Transformers Age of the Primes Target 4-pack review

I love that we get a yearly Target 4-pack where three Deluxes and one Voyager get repainted into a single set with a reasonable price. It was also cool getting a specific theme like the battle for the Allspark in Kingdom's Worlds Collide set, Goldbug facing off against three insects for Legacy's Creatures Collide set, an armybuilder for Legacy Evolution, and one line Prime CJ vs three Decepticons from different eras of the Transformers franchise. Now for the first time, we get a fair balance of sorts with the faction representation; prior 4-packs had one Autobot versus three Decepticons or Predacons depending on the line, but we break ground with even rep in addition to finally completing the 1988 Decepticon Headmasters! Let's see if this set continues the good qualities we all love from prior multipacks.

Here we have our quartet in their altmodes. As always, I will go over any character who is mostly a redeco/repaint quickly while Horri-Bull gets more focus given he is a heavy retool. 

Bumper is up first, and already I need to make a disclaimer: my copy of SS86 Bumblebee got the ToyHax treatment in having blue stickers to make him a bit more cartoon accurate, so they're not a very very dark grey like they originally were. They also have some rounded yellow edges to make him a bit more like the Beetle, especially with the roof being flat. The shade of yellow is slightly brighter, but what was said dark grey is now black. The Autobot insignia on Bumblebee's hood is absent on Bumper, and the headlights are solid black instead of champagne colored.

The bot modes also have a few differences beyond the heads and what is carried over, mainly the silver bordered insignia on the chest while the gun is gunmetal instead of silver. Anyone remember when there was a Core Class Bumblebee waiting to be a Bumper back when people pointed out it looked too close to the altmode of a Mazda Familia? Talk about a deja vu moment.

Up next, we have Ultra Magnus to go alongside Optimus Prime. I already loved the original Legacy United Optimus Prime, and seeing the toy homage with Ultra Magnus was both an easy decision and another step towards justified repaints in the future. While the red and blues are now white, the paint apps are the same and we still have rubber tires.

I honestly hope we can get a few more repaints out of the Legacy United Prime mold, but I would love to see DNA Design make a trailer reverse-engineered from the Missing Link Magnus (once it comes out) so it can be modified & shrunken down to accommodate the smaller toy. The blue axe is a nod to his first Masterpiece toy (MP-02), but the guns are the same ones Optimus had yet painted white. His Autobot insignia is higher up yet the oun disrupts it somewhat.

One funny aspect about these two? Prime's matrix is unpainted clear blue plastic while Ultra Magnus has a more detailed version. Maybe a swap is inevitable, because the original one being unpainted was the one thing I didn't like on the otherwise awesome Optimus.

Now we have Animated Nemesis Prime to go over. While we already have a black repaint of the mold in the form of Nemesis Prime, there is more to our evil clone than people take for granted, mainly with the larger use of black in addition to ditching any purple and neon green with red and a non-metallic teal. Even his grey plastics are more gunmetal, and while I don't have the right photo to mention this, he has silver painted rims while the others don't.

Beyond the deco, you're mainly going to want to focus on the head sculpts; Optimus has an unmasked design we normally saw in the show, albeit Generationsified, while Motormaster gets his fairly accurately to the artstyle of the series. Nemesis takes the Optimus head and gives him a mouthplate, doing the same thing we saw with Nemesis Primal where only he got to have that alternate masked head (though Animated Prime has both looks more often while it was rare for Primal). Either way, it's great to have a much cheaper alternative to a Takara repaint that was only given 300 units, and while I would love to own the original version sold at my Disc Replay, this will be the next best option. The original mold has that nostalgic charm, but this update still looks good and has even better articulation and battle axe.

And now it's time to go over Horri-Bull. This is a heavy retool of Titans Return Skullcrusher. He is said to be a mashup of a robotic buffalo and the terror dogs from Ghostbusters, and he sports an unusual combo of hot pink, navy blue, and beige, with the horns unfortunately being painted while they were on a sprue rather than removing them and painting them afterwards. As a result, slight blemishes where they connected from are visible. Near as I can tell, only the back where the spike lay as well as the forearms and thighs remain the same.

Despite being a robotic bull, having him being retooled from Skullcrusher makes sense if they wanted to go for that demon hound homage. The triple tail storage looks awkward, but his articulation includes an opening jaw, ball joints for the shoulders, rotation at what will be the biceps, and hinges for the elbows. The knees have slightly less range, only hinging at two points with limited movement.

In his back is a cockpit for his Head/Titanmaster, Kreb. Thankfully, the lid piece isn't rubbery like it inexplicably was on Skullcruncher.

Here we have the three 1988 Decepticon Headmasters together at last; it took us about half a decade with two multipacks separating the release of Fangry and Squeezeplay, but these three hot pink-themes Cons are back with proper bodies after being stuck with Titan Master vehicles!

Transformation is mostly the same as Skullcruncher, only the  easy head merely hangs in the back without sitting flush like on Skullcruncher. The resulting bot mode thankfully doesn't feel too similar to the figure he was retooled from, what with an entirely different paint job and the overall retooling added to the shoulders, chest, and lower legs. He retains the molded-on tech specs famously worn on the Headmasters, and the deco does at least try to look like a non-yellowed sample of the original toy (or that hideous pic TFWiki once had that looked entirely miscolored). The biggest issue I have would be the beast head not staying flush on his back, making it look like it's mistransforned like in some old stock photos.

Head sculpt is not the same as the Titan Returns version, looking a bit more like a bootleg Prime. While the neck is on a ball joint along with the hips, his knees are on hinges as well as his ankles. He comes with two guns but they thankfully make more sense than whatever his tail was trying to be. He reuses the same grey gun Skullcruncher came with but at least it isn't as cheap.

Here we have him alongside the others Decepticon Headmasters in their bot modes. Funny how two of them are retooled from 1987 Headmasters and one of them from a Monsterbot. It's also funny how we completed these three before we get a new Powerglide to scale with the current Minibots.

And that wraps up the 4-pack! While Bumper doesn't feel all that different, Magnus has third party potential, and Nemesis gives us another chance to get a more accessible version of that Japanese repaint, Horri-Bull makes for another good retool for the 1988 Decepticon Headmasters. We finished that chapter, and we now just need to see who's next for the other AOTP 4-pack. I'd love to have the Autobots be G2 Jazz (music notes because we already got the infrared version), Blue Bolts from Kingdom Skywarp, Wipe-Out from SS86 Windcharger, and Armada Skywarp from the Legacy line's Starscream from the same series. I recommend you get this set while taking advantage of the holiday sales coming up!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

S.H. Figuarts Dragon Ball Daima Goku & Vegeta review

Dragon Ball Daima came and went, with fans either loving the direction the series took or being disappointed that it wasn't like Super or kind of being too similar to GT. Regardless, it gave us merch for not just the kid versions of some characters but also adult versions to match the artstyle. While they spent most of their time de-aged (which allowed Stephanie Nadolny reprise her role as the Kidkarot), we have seen them as adults at first before they later turned into kids for most of the series run. With that set aside, let's see how the newest versions of Goku and Vegeta turned out for today's review!

Here we have Goku in-hand, being a more saturated figure than prior versions of the character were in the past. While it does make sense for the Daima artstyle, it should be worth mentioning that mixing and matching with other characters will depend on which of them have a similar level of saturation and simplicity. His build is slightly less exaggerated than most other versions of the characters, though it could be argued to him having a smaller head. As a result, he kind of has a similar issue some people had with Hasbro Marvel Legends but not as bad given he still has some good build to his physique. Of note is that this version of his gi has a skirt, and while it is removable, it is only for better posing him with a swappable one rather than leaving him with the option to be closer to the classic belt. Articulation cuts are noted to be more naturalistic, especially with the knees, so while the Daimaesthetic isn't going to suit everyone, it will at least have better joint integration.

His head sculpt is a good take in a simple smiling Goku, now with blushing cheek stripes. While the heads may be swappable, there should be consideration in how much synergy there would be with a Daima-styled head and a body used for Z/Super. For his accessories, he comes with three alternate faces, 3 pairs of hands, a swooshing hair piece, and a skirt more splayed out for better range in fighting poses.

His articulation consists of a double ball neck with a hinge between, ball joints for the stems of the shoulders, hinges for moving in and out, bicep rotation, double jointed elbows, wrist joints on two ball pegs and a hinge in the middle for the option to move them in and out or up and down, he has a double ball joint for the torso, hips can move front and back, in and out, thighs have slight rotation, knees are single jointed, the feet can swivel, hinge, and pivot, and the toes are on hinges.

As for Vegeta, he ends up feeling a bit smaller than he's usually depicted. Granted, Vegeta's height is known to be mocked when compared to other anime characters outside of the DBZ universe, especially given how it probably contributed towards his temper, but even with the muscle adding some form of bulk, he ends up being a bit petite compared to Goku. The sculpt being a bit softer than normal makes sense for the artstyle of Daima, but on its own, it makes his musculature even less pronounced than in Goku, especially comparing a spandex suit with chest armor versus a somewhat baggy gi. I wasn't, however, prepared for such a weird butt sculpt where bro looks like he has it riding up his colon! If you thought some Legends and McFarlane figures have weird cake ratings from AnthonysCustoms, then we have an ass comparable to the shots from Batman & Robin during the suit up sequences! If Bulma's known for her big booty bubble butt, then Vegeta's going to have his defined Saiyan man ass to compliment his wife.

If me talking about that Vegetass makes you uncomfortable, then I'll change the topic. His head sculpt is the best part of the figure, and I'd argue won't look out of place on most head swaps than Goku's. His accessories include the same number the same number of faceplates and hair piece as his fellow Saiyan, but he gains an extra pair of alternate hands and a set of crossed arms to boot.

The display options are always a treat for someone like Vegeta, who's usually the more stern and aggressive one of the two. Not having a skirt could make this Vegeta easier to fit in with a DBZ display though maybe those extra alternate hands may play into an issue worth bringing up for the next category.

For some mold and size comparisons, here we have Goku and Vegeta with their prior iterations. I am using the ASROE version of the former and the Super Saiyan: Blood Awakening version with the head from the Scouter 2.0 version of the latter. I should probably use the head that came with the dark grey battle clothes version. While most would argue that the older Vegeta buck looked a bit like his muscles were marbles wrapped in blue paper, he doesn't look as lean as the Daima version. Maybe if there was an extra bit of bulk in the Daima version, I could like it more? Maybe the height difference between not just Goku but also himself will put that into consideration, because the prince is a shorter dude than he normally comes across as. As for the Goku comparison, I feel like the ASROE version makes for the better version of the character, what with the proportions capturing the raw power that the Saiyans were armed to the teeth with rather than the build we have with Daima Goku. I feel like the difference in the arms and legs as well as the head being smaller makes the more classic physique better fitting for that exaggeration we see in superheroes and other people like Goku, while the build we have for Daima has that Fortnite feel (ironic because of the collab). While the Daima versions of Goku and Vegeta are still fine figures, and they make good entry points into the Figuarts line, I can't help but feel they're not anything that special compared to other characters we're getting in the Daima line. That and we're always going to get other versions of the Saiyan duo, meanwhile we still can't get Krillin with hair or current age versions of Chi-Chi and Bulma. Admittedly, the likes of Goku and Vegeta always sell no problem to casual collectors, with Piccolo and Trunks not far behind, but you won't feel like you're missing out on much unless you love these characters or have plans for kit bashing.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (for both)

McFarlane Doom: The Dark Series DoomSlayer (Elite Edition) review

The Doom series represents ultra violence and gore majestically unlike any other sci-fi series. From the simple act of shooting demons down to the more recent mindset of "rip and tear", who knew there would be a lot more to dig into with what seemed like just a classic boomer shooter? It's even crazier seeing the new Doom trilogy turn out this way with the 2016 game, going from a dude stopping a demon invasion over the death of his pet rabbit to then being in Hell for so long around the time of the 2016 game. He's been less of a ruthless survivor POV and more of his own Doomguy. This narrative of the slayer continuing onwards with his battles in Eternal and now The Dark Ages may have some classic purists wishing the series would go back to its simpler roots, any one tired of seeing video games being more like wannabe movies from being cutscene heavy and reliant on the same MCU style humor will be more than happy to have the Doomslayer say as little as possible. With that said, let's see how much his newest McFarlane figure turned out after having mostly mid offerings based on his classic and Eternal armors.

Here we have Doomslayer in-hand, and being the first Elite Edition figure, he is given a much higher level of paintwork than normal McFarlane figures. All of the silver/gunmetal has a wash applied alongside the rest of the green and brown areas of his costume to give it a worn and torn look from all the battles it's been through. None of the armor's details have been left out, and this has a very comparable feeling to.the old, hand painted days of McFarlane Toys...albeit much pricier. The show stopper has to be the faux fur 'cape' on his back, which is a material I normally dread on toys because most early examples from ToyBiz tend to skew closer to the Barbie doll levels of combing fake hair or having it get undone so easily. Here, it feels nice and comparable to a good rug, and it kind of adds an almost regal look to the character. Even the chain in the left hip looks great, especially being possible die cast in addition to having some sweet chrome.

His head sculpt is immaculate! The helmet already looks awesome as does a lot of Doom's aesthetics, but the patina-style weathering elevates the figure to a whole new level unlike the average $20 figure. If this was a non-Elite, it would have been left at the silver paint and maybe having the yellow and red intact. Even the back section is nicely painted, something I thought would be left out since McFarlane has been guilty of leaving any details out from the back like some other toy companies have. This shows more of the shoulder cannon that is removable but doesn't seem articulated. A bigger issue I have would be that the fur cape, being glued or sewn onto this sheet, means one side looks uglier than the other. Granted, Doomslayer's beefy body will hide the inner side of the cape, but it would have been nicer to see a material that is just as sturdy yet looks a little more aesthetically pleasing? The articulation is another issue I have with the toy: ball joint for the neck works fine, and while the arms rotate without issue, moving them in and out causes them to pop out due to the lack of space between the joints and the shoulder pads. Was adding hinges not in the budget? It's annoying having this happen on a discounted Zod where the shoulder pads came off and required super glue, and I don't want to risk that on an expensive figure! There is rotation above the single jointed elbows, wrists can rotate but hinge inwards and outwards due to the lack of the traditional wrist joints found on the DC Multiverse line. Diaphragm articulation is standard, though the legs have somewhat limited movement. The knees could bend 90 degrees but the ankles are very stiff likely due to the paint drying up around the joints. It seems articulation was secondary to the figure, making this feel more like a statue with some movement so owners wouldn't just have him standing straight all the time.

His accessories might make up for the lack of range in his articulation, such as the massive pulverizer. I love that it's cast and painted in different shades of gunmetal than the armor, but the best part has to be the skulls representing his ammo. Painted nicely and sculpted separately from the rest of the weapon, it makes me wish they were removable so we could better appreciate them. The grip on the hands is a bit tricky, being the opposite issue of most McFarlane figures with gummy accessories.

He also has a shotgun that's thankfully weathered so that it won't look like it's got that cheaper toy feel, but the genuine surprise has to be the flail and shield. The former already looks great with that metal chain, but the latter looks exquisite with the scuffing and the intricate yellow trim between the green and gunmetal. Even the Mark of the Doom Slayer is nice and crisp without standing out from looking pristine or transparent like with most paint apps from other toy companies. Yet, in spite of the hardcore badassery from this figure, I don't think it's worth a perfect score. The figure LOOKS great, and the paintwork on the armor as well as the accessories are impeccable, though the cape could be handled a bit better, and the same especially goes for the articulation. Of course, I know he has Elite Points, a collector's card, and a display base, but they're mostly samey like the McFarlane Digital stuff. The biggest concern will be the price. The Elite Edition line seems to start around $60, and while a lot of love went into the paint job and overall sculpt, it's clear the bias is more towards the displayability than poseability. Overall, if you really want him, do what I did and find a seller who put him for around $40 because some guy was moving out and I got lucky for that deal. Dom't get me wrong, it looks badass and could easily be a recommend at a lower price, but much like the Maximum series from Marvel Legends, this subline probably won't last long.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Now let's hope we won't run into any issues with that Zantanna figure...