Terran Twitch (EarthSpark/ Deluxe Class)

While I don't cover every toy I get on here, I did intend to talk about Twitch whom I bought almost a year ago. This particular toy of Twitch is a Deluxe Class figure from the EarthSpark toy line. Like other Deluxe figures, she comes with a part of Mandroid for build-a-figure fun. Something I think I'll make a point to complete. I've got almost all of them, so why not? Twitch is one of the Terrans introduced on the EarthSpark TV show. Terrans are a new group of Transformers born on Earth. While the concept has been done before, this is one of the more noteworthy times as it's on a mainstream show as opposed to media aimed at the fan crowd. It's great to see new characters in Transformers. 

Twitch is one of the first Terrans introduced early in the show. She transforms into a very bird-like drone. Thanks to some clever articulation, the drones wings can be moved around quite a bit. This makes me compare it to a bird even more. I can't help wondering if she shares engineering with an Airazor or other similar shaped figure. Probably not, but it's very similar. Twitch is very articulated in robot mode and heavily armed. There's the laser gun in drone mode as well as the flip out one on her arm. The stabilizing fins from the drone can be removed and held as swords. For character that's just a kid, Twitch is ready for a fight. I do not like the transformation from robot to vehicle. I can't quite place it, but I felt myself getting quite annoyed while maneuvering the parts around. Once in either mode though, no problems. Just that transformation though... dang. 

Twitch is a pleasant toy of a likeable character on an enjoyable show. Her colors are nice too. The reds and blacks look sharp while the yellows and blueish greys pop. The translucent yellows accent against the opaque body really well. I often compare newer toys with older ones and Twitch is a definite Microman/Micronaught homage. I'm not sure if it's intentional, but she looks A LOT like Space Glider. I'd like to see repaints of this toy that play more into that. That's a neat little extra in a already fun figure. Like the other EarthSpark toys, the Takara Tomy version has a more show accurate paint job. I don't find it super noticeable though, just small details that do make for a nicer looking toy overall... but not deal breaking for this version that I got locally. 

Terran Nightshade (EarthSpark/Deluxe Class)

Nightshade is a unique figure as they don't specifically transform into an owl, but a statue of one. This ties into the show where the various Terrans took their time to pick an alt mode and went with one that they felt fit them. As a long time fan of this sort of thing, that's funt. It gives a different look into the characterization of Transformers. Normally we'd just accept that Bumblebee was a car or Starscream a jet. Nightshade chose an owl statue from a book series they liked. Not to mention, the statue was in a cemetery. Nightshade's colors match that really well. Spooky Season may be over, but Christmas time is for scary ghost stories and it's fun to think Ebeneezer was right around the corner in that cemetery.

Nighshade is a pretty well done figure that closely matched their appearance on the show. I say closely as you'd have to remove the beast mode wings to really nail is and due to the plastic quality of them... that's not super recommended. They'd break after a few times. Fortunately I really like the winged look in robot mode. It works well overall with the statue flavoring of the toy... and the wings just look cool. In addition, Nightshade comes with a neat pair of knives and a Mandroid part. Initially I wasn't planning to complete Mandroid... but I've changed my mind. I've got a good bit of him now and it'd be fun. I don't think the Takara Tomy versions of these come with the Mandroid parts, but they have slightly different decos. Nightshade is more show accurate in the Takara Tomy release, but it's not that different from the Hasbro version in my opinion. 

Transformation was very easy for me. Everything just folded away and Nightshade turned into a statue of an owl. Those cool knives fit into the owl's wings neatly and everything just works well. As a robot, Nightshade is fairly articulated and the same could be said for the owl form. That cool green looks great in both modes and brings out some well done sculpting. This is certainly a toy full of character. Part of me wishes to see a repaint as Hoot from Convertors, but that'd never happen. Like Twitch (who I just realized hasn't been covered here yet... dang it), Nightshade's robot mode gives me strong Microman/Micronaught vibes. That's neat, I like the similarities even if they're probably unintentional. Nightshade is a really cool toy. I think my only complaint is their hands. They too small. That's probably a necessity, but I'd like them a little heftier. If a minor nitpick is my only complaint, then there's nothing to really complain about. Neat toy.

Jawbreaker (EarthSpark/Warrior Class)

I liked Jawbreaker almost immediately when he first appeared on the show. Of course when his toy came out, I jumped right on it. Jawbreaker is a Warrior Class figure, like others in the class in EarthSpark, he's not too much different than a Deluxe Class toy. Only paired down for price and difficulty. Just right for the younger audience they're aiming for. I guess the adult nerd crowd is a given. I really like his colors. The orange looks good against the black and silver. It's plesant looking.

Jawbreaker transforms into a dinosaur, specifically a Stygimoloch. According to the TF Wiki, this may not be an actual species. That's ok, living alien robots from outer space that turn into things aren't either. It's an easy transformation, which is to be expected. Simplicity aside, Jawbreaker is a pretty neat toy. There's a little hollowness that's mostly easy to ignore, but a surprising amount of articulation. Jawbreaker also has a flip out blaster. I like these little self contained weapons some EarthSpark toys have. While not wanted all the time, it can be fun when used right. Jawbreaker almost feels like he's from another toy line other than Transformers, but I can't quite place where exactly. Maybe Masterbotix. He's a neat little figure for the lower price a Warrior Class costs. A little simple, but not in a bad way. I'd like to see it in other colors. I could just see a weird colored pack of these dinosaurs running together.

Tacticons Wave 2 (EarthSpark)

I enjoyed the first wave of Tacticons so much, that the surprise of seeing Wave 2 at Target a little while back was a very welcome one. Honestly, I wasn't aware that they'd be happening as I couldn't remember anybody saying anything. Of course not being from the more popular size classes that's to be expected. Wave 2 features Arcee, Hashtag, and a repeat of Bumblebee. Of course I already have Bumblebee, so I snatched up the two new figures. Like the ones before, these are simple and small 1 step transforming figures that can fit on your finger tip like a finger puppet. As silly as the premise sounds (and is) they're really satisfying little toys. If you're a fan of smaller Transformers like I am, these mentally fall into the category that Micromasters, Mini-Cons, World's Smallest, and Botbots fall into. They're not articulated unfortunately... but it's ok. They just are what they are.

Of the two, Hashtag is my favorite. I don't know how well it shows up in the amazing cell phone photography I do, but there's a great glitter sparkle in her purple colors. It looks really nice in person and I like her communication truck alt mode. Arcee turns into a 50's type car in EarthSpark and I do like it, but for some reason this toy makes me think of Galaxy High (for some reason) and I like that better. It's a neat alt mode. Thanks to their size and Arcee's silver helmet, I'm reminded of Diaclone drivers a little. They're a little bigger than a Micro Machine, but could work well in one of those play sets. You could make a neat little scene and post the picture to your Instagram. I'm sure it'd get plenty of likes. Hopefully there's more of these Tiny TF's on the way. They're just right to stick in a hoodie pocket and carry around with all day. Not everything needs a million points of articulation or a specific shelf to be displayed on. I keep my smaller ones in a plastic shoe box.

Earthspark is good

Transformers Earthspark, the newest TF cartoon, premiered today on Paramount Plus. The first episode was available via a few sneak peaks that I wasn't privy to and the pirated copy floating around on Facebook that big name sites hid behind click bait links... I never had time to watch. It's an extremely busy time for me and things happen. I did manage to watch a few episodes of Earthspark today and want to talk about it a minute because I really liked it. I had been looking forward to the show and am really glad that it's turned out so good.

I won't intentionally get into spoilers, the show just came out and I'm sure you'd rather find out stuff for yourself. I will talk about things I feel are fair to talk about publicly. Lot's of this is already out as part of the marketing blitz, so you probably know most of it already. The basic premise is that the Autobot/Decepticon war is over. Megatron has joined up with Optimus Prime and other Autobots as part of an X-Files style government organization called G.H.O.S.T. that are gathering up all the remaining Decepticons that are still doing bad guy stuff.