Bumblebee (Devastation) [Studio Series/Deluxe Class]

Transformers: Devastation was one of those games that came in hot, got a ton of fanfare, and then kind of slipped into obscurity. Lately it’s been getting a bit more attention again, and I’m pretty happy to see that version of Bumblebee finally get a toy.

Admittedly, it’s still your standard Bumblebee at its core—but I like this variation a lot.

Instead of the classic VW Bug, he’s got that sporty hatchback look, which I’ve always felt was a great modern equivalent. Add in the cell-shaded style deco, and it ends up being a pretty slick take on a familiar design.

A big part of why I like this one is how much it resembles the 2006 Transformers Classics Bumblebee, which served as a base for his design in the game. Even 20 years later, Classics is still a high point for me, so that connection goes a long way.

I initially thought this might be a retool of the Studio Series 86 Bumblebee, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. In robot mode, he’s armed with twin blasters like in the game, along with a larger vehicle-mode blaster mounted on his back. It gives him a much more aggressive look than you’d normally expect from a “kid appeal” character.

Transformation is pretty straightforward, though some of the parts fit a bit tight. Be careful when folding the head into place—I’ve seen reports that the molded copyright info can scrape the paint on his nose.

In vehicle mode, he turns into a clean little hatchback. The large blaster mounts on the roof, with the smaller ones on the sides for a bit of vehicular combat flair.

Overall, this is a simple, solid figure. Good articulation, decent firepower, and a really nice-looking alt mode. The cel-shaded deco does a lot of the heavy lifting, and I’m just happy to have a strong take on Bumblebee from a game that deserves a little more love.

Windcharger [Studio Series 86 / Deluxe Class]

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about traditional Transformers toys here, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been buying them. Quite the opposite—if you read the Monday updates, you already know. It’s more that I like posts to fit the vibe here on Zone Base, and Windcharger definitely fits in.

I recently received his newest Transformers Studio Series release as part of my birthday presents from the Mrs, and it is excellent. As part of the Studio Series ‘86 line, he’s meant to represent his appearance in The Transformers: The Movie. That movie is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and as someone who was there opening weekend, it’s getting a ton of love from me. Windcharger’s role in the movie was brief—he’s taken out during the brutal opening battle of Autobot City—but before that he was a regular in the first two seasons of the original cartoon. This toy is a great representation of that animated look.

Windcharger is something of an oddity in the original Transformers line. His toy came from Microman’s Microchange series, but that design actually started life even earlier as part of the Mysterians. The Mysterians were Knickerbocker Toy Company’s attempt at a transforming robot toy line in 1983 that never fully materialized. The company was purchased by Hasbro in 1984, and Windcharger—along with Brawn, Huffer, and Gears—was originally intended for that line. The molds eventually made their way into Microchange before becoming Transformers. Just in case you ever wondered what the “M” on the original Windcharger’s belt stood for.

In the cartoon, Windcharger was given a different face than his toy, and that’s the look this version proudly uses. With a lot of these Minicar updates showing up in vintage-style packaging with toy-accurate heads and decos, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a version of that original Mysterian-inspired look pop up on shelves down the line.

The toy itself is great. As I always say, it looks like he walked right off my TV screen. Windcharger comes with his blaster and an effect piece meant to represent his magnetic abilities. The effect can attach to his chest or the hood in vehicle mode, and both it and the blaster can store on his back in robot mode.

In robot mode, he’s very well articulated, and combined with the sculpted face, he’s surprisingly expressive. He almost feels alive. Transformation is straightforward, though there are a few tight joints and clearance spots—take your time with him. Car mode is a solid approximation of a Pontiac Trans Am, and the blaster stores neatly behind a rear wheel for a clean look.

Overall, this is the slickest Windcharger has ever looked in toy form—and that’s saying something, because he’s had some pretty great releases over the years.

Rescue Bot Heatwave [Age of the Primes/Voyager Class]

In Generations, there’s been an attempt to take Transformers from various series and essentially give them a more traditional-looking bot design. Rescue Bots, being a show aimed at preschool-aged kids, originally had some extremely cute and chonky toys—perfectly sized for small hands. Well, just like Chase and Medix (I’ll eventually make a post about him), Heatwave has now found himself worked into mainline Transformers.

Heatwave is one of the more popular Rescue Bots, and he’s popped up in various other Transformers media over the years. I’m particularly fond of his role in Transformers Angry Birds… I really liked that game. I even won a Halloween tournament in it one night while watching a marathon of the various versions of Disney’s Halloween Treat and handing out candy to kids. Good times.

This new figure of Heatwave is pretty great, and it does something I’ve wanted for a few years now. You see, it’s a retool of the Legacy Bulkhead mold from a few years back. That Bulkhead was one of the first examples of characters from series with very specific visual aesthetics being given a more traditional Generations look. I really liked that Bulkhead (don’t think I ever covered him here), and I kept hoping they’d use that mold for other truck-based characters. It just felt like a good, big, utilitarian truck-guy base. I didn’t anticipate Heatwave being made from it, since the previous reuses were all characters from the same Prime series Bulkhead came from-but honestly, it’s perfect for Heatwave.

Now… when Heatwave was first introduced in Rescue Bots, I was a little sad they didn’t call him Rescue Roy. Rescue Roy was another toy aimed at younger kids from the early 2000s that I missed out on due to making “responsible financial decisions” (dammit) and focusing my Transformers budget on Robots in Disguise (2001). Heatwave always kind of looked like Rescue Roy to me, and in this toy that resemblance is even stronger. In a lot of ways, this feels like my spiritual Rescue Roy.

That aside, on its own this is just a really cool Transformers toy. The base mold is pleasantly big and chonky. With the new parts, what was once a military truck is now a genuinely solid fire truck. All of Heatwave’s signature visual cues carry over nicely, resulting in a figure that could almost fool someone into thinking it was an all-new mold.

Heatwave is nicely articulated and transforms fairly easily. There are a few fiddly bits that took me a little extra effort, but nothing major. Thankfully, he’s not one of those Transformers with Lament Configuration–level transformations. I’m pretty sure I summoned the Cenobites more than once during the Revenge of the Fallen toy line. For me, the sticking points were getting the arms to fold correctly into the cab and lining up the legs just right. If you get it wrong, the truck ends up uneven—like the remains after Wile E. Coyote dropped a boulder on it.

There’s a new ladder piece that looks great, but it does need to be removed during transformation. It pegs nicely onto Heatwave’s back in robot mode and attaches to the back of the truck in vehicle mode a bit differently. It looks like it should just rearrange from its backpack position, and technically it can, but it’s not quite an exact fit.

I don’t remember this being an issue with Bulkhead, but it’s very easy to accidentally remove Heatwave’s arms. They’re on simple shoulder pegs, and it’s surprisingly easy to slide them off while transforming, so just be mindful of that. He comes with some neat new weapons too: a water cannon and his Energize Energy Axe, both cast in a really nice translucent blue. I like translucent colors—they just look good. Both weapons can store on the sides of the vehicle mode, which is something I usually appreciate. Not all the time, but there’s just something about a vehicle covered in gear… you know?

It’s actually kind of remarkable how closely the vehicle mode resembles Heatwave’s Rescue Bots alt mode. I’d almost swear this was planned during Bulkhead’s original design process—but even if it wasn’t, it’s really well done. I was genuinely happy to unwrap Heatwave on Christmas morning as one of the presents from the Mrs. He’s a fun, well-executed Transformer, and if you didn’t know better, you’d swear he was an original mold—which says a lot, considering how noticeable retools usually are.

There’s just something deeply satisfying about a big, chonky robot fire truck.

Carnivac w/ Survivor [Age of the Primes / Wreck ’N Doom Collection]

Carnivac is a really cool addition to the Age of the Primes series. He’s the main reason I wanted the two-pack he comes in alongside Fisitron, who I talked about earlier this week. Carnivac is another somewhat obscure Transformers character. He’s featured more heavily in various comics, but exists just under the surface enough that mainstream audiences—and even some fans—may not be aware of his existence.

His biggest role is in the Marvel UK comics, where he was featured regularly. Similar to Dinobot in Beast Wars, Carnivac was a Decepticon whose own sense of right and wrong led him to become a more heroic character. Eventually, after a major event, surviving Autobots and Decepticons formed a new group known as The Survivors, which later led to another group known as Earthforce. I particularly enjoy those issues. 

This is Carnivac’s second official toy to date, the first being a Pretender. This time around, he’s a Headmaster with a new partner named Survivor.

I don’t know if Carnivac being a Headmaster instead of a Pretender rubs anyone the wrong way, but I love it. I love Pretenders, but Headmasters hit a particularly sweet spot for me. Not to mention, he looks a lot like the inner robot from his original toy—which is how I’m used to seeing him anyway from those UK comics.

Also worth noting: my own G1 Carnivac is missing his Pretender shell. I picked up the inner robot for practically nothing from a dump bin at Charticon, so I’m just accustomed to seeing him that way. Another sweet spot for me is that they used a Titans Return mold as a base, which is absolutely one of my favorite Transformers series. This one is hitting all the right chords for me.

Oddly enough, the Takara version has the Headmaster as Carnivac himself, with the main body intended to represent his Pretender shell.

As mentioned, Carnivac is made from a Titans Return mold—specifically Wolfwire/Weirdwolf. There’s only a small amount of new tooling here. He gets a new wolf tail that becomes a sword in robot mode, along with a blaster. Survivor has a new faceplate for head mode, tooled after Carnivac’s appearance in Time Wars. I really like that—he looks almost straight off the comic page and makes me want to dig my copy out and re-read it.

Outside of that, Wolfwire/Weirdwolf makes a solid base for a very well-done Carnivac update. Despite the mold being about ten years old, it still looks great. Carnivac’s mix of metallic purple, green, and copper looks fantastic and makes the whole thing feel like a more premium offering.

Robot mode offers a decent amount of articulation—more than his boxy looks would suggest. When Titans Return first came out, many described it as “G1 with knees,” which is clearly something people still love, as Missing Link has proven. Combined with his new face sculpt, Carnivac is really expressive. He just oozes attitude, and I love it.

Transformation is very straightforward. Pop the head off and fold the beast-mode head over. You essentially lay him down and adjust the arms and legs into the wolf’s legs. The sword becomes the tail, and his gun mounts on the back for some canine firepower.

Survivor can unfold into his humanoid mode and hang out, or fit into a cockpit on the wolf’s back. He doesn’t slide in as smoothly as you might expect—you’ll basically need to have him in head mode to fit properly—but once he’s in, it’s a snug fit.

It’s impossible for me not to get Zoids vibes from this, though I get that from other beast-mode Headmasters as well. I also get slight Beast Machines vibes, specifically from the legs and transformation, which heavily remind me of Night Slash Cheetor. I always liked that toy, and while this isn’t the same thing exactly, there are enough similarities to make the connection.

Every use of this mold that I’ve picked up has been pretty great, and as Carnivac it really excels. It’s funny how a toy meant to update one character can work so perfectly for another. This is one of those toys that gets me excited and happy in that fanboy way that’s hard to explain to people who don’t get it.

This two-pack is pretty great overall. I might be tempted to grab the other Wreck ’N Doom Collection sets—but I also feel like I already have the star of the show.

Fisitron [Age of the Primes / Wreck ’N Doom Collection]

Back in the day, Ironfist was a bit of a Mandela Effect for many Transformers fans. He was released late in G1 in European markets, in that gray area between G1 and G2 often called G1.5 by many fans. Like many other G1.5 toys, he was also released in G2. This tends to be confusing, as everything is pretty identical and G1.5 toys are often lumped into G2. To be fair, it is a bit confusing.

Adding to his Mandela Effect–ness, he’s often been confused for an Ironhide toy. This is due to the fact that the Generation 2 Power Master Ironhide toy has a similar alt mode, and obviously the names are similar as well. At some point he was redubbed Fisitron. This cuts down on the confusion—not only is it similar to Ironhide, but there’s also a Marvel superhero named Iron Fist. Fortunately, that one doesn’t have an alt mode.

Fisitron comes in a 2-pack with Carnivac (we’ll be looking at him a little later) as part of the Amazon-exclusive Wreck ’N Doom Collection. The name plays up Fisitron’s role in Last Stand of the Wreckers. This 2-pack was one of my Christmas gifts from the Mrs. this past year, and I was pretty excited to get it.

Fisitron hadn’t really appeared in any official Transformers fiction outside of a toy bio until around 2010, when he showed up in both IDW’s The Last Stand of the Wreckers and Fun Publications’ Wings Universe stories. He’s got two distinctly different personalities in each, though I tend to favor the Wings Universe incarnation. I’m a cartoon guy, and the G1 cartoon is my preferred fiction for these GeeWun bots; Wings Universe is set in an alternate version of the classic cartoon.

Not to mention, he’s a gun nut there, and I absolutely cannot not associate Fisitron with Doom Guy / Doom Slayer due to his appearance in this toy. The Wreck ’N Doom Collection name doesn’t hurt either, as you’re all well aware I enjoy playing Doom for hours on end. For what it’s worth, it’s hard not to love Fisitron in Last Stand of the Wreckers as well—I’m just more of a cartoon guy.

Fisitron is a pretty extensive retool of the Legacy: Evolution Detritus toy we looked at a little while back. I enjoyed that figure quite a bit, but I can honestly say I like Fisitron a whole lot better. The new parts really upgrade the mold for the better. I’ll be focusing on Fisitron in this post and his differences, so feel free to check out my take on Detritus in his post.

This version of Fisitron is a combination of his different designs. There’s a mix of the G1/G2 toy along with his IDW and Wings Universe looks. It makes for one attractive toy, though I do find his mostly gray alt mode funny, as it resembles that G2 Ironhide a bit. It never ends.

Fisitron has a new head that, of course, resembles him instead of Detritus. Most notable are the new roof and windshield areas, which cleverly change a Jeep into an armored truck. Is that called a canopy? I have no clue. If I were an influencer, I’d say “let me know in the comments” (cringe).

Speaking of that vehicle roof area (maybe it is a canopy, who knows), they’ve added some new parts that are removable and can be used in robot mode.

Those parts resemble the original Ironfist’s Lightformer gear when in vehicle mode. Unfortunately, they don’t form a cannon like the original does, but I appreciate the effort. The parts can be removed from the roof (can we call it a canopy?) and used in robot mode. Well, the laser gun can, obviously. But also the round dish-like thing—whatever the hell it’s supposed to be—can be removed and used as a shield if one so chooses.

The other portion remains as a backpack, which is where I chose to leave mine’s dish-like thing in this post’s pictures. It never occurred to me that it could be a shield; you don’t have to let me know in the comments. The laser makes for a nice rifle, with a bright yellow that contrasts nicely against Fisitron’s grays, blues, and copper colors.

I really like this toy—more than I thought I would going in. Detritus was already a good toy, making a solid base for the new parts to improve on. It’s like that extra pass over the mold provided room for improvement. Not to mention, Fisitron just looks sharp.

It’s a great-looking figure of a formerly obscure character who, despite a little time in the limelight, seems to be slipping back into obscurity. Hopefully this great figure inspires future uses of him in Transformers media.

Horri-Bull w/ Kreb [Age of the Primes/Target Exclusive 4-Pack]

Horri-Bull’s eyes opened. In front of him stood his partner, Kreb.

“What’s today?”

“EH?” returned the Nebulon, with all his might of spite. 

“What’s today, asshole?” said Horri-Bull.

“Today…” replied Kreb. “…it’s Christmas.”

“It’s Christmas Day!” said Horri-Bull to himself. “I haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. But so can I… HEAD ON!”

He had no further interaction with Spirits, but lived upon the ways of the Decepticon regardless, ever afterwards; and it was always said of him that he knew how to stop Christmas, if any bot alive possessed the knowledge. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, Take cover, everyone!

One thing I’ve grown to really appreciate about these Target Exclusive 4-Packs is the Headmasters created for the sets. Almost each time, there’s an updated classic Headmaster character creatively made from a Titans Return toy mold. This time we’ve got Horri-Bull, made from Titans Return Skullsmasher/Skullcruncher in a very clever remold. Actually, all of these Headmasters in the 4-Packs have been very clever remolds, and I’m thinking a look at ones I haven’t covered here on the site is in order.

Horri-Bull is known as Bullhorn in Masterforce, so if you’d rather use him as Bullhorn… go right ahead. I’m forever delighted by pun-based names, so I’ll stick with Horri-Bull. I don’t believe I covered Skullsmasher/Skullcruncher here on the site, which is another thing I should probably go back and do. I’ve also been considering an in-depth look at the Titan Masters from Titans Return, but for now, let’s look at our grumpy star of the season.

Horri-Bull is a pleasantly articulated toy that’s wonderfully blocky and chonky in the vein of classic G1 Transformers. Skullsmasher was a great base to use, as his basic silhouette isn’t all that different from Horri-Bull’s to begin with. Really, it’s his head, colors, and beast mode kibble that make the visual difference. This was seemingly easy (or as easy as new parts are probably still an undertaking) to accomplish, with the bull monster head and claws being new parts and Skullsmasher’s alligator tail being removed.

Also remolded is his chest, which you might think is missing a cover for the Headmaster technical data, but this is true to his original toy. Considering Titans Return toys were originally released almost a decade ago, the mold has held up pretty well, though his arms did feel a little loose. I’m guessing the mold got a bit of refurbishing with this update, but time still seems to be catching up. With his cool late-G1 colors, he looks great. I’ve always been a sucker for those post-movie Decepticon palettes.

He’s got both his Concussion Blaster and the beast mode tail, which becomes a double-barreled flamethrower. The two guns can be combined or held separately.

In beast mode, Horri-Bull is a cross between a bull and the Terror Dogs from Ghostbusters. So really, he’s a robotic incarnation of the Hodag in wonderful colors. Transformation is pretty easy: remove Kreb and fold the beast head into place. Arms and legs become the monster’s legs, and the robot mode feet fold around the upper thighs, becoming the beast’s rear end. As mentioned above, the two guns combine to form a tail.

Beast mode is simple but effective. The legs can move, most notably the front ones, and the jaws on his head can open for a little chomping action. Speaking of that head, the horns will need to be moved around a bit for the proper look in both robot and beast modes. They’re separate pieces that need to be clipped from sprues out of the package. The horns are also painted, so there will always be a small spot left from clipping unless you touch it up with paint.

Of course, Kreb can pilot Horri-Bull in this form via a cockpit on his back. I’ve always really liked that feature on Headmasters. Kreb himself is a remold of Grax (Skullsmasher’s Titan Master). I do wonder why they didn’t use the individual Titan Master Terri-Bull for this project. Maybe the mold wasn’t available? Weird.

Regardless, the whole package is another well-done Headmaster update pulled off in these 4-Packs. They’re really the highlight of each set for me, and I’ve always been especially fond of the Headmasters from Masterforce. All in all, this year’s set has been a really good one, and as always, I’m ecstatic to have it.

Primus bless us, everyone...RUN!

Nemesis Prime [Age of the Primes/Target Exclusive 4-Pack]

"I am in the presence of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?"

A solemn Phantom, dark and hooded, came like a mist along the ground toward him. The grumpy one bent down upon his knee; for in the very air through which this Spirit moved, it seemed to scatter gloom and mystery.

It was shrouded in deep black armor that concealed its form and left nothing visible save one outstretched axe. But for this, it would have been difficult to detach its figure from the night and separate it from the darkness by which it was surrounded.

He glanced toward the Phantom.

"Lead on. The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. Lead on, Nemesis."

One reason I like things such as store-exclusive repaints is the deep dives they tend to take. Sure, to those not in the know, they’ll get the standard complaint: “another lazy repaint by Hasblow.” However, for those of us in the know, they’re pretty cool homages that aren’t always obvious. Today we’re looking at Nemesis Prime from this year’s Target Exclusive 4-Pack — the Voyager Class figure of the set, taking the Legacy Animated Optimus Prime mold and giving us an update of a previously very hard-to-get figure from the past.

Like I said in the Ultra Magnus post earlier this week, Optimus Prime toys tend to look good in any color. A black repaint is practically guaranteed with most Optimus toys. It’s another color scheme I always like as well, just like with Magnus. Normally these repaints are called Black Convoy in Japan — pretty straightforward. But here in the United States, they’re usually either named Scourge or Nemesis Prime.

Since this is a repaint of a toy I’ve covered previously, I’m going to focus on this version’s differences and what makes it special. I’ve linked to that post and its other repaint in case you’re not up to date on it. Also, I like the toy and want to show it off. Like a mama otter holding out her baby. Except I’m a grown-ass man and this is a robot toy. So instead of adorable, it’s kinda unsettling and you wish I’d stop.

Earlier I mentioned this was an update of a harder-to-get toy and then said black Optimus repaints happen fairly often. Both of those statements are true. Often the black repaint is an exclusive of some sort, and in the case of Optimus Prime Black Ver. (after the 2007 movie, Convoy was often called Optimus Prime in Japan), it was exclusive to the Transformers Museum event at the Seibu department store in 2010. If that didn’t already make it tricky to get, the release was limited to 300 pieces. There are probably a few hundred thousand of this new update available, so it’s a nice alternative.

Obviously Nemesis Prime is mostly black as opposed to Optimus’s red and blue. There’s also some nice metallic teal used for accents that contrasts really well against the dark body. His windshield and eyes are a dark red that looks menacing and fits perfectly. In robot mode, he has an alternate head with a mouth plate instead of Animated Optimus’s open-faced design. It’s a darker gray that pairs well with the rest of the deco, giving him a more threatening look.

Nemesis comes with the same axe weapon Optimus had. The blade is that same dark red used for the windows, and the whole package looks forbidden — like the outlook isn’t too good when this guy shows up.

The colors transfer nicely in truck mode, and Optimus’s lightbar makes a return as well. It plugs into the top of the cab. I guess you can technically use it as a weapon. A weird weapon, sure, but getting hit with one would still hurt. Nemesis Prime looks threatening in truck mode too thanks to the colors. I wouldn’t want to see him behind me in traffic… or in general.

The look of Animated Optimus Prime is stylized already, but it looks really sharp in these colors. Without the red, it’d be more slick than scary. Funny how much difference just one color can make, huh?

I’ve liked each instance of this mold, so it’s probably no surprise I like this toy as well. Frankly, it’s hard not to like something like this when you’re into this sort of thing. It hits all the right points and has more depth to it than a simple repaint normally offers. As a fan, I like that — and as a fan since the beginning, I remember seeing the original on the news sites. This one has a slightly different color scheme, which is fine. But still, it’s nice to finally have a version of this toy after all this time.

Weird… time seems to be a recurring subject this Christmas season.

Ultra Magnus [Age of the Primes/Target Exclusive 4-Pack]

"Come in! Come in, and know me better, mech!"

The grumpy one entered timidly and hung his head before this Spirit. He was not the dogged grumpy mech he had been; and though its eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them.

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Present," said the Spirit. "We have matters to deal with now."

I’ve said it before, but it’s worth saying again: Ultra Magnus’s cab mode looks spectacular. There’s just something about that classic Convoy design that looks great in any color. White though—white looks super nice.

This toy comes packaged in the currently available Transformers Age of the Primes Target Exclusive 4-Pack. The set doesn’t have a themed name like some have had in the past, or much of a specific theme either. It’s just a neat multi-pack, and I’ve been a big fan of these over the years. It’s one of the things I look forward to each year: Walmart’s exclusive capsule line and Target’s exclusive multi-pack. Well… Walmart kinda crapped their pants with the capsule this year, but Target’s set is another strong one. As with Bumper, whom we talked about last week, Ultra Magnus is another deluxe-class toy from the set. He’s a straight recolor of the Legacy G1 Optimus Prime toy I raved about earlier this year. Since it’s a straight recolor, I’m going to focus on what makes this version different.

One thing I really loved about that Optimus toy was how it remade the original figure with modern engineering, similar to a Masters of the Universe Origins release. It’s such a neat idea; I’d be all for it as the mainstream Transformers line. I know Missing Link is doing that, but I mean as the line available at general retail. It’d be so cool to see recreations of classic toys—considering Generations is mostly updates of those designs anyway, I think it’d be super popular. I’d like to think so, anyway.

Matching his G1 toy’s original deco, Magnus is mostly white with gray and silver parts. Bits of light blue are used throughout, giving him a slightly icy look. Just right for Christmas time. Ultra Magnus has the two different variations of G1 Optimus’s rifle that the base mold came with, now in white. I’ve always preferred the fatter version of the gun and think it looks much better—especially in white. Magnus also has a blue version of the Energon Axe, which is very similar to the Masterpiece MP-2 toy. It matches nicely with the various blue accents on his deco. Also like MP-2, there’s a silver version of the Matrix of Autobot Leadership that fits in his chest. It’s not unheard of for an Ultra Magnus toy to come with the Matrix since they’re often redecos of Optimus, but the silver Origin Matrix works well here. In this context, I like to think it represents the brief time Ultra Magnus carried the Matrix in the 1986 movie.

In truck mode, Magnus is once again a white version of the classic Convoy semi truck—missing his trailer in this release, of course. Like the Optimus toy, his tires are rubber, a nice throwback to the original G1 toy. I know there are issues with rubber tires popping off or dry-rotting with age, but I’ll be damned if they don’t feel nice and give the toy a higher-quality feel. Also like Optimus, Cybertronian Radial 275/80 R22 is molded into the tires. That’s a reference to the fictional tire brand from Transformers Alternators.

It’s been over 20 years and I’m still blown away by Alternators. They may not have been the most fun toys to transform, but they looked amazing. I have nothing bad to say about this toy. I love the idea of it, and I never get tired of cab-mode Ultra Magnus. It’s a great way to enjoy what came before in present-day design, and a solid part of a great 4-pack.

Autobot Bumper [Age of the Primes / Target Exclusive 4-Pack]

"I am the Ghost of Christmas Past."

The grumpy one then made bold to inquire what business brought him there. “Your spark!” said the Ghost. The grumpy one expressed himself much obliged, but couldn’t help thinking that a night of unbroken rest would have been more conducive to that end. The Spirit must have heard him thinking, for it said immediately: “Your reclamation, then. Take heed! For the seeds of the future lie buried in the past."

Bumper is an oddball Transformers who’s been around since the beginning but has only really been a character for about the past 20 years. As has been said more times than necessary, the bulk of the original Transformers toys from 1984/1985 came from Diaclone and Microman molds. Bumblebee and Cliffjumper specifically came from the Microman Micro Change line. They shared engineering — essentially the same toy skeleton with different car parts and robot heads.

Another robot from that Micro Change series was MC-04 Mini CAR Robo 02 Familia 1500XG. Same engineering again, but transforming into a Mazda Familia 1500XG as the name suggests. All of these toys came in multiple colors, but it’s common to see this one in yellow. When the molds were used for Transformers, Bumblebee and Cliffjumper were released in their familiar yellow and red. Though, as many know, reversed-color versions also slipped out. During that weird early era, the Mazda mold ended up released in Cliffjumper packaging in yellow. Rumors persist that it also came in Bumblebee packaging, but no packaged sample has ever surfaced, while Cliffjumper-labeled ones are plentiful.

Plenty of speculation says Hasbro may have intended the Mazda toy to be its own character and that’s what caused the weird release — but nobody knows for sure now. It’s just one of those oddities from the strange early years of Transformers. Multiple toy lines mashed together to create a single brand. It’s been 41 years and we’re still discovering things from that time. The toy was widely known as “Bumblejumper” in the fandom for years, eventually shortened to Bumper by some. During the Dreamwave comics era, he was made an official character and officially named Bumper. Twenty years after being released seemingly by mistake, he finally became part of the team!

Bumper has always been special to me. Not just because getting one back in the day meant a lot, but also because I once had a cat named Bumper. I remember bringing that kitten home from the store, watching him roam around the living room while I tried to think of a name. I wanted a Transformers name… let’s see… Eject… Swerve… BONK! He walked head-first into the wall. Bumper. And that was that. All these years later, Bumper finally gets an official toy actually named Bumper — only his second ever. Imagine how slighted he must feel.

The figure itself is a remold/repaint of Studio Series 86 Bumblebee. I talked about that figure in a prior post, so most of the ins and outs are there, but let’s look at what makes Bumper different. Obviously he has a new head sculpt faithful to the original Micro Change toy. It’s hard to notice without comparing them directly, but he’s a different shade of yellow. Headlights are colored a little differently. His Autobot symbol has a silver border, making it look more like the stickers from the original toys — a nice touch I really appreciate, probably thanks to my early-2000s Mini-Bot obsession. It wasn’t uncommon to see one in my messenger bag back then. These days a Legion/Legend Class Bumblebee lives in my sling bag. Guess some things never change.

When Studio Series Bumblebee released, a lot of fans scoffed at his very angular car mode. Robot mode was perfect, but the car was off-model from the classic VW Bug. As Bumper though, it works so much better. Not exactly a Mazda Familia… but close enough. I really like this toy, and that carries over here. Guess I just like these guys. Bumper has the same gun as Bumblebee, now molded in a gunmetal color. It can store on his backside in car mode. It’s probably no surprise that I like this toy — the base mold is one I already loved, and the old-school fan in me appreciates the new Bumper figure even more. I spent more time looking at the past than the present with this one, but a toy like Bumper is the type that makes you look back.

Venin/Venom [Age of the Primes/Deluxe Class]

I’m double-dipping into things I love with today’s toy. Both an Insecticon and an Armored Insect Corps Beetras update, Transformers Age of the Primes Venin is a treat for me. Of course, the name Venin is an alternate name for his real name, Venom. Despite the Insecticon Venom pre-dating the extremely more popular Marvel character… he’s only had three toys total. And there was a 29 year gap between the first toy and the second.

During those 29 years the trademark lapsed and Eddie Brock got the symbiote suit… and a ton of toys. Actually, that second toy and now this new toy are both named Venin, so it’s not too hard to adjust. However, venin isn’t just a made-up word — it’s the toxic component of snake venom and literally means “venom” in French. So it works, even if it doesn’t exactly make for the best character name. Much like the rest of the original batch of G1 Transformers, Venom was made from a pre-existing toy mold. The Deluxe Insecticons came from the Armored Insect Corps Beetras toy line. These weren’t from Takara, so they didn’t show up in the original cartoon. Venom was made from the Beet-Zeguna mold, though with very different colors. Interestingly, the Deluxe Insecticons do appear in their Beetras colors on the 1985 Transformers box art. Always found that neat.

Unlike his second toy which I love, this new Venin is a direct update of his G1 figure. The modern engineering gives us one well-articulated bug robot. His bright colors look as great as always. The Insecticons usually stick to darker palettes, so Venom having this bright green and orange with light gray robot parts really makes him stand out. Not just visually, but as a personality among them. It just looks great. His colors and helmet have always reminded me of Samus Aran — same era, so there was probably some shared visual inspiration floating around. Ironically, it occurred to me that one of the core reasons I like Insecticons and insect-themed robots is likely tied to my appreciation of bio-horror. Metroid itself is heavy bio-horror. And yeah, I am really looking forward to Metroid Prime 4.

Venin has recreations of his original toy’s electric-blaster gun and battle axe. I honestly forgot about the axe entirely since my G1 toy was bought loose and missing it. I really like it — it’s not your standard He-Man style axe. Both weapons store on the sides in beast mode. Speaking of, Venin transforms into a cicada. Being from the American South, I’m used to hearing these guys all summer. It’s generally pleasant… unless one gets on your window. Then it’s maddening. I once had one trapped under some porch furniture that screamed non-stop. When I tried to scoop it up, IT GOT LOUDER. I never thought flinging a bug across my yard would be so satisfying. Little bastard.

Transformation to bug mode is pretty easy. His arms fold into the upper torso while the legs fold into themselves. Then it’s just arranging bug bits into a pleasantly blocky robot cicada with the most adorable face. In beast mode, his wings and legs have decent articulation, and the weapons can store on the sides for added firepower. If there’s anything to complain about, his wings can get in the way in robot mode, and folding his arms into place during transformation feels like the toy is about to break. Some sturdier plastic would have helped. But it’s not enough to ruin the toy. I’m admittedly biased when it comes to insect robots and am loving this one unabashedly. It is a good toy outside of my affections, and it’s just great to see a new Venom figure. I wouldn’t mind finding this cicada on my porch. Well… assuming he isn’t loud.

Skydive [Age of the Primes/Deluxe Class]

In our ongoing quest to complete the Transformers Age of the Primes Aerialbot team of five buttheads, today we’re looking at Skydive! Skydive is the bookworm of the squad — well-versed in aerial tactics, strategy, and history. He's also the most visually distinct member of the team thanks to his mostly black color scheme, compared to the primarily white look the rest of the Aerialbots have going on.

This figure is a remold of the Air Raid toy we looked at a little while back. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have noticed if it hadn’t been pointed out, but side-by-side the shared engineering is clear. Still, the sculpting and new parts are handled so well that it doesn’t feel like the same toy with a new coat of paint. And really, it makes sense to stretch the tooling budget when the original characters themselves shared similar silhouettes in the first place. Skydive and Air Raid have usually been “same shape, different guy,” so this is just accurate to life.

As I’ve been saying with these current Transformers Generations figures — Skydive looks like he stepped right out of the cartoon. Which would be terrifying if he did that while I’m napping during G1 reruns on the Transformers channel. Damn.

Skydive is nicely articulated and comes with two blasters. They work well in robot mode and can also peg under his wings in jet mode. Transformation is quick and easy: legs compress, arms fold in, the backpack settles into place — your standard modern jet-transforming-guy routine. In jet mode, Skydive’s unique colors stand out even more. The darker gray body and lightning pattern on the wings look great, and now that I’m thinking about it, that kind of flashy detail seems to originate back to his G1 toy. I don't remember similar patterns before him, but plenty after. Neat!

Like his teammates, Skydive forms part of Superion — and we’ll take a full look at that combined mode once Fireflight finally joins the squad. These Age of the Primes combiners are a big improvement over the Combiner Wars versions from ten years ago (which I actually liked a lot at the time), so I’m excited to see Superion come together here on Zone Base.

Micronus Prime [Age of the Primes/Deluxe Class]

It's no secret — I love Mini-Cons. Mini-Cons, Micromasters, Battle Masters, Titan Masters, Prime Masters, BotBots… the damn site is named after a Micromaster Base, k? Micronus Prime is where the Mini-Cons began, after all. That's right — they are his Cybertronian descendants, and today we're looking at his most recent toy.

One of The Thirteen Primes highlighted in the current Transformers Generations: Age of the Primes line, Micronus Prime is one awesome toy that's right up my alley. You might ask yourself why such a little guy has a new toy in the Deluxe Class release. Well, that's because he comes with a really cool transforming exo-suit. It's taking a lot for me not to just type "this toy is awesome" over and over again.

Micronus Prime himself is a short, stout little Mini-Con with a good amount of articulation in a mix of translucent and opaque greens and blues. He transforms into a disk that resembles the Mini-Con storage panels from the Transformers Armada cartoon or the data disks characters like Eject and Ratbat turned into in the Fall of Cybertron toy line. These disk modes pop up all over Transformers history — and I always love them. And now that I’m thinking about it, this also feels a bit like the disk alt modes from Robots in Disguise 2015. I liked those too.

Clearly non-descript disk alt modes are my thing.

But the similarities don’t stop there. There's a lot of old toy DNA here, and this post is probably going to go down as the epitome of me comparing new toys to old toys. But that’s what you come to Zone Base for — right? (Unless you're an Amazon seller or someone looking for a firewall, in which case… sorry this keeps happening to you.)

In his disk mode, Micronus Prime fits snugly inside the chest of his exo-suit. It closes up tight, almost completely hiding the little pilot. The exo-suit itself is a pleasant mix of greens, silver, and black. The included Chimera Stone fits onto its chest or Micronus’s back. The suit is nicely detailed and articulated — I’m fond of the gun-barrel hands.

There's strong Pretender shell energy here, with a bit of Transformers Prime Apex Armor influence as well. The armor can be disassembled and connected to other Transformers figures, similar to Siege Weaponizers and their contemporaries. In a further bit of neatness, the armor also transforms into a one-wheeled bike vehicle Micronus can ride. Translucent pilot + power suit + vehicle mode = full-on Microman / Micronauts vibes. This toy’s practically a pocket history of Transformers.

This toy is truly wonderful. I’m honestly having a hard time being critical of it. The closest thing to a flaw I’ve found is that Micronus didn’t fully close into disc mode on mine — even straight out of the package. Not the end of the world, though. I'd also love just a little more paint on the exo-suit to bring out the sculpted detail. And the one-wheeled bike can’t stand up on its own. (I even tried using the Chimera Stone as a kickstand. It did not work.)

But that’s basically it. The positives absolutely outweigh the nitpicks. This thing hits so many of my collecting sweet spots at once. I’m really hoping this mold sees multiple colors and multiple characters — it deserves it. And while I was writing this, I realized the bike mode can kind of be arranged into something vaguely similar to Revenge of the Fallen Demolishor. Probably coincidence, but neat all the same.

Onyx Prime [Age of the Primes/Leader Class]

Closing out our spooky celebrations for the year is the Lord of the Beasts himself, Onyx Prime! Onyx Prime is the first Transformer with a beast mode and all other beast formed ones are his spiritual descendants. He is in tune with the creature of the natural and world and those in the spirit realm. With the power Primus granted to him with the Triptych Mask, he's able to cast his spirit across vast distance to communicate with the dreams of beings far away. Even the afterlife! Despite his inherent spookiness, Onyx Prime is very friendly and kind hearted. You can't always judge someone by their appearance, it's just that for him everyday is Halloween.

I picked up Onyx Prime a few weeks ago. Happy to see my local stores restocking in the first time in forever. However, not just happy to see something new, but happy as I've been looking forward to this particular toy. You've got to admit, he's got one neat design. In robot mode, Onyx stands tall and beastly. He's got big pointy wings that match pointy armor full of creature flavored details. If you noticed the chest armor looks like hooves, we'll get to that a little later. Speaking of hooves, check out the legs. He outright has big ole hooves with legs similar to an animal that would have hooves. Hooves. Technically that's called digitigrade, but I'll call it backwards knees. Because that's how you'd know what I'm talking about. Robot mode is pretty large and nicely articulated. You might notice his hands open up. That's both due to beast mode and goes along with his accessories.

That Triptych Mask I mentioned earlier combines with a pole to form a big spear... or staff if you so fancy. It's also a rather big arrow for a bow that's formed from his tail. With those articulated hands he can hold these weapons and draw that really big arrow. I wasn't initially aware of the bow and arrow, it just somehow escaped my attention. Remember that chest armor that looks like hooves? I talked about it last paragraph, and said hooves a million times, how could you forget? What if I told you they actually were hooves? THEY ARE! *no shit* Folding those down and some adjustments here and there will reward you with Onyx Primes first alt mode- a winged centaur! This is a pretty cool form that you wouldn't expect normally. It really fits with that bow and big ass arrow!

From here, with a few more twists and folds you'll find the third mode. A winged dragon monster type creature! This beast mode is super gnarly with six legs and those giant wings that have been prominent in every mode. I'm very fond of its head with horns and opening mouth. The colors of Onyx Prime really shine in every mode... but make for one interesting beast mode. A mixture of black, copper, brown, with silver and gold highlights creates a figure seemingly out of some old Dungeons & Dragons source book. This is one cool toy that I had a great time playing around with. His transformations and overall design really brought back memories of older Beast Era toys. Not just because of the beast mode, but the actual transformation schemes and overall design and look of the toy. If not for the newer engineering, I'd almost swear this was an older unused design Hasbro had sitting around in the vaults. He'd have made an excellent Transmythics toy!

I didn't expect to like Onyx Prime as much as I did. He's a very cool toy with a design right out of my dream journal. I've always thought of leader class figures as more nicer size class when it comes to standard retail Transformers. With this toy, that thought process feels proven. Onyx Prime is a big and ornate beastly bot with fantasy looks and modes whom is a pleasure to hold. Looking like something you'd find sculpted at a museum, he's got a mythic air to him. That's freaking neat. His dangerous looks and supernatural powers give way to a friendly robot who paved the path for animalistic Transformers that came after him. Truly one of those toys that just doesn't come around often enough.

Alchemist Prime [Age of the Primes/Deluxe Class]

To be completely honest, I had hardly any interest in Alchemist Prime before buying him. Literally, the only reason I did buy him is the desire to complete the 13 Primes from this series. Neat looking, sure, but eh. Upon opening him, however, and what a great toy! I was truly blown away by just how good of a figure this is. Alchemist Prime has dominion over the elements and legend has it he chose to walk among the mortal Transformers. No bot knows if that's actually true... but rumor has it that Maccadam, whom runs Maccadam's Old Oil House, is actually him. Of course it's silly that the legendary bartender could actually be one of The Thirteen... isn't it?

Isn't it?

Alchemist Prime is a burly hoss of a robot with glasses and a handlebar mustache and beard. He makes me think of various old world characters from TV shows. The design of his body armor even resembles a suit with a vest. He could be working that bar when not up to adventure. Considering his *ahem* magical nature, you can be assured that his stories are beyond your wildest imagination. He's seen Unicron and the Demons that live under the surface and still got that friendly smirk when you ask for another drink. 

It's a good think his figure has so much articulation and is so expressive, because you can tell he talks with his hands. His weapon is a weird one. Clamped on his forearm they make blasters or can be flipped around for energy blades. If the situation calls for it, they can even be held for a more direct attack. If you noticed that there is what appears to be lenses on them, that's because once joined together they form a magical pair of glasses that allow for vision beyond our comprehension. Though any mortal can pick out the ancient Transformers symbols, it's probably best these are left up to the more enlightened to use.

Transformation to vehicle mode is pretty easy, though getting the rear portion exactly in place can be a little fiddly if you've got clumsy fingers. Once done, he's a neat looking heavy duty vehicle of sorts. It looks like an armored Strike-X side by side ATV, and that fits such a fellow whose seen a lot of adventure. The weapons can attach on the roof to provide some vehicular firepower... I'm sure that comes in handy. It's easy to overlook Alchemist Prime with his drab green colors... but their fitting of someone like him. They match his utility vehicle well and carry over to his reserved look. Like I said, I really liked him a whole lot more once the box was opened... wand that is fitting considering how much more there is to Maccadam than meets the eye. It's almost like he's the standard bearer of that old tag line.

Constructicon Long Haul [Studio Series 86/Commander Class]

Following Hook in the Transformers Studio Series Two Pack of Torso Terror is Long Haul, whom forms Devastators lower torso. Long Haul, being a dump truck is well suited for carrying the extra parts required for assembling Devastator. Not in the bed of his truck, nope, they actually combine to form a trailer! Long Haul can (wait for it) haul the extra parts! I'm a lot more impressed with this trailer than I am the battle deck/jet add on parts for Superion. Probably because I didn't expect it... and thanks to the wings, it reminds me a little of God Bomber in his trailer mode.

I've always liked the way Long Haul looked. He's this big chonky robot (it's a vibe) made from a good old dump truck. Maybe it's just growing up with Tonka trucks in the back yard... hey come to think about it, the ones we had was a crane and dump truck! This set was pre destined! *ahem* There's just something satisfyingly pleasant about him, you know? The Devastator set Hasbro put out in Combiner Wars a decade ago was pretty good, but there was some reinvention going on. Long Haul ended up being VERY LARGE in that set. Frankly, I liked it, but we're going for screen accuracy this time. Like the others, Long Haul is a nice mix of original design and cartoon appearance. A big difference in this design, however, is that Long Haul doesn't form Devastators thighs. Some of those extra parts in the trailer do that.

Long Haul has his pistol that has a removable barrel. I don't see any point in that as of this moment, but it sure does separate. He's pleasantly articulated and very expressive. It's really neat that his head can move around. Obviously most heads on toys do that, but articulation with his head on a panel is pretty neat. Transformation is pretty easy and aside from a few steps is mostly muscle memory from the original toy. Some Transformers you can just look at and your hands know what to do. The trailer doesn't connect traditionally. Instead you'll have to fit the connector pieces between the rear ends haves as they connect. Rolling him along with his trailer is pretty pleasant, there's a certain charm to it that I can't quite describe. It's kinda cute. Out of this two pack, I like Long Haul the best. Once I get the rest of the gang, I'll show off Devastator. For right now though, I'm enjoying the dump truck guy.

Constructicon Hook [Studio Series 86/Commander Class]

I've talked before about how sometimes Transformers naming systems can be too wordy or confusing, this is one of those times. Hook is a Voyager Class figure that comes from a 2 pack of Voyager Class figures sold as a Commander Class. The full name on this box is Transformers Studio Series Constructicon Hook/Constructicon Long Haul. Don't forget that Studio Series is under the Transformers Generations sub-line, so the entire name is Transformers Generations Transformers Studio Series Commander Class Constructicon Hook/Constructicon Long Haul.

It's a two-pack of Constructicons for the current Devastator set that comes with a bunch of extra combiner parts sold as a Commander Class. I spent almost a paragraph talking about how many titles the box has to get that out of the way, because it's a bit absurd. Hook is one of those two toys in the box. Hook is one of those Constructicons that's always in every group shot, but tends to blend into the crowd. He's a highly skilled craftsman and has one giant ego to match it, which fits into early Constructicon appearances where they were often working on a project. As a member of the team, he forms the upper torso of Devastator and turns into a crane.

Hence the name.

My brother is a professional crane operator, so I can appreciate this alt mode more now as an adult. One thing I really appreciate about these Studio Series 86 Constructicons is how much they're a combination of the original toys designs and the on screen models. The designers really did a good job making this set feel like an upgrade of that original Diaclone design while making them show accurate. This set is meant to match their looks from the 1986 movie, which itself was a higher quality version of how they appeared in the regular cartoon series.

As someone who always liked the cartoon better, I appreciate the concept behind Studio Series 86 a whole lot. Hook is well articulated. To allow for some of this articulation, the sort of cape his vehicle kibble forms over his shoulders features the ability to be moved out of the way. That's a nice meeting of screen accuracy and real world engineering. The original toy it wasn't a big deal, it had limited possibility naturally. Past updates would reinvent the wheel a little on the characters looks. This one of course must be faithful... so some improvisation was needed.

He's got his laser pistol. It's a good approximation of the one he originally came with and later used to mow down the Autobots while Instruments of Destruction played. In vehicle mode, it can connect the the crane arm for storage. Transformation to that vehicle mode is pretty easy. Once again he's essentially an updated version of the original, so some of those steps it took back in the day are the same today. Vehicle mode is nice, looks right, rolls along well. The little crane arm disconnects, so it can be removed for transformation to either hand off his back or in place properly.

Before anyone points it out, the robot hands are meant to remain folded out in vehicle mode to properly connect the front and back sections. I realized I did that part wrong now that I see my pictures. Years of modern toys make me fold them away on autopilot. Later this week we'll look at Hooks partner in the set Long Haul. Considering the two form Devastators torso when combined, I wish they would have named the box set something witty and torso related. Then again... I suppose that's harder than it sounds.

Silverbolt [Age of the Primes/Commander Class]

I'm putting a solid effort to complete all the current combiner teams. Not finishing Menasaur a few years ago left a bad taste in my mouth, so it feels like an accomplishment to be so close with Superion. We'll be looking at Silverbolt today, he's the leader of the Aerialbots and the core component of Superion. While the toy is sold as a Commander Class, Silverbolt is closer to a Voyager Class toy. The price difference comes from the extra parts that are used to for Superion in conjunction with the other Aerialbots.

Fortunately these parts do serve a purpose when standing alone. They can form something of a battle station or combine with Silverbolt's jet mode to form a larger aircraft. Initially I was a little snarky over them, but grew more fond of them once I started folding them into these forms. You can combine them with Silverbolt to form a skeletal Superion, but I won't be showing that today. Instead that'll be for a completed set post after I get the other two later this year.

Silverbolt is pleasantly articulated and really feels like an evolution of his original toy. He's got a cool little blaster that matches the rest of his team. Speaking of the team, while they tend to be a bunch of buttheads, he's a lot more cool and collective. He tends to try and teach them lessons and be a positive role model. Unfortunately... he's afraid a heights. Considering he transforms into a Concord jet and leads a team of jet buttheads, that's not so great. He does get over it, but it was that initial fear that prompted Optimus to put him in charge of the team.

What the hell Optimus?

Transformation to jet mode isn't hard, but it does take a lot of extra folding. Silverbolt's arms halfway go inside of his upper torso, while his legs do a bit of a pretzel fold around them. It works well, but might take a minute to get in place. It's worth noting that Superion's head folds into that same upper torso in robot mode, and it's got to be just right or won't work. Lots of precise folding going on here. When completed, you've got a pretty decent looking Concord jet... with a giant block of robot kibble underneath.

The extra parts for Superion can connect and form a super jet that does look pretty neat. I appreciate the effort even if mine kept coming apart. It's a good use of the parts and Superion's big gun. Like I said, those same parts can form something of a battle station as well. It's not much, but an effort was made. I definitely like the super jet use better. Overall Silverbolt is a fun toy that manages to use some extra parts creatively. I'm really looking forward to completing the team. Superion is a great looking robot and so are the individual Aerialbots. Not bad.

Sky-Byte [Age of the Primes/Voyager Class]

It's pretty cool that I get to talk about two different new Sky-Byte toys this close to one another. Even better, both are really neat. Today we'll be talking about the new Voyager Sky-Byte figure from Transformers Age of the Primes. Like most Generations releases, this is an update of the original toy using modern engineering... and they nailed it! This is literally the original Sky-Byte toy with a bunch of extra articulation.

The improvements are specifically noticeable in shark mode, where his head can be moved around to mimic his appearance in the show Robots in Disguise (2001) in which he stole the fan bases heart. It's funny, considering the original toy was a repaint of a Beast Wars toy (Transmetal 2 Cybershark) that sat on clearance for quite some time. Yet later reached stardom thanks to that show. It's still one of my favorites and is always good to see one of the characters get some attention in the mainline.

Like I said, this new figure improves upon the original adding a great deal of articulation and improving on other things. Most noticeably, the sharks body is no longer curved. The sides of the shark become giant dramatic shoulder armor in robot mode. Not being curved makes this much more pleasant, look better, and not potentially get in the way of the arms. Those shoulder pads plug into place, so you can wiggle them around while transforming for extra part clearance. Sky-Byte has a something extra in terms of weapons as well. Those pectoral fins can be used as little swords... which I found pretty neat. His gun no longer features firing missiles but still retains the originals look. I've never cared much for it, but appreciate the effort. Honestly this is a near perfect update of the beloved original toy.

My only complaint isn't a complaint about the actual toy itself, just wishing it had paint apps the original had. Being such an improvement of the original... I can't help but to wish he had that fabulous chrome. I know it can flake over time, but it looks marvelous. That and it'd been nice if his Spark Crystal had been painted. I really liked the Spark Crystals from Transmetal 2 and when they carried over with reuses of those molds it just made me happy. So really, that's it. No actual complaints. Just wishing for a few extras that would have been appreciated. Sky-Byte was such a great character that he's managed to become a mainstay of the Transformers brand. Part of me hopes they release a Cybershark version of this new mold... just because the original's paint apps came off almost instantly. I don't know if Sky-Byte will ever get a much more premium figure... but this one feels like a Missing Link version of the original in some ways. Maybe they can release a special edition with some chrome.

Autobot Devcon [Legacy/Deluxe Class]

Back in the day, Devcon was a name that came up pretty often. Like other show only characters, he built up quite a fan base appearing in tons of fanart and fanfic. Despite all that, he's only gotten 2 toys. A BotCon exclusive and today's subject. Originally released a few years ago in Legacy, this Devcon toy was recently re-released as a Target exclusive. I was both thankful for the second chance to get him and for my wife picking him up for me while out.

Using the Studio Series 86 Blurr as a base with some heavy remolding, we've got a pretty screen accurate Devcon! You know, it's funny how Blurr can look so unique... yet his toys end up getting made into so many other characters. Devcon is looking pretty good here with his bright blues and reds. Like the base mold, he has a decent amount of articulation giving his far out looks plenty of range for expressiveness. He's got a blaster which can be held or plugged into his forearm (like in the show). There's also two boosters from alt mode that can plug into the blaster for some extra firepower.

Transformation is pretty easy, like Blurr. Evey thing just folds up into place and out of the way. Those little boosters plug into the rear and the blaster right under the nosecone. Alt mode is a non-de script Cybertronian aircraft. The Gambler was a season 2 episode that took place in space, but his design could easily fit into season 3's space opera setting. It's pretty cool looking and a little different. Originally this toy was near impossible to locate, but thankfully with the re-release many will finally get a chance to own one. It's nice to finally own a toy of Devcon, who despite being around so long and being so favored by so many, has hardly gotten any toys. Though I guess it's only fitting that his only toys have been harder to get. Thankfully this is  a good toy and a solid representation of him as he appeared in the cartoon. Who knows if they'll be another?

Tigerhawk [Legacy United/Leader Class]

My love for Beast Wars is probably pretty well known. Earlier today (as I'm writing this), I was watching Beast Wars on the Transformers channel as I often do. It inspired me to talk about today's toy that I haven't covered on the site yet. This Legacy version Tigerhawk was a Christmas gift from the Mrs. last year and a most welcome one at that. The original is one of my 'best of all time' Transformers and something I hold in high regard.

Tigerhawk was created when the Vok merged Tigatron and Airrazor together creating a singular being. With that in mind, the designers used the more recent Kingdom  Tigatron and Airrazor molds for parts to use on this toy. That was both a fun bit of synergy and a good way to keep costs down. This time around, Tigerhawk is very show accurate in a way I wasn't prepared to appreciate.

Original Beast Wars Transformers were pretty thick and chunky as was pretty standard for robot toys at the time. Of course those looks were often streamlined on TV, and it was just something I was used too. This new Tigerhawk has the show models look down really well, and it's impressive. Of course I'm accustomed to the chonk, so it's weirdly different... but I'm very happy that the show model is so right on. I like having my original toys and show models represented well. There's no beating that original toy to me, so the new figure being the show model is a perfect solution!

They even nailed the proper purples and copper Mainframe used. In robot mode, he looks great and is nicely articulated. The feather missiles no longer fire, but can be held in hand. The same is of those wing mounted cannons. The chain gun ends are still present, but they flip around manually to reveal static cannons. Those cannons can be removed and held as well. They even combine to form a larger gun! The wrist mounted blaster is now an removable piece that can be placed elsewhere also. Tigerhawk was always heavily armed, but feels even more so now.

Transformation is similar to the original, but has it's differences. I had a little difficulty getting the chest to close correctly. It fits around the cockpit a certain way and it's all got to be in place just right to work. After a little finagling, it finally worked. The wings have a wide range of movement and can fold forward in attack mode as the original. Being show accurate, the battle mode helmet is gone as is the hidden tank mode. The cockpit is on Tigerhawk's robot shoulder, but hidden in beast mode like in the show.

Cockpit?

Yes, Tigerhawk originally was one of the Beast Wars toys designed with a Spark Figure cockpit. The gimmick was dropped, but those cockpits remained on the figures. Here it's just for show, but I'm glad it's there. This is a really cool toy and a great update of a classic. I'm very appreciative of it's show model accuracy and enjoy the differences from the original. That original may be an all time classic, but chasing down those missiles when accidentally fired was a nightmare. Like the original, this feels like something special I own. It's not just a toy, but a representation of a cherished character from a special time in my life.