Transformers Review: PE-11 Scouting Force a.k.a. G1 Reflector

Intro:

            Back in G1-era, one of the most difficult to get Transformers figures was undoubtedly Reflector. Unlike many other Transformers figures, Reflector wasn’t sold on the shelves; rather he was a mail-only product, where you would have to collect enough points by purchasing other Transformers figures, and cash in those points for good ol’ Reflector. So yeah, the classic original G1 Reflector is one of the most sought-after and difficult to get figures out there. Hence, it really does fetch quite a high price now. In order to get hold of a Reflector figure, price is obviously an issue, and so is the availability. There are not many people out there who have Reflector in the first place, and there are even fewer people out there who want to sell their very-own Reflectors. 

            Reflector was not a major character back in the 80’s, but did get himself involved in several story arcs, and that did not really dampen his popularity amongst the fans. The name itself has been dormant for 27-years, and hasn’t had any reincarnations or any related-figure releases from Hasbro and Takara-Tomy. Now however, for many fan-boys such as yours truly, our prayers have finally been answered by a Third-party company called PerfectEffect, who have decided to release the set called Scouting Force X, which clearly has the G1 Reflector set in mind. So, having somewhat achieved one of my Holy Grails in Transformers collecting, let us continue with the review and see whether it was worth the wait...

Robot Mode:

            This time around, we are going to do things a bit differently here, instead of reviewing the alternate mode first, we shall review the robot modes instead, as they do come packed that way, and also for smooth review sequences. There are obviously 3 robot modes here, each are named Edge, Shield and Bullet. 

 

 

            However, to honest with you, I would prefer to call them by their original names respectively: Viewfinder, Spyglass and Spectro. Two things I wanna mention first before we begin with the review, are that the three robots are basically similar in designs, except for Edge who has the camera lens on the chest, and also the set comes pack with a lot of accessories (and I do mean a lot), but all of ‘em are perfectly stored and used in both robot and alternate modes. 

The Beatles v2011

Edge (Viewfinder):

Since all three figures are basically the same, I will review the articulations only once. By the way, Edge is differentiated from the rest based on the green marking on his wrists. The head rotates 360°. It also rest on a flap that would allow an upward/downward motions. The shoulders, elbows, hips and knees are all on ball-joints, so yeah, they really provide a hell-lot of posing actions. There are no wrists movements, but they do have ankles articulations, which is just amazing. I am tremendously impressed with how they managed to include so many wonderful articulations into such small figures. If you are wondering how small they are – they are each 2.5-inches tall – which makes all the more impressive. Also, it is worth to note that each of these guys also has a dagger holster behind the hips where you can mount their personal daggers on.

            In robot mode, Edge also wields a pair of blasters as weapons. He also has a pair of arm-guard and shoulder pads.

Bullet (Spectro):

            In robot mode, Bullet has a huge backpack that also doubles-up as a jet pack. You may also angle the jets up to your preferred positions. Bullet also wields a huge Gatling gun – a huge play-value there.

Shield (Spyglass):

            In robot mode, Shield wields, well, a shield, and resembles an anti-riot officer. I have no why a Decepticon would want to an anti-riot officer, since usually they are the one who would start a riot in the first place. Shield has a pair of shoulder pads, formed from his camera-flash, and also wields a sniper-ish gun. My only problem with this mould would the handle of the shield, which detaches itself at the slightest of pressure.

Bonus Mode:

Super Sentai Cannon Mode

            The Bonus Modes are literally the various ways you can used the cannons as, either as a Super Sentai-ish Super Blaster or a humongous bazooka. Either way, they really do look good. 

Bazooka Mode

Alternate Mode:

            With excellent robot modes, we are further treated with a fantastic alternate mode – a camera. And the transformations sequences, the journey that we will take to get there, is a heckuva fun!!! 

 

 

            Anyways, once the transformation sequence is completed, you will eventually end up with one amazing alternate mode. Sure enough, the camera mode looks realistic, albeit a bit too small. I just wished that they could’ve made the robots into at least Legends-class size, and maybe, the camera mode could’ve been life-sized. The camera mode is very detailed, complete with tripod, flash and even focusing lens. It is virtually kibble-free, except for one of the robot’s head sticking out like a sore thumb on your right-hand side of the camera. Of course, you can also pass it as a trigger for the camera. 

 

 

            The colors really do complement one another, and I think the white-black-purple combo is really nice. There is also the word SFX written on top of the camera. I also like the idea of how all accessories would fit into various compartments for storage in order to avoid losing them, and that itself is a very cool concept/ idea. 

            There are no other gimmicks in this mode, but really, the uniqueness of the alternate mode is already enough to compensate for anything else.

Who's taking Who's Photo Now?

Overall:

            This is one heckuva figure, and I honestly felt that PerfectEffect have really outdone themselves by designing this awesome set. This would probably the closest thing we will ever get to a Reflector figure. For those of us who do not have the original Reflector figure, this is indeed a very good replacement piece.

Extremely recommended.

            Final verdict: 10/10. 

Transformers Review – Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon Movie Review (Possible Spoilers Alert)

Well, it’s 3.30 in the morning and I just came back from watching the premiere of TF3: Dark of the Moon (DOTM), in 3D, and I can only think of one word that could sum up the experience – AWESOME!!! The first movie was great; Revenge of the Fallen was just fun, visually-pleasing, and robots-galore, with a few minus point storyline-wise. However with DOTM, oh boy, it is all what ROTF was, but with way better storyline. DOTM is undoubtedly the best movie of the franchise so far. 

I really like the 3D, and I think it’s just so awesome. I’ve watched several 3D films before, and some of them were clearly made half-heartedly. Movies like Clash of the Titans were only converted into 3D hastily at the very last minute because of the hype, and because you can make more money with the 3D tagline. Heck, the only thing 3D that I saw from that movie was the subtitles!!! So far, Toy Story 3 had been the only 3D film that I felt was worth the 3D ticket monies that I paid for. DOTM, the effects are just awesome!!! The moment the film starts, you could clearly see that the 3D was working, and as you go into the various battles, the 3D makes the debris seemed very realistic.

I like the idea how the story starts off with a little bit of history lessons, namely about the space race. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but do take note of the very special guest making a cameo in this movie. Although the focus is on the robots, not everyone gets to have enough screen time. In fact, Ratchet, as far as I could notice, didn’t even utter a single line. Sideswipe and Ironhide’s screen times were equally minimal. As far as screen time goes, you would expect the normal suspects getting the most of it, i.e. Optimus, Megatron and to some extent, Soundwave and Starscream. Wheelie also received quite an amount of airtime along with his newfound buddy – the equally diminutive and noisy, but weirdly-named Brains. These two, despite their tiny stature actually played a huge role during the battle.

The old guards had to share a lot of airtime with newly introduced characters, such as the legendary Autobot leader Sentinel Prime, several new Autobot crews such as the Wreckers, Wheeljack, Shockwave and Laserbeak. Laserbeak and Shockwave are just plain bas@$$, and they really caused a lot of trouble wherever they went. 

I think the song Iridescent by Linkin Park was absolutely perfect for the movie, especially with the gloomy tone of the movie. I have to admit, I did have a slight reservations against the song. I mean, New Divide and What I’ve Done were upbeat songs that really put you in the mood, and Iridescent was initially just too low-key for me. But then again, after watching the movie, I couldn’t be more wrong about the song – it was perfect.

You could expect a lot of twists and turns and surprises along the way, which I think really set it apart from critically-panned, yet highly profitable ROTF. The action sequences are just awesome, and the battle scenes were absolutely eye-candy. 

The human aspect was not left out amidst all the robots-galore. The character Sam Witwicky (played by Shia LaBeouf) as usual plays the leading role, along with new love interest – Carly Spencer, played by Rosie Huntington-Whitely. I have to admit, Carly’s role is a bit minimal, although she did play key roles in certain events, but hell, I’m glad she’s there. She’s just visually-pleasing. Previously, I’ve heard complaints about how Rosie was not as hot as the previous female-lead (Megan-who again?), but I am telling you right now, this girl is HOT!!! Hey, she ain’t a Victoria’s Secret model for nothin’, you know? 

John Turturro’s Agent Seymour Simmons actually played a larger role this time around, and you can expect lots of laughs from him and his new assistant, Dutch, played by Alan Tudyk. Other human old guards returning are U.S. Army Lt. Col. William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and USAF Chief Robert Epps (Tyrese Gibson). Sam’s parents, played by Kevin Dunn and Julie White also return, although I must admit that I am glad that their roles have been significantly reduced.

Patrick Dempsey (of Grey’s Anatomy fame) plays the new character Dylan Gould, who I have to say is quite essential to the story, and I never knew that Patrick could play such a role before. Kudos to him. The characters Bruce Brazos, Sam’s boss (played by John Malkovich) and Hardcore Eddie (Lester Speight) also provide comic relief in the movie. 

I really do believe that Michael Bay have managed to find a good balance between the robots and the humans this time around, and at least this time around, the humans do not look as weak as was previously depicted. In the previous movies, the humans could not have won without the Autobots, but this time around, it is the Autobots who could not have won without the humans. 

I guess this is a perfect finale to an amazing film franchise, although I do hope there could be more to come. However several factors have indicated that there wouldn’t be any, especially after both director Michael Bay and actor Shia LaBeouf have ruled out of returning to the franchise, combined with the demise of several key characters (unless of course they introduced new ones for future installments). The only saving grace is that Steven Spielberg himself may direct any possible future installments in the future. 

Anyways, whatever it may be, it has been a hell of a ride. DOTM has been really amazing and entertaining, and I am definitely going to watch this movie again. For those who haven’t watched the movie, I suggest that you buy the tickets the soonest possible and go watch it!!! For those who’s still uncertain, I suggest that you just go watch it, cuz take my word for it, there ain’t nothin’ to be uncertain about. And to those who won’t be watching, SHAME ON YOU!!!

Final verdict: 9.5/10

Transformers – The Legacy

So, here we are again – at the brink of the biggest event of year – the Premiere of Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (DOTM). This is the moment that all of the TransFans have been waiting for. After the previous two movies, TransFans all over the world are eagerly anticipating the premier of this movie. Forget about the incredibly predictable and straight forward storylines, we are in it for the robots!!! That’s the point that some movie goers or critics are missing – Transformers are all about the robots!!! We TransFans love the franchise because of the millennia-old war between the heroic Autobots, led by the valiant Optimus Prime, and the evil Decepticons, led by the tyrannical Megatron. Our love for the franchise was never about Spike and his relationships; it was never about college life – it was only about the robots!!!

Every single TransFans out there would be able to narrate to you the general origins of the Transformers franchise. Back in 70’s, it was Takara (now Takara-Tomy) that first released a line of transformable robots called Diaclone and Microman. They were unique in terms of designs and execution, but were only available in Japan. Also, these figures lacked one thing that made other toy lines such as G.I. Joe and Star Wars so successful – characterization. Hasbro saw the enormous potential that this toy line had and decided to strike a deal with Takara to market them outside of Japan. Hasbro, with the help of writers such as Bob Budiansky began to create a whole new back story and give these figures characters. They decided that all the cars and rolling vehicles would be the good guys, nicknamed the Autobots, while all the aircrafts, electronics devices, weapons, war vehicles and construction vehicles would be the bad guys, nicknamed the Decepticons. However, the most important aspect of the fictions would be the introduction of the two leaders of the factions – Optimus Prime and Megatron. Armed with catchy names and awesome characterizations, Optimus and Megatron were instant successes. Few would argue that these two are literally the faces of the entire Transformers franchise, and have since remained as the benchmark for all of their subsequent reincarnations. 

The line was so successful that it eventually culminated in the 1986 Transformers animated movie – initially a box office flop, but have since garnered a cult following. The movie featured a wholesale change of guards that saw the demise of numerous fan favorites such as Ironhide, Brawn, Ratchet, Prowl, Silverstreak, Thundercracker, Starscream, Skywarp and many more, and saw the introduction of many Season 3 characters, namely Rodimus Prime, Daniel Witwicky, Ultra Magnus, Kup, Springer, Arcee, Wheelie, Galvatron, Cyclonus, Quintessons, Scourge and the Sweeps. It was also the first time that Optimus Prime would meet his maker – to the wailing cries of fans all over the world. The unsuspecting impact of Optimus Prime’s death would eventually influenced the subsequent G.I. Joe movie, in which the character Duke was written off as going into a coma instead of apparent death at the hands of Serpentor.

After the end of the wholly successful G1 Transformers, Japan began to produce their own G1-themed shows such as Headmasters, Masterforce, Victory and the single-episode Zone. In the US, the strong G1 following would eventually culminated into the wholly successful Beast Wars series, and subsequently, Beast Machines. The Japanese would eventually add Beast Wars 2 and Beast Wars Neo series in that list. Thus it’s really not surprising why Generation-1 tend to have a profound place and nostalgia value amongst all Transformers fans. It is with this huge and long story-arc that Transformers came to be known with and loved. 

With the end of the G1-related series in the early 2000s, came Robot-in-Disguise or Car Robots, which by the way, exist in its own universe by itself. The series acted as a filler line prior to the start of Transformers: Armada. In the west, Transformers: Armada (or Micron Legend in Japan) was the first series in the whole new Unicron Trilogy, which also consist of Energon (Superlink) and Cybertron (Galaxy Force). The Cybertron/ Galaxy Force series is unique in the sense that the Japanese series are not related in any way with Micron Legend and Superlink, but Hasbro decided to do otherwise. 

After the end of the Cybertron/ Galaxy Force, the franchise was rebooted again with the introduction of the much anticipated Transformers Movie franchise, which has since spawned two sequels: Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon. The new series – Transformers: Animated also debuted near the tail-end of 2007 and were totally unrelated to the movies, although the Japanese version does contain slight modifications to tie-in with the movies. The latest animated series to emerge is the Transformers: Prime series, a sort of amalgamation of Transformers: Animated and the Bayverse movie franchise. 

Transformers may have evolved a lot over the years, in terms of animations, comic arts, and most significantly the technology used in order to design and produce the action figures, as well as the resulting aesthetics, but one thing that do remain the same – Transformers have one of the most passionate fan base, if not the most passionate of all since Day 1. Further proof would have that it is one of the few franchises to have its own annual event and convention, i.e. BotCon, TF Con, Transformers Con etc. 

Transformers fans are a diverse lot – bridging across different nationalities, races, professions and even genders. The kids love ‘em due to their uniqueness. Adults love ‘em cuz it reminds them of their childhood – and some, the part of childhood that they missed out on.

It has been 27 years since the introduction of Transformers. When a brand can last so long, and still have such passionate following, while managing to attract a whole new set of fan base, you know that it’s special. Transformers have transcended as a part of pop culture, and emerged as one of the signatures of the 1980’s. Optimus Prime and Megatron have undoubtedly gone down in history as icons of the 1980’s. Transformers may not be the first line to introduce the idea of transformable toys – Diaclone, Microman or even Gobots have beaten them to that, but the Transformers have become so well known that any transformable toys will always be synonymous with the Transformers brand – kinda like how McDonalds are synonymous with burgers, Kentucky Fried Chicken with fried chickens, Tupperware with cases. Transformers will always be synonymous with transformable toys.

So, here we are tonight, on the eve of the premiere of Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon. It has been a long 2-years wait, and finally it’s here. Although that there are rumors pointing to a possible 4^th installations to the film franchise, which are to be seen, everything else seems to be pointing to this film being the last, and even both director Michael Bay and actor Shia LaBeouf have both ruled out of any possibilities of returning for any possible future installations. So TransFans, enjoy it while it last… Until the next installment… TRANSFORM, and ROLL OUT!!!

The Writer and His Humble Collections

.:PEACE:.

The Legend of Optimus Primes - The Diorama Video

Hey there Cybertronians,

You've seen the photos, now watch the video... ENJOY!!!

.:PEACE:.

Various Transformers Diorama

Hey Cybertronians,

This time around, I've decided to do something different with my various Transformers collections, and alas I came up with several diorama photo shoots... I hope you guys would like it... Enjoy..

1) The Legend of Optimus Primes

2) The Decepticon Siege

Damn it, I'm getting too old for this...

3) Various

Me, Grimlock is lost!!!

All Hail Megatron!!!

UNICRON -- FOREVER!!!

.:PEACE:.

2011 Transformers Hall of Fame Inductee: Michael Bay

Source: www.tformers.com

2011 Transformers Hall of Fame Inductee: Steven Spielberg

Source: www.tformers.com

2011 Transformers Hall of Fame Inductee: Ironhide

Source: www.tformers.com

Transformers Review: Shockwave (DOTM Voyager)

Intro:

            With the premier of the much-awaited Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon drawing ever so near, it’s only logical for us to review one of the main new characters of the latest installment of the movie franchise– Shockwave.

            When Shockwave was announced as the main villain for the new movie, TransFans all over were ecstatic. To those not in the know, the original G1 Shockwave played quite a significant role, both in the comics and the animated series. In the comics, Shockwave was depicted as a powerful and methodical member of the Decepticons, who regards himself as a far superior leader than Megatron, and it was only logical that he should lead the Decepticons. He was feared by both the Autobots and Decepticons alike.

            In the animated series, his character was a bit toned-down, and he was a willing loyal servant to Megatron, ruling Cybertron in the latter absence.

            After G1, Shockwave would eventually make his return to the franchise during the events of Transformers: Energon, where he was named Shockblast instead due to the fact that Hasbro lost the right to use that name.

            Shockwave would eventually return to fame in the Transformers: Animated series, where he was first introduced as Longarm Prime, before later being revealed as a double-agent, under his real guise – Shockwave. 

            So yeah, Shockwave has and will always be a fan favorite, and it was only befitting that his character was to be introduced into the movie universe. Shockwave looked kinda cool and exciting in the few brief glimpses of him in the latest DOTM movie trailer. So hopefully, the figure will be equally exciting.

Alternate Mode:

 

            Shockwave transforms into one strange-looking Ground Assault Vehicle (read: Alien Tank). Shockwave sports his traditional blend of colors, i.e. purple and grey, he looks awesome, and also a bit weird, especially the front of the tank which kinda reminds me of some insects jaws. 

 

 

            The vehicle mode is quite detailed. Apart from the colors, another nod to the original Shockwave would be the black-colored rubber that stretches from the cannon on top to the cockpit. 

 

            Adorning atop of the tank are what resembled a blade-like thingy and also a cannon-of-sorts device. The cannon itself contains the Mechtech gimmick, which as you push on the back portion of the cannon; it will open up to reveal two more guns at the side. I just wished that they would’ve added in a projectile feature into it, but then again, it’s really not that big of an issue. 

            Everything locks together very well, and personally I think the various robot parts are pretty much well-concealed. 

            Nice alternate mode. 

Robot Mode:

            The robot mode just looks pretty damn wicked. He looks tough, more muscular than any of his previous reincarnations, and really means business. I like how they designed the chest piece to look a bit rib-cagey, which really blends well with the broad chest. 

 

 

 

            Articulation-wise: the head rotates; the shoulders are on two sets of hinge and swivel that allows all-round movements; bendable elbows & wrists; no waist joint; hips are on tight ratcheting universal joints; double-jointed knees (whoopi!) ; and finally, no ankle joints.

 

 

            Make no mistake, despite the lack of certain articulation joints, Shockwave can still provide you with a variety of poses. I like how the designers decide to include the bendable rubber that connects the back of the robot to the gun, harkening back to his elusive original incarnation. However, it does affect certain movements in the arm as well, but then again, you have the options of just detaching the whole thing altogether. 

 

            It’s also worth to mention that the single eye-ball on the head sculpt has light-piping features to it and looks darn awesome. 

            The transformation sequence is also pretty darn simple, you would most likely be able to transform it at get go. Heck, I can show you several more Deluxe-class figures (especially those from the Generations/ Reveal the Shield lines) that have more complicated transformations than this.

            Awesome robot mode.

Overall:

            Altogether, Shockwave is one cool figure, worthy of any Transformers/ Bayverse-TF/ Shockwave collections. Based on the hype and the action figure alone, I’m really looking forward to seeing Shockwave in action in the upcoming DOTM movie. The best part of this figure would be his articulations and numerous homage to G1 Shockwave.

Highly recommended.

            Final verdict: 9/10.