Intro:
It’s
been a while since we had a Transformers Review here on New Planet Cybertron.
Fret not, fellow Cybertronians, today we finally go back to our roots. For the
next few upcoming entries, here on NPC, we will be bringing to you the review
of individual members of one of the most highly anticipated gestalt sets so far
– Menasor.
Fans
of the original G1 series will definitely remember the Stunticons – a group of
maniacal land-based Decepticons that frequently go head-to-head with the
Aerialbots. For ages, the Decepticons had conquered the skies, but time and
again, they have been repeatedly proven to be quite inferior on the road.
Hence,
Megatron finally decided that he must conquer the roads as well, and he did so
by creating his very own team of cars and truck – the Stunticons.
Although
Motormaster is the leader of the outfit, the remaining Stunticons, i.e.
Dragstrip, Dead End, Breakdown & Offroad (in the original G1, he should’ve
been called Wildrider), hated Motormaster so much. The only reason they still
follow him is because they are so scared of him.
Motormaster
has always dream of conquering the roads – to be the King of the Roads, which
is also why he hated Optimus Prime so much. He deems only Optimus that stands
between him and that elusive accolade, and he’s not afraid to show it.
I
was particularly excited when Hasbro decided to release the Stunticons in the
Combiner Wars series. The Stunticons have always been one of my favorites –
somehow the Decepticons always have the better gestalts. I knew from the
beginning that the Stunticons would be in my collection – eventually.
And
thanks to TeenCom’s birthday discount offer (an offer available to any customer
on their respective month of birth – don’t miss this fantastic offer), I knew
it was now or never. Voila, lo and behold, we are here with the 1st
of 6 reviews of the Stunticons, beginning with their leader Motormaster.
Alternate
Mode:
Obviously,
Motormaster transforms into a truck. The truck isn’t really based on any
specific brand or model – unlike his G1 figure. It’s just some generic-looking
truck.
However,
maybe it’s just me, but this mode always reminds me of Age of Extinction
Galvatron. I don’t know: maybe it’s the colors, or maybe just by the how it
looks, but he sure looks like Galvatron to me.
I
like how this mode looks though – kinda realistic-looking. The kibbles are
minimal – you can only see the feet pieces, as well as the fists if you
turn-turtle the truck.
The
robot mode’s blade is stored at the back of the truck.
The
truck has got quite a number of details on him. The front grill looks good, and
there’s even a tiny Decepticon emblem on it. The wheels are made from similar
hardened PVC plastic as the rest of the body. I do wish that the wheels were
made from real rubbers like in the good ol’ days but I guess it was not meant
to be.
Overall,
it’s a neat little figure.
Robot
Mode:
Transformation
from truck to robot is very simple, and you could most likely forgo the
instruction manual.
Unlike
the original G1 figure where the cockpit of the truck is formed by the legs,
the cockpit here is actually formed by the arms.
The
head sculpt is unique and I like it very much. It’s very distinctively
Motormaster, especially with its blocky design. The shoulders are broad and the
entire figure looks blocky – quite suitable for a guy, who regards himself as
being superior to Optimus (yeah, right).
The
figure is covered with traditional Motormaster paint scheme – black/purple/grey.
Articulation-wise,
Motormaster has got quite a decent amount of it. The head is on a ball joint. The
shoulder joints are divided into 3-parts, i.e. the vertical-rotational axis;
the heavy-ratcheting swivel joints that allow the arms to swing outward; as
well as the horizontal-axis rotational joints. The figure also has elbows that bend
90°; waist joint; heavy-ratcheting universal hip joints; and finally, the knees
bend and rotate.
Though
not really that fantastic, you can still have quite a fun posing him.
Motormaster
also comes armed with two weapons – a dagger/sword, as well as a blaster, so he’s
not really somebody that you really want to mess with.
Overall
he’s a very decent-looking robot.
Overall:
I
like Motormaster. He’s not perfect, but good nonetheless. He would probably
make a decently-good figure on his own, but if you’re like me, you buy him for
a higher and bigger purpose – but that is for a later time.
However,
if you don’t really plan to collect the rest of the Stunticons, he is still
worth getting – two very decent modes are huge pluses indeed.
Highly recommended.
Final
verdict: 8.5/10.
