199 replies to this topic

[craggy]

Got ma Minicons today! Actually Microns, which enhances the awesomeness, because they have really cool Japanese packaging. Postie managed to mangle them a bit, but they were delivered to the right place and he did save me a trip to the stupidly remote post-office parcel depot place with the tiny tiny tiny office/waiting room bit where there's always too many people.

[Stephen G]

I have some big, custom figure plans coming up in the near future. I am going to start making a list of the figures I desire to pillage for parts this week, in hopes I can get many of them at an upcoming Con.

[craggy]

you doing commissions yet Stephen?
when you say "big plans" you mean...lots/intensive customs or BIG customs? life-sized Puck made from one of them kid shop mannequins?

[Stephen G]

I have had a couple of people ask if I would put a something together for them...but they were just discussions. No one turned around and said get the stuff and make it happen. Which is fine - because for me, it's a hobby. I get a bug in my bonnet, if you will, to put something together that isn't available or I want a certain way - and then I go after it.

Big plans meaning lots of intensive customs. I got a few more ideas, reading through Irredeemable that I might try, a Miles Morales I have all of the parts for and haven't quite gotten started on, a Young Marvel man / Young Miracle Man I have conceptualized, but not found the right base for yet, an Elijah Snow that I thought I had a solid base for, but am not looking for something different, and a Dick-Grayson Batman I've definitely going to do - but haven't found the right material for the belt yet. So - just lots of plans, that are slowly but surely coming together.

Planet Comicon - the main Con I go to every year, has a number of vendors that sell open (and unopened figures), and I got a lot last year that has gone into some of the customs I've done recently. Since' I completed the collections I was angling for last year (like Marvel Man / Miracle Man) - this year will be more about customs and getting figures I can use for future customs.

[John Brook]

I'd like to get back to doing customs. Too bad I am never home, and have no time to work on these.

[Matt-Johnson]

After a long time of admiring the Marvel Select figures, I finally broke down and bought all the Avengers characters from the Disney Store the other day.

As someone who owns hundreds of figures from the 1980's on up, these ones are at the top of my list of favorites! They just looks so awesome together!!! And the Hulk is MASSIVE.

[The Lorcan Nagle]

Fall of Cybertron Combaticons

Not sure about Vortex's colours, but the rest are gorgeous

More Fall of Cybertron toys including Jazz, Prime and Shockwave alongside the Combaticons.

Dunno if I'll get prime as I already have his WFC incarnation and intend to get his Prime one which is partially based on the WFC version, but Shockwave and Jazz are solid buys

[craggy]

yeah, definitely down for Shockwave and Jazz. Prime is an easy pass. I will hunt down the WFC version before that fat robot. The Combaticons will be bought, but yeah, some of the colours are a bit dodgy, not just Vortex's, Vortex is one sexy beast of a Transformer though. Could see myself getting him in a repainted colour scheme, so I have one to have as a robot instead of an arm.

[The Lorcan Nagle]

I will have to have Bruticus fighting RTS Lugnut

[Martin Smith]

I'll be getting Shockwave and probably Prime. Will pass on Jazz but keep an eye out for whoever it's inevitable remoulded as. Definitely want the Combaticons, though the combined mode is a bit of a let-down (it's like they forgot about ever combiner since G1 which improved the format beyond one robot = one limb) and the colours are a bit garish. Wish they'd kept the first ones they showed.

[craggy]

PCCs weren't even 1 robot=1 limb...they were 1 robot + 4 limbs/vehicles with no robot mode. And ROTF Devastator was multiple levels of a bad joke. This is a step closer to what I'd want to see from combiners, even if it doesn't look 100%.

[Martin Smith]

I was thinking more of the Beast Wars combiners and RiD Rail Racer, which eschewed one robot = one limb and produced really solid combined modes and also decent individual robots. That Rail Racer is over 10 years old but still the best gestalt ever is somewhat depressing.

[craggy]

yeah, I was reminded of Rail Racer recently, and it was both a good, and disappointing moment. Not that I ever had him. I'm still quite fond of the idea of the "Special Teams" of 5(or 6) guys who make one big guy. Favourite combiner I own?...well, the list is short, but it's also got the best answer: Omega Prime!

[Martin Smith]

Is that the one where ULtra Magnus becomes Lego armour for Optimus?

[craggy]

yeah! Optimus and Magnus like each other very much, and respect each other, so when they're both ready, they have a special hug, and become OMEGA PRIME!

[brucegray666]

Preview image for the upcoming Ro-Jaws figure:



Want! Buy not if it's as expensive as the Mongrol one.

[craggy]

must you supply your own smarm?

Got my Battle Tanker G2 Laser Rod Optimus Prime Extreeeeme! today. damn nice. bit fiddly, but damn nice. I've got him in full ED209 mode right now, but love the intermediate "armoured up robot" mode with the big mofo light-up sword.

[The Lorcan Nagle]

Picked up Prime Wheeljack today. I wanted to get Soundwave, but he sold out over the weekend. Boo-urns.

[craggy]

how is he? legs look pretty fancy.

[The Lorcan Nagle]

So I was in Tesco after work and on a whim I checke dout their toy aisle, and I found some wave 1 Prime figures, including a Soundwave, so I had to yoink him. Toy bonanza ahoy!

So, first, Wheeljack. A White and Red autobot who transforms into a sports car, is a member of the Wreckers, and carries a pair of swords. Remind you of anyone?. But unlike a hated character with an awesome toy, this is a much-loved character (well, everyone I know who watches Prime thought he was cool) with an awesome toy. The car mode is quite futuristic, but has some strong similarities to G1 Wheeljack in terms of car mode and colour scheme.

The similarities to the original character follow over into robot mode. The front of the car becomes the legs, the side the arms, and the roof his chest. There's a lot of impressive engineering here to make it a bit different - the wheel wells slide backwards and rotate sideways to shift some detail around without being the typical twist the leg 90 degrees trick.

Poseability is decent. There's been better TFs recently, but given some of the limitations of the transformation, it could have been worse. He's got good articuation in the shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. And like Generations Wheeljack, his hands are moulded open, which gives the figure a more natural look. He's also got storage points for his swords in car and robot modes, with an optional "attack" mode where you stick the swords pointing out of the front grille.

And on to Soundwave. Ths figure is a real miracle of engineering. His vehicle mode is a drone/UAV; long and slim with a nice sensor dome under the nose. A very impressive representation of the cartoon character's vehicle. Transformation is complex without being complicated. The wings become long slim arms, with a panel folding out to make them even longer. The nose and forward fuselage become the legs, while the engine block becomes the centre torso. The Head is hidden inside the engine block.

In terms of poseablity Soundwave falls down. There's no way to lock his shoulders in place, so any time you move the arms you risk the chance of twisting the wrong joint and making the arm move away from the Torso. The legs also don't have much motion because there's a fair bit of kibble back there, including a spar that sticks upwards behind the knee. That said, Soundwave doesn't do much in the show, and he looks great, so posing him standing ominously at the edge of a group will be impressive. He also comes with Laserbeak, who can clamp onto his torso, lie flush with the drone's undercarraige, or sit on top of the drone mode as a turret.

Overall Soundwave's worth getting for looking awesome and having an amazing transformation, but he's not as much of a toy as Wheeljack.

Soon; Bumblebee and Cliffjumper!