Transformers Cyberverse Deluxe Arcee review

While my favorite version of Arcee comes from Transformers Prime (what with her sexy design and awesome personality), I do like the Cyberverse Arcee for being a little more adventurous and even happy-go-lucky in a way similar to Bumblebee. While Windblade was the more prominent female Autobot of the team, Arcee didn't feel too much like a redundant addition as she was a little more spontaneous than Windblade is. Still, given how Windblade was the more prominent character in Cyberverse, it was odd to have Arcee be the one who shows up in the line. But let's actually see if her figure is good!

Here we have Arcee in her vehicle mode. It's a little chubbier than the G1 design and almost makes me think it's more of a mommy Arcee. For starters, the design doesn't look as sleek as the G1 version, and the cockpit's actually complete rather than looking like a convertible. It's a little odd at first, but I think it fits the more bubbly nature of this Arcee, who's basically a Dixie Kong of sorts since she's got the outgoing personality without needing to fit in with the boys.

The design looks a little more chubby as mentioned, but at least the vehicle mode does look good and also feels nice in-hand. The lavender and normal shades of pink complement the clear blue of the toy. Best of all, it doesn't feel as cheap as the Generations figure. Still, there's a bit of the cockpit that needs to be painted.

The effect pieces can be stored on the back, making them look like they're nitrous even if it looks like it comes from the bumper. Still works.

In terms of her undercarriage, it's pretty much what Arcee's known for. It's not a pleasant sight but at least she looks a little more...uh...modest? Maybe that's what other TF fans would say, but it doesn't feel like there's still any contribution to the transformation. At least the gaps are filled in nicely.

Transformation is quite similar to past G1-style Arcees. Limbs extend, the backpack somewhat folds up, and that's mostly it. The robot mode looks mostly good from the front, what with it being a stylized take on the G1 version. Still, the things I do like are how adventurous it looks compared to the normal G1 design, which looked more like it was ready to lay back and relax at the beach. Not a bad thing, but it has the character look less bikini model and more jovial Tomb Raider. The details on the figure look good overall, though the gray hands look kind of odd. The backpack doesn't look too good, but in its defense, it doesn't feel cheap, at least uses some elements of transformation, and uses the forearms. It also doesn't feel cheap.

Head sculpt is decent and also captures the design of her in the show. It also has a bit of a smile that better illustrates her personality quite well, and at least the...eyebrows(?), as well as the lips, are picked out licely. The articulation is the same as the rest of the Cyberverse line and pretty much most of the WFC line. Do note that the ankles are kind of tight on her when they pivot.

With her gun in hand, you can display her preparing to blast any Decepticons who stand in her way! Alternatively, you can use them as swords a la Animated and the T30 figure.

In terms of Maccadam BAF pieces, she comes with the shoulders and his spiked hammer weapon. I obviously bought the figure both because I wanted it and because it was needed to complete Maccadam, but if you don't want to get Maccadam, you can sell the shoulders and give her the weapon if you want. I mean she deserves it for being kinda cool if you ask me!

I normally don't do comparisons between Cyberverse figures and ones from other lines, just picture it yourself, but I wanted to bring in Earthrise Arcee. I'm sure some will obviously prefer the ER figure for being cartoon accurate and for being in the Generations line, but while the Cyberverse figure's backpack is still pretty big, it somehow doesn't bother me as badly as the Earthrise toy. Like it's big but it somehow looks nicer while also not feeling as cheap.

So Cyberverse Arcee's far from perfect, but I'd say still better handled than the Earthrise figure. Yeah, it's sad to see that a version of Arcee that's from a kid's show somehow turned out better than the one fans would hypothetically love. This figure's got most of the same amount of articulation, and the fact that the figure also comes with effect pieces and even BAF pieces makes her even more worth the price tag. Definitely get her if you see her...though know that parts of the figure may yellow somehow...

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Cyberverse Deluxe Grimlock review

Let's go back to Cyberverse once again, as the actual King of the Dinosaurs made plenty of friends during prehistoric times. Despite being unable to save Bumblebee during the Ark's arrival to Earth, Grimlock made up for it as he spent time with the legendary beasts and even adopted a mechanical T-Rex mode! While the explanations for past Grimlocks being based on dinosaurs is usually odd when you consider them existing now (with the only explanations that make sense being from Animated, FOC, AOE, and the fact that dinos are awesome), this Grimlock works well if you ask me. He was the perfect balance between being smart like Bruce Banner and strong like The Hulk. Also funny was that this was more Hulk than the actual Hulk from the MCU at the time Cyberverse debuted. Anyways, onto the review!

Here we have Grimlock in his dino mode. It's a stylized take on the Evergreen design of the G1 character, which means that the missile pods on what will be his shoulders are present and the head's a lot meaner than the G1 version. It also means he has a modern Tyrannosaurus posture that the G1 version does not have most of the time. The sculpted details look fine, and while the yellow looks mostly solid on the gray, I do wish that there'd be more paint on the toy; either that or for his gray plastic to be darker or even a little shinier because it looks kind of cheap and incomplete if you ask me. The articulation on this figure is a little lacking, but what he does have consists of a head that opens at the jaw and legs that move front and back as well as in and out slightly on tight AF ball joints. There are no knees because they bend inward, nor are there any joints for the tiny arms despite them looking like they'd move. At least it looks nice with the crown and flame piece added.

Transformation is similar to the G1 version, what with the tail becoming the legs, the upper part of the dino mode becoming the backpack with the wings, and the legs becoming the arms. Some new additions like the waist swivel and the forearms rotating are there, and a few new hinges that work differently on the backpack than expected. The robot mode is once again based on the G1 design, but the proportions, chest design, and even the feet are different than the norm for Grimlock. It works well, especially given his status as a beefcake boss. He's definitely got bigger arms and legs than the torso, but I like it. The details could be better, though; first up, the gray should still be darker or a little more metallic, and the legs definitely need to be painted yellow and have some red and blue applied for the squares. Also, he definitely has a hidden face on the chest and a slightly more obvious one on the crotch. Otherwise, he looks fine from the back and with the lower legs, too.

Head sculpt is quite unique compared to most Grimlocks in the G1 style, as he's actually got a normal face instead of the visor and mouthplate. Now many G1 purists will likely twitch at one eye, sweat nervously, and begin to reeeee so badly upon seeing a deviation of Grimlock that's not even G1 Grimlock, to begin with, but I think this head sculpt is so refreshing compared to the other toys having the rarely seen mouthplate and visor. One problem I do have is that I wish the head was molded in black so the face can be painted silver as well as have brighter blue eyes! As for the articulation, the head, shoulders, elbows, and hips are on ball-joints. The waist and thighs swivel 360 degrees, the knees bend slightly more than 90 degrees, and the feet can pivot.

His accessories are the same as the dino mode, meaning you can just give him the crown (which does look a little oversized on him) and the flame piece as not a sword but a flaming club. As for the BAF piece, he comes with the right forearm of Maccadam. Same as the other forearm covered in Optimus's review, but on the right side. So Grimlock's a pretty decent figure, yet I need to repeat the same ol' issues I mentioned: He needs to be big, and he needs more paint. Another nitpick would be the lack of articulation in dino mode. Still, not a bad take on the guy. I'm pretty sure you can find him for a decent price online or at Target.

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

200th REVIEW - Transformers Cyberverse Deluxe Hot Rod review

When's the last time I covered a Hot Rod? Well, we've got one now in the Cyberverse line, and in terms of character, he was pretty cool in the series. It's nice to see that for a fully G1-centric series, this guy isn't trying to mimic the 86 nostalgiawank and instead has adventures of his own. I dug seeing him along with Bumblebee and Cheetor, but I also loved having him fight alongside Clobber, Perceptor, Dead End, Whirl, and Soundwave during the Quintesson invasion. As for figures, he has a Warrior figure that looked kind of funny, though I'll be honest and say that this guy really isn't any better...let's review him.

Here we have Hot Rod in his vehicle mode. While I get that it's accurate to the design in the show, the vehicle mode looks too blocky. It's far too reminiscent of the PS1 car models found in games that weren't from Gran Turismo or any higher-quality racing game. Considering how characters like Bumblebee had pretty decent car modes, I felt let-down with Hot Rod's since he ends up looking worse than the G1 version. It's low-poly and could really benefit from a facelift.

The fire clips can be attached to the sides of the car, and while they add some color to help the silver, black, blue, and faint orange paint apps break up the predominantly red body, it's still not enough to make it look better-detailed (there should be silver in front of the spoiler, yellow for the bumper, some gray bordering around the arrows, and especially a flame deco on the hood).

Transformation is pretty similar to the G1 version, with the legs extending, the arms hinging down, and the backpack swiveling up along with the reveal of the spoiler on the back. The robot mode itself...doesn't do it for me. I'll give credit to it by saying that the back does transform in a way that 's kind of neat, but everything else feels pretty basic, and the resulting robot mode looks far too red. In terms of details that should have more paint, he needs some details for the midriff, some headlights for the chest, some black paint for the vents, some added paint for the thighs, yellow for the midriff, and some paint for the shins. I say that because man is the red too prominent.

Head sculpt is a stylized take on the G1 guy, and the face is nicely painted despite the eyes being somewhat incomplete. His articulation is similar to that of Grimlock's (and by extension, most of the WFC line), though he has double-jointed elbows, wrist swivels, and slightly hampered shoulder movement.

The fire pieces can be attached on his arms once again and make him look ready to burn Decepticons on fire like the Human Torch! While he may need a gun, that actually makes him a little more unique compared to most Transformers in the show. He comes with the right leg of Maccadam, which has some articulation at the knee. As for Hot Rod himself, he's not too great and is my least favorite of the Cyberverse Deluxe line so-far. Between the lack of paint, the hinderances made from the design, and the feel of the toy, I don't think he's one you really need unless you're a Hot Rod fan, want to complete the Cyberverse line, or want to paint him up yourself.

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

Transformers Earthrise Quintesson Judge review

The 1986 movie's got characters that are obligated for nerds to simp over, with the Quintessons being no exception for their roles in the movie. I thought they were fine but were otherwise there to add more bad guys. Weird as that might be, but I kind of think the Sharkticons were the best of them all compared to everyone else involved. I mean it was neat to see them help Sky Lynx revive Optimus Prime in the Return of Optimus Prime 2-parter, but they're otherwise popular just because of the 86 movie getting attention as required by law. I will say that I liked seeing Alpha Q, the Cyberverse Quintessons, and TLK's Quintessa die, makes me want the G1 Quintessons to die. Anyways, let's see how this mold turned out.

Here is the Quintesson Judge's...alternate mode? What the hell is this shit? Is this supposed to be a mode? Like there's a cage and an opening but what the fuck is this garbage? It's so stupid-looking I can't fathom the mindset behind whoever made this toy. Like I get that it can't be anything else but Jesus Christ on a cracker with cheese does this mode SUCK.

You can lock a Micromaster up in prison, and maybe it's because he wants to laugh at this stupid mode. Hell, he can be inside it if he wants, which is cool but not great.

Here is the Judge mode of this Quintesson, which you access by hinging the faces down, attaching the dome on the cage, and giving him the stand. And what you get are five big faces glued on a floating egg with tentacles! Pretty unique design but it must suck to have five faces be glued together.

The five faces of darkness can be rotated with a lever and make a somewhat satisfying ratchet. Each of the faces is nicely detailed, though only three of them have articulated mouths while two do not. Oh and just to get it out of the way (not like it matters), the names in order are Death, Grimacing, Rage, Doubt, and Laughter. Their names interchange sometimes so I will call them Diedaluminum, Fatso, Redhead, Weedboi, and Biglips.

It even comes with a throne for the thing to sit on, though the peg is either too big or the port too small. The gun it comes with can be stored underneath, too. That said, the throne's plastic is kinda different from the rest of the toy in terms of the feel; almost like it was used from a lot of plastic made for toy army men. Oh and the gun can peg onto a tentacle and one of the holes.

In terms of reuses, the Quintesson was put in a multipack of dudes shown in the 86 Pit of Judgement scene. This version actually has brighter colors, a blue stand, and green tentacles. Only get it if you want everything associated with the 86 movie.

Now it's time for a size comparison! Here is the Judge next to the Allicon, and both of them look fine. Maybe some Sharkticons and whoever else was in the scene would complete it. I wouldn't mind getting a few more Allicons on clearance.

So this figure is certainly better than Alpha Quintesson and other stuff like it, but it's not perfect. The altmode is pretty stupid, the stand doesn't stay on the throne well, the throne feels a little odd, and the two faces that come detached are annoying to attach. Plus, it was going to be hard to find given the way fans went crazy over it, so unless you love the Quintessons, you don't need this figure (to its credit, the actual Judge mode looks good, the gimmick is neat, and the faces are nicely detailed). Also, they called him Deseesus...Optimus, you may take all 5 of the faces away!

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