Your newest figures and your verdict

[Breaker]

Yeah they changed RPMs into Gravity Bots. Activators looks like small Fast Action Battlers now too.

[Octankor]

I located a RTS "Solar Storm Grappel" the day before yesterday. He's pretty cool, but I've got some issues...

 

Both modes are a good homage to the G1 character, but the figure suffers from a lack of paint apps, especially on the legs. I'm glad I only paid $10 for it, because playing with it, it feels too cheap to be worth much more. The articulation is a little funny too...the arms are okay, but the legs can't pose too much due to the bumper/codpiece. Still glad I got him, though. He looks pretty good & the automorph-esque head reveal is a nice touch.

[Dr Traveler]

DOTM Autobot Ratchet. A lot better figure than I expected. My son picked it out and I just went along. He loves it. Only issue is his mech tech weapon doesn't seem to fit well in his hand. Not a big deal as he's young enough I disarm his robots anyways.

[RUMBLEBEE]

So I bought Generations Thunderwing ...very cool!

 

DOTM Optimus Prime Voyager style and am amazed at how much fun he is. Maybe it's becayse I bought him after I saw the movie and he had me at "KILL THE DECEPTICONS!" but he's really...really fun!

 

DOTM Walmart Ecxlusive Sidearm Sideswipe and ...well he's perfect! What a figure and now this makes me wish I had gotten the origional Sidearm. Looking for him now and will have one sooner or later but this Walmart exclusive version is so epic!

 

Of all thgings I found recently at TJ MAxx, a perfect edition of Human Allience Barricade for like sixteen bucks! I couldn't pass him up!

Still unopened but maybe tonight or soon. So far though, he looks awesome!

[jeffafa]

I wanted to share my disappointment with the SDCC Starscream. It is really only about the stickers. There are no real way to line them up and almost impossible to get them perfect.

It started great when opening him up. A few neat pack ins were very encouraging.

The Cobra Commander figure is great, and the Megatron gun is awesome.

The Jet itself, while not a true Starscream looks great, but I had to take a lot of liberty with the stickers.

Here is a shot compared to the regular release Skystriker, which I had a ton of problems with its stickers as well.

 

The best nod to nostalgia is the D-22 stickers.

[madman1366]

Got Ultimate Prime in from Walmart yesterday and I also got the SDCC matrix Prime.

 

First Ultimate Prime...FRICKIN HUGE! Honestly, I'm not sure where to display this guy in bot mode because he takes up a lot of room. However for a big brick, he's pretty neat. The figure without the trailer/jetpack is a bit more fun than I thought he'd be. Not a tough transformation but enough to keep things interesting. Biggest flaw are the feet of his regular bot mode. A bit big, and needs a bit more articulation in the ankles. Otherwise, he's a cool figure alone. The trailer is very nice in alt mode...though a little bit oversized for the truck, not too bad though. When combined, brick legs yes, but I don't care cuz he's one of the coolest bricks ever! He's got some really nice detailing, the huge cannon is great and he just looks ready to kick the hell outta someone.

 

SDCC matrix Prime...GGGRRREEEAAAATTT!!! I love this one! Yeah, a little bland in truck mode but the transformation is extremely fun and clever and the bot does everything you want a deluxe figure to do. The packaging alone for this guy makes him worth the pickup! AWESOME! If you're on the fence with this one, get off of it NOW! He's well worth it!

[Sparkless]

:agree

[Wildrider]

SDCC matrix Prime...GGGRRREEEAAAATTT!!! I love this one! Yeah, a little bland in truck mode but the transformation is extremely fun and clever and the bot does everything you want a deluxe figure to do. The packaging alone for this guy makes him worth the pickup! AWESOME! If you're on the fence with this one, get off of it NOW! He's well worth it!

My SDCC Matrix Prime arrived in the mail yesterday and I totally agree on the packaging comment. It's AWESOME!!! Love the magnetic seal for it. I think I'm going to leave the figure in the package since it's such a sweet display piece. If there are any more available on Hasbro's website I recommend ordering him.

I also managed to finally find Reveal the Shield Lugnut at TJ Maxx for $9.99!!!! He's very cool especially for that price. Deep Dive was also there, but I was saving some pennies for MP Rodimus (which I'm hoping my Toys R Us is getting in today). Speaking of Rodimus, good luck to the collectors trying to get him. The scalpers are out in full force....

[Octankor]

So, over the last week, I've been able to score two figures...

 

After searching everywhere for a RTS Lugnut without success, I decided to give into my plastic addiction & look elsewhere for a fix. At a local discount store called Ollie's, I bought a ROTF Deluxe Bumblebee for about $5. Firstly, once I got the figure out of the packaging, some immediate quality control issues were present...most noteably, the hip joints were ridiculously loose...like KO-loose. However, some clear nail polish took care of that.

 

Second issue...when I attempted to transform him into vehicle mode, the thigh panels weren't fitting right into the rear end of the car because there was too much flash on the tabs. I promptly sanded the tabs down & they seemed to fit right after that, but this brings me to the biggest gripe on the figure...

 

Transforming the figure into vehicle mode is a HORRENDOUSLY frustrating process. The front end seems to all fit together okay, but fitting the arms together is a trial because the shoulder joints on mine are so tight...then you get the legs/back of the car and that's where things really start to fall apart. Nothing fits together right, and you have to fiddle with the damn thing CONSTANTLY to get it to finally look even just a little bit presentable. Terrible, terrible flaw that really cripples the vehicle mode and any fun you might have with the transformation.

 

However, the robot mode is quite exceptional. Possibly the most movie-accurate 'bot mode I've seen for movie Bee that I've seen so far. The headsculpt is nice, and the painted eyes add a touch of cuteness to the figure; a nice, if lazy nod to the character's personality in the movie. The grey color of the plastic look nice, there don't seem to be any areas suffering from lack of paint apps, and articulation is superb. Although, I wish they had given the figure two hands instead of the cannon on the right hand. As previously mentioned, the headsculpt gives the character a friendly look that a two-handed design would have suited better, rather than the "battle-ready" one they went for.

 

The figure comes with a projectile that, thanks to a clever bit of engineering, can be fired from the cannon arm. It's also made of a cheap, ghastly orange plastic and looks like something a five-year-old drew on a picture stuck to your fridge.

 

All-in-all, though, it's a perfect figure for spending $5 on, but had I spent any more, I would be sorely disappointed.

 

 

 

Now, for the second figure...a few days after scoring bumblebee, I mozied into the Marshall's store closest to me, just to see if they'd restocked anything. Of COURSE they had one RTS Lugnut amongst their voyager selection, which I promptly nabbed.

 

Let me begin by saying that I've never been a fan of TF Animated, which is why I passed on this guy to begin with. However, after watching a few reviews, I decided I wanted him. He just looked like a fun toy. Having bought him, I am not disappointed in the least.

 

In robot mode, Lugnut stands a little short for a voyager, but not so short that it's ridiculous. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time Hasbro undersized a figure (cough cough Universe Classics Galvatron cough cough) only this time, they have a perfectly good reason for it, which I'll get to later.

 

For such a beefy, big-bruiser type figure, they didn't skimp on the articulation. The arms are slightly limited due to the transformation, but it's perfectly acceptable for the figure. The fingers are even individually articulated, which is a very nice touch. Another nice little quirk is the moving jaw gimmick; however, it only works if you have the head looking straight. Turn it to the side & the jaw is restricted. Still, not a bad try on Hasbro's part.

 

Transforming the figure is lots of fun, if a bit fiddly at first. The upper body may give you a bit of trouble, as getting everything to line up to fit inside the plane's nose can be a bit tricky. However, once you've finished that, the rest is a breeze. Everything fits together quite nicely, and there are even some interesting bits of engineering to be found, such as the bulky robot arms becoming the wings.

 

The vehicle mode is also a lot of fun. It's subdued and militaristic enough to be mostly believable, but aesthetic touches such as the shark's maw painted on the sides of the nose & the "warning" stripes on the engines are pleasant nods to the animated character.

 

While the plane is no longer than any other voyager jet-former you will encounter, the wingspan is MUCH wider. The plane is even quite swooshable, provided you don't shake it around too much & knock the wings out of place.

 

Perhaps my favorite thing about this figure is the sheer character of it. The color scheme, paint apps, and the body design of it...it all just screams "DECEPTICON!" to me. The somewhat vitage'd alt mode and headsculpt also give the impression that Lugnut is perhaps an aged, combat-worn warrior, but is still fully capable of ripping an "Auto-Bum's" head off! (A la Emgo's mascot :tflol )

 

All-in-all, he's definitely worth the $10 you'll fork out for him at your local re-sale store. I'm glad for that price, too, as I likely wouldn't have bought him were he the regular voyager MSRP.

[Sparkless]

I have just been informed that a great member on this board has secured a Lugnut figure for me, so I'm super happy now :yay