Learning to Love Transformers Again.

Iron Factory IF EX-13 Trinity Elite Warrior, Blizzard Review

'Tell me what's on your mind, or I'll splatter it on the wall and see for myself'.

The Darker Side of Transformers #4

We continue our countdown with part 4, nearly to the top 3!

Prototype Combiner Wars Scattershot Gallery

The Combiner Wars Scattershot figure has been out a while now so there's not a huge need for a full review but here's some pictures of the prototype. 

Prototype Transformers Masterpiece Ratchet gallery

Prototype Transformers Masterpiece Black Tracks gallery

Combiner Wars Generation 2 Superion Giftset Review

The 90's. An explosion of colour and noise wherever you looked. The dayglo physical intensity of the WWF. Happy hardcore. Glow Sticks. HAND SHARK!!! And in 1993 the Robots In Disguise of old met rave culture, got hammered on a great big bag of something frisky and smashed down the doors of your local toyshops, quite possibly looking for their mate Vera. This was a pie eyed comeback decked out in neon and stripes and animal print and while it tanked, it's also looked back upon with a sincere fondness like all your best worst nights out.

Unique Toys Buzzing Review

They're not my favourites! All of your favourites!

The 1986 animated Transformers movie proved just how brazen a toy company could be when promoting new product, its first twenty minutes a masterclass in murder and mayhem focused on systematically slaughtering your favourite characters, callously thrusting their replacements down your throat while screaming alien names in your ears and affording you no time to mourn. And hey, it worked on me. In Transformers and in life.

The Darker Side of Transformers #5

This article is written to explain the legal wrangling behind the scenes and what led to the issue between Takara and Philip Morris Inc. In accordance with legal agreements, the images displayed here are for educational purposes only and pictures of the Masterpiece toy have been kept to a minimum. 

Exhaust

"Perhaps you had better start at the beginning"

In the 1970s car company Lancia designed the Stratos specifically for entering into rallying but after numerous successes was entered into racing where it also performed well, making the Stratos a no-brainer for inclusion in Takara's Diaclone Car Robots line.

(c) Great Racing Cars

MP-27 Masterpiece Ironhide

Introduction

Ever since July 2015, when Masterpiece Ironhide was sighted at Transformers Expo Taipei, Transformers fans have been waiting patiently to see just how good a job Takara Tomy had made of one of the fandoms favourite G1 characters. With it's recent release, we all finally get to make our own minds up as to whether or not Ironhide made the transition from cartoon to Masterpiece figure in one piece.

Maketoys MTRM-04 Iron Will Pre Release Sample Review

Bit of a mouthful that title, eh?

Thanks to some very kind souls, I have been granted an opportunity to take a sneak peak at the latest Maketoys releases. And with Cupola riding high in a lot of people's end of 2015 lists, there is a definite air of expectation surrounding their next Headmaster analogue; Iron Will.

Based heavily on the 1987 Japanese Headmasters character as well as the original G1 toy, Maketoys newest effort takes Hardhead's no nonsense, karaoke loving (yes, really), Sunbow swerving animation model (Rebirth lovers, you have been jilted) and applies some platinum 2016 design flair and finish to proceedings. Straight out of the box, this is a beautifully retro looking yet modern feeling hulk of a toy.

Iron Will has a strong silhouette made from simple blocky shapes, partnered with a well considered level of surface detail allowing the clean lines of the figure plenty of room to breathe.

The way that backpack forms is an absolute treat

Although you'll still find vents, pistons and tech details dotted about all over the place, these are here to spice up, not overpower the visual proceedings. Similarly the paint applications are sparse but effective and serve to enhance the clean look of the toy rather than distract from it.

Like Cupola before him, Iron Will takes that unashamedly retro futuristic aesthetic the post '86 Movie universe developed, runs it through a Masterpiece inspired filter and never looks back.

Now before we move on, there is an elephant in the room. You've possibly heard of it, might be waiting for me to get to it and it needs addressing so that it may take its leave. There are two visual flaws in robot mode that come about from the figure's transformation scheme. The first is in the elbows.

After you get past a certain degree of bend, a gap becomes apparent. I'll level with you; it doesn't keep me up at night as it's the sort of thing I've seen a fair few times over in Transformers. Yes, it could've been handled better. No, it doesn't end the enjoyment of the figure at all to me.

The second is at the knees and it's here where the dynamic posing available at your fingertips kind of undoes some of Iron Will's imposing cyberbeef.

Y'see?

This is to accommodate the rolling tank treads and an inventive leg transformation but has become a sticking point for a fair few people and I can see why. The knee joint ends up looking tiny and the gap between knee and shin looks painful from certain angles. In hand, it's better than in pics. But it's there. This is not something I want to gloss over. Nor dwell on for that matter. You're going to get on with it or you're not. Relationship therapists charge £100 an hour for that kind of advice, here you get it for free.

According to Hardhead's tech specs, these shoot diamond hard shards of.. diamonds?

Onto more of the good stuff. The poseability is fantastic. Pictures speak louder than words and I hope these shout, as he can rock all manner of hard ass moves and the diecast metal in his legs and heels help ground things very well indeed.

The guns slot into the hands in that same secure manner that Cupola nailed first time

On that metal content, there is plenty. In addition to the heels and lower legs, you'll find cold slag in his thigh pieces and the robot torso as well. Now as much as some love it, in reality the weight of diecast can often hinder rather than help a figure, but here its judicious placement means we're definitely talking about the latter. It also lends a significant heft to Iron Will that certainly adds to his premium feel. Very well done.

He was totally hoping for boobs

The chest contains a panel that flips open to reveal the (non functional) SPD STR INT readouts as expected. The whole chest area doesn't seem to want to tab in tightly on this sample copy, but I imagine this is a tolerance issue that will be remedied in the final retail release.

As the pics show, you get two choices of face with Iron Will. One homages the original toy and its artwork, the other his appearance in Headmasters.

'Give'

'Me'

'Your'

'Face'

'Because I have this lovely treat for you!'

I'd like to thank Optimus Prime for demonstrating how easy a switch out it is between the two and this does feel a thoughtful inclusion *hears the grinding of teeth from Rebirth fans*. In all seriousness this is actually something that might put people off but it was clear with MTRM-01 that Maketoys were aiming to marry the G1 toy with the Toei anime and have done so again here with considerable aplomb.

Transformation is certainly less involved than with Cupola and definitely more intuitive. It's not a simple state of affairs though and I really dig the manner in which the legs transform by opening his thighs (wut?) and using sliders to condense them down into the tank treads. As this is a pre release sample I did not receive an instruction manual and got by fine without one, a first for me and big ticket 3rd Party items. A refreshingly accessible conversion and undoubtedly a repeatable one.

Iron Will makes for one intimidating piece of treaded artillery. This is a big bastard of a tank, layered with armour plating and decked out with three turrets because he's a professional taker of names and consummate kicker of ass. There are six functional rubber treads which roll very well on most surfaces. I like this a lot. It adds play value and a touch of class to the vehicle mode. The two handheld guns attach well but their pinned hinges are very loose on this sample copy so they flop down when aiming them upwards. Hopefully that gets tidied up for the final release.

And with this being a Headmaster, of course you get a transforming head component too. Officially named Duros or Ros, unofficially this is.. oh, they don't actually name them in the Re:Master line.

John Doe is a neat little guy in his own right. Sharply detailed for his size, he features light piped eyes and some fairly decent articulation. He's also less cumbersome to pose than Cupola's bonceman, feeling like a revised and refined 2.0 version of the basic design.

The Headmaster can be placed inside the cockpit to pilot this ground hugging, no prisoners taking, shatter blasting beast of a machine. The cockpit can rotate but its range of motion is fairly limited so it helps that the primary cannon has almost free reign of movement.

I love this tank mode. Like the robot form it does a great job of rolling back the years while bringing the Headmasters hurtling forward into the Masterpiece dominated present.

Iron Will is a very, very good toy. There remain the issues brought up earlier surrounding the elbows and knees but personally speaking there's too much going the right way with this one for these to be a deal breaker. This figure is visually sublime, well articulated and has a transformation that quickly becomes second nature.

Now, the $1,000,000 question: Is he as good as Cupola? As great as that guy is and as much as I rate him, I will also be the first to admit that the transformation could put people off enjoying the toy. That's just not a problem here.

When you have them side by side, Iron Will feels very much a companion piece to his predecessor, one that does some things better while fumbling others and it's hard to deny how good they look together.

Is he as good? Probably not. That's hardly a criticism though. Catching lightning in a bottle once is hard enough and just because it didn't quite happen again does not stop Iron Will from being a damn fine addition to the Re:Master line and your current best (and it's gonna be hard to beat) option for a Hardhead by a country mile.

Iron Factory IF EX-12 Armored Tactical Staff Review

No more introductions for the new kids on the block, they've been covered. After crowning their City Commander my figure of 2015 (down in front..!) and suggesting this could be Iron Factory's year, they go and drop a product in the first week of January that brings together the shell sharing trio of Prowl, Bluestreak and Smokescreen. Did I want this? Ha, maybe a tad..

These characters make the kind of noise that might just prick up the ears of people who would normally pass this company by, and with three Cybertronian styled classic Autobots 4,000,000 years prior to anything approaching looking like a Datsun cruising by via one handy boxset, there is a significant standard to live up to. Do they? Let's get up close and personal.

As per usual, this lot arrive ready and raring to go in.. robot mode. I do wish we'd get more Transformers, be they official or unlicensed, packaged in vehicle mode. It is the primary gimmick after all. Robots In Disguise? You're ruining the money shot, all of you.

In saying that, straight out of the box these guys make an immediate impact. Bearing in mind you're looking at figures barely 3.5" tall, the standard of sculpting on these is impressive and then some. It's crisp, it's sharp and it's married to some deftly applied painted details that do a great job of lifting the tiny intricacies of the sculpts. Iron Factory's minute attention to detail is what first caught my own.

Captor (Prowl) and Silverflash (Bluestreak) share the exact same mold, but the differences in colour and paint truly differentiate them as separate characters, even if their colour layouts remain virtually identical. The finish on Silverflash is ridiculously photogenic.

38's though? On an alien war machine? When dinosaurs were still roaming the.. oh forget it, my head hurts

The tooling differences in the set become apparent with Smokebomber (Smokecreen), who receives new shoulder weaponry, a remolded bumper and a new headsculpt. I dunno though man. Maybe it needs more derp?

Time to suit up

Though they come fully tooled up out of the box, these figures actually have attachment points for the pieces you see above, allowing for multiple display configurations. There is also a separate canopy without wings as pictured below, usable in both modes.

This is war, not a goddamn peep show. Get your bra on and get the hell out of here. And what's with those tattoos? 

These modular robot modes are a really nice touch. They fall right into the play pattern Iron Factory established with their weapon packs and extend it into the figures themselves. And at no point today did I stop for a moment and consider that I might be playing dress up with dolls for men.. and nor should you.

The articulation on these little figures is extensive with some surprisingly effective foot joints, the only real fly in the ointment being a lack of wrist swivel. The options available to you when displaying your figures is bountiful and complement the good looks of each by allowing for some really expressive poses.

Actually, leave it off..

There's been a great effort here in delivering the classic feel of Prowl, Bluestreak and Smokescreen as well as bringing in elements from Dreamwave's War Within, IDW's titles and the War For Cybertron videogame. These visual influences come together to create a familiar but fresh take on established characters.

And as is virtually expected with this company, each character receives an individual glut of weaponry, with the classic Datsun rifle here modelled by Smokebomber, a set of colour matched heavy artillery as demonstrated by Captor and Silverflash along with some familiar (not pictured) bonuses.

Transformation to vehicle mode is a breeze. The hood flips up, the arms tuck into the side, there's a nifty little rotation that brings the wheels out of the calves and the upper legs fold back on themselves. Sprinkle in a bit of partsforming (dirty word?) and we're done.

The vehicle modes feel like a massive step forward for Iron Factory. 'Cybertronian alt mode' is often a smokescreen (ha!) for 'half arsed piece of squint and believe' but these look like armoured alien vehicles, the chest and shoulders forming a muscular and imposing front half, the arm cannons looking like exhausts running along the sides and the chromed missile launchers adding both bling and blam to proceedings. Painted trims follow the colour highlights of each individual character and (rejoice!) the wheels roll.

As with the robot modes, you can remove/add pieces to suit however you wish to display the set. It's another way of bringing individuality to three almost identical molds as well as increasing play value.

A little underdressed, Prowl?

My first impressions of this set haven't faded after multiple transformations and play. All three are a joy. Looks, functionality, finish and feel, it's all there with a tray of weaponry to boot. Although I do find Smokebomber's screaming 38's visually distracting, that's genuinely my only niggle. Legends class collectors should have these on their radar and Iron Factory fans are going to lap this up.

The main drawback I can see with them are the scale itself. Cries of 'I'd buy this if it was upscaled' kind of defeat the point of the achievements made in toys at this size. And these achievements are making the 3P Legends class a serious one to watch going forward. Well worth a purchase, and easily the best option currently available to demonstrate the potential of Iron Factory's line.

DX9 Tyrant Review

DX9 had a good 2015, branching out from their associaton with Unique Toys, releasing some nifty little Legends figures (Hulkie still to land, ZOMG!) and making quite the name for themselves with Carry, their take on a Masterpiece scaled Rodimus Prime. It was a good toy, nay it was a great toy, and a very well received one to boot. Riding that wave of momentum comes their logical next release - Tyrant. Yes, Prime's nutzoid nemesis gets the pseudo MP treatment as DX9 draw first blood in the Third Party Galvatron Wars.

Now, I like Galvatron. Look at his G1 cartoon origins; As Megatron reborn, this initially cold and clinical beast develops God sized daddy issues, fails at taking on his chaos bringing stepdad and becomes a raving twinkle horned lunatic in the follow up episodes after a prolonged nap in molten lava at the hands of Rodimus Prime. Sometime afterwards the big fella doesn't take too well to the idea of forced therapy to help him through his trauma, so blows up the planet his treatment takes place on. Personally.

That's the kind of music that sings to me, so a high end toy of Galvatron has expectations to live up to. Is Tyrant worthy of your your hard earned cash? Well..

I don't usually prattle on about packaging but this is a midnight carnival of garish colour and noise, full of lawsuit baiting imagery and phrasing along with what may or may not be teases to future releases. They don't even spell his name right. It hurts my eyes, I enjoy its bravado and we're done.

Evil gets a makeover

Tyrant comes packaged in robot mode, and straight away you have a fix to do. Urgh. You have to swap out the hip panels. Which were popped on the wrong sides at assembly. It's easy, but something to be aware of. That out of the way, Tyrant is a sight to behold. There's no escaping the bang up job DX9 have done here. From the three pronged crown to Sir's choice of golden or sparkly particle cannon, this is Galvatron through and through and it's kind of brilliant. Initial impressions out of the box are heavy, solid and purdy.

Fixes?! KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!

'..I want the Matrix'

That initial feeling of high quality continues as you have a good mess about, with chunky ratchets and tight friction joints abound. There's a good range of motion available to you which means some dynamic poses are easily within your grasp and the cleverly die cast feet do a good job in keeping him well grounded if not looking a bit bizarre. Which makes it all the more infuriating to have such a daft outward hip ratchet. From neutral...

Enough crotch for you?

..to damn! I mean, why? Thankfully there's enough play between the ratchet detents to circumvent some of this but it's a frustrating design choice. As are the fingers, which look great and are full of articulation - ball jointed knuckles, hinged fingers - but they're so small and loose and worrying. They don't stay in a position well and most of the time I find myself balling his fists to avoid using them at all.

Still, these gripes are gripes you can work around, and I write this just realising he has an upper bicep swivel (it's tight!) which means I can now access the double jointed elbow and add valuable XP to my Tyrant's articulation level. Result.

Accessory wise, Tyrant comes with his particle cannons in both animation and toy flavours, a (huge) Matrix and a chain for him to wear it around his neck. My Matrix appears to have been er.. 'appropriated' by my nephew so you'll have to make do with him wearing MP-10's.. it fits better anyway. His cannon actually contains a blindingly bright purple LED torch. The neighbours hate it! Magnificent stuff.

As you take your eyes on a tour of the figure, you'll see so many things that are so spot on to the original cartoon character yet the designer was not totally beholden to the animation model, so his alt mode treads end up on his back to no detriment at all. It's a choice made to keep the robot mode clean and works, though you G1 purists might find this a bit jarring. Some have commented on the proportions, that his arms are bit weedy and short but in hand? Nah. Not at all. This is a fantastic representation of Galvatron and both FansToys and X-Transbots have some serious work ahead of them.

And special mention must go to the head sculpt which is in all honesty, one of the best out there today. It's not just nailed down, DX9 came round to your house with a framed photo of it and put it up in your front room and in my eyes is truly the defining aspect of the figure.

Except for maybe the transformation, and it was from here on in that my love affair with Tyrant started to lose its sparkle. Right, I enjoy a challenge. I do. But Tyrant's transformation just doesn't click with me. First time round I used the instructions. I could've hopped onto Youtube but I thought 'Screw that, Carry was a dream, let's go for it'. GO ON YOUTUBE.

Because it took me 90 minutes and some stressed pieces even though I was was warned about them before using the included booklet.

After finally figuring out how to fit his arms inside his chest I needed a cigarette break. Which seemed apt as come leg transformation time it appears that the writer of said booklet was also on theirs.

Maybe it's just me? I dunno. But for your own enjoyment of an involved and inventive transformation (there's some really nice stuff going on to fill out gaps and maintain solid shapes), don't rely on the instructions first time round because the fun quickly becomes undone. I will also say that in addition to the warnings about these pieces, there are also some wickedly tight tolerances when transforming the leg panels too so be careful full stop.

                              
Space Cannon? We'll go with that. It's great regardless, an imposingly chunky bit of starscreaming bloody murder with all the parts on Tyrant's robot mode that seemed a bit understated finding their own voice after conversion.

Working rubber treads, chrome, translucent and metallic red highlights and to finish it off the toy almost totally changes its base colour which is an awesome little visual trick. Everything pegs together tightly and you also feel like your hands have been put through an Insanity workout in getting here.

No messing about though, I love Tyrant's vehicle mode.

Sadly, going back to robot mode (which as always, is so much easier) I felt that some of the shine had come away from my immediate thoughts regarding the figure. I had damaged it, caused a chip on that chiselled face of his while getting it out of vehicle mode and once I had him back in his robot form left Tyrant well alone for a day. Hmm.

Picking him up to write this review though, well I won't be putting him down for a good while after. Though the days of us finishing each others sentences and staying up drinking into the dawn have long gone now that he's revealed a bit too much of himself that I don't like.

Tl:dr then. Both forms are superb. Getting to one feels like someone has their middle finger in my face all the way through. It's an almost win of a figure but carries some serious caveats to universally recommending it as there is potential for breakage and frustration. The press on this toy has been almost unanimously positive and I'm not going out of my way to piss in the punchbowl, I'm just telling you of my own experience with it. DX9 made one of my figures of 2015. And this one is very, very good. I like Tyrant, I just don't love Tyrant.

'..but I got your name in a tattoo and everything'

You can order Tyrant from Masterforce here and you can read more from Boatful Manfish here.