Shockwave (Cyber Battalion)

Another great Christmas gift from my wife was this Cyber Battalion Shockwave toy. She knew I had been looking for one and secretly held onto the one she saw for a nice surprise. As a toy, Shockwave is great. Just a wonderful chunky old school style robot toy. He's just sharp looking and man I love playing with him.

Shockwave turns into a neat spaceship that resembles his G1 incarnations laser gun. It's such a good looking ship that it's hard not to love. Once again I'm reminded of older toys while holding this ship. A fun cruiser that looks straight out of a Toei super robot cartoon. Totally love this toy.

Cyberverse Shockwave (warrior class)

I've said I only plan to buy the occasional standard sized Cyberverse toy, because there is some super cool figures that I just need. Shockwave here was impossible to walk away from. His normal design just lends itself to the Cyberverse cartoonish styling. The new Warrior class for Cyberverse is different from the Warrior class from Robots in Disguise in that each one has a much more prominent play feature. Shockwave for example has a 'wave cannon'. I've talked about the really sharp packaging before, but just look at that. Those colors are so sharp! While I didn't need to use the instructions, I found myself looking through them as the colors were on those as well and made for a really nice looking pamphlet.I wish they'd include some story blurb or a bio to take advantage of that good looking paperwork.

Just look at that darn Shockwave. He looks really nice in this toy and aesthetic. I do wish he had a few more paint apps to bring out more of that sculpted detail, but for $14.99, there's going to be some compromises. I pay about $16.99 for a Generations deluxe which has more paint and 20$ for a Studio Series deluxe which has the more premium treatment. Siege toys look to be going towards that as well, so I assume they'll be more premium as well. So $14.99 is going to have a few concessions to make it cost a little less. It is what it is. Shockwave as some hollow parts and thinner plastic as well. He's pretty light, but was still pretty sturdy and didn't fall apart or anything. So honestly, it's not much to complain about, for me anyway. He has a fair amount of articulation, but his head doesn't move. Which isn't a big deal, but does seem a bit odd considering.

So that wave cannon on his back can fold over to mount on his shoulder for some fighting action.The cannon actually pegs into his back pretty well, and that peg is the lever intended to use to deploy the wave action. By the way, do you notice his antenna? There's not room for the cannon to fold down without hitting them, fortunately they can move forward to make the needed room. I'll be honest, I didn't care for that. There's nothing really wrong with it, I just didn't like it. The cannons lever moves to fold out the laser waves (snicker) of the wave cannon firing during that fight.

Kinda looks like the slime from Ghostbusters 2

I don't know if this is just one mine, or on all Shockwaves, but those fold out laser waves (snicker) didn't work well. The outside one did just fine, but the inside one stuck and didn't want to deploy. Maybe I got a weak spring.

Aside from his Alternator toy, Shockwave has never turned into a realistic Earth based form. In Cyberverse this continues as he turns into a spider tank. Spider tanks have been used in Transformers before and work for a cool sci fi tank variation. I almost wish this was a different character though as the mode seems more suited for someone more eccentric than Shockwave. It looks great though. The wave cannon is more present here, though you have to unfold it to let the wave shoot out.

Soon, the city will be mine and Megatron's... mainly Megatron's.

Warrior Class Shockwave is a good figure and really sharp looking despite a few flaws here and there. The flaws are mostly easy to ignore (and in some places are subjective) and it's a pretty good figure. I'm happy to have him and am reminded I need to get Cyber Battalion Shockwave as logic dictates that Shockwave toys are always a good choice.

GiG Predators and Turbomasters commercial

I've made my love of late European G1 to all of G2 Transformers known more than on a single occasion. The design style that started in that nebulous area between the end of G1 in European countries (oh the things we missed out on here in the States) and went through Generation 2 (with those European molds surfacing in Machine Wars and Universe). It's just perfect to me, the ideal evolution of that Diaclone/Microman genesis to original Transformers. Even now with all our fancy engineering in modern Transformers, if something makes me think of that era, I gravitate towards it.

It's a major reason why I like the more simple toys that come from lines intended for smaller children (Turbo Changers, Authentics, Cyber Battalion and so on), it's that they are extremely similar to this era of design and that's just something I love. Take that Authentics Bumblebee, despite all his budget restrictions slapping you in the face, he's got the skeleton of a G2 car bot. The various more simple toys of Robots in Disguise are 100 % seemingly lost in time relics of this era. Hell, there's a couple of 3 Step larger versions of Optimus Prime from RID that would blend right on in with a Victory or Brave figure. Whenever people say they wish Transformers were made like they used to be, all one has to do is point towards those. There was a Fast Action Battler toy from Age of Extinction, Vehicon, who was pretty much a remake of Stormtrooper Rage.

Occasionally I get asked why I like these oddball toys, and I usually just answer that I just like the random stuff (and I do), because sometimes folks just don't get it. They don't have too, it's all subjective and really not important. Everybody enjoys things differently, and this is one of the ways I enjoy things.

Bilz and Pap commercial featuring TF

Ok, so I live in the soda capital of the world and I'm not in the region that sells Bilz and Pap, so I can't participate. However those are some great 3D models used in the commercial, they all looked really good. Though I couldn't help to wish I had those larger scale Cyber Battalion toys that kid had...

Cyber Battilion Sideswipe

Stopping by a Walgreen's Saturday morning, I was happy to find the new Cyber Battalion Sideswipe toy. I've been really looking forward to getting this guy as he's just plain good looking. I mean look at those colors! I've always been a Sideswipe fan, so a solid new toy of him wasn't a hard sell. One thing I like about Cyber Battalion figures is the box they come in. Many Korean releases come in similar boxes and I've always liked it.

Sideswipe uses the same base skeleton as the Prowl toy, but with new car parts and head. This car mold is one of the better Cyber Battalion toys, so it's a good base for a car bot. Many have noted he looks more like Windcharger, and he sure does look like the Reveal the Shield version of the character. It doesn't really bother me as one of the things I like about Sideswipe is how his basic form is so universal (like Prowl). It just lends itself to being reused as other characters. I coudln't help to notice how close his head is to the MP Sideswipe toy. While there's no mistaking a more simple children's toy for a Masterpiece, that head really looks like the MP head. I wonder if they reused the mold or made a mold from from it (it's happened before). Either way it's a good looking toy.

Some folks have a hard time getting around an obvious G1 looking Sideswipe turning into a car that resembles his Robots in Disguise incarnation. To me it looks like a choice made for kids who may recognize the RID version while leaning towards the more traditional (that Evergreen buzzword we've been seeing so much) looking Transformers. Regardless, it looks good. The shape of the cars hood invokes a Lamborghini to me and I wonder if that's intentional. If Cyber Battalion continues, I could easily see this toy (or the Prowl version) being made into other characters as it's such a versatile looking mold.

I like these big chunky figures, there's something really pleasing about them for me and hey... why wouldn't I want that?

Hope these show up at Walgreens

While initial looks at these two popped up online last year, pics of the actual toys started showing up this past weekend. I've voiced before my fondness for these cool Cyber Battalion figures and here I am again doing so. I don't just want, I need these newest additions. Those look AMAZING. I don't know how much longer Cyber Battalion has in it with the Authentics showing up (specially the larger figures coming).

I think I'm only lacking Megatron and Grimlock ((not counting these) and the larger Optimus and Bumblebee as far as owning all of these. I really hope they show up at Walgreens like prior figures did. These big chunky robots are wonderful toys and pretty nice looking at that.

Man, these two look sharp. Sideswipe just looks great with that classic deco of his, and Shockwave almost looks like a premium toy.

Cyber Battalion Jetfire

Jetfire is one of those Transformers characters that is near iconic, but just below the obvious choices when people name off Transformers characters. For me he was always something awesome. There's a near Boba Fett level of intrigue to his name. Something that just can't be put into words, but right there in the mojo.

When the Cyber Battalion line released a version of him, I knew I had to have one. Fortunately the series has recently become available here in the US sold in Walgreen's stores for much less than can be found online. It's worth noting that there is a few available at Universal Studios, but not fair to compare the prices as that's at a theme park and sold as an exclusive to those parks here in the states (though I wonder how much longer as the Optimus and Bumblebee are available in Walgreen's now sans the Universal Studios label on the boxes). But essentially, you can now get these great figures much easier and cheaper at your local Walgreen's.

Jetfire is a remold and redeco of the Starscream that I've went over here before , so I won't have to much else to go over with him other than how great looking he is. Man these colors really look good on him. Something about that basic set of colors just really work on a jet. With the new head molding, it almost seems like this toy was always intended to be Jetfire. While Starscream was great in his own right, Jetfire just seems more natural.

These Cyber Battalion figures are a simple joy to be held. Not very complicated and possessing a very limited amount of articulation, they are basically giant legion figures and that's where their charm is. This is a big toy. Roughly voyager scaled. Sure, you can'y put him in an Ironman pose and take 5 million high def photos of him doing an Ironman pose in your fancy glass display case while using hashtags like #dope. But what you can do is open a big box full of solid chunky jet robot toy and probably throw him through a wall. I don't advise you do that, but it'd probably hurt the wall worse than the toy. Not to mention, it's just very satisfying to just fiddle with and pretty impressive to look at. While I imagine the upcoming Authentics discount line will eventually take the place of these, these are the perfect toys to sell at a store like Walgreen's or a Family Dollar.

I'm not going to try and convince you to go out and buy one if you don't want one. But I'm guessing if you read Zone Base, then you probably enjoy Transformers in a similar way to me and this is something you'd enjoy a lot.

Walgreens what what

I love this store.

Reports have been coming in of a Wreck-Gar Walgreen's exclusive as of last night that have gotten a lot of attention. As I've noted here before, I'm a big fan of Walgreen's, so I look forward to dropping by and picking him up as with those Clones.

Woo!

But just today, on Talk Transformers, a poster who works at a Walgreen's did a little digging and found some more interesting information.

Thanks Homeslice for the info

Wait... what

First of note is a listing for Laser Rods for 6.99. It's an older listing from 2015, but still curious and interesting. I wonder if it's a listing for legion class toys that went unnoticed. What really has my attention is the Battalion series. According to him they're scheduled to arrive early September for around 16.99 each. They're not listed as exclusive, so it's reasonable to assume it's a smaller retail release of the Cyber Battalion figures sold in countries like China and Brazil. A few have been sold as Universal Studios exclusives here in the U.S, so I can assume those figures won't be in the assortments, or maybe with some changes. As I have the Universal Studios versions and have been wanting the others, I'm happy to see this. I've been saying for awhile now that these would make excellent toys for something like a Walgreen's or a Family Dollar. They're large and pleasant chunky figures that are basically scaled up legions for kids to smash around together. Though, for a fan like me, there's a lot to love about them. Hopefully this pans out, because I'd love to swing by the Walgreen's by my work on break, and grab a Red Bull and a Prowl.

I love toys that come in a box.