Remembering Transformers: The Power Core Combiners

It was the year 2010, and still no hover cars. I'd begun collecting Transformers again by this point. Not to a great extent, but Transformers Animated had brought me back into the fold by being such a good show, so I could say I was a Transformers fan again without a qualifier. It was a good time for the brand. The movies, as overtly terrible as they were, brought a lot of money into the brand and prompted a lot of toys. Transformers were very easily found, at all prices and sizes. And what's more, after a couple of years of sharp changes, the original Transformers style was coming back, and they weren't relying on the movie cast. While the Revenge of the Fallen line is infamous for its complexity, but it did a lot of fan pleasing things in later waves. This evolved into the TF2010 toyline between movies, a wider celebration of the brand, which ran concurrently with the collector-focused Generations line and Reveal the Shield sublines. Fans were basically getting all they wanted, and then Hasbro threw in another line to fill in the gaps, Power Core Combiners. These looked to be both inexpensive, and really fun to mess with. The basic idea was to have a small transformer, a commander, combine with 4 drone vehicles, whom would automatically transform into a limb. This “Power Up Mode”, would have shades of the old scramble city gimmick in that you could swap limbs, although a drone could only be an arm or a leg, not both. If not sold with drones, the commander would have a 4 mode Mini-Con partner instead, whom functioned as a multi-purpose accessory. Visually, these toys would lean towards classical transformer designs, rather than the movie aesthetic, although the combined forms tend towards bayverse with a lack of actual hands. In terms of fiction, things were a bit vague, but also leaned towards the bayverse.

These looked to be everything I wanted as a collector at that time.

I'd developed a mild fixation on the scout class, so I was on board, and this would see the return of another favourite of mine, Mini-Cons. The scout class had hit a level of quality that it honestly rivalled the deluxe price point around ROTF, and there had been a renaissance of toy-first, more conventionally designed characters. Plus, combination is always fun.. Play value should have been great. And yet the Power Core Combiners hit discount like a straight-to-video sequel. Starring a less famous Baldwin brother.

Bombshock & Combaticons, a first wave highlight

The PCC toys versus Objectivity and Subjectivity: a discussion

Back when I was writing reviews proper, I would always aim for objectivity. What do I mean by this? Well, my opinion, your opinion, everyone's opinion, is dictated by personal taste and context, its entirely subjective. It is not the same as the truth, and striving for objectivity is the acknowledgement of this. The fandom does not view Transformers like actual children do, and the fandom itself does not have a unified view on most things, including what makes a good toy. The best you can do is try to acknowledge your own biases, and accept that a commonly held opinion can just easily be wrong as right. Power Core Combiners got hit very hard with subjective complaints. That is to say, it wasn't designed in a way that immediately pleased collectors. But, as this worked so well for Armada, why didn't this line take off? Well, because there's some objectively bad things about them.

Crankcase and the Destrons, a sucessful repaint

On the more subjective end of the complaint spectrum, there is the entire gimmick, and the engineering decisions that resulted. Some fans took against the fact these toys didn't have a traditional five member combination, the spring-loaded conversion also hampering articulation. The fact that a toy is easily transformed and doesn't prioritise articulation isn't automatically the same thing as being a bad toy, see Armada again, but for many it is. Part of this is undoubtedly the somewhat curious choice to cast the power core connectors in blue. If they'd been black, people probably wouldn't have minded as much, but would that really have made the toys better? The connectors themselves seem to a result of the sheer challenge in doing a three mode transformer at this size, a compromise, but Hasbro deliberately didn't hide them. 

They put them in the fricking logo.

I kinda respect that. On that theme, many also took issue with the combined forms, in that they often weren't fully humanoid, routinely lacking hands and having odd proportions. This is a complaint which I'm not gonna dismiss out of hand, as Transformers are people, but we are talking about a mode that is purely about blowing stuff up, so.....OK? I also find myself wondering if the old “its not G1, so I don't like it” mindset may be at play here. A lot of these toys invoke classical characters, but stop just short of actually being them. Would it have made a difference to the public perception of these toys, if, say, Bombshock was named Onslaught? Well, people would have been far more forgiving if the PCCs if they were named legacy characters, at least at first.

 Presenting the infamous Doubleclutch and Rallybots

As for objective flaws, they were there, and I can't pretend otherwise. They honestly mucked things up with startling regularity, varying from tolerance issues, to mis-assembly and flat-out bad design. Doing a triple changer at this size is a very considerable challenge. Double Clutch is pretty notorious for having 4 corrective retools, Bombshock has his legs mixed up, and Mudslinger has fragile thighs, to name three big offenders. Surprisingly, the Mini-Cons themselves don't come up often in the same conversation. Sure, they are made from translucent plastic, which tends to cause breakages a few years down the line, but the only mould called on it by the wiki for it is Beacon, whom isn't translucent. What did however come up during my research was an oversight in the design of the line. You see, the moulds intended to be sold with Mini-Cons had a port on the chest for armour mode, but the moulds for the five packs largely didn't. The toys weren't as interactive and interchangeable as they looked, with some lacking proper fist holes. Wave three did a mix and match, and produced sets that just didn't work as well as the originals, including a Protectobot team with three military drones in it, and a Decepticon whom can't hold his axe(1).All this certainly contributed to the bad reception of the line, which resulted in later waves not getting a full release, which had of course featured new moulds without those issues. I had largely avoided these problems, the worst I encountered being a stress mark and an enthusiastic spring. Then this happened.

NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Ahem, thanks to @copplex for selling me a replacement, as Sledge is that nice of a toy.

What the PCC line did well

Right, we've spent a few paragraphs acknowledging the weaknesses of the line. Why should you pay any attention to it? And why do I even remember them?

They did a Dinobot Combiner. There you go, case closed. Checkmate. Humanity fulfils its destiny. Toyline completely justified.

Oh, you want a serious answer?

Remember how I mentioned that the Power Core Combiners came from a good period in the brand? When toy budgets were high, oil prices were a bit lower, and they got creative? When they made notably good scouts, with many joints, and frequent accessories? Yeah, PCCs do still benefit from that trend. These were toys that were over-ambitious and quirky, not ones where corners were cut, and I've got a lot of time for stuff like that. More specifically, the PCCs tended towards notably good head sculpts, uncommon altmodes, and tended to have play value coming out of their ears. No hover cars, unfortunately, when it worked, it proper worked. And when it didn't? Well, these toys were and are inexpensive. Here's list of toys that are either curious or superior examples of the line.

Huffer & Caliburst: A good all-rounder paired with another good all-rounder.

Smoulder & Chopster: An evil fire truck with a flaming axe.

Sledge & Throttler: A nicely articulated robot, whose altmode and mini-con has the functions of at least 3 Constructicons.

Icepick & Chainclaw: An evil snowplough, whom can look like Jack Frost.

Undertow & Waterlog: An evil speedboat. Speedboats in general are pretty rare. Like once a leap year rare.

Heavytread & Groundspike: A rare Autobot tank that isn't Warpath(2), Heavytread has arguably the best torso mode in the line.

Bombshock & the Combaticons: Lotsa guns.

Grimstone & the Dinobots: See above.

Steamhammer & the Constructicons: 4 unique altmodes, pleasing combined form, and knives.

 Steamhammer, from my personal collection.

Legacy

A financial failure, the Power Core Combiners quickly dropped into obscurity. The line would would in effect be replaced by the Human Alliance basic figures in Dark Of The Moon, which enjoyed much greater success. Combination would return in the Fall of Cybertron line, but would also prove to be something of a failure in execution, a much worse one due to budget cuts. A little later, there would be a Japanese release of these toys under the United Ex banner, where they were tied into the G1 continuity as pre-existing characters, and given nicer paint jobs. Such is the way of things, although information on the actual toys is a bit thin on the ground. The fandom largely ignored these repaints after the PCCs had finished, so its not clear if any of the faults were replicated there. The PCCs did however get a level of support from two different third party companies, an oddity given that these weren't a G1 property. Maketoys made a set of modular weapons that could partsform into limbs, and a completely new commander mould to make their version of The Fallen. TFC Toys meanwhile would go a different route, creating 4 transforming robots closely based on WW2 vehicles and their crew. I don't normally go in for such things, but those Iron Army sets remain in my glass case. A completely successful combiner would not appear until Combiner Wars. At no point would hover cars appear, real or otherwise, although you could make the case for some of the Fall Cybertron stuff.

The Maketoys Missile Launcher, jungle colours variant. Note Heavytread is featured prominently.

The TFC Toys Iron Army set combined. Again, note Heavytread being used as example.

Conclusion

The Power Core Combiners was an exceptionally ambitious line, that didn't fulfil that ambition. It definitely wasn't for the want of trying, as the toys were very creative, but it just didn't quite work out well, and writing this article took the shine off the nostalgia for me. Having a toy break was probably what did it, but I can't deny the line had some nasty problems around wave 3 or so. That said, if you want to call the line a failure, you must acknowledge that it was an interesting one, and there were some legitimately good toys in there. The PCCs had a lot of unusual concepts, rare altmodes, and a basically good play pattern once the bugs were worked out. So check 'em out.

In the meantime, its 2017, where's my damn hover car?

Foot notes

1. Oh, and there was the famous “Spastic” incident, later on.
2. Or Guzzle.

Images not by myself are variously copyright of Hasbro, Make Toys and TFC Toys, used under fair use provisions.

My Top Twenty Transformer Things of 2016

Since I started selling toys on eBay, I've not been able to do reviews. Its a matter of appearing biased and having conflicting interests. I still collect however, and its the time of year for awards. So, I thought I'd list my favourites, not detailed analysis, but brief discussions of why I like them. All the toys and/or comics would be good, or at least interesting, but the number 1 would not necessarily be the best Transformer this year. I don't dabble in Masterpiece or Japanese lines, and my interest in the comics usually stops with James Roberts, so my sample size is a bit small. So, something in the line of last year's top ten, toys I have in my personal collection which were released this year. More or less. Then I realised its actually been a pretty good year for Transformers, and 10 wasn't big enough a number. Especially since Titans Return Wave 3 started appearing in December, and Six Shot was looking to be a shoe-in for top 5 if I got it in time. Did I get it in time? Well, keep reading.

Let's do a top twenty instead.

Numbers 20-11 represent the honourable mentions category. Toys I'm glad I have, but got pushed out of the top ten by others. You'll notice a lot of retools in there, but that's not a bad reflection on them, as we have parts reuse in the Top Ten too. Buckle up.

20: Titans Return Rewind
While definitely the most successful attempt to reinvent tapeformers, the legends class "tablets" of Titans Return have ended up as an also-ran. Good enough as a group, but one hopes for more interesting toys in later waves. Rising above, more for what he is than what he does, is Rewind. As a toy, he's a nice robot, with an IDW head, a serviceable tank mode, whom adds to Blaster as a chest minion. As one half of a married couple of two guys, yet in Toys R Us, he means a lot more.

19: Titans Return Brawn (Titanmaster)

While not the best solo titanmaster release, Brawn gets on this list due to his general competency and theme. Whereas a lot of the toys at this pricepoint seem a bit misplaced, having Brawn as a tiny dude riding in an ATV isn't a stretch, even if the hoverbike mode is. It helps that the titanmaster evokes his toy design in robot mode, whereas the head is pure cartoon. That aside, functionally its the most consistent toy so far of its kind, not having a weak mode, and probably having the best weapon form. Just a shame that so much detail goes unpainted.

18: Robots in Disguise Quillfire (Warrior)
The modern Robots In Disguise cartoon and its toys have largely failed to register with me. I don't think I was the only one put off by the thought of a series about Bumblebee, and its non-standard size classes reminiscent of Age Of Extinction. The quality did however improve as things went along, eventually giving us this guy. Quillfire is very close to being a proper deluxe, if only his doors folded up, while having loads of character, and two weapons both which stow internally. I'm also amazed they articulated the neck, it could have been so easily been fixed as a cost saving measure.

17: Titans Return Blurr (Deluxe)
Yo listen up here's a story

About a little guy that lives in a blue world
And all day and all night and everything he sees
Is just blue
Like him inside and outside
Blue his house with a blue little window
And a blue Corvette
And everything is blue for him
And himself and everybody around
Cause he ain't got nobody to listen

I'm Blurr da ba dee da ba daa

Etc. etc.

Anyway, Blurr is a nice mould, but the blue is overpowering. Gonna repaint mine, I think.

16: Combiner Wars Trailbreaker (Deluxe)
An unexpected pleasure from the final gasps of Combiner Wars, Trailbreaker is another benchmark transformer. Not because he's a brilliant toy, although he has little to apologise for, but more for being better a toy on the second pass. The original Offroad mould is an also-ran of Combiner Wars, suffering from some tabbing issues that affected the already unstable Menasor, and a lack of anything to make it stand out amongst its peers. Trailbreaker fixes both problems, being rock solid in all modes, and adding Rook's party trick. More like this please.

15: Combiner Wars Victorion (Boxset)
My last Combiner Wars purchase, I hope, the fan-built-female-combiner set was an impulse buy at a good price, but proved to be better in hand then I expected. Its that beautiful sword and all that subtle retooling to make them feminine without going the sexy robot route. Unified colour schemes, and the fact the Combiner Wars toys are rarely bad helps too. That said, quality control issues and simple mould fatigue seem to be at play here, taking the shine off.

14: Titans Return Powermaster Prime (Leader)
An extensive and perhaps obvious retool of Ultra Magnus, this adds new play features, a third mode, addresses the hand issue, and brimgs an industrial amount of nostalgia. Given that Magnus was already a pretty good toy, this basically adds up to great, but is likely to be overshadowed by later releases. In a repeat of Devastator, the Japanese equivalent has additional tooling, which looks to be an improvement in almost all ways except feet. Whichever version you go for though, this toy nails the robot/truck/base play pattern better than any Optimus we've had for a while, if a bit gappy.

13: Titans Return Fortress Maximus
Perhaps the most interesting retool in this modern age of retools, Fortmax is a remix of 2013's Metroplex, another modern classic. Is he as good? Well it depends. The robot mode certainly looks better, the proportions greatly improved, and the reuse of parts borders on the ingenious. Cerebros is also a high point, overcoming his status as soundbox on legs to the point where some want him separately. And while I want to slap the person whom included the sticker sheet, the metallic foil effect adds a lot to the finished product. On the flipside, the city form is necessarily different from the G1 toy, and there's an almost "Uncanny Valley" feel to things as now undocumented engineering is retained from Metroplex. Odds are, you've already made up your mind on this one, but its got an appeal.

12: Combiner Wars Sky Lynx (Voyager)
I was down on this toy at first, my opinions coloured by questionable quality control and overhype. On balance however, Commander Modesty ends up as the best overall CW torso bot, if lacking for appropriate limbbots. No single mode is a total success, but there is no weak third mode either. The torso mode is heroically proportioned, and makes better use of the jet moulds than Superion does. And let's be real here, Sky Lynx is so utterly bonkers, its impossible not to like him.

11: Titans Return Crashbash (Titanmaster)
An extremely charming little toy, this is a spare head that combines with a wyvern to make an adorable T-Rex. Or what can only be described as a triple barrelled butt cannon. He's a great pocket money toy, all these individual titanmasters are, but this is the one to beat in later waves. Of course, given the number of times this toy has been re-released.....it will probably be in those later waves too.

10: Combiner Wars Shockwave (Legends)
Another toy making this article because I didn't get it until April, Shockers is an ideal representation of the character, and the best thing about the CW Combaticons. Seriously, articulation, appearance, transformation, and play value all tend towards great. When the only change you'd make is the characteristic use of translucent plastic, you know you've got something good. I liked this toy so much, I brought it even after I'd got it 3 times as the Botcon Reflector set.

9: Titans Return Hardhead (Deluxe)
Hardhead is an entirely satisfactory toy, but it has a mouth-plate, unlike basically all fictional depictions of the character. Putting that aside, HH is possibly the best deluxe overall in Titans Return wave 1, and out-performs toys in other size classes too. If you've got an Autobot with two guns and effective articulation, you are half way there with me, but this guy looks great, and he really sells the play pattern.

8: Titans Return Mindwipe (Deluxe)
While all of the wave 2 Titans deluxes are worth a look, Mindwipe is the most interesting and arguably the most functional. This is mainly due to his unique transformation where the legs unfold into bat wings, and the number of daft fan modes that result. He's also well-made in robot form, and I find his accessories to be a surprisingly attractive. A solid performer.

6/7: Titans Return Blaster/Soundwave (Leader)
Ever since Jetfire came along in 2014, the modern leader class has felt a bit of a compromise. Be it gappy plastic, sub-par engineering or a questionable design choice, a good all-rounder had yet to appear. With Blaster, it arrived. While not exceptional in any mode, this toy is consistent and hides its hollowness. Big. Simple. Fun. And Soundwave adds an accessory. Both represent the best versions of their characters outside of Masterpiece, if slightly let down so far by the quality of the chest minions so far.

5: Sins of the Wreckers (Comic series)
I feel really sorry for Nick Roche, because not only was Last Stand of the Wreckers a tough act to follow, not only was MTMTE was reaching a fever pitch at about the same time, the guy suffered a family tragedy while he was working on it, delaying the series. This has unduly marked the reception of Sins, trapping it a cycle of hype, anti-hype, and uncertainty. Its fortunate then that its a honestly excellent work. Personal where Last Stand was bombastic, but no less shocking or political, the plot Sins is something I dare not spoil by explaining it. I will however say that certain characters and scenes you will never forget. However much you may want too......

4: Titans Return Chromedome (Deluxe)
Chromedome was one of those toys that was gonna be a lot of peoples favourite, but also where some collectors were not immediately on board. Along with Rewind he forms the premier MTMTE couple, beloved by Tumblr and almost anyone whom actually reads the comic. But if you hadn't, all Chromedome just looks like is a retool of the excellent if over-used Combiner Wars Dead End. He's not, he's just copying engineering, although he share parts with #17 on this list. All that said, Chromedome ended up a very high quality toy, and was only pushed our of the top 3 by a late addition. This guy is basically Dead End plus Blurr, with an IDW face. He's the Marvel superhero film. He's very familiar, but he's so well put together, the end result is awesome. Chromedome is the new standard for car transformers, having all you could want at the price and no meaningful flaws.

3: Titans Return Triggerhappy (Deluxe)

The first last minute addition to this list, Triggerhappy came out of nowhere to be everyone's darling. While he personally ties into some happy childhood memories, this toy is notable for its very novel transformation, a distinctive jet mode, and satisfying robot mode. Its extremely well-presented too, with numerous effective paint applications, minimal gaps, landing gear, and a dedicated figure stand port for each mode. This all rests atop the Titans Return play pattern, which makes Triggerhappy extremely compelling as a toy. He's the best jetformer we've had in a while, and like Chromedome represents the new standard for such things, whom he ranks above for seemingly being completely new.

2: The Dying of the Light (More Than Meets The Eye Volume 10)
"Season 2" of MTMTE has been subject of a lot of controversy, but this five issue story proved to bean undeniable high note More Than Meets The Eye has always been willing to take risks amongst the character comedy, and its biggest was to make Megatron a regular character, on probation for his innumerable war crimes, and seeking to change his legacy. Against all odds, they pulled it off. Megatron's character gained nuance and complexity that just wasn't there before, and we slowly realised he was sincere. In this story arc, it all came crashing down, as his past caught up with him and people started to die. But it wasn't just about him, as plot threads bubbling away since 2012 came to the fore, and the core cast found itself re-enacting Rorke's Drift. As if we needed reminding, this story proved James Roberts and Alex Milne are names you want on a Transformers comic.

1: Titans Return Six Shot (Leader)

By far the most ambitious toy on this list, Six Shot had a lot riding on him. Transformers with more than 2 distinctive/convincing modes are rare enough on their own, but 6? We hadn't had that since the 2000 Robots in Disguise series with Megatron/Gigatron, the closest thing since being the 4 mode Animated Shockwave. When I saw the pictures, I knew that as long as it didn't break on day one we were looking at a modern classic. Getting it in person revealed some imperfections that confirmed it was made by mortal hands for the mass market, but yes.

Six Shot is possibly the biggest crowd pleaser we've had since Generations Springer.

Perfect? No. He's basically made of friction joints, and I took steps to tighten things immediately. He's entirely in the G1 aesthetic, so his altmodes require “imagination”. There's the whole submarine silliness too, and the guns look a bit weedy. These things do not matter. He does all the original did, modernised with articulation, tabs to interact with base modes, AND a titanmaster whose design is a spectacularly dark in-joke. Play value is off the charts, as is style, and this makes him my #1.

A Concise Review of Generations Tankor In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2014.

Modes: Robot and Cybertronian Tank.

Transformation Style: Unique, lay down.

Play Patterns: Robot and tank, C Clip weaponry, pressure missile, spinning saws, a pack-in comic in the USA.

Points of Interest: A rare modernisation of a character from the then-controversial Beast Machines series.

The Good
Tankor has an almost perfect resemblance to the animation model in robot mode, and strikes an imposing silhouette. All the elements are there, spinning buzzsaws, opening claws, and an impressive shoulder cannon. Total joint count is 21, best in the arms due to a non-humanoid design, but extremely characterful. Switching to tank mode is simple, and the weapon is C rung based, granting some additional play value.

 

The Bad
This is one of those toys whom is probably in the wrong size class, many feeling the character would have been better served as voyager rather than a stumpy deluxe. As he stands, Tankor suffers from some very notable hollows in both modes, wheels that don't roll well, and a left leg that likes to separate at the thigh during transformation. There is also some misapplied paint on mine, while some examples have two left arms, preventing transformation, and the comic has its pages out of order too.

The Mediocre
Fidelity to the animation is much lower in tank form, and if you aren't familiar with Beast Machines, the Visible Head Syndrome will be a negative. There's been no attempt to work in 5mm functionality, not that he ever really had accessories in the show, and the implementation of the buzzsaws leaves them fixed to the forearms.

 

The Alternatives
Most of the alternatives to Tankor require you to go back to the original Beast Machines moulds, circa 2000. These vary significantly in price, likeness, and size, but the tiny Tank Drone toy is well-regarded. Be warned however that chrome, translucent plastic and balljoints were very common, and its been 16 or so years. If all you want is a big and brutal looking military vehicle though, consider Generations Warpath or Darkmount of a few years earlier.

 

The Verdict
Going by a checklist, Tankor just isn't very good. He needed a few less gaps, and a bit more functionality. If you are on-board with the marmite style, like me, the robot mode more than compensates. Tankor is probably the most unique Transformer of the past five years, but that's not necessarily the same thing as being great. If it is to you, or you're a Beast Machines fan, rejoice, he's quite cheap on the secondary market. But for everyone else, you can skip him.

A Concise Review of Combiner Wars Sky Lynx (And Sky Reign) In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Voyager, 2016.

Modes: Dinobird, Shuttle, Combiner Torso.

Transformation Style: CW voyager, beastformer.

Play Patterns: Beast and vehicle, combiner, 5mm weaponry.

Points of Interest: A newly combining modernisation of the 1986 original. No partner legend toy. THIS EXISTS.

 

The Good
His dinobird mode has 26 joints, 4 in the neck and head, making him very expressive. He can't wield his weapons in the normal sense, but there 5mm ports on the wings, and dedicated tabs for tail storage. His shuttle mode captures the G1 toy, with a sci-fi spin. The torso mode is both distinctive and attractive, its lynx head, colours and chest granting much character. For this review, I've been forced to use a few stand-ins, but Sky Reign impresses, not least due to his combined sword weapon. He looks good in all three modes, and the play value is there, and boy, does he stand out on the shelf because he's so weird. Also, he's vaguely adorable.

 

The Bad
Sky Lynx has been the subject of repeated reports of loose joints, my example being effected. The back feet don't always hold a position, and the major ratchets are too soft. This is problematic in the combined form, not least because the shoulder assemblies don't lock in place. Its not as bad as a problem as say a first run of Motor Master, but it is an issue. Less subjectively, there's a few too many gaps here, and the lynx head isn't properly hidden.

 

The Mediocre
Due to his reduced size and combiner role, Sky Lynx has lost some modes, but you can fudge a lynx form. The lack of a true robot form will bother some, and I personally prefer to transform the torso mode differently from the instructions. The shuttle mode arguably does a better job than the CW Aerialbot moulds at concealing the robot forms, as while there's stuff under the wing, its not obviously limbs, and its meant to be there.

The Alternatives
Commander Modesty is so hugely odd that no directly comparable options exist other than the G1 toy. There's incoming release of the Liokaiser set which we know includes a repaint of this, but little else. This leaves almost any CW voyager, but none of those are beasts.

 

The Verdict
Sky Lynx benefits immensely from being completely unlike the rest of Combiner Wars, both visually and in play, while retaining most of the strengths. This is another one of those toys nobody expected, a welcome break from the monotony of the line, and has much to enjoy. However, the loose joints took the shine off things for me. This is not a consistent flaw, and one I intend to fix, but I would be remiss as reviewer to not mention it. Its also a marmite concept that suffers from having to combine with a load of repaints. Definitely good, but not mandatory.

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

Pricepoint/Vintage: Legend, 2015/2016.

Modes: Robot, Spaceship, Combiner Gun.

Transformation Style: CW legend, simplistic triplechanger.

Play Patterns: Robot and vehicle, “sixth member” combiner to Onslaught, 5mm weaponry, targetmaster.

Points of Interest: Homage to the G1 episode “The Revenge of Bruticus”. Rare new mould in Combiner Wars.

The Good

Nearly everything. The ship mode is very close to his original gun form, while the robot is a more of modernisation via the video games. Both look great, and the robot is almost ideally articulated for the size. There's a balljoint for the head, great motion in the shoulder through a balljoint/swivel combo, similar in the hips, and better knees than me. Joint count is 14, the neck being above and beyond the call of duty, so making natural poses with the gun arm is easy. He operates excellently as a big gun for Bruticus, being able to store on his back too.

The Bad

To emulate the G1 toy, translucent plastic is extensively here, most worryingly in the elbows. Breakages will be a thing to watch for. The forearms are a weak point, generating kibble in all modes. Achieving the gun mode is a matter of flipping a handle down, and while this can store on Onslaught's altmode, it doesn't sit well. There was also a tiny spot of misapplied paint on my example.

The Mediocre

Shockwave is specifically designed to work with Combiner Wars gestalt hands, and a bar of plastic before the peg will interfere with many regular hands, not to mention the weight.

The Alternatives

As a distinctive G1 original, Shockwave is extremely well supplied for toys, most recently with a Masterpiece release. Within Combiner Wars, the most obvious alternative is the Powerglide mould, specifically the Viper repaint. This would arguably fit the Combaticon theme better, BUT that's a weaker toy with tabbing issues. There is also the Botcon 2016 Relector pack remoulded from this, which I have, and adore, but its going to be expensive.

The Verdict

Shockwave is an unabashed success. Its difficult to image a version of the character at this size and price done better. As a partner mould to combiner, he's the best example of the concept. Yeah, he's basically a targetmaster whereas the other toys tried something new, but its a tried and true gimmick executed well. I would personally prefer that translucent plastic wasn't so big a feature, but its early days, and it makes the toy look good in a 1984 sort of way. Pick him up.

Radical Regenerations: Prime Rumble

I normally start a review when I have a spare moment, on a bus, or on lunch hour. Then when I get home, I put the toy to one side of my laptop while I do do internet stuff and play. It can take weeks from initial interest to final drafting, or I can be done in 24 hours because I don't have anything sensible to do with my time. The last thing I do is make my usual attempt at “photography”, where I take it to a good spot in my kitchen and.......

Conservative. Party. CONFERENCE.

Well, I've written a load on on this toy, and I'd rather not ditch all of it. So, I rewrote the introduction, and here it is. I must report however, this did have a small effect on my opinion of the toy. Enjoy.

Vehicle Mode
 Rather than being a little dude whom fits into Soundwave's chest, this Rumble is a small blue car, and a fairly uninteresting one at that. This isn't too much of a departure for Rumble, as he did appear in the Alternators line as a Honda, but the execution here is bad. While there is some attention paid to the front end, some tiny Decepticon badges, and tinted windows, the vehicle appears otherwise unpainted. This isn't actually true, Rumble has loads of paint on him, but its being used to conceal the fact that the entire roof is translucent plastic. Clearly the tightening of toy budgets hit here, but I think we'd would have been better off with ratio reversed, painted windows instead(1). There's also a lot of exposed robot bits on the underside, but you'll forgive me if I put off talking about that just now. Functionally, there's a bit more going on, with two 5mm ports worked in as petrol caps. These allow for the accessories to be mounted on the side, accessories that also needed paint. These do triple duty as pile drivers, guns, and for this mode rocket boosters although a certain degree of imagination is needed here, as they just look like black blocks. That said, 5mm ports do give plenty of options for some Road Warrior action. 

Beyond that, there's not much to say. Switching to robot mode is however very interesting, and while carformers are not my preferred tipple, I'm not aware of one which follows a similar pattern. The front end transforms into the legs, but the back end and roof form the arms, with the flanks and back wheels forming back kibble. There's also a dramatic head reveal. Its a shell-based transformation, and inelegant given how much of the car ends up around the arms and torso, but that strikes me as deliberate intent, rather than incompetence or laziness. They wanted a particular style of robot mode, which I will now talk about. And looking at the image below, you'll easily see how this toy made into my Radical Regenerations format. When his thumbs weren't breaking off.

Robot Mode

Now, the review actually starts. When you get this toy into robot mode, you notice only one thing. Rumble is invoking a very particular design aesthetic, one so distinctive its impossible to see this toy as anything other than a deliberate homage. Yes, this is inspired by the classic 2007 anime Gurren Lagann, and its characteristic “chest face” motif. And its light-piped too. Rumble has two sets of glowing eyes in a good light, though the upper set work best, with both a mouth and a mouth plate at the same time. You can leave the head folded in the chest, and still look him in eye. Here's some art from the series for comparative purposes. Note the attached thumbs.

Copyright: Studio Gainax

See what I mean? Its not necessarily unique to either Gurren Lagann or Rumble, of course. ROTF Bludgeon had a skull chest for example, while Beast Hunters Bludgeon had monster pecs. Nor did Gurren Lagann invent the design element in Super Robot cartoons, that honour probably goes to Gaiking. But the timing and shoulder kibble makes me think Gurren Lagann, and I think its extremely cool looking as a result. At least it balances out the very bland car mode, where the broken thumb doesn't matter.

 

His chest face is so distinctive and overpowering, you forget the other design elements, some callbacks to the original. The back kibble for example has guns sculpted in, regrettably unpainted, but similar to the G1 toy. He has the pile drivers, and the articulation to make make a fine ground-pounding pose. His overall build is quite short for a deluxe, but wide with the arm kibble balancing out the pile drivers. He's not a chest minion anymore, but he's still a short dude. I'm not entirely sure where the head sculpt came from though. There's nothing very Rumble about it, and to muddy the waters further, there was an alternative with an actual mouth(2), but that's not very Rumble either. Neither immediately say Gurren Lagann either, although you could claim the mouthed version is closer to the style than the one we have here. One wonders if designers had something very different in mind for this toy only for it to be re-purposed as a legacy character, or if the designers got a bit of leeway as the character wasn't actually appearing in the cartoon. All I know is, if they'd swapped out that chest face for something closer to a magnetic tape cassette, we wouldn't be here right now. Complaints can however be made about the lower legs, with the calves being a bit ramshackle, preventing a straight stance, and the actual knees being below a set of decorative knees. There's also some questionable colour and material choices; the neck joint is a balljoint in translucent plastic, while the hands are also painted, making chipping a problem. And, I forget if I've mentioned this, his thumb broke off.

Also, if I didn't know better, I'd think his feet were on backwards.

Regardless of what this actually looks like(3), the robot mode has a lot going on. The aforementioned pile drivers have quad gun barrels sculpted in, with a 5mm port on the underside for no obvious reason. This allows Rumble to do some gun fighting poses, and make combi-weapons of a sort. He's also got a total of four 5mm ports, two on the back of his shoulders for storage, and the two petrol caps on his flanks. Articulation is decent, with eighteen points. This is allows for the aforementioned ground-pounding, and I'd like to single out the shoulders as being far more mobile than they have any right being. Its a generously cut balljoint on top of hinge, with rotation at the bicep, so he has great inward motion even if outward motion is blocked by kibble. He can cross his arms, but not demonstrate how big the fish he caught was. The lower body also has a lot in the way of balljoints, but ends up being limited by the sculpt. There is a balljointed waist, but the crotch piece makes it all but useless. There's balljoints in the ankles too, but as mentioned, a perfectly straight stance is impossible. Plus his thumb broke off.

Conclusion

Rumble is a weird toy when you get right down it, and not just for the visual choices. The Prime toyline suffered from budget cuts and misapplied gimmicks, and while there are far worse offenders, Rumble is rough around the edges. I'm no toy accountant, and thus speak from a position of ignorance, but I do feel that ditching the translucent plastic would have been to the toy's net benefit. G1 purist are also not going to be overly keen on this interpretation of the character, even if they go Japanese, because he's some distance from the 80's. That's why he's in this review format, of course, but let's acknowledge some may that downside. But then, that's also a plus, and I'll happily stand up for a transformer that reminds me of one of my favourite animes. The designers clearly wanted to do something different here, and in robot mode it works very well. He's got the pile drivers, he's got the joints to use them, but now he's also a gunfighter with a monster face on his chest. Given how repetitive Prime was after a while, at least until Beast Hunters kicked off, this is a good thing. Its just shame that the car mode is so meh. All things considered, he's worth having, and is very inexpensive on the secondary market. If you want a rough diamond, Rumble is your guy. Assuming his thumbs stay on.

Foot Notes

1. The Japanese versions of the mould sidestep this with stickers as well as paint. Although, they omit the pile drivers for a singular Arms Micron, so some loss of play value there.
2. This was used for both of the Japanese versions.
3. i.e. quite badass.

A Concise Review of Combiner Wars Trailbreaker In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2016.

Modes: Robot, Truck, Arm, and Leg.

Transformation Style: CW deluxe limb, Off Road style.

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

Points of Interest: Retool of wave 2's Offroad, with a new head, forearms, and modified accessory.

The Good
Trailbreaker's 5mm gun arm allows him to mimic Rook's play pattern' giving him a single hulk hand via his combiner piece. Said accessory is also quite distinctive, functioning as a claw, and a believable shield. The new head is nice too, and the hubcaps painted. Articulation is solid at 14 joints, the truck mode attractive, and the limb modes having just the right amount of bulk. Most importantly, this iteration of the mould has all but eliminated the tabbing issues of Offroad, making the arm mode practical. Offroad was basically fine, but new play features and refinement make Trailbreaker better.

 

The Bad
While one big problem was fixed, issues with proportions and exposed robot bits due to engineering are still inherited from Offroad. He's a touch skinny in the arms, and the vehicle mode isn't that different from earlier versions. The loss of a regular right hand obviously means some loss in function, and reduces the number of 5mm ports to 3 in truck and limb modes. The pack-in comic has an infamous art error. My example suffers from misapplied door tampographs.

The Mediocre
Trailbreaker comes with that axe that I don't think has suited anybody, including him. They also missed a trick in that it can't plug into the gun arm due to its shape, a crying shame that could have helped with future reuses, as well as add play value. He's also a bit monochrome.

The Alternatives
Its a bit surprising this toy exists, as Trailbreaker got a new unique mould only in 2014. That does not combine, and incorporates a number of design elements this toy can't, although arguably neither is definitive. The other, increasingly numerous, iterations of this toy also come to mind. That said, if you want a combining Autobot with Hulk Hands, why not Rook?


 

The Verdict
I don't think anyone really wanted to see this mould again, especially as wave 6 was a repeat of wave 4, but Trailbreaker really is something special. The new parts increase the play value, while solving a tabbing issue, and is easy on the eyes. If Hasbro MUST reuse moulds, this really is a good justification, and perhaps the most desirable deluxe since the Protectobots. While not without weaknesses, Trailbreaker is like taking yesterday's cheesecake, and adding toffee sauce. Go get him.

Botcon 2016 Coverage: A Non-Review Of The Souvenir Exclusive Toys

Now, it is kind of difficult to review Fun Publications output due to, well, price, but also creative merit, unappeasable fans, and the company's business practices. When you have a deluxe, or some such, going for three times retail value, people tend to become very forgiving if they like it, and ill-tempered if they don't. If Funpub uses a popular character, some will feel that toy is being held to ransom, if they go obscure, why would anyone sensible buy it? The answer is that Funpub likes to sell things via boxsets and subscriptions, so like a variety pack of cereal, you'll always end up buying something you don't want. Then there was the credit card thing. Anyway, here's my commentary of the toys on offer.

The Attendee Freebie: Terrorsaur

This could so easily have been the best free gift ever. He's not had a Cybertonian mode before, or many toys in general. He is compatible with the boxset below and in the same shade of CG red. He has a spot-on head sculpt. He has very nice nose art in jet mode. And more importantly, he's based on Air Raid, the best of the deluxe aerialbots. Unfortunately, he does not come with the combiner accessory.

I mean, really.

The Predacus Set
If you've collected more than one combiner team, you've probably got a fairly good idea of what to expect here. The use of Combiner Wars moulds is both a strength and weakness. On the one hand, these toys are generally good. On the other, we've all been buying these for at least a year. For context, these five represent pre-Beast-Wars versions of the Tripredacus Council and two of their agents. The three generals existed as toys that combined into Tripredacus, although this didn't happen on screen, and in fact the computer generated cartoon used completely different character modes due to time constraints. These toys follow the cartoon in appearance, meaning there's a lot of red I'm not fond of, but obviously combine. Some observations also apply to the set in general, in that the part tolerances can feel different from mass market toys, but not necessarily worse, and there's a lot two tone colour schemes going on.

Here they are, ranked worse to best.

General Ramhorn: A de-facto preview of the Hasbro version of Nosecone(1), Ramhorn isn't very good. He's based off Brawl, a sub-par deluxe at the best of times, and the bulk of the retooling applied is limited to his weapon, an admittedly impressive drill. Nosecone will not be a First Aid level reworking. This means his altmode is a tank in reverse, the waist issue remains, and articulation is middling. More pressingly, the new head has some extremely delicate looking bat ears, and minimal clearance for them when transforming him. If anybody is gonna break, its this dude. Still, its a nice head, and he makes a bulky arm.

Ravage: I want to be pleasant to this toy, I do. I think the Breakdown mould used here is under-rated, because while its dorky to look at in robot mode, and a bit fiddly to convert, its very functional. Nice car mode, effective leg mode, superior arm mode, and good accessories. With Ravage, and by extension the Tigatron of the same convention, the new head they've added exacerbates that visual weakness. Ravage is proportioned like a Werther's Original atop a smart phone, there being limited space for his head in the altmodes, and there being conflicting design styles at work. The back of his head is completely, humorously, flat. I don't know what they could have done to fix this without completely abandoning cartoon fidelity, but I would have asked the sculptor to have taken another swing at it. Ravage is also subject to a oversight by Funpub, his combiner piece is not included in the box by default, so check for that. That said, he's not a bad toy once you get over the head, with both a Predacon and a Decepticon badge.

 Breakdown pictured for comparison

General Cicadacon: The least changed toy in the set, this dude benefits from a happy coincidence and some nice detailing. Based on CW Skydive, the unmodified head was fairly close to the CG in the first place, and a jet is reasonable stand-in for a flying insect. A particular highlight are the wings, which are done up in a lovely bug wings pattern. He's still very red in the same way Ramhorn is, but if you don't mind that, he's quite satisfactory toy. I'd also like to mention that his joints seem better than than my example of Skydive, although this may just be a coincidence.


General Sea Clamp: This guy carries the team in some ways. As a retool of Silverbolt via Scattorshot, he's a fundamentally a good toy and combiner torso. He also has the bulk of the retooling, with two rather nice new heads, one with an adjustable horn. The colours are also more varied due to the combined mode, which is nice. Purist may question how a guy whom flies became a craw-fish, but here we are.

Tarantulas: Rook is the best deluxe in Combiner Wars, don't let anyone tell you different. So an evil spidery version of him with an elaborate paint job? Well, yes, its kinda awesome. On the flipside, maybe Tarantulas would have worked better as that deluxe Groove mould? And the 5mm ports seem a bit loose.

Predacus: The only part of the set to favour the original toy design, through necessity, Predacus is striking when combined. While limb placement is a factor, given three members have the same red, and the other two are dark tones, Predacus has a distinctive look. Its also unique that the hands/feet come in both black and red, allowing you to contrast the colours as you see fit. Otherwise, its just as functional as any CW gestalt, although he doesn't have a dedicated partner legends toy, forcing him to use Superion's “1989 Joker” gun. 

 

Transmetal 3 Megatron
The revival of an abandoned concept by 3H Productions(2), this toy was the undoubted must-have of the convention. Its an undeniably attractive reworking of the 2002 RID Megatron, a toy I'd been tempted by, but never owned before. I'd say the mould has aged well, although the tail tends to come off, and minor tabbing issues. As a toy, he feels great. As high-end display piece, he's gorgeous. Two problems occur. 1) Due to the remoulding, the gargoyle mode is gone, leaving him with 5 official forms. 2) The eyes of the dragon heads are unpainted. Regardless, its an immediate and comprehensive success.


EDIT: It has since been pointed out to me that there's stress marks on the translucent plastic already. This dampens my enthusiasm a tad, and Megatron will now stay in a glass case.

Reflector Three Pack
I must confess I purchased this one while in a state of giddy hysteria. It was three of the CW Shockwave mould, a toy I'd been eyeing up for my Combaticons for months. And they had somehow figured out a camera mode for them. On closer inspection, this was not mentioned in the instructions, it being more a fan mode based around the arm tabs. On further inspection, this didn't actually matter. Presentation is immaculate, and as scout/legends scale toys go, the mould does everything I want. The fan camera mode even holds together well, once you get it there. Expect further gushing in a forthcoming Shockwave review. One slight problem, these are named “Flash Sentry”.

Custom Class Toy: Combiner Wars Ratchet & Others

Funpub was apparently instructed to use this mould by Hasbro, but its something of a coup for them, nonetheless. This was essentially a white version of CW First Aid, but with the option to use the previously unreleased Ratchet head and translucent blue accessories. Obtaining this on the secondary market will no doubt be a deeply frustrating matter for many. As for me, I have a new found respect for factory workers. You'll excuse me if I don't photograph mine, I'm not got around to finishing the stickers, and want to touch up the paint.


Toys I Did Not Buy
Another reason I'm not calling this a review is that I didn't get all the souvenir figures, but some comment is still needed. Consider this a rough guide to why I didn't.

The Rubber Ducky: I never thought I'd have to write about this. I'm a fan of whimsy, and having a bathtime buddy for Megatron above makes too much sense. On the other hand, its a not a Beast Wars accurate ducky. Its a generic ducky with a botcon logo. I put it down as a maybe, and then forgot about it. This one kind of slipped through the quacks.

Sorry.


Tigatron: Um, see Ravage?

Airazor: This one just didn't grab me, although no doubt I will curse this choice if I ever properly watch Beast Wars. Furthermore, I'm just not that fond of the base mould. I have Windblade, and she doesn't balance well.

Unit-3: Remember that issue with obscurity I was talking about in the introduction? Well, this dude is an example. He's based off an old, unnamed, Happy Meal toy known only as "Under-3"(3), via Combiner Wars Streetwise. As nice as that mould is in yellow, if you've indulged in Combiner Wars prior, you've probably brought this toy twice before. It doesn't exactly help that his new personality is a bit of generic badass.

The Magnaboss Sticker Sheet: Depending on how you look at it, this is either a cute idea, or a poor excuse with a somewhat cheeky inclusion. Magnaboss was the Maximal equivalent to (Tri)Predacus and this sheet would allow you to do up the mass market Prowl, Silverbolt, and Ironhide as their Beast Wars iterations. This adds some appeal to some otherwise meh toys, as well as giving someone for Tigertron and Unit-3 to combine with. What was a nasty surprise however, and I didn't find this out until I got home, this is where the eyes for Megatron's dragon heads are. Was this a last minute attempt to fix TM3 Megatron, or a ploy to sell the sticker sheet? We may never know.

Conclusion

Uhhh, draw your own? Or get Megatron and Reflector?

Foot notes

1. Long story.
2. Longer story.
3. Not a long story, the dude hardly exists.