Opening Salvo
Where did the summer go? Not that I care since being a workingman the term “Summer Vacation†has been deleted from my vocabulary. Put down the drinks with the umbrellas, it’s time to Transform!
Toys: What I got, what they got, and some news too
Well my shipment of 6†TiT’s came from BBTS the other day. I now proudly own WW Fallen, WW Megatron and Optimal Optimus. I’ll let you know what I think of each but double O is going to have to be the greatest TF ever to impress me.
Chevy is running a special promotion where if you buy a new car you get a free Transformer. The figure is an entirely new mold named Swerve and looks to be a Deluxe sized figure with Alternator style articulation. It’ll be interesting to see if the mold shows up in the Classics 2.0 line since I can’t believe Hasbro would spend the money on a figure just for it to be an ULTRA rare exclusive.
The new Transformers movie has earned the #3 spot on the list of highest grossing films of 2007. That ranking may change once the movie hits IMAX. It appears that it would behoove the fan base at large to get their movie DVD’s from Australia since they’re going to have some sort of Transforming gimmick. Yeah, it’s going to transform into a decent movie; BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh come on, it was funny.
Fans of the Takara line Sports Label should be happy since photos of Starscream have surfaced online. This is going to be a straight repaint of Megatron that look scarily like good old G1 Screamer. There is also a plethora of KO hitting the web; one in particular looks like my personal favorite Star Saber.
For those of you who own a Masterpiece Megatron I would recommend checking the feet because several board members over at Siebertron have reported that they’re starting to rust. This is just the latest in the list of problems with the mold. I haven’t touched mine since I’m waiting for the stock and silencer add on set so I’ll let you know probably sometime next month.
Remember a few weeks back I mentioned the box images of MP Skywarp and how they had a photo of all three Seekers flying? Well apparently NOW people are getting hip to the fact that the blue jet wasn’t Starscream but a possible hint that Thundercracker will be getting the Masterpiece treatment. I just assumed that was the plan all along but it’s nice to have some sort of confirmation.
Nokia is going strong with its Transformer themed phones adding a special edition of the 5700 complete with special accessories. Meanwhile thanks to Scott Baio I just discovered that my phone can read my text messages out loud.
Finally the fans have been answered. The score from Transformers will be released October 9th with a special two-disc edition to follow sometime after that. Now I could go into a little rant about how wise is it to advertise now a future special edition release and how it could hurt first day sales, but I won’t. Steve Jablonsky has made a special point to thank the fans for showing their support for his music. This just shows the power of the people when we all can work together.
Surfing The Space Bridges
Have you ever bought a figure thinking it was going to be total crap only to discover it’s probably one of the greatest things to happen to plastic?
The World Around Transformers
OK. This week we’re going to continue our look at the YF-19; this time in Gerwalk mode.
Transformation to this mode was quite difficult due to the leg armor constantly falling off. If there’s two negatives I give Yamato about their Macross figures is that they don’t know how to design hands, and that they need to find a better way than magnets to keep armor on. I also feel that by adding ratchet joints to the wings or some kind of stop would make posing a tad easier. Also they could’ve designed the chest mechanism better so it wouldn’t constantly pop up in Gerwalk mode.
Once I got the Veritech into Gerwalk mode I quite liked it since it didn’t look like a robot transformed halfway like the VF-1’s do. His hands are a bit sturdier and less “Skeletal†but still nothing close to perfect. Like most Veritech he can store his rifle on his arm as seen below.
Besides the leg armor falling off I had to remove the shoulder armor to properly transform the arm unit. Once adjusted though I never had to touch it again. Next time we will explore the VF-19 in Battloid mode.
Sixty-Second Review
The Fallen
MSRP: $19.99-$29.99
Out now, if you can find him.
If you’ve been reading this column for a while then you probably know that for me Transformers cannon begins and ends with the original cartoon. The few times I tried to read the Marvel comic I found myself lost since most of the characterizations were vastly different from the toon. One series I did like was Dreamwaves’ War Within. While I found most of the stories and characterizations flat, one of the few characters with any depth was The Fallen. My enjoyment was tempered with a pang of regret knowing that this guy would never see the light of day in toy form. That’s why I was quite pleased when I heard he would be joining the 6†Titanium line. That was until I tried to find him in a store.
The Fallen is packaged in the now legendary Titanium packaging; nice to look at, terrible to open. I have to ask this now since the line is over but who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to put an extra twist to the ties INSIDE the plastic shell? Getting the figures out would be made exponentially easier if you could just clip the ties from the back of the box and pull them out the front.
Once removed The Fallen features above average articulation like the rest of the Titaniums. I found it interesting that Hasbro put a reproduction of his head on the stand when it is well known that he is a herald of Unicron; what, they couldn’t do Unicrons’ head? I was concerned that he would end up like Tank Megatron and not be able to hold a pose or stay in one piece. Neither scenario happened and I found The Fallen to be quite a fun figure. Transformation is simple but by now we should all expect that. The one problem I had with the figure was the lack of molded flames on his body. This was a guy encased by fire in the comics and the only example they give is the two flame covered wings on his back.
I found myself torn when deciding what score to give The Fallen. Due to the 6†line being discontinued this has pushed the Titaniums to the level of must own by collectors; especially since this is probably the only way we’ll ever see characters from The War Within done in figure form. On the other hand the question has to be asked; is this a good figure? I can answer that with a resounding yes. If you don’t own The Fallen yet go and pay the premium price on E-bay; you won’t be disappointed. On Elohims’ Energon ranking scale I give Titanium War Within Fallen eight and a half cubes. Happy hunting.
Parting Shots
Another week has come and gone. Where does the time go? Tune in next week where I’ll have… something for you; don’t know what and I’m not going to dare guarantee it’ll be enjoyable but, just show up.
The King of the Fanboys,
Charles
