Transformers Review – Reveal the Shield Perceptor

Intro:

            Back in the old G1 days, Perceptor is well known to be the ultimate geek. He even had a few run-ins with Brawn because Perceptor was perceived to be to doing unimportant stuffs, while the rest of the Autobots would get themselves oily and dirty busting some Decepticons rear-hide.

            According to bios, Perceptor is supposedly to be legendary in the sense that he had made numerous discoveries back in Cybertron, thus paving ways for numerous innovations and inventions by subsequent Cybertronian scientists and inventors. 

            After G1, Perceptor briefly appeared alongside Wheeljack in an episode of Transformers: Victory in order to attempt to convert Ginrai into Victory Leo. The Perceptor name would subsequently be used to portray a group of 3 Minicons, in the Armada and Energon series that would combine together and formed a bigger robot called Perceptor.

            The name Perceptor would eventually return to its roots in the Animated series as a Cybertronian scientist, although no action figure ever materialized out of it.

            Lo, and behold, our prayers have eventually been answered. Hasbro finally decided to release a Perceptor figure in its Reveal the Shield line, which harkens back to its G1 roots.

Alternate mode:

 

            Instead of the classic microscope mode, Perceptor transforms into a snow-mobile-esque truck with tracks as its back wheels. The box labeled it as Research Truck Mode – whatever that supposed to be. The colors are reminiscence of the old Perceptor, being predominantly red. On the roof of the car, there is a set of searchlights that can also double-up as a sort of weaponry when it is turned around. The registration plate reveals the numbers “MR 5 1409”, and God knows whatever that is.

 

Robot Mode:

           

            I have to admit, despite the wholesale changes in the Perceptor’s alternate mode from a microscope to a research truck, the robot mode doesn’t really differ that much. In fact, he looks way better than the original G1 figure, and tends to look more animation-accurate, although I have to mention that this version of Perceptor looks way bulkier than he needs to be.

            The searchlight in truck mode now becomes Perceptor’s shoulder cannon, complete with a viewfinder. To be honest, I would’ve like the viewfinder to be more flexible, and it would’ve been better if it had been able to somehow swing out to the front of the face, which would have given him a more realistic function. Why is there a viewfinder, if Perceptor can’t use it, right?

            Articulations-wise, Perceptor’s head is not on a ball joint, so it can only turn left and right. The shoulders are on ball joints. The arms can turn slightly above the bendable elbow joint, and the wrists turns. His hips are on ball joints and the legs do turn slightly below the hips. The knees bend and finally, there are also ankle joints.

            Perceptor’s chest piece does open up to reveal more details and an Autobot rub-sign. There is also a turn-able knob on each arm as if they were microscope knobs – a definite nod to its G1 predecessor. The colors are also spot-on, and so is the head sculpt. My only complaints are the back pack and shoulders. Although the backpack do lock in via a small knob and dent at the back of the figure, I do foresee them being really loose in the future if transform the figure frequently. The arms also don’t lock on to the body, and thus seemed to hover at the side of the body.

Overall:

            Perceptor is literally a good idea, executed not up to expectations. After the highs of Scourge, Jazz and Wreck-Gar, I am of the opinion that they really should’ve done better with Perceptor. Yeah, it’s good to see Perceptor back in living plastic, but the figure could really have been better.  

Final verdict, 7/10

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Transformers Review – Reveal the Shield Wreck-Gar

Intro:

One of the significant post-1986-movie developments was the introduction of the Planet of Junk and the Junkions into the Transformers lore. The leader of the Junkions was of course, Wreck-Gar – the unstoppable robot who transforms into a bike and speaks TV. They are fearsome in battle, and they won’t (and impossible to) stay down. Every time they fall, they just keep getting back up and get straight into your face. It is also Wreck-Gar and his merry band of Junkions that first introduce us to the ultimate universal greeting:

Ba-weep-grahna-weep-nini-bong…

Hell, I don’t know what it means, and you’re gonna have to thank Weird Al Yankovic for that. 

Alternate mode:

            This time around, instead of the sort-of-a-chopper bike, Wreck-Gar transforms into a motocross-style bike, and what a sweet and slick-looking bike it is. The bike is predominantly brown, yellow and black, with lotsa grey parts. There is also a little bit of black flame decals on the fuel tank and also a kickstand that, well, helps it to stand. The wheels turn very freely and the entire bike itself looks very believable. There is also a rub-sign above the front light, and rubbing it will reveal his allegiance – take a guess.   

            My only complaint is the bike’s inability to turn its front wheel, but I guess due to the transformations, that weren’t really possible. 

Robot Mode:

           

            Wreck-Gar is definitely one of the jewels of the RTS line, and he is also has the distinction of being one of the most oddly designed figure in the line. Unlike any other figures in the line, Wreck-Gar is asymmetrical – meaning both of his sides don’t really mirror one another. Of all the bike-formers that I have owned or known, Wreck-Gar is definitely the most unique of all. I particularly love the designs of the legs. Despite being oddly designed and both legs being totally different in designs, they managed to function properly and look good at the same time! 

            The head sculpt is fantastic – the detailing, the facial hairs looks very realistic, reminiscence of the Generations Scourge figure, which I really adore. The overall articulations are as follows: the head is on a ball joint, but unfortunately its movement is a bit restricted due to its designs and facial hairs. The shoulders of the differently –designed arms are both on ball joints and they also rotates slightly below the shoulders. The arms also bend at the elbows and possess wrists movement. Wreck-Gar also has a waist joint, which is always a welcome. The hips are on ball joints as well; the legs bend at the knees and possess ankle joints.

            The transformation of the right leg in particular contains a little bit of the all-famous auto-morph gimmick.

            The exhaust pipe in the motorcycle mode now turns into an axe-like/ windmill-esque hand-held weapon, which can be wield with 2 hands.

Overall:

            Wreck-Gar is definitely one of the best figures from the new Reveal the Shield line, the line which has yet again proved to be on par with the wholly popular Generations line. The bike can be a bit out of scale with the rest of his Deluxe-class brethrens, but who the hell cares?! At least he looks very, very good.       

            If you’re a Wreck-Gar or a G1 fan, this is definitely a must-own figure worthy of any collection shelf.

Final verdict, 10/10. Marvelous

Transformers Review – Reveal the Shield Autobot Tracks

Intro:

To be honest with you, I ain’t much of a Track’s fan. He is literally the transformer’s personification of the term – pretty boy. He puts his image and how he looks ahead of everything else. He is almost similar to Sunstreaker in terms of obnoxiousness, and even more. Still, he’s a unique character and had been the star of a few episodes, one of which he was to investigate cases of stolen vehicles, and performed excellently, if I might say so.  

I have never had a Tracks figure before, so this is definitely my first. Back in the days, the one thing that made this character so unique is that he was one of the few Autobots that were gifted with the ability of flight, albeit in the flying car mode only. So when HasTak revealed that Tracks was going to be released under the Reveal the Shield banner and seeing as how he was animation-accurate, I thought I might as well give it a shot and placed my booking immediately for the figure.

So here we are…

Car mode:

 

            Tracks comes packed in his sports car mode. He looks entirely blue, with a little bit of flame decals on the hood. I can’t really identify what type of car that he is based from as I am not much of a car buff, and if you know what vehicle he is based from, please feel free to write in the comments section. The windshields, apart from the back one, are made from black colored translucent plastics that really camouflaged the interior of the car itself. 

Rub-Sign

            On both sides of the door, at the skirting, you can clearly see the missiles that he uses as shoulder cannons. I don’t quite know whether it is purposely designed that way, or it’s just a kibble. His wheels are made from normal plastics, but roll quite freely. 

 

Flight mode:

 

            Like I’ve said a thousand other times, I hate 3^rd modes, because normally, they are half-heartedly designed, and this flight mode is yet another example of that notion. The door simply opens up awkwardly and stretched outward. The guns themselves would be attached to the spoilers – based on the guns’ height and placing alone, I wonder what us the real uses for those guns.

            I just wished that they would’ve added in a pair of small wings under the car, which would only be deployed during flight mode, while leaving the doors untouched. Based on the current situation, once the doors are opened, they will reveal even more kibbles underneath, which really destroy the overall look.

            In other words, let us just forget the flight mode ever existed in the first place.

Robot Mode:

 

            Yup, he is unmistakably Tracks alright, right up from the head sculpt, the wings, the shoulder canon right down to his body. His feet are a bit funny, which to me kinda looks a bit like duck feet. Generally, it is way better than the flight mode, but kinda comes a bit short compared to Jazz.

            Anyways, here’s the rundown of his articulations. His head is on a ball joint, but due to the shape and design of the head, it kinda hinders the neck articulations. Moreover, the shoulders and hips are also on ball joints. There is also another joint on the inner shoulders to provide more movements to the arms, and also another joint right below the shoulders to enable the arm to rotate. The elbows are made of 2-point joints, which kinda like Jazz, while the wrist rotates. Instead of a set of fists, Tracks comes with opened hands, but are still able to grip onto his gun. The waist turns, the knees bend, and finally, there is also some sort of ankle joints present.  

            The lower body joints, namely the hips, ankles and knees are very loose, thus kinda hinders the pose-ability of the figure. I’m not sure whether it’s just with my figure or a general QC issue though. The chest piece, which is also the roof in car mode, looks kinda too big for the figure,

Overall:

            As a whole, Tracks is a decent figure based on a popular G1 character. He really looks the part. There are several QC issues though, which kinda pollute the overall finishing of the figure. I still think that HasTak should’ve streamlined his designs better.

           

            Still, if you are a Tracks fan, then this is definitely the figure for you. This is probably the most animation-accurate Tracks we will ever find – period, and I also doubt that there will be another version of him anytime soon.

Final verdict, 8/10.

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Transformers Review – Reveal the Shield Special Ops Jazz

Intro:

            Despite being an avid Transformers collector, I have to admit, I don’t have that many Jazz figures in my collection. So far, prior to this, I had only Alternators Jazz to show around with, and he was awesome. Being an Alternator and also a white color plastic, my only gripe with that figure is that the white on those plastic tends to turn yellow over time, and there’s practically nothing you could do about it. Anyways, that is for another review. The 2007 Movie looks good, but the figure had been really difficult to come by. They tried to replicate the G1 theme on the same mould, but I am of the opinion that it didn’t quite work. G1 decals on a movie figure just ain’t my cup of tea. The original G1 Jazz figure was released part of the Encore line some years back, and it is still readily available even now, but the price soared to a somewhat quite unreasonable price, for a figure that big, even though I liked the design.

So now finally, here we have the Reveal the Shield (RTS) Jazz, a brand new sculpt that is definitely deserved to be called as a re-imagination of the hugely popular classic G1 character (rest in peace, Scatman Crothers). From photos that I have seen on the web, he really looks like the original G1-animated version of himself, with a little bit of Alternators feel to it. To be honest with you, I almost miss out on this little fella due to its very high demand from the fans, but thankfully I didn’t, or else there won’t ever a review right now.

Alternate mode:

 

            Jazz’s alternate mode is definitely some sort of a Porsche, as was his alternate mode back in the old days. There is no Porsche logo on any part of the car indicate this, but it sure doesn’t take a rocket scientist to tell you that it’s a Porsche. Although this mode has been called as “Street Rally” mode on the box, I’d still say that he’s a sports car, especially with his sports stripes that stretches from the tip of the hood, right down to the start point of the spoilers. His rub sign is on the roof of the car, but let’s admit it, anyone here who doesn’t know Jazz’s allegiance?! 

            There are also the number “4” decals on both sides of the door, and also on the hood, and I guess that’s why they called him a street rally mode. Unlike his G1 predecessor, he doesn’t have any rubber tires, but only plastic tires that thankfully turn quite freely.

            The windshields are made from blue-colored translucent plastic, which reveal much of the interiors. I wished that there would’ve been some steering wheels or seat sculpts within to make it more realistic, but I guess it’s just not possible to do so, due to the transformation.

            The car mode also has a gimmick whereby you can open up the doors and pull out the speakers within, and replicate the G1 scenes where he’d use the speakers to play some really cool music. The instructions would tell you the way on how to adjust Jazz’s speakers in car mode, but I prefer my way to adjust them. 

As Per Instructions

My Preference

Robot Mode:

 

            Well baby, Jazz just shines in this mode. He looks darn good, baby!!! He looks just like his animation counterpart!!! Transforming Jazz into his robot fun is fun. He’s not too difficult to transform, and has a little bit of auto-morph function in it, especially when you’re transforming the feet and the chest piece – nice little touches. 

Awesome Articulations

             The articulations are awesome. The head, shoulders, hips and wrists are all on ball joints which offer a wide-range of motions. The shoulders also have another inward / outward joint near the chest right before the shoulder wheels, it may have been intentional, but rather due to the transformation process, but heck, it was well executed nonetheless. Right below the shoulders and above the elbows, the arms turn. The elbows and knees, and I really love the elbows and the knees, are on 2-point joints, which really gives you the satisfaction when putting him in various poses. Also, Jazz even comes with a waist joint!!! Jazz’s shins are also unique that they are made from a piece of plastic loaded on springs, which kinda transform on themselves while you’re twisting the back-wheel portion to their intended positions. 

            Right behind the doors, which now acts as its wings, are the set of speakers that we mentioned earlier. You can also replicate some of the scenes in the old G1 cartoon and have them deployed in robot mode. Of course, in the original series, the speakers were on his waist instead of his shoulders, but I ain’t complaining. Also, the head sculpt is very nice, but it would've been better if Jazz were to smile a bit, since he's supposed to enjoy his stay on Earth, rather than his expression showing as if he was being somewhat angry.

Blasters combined with Speakers

 Overall:

            I haven’t had so much fun posing a transformers figure since for quite some time, and Jazz really provided me with a very pleasant breath of fresh air. The RTS line really is beginning to prove itself as a series to be reckoned with and complements well with the hugely successful Generations line. You can’t help it but to thank the people at HasTak, who in my opinion put a lot of thought in designing this piece of masterpiece for us to enjoy.

            I really enjoyed this little dude, and he is definitely a fantastic figure, worthy of any collection. This figure is really difficult to come by, and if you have the opportunity to grab it, do so, you will definitely be pleasantly surprised.

Final verdict, 10/10. Excellent

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