Transformers Generations Thrilling 30 Nightbeat review

Nightbeat is one of those characters that would require understanding why he's popular with the fans if the only G1-related thing you've ever seen before is the cartoon and the 86 movie; when it comes to the Marvel and IDW comics, they certainly made the character feel more important than just the new toy of the year (to the point where fans got annoyed when he died in Generation 2). I don't remember what happened to him in IDW since I gave up on the comics the moment the art style started to suck and the moment Megatron turned into an Autobot (hey, if I'm not allowed to say that, what's the excuse of people who got angry when Ironhide died?), but I know he did have an incident where he had two different toy molds that contradicted one another. Let's see what they're like!

Here is Nightbeat in his vehicle mode. This guy turns into a rather slick muscle car, which is actually more fitting for Bumblebee than it is for Nightbeat, but at least the figure is colored to fit how Nightbeat looks. The blue is probably lighter than it should be, but the yellow paint apps used on the bottom trim (despite not being as continuous), as well as the red flames, help make the vehicle mode stand out. Things like the front of the car have rather nice paint apps for the grill and headlights go nicely with the car, and the same goes for the silver rims. The clear blue windows are a nice touch, but the rear spoiler does look a little weird without a middle piece. For weapon storage, there are two hubcaps on the back that are made for the guy, and those are used to store the two stinger blaster halves that are more fitting for Bumblebee.

Here we have Nightbeat next to two versions of Bumblebee: Netflix WFC and Cyberverse Deluxe. These two are more contemporary Deluxes that make comparing them next to an older Deluxe more interesting. Surprisingly, Nightbeat fits in well with them in terms of scale, though it is quite clear that Nightbeat might not fit in aesthetically with the current WFC guys. 

The transformation very much a unique take on the Autobot Car approach, with the hood chest being a faux one while the real one is on the back along with the windshield. The front quarter portions of the vehicle that have the tires are the shoulders, and the rear of the car becomes the legs. It definitely shows that Nightbeat doesn't quite belong on the Bumblebee body, as the robot mode basically makes him feel like a blue version of the guy but with his head. Prime Hot Shot was another Blue Bumblebee from a year ago, but he made it work well by having more paint apps to go along with his new head. Thi guy kind of feels like one of those knockoff repaints of Bumblebee you'd find at Aliexpress. While the figure looks fine from the front, I don't like how the backpack doesn't stay in place and it has a tendency to untab.

The head sculpt is accurate to the character, even if the mouth isn't as nicely sculpted as I would have liked, but you see that red patch on the back of his head? It appears he would have had light piping before it was decided that painting them would be done...it's a weird thing Hasbro does with their toys, I swear. The articulation is good but is a little restricted, as the head can swivel left and right, shoulders move front and back as well as in and out (but not as well given how the shoulders work), bicep swivels, elbow bends (weirdly, bending the elbows while they're in another position doesn't really work. There is a waist swivel, the hips move front and back, in and out, swivel at the thigh, bend at the (rather loose) knees, and the feet move around on ball-joints (but not in any effective pivot ways).

The accessories can be used in two different ways: the stinger blaster halves can be put on the underside of his cannons so they can look like they transformed out of his arms or be a massive cannon that looks better than both of them combined yet doesn't really stay on his hand that well...maybe having them sandwich over the naked hand would work better.

In terms of uses from the mold, let's first start with the toy that used this specific tooling. This is Goshooter, who is the Japanese version of G1 Siren and is now a high-pursuit police cruiser muscle car. Amusing how he was reused from Nightbeat and Minerva wasn't. Aside from the same accessories, he came with, he also has Shuta Go, a repaint of Thrilling 30 Legends Bumblebee's Targetmaster partner Blazemaster. They were only included in an offer for a TakaraTomy Transformers book.

And here is the original user of the mold, Bumblebee! This mold was certainly meant to be Bumblebee, as he has all of the traits from the live-action version of the guy as a way to have younger fans be reeled into the world of the IDW comics. He's pretty much a G1-styled take on the Movie design but with a few differences to make him a little more unique, like the way the legs transform, the chest transforming differently, and the head being an older G1 Bumblebee head.

And this is the Takara version of the guy, now named Gold Bumblebee. He's colored differently to have both a more metallic shade of yellow that keeps the toy from looking a little thin like with the Hasbro version as well as some gold paint apps here and there. The windows are a nicer shade of blue, and the head is even recolored (but not remolded) to better fit in with Goldbug.

Yet another reuse of the Bumblebee mold, this is Goldfire! He is a much more distinct take on the guy as he is given a gold body, blue replacing the black on parts of the toy, different stripe paint apps, and a new noggin for him to better resemble Goldbug. Despite looks, this guy will not be a victim of Gold Plastic Syndrome.

And finally, this is Carzap! He is a lot more radical in terms of coloring, even moreso than Goshooter; he's got a crazy mix of white, red, black, and purple, his weapon is chromed, he has a new head with silver paint that makes him look more isolated, and his vehicle mode has Transformers and Heroic Autobot written on him in red and purple...it's very strange, but also strange is that the 95 gives me strong Lightning McQueen vibes. Oh, and he was from the Subscription Service.

And for a mystery that people should think about, this guy was originally going to be a repaint of the Special Ops Jazz mold from Reveal the Shield. While Jazz's body is too specific for his character, the alternate mode better suits Nightbeat's G1 vehicle mode. So what makes me think they used the Bumblebee mold is the fact that it is much more suitable for the 2013/2014 budget of Transformers at the time, with the Thrilling 30 figure having cheaper engineering that would adhere to the Deluxe price point at the time (which is just Hasbro giving less but charging more). 

For a robot mode comparison, here he is with the same versions of Bumblebee I covered before. I can imagine this Nightbeat and the Netflixbee doing a fusion dance to become Cyberverse Bee. And ars you can tell, he and Cyberverse Bee have a lot in common. But as for a recommendation standpoint, I kind of feel underwhelmed by how he turned out. Transformers toys were pretty mixed in terms of quality in 2012, with a noticeable dip compared to the late 2000s. The PRID line had simpler counterparts to the First Edition guys and new guys who vary from good to bad; Fall of Cybertron's figures have been inferior to the WFC guys until the Voyagers, Seekers, and Insecticons showed up. Thrilling 30 has also been a mixed bag, with Deluxes that feel varied in sizes, as well as the initial Voyagers, having either the superb Springer or the disappointing Blitzwing. The Bumblebee mold looked like a pretty good take on the guy from what I remembered, and part of me hoped that Nightbeat would be a cool version since he was a neat character in the Marvel and IDW comics. Sadly, this mold has arm issues, backpack issues, knee issues, and weapon issues, which make him feel more like a conflicted mess than it should be. Unless you're a completionist or a Nightbeat fan, you don't need this guy too much.

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

Transformers Titans Return Autobot and Decepticon Clones review

There are a few moments in Transformers history where some characters feel like impulse purchases. I can see this with some of the novelties from Takara, most of the repaints you wouldn't really need, and a handful of G1 filler characters. The Autobot and Decepticon clones are no exception; their main purpose is to have a so-so gimmick and encourage people to buy their toys to make more money. Honestly, for all the crap people make about Armada being like Pokemon or the movies having "product placement", no one bats an eye with all of the stupid shit G1 made for overly-blown casts with half-assed toys, right? Anyways, let's take a look at two sets of figures that each cost 25 dollars when they shouldn't...oh and do excuse the Titans Return image...it's hard to not have an Autobot Clone and Decepticon Clone image using the Earthrise-themed packaging, but since they came from Titans Return, we'll use this instead.

Here are the Autobots Clones in-hand. These two are the typical small toy vehicle tropes one would expect kids with pocket money would buy in the past. Fastlane turns into a car, Cloudraker turns into a jet, and both toys look just about as successful with their designs and engineering as you'd expect. They don't have any definition from their appearances and result in pretty clunky vehicle modes. While Fastlane rolls very nicely with his wheels, his hips and arms tend to shift out of their positions rather frequently. Cloudraker, despite the small tabs not always keeping it in place, at least has the figure hold together better while also making use of the shifting hips. I guess the shifting hips remaining on Fastlane does help save money as their torsos have the same tooling, but it's kind of amusing how they both have it since it's useful on one of them.

They can flip-up seats to allow the Titan Masters to sit on their seats and make the most out of their vehicle modes. Ultimately speaking, it's going to require seat belts since they'd probably need more than the slots. Worth noting that they're kind of hard to access without dislodging the pieces, which is almost proof that these guys are both under-engineered and have late-decisions on them.

The transformations for them are almost identical, with feet that flip out, heads that swivel, and arms that shift in their proper positions. Cloudraker makes the most out of his transformation, with the front of the jet mode, wings, and shoulder movement do more than Fastlane. Their robot modes are nearly identical, but the main difference being the kibble placement from their alt modes and the chest emblems matching their alt modes. They have some of the more generic robot design traits to them, which almost makes them perfect for army-building if you didn't give a crap about their personalities (or lack thereof). Their articulation consists of heads that swivel (though Fastlane's spoiler and wheels mess things up), shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out on ball joints, elbows that are on ball joints, hips that move front and back as well as in and out, thigh swivels, and knee bends.

These two figures are the same as the Hasbro Titans return releases, but Takara Legends versions gave them more animation-accurate decos that are red faces and pink chests...yeah no.

And now we have the Decepticon Clones in-hand. These two are Pounce and Wingspan. These two are depicted as mini animals that might be the children of Six Shot given the similar color schemes, but I don't really think they're that good. Pounce has a bit of a charm to his chunkiness despite having limbs as thin as the ones from the Beast-X Racer Zord. As for Wingspan, his bird mode looks as effective as the one that Animorphs Tobias has. Oh and they can both carry Titan Masters.

Transformation for both of them remains the same as with the Autobot clones, but the main differences now involve Wingspan's, well, wings folding away, the legs on Pounce folding away, and the animal heads being uncloaked like hoods. Oh and Wingspan's eagle feet hinge back slightly. They have the same tropes that the Autoclones have, with similar proportions, design choices, etc, but they're now unique thanks to the colors, heads, and what-not. Their articulation is the same as with everyone else, but the biceps swivel despite the ball-joints allowing the forearms to move similarly.

For prior uses, these are the Hasbro ones, which have more toy-accurate decos and even have some different paint apps (the more noticeable thing being the wings on Wingspan being a hot pink). These two were in Titans Return while the Decepticlones we have here are the Legends versions.

And that sums up the pairs! These two figures are decent for what they are but aren't really worth getting at the prices they're at. For $50 combined to pay for both of them, you're not getting much out of 4 figures that are each engineered similarly and have less going on than the smallest Deluxe figures in the WFC line like Bumblebee or Warpath as well as the Legends figures released from Thrilling 30 to Power of the Primes. I don't remember how much the Titans Return 2-pack from Walgreens was worth, but I know that Pounce and Fastlane were both available with different multipacks from the line (the former was included with Titan Master Rodimus Prime, Nautica, Laser Optimus Prime, and Quickswitch while the latter was with Titan Master Thunderwing, Metalhawk, Tidal Wave, and Magnus Prime/Ginrai); these two-packs are a neat way for people to get these shelf-fillers without paying even more for the repaints if they don't want them, but the price they're going for is a big no-no.

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

Five Small Types of Transformers in one review

There are moments where reviewing simpler figures wouldn't be as easy as you'd think. You want to talk about the most that there is to say about them but can't really have much of a presence elsewhere. That being said, I think there's a chance we can make the most out of some tiny Transformers, which is a trend I'd like to be taking every once in a while. I sort of did that when I covered Construct-Bots Lockdown, some Tiny Turbo Changers, and a Burger King ROTF Optimus Prime, but that also had a Lex Luthor figure and two Spider-Men from the Spectacular series. It's time we take a look at what might be a somewhat recurring series.

1. Cyberverse Spark Armor Shockwave

Here they are in their vehicle modes. Shockwave is a very more-than-familiar walking tank because he popped up on his own as the first-ever Cyberverse review I made as well as gain a Deluxe Class release that was covered with the rest of the Deluxes on a week of (late as fuck) reviews devoted to the first wave. It has all of the details I'd expect Shocko to have from his other counterparts, so I see nothing missing with him. What is interesting is that he comes with the Solar Shot spark armor. For those that don't remember or are familiar with Cyberverse, Season 2 presented itself with a Power of the Spark gimmick that has the Autobots and Decepticons use gear from other items and make use of them as armor. It's a neat idea yet was rarely used in the show, with only Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream being the only dudes to do so. The satellite itself is decently made and captures how it'd look, though the color scheme favors Shockwave nicely.

Transformation is the same as with prior versions of the guy, but with more partsforming added. The robot mode is very much faithful to the Cyberverse design, but with some chunk on the arms thanks to the feet molded from the back. If there is one thing I don't like, it's the fact that his backpack doesn't tab on the back.

And as for the head sculpt, it's got the same details one would expect from him yet the empty space surrounding the eye is not painted. At least the eye is painted properly. His articulation only consists of shoulders that move front and back on one joint as well as in and out on another joint. The biceps swivel, the elbows bendm and the hips move around on ball joints while the thighs swivel and the knees bend. The spark armor can separate into armor for him, which gives him a chest armor, his cannon, a hose, another cannon, an extension piece for his cannon, and the windmill blades on the back...it does the job but is certainly drowning the body awkwardly.

The only reuse this figure has received so far, which removes the armor and leaves him with his gun, hose, and now has a control helmet and is also included with Prowl and a Quintesson Judge...a story arc from Cyberverse that doesn't feature either of them.

2. Siege Blackjack and Hyperdrive

Here we have the two Micromasters in-hand. While their vehicle modes are Cybertronian-style sport cars, Blackjack is black DeLoreon with gold paint apps. Those help him stand out nicely from the weirldy brown windows. Their scupting is decent for each vehicle, and there is nothing missing from any of them whatsoever.

Transformations for both of them are relatively the same, though the way the hoods hinge back are different from one another while Blackjack's arms have the wheels on the shoulders. They both have the same Micromaster design traits of doors for arms and rear legs being unfolded backs of the cars. Their designs are fine for what they are, but there is not much else to say about them. They havve ball-jointed shoulders and hips as well as hinge knees.

Their conversion into the gun mode just has them halfway turned into their vehicle modes but with the waist swiveled. One thing worth mentioning is that you can use them both as independent guns, and you might as well do so because while I succeeded in taking a good picture of Thundercracker here, getting them to hold the combined gun mode is kind of annoying since the hinge is somehow unable to keep the thing from drooping.

In terms of their prior uses, they were made from Roadhandler (left) and Swindler (right), which had different heads and chests as well as different color schemes to them. The black windshields work well as one would expect, but despite looking a bit boring in gray, Swindler is definitely cool as a tiny DeLoreon.

3. Siege Stakeout and Redheat

And here we have Stakeout and Redheat, with the former pretty much resembling an Autobot Barricade and the latter being a fairly original take on a fire truck Transformer! Both are once again styled to resemble Cybertronian vehicles, and aside from rolling okay, Redheat has a blast effect nub on the ladder.

Transformation is the same as always with unfolding legs and chunks of vehicles left on the back. Redheat at least has the front be the legs. Their designs are the typical Micromster designs one would expect as mentioned earlier, and while their articulation is the same (they even have swiveling heads!), they each have problems worth mentioning: their legs are hard to pose because they're both floppy and come off easily because of the lack of space, and Redheat suffers from his heels not being stable and lacks the space necessary to swivel his head.

Transformation into the weapon mode is pretty much turning them halfway into their vehicle modes but halfway hinging the front of the police car and rotating the waist of the lower legs. Their cannon is pretty weak and doesn't hold together well. But at the very least, we can let an ambulance Transformer hold a weapon made up of Micromasters that are a police cruiser and a fire truck. Makes me realize I can get Prowl and later Kingdom Inferno to help.

They were repainted for a 10-pack set of Micromasters, and they're now Road-Police (creative name, idiot!) and Wheel Blaze (better name but I'd remove the space). Road-Police is almost like a Prowl wanna-be while Wheel Blaze is a yellow fire truck (which is somewhat common). Redheat was actually a retool of Topshot, who came with Flak and was later repainted into Fireline, who is colored differently.

4. Siege Storm Cloud and Visper

Here we have Storm Cloud and Visper, the former being the jet with lavender highlights and the atter being a slick black jet reminiscent of Victory's Sky Shadow. These two jets are tiny and nicely detailed, but their jet kibble is pretty massive in terms of what there is with the junk under the trunk. While that's not necessarily a bad thing per se, these two definitely remind me of Silverbolt's handling of his robot junk. At least Visper looks cooler than Storm Cloud, and their deco could almost go well with Skywarp or Motormaster.

Transformation for both of them is very simple, but Storm Cloud is at least more involved. Their robot modes are amusing as they have swapped colors on their robot modes, though Storm Cloud's forearms and lower legs are not matched up with the shoulders and thighs. Their articulation for each figure is mostly the same, but Storm Cloud has elbows and Visper's head can slightly look up!

And the transformation into the gun mode involves turning them back into their jet modes and hinging the cockpit back up to reveal the handle. Then you jam the two together and make a sword that's made up of two jets! That's quite the amusing thing about them considering they look less like a sword than the Armada Dark Saber, for example. At least the connection between the two figures is decent, though don't expect it to remain straight if you keep hitting it on your toys! It scales decently with Mirage.

And these guys also have been repainted twice...and in the same multi-pack. From left to right and top to bottom, you have Autobots Groundshaker and Overair as well as Decepticons Nightflight and Slyhopper...meaning you can have two swords and customize each other and this original set!

5. Earthrise Smashdown

And here we have Earthrise Smashdown in his hammer mode, which is quite a unique weapon for the WFC Battlemasters which normally turn into guns. This guy, as well as the likes of Lionizer and the Selector shield/ramp Battlemasters, make for a great breath of fresh air in terms of weapon choice. It's obviously got the head of the robot mode revealed, but you can prevent him from losing his head by using him constantly and make the most of the effect piece!

Transformation is quite involved for a little guy and you get a cute little robot with a bull head! Smashdown looks kinda adorable and reminds me of a sports mascot with the chunkiness of the body...maybe he's a fan of the Chicago Bulls?

The articulation on this guy solely consists of ball-joints on the shoulders, hips, and head, and the handle of the hammer mode can double as a weapon...though keep him out of Sideswipe's view for what he's done. Oh and he's been in both Siege and Earthrise.

And if you thought that was all I have to present, well, you're in for a treat! Now if you noticed on some of my G1-related reviews, I generally covered G1 toys in a comparison but not outright review them. Case in point: Optimus Prime, who was seen on the reviews of my POTP, Siege, and Earthrise reviews, wasn't actually reviewed on his own (because everyone knows how he works at this point). This time, we shall go small with G1 and focus on the little Bumblebee!

Bonus Round: G1 Bumblebee

This has got to be a very adorable representation of the Volkswagen Beetle, what with the tiny proportions and details he has. I love the black windshield as well as the silver highlights for the headlights, bumper, and the chrome rims and rubber tires. He's smaller than the already small Netflix Bumblebee, and it's amusing to see both a chibi take on the car and a properly proportioned vehicle.

And here he is with Optimus Prime. Despite me thinking G1 is overrated and gets more praise than it deserves, these two look nice and also feel good in-hand; Bee's die-cast, plastic, and tires make him feel a little weighty!

Transformation is what it is: face flips up, arms pull out, and the legs extend while the feet flip up. The robot mode looks charming as hell and also has quite the chubbiness G1 Bumblebee is known for. He may not look that special from the back but at least he has a new faceplate that depicts his cartoon-accurate mug compared to the original toy having the faceplate and visor. Sadly, my copy's eyes aren't painted properly and he looks like he's crying a bit.

Here he is both showing his arm articulation and his size next to fellow 80s toy Optimus Prime and his more modern counterpart from the Netflix WFC wave. In terms of reuses, this guy has been more commonly known to have a red variant in the 80s, tons of repainted colors in South American countries, a gold chrome G2 repaint, a Glyph repaint, a keychain version (with a black variant in Japan) and since 2004, Bumblebee's head has been retooled to match his cartoon counterpart (and is the only Minibot to have a consistent head redesign) with the Collection and Encore line. Oh and he was also the only Minibot to not have a rubsign...which kind of makes him like the pre-rub versions.

And that concludes today's review!