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 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
No comments:
Post a Comment