Cannonball [Star Raiders Collection/Deluxe Class]

I've been a big fan of the Walmart Exclusive Transformers Legacy series as they're just so cool. Somehow, I've hardly covered them here on the site until the Star Raider Collection, which I've managed to completely showcase. That was a weird way to reflect on the series while also acknowledging that today's space pirate is the last of the series. Like Lockdown, Canonball was a Christmas gift from the Mrs. who spoils me every year.

Cannonball has pretty much always been a pirate character, though his crew tends to change depending on fictional setting. As a toy, he's always been a repaint. The original was a repaint of the Deluxe Cybertron Red Alert figure. This new one is the latest use of the Legacy Skids mold. That mold itself has seen more miles than a long haul tractor trailer with multiple repaints and remolds. Cannonball specifically is a repaint/remold of Crankcase. I have Crankcase, but don't think I've covered him here. Despite the reuse of prior molds, Crankcase and Cannonball almost feel like completely different engineering. There's only been two Cannonball figures, but ironically he's been a Walmart exclusive twice. The original was reissued in an exclusive set, while this new figure is from the Star Raiders collection.

Cannonball is very similar to his original design, but now turning into a crossover style SUV while the original was a Dodge Magnum. Which was a station wagon that was pretty popular at the time. Cannonball has a new head that looks almost just like the original as well as the original's laser hand. There's a claw and hammer accessory that can fit on the laser hand and store in his legs. He's holding the hammer in my pic as I wanted to show it off, but apparently in not the very best way. One nice touch is the Cyber Key. It doesn't unlock anything... but is a nice nod to the past. The key is sporting a Star Seeker insignia, and that's really cool.

Another nice touch is the skeleton graphics on the original toy's car doors are replaced with a Vok one. The Vok resemble a flaming skull, so it's a really nice Easter Egg. Like all the other instances of this mold, like Burn Out, transformation is easy and articulation is plentiful. It's really neat how much this toy looks like the original. The Star Seeker Collection was fun to collect as was the exclusive sets prior. I'm sad to see it over, but as Cannonball was originally a Cybertron toy, I feel like him ending this series makes a nice segway to this years Walmart set. An all Cybertron themed collection to celebrate the series 20th anniversary. So look forward to more Cyber Key action later this year!

Lockdown [Star Raiders Collection/Deluxe Class]

Getting back to the Star Raiders is Lockdown. Lockdown original appeared in Transformers Animated, and was so popular that he was worked into other Transformers settings. This newest figure has the bounty hunter joining up with the space pirate crew... and that feels pretty fitting. He isn't wearing a Star Seeker/Raider insignia, so I like to imagine he's either a new recruit or just in for the ride. Either way, a new Lockdown toy is always welcome. Lockdown uses the Axlegrease mold as a base with a newly sculpted head. Axlegrease herself is a retool of Scraphook whom was also reworked into Tow-Line. Clearly that mold has gotten some use over the past few years, I've talked about Tow-Line, whose post will have details I may miss when talking about Lockdown today.

The use of a Junkion mold fits Lockdown pretty well. The spikes and Mad Max vibes fit his design... and that car mode makes me think a Lockdown was intended from the start when Axelgrease was conceived. The head sculpt looks great, I think I like the 'G1' version of his looks the best. It really brings everything together nicely and just works. Being from a Junkion mold, you can combine his parts with other bots or similar gimmick toys to create various armors and weapons. Considering Lockdown's penchant for collecting trophies of his hunts, I like to imagine him wearing another bots parts. Speaking of parts, he's got quite a bit of accessories. An engine block that can be wielded as a gun or split into two guns (that's neat). Two exhaust pipes that one can get creative with. Do what feels natural, man.

Two thrusters that can be combined into one double barreled blaster or held as two. not to be left out is a hook that I believe is in all instances of the mold, but works well for Lockdown as you can combine it with one of those thrusters to replicate his trademark hook hand. In the image I have all his weapons shown without any sort of rhyme or reason other than wanting to show off all the parts. You can get creative and combine them in a variety of ways. Transformation to car mode is relatively easy and I don't have any real complaints. I did have a problem at a few points due to thinking a part fit differently than it did, but that's my fault, not the toys. In car mode Lockdown looks badass. The various spikes combined with the engine block and pipes just makes for a crazy looking car. I'll never drive something like this in real life, but if I did, it'd be awesome pulling up to the CVS for my medication in it. Lockdown is a satisfying toy and it's always good to see him make an appearance. He was a welcome appearance under the tree as part of my Christmas gifts from the Mrs.

Filch [Star Raiders Collection/Deluxe Class]

One of the great thing about the Walmart exclusive collections is that they provide an outlet for prior unreleased characters/toys to be released under. Filch was a Decepticon from Transformers Robots in Disguise 2015 whom never got a figure outside of a Tiny Titan release. In the Star Raiders Collection, she's making her debut as a Deluxe Class toy. Spoilers, it's a good one. The toy is a remold of Kingdom Airazor. Using that mold as a base, the designers make a solid representation of her. Like with Skywarp, the mold makes for a good skeleton. Filch turns into a corvid. However, unlike Airazor and Skywarp, she's not a beast era style beast warrior with an organic looking alt mode. Her alt mode is more robotic, like traditional Transformers with beast modes are. He remolding is pretty extensive and doesn't have all those feathers.

A neat design change was the wings. Where Airazor and Skywarp have those forearm guns that serve as missiles for their beast modes, Filch's wingtips separate and plug into her forearms. This allows her to resemble her show model better and makes her backpack smaller. She can also hold these wingtips as sort of a sickle weapon. Transformation is easy, literally identical to the other mold uses before aside from connecting the wing tips. Corvid and robot mode are very well articulated. This is just a well designed Transformers all around. I really like Filch's colors and feel like they bring the toy alive in a way the prior uses didn't. They're just so pretty. They did a really good jn making Filch from Airazor and did enough to make her different than just a simple repaint.

Road Pig [Star Raiders Collection/Deluxe Class]

Yarr matey! The Star Raiders continue to plunder the galaxy with a look at Road Pig today. Road Pig is an update to the wonderfully cool Transformers Generation 2 Laser Cycle that frankly just doesn't get enough attention. Road Pig is a repaint of Crashbar with a new head. Using Crashbar's parts means Road Pig can also be taken apart and made into armor or weapons for most other  current Transformers toys.

The exhaust pipes can be attached to his forearms to create a mode faithful to the original toy robot mode. I kept them on his back as I love those big honkin guns he's packing. Like Crashbar, one of his bike wheels can separate and become a blades weapon or shield. Road Pig's deco is very faithful to the original toy. The exhaust pipes mentioned above are in a pinkish red hue that simulates the originals light up feature. Neat!

Transformation is easy and can be done without completely dissembling the figure like earlier Weaponizer figures. I did have a little trouble getting the parts to fit into place a little. Not sure if that's from mold usage and repair or big clumsy hands. It's not a deal breaker either way. Once in motorcycle mode, Road Pig is a pretty solid homage to his original toy again. Just needs his windshield. I've very fond of the Transformers logo and G2 symbols on the motorcycle. Transformers from from late G1 and G2 tended to have logos on the vehicle modes. It's silly, sure, but also looks cool. I've always liked the G2 logo and at times have preferred it. I can't see it without instantly being reminded of older fandom times due to it's regular use back then. Road Pig is a great update of a classic toy and another cool member of the Star Raiders Collection. I really enjoy these Walmart exclusive series from the past few years. The random homages blended with fun themes is awesome.

Ferak [Star Raiders Collection/Legends Class]

Ferak first joined the Star Raiders/Star Seekers in the BotCon 2014 convention exclusive set "Pirates vs. Knights", however the character has been around since the G1 comics making his first appearances in the UK Transformers comics. Ferak is a sadist inventor whose creations are usually pretty evil. Despite being around for so long, he's cruelly only gotten 2 toys. Both are repaints of Cyclonus figures and both exclusives. From that BotCon set we just talked about and the newest is today's subject matter.

The only Voyager Class figure in the Star Raider Collection (exclusive to Walmart here in the states), Ferak is a really nice repaint of the Kingdom Cyclonus mold. I really liked that figure even though it wasn't talked about it here. I've generally have always been a fan of Cyclonus and always look forward to his toys. Ferak is mostly a grayish white with some dark grey and red detailing. It looks really nice on the toy mold and really gives it a new life from a sculpt so instantly recognizable as Cyclonus.

Personally the white reminds me of a common white colored bootleg of the original G1 Cyclonus toy that made the rounds in the 90's-early 2000's. I had one myself until finally getting my own G1 Cyclonus shortly after the bootleg fell apart. The shoddiness of it's own existence was too much for it's molecular matter to hold together. As a robot, Ferak is large with a pleasant heftiness in hand. He feels solid in that way you want a Transformers to to feel. It's a nice toy. There's a decent amount of articulation and he comes with 3 guns. The first is a large Oxidating Laser that can be held and stored on his back or canopy in vehicle mode. Then there are 2 thin blasters that can be attached to his wingtips in either mode, attached to his arms, or held as pistols. These are holder overs from Cyclonus and there's no ignoring that, but they still look great.

Transformation is easy, everything goes where it looks like it should. I really like this vehicle mode in these colors. They have that classic space opera look and would match right up next to a Star Bird. Ferak has always turned into some variation of a star fighter style vehicle, so Cyclonus really does work well for him. He was portrayed with a horned helmet in those old UK comics, which makes those bunny ears work out. There's even some great landing gear that can unfold. That's a nice little touch I always appreciate. This is a really good toy that looks great in these colors. I know some folks won't be able to see anything but Cyclonus, but in that case, it's a nice looking Cyclonus in different colors! I really, really, like the accenting darker greys and the reds really pop. It's just a good looking toy no matter who it is.

Thundertron [Star Raiders Collection Multipack]

Rounding out the Star Raiders multipack is Thundertron, the captain of the pirate crew. This version of Thundertron is a repaint of the Legacy United Thundertron I talked about a little while back with some new molded parts. While he may not look much different initially, the colors match his original toy much more as well as his new head sculpt is also much more like the original toys. In addition, he now has a hook in place of a right hand. This makes me wonder if he has history with Skullcruncher. Understandably some fans may choose this multipack over the single release or vice versa. The main draw for me personally was the other included robots as well intention to complete the Star Raider Collection as I have with the Toxitron and Velocitron Speedia 500 Collections prior. These are super fun sets of exclusive figures that excite me as a long time fan.

Nightstrike can sit on Thundertron's shoulder, that's neat.

Despite owning the prior Thundertron figure (and the original), this is still a fun version of him. I like his new head sculpt and hook hand. Like the other Thundertron figures, you can remove his right foot and store it on his sword as a more pronounced hilt. Personally I prefer both feet shown, but displayed the peg leg this time. It's really neat that Thundertron is a pirate and his beast mode is cool. His name being a combination of Thundercats and Voltron is fun. I do wish the Star Seekers/Star Raiders were a bigger deal in the world of Transformers. Their appearance in the Aligned novels is neat, but I'd love to see them in a cartoon. The Legacy version of Thundertron's lion mode is a Zoids crossover as he crashed onto Planet Zi in search of Armorizers. Judging by Calcitron in this multipack, he found at least one. Zoids will always have a special place in my heart. I have fond memories of assembling them on the kitchen table with my brother back when they were called Robostrux and grew up with them. This is a cool toy from a great set of Transformers. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.

Nightstrike [Star Raiders Collection Multipack]

Pirates are a normal site at Halloween, but vampires and bats are as symbolic of the spooky season as a pumpkin. Amazingly, Nightstrike is all 3! As member of the Star Raiders, there's much pirate mayhem done he takes part in. However, his bat robot form utilizes a sonic scream to scare his victims before he drains them of their Energon as well. Nightstrike will trap a robot in their own nightmares while draining them of their life force as one of the most Halloween appropriate Transformers ever. He even turns into a pirate flag, which is you know... a skull. Which is a memento mori, a reminder of the inevitability of death and a cornerstone of the seasons decorations. Neat huh?

Nightstrike is a repaint of the Generations Selects Skar mold which turns into a shield. You'd think it could be used as a cassette for Siege Soundwave, however it doesn't actually fit in his cassette compartment. The shield is meant to be a pirate flag as Nightstrike's alt mode, which is incredibly silly and awesome. Just give whichever Star Seeker a flag to carry, things can get wild. In bat mode, Nightstrike can mount on Thundertron's shoulders as we'll see a little later this week. Transformation is extremely easy as he's a simple toy. However the bat wings are fairly articulated for such a small and basic thing. Nightstrike first appeared in Robots in Disguise 2015, so having a 'GeeWuun' version of him is neat. Aside from the silly alt mode, I really like his colors. It's impossible for me to hate such a neat little guy. He's just a neat toy!

BIOS- Ferak

"It is not a matter of what is the most efficient tool to use, but that which provides me the most pleasure."

Function: Engineer

As the last known survivors of Squadron X, Ferak and his diminutive partner Pirate Tornado have run from system to system to avoid prosecution for their prior crimes. They were fortunate to find much needed safe harbor with the Star Seekers. Having been branded as part of the crew, they currently pledge their allegiance to Captain Cannonball.

Ferak is an accomplished engineer and inventor. If his creations were not so sadistic in nature, they would be revered by the Autobot Science Council. His alternate mode is a hunter-seeker skyship, self-equipped with a heavily modified built-in deuterium - based electrochemical laser. Tornado is a saboteur by trade and backstabber by his own Cybertronian genetics. He has pledged his life to reforming his traitorous ways, but he still keeps a personal log filled with 'profitable' information that can be accessed at any given time or situation. Tornado despises his alternate gun mode due to its tendency to jam, caused by a faulty energy transfer conduit in his power processing unit. Ferak has replaced this component multiple times but has yet to determine the root cause of the failure.

Strength: 5  Intelligence: 9 Speed: 8 Endurance: 3
Rank: 5 Courage: 5 Fireblast: 9 Skill: 6

Transform Squadron 55- Monster Insect Robo

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This month: Rob talks about Star Raiders and Transformers One before looking at Bug Bots by Buddy L.

Thundertron [Legacy United/Voyager Class]

Shimber me timbers and do something with rum, there be pirates attacking and booty afoot. Thundertron, the leader of the Star Seekers has received a glorious update in Legacy United! Not to be outdone, his crew will be making a showing later at Walmart stores. For now, let's take a look at his newest toy. Thundertron is a space pirate who transforms into a lion. If you've noticed that the lion is specifically robotic, that's because he scanned the alt mode while on Planet Zi. You know, the home of Zoids. Thundertron's name is a combination of Thundercats and Voltron, this guy is chock full of homages. Like the original, this is one cool toy.

Thundertron comes with a cutlass and features claws on his fists. His right leg can be converted to a peg leg by removing the foot. Said foot can attach to the cutlass for a more imposing looking sword as well give you a place to store it. I left the foot on in the pics because he kept falling over. That foot is a rear foot for the lion, so try not to lose yours. Speaking of the lion, transformation is fairly easy. There is a few points you'll have to get exactly right... which is just Transformers design these days. Specifically the robot mode arms fold up into the lion's neck and the exact positioning of them isn't immediately obvious. The way the rear legs unfold isn't tricky, but it took me a minute to unfold them correctly. They don't transform from robot legs to lion legs the way my brain told me they would after millions of Cheetors. The sword can store on the lions back pretty well and doesn't stand out. Thundertron's cool pirate coat folds into cool Zoid like armor in beast mode. It's a really cool design touch that I loved. In fact, I loved this whole toy. There's nothing I can find to complain about. Considering a repaint of him will come out during the Star Raiders collection later this year, that's a good thing. Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me.