Transformers Legacy United Tidal Wave review

Tidal Wave is often seen as one of Armada's biggest highlights, literally since he is a giant force to be reckoned with. While his size varies in the cartoon, the 2004 video game depicts him as a Titan comparable to Metroplex in Fall of Cybertron. As for Energon, he was reduced in size likely either for budget reasons for the already cheap ass CG animators of the show, or to reduce his dependence on Energon consumption, or both; in addition to his underrated lightning green deco, he would be present as one of the few Armada designs to stick around until he was greatly wounded and became Mirage, a Decepticon who was gay for Galvatron and had a way less cool design. I think the intent of having Tidal Wave and Mirage be separate characters should have went through, same for Snow Cat and Cyclonus and dump truck Demolishor being named Long Haul. Anyways, the Legacy United line gives us another Unicron Trilogy giant, so let's see how Armada Tidal Wave stacks up!

Here we have the Dark Fleet individually. They aren't given names while as separate vehicles, but the section that will become the torso is a Cybertronic double-bowed ship, what will become the legs is a troop carrier, and what will become the arms is obviously an aircraft carrier. The double-bowed ship is given a large amount of sculpted details to give it that layered look commonly seen in Unicron Trilogy toys. Between the panel-lines throughout the bows and the many cannons and turrets that are able to move independently on top of being removable (so don't forget to check the box before throwing it away), this feels like a grim enemy ship that you would want to avoid at all costs. I like seeing the deco represent the cartoon this time around, as the green, while not awful, was an unusual choice for Hasbro to go with because of them thinking there is too much purple for the Decepticons. As for the troop carrier, it's respectfully hefty thanks to the lower thighs being tucked inside with heavy-duty ratchet joints. This does mean there are no fold-out seats from within the compartments of said spaces, though. I do like the slight asymmetry with one side having a cockpit of sorts for anyone who'd pilot this vehicle compared to the other side not having the windows sculpted nor painted. One genuine complaint with this mode is the lack of stability, as it uses two clips that are a little too deep inside the halves of the ship, resulting in the ship frequently splitting in half. If there were a few 5mm ports or an extra clip, I think it'd work better than it currently does. Finally, the aircraft carrier is appropriately painted with lavender runway lines for any tiny jets you could have lying around, such as the Core Class Seekers we got since Kingdom. That being said, this is yet another instance of a Unicron Trilogy figure not coming with their Minicon partner, so Ramjet got shafted much like Swindle, Leader-1, and Sparkplug did. Jolt was lucky even if he was included with a repaint of Hot Shot. There is no elevating shaft for Ramjet, but we do have a tower for the aircraft carrier.

The three vehicles themselves look awesome as they are, but I like seeing them combined into a massive ship. It's almost similar to how it was originally done with the old toy, though you don't utilize the shoulder joints from the aircraft carrier, nor do you use the waist piece from the troop carrier given how it works differently this time around for the leg transformation. Still, the result is an undeniably impressive warship unlike any other. I bet it could lay damage on the Ark AND Nemesis in a single fight. Sometimes, you look at a few combined vehicle modes in past TF toys and wonder if it's thought out well. Like you have something that's underwhelming like the combined form of G1 Darkwing and Dreadwind as Dreadwing, while Beast Wars Neo had Magmatron's Magmasaur mode featuring the Land, Sky, and Seasaurs as a cool clusterfuck of a dino mode. Tidal Wave falls into the latter category (the lattegory), only being more refined given how this is all mechanical and not organic.

Tidal Wave's transformation no longer has him being able to go from said single vehicle mode into giant robot mode, but it's still just like how the old toy allowed you to combine the three vehicles into a single robot. Not much else is different beyond the leg transformation, and while that might be seen as somewhat unfaithful to the source material, it is a comparable difference I'd accept like with Armada Prime's base mode not being the same as in the show to make his super mode better. Tidal Wave's resulting robot mode has his boss theme playing in my head, showcasing just how massive he is like with all Titan Class figures, and the cartoon/Takara toy colors make him extra imposing this time around. Though his has his own proportional quirks like the forearms being shorter than the biceps/shoulders, he still looks like a badass design all around. He's unique from the typically blocky affairs of Metroplex or Fortress Maximus, especially when it comes to the alt mode choice(s) he has going for him. The shoulders are proportioned a little differently, but it's nothing to get upset about. And yes, that is a mini version of Tidal Wave that we'll talk about in a moment.

His head sculpt looks better than ever, feeling a whole lot more refined this time around than it previously was. I love the silver paint, the shadowy effect around the eyes to make them look like the Japanese robot trope, and the all-lavender traffic light mohawk on him compliments his silver pirate beard that'll make Thundertron go "shiver me timbers". His articulation gives him a neck swivel, a hinge for looking up, ratchets at the shoulders moving front and back as well as in and out, slight butterfly joints moving back, rotation above the elbows, ratcheted elbows, articulated fingers and thumbs, a waist rotation inhibited because of his skirt piece (which I feel could have been engineered better), ratchets at the legs moving front and back as well as in and out, ratchets for the thighs, knees, and ankles; this guy will feel quite stable thanks to how tough these joints feel, even if they might be a little annoying for the hips to move down during transformation.

That being said, we do have a bit of an unnecessary mode to cover. This is the base mode, where you take out miniature parts of what look like the Dark Fleet, rearrange the body to look like Fort Max's ship mode, and slap on the mini dark fleet pieces here and there after removing the larger cannons. Yeah, this isn't too hot-looking. I guess it's something they tried adding to make up for his lack of an ability to transform from robot mode into combined vehicle mode without separating his units, but it's about as effective as any base mode from a non-cityformer. Not the worst idea HasTak came up with, but nothing mindblowing.

Now for a little surprise for the uninitiated. Since Tidal Wave is far too big to combine with Megatron, allow me to showcase the Minifleet, showcasing miniature versions of the same vehicles we saw earlier. The troop carrier looks a little goofy with the larger wings and what will be Megatron's stabilizers, but it gets the job done for vehicle mode accuracy. Interestingly, the feet are shown to be articulated but there is no possible robot mode to be made.

The other two vehicle modes are the double-bowed battleship and the aircraft carrier. The former has the bows looking longer than they normally are, but two cannons are articulated. The latter, meanwhile, reminds me a bit of Micromaster Flattop, known best for being reviewed by Thew Adams.

They may not combine into Miniwave, nor can they become a combined ship, but Megatron is still prepped for a year-long wait of a combination. 

Combining these parts onto Megatron is surprisingly not too difficult, and they at least stabilize the shoulder treads that flopped around originally. The panels that covered the gaps within said treads could use stronger tabs given the added weight of the arm attachments now being placed above them. It's not accurate, but Hasbro didn't add ratchets to Megatron's arms. The resulting Burning Megatron mode looks about as unwieldily badass as it did on the original toy, especially given how it's Megatron himself wearing THREE battleships! How awesome is that?! While Prime can combine with Jetfire and/or Overload in Armada, Megatron has him beat by getting his partner first!

His articulation is not hindered greatly, though the strength of the ratchet joints depends on the arm joints being tight enough to withhold it. The legs seem fine enough as they are, though, especially with the platform shoes to help keep him stable while having that added weight.

For some size comparisons, here we have Tidal Wave next to Cybertron Metroplex. And Megatron wearing Tidal Wave's mini bits next to Supermode Prime. While the latter comparison is fine enough, I am surprised at how tall Metroplex looks next to Tidal Wave, and that's jot even going down the price hike that Titans got. At least the WFC ones had proper playset value and transforming partners, while the Legacy ones don't, and even if a mini fleet is more valuable than tiny jets, he should have come with blast effect parts and/or Ramjet to make up for his height.

Before we close off, though, we need to talk about something that will need to be checked on. My copy has either discolored parts or a weird form of yellowing out of the box, a common issue Transformers toys got since the 2020s. And while I do recommend Tidal Wave, on top of this likely being a one-off QC issue, it doesn't excuse things given the price tag.

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

Marvel Legends X-Men '97 Cyclops and Nightcrawler review

X-Men '97 turned out to be a huge ass success, even with the whole odd animation quirks and the way people got mad at Morph being non-binary (which apparently didn't even get acknowledged in the show). I still haven't seen it, but I might once I get someone to use their account for me. That being said, two more characters from the Marvel Legends line join the collection, so let's see if the non-cel-shaded Cyclops and Hasbro's second stab at Nightcrawler are worth getting!

Let's cover Cyclops first given he was someone I previously reviewed in an older buck. This version of the character uses the Vulcan base body, only now utilizing some new harness parts molded or glued onto the body so as to make it fit seamlessly. We also see the same applied for the straps on the thighs, gloves, and boots. While the figure's lacking any proper paint work to make the appearance less toyish, I do appreciate the crisp paintwork applied onto the X logos on the harness and belt. The Vulcan body is seen to some as a bit unfulfilling for Cyclops, mostly due to the shoulder size and possibly the torso width, but it fits Cyclops decently well compared to someone like Captain America.

His head sculpt is done well for the most part, especially with the fleshtones being molded separately from the rest of the headgear as well as the hair; speaking of, I wish the hair was a darker shade or was dry-brushed to make it look less plasticky. At least the red trim on the visor and the coloring on the lips look good. He has the standard articulation found on numerous Marvel Legends figures, including the commonly-done ab-crunch/waist swivel combo Hasbro tends to stick with a little too much. To their credit, the harness sculptwork isn't disrupted by the ab crunch. His alternate head allows fans to pose him doing an optic blast. Oh and he can have swappable fists.

As for how the accessories in question work, this head has his teeth gritted as he performs said optic blast, though the effect part comes removed from the visor for packaging reasons. I wish it had the option to depict him with a normal visor that you can remove, or at least similar to what the Astonishing version had with a smoky look to the visor.

Here is how he looks next to his Bucky Cap counterpart and the VHS version via a stock photo. I think this version looks the best in terms of physique, not having the crap shading, and having the uniform gear not fit on him loosely. Always appreciate it when Hasbro goes a step further with their tooling than they normally do with Legends, though it shouldn't be a thing done sparingly. I wish his hair was either darker or had shading to it.

Up next, we have Nightcrawler. This character is new to my collection, though his previous Hasbro release was way back in 2019's Wendigo wave. This version is slightly bigger and muscular than the one from that wave, which might be a common factor for Legends of late (at least for the former). The overall proportions fit Nightcrawler well, especially given how lean and athletic the character is known to be. I love the hands and feet befitting his mutant traits, with there only being two fingers and toes per hand while the thumbs remain and the heels are longer from the back. He also has his iconic tail, equally as specific to his character as the outfit he wears. That V-shape chest piece tapering down the torso goes well with the black spandex as well as the white gloves and boots.

His head sculpt is marvelous, between the shading for the hair and the much darker blue on the face to help add to facial detailing comparable to tattoos. The ears and hairdo are undoubtedly Nightcrawler, and his amusing butt chin is thankfully not the same as the ToyBiz version. With his slight smirk swapped with a neutral glare, he can be posed in almost animalistic poses that are further helped thanks to his tail articulation. He has fists but I wish he had a sword like the Wendigo BAF version.

And here he is with a few other X-Men most fans would normally get. The scale seems to be about right for the cast, but did you know Jean Grey isn't from the new wave? I might get her at some point, but it all boils down to when the time is right and if I see her at a cheap price. Same goes for Storm and Bishop since I didn't get those two yet I kind of want to. As for Cyclops and Nightcrawler, both are serviceable in their own ways and ultimately could use an extra accessory or two for each. Maybe an alternate visor piece for Cyclops's gritted teeth head and a sword for Nightcrawler. Still beats the stupid ass aftermarket prices the VHS Cyclops and Wendigo BAF Nightcrawler went for. The $24.99 price tags are still annoying for the carded releases.

Final ranking (for both): ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers G1 Perceptor review

Perceptor is another example of Hasbro going crazy over a new toy that they could use for their Transformers line back in the 80s, where it was a Micro Change item that was repurposed like Megatron, Soundwave, and Blaster. Perceptor's choice of an alternate mode made sense in the cartoon, given how every 80s show needed a scientist who would progress the plot in favor of the heroes or against it if things went wrong. There were some instances where the Autobot microscope got involved, though, most notably in Microbots or The Face of the Nijika. I previously looked at his alright SS86 figure so let's see how the original fares. 

Here we have Perceptor in his alternate mode, the signature microscope that made him stand out amongst the usual cars and jets of the Transformers line. It's quite an interesting alternate mode to choose if you ask me, especially considering how unlike anything else we have gotten in the franchise. While not particularly used for offense, it is at least meant to showcase the variety of alt modes a Transformer can have. The chrome dials especially add to the look, making it feel like a proper microscope in a way. Two of them simply rotate in their 5mm posts but one can extend or retract the silver front bit of the scope. On his left thigh is a rubsign that denotes he is an Autobot.

Here he is next to his SS86 counterpart. I think the original works better as a microscope than the more modern toy since that one definitely prioritized being made to look like the cartoon model moreso than the old toy. Obviously, because the old toy was made before the cartoon and other media. The way the scope is connected to both arms shows this, too.

As for the tank mode, you simply hinge the scope all the way down and bring the legs around so they can form tank treads of sorts. You also have wheels to pull out from within the legs so they can add a bit of justification to Japan's trend of making random configurations and calling them modes. This does add a bit of combat versatility to Perceptor, not to mention that it was something that the Micromen could pilot like with the weaponry associated with G1 Megatron. In essence, this is less of a proper tank and more of a mode Perceptor came up with on the spot.

Here it is next to the SS86 version once again. I wasn't a big fan of how the tank turned out for the newer toy, but the original has it work a little better. Is it because it actually has wheels, or is it due to it not prioritizing cartoon-accuracy? Who knows.

Transformation into the robot mode is quite simple: you straighten the legs, have the side on the thighs with the stickers facing forward, pull out the arms, bring them down while extending the fists, hinge the scope into a shoulder cannon, and bring the head out via a gear in the back. The resulting robot mode isn't really anything to write home about, given how Perceptor is quite a blocky and chunky toy with a wheel in-between his ass plates, but I do like the colors of red and teal...or is it turquoise? Definitely not a traditional blue. The chrome accents are what make this toy pop on a shelf like with many G1 Transformers, such as on the chestplate and dials we saw earlier. Being an older G1 toy, I am happy to say he is holding up quite well in terms of overall condition. I also have to say that the cannon could be placed on the left shoulder, though it won't stay as flush.

His head sculpt is more like your traditional Japanese robo flare, something the mouthplate and yellow eyes aren't design traits associated with Perceptor. The left eye looks like it isn't painted properly, so he looks like he's got an eyebrow lowered somewhat. His articulation only consists of shoulders that can "ratchet" in spots between 90 degrees (which is annoying since it's I'd like to have them stop at 45 degrees sometimes), the elbows bend at 90 degrees, the legs move outwards, the thighs have rotation below the hips and above the knees, and the knees bend 90 degrees. He comes with his missile launcher and gun, the former not being able to launch either because it was glued in by a previous user or Hasbro didn't think twice that maybe launchable missiles for G1 reissues would be okay.

The original Perceptor toy had a few uses, with the original in its purest form found in a Universe 2008 reissue exclusive to Toys R Us (probably meant to be for the Commemorative Series) while another was included in a 2-pack with Blaster for the Autobot Intel Ops set; while Blaster came with Ramhorn, Eject, and Steeljaw (no Rewind for some reason even though he was a prominent character for the IDW comics), Perceptor came with little microscope slides and a slide holder meant for added playability that I don't think the Micro Change version ever came with.

After that, we have the duality of reuses for this mold. On the left is Magnificus, a Decepticon redeco that came with Ga'made to showcase a bit of Microman play features, and the Transformers Retro version of Perceptor, which only made a de-chromed and more cartoon-accurate deco for the character. Which is cool but is honestly boring.

For a robot mode size comparison, here he is next to his SS86 counterpart, just barely the same height as the old toy we have here. I'm surprised at how washed out the newer figure looks compared to the old toy, especially given how it looks more like a retraux or bathroom color scheme vibe to it compared to the old toy's richer colors. Maybe the rumored SS86 Voyager Perceptor that'll come with Ramhorn and Rewind will give him richer colors. I'd love to see it come with chrome like the Reveal the Shield figure did. I mean, if Hasbro can do it before, who's to say they can't do it again to justify their usual trope of making slightly nicer redecos of older toys? Anyways, G1 Perceptor is neat other than the annoying indents of the shoulder joints and the missile launcher not working.

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