Here we have Blokees Tarn in-hand, who took me about an hour to assemble. This is mainly due to the several sprue trees holding all of the pieces that make him and Nickel up, which means checking the codes associated with each piece (i.e. B3-8) on top of how small said pieces can be. Thankfully, the instructions were generally clear on how to assemble him, even if they could be a bit sharper in picture quality (though it's not like Hasbro instructions are any better). That being said, it's totally worth it when you complete him given how chunky and hefty he turned out. The figure feels just as complex to build as the movie characters from the AMK PRO line but with a design between their aesthetics and the vanilla G1 crew. I adore just how you can adjust parts of the chest armor or the back pieces to either make him easier to pose or add a bit of life to his design, given this is a robot with shifting parts we're talking about (though don't bring up his cog). I already owned the Legacy Evolution figure (and its retool for United), and while I adored it, I'll admit it doesn't do him much justice when it comes to capturing the brutish bulk associated with this design. Even the few clear plastic bits add an extra bit of life in this design, which almost makes me wonder if it's possible to add small LED bits to make them glow like his eyes. One of my favorite parts of building the figure has to be the pistons near the ankles, because I always like seeing a bit of pseudo "Mech Alive" in my robots to have them feel a little more lifelike than what most Transformers toys usually have; just that kind of engineering feels so satisfying when it's similar to the elbow pistons on MP-01 Optimus Prime or the gears moving in ROTF Starscream whenever he tursn his head. One minor oddity is that the silver spikes on the shins are centered with the golden knee pads, though it's nothing to cry over.
As for the Yolopark version, assembling him took around 15-20 minutes (and that includes Nickel), and it's due to most of the figure already having some pieces put together while Yolopark prioritized a die-cast frame that requires less building for the customer. Aside from that, the first thing you'll notice is that the body is slightly more stylized in proportions, coming across as leaner than the Blokees version without being as thin as the Hasbro toy. This is especially noticeable for the legs, where the shins are not only more segmented than his counterpart (and likely more accurate) but are also more prominent than the thighs. The waist appears to be narrower here than on the Action Edition, though AMK Pro appears to have the same bulk for the upper body. We don't use much of the clear plastic, as some of those areas on the Yolopark figure are instead painted on. Finally, rather than having each piece molded in plastic with a few paint apps here and there, we get a lot more paintwork for this figure, including intentional scratches and a wash to accentuate this and give Tarn a grittier look that was also common in some IDW comic panels. As for the die-cast, it's spread thoroughly throughout the frame and some of his pieces, giving him as much heft as on ROTF Megatron (who'd arguably weigh a bit more thanks to the rubber treads for his feet). One issue I have is that because this is a closed box within a cover, it won't be easy to spot any errors such as the inner tread piece on the left shoulder not matching up with the same one on the right side. Another issue I would have is the dual-barrel cannon clashing with the shoulder pad more with this figure than on the Blokees version, though you can adjust it if you're displaying him in a vanilla pose. You don't get as much adjustable flexibility for the back pieces, but the chest panels flex slightly for the butterfly joints. Not as vibrant as the Blokees version, but it's great for a hefty display piece, like with a lot of the AMK Pros.
When it comes to his head sculpt, the signature Decepticon mask he wears further pushes his devotion to the faction than Soundwave ever could, and his head inspired said logo! As for proportioning and detailing, the Blokees version is molded in bright purple plastic while the Yolopark version instead has it painted in a subdued shade of that color, giving him that grimy tone IDW sometimes taps into if they're not making their characters spew witty retorts or doing goo-goo faces. That said, the Blokees version may have a slightly more accurate mask given the bottom ridge sticks forward slightly more. That's the way it's drawn in the series, and even the crown of the mask appears more dynamic with the horns splaying out slightly more without being swept back like on the Yolopark version.
Now going over the articulation is where things become as lengthy as they will be interesting, so bear with me. Blokees Tarn has a simple ball neck, while Yolopark uses an additional hinge for his neck under its own ball system. The shoulders on both rotate, but there is a different joint comparable to the rotary setup on McFarlane figures. Both versions require the shoulder pads to hinge aside if you want to bring their arms out, but the Blokees version has an advantage with an extra hinge to lift the arm higher than what Yolopark allows. Their biceps both rotate, but the Blokees version has single-jointed elbows (with some help from the forearm pieces shifting forwards) while the AMK Pro has double-jointed elbows. Their hands are ball-jointed, yet the finger articulation manages to be both a blessing and a curse for both figures. Blokees has individual finger articulation, meaning a ball joint at the base knuckles and a hinge for the thumb and second joint of the other fingers. By contrast, Yolopark's finger articulation consists of a fully poseable index finger, while the middle, ring, and index fingers are fused together. The thumb has the same range as on the Blokees version. Action Edition Tarn undoubtedly has more range than what Yolopark can offer, meaning he can do horns, birds, peace, and thumbs up effectively, yet one issue I ran into is the development of stress marks on the ball joints for the thumbs. I tried bending the thumb joints, and upon immediately seeing the white fragility buildup on the stem, I knew this was not worth it. I'll always appreciate finger articulation, but at the same time, durability is a bigger priority, and having them already assembled makes the Yolopark version have a slight edge in the case of breakage prevention. They both have butterfly joints, but Yolopark only goes forwards. Both have ab crunches and waist swivels, but Yolopark has an additional diaphragm joint. Blokees Tarn has standard hip articulation with fewer restrictions from his ball-jointed waist pieces, while Yolopark Tarn uses drop-down hips that hinge backwards so he can kick forwards without his similarly ball-jointed waist pieces getting in the way. Both have thigh swivels as well as double-jointed knees, but Blokees Tarn's piston-wearing ankles are on a hinge for moving up and down as well as a double swivel for slight rotation as well as pivoting; by contrast, Yolopark Tarn has worse range overall, and he cannot swivel his feet. Blokees Tarn may win the articulation department, but how about with magnet-powered lights? Both come with a dedicated magnet from their bases (more info on that later) to help their eyes light up. Blokees merely stays on for a bit, whereas Yolopark can also have his eyes blink rapidly or slowly go on and off before a fourth tap deactivates them. To go a step further, his cannons also light up with their own dedicated LED boards, and they make up for parts of the body not being made of clear plastic like on the Blokees version.
Both figures have removable masks, revealing the face of Damus or Glitch depending on who you ask. Remember when James Roberts and the IDW crew thought of doing the mystery box thing with Tarn's identity? Even though I was relieved it wasn't Roller (the dude who was friends with Optimus, not the little car drone from his trailer), I'll admit it could have been JJ Abrams levels of bad. That being said, some of the light bleeds through the Blokees version, while this issue does not occur with the Yolopark version, and I'd argue the eyes look even better without the mask than on the Blokees version.
Both figures come with scarred masks, which is better executed on the Yolopark version with deeper scratches, but the Blokees version has alternate face plates (one more neutral and one with heavy scars) as well as a forehead piece that hides the light from peeking through the top. Switching these looks is possible, but nowhere near as easy as disassembling the faces on the Yolopark figures.
The Blokees version manages to take things to the next level with his cannons; two flip-out handles allow the Blokees version to hold his weapons individually. I know the regular Hasbro version did something similar, and it's not bad here thanks to the tabs fitting into the palms of his hands, meaning you don't have to depend on the grip of the finger articulation.
He can go a step further by combining the cannons together into a mega cannon he can hold with both handles! Once again, it's similar to what the Hasbro version did, but way more badass.
The Yolopark version doesn't combine his weapons, but you can at least display him without the cannon or place it on the left forearm without leaving the empty side with port holes visible. It's a common thing we see a lot with Hasbro and their 5mm ports; only here we can make the right arm look nicer. Still, it's weird since I'd assume Tarn's a right-handed guy like most Transformers are.
The final accessory Blokees Tarn comes with is a phone. Weird as that may be, it's a gift he gave to Nickel so she can play a pre-recorded message and paralyze those who would threaten her. I'm sure you can use it for any action figure photography with different contexts in mind, and he can hold it whereas she can't, but wouldn't he normally use communicators on a wrist or in his head?
Unusually, Blokees Tarn has extra pieces left over from the same runners that had the hands as well as the display base. The hands seem to have slightly different molding to allow even further range for the finger articulation, and the display base may be carried over for the other style of pegs some figures utilize. Neither is brought up in the instructions.
Now it's time to go over the repair partner known as Nickel. For anyone wondering, she is the mechanic/repair bot of the DJD, and while her size may not seem like much compared to her partners, she is able to make up for that with her attitude. Sometimes, I think she's comparable to the Diagnostic Drone from Beast Machines; other times, I think she's closer to the Scrappy Doo type of character cliche, the baby one of the team that can be crude and witty at times because that's all people come up with nowadays. After the DJD died, she joined Deathsaurus's group of Decepticons, and I think she felt pain from having her friends basically replaced but I couldn't bother with the rest of the series for how part of it became wishy-washy Guardians of the Suicide Squad type slop. What I will say is that whereas the Two Tarns are at least comparable in some ways, these two are outright night and day! The Blokees version is much simpler in coloring and sculptwork, almost like it was meant to be sold on its own for one of those blind boxes before they changed their minds and included her with Tarn; by contrast, the Yolopark version is fully painted, much sharper in detail, and feels much more complete with her "spikes" sticking out more on top of her tools actually being separate accessories rather than merely molded on the torso. Even the hands are different, with Blokees' Nickel having closed fists with possible 3mm holes, whereas the hands on the Yolopark version are closer to the C-joint system we saw in the old Cyberverse line. We can tell how much Yolopark went above and beyond with theirs, though it's probably because they always intended Nickel to come with Tarn, whereas Blokees may have had different intentions.
The articulation is almost the exact same between figures, with both having ball joints on the necks, shoulders, hips, and knees as well as waist swivels. The biggest difference between the two has to be the elbows, with the Blokees version having hers on ball joints while the Yolopark instead has them on a swivel and hinge system. Also, the Blokees version requires the assistance of two smoke effect parts that clip onto the wheels to stand her up; Yolopark does come with a stand of her own, yet she can at least use the flatter areas of the tires (which spin far less freely) so she can stand without much issue. On the other hand, neither can raise their arms out much.
Finally, both come with different display bases, each reused from prior figures from their respective size classes. Blokees Tarn's base is a little generic with the design, though he does have a plaque that says TRANSFORMERS on it (with a reversible BLOKEES ACTION EDITION side). The neck rotates at the base and at the claw while it hinges on 3 points. Said claw is made of a rubber material to reduce the need for springs while maintaining a tight grasp of the figure. As for the Yolopark version, the base is much more fitting for the Cybertronian aesthetics, though it is reused for all characters in the AMK Pro line-up, regardless if they're G1 or movie-based. The faction logo is a better addition than the generic plaque, and the goose neck not only has the updated peg for the figures to slot into, but it's much more flexible for flight poses. Just be ready for the die-cast's weight to droop the neck over time.
For a comparison with the Legacy Evolution version, both figures are closer to Voyager scale, yet both tower over any modern figure from the size class while also weighing more. Seriously, with how high prices have been for the Hasbro lines, it's a good thing Blokees and Yolopark manage to focus on value for money and overall quality while sacrificing the franchise's thematic gimmick. And the best part is that we're able to choose whatever option goes well for us without having to worry about quality control or pretooling getting in the way. Still, it appears Blokees Tarn's legs are slightly inaccurate if we compare its layout of the shins next to the Legacy Evolution figure and the Yolopark version.
So who is the best Tarn? Let's go over a quick recap of the review: Both win with the packaging; their aesthetics are slightly different given the way they each fit with different line-specific motifs on top of fitting specific IDW comic aesthetics, articulation is slightly better for the Blokees version, they each get a small QC error, and Yolopark wins with the light show and simpler handling of the masks and Damus face whereas Blokees wins with the play features on the cannon on top of including an additional phone meant for Nickel. Oh, and Nickel is better on the Yolopark version overall. Now we need to go over the price. If you're interested in feeling like you spent your money's worth on a model kit, then maybe go for the puzzle-like complexity of the Blokees figure while paying for nearly half of what the AMK Pro goes for. You don't have the nice paint job or die-cast, but what is stopping you from saving a little extra and still getting something nice? I'd argue that even without a transformation or altmode, this feels more worth the cash than what Voyagers go for, so in that sense, the Blokees version manages to win overall after what initially seemed like a tie. Whether you like the IDW continuity of G1 or not, you have to admit Tarn remains the best part of the whole series as far as new characters go. Would I want to get more members of the DJD? Not sure. Do I want to get more versions of the character we have here? I know we've got a Flame Toys model kit as well as some upscales of the Legacy Evolution figure if third-party options are out of reach. Even Super7 made their own version of the con himself, with another version of Nickel to boot, and that's a huge contrast to the prominently Sunbow-friendly G1 cast. Do yourself a favor and get the Action Edition if you're interested in getting plenty of bang for your buck on a slightly lesser yet still remarkable model kit. Hell, be ready for the upcoming TFP Optimus Prime because we could all go for that design after both a flood of vanilla G1 options and a lousy R.E.D line.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Blokees)
