A Movie Decade

- Ben Watson

With The Last Knight beginning its comprehensive merchandising offensive before the film's opening next month, I've taken the time to consider just what ten years(!) of movie toys have given us. While it's the most divisive topic in the Transformers fandom, and the very concept of a fifth film from Michael Bay may make you spit, by the law of averages there has to be at least one figure from the movies' associated toylines that you like. The 2007 film was an event of titanic proportions, let's face it, but of course almost everything it had to offer has since been improved upon. A lot has changed in ten years and while the general fan approach is to lump the movie figures together and push them all into a corner, this last decade has provided a wide variety of forms and expressions that stretch from the most unorthodox ridiculous to the more classical sublime. Here (in no particular order) I'll run down my favourite ten figures of this vintage that I managed to get my hands on over the last 3650 days. 


1. Age of Extinction Evasion Mode Optimus Prime

Might as well start with the star of the show (gives a nice thumbnail image for Facebook...). Optimus is the one on-screen design I truly love. The mix of angles, alien touches, heroic proportions and lustrous truck surfaces combine to make him look - quite rightfully - the best of the Transformers on film. There's a sense that more care was taken to evoke what people already knew as Optimus Prime, compared to say Ironhide but all of this version's more unique touches are not without merit. (Those knees!) Sadly it took four films and seven years to render this in plastic to a truly satisfactory standard. Evasion Mode Optimus achieves this (mostly) and goes that one step further towards the Optimus of old with his square cab alt mode, colour layout and wheel placement. If someone only casually versed in Transformers were to pick a most iconic version of Optimus, it could easily be this one. 

Of course to say this figure is successful for its G1 homages is detrimental to its status as an excellent movie figure but it provides a sense of "What If" that quiets the infinitesimal part of my mind that still questions why Optimus Prime has flames on him. But there are a great number of alternate decoes which run the gamut from the rust and decay this body was portrayed in in the Age of Extinction film to a more buffed and shiny look all the way to even more G1 than this version. I own one of them which is on the whole more accurate to this body's general appearance but I keep coming back to this one. The simple colour layout adds an almost cartoonish sense of dynamism which the figure's excellent suite of joints easily furnish. Of course if you've handled this you might attest to the testing transformation but I'll be honest, the alt mode concerns me little. As a robot, this is to date the best representation of the one Autobot leader that's possibly had more failed attempts at than any other. Proportions and presence are all on point aided by the reduced mass of the vehicle mode leading to virtually no kibble. Spot on detail coats every surface including Prime's dour faceplateless visage. His body's glass is suitably provided with clear plastic and his slits of optics glow with healthy if colourless light piping. The elbows and forearms are cack though, I guess the wizard who designed this figure had some limit to his powers after all.



2. Hunt for the Decepticons Breacher

The Scout class could easily provide ten of the best figures to grace store shelves in the past decade but for the sake of the rest of this list, I'm relegating myself to choosing only one. Breacher is clearly the bot for the job. One of the seemingly huge number of original and excellent designs made for what used to be the sub £10 impulse buy size class, Breacher is a figure the likes of which we've not seen again. Barely hitting the 4 inch mark, this figure packs more engineering into its diminutive frame than any current Leader figure. Complexity of this level at this scale was never seen before and hasn't been revisited since. Maybe that's a good thing, but to have a figure this small be so involved and articulate (ball jointed neck, wrists and ankles!) is a tiny event in and of itself. Few movie figures are must haves, but Breacher is a firm exception to that rule and if that really doesn't agree with your palette, he has a "regular" face so you can't complain. 


3. Allspark Power Stockade

One of the first non-screen characters to grace the movie line, Stockade takes a lot of the 
design premises of pre movie figures. A solid build, intrinsic gimmickry and more classical features make him look a little more Cybertron than Movie but his realistic alt mode and high level of detail bring him into focus as a decent addition to the then growing roster of movie Decepticons. He may be missing a couple of joints but this is more than made up for with a satisfying conversion and the fun factor of his  - admittedly stunted - power punch action. Plus he's just got attitude, you know? If the Decepticons ever needed a bouncer, it feels like Stockade is the bot for the job. 


4. Dark of the Moon Ratchet

The Autobot medic has always been one of my favourite characters and I've had to make do with the beaky green version of him for most of my life as a collector. When it comes to choosing the best of that bunch (Surgery? General Practice? Name a group of Ratchets...) the DOTM version comes out on top. An intelligent use of ambulance mass leads to the robot actually carrying the same proportions as you'll see on screen. The white stripe helps break up his hi-vis medical green and all detail is present and accounted for. A nicely chunky and posable robot smoothly gives way to a similarly solid and well realised ambulance with a suite of not so obvious weapon connection points. Of course MechTech was the gimmick for DOTM and Ratchet fared a little better than most with his particular sidearm. A rounded machine gun looking device extends a spinning saw blade in a giddily enchanting motion to give you movie Ratchet's signature surgical weapon. Then you stick it on the ambulance and everything goes a bit Fury Road. I just love it. I'll let you in on a secret, I sit this guy next to my bed when I'm feeling particularly ill. The power of perceived object connotations and all that...


5. Revenge of The Fallen Dead End (Deluxe)

This is a bit of an unexpected choice for me. It's only recently that I've come to realise the majesty of this creature. I never picked up this figure while ROTF was on shelves, being perfectly happy with the Scout Dead End and his Morbius hand-mouths while also owning the Deluxe Sideways. This Dead End just didn't hit the radar of bots I should look at, but give it a couple of years and I realised my error. First off the bat (ha, vampire pun) he's so much better looking than drab grey Sideways. Then you look closer and realise just how much is going on with this deco. Movie Dead End is a shambling zombie / energonthirsty vampire character and while the Scout version conveyed this is in the snarling Nosferatu sense, Deluxe Dead End goes for the Christopher Lee Dracula vibe. At least I'm pretty sure this car mode is exactly what Dracula would drive. The glossy black bisected with the blood red stripes ending is sharp points is certainly "slam in the back of my dragula" material. But it doesn't stop there, the collared and winged robot mode continues to radiate vibes of the suave undead. Ok, his head isn't very vampy at all, wearing G1 Dead End's roof as a hat but look at that piping. Compound eye light piping. Magnifique. And with that you realise the real achievement of this figure, it's packing three different colours of clear plastic. Normally a bot's eyes match the clear plastic used in the car's windows but here Dead End gets pink eyes, a simply sexual shade of purple for his windows and then colourless clear parts for his lights. I couldn't name another figure that does this, and that's before his general plastic / paint layout or articulation or frankly bogglingly involved conversion. This guy was a statement. 


6. Hunt for the Decepticons Ironhide

Despite the fact he wasn't red I found Ironhide to be one of the stronger movie designs. Maybe it was just his huge cannons or his pug face or the fact he had RID Ironhide's alt mode. Whatever the case, it lead to me really enjoying this relatively annoying deluxe iteration. Much like Ratchet and evidenced by Takara's choice of the mold for their current "Movie Za Best" line, this was the best figure of Ironhide you could get before he was spocksidized in DOTM (Spoilers!). It's a little short but provides an incredibly detailed and characterful rendition of the character. He's got one of his cannons that looks like an extreme lemon juicer and on the other arm, the little pop out turret drone he had when you pressed triangle in the quite excellent ROTF game. I also really like his huge feet and the versatile 5mm compatible fists. I'll just try to ignore the fact I almost broke it having forgotten the proper order of motions when transforming him for this photo. A panel centric conversion with little room to maneuver should really take some points off his overall score but once again I have to commend the level of engineering on show here. 


7. Dark of the Moon Space Case

A lot of people were treated to this excellent original design through the HFTD Terradive figure. I wasn't one of them as that wave never appeared at retail for me, so the Tesco exclusive mostly light piping G2 homage repaint was a must have. I got Terradive later but simply didn't like it anywhere near as much as this oddity. There's a lot to be said for a selection of movie figures which represent the first toys of those characters since their originals which thus stray into Classics territory. Space Case is one of these. An ingenious and totally unorthodox transformation for a jet leads from a beautifully decorated alt mode to a distinct and dynamic robot. Translucent plastic abounds but glows most brightly in his odd 80's stress toy shaped head. The extending trident and the joints to properly use it tip this figure over into the Timeless Legend category. All that and he came with a comic! Something not seen since 2004. 



8. Revenge of The Fallen Lockdown

It's pretty much gospel truth that ROTF was simply terribad but once the cinemas had shaken it off like a monkey on their backs the toyline seemed to shift into maximum overdrive. The NEST Alliance subline meant to refresh things a little for 2010 delivered a smorgasbord of top tier fun and strong design. Lockdown was one of the bots that hit the zenith, both creatively and physically as you essentially got a Voyager sized robot for your Deluxe car money. This figure is of course an exercise in taking a stylised abstracted model and slamming it into the other end of the design spectrum. As a vastly more complex and realistic look, the originally Animated bounty hunter seems to step from the Cartoon Network screen and into a dark alley near your house. Any menace the design already had is dialled to eleven with extra spikes, sharp angles and a sullen Man With No Name expression glowing with hellfire eyes atop the most articulate TF neck ever made. Really all that's missing is a tattered poncho. The alt mode is equally worthy to follow a foe across the desert but in much more the George Miller sense. Somehow the bright green stripes, ridiculous level of spikes and huge exposed engine don't cry Wacky Races but rather Mad Max. There's a heavy sense of a vintage automobile being given a massive tune up and the ability to wreck others on the road and man, have you ever seen another car mode that looks as fierce?


9. Hunt for the Decepticons Battle Blade Bumblebee

You may have already noticed that I quite like 2010's HFTD offerings. In my mind it was the golden age of figure design and when a line can make even Bumblebee a must have, you have to sit up and pay attention. It's no secret that there are literally scores of different movie Bumblebees to choose from at the Deluxe pricepoint, but this one stands atop all of them like the junkpile they are. Much like Lockdown, the first impression is that you're getting a hell of a lot for your £13 (ah remember the days...). Battle Blade Bee is a large robot for a Deluxe and while this just nudges him out of proper scale with anyone else you might want to stick on an Autobot shelf, it creates the impression of a definitive standalone action figure. Bee is packing all the necessary screen accurate detail, excellent articulation and not one but three different gimmicks into his frame. First off you get what too few movie Bees feature: the battlemask that forms from the top of his head to let you hide his harrowing skull face. Next is a clever reconfiguration of his right hand into his arm cannon. Sadly it's unpainted but again, at least it lets you recreate an on screen motion to some degree. Finally the eponymous battle blade is a spring loaded axe that swings out from his left arm to ape his melee attack from the ROTF game. All in all, while Bumblebee is far from most people's favourite, this figure delivers the proper treatment such a prominent character in the films deserves and gave kids who might have actually liked him an incredible one stop shop of yellow goodness. 


10. Hunt for the Decepticons Battle Blade Optimus Prime

The Battle Blade moniker seems to be the movie hallmark of quality, as much like Bee above, this Optimus provided - for a time - a definitive representation at an affordable pricepoint. While the Evasion Mode version now delivers the design in an effortlessly succinct manner, until that appeared this was the go-to movie Voyager Optimus. Essentially a smaller version of the ROTF Leader that became the all-but-Masterpiece figure for Optimus, this is an incredible example of packing extensive engineering into a toy that may seem like it can't accommodate it. A fully posable and detailed robot replete with twin blades, gas tank cannons and a tiny removable Matrix becomes  - with small effort - a nicely accurate if lacklustre truck. Much like BB Bee, this Optimus did it all and for half the price of the bloated Leader version. Now, with the Evasion Mode version and the advent of a true Masterpiece Movie Prime, this figure may seem redundant but I feel it's well worth a mention here as it remains a truly impressive experience in-hand and gave me the Movie Prime I really wanted for a good four years.


There you have it, folks. That's my top ten for this first decade of Movie product. Who's to say what the next ten years will bring, but sadly I'd say we may already be over the peak of film figures. With the trend towards simplification and if not design cost cutting, deco cost cutting apparent with the last two films it's hard to believe we may ever regain the glory of the offerings of 2009-2011. But I'll be here to see if that chance comes along, just so long as I retain enough IQ after another decade of sitting through 180 minute celluloid C4. Gotta keep it #Refined. 




Follow Ben on Twitter @Waspshot23

Hijacked!

- mantis nine nines

Remolds and repaints have been with us from the beginning. Inferno/Grapple. Ironhide/Ratchet. Just change a few parts, quick color swap, and a new character is available for purchase. This technique is used in all generations of Transformers, and in other toylines like Masters of the Universe or GI Joe it is present in almost every single figure.
Often we grumble about it, but the reality is many of the toys we love would not exist without this technique. Sometimes the idea isn't a new character, but a fresh look for an old one. Every new Prime mold gets a black repaint eventually, and they all look AMAZING. As much as I love the good old heroic red and blue Optimus, his design drips pure sexy evil as soon as that red and black is applied. Magic! Unsurprising perhaps, but still magical.
What is surprising is when a remold or repaint that should be an afterthought instead leaps forward and demands attention. These toys don't care if they wreck your "one mold, one character" plans, they shoulder their way into your heart and display with zero regard for your budget what is supposed to be the mold's intended primary character.
For me the perfect example is Generations Sandstorm.

Our hero stands tall next to his lesser version.

The Springer mold was a revelation when it came out. The detail, complexity, and graceful but aggressive lines captured the spirit of IDW Springer while still evoking enough G1 to fit perfectly on your Classics shelf. In the context of the time it was released it had even more impact as a sort of "third party killer", proof that investing in patience rather than Fansproject Defender was the better bet.

Dorian will kill me if I diss FansProject, so I'll just leave this here without comment...

Whether that impression is accurate or not, the social impact combined with just flat-out being an excellent figure made Springer that rarest of unicorns: the universally liked toy.
But here's the thing, he's not for me. Not that he did anything wrong, nor do I feel there is a better Springer to replace him. He became an afterthought because of his remold Sandstorm. I know I'm SUPPOSED to prefer Springer due to his long history and his importance and popularity in the IDW universe, but once I held his anonymous cousin I couldn't care less about Springer.
Sandstorm is a superstar. He shares all the good points from Springer and adds a superior headsculpt and tighter tolerances. Sandstorm feels so good! Solid, heavy, and the remolded airplane mode is way better than the original helicopter.

Its not the worst helicopter, but looks pretty feeble next to Sandy's fan-jet beef.

I do love the lemon-lime Batmobile, but I'd rather face the apocalypse in a ridiculous Halloween death chariot.

Forgive me if I gushed a little there, but this is one of those figures that reminds me why I collect. Surprises are hard to come by in this day and age, so it is often the molds and characters with the least fanfare and precedent that still have the power to recapture that child-like magic.
However you feel about Sandstorm vs Springer for your own collection I think he has an important place in history. His release ushered in a new level of retooling than we had seen in a modern figure. Not just a head swap with new colors, Sandstorm shares a skeleton of structural parts, but little else. Even parts that seem like they could have easily just left alone have new sculpting and even engineering to differentiate the two characters. We may see this level of remolding regularly today in such figures as Scourge/Highbrow and Alpha Trion/Broadside, but when Sandstorm came out it was unexpected and wonderful.
We didn't know it at the time, but this was just the tip of the iceberg. The retooling built into the Springer mold was a harbinger of Hasbro/Takara moving into the business of PRE-tooling. These pre-molds, pre-paints, whatever you want to call them, have changed the game and proved to be a lure we cannot resist.
But that's a story for another time. For now I will leave you with some pictures of Sky Shadow taken by Ben. Pictures that convinced me I could not hold out for the Overlord version this mold was built for. Despite zero interest in the Black Shadow character, the combination of his sexy colors, unique engineering touches and (let's just be honest here) the fact that he came out first make him irresistible to me. Damn it Pre-Molding! You've won again.

Ben Watson takes great photos. See for yourself here:

Follow Dan on Twitter @mantisninenines

Sins of the Wreckers Part 3 - The Belly of Whales

- Leigh Gregurke

Sins of the Wreckers (2016) written and drawn by Nick Roche, Colours by Josh Burcham with additional colours by Joana Lafuente, letters by Tom B. Long, edited by John Barber. Published by IDW.


Disclaimer : The following article contains a number of major spoilers for Sins of the Wreckers in addition to ambitious plot conjecture. While the previous articles contain value without reading the work I thoroughly suggest you have read the work to appreciate the commentary here within.




In the previous two articles I examined the way in which art can transmit the mood of a scene, demonstrate the power of relationships between characters and foreshadow important narrative development. This article will swim a little further to the side of conjecture and theory crafting as I delve into visual metaphors, semiotics and symbolism. The creators marks and intent I feel were on display for the trained eye as I discussed line work and colour but my background in contemporary and conceptual art demands I find meaning in absolutely everything, nothing is arbitrary and everything has significance.

Theory 1. Springer's Hero's Journey

The first time I read the work; Springer's rising from his deathbed felt a little... cliche? Unexplained? Where maybe there was a chance for another character's heroics instead the reader was treated to another round of overly heroic power posed Springer action. The story did pay off and their was enough angle to make it work but what if the characters arc was suggesting content even deeper with its attention to traditional mythological literature tropes intertwined with challenging memories and experiences.

In a book underpinned by contrasts, moral states and guilt every emotional action is worthy of analysis and the acknowledgment of the author and reader is evident in every scene. Roche's previous work 'Last Stand of the Wreckers' feels a little more direct in its action adventure, a love letter to disposable hero films of the past and in reflection of the villain's actions we never question their own violence. I find in Sins from the outset we are asked to witness overly violent acts that push into the enjoyment of killing on behalf of our heroes. 

Springer's rise into this world is not explored or explained, he in essence arises because he is needed and the cross symbology at first I found a little... blunt. After an initial heroic entrance, a 'call to action' pose that even as a single page pin up reads as a slow motion camera push we are shown Springer being somewhat uncomfortable and out of place. Struggling with the political context he desires a return to action and familiarity and once the heroes are assembled it is as though he never left and we are returned to iconic central images of courage, power and confidence.








I don't think it is coincidence that Springer's arc follows Joseph Campbell's literary methodology 'A Hero's Journey". Not only as a useful narrative guideline for engaging storytelling but also to potentially place a lens on the arc's almost perfection as a heroic mythological endeavor. Campbell's work makes note of the 'Belly of the Whale' being a traditional defining story element. Linked with baptism and the hero's need to conquer doubt and create a sense of self. The belly of whale acts as a threshold from one world to another and prepares the hero for both forthcoming challenges and death. Springer fights doubt, confusion and a lack of action by entering the literal belly of whale and passing through a literal portal wherein he finds power again through a series of trial like baptism's. Campbell's methodology even begins the heroic Journey with a rise or 'call to action' further cementing the origin of this passage.









Campbell aptly talks in his work about the important and often climatic leg of the journey being an atonement with the 'father'. This often in narrative is represented through mastery over a powerful other or authority figure, an actual father or the act of moving past childhood to adulthood. A martial act of defeating or overcoming the father figure is a common feature in myth and it is no surprise to see the penultimate scenes of the book flashing to the conflict between Springer and his creator Tarantulas. Roche's art even suggest the sublime or transcendent, as we witness both an explosive moment but also one of realization and emotion, a barrier or threshold crossed that uses the contrasting flat black and white panels indicating key moments in the work. The text is absent but demonstrates both the intensity of the situation and also leaves the dialogue powerfully personal and contained, an inner struggle between two intrinsically connected characters. 

One of Campbell's final suggested stages is described as "magical flight" wherein the hero achieves power and freedom, while not necessarily a physical act of flight it is a powerful metaphor. Early in the work Springer before his baptism in the whale is pulled from the sky by Carnivac robbing him of that freedom, in the confrontation with his father figure Springer leaps upwards in act of final defiance attaining again freedom and mastery arising from the depths of his baptism.

Springer's arc is defined not only by his heroic journey but his absolute need to take one as it defines him. Talking as he faces his potential fate he expresses that he "needs peace" at contrast to his overarching desire for action. Joseph Campbell when talking about the stage of atonement also alludes to a self generated double-monster, a dragon (point of challenge) of super-ego and Id. The psychology apparatus of Id, ego and super ego defined by Sigmund Freud could be seen as represented by the characters all who are employed as 'father figures' to Springer. Impactor as Id, impetuous action and instinctual motion, ego as Prowl's rational organized but harsh realism and Tarantulas as super-ego, a god like station of critical moralization and creation. To assist in defeating these challenges Campbell identifies in myth a common occurrence of a priestess figure, a woman or female figure that offers guidance, assurance and assistance. Due to the contrast in the human and Cybertronian relationship it is easy to forget about Verity's position as point of female guidance for the hero, both a symbol of power and mortality, kindness and retribution.












Springer's Journey ends on what appears a sweet moment of reflection, with his priestess figure Verity they echo a scene of earlier desires to see the Northern Lights, acknowledgment of the loss of a comrade. As Verity muses on the impossibility of their situation, the lights are eerily reminiscent in both colour and shape to the visual depictions of the Noisemaze, knowing she will see them again and again in contrast to her believed terminal state is both empowering but also suggestive of something bittersweet? The two engage on their mortality and position, their humanity and lack of control, there is a tremendous sense of isolation in the image as the characters are dwarfed by the contrast of blackness and the Northern Lights themselves.

The heroic Journey undertaken by Springer is one that both utilizes and seems to parade its dedication to its framework. Underneath those layers of powerful iconic almost mythological imagery are suggestions of tiredness, confusion and pained dreams. The usage of the red paneled images, Springer's lifeless face... tie us back to the past, another time for Springer as underneath he draws upon the potential of what could happen. What if perhaps though... the red state represents his physical reality. Comatose and paralyzed dreaming of empowerment and action, we the viewer are seeing a character already subjected to the effects of the Noisemaze, a characters idealistic but imperfect situation?

We only challenge Prowl's Noisemaze vision because of immediate context, the narrative and dedicated change in art give us a strong indication of the switch in states but without the character of Tarantulas to indicate that switch, is it up to us? Verity converses with Springer on the state of dreams, always red once again calling back to a more traumatic and contrasting memory, or perhaps his current existence. In the previous article I talked about the foreshadowing and colour usage to demonstrate Springer's later situation in the cave, the green of his life support echoed in the green crystals where he seeks atonement, clever foreshadowing or his surrounding influences on his unconscious desires?. Regardless of his mortality and state, Springer's tale in Roche's Sins of the Wreckers is reflective of a dream or myth, a heroic journey, a Christ like rise guided by an immortal priestess, an atonement with the father and self and the finding of bliss. 

There is one part remaining of my analysis, another examination of the narrative. Part four will really push into the fan theory sphere examining the sublime, suggestive and metaphorical as we examine mushrooms, rabbit holes, Pinocchio and Captain Nemo

As always, keep it #Refined



Follow Leigh on Twitter at @AmbushThem

Sins of the Wreckers Part 2 - Colourist as Storyteller

 - Leigh Gregurke 

Sins of the Wreckers (2016) Written and Drawn by Nick Roche, Colours by Josh Burcham with additional colours by Joana Lafuente, letters by Tom B. Long, edited by John Barber. Published by IDW.


Sins of the Wreckers is a work of layers and foreshadowing, depth and memory. 
It can be easy to attribute these traits to the book as a whole and by default is often credited to the writer. Sometimes it can be easy to forget the role a colourist plays in the process and their ability to tell the story visually.  This is a book that highlights the power of the colourist and their role as a storyteller in their own right.

In part one I examined the use of high contrast tonal composition spaces and the role of black and white in Roche's art being a wonderful reflection of the themes of the work. Josh Burcham as colourist adds other elements through colour and I wanted to explore just a few of the crafty methods employed to pull the viewer into the themes.

IDW

IDW

Complementary colour schemes pull from opposite sides of the colour wheel, working with the warm and cool balance and are commonly used in visual media. In this work Burcham really allows those contrasts to not just visually read in a pleasing way but assist the story and create a space and mood. Burcham also makes use of the contrasts of value, points of high and low saturation. Starting the work in a low saturation cold duality of space and snow gives a blank canvas where the emergent Noizemaze jumps out in intense and powerful contrast. By keeping colours in low saturation early we feel the coldness of space, the starkness of the snow and shadowed depths of the Ocean. Moments of importance are road-mapped through colour, the reader is drawn to visual elements and without text is able to grasp the narrative. Reading back over the series it's lovely to see the slow burn of the beginning. Issue one visually reads very differently to a later entry, while the spaces characters occupy become tighter and more claustrophobic, the intensity of colour ramps up considerably.

IDW

The same complimentary colour tool is utilized to create links to characters. In the image above the usage of green makes us very aware this is the character Springer's room and he is missing from the gurney, even without his visual presence on the page. The red pops at the top of the piece, obscuring the local character colours with source lighted red. The tone here is more important than the characters visual identity as individuals. Red demonstrates a mood and narrative space of emergency but the reveal is in the opposite green, utilizing the cooler colour to not only represent the character Springer but aligning the cooler colour with surprise giving it weight over the top half's intensity, the combination works visually but also wonderfully transmits the story.  Most masterfully perhaps is the composition and colour of the room. The medical equipment's style and colour foreshadows later panels in the climax, giving hints of both the characters origin and providing a visual mirror to the scenes in the green lit caverns that await.

IDW

The same colour palette returns but reversed, enveloped by black and centrally iconic, Springer's green is contrasted by the red ground in the following panel. The first and final panels here demonstrate a common contrast in the work,  visually showing both the togetherness of the group and highlighting their interior isolation through flat blacks and central panel placement. The red panel becomes dominant through its mostly saturated hue and, united with Roche's art, reads as the interior trauma creating a powerful visual contrast with Springer's heroic stature and pose in the larger panel. Composition wise Roche chose to place the upper panels sitting physically over the bottom panel, even though we end with the character centrally iconic again in a power pose we know to be the dominant emotion that is underpinning the character. Once again the use of colour providing links to characters' past and futures is utilized expertly, with the handling of one distinct red hue we are transported to another book entirely, reminded of the events of Last Stand of the Wreckers.

IDW

Perhaps my favorite tool employed in this work is one of the more subtle. Drawing back to the tonal contrasts between black and white in the work; scenes of memory or recollection are given a gradient wipe in the borders, an almost cinematic transition feel. The bright white of the border disappears into black. Frequently sequential work and cinema scenes of recollection call on sepia tones, desaturated tones and blurring of quality of line, none of which I find terribly creative or visually interesting. Burcham and Roche's colour and composition delivers the work tonally, memories are dark, challenging and ever present, echoing the visuals of Springer mentioned previously. Rather than pull colour from the memory Burcham bumps the hues showing intensity of action and emotion and amplifies their value. Almost vignette like black borders feel as though they are crawling into the visual space, held at bay by often intense uses of local and bounced light. In a book where the power of memories is paramount the colourist made a bold choice to place them at the forefront and give the tremendous narrative weight they needed.



Colourists are finally starting to draw some of the attention and praise they deserve. With the advent of artist accessibility through social media we have seen more ability to push past a tradition that sees a work often attributed to the writer almost primarily. When I first found an interest in sequential art I rarely considered the role of a colourist, now I find myself picking up books making a choice on the weight of who is providing colours. I find myself going back over old books I loved when I was younger and realizing  how many times a certain colourist appeared. Through the work of artists like Josh Burcham, Tamra Bonvillain, Matt Hollingsworth and the tremendous work and advocacy of Jordie Bellair I feel that that more people are starting to understand the role of colourist as storyteller.

As always, keep it #Refined



Follow Leigh on Twitter at @AmbushThem

Against Better Judgement

 - Dorian MacQuarrie

I would love to say my current collection is full of bots that are all 100% winners, that every toy I now own was bought with the absolute confidence that I would enjoy the experience. I can't, of course; I doubt many of us can. We all have a few toys that were impulse buys that never lived up to expectations or maybe there are those who were bought knowing full well we'd never be able to enjoy them due to one particular factor, maybe a fiddly transformation or a lacking amount of paint. 


With that in mind, I have some very mixed feelings over Masterpiece Inferno. 

Objectively it's a great toy, with amazing articulation, a fun transformation (the ladder trick is magical) and has some great heft. The paint finish is gorgeous and the head sculpts, while not in the style of early MP cars, are delightful. Subjectively however, I just don't like the way he looks. 

I'm not a fan of the cartoon focus and even with the toy-esque grill and head it's not enough to ground him in the Hasui style of the first few MP cars. The detailing is too plain, especially with regards to the legs and head "wings". The grey used for the head and hands, while pleasing, leans too far into the cartoon column of influences which also informs the lack of detailing on his alt mode and of course some very particular accessories. Visually, Masterpiece Inferno is not my jam. 

Waste of plastic

It's an odd position to be in, aware of the many high points but not on board with one key aspect, possibly the most important: aesthetics. Next to Prowl and Sideswipe he's distinctly different and needs some of the other cartoon focused MP toys around him to better blend a display together lest he stick out like a sore thumb. 

Abomination

Much better

So why did I I buy Inferno knowing that I would never be happy with the style in which this toy was made? Well, I went against my better judgement, placed my faith in the reviews plus Takara's track record and took a chance, one that has thankfully paid off. 

Moving on......

I also have some very mixed feelings over Omnigonix Spinout.

Objectively it's a terrible toy with horrendous build quality, limited articulation, questionable design choices, poor paint applications, a frustrating transformation and is widely regarded as a failed product. Subjectively though.......

Oh by the Gods I love it! Spinout clearly takes more from the Generation 1 Sunstreaker toy which suits me just fine. He's taller than Sideswipe (as he should be!) and has that huge chest piece. The head sculpt is sharp with a fantastic stern expression and even with the disastrous build quality the resulting bot mode is very clean with zero unnecessary back kibble *cough* Sunsurge *cough*. I was on board for this toy as soon as initial renders were released and even when the tragic reality of the final product was revealed, I still wanted this guy ASAP. 

Spinout was the first (and probably last) offering from Omnigonix, a brand new third party company. The toy had all its flaws laid bare in reviews and even before release was a well documented train wreck but it looked amazing and was perfect for my preferred flavour of MP toys. I abandoned all of the standards I would normally hold a third party toy against and bought Spinout entirely based on looks, in spite of my better judgement. 

As odd as my position on MP Inferno, Spinout leaves me equally perplexed. It's a terrible toy that I've only transformed two or three times and not due to a difficult transformation but that it's just so fragile and so poorly made it's more like performing delicate surgery than having a puzzle you can fiddle with while watching CNN. Where Inferno ticks every box on my list other than aesthetics, Spinout flunks the test like a champ but somehow manages to get by purely on his good looks. Maybe it's fitting that a toy of Sunstreaker is of little substance and is just about good looks. 

All of our purchases should have some forethought behind them. Maybe just a quick glance at what looks good or if you expect it to have a great build quality with a fun transformation. Sometimes we weigh up multiple offerings from different companies in a bid to decide which out of the fifty three Third Party Springers to buy. When it's a mainline release from Hasbro or Takara this is an easier process to bypass. Sling some money at a deluxe and if it's not *that* good then it's not a big loss. The same cannot be said for third party and Masterpiece toys however. 

When the price tag often rings in at around three times that of a first party mainline toy, uninformed or impulse purchases shouldn't really be on the agenda, unsure if we'll even enjoy the figure or not. We shouldn't be blithely buying toys......except that we definitely do. 

My recent neuroticism over my collecting habits might be getting stale but I can't help but think we surely want to have control over what we buy. Aren't we able to make rational purchases based on a set of standards and not just "ooh shiny!" as was the case when I picked up Spinout? There were reports of broken and missing parts straight out of the box but I didn't care, I wanted this toy. I don't want to use the word "need" but it had to be part of my collection. Should we be spending £100+ on a toy that doesn't even fit a preferred set of aesthetics as was the case with MP Inferno? 

Probably not but they are toys and maybe we get to be a little irresponsible when it comes to our plastic crack. I know I like to keep things on a serious note but maybe it's healthy to splurge a little and just throw some money around.


And on that note, keep it #Refined. 



Follow Dorian on Twitter @Vigadeath

Generating Habitat - TF Photography Outdoors

 - Ben Watson

Spring is finally here, so it's time to kick back and catch some rays but if you're anything like me, you'll be catching them with the lens of a camera. When people ask me about my hobbies, I say "photography". What I don't say is "taking pictures of toys outside" which is actually what I mean. I hugely appreciate the kind words I've received over the photos of mine that have been featured on the blog so far but if I'm being honest, I don't feel like they're my best work. So this week I'll be showing you why I love outdoors toy photography more than anything else. 

         

Nothing lights a subject like natural light. Your eyes are made to appreciate sunlight and while moody lighting can be effective, nothing creates a bold and colourful image quite like taking it outdoors. Ok, my own lighting set-up could be leagues better and maybe that leads me to feel like I can't take good photos without the power of the sun but not only do you generally get a better picture at the end, the process itself is so much more fun.

A huge part of that fun comes from finding surroundings that fit the figures you're looking to capture. Where does a giant robot or a tank or a frog actually fit? What feels like the right habitat for these things to exist in? What's the quality of the earth under those treads like? Do the plants in the background compliment the figures colours? Does this look right? Once again, you can say that snapping bots under lights in a swish indoors set-up yields great results but these characters wouldn't exist in a formless void or on a giant desk or the top of a bookcase. Where can you summon a sense of action, of being rooted in the scene? Where human clutter doesn't exist. The great outdoors.

Stone and leaves and bare soil don't need to instantly betray scale. The small can seem as gigantic as fiction would have you imagine. Battle scenes suddenly become believable. But at a much more simple level than all that (one which I might favour the most) rugged vehicle modes come into their own and occupy a space you would expect to see real life equivalents in. Each picture can become some snapshot of a narrative if you really want. This is where I find a real flair can enter into the whole process of meticulously posing your latest plastic prize. And, boy do I mean "meticulously" because as soon as the wind picks up (usually just as you're about to hit the shutter button) and you curse under your breath, you've got to pick up and repose your subject. But it's all part of the fun in the end.

The elements pose a challenge sometimes and of course a certain risk too if you've picked up something old and expensive to shoot. I'm not saying I'd be out there in the pouring rain because it's really only when the sun begins to flicker out of the clouds that I sense it's time to get back to it but not every day stays as brilliant as when you start. Sometimes slightly bleaker skies can work with you but who really wants to look at that? Nah, give me an idealised blue sky every time.

The ability to capture seasonal ephemera, like Windblade's cherry blossom there is also a great inspiration. If I'd not seen that and turned up a week later, the blossom would have all blown away and there'd be no grimace worthy Japanese stereotype to capture. Some days the surroundings can give you all the ideas you need and other days all it takes is to get out there with a bot and find somewhere good to plonk it down. I'm not about to make it look like I do any kind of planning with all this, it's very spur of the moment - which is what it should be. You never know how long the sun will last. I like to think it's kinda zen that way. Life's impermanences. 

I've been photographing figures out and about in gardens and quiet places like this for years now. I'm still learning. I'd like to say I'm improving but for me it really isn't so much about the end product. I'm happy with the shots shown here, but for every one there's another three that I regard with a sour look. It's all about trying to capture a good shot for me and it doesn't always pay off. But where's the fun in instantly snapping a magazine quality pic every time? Outdoors shooting like this certainly throws up a lot more in the "error" column of "trial and error" but that's why it's so much more satisfying to finally get that photo you're happy with.

I've been light on words this time round because I hope my pics speak for me, but the last thing I want to do is make this about me. I want to inspire you to get out there and find the spaces that your fave figures fit into. When the sun's out, get out there and leave that photo tent behind. Have some fun and play with your toys! This is really the only way I'd say I still do. Engage the imagination while you're looking for that nice angle to show off your latest purchase and just enjoy the whole process. Feel that sunshine, listen to the birds, smell the grass, try not to hurt yourself on old rubble. And when you're done maybe share your pics with us via our Twitter or the Facebook page. Come on, go get some vitamin D! 

Follow Ben on Twitter @Waspshot23