Transformers: Reveal the Shield
Wreck-Gar
One of the images from the 1986 animated film Transformers: The Movie that really stuck in my head was the face of the Junkion (a native of the Planet of Junk, duh) leader, Wreck-Gar, with starlight glinting in his eye after he says “You check in, but they don’t check out.” It was during the “Junkions Attack” scene and was set to “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Dare to Be Stupid.” Right after he says it, he whips his tire shield at Springer. It was mind-bogglingly awesome to my 7 year old brain.
The Junkions (who were made out of junk, duh), are easily knocked down, but they get right back up again, and there are thousands of them. Plus they talked “TV”. It’s sort of like lolcat, but without the appalling grammatical errors and horrendous spelling.
So it’s no surprise that I really wanted the Transformers: Reveal the Shield Wreck-Gar once it was released here.
Like Special Ops Jazz, he comes in the orange Reveal the Shield packaging. It’s a simple carded bubble that is easy enough to open and protects the toy well. The bubble gives a good view of the toy in its vehicle form, with a character portrait in the corner. In the back are photos of the two modes, dirt bike and robot, with explanations about the features of the toys, a short bio, and the location of the “rubsign”, the heat sensitive decal that gives the sub-line its name.
It also lists it’s conversion as level 3, Intermediate. *coughs and says “bullshit” under his breath*
Since it comes in bike form, let’s start there. He’s not based on any real world bike I’ve ever seen; more like a Cybertronian version of a dirt bike. His scale is totally off if compared to other Transformers (even Leader Class ones like Starscream), but that’s to be expected. Transformers has never been a line that can be expected to keep to a single scale. What’s great about his size though, is that he is perfect for 6” figures, including Deluxe-sized Transformers.
If you have Marvel Legends figures like the Hasbro Deadpool or Daredevil, they fit nicely on Wreck-Gar. Even better, his line mates also fit on him. If you have the cash, you can buy two of them (or wait for the eventual re-paint) and re-enact the “Junkions Attack” scene yourself. He’s even got allowances on seat and sides that match up with his man parts (after you’ve transformed him) and allow him to better ride himself (ewww).
And did I mention both wheels can spin?
Once you do figure out how to get him into robot mode (trust me, it’s a pain), he’s a pretty great looking bot. There’s not even a smidgen of an attempt at symmetry here. His tires are both on one side, his legs are totally different, and he looks appropriately run down, as if he was cobbled together instead of intelligently designed. It’s very fun to look at.
What’s even more surprising is that despite his look, he IS intelligently designed.
For one, his weapon is built in to the vehicle. His exhaust pipe becomes a war axe, unfolding and unfurling. While I would have preferred some paint applications on what would have been a chromed part in real life, it’s still a great way to improve the playability of the toy.
He’s also got some wicked articulation. A ball jointed neck, ball jointed shoulders, swivel biceps, hinged elbows, swivel wrists, a swivel waist (YES!), ball jointed hips, swivel thighs, hinged knees, and excellent ball jointed ankles. Both his elbows and knees have an unbelievably wide range of motion, better than the double-hinges you get on Marvel Legends figures and the rest of the joints just build on that. It really is hugely fun to pose this guy:
The first Wreck-Gar toy, while having that chunky, block appeal of all Generation One toys, wasn’t really all that fun. The Transformers Animated one, while fun, wasn’t really very close to what we remember from season two of the show. This version has the best of both worlds if you ask me. Though there are some things I’d want changed (REMOVABLE TIRE SHIELD, HASBRO! With SPIKES!), he is a great toy as he is, and worth a recommendation.
He weighs in at Php 700.00 ($15-16.00 US), and is relatively easy to find (Playkit has been focusing on importing Transformers more than any other line because of it’s popularity), so he’s a relatively good value. I thought I wouldn’t be able to find him since he was in one of the later assortments, but happily, the new waves have been appearing in similar numbers to the first ones. I’ve been able to score most of the Generations and Reveal the Shield figures (still need to get Cliffjumper, Darkmount, Thunderwing, and Perceptor I think) at retail; a welcome change from having to get them at a premium at Greenhills.
I’m looking forward to seeing the same thing happen with the upcoming Dark of the Moon toys as well.
Play Arts Cloud Strife:
Fenrir vs Hardy Daytona
Originally posted on Oct 28, ‘08 at http://slangards.multiply.com
I’m not a big fan of the game , but when I saw Fenrir at 2Rats, I just wanted it right away. Sadly, the asking price was out of my budget (like 5k if I remember correctly) and Toy Kingdom wanted even more for it (6.5k at the time). Luckily, I only had to wait about 3-4 months when the last of the shops stock all went on sale. Got one MIB for 2.5k at one of the toy cons (not MISB since some 2Rats/Comic Alley branches open boxes to display toys).
The box is pretty collector friendly. There aren’t any twisties and everything goes back in pretty easily if you wanted to display it in the packaging. However, it’d be sad to leave Fenrir and Cloud in the box as these are toys that you have to feel in your hand.
Once you have the bike out of the box, the first thing you’ll notice is the weight. Fenrir is a heavyweight. The construction is nice and solid, and the material feels durable. There are actual working, rubber wheels front and back, as well as a nice front assembly that give the suggestion of a working steering mechanism. Notice that I said “suggestion”, because the steering doesn’t actually work. I compared it to my 12″ Ghost Rider’s Flame Cycle, and Fenrir wins handsdown; Ghosty’s ride is sort of a hollow shell with paint apps doing most of the work, while Fenrir is a nice scale model with sculpted parts.
Even if there weren’t a Fenrir, you’d still want to get the Advent Children Cloud. Like most of the Play Arts FF figures, he’s got a nice balance between sculpt and articulation. While you won’t be entering him in any Marvel Legends gymnastics competitions, the re-design of the character is represented well with this figure. His hair is one thing that is remarkable; it’s made of a flexible translucent plastic that is very nice. His costume is also great; well sculpted to hide most of the joins, and the apron/overall thing he wears is a separate piece that you can move behind him when he is riding Fenrir.
He also comes with the Buster Sword and and extra hand. The sword is nice, but you’re unlikely to ever use the extra hand since it’s a b*tch to remove and you’ll want him with the sword anyway. You’ll want to keep the sword in his hand as much as possible because it’s hard to get it out and tends to damage the fingers’ paint.
If your familiar with the Play Arts line, then you already know the pros and cons of their figure construction. Joints that become loose relatively quickly, pegs that tend to break off, and plastic that gets dirty fast. The Cloud figure shares all that. Mine already has loose ankle and elbow joints, and collects dust like nobody’s business. I would have liked it if they had included a breakaway sword that could be hidden in Fenrir like the movie, but that’s probably asking too much.
When the Game Version of Cloud came out with Hardy Daytona, I went through the same thing. This time though I had enough extra cash to buy it at the regular price. Again, the box is the same as the first boxset, with a plastic mold to keep everything in place and a window to view the figure. The set includes the bike, the figure, a few extra hands (again you’ll probably never use them since you’ll display him with the sword or on the bike) a damaged version of the Buster Sword and some pegs that go into his back where you can hang it.
The pegs are a nice touch, though I don’t know why they needed to make it a seperate piece from the figure. I tends to fall out and get lost if your not careful. The costume is no where near as detailed as the first one, and his hair is solid yellow unlike the nice plastic of the AC version. I don’t really care much for the figure. What drew me to the FFVII AC line was the relatively realistic sculpts. The Game Versions have that annoyingly cutesy anime look. Many people will disagree, but to coin a phrase, big cutesy eyes detract from the “badassery”.
The knee joints on this Cloud are a little weird. Unlike the AC Cloud, the GV Cloud can bend his knees back to about a 65-75 degrees from vertical. The actual joint is hidden well by the sculpted folds in his pants, and allows him to almost sit on his haunches. It’s a nice touch, but not necessary since 45 degrees is enough to set him on the bike.
On the other hand. Daytona Hardy is a great toy. Again, there is a great amount of detail in the sculpt of the bike, with individual components showing. There is a rudimentary steering system, but it only turns the front wheel about 5 degrees. Barely noticeable. It stands a bit higher than Fenrir, but it’s much much more steam punk industrial. It would go great with any figure actually. If I had to choose, I’d have picked this bike over Fenrir, for the more intricate detailing and general look.
Overall, I’d say the Fenrir boxset is the must have between the two due to the superior figure giving you more value. However, if you’re a fan of the game, a steam punk fanatic, or just like really cool toys, I’d say pick up Daytona Hardy as well.
Ozine Fest 2011 is Here!
So tommorow (today?) I’ll be waking up early and dragging my pasty butt to Megamall before work to check out Ozine Fest. It’s been a while since I attended a Convention and it’s always fun to see the cosplayers strut their stuff.
Though, I figure there won’t be that many today. Saturday is the Group competition and Sunday is the Individual so, most of the hobbyists will be there then. I just want to get a chance to see the rest of the place before it gets nuts (Cosplayers are always accompanied by Photobugs).
There looks to be a lot of stuff going on:
Anime Karaoke Contest
Art Contest
Battle of the Bands
Cosplay Competition
Host Club (I don’t know what it is either…)
Indie Artist Booth
K-Pop Dance Contest
There’s also a Maid Cafe, Matsuri Area, and all the usual ancilliary toy and manga stuff you normally see at cons. I think I actually bought my Fenrir at the Ozine Fest in Megamall back a few years ago…
I do remember visiting one and seeing the most awesome thing (Thanks to Wendee Yap for the all the photos in this blog post):
There was also alot of this:
I also remember getting stabbed in the throat. It hurt.
Anyway, if you enjoy anime, manga, cosplay, novelty, japanese stuff, toys, comics, etc etc etc, you could do worse than visit Megamall from April 8-10, 2011.
Here’s the rest of the details
Ozine Fest 2011
Today (Friday) at 10:00am - Sunday at 9:00pm
Megatrade Halls 2 and 3, SM Megamall
Entrance is p100 per day (gift items for early convention goers)
Visit Otakuzine Anime Magazine on Facebook or the The Ozine Fest Website for more details.
McDonald’s Happy Meal
Rio Toys
Whee!
I’ll admit to being bummed out when I first found out that McDonalds and Disney had dissolved their decade-long partnership in 2006. That meant those great Happy Meal toys from 101 Dalmations, Tarzan, Atlantis and all the other great giveaways. But if that never happened, we never would have gotten the Spectacular Spider-Man set, or those sweet Marvel Superheroes toys, or those crazy fun Monsters vs Aliens! figures.
Because McDonalds wasn’t locked into an exclusive agreement with The Mouse House, they were free to partner with Dreamworks on properties like Kung-Fu Panda (still kicking myself for selling those), and Lego with the Lego Batman toys (still need to find a way to get these).
Right now, the Happy Meals include another picture from Fox’s CGI division Blue Sky Studios, Rio.
As you can probably tell from the solicitation piece above, Rio is the story of couple of birds. Specifically, the last pair of Blue Macaws in the world who get stuck together in Rio de Janeiro, running from people who want to sell them for big bucks on the black market. The birds look to be based on the Spix’s Macaw, another species that’s extinct in the wild, but with a small captive population.
The main protagonist is Blu, a male macaw whose owner lives in Minnesota. As expected, his looks to be the first figure in McDonalds’ line up to vanish from the toy bins.
So let’s save that one for last. Hehehe.
First up is Blu’s love intrest, Jewel.
Jewel is one of the figures that takes up the most space. It’s not that she’s particularly massive, but she’s sculpted with her wings fully extended. Makes her quite the space hog on the shelf, but it looks great.
Like most figures from Happy Meals, there are some action features. The first is mechanical. Press a button on her back and her wings are raised up. The second feature is electronic; a light behind the flower on her heard turns on when you press the button.
The light is kind of silly really. Maybe it’s something to do with the movie (a rare blossom or something?), but it’s kind of useless. Kids might get a kick out of it the first time, but I think they’d perfer the sound features on the other toys.
Next in line is Nigel, the bad guy (at least that’s what I gather from the trailers). I think he’s a cockatoo? The character is voiced by Jemaine Clement of The Flight of the Conchords.
His action feature is about the same as Jewel’s. You press his upper body down, and his right arm and his crest move upward.
Whee.
As action features go, it’s boring yes, but it’s also unobtrusive. The figure looks great as a display piece, especially along side the other toys. And the action of his arm does look kind of silly, like he’s pontificating.
My favorite of the bunch is probably Rafael. I’ve already bought 2 of them (gave the other to my girlfriend).
Again, he’s got a button on the back that activates the physical mechanism and the electronics. Instead of a light, Raphael has a sound chip inside that plays some kind of Latin dance music, which goes perfectly with the way he’s posed. His wings also extend out when you press the button.
There is also a switch found on the two macaws as well as the toucan. If you’re not a fan of the music, you can simply switch it to the off position and pindot (press) to your heart’s content.
The last one I’m reviewing of course, is Blu himself:
I love the way they’ve done him, with the pose that envinces some kind of action going on, rather than just having him stand there. It’s true for most of the figures really. Plus it’s great that the skate board is removable. If you don’t really feel like having him skate around, and want him to dance with any of the other toys, it’s easy to do.
The button to activate his sound chip (which plays a sort of skateboarding anthem) is located on his front; the tip of what would be his thumb. Not sure why they just didn’t put it in the back like the others, seeing as how it doesn’t really NEED to be there. But then again, it’s not that noticable, especially since they’re all pretty much cast in the color they need to be in.
What paint they do have (beaks and eyes mostly) is subject to imperfections, so if you’re a stickler, be careful choosing. You’ll need to work at it, since the figures are basically in plastic pags with some printed instructions on them. It’s hard to examine a toy through those things, and you’re likely to piss off that 300 lbs dude in back of you waiting to get his quarter pounder with cheese (that would be me).
This really is a great set of toys, though I’m not sure if I want to complete it. Like most McDonalds sets, there are the awesome looking pieces that look great on their own, pieces that look great as a set, and the pieces that just look crappy from the get go.
I might still get Pedro, and MAYBE Nico (I’m on the fence about him), but I’m pretty sure I’ll pass on Luiz and Mauro. Kipo looks to be a regional exclusive (we don’t have him here in the Philippines), but he doesn’t look all that interesting either. I’m kind of bummed that Eva isn’t available, though. That one would look nice next to Raphael.
Oh, well. What we got was pretty great, and there’s always eBay.
McDonalds Happy Meal’s
Monsters vs. Aliens!
Originally posted on http://slangards.multiply.com on March 27, 2009
Until the official movie toys hit our shores, Happy Meals are our soulution to that animated movie toy fix! McDonalds may have lost the Disney license for making American kids fat, but Dreamworks seems to have no qualms with promoting burger guzzling.
The newest Happy Meal set is from the new Dreamworks animated film, Monsters vs. Aliens. Personally I can’t wait to see this movie. I love the trailer, and if they seem to have come a long way from Shark’s Tale. Kung Fu Panda re-screen anyone?
Hating the fact that I never got a Po the Panda when the last Dreamworks set came out (despite eating Burger Mcdos for a week and collecting all the rest of the figures), I decided to do it in one fell swoop. 8 happy meals in a day. Ugh did I feel sick. But success is mine as I was able to get the entire set. Like all of the previous sets, it’s a hit and miss affair. I have my favorites, so I’ll save them for last.
the one I badly want to give away is Dr. Cockaroach.
Not only because I hate roaches (really really hate hate hate), but because he’s way way out of scale. I figured him for a little figure with some nice gadgets, but he’s huge. I’m sure kids will like the little pull toy, but he’s kind of boring.
Next up, Gallaxhar’s ship
This is just blah. It’s gimmick is that if you hit the alien in the middle the other pods shoot off. blah. The mechanism is touchy and they pods pop off constantly. Somehow, it reminds me of those Zentraedi ships in Robotech, you know the ones that looked like green turds? Only it’s purple and has three appendages. Unless you want to complte the set, forget it. I’d prefer it if they just gave us a figure of the General to go along with the others.
Next is Gallaxhar:
Pull his rubber legs, and he lights up red. whoopdeedoo. You got to pull HARD too. I thought I’d break him doing it. You really need to yank him to light his fire. He’s also shape like something you’d find in an adult toy store. Not one for the win column.
The rest are wins in my book though. First up Gigantica:
The toy captures the cartoon reasonably well. It’s a relatively simply toy, just a poseble action figure with bendy legs and cut jonts on the shoulders and waist. I like it cause it’s simple.
Bob the Blob:
This is one time where an action feature is really fun. Spin him round and he goes off at random vectors, bumping into things and turning. Really great. Plus he’s translucent so looks really cool under light.
Insectosaurus:
Granted he doesn’t do much (squeaks), but he does have articulated (cut joints) arms and antennae. And he’s bloody kewt!
Robot:
This would have been my favorite if it hadn’t been for Missing Link. The robot is kinda like a transformer. Okay, not really. But his arms pop out and feet extend to stomp on innocent civilians. How cool is that? and he’s got a lenticular eye that gets all squinty.
The Missing Link is easily my favorite, and my pick for the one who’s gonna dissapear first:
When you push down his fin, his arms pop out, like he’s doing a silly dance:
And if you wind him up, he vibrates and really does do that silly dance:
Great sculpting, some articulation, and an interesting and unobtrusive action feature. Made of Win!
All in all, it’s a thumbs up for kids on this set, but I’d suggest sticking with the good guys.
If you're looking for biased, one-sided views of toys and other assorted geekery, then you're in the right place. If you want objective, you'll need a blog written by someone who isn't an obsessive geek.
These are my views on various toys, movies, places, and things, along with assorted pictures and the the occasional link to stuff I find sufficiently geeky.
Enjoy your stay and leave a comment.
Slangards
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