Review: Titans Return Misfire

Misfire hails from the late 80's era of Transformers when the franchise took a sharp turn into super futuristic sci-fi. Not that Aliens style military sci-fi that touched all our hearts with it's Pulse Rifles, quotable lines and sweet ass Reebok's, but way more imaginative stuff that could have been mistaken for a video game shoot-em-up.

Originally designated a Targetmaster, Misfire has dropped the transforming robot gun and earned a transforming robot head for his new, heavily G1 influenced toy as part of the Titans Return line.

But is it as awesome as it looks? Has Titans Return hit a new peak?

Continue after the jump to find out

Titans Return Legends Sharkticon Gnaw review

I am starting to think we've moved into some bizarre alternate timeline. Away from all the political strife and weirdness like Wayne Rooney breaking Manchester United's all time scoring record, Hasbro have continued to sprinkle Titans Return with obscure characters we never thought we'd see get updated figures or at least not so close to their vintage counterparts.

Triggerhappy is the toy equivalent of Carlos Alberto's glorious goal against Italy in the World Cup Final, Hardhead, shades of Maradonna's non punchy goal against England, Twinferno is Michael Owen racing through the entire Argentinian side in France, Wolfwire the majestic controlled finish of  Bergkamp vs Argentina, Skullmasher the time bending Poborski lob over a hapless Portuguese keeper in Euro 96. Only Getaway has been a bit of a Baggio-esque USA 94 penalty miss.

Now, we have a brand new Sharkticon toy. Leaked as a potential release a few years back in the Generations line, Gnaw has finally rocked up in the midst of one of the most fun periods for collectors in many years.

But is it worth the wait?

Continue on after the jump to see the full 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

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.

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

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!

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!

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

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

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.

Combiner Wars Legends Reviews - Powerglide, Bombshell, Blackjack, Viper and Groove

One of the best things to come out of Combiner Wars, has been the rebirth of the Legends class figures. More akin to the old scout class in terms of size and complexity, though sadly not pricing, we have gotten updated versions of old favourites in some new and interesting ways.

I am going to take a look at my 5 favourite so far, in one rolled up all inclusive super post.

Hit the jump to read the review

*Soundtrack - Dusty Rhodes WWF theme - Common Man Boogie

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.