Micro Review: Shadow Fisher SF-M03 & SF-M04 upgrade kits for Masterpiece Ironhide and Ratchet

We can't say as Transformers fans that we don't have companies catering to our many whims. If third parties aren't adjusting colour schemes or details on their own figures to suit feedback, they have their ears to the ground ready to fix whatever we don't like about official figures. Shadow Fisher are a company that appear to specialise in just such upgradery, following their impressive Combiner Wars Devastator upgrade kit with a new set designed to ease the gripe many folks seemed to have with the hip panels Masterpiece Ironhide and Ratchet dared to wear like a Rob Liefeld pouch fest.

Read on to find out whether or not they truly add the finishing touch to an already cracking pair of figures.

Perfect Effect PC-15 Legends Super Ginrai upgrade kit review

Perfect Effect carved out a pretty decent niche as the go to guys for upgrade kits during Combiner Wars and now they've set their sights on Titans Returns which will please many people who hate keeping hold of money. like myself. Their latest attempt to aggrandise a figure falls on Takara's Marmite flavoured bot - Legends Super Ginrai. Or Hasbro's Powermaster Optimus Prime. It works on both so go with whatever you fancy. 

Continue after the jump to see the full review

Transformers Legends LG-35 Super Ginrai review

As a self confessed Powermaster Optimus Prime fanboy as soon as Takara announced Legends LG-35 Super Ginrai was coming, it instantly became my most wanted toy ever in history this month.

I've obsessed over every picture, every snippet of information and every bit of speculation and rumour no matter how bonkers. I needed it. And now, away from the death dealing, society crushing year that was 2016 - I actually have the toy in my hands. I feel drunk without having drunk the faintest tipple.

So now I have it in my sweaty palms, is it everything I hoped it would be? At import prices does it live it to all of the hopes and dreams I placed on it? Are the feet really that weird?

Find out the answers to all those questions and more in the review!

Continue after the jump to see the review

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

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

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

Transformers MP-21 Masterpiece Bumblebee Review

I started writing this review in the week before Christmas and New Year, and never got round to actually finishing it.
There have been so many other toys, especially with Combiner Wars ploughing ever onwards, that it kinda just got pushed further and further backwards.

It has always been in the back of my mind to finish, especially each time I login in and see "DRAFT!" screaming at me (it's not the only one), so I thought what the heck, lets get it done....5 months later.

Some time ago Takara released Masterpiece Bumble, or as we better know him - Bumblebee. This is his story (review).

Hit the button below to see the Masterpiece Bumblebee review.

Transformers Adventure TAV13 Nemesis Prime Review

Not one to usually care for Black repaints of Transformers, I am not sure how I ended up purchasing this figure.
Well maybe I am, I like the new Optimus Prime design from RID as it looks futuristic and Star Convoy like. Then the teal hit me like a time bullet from 1992 with G2 etched onto the side.

A redeco of RID 2015 Optimus Prime in RID..whenever it was...Scourge colours- we have Nemesis Prime.

Hit the button below to continue with the review.

Combiner Wars Quickslinger and Brake-Neck Review

Even more Combiner Wars stuff, and this time it is the missing members of the Aerialbots of the Stunticons - Quickslinger and Brake-Neck!

Wait, that isn't their names, we are talking about Slingshot and Wildrider....right? Throughout this review, I will switch between their names-hopefully that will not confuse you too much.

Originally excluded from the Combiner teams line up, both were replaced with new characters who homaged them in some way. In Slingshots case, Alpha Bravo had a very Slingshot looking head, and in Wildriders case - Off Roads alt mode was in Wilderiders colour scheme.

Hasbro have finally relented to the demands of thousands of fanboys with repaints we all saw coming in some form, albeit most expected them to be from 3rd parties.
Relief.

These reviews will focus more on the differences to original versions of these molds. You can read Fireflys review here and Dead Ends here

Hit the button below to read the reviews of Quickslinger and Brake-neck.

Transformers MP-24 Masterpiece Star Saber Review

V!V!VIC-O-TORY!

Star Saber is of course, the star of Transformer Victory, one of the Japanese series that followed on from the Western G1 cartoon...sort of.
It featured some of the later toys that we got in the west like the Micomasters, but the Autobot leader, instead of being a Red truck, was a curiously Gundam-esque bright Red.White and Blue bot called Star Saber - who's toy did not get released in the west.

So here we are in the Back to Future 2 year of 2015. and Takara have deviated from the usual routine of keeping the Masterpiece line confined to characters from the first 3 seasons of the cartoon, and as a result of a fans vote we have got the incredible Masterpiece Star Saber.

You can probably gauge some of my opinions by the use of the word "incredible", but hit the button below to read the Masterpiece Star Saber review and see loads of pictures.

Transformers MP-23 Masterpiece Exhaust Review

Probably the most obscure Transformers character I have ever dipped into my wallet to purchase, Exhaust is a repaint of Masterpiece Wheeljack.

This time we have something a little bit more special though, as Masterpiece Exhaust is modern update of a Diaclone figure, based on the Marlboro version of the Lancia - previously know as "Marlboor" in Transformers fandom.

Exhaust has had a bit of rough time, with Phillip Morris Tobacco Company shutting down all sales by retailers outside of Japan, so it is quite lucky that I ordered mine from a Japanese store as soon as it was listed.

So now he has an official name, and a new toy which managed to avoid the clutches of the Tobacco industry - is it any good?

Hit the jump to behold the glory of Masterpiece MP023 Exhaust, or click here if you want a more in depth view review of the mold as Wheeljack

Takara Transformers Generations Legends Arcee

This was supposed to be a Combiner Wars Breakdown review, but then the Postman bought Arcee to my door much sooner than I was expecting.

Boy, is she pretty in  Pink. Ha, right now that one is finally out of my system, ahem, here we go with Takaras take on Generations Arcee,
Whilst Arcee has had copious figures over the years, non of them were of her Generation incarnation which despite featuring prominently in the Movie and 3rd season of the cartoon, never received an toy.

When Hasbro announced this toy, it felt like a near 30 itch had finally been scratched, so why did I go for the Takara version and not the much cheaper Hasbro toy?
Any time someone buys a Takara figure it always comes back to the paint job, right?

The Hasbro figure had some extra black bits, to try and tie it in with IDW (I think?), and the ones on her side made he look like she was carrying a walkman with the headphone cable running up her side.

Arcees figure is so G1 it hurts, so when pictures of Takaras try surfaced, complete with super accurate G1 colour scheme - I knew that was the version I was buying.

But was it worth breaking my own strict rules on how much I will spend on a deluxe figure? Hit the button below to see the full Transformers Legends Arcee review.

Transformers MP-22 Masterpiece Ultra Magnus Review

takara transformers mp-22 ultra magnus

YES! YES! YES!

Quoting Daniel Bryan probably sums up how I felt when this figure was officially announced last year. Takara had been doing a cracking job with the various Masterpiece Autobot cars, Soundwave and Optimus Prime - but I didn't really ever expect them to do an Ultra Magnus.

Or rather I did, but I was expecting it to be a white Optimus Prime.

So now we are in 2015, 10 years after the fictional date Ultra Magnus showed up in Transformers Movie, and we have a legit Masterpiece Ultra Magnus, with trailer and all.

This after we got a figure of Spike in his Exo-Suit with Bumblebee. Someone at Takara must love that 86 movie.

So is it good? Worth the wait? Hit the button below to see the full Masterpiece Ultra Magnus review

Transformers Masterpiece Ratbat KO Review

Takara pulled something of a fast one by releasing a Masterpiece Ratbat, and including a rather large Soundblaster accessory with it.

The price of Ratbat sky rocketed on the secondary market, even though in this day and age it was inevitable a 3rd party company would knock off the mold at some point given their prolificness with Masterpiece figures.

Normally I do not bother with KO's as it is always at the back of my mind that they are not legit, but I really wanted a Ratbat to go with Soundwave and his other tape minions.

This will only be a short review, mainly focusing on the issues affecting the knock off, where those pesky pirates just could not get it quite right.

Does this knock off do a good job?

Hit the button below to find out

*edit* I am not sure why the text formatting seems to have gone a bit mad?

Transformers MP-20 Masterpiece Wheeljack Review

I will start this by saying that I cannot believe that this figure actually exists. Wheeljack was always one of my favourite Auotbots, and his car mode was one of the ones I liked the most - and I am not a big car person.

But Wheeljack just looked cool.

Takara may have soft rebooted their Masterpiece line, and knocked out the Lamborghini duo of Sideswipe and Red Alert, and then the Datsun trio featuring Prowl, Bluestreak and Smokescreen - but a licensed Lancia Stratos? Without an easy repaint? Nah, it would never happen.

Only, it did.

So to read the review, and find out just how glorious Wheeljack is - hit the button below

Transformers Masterpiece Smokescreen MP-19 Review

The 3rd of the Masterpiece Datsun figures to be released, Smokescreen is a fan favourite due to his character in the show, and also his original toy.

Takara have recently released Prowl (my review can be found here ), Bluestreak (still need to finish off that review) and then followed those with Smokescreen. Probably the most anticipated of the trio, due to being a beloved figure and also the most unique of the 3, he finally arrived in December.

I got mine delivered on Christmas Eve, so he was a Christmas miracle - and a welcome distraction from the mass eating of festive chocolate.

So does he live up to the hype?

Hit the button below, to see the complete review and photo's, after the jump

Transformers MP-11 Masterpiece Starscream Reissue Review

I will get an apology in now - this is going to be a very long review. I was going to save it until after Christmas, when I will have small light tent which should really improve the quality of the photo's I take.

The Nexus 4's camera is fantastic in glorious sunlight, but anything less and it struggles. However, being as I injured my knee playing football and am pretty bored, I decided to pass the time by reviewing this guy.

MP-11 was released at some point back in 2012, and at the time I seem to remember it being a divisive figure. It was a remold of the Masterpiece Seeker toy but with a raft of improvements that made it more cartoon accurate, and made for a better figure.

However, these changes removed the much maligned hip kibble and also made it slightly less accurate to a real world F-15 Eagle jet fighter.

Obviously, that mold has its fans but I am not one of them. First off, the hip kibble looked horrible, and it was a nightmare to Transform at times. I only had the Hasbro Skywarp release, but it felt like such a low quality figure, being fragile and cheap feeling. 

So when MP 11 came out, I was far more impressed whilst other people were underwhelmed being as they owned a version of the mold several times over - people don't like to pay to replace expensive things.

Initially I skipped it as I my previous interaction with the Masterpiece Seeker mold was not great - but its price soon sky rocketed on the secondary market and everyone who skipped it soon came to regret it.

A year and half went by, and out of the blue Takara announced a limited reissue which sent people crazy, and scrambling to get a pre-order in, which proved handy when rumours circulated that Takara had cut its production by up to 50%!

So now I have the figure, does it really improve up the previous mold?

Hit "READ FULL REVIEW" below, to see the full review, after the jump

Masterpiece Prowl Update - Things that should have come with him to start with!

When I originally reviewed the Masterpiece Prowl figure, I did not have the Amazon exclusive launchers to go with him. At the time I did not mind, as he looks great without them and in the cartoon he did not have them.

But when a deal for £12 posted for the pair, popped up - I had to jump. I am really glad I did...

Masterpiece Lazerbeak, Buzzsaw, Ravage, Rumble and Frenzy Review

There was a funny thing that happened the other week, at my house. My girlfriends Brother and his Wife had come round to get some things out of the loft, including a large bag of cassette tapes. Going through them, their 4 year old child had absoloutely no concept of what they were or what they did.

That made me feel really old.

Of course, no one uses tapes any more as they are outdated in every sense, but it was strange to see how alien they are to kids now.

Though I would like to point out for the purposes of accuracy, that I know that Soundwave was a micro-cassette recorder, and the tapes of course, were micro-cassette tapes.
Despite in the cartoon being playerd almost exclusively as a normal sized tape player and tapes.

Scale and all that.

Originally, I planned to release Soundwave and his Tape Minions all as one set. But it became apparent quite early on, that I had far too much waffle to fit it all into one article.

So instead, I have split the review into two chunks. One reviewing Soundwave and his accessories (which can be found here) and then another focusing on the 5 Cassette minions he comes with.

There is so much to discuss, and if you wish to know more - hit the button below to see the review