Transformers Titans Return Misfire & Triggerhappy review

Last year, we took a look at the Titans Return as well as Age of the Primes versions of Slugslinger. The latter fit well with the Rebirth colors, and while I doubt we would get any of the other characters in 2-packs for Amazon, I have interest in revisiting the other Decepticon Targetmasters thanks to Ernie the Ol' Reliable. Buying them for retail price back in the mid-2010s? Hell yeah, and I can complete them faster than I did the Autobot Targetmasters at that! For anyone wondering about who they are, their names are pretty straightforward: Misfire sucks at aiming and tends to hurt his fellow Decepticons by accident, while Triggerhappy loves using his gun and is a bigger nut than people think Ironhide is. Anyways, let's finish the Decepticon Targetmaster trio with today's review!

Here we have Triggerhappy and Misfire in their jet modes. The former looks like something out of Star Fox (and made a few years prior to that series' debut), while Misfire looks more like a generic ship enemy from some 80s space shooter. While they have their own built in cannons, you can still put their weapons under the wings like old Seekers did. While their backs are mostly the same, the front sections are least manage to be distinct thanks to the wings and the nosecones. Even the canopies of their cockpits are different. Triggerhappy gets landing gear on the front, though the grey plastic does look a little cheap and soapy like on Siege Apeface. 

Here we have them reunited with Slugslinger, this being the Age of the Primes version with a deco that better matches the Rebirth three-parter. Kind of odd that we got two blue guys on the same team, though I sometimes wonder if Sluggy is meant to be black instead of a navy blue. If you use the Titans Return version, he would be a share of blue that's brighter than the indigo used on Triggerhappy.

Transformation is the same for both in regards to the legs, but the upper bodies are where things get interesting for each figure. They both have wings on their arms, but while Misfire's hinge to fit better with the bot mode silhouette, Triggerhappy takes things further by rotating the front side of his upper body before snapping it onto the waist. His cannons fold away onto the sides of the arms, but if you want, you can always use them as his own arm cannons. Use your imagination, people! Anyways, the robot modes are mostly distinct from the waist up, though the legs remain unchanged in terms of tooling. At the very least, Misfire has some extra paint apps to make his shins more distinct from Triggerhappy. I like that the actual cockpit forms the chest on our indigo Targetmaster, especially since most Titans Return figures usually tuck the cockpits to the back. Misfire's design isn't as dynamic with those shoulder stacks, but the points from the nosecones and the wings pointing up makes for a good silhouette.

Their head sculpts, made up from Titan Master partners Blowpipe and Aimless, are also distinct from each other, with Tigger himself having a face that almost looks like Deadpool wearing a bootleg Optimus Prime helmet. Misfire is the usual visor face motif, though his is blue for some reason. My friend painted Aimless's arms so they blend in better with the black helmet. Makes me wonder why the whole Titan Master couldn't be molded solid black on Hasbro's part other than the excuse from gang molding.

Articulation is the same with both figures. Ball joints for the necks and hips, swivels for the shoulders (moving front and back), biceps, waist, and thighs, and hinges for the elbows and knees. Instead of Targetmasters that turn into guns (because their partners turn into heads this time), they use guns that are meant to combine into rideable weapons for the Targetmaster partners.

As far as reuses are concerned, Triggerhappy was slightly redecoed to match his Headmasters appearance, but his cockpit canopy is retooled for Targetmaster integration.

We also have a special version of Metalhawk, included in the Siege of Cybertron set. Long before the Legacy United version retooled from Kingdom Cyclonus but after the FunPub retool made from Generations Thunderwing, this was the second version of the character we got in Generations scale. To be honest, the dull gold kind of hurts his look, and it's ironic that his Titan Master lacks die-cast considering his old toy used some.

The Legends version of Misfire trades the deco on his shins for the midriff, and he also comes with his own Targetmaster. His visor is red this time.

Misfire was retooled even further into Sonic Bomber, who is not to be confused with an Autobot-style Sky Shadow. Not helping is the vaguely similar base mode. He turns into the front of Big Powered.

Here we have everyone together once more in their bot modes. This has been a fairly short review since review since I previously went over Slugslinger in his review last year, but I will say this about his teammates: Triggerhappy is the best one thanks to his more intricate transformation, while Misfire is fine if a bit uninteresting compared to the bots in blue. Now to fine the Siege versions of Blowpipe and Aimless to go with these two.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Triggerhappy)

⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

McFarlane DC Multiverse Arkhamverse Batman & Deathstroke review

Slightly over a decade ago, the Arkhamverse concluded with the somewhat bitter sweet yet still Knight entry, with the trilogy consisting of Asylum and City wrapped up with the Origins prequel released in 2013. While I'm sure there are fans in the DC fandom pretending to have authority over the lore and complain for contributing to the "edgy" side of DC, on top of there being the once funny yet now unfunny r/batmanarkham subreddit being just like any other shitty subreddit, nothing will change what makes the games worth revisiting thanks to their glorious atmosphere, the worthwhile fan service thanks to legendary voice actors Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill, and the increasingly versatile combat all thanks to the upgrade system and subsequent titles fixing any issues we had in the past. While Batman was someone who would later go from more traditional spandex style costumes to later having an armored outfit in a vein like the Nolanverse (only more advanced), Deathstroke comes in the form of his Arkham Origins appearance. He did return in Arkham Knight, and we haven't seen much of him since then because we never got a new game where there is the Suicide Squad as playable characters, nosireebob. However, it's funny how people hate that Deathstroke and Batman became rivals yet say nothing about Kingpin being shared between Spider-Man and Daredevil. Anyways, let's review these two reissues!

Here we have Batman in-hand. Using the most advanced version of itself with hardened Kevlar plates over titanium-dipped tri-weave fibers like the second Nolan suit, it goes a step further with technology meant to heal wounds or stop bleeding from bullet or knife impact should anything try to go past the armor while also including a holographic screen for Batman to use with Oracle. While some would probably want their Batmen to be in traditional spandex, the context behind the Arkhamverse does make me like seeing more complex suits like this, especially with how satisfying the details get when you look closely. McFarlane translated the suit pretty well, though the dark grey should be slightly metallic to go with the black and the gold. While the gold belt looks blinging sweet, it should be either better detailed or weathered since he shouldn't be "prestige" yet. The proportions and the sculptwork are spot on to the CG model made by Rocksteady, though I know some will be split on the cape. On one hand, I would love to see a wired cloth goods cape on this figure since it goes well with all of the combat poses you could recreate from the game, on top of when he's gliding over Gotham. On the other hand, at least the sculpt of the cape looks good and is consistent with the original release if anyone wants it to be unchanged. Plus, who knows if this would come without a wire like some figures have of late (cough JLA Batman, cough Brandon Routh).

Head sculpt is done very well as one would expect for a video game take on Batman, and while my copy may have a slight side eye (doesn't seem to be a common thing), at least the paint apps are applied properly, and the ears haven't been victims of severe warpage. Articulation is standard for the line, and as for the accessories he includes, two of them are Batarange. One is a little thicker than the other yet neither is blunt like some other versions.

As for the other accessories, he comes with a Remote Electric Charge gun as well as a glue grenade, which I believe was used only in the Origins era of the Arkhamverse. A lot of these weapons use mostly weathering, but the grenade is decently painted for being the smallest accessory this Batman comes with.

He also includes an explosive gel dispenser, a folded up Batarange, and the Batclaw, which works like the usual grapnel gun but is moreso for combat.

Given he is one of DC's Golden Boys, we have the Prestige version with more gold paint used for the accessories he came with at the time (Batarange, REC, and gel dispenser). A Platinum release makes him almost entirely solid gold minus the Bat emblem on his chest. Imagine if it was dipped in gold chrome instead...

As for Deathstroke, we go back to the Origins days where his debut in the Arkhamverse brought many fans attention and tons of mesmerized eyes from all the reveal trailers and the battles between Slade and Bruce. Given Wilson's role as a mercenary, it only makes sense we would get a tactical armored take on the classic design, between the harnesses, bullet racks, holsters, and pads meant to keep him protected from almost anything yet make him agile and robust during combat. I also like that we got a long bandana-like ponytail coming out of his helmet, though be warned that your copy's sheaths may be as warped as the sword! While the costume is less flashy than the classic look, the use of a sand blue with silver and metallic orange at least works for a design like this, and it was cool to see a similar look for the live action debut of this character in the Justice League movie (with more footage in the Snyder Cut).

Head sculpt is perfect! Between the eye sneering back at you and the seamless half-blue/half-orange transition, it's my favorite mask worn on any version of this character. While articulation is the same in terms of range and points, I should warn that at least on my copy, the knees don't double-bend as well as they should. The lower points work fine but the ones closer to the thighs barely want to budge. Not sure if it's my luck or if it's a universal problem. May be as common as needing to straighten his sword. Some parts of his armor may hinder the articulation, so be mindful of that and watch out of any weak glue. It's something I want to look out for after seeing what happened to my Rebirth Zod.

His other accessories new to this release are a quartet of guns cast in solid black plastic, though they each have their own specific look based on what model they're based on. Makes me wonder why the smaller, standard pistols sculpted in the holsters couldn't be removed so we can use some new tooling.

Finally, he has a rocket launcher and a better painted gun with a possible silencer should be want to snipe anyone from a distance. King of looks like G1 Megatron without the scope and stock. Much like Batman, he has a solid gold repaint with a bit of black for the helmet's right side.

For a Batman comparison from two different iterations of the lore, here we have AK Bats and AO Deathstroke with the Tactical Suit version of Batfleck. Why is he included, you may ask? Because one thing those from the Snyderverse side of the DC fandom want is a Batfleck movie featuring Joe Manganiello's Deathstroke as one of the antagonists. Given we have to go a decade back to the leaked footage of Deathstroke walking out of the Flying Fox, this long-promised yet never fully realized idea is something several fans have been starving for even to this day. Idk if Paramount will do anything about the Snyderverse or do their own thing after Gunn's contract ends, but this version of Deathstroke fits in pretty well with your Snyderverse display if you always wanted it an enemy for Batfleck to fight instead of Jared Leto Joker. Regardless, if you never got these figures back in 2020, then I recommend you pick them up now that they have some new accessories. Are they perfect? Batman could use a wired cloth goods car to accentuate his posing potential, and Deathstroke could have had the limited articulation remedied with some retooling here and there, but I'm happy to own versions of these two based on the Arkhamverse. Makes me want to get the other characters based on the series; at least they do the game-based line up of action figures better than what Hasbro generally did with Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Batman)

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

Flame Toys Animated Optimus Prime (Wingblade ver) review

It's been a while since I reviewed anything from Flame Toys, huh? Last time I took a look at their model kits was for their take on Windblade, and that was in 2022! Between now and then, I mostly focused on anything made by Yolopark or Blokees; the former was already great at making the live action designs gorgeous in ways Hasbro couldn't fulfill, and Blokees had a fun, more intricate level of assembly that made them worth putting together. I would have gotten Flame Toys' take on Tarn, and maybe some of their lore cuts that I like, but nothing really sprang up as much as the other alternatives. Now that we approach the 20th anniversary of Transformers Animated, what better time than now to take a look at a model kit I was heavily excited for? You already saw me review the Animated Deluxe from the Battle Begins 2-pack, and later the Legacy United Voyager, and now I shall take a look at the Wingblade version of this character courtesy of Flame Toys.

Here we have Optimus fully assembled and stickered up. I should mention that I got this second hand, so it may have some things you wouldn't immediately get. First thing I want to mention is that one of the fog light stickers is left with the white instead of having the yellow circle where it's supposed to be. It might be a quality control error on Flame Toys' part, and sadly the previous owner couldn't get it replaced. That said, thanks to the dynamic style of the show combined with the lack of transformation, this is the closest Optimus has ever looked to being show accurate. Some may argue that the proportions are a little more exaggerated than they were in the control art, but that's likely to be expected from being based on an easier to draw & animate character design rather than a deliberate choice made by Flame Toys. I guess the articulation could explain why he may not be entirely 1:1 with some, but it's nothing like the more "vanilla" G1 releases where they deviate from the old character models. Even the colors are accurate to the show; the red is sweet and cherry like while the blue is somewhat indigo, with the yellow even complimenting the deco without overpowering the rest of the colors. I also appreciate that the grey is matte so as to not make the figure appear cheap for the grille and thighs. The only oddity I'm thinking about would have to be how much the toes point upwards more than normal. Other than that, it's a beautiful recreation of the TFA artstyle. We even get a stylized Autobot insignia for the left shoulder instead of the traditional look, though I'm surprised a normal sigil isn't an option. As for the ports on his forearms, we will get to those in a moment.

Head sculpt is pretty good as well. I think I once said that the mask less look of the Legacy United captures this version of Optimus the best, and now I believe this does an even better stab. I wish the yellow stripes were painted on, though; these stickers aren't the best quality for a somewhat pricey model kit. As for the articulation, he has two ball joints at the neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement at two hinges, butterfly joints for moving forward yet no backwards range oddly enough. The biceps rotate, the elbows double bend at two points, the forearms rotate, and the hands are on ball joints. The midriff is on a double ball joint system for the waist and diaphragm, hips are on swivels for moving front and back as well as hinging in and out, thighs rotate somewhat, knees bend at two points, ankles are on double ball joints, and the toes are on a hinge. That last joint mentioned is tighter than the rest of the figure, which is great if you have Optimus by himself, though it may be a concern when attaching his armaments. 

I should mention that while he comes with the battle mask as an option, though the previous owner lost the chin piece for it prior to listing it on eBay. At the very least, he has his signature battle axe, which could use an effect part or at least compatibility like with the Legacy United figure, but it thankfully doesn't swing around at the head, and yes, he can hold it with both hands. And as you can surprise, other than fully clenched fists, he has splayed open hands, and hands meant for said axe.

Normally, that would be it for the original release of this character, because from here, we get new forearm pieces, a whole jetpack, and two shoulder cannons meant for the Wingblade version! I love it! Makes me wish Optimus Prime had Super Modes in modern TF media, but the writers of every show we got since 2020 (as well as Skybound and TFOne) would rather have Optimus act like either a mopey guy who can't lead others competently or a stupid himbo to appeal to the Predditors and Groomblrs. That being said, the wings are loose on the backpack, which makes me wonder if it's possible to tighten the hinges. 

In fact, combining the weight of the jetpack with the Magnus Hammer (which looks great and makes me want to get the old Leader Class Ultra Magnus), and I kind of noticed that the joints are a little looser than I'd like. I'm sure you can use clear nail or floor polish if you'd like, and maybe super glue provided it won't damage the plastic. On a positive note, attaching them onto the figure is seamless, especially with the forearms.

For a Flame Toys comparison, here he is with Windblade. Funny how we have a one letter difference between the form Optimus takes and the name of the first ever fan vote winner. While nearly eye level with each other, Windblade is slightly taller than Optimus. Then again, Animated's version wasn't known for being that tall. Not a bad thing, because he can still kick ass without being written as a joke compared to most versions in the 2020s.

Case in point with scale, this is how I'd imaging Animated Optimus to look next to his TFP and Movie counterparts. As for comparing him to Blokees or Yolopark, I'd say that the Action Editions seem mostly fair to use as a comparison from the former due to the proper model kit aspect as well as reasonably close price points being a factor depending on the retailer. With Yolopark, they work differently from the other two due to them being less like Gunpla models, especially when die-cast and premium paint is used.

That said, is it fair to compare him to the regular AMKs, like Optimus Primal? Keep in mind that prices vary for these items depending on if you get them from their direct sites or on BigBadToyStore. The AMK usually goes for $30-35, while the Flame Toys kit averages around $45. It's a $10 difference give or take, but TFA Optimus is a smaller build than Primal, who is not assembled like traditional model kits and comes with an extra face, spring loaded arm and shoulder cannons, and lacks stickers. I can only assume the price from Flame Toys is due to how they operate differently from Yolopark, though I know some will mention how one may be more affected by tariffs than the other. Regardless, Primal has more value for money than.this Prime, at least the vanilla version.

And here he is with his Legacy United figure for a more contemporary comparison. I know many weren't happy with how much Hasbro changed the design to fit in with the Generations toys better, and while I thought he turned out better than Prowl, he was kind of missing that certain something that gave him his identity. There is a KO from Black Mamba with the old Voyager's head and a retooled torso in addition to the DNA Design upgrade kit that I would like to get. Hell, I'd also get the original Takara Wingblade Voyager because I love this take on a young, inexperienced Optimus. As for this figure, while the price has increase somewhat than originally intended, I still think this model kit is worth picking up; that said, I wish the stickers were better quality, and the same goes for the joint tolerances. Maybe my copy has this issue specifically and yours would be fine, but I kind of want to test that by getting the vanilla set without the Wingblade set. Until then, I hope that either the rest of the main Autobots or their universe's Megatron are in the pipeline. Other kits I would like to get are their Shattered Glass designs, Tarn, and their takes on Power Rangers Megazords.

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