Transformers Generations Comic Edition Straxus, Flame, and Emirate Xaaron review

I never reviewed the first two Comic Edition Transformers, though I did mention Grimlock in the SS86 Swoop review. He and Shockwave were given unique accessories, with the former having swords for himself and Slag and Sludge. In contrast, the latter had a display piece featuring the head of Optimus Prime (styled after the comics AND compatible with Earthrise). Given that they were straight repaints with no major differences in functionality, I decided to try and wait for Straxus as well as Flame and Emirate Xaaron to pop up after hearing they'd be retooled from prior figures with more going on than usual head swaps. Let's see if they're worth getting.

Here is Straxus in his vehicle mode, a very familiar space cannon. While many would find it odd that he would be a retool of Kingdom Galvatron, he did have this altmode in the old Marvel Comics, perhaps an unintended hint that he would possess a cloned Megatron body to reclaim control over the Decepticons. It's amusing that said alternate mode is mixed up with a color scheme reminiscent of Ultra Magnus. Speaking of colors, one somewhat nitpick I have is that the figure's blue could be a little darker to better match the comics, but there are black streaks and a subtle hint of dot tone paint apps to match the aesthetics of the Marvel Comics made back in the 80s. Unlike Grimlock and Shockwave, the details are nowhere near as prominent given how Hasbro likely wanted fans to have the figure fit in a shelf without having the super-obvious paint app contrast (look at the cel-shaded 2019 Prime and Megs for example).

Overall, it's a great recreation of the alt mode from the older comics, and while the axe does stand out more in the silvery gray plastic rather than be blue to fit with the rest of the alt mode, it is at least able to add to the design. One complaint I have would be the the exposed thighs, an issue Galvatron never had for his toy.

For a tank mode comparison, here he is next to Galvatron, and while some of Galvatron's tooling was kept intact, major changes like the cannon, the legs, and the back section forming an acute angle when hinged downwards with the front two stabilizers, in contrast to Galvatron's where it can go at 90 degrees.

Transformation is about the same as Galvatron's, but the main differences include how the shoulder bits work within the upper body as well as the tank treads not tabbing in anywhere like with Galvatron. As for the robot mode, the upper body, front cod piece, and the shins are new to Straxus. Some of the Galvatron parts have been kept intact, but it's nothing too obvious in addition to their designs being similar already (even with how the two fought for Decepticon leadership). 

The head sculpt is unique for Straxus, feeling a lot less traditional compared to the usual robot faces with the occasional mouthplate, visor, or both; this is almost comparable to G1 Shockwave's uncommon head design, with the faceplate almost being like something we'd find from a version of Iron Monger. Hell, the blue from the comic version of the character also comes to mind (though this is in-line with the MCU version being closer to Iron Man). The articulation is the same as with Galvatron, though he now has to hold his cannon with the 5mm ports gone.

For a comparison with the figure he was retooled from, I am happy to say that retooling Galvatron into Straxus was a genius move on Hasbro's part, especially given how unexpected of an idea it was at the time. Not only would one assume the Generations Deluxe would be it for the character, but neither would the likelihood of the toy being retooled this much would be a thing, either. I bet that the upcoming SS86 Galvatron would mean that the Kingdom mold will be stuck with Straxus now (assuming it'll be a new mold).

Fun fact: the intent for the Legacy line was to make him the "central villain" for the Netflix series, with the IDW body being used in addition to his later appearance being a hodge podge of parts not unlike Autobot Spike. Netflix dumped the series, Transmetal II Megatron took the spot as the final Leader, and we later got the Straxus retooled from Galvatron, which I am more than thankful with.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

As for Flame and Emirate Xaaron, these two need a little more explaining; the former was a Marvel UK-exclusive Autobot scientist who was disgraced by the others in his faction for his over-the-top and dangerous ideas. The latter, on the other hand, was prominent in both American and British comic runs. Xaaron was part of an underground Autobot resistance who later gave full leadership to Optimus Prime. Flame is a retool of Studio Series Gamer Edition Megatron, while Xaaron is a retool of Siege Refraktor with a few new accessories added. Despite the different aesthetics between the more stylized High Moon Cybertron game designs and the more traditional G1 blockiness found in the WFC and Legacy lines, Flame's altmode manages to get the point across with the way the altmode looks (though I still wish the treads can be deployed, an issue I brought up with Megs). Xaaron's is made up given how he never transformed in the Marvel comics, but it fits better with the Cybertronian combat modes seen on the old comics more than the alt mode on Flame, though I question how he can move easily with that ski in front of the treads.

Compared to Megatron, this feels like how FunPub once took the TFP First Edition Megatron mold and retooled it into Rampage/Protoform X. This time, the colors feel like an even bigger contrast with the use of warm colors on the retool versus Megatron's massively dark color scheme (while the TFP version has silver paint).

And next to Reflector, Emirate Xaaron feels like he has a somewhat better altmode than the figure he was retooled from thanks to the tank turret and added treads. It's still not perfect, given how the front of the altmode looks like crap with the feet exposed and unchanged lower legs, but hey, they retooled the cockpit.

Their robot modes for them have varying degrees of alterations; Flame receives a new head, chest, pelvis, and thighs while Xaaron has a new head and chest (with even a scar to boot) with the treads requiring partsforming. That comment I made on FunPub retools rings a little less true here, and moreso on Flame, thanks to there being more effort in ensuring they feel closer to the comic designs where they see fit. While I wish Flame had more retooling that wouldn't compromise the base mold's structure or function, this is still a better approach than, say, a mere head swap on Siege Cybertron Defense Hot Shot.

Compared to Megatron in robot mode, Flame somehow works better with the mold better than I thought. I personally think it turned out better than on the Decepticon leader, likely because of how lower my expectations were on the original version. If you want a version of the mold and already own the Planet X Pluto as your High Moon Megs, then Flame is the way to go. Also amusing how his head is bigger than Megatron's.

One annoying aspect kept from Megatron was the pair of tabs that inhibited knee articulation, requiring you snip them off to give him the proper range. This was already annoying on the previous version of the character, and for a Hasbro Pulse exclusive, very inexcusable. You can snip said tabs off if you want, but again, YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE TO!!!

As for the comparison with Reflector, Emirate Xaaron feels more like a possible D-16 pretool given all that buzz (or lack thereof, marketing and box office wise) for Transformers One. He ends up feeling even more like a Genericon than Reflector with the color blocking Marvel did on background characters, but at least the bronze paint apps and the unique Megatron/early Iron Man-esque face makes him unique. And hey, he has no sign of GPS!

Of note, Flame has the ability to remove his right forearm while Xaaron can still transform into 1/3rd of a camera via being a cube, allowing for amusing display options. 

Overall, this set isn't as good as Straxus, but there are still things to like about it when it comes to the retooling and character selection. While they probably will have less demand than Straxus would, I have to commend Hasbro for doing deep lore cuts like these in an anniversary where we keep seeing the same circlejerking to casual G1. And hey, their comic art paint apps are nowhere near as distracting as the cel-shaded repaints Hasbro does more, especially if you compare this set and Straxus to Grimlock and Shockwave.

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

Transformers Studio Series 86 Steeljaw & Legacy United repaints review

2024 is starting to be the year that ruined its overall qualities as it starts being phased out. Between the unimpressive Core Class Concept Art Frenble mold, no Beast Wars Dinobot that the listings planned, and a Ramhorn now being packaged with a redecoed SS86 Perceptor for a Voyager. As part of the second-to-last listing of the Cores we have here, we have a pair of redecoes from Wave 1 and a new Cassetticon for the heavily unrepresented Steeljaw. Sounds good, right? No, not exactly. Let's find out why one of the repaints is the best of the three, why another repaint is average, and why Steeljaw sucks.

Here we have Steeljaw in his cassette mode. Why does it look incomplete? You have one side that has the spool and a bit of paint apps representing the reel, but then you got another half where it's unpainted, you have the lion heads visible, and it's the biggest form of asymmetry on a cassette that I have ever seen. The backside even has the faux spools painted on, which makes this feel like an afterthought overall. There's very little to say.

Steeljaw is compatible with Blaster, but he is far too snug and has to fit in a specific way. The Siege Micromasters meant for Soundwave and Blaster aren't always the best for compatibility, but this is even worse.

Do I need to point out the obvious with this alt mode's failures? And yes, that is the Rumble who comes with Legacy United Soundwave. More on him later.

Transformation feels somewhat cheap, with how tight the joints feel on a figure that is small and likely poorly designed. I worry on there being stress marks where the little bolts are connected, especially from repeated transformations. Steeljaw's lion mode is adorable, yes, and you do get articulation for the legs, but is it really worth having to make the figure's altmode be shit? I'm also unhappy with there being no proper integration for the winglets behind the mane, which would have helped the altmode. There is also a joint meant for the butt where the legs can be spaced apart...why?! It makes him look like he has a silver chrome anus!

The backpack can be removed if you want to use his other accessory to make him have an additional attack mode. That speaker can slide into Blaster's hand to recreate the moment where he fought like this in Auto Bop.

Meanwhile, on the side of better-quality Core Class figures, with Geocron on the right is what may look like a palette swap of Bouldercrash, yet apart from the replacement of burgundy with light brown and red with lavender, we at least have a few different placements for the paint apps on both toys here and there, which include the pistons near the front wheel and the bit of red on the front.

The main difference you'd get would be the robot head, which looks more like the rock monsters that were featured in the Headmasters episode My Friend, Sixshot. Hasbro did say that the monsters there were homaged along with the Rock Lords for the Infernac crew.

As for Energon Galvatron, this is the best saved for last. I already loved the original Energon Megatron, and seeing this with the purple and richer blacks was a treat. It isn't a direct color swap either, with the re being different paint app placements this time around. So for example, the angry black unibrow and the nosecone are replaced with the red guns near the cockpit.

I really love the original figure's robot mode for being faithful to the original, but this manages to be even better with the Energon Galvatron repaint. I hope we get a larger-scale version of this design, but until then, we can joke how Armada Galvatron shrank into his Energon form...or you could be boring and repurpose this as a G1 version of the character.

Overall, Steeljaw is the worst Core Class figure we've got yet, and I thought Concept Art Rumble was an awful toy. As for Geocron and Galvatron, the former is alright while the latter is awesome. I recommend you get Energon Galvatron. The ranking below represents the wave combined.

Steeljaw ranking: ⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Geocron: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Galvatron: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Masterpiece Movie Decepticon Brawl Review

Whether you know him as a Brawl, Devastator, or Decepticon Punk, this tankformer was reminiscent of the hard-to-kill enemies in movies where the heroes would struggle to take down until they find the weak spot. Though he had some of his weapons damaged by three of the five Autobots and the military initially, he didn't get taken down too easily; let's not forget that the other Decepticons popped up while Megatron killed Jazz and Optimus was late thanks to Bonecrusher (and presumably Barricade but he was last seen on the highway). Seeing the surprising teamwork of a crippled Bumblebee and Mikaela help the military take him down while Optimus and Sam had to contend with Megatron and the other Autobots were worn out from Starscream and Blackout was quite the treat, and easily better than the Decepticons going down too easily in The Last Knight or Bumblebee doing his own rage mode with red eyes his solo movie, ripping off Baymax and Iron Giant. Anyways, let's not talk about the two worst Transformers movies and instead cover a figure that is from one of the best!

Before we begin, Brawl comes packaged out of the box like this, with his tank barrel all bent up and his accessories placed in little baggies. It's better than having him come with cheap ass paper tissue wrapping, but I wish he had a plastic tray instead, or a styrofoam one like in the old days of  Megazord toys. Or hell, at least a better-quality cardboard tray reminiscent of the SWAT Megazord I got a month before Brawl.

Here we have Brawl with the tank barrel straightened and his missile pods added on the back, looking badass as hell. The figure's deco is somewhat monochromatic compared to prior toys, with richer shades of green or added color variety one would find from older toys to make them more eye-catching for kids; that being said, it is accurate to the movie as one would expect from the Masterpiece Movie line. Brawl's sculpted details are also faithful to the proper M1 Abrams tank, from the rivets to the treads underneath, and from the panel lines on the turret to the latches where the pilots would enter. There is also a hole where Brawl's head would be, but that is surprisingly accurate to the movie despite it somewhat revealing his head. Weird but it's something you'd never expect unless you remember the Leader Class toy. This altmode is also appropriately heavy, thanks to the die-cast bits as well as the somewhat denser plastic. 

The movement for the tank mode consists of the three barrels moving up and down, the two turrets rotating in their base with no issue, and the two missile pods also having rotation in their ports, allowing you to have them either at an angle or facing forwards as other Brawl toys did (except for Studio Series, which is rather limited).

There is some weapon storage at the top of the turret, which isn't too sightful yet is at least convenient nonetheless given how they, too, also have firepower in mind.

As for the blast effects, the main barrel, the twin turret barrels, and the missile pods can integrate these, blasting the Autobots and any unlucky military soldiers out of the way in Mission City. I love seeing these getting put to good use after seeing Blackout get his own blast effects, and Bonecrusher's flame effects were sweet, too.

For a tank comparison, here he is next to Combiner Wars Megatron from nearly a decade ago! Remember when that hunk of plastic got hyped up for being metallic silver and being Geewun enough for fans? Man does it hold up poorly as a Leader Class. Brawl manages to weigh more, have a lot more engineering comparable to an old ROTF Leader Class figure, but on a higher budget, and is not restrained by economy woes as seen with CW Megs. 

Here is Brawl next to one of the two Decepticons he mobilized with on the road, with Barricade appearing rather oversized. Obviously he is meant to represent a scale comparable to the Autobot Cars in the G1 Masterpiece line, but I can't help but feel that this comes off making Brawl look like he's the undersized one.

As for the scale with Bonecrusher, I feel that it works much better by comparison, with the two having a size more or less comparable to what was briefly seen in the movie when they mobilized.

For a comparison with the vehicles used in the movie, some could argue that Brawl could be narrower and taller to match up with Bonecrusher, though it may be an angle the camera recorded in. Barricade definitely doesn't match the Masterpiece toy, but you could probably use the Studio Series version instead.

And what is a review on a Movie Brawl figure review without having Jazz hop on and call him a Decepticon punk. Jazz does appear oversized in this, so perhaps using the Studio Series version may help with the size change once again unless we get an oversized Brawl.

Hot take: the 1986 movie may have been the originator of the scene, but the 2007 movie did it better. Sorry, Kup and Blitzwing.

Transformation is just as complex and Bonecrusher and Blackout, continuing the trend of the Decepticons we got after Beewun Optimus being intricate on a scale not seen with prior MPMs. With a design as heavily involved as Brawl's, HasTak ensured that the character model was done justice, something not done as well for figures like both Optimus Primes, Ratchet, and even Megatron. The resulting robot mode is the best Brawl has ever looked when it comes to official HasTak offerings. He's got the appropriate chunkitude without making his arms look undersized or etched within vehicle panels. I always liked how he felt reminiscent of G1 Bruticus in some ways, from the powerhouse proportions to the twin barrels on the back. Not to mention, he IS Brawl only now as a more independent 'Con. Also, he may not have the option to have his tank turret slung under him, Armada Megatron-style, but it's better than leaving it in place like with the Studio Series version.

The head sculpt is accurate to the movie, what with the bronze/copper paint apps as well as the small bit of teeth added in his mouth. The slight battle damage on the left side of his head is a nice touch, representative of his war torn nature. Hell, the tank treads surrounding his head are also painted to look dirty from being on all sorts of terrain. His articulation. Consists of a ball-jointed neck, ratchets at the shoulders moving front and back as well as in and out, rotation below the shoulders as well as the elbows, single-jointed elbows, slight wrist rotation, finger articulation at two points as well as the thumb. There is waist rotation, ratchets at the hips, rotation at the thighs as well as above the knees, ratcheted knees, and the ankles can pivot. The bulk makes him less dynamic to pose, but the weapons he has add to the look nonetheless.

The blast effects compliment the right arm's cannon perfectly, with his left arm instead doing all the slicing and dicing. I almost wish we got another missile pod effect part.

That being said, Brawl has additional display options that are moreso used against him, such as a severed left arm from when Ratchet's buzzsaw cut it off, or an explosion effect from when Bumblebee kept shooting him with Mikaela's help. Just pretend Bee's crippled and Mikaela is driving the tow truck.

For a size comparison, here he is with Bonecrusher, who manages to be somewhat shorter than our tankformer yet manages to be wider by comparison. 

And here he is with Barricade, with height difference that seems easier to stomach than their scale in vehicle mode. Obviously, Megatron, Starscream, and Blackout tower over Brawl.

Overall, this is a very impressive Masterpiece Movie figure once again, and the fact that Brawl manages to be in a consistent streak with Blackout and Bonecrusher makes me very happy to see how well he turned out. Sure, Jazz is about to break his missile pod off, but don't let that stop you from getting your hands on him. He should be easier to obtain since I've seen him in-person more often than with every MP figure that was a Target exclusive, but he's still a huge recommend regardless if you get him on clearance or not.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐