A Little Plane

Skyhammer is the wavemate of Heavytread and because of this he has always lived in Heavytread's shadow, and never seemed as interesting as the Autobot tank. Skyhammer's plane mode is quite dull looking, but is actually nicely detailed and painted. Like Heavytread, Skyhammer features a camouflage colourscheme; in this case a blue-gray combination. The underside is quite bulky, but not horribly so, particularly for a figure this size. The rear landing gear is permanantly deployed but the nose wheel can be folded away. An orange peg can be flipped up between his tailfins to attach his minicon airlift in his vehicle weapon mode.

The transformation is similar in many ways to the wave one Skyburst, with the arms and legs stored in a very similar manner and the cockpit ending up on the robot mode chest. The most distinctive feature in robot mode is the position of the wings which stick out from his shoulders and back, positioned so as to not get in the way of the arms, it looks a little haphazard, but in a practical sense it works better than keeping them flat. His legs look a bit too wide for the rest of him, but apart from this his proportions are good. Airlift can be rearranged so he can be held in this mode, exchanging the socket for vehicle mode for a handle for Skyhammer to hold.

Skyhammer's torso mode is one of the tallest in the line, and whilst he has a somewhat lanky build he manages to avoid looking skinny. Rather than simply switching heads, Skyhammer instead gets a helmet and goggles over his existing one. It creates a different look whilst adding the mass necessary for this mode. The wings now point straight up and are held in place by the folded robot arms. Articulation here is pretty standard, but the way his legs are formed hinders his hip movement. Airlift can form a chestplate (not very good) or put into his own robot mode (recommended).

Skyhammer is a good indication of the progress this line has made, compared to wave one Skyburst there are a lot of refinements. Whist he may not be as popular as Heavytread, he is still well worth a look.

Autobot Tankdozer

It is unfortunate that the Transformers Power Core Combiners line is ending; whilst it didn't start on the best footing, the overall quality of the line has increased with each wave of new figures. Coming from the same wave as the Constructicons and Dinobots I've already looked at, Heavytread with Groundspike shows the progress that the two packs have made alongside the five packs.

Heavytread turns into a large (for the price) tank in a vaguely desert based camouflage, with some yellow and drab green areas. His minicon groundspike can form a large mine plow that can be attached to the front of the tank on a flip out post. There is a lot of subtle detail on every surface of the tank, and though I won't pretend to know what it all represents, I'm sure that it is all based off real features of real tanks. There are four wheels embedded in the treads, and the turret is capable of a full rotation. The only weaknesses in this mode are apparent from the back, two of the blue blocks are visible and the rear of the vehicle is somewhat incomplete.

Robot mode is as bulky as you would expect from something that was just a tank. More of the dark green comes into play here, as well as the black treads commanding more attention. For being so bulky he is surprisingly articulated, with ankle joints being the only noticable ommision. There is more than a hint of G1 Brawl in this guy's design, despite him being an autobot, the blocky head and position of the main gun are similar. Groundspike can be put in his own robot mode or can become a large claw weapon that fits over Heavytread's right hand.

Heavytread's torso mode is one of the bulkiest of the line, with a larger but equally blocky head and the entire front of the tank forming his chest and shoulders. The turret is cleverly turned into an asymmetrical backpack. Groundspike can form a chestplate for this mode, but like most of the other minicons in the line this mode falls a bit flat compared to his other modes. Whilst he doesn't come with any drones of his own, Heavytread can utilise those from any of the five packs, and looks best with the Combaticons or their redecos. He forms the core of a stumpy but imposing combination that gives the impression of a lot of mass.

I really do like the Power Core line, the two-pack figures in particular are a lot of fun and feel much more substantial than the similarly priced scout class figures. It's a pity that these guys are becoming hard to find, and are often marked up slightly compared to earlier waves. Heavytread is worth it though, even if you don't have any drones, he is a great little standalone figure.

I Scream, You Scream

I feel that many fans don't acknowledge what the live action Transformers movies have done for the Transformers brand. Transformers post-2007 became much more oriented towards nostalgia, and about delivering exactly what the fans want. Fan favorite lines such as the 2008 Universe and 2010 Generations lines would not have been able to exist without the awareness and money brought in by the film franchise. Even the 2006 classics line existed only to prepare nostalgic fans for the boom about to take place in the Transformers world. Now on its third film, the franchise is as devisive as ever, but it is difficult to deny the fact that the movies brought something for every Transformers fan.

The massive success of the first movie line caught Hasbro by surprise, meaning that what later waves were filled with was basically filler. After Revenge of the Fallen, more preparation was made, and the Hunt for the Decepticons line was rolled out.

Starscream was the largest truly new figure in the line. Fans had been asking for a leader class Starscream for some time (those who weren't moaning about how the movies had ruined the brand forever), and he was a popular enough character in traditional markets (i.e. children) for it to happen. Starscream is based on his appearance in Revenge of the Fallen, his otherwise accurate F-22 Raptor mode covered in Cybertronian markings. The jet mode is nicely detailed and decently proportioned; although in order to avoid parts sticking out the fuselage is somewhat bulkier than would be realistic, the shape is about right but it has been stretched vertically to a degree in order to fit all the robot parts. There are three landing gear components that can be unfolded, each features a rolling wheel. Underneath there is also a deployable missile launcher and a compatible missile is stored under each wing. Pressing the decepticon logo behind the orange cockpit activates lights and sounds.

Converting him to robot mode is complex, but not as awkward as that of the otherwise stunning leader Optimus. The robot mode accurately represents the unconventional design, and whilst it looks a little off in his static 'in the box' pose, once he starts moving he really starts to shine. There is a huge amount of detail carried over from the CGI model and many parts move in tandem with joints, helping poses look natural. His legs have all the neccesary motion, and the arms do okay other than the forever absent rotation at the wrist, but it is the shoulder joints that truly make this figure. As well as traditional joints, there is a second swivel to allow for shrugging motions and a third torso joint on each side that allows him to flex his entire chest inwards. These joints perform what wold have before seemed impossible and allow for very natural stances for the strangely proportioned body. This is the first figure I have which can convincingly fold it's arms - in a normally shaped figure this would be quite something, in a figure with as broad a chest as Starscream it is quite frankly astounding. As well as his posability, features include additional electronics activated by pulling down on his cockpit, weapons hidden in his arms, and the ability to deploy the missile launcher from vehicle mode by attaching it to his folded up hand. The launcher and both missiles can be stored on his back when not in use.

Movie leader figures have been a bit hit and miss for Hasbro, whilst Optimus Prime tends to turn out well, other characters rarely feel as worthwhile. After Jetfire, I was hesitant to pick up another leader class jet, but on clearance at a third of his RRP I finally made the purchase and am glad I did. This is a fantastic figure for those who like the movie styling, and for those who don't, stop complaining and go play with your Generations Darkmount that this guy made possible.

Apologies

I must give my apologies to all my dedicated readers (I see you back there pretending this isn't the site you were looking for). Due to the untimely illness of my laptop I have been unable to post reviews. Normal merely unreliable service shall resume tomorro...ish.

Always Blame your Tooling

Reveal the Shield Grapple (Solar Storm Grappel on the packaging) is a retool of the single new Voyager mould from the 2008/9 Universe line. Inferno was a fantastic figure, but the design of his vehicle mode seemed to render a Grapple retool impossible. The shape of the truck didn't lend itself to carrying a crane arm, and anything on the top of the vehicle would end up attached to the robot's arms, not the right place for the crane to be.

None of this has stopped Hasbro from giving us this figure though, and it has come out surprisingly well. A few new side panels replace Inferno's water pipes with more suitable detailing, and the water cannon is replaced by an extending crane arm. The yellow is bright without hurting the eyes, with details in black and a nice grey. The roof lights are orange to complete the conversion from fire engine to construction vehicle.

Robot mode also gets a selection of new parts. Grapple has a new head, new arms, hands and even new toes. Unfortunately, he is somewhat of a step down in articulation from Inferno, the crane mounted on his right arm severely hinders movement and the wrists are moulded onto the arms and are unable to rotate like Inferno's. Besides this the robot mode is every bit as nice as Inferno's, the legs have a fantastic range of motion, the shoulders are strong and the head is mounted on a nice balljoint. Both modes share the feeling of solidness that made Inferno so popular, in fact the solid arm panels give Grapple the edge in this area.

It is hard to see this guy without directly comparing him to Inferno, and Hasbro has obviously put a lot of effort into ensuring that Grapple feels different. As an update to the character design, Grapple falls slightly short due to the layout of both modes, but he is still a great toy, particularly if you missed Inferno, but recommended even if you didn't.

Worth Tracking Down

The 2008 Universe line of Transformers broke new ground in many ways, but the biggest impact was left by the shared mould of Sunstreaker and Sideswipe. Whilst that is a story for another day, it is clear that these figures inspired the parts sharing of Tracks and Wheeljack.

Tracks turns into a blue supercar of indeterminite model. There are a lot of angles here, and the car is actually quite ugly on a design level; looking like it was built for function over form, somewhat different to the norm in a modern Transformers line.  The cartoony flame design from the G1 toy has been replaced with a more modern tribal style flame. This has caused a lot of argument within the fandom, but personally I like the update. As with the original, two white missiles are visible under the doors. The vehicle can assume a somewhat unconvincing flying car mode; although tweaking the official conversion improves it somewhat and it is nice that the designers made the effort.

Robot mode is very close to the G1 model, with typical classics upgrades to articulation and proportions. The controversial flame detail isn't visible on the front of the robot, instead a lot more white comes into play, and Tracks's distinctive red face is faithfully reproduced. The missiles from the vehicle modes are now on his shoulders, not taking up as much space as on the G1 toy but with just as much visual impact. The wings, along with his leg detail mark this out as Tracks, despite the proportions being more skewed towards Wheeljack. This follows the pattern set by Sunstreaker of the less accurate member of such a pair seeing release first, and is a wise move by Hasbro in my opinion.

From the first images of Tracks it was clear that this mould had more than meets the eye to it. With Wheeljack now released in the USA, people are noting exactly how much work went into making each character unique. Tracks is very much his own character, and was a great start for the Reveal the Sheild line.

Taking us Back

The first thing that comes to mind when you mention Autobots is robots turning into cars; its right there in the name after all. The 2007 Classics line aimed at making as many major characters as it could in the short time it had, and as such the only character we got from the 1984/85 autobot cars assortment -the main class of figures in the original line- was Mirage. It wasn't until the 2008 Universe line that Hasbro stretched their wings in producing these characters, there was barely a wave without one or two in it's selection of figures. But still Hasbro had missed a few tricks, in particular one of the most popular characters in the original cartoon and one of the the few to make it into the 2007 movie, was well overdue an update.

Reveal the Sheild Jazz was worth the wait. Next to older figures the progress that the Takara engineers have made is obvious, and finally the character has a worthy toy. Vehicle mode is a mix between aspects of the G1 toy and the movie prop car, being a small two door sportscar in classic (unbranded) Martini racing colours. The vehicle mode is solid and well detailed, although the rear end is lacking paint somewhat. There is a small spoiler just behind his roof, on which his rubsign is situated. The doors can open in order to deploy a pair of speakers, a nod to the character's love of music.

Despite it's small size, the vehicle unfolds into a robot as large as any of the other deluxe Autobots. The result is a very nicely proportioned figure instantly recognisable as Jazz. There is a large amount of usable articulation including a balljointed neck and double hinges on his knees and elbows. His feet are sculpted at an angle to allow natural stances and his fists are the newer open style, and despite troubles I've had with similar ones on other figures Jazz's have caused me no problems. The vehicle mode speakers can be attached to his handgun to make it larger or simply deployed over his sholders as in vehicle mode; although this is somewhat at odds with his stern expression. The only issue Jazz suffers from is a lack of locking mechanism for his chest, only apparent when moving his arms and easy to overcome.







With their current rush of post 1986 characters it's good to see that Hasbro haven't forgotten older favorites. This figure has been well worth the wait, and with only Trailbreaker and Hoist remaining of the first two years of Autobot cars, we seem to be approaching the end of an era in the classicsverse, but who better to herald it than someone who ought to have been in the first wave.