Transformers Reactivate Starscream & Bumblebee review

If Transformers Reactivate is going to take forever to pop up, we can at least remind ourselves of the existence of the two dual-packs featuring a Voyager and a Deluxe with better budget and engineering than the average offerings. Optimus Prime and Soundwave managed to be a great set, and it makes me curious about how Bumblebee and Starscream will turn out as well. The fact that the Seeker himself is now wearing blue eyes while the scout is depicted as the robot revived by the humans makes me wonder what Reactivate's story has to offer. Time will tell, so let's see how this set turns out!

Here we have both Starscream and Bumblebee in their vehicle modes. While Starscream is more or less similar to his usual self like with Optimus, Bumblebee is a radical departure from the altmodes he usually possesses. The former turns into a more modern fighter jet with some interesting color break-up that is noticeably asymmetrical in the wings at least, while the latter is an off-road buggy armored up for a post-apocalyptic battle against the Legion. Starscream's added black for the boosters, the left wing, and the front of the fuselage results in a rather Ramjet-like appearance in some areas. You could remove the blue and alter the color scheme to make this into a weird Bumblebee movie Blitzwing homage if you really want. As for why some parts of the figure are asymmetrical, it's due to the character design going through some immediate patchwork as the humans salvage whatever parts remain while resurrecting Starscream. A similar thing is present with Bumblebee, but it's not as noticeable in vehicle mode. I feel that both vehicle modes are as strong here as with the other set, though Starscream would probably stand out the most given his patchwork detailing. As we'll get to in a moment, it's not just painted details but there are a couple of sculpted parts that are fairly subtle if you look closely.

Here we have the newer figure next to the more familiar Earthrise Voyager (though this is the SS86 version). It's certainly not the same F-15 jet fighter that people are more than familiar with, but I don't think it has the same versatility that this new jet design has. At the very least, the bottom of the jet isn't anywhere near as blocky, though the arms are still noticeable underneath Reactivate Starscream. They both have their null rays attached underneath the wings, though they look more refined on the original Voyager.

And here we have Bumblebee next to his Netflix counterpart. Certainly, a huge contrast going from a bug to a buggy, though I doubt that a regular Volkswagen Beetle would do as well in a post-apocalyptic world as the newer version does. You could argue it is a loose homage to the Beetle's appearance, with the similar circular headlights, the black bumper, and the Autobot insignia on the front (though it has no color break-up like with numerous Armada toys back then). Also, the submachine guns can be attached to the front for some added firepower, no doubt something we'll see in gameplay if it does come out.

One detail I like about Bumblebee's vehicle mode has to be the back section's boosters, featuring some nice gunmetal gray paint apps as well as a small Autobot insignia whose solid color blocking makes more sense than on the front of the buggy.

Starscream's transformation is fairly reminiscent of previous Starscreams in the past: flip the wings up, hinge the arms into place, extend the legs, and put the null rays onto the forearms. The resulting robot mode is possibly reminiscent of his leaner Evergreen design instead of the usual blocky look from G1. Notably, I'm not super interested in how Hasbro tries so hard to make the Evergreen aesthetics a thing for almost every piece of media since 2017, but at least here, it could work as a more redeemed Starscream who is past his days after seeing the human race bring him back to life with scraps found from his fellow Seekers. Here, you can better see how the left shoulder, left hip, left thigh, and left forearm are noticeably colored black, with some of these parts having distinct tooling from the right side instead of being merely painted on. I don't know how this will affect any future repaints, but I like the extra mile to showcase how much care was put into the toy design, even if there are two flaws present in the toy: the back of the legs not really locking in place since they're easy to snap back into the jet mode tabs, and the ankles not being strong enough to withstand the back heavy wings.

His head sculpt is stylized differently from other Screamers in G1 history, but the thing that stands out to me the most would be the blue eyes, which might be a hint of the former backstabber's change of heart in the game? We'll see how things will go for the other Decepticons in Reactivate...if it comes out, that is. Starscream's articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, hinged elbows, slight wrist curling due to transformation, a waist swivel, universal joints for the hips, thigh rotation, knee hinges, and ankles that hinge as well as pivot.

Here he is next to his usual self, now donning the Coronation gear from the 86 movie. I wouldn't want to get into too many philosophical themes because trying too hard is a common thing for people on Twitter or Tumblr, but I can easily say that the Reactivate version is not only taller than the Earthrise mold, but he is also skinnier by comparison. Keep in mind that the Earthrise Seeker mold is of average height for a Voyager, so seeing the newer figure has a higher part count and more involved engineering makes for an impressive feat. Then again, he isn't borrowing the transformation scheme of a then-nearly 15-year-old Deluxe.

As for Bumblebee, his transformation is a little more like how his movie counterpart works. The front section becomes the chest, the doors go on the back as wings, the legs are made up from the back of the altmode, and the roof becomes a backpack. It is a rather annoying transformation given how certain parts have to be done in a specific order, and I really hate how the headlights and windshield need to scrape through the opening of the roof during transformation, where the paint could easily scratch off like on one of Starscream's wings. The resulting robot mode is my favorite design out of the Reactivate characters so far since it isn't yet another G1/Evergreen rehash all over again. It kind of reminds me of how Bee looked in Rise of the Beasts with the offroad extremities and similar robot design traits. I love how the shoulders look like they're made from the front of the altmode, as well as how the wheels tab into each other within the back of the feet. Honestly, this feels like an Earth-mode version of what WFC Bumblebee would have turned into if you consider how that design feels more futuristic and combat-ready. I also like how the weapon storage has the guns within the back of his forearms, almost makes me want to animate them flipping into his hands.

His head sculpt is also a more futuristic version of that usual G1 Bumblebee look, having less of a friendly expression to go with his more angular and badass flare present within this toy. Sadly, the articulation is where the figure falls flat in some areas. The head is on a ball joint like before, and the shoulders are on similar universal joints like with Starscream; the elbows, however, are on ball joints, and there is no articulation for the hand whatsoever, intentionally or not. There is also no waist swivel while the hips are on ball joints that nearly reach 90 degrees due to the waist, but the thighs and knees work fine. The ankles are ball-jointed, meaning they don't pivot as much as on other toys. The figure still looks awesome, especially compared to other G1 Bumblebees, but the range on some of his joints is disappointing since Soundwave turned out fine.

Here he is next to his more traditional counterpart. and I honestly like how much taller he turned out compared to the Netflix toy. Sure, that one was small because it was cartoon-accurate, but I like seeing a Deluxe that is as tall as the ones we used to have in the pre-2012 Generations and ROTF/HFTD days. Honestly, if you put this Bumblebee in those lines, I feel he would fit right in. Netflix Bee, while still neat, looks more like a Scout Class guy by comparison.

Overall, this set is a bit weaker than the first, especially given Starscream's slight stability issues as well as Bumblebee's somewhat limited leg articulation combined with the somewhat frustrating backpack transformation. Even with those issues, getting this set is never a bad idea if you're someone who wants to get more unique iterations of these two in your collection. For all we know, Hasbro will always make their next CHUG Bee and Screamer slightly more Sunbow-accurate than the last one to encourage fans to quadruple dip; having a set like this, even if the game they're from will likely be canceled, is always a treat for how radical and different they are from the Generations line's current offerings.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Reactivate Optimus Prime & Soundwave review

The video game side of the Transformers brand has been quite the drought overall. While there is no shortage of forgettable mobile phone apps, the actual console stuff has felt quite small since 2015; Devastation was a blast, but smaller games such as Battlegrounds based on Cyberverse and that Earthspark game written by Simon Furman do exist, but I doubt people would want to seek after those titles compared to the Triple-A quality the franchise used to have. Reactivate was going to finally break that curse, but the lack of news even according to Hasbro should come off as a major concern. So why don't we take a look at two tie-in figures in one set? So put your hands together for the Evergreen-looking ass Soundwave and an Optimus Prime that feels weirdly reminiscent of the older CHUG days.

Here we have both figures in their vehicle modes. As you can tell, they have Reactivate's post-apocalyptic aesthetics given how the game revolves around the invasion and war of the Legion. Optimus now has additional gray pieces added onto the front to represent that bit of urgent patchwork, including a spikier bumper than usual. There is even a more raised roof segment in addition to a third headlight to go with the remaining sets of two on top. The gray pieces are accurate to the game model, but I wish they weren't left in bare gray plastic. Soundwave, on the other hand, turns into an armored SUV with off-road capabilities. While a similar altmode has been present for the character in the Evergreen aesthetic, Soundwave now feels more unique with the windshield guard, the bigger tires, and the front section also including a guard, which is fitting given how so much of Earth now went to waste after the Legion's attack. I really like how they made these designs more interesting than they usually are. Optimus feels like a reverse homage to Rise of the Beasts, while Soundwave has a more unique altmode I'd like to see more often.

In terms of comparisons, Optimus here feels like an amalgamation of Earthrise Prime and Classics for some odd reason or two. Hear me out: this Prime on the middle feels reminiscent of an earlier design that the character had in the IDW comics, basically, the one that inspired the Thrilling 30 Legends figure. While it isn't exactly 1:1 with that, this toy feels like it has 50% of the Classics spirit and 50% of the more traditional flat-nose look G1 Prime is known for. If you made this non-post-apocalyptic, it could almost be the 30th-anniversary CHUG Optimus Prime I always wanted. More details for that when we get to the robot mode.

As for Soundwave's alt-mode comparison, here he is next to the Cyberverse Deluxe. More of a night-and-day difference due to the overall aesthetics but the main point is that the Cyberverse figure isn't good at making a convincing altmode thanks to its proportions. I believe the Authentics figure does a decent job at its altmode, but this figure makes for the best iteration of the character we could ever get in this Evergreen look. Not like there's any competition, really.

Transforming Optimus Prime is not unlike any other Optimus Prime transformation we've seen before, with the front becoming the chest and arms while the back becomes the legs. However, parts of the truck's side segments go onto the back along with the wind vane while the legs don't utilize the waist swivel this time around. It's neat seeing how HasTak can do something in the latter step since G1 Prime doesn't really transform with a waist swivel. As for the robot mode, it looks fairly reminiscent of Optimus's look in the IDW comics from 2009 to 2011, having more of a modernized look before it was replaced during the Dark Cybertron arc. Between the broader shoulders, the wider chest windows, and the more segmented grille stomach, this feels more like one of the few ways someone could have done a CHUG-style Prime before we got the gimmicks of the Prime Wars and de facto G1 in the WFC Trilogy. I'm sure some will say that there is an Evergreen aesthetic, specifically the way he looks in Cyberverse, and while I could sort of see that, it's one of those cases where it's going for its own thing overall. I appreciate it that way, though I still wish that the biceps were red as well as the hands and backs of the lower legs being blue. One detail I do like is that the backpack appears to have thrusters for possible flight capabilities. Overall, a strong reimagining of the G1 Prime design.

Head sculpt is reminiscent of how stylized the classic head sculpt would get depending on whichever comic artist drew him, especially with the big mouth plate and tiny eyes, on top of the more flared out antennae. Is it weird if it feels like a Legacyfied version of OG Trilogy Movie Prime? Anyways, the articulation on this figure consists of a ball-jointed neck, rotation at the shoulders, outward shoulder hinges, bicep rotation, elbow hinges, wrist rotation, waist rotation, hip movement front and back as well as in and out on universal joints, thigh rotation, 90 degree knee bend, and ankle pivots due to transformation. His two weapons are the Energon axe with gunmetal gray paint apps and a mostly good Ion Blaster. The former's aforementioned paint apps make it more brutal than the original solid orange version, though the latter has a design flaw where its post is too short for the hand to hold properly.

He comes with a Matrix of Leadership, as a lot of G1-styled Primes do. Its core is gray like the windows are, perhaps a reminder that things are quite grim for the Transformers race in Reactivate? It's colored similarly to the Netflix version from 4 years ago.

And here he is sandwiched in-between the two more common CHUG-style Prime figures fans are more than familiar with. And this is where I feel that Reactivate Prime feels like the CHUG Optimus I always wanted in the early 2010s. While I'm happy to have something more G1-accurate like Earthrise Prime and something pretty chunky yet fun like Classics Prime, the new Voyager in the middle feels like an amalgamation of the two, with more deviated aesthetic choices added onto the vintage template. To my surrprise, Reactivate Prime is taller than both Voyagers, a beneffit from an added budget and quality step-up missing in the Gamer Editions. As expected, Optimus Prime is a great toy for fans to get, even if it's in a 2-pack based on a yet-to-be-made game.

As for Soundwave's transformation into robot mode, I like how compact it manages to fairly be for the legs, having the wheels embedded within them while the rest of the altmode is stuffed into the back. It's not quite shellformer town, but I wish there was more mass to distribute throughout the limbs in order to bulk them up, especially in the legs. The backpack is thankfully better than how it is in the Cyberverse Deluxe, and the rest of the robot mode looks cool from the front at least. I love the paint apps the figure received, something that the average Deluxe Class figure wouldn't get in the mainline. The arms, lower legs, waist, and the torso are painted throughly in red, black, and silver, with the torso having a gold trim on what was once the tape deck door. The sculpted details also go well with the post-apocalyptic look, even if the skinnier limbs make him look more like a younger Soundwave given his height and altmode of choice. And yes, he still has his shoulder cannon on the right side.

His head sculpt is meaner and smaller than the G1 version, though it is interesting that the visor is red on the toy versus the yellow on the box art. It's like the WFC game vs the 2010 Deluxe Soundwave as well as Siege's yellow visor vs Netflix's red visor. His atticulation is similar to Optimus's for everything except for the shoulders, which are now on ball joints. The hips are surprisingly able to kick forward likely due to where the joint is placed, especially given how they sculpted the waist piece on. His gun is the same as it has been since 1984.

Here he is with his fellow Evergreen-design user in the Cyberverse line. Once again, it's not 1:1 given the different aesthetics, but they are both themed after the Evergreen design. Reactivate Soundwave at least manages to look more original given the heavy-duty sculptwork as well as the post-apocalyptic look of his altmode. Cyberverse Soundwave wasn't that great of a toy, but to his defense, he comes with a Laserbeak that the new guy is missing.

Overall, this set is a solid one for fans who are either interested in cooler reimaginings of the G1 designs or are still clinging onto hope for the Reactivate game to come out. For me, Optimus Prime feels like a weird gap filler in my younger days of being a TF fan where he was a newer CHUG Voyager that Thrilling 30 should have had. As for Soundwave, he makes me realize that making Evergreen aesthetics isn't a bad thing if you make them less corporate-artstyle-approved and more badass and original. If you believe that Optimus is the better toy out of the two like many believe, then I recommend that you wait for a sale to pop up for the set in some capacity.

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

Transformers Legacy United Magmatron review

How often do we see the Commander Class figures tap into a unique character choice that isn't G1-related? For the first four years of the size class's existence (from Siege all the way to Legacy Year 1), we stuck with G1 characters, with the more noteworthy things being how one is a tall robot, the other is a robot beast. We have two Voyagers with extra benefits (paint apps and a big trailer for Rodimus Prime, the ability to combine for Motormaster). It took until 2023's Armada Prime to actually diversify what universes are represented, and even still, the fact that the Studio Series 86 line has Ultra Magnus proves how afraid Hasbro is with not representing G1 up the ass. So while said subline makes another Optimus Prime for the most overrated TF movie ever according to listings, let's warmly welcome the Beast Wars Neo line's Magmatron!

Here we have Magmatron in his three separate dinosaur modes. From left to right, we have Landsaurus (a Giganotosaurus), Seasaurus (an Elasmosaurus), and Skysaurus (a Quetzalcoatlus). All of them are wonderfully accurate to both the original source material while maintaining a sense of realism to the beast modes they're based off of, much like with the Beast Wars gang from the Kingdom line along with the few other additions from the Legacy trilogy. Landsaurus is now a lot more proportionately accurate to the dinosaur it is based on in addition to lacking the robot mode kibble previously visible underneath the dinosaur arms. As for Seasaurus, its neck is much thicker and probably more proportionate to the real-world equivalent, though the hollow gaps are more visible here compared to the original's ball-jointed neck. Skysaurus appears to be the least changed, though it feels a lot more organic and refined than the original version, on top of not having any visible screws.

Landsaurus's articulation consists of the head looking left or right, limited jaw movement, ball-jointed dinosaur arms, and hips that have less range due to them being hunched than they will later be in robot mode. The jaw not opening as wide harkens back to how poor the range was on Energon Grimlock. Skysaurus's articulation consists of an articulated beak, a neck hinge, and wings that can flap up and down as well as fold and unfold depending on the pose it is in. The little claws are on ball joints, the legs can move front and back as well as in and out, the knees bend, and the feet can hinge at two points.

Meanwhile, Seasaurus's articulation provides it movement for the jaw and neck, which now utilizes swivels and hinges on the ball-like joints. It isn't as naturalistic as the joints on the original, but it is at least on a thicker neck as mentioned earlier. Instead of a gimmick where the fins flap, they now articulate individually on hinges or ball joints. 

Only two of the three beasts have comparisons we could actually cover, with Landsaurus standing next to Megatron. Both do a good job at replicating the proper proportions of their respective beast modes, though some parts of their dino skin vary on how well they flow given the transformation. So while Landsaurus's knees look worse than Megatron's, the neck area isn't panel-heavy.

And here we have Skysaurus next to Terrorsaur. Given how the latter is a heavy retool of Airazor and the former only functions as the head of Magmatron, Skysaurus arguably has a better representation of the beast mode that it is based on.  

You can combine the three beasts into the Magmasaurus, an almost tri-fuzor alternate mode where Landsaurus remains mostly unchanged apart from opening his rear up, Seasaurus becomes the back section with hind legs and the neck serving as the tail, and Skysaurus becomes the wings. It doesn't contribute the most to the combination but it at least adds a sense of completion to this alt mode. I believe this was seen more often than the individual beast modes, especially given how marketable it might have been to highlight these as much as the fusion mode. Given how most toys in Japan tend to re-arrange certain positions of a toy to find anything that could be remotely marketable, it comes as no secret that this is an example of it, though part of me feels that was intentional given the dedicated tabs on the original that are similarly carried over. Plus, it beats a lot of other BW Neo toys anyhow soooo...

Combining them into Magmatron is where the figure truly shines. Not only is it pretty asymmetrical with where the Landsaurus head goes (similar situation with Seasaurus's head on the left shoulder), but I love how the faux details on the torso feel somehow like they are a proper part of the other two beasts (though the red feet on the abs seem unusual given how Skysaurus's feet work); it also helps make Seasaurus feel more prominent in terms of coloring along with the arms. Skysaurus's wings also make for a unique headpiece given how they're part of Magmatron's noggin, and they look so much better here than on the old toy. As a whole, Magmatron is overall refined in comparison to the original Ultra Class figure. While the hip kibble does get in the way of the arms going all the way down, this feels proportionate to the character model despite being made up of 3 radically different prehistoric creatures. It is messy from the back, though not quite as much as on the original. You could say the Seasaurus neck on the left shoulder is like when models wear the skin of dead animals or something. You'll see how the old toy will look down below.

His head sculpt is perfect, as it almost feels like it could fit a Power Rangers Megazord or even a villain given the green face. They even picked out the fangs on the cheek guards like they did with his grimacing teeth! His articulation consists of barely any movement for the neck, arms that ratchet front and back as well as in and out, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation, articulated fingers (including a thumb), slight waist rotation, hips that move front and back as well as in and out, thigh rotation, ratcheted knees, and ankles that can pivot decently well. His main weapon, the Magmablade, can attach to the hilt and is admittedly more impressive than the original in length, but it is made out of a very flexible material. 

The hilt can double as a gun for him to wield, with effect parts included to go with them. He can also use pieces of the wings to serve as twin daggers for quicker combat than the Magmablade normally allows.

And of course, you can provide him with the rest of Seasaurus to serve as a shield, which might hurt the poor beast mode, though it is roaring here for now.

The figure has three Predacon spark crystals located within the hilt from Landsaurus, the left shoulder from Seasaurus, and the left wing on Skysaurus. These could shine a little better than they currently do, but at least it is appreciative that they're added in the figure given how G1 characters don't get rubsign homages that often apart from Gen Selects Galvatron!

Here is the original toy for reference regarding how clunky it was. Obviously not a terrible toy, and I love the gimmicks it used to have, but it did have that archaic look to its appearance where it ends up feeling somewhat gangly at the arms and not quite as dynamic. The beast mode proportions were especially improved upon for the new toy, and it makes me wonder if Hasbro will do the same for other BWII/Neo characters. 

For a size comparison, here he is next to Megatron from the Kingdom line. It is said that Magmatron is a fairly short Commander Class figure if put next to Armada Optimus, but the scale does work fairly well here, especially if Hasbro plans to make Big Convoy in a size comparable to Megatron given how huge his beast mode is compared to Optimus Primal and Lio Convoy. As it stands, Magmatron is yet another great addition to the Commander Class line-up. I love how much dino thunder his design carries, especially in fiction where he'd charge at his enemies with quite the fury he has. HasTak took a design that looked impractical at first glance and made it larger, more proportionate, and an impressive Transformer overall. I doubt he'd need a Masterpiece figure at this rate given how the new direction of the MP line is changing, even if you own the original, you can't miss out on this guy. 

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐