Transformers Kingdom Galvatron Review

Galvatron's one of those guys who has been really hard to nail considering how there's either a compromised design trait or a gimmick that wasn't really needed for him. And on top of that, he's not as frequent as Optimus Prime or Megatron are, but now I feel the WFC line might give us a proper version of him that doesn't look like crap or compromise him entirely. Let's be real here, the fact that the WFC trilogy line exists to give us a version of him that works well is pretty cool, but there's one thing I want to know about when it comes to this specific release, is he, a Leader Class figure that's the size of a Voyager, actually worth the money he's going for? Let's find out.

Here we have Galvatron in his tank mode. It's the same futuristic design that he's taken form of in the 86 movie as well as Season 3. A barrel-shaped design with treads, a tail, and an orange tip that contrasts the purple and gray. It's got everything that Galvatron should have as far as being himself is concerned. I mean, it's one of those things about him that you can't really complain about. I will say that rolling him on all three tiny wheels can be annoying since the tail doesn't have the same level of height that the tank treads have, but it is manageable.

As far as the weapon storage is concerned, apart from putting the two pieces of his particle beam cannon on the vehicle to already complete his look, the two blasters that look like the space cruisers of Unicron can peg onto any parts of the vehicles with 5mm ports (though they're supposed to clip onto the gray barrel portion of the cannon mode). As for the Matrix, it has a small tab that goes around the chest while the chain looks like it can be held on the barrel.

For a comparison with his fellow Decepticons, you can see here that Galvatron is quite hefty in terms of size and height compared to the space cruiser Decepticons in the form of Cyclonus and Scourge. He's also the one who's taken the form of a land vehicle rather than a space ship, but it's fine with me, I supposed (Titans Return did make him a Triple Changer). You can also tell something I didn't know about until of late: the fact that the Decepticons have different colors from one another; Cyclonus is lavender instead of the normal purple of Galvatron while Scourge is in two shades of blue.

Galvatron's transformation is the traditional method he does, with the arms being made from the parts that have the treads to the core portion becoming the torso and the legs being made from the third leg of the tank mode. I have to give credit to the toy for making little to no hollow parts left from the transformation or from the toy in general, and it also has some heft to it as well. The only partsforming involves the assembly of the cannon. The resulting robot mode is certainly cartoon-accurate, from the proportions to the color scheme, though he weirdly brings back the battle damage that was common with Siege and with Earthrise's Hoist and Megatron. It's not hard to imagine this being the case given how 86 movie characters Springer and Ultra Magnus were with Season 1 and 2 characters, but the fact that it's here again in a toy this late is pretty odd. Generally speaking, Galvatron's robot mode captures the beefy, power-hungry design that he is known for in the series, and the color scheme is also nice and accurate, too. I love how the red and orange pop compared to the evil mix of purple, black, and gray/silver. All the Galvatron-specific traits found from the character, like the treads behind his arms and the three spikes on him, are nicely done and capture his look wonderfully. 

Head sculpt is done rather nicely, from the stern glare on his face to the paint apps applied. The crown spikes being a separate piece as well as being a slightly different shade from the rest of his head is a little distracting but it's otherwise acceptable. His articulation is on-par with the rest of the WFC trilogy, with a few specific things worth mentioning. His head is on a ball joint, the shoulders move front and back as well as in and out (and we'll talk about those shoulders in a bit). The biceps swivel, the elbows bend at two points, and the hands can swivel at the wrists. There is a waist swivel (which has more range if you move the skirt panels aside), the hips move front and back (with the front cod piece hinging up and down if needed), in and out while the skirt pieces move out, thighs swivel, knees bend, and the ankles pivot but barely do so.

If the Particle Beam Cannon isn't enough to convince you of the firepower potential of this guy, he can also hold the two cruisers made for the HasLab Unicron and either sandwich them into an unwieldy gun (since holding them separately makes them look like he's holding two space ships) or have them mounted on his back. It weirdly works when they're mounted on his back!

And finally, you can have the Matrix of Leadership hung around his neck, much like in the 86 movie when he killed Ultra Magnus and stole the ancient artifact from him! It's the same mold as the Earthrise one but is not cast in clear plastic and is glued onto the chain. Also, notice the shoulders on the on the figure in this pic; The right shoulder is oriented the same way it was when I took the toy out of the box, and the other shoulder is a rearranged position of it with the rivet exposed. Apparently, Hasbro did not leave the toy with properly assembled shoulders on some copies, meaning that they since lower if the small slot is facing the front. You can either reposition the shoulder like I did on the left shoulder OR use a soldering iron to detach the parts while rotating the swivel so the smooth part of the shoulder hinge can be on top and the bumpy side can be on the bottom. Be warned that it will be a somewhat risky task.

The only reuse of the guy so far is the toy-accurate take on the guy, which is available from the Generations Selects line. Galvatron's given not just a recolor of himself but also additional stickers that further make him closer to the old toy, including a rubsign! If a toy-accurate Galvatron isn't exactly what you want from this guy, you can use him as Galvatron II thanks to the green Matrix he comes with! And in cas e you're wondering, no, he doesn't have a gun mode (but fan modes are going to happen).

And after that, Galvatron loved being purple, but not just purple, translucent purple with white panel-lines representing his reformatting in the movie! He came with a bunch of accessories that are meant to go with Unicron and probably the Ark.

And of course, Legacy gave fans who were ungrateful with the Kingdom release interested in a cleaner version of Galvatron got the battle damage removed, and properly assembled shoulders. So yeah get that one if you are that picky.

For a comparison with his previous releases, here he is next to the Deluxe Universe 2008 version of the character and the Titans Return version made 5 years ago. I think we all know that the Universe version holds up poorly, so let's move on from that thing. As for Titans Return Galvatron, he s certainly a toy that has flaws, from the somewhat intrusive cannon to the shoddy mask that goes over the Titan Master, but I think this guy was close to being a great take on the guy. I honestly like his design more than I do the Kingdom one, just because it doesn't feel entirely slavish to G1, but I still don't like the gimmicks it has.

For a size comparison, here he is with Kingdom Ultra Magnus and Studio Series 86 Hot Rod. Heis more of a traditional height of a Voyager compared to Ultra Magnus, who is sorta kinda maybe a Leader Class figure height despite him being shorter than the POTP Leaders. Galvatron is also taller than Hot Rod, who is more of a height of a Deluxe but makes up for that with his engineering and accessories, a trait that Galvatron shares...more on that in a bit.

And here he is with fellow Leader Class figure, Optimus Prime, and his old self, Megatron. He is taller than both of them, so I guess Unicron added Galvatron a new body and a size class that is more of a slight height bump. Yeah, it's coming together...

And finally, here he is Cyclonus and Scourge! He's pretty much around the same height of Cyclonus (who may have an edge over Galvatron due to his bunny ears), and while he looks nice with his Decepticon buddies, there's a problem with this guy: the price. I get it, Hasbro can't do Leader Class Transformers the same way they used to. We're no longer in the days of Hasbro making Leader Class Transformers at the same height of Cybertron Megatron, Animated Ultra Magnus, ROTF Optimus Prime, etc, but even the AOE-POTP era Leaders were able to be acceptable with the prices they went for. I miss when Leader Class Transformers felt like the flagship toys of their respective lines. They were the perfect intermediate step between mainline toys and the Masterpiece toys, especially seen with ROTF Optimus and HFTD Starscream. 

Sure, the economy's to blame, and while the WFC Trilogy's been a great line to delve into, I still miss when we were creative and had toys that, even if they weren't the most accurate, were glorious additions to the lines they came from. Galvatron is good, but not Leader Class good. Same goes for Earthrise Optimus. Some figures like Doubledealer and Beast Wars Megatron would probably deserve the same level of criticism, but at least their engineering was able to make them justified for the price tag. Galvatron feels like he was made for the price tag just because it's a way for Hasbro to milk the figure more off of a popular character. Pretty much the toy industry in a nutshell, but my point is that he is good but not at the price he has.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐(in terms of purchasing it at a cheaper price)

DC McFarlane ZSJL Darkseid review

Darkseid...one of the biggest influences of DC villains, finally makes his cinematic debut in Zack Snyder's Justice League...which Warner Bros thought was a bad idea so he was removed in Josstice! Okay, we all get how stupid they are, but come on! Why remove the baddy that could usurp Thanos in the hype factor? Had WB and pals not interfered with the film, we could have seen these events unfold smoothly! While the Snyder Cut is officially out, the chances of the rest of the Snyderverse being restored are slim despite what people say. In the meantime, I can probably come up with a better continuation than the desperate stuff the Wanker Boomers make. That being said, let's delve into the review of McFarlane's DC Multiverse Darkseid! Oh and in case you're wondering, he and every other figure in the line comes with a basic collector's card and the same stand that WW came with, so I won't go in full detail over those.

Here is Darkseid in-hand. This version of him is based on his earlier days as Uxas, where he had a bare chest and was in his younger days. Capturing the look he had during his fight against early humanity, Amazonians, and Atlanteans, he's got great sculpt work for his bare skin, with wrinkles and rough patterns that give off the organic look of him, contrast by the smooth yet segmented armor plating around his collar, forearms, waist, and boots. There is a subtle wash applied onto the exposed skin to accentuate the skin and make it feel more organic than it otherwise would be. As for the blue armor, it's made from a metallic blue PVC material, and it contrasts nicely from the rest of the body. Proportion-wise, the figure holds up very well, but the midriff/stomach area is much smaller than the rest of the upper torso. I can see that as being a sacrifice to prevent the articulation from being compromised, but while the back looks fairly decent, the front has the midriff and upper torso look broken up. Either way, the figure passes for the most part in terms of looks.

Head sculpt looks very accurate, from the glare of his eyes to the texture of his skin, and the helmet headgear he wears that is unmistakably Darkseid. It's got so much character put into it that I want to see an alternate yelling face like when he fought against the combined forces of Earth's warriors. As for his articulation, the head is on a ball-joint within the neck, the shoulders move front and back as well as in and out (though the left shoulder feels looser than the right shoulder), the elbows bend, the wrists swivel, and they hinge in and out. He has two ball joints for his upper torso and his midriff, giving him a greater flex of movement for the body of the figure. His hips move front and back (with some minor limitation from the skirt armor), in and out, swivel at the thighs, bend at the knees on a single hinge, and the feet can hinge up and down as well as bend at the toes instead of pivot. His staff weapon can be held in his right hand and is sculpted nicely on top of being cast in a metallic material that gives it a metal feel.

And here we have a random size comparison! This Woody figure made for Toy Story 4 is about the same height as Darkseid, yet he is only $10! Talk about bang for your buck! Anyhow, Darkseid is a nicely done figure, though I do find that much like with the DC Multiverse line in general, this guy could go for more to justify the price. Sure, he's nicely detailed and has good articulation, but I feel like he's missing a few more things to make him feel complete. Maybe ankle rockers as well as swappable hands and even a head with a screaming face can justify the price tag to him. What I'd love to have seen is a removable chest armor that we see with the Target exclusive version, and for the Target version to represent his molten metal appearance from when he communicated with Steppenwolf.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Masterpiece Movie Ratchet review

Ratchet's one of those characters who never really got to have a toy that lived up to his potential. His only Voyager toy was decent for the time but is obviously dated, and then you had a Deluxe figure that ranges in accuracy and/or quality. The Studio Series version could have been the definitive version of the character yet Hasbro made a more proportioned yet cheaper version of the DOTM figure. So when the MPM line started to delve into the other characters past Optimus and Bumblebee, I was eager to see what Ratchet would be like given how he has fewer toys than that other Autobots as far as updates. Hell, I'd love to see a new Voyager Ratchet instead of the same Voyager mold repainted more than necessary. Let's see if the MPM version can deliver on that front!

Here is Ratchet in his vehicle mode. It's a modified Hummer H2 with rescue equipment added into the mix. The figure has all of the equipment you need to complete his look, from the grille added with extra foglights, a roof rack, sculpted details for the tools, and all of the other little details like the siren and the sculpted details to make the toy feel complete. Previous Ratchet toys tend to suffer from a lack of devotion towards making the toy look as good as it could possibly be, and it especially shows when you compare this to the other offerings of the character. But beyond that, it's just iconic and needs no other description since you already know who this is.

In general, it feels much more complete thanks to the paint apps that make this toy feel more like a proper version of the vehicle that he transforms into. The paint used for the pulse line and the markings are already nice, but things like the sirens, tools, the caution stripe on the doors, and every other detail that screams emergency vehicle are touched up with paint, and even the medical tools are nicely picked out, which would have easily been skipped on a normal release! The rims are also nicely done, making sure they have the silver paint while trying not to add too much silver. And can I say how much I love seeing the toy actually have the consistent shades of yellow-green instead of looking like an inconsistent mess like with the prototype used in the stop motions? So good.

For weapon storage, the gun can peg onto the spare tire while the buzzsaw can clip onto the rear bumper of the vehicle, and even that looks nicely painted! You can also place the little missiles underneath the vehicle if you want to keep track of them because boy are they tiny!

For a size comparison, here he is with the other Autobots in their vehicle modes. I have to say that they're nicely done as far as the scale is concerned, with Ratchet not being that undersized compared to Optimus Prime and Ironhide. And of course, Bumblebee and Jazz are smaller than the other three.

Can I just say how nice it is to have these guys in the same line with the same consistent synergy and the like. They look great as a team and would probably have some US Military vehicles as the cherry on top. Such beautiful vehicles if you ask me.

Transforming Ratchet actually pretty involved, especially considering how it has more steps put into it than the other versions of the toy normally have to contend with. For example, while the legs do transform like the past few Ratchets have, the transformation for the upper torso has more going on with it, from the orientation of the frontal side panels of the vehicle mode to the backpack that Ratchet has from the roof. Some new steps for the toy, like the placement of the front tires as well as the fog lights around the upper torso. I should mention that the parts with the headlights and the upper arches of the vehicle mode are supposedly meant to tab into the shoulders, but the problem is that they mess up the articulation of the arms, limiting the range they'd have. I instead have them onto the chest, while it makes the chest look clunkier, they at least have a secure spot to be on. Our resulting robot mode is certainly bulkier from the top due to the kibble, and while some might find it to be rather annoying that he's got a somewhat shellformer feel, he at least doesn't feel as lazy as figures like Studio Series WWII Bumblebee or Cybertron Thunderblast as he actually integrates parts of the vehicle and distributes it somewhat throughout him. The side panels could have easily been part of the backpack, but they actually go onto the inner side portions of the legs. His upper torso actually makes use of the vehicle parts without relying so much on the need for faux parts. Some things like the roof rack halves hanging out like ponytails does look bad, but it allows the sirens to be prominent. And he one of the few Ratchets to have his spare tire on his back!

Headsculpt is certainly accurate to the movie, and the best version of Ratchet's head to date! I do wish we'd either have more green paint or silver paint for the face. There is some silver paint for the nose, though. The articulation for this guy is as good as with the other Masterpiece Movie figures in the line. Head can turn left and right as well as move up and down, and much like Barricade, Ironhide, and Megatron before him, his mouth can open. Shoulders move front and back, in and out (on ratchets), the biceps swivel, elbows bend on ratchets, and the wrists can swivel while his fingers can articulate a the two thumbs, and at two points for the middle three fingers. His waist swivels somewhat, his hips move front and back, in and out, the upper knee swivels, the knees bend on ratchets, and his feet can hinge down while slightly pivot at the sides.

As far as his weapons are concerned, you can display him with his machine gun by attaching it onto the forearm and curling the wrist inside it. This allows it to look like it transformed from his forearm. Very nice touch. The missiles can be mounted onto his other forearm, but a more impressive accessory would be the buzzsaw! It's painted nicely and both of the saws spin!

Let's compare him to the only other version of the character to be around his size. The original Voyager Ratchet was a good toy for the time, as it was nice and chunky for the kids who didn't want to mess around with the complex designs (as a way to compromise for the limitations Hasbro had at the time). Either way, you can definitely see the night and day difference between the two toys, especially when one is much closer to the CGI model than the other.

For a size comparison with the Autobots in the line, here he is next to the others in the team, and guys, LOOK AT THIS!!!! It's such an amazing display and an honor to own these officially definitive versions of the characters. They're great, they're accurate to the movie models, and they're sweet to pose as well as have in either mode. I honestly never thought we'd get this display from the Masterpiece line, but I had hopes when we got not just Bumblebee in 2017 but Optimus Prime in the same year!

And let's just go over this cool pic of the MPMs with the Studio Series versions of the same characters! I'm still happy to own the Studio Series versions of the characters, even if they have some things I don't like about them (the lack of paint for some, Ratchet feeling cheap, Prime's compromised truck mode), but to tell you the truth, the movie designs just feel so much more complete when they're given a bigger budget and reach of engineering; the part count, proportions, and the approach in making the accuracy come to life is stronger with the MPM line than with the regular Deluxe and Voyagers. Like I said, I still like the Studio Series guys, but the MPM versions are just so good to have, even in spite of some flaws they have. At the very least, they don't have any widespread breakage issues that plagued some G1 and Beast Wars Masterpieces, from the breakage on Dinobot's shoulders or the hips of BW Megatron to the numerous quality control issues that plague MP-05 Megatron, MP-44 Optimus Prime, and especially MP-09 Rodimus Prime.

And what do I think of the Autobots as a whole in this line? Each one is a great figure in their own right, even if some have some flaws that knock a few points off them. I guess we can rank them from weakest to strongest: Ironhide is ranked least due to his stability issues for the chest come arms as well as the panels that hold the cannon (tabbing issues are also present); from there, Ratchet is in fourth place due to his strong vehicle mode and robust transformation with some missing paint apps and his bulky backpack. In third place is Jazz, who is nicely pristine in silver and comes with some nice selling points like Sam and the ability to reenact his death scene. In second place is Optimus Prime, who despite not being as accurate as I'd hope, makes up for it with his robot mode, transformation, articulation, and truck mode (also the blades are perfect). In first place is Bumblebee, who is just the best version of the character and is all around perfect if you ask me. IDK if I'd want to get any other characters from the sequels in the line right away, because I've already delved into the Studio Series line for far too long, but at least completing the original team would be a treat. And as for Ratchet, he is a strong figure in his own right. I'm sure people will tell me that I should get the KO version because of the paint (and I know the same goes for the other MPMs), but as far as official versions of the character are concerned, this is the best one we've gotten. Easily beats any other version of Ratchet, which might not say much because he's mainly been reduced to a Deluxe, but it's still a worthy addition to any collection nonetheless.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Masterpiece Movie Jazz review

When I last took a look at the Studio Series version of Jazz, I thought it was the more definitive one despite it having a size that doesn't justify its price tag. Still a great toy, but it could use a little more of that Jazz spirit to it. That being said, when I saw the MPM version revealed, I went "HOLY CRAP I WANT IT", only to discover the fact that it was $88.99, and that I needed to catch up with Ironhide even if I got Optimus and Bumblebee. To make matters worse, a guy I met in college got two MPM Jazz copies but had to give one away...I was so close but hey eBay saved me and now I got the first lieutenant of Optimus Prime! Let's review him, shall we?

Here is Jazz in his vehicle mode, the same Pontiac Solstice he took the form of during the first movie. Generally speaking, this vehicle mode is spot-on to the movie model, from the silver paint to the trim in-between the tires and rim spokes, and the little details like the vents, mirrors, headlights, and front section. The Pontiac logo is also done up nicely while it is missing the little silver plus. It's got the look of a die-cast car much like all metallic Transformers do, except whereas Alternators have that sort of civilian look to them that makes them feel kind of generic, Jazz, while a simple silver, at least has that specific personality to him (or maybe Jazz's association with the car makes him iconic). 

While the car looks nicely done, I do find the panel lines to be a little distracting for the middle. Understandably, it's for the transformation, but it at least the rest of the vehicle looks accurate to the movie and the real car. I even like the red taillights used in the vehicle.

The weapon can be stored on the rear of the vehicle as well as pegging the spine piece on the bottom of the cannon. We'll get to what purpose the piece serves later on. I will say that I do hope that there won't be any paint chipping for the toy.

For a size comparison, here he is with Optimus Prime, Ironhide, and Bumblebee. He's the smallest of them all but doesn't feel too small like a Deluxe Class Transformer. It's a nicely done scale, even if he might look too much like a normal-sized car next to Optimus.

Transformation is very complex and does his robot mode the most amount of justice. With many different versions of the character, they tend not to quite capture the conversion steps or replicate certain aspects of the character right. His chest is supposed to rotate while he's not supposed to have the roof be the backpack. Jazz's robot mode is the most accurate of them all, from the way the limbs work to the overall appearance of the character. While some might argue that maybe his arms look a little wonky or that the bumper sort of ruins the flow of his chest, he at least has certain details that other Jazz figures don't have, from the proper proportions to the broken-up back section (which also includes the spoiler). Certainly the best at capturing his appearance wonderfully, especially when he's both lacking the size limitations and gimmicks that his Deluxe and Human Alliance counterparts had to contend with, respectively. What surprised me the most is that he has collar pieces much like Bumblebee does, only much more prominent here.

Head sculpt is nicely done to the movie (apart from the seam of the forehead), but this is one of the few Jazz toys to actually depict him with the eyes underneath his deployable visor. That is a nice feature...if only the light piping was stronger or if they had painted them to make them pop more. I also like that parts of the face are dark gray to contrast the silver of his head. His articulation is very well done, from the head that can turn left and right as well as look up and down to his shoulders, which can move front and back, in and out, hinge back and forth somewhat. He can swivel his biceps, bend at the elbows, and his hands are articulated at 2 points per finger, replicating his claw-like look. The waist can swivel but you have big increments due to a certain gimmick that comes to mind. His hips move front and back, in and out (with skid plates to hinge up and down for clearance), thigh swivels, knee bends, and slight pivots at the ankles (which aren't the best).

You can deploy his visor simply by lifting the cranium of his head and flipping it out (it's a little loose on my copy). He can also have his Crescent Cannon cover his hand, and while it is at an angle, it at least gives Jazz a bit more of a unique look to him that fits his character overall. But the thing that shocked me the most about this toy is the fact that it is the first-ever Jazz figure to intentionally have a death gimmick. As we all know, Megatron infamously told the plucky Autobot that he wanted two pieces of him instead of one, and he ripped the Autobot in half, ending his life in the process. You can press a button around his lower back to unlock the toy's waist, leaving his upper body separated from his legs. That is not only a surprising addition of a gimmick but it also doesn't compromise the toy overall! To complete the look, the spine piece can be added under the upper body so he can look more like he was a victim of Megatron's pain inflicted onto him briefly.

Jazz can he held by Megatron if you want to reenact the death scene (which makes sense given how he was the one who killed him), or Optimus can be able to hold him if you want to go for an "Awww, Jazz..." moment. It should be worth mentioning that Megatron is meant to hold the figure since his size allows him to do so, but since the fingers are made of a soft material, it does make the stability a little wonky unless you balance the parts on him just right. Optimus, despite having sturdy hands made of ABS, isn't able to hold Jazz as easily given the size of his hands.

Let's also get into the most surprising addition of the figure, that being a figuring of Sam Witwicky! He's in a running pose, has a stand for him, and is basically the inspiration for the minifigure that came with Studio Series ROTF Bumblebee. The differences are that the poses are mirrored, MPM Sam has the Allspark while Studio Series Sam does not, and their skin tones are different shades. Neither one has a detailed face, though.

For a comparison with the Human Alliance version, you can see just how much of a difference there is between the two versions of the character. While the Human Alliance version is always appreciated for it being the best version of the character for its time, things like the bronze plastic, the lanky proportions, and the inaccuracy to certain parts of the toy, did make him seem incorrect by comparison to the MPM version. And lest we forget, he looks like he has a bubble but compared to the MPM version.

For a size comparison in robot mode, Jazz is appropriately the shortest of the other Autobots we covered, yet he still fits in nicely with them nonetheless. Tell you the truth, he's one that surprised me quite a bit due to the end result of this toy being not just being the most accurate version of the character, but also by not being a nicely sturdy toy overall as well as avoiding the issues that other versions of him had. If you can still find Jazz for a good price, then you might want to get him while you still can. Sure, he might have some issues between the price and the figure itself, but if you are upset at paying $20 for a small Deluxe that could go for a little more of a budget, then you might be more content with this figure for having die-cast, the best engineering possible, and very few compromises towards him.

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