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Nuking The Cat
The Last Refuge of Sensible Pop Culture Commentary
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SMR
- May 3, 2018
- 5 min
Toy Review - Garatron's G.O.D. 01: Thunderstorm
Did you ever think the Megatron mold from Transformers Energon would make a good remold into Thunderwing? I certainly did. Well, the folks at Garatron must have thought so too, if their Gangs-Of-Devil 01 Thunderstorm is any indication. That being said, it’s not EXACTLY a retool of that earlier mold…and that’s a fair statement to make given how many Third-Party manufacturers take existing Hasbro/Takara engineering and add a few improvements here and there. Sure, there are s
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SMR
- Apr 18, 2018
- 5 min
Toy Reviews - Transformers: Titans Returns Store Exclusives
Okay, one final rush to get the remaining Titans Returns toys off my damn review desk. This time, we’re dealing with exclusives…some hard to get, others not so much. But thankfully, they’re mostly repaints, so I can be cheap and just add links to the original reviews while just briefly discussing what sets these new items apart. Starting things off, we’ve got Wonder Fest 2018 Winter TakaraTomy exclusive Black Convoy…or RiD Scourge as he’s known in the west. He’s a recolor
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![Toy Review - Action Toys' Bike Robo DX [The REAL Masterpiece Cy-Kill]](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6f261b_a502652408cd482989c1282e9d659177~mv2_d_4608_3456_s_4_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_454,h_341,fp_0.50_0.50,q_90/6f261b_a502652408cd482989c1282e9d659177~mv2_d_4608_3456_s_4_2.jpg)
SMR
- Apr 9, 2018
- 3 min
Toy Review - Action Toys' Bike Robo DX [The REAL Masterpiece Cy-Kill]
When Go-Bots started falling behind Transformers back in the hey-day of transforming robots duking it out in the toy aisle for a kid’s hard-begged-for cash, Tonka opted to go bigger…making Super Go-Bots, toys akin to their smaller brethren with similar transformations (mostly…I STILL can’t figure out Super Spay-C) but on a larger scale…better fitting in with their main competitors from Cybertron. It’s pretty obvious how this worked out. So, here in the modern age, should we b
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SMR
- Apr 6, 2018
- 3 min
Toy Review: Transformers Third-Party - Open And Play's Big Cannon
How many of you were disappointed in Hasbro’s Titans Return release of Voyager-class Galvatron? Raise your hands. ::Raises hand:: [You know this sort of thing doesn’t work over the internet, right? – Ed.] In my review of the toy, I wasn’t terribly keen on how the headmaster gimmick had been worked into him. That gripe still stands, but now there’s a new one. With the Combiner Wars release of leader-class Ultra Magnus and the Power of the Primes release of leader-class Rodi
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SMR
- Mar 31, 2018
- 5 min
Masterpiece Theater Showdown: Takara's Shockwave Vs. FansToys Quakewave
While most of the early Transformers were taken from Takara’s Microman and Diaclone toylines, giving them the Masterpiece treatment was pretty easy with minimal fuss. However, some of the toys in the 84 and 85 waves were licensed from other toymakers…most notably Shockwave and Jetfire. With this aspect deflating collectors’ hopes in ever seeing a Masterpiece Shockwave, as usual, third-party companies sprang into action to provide their own versions. The one that caught my
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SMR
- Feb 20, 2018
- 8 min
Toy Review - Transformers Titans Return Overlord and Takara's Transformers Legends Godbomber
Here it is…the last gasp of Titans Return…but man is it a good one! Here we have two leader class figures that see their origins in the old Japan-Only series Transformers: Super God Masterforce…but only one of them officially made the leap over the Pacific to become an official Hasbro toy, that being the final leader class release (wave 5 for those of you still keeping track) of Overlord. But for those that bought the Siege on Cybertron set, well, then no Titans Return coll
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SMR
- Feb 17, 2018
- 4 min
Toy Review - Transformers Titans Return Deluxe Class Waves 5 and 6
With Wave 1 of Power of the Primes hitting store shelves at the time of this writing, I figured it was time to get off my butt and wrap up our Titans Return reviews! So, here we are with the very late in the coming review of the last combined wave of deluxes…Wave 5, plus Slugslinger. Twin Twist: As you’d expect, he’s a remold of Topspin from Wave 4. Given how good that mold was, I certainly can’t complain about seeing it again so soon. That, and to be honest, for whatever
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SMR
- Dec 26, 2017
- 6 min
Toy Review - Perfect Effect's PC-15, 16 and 17 (Upgrade Parts, Jinrai Prime and Core Magnus
The explosion of the Third Party Transformers marketplace has in some ways been really surprising. Hasbro’s reaction to it has been almost equally as surprising, allowing it to mostly proliferate…almost with the understanding that there’s no way that they could hit all toys, features or characters that collectors want so why not let someone else do it. We’ve already posted one Third Party product, Fans Project’s Stunticons, and while I own a few others, these I really felt
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SMR
- Dec 10, 2017
- 4 min
Toy Review - Transformers Titans Return: Siege on Cybertron Box Set
We continue with our ‘clip show’ reviews here as we continue to make the transition from Titans Return to Power of the Primes…this time with the Big Bad Toy Store exclusive box set: Siege on Cybertron. [Well, it was a BBTS exclusive in the US, I think Toys R Us had it in Canada…and I have no idea with regards to the rest of the world. – Ed.] While like the previous box set, Chaos on Velocitron, there really isn’t anything new here…just interesting repaints of previously rel
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SMR
- Dec 7, 2017
- 5 min
Toy Review - Transformers Titans Return: Voyager Class Wave 4
The nice thing about a toyline winding down, especially when it comes to Hasbro’s Transformers, is that the final wave or two is rife with repaints. As such, some of the upcoming reviews will be very much like the ‘clip shows’ that pop up from time to time. Sure, I’ll have a few new quips here and there, but a lot of this is going to be repeats from earlier reviews. Don’t worry, links will be included. So as we start to close up shop on Titans Return, let’s take a look at
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SMR
- Nov 30, 2017
- 5 min
Toy Review - Transformers Cyber Batallion Figures (Walgreens Exclusive)
Next up in our “Toys I’m Probably Too Old For” file are the Walgreens Exclusive Cyber Battalion Autobots. Like our previous review, the RiD Combiner Force Combiners, these are best served as a gateway into Transformers for the ages 5-10 crowd given their large size yet limited articulation. Size-wise, it’s safe to say these guys fall right around Voyager class. When it comes to articulation, well, that’s going to depend on the character…so with that being said, let’s take
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SMR
- Nov 27, 2017
- 4 min
Toy Review - Transformers Robots in Disguise: Combiner Force Menasor, Galvatronus and Ultra Bee
I’m a sucker for a lot of things, but there are three that pertain to this review: I’m a sucker for Combiners. I’m a sucker for Stunticons. I’m a sucker for Combiners that stray from the standard Scramble City approach. Each bot here falls under number 1 and with Galvatronus, it’s the only criteria it meets. Menasor, of course, checks off number two and Ultra Bee ticks off that number three. But as for a review for these guys, well, maybe it’s best to say that what you’ll g
172 views0 comments
SMR
- Nov 24, 2017
- 4 min
Masterpiece Theater - Smokescreen and Hot Rodimus
For this episode of Masterpiece Theater [So glad PBS has opted not to sue, by the way. – Ed.] we’ve opted to go for something old and something new. [Well, relatively new…given your timely updates. – Ed.] So let’s delve a little deeper into MP-19 Smokescreen and MP-28 Hot Rodimus. For most of what you need to know about Smokescreen, all you have to do is refer back to my review of his mold-mates, MP-17 Prowl and MP-18 Streak (or, since I grabbed the Toys R Us version, MP-06
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SMR
- Nov 1, 2017
- 5 min
Toy Review - Power Rangers Movie Legacy Action Figures
As I said in my review of the Power Rangers film that was released back in March, upon exiting the film I felt like I HAD to get my mitts on some of the toys. Now, you wouldn’t be able to tell this from the reviews on the site…but I LOVE huge toys. I think I can blame that on Fort Max back in ’87. So, naturally I grabbed the Zord gift pack that was exclusive to Toys R Us…and while I wasn’t disappointed exactly, between the parts-former nature of the toys, the incredibly mi
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SMR
- Oct 11, 2017
- 5 min
Toy Review - Transformers: Titans Return Deluxe Wave 4
With the fourth wave of deluxe-class Titans Return figures, we start delving into unnecessary repaint territory. Fortunately, we also get 3 new molds to offset that, so let’s dive in and take a look at a set of figures that has been out for a while now but I’m just getting my lazy keister around to reviewing! Perceptor: Let’s start with the positive…the attention in translating the original G1 toy into something more modern is extremely well done here. Sure, the “tank” mode
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SMR
- Aug 12, 2017
- 7 min
Toy Review - BVS Superman: DC Collectibles vs. Mezco's One:12 Collective
While the mass market toys are planned to hit store shelves well in advance of a movie’s opening, the more collector-oriented items tend to wait until the figure is just right and ready to hit shelves. This may end up being more in line with a movie’s release to home video…or just whenever the hell a certain company finally ships the damn things. [Yeah…STILL waiting for that BVS Wonder Woman from Hot Toys dammit! – Ed.] In the instance of the two action figures we’ll be lo
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SMR
- Aug 4, 2017
- 6 min
Toy Review - Transformers Legends Convobat and Lioconvoy
Back in 1996, the Transformers franchise underwent a major shift. As Generation 2 was winding down in 1995, it was put forth that for the 1996 line of toys, the focus would shift to robots that turned into animals, insects and so forth…thus, the Beast Wars were born. Although there was some resistance at first [Oh, the ‘trukk not munky’ days… - Ed.], the quality of both the toys, featuring the most poseable Transformers seen at the time, and the accompanying TV show, one of
52 views0 comments
SMR
- Jul 31, 2017
- 6 min
Toy Review - Transformers: Titans Return Gift-set - Chaos on Velocitron
In terms of Anime…this is what they call a ‘clip show’. Nearly everything included in the Chaos on Velocitron gift-set is a repaint or slight remold of toys that are already available within the Titans Return toyline…and are all toys that I’ve already reviewed. So, what we’re going to do here is there’s gonna be a bunch of links if you want a more in-depth look at the toy while I’ll offer a bit of commentary on the new decos and then render a final verdict on both the toys a
73 views0 comments
SMR
- Jul 18, 2017
- 7 min
Toy Review - Voltron vs Voltron vs Voltron!
Voltron is back…whether it’s the Netflix series (which I should really write up some time, but the short version is it’s mostly awesome with only one GLARING problem) or it’s in the toy shelves. Now, when we talk about Voltron toys, we really open ourselves up to a lot of things that can be considered: the original Japanese Popy releases, Matchbox’s Voltrons I (Vehicle Voltron), II (Gladiator Voltron from the unaired English dub of Lightspeed Electroid Albegas), and III (the
149 views0 comments
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