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Choices, choices, choices. This month I have too many toys to review - gasp, shock, blasphemy - and I can't decide which ones to review. I still have Energon Hotshot, E. Inferno, and Skyblast that I have been taunting you all with. While they're good toys I've also been blessed both Alternators Sideswipe AND 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime. That doesn't include all the new stuff that's been previewed online this last month. Ahh well, as always I'll do what I can and save the leftovers for next month.
Previews and updates.
Well I picked up the Toyfare with the "Shockwave" preview pictures; it was quite a good issue. Turns out, however, that his name isn't "Shockwave" but Shockblast. His alt mode isn't a space station like most originally hypothesized, it is a tank. There are some concerns that his one gun arm will be under articulated and too heavy to allow for good posing. We'll just have to wait on that one. Previews for this month are almost too many to mention. We're eagerly awaiting Megatron, Mirage, and Landmine in stores anytime now. Megtron is a Jet this time around with heavy bot mode influences from G1 Galvatron. Mirage is a heavily armed Decepticon speedboat; which to the best of my knowledge is the first large boat in Transformer history. Landmine is an autobot wrecker and the first one to boast a brute mode. This brute mode consists of his trailer (RID style trailer anyway) that can transform into a battle base and a backpack. Look for more brute mode Autobots soon.
I'm not sure when to fully expect these guys but the net has been turning up some really cool previews. After Shockblast, Omega supreme looks to be the most anticipated Energon toy. This time around he comes in two halves, one half turning into a battleship (someone to pit v.s. Mirage), and the other a train with a crane on the back. So far the pictures of the battleship and bot mode rock, however the train is still shaky - most likely due to mis-transformations in the pictures. I've also seen pictures of Cliffjumper, a dune buggy, and Bulkhead a Springer-esque helicopter with a brute mode. Also I'm expecting Alternators Hound to be out in stores by the middle of next month. That's not saying much considering how these guys have been released near randomly around the US. I'll be more hopeful when I see Sideswipe sitting on the shelves.
Reviews
Ok, last month I promised reviews on Skyblast, Hotshot, and Inferno so I guess I'll do those. I'll have to put off 20th Ann. Optimus Prime and Alt. Sideswipe for a later date. Skyblast is a small bot (basic size class) but very well done for his size. He as a red and white paint scheme that is very reminiscent of Jetfire and I also find his alt mode reminiscent of G1 (cartoon) Jetfire; Much more so than the Armada / Energon space shuttle Jetfire. His jet mode features the capture claw gimmick (also on Energon Jetfire) and also features mounting points for his energon weapons. As seems the trend with Energon, the weapons are HUGE in comparison to the rest of the toy. Skyblast's main gun is nearly as long as he is. This wouldn't be as awkward if the gun mounted further back on the jet instead of near the tip of the nose. He also has two energon parts that fit on the tips of his wings. His transformation is simple and fairly straight forward, but does lead you to his other gimmick. Transforming him requires that the upper tail section be rotated perpendicular to the main body, this rotation is geared to his head, swiveling the head with the chest. The capture claws fold nicely out of the way alongside his legs. His small size leaves him with limited articulation: ball jointed hips, twisting knees, standard double swing shoulders, and single swing elbows. The head-chest swivel gimmick also hampers head articulation, but for his size he could be worse. His main wings stay on his forearms and while that might not be my favorite, it's not unbearable either. The gun is still too big to look nice, but it is better. He could easily be posed behind some terrain and use the gun as a sniper rifle or something. If you combine the wingtip energon pieces with the gun, however, you get an energon halberd. I like this weapon because it's much more original than the standard list of guns and swords.
Price: $6.99
Overall: B+
- I like him more than most, but the gun and the capture claws just don't work for me.
Next we have Inferno and Hotshot who, despite their separate packaging, really come as a pair. Hotshot is a yellow car bearing a strong (but not identical) resemblance to an Aston Martin, while Inferno is a futuristic fire truck. Being the next larger size category than Skyboom these guys forego the energon weaponry in exchange for missile launchers. Inferno's is built into his alt mode as a water cannon, while Hotshot's seems more like a tacked on afterthought (but then again he's a car what can you really hope for?). Both of these guys are rather bulky and with hard plastic wheels they're only mediocre vehicles. Hotshot has a very straight forward transformation with the only little trick being revealing the head, which stores tucked under the hood. His bot mode is rather awkward with blocky legs and ball joint shoulders that are set just a touch too low. The blockiness of the legs wouldn't be too bad if the arms matched instead of being thin. The head is very detailed but seems slightly out of place above the powerlinx gimmick. Inferno's transformation is only slightly less complex because the head is easy to find, being located on the top of the vehicle mode. From the front Inferno's bot mode is pretty nice. His legs and arms are fairly balanced in size and I like that his gun becomes forearm mounted in. On the other hand he looks terrible from the rear as he has nothing there! His back is just a shell and that completely conflicts with his huge chest.
Individually:
Price $9.99
Hotshot: C+
Inferno: B-
Now we get to the real point of these two guys: the powerlinx gimmick. Powerlinxing allows these two bots to combine into one larger one. They are designed so that either bot could be the "pants" or the torso. You can tell, by how easily Hotshot transforms from his bot mode to his "pants" mode, that he was designed primarily to be pants for Inferno. To form the pants Hotshot's head returns to its storage compartment under the hood and his arms and doors fold back beside his backpack/hood. Inferno's transformation into his torso mode is a touch more complex but nothing to worry about. His legs fold up into a backpack and his head shifts further back on his shoulders. This combination balances Hotshot's blocky legs against a full bodied torso and thick but not overly so arms.
Reversing the two positions (Hotshot as torso, Inferno as pants) doesn't yield nearly as nice of a result. Inferno makes nice pants, but Hotshot's torso mode puts his blocky legs as arms which is just nasty. Avoid this. Since the powerlinx ports are universal it is reasonable to buy doubles of a figure to see how Hotshot/Hotshot or Inferno/Inferno powerlinx combos look. I have yet to purchase a second Inferno for this purpose; however a Hotshot/Hotshot combo does go a ways towards redeeming the relatively poor figure. Since I like Inferno as both pants and torso I imagine that an Inferno/Inferno poerlinx would be quite nice. Overall I'd say that the Inferno/Hotshot powerlinx combo is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.
Price: $20 /Pair
Overall: A
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