A Mega Experience

Transformers and video games rarely get along. The first movie game had great visuals for the characters, but that was all it had going for it. The ROTF game I always felt was underrated, but it certainly wasn't groundbreaking. War for Cybertron was the first transformers line built from the ground up to be a video game line, which is always a greater recipe than an adaptation. Supposedly part of the Prime continuity (despite having far more in common with G1), the plot, character designs and aesthetics were all chosen with playability in mind.

Cybertron Megatron is the third War for Cybertron design featured in the Generations toyline, and looking at his "tank" mode, it'd be hard to see why he is my favorite. Essentially a block with a gun sticking out, it isn't going to win any awards for beauty, but it is accurate to the game in that respect and it is stable and solid. The treads can hide underneath for accuracy of fold out to the sides for functionality; though this greatly detracts from his looks. The large cannon can fire a purple missile.

The transformation is far simpler than that of his linemates, and whilst I like complex conversions, I can appreciate efficiency too, especially when the results are this good. Robot mode is imposing and bulky, the tank cannon having formed Megatron's signature fusion cannon and the simple transformation giving him solid limbs. There are no parts hanging off him, no folded vehicle sections, no unsightly backpack; the backplate is actally a detailed piece that folds into place and accurately conveys the video game design, very important given the third person perspective of the game. This is an all round great figure if you like the look, though I can see people being put off by it. When I first saw pictures of the figure I thought it looked rubbish, but after seeing the design in motion in the game and the clever transformation in videos, I was converted, and I'm glad I managed to track this figure down.

A wheely good update.

I like Truck Transformers. Always have, probably always will. My first transformers series was Armada, and my favorite toy from that line was Optimus. To me, Optimus as a longnose truck cab is almost as iconic as the famous G1 look. RTS Optimus is a tribute to the first such Prime.

Vehicle mode is a refreshing change from the super modified movie truck and instead is a more average american rig, lacking the sleeper cab and full wheel arches of the former. It has a full set of ten tyres and a detailed trailer hitch, this mode isn't just designed to look good from the front.

The transformation is rather novel, with the blocks of rear tyres swivelling and compressing into the robot's legs, whilst the cab rotates and slides down to form the iconic window chest. Posablity is good, with special attention paid to the wrists to allow for holding the sword in both hands. The sword itself is a nice update to the simple transparent block of the original, with the blade clearly inspired by those of the movieverse character.

Overall, this is a very nice figure for Truck or Prime fans; being a fan of both, I was always going to get this figure. I am among the many who hope to see this figure redecoed into RID Scourge, but even if it isn't, this is still a great looking and fun figure, if a bit of an oddity.

Alternity Black Convoy

                                           

For those of you who don’t know me, I am a little bit of a Transformers fan. A lot of what I post here will be Transformers related, they currently take up the largest share of my attention, and are easy to review, they do enough to be interesting, but not enough to become summed up in a boring list of thousands of tiny functions (most of the time). To start with, one of the more unusual figures in my collection, Alternity Black Convoy.

The Alternity line of Transformers is difficult to explain, and this character within it even more so. Black convoy is the third version of this mould and as can be guessed from the name, is in a shiny black colourscheme.

Being a high end Japanese figure most of that black is paint over die-cast metal, which makes the figure much heavier than others of comparable size; that is essentially any deluxe-class figures. Transformation is satisfying and complex without being awkward.

Robot mode adds the classic “Nemesis Prime” blue to the mix. The only issue is with the way the legs clip together, there is a lot of stress on some of the transparent plastic. Overall a nice figure, if a bit on the pricey side.

Welcome

Welcome to my creatively named blog. The name may change. This blog is not going to be about anything in particular, but will cover the many wonderous things that my money inevitably turns into. So often I want to talk about something new and exciting I just bought and find that I don't really have anywhere to put the inevitable ramblings. The first few posts I make won't be new things however, they'll be things I already have photo's on the computer for since I'm lazy.