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Ready for some tiny Masterpiece goodness? Regular toy reviewer and fellow Seibertronian Chuckdawg1999 has done a video review for the latest MP release, MP 15/16E, Cassettebot vs. Cassettetron. They've been released for a few weeks now, and as Chuck explains, they homage some very obscure figures from two different Encore releases from 2012, Soundblaster (who came with Enemy and Wingthing) and Twincast (who came with Stripes and Nightstalker).
While Masterpiece Stripes uses the MP Ravage mold (with some slight retooling of his weapons), Enemy and Wingthing are straight up redecos of the Masterpiece Frenzy/Rumble and Masterpiece Ratbat molds. The only new mold to the set is Nightstalker, who is a clear indicator of an eventual MP Steeljaw, as the original Nightstalker cassette was a recolor of Steeljaw.
Let us know what you think of this set! Do you have it? Are you planning on getting it? Watch Chuck's review below, and let us know your thoughts on the latest MP release!
chuckdawg1999 wrote:Takara likes to have fun every now and then with their Masterpiece line, this set, which is an homage to an older exclusive set of cassettes, is no exception. While the big grab of this set is the debut of the Steeljaw mold, this is a fun set and helps expand your Transformer Cassette collection.
Another Tuesday brings another episode of Machinima's Titans Return animated series. We're finally up to the final episode this week, episode ten, and boy are we in for a big one. That's not necessarily saying it's good or bad, just that it's packed to the brim with new, interesting, and slightly confusing moments. So without further ado, let's take a look at the final episode of Titans Return!
We rejoin the action with Trypticon having just eaten Victorion, the Enigma of Combination, Perceptor, and the Matrix of Leadership. This is obviously too much power for even the giant Titan, so he automatically rejects them all, coughing up the two Autobots and the two relics. Starscream's ghost is also released from Trypticon's body, and he falls, having basically been turned into an empty shell. The former council member says his final words to the Megatron and the rest of the cast, and then disappears into the ether. Sort of an anti-climatic end to the main plot thread of the series, but it at least makes some sort of sense. For the first time in a few episodes, Overlord is shown again, now overlooking (badumtiss) the aftermath of the battle.
"Well ain't that downright...finger lickin' good."
Victorion tries to retake the Enigma, but it catches her on fire, burning her right forearm, an entire half of Dust Up (Who may or may not exist as a separate personality in this continuity, given this series' track record with Combiners), completely off.
She recoils from the attack as the fire spreads, creating a ring around both the Enigma and the Matrix. The fire climbs higher and creates the shape of a...fairly non-threatening smiley face?
"Children of my third cousin twice removed's wife's sister's bank teller!"
The Emoji from hell reveals himself to be some sort of God to the Transformers, and Optimus wants to defend Cybertron from his obvious evil intentions, but Megatron convinces Prime to let him talk to the mystical being first. As Megatron approaches, the being reveals himself to be none other than Megatronus. Megatron speaks to him, reminding the God that he has, for eternities, fought under his name with respect and honor, and united the Decepticons Megatronus created. Megatronus tells him to move on to his point, so Megatron continues.
I have a few issues with Megatron's speech here.
The first is that Megatron curses Megatronus, saying "Goddamn you!". It caught me so off guard that it totally pulled me out of the episode. I haven't really shared my thoughts on the PG-13 nature of this series' dialogue yet, so I'll throw those two cents in now. It's not the principle of swearing that bothers me specifically, I think it's fine to use for effect, but in this series it feels like they're including it just because they can. There's no drama to it, no anguish, it's just there. Not only that, but in this specific case it makes no sense, as he's the God doing the damning. Perhaps it would have been more of an effect had he said "Primus Damn you!" or something to that effect, referencing a power higher than Megatronus. I digress.
My second issue with this scene is Megatron himself. Megatron's voice actor is one of the best parts of both this series and its predecessor, Combiner Wars. The sarcastic and flippant take on the classic character is seriously one of the best Megatrons we've seen since G1, but in this specific scene, it doesn't completely work. He's lamenting to his God and Idol about all of these things he's done to try and honor Megatronus, but he still maintains his indifferent exterior. It actually would have been an interesting scene to have him perhaps become slightly vulnerable at the feet of his idol when he's so buffed against vulnerability toward everyone else. It would have deepened his character, and would have really shown that he felt betrayed about doing all these things to gain approval of Megatronus just to receive nothing in response.
It's awesome to see our podcast staff in official media...
Anyway, Optimus and Fort Max use this opportunity to try to attack Megatronus, and it ends, uh, very poorly.
Fort Max actually uses the Master Sword, which is pretty awesome to see in an American series, but Megatronus easily blocks his attacks. He then gets rushed by Prime, though Optimus is similarly no match for the god, and gets blasted through the chest by a lazer. Yep, we get to deal with this again.
Oh, guys, no. Why? Didn't Transformers: The Movie teach you anything about what happens when you kill Optimus Prime?
As the life drains from Optimus's eyes, Megatronus warns of an apocalyptic event that will bring an end to the Transformers. With that cryptic warning, he disappears. Megatron realizes he knows where to find Megatronus, and asks the rest of the team to follow him there, promising the new adventure for the cast in the next series.
Overlord is still on a nearby hill watching what's transpiring before him, and for one final twist to this huge episode, it's revealed to us that he has turned Hot Rod into Rodimus Unicronus. With that, the episode, and the series, ends.
While on the whole this was a very enjoyable episode, there were bits and pieces that irked me. Line deliveries, pacing issues, the norm for this series. It answered a few questions and ended a few plot threads, but started quite a few more, but does lead in to a cliffhanger to transition into Power of The Primes. The amount of new characters and plot twists has definitely peaked my interest, and was an exciting episode, but I feel that spreading some of them out over the past couple of episodes would have been better. Some of the more recent installments have felt a bit too dull and filler-like, but it did make for quite a nail-biting episode today, like I said. And if there's one thing you can say for these Machinima shows, they're always unpredictable.
Looking at the series as a whole, it was not bad by any stretch. I've maintained since the beginning that it is leagues ahead of Combiner Wars, and it really is. In voice talent, animation, pacing, even the mouth movements on the characters, everything is a huge improvement. I can say unequivocally this production team learned a lot from their past mistakes and tried to remedy some of them. There lies the problem, though: They didn't fix enough of them. The pacing still feels off, some of the conversations need, desperately, to feel more natural and flowing. Character movements need to be more natural, and need to express more emotion when someone's talking. It's all very close to being good, and they have made vast improvements and learned a lot, I just think they need to learn a bit more.
Thanks for reading this review, and, as always, please share your thoughts down in the Energon Pub forums. Sorry today's review was a tad longer than what I normally do, there was a lot to unpack. Tell me if you agree with the points I made, or if I'm way off base. See you later this year, with the release of Power of the Primes!
Our latest coverage of this figure hailed from Canada back in this story, but thanks to fellow Seibertronian PrimeVsPrime, we now have an in-hand video review for Transformers: The Last Knight Allspark Tech Sqweeks!
Part of the latter end of the movie toyline, the Allspark Tech toys are podgy little box figures which feature electronics and an interactive play pattern of sorts, with cubes fitting the various characters' chests. Check out below how this works for Sqweeks in particular, which follows the likes of Optimus Prime, Nemesis Prime, Megatron, Barricade, Drift, Bumblebee and Hound, then let us know what you think in the Energon Pub discussion boards.
Well, Takara's MP-39 Sunstreaker is finally upon us, the long lost brother to MP-12 has finally made it to collector's hands! And this figure has dazzled several Seibertron members, one of whom wrote us a great pictorial review of the figure.
Friend of the site and Masterpiece extraordinaire Ironhidensh has written us this awesome review of the new Masterpiece from Takara, or as he calls it, a "sleeper MP". You will find below his thoughts on the figure in robot mode, car mode, Transformation, and overall how much fun it is.
If a video review is more your style, feel free to check out our Previous video review.
Without Further ado, take it away Densh!
Ironhidensh wrote:
So, I kinda feel like this guy is a bit of a sleeper MP. There really hasn't been a whole lot of excitement and build up for his release. At least, that's how I feel, and that's a shame. This guy is absolutely amazing. Seriously, I've only had him in hand for about 48 hours, but I'm ready to put his right at the top of the list of MP figures. Not only that, but its been a hot minute since we got a new carbot, so its nice to get back to that. Lets start of with the alt mode.
Takara really out did themselves this time. They packed a whole lot of awesome into a really small package. Sunny is a standard MP car size, and yet, along with being fully transformable to an amazing robot mode, he actually has two car modes. A standard Countach:
And a "Super Lambo":
Sunstreaker comes with two weapons, and the ability to store them both, at least in super mode. I don't think it works in "regular" Countach mode. Still though, a true MP needs the ability to carry or store its weapons while in alt mode, and Sunny passes the test.
Another neat little add on, you may remember in the original G1 cartoon, in the very first episode (or at least in one of the first parts of the first episode) the scene where Trailbreaker calls for back up, and Sunstreaker and Sideswipe answer the call. Sunny pops a little laser gun out of his backside, and blasts away at the Seekers chasing them. Yep, Sunny here can do that.
I was actually going to recreate the scene, but this little project was taking longer than I thought, and I didn't want to transform my MP Sideswipe and Trailbreaker, which is the sole reason you will see 'Breaker in a later photo.
Yes, Sunny is a truly beautiful car mode, and he still has one more really cool and neat feature: pop up headlights!
Its just a really neat and cool feature. It shows the effort, and dare I say, even love of character that obviously went into the design of Sunny. His doors and hood also open up like the real vehicle, but for me, it just exposes the inner workings of the toy. Nice, but not a huge feature for me. I really only have one gripe on car mode, and that is the plastic tires. God, how I hate the plastic tires. Yes, its a dead horse, but Imma keep beating that ****.
Now done with alt mode, we move on to the main event, the robot. The transformation to bot mode is actually fun. With many MP style figures it can be a pain. An amazing one, but a pain still. I really don't think that with Sunny. Its fun and inspired. Honestly, words don't do it justice, you just need to experience it. Here is the glorious result:
Its very toon accurate. Maybe a little too much in spots. For my tastes, I would have appreciated a different head, but nothing is close to a deal breaker. He does have a bit of a backpack though, but I'm making peace with backpacks on MPs. In fact, I'm starting a little club.
He does look good though. He also comes with a lot of accessories. As mentioned, he had two guns:
That he can store in bot mode as well:
I find the leg storage and very neat little trick. He also, as is pretty standard by now with MP figures, comes with alternate faces:
He also comes with a Chip Chase in wheelchair figure, and that silly alien face from a season 2 episode:
When you stand him next to his brother Sideswipe, I feel he clearly stands out as the better looking figure, and not just in his own mind. I've felt for a while now that we need a new Sideswipe, and in my humble opinion at least, Sunstreaker really drives that home. Not that Sideswipe is a bad figure, but you can clearly tell the designers have learned a thing or two. Sunny also looks good with others:
A concern I read early in the thread mentioned his side view mirrors and the possibility of breakage during transformation. While I can see that, I had no difficulty changing him with out damage there. I think that clearance room was very much taken into consideration during design, and that every thing works just fine. If not, Takara has you covered as they have added a replacement set:
This is a very welcome habit that Takara has gotten into.
In conclusion, I have almost no complaints on this figure. Sunstreaker is an amazing work of art, and a worthy addition to any collection. I really can't recommend this figure enough.
Synopsis
Cybertron has been invaded. The Transformers encounter unwelcome guests at the heart of Cybertron—and they may not have their hosts’ best interests at heart. Refugees from another world, the Visionaries’ startling magical abilities could make them powerful allies… or dangerous enemies.
evil wizard probably still evil
Story
It's a new year, and a new month, and a new week, so of course, we have a new comic book day -- with a new IDW Publishing Hasbro shared universe crossover which brings a new reality and a new threat to a newly found order and semblance of peace on Cybertron, in the form of Merklynn's Visionaries. And here's my first disclaimer: I never had any interest of knowledge of Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light.
Yep, all of them
With that taken care of, I'll admit I was able to follow the entirety of the plot and the dynamics - personal, interpersonal, interplanetary, inner and outer - that are being set up by newcomer to the Transformers part of the universe Magdalene Visaggio. And for the Visionaries part of the story, despite some admittedly by-the-numbers characterisations and set-ups, I wasn't displeased.
...and then we get here
On the Transformers side of the story however, issues arise. Aplenty. The core Cybertronian cast is small, but that is not an issue - Ironhide, Kup, Wheeljack can easily carry a story, as Revolutionaries and issues in the ongoings have shown - but their personalities here do not feel coherent with their previous IDW incarnation at all, even following more of a G1 animated series couple of pointers at times. Which actually has repercussions on the way the plot unravels.
also Breakdown is in it
And that is the crux of the issue: Cybertron is in peril, again. Realities will be shattered, again. We've just had a new status quo established on the planet after First Strike and as this issue is starting up - and just like that, everything comes crumbling down in the most lazy, forced, unnecessary way possible. More on this below.
Art
As I mentioned in the initial part of the review, the story is perfectly understandable, readable, and legible - and that is a virtue in the layouts too. Fico Ossio works extremely well with what Visaggio sets out, and we have a story that works from a visual perspective, as well as some pleasing improvements in the treatment of Cybertronian features since the early days of Revolution.
thassa good mug
Similarly, as with the previous work on First Strike, the colours by David Garcia Cruz work really well with the new (help me say it here, though) take on technology vs magic, giving us both vibrancy and shadow where required, and working well with partner in crime Ossio. Some of the background lightings are particularly noteworthy.
DOOT you too
I did also quite enjoy the lettering work of Gilberto Lazcano, perhaps more subdued than others in the approach to the craft, but still expertly weaving through the layouts to clarify points, names, and emphasis where required by the script and story. And while we have seen a lot of the covers already - you can check them all out in our database of course - the Brendan Cahill / Lauren Bennett one chosen for the thumbnail is perhaps the most poignant (if anything had landed in the story).
Thoughts WARNING: this may contain spoilers
We have seen all of the issues and problems that this book has brought to light once before, featuring the same exact characters and set-up, already: Infestation. And much like Infestation, there is nothing there that hooked me in any way to keep on reading or covering the series with any interest. In fact, the reaction I have seen to the final events range from the 'unnecessary, but meh' to complete, and I'd say justified, frustration and anger.
...
My main point, however? I blame very little on this on the writing, the script, or the directly involved creative team (the credited ones, I mean) - this feels a lot, almost reeks, of editorial mandates. The editorial backmatter, to me and many others, confirms that. The multiple misspellings (Breakdown, Trailblazer) and insistence on certain points confirm it. The multiple covers showing gruesome deaths of Cybertronian characters are part of the confirmation too.
And after the affirmation brought by the likes of Optimus Prime and Till All Are One, and Lost Light to a lesser extent, this was entirely unnecessary, and unfair to Visaggio, Ossio, and the rest of the team.
Thanks to regular reviewer and Seibertronian Chuckdawg1999, we have a review of Takara Transformers Legends Bumblebee, a slight repaint of Titans Return Bumblebee which also comes with a retooled Headmaster Titan Master version of Spike, featuring the face of Cerebros as he appeared in the "The Rebirth" episodes of the US G1 series. While the character of Cerebros/Fortress had a vastly different origin in Japan (as Rebirth was initially ignored in Japanese G1 cartoon continuity, and not even broadcast on Japanese TV until 2007), he's still included with Bumblebee as an homage to that three-parter.
Are the paint differences and the inclusion of Spike enough for you to double-dip on this figure? Or dip into it for the first time? It's worth pointing out that with Takara and Hasbro figures having the same decos for the foreseeable future, this may be one of the last figures to have any differences between it and the Hasbro versions, thus, somewhat negating the Takara vs. Hasbro figure debate. Let us know your thoughts below after watching the video!
Happy New Year, Seibertronians! With a new year comes more Titans Return, and so we arrive on the ninth episode of Machinima's animated series. Head-scratching moments abound, so let's just dive right in!
We open right where the previous episode left off, as Fort Max stands before Trypticon with Optimus, Windblade, and Emissary in his hand. And almost immediately off the bat we're reminded of one of the series' biggest issues. Fort Max is pelted with bolts from the same cannon that fired one shot at Prime and hurled him across the map, but acts like it's nothing. A mild inconvenience. He carries on a conversation through the entire scene while constantly getting hammered with countless lasers. This show needs to understand battles are not night and day, perfectly healthy to dead. Show some struggle, some battle damage. Heck, even if it's just little burn marks, just SOMETHING. Make us feel an emotional connection to the characters. If you don't want to do that, establish that they have a force field or shield around them, like the ships from Star Wars. Or, since this series loves glowy neon orbs so much, give him an actual lazer shield that expands from his arm! That would look so cool! THIS IS NOT THIS HARD, PEOPLE. It's really starting to bother me, and is really making it feel like they were just, frankly, too lazy to alter the character models in any way. "Yeah, sure, we can make him fall over, but blaster marks? Ha! That's above MY pay grade."
Anyway, Trypticon transforms back to kaiju mode, and battles Fort Max, and again, the Titan fights are proven to be when this series is at it's best. The combiners can't reform their super combiner mode, as they've spent all of their energy. They decide to just split up and try to distract the Titan Dinosaur. Optimus discovers Megatron just watching the battle, and tries to convince him to fight. He's unsuccessful for the time being, as he's distracted by Fort Max, who lands a couple good hits on Trypticon, knocking him on his back. It looks like the Autobots have the upper hand for the first time in this battle, and Victorion rushes him, trying to finish him off. At the last second he turns his head and devours her whole. Literally, in one bite. Hey, it's Attack on Titan! Heheheh
The odds then stack up against the Autobots, as not only did they lose a fighter but Trypticon has also consumed the Enigma of Combination, which somehow activates it, granting him magical powers. He promptly uses them to knock Fort Max and the other remaining Autohots down. It is a glorious couple of minutes of action, and it's extremely pretty. The visuals of Trypticon using the Enigma are very good looking. Again, the art style and color palette are very quickly becoming my favorite parts about this series. I'm excited for the Doctor Strange remake starring Trypticon
Trypticon takes control of the other combiners and makes them turn on Fort Max. Windblade and Emissary decide they have to get them off the City Titan, so they do a couple strafing runs, knocking Devastator and Menasor off. Computron fights back, however, and sends her way off course, crashing into the ground, conveniently right at Megatron's feet. I was almost going to complain about how Windblade shot Fort Max more than the combiners she was aiming for, but then I realized there's no point, because damage is meaningless in this series. HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAA
Windblade convinces Megatron to finally join the fight, and he narrowly saves Optimus from Devastator. While this is all happening, Perceptor has received a message from the Matrix of Leadership, which he's supposed to be carrying to safety. He brings it back into the city, presents it to Trypticon, and also gets straight up eaten whole. With that, the episode ends.
Trypticonus Prime?
This episode brings us one step closer to the end of this season, and I have to say i'm kind of enjoying the overarching story. When you zoom into each episode, the details and execution annoy me, sure, but the actual story isn't awful. It's an interesting idea, and now that we're closer to the climax, the action is more fast-paced, fun and definitely watchable. Depending on how they tie it all up, of course, but that remains to be seen.
Thanks for reading! You can watch this episode for yourself over on Go90, and come back and tell me if you agree or if you think I was totally off base. Catch you next week with the release of Episode 10!
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