Nonnef Trivia review, plus a look at Ironhide and Ratchet hip kibble upgrades

Nonnef productions has cornered the market in piece meal  add on's and upgrades over the last year or so. From combiner feet to hip ratchets they've had you covered. Now we are back to Masterpiece with something that should satisfy a small section of Transformers fans - hip panel removal parts for Masterpiece Ironhide and Ratchet

But that's not all!

One of the early things Nonnef showed off was actually their own figure - Trivia. Now, you and me, we would know him as MTMTE Rewind and Nonnef has finally shipped the little guy out which means he gets to feature in today's double review.

I am currently suffering through a very bad case of Bronchitis so am dosed up on various medications and generally feeling awful. But it's Christmas so I am also drinking Rum and a crafty Snowball to get through this. But don't tell Santa Clause - I wouldn't want to make his naughty list.

To see the full article click the button below and continue past the jump

Transformers Masterpiece MP-11NT Thrust Review

Masterpiece Thrust is the boogeyman and he's in your nightmares, Spike

A Takara Tomy Mall exclusive, which basically means "bloody expensive", Masterpiece Thrust is the second of the original cone heads to get a Masterpiece figure following the much troubled Ramjet. Beset by quality control problems, Ramjet put me off pre-ordering Thrust right until the final week when I buckled and consoled myself with "well, at least there's only one more to go", which is a crazy thought process when you consider just how much money these Masterpiece cone heads will set you back.

Takara's Masterpiece seeker mould is old hat at this point and the thought of going over it again has prompted me to have a rummage through the kitchen drawers for as much paracetamol as I could find, buried beneath expired light bulbs, batteries, novelty pens, World Cup 2010 football stickers and instruction books for a bread maker that I don't think has been in our house since somewhere circa 2013. I did find the adapter for my football pump though - so that's a win.

So did Thrust surprise and finally make good on all the promise of that Masterpiece seeker mould we are all getting quite sick of, or did he validate our worst fears and turn out a horrible mess?

Continue after the jump to see the full review of Transformers MP-11NT Masterpiece Thrust

Wei Jiang Reaver - Oversized KO Toyworld Shinebug

Wei Jiang Reaver

As a crumpet eating Brit, China can sometimes look like a crazy lawless place. From the outside looking in it appears that everything there is a fake version of something that costs us an arm and a leg over here. Even the cars.

Third party manufactures, long a moral battle ground amongst much of the fandom, are no longer immune to this and face the same problems as Hasbro and Takara do from companies knocking off their toys. Case in point is today's article on Wei Jiang's Reaver. Beginning life as Shinebug, Toyworld produced him as an homage to G1 Goldbug who himself was the resurrected form of Bumblebee. I'm going cross eyed.

As someone who usually doesn't buy KO's this is an interesting one for me so I figured it was worth doing a mini review. Literally (ha, I keep making that joke).

To see the full article click the button below and continue past the jump

Transformers UW-08 Unite Warriors Computron review

Unite Warriors Computron review

As a child the one figure I could never convince any unwitting family member to buy me was Scattershot. I had all of the limb bots as they are easier purchases to keep a 6 year old quiet, but Scattershot, nope - that one eluded me. The only time I ever managed to build Computron was because a friend at school (who I also appeared with in a 1980's Boots catalogue) had one and I coveted that toy almost as much as Hardhead.

It's always the toys you don't own.

Combiner Wars may have died but Hasbro and Takara both managed to get two drastically different takes on the Technobots out - both with their own strengths and weaknesses. Now we have Unite Warriors Computron. Takara drew my attention because of the extra lengths they went to with the remoulding and also the paint job that was so delicious it made me buy bags of Skittles to chomp whilst I waited. But is it worth the wait? Or the extra outlay over the much cheaper Hasbro alternative?

Continue after the jump to see  a lot of pictures and the full review of Unite Warriors Computron

S.N.D Primo Vitalis Combiner Wars Optimus Prime upgrade kit review

When Don Figueroa decided he wanted to redesign all of the Transformers for IDW's ongoing Transformers series it didn't go well. Marrying the G1 characters with live action movie style hyper detailed designs produced characters that lacked charm or personality and instead look like Rodimus Prime and Springer probably fought them off in one of Daniel's nightmares.

But one design that emerged that fans seemed to take to was Optimus Prime's new form. Mixing G1 with a modern aesthetic but skipping the Bay influence that smotherd the others, it had a certain Gundam quality that made it slightly more palatable.

When Hasbro started knocking out new figures for Combiner Wars, that design felt like it would be the natural choice as Hasbro had been leaning heavily on IDW for inspiration (including a legends sized Optimus that was based on the comics) but they went for something far stranger.

One great guy decided to change that and set about creating a series of epic shapeways upgrade kits to modify Combiner Wars Voyager Optimus Prime and greatly improve him and eventually a third party joined him to produce the subject of today's article - SND's Primo Vitalis upgrade kit.

Continue after the jump to see the review

Titans Return Wolfwire & Monxo Review

Ah 1987. Walk Like an Egyptian, Dirty Dancing, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles (UK!), Beverly Hills Cop 2, visible Nike Air bubbles, Predator, Rick Astley and Michael Fish getting the weather forecast very wrong, Oh to have a time machine.

Fast forward 29 years and Hasbro have decided to take us on a trip in the metaphorical way back machine with redo's of that years Transformers gimmick - the Headmasters.

Titan's Return is really in it's pomp with the second wave of deluxe class figures. Chromedome, Highbrow, Mindwipe, two of which at least were in that theoretical list of characters no one ever expected to see get a modern update at retail. Yet here they are, and completing the wave is Wolfwire....wait - who?! Wolfwire is actually G1 Weirdwolf rocking a brand new bod. Hasbro must have lost the trademark and I would love to know who pinched it and what for. My fingers are crossed it's a prog rock band.

Titans Return Wolfwire is the subject of today's article and if you would like to read more then Head On past the jump.

Generation Toy GT-04 J4ZZ Review

If you ask most people to name 5 Transformers "the white Porsche one" will usually follow Optimus Prime, Megatron and Starscream. Yet here we are an there is still no sign and of an official Masterpiece Jazz from Takara, and even third parties had shown an unusual reluctance to touch him.

Now that reluctance has worn off and Generation Toy have stepped up and taken the first shot at Jazz with the brazenly named "J4ZZ". A Masterpiece style Jazz in design, but with a modern aesthetic that is sure to divide people.

Generation Toy is not a company I am familiar with, having skipped their Constructicons and Stunticons as I'm not a fan of their particular aesthetic, but thanks to TFS Express, I got the chance to put a review sample of Generation Toy's J4ZZ through it's paces.

The main question I find myself asking is: do I refer to him as J4zz, J4ZZ or even Jazz....continue after the jump to find out the answer to this burning question. And see the review of course

Takara Legends LG-21 Hardhead Review

Titans Return is off and running, focusing on a very specific era of the Transfomers - the 1987 Headmasters. Takara's Transformers Legends line takes the same Titans Return figures and puts them through the Headmasters cartoon blender to bestow them with more accurate colours, better paint and a teensy bit more polish -  but the main lure is the completely different faces Takara have sculpted.

Drink it in man, we are getting updates of all the original Headmasters. Buckle up, I've got a feeling that this is the start of a wonderful nostalgic odyssey.

The full article follows after the jump

Unite Warriors - UW-07 - Bruticus Review

Unite Warriors Bruticus Review

Ever since I was a kid, there was something more alluring about a Decepticon commando group, that was effectively an evil A-Team.

Brawl is Mr T
Vortex is HM Murdoch
Onslaught is obviously Hannibal
Swindle is Face
Blast Off is....errr...Frankie Santana - the forgotten member of the A-Team from the final season.

Sweetening the deal was the appeal of a combiner with the most unique team members. Every single vehicle was completely in contrast to the others which made for a brilliant dynamic in my mind. It was everything you wanted as a kid when you were limited to what other people would buy you and whilst you wanted a complete team - you also wanted to experience different toys.

Now they have shown up in Unite Warriors with a colours based off a 30 something year old animation, and brand new Blast Off figure that is not just Slingshot dipped into a can of brown Dulux. Of all the sets released in Combiner Wars, this is the one that has turned out the most different when making it's way over to Unite Warriors. Controversially in some cases.

Hit the button below to read the full Unite Warriors Bruticus review

X-Transbots Ollie V2 early prototype

It's almost two years since I reviewed Ollie. X-Transbots take on a Masterpiece styled Wheelie, came and went in a hail of criticism, flimsy plastic and broken dreams and whilst it was a decent figure, it felt like an almost criminal waste of some fantastic ideas.

Fast forward (classic 80's VHS tape static lines and all) to 2016 and X-Transbots have taken Ollie back to the drawing board in an effort to do the wee rhyming fella justice.

TFS Express kindly sent over a very early prototype to demonstrate some of the improvements, which we are going to be taking a look at today.

Roll tape! (or continue after the jump to see the full article)

Maketoys City Bot Series MCB03 Pandinus review

When I first clapped eyes on Maketoys Pandinus, I was thrilled to see a figure not trying to force itself to look a certain way to fit a space on your shelf. I saw a toy brimming with possibilities and imagination. The eye watering price tag instantly took it back out of my mind as quickly as it had popped in there.

Fast forward a few months and the kind folks over at Kapow Toys asked if I fancied borrowing a Pandinus to take a look at. A few weeks later and the largest box I have ever received was walking up my driveway.

Continue after the jump to see the full review of Maketoys mighty Pandinus!

Unique Toys Y03 Sworder Review

Me and Sandstorm go way back. In the mid 80's I became obsessed with owning his Generation 1 figure, actually obsessed. When my Gran finally relented and offered to buy me the toy (she was always the easiest relation to convince that a new toy would change my life), it felt like the end of the end of Return of the Jedi. So of course when I finally got to the shop I promptly changed my mind and got something else instead. Something so memorable I have no recollection of what it was. Hmph.

All these years later and I still haven't scratched that near 30 year old Sandstorm itch, so when the kind folks at TFS Express offered to send me Unique Toys take on the character, Sworder, I jumped at the chance to possibly finally lay that old ghost to rest.

Unique Toys have produced some solid work of late, aiming to grab space on your shelf with the recent Buzzing (Blurr) and Provider (Octane) all being well received.

So how will Unique Toys Sworder stand up to those? Continue after the jump to read the review

KFC E.A.V.I. Metal Phase Five Opticlones review

Haven't we been here before? I feel like we have.

For years Reflector has been a criminally under utilised character within Transformers, but here we have the third attempt from a third party manufacturer in under a year,  Having reviewed the previous two, today I complete the Tri-Force and bring you an article taking a look at a test shot of The Opticlones from Keith's Fantasy Club.

Usual caveat of "this is a test shot so may not fully reflect the final product" applies and thanks to TFS Express for loaning me this test shot. 

Read on after the jump to see the full Keiths Fantasy Club KFC Opticlones review!

Fanstoys FT15 Willis Review

Truck, F1 car, Police car, Porsche, Jeep.

Ask any 80's kid to reel off Transformers vehicle modes they remember and each of those will be right at the top of the list. Originally planned to fulfil the role Bumblebee ultimately did, Hound's alt mode is iconic where his character is not. In fiction he's never really done a great deal or been deeply fleshed out, despite being one of the most popular characters. Sad really.

Despite being in the full sway of the Masterpiece carnival, Takara have yet to give us an official Hound. Of course it was only a matter of time before a third party would step in with the tonic for our impatience, and here we have Willis, Fanstoys first step into the Masterpiece style carbot arena that everyone seems to want to be in.

He comes loaded with stuff, so much stuff, and as a Hound fan I have high hopes. Very high hopes. Unreasonably high hopes.

Continue after the jump to see the full review of Fanstoys Willis, and please keep in mind that this is a test shot.

Hasbro Combiner Wars Deluxe Groove Review

 

Unceremoniously shrunk down to a legends class figure, and replaced by a bloke in a daft hat, a true deluxe class Groove has been desired for as long as we thought there was not going to be one. Takara then came along with the ultimate Mic drop when they announced Unite Warriors Defensor and right there plugged into his right leg was Groove. No longer relegated to being a medalion around Defensor's neck - he had been promoted back to full limb status.

At every opportunity since, Hasbro has been asked if we were ever going to see this toy and after originally feigning ignorance, and talking about Rook - they've cracked and given us what we want as part of this years May Mayhem promotion that last year gave us Quickslinger (Slingshot) and Brake-Neck (Wildrider).

People - we won *cue We are the Champions*

Last week the brilliant people at Kapow Toys sent me the Hasbro Asia's release of the mold,which should be the same as Hasbro US's, to check out.

Continue after the jump to see the review and just how much enthusiasm I can exude for this toy.

Perfect Effect PC-06 Perfect Combiner Devastator upgrade kit review

Regular readers will have noticed I love the heck out of upgrading my Combiner Wars figures. Hasbro get so close but sometimes they could do with a little extra nudge to get them over the line.

Perfect Effect have ruled the Combiner Wars upgrade kit landscape with several kits for each combiner released thus far, and even a kit for one that hasn't. This set is one of two they've released for Devastator and features a few bits and bobs and the fabled cab cover that should cure Mixmaster of his "I make a tiny foot" affliction.

Keep reading after the jump to see the review

Fanstoys FT-14 Forager Review

As a kid I had a special love for the G1 Insecticons and they are the one group where my fondness leans far more to their original toys rather than the cartoon. Whenever new toys of the G1 Insecticons show up in any form - Liam's eyes go large. Kickback more than any of the others has always been in my top 10 Transformers list for oh....*checks watch*...about 30 years.

So what do we have here, in this box kindly sent along by TFS Express (via Maz)? Well, that would be a test shot  of Forager - Fanstoys take on a Masterpiece Kickback. The first two member of the group were big hits and Grenadier almost single handedly turned me around on Fanstoys with his big lump of angry faceplated evil.

I have high hopes, I hope you can tell. If not, I am telling that I have high hopes.


Continue after the jump to see the full review of Fanstoys Forager

*Please remember that this is a test shot so may feature issues that are not found on the final figure

Transformers Combiner Wars Generation 2 Stunticons Review

It was the 90's. Hyper colour t shirts and Spandau Ballet were out, Bermuda Shorts and Right Said Fred were in. Hasbro took this time to launch a reboot of it's flagging Transformers brand with Generation 2 which subsequently became notorious for flipping the colour schemes of existing characters into crazy, bright, Skittle like affairs.

With repaint options for 2016's Combiner Wars line slowly being exhausted, it was inevitable that Hasbro would cast flirtatious glances towards G2 in an effort to squeeze as many extra pennies from our pockets as possible. G2 Aerialbot and Stunticon sets were announced much to the surprise of no-one - but delight of everyone.

After debating buying it for several weeks, Morgan from Masterforce kindly borrowed me the Generation 2 repaint of the Combiner Wars Stunticons to review, which is an homage to the planned Stunticon set which never made it to market.

So put the sunglasses on, sit back and check out the full Combiner Wars G2 Stunticons review after the jump

Nonnef Productions Combiner Wars upgrades

Owned and operated by just a single bloke, Nonnef Productions is the one man band of third party Transformer groups. Combiner Wars has already generated a ton of upgrade kits from a multitude of companies and now Nonnef has joined the fray, offering a piecemeal approach that might just take some pressure off your bank account and not leave you paying for excess parts you don't want.

Today we will be looking at foot upgrades, waist fixers and even pointier antenna that aim to make your toys better.

Keep reading after the jump to see the article.

DX9 Carry - Test Shot vs Final Product

Many months ago Morg from Masterforce kindly sent me a box of goodies to inspect which included both a test shot of DX9's Rodimus Prime-a-like, Carry, along with the finished product to compare it to. However a bit of real life stuff got in the way causing this article to get shoved so far back that I had to whistle to entice it out of hiding.

So I present to you a semi review of DX9's Studio Ox inspired Rodimus Prime - Carry, which is mostly a comparison article that may wander off into talk of sorcery and possibly Wizards. Let's go find some differences.

Continue after the jump to see the rest of this long delayed article.

Combiner Wars Sky Lynx Review

As Combiner Wars enters its death throes, it manages to throw out that most completely left field of character updates- Sky Lynx!

As a toy which was never released over here in the UK, I have always had a fascination with Sky Lynx. When Hasbro announced a Combiner Wars Sky Lynx it seemed like a great chance to tick that one off the bucket list. When they subsequently revealed there was no separate Lynx mode, I could finally empathise with how that poor bloke in Temple of Doom felt when Mola Ram reached into his chest and ripped his heart out.

Sad face.

But how did it actually turn out? Hit the button below to read the review.

Q Transformers QTF05 Ultra Magnus Review (or mini review)

Across the oceans, in far away lands there are people able to walk into shops and buy cool little curio toys for little more than the cost of a Greggs pasty, a packet of Monster Munch and bottle of Cherry Coke.

Imagine that right?

Q Transformers is such a line and appeared in late 2014 having since spanned both the live action movies and Generation One eras of Transformers with toys you can buy for less than a fiver in Japan. Inspired by the original Choro-Q line (Penny Racers to those of us in the West), they are small, super deformed transforming figures designed purely for extreme awesomeness. At least that's how I imagine the pitch went at Takara towers.

Anyway now Q-Transformers QTF05 Ultra Magnus is in my hand how do I feel about it?

Click below to read on

FansToys FT-11 Spotter Review (test shot)

Twas two nights before Christmas, that the lovely people at TFS Express dropped a test shot of FansToys FT-11 Spotter onto my door step.

Spotter is FansToys latest release and is an homage to Generation One Decepticon voyeur Reflector, a character who Takara and Hasbro have little love for.

Instead of just doing a stand alone review, as I had originally intended, this article will compare and contrast it with the Maketoys Visualizers who not long ago I was casting loving glances at, besotted with an integrated transformation of the camera lens that seemed like witchcraft.

Three weeks later there have been opinion changes with wallet shattering consequences.

Remember this is a test shot and may feature issues not found on the final figure. Please keep that in mind and hit the button below to see the full Fanstoys Spotter review.