Transformers Age of the Primes Cybertron Sideways review

The Cybertron series turns 20 this year along with Revenge of the Sith, Batman Begins, the 2005 Fantastic Four movie, and Pac-Man World 3. What a great year it was, certainly better than 2015 and 2025. While people out there would still have their beef with the Unicron Trilogy, there is at least a healthy dose of praise towards the Cybertron portion. Not only did it have more polish in its story telling and dubbing than prior shows (mostly with Energon being weak), but the series itself also had a toyline that was the right balance between play features and articulation/engineering. Sideways is another instance of the line doing this right, with a badass character design and altmode that only has his gimmick in his weapon, without being limited in articulation like with most Armada and Energon characters. We get a new version of him from the Age of the Primes line, and despite fans initially thinking he was a goner after their preorders got canceled at Walmart, we have him with us without depending on import sites. Let's see if he's worth getting at the store claiming to be about saving money and living better.

Here we have Sideways in his Cybertronic space ship mode. It's said to be designed after the Batwing given how Hasbro designers were thinking about Batman's cinematic return with Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins, no doubt a much bigger time for a new iteration than either Keaton or Pattinson (apart from Affleck since he was part of a crossover instead of a standalone story). Between the bat shape of the wings, the tail fins resembling the ones you'd find in a Batwing, and the head having a vague shape similar to the front section of the vehicle, this and Cybertron Megatron are examples of how to pay tribute to the Dark Knight without going into Collaborative territory. I also love the black and orange color combo we have for the rest of the vehicle mode, which makes him feel more fitting for a Halloween theme now that it's getting closer (as of this writing, August is almost over and stores are putting up decorations and costumes earlier.while the cockpit could benefit from having clear pieces, the rest of the vehicle mode still looks as great as it did in 2005. 

For a vehicle mode size comparison, here we have him next to the Unicron Trilogy version of Starscream. While I believe Cybertron Starscream is bulkier than his Legacy United version, I believe Sideways keeps the same size between the 20 year decrease in plastic/increase in price.

Transformation is nearly identical to the original version of the figure we got in 2005, though the wings and weapon now have to be removed. It's the kind of partsforming that the old toy never really had since it was meant to have the weapons on the left arm and lower legs. The rest being faithful to the original version is at least appreciative, much like with Starscream and Hot Shot. The robot mode is just as accurate to the old toy and show model as the vehicle mode. From the orange midriff to the ball shaped hips, this is almost as close as you can get without copying the old mold or using its engineering 100%. For example, the hips are now universal joints instead of ball and socket, while the shoulders are now pinned in addition to the forearms utilizing 5mm ports. Regardless, he maintains the same sleek and deadly design that contrasted his more G1-esque Armada design. 

His head sculpt is as faceless as Soundwave was in Transformers Prime, and I love how the whole visor and the horns on top make him feel like an evil Power Ranger. I kind of wish the orange paint was more metallic to sub for translucent plastic. With his cyber key inserted and the gimmick deployed manually, his articulation consists of a ball jointed neck, swivels for the arms front and back as well as the biceps, wrists, waist, and thighs, hinges for the shoulders moving in and out, elbows, knees, and ankles, with universal joints used for the hips as mentioned before. His arm blades can be held together or individually, depending on what suits you best.

Though the gimmick is manual this time, you still have the option to switch between Autobot and Decepticon logos. A simple lever found on the back of his weapon does this in lieu of a spring loaded feature, thanks economy crisis.

Here we have him along with Starscream in robot mode, with the size difference being fairly close to how they appeared back in Cybertron proper. I'm kind of curious on how a new version of Soundwave will turn out given both represented Planet X. Overall, Age of the Primes Sideways is easily going to be a stand out mold from the line thanks to his faithfulness as well as having some improvements in his articulation in spite of ditching the spring loaded gimmick. With how pricey the old toy is in the aftermarket, you should be able to get this figure, even with the issues that were thankfully resolved with canceled preorders.

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

Or maybe stick with the original if you still have it and all the parts included. It may be slightly better given the clear plastic and denser materials overall beat the current stuff in some ways.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Age of the Primes Alchemist Prime review

We already know about the Thirteen Primes, but do you know about the member known as Alchemist Prime? A giant robot wearing glasses may have people triggered at the sight of Wheeljack in ROTB, but a character like AP goes as far back as the beginning with the lenses he wears; they not only help him see anything further ahead of him beyond the average human glasses, but he also has the ability to see through the souls of other beings. He would later have a new lease on life as a bartender known as Maccadam, who we saw every now and then in prior media before having a more prominent role in the Cyberverse cartoon! Now that the bartender of TF history is back in his old form, let's see if he's another worthwhile addition to the current line.

Here we have Alchemist Prime in his vehicle mode. TFWiki claims it to be an armored car, but the design feels more like a militarized SUV than anything, really. Hell, it feels more like an Earth mode than all the other Primes we got so far. Between how the back is shaped like any truck canopy and the front of the altmode resembling a Land Rover model, it's almost like this figure is set to have a reuse in the near future despite Hasbro designers saying no such plans are on the table. It even has a bit of a TFP Bulkhead vibe, albeit with a hint of Trialbreaker mixed in. The Thrilling 30 version seen in the IDW Comics. Other than the exposed robot knee guards and the alien elements like the lack of proper doors, this is the least Cybertronian out of the alt modes used by the Primes.

His fists jut out a bit from the back, and this is due to a design flaw on this figure: despite the instructions telling you to fold them all the way in, the figure not only can't do that properly, but attempting to do so results in stress marks developing. While there may be a fix out there somewhere without damaging the forearms, we should NEVER have to fix our toys.

The lenses can split in half if you want to have an attack mode of some kind. It's almost like the world's weirdest police siren set up with added guns on top in case the criminals try to fire at them.

For a size comparison with all the other Primes we have so far (other than Star Convoy), here we have him with Megatronus, Prima, and Solus. He is a Deluxe scale vehicle yet has a bit of a Voyager bulk to him with a size closer to Prima's.

Transformation is fairly simple out of the Primes we have so far, with an arm transformation sort of similar to how they work on the Earthrise Cliffjumper mold and leg being made from the back of the altmode with panels filling the backs done with most other Transformers at the time (think of the Siege Ironhide mold). It's not the most inventive sequence for a conversion, but the resulting robot mode is where we have more talking points; it combines elements of his Marvel design (colors primarily) while using the Cyberverse design heavily for inspiration. You can especially see that with the stocky proportions, leg design, and similar chest detailing. I think this design may already be a favorite of mine since Maccadam is already a character I lived in Cyberverse, and it's great seeing what he once looked like before we see him as the bartender of present day. Hell, even the colors work wonderfully on him as an attempt to mix up his prior looks, and he somehow makes for a better Bulkhead toy than the Legacy version!

His head sculpt amalgamates the elements of the Marvel, Covenant of Primus, and Cyberverse designs, primarily the mustache coming from the former and the vague head shape as well as lenses coming from the latter two. Not a bad way of paying tribute to more than just one version of the character. His articulation consists of a ball joint at the neck, swivels at the shoulders moving front and back, biceps, waist, and thighs, hinges for the arms moving in and out, elbows, knees, and ankles, and universal hips.

The lenses can be held either as weapons of some kind or combined into the actual item work by him. They are meant to scale with human faces but are as effective as the average magnifying glass on G1 Perceptors. Interestingly, they include his personal emblem, the Ancient Autobot symbol, and the insignia of Unicron first seen on the Blentrons.

Here he is next to his Cyberverse counterpart, showcasing how much influence this toy took from his surprise cartoon debut. While the series may be corporate mandate-feeling at first glance, it is always appreciative seeing someone like Maccadam show up along with Sky-Byte and Rack'N'Ruin as genuine surprises in a sea of slightly tweaked evergreen designs. The Maccadam figure you see here doesn't transform due to him being a BAF, but then again, how would Hasbro replicate the altmode he used to keep the war out of his bar?

And here we have him along with the other Primes minus Star Convoy once again. With how most of them use a mix of grays and purples except for the Titan Class's Optimus Prime color palette, a forest green robot is appreciative in the long run. We'll see how much color break up will be implemented with later Primes, but Alchemist Prime makes for a marvelous addition to not just the cast of thirteen original Transformers but also as a figure altogether. While he may not be that inventive for the transformation and has a more Earthly altmode, the personality of the robot mode and the amalgamated elements of Alchemist himself and his later Maccadam alias make him an easy recommend. That and he does the "ancient God turned being living among us" trope much better than Rung's quirky self insert looking ass.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SH Figuarts Dragonball Super Android 18 (Universe Survival Saga) review

The average person unaware of the lore behind Dragon Ball would probably think that only the males get the focus when it comes to them only getting in the fights. Of course, what else were you going to expect for a series aimed primarily at boys and teens? I'm sure this complaint is brought up by those who care more about 80s Dragon Ball for those mood screencaps or quirky "rebellious" t-shirts, but Android 18 shows that even girls can get dirty in some of the most aggressive anime fights out there. She was once fully human before receiving cybernetic implementations that later led to the Android Saga, where they aimed to rid of Goku and his allies before they all went berserk. All this would later reach the end as she would slowly develop feelings for Krillin, and while she can't be fully human as mentioned by Shenron, she can at least be free from a ticking time bomb after her redemption. Now we shall review the girl who fights harder than Chi Chi and is as helpful to the Z Fighters as Bulma!

Here we have Android 18 in-hand. The outfit she has on currently is based on her appearance in the Universe Survival Saga from Dragon Ball Super; it revolved around our heroes entering the Tournament of Power where they, along with 11 other universes, compete for their own survival. Ultimately, Universe 7 wins, and all the other entries are restored. While Android 18 normally wears the more iconic tomboy-esque outfit in the past, she currently wears a magenta jumpsuit that kind of compliments her pretty well. That being said, the sculptwork on this is pretty minimal compared to how some figures would normally have linework or raised surface areas. The zipper and the stripes are painted on, and while the slight bit of detailing representing her pockets and the uneven collar are able to distinguish this as her jumpsuit, it's almost comparable to how Hasbro normally used blank bodies for their comic characters in contrast to the higher budgets used on the MCU characters. Admittedly, there isn't much to work with for an outfit like this, but the vibes are kind of similar with the minimal sculptwork. That being said, the feminine proportions are done accurately to.the character while not making her petite, though I'm positive her butt isn't that small (probably moreso than Chi Chi's booty and especially Bulma's Bubble Butt). And while the stripes and zipper are purely deco, they are at least applied properly as one would hope for a more expensive item. So not the most impressive sculpt (at least compared to her classic outfit), but it works fine enough with matching how she appeared in the show.

Her head sculpt is unique amongst the females in the series due to the nature of her haircut and her eyeshape being a reminder of her former life as an antagonist. She is softer as a heroine, but not that soft. Her tray of alternate accessories feature faceplates that go from stern glare to gritted teeth to yelling, 5 pairs of alternate hands, an alternate hair piece that is messier somewhat, a blast effects, and her arms crossed as seen with Piccolo and the two Outer Senshi, Sailors Uranus and Neptune.

The display options are already appreciative for a figure like this, especially when most Figuarts you'd find characters who have just faceplates and slightly fewer hands compared to Android 18. Granted, most cheaper Figuarts are for casual collectors tend to have the bare minimum, but this is always appreciative for anyone wanting to go beyond the usual Goku and Vegeta.

As expected, her articulation consists of three points at the neck (head-tilting, rotation, and hinging for looking up and down), ball joints at the shoulders with outward hinging for the arms, bicep rotation, hinged elbows, wrists that can either move in and out or up and down, a double ball-peg torso, ball joints at the hips, slight thigh rotation, hinged knees, and ankles that can swivel, hinge, and pivot.

For a look at her with her beloved husband and a figure that would better fit the version of Krillin we see the most, here we have the couple together and a stock photo of regular Android 18 with a more saturated shade of yellow for her hair. The original version of the character would go well with the Krillin we have here, but it should be worth mentioning how getting her at a cheaper price is outright impossible. The same goes for Android 17. That being said, if you're already a fan of the character and don't want to be too upset over not getting the original version, this jumpsuit-wearimg version should work fine enough. After all, you're more likely going to complete the Tournament of Power cast than you would the complete roster of good guys.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

McFarlane DC Multiverse Huntress & Hawkgirl review

The McFarlane DC Multiverse reviews continue, this time featuring two heroines representing different eras from the distinguished competition's history. Huntress comes to us in the form of the New 52 era with a mostly black suit while Hawkgirl comes to us representing Kendra Saunders, one of the later identities to wear the mantle. We will go over how the costumes should usually be depicted for the latter, but needless to say, I got Huntress on discount way back in June along with Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, Superbat, and Guy Gardner while Hawkgirl was purchased for more than the $39 asking price at an antique mall. Since Huntress cost me $15, I will retract some of the money from Hawkgirl's price so it could be fairer to compare them at the same amount. Otherwise, Huntress would get an easy win and Hawkgirl less so.

Here we have Huntress in-hand. For a quick bio, Helena Bertinelli is one of the few mantle bearers of the heroine's title. As the last surviver of her crime family, she seems revenge as a vigilante operating either as part of the Batman Family or the Birds of Prey. You probably saw her in the 2020 movie for BoP, but I wouldn't blame you if you skipped it because who hasn't? Anyways, while some versions of Huntress's costume show a bit of skin or go with a fully covered costume, this one aims for the latter given that was how the New 52 costume looked. While the rebranding made some of the heroes look more realistic, this outfit at least has a pre-New 52 simplicity to her that helps her fit in with more traditional DC displays. As I understand it, this figure is an all new sculpt that would later be reused on the Cassandra Cain and presumably Stephanie Brown versions of Batgirl. As always, I appreciate that the white on her costume is opaque and crisp, though I feel some paint on her purple costume parts could help accentuate them. The cape isn't as large or dynamic as with other figures like Superman and Batman, but it is at least wired so it wouldn't look even more limp despite its scale.

Her head sculpt is sort of fitting with the Batman family, as it is in-between the domino masks usually associated with Robin/Nightwing and the plethora of masks used for Batman/Batgirl. This mask is associated with the New 52 design, but we will look over some other options she comes with, but with her bowgun in hand, she includes just about the standard level of articulation found in the DC Multiverse line. 

This figure comes with fisted hands, splayed open hands, a smiling faceplate, and a third neutral glare faceplate with no points on her mask. The latter mask goes with her classic look, though now that I mention that, a smiling faceplate with the classic mask would have been appreciative. 

For a comparison with a more modern Batman, here she is with the Cowardly Lot version. Surprisingly, editing him with color correction turned out much easier with another character next to him. Anyways, while I don't have either New 52 nor Rebirth, I do have CL thanks him being a better Batman to scale with both his "family" and the League; on top of that, he also has a design that feels similar to (but not exactly) like Alex Ross, JLU, and Batfleck with the color combo and logo similarities. Not only that, but the aforementioned comic simplicity on Huntress means that even if she is from New 52, she can fit in with characters whose designs are not from either that rebranding or Rebirth.

As for Hawkgirl, this figure is mostly new sculptwork, but the legs are reused from Wonder Woman...down to the boots being unchanged. While reusing parts in a clever manner works, I don't think leaving the tooling for her footwear unchanged is clever enough since they only match the way the legs look in the costume proper if you squint hard enough. The torso tries to match both Kendra Sanders and Shiera Sanders. As a result, the raised surface area in the middle of her shirt should be bare skin for Shiera yet it is solid yellow on Kendra. Likewise, the lines in the green areas make sense on the green for Kendra's shirt, yet it doesn't fit for Shiera's solid yellow shirt. Also, the midriff becomes yellow for Shiera, but that fits a little better. For things that I do like, I always appreciate that Hawkgirl at least doesn't go all the way with reusing WW parts for her arms and waist piece, but the wings are an easy show stopper for not only being a great size but also detailed beautifully. The feathers are already picked out with a sense of individuality so as not to make the sculpt lion fuzzy or blobby, but the dry brushing elevates how organic we can make the wings look while still being made of plastic.

Her head sculpt marvelously detailed, and I appreciate that the fade is applied properly to transition the coloring from creamy beige to a lighter brown on her headgear. The gold on the eyes is nice and her lipstick smile thankfully doesn't have her doing some stupid screeching. Her articulation is the same as before, but the wings can flap on hinges moving back and forth, extend on swivel joints, and rotate a bit for when she wants to swoop down. In addition to her fisted hands, she comes with accessory holding hands and splayed open hands as with Huntress...only they come from Wonder Woman. Honestly, if the reuse is that small, I wouldn't mind it so much as long as no fingernails are left untouched on what are supposed to be gloves. Thankfully, she can hold her morning star in spite of the slight trigger finger. 

Here she is with Wonder Woman do you can get an idea on why the leg reuse isn't entirely ideal. Yes, they are similar in design at first glance, but Hawkgirl should either be a simple line or have a more intricate design to her boots. That, and I don't think she should be as tall as Wonder Woman since one is 5'11" and the other is 6'2". I know some fans will come up with height mods to make her scale better, but as I always say, we shouldn't have to!

For some variants, Huntress comes in her 90s outfit while Hawkgirl represents the original title bearer, Shiera Sanders. I wish we could get a fourth head sculpt since the smaller mask would better fit for the older costume, though both figures annoyingly suffer from having the same card art that is associated with the non-platinums. Regardless of whatever version of the characters I reviewed you get, Huntress is a pretty cool femme fatale of sorts if you're going for a Birds of Prey or Bat Family display without being too concerned in whatever costume you choose. I just wish that her simpler mask has a second face with a smile. Hawkgirl reusing parts from Wonder Woman is already a weak choice on Todd's part, but I also don't like how the torso tries to work for both Sanders despite the costume details co-existing betraying either one. I still appreciate the figure for at least being new from the waist-up, and the wings easily make her better than Hawkman's. Now to get him at a reasonable deal...

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Huntress)

⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Hawkgirl)