Toy Review: Dropshot & Overload

11/13/09

Transformers Universe:
Dropshot & Overload

Thankfully, the crazy rush of Transformers product has finally died down somewhat. I’ve got most of the figures I was looking for now, thanks to some hard-core toy hunting. Since I’ve sworn to cut back on toys to save up for a computer (so I don’t have to stay after work to do these reviews), I’ll be working on my not so modest backlog and writing up some reviews for the pictures I’ve taken. I can take photos at prolific rates, but this writing takes time.

So here we have two figures from the “Transformer Universe 2.0″ line. Like many of the figures that were smooshed into this group, both Dropshot (Beige Decepticon) and Overload (Green Autobot) are repaints. In this case, their base mold was the Cybertron Defense Scattorshot. Both are straight repaints, so dont’ expect much. If you’re not in love with the Soviet TOS-1 Buratino tank which this is based on, well then you can just pick one and be happy.

Me, I love Big Guns.

Let me qualify that. I love Big Guns when used appropriately. Big guns on GI Joes are silly. Big Guns on Rob Liefeild drawings are disproportionate. Big Guns with Mickey Mouse’s face on them are just plain retarded (I have seen this). Big Guns on tanks and other metal mechana made for mayhem is infinitely cool. That’s why it works on transformers so well.

So what does the TOS-1 do?

“The TOS-1 is intended to engage military personnel, equipment, and buildings, including fortified constructions.”

i.e. it bombs the shit out of the enemy.

With that in mind, the designers of the toy gave them the proper tools to get the job done. They are easily the two most well-armed bots I’ve got in my collection, enough pretend firepower to level a pretend Cybertronian City.

The package is the standard TF Universe Voyager pack. I really wish that they’d do something that wasn’t such a space hog. Hasbro’s weird boxes are attention getting, but their a bitch to store, don’t protect the toy very well on the shelf, and waste a ton of packing material. There’s alot of extra space in here, and none of the Voyager toys I’ve seen are big enough to justify it.

The graphics are nice, I’ll give them that. I’d love for them to collect the art on the TF Universe boxes and put out a nice book with their bios or something.

When you’ve finally got all that cardboard, plastic, and damnable twist ties off, you’ll have a nice tank ready to go. I was pleasantly surprised by this toy, since the designers went out of their way to really make it something to play with. Not only do you get a robot and a vehicle, you get an ARTICULATED robot and vehicle.

The tank’s rocket launchers elevate and turn on an axis so that both the bots have a 180 degree range in absolutely any direction. It’s beautiful!

There are some free rolling wheels on the bottom that allow him to move along the ground, and he’s got a nice addition up front with a battering ram thingie that turns into his feet.

The whole thing looks kind of like my old Micromaster Flak toy, but the transformation is completely different. For one, the smaller toy’s feet were made up of the turret, and the arms were the tracks. It was a basic flip down/flip up job. These two aren’t that much more involved (almost a shell former actually), but the scheme allows the artillery of the turret to be pointed at the enemy instead of the ground.

Since they’re both exactly the same mold, so the only reason you’ll choose one of the other is color. One’s green. The other is beige (or ecru?). I got both because the repaints make them look like different characters (this is me justifying dropping money on 2 of the same toy). They schemes are sufficently varied that you have to look to see that they’re the same mold.

Articulation wise, they’re decent. That nice articulated turret become nice articulated shoulders with the same range as a balljoint. They’ve got elbows and knees as well, with nice ratched hips that have about the same range as the shoulders. The neck also has a cut joint.

That’s above average for a Transformer and allows for some great play options.

Both come with 2 accessories. A rifle (which is kind of redundant seeing as how they have rocket launchers strapped to each arm) which fits in the standard Universe/Classics/Cybertron fist, and a “Cybertron” key that “unlocks” secret powers. The gimmick is odd, and isn’t always successful in being cool, but here it works. There is one slot at the back of each of the aforementioned rocket launchers. When you stick the key in, more weapons pop out.

Sure it’s over kill, but they’re BOTS WITH BIG GUNS. There is nothing better.

Transformers Voyagers were originally p1,500 (or p1,600? Not sure). I got these at p1000.00, after about 3 months when they went on sale. Later they went to p700.00. Later they went to p500.00. Today, they’re down to p400.00.

*headpalm*

This constant stream of price cuts is adversely affecting the toy industry. I imagine that the thinking behind the mass importation of these bargain toys was to introduce new buyers to Transformers, but it has had a reverse effect. Many “collectors” have started waiting for things to go to markdown since they think that that is the way of things. That ALL toys eventually hit the bargain bin.

Distributors are now ordering less and less of new figures. Take the recent Marvel Legends lines. Once buyers got a taste of “Buy One Take One”, people started saying, “WAIT!, I know the new wave is out, but DON’T BUY IT! Playkit’ll put them at BOTO in a few months!” Playkit did. Buyers bought. Scalpers sold the popular items at huge mark ups. Playkit then realized it was a losing bargain and cut orders on the last few waves. The last few waves were scarce beyond belief, and only sold in sets. I’m STILL looking for my Classic Iron Man and Ares Set.

I’m thinking it’s only a matter of time before both Transformers and GI Joe go the same way. At least when it happens, I’ll have less competition.

 

Read Thunderbreak’s article on the Philippine Toy Industry to learn more about BOTO Mentality.