How Cyclonus Saved the Decepticons

 - Becka of the Rated Thighs

“Once the Decepticons nearly held the quadrant through terror. Now we scrap like slargs over a few energon cubes. Is this how you honour the memory of Galvatron? Is this the fate of the mighty Decepticon Empire?” 

I’ve been a fan of Transformers for nine years this year, and for eight of those years I wrote off season three of the Generation One cartoon as something I wouldn’t be interested in after all of the deaths in the movie and the change of setting from Earth to Cybertron. (Hell hath no fury like an Ironhide fan being forced to watch him die in two separate films). However after deciding to give season three another go, I found not only that it’s now my favourite of the cartoon, but also that Cyclonus is the most important thing in it. 

Copyright Hasbro

Yes, ol’ lilac bunny ears himself.

Or, to put it another way, he’s at least more important than any of the Decepticons who preceded him: Megatron as the leader, Starscream as the backstabber archetype (looking at you, copycat Terrorsaur), Devastator as the first gestalt, Blitzwing and Astrotrain as the first triple changers…heck, he’s even more important than his own leader, Galvatron.

And yes, he would punch me for saying that. And yes, I would still say it. Why? Because Cyclonus broke the mold of what it meant to be a Decepticon in the most instantly recognizable of Transformers properties. (Before anyone can object with “but the Marvel comic!” yes, the Marvel comic is amazing. But to the average casual fan I’d put money on the cartoon being the more familiar).

In seasons one and two, the Decepticons were portrayed as borderline-idiotically evil, despising anything ‘good’ just because (“I hate nice things!” says Rumble in ‘Microbots’, perfectly summing up Megatron’s entire movement) and refusing to even allow something as meaningful as friendship enter their ranks. Seriously, they spend 90% of their day hating and sabotaging the Autobots, and the remaining 10% of that same day hating and sabotaging one another (see Astrotrain and Blitzwing’s attempted coup in ‘Triple Takeover’ for a prime example of how completely incapable of working together the Decepticons are at this point). But they’ve still got a leg up on the Autobots, so their pointless squabbling doesn’t really amount to much other than to maintain the status quo of Autobots = good and Decepticons = evil. 

Copyright Hasbro

And then the movie happens to them, and they lose everything they’ve spent the last couple of million years building up: their entire homeworld, and the only leader they’ve ever known. The only leader powerful enough to force them to work together. ‘Five Faces of Darkness’ opens with the remnants of the faction hanging out together (yet oh so apart) on a cold barren world, unable to achieve anything even as basic as foraging for energon (although Astrotrain tries, bless his cotton socks). They’re dispirited, desperate, and broken as a faction.

And then Cyclonus arrives, and with him change. Because Cyclonus is not an egocentric Decepticon who believes only in the superiority of himself, but rather the superiority of the Decepticon movement as a whole.
Within five seconds of being on planet Chaar, Cyclonus has the erstwhile morbidly depressed troops on their feet, cheering, and handing over their meagre energon supplies so that he can find Galvatron and restore them to their former glory. He inspires them in a way Megatron was never able to and Galvatron will never be able to; both versions of the guy led solely by fear, whereas Cyclonus’s natural talent for leadership comes from his own proactive nature. He identifies a problem and immediately starts thinking of ways to overcome it, rather than using the favoured Decepticon tactic of the first two seasons of either a) ignoring the problem outright, b) blaming the problem on someone else, or c) refusing to acknowledge the scale of the problem, refer to a) or b) to continue. (See: pretty much any episode from seasons one and two).

But beyond his complete lack of ego, Cyclonus is also totally almost selfless. The Decepticons of the first two seasons were greedy, desiring power for themselves above all else, but also just that slight bit too lazy and/or cowardly to fully pursue their goals. For example in ‘The God Gambit’ Astrotrain, Starscream, and Thrust discover an energon-rich planet and waste no time in conquering it and forcing its natives into worshipping them – all without contacting Megatron, because they would not wish to share this newfound wealth with their own movement? This is in sharp comparison to ‘Fight or Flee’, in which Cyclonus and Scourge discover another energon-rich planet. Do they do as Astrotrain and crew did one season beforehand? Nope. Cyclonus’s first instinct is to contact Galvatron and summon the Decepticons, recognising the planet’s strategic value in their continuing campaign. It simply doesn’t occur to him to keep the glory for himself. He is a warrior to his cause, and his cause comes above all else – even personal glory.

(Although, as an aside, it has to be noted that he carefully avoids mentioning that he and Scourge had their afts handed to them by the Aerialbots earlier in the same episode when speaking with Galvatron, so it is possible Cyclonus has pride that can be dented at times).

Finally, let’s consider his relationship with Galvatron. It’s fun to simplify it right down to a master and servant dynamic, but like the Depeche Mode song there’s a lot more going on that first appears. For example, I don’t think it’s right to say that Cyclonus has 100% confidence in Galvatron. He unthinkingly corrects him on a couple of occasions – such as commenting on his leader’s lack of strategy at the start of ‘Webworld’ – and also seems to spend the majority of his time acting entirely on his own imitative without any orders from above. In ‘The Big Broadcast of 2006’ he even outright ignores Galvatron’s warnings that the Decepticons are not interested in the Junkions’ rebellion against the Autobots and flies off with Scourge and the Sweeps to see how they could take advantage of the situation. Galvatron has decided against intervention, but Cyclonus deemed the matter important enough to override his master’s command – and drag Scourge and co. along for the ride. Cyclonus, then, is not totally blindly loyal to Galvatron – again, his interests are for the entire Decepticon movement, not the one person leading it. 

Copyright Hasbro

It’s also arguable that Cyclonus doesn’t even perceive Galvatron as a person in his own mind, but rather his own metaphorical figurehead. As already mentioned, Cyclonus has an innate ability to get people to follow him without a second thought and has both the brains and the brawn to back this up. Yet he always defaults back to insisting that Galvatron be the one in charge – and I will argue that this is not because he feels inferior to Galvatron, but rather because he recognises that one of them is good at sitting in a chair and yelling orders whilst the other one is good at actually flying off and making those orders happen. In other words, Galvatron must be in charge because Cyclonus is far too busy to lead and nobody else is suited for the role.

Another part of the Decpeticon mold thoroughly atomized.

If you want a neat summary of everything I’ve written above, I’d invite you to watch ‘Webworld’ – arguably Cyclonus’s most important episode. Cyclonus has enough of the Decepticons’ respect for both Swindle and Motormaster to warn him of the impending revolt against his master (Swindle, for goodness’ sake, does nothing without getting some kind of benefit out of it – yet here he is giving advice for free). Rather than allowing the revolt to happen so he can usurp power, as past Decepticons would have done, Cyclonus immediately sets about trying to fix the problem (albeit with advice given by Quintessons, but at this point he’s desperate). During the various ‘fixes’ on Torkulon he’s wise enough to not meddle in what’s happening – believing medical professionals to have more knowledge than him – but as soon as those treatments become harmful he immediately attempts to intervene. He then apologises to Galvatron, recognising that he has made an error in trying to force him to change, and guides the leader back onto his proper path of wanting to smash Autobots.

Now try to picture that episode happening with any other Decepticon, even Scourge, in Cyclonus’s shoes. It just wouldn’t happen – they would fly off the moment they discovered that the Torkulons are powerful enough to keep Galvatron prisoner and claim the Decepticons for themselves.

Cyclonus is also important because his colourful nature gives the Decepticons a flavour of believability. Even before season three and the excellently written Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus, the Autobots have always had the benefit of multifaceted characters; they had grumps (Cliffjumper, Gears, Huffer), they had naysayers (Sunstreaker in ‘Megatron’s Master Plan’), they had wildcards (Red Alert, Grapple, Hoist, and Ironhide at various points), and they had hubris (Optimus Prime, whenever they were doing badly). The Decepticons were just bad, period, and many of the new ones introduced during season three followed that same bland ideal. Cyclonus did not, and the season is all the better for him.

In closing: he’s a good lad whose positive attributes may have landed him on the Autobot side of things in another life, and showed television audiences for the first time that Decepticons could be more than bland villains hell-bent on the silliest world domination plans possible. And no, we’re not going to talk about what Headmasters did to him. 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to rate his thighs.

Copyright Hasbro

Moving the Goal Posts

 - Dorian MacQuarrie

You are never going to finish your collection. Or at least, Takara will do their darndest to prevent it. 

Okay, maybe that should be "you are never going to be finished with collecting"?

With the recent talk (legitimate or otherwise) of a 35th Anniversary Optimus Prime on the horizon, aka MP Optimus Prime 3.0, Takara have once again moved the goal posts. Just when you felt your collection was headed towards completion, they've rebooted things and given us a new aesthetic to buy into. I think it was inevitable we would eventually see a more cartoon styled MP Prime to go along with their wonderful Megatron and other such cartoon focused releases. Some are expecting this to be a complete relaunch of the Masterpiece line and honestly, I wouldn't mind. Seeing the recent reveal of MP Prowl with animation accurate bright blue windows did cause me to vomit a little; a styles clash if there ever was one. But a brand new, cartoon accurate Prowl on the other hand? I'd be keen on that. In my Sunstreaker review I floated the idea of Takara releasing a new Sideswipe to better match his golden brother. This is something I think we will definitely see in the coming years as Takara try to change the direction of their product to keep us digging into our wallets to buy more and more toy robots. 

Be it the pressures of business or an insidious plan to keep collectors on tenterhooks, rarely does a line reach full completion. Rarely do we have the entire cast of a show or every iteration of a toy we were hoping to buy, and even with something as grand as Takara's Masterpiece line, it was always going to be the same. Once the heavy hitters are released it's time to move on to another project and release those same big name characters in ever new and updated versions. Call it the fetishisation of Generation 1 and the seeming inability for companies and collectors alike to explore new and different ideas or just call it good business sense, one way or the other, you're never going to have that complete collection of Masterpiece styled bots. Of course in this instance "complete" depends on your personal definition. Complete might mean a certain core cast or sub-group of Transformers and not necessarily every single release or member of a team. But for those who seek to have a complete Season 1-2 cast of G1 Transformers, your time is running out and it might be Takara who decide when things change. I'm sure this will leave a large enough gap for a multitude of Third Party companies to step in and complete those missing figures but regardless of how much noise a group of collectors make, I doubt it would still be financially viable once a new Masterpiece styled line is fully underway, building off the back of seminal releases such as Inferno, Sunstreaker or the aforementioned Megatron. 

We have of course seen this before. As new lines roll out, new aesthetics take over and lines can remain incomplete. Generation 1 gave way to Beast Wars, which in turn gave way to Car Robots/RiD and so on and so forth. It's easier to accept when it's off the back of a cartoon. It feels more self contained and expected. Look to the Generations line though and see how with every iteration of that particular line, Classics, Universe 2.0 and Generations itself, the goal posts were ever changing and from one wave to the next we started to drift away from aesthetics laid down in the early waves. Again, this was probably easier to accept as a Generations shelf can accommodate a varying degree of different aesthetics and toy lines given the nature of the Transformers brand and the world it presents. 

Masterpiece on the other hand, the seemingly iconic representations of these characters? When that changes, it's more difficult to accept. I have written time and again about the diverging aesthetics of the line. Sideswipe and Sunstreaker encapsulate this perfectly and never was there a bigger red flag (or yellow in this case) that the line was going to change, restart, reboot, call it what you want, but the goal posts would be moved. Takara will usher in a whole new set of cartoon accurate MP toys and not just current moulds with ghastly blue windows but brand new versions of Sideswipe, Prowl, Starscream etc. It's bound to happen. It must happen. It's not in Takara's interest to allow us as collectors to finish up and complete a line. Sure, plenty of us will just find something else to collect but that might be a product from a different company altogether. Takara have captured the adult collector market as never before but with no other core product in their repertoire to keep those same adult collectors engaged, they'll just need to start all over again but in a new and interesting way. 

And on that grim note, keep it #Refined

Follow Dorian on Twitter @Vigadeath

Fansproject Pinchar: The Changing Face of Lost Exo Realm

 - Dorian MacQuarrie

Four years. Four bloody years. In 2014 Fansproject released Lost Exo Realm Columpio and officially entered the Dinobot war. Now, in 2018 we finally, finally have the fifth and final Dinobot (talking about the classic line up here) in the form of Pinchar and well... some things have changed. Be it a change in the design team, inconsistent aesthetic guidelines or just the product of a line changing over the years of release, there are several distinctions and differences throughout the LER toys, some minor, others a little more jarring to those with the eye for such details. 

Before I get into detailing these differences in design, I'll throw down a few words about Pinchar and Lepida - late to the party and wondering if there's any drink left over. To be fair to Fansproject, we could have had this toy earlier but the release of the two Dinogals Echara and Comera plus the internal issues which saw Fansproject sit out most of 2017 delayed this toy further and further. Was the wait worth it? Sort of. Maybe. 

Pinchar and his Soleron meleemaster partner, Lepida are fine, they're just, fine. Maybe it's the extended wait but I feel this toy's value lies more in the completion of my Fansproject Dinobots than in the toy itself. Sure it's a good toy, well made, well designed and looks great with the rest of the LER crew and that's just, fine. It doesn't do anything special or new that we haven't seen in the line already and there's nothing particularly smart about the transformation. There could have been a really nifty trick or two with the tail and the backpack it creates but instead we have a strange overhanging piece and overly protruding tail sections which admittedly, I actually like but even a cursory glance shows how a few improvements could have been made.

The delay in this toy's release hasn't come with any improvements in comparison to the various renders and test shots seen over the years. Now, I realise Pinchar's delay wasn't due to a need to refine the design but it still stings a little to have waited so long and gotten a solid B grade toy. To be quite honest my favourite and I'd say the best part of the set is Lepida, easily the best of all the Soleron partners released within the LER line. 

So Pinchar, he's fine, he's a swell bot who sure looks like Snarl. He's definitely a bot which will require a fair amount of time spent in hand to fully appreciate as his arrival was heralded more with a sigh of relief that this long journey is finally over. Even now after spending a fair amount of time taking pictures I've grown to accept him as my long lost Dinobot son and would possibly move my "fine" up to a "good, maybe great" with a bit more play time. 

Let's move on to these differences I mentioned in the beginning. I think most collectors would overlook what I'm about to detail and not for lack of attention but because individually, many of them are minor but as a collective whole it leaves me with an uncertainty as to what journey the design of the LER line went on. Eyes, thighs, paint apps, and Soleron integration. The differences across the line are varied and seem to imply there wasn't a standard set of design guidelines. Lastly, I will also detail something which throws even more questions my way, the mysterious three little dots. 

Eyes

Starting with the eyes we have a veritable pick and mix of styles for both bot and dino modes. Clear red plastic for both modes? We got it. Oh you want the bot mode eyes painted? Sure we got that too, red or blue? Wait, you want painted eyes for the dino mode too? Sure, we can sort that for you! This might seem like nitpicking but honestly, it's a little maddening. And while we're on the subject of clear red plastic, Severo is covered in the stuff! Eyes, thighs, shoulders and more, it's everywhere! But here's the thing, outside of some dino heads, it never appears on any other LER release. What's the deal Fansproject!? 

Eyes are such a focal point for toys and if the aesthetic of a group is somewhat varied, consistency in head sculpts and paint apps can tie a lot of loose ends together. I'd understand if there were some character specific differences, maybe Snarl traditionally had red eyes vs the blue of the other dinobots so Pinchar gets the same treatment, fair enough. But why does Severo burst onto the scene with clear red plastic eyes with terrible light piping to ensure they just look dead and dull, adding to an already ill-defined face due to a lack of finish or paint apps. It leaves me scratching my head and wondering how a line such as LER is managed to ensure a consistent aesthetic in what should really be basic details. 

Thighs

This might seem like an odd detail to point out but it was obvious as soon as pictures for Severo were released. The first three LER releases all have fairly rounded thighs with angular detailing. Severo on the other hand is sporting a pair of G1 special, blocky, squared off thighs, totally at odds with the already established aesthetic. Okay, maybe it was just a little detail to make Severo more akin to G1 Grimlock as he's the Dinobot poster boy. There were a few other incongruous details on Severo to back this up so it's an understandable shift in design. But wait, there's Pinchar sporting the same style of thighs as Severo. 

Clockwise from top right: Cubrar, Severo, Pinchar, Columpio

This is where I would wonder if there had indeed been some change in the design process, be it in the design team itself or just the aesthetic direction for the LER Dinobots. Basic elements which are not necessarily the focal point of a design have changed and while it could have been the lead designer changing things up, it's a frustrating change in details mid-way through a line. The changes put Severo and Pinchar at odds to the first three classic Dinobot homages on a detailing level and again, similar to the eyes, it might be nitpicking but it's something which is clear as day to me and all adds to a growing feeling of separation between the LER releases. 

Paint Apps

This one isn't as intrusive or visually disruptive as the previous two categories but once again it's Severo and Pinchar who are changing things up. From Severo's missing torso paint apps which feature on the rest of the line (yet were shown to be present in promo shots) to the random black detailing on Pinchar's Steggo-legs, there is again evidence of a lack of consistency in the LER line. This one is at least more easily sorted with the addition of a few paint apps on Severo if you're willing and if not, at least Pinchar's black detailing can be removed, bringing him more in line with previous releases. 

Solerons

This is possibly the only beneficial change seen throughout the LER line. The design of the Soleron partners has gotten better and better with every release and Lepida, Pinchar's partner is by far the best. A pity that it took the last release to really nail these little guys. The issue is more in the interaction between the Solerons and their partners. Once again there is a divide with the first three releases when compared to Severo and Pinchar. In the first instance there are dedicated slots/tabs/ports to allow the Solerons to ride their partners in dino mode but this isn't the case with Severo and Pinchar. While I'm sure you could find some way to balance the accompanying Solerons on the back of Severo or Pinchar, there hasn't been any design time given over to accommodating an intentional saddle or set or foot holds. 

The Three Dots

Finally, there also remains the most intriguing detail, one which would go some way to suggest there was in fact no change in the LER designer and that any aesthetic changes were possibly just the bleed effect of other projects affecting the dinobot releases. The three little dots... 

Across at least four of the main LER Dinobots (only four as I can't find any on Volar) and even on DNA Design's Susanoo and some of the Fanshobby Monsterbots (a company with previous ties to Fansproject in some capacity) there exists a very specific set of three little dots. 

Clockwise from top right: Cubrar, Severo, Columpio, Pinchar

Top to bottom: Susanoo, Flypro, Megatooth

Initially it looked like a design detail and nothing more but when you account for the addition of those on toys such as Fanshobby Flypro and Megatooth, again, a company with ties to Fansproject, not to mention the similar aesthetic their Monsterbots have to the LER Dinoking set, it's definitely something worth noting. If I had to guess I would say it's a designer's signature of sorts given how frequent these little dots occur and the fact that they're sometimes sculpted onto areas of minor importance and detail. It could be a signature or maybe there's some Third Party Illuminati sending little messages out through a mysterious set of three dots. 

None of these changes are really too disruptive in isolation, maybe the eyes have the most affect, by itself, just be an odd quirk. Putting them altogether however shows a clear shift in either designers themselves or just a change in aesthetic preference and honestly, I find that quite annoying. It could be the perfectionist in me or just the pedantic ass-hat collector but these differences, seemingly without reason, drive me up the wall. 

There will of course be changes and improvements made to a line of toys which has taken so long to be released. For example Columpio has fixed wrists but releases afterwards added a rotational joint. This is the sort of improvement I'd expect to see (although frankly I would have expected Columpio to have a wrist swivel from the get-go). As previously mentioned, the Soleron partners improved with every release. 

This very well may be the exact sort of territory where I find some collectors not being fussed, maybe noticing these differences and moving on but for me personally? It's maddening. I can't escape it, I can't ignore it and every time I see the LER team lined up I'm reminded of the subtle yet intrusive differences among them. Of course the easiest way for my to quiet my pedantic mind is just to assume there was a change in designer, hence the delay and the differences but why oh why then wouldn't the new designer take heed of previous details to at least keep the line consistent? And you know, those three little dots!

I may be looking too deeply into things (probably) and it's possible I'm making mountains out of molehills (most definitely). Seeing the LER Dinobots finally completed is a wonder to behold and while they all have some design issues, they're fun toys with a great, (if maybe changing) aesthetic and I'm happy with my decision to go with Fansproject for my Dinobot needs (even if my first step was more of a push out the door by another collector). 

This is the sort of neuroticism that, in a twisted way, I love to indulge in when it comes to transforming robot toys. It isn't really fun if it isn't stressing you out.........

As always, keep it #Refined. 

Thank you to Anton and Richard for providing pictures for this article. You can follow them @Antronusnexus and @Bistoyeti


Follow Dorian on Twitter @Vigadeath 

RRCo. Reviews: MP-39 Sunstreaker

 - Dorian MacQuarrie

It's not often that we review things in the traditional sense at RRCo. but sometimes a toy comes along who demands the attention. With that in mind let's go for a spin with MP-39 Sunstreaker.  

MP-39 Sunstreaker, the toy which was both never going to happen but also completely, inevitably, was going to happen. It has been many years since his brother Sideswipe was released and while time has been very kind to the MP-12 mould, Takara and their design department have not. The face of Masterpiece Transformers has changed from a shiny example of robotic perfection to something a bit more grey, a little bit disturbing in some cases but somehow still very attractive. 

I've waxed lyrical about the MP line numerous times and with every post I end up writing about the subject, my opinion is compromised shifts ever more into a stable, more accepting position. I'm still not fully supportive of cartoon focused Masterpiece toys but the quality of toys we have seen to achieve this goal is astounding. Now, I am aware that we could have still had this quality of toy but with the earlier MP aesthetic but I'll casually ignore that thought and press ahead.......

Masterpiece Sunstreaker is a wonder to behold. My initial reaction upon opening the box and seeing that sleek, sexy alt mode was pure elation. It has been a while since I experienced such an initial excitement at opening a Masterpiece car as many of my recent purchases consisted of Diaclone repaints and as amazing as they might be, it isn't the same as a whole new mould.

From the opening hood and doors and on to the chrome intakes, the attention to detail is stunning and harkens back to the Diaclone line itself in representing a thoroughly convincing alternate mode. 

Of course there is the option to display him in a more real-world accurate manner. The mechanism to achieve this is fairly ingenious but I can't say I'll ever display Sunstreaker this way, on the times when I do indeed have him displayed in alt mode (we all like to have an alt mode party sometimes right?). Put him alongside Sideswipe and the magic is complete. Finally, after five years we have this dynamic duo in official Masterpiece form! 

Before we even get into the robot mode (and thus the transformation, oh boy oh boy), the alt mode, as is now the norm for toys of the Masterpiece line, is covered in paint. Hard wearing, glossy, luscious paint. Sunstreaker practically glows a rich golden yellow, something which could never have been achieved with base plastic and this just adds to that initial awe upon opening the box. 

So about that transformation process..........

This is really where the differences between Sunstreaker, the most recent car-bot and Sideswipe, the first, become apparent. Actually, the qualitative differences start a moment before this as the second you pick up Sunstreaker it becomes very apparent that he weighs much more than Sideswipe due to so many more parts being packed into that alt. mode.  

Weight aside... where Sideswipe had a fairly traditional transformation scheme with a few neat tricks, Sunstreaker pulls out all the stops, with bells, whistles and extra panels to boot. The first run through, while not difficult or complex, definitely took a bit of time. Maybe I was hesitant to scratch the paint (which has held up after several transformations) or maybe it was just the experience of a completely new toy as I had sworn off watching any video reviews beforehand, but still, I took my time and was careful with every port, peg and panel. Maybe I just wanted to savour the whole experience and not rush things as it's not often I get my grubby hands on a toy at the actual time of release

The legs are fairly straight forward and the outward swing from the body of the car is quite a graceful movement before all the tidying up of the inner legs occurs. The feet are surprisingly simple and I love how they look in bot mode for such an iconic design element. 

Moving up to the torso, it should be a simple matter of rotating the windscreen to the back and flipping the chest over but alas, here is where we get into the few issues of this toy. The clearances allowed at every stage of this process are minimal. Were it not for the pieces involved being either clear plastic and/or painted I would feel pretty comfortable allowing them to clash and rub against each other. It is definitely the most nail biting part of the whole transformation. 

The arms thankfully, return us to the land of elegant efficiency with minimal fuss and some very nice tidying up taking place along the elbows. As for the head, it simply slides up and into place, revealing that handsome mug of Sunstreaker. 

The final piece of the transformation and probably the most fiddly (not to be confused with the most nerve-shredding mentioned previously) is the backpack. Lots of small painted parts with tight tolerances and small clearances. It's a fairly simple set of motions but I still find myself double checking to make sure everything is perfectly in place rather than relying on them to naturally fall into their designated positions of their own accord as the layers of Sunstreaker's backpack come together.

There is one more moment of nail-biting as you rotate the backpack around on what honestly feels like too-soft a piece of plastic but maybe this was intentionally used to allow a measure of flex. The very final step is the satisfying CLICK of hooking the backpack into place for maximum solidity. 

The overall motions of Sunstreaker's transformation are fairly simple, fold out the legs, pull down the arms and tidy up the backpack but there is so much more going on with every step. Initially it felt a little laborious but it's now something I really enjoy if maybe not to the same tactile degree as Ironhide or Inferno. There is less of a 'Masterpiece moment' with Sunstreaker as with the two just mentioned and I'd even say the most impressive piece of engineering is flipping the intakes back and forth but even that is met with small clearances and a lack of fluidity.

Once you have successfully navigated the transformation process you will be met with one gorgeous robot (robots can be gorgeous right?). Where Sunstreaker really succeeds is in the initial impression. From the silhouette, to the shining paint work and finally to the chest panel and headsculpt, he looks incredible. Screen accurate and quite critically, very well proportioned. But regrettably, when you look a little closer things begin to unravel somewhat. I find that there are just too many panels, hinges and separate parts on display to capture that true cartoon likeness seen by other recent Masterpiece toys. While this isn't something I necessarily lament, it feels like there could have been steps taken to tidy up some of these panel-puzzles if they could have diverged a little from the source material. 

My final criticism is the backpack. It is indeed a mighty rucksack intended for a weekend camping in the hills but honestly, in hand, it's not that bad. I don't think it's necessarily the size of the backpack which is jarring but more how much it feels juxtaposed against the sleek proportions of Sunstreaker. From some angles the figure's frame feels too small to accommodate the backpack as successfully as I would like. 

Beyond these minor issues, I think the figure is massive success. 

Keeping in line with recent releases, Sunstreaker comes with all the added articulation you would expect. From the wrist swivels allowing for more accurate gun-holding and hands-on-hip poses to the lovely double knees, double elbows, ab-crunch and shoulder joints, Sunstreaker is packed to the cyber-gills with joints aplenty. This is where, as said in a previous article, the Masterpiece line is headed and I am fully on-board. 

In the pictures for this article, I opted for more dynamic yet tighter and more expressive poses which made use of whatever head tilts, shoulder-joints and wrist swivels available. My photography game is still on Beginner mode so I hope this comes across. 

With every subsequent release I find myself treading further into this world of 'cartoon accuracy' but I can't help myself! Every dissenting notion I have had is swept aside by the in-hand experience. The dark greys replacing full black? Love it. The silver/grey paint used for the faces? Love it. The only aesthetic criticism I have for Sunstreaker is his chest. I dearly wish there was a more toy-styled display option with less of the faux hood and shrunken windows and something approaching a middle ground between this and what we saw on Omnigonix's Spinout but still, it looks great and does the job as intended. 

I'll close with this... when put aside Sideswipe exclusively, I think the time between their releases is evident. The aesthetic has changed and try as you might, squint as much as you want, the truth is Sunstreaker and Sideswipe do not go together as seamlessly as when put alongside other releases from their respective times. The solution to this is of course, for Takara to release a new Sideswipe mould altogether and not just a repaint. In the meantime, as long as you display your toys with a mind towards this shifting aesthetic, Sunstreaker can fit in to a larger group display, just fine.

Oh yeah and he also comes with this dumb mask.....

Until next time, keep it #Refined. 

Third Party and the CHUG Renaissance

 - Dorian MacQuarrie

It could be said, that in the world of Third Party toys, Masterpiece reigns supreme. With multiple companies making versions of fan favourite characters designed to populate your MP shelf, an awful lot of resources are poured into cashing in on the popularity of Masterpiece Transformers. Just how much money there is in an MP Springer analogue when there are half a dozen on the market is up for debate but as a whole, Masterpiece is the cash cow of the day. 

Yet cast your mind back to the earliest days of Third Party toys, from the lowliest resin garage kit to the game-changing City Commander from Fansproject, every Third Party release revolved around Classics, Henkei, Universe 2.0 and Generations toys. Due to the accessibility of mainline toys versus the scant few Masterpiece offerings at the time there was no other choice for burgeoning Third Party companies but to cater to the CHUG collectors but this also allowed for a vast array of products. Whether it was an improved head sculpt and G1 accurate gun or of course an armour kit to turn a white Optimus Prime into a true Ultra Magnus, the scene eventually moved onto fully fledged figures intended to fill out your CHUG shelves, representing characters which, at the time, Hasbro and Takara were never going to release. At its peak, CHUG focused toys so utterly dominated the scene that it was seen as the final destination for Third Party toys. 

Even with the vast amount of releases from a myriad of companies show that 3PMP (a phrase I often use on forums and social media) is well and truly leading the charge I would say we are actually experiencing a renaissance in Third Party CHUG toys, with one major caveat....it's paving the way for a level of self-determination for Third Party companies we have never seen before. 

As it currently stands, the major non-Masterpiece lines on offer from Third Party companies are MMC's Reformatted, Maketoys Cross Dimension (and formerly their Manga Mech and Combiner lines), Planet X's Fall of Cybertron offerings and of course the numerous different legends scale releases from DX9, Iron Factory, Mech Planet etc. This isn't an exhaustive list but it's what I would consider the big hitters at the moment. 

Each have a very clear focus, zooming in on a particular aesthetic and sometimes a particular set of characters, allowing collectors to place their bets with a company and have a higher chance of seeing Fall of Cybertron Megatron released or maybe the full Decepticon Justice Division. Or perhaps in the case of Maketoys' Cross Dimension line, we just wait and see what wonders they drop on us and squee in anticipation.

There is plenty on offer for the discerning CHUG enthusiast who seeks to step into the world of Third Party toys but I would say at this point, CHUG is an incorrect and misleading term. They are often deemed CHUG as they are non-Masterpiece toys, being defined by what they are not rather than what they are. The question is then, what are they? Were you to take a number of toys from the various ranges mentioned previously, you would find they share very little in aesthetics. They are no longer CHUG-focused toys and if you are able to fit them in to a CHUG shelf, it's not with the same level of aesthetic integration as with the early days of Third Party toys. So again, what are they?

As MMC release more and more IDW styled toys they will begin to stand alone as a display of comic accurate releases, not to mention the extra height and bulk most MMC toys carry over those from other companies which often puts them in their own scale. Were you to take Takara's LG Skids, heavily based on the IDW design, it would look drastically out of place alongside MMC's releases. Maketoys' Cross Dimension could be considered Neo-Classics, Hyper Anime Classics, the mainline style turned up to 11 and packed full of articulation but when actually put alongside mainline toys from the past ten years, they clearly do not share a similar enough aesthetic. Sure the same could be said for the mainline toys that make up the many releases which fall under the CHUG banner but nothing so much as putting Striker Manus alongside Universe 2.0 Sunstreaker, or even placing Rioter Despotron in the centre of your CHUG Decepticon shelf and realising that he's packing far more detail and design work than half of the Decepticon toys Rioter stands alongside. Even on my own shelves I ensure Striker Manus stands near other, very particular Third Party toys which then in turn stand next to Hasbro and Takara releases, almost acting as an aesthetic buffer between the super-robo styling of Striker Manus and the clunky design of Henkei Prowl.  

Similar to MMC and their current IDW styled toys, as Maketoys release more and more Cross Dimension (and combiners, maybe? Please? #MaketoysLiokaiserPLZ) they will start to stand apart from any CHUG toys they might share shelf space with and little by little, they become an entity unto their own, CHUG toys only in that they are not Masterpiece and not because of any shared aesthetic or intention to fill in the gaps missing on your CHUG shelf. While yes, these companies will always fall back to Transformers characters and designs for inspiration,the toys themselves won't need a Hasbro or Takara toy line to fit into in order to justify a purchase or give the toy a purpose, they will be simply added to an already established line, be it Reformatted or Cross Dimension or whatever new lines appear in the next few years. That is quite a remarkable shift away from the gap fillers of yesteryear and actually, even the current 3PMP offerings. 

Personally I think there is a stigma around paying top dollar for a toy people see as intended to stand alongside mainline figures, which are often seen as lesser in terms of design, build and of course, price point. Third Party toys are an adult-collector focused product and when held hand in hand with Hasbro mainline toys, there is a gulf of intent and purpose some collectors struggle to bridge. Masterpiece toys on the other hand are of course adult-collector focused so 3PMP toys can be more easily reconciled with the 'serious business' line of Masterpiece. 

Time and again I have seen negative comments about paying £50 - £80 for what amounts to only a CHUG toy but paying the same for a 3PMP toy is more acceptable as the price is more equatable with Takara MPs and of course, the intent of the toy, to be an adult collectable, in some ways justifies the price. Rarely is there more or better engineering put into one than the other beyond the capabilities of the company making the toy. Fanstoys Tesla does not stand head and shoulders above Perfect Effect's Warden just because it is Masterpiece focused and should be seen to have a higher quality of paint, build, design and engineering as dictated by the label 'Masterpiece' but unfortunately I do think some people see it this way. For the record, Perfect Effect's Warden is a very literal masterpiece of a toy. 

The introduction and subsequent rise of 3PMP, has brought a legion of new collectors who before wouldn't have shown much interest in Third Party toys. I like to imagine these same collectors watching jealously, as early adopters of Third Party toys enjoyed the fruits of labour from Fansproject, TFC and Maketoys, biding their time, waiting for a product which appealed to their collecting sensibilities. This influx of new collectors means new customers so of course there is a lot of money to be had if a company can nail the Masterpiece aesthetic and have the right characters at the right time. It's only natural for the Third Party scene to turn away from its CHUG roots and devote more time and money into releasing toys that appeal to these particular collectors. 

To echo my earlier words, we may be experiencing a renaissance in CHUG focused Third Party toys, with the best releases from the best companies, with levels of design, engineering and character choice which are stunning to behold. But! And this is a very big But, with a capital B, it is not going to last. Once MMC have filled out their ranks of IDW styled toys you won't have a CHUG shelf, you will have an IDW shelf. Eventually you will have a Cross Dimension shelf and maybe one day you'll even have a Lost Exo Realm shelf at which point these toys should no longer be labelled CHUG as really, the only trait they'll share with actual CHUG toys is that they are not 'Masterpiece' toys. Maybe the hard work of the marketing teams at MMC or Maketoys will score a victory and we will indeed call them Reformatted toys and Cross Dimension toys and those labels will carry with them the traits of those lines, be it comic accurate and super sturdy or super-robo with anime flair. At that point calling them CHUG toys will be a massive disservice to the designers behind releases such as MMC's Carnifex or Maketoys' Thunder Erebus as they are truly, in their own right, masterpiece toys. 


As always, keep it #Refined.

RID 2015 - In Retrospect

- Ben Watson


If you're reading this, the chances are you're a seasoned enough Transformers fan to not have taken much notice of Robots in Disguise. It's just the latest iteration of the franchise, it's just the newest flash in a pan right? It'll only last five minutes then something new will come along that'll be just as short lived....Oh wait, it's actually lasted three years. Whoops. Yes, today I'll be breaking down a bit of a broader stroke look at the latest in the long line of cartoon tie-in toylines.

Having technically started around the Christmas of 2014, RID 2015 is indeed now in its third year of occupying supermarket shelves across the globe. It doesn't seem that long? I feel ya buddy. But it's a point worth thinking about. This kind of longevity hasn't been seen in a general kid-centric main line in... I don't know how long. What was the last media married toyline that lasted more than two years? Beast Wars? Dude, that's two decades ago. As such - while it really didn't feel it in 2015 - RID is now something noteworthy. But you probably don't care for the line at all, so why's that a good thing? 

A lot of long form consistency on Hasbro's part can be traced back to the end of 2014. The Age of Extinction line ushered in brand wide design unification that we're still going to be seeing at least into the next year. All the packaging is similar, the logo hasn't changed, Transformers are currently sat at a comfortable plateau that has existed since the last movie. In terms of a child's timeframe, that's forever. There are kids knee-deep in their first helping of love for Transformers that won't have known anything but what is still on shelves today. To them RID is Transformers. Anything Generations they might have seen will similarly have been consistent over the years stretching back to Combiner Wars. Right now - to the kids of the world - Transformers today is one thing and they can expect it to still be tomorrow. 

You can probably tell I'm struggling to get my point across here. That's because I haven't lived in a time when these concepts could apply. I'm talking about the G1 days when Transformers was just "Transformers" not "Beast Wars" or "Energon" or "Prime". RID represents a kind of clean sweep for the franchise. Yes, it's still a distinct line, because us matured goofs need to know where it fits in our overarching histories. However it's been the singular form the franchise has taken from a core media merchandising standpoint for as many years as the entire Unicron Trilogy lasted. Stop and think about that. Feel it. In the playground consciousness, RID must simply be "Transformers".

Of course this year's brief supplement to the regular assortments we have been getting - The Last Knight - has probably shaken that status quo. These kids probably only know of movie stuff from what's been left hanging around from AOE. And (especially considering the content of the film - of any of the films) it isn't for them. They don't know it. They seem to not want it if the state of the TF sections in my local stores is anything to go by. And herein lies a possible issue. If kids really are loving RID (and it must have lasted this long for a good reason) will they be happy to move on to the not-even-in-production-yet Cyberverse series or drop the franchise completely? 

This is where the same long term consistency Hasbro have been working with will need to continue, to allow those kids who really want to carry on loving TFs to seamlessly get on track with the next big thing. While all of us veterans are itching to get there and know what the designs and core concepts and most importantly toys are going to be like, there are kids out there who are growing up with RID. Remember when your first line ended? How did that feel? And here's where such extraordinary longevity also shows its nature as a double edged sword. Heck, even I'm used to RID now and truth be told, I don't really want to see it go anywhere just yet. I'm settled in and my adult perception of time tells me I've not really been for very long. 

"What?!" you decry, "But it's all cheap baby crap!" Yeah, well it isn't. While the greater volume of the line as a whole is One Step Changers and whatever other simplified gimmick guff you can pull off a Tesco's shelf, it has a rock solid core set to appeal to all TF fans. Age of Extinction was generally a huge letdown because of its lack of one thing (at wider retail): regular plain Transformers. A purest vein of mid price-point Deluxe goodness was brought back in RID with the Warriors assortment (along with Legions too). And as the kind of fan I am, this is where I found something worth enjoying in the series. 

Larger size classes seemed to be missing at first, "No Voyager Grimlock or Optimus?" but after these years of this being the norm, I can't help but feel there's something wholesome about just having a host of deluxes. It's consistency again. To me, RID means a box full of fun colourful deluxe guys. No need to worry about expensive boxsets or more massive figures, RID is at its core, the most important TF price-point and nothing more. And even in this limited range, it offers imaginative new design. If Generations mines the beginnings of the brand, RID is pushing its frontier into the future.

At first the animalistic Decepticons were a bit of an annoyance to me. I'll still take overblown military vehicle villains over anything else, but this represented a new direction that proved a source of really unique new character design. For me, where the line really started to come into its own was (admittedly oxymoronically) where it put out more G1 feeling pieces like gold Grimlock and Starscream. Then it ran with the ball of more "classical" TF designs and scored with brand new hits like Blastwave and Stormshot. 

The line will always play second fiddle to Generations as long as it continues but RID has for the last few years.been a dependable source of easily obtained fun (unless you want Ratchet...). There's a comfort in that. There's a security in that. Chances are if you want to wander into a shop and pick up a TF on a whim and your timing is right, RID has your back with something not necessarily a must-have but not totally throwaway either. It's not the greatest, but for an almost unequalled span of time it's provided a steady stream of figures pushing what's seen as "the average" just a little but higher. For that, it's worth a note in the annals of TF history and maybe before it leaves us, a little of your time. If you've left it this late, that is. 


Follow Ben on Twitter @Waspshot23