Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,122 Location: In my head...
Transformers Prime « Thread Started on Nov 19, 2011, 12:47pm »
Transformers Prime
Just like the movie toys Hasbro and Takara-Tomy did a splendid job in keeping the aesthetics accurate as much as the sizes can provide without sacrificing detail. However since Transformers toys don't adhere to any scale sizes you will encounter a lot of snag in this series if you want accuracy, mainly because of the idea that some toys may or may not come out in the sizes you expect them. So for accuracy's sake if you want Bumblebee in Deluxe Class then Arcee should be in Scout or smaller Class, Bulkhead and Ratchet in Voyager (already) Class, Optimus in Leader Class or A Supreme Class with trailer (remember this class size is smaller than the Leader but bigger thean the Voyager).
What's different this time around are the words "First Edition" printed in silver on the cardboard backing. Does this suggest having other editions?
The figures of their human counterparts are not included in the Deluxe toys. Based on the photos shown online none of the figures have Human Alliance articulation so you can only display them standing alongside their Autobot guardians.
As mentioned in various reviews the toys will come with their very own cardboard display base inside the packaging. The printed Transformers Prime at the bottom of the blister packaging is not the display base, it is smaller but will hold the figures in both bot and alt modes perfectly. I suggest having a display cabinet when using the display base though because they are dirt magnets.
Transformers Prime Deluxe Arcee
Inside the blister packaging, you'd eventually say whoa... (well I did...) but once out her bulk will be noticably different. Show accuracy is high although at this size there's hardly anywhere to stow-away those other parts to show off her curvy figure. Her slender body is kept show accurate although her motorcycle alt mode suffered because they can't really find a way to hide half the width (please refer to photos). There are some details that may have been difficult to translate into the toy but overall it still looks good with all the surface detailing that are very crisp and clear..
Not the size I want her to be because she stands a few centimeterstaller than Bumblebee when in fact she should be below his "headlights" in bot mode or shoulder height.
My Arcee suffered a bit of fat plastic which forms her front in alt mode without a problem but wouldn't stay in correct form as her left robotic cleavage (your right) in bot mode. I managed to remedy the situation be removing some of the plastic inside to loosen it up.
Transforming her is not as difficult as Prowl in Transformers Animated though. You can complete the transformation without looking at the manual. Well depending on how much Transformers toy you've transformed so far...
The prototype sports a blue forearm, however the production version has all black arms.
The difference are ignorable because of the way she is transformed in alt mode like the "wings" which were relocated to her shoulders should actually have the small pointy thingy below the big flat pointy thingy.
The manual tells you to turn her front wheels in bot mode but to be show accurate you should have it rotated 180 degrees with the wheel still perpendicular to her body.
She doesn't have a blaster from the episode "Predatory" but does have the blades from "One Shall Fall". However these blades (other than being twice their size) are hidden in her arms so displaying them attached in alt mode is optional.
I give this toy 4 out of 5.
Transformers Prime Deluxe Bumblebee
It's hard to give verdict to a character you really really love.
As muchas I love Bumblebee, in this series he is not my favorite character. I liked Arcee, Bulkhead and Starscream better in design in both bot and alt mode. It's probably the headlights that's bothering me...
Aestetically Bumblebee is show accurate in Alt Mode, although his bot mode does suffer some differences due to engineering limitations of buiding them transformable. Some black paint jobs are missing and his yellow plastic makes the recessed panel details invisible. And you can probably notice the embossed L1 and R2 inside his "sleeves", which were for the production line to avoid confusion. The biggest concern I heard and saw is his "gorilla arms", for his short stature he sure has big arms and even bigger feet (I don't think it applies to them... LOL).
His height compared to Arcee is deplorable but what can you do... a smaller Arcee toy should make it accurate though.
Easy transformation to bot mode but you should remember how his arms are positioned inside because this is not illustrated properly in the manual and will probably stump you when it comes transforming him back to alt mode.
The shoulder "pads" are in correct positions but painting the lower section (pointing inwards separated by a gap) tab black will accurately portray the section in his shoulder. I tried removed these parts only to realize my mistake... live and learn...
For accuracy, you may want to position his doors in a "V" form similar to the series and movie Bee in bot mode.
He has his weapon which you can place either on his left or right arm (for show accuracy, right but I inadvertently placed it on the left when taking the pictures). The tabs which holds his weapons in alt mode however are popping mine off so I placed them between his arms.
Some additional painting and probably panel lining (with yellow orange or orange paint) will make those details pop off and make him a little more series accurate. His rear signal light lights are not as red as I want them but I can deal with it so far.
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,122 Location: In my head...
Re: Transformers Prime Deluxe « Reply #1 on Nov 21, 2011, 12:39pm »
Transformers Prime Deluxe Cliffjumper
I was half heartedly hoping to get a Deluxe Cliffjumper because he's the only Autobot who's got the shortest amount of screen time. Although he appeared on the second episode, it wasn't Cliffjumper anymore but a Dark Energon Zombie occupying his body as a shell.
I was set out to get a different item doing price comparison, but just had to go over and check out what the different Toy Kingdom and Toys R Us stores in Makati have in stock. But alas, it was evident I wasn't going going to see a single figure on display. On my way back home I decided to pass by Shangri-La EDSA and check out Toys R Us, but if you were riding the MRT your first stop would have to be Rustan's Shangri-La... et viola! A red figure printed on a backing board hiding behind all the Bumbleebee figures caught my attention. I grabbed Cliffjumper, paid up. The only guy there wasn't even looking at the TF Prime toys so... yeah...
For a character who was only on barely a third of the primer episode, Cliffjumper is also the first character to graze the TV screens followed by Arcee.
This is probably the only Cliffjumper that broke away from the Bumblebee mold (?). Having said that, TF Prime Cliffjumper also feels older than Bumblebee in form (both bot and alt), in characteristic and if possible memory chip age...
Out of the packaging, you'll notice he doesn't come with weapons, this is because his blasters are hidden in his forearms which you can flip/rotate out unlike bumblebee. In Alt Mode, he is very much show accurate but to be able to transform him they had to do a lot of aesthetic changes on where his car parts go inbot mode. His head and torso however is very much like his show counterpart so kudos to the engineers while his arms and legs had to cover the rest of the front and rear of the vehicle.
As with other TF Prime figures, Cliffjumper includes the cardboard stand with the title printed on the front sans any advertisements.
Unlike Bumblebee and Arcee, without the manual and the Youtube review videos, you'd be stumped on where to start in transforming Cliffjumper. Spreading his sides outward was the key and from there everything was a breeze and vice versa. There is one snag in his alt mode though, his top which forms his chest in his bot mot mode don't really close the gap properly. But this can also be attributed to the one I have, thus probably not everyCliffjumper toy will have the same situation.
Again, articulation is aplenty. And unlike Bumblebee, Cliffjumper can actually point his blaster with a straight arm towards his enemy without difficulty. Bumblebee cannot do this because of how his shoulders are designed for transformation, minimizing the amount of rotations his arms can achieve.
For those who know have seen the TV series the last pictures need no explanation...
The only downside on this figure is his Alt Mode gaps. A slight press in one part will increase the size of the gaps in another part of the car body. And the one thing I forgot to mention is the large gap between his hood and windshield... it's not really clear in my pics but you can look it up somewhere. These small nuisance are not really important but will definitely affect your buying decisions if you're picky...
Joined: Dec 2007 Gender: Male Posts: 1,122 Location: In my head...
Re: Transformers Prime « Reply #4 on Dec 18, 2011, 11:46am »
Transformers Prime Voyager Class Optimus Prime and Bulkhead
For those who may have waited in line in the first day of the Hasbro Toy Fair in SM Megamall, you may have been waiting in line just to get your hands on Transformers Prime Voyager Class Bulkhead as he was not in the regular "for sale" selections probably because of supply. Nevertheless, it was one painful (to my feet for a second day of going here and there) wait as GI Joe Renegades and Marvel collectors get their stuff through the crowd. I'm not bashing on GI Joe Renegades but I deem it too late to come out with the toys especially when the animated series is cancelled, if they do return to TV then kudos.
Oki doki on with the short review (per toy not the whole post)...
The Packaging
The box is one thick clear plastic which is probably thicker than any other Transformers packaging. Just opening the top will give you access to the figure and the blister backing without having to remove the backing board or any other part inside, you know what I mean based on the previous toys. Turn it upside down to remove the cardboard stand or you can grab the "title" flap because underneath it is the instructions manual. I suggest you pop the display stand back inside and the blister backing so you can use it again as a sealed display. The box itself is a piece of art, so that's one reason to keep it.
Transformers Prime Voyager Class Optimus Prime #001
Transformers Prime Voyager Class Optimus Prime is not the size I have in mind to collect, but chances of having a Leader Class in the horizon seems a bit of wishful thinking. But if Hasbro does come out with one then, hello Leader Class. Remember, Hasbro did not come out with the toys until halfway through the CGI TV series. With the lack of any Transformer movie in the near future, this is probably the only Transformers series to tidy up fan boys for the time being after all who isn't waiting to see the second season premier.
The Toy
Peaugh probably has the best review of this toy online you may have seen before so my version of Transformers Prime Voyager Class Optimus Prime review will be on what I encountered.
This is almost an easy transformation, or so I thought, I didn't memorize Peaugh's notes so I have to admit I used the manual to see how the hood/arms are transformed to finish the transformation from robot to alt mode.
I don't have anything negative on the bot mode because compared to the series, it is spot on with only chrome detailing on parts made out of grey plastic, however the alt mode is a different story. In alt mode my copy has some gaps on the top of the cab (the ankle of his foot) which pops off a lot because it doesn't have a lock to keep it in place. The rear/leg section tends to raise the rear most wheels when not in proper alignment because there's nothing to prevent it from moving up and down compared to the Voyager Class Transformers Animated Optimus Prime.
The paints on his alt mode need some additional details if you're up to it like the lights on the top of his windshield, his wheels and so on... Probably due to the limitations in space they opted not to include the side mirrors in alt mode as well.
Anyway, it is still an exciting version to grab. The only downside when Hasbro does come out with a Leader Class is when they make a not so flattering version like that of Animated Prime (probably not LC but you get my point)... I wish they'd come out with a show accurate transformation that doesn't have faux windshield chest and not a rehash of the deluxe transformation.
I still give this a good 4.5 out of 5.
Transformers Prime Voyager Class Bulkhead #002
Compared to Transformers Prime Voyager Class Optimus Prime and Transformers Prime Deluxe Class Arcee, Bulkhead fits in the Deluxe and Voyager set quite nicely. A Leader Class would be out of scale already so I wouldn't get one if they do come out with one.
The Toy
As with Transformers Prime Voyager Class Optimus Prime, I did look into the manual mainly because of his legs. Otherwise I would have broke it off similar to some of the Transformers toys they have for guests at the toy fair.
Other than some paint differences the only noticeable bulk in Bulkhead is the undercarriage. His legs and arms are visible from the bottom. In bot mode he is show accurate from the front, the back however is a different story but no hollow parts there so that's a plus.
Expect a lot of gaps on his alt mode because some parts are just too bulky to position properly thus NEVER press down on the rear of the vehicle in alt mode to avoid splitting them open. The back of the cab however keeps them locked in place so this is minimized.
I'm happy with Bulkhead so I give him a 4.75 out of 5.
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