Wars, and its looking doubtful that its last few releases are going to change that. While heavily based on retools, like much of the line, the retools were great, and the new moulds were real nice too. You just read why two of them were good, as for the rest? Well, Hot Spot arguably has the best individual robot mode of the line, and a classy torso mode, only just missing out from a Honourable Mention today. Blades is a nice variation on Wave 1's best Autobot. First Aid, despite my initial impressions, is a solid reworking of Wave 2's Off Road, and is holding together a fair bit better than that toy. Groove meanwhile attempts to bring some scale sanity to the team, works well enough by himself, and pulls off a chestplate mode. And most importantly for us Brits, this got a UK release, with all six members found in shops. Go get them.

Bad photography by me, other images Copyright Hasbro, and variously IDW, Activision, and Platinum Games.