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.

FansToys FT-13 Mercenary Test Shot Review

Fanstoys FT-13 Mercenary

As another great year for toy fans draws to a close  and bids us a boozy farewell in a warm lightsabre glow, it provides a worthwhile opportunity to look back at some of the cracking toys we've seen and also forwards at some of the delights 2016 will have in store for us.

One of my favourite toys of 2015 was Fanstoys Grenadier so it's quite fitting that the toy we are looking at today is a test shot of the next release in Fans Toys unofficial Masterpiece Insecticons - FT-13 Mercenary. This didn't come from Santa Claus, but rather the equally generous, festive folks over at tfs express.
Which is handy because Santa would have been disappointed that I'd already eaten all of the cookies....

Disclaimer: This is a test shot so may have issues or quirks that are not representative of the final product. But if you don't care about that - read on.

Transformers Masterpiece MP-11T Thundercracker review

If you collect Transformer then chances are you have crossed paths with at least one  of the hundreds of uses of the Masterpiece seeker mold at one point or another in your life. Whether it be the original MP-03 version or the updated, more cartoon accurate MP-11 remold this mold has been around the block several times, popped into the newsagents, grabbed a Racing Post and done another lap for good luck.

Never does it become boring though as each of the original three Seekers was so distinct in personality that you don't feel like you are just buying a cheap repaint - even though that is exactly what you are doing.

MP-11T completes the group finally, and gives us Thundercracker, who has recently evolved from just being one of Megatrons go to henchmen into a character who isn't really a villain and loves Earth soap operas....awesome.

Hit the button below to see the full Masterpiece Thundercracker review

X-Transbots MX-II Andras Review

X-Transbots Andras

X-Transbots have been facing a rising tide of criticism with each release drawing more and more concerns over poor quality control. I reviewed Ollie yonks ago, and quite liked him but there were so many problems with that poor fella that it put me off buying more X-Transbots figures. I handled Apolloyon, but when I'm too scared to transform a toy because a hinge looks like it is dying to snap - I know it's not for me.

The latest figure in their line of Masterpiece styled transforming robots is Andras, a name which calls to mind the final boss from Starwing rather than a Blue Space boat called Scourge. Andras is intended to be a fresh start for X-Transbots, a heads up that they have gotten all of their production problems under control and it's all a thing of the past.

But does it live up to that promise? Can it win people over?

The kind folks over at TFs Express have sent along a production sample of X-Transbots Andras for us to take a look at, and see if we can answer the many questions hanging over it.
So click below to see the full review.

FansToys FT-12 Grenadier Review

FansToys have become the go to company for third party versions of Masterpiece styled Transformers of late, with slavish recreations of G1 characters that we have not seen official releases for, with a level of accuracy that almost no other third party has been able to achieve. Yet somehow, this is only the first figure of theirs that I have owned?

Fans Toys FT-12T Grenadier (to give him his full name) dropped through the post the other week and finally gave me the Insecticon presence on my Masterpiece shelf that I have craved for so long. The Insecticons were a special group of toys to me as a child, with their own distinctive style and the fact they looked quite like their television counterparts.

So does Grenadier live up to the job of Insecticons mad scientist?

Continue after the jump to see the review

Perfect Effect PC-04 Pefect Combiner Menasor upgrade kit review

Perfect Effect PC04 Combiner Wars Menasor upgrade kit

Wahey, I'm back, dusting off the blog and resurrecting it from the dead (it wasn't dead). It has been a quiet month or two of toy buying- much to the delight of my bank account. Now things seem to be rolling again in the "Liam likes this enough to buy it" stakes, so there is probably going to be quite a slew of new articles on here as we hit November.
As Depeche Mode said - "I just can't get enough"

So what do we have here? An upgrade kit for Combiner Wars Menasor? Yikes.

Perfect Effect are the self appointed saviours of Combiner Wars. Busying themselves knocking out upgrade kits for each of Hasbro's combiners released thus far.

I reviewed the hands and feet sets here, and was not completely impressed by them. Then Perfect Effect moved away from the extremities and into the torsos of the first two Combiners with kits that didn't grab me for the longest time.

Clearly I have been swayed.

Hit the button below to see the full review

Combiner Wars Ironhide Review



Combiner Wars Ironhide and Prowl - ultimate badasses

Here we go again with another Combiner Wars figure, that is another repaint. It would be funny - if it was funny.
Combiner Wars Ironhide is a repaint of the excellent Off Road, who was retooled into First Aid , so this is our third release of this particular mold.

With a colour scheme based on the Generation One character, but a vehicle mode veering more towards the live action movies, have Hasbro succeeded in fusing all of the right elements into one small, deluxe sized, combining package?

Read on after the jump to find out

Past Plastic - Kenner Jurassic Park

Kenners Jurassic Park Toys

What better way to start an irregular series of articles than with one of the biggest, most enduring movies of all time about Dinosaurs eating people in a theme park. Yes, that's right pop the corks on your champagne bottles - I am starting a new feature, and kicking it off with Kenners Jurassic Park toy line.

Past Plastic will be an opportunity to take a look back at some vintage and revel in their nostalgia. Franchises such as Starcom, Transformers, M.A.S.K, Masters of the Universe, Thunderbirds Visionaries, TMNT, Batman:The Animated series and many others will make hopefully have their day.

I was obsessed with Jurassic Park. I was there opening night in a Jurassic Park T shirt and Baseball Cap and convinced my family to buy me as much merch as possible. Even stationary, because it had the logo bestowed upon it- so of course I needed it. So when Jurassic World came out, I was excited about all of the new merchandise that I would be able to buy. Even thought the movie is great, Hasbro sadly flopped at producing a decent toy line, I mean they gave us Velociraptor toys without their trademark claws.

So it inspired me to go back and take a look at some of the toys that were released by Kenner as part of the toy line that accompanied the original movie, and that kids around the world desperately emptied their parents wallets to snap up.

Hit the button below to read the article

Transformers Masterpiece MP-18B Bluestreak Review

Transformers Masterpiece MP-18B Bluestreak - orginal Geewunner

After 4 waves of Combiner Wars, a handful of new toys for cartoon show toy line that seems to be listening to its last rites, and a smattering of Masterpiece releases - the end of the year, and Christmas, is on the horizon.

Fitting then that, with Takaras latest Masterpiece MP-18B Bluestreak release, it is something of a special gift to a portion of collectors who have spent 30 years wondering about this particular design, and wanting to hold it in their hands in a manner akin Indiana Jones holding the idol.

MP-18B Bluestreak is based on the Blue sided design we saw on the original toys box and instructions, that became a school yard myth where there was always one kid claiming to own it - and cartoon accurate Skyfire.

Now Takara have given Bluestreak a fresh new outfit in the hope of satiating a vocal element of their fan base - and making a few pennies along the way. A Takara Tomy Mall exclusive in Japan, it is still tougher to get than the regular Masterpieces, but not as impossible as its progenitor.

Hit the button below to see if Masterpiece MP-18B Bluestreak lives up to the hype

Maketoys - RM-07 Visualizers Review

Maketoys Visualizers - hangin tough

Maketoys Visualizers - who are they? (that was my best impression of the old 1980's Milk advert)

Well, they are Reflector, or more specifically Maketoys crack at a Masterpiece Relfector. In case you don't recall, Reflector was a character in the original Transformers cartoon who merged from 3 robots into one handily sized camera.
A character largely ignored by everyone for the last 30 years, it seems third party outfits have cast their lovelorn eyes in his direction and intend to make it a summer of Reflector love.

Maketoys RE:Master line continues with its follow up to the incredible Cupola, but can Visualizers live up to the high standards that toy set?

Hit the button below to see the review.

Transformers Combiner Wars Prowl Review

Combiner Wars Prowl

Look, we have a Combiner Wars Prowl! Just like the comics...sort of...not really.

Before Devastator landed at Castle Soapbox, I was starting to suffer a bit from Combiner Wars fatigue. It is not that the figures are coming out at such a rapid pace, or boredom with the line - but it has become so repaint/remold heavy.

Prowl, for example, is the 4th use of this mold and is a straight repaint of Streetwise but with a lovely new noggin planted on his shoulders.

This line is like an addictive drug, that is the only way I can explain why I continue to buy so many repaints with a grin that the Cheshire Cat would wince at.


Hit the button below to see the Toybox Soapbox review of Combiner Wars Prowl

Transformers Combiner Wars Devastator Review

Combiner Wars Devastator - vintage giftset style

Combiner Wars Devastator then - it is actually a real thing. In my hands.

Originally I intended to split this review into two parts, but thought I'd walk on the wild side and just do it all in one go.
So many words and pictures, this will be the longest article I ever write - but it was so much fun playing with these figures.

Hit the button below to see the full Toybox Soapbox Combiner Wars Devastator review