Garden War!

Ambush!

Free Comic Book Day 2013 was good to me, as I picked up three IDW Transformers issues amongst many others - an Alex Milne sketchbook, a re-print of Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom, and best of all, Re-Generation #81. The latter comic is a brilliant read, as it picks up from the end of the old Marvel series, with characters and a status quo that I know and remember fondly. Subsequently, I found myself in a Transformers mood...

Cyclonus

G1 Transformers are mainly where it's at for me. I have some fond memories of Beast Wars, and love the design of Lio-Convoy (amongst others) - I certainly never subscribed to the 'Trukk not Munky' mindset - but the G1 cartoon and movie are what I think of when someone says 'Robots in Disguise'. However great the toys were for the mid-80's though, they don't stand up to today's standards, and that's where the Universe/Generations line does such a great job.

Cyclonus is a faithful interpretation of the G1 character design, the likes of which we didn't get with any Autobot or Decepticon back in the day, down to the colour scheme and the fantastic light-piping that make the eyes burn red. This version is from a Reveal the Shield two-pack that came with Rodimus Prime and a Matrix of Leadership - unfortunately I bought this second hand, so my only Hot Rod is an actual G1 version - but Cyclonus here did come with his firearm, the amazingly updated Targetmaster Nightstick. The amount of articulation, unthinkable in the 80's, coupled with the character likeness and playability (the transformation is sublimly intuitive) make Cyclonus a shining example of how Transformers should be done...

Autobot Jazz

On to the Autobot side of the battle then. I've already blogged before about Jazz and the heartbreak associated with that particular guy at G1; since then though I'm pleased to announce that my Reveal the Shield version has remained in one piece (but excuse me for a moment whilst I knock on some wood!).

What I loved about the old Marvel UK comics, besides the fact it was weekly installments of the Cybertronian War, was that it was my first exposure to a seperate continuity, and to the idea that the stories I could tell with these characters didn't need to be rail-roaded within the confines of the cartoon universe. That seemed like a decent preparation for pop-culture today, with re-boots and Ultimate Comics and live-action movie versus first-generation animated movie factions becoming increasingly normal; and I love it. Sure, we get some stinkers like Revenge of the Fallen, but then we also get the Dark Knight Trilogy. It evens out!

Bringing it back around, I'm glad that a comic like Re-Generation exists, and I'll keep reading. It's Transformers as I remember them, and I'm very happy that it's being continued - Bludgeon, Skorponok and Megatron as the Decepticon heavy-hitters suits me just fine.

Fight!

Thanks for reading!

ME GRIMLOCK KING!

ME GRIMLOCK NO BOZO!

After a couple of weeks of letting my QC standards slip I've been making a conscious effort to step back from the editing software a little, and to try and get a decent picture first time around. Nothing's exemplified this better than these recent Grimlock shots, and I'm really happy with how this set's turned out.

Nom.

Well, I say "step back from the editing software", but I've still made minor modifications to the image; however, I've kept the emphasis on minor and only slightly tweaked the brightness, shadows and contrast, and not used any photo-apps. I think my reliance on apps and preset treatments led me to believe every image requires loads of post-production, and after some bad photos I remembered that that's not that case.

Akin to my post on copying promo images, the above shot is a Transformers Animated take on the below G1 image; Grimlock getting chompy on Thrust. I always preferred the Seekers over the Coneheads, subsequently the jet getting chowed down on above is none over than Starscream.

G1 nom.

And a wide shot to round it off. I've been properly enjoying playing with this toy and the character, and it's showing in the final product. It seems like my interest in Transformers is really fuelling my creativity; and you gotta go where the river flows, I guess...

ME GRIMLOCK KING!

So there we have it; how to get your toy photography mojo back with Transformers Animated Grimlock. Thanks for reading!

A New Breed of Decepticon

As my quest to collect the best modern iterations of the original 12 Star Wars figures draws nearer to conclusion (only one purchase left to make!), I've been teetering on Star Wars burnout - make no bones, I still love the series, and I'm actually listening to the ANH soundtrack as I type this; but after too much of one thing it's always good to flex some different creative muscles... Therefore, I present today's quick snap - Cyclonus!

 

Post-Movie Second-in-Command to Galvatron, Cyclonus (motto: "Compassion is the Autobots' downfall.") realised the Decepticon cause was all but lost without Galvatron, and led the mission to retrieve him from Chaar. A fierce warrior, he also fought with honour; Ultra Magnus being one Autobot to earn his respect. From the looks of the above scene however, Jazz did not... 

Cyclonus here is from the Reveal the Shield line, whilst Jazz is from Universe. As Transformers (and TMNT as well, but more on that another time) have taken my interest of late, I've also been looking into Third Party products, and today made my first purchase...

The Maketoys MB-01 SP2 Mobine Missile Launcher - Marine Type. Why this obscure bit of kit? Two reasons. Firstly, Third Party products are expensive. Whilst they generally look great, I didn't want to take a £100 plunge on something that my clumsy ham-fists might break out of the box. Secondly:

Oh yeah. Smoulder's getting an upgrade! :D

Century!

Somehow or another, I've stuck with this blog long enough to hit 100 posts! 70 of those have been from this year alone (which astonishes me to think about); I guess I finally found my groove with it. The truth is I would've given it all up if it weren't for the rapid escalation in hits that started around last December, and has been gradually increasing since. All I can say is thank you for visiting, and that I hope you enjoy my little bursts of creativity!

TO THE FUTURE!

The Autobot Spy

It's the turn of Episode One: The Phantom Menace to be on TV today; however as I critically re-appraised that for myself the other week, I have no inclination to watch it again. Instead, let's try a little Jazz, hmm?

This is the Reveal the Shield Special Ops Jazz, released by Hasbro in 2010. It's the most recent of my Transformers purchases, and goes some way to healing the wound opened by this same character some decades before...

Light-piping in Action

Back in the late 80's/early 90's, my family tended to go shopping in Milton Keynes as much as Northampton. The highlight of these trips to the new city for me was always John Lewis. The huge department store was in the centre of the MK shopping centre, and provided a toy perusing experience like no other. I remember the excitement of taking the escalator to the first floor, and seeing the boxes and boxes of Transformers piled up. Sure, there was other stuff like Lego, Dino Riders, Zoids and whatever else was popular with us kids then, but the Transformers were it for me.

Yeah, Prowl was alright. But this guy!

I was at a point where more than anything, I wanted an Autobot car. I had a Grimlock, many hand me downs and a few newer robots for Christmas and birthday presents, but it was one of the iconic Autobot-mobiles I wanted more than anything. I saved up my £6 a month pocket money, which would have seemed like an eternity back then, and eventually, one glorious day, went back to John Lewis with my parents and bought the G1 Autobot Spy.

Exhibit A

Now, sad to say, the original Transformers weren't always the most sturdy of toys. And I wasn't the least clumsy of kids in my family. Or street. Or most likely town, actually, so you can probably guess where this is going. Within about two hours of being home, I'd already lost the missiles for his shoulder cannon, but then, whilst trying to transform him, I broke the arm off. I remember my feeling of shocked disbelief, and going to my brother to see if he could fix it. He couldn't, and I ended up getting a scolding for breaking my new toy. Jazz ended up in the bin, and the whole experience was like a terrible, terrible dream.

And... Relax.

So, finally having gotten a newer, sturdier version of the Autobot that caused so much trauma before, am I over it? Am I a happier, more well-adjusted person? Owning this guy definitely makes me happy, but all the same - I still exhibit insane amounts of caution when transforming him...

As always, thanks for reading. Any similar nightmare toy stories out there?

Vintage Wednesdays: An Autobot Shall Rise from the Ranks

88 posts per blog. That can only mean we're time travelling for the return of... Vintage Wednesdays!

Ba-Weet Gra-Na Weet Ninnybomb!

So, Hot Rod. Since you're on this site I can assume you probably know who this guy is, but the capsule version goes something like this... Hot Rod, a young, fast tempered Autobot, fought in the 2005 battle of Autobot City. At the defeat of Unicron, Hot Rod reclaimed the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and became Rodimus Prime; however the weight of leadership proved a difficult burden to bear. Following the resurrection of Optimus Prime, Rodimus gladly relinquished the Matrix, and returned to the ranks of the Autobot warriors.

Yesterday's Car... Today!

Due to the success of the Transformers line, by 1986 Takara and Hasbro no longer needed to rely on toys from various Japanese lines, and Hot Rod was one of the first to be modelled after his animated design. As the film was set nearly two decades into the future, he was given a sleek, futuristic-car alt-mode. Needless to say, we don't really have cars like this today. But then, we don't have huge, militarised cities built and populated by robotic alien lifeforms either, so he gets a pass!

I loved this toy as a kid. Alongside Kup, Springer and Ultra Magnus I had a full on post-movie Autobot strike force (which was good, since Galvatron was freakin' huge in comparison!). Unfortunately, in an incident which shall not be named, I lost all my Transformers in one fell swoop. Much like the Ghostbusters this isn't my original version of Hot Rod, but instead a re-issued one that a friend gave me for my birthday almost ten years ago. I'd like to say that I've kept him in good condition, but see for yourself - we've got a peeling decal sticker on the leg from too much transforming, and neither of his two blasters. Sigh. I am a bad Autobot owner :(

In a straight fight, with this articulation - I would be concerned about Hot Rod's chances...

Anyway, he still takes pride in my collection, and is the only Transformer I have who has ever wielded the Matrix - this is good when you consider I have a toy shelf that includes both Galvatron and Megatron...

Well, that's this Wednesday sufficiently vintaged. Till all are one!

Autobots & Backdrops

RTS Special Ops Jazz

This is photography 101 right here - last week I finally got around to spending the 35p needed to buy a sheet of black sugar paper to use as a backdrop for action figure shots, and then today I finally got the time to snap a couple of pictures...

Autobots!

The shots above were naturally lit from the window opposite. I got pretty even lighting but I could have used a reflector to bounce some light on to the backsides of the figures. Following the shoot, I made crops and adjusted the colour in Windows 7 picture manager before exporting the images to my phone, and then used the photo manager app to finish them off. I only recently started doing this kind of dual-processing, and that's mainly with Transformers shots; firstly because they're so colourful and bold that they make great subjects, and secondly because I really am figuring this all out as I go!

I tried a set up this evening after dark and using a couple of lamps, but couldn't get any results I was happy with. Regardless, I found a particular line-up of Autobots I like...

Dark Autobots!

The amount of colour correction required on this image really washes the colour out, but I've yet to find a way to manually adjust the white balance on my camera outside of a couple of presets. For that reason, until I get a better lamp set-up and more lighting skills, I'll be sticking to daylight shots!

Reasonably well-adjusted Autobots!

In general I'm happy with the results though. A neutral background such as this really brings the figures to the fore, and I can see myself going this route for reviews in the future.

TF: Prime Deluxe Bumblebee Review

Bumblebee

When I got a £10 off voucher for TRU, I took a few repeated visits to figure out what to use it on. The Star Wars line is unfortunately peg-warming under the unwanted and ill-thought out Movie Heroes branding, along with a few TVC figures I don't want (however tempted I was by Lucky Farlander), and the Turtles line isn't being stocked yet. Despite my recent posts, I don't really have enough of an affinity with Ben 10 to have warranted using the voucher on that line, and so what else was there?

Well, Transformers: Prime, for one.

I've seen the first series, and I'm a big fan of this iteration. It somehow manages to blend the cartooniness and human characters of TF: Animated with the mythology and brutality of G1, and even somehow makes room to include the less offensive of the Bayformer's visual stylings (Bumblebee being a fine example of the latter). I hadn't paid much attention to the toyline before though, and so with a voucher use-by date approaching, I took the plunge on the Autobot Camero.

The Packaging 

Pretty straightforward blister card for this guy, with Bumblebee displayed in Camero mode. As it was a straight-up choice between Bumblebee and Cliffjumper, I had to go with which vehicle I preferred the look of, and this guy won out!

The box art is nice, obviously show-styled, with the Autobot symbol in the background. The back of the box has pictures of Bumblebee in both modes, with the smallest of character profiles reading: "Bumblebee is a brave Autobot warrior and scout" in several languages, and a picture of the Autobots from the show along the bottom. Nowhere near as exciting as getting the tech-spec with the red see-through reader, but a darn sight better than just plastering a multi-lingual sticker over the back (looking at you, European Vintage Collection!). The toy is tied into the bubble with cardboard string ties, and the guns are held in place by a clear plastic cover. All pretty simple to deal with, and your Bumblebee is away!

Go Go Camero!

The Good

So, yeah. Bumblebee is a pretty exciting toy right out the package. The alt-mode is tight, with very little to indicate it's not a normal toy car - perhaps the robot kibble visible through the windshield and the hole in the engine block are about the only clues to give the Autobot game away. The paint job is great, and befitting of a character called Bumblebee, and the translucent blue used for the windows and headlights works really well to give the car an understated but still cartoony feel. Also, the detailing inside the headlights looks great, and shows the attention to detail on the sculpt (as also evidenced by the door handles, and the little rivets around the body work.

The transformation took me one go following the instructions, and then after that I was away. If you were to look at the different modes you'd be forgiven for thinking that it's a fiddly and potentially toy-breaking exercise, but it feels instinctive, rigid, and just well designed. The limbs and doors all snap into place with no fuss, and on either end of the process you're left with either a tight alt-mode Camero, or a tight Autobot warrior scout robot!

Scoutin' About...

I was particularly impressed with the robot mode. Following the simple transformation he stands tall, with points of articulation at the neck, shoulders, elbows, two points at the thighs, and then the knees and feet. The lower legs are wide enough to accomodate a lot of different stances, and whilst I have to acknowledge I've been out of the Transformers game for a while (save the odd Dinobot or Galvatron), I am really pleasantly surprised by how articulated this figure is, particularly for the price point. I also want to make a point about the light-piping. As anyone with TF: Universe Cyclonus would know (and there is a review planned for him too!), Hasbro has been really excelling at getting the light-piping for their Transformers spot-on, and Bumblebee is no exception. Get his head backlit, and the round, blue eyes really lend life to this figure.

The Bad

It's not all good though. As much as I'm enjoying this toy, there are a few areas where it could've been improved. To start with, I'm not fond of the guns; at the very least not in alt-mode. I get that it's a toy, which is why it's by no means a deal-breaker, but the engine block would look better complete than with the gun shaped hole in it. But then, in robot mode, attached to the wrists, Bumblebee's guns look great, so, there you go. How much of a negative point this is depends more upon your display preferences, I would suppose.

Car Good Plane Bad.

A less debatable negative is the paint apps. Whilst the design is solid, it's literally made of yellow, grey and blue plastic, with a dash of black paint. Again, that's befitting of a toy, but when you see some of the sculpted details up close, you realise how much there is to this toy that isn't highlighted. My final gripe is about one point of articulation that was missed - the wrists. The hands are sculpted open for holding the guns, but then the wrists are also locked in place. Maybe it was so Bumblebee couldn't be pictured making offensive gestures, I don't know; but either way, that knocks a mark off the posability. You could make an argument for a swivel waist as well, but I don't think that would be as necessary, especially when you consider how that could structurally weaken the toy.

Overall

So, the negatives are pretty much minor aesthetic points, whilst the positives are a sturdy, articulated, simple, and fun toy. If you own only one TF: Prime figure, well, then you're probably me. If you don't own any and need somewhere to start, you can't go wrong with the Deluxe Bumblebee.
                
****1/2

TFA Snarl!

I finally watched the Transformers Animated episode 'Blast from the Past' today, which introduces the Dinobots to that series. Yeah. Let's just say I prefer Wheeljack finding fossils and going from there...

Robot! Dinosaur! Poor Design? Yes!

Snarl was Slag, but his name got changed due to the connotations of the word over here in the UK (a slag being an abusive term implying a person's promiscuity). I'm sure he was originally named after waste metal though, which would've been appropriate, because this Transformer is pretty rubbish. Still, gotta keep the family together!

Him Grimlock No Bozo...

Him Grimlock King!

Just a quickie. As proud as I am of my custom Luke, the pictures aren't that great. Hopefully this redresses the balance somewhat...

Smoulder vs Breacher!

Those of you familiar with my Flickr photostream may have already seen these... Anyway, Transformers. It's been a while :D

Smoulder and Breacher are two of my most modern Transformers, and it's high time they had a scrap. I've got a pretty solid idea who would win this one, but what do you think?

Wheeljack Strikes Back

The first of my modern TF purchases, I proudly present the irresistable Alternators Wheeljack!

For me, this was the ultimate series of Transformers - Generation 1 characters who transformed from accurate scale replicas of existing cars into bulky, ass-kicking robots with multiple weapons. Wheeljack, whilst never one of my favourites originally, really shone in his new incarnation as a Mustang muscle car, complete with go-faster stripes, an energon sword and an engine block that turns into a gun. Sheer design genius!

  

G1 Soundwave never stood a chance...

Slight Change of Tack... DINOBOT ATTACK!

As my obsessions shift every now and again, I find it hard to stick to one particular theme. And so, on a different note (but from the same album), I present... The Dinobots!

I had no choice but to start with Swoop, as he's my favourite; in fact, when I was a kid I made up a song about him. I still remember the words, but they will never be published. The G1 Swoop was impossible to find when it was out (edit: this may explain why) and I never had it, so when the Emcat got me the Transformers Animated Grimlock for Christmas, it didn't take me long to make amends...

Snarl used to be called Slag, and it's a name he's going to keep in my collection. Since the Dinobots were reduced in number for the animated line, I can understand why the moniker Snarl was used instead - it's cooler sounding, and potentially less offensive to us sensitive Brits... Don't get me wrong though, if Sludge and Slag/Snarl/whatever they call him are also re-designed/released, I'll be all over them.