Scorponok (Creatures Collide/Deluxe Class)

Down the hall contained a fright, a once thought dead scorpion who's bark is definitely not worse than it's bite.

Listen, I'm going to give it to you straight. I love Beast Wars Scorponok. So when I saw that his Kingdom toy (that I love) was getting released in the Creatures Collide box set (that I already wanted) in original toy colors... I was sold. I mean, I was already sold... but like extra sold. In addition to the colors, Scorponok also comes with his extra head, you know the one Sandstorm uses. This is a throwback to the Mutant heads of original Beast Wars. So really, this is a pretty great update of that original beast Scorponok. I made my thoughts pretty clear on my Kingdom Scorponok post... I like this toy. I like Beast Wars Scorponok in general. I have Sandstorm too, though I haven't talked bout him here just yet. 

I remember playing the old Beast Wars video game online. There was a PS1 and PC version... I ended up with both somehow. It wasn't the best game ever made, but I had fun playing it. The PC version could be played online in death matches and I'd usually play Scorponok. I almost always got beaten, but had fun. The gaming hub had little chat rooms and for a while it was a pretty decent place to talk Transformers. I usually don't get nostalgic with Transformers, they're something that's never went away for me. An ongoing thing, you know. However, I guess something like this Scorponok toy makes me a little nostalgic for an older, forgotten time. It's funny how Transformers fandom has changed over the years. It's a million light years from what it was in the beast era... but still good.

Twincast with Rewind (Legacy Evolution)

I recently lucked up on Twincast and Rewind at my local Gamestop and eagerly purchased them. For the record, my local Gamestop is rather large, well run, and feels more like a small toy store than a traditional Gamestop. I'm quite aware others don't have that luxury... and find it kind of weird myself. Twincast happily came home with me and even though I have the Blaster and Eject this set is made from... they're sadly in a backlog of unopened toys. So this is my first time experiencing the mold in all it's glory. Twincast and Rewind are pretty much a straight repaint of the prior toys, thought Twincast does have a slight head remold. He's giving a slight wink, similar to his first appearance in the Headmasters cartoon. While I understand this incarnation's backstory is that of a failed clone by Shockwave... we all know who he's supposed to be.

It's easy to automatically think Twincast uses Radi-Casse Robo's colors, but he's actually quite different. The blue does make me mentally think Mico Change and I find myself forgetting the differences as well. Actually, both Microman versions are similar enough to the Transformers toys that a straight homage would probably get a lot of criticism. That's a shame, it's an exclusive version I'd like to see. Especially using this mold as a basis, because it's a great update to Blaster/Twincast. Pleasantly larger than a standard figure being a Voyager class and well articulated. His transformation into a boombox is pretty easily done. There is a little bit of panel forming that can make the process a bit fiddly if you don't get everything lined up just right, but I found it pretty simple. Rewind is, of course, much smaller but feels pretty well done. Like with Eject before him, Rewind is mostly cast in translucent plastic. That's a sticking point for some as the stuff tends to get brittle and crack in time, but it does look nice. 

Rewind of course turns into a cassette tape that fits in Twincast's tape deck via pressing the player's buttons. Doing so will cause the door to pop open, allowing for Rewind or any other to scale tape bots to fit in. I do love my cassette robots, really with I could have scored that Siege two pack that got released with the Micromasters a few years ago. Oh well, hopefully some more will find their way out. Blaster and Twincast could use a Ramhorn and Steeljaw. Twincast comes with his Electro-Scrambler rifle as did Blaster. It can store on the back of the stereo or held in either hand. His right hand is posed with an outwards finger to simulate pulling the trigger or pressing his tape deck buttons. It's a cool touch. Twincast is an Evolution toy, which means he features some for of combination gimmick as does the rest of the Legacy Evolution figures. Though being a mold from a prior line they try to sell storing the gun in alt mode as his Evo-Fusion ability on the back of the box. Yep.

Sideswipe (Kingdom)

Sideswipe also came in the Battle Across Time set with Skywarp. This Kingdom version of Sideswipe is a remold of the Siege Sideswipe toy that got a lot of use over the years. That's kind of the beauty of a Sideswipe toy mold, it's going to get a lot of reuse. Think of it as the Autobot Seeker mold. When there's a Sideswipe, there's going to be several repaints coming. I think this version has turned out a record number of repaints... and I'm not complaining. This Kingdom version is Sideswipe's Earth form, a red Lamborghini Countach. A very nice and flashy car that will draw attention wherever it goes. So of course it's just right to disguise yourself as.

Of course Sideswipe is an action figure and they're trying to sell as many toys as possible. So they'll turn into cool, flashy cars instead of that old Ford Taurus your Mom drives. If you have bought any Transformers within the past few years... you've probably got some form of this mold. However, just in case you don't, it's a good toy. Sideswipe transformers pretty easily. He's a character that you know how to transform by looking at, even if it's a brand new toy of him... you pretty much have it figured out. In robot mode he's pleasantly articulated and has a satisfying amount of chonk to his look. There's a reason why he's one of the standard bots. Sideswipe just looks like the concept, you know?

I can't say anything bad about this toy. I've got so many different versions of it... I better not have anything bad to say about it. This new Kingdom version is a nice change from the prior Siege version. While I really liked the Cybertronian design the Siege toy has, the Earthen mode is classic... and after a few years of that space car some change is welcome. I've honestly always liked him... it's hard not too. This combination of him and Skywwarp makes for a great set. It was a great gift from my wife and just a fun set to own.

Skywarp (Kingdom)

This figure of Skywarp came with Sideswipe in the Transformers Kingdom: Battle Across Time two pack. I recently got it as a gift from my wife at Christmas. For those who may not know, this is obviously not the classic Skywarp you may expect, but the character from Beast Wars II. This Skywarp is a Maximal and believe it or not, a school teacher back on Cybertron. In Beast Wars II, Skywarp spends much of his time mentoring Lio Junior as part of the Magnaboss combiner team. This newer toy isn't a combiner like the original, but a really nice update.

Skywarp is a remold/repaint of Kingdom Airazor whom I talked about here before. The falcon was converted to an eagle so well that you could probably fool someone that this was a new mold. Skywarp's robot head is completely new, really finishing out the package. He really is a fantastic update of the original toy... and I'm completely surprised they went with the Beast Wars II characterization instead of calling it Silverbolt as the toy was known here. I'd say that avoids confusion... but there's probably a few fans not in the know wondering about the Skywarp name as well. The toy gets extra cool points from me for that.

Tiger in Mutant Missions

Tigatron has been a white Siberian tiger for so long, it’s easy to forget he was originally planned to be a traditional orange tiger. Thankfully this idea was recently revisited by Hasbro as an Amazon exclusive. The Mrs. saw it and knew it’d be something I’d like… and she was right. I had thought I missed out on him before opening him up Christmas morning. Mutant Tigatron (as this version is referred too) is the Kingdom Tigatron toy with the proper colors and mutant head used as originally planned (and seen on box art). Despite how used to the traditional Tigatron I am… I kinda prefer this having it in hand now.

 

This is a recolor of the toy I’ve already talked about (with a new head), so there’s no reason to really ‘review’ him as a toy (even though I don’t really do reviews). What I’d like to do is look at him from the eyes of a fan who misses the beast era a lot and is more than happy to see a return to it. With the vintage reissue line at Walmart, Generations updates, Rise of the Beasts, and even Authentics… I’ve got plenty Beast Wars to scratch the critter bot itch. Something like this is just icing on the cake.

Now that Hasbro has ventured into concepts area of Beast Wars… what’s next? There’s Optimal Optimus and Transmetal 2 Megatron with new toys… how about those pilot figures? Those cool mythic bots that eventually became Fuzors! Or hey, updates of popular figures. I’d love a leader class Tigerhawk or Core Class Quickstrike. Of course I could sit here all day and day dream new beast warriors for Hasbro to cram into Transformers boxes… and probably will anyway. Is it weird that I’m almost thinking of Rise of the Beasts as this years BotCon? It’s odd to look forward to a movie this much, but thanks to how much I loved Bumblebee and the inclusion of Maximals… guys I’m excited.

Storming the Quicksand

 

Recently Hasbro previewed the upcoming Walmart Exclusive Sandstorm. This is a pretty big deal to me. The original is one of those figures that's always been just out of reach. It was a BotCon exclusive in the older days when they were a bit more hard to get and from a year I couldn't afford to go. This new Sandstorm is made from the Kingdom Scorponok toy that I loved. Frankly, I'll be satisfied with it. Being Exclusive to Walmart, it shouldn't be too hard to get. Though also being exclusive to Walmart means I don't trust their pre-order system and will have to essentially stalk my local stores when the sightings start happening. No problem, I'll practically live there if I have too. This is a must have toy for me and I can't wait to get one. It's so exciting to see something like this happen and honestly I'd love for more to come out.

Rodimus Prime (Kingdom)

 

Rodimus Prime is one of my favorite Transformers characters. Like Galvatron, after his introduction everything changed for the better. His latest figure is a large Commander Class figure that the Mrs gave me for Christmas. She knows how much I like him and this is one impressive gift. Like the Kingdom version of Galvatron, this Rodimus Prime works as both a Generations and Studio Series version of the toy. It's also a very pleasantly chunky robot toy that I had a lot of fun with. As you'd expect, Rodimus turns into his trademark Winnebago of Doom. What you probably didn't expect was the front 'cab' portion separates into the car Rodimus changed into as Hot Rod. As a kid, this is what I wanted the original to do. In a way, it makes him more like an Optimus Prime toy when the cab separates from the trailer.

The 'trailer' portion of the alt mode converts into a battle platform similar to the original toy. Now, however, the cannon is detachable and has treads for movement. It can be used as a portable weapon as well. There's plenty of connection ports in the battle deck for various Weaponizers and other add on fun. Rodimus comes with plenty of those energy action effect thingies, they make good blast effects for the cannon. Rodimus himself is contained within the car. This leads to my only dislike about the toy. I hated transforming it. He's a pretty tall robot that unfolds out of that car in not the most graceful manner. The end results are great, but the trip from A to B was a nightmare.

Transformation aside, in robot mode Rodimus is very sharp looking and well articulated. He has some great accessories including his Photon Eliminator rifle, Sword of Primus, and a Matrix of Autobot Leadership that stores nicely in his chest. There's even one of those energy effects thingies just for it! There already has been a Masterpiece Rodimus toy, but I am WAY more impressed with this figure than that one. There's even removable smoke for the smoke stacks! This is one of those toys that feel proud to own, like it could be a showcase piece. I've been really happy with Transformers toys in general over the past few years and this definitely is a solid example as to why.

Galvatron (Kingdom)

 

When it comes to Transformers, the movie and it's post years are a particularly favored era for me. The space opera, far out designs, and darker tone improves what was already a solid formula. Galvatron is a much more interesting villain than the earlier version of Megatron. Like Rodimus Prime with Optimus, he influenced the writers when it came to making Megatron more interesting. It seems like that to me anyway. This Kingdom version is something of an anomaly. It's the Generations version of Galvatron and the Studio Series 86 toy as well. Like Cyclonus and Ultra Magnus, it's clearly intended to fill both roles.

Galvatron will be re-released in Legacy sans the signature War for Cybertron battle damage deco as well. I'm ok with or without it, but you may have your preferences. I'm not sure if I'll get that Legacy version, but am really tempted on the Pulse exclusive version. I just like Galvatron, and I'm pretty fond of this toy as well. I'll admit though, to date my favorite version has been the Energon version. It's a mix of classic and update that's also really cool. This however, is a strong contender for that spot. 

The toy is 100% classic Galvatron. Robot mode to laser cannon, everything looks and feels right. A nice little extra touch is replacing his classic rifle with one that looks like the ship Unicron gave him in the movie. Another extra is the Autobot Matrix of Leadership dangling from a chain to be worn around his neck like in the movie. The gun and Matrix can be utilized in cannon mode and add a little extra to an already cool toy. I like both modes, but don't like transforming it. It's not hard or anything, I just don't enjoy the transformation. I'm not sure of there's an official laser gun mode, but sure one can be pulled off. The original wasn't that amazing to begin with. 

Galvatron is one of those great characters that doesn't always get the best toys. Usually the better ones have an all new design as the original is pretty hard to pull off. His cartoon appearance took some liberties with the toy design that went on to define the character. This is a good version. It looks great in both modes and is a solid toy as well. Plenty of articulation, the cannon is sturdy, and everything serves a purpose. This is another Christmas gift from the Mrs and it's a great one. He's big, evil looking, and imposing. All hail Galvatron!

Tigatron (Kingdom)

 

I was pretty happy to open up Tigatron on Christmas morning. He was one of the presents my wife gave me and what a great gift. I'd been looking forward to getting this new version of him since he was announced and having him is no disappointment. Tigatron is one of those great characters that I feel doesn't get as much attention as he should. The original toy was a repaint of the original Cheetor. In Kingdom he's a new mold but still definitely borrows Cheetor's engineering.

That's not a bad thing as they're both great toys. Though Tigatron is a voyager making him bigger than Cheetor's deluxe toy. That's super appropriate all things considered and feels more natural in hand. The bigger size is a definite improvement in the already solid design. His head sculpt really nails the look and once again Kingdom brings a toy that feels like it walked off the TV screen. If I had a complaint, it's that his gun doesn't work into the alt mode and merely pegs into his belly. That wouldn't be an issue if not for the fact that this is the trademark 'gut gun' and has the pink guts incorporated. I appreciate the gun being there, just wish it was worked into the toy a little better.

Tigatron is well articulated and transformed pretty easily. I can't stress just how much I appreciate him being a larger size. It's just more satisfying in hand. Even though I love smaller toys, there's nothing like a big robot toy. Some of the white parts are a different shade than others. I'm sure this is either a plastics issue or maybe the designers thought it made him look better. The white still looks great here and really contrasts well with the metallic teal of his robot parts. Tigatron has always been a really sharp looking character and that continues well here. This is one of those toys that feels more like a premium effort.

Ractonite

A long forgotten Christmas tradition is to tell scary ghost stories at night. That tradition is so forgotten that it seems totally out of place these days. You all know I like it spooky and can appreciate it as a counter point to all the sugar and spice. Admittedly my habit of listening to paranormal and true crime podcasts while at work is a regular thing anyway. But it does help alleviate some of the stress of the holiday season. With that in mind I thought looking at the spooky skeletal Fossilizers would be just the ticket! While I was getting sick this past summer the wife picked him up for me. He's been in my backlog since then and I'm glad I finally opened him up. I like Fossilizers as is. Nothing like a Transformer that's a skeleton that transforms into a skeleton. Add in that the body can be broken up and used as armor or weapons for other transformers and you've got quite a morbidly weird idea. They also remind of of Rock Lords and Bone Age.

Ractonite transforms into a triceratops. That's probably not the most accurate description of the exact dinosaur species represented here, but I'm pretty sure the dinosaurs never turned into robots either. It's a pretty good skeletal dinosaur. Decently articulated. Of course he can be split up and made into a variety of weapons and armor as a Fossilizer. There's a combiner you can make with them and these are the parts that make up it's torso and feet. Considering that he's the widest of the Fossilizers, you'd figure more would be used. I may do so whenever making mine. In robot mode there's a strong resemblance to Ribcage that I cannot ignore. If I was on whatever official board decided exclusives, there would definitely be a Fossilosaurus set pitched using these guys. However that gate is firmly kept by others.

Warpath post with clever title

Kingdom Warpath was one of my birthday gifts from the Mrs. I'm not sure what's taken me so long to get around to opening him, but my backlog does have a few stragglers from before I got sick. Adulthood sometimes gets in the way of childlike hobbies. I'm pretty impressed by just how much Warpath looks exactly like Warpath. I say that because so many toys of his is a different take on the design. This is 100% classic Warpath and a pretty good Transformers figure as well.

He's got a good amount of articulation and while I wasn't a fan of how the legs work in transformation, the tank mode is pretty solid. Warpath is one of those bots that manages to stick around, but still is a little under the mainstream eye. He's usually not the first or even second that come to mind when most people think about Transformers. However Warpath isn't obscure by any means either. That's an odd place for a classic character to be in, but it fits him doesn't it? This is a really good toy of Warpath. Really happy with it.

Wings Down

I bought Airazor sometime last spring. That's the thing with my backlog, it's pretty fucking big. Though select items from it will make for fun posts here! Released in Kingdom, Airazor is making a return appearance from her time in Beast Wars and a brief appearance in Armada. This new toy is based on her original toy which honestly benefits from the update. Airazor looks like she stepped right off the TV screen. 

As soon that description stops being applicable, I'll stop using it. 

Airazor is a pretty good toy. She has a lot of articulation in both modes. I'm honestly impressed by all the ways her wings can move. Transformation into a falcon is pretty smooth even though I had a little trouble getting things to tab in correctly. That was probably on me. In beast mode she looks great, though admittedly there's a bit of robot mode kibble underneath that really has nowhere to go. That's a pretty common thing in Transformers that turn into birds and jets. I'm not apologizing for it, just accepting it. Like I said earlier, her wings can move in all sorts of poses making for a pretty neat toy falcon. I regret taking so long to open her up now that I've finally gotten around to the mountain of unopened toys. I thought her old Transmetal toy would be hard to beat. I still prefer it, but this is a nicer figure thanks to modern engineering.

Superior to the Core

I picked up Core Class Soundwave this past weekend. I really like this new size class Kingdom introduced. Seeing as it's continuing in Legacy and being worked into Studio Series, I'm not the only one. Soundwave is a really nice toy for what's is the new basic size.

He's pleasantly articulation. Mostly due to transformation, but I'm not complaining. In fact, it almost makes him comparable to the Microman figures he originated from. Soundwave turns into his traditional cassette player and even has an opening door complete with Laserbeak in tape mode!

Laserbeak doesn't transform, but it's still a nice extra. I have no complaints with this figure whatsoever. I do wish his robot mode feet tucked away better in alt mode from abetter looking tape player. So far Core Class has had some really great figures. I'm really looking forward to more as it's been great so far. This one though, is going to be pretty hard to beat.

Waspinator here looking for Sara Connor

A few weekends ago, when the Mrs picked up Shadow Panther and Tracks for me, she also found the new Kingdom Waspinator as well. Like many of you, Waspinator is a favorite character from Beast Wars of mine. Obviously I was looking forward to this new toy. Like most newer Generations figures, Waspinator looks like he walked off the TV screen. That's a pretty impressive since something like a wasp that transforms into a bipedal robot cannot be easy to design. It's not perfect s there's some left over kibble from each mode slightly visible in each mode and not everything held together as well as I would have preferred. However, I'm mostly happy with him and not to bothered by his flaws. Your mileage may vary.

It's been great having these new updates of classic Beast Wars characters lately. Sure, they occasionally put one out every so often, but the past year has been full of Maximals and Predacons much to my happiness. I'm not sure how many will be in Legacy, there'll be some in the Rise of the Beasts toy line , but that's not due until 2023. Guess I'll just have to see. Good thing I like the way the Legacy figure are looking anyway. Like I said, Waspinator is a fan favorite and it's hard not to be happy when he gets a new toy. Just thinking about it brings up a ton of memories of horrible impressions of him at BotCon (myself included). The last Waspinator mold got used as Waruders at a BotCon which is funny since this one makes me think of Repto. That's probably unintentional, but I wouldn't mind seeing some of those older bad guys made from this toy.

Tracks in the sky with Diamond Cylones

When the Mrs. picked up Shadow Panther for me, she also grabbed Tracks. I've always really liked Tracks and have been looking forward to this toy despite hearing various people online say he wasn't so great. I don't mean to be totally dismissive of others opinions, but these kind of things are subjective, so I generally decide for myself. Not to mention, some folks just can't be pleased. Regardless of the cries of those with urine soaked beds, I was looking forward to Tracks. Like I said, I like him. I've always thought he looked cool and had a cool personality. Just a good Autobot car, you know?

Tracks is a pretty good toy once you get him into the various modes. Transformation though, wow, really didn't like that part. Lot's of panels that have to be aligned just right and getting his legs into the cars front end was not pleasant at all. Once you got through the frustration of all that, he's a pretty nice looking toy. Tracks looks like he just walked off the TV screen like most recent Generations toys.

He's pleasantly articulated and everything is where it should be. In car mode, assuming you got all the panels to pop into place, he looks great. From car mode, conversion to flight mode is simple. Just fold out the arm parts and wings/fins. Tracks's flight mode is the predecessor of  those Transmetals vehicle modes and similar to M.A.S.K. Basically, it's a car with wings. Before you comment on how that's unrealistic, remember it's an alien robot from outer space that disguises itself as a car. Also remember it's a toy. Then remember the word masticate, it means chewing. Somebody felt another word for chewing was necessary.

Aside from the frustrating transformation, I don't have a single bad thing to say about this figure. Generations has really been on a roll in the past few years. As an adult who grew up with Transformers since it's inception, these are exactly the toys I want as a fan of the line. Classic characters updated with improved designs that look as they should. While I absolutely love it when we get new characters, I'm not going to pretend that new toys of classic characters aren't great. Even as frustrated as I got with Track's transformation, I still liked the toy. The colors really look great and he's fun to fiddle around with. Kingdom made Tracks pretty good.

Living on the edge, not afraid to die

A few weeks ago I spoke about how excited I was for the new Kingdom version of Shadow Panther. Fortunately the Mrs found him a little bit back and I now happily have one. If you don't know who Shadow Panther is, let me educate you a little on him. His bio reads-Outer appearance looks like a Cybertron but in fact he is a Predacon soldier. Shadow Panther specializes in performing surprise attacks from the darkness. He doesn't stop his hunts until he has preyed upon countless Maximals. Depending on release, he may or may not be Ravage. That's because he was originally a Japanese exclusive character, however Hasbro chose to import him when they ran a collectors web store (pre-Hasbro Pule). Initially sold as Shadow Panther, however at some point they renamed the toy Tripredacus Agent.

If you couldn't tell, it's a repaint of Cheetor. However not a direct repaint as Shadow Panther has a different head. The first bath of Beast Wars toys had the mutant head gimmick. This would usually give the figure another head that could be swapped out to represent a battle mask or helmet. When it came to repaints, these mutant heads would usually serve as the new characters head. Shadow Panther normally used the standard Cheetor head, but for this release he has the mutant head. Considering there's another Cheetor likely on the shelf nearby, that's a pretty good idea. Not going to lie either, it's a good choice. Makes him look more savage. With that sickle/whip weapon and the black colors, Shadow Panther looks like the anime shadow warrior the bio makes him out to be. 

The black on yellow with silver colors look as good as ever to me. Silver on black is a classic look and the yellow is so strikingly different that it contrasts nicely. Not to mention, makes me think of a Henshin Cyborg. There's a pretty big Transformers iceberg, and it's probably a coincidence, but the similarity is hard to ignore. As you've guessed by now, I'm happy with this toy. You might be too. The base mold is already a good one and it's a character I have a fondness for. I'm pretty happy that Hasbro went with Shadow Panther for Kingdom. With the Netflix version of Cheetor also available, I would have assumed they'd pass over another use of the mold on the shelf at the same time. Sometimes it's good to be wrong.

Dracodon the Radioactive!

I finally found Dracodon this past weekend at Gamestop. I quite like these new Core Class Transformers and can't wait to find Soundwave. Not to mention it's impossible for me to dislike the neon green skeleton that is Dracodon. A straight repaint of Vertebreak that manages to look completely new with just a different color, he is awesome. I've been a big fan of the Fossilizers in general,and even though this isn't technically one... what's not to love about skeleton dinosaur Transformers? The idea sells itself! Despite looking like a member of the Devil Invaders or a Dokuro Man, Dracodon is a Maximal. The bright radioactive green colors are impossible to ignore and I can't think of a better time than Halloween to get him. This is a great toy and my only regret is that there isn't more weird colored versions of him to buy.

Shadow Panther, Best In The World

I'm looking forward to finding Kingdom Shadow Panther at my local stores. I've always liked the guy, it's a simple Cheetor repaint that just works. Part of my admiration for him comes from the way I got the original one. BotCon 2002 I was roaming the dealers room looking for some good deals. The dealers room was a lot more fun back then, more weird stuff, more of a community atmosphere. It really was a different world back then. You may not have known everyone, but you always felt you were part of something. I was looking around and a dealer had the Beast Wars Metals Jaguar X-9 (Beast Wars Ravage) figure for a really good price. I'm blanking a little now on the number, but it was a steal. I realized I only had about $20 bucks on me and needed to use the ATM machine. 

These days almost every dealer has one of those card readers for mobile devices or a way to process your card. Not so much back then, it was a cash only business. This usually meant the ATM's in the convention centers were always out of cash and you'd have to find an nearby one at a moments notice. Which is what happened and I found myself running to the adjacent parking lot machine. By the time I came back, all the X-9's the dealer had were gone and noticeably other dealers now had a X-9 for sale. Also noticeably marked up. While I was there in front of the dealer who originally was selling X-9 for a non-predatory price, I saw he had Shadow Panther really cheap. In box, unopened, super cheap. I had been wanting one and knew a sign from the universe when I see one. 

What's Your Sign? He's A Scorponok.

This past weekend I lucked up upon the newest Scorponok figure at my local Walmart. I've always liked the Beast Wars Scorponok and getting this newest version of him was something I wanted to do. His original toy is pretty fragile and I keep mine in storage wrapped up in bubble wrap to hopefully preserve the toy. Though time wrecks havoc on older translucent plastic and the figure is mostly composed of it. Definitely having a newer figure if most welcome. Of course I have countless copies of the McDonald's toy as well but you know what I mean. Not to mention, that's a figure of Creepy with the wrong name, I'm convinced. 

Scorponok looks like he walked off the TV from an episode of Beast Wars, the CGI wasn't that bad give it up. It's a really solid representation of him, but admittedly a little squat. That doesn't bother me though, there's bound the be a little leeway to make that design work in a real world object. The show model wasn't super toy accurate mind you. The transformation wasn't my favorite though. Not necessarily horrible, just a little less than stellar when it comes to his hips and chest. Basically the legs both fold up into his tail and the hips fit up with his robot mode into his chest. It's not hard, just a little fiddly. It was for me anyway, I also had a little trouble getting his beast mode head in and out of position. I pinched the shit out of my finger, so it was probably me being fat fingered.

Scorponok comes with his missile pods and infamous Cyberbee. They store neatly in his claws, so you don't really have to take them out. In all honestly, the implementation of these wasn't something super amazing to pull off. I was so happy to see them that you'd think it was. Love that damn cyberbee. I can see a Quickstrike being made from the engineering and hope that happens. That's another toy I'm a little nervous about. I'd gladly welcome Sandstorm or Double Punch... but would want a Double Punch more. I can't help but to want a Scorp made from the toy, you guys know I love my Gobots. Scorponok is a good toy and a great update of a classic character. I was initially stoked to see that he was getting a new figure and had a great time playing with him in my living room. Like a grown ass man would.

Giving You The Wingfinger

I was happy to find Wingfinger at my local Walmart this past Sunday. He's a Fossilizer, something I'm quite fond of. There's nothing like a robot skeleton dinosaur that can be broken apart to become weapons or armor for other Transformers. Wingfinger transforms into a pterodactyl skeleton giving him a much more thin body than other more bulky bots. Frankly it makes me think of Beast Machines era toys and I liked those, so it's a good thing to be reminded of. Thanks to his thin build, you get a robot who comes off like a skeletal Eva unit. It's a good look and a bit of variety in the mostly traditional area that Generations toys live in.