Japanese toymaker Tomy Co, better known as TakaraTomy, is on an expansion move in China, as it aims to boost sales in the country to…

from http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/toymaker-tomy-expanding-in-china

TOKYO —

Japanese toymaker Tomy Co, better known as TakaraTomy, is on an expansion move in China, as it aims to boost sales in the country to about 10 billion yen from 300 million yen over the next three years.

The company specifically is revamping its sales channels in China that, until now, have consisted mostly of Japanese-run supermarkets and department stores and is increasing the number of sales agents to cover local toy stores and supermarket chains.

In three years, Tomy aims to increase the number of outlets handling its goods to about 1,000 from the current 300.

Also from the beginning of next year, Tomy is scheduled to start selling goods related to the television animation series “Romance of the Three Kingdoms,” which was created jointly by the company and the state-run China Central Television and went on air from this month.

Tomy sees China as a very attractive market, a company official said, indicating that the country is growing in importance as a consumer market rather than a manufacturing center due to its recent strong economic growth.

To boost sales there, Tomy is poised to make active use of local stores so that Chinese consumers will be able to purchase goods more cheaply. A survey of some 1,200 residents in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities by the company this summer found that many people want to buy toys as cheaply as possible even if they have abundant income.

As for its products, the company intends to beef up sales of the mainstay “Tomica” miniature cars and “Licca-chan” dolls and double the number of standard items available in China to some 700, company officials said.

"While I function, Earth is under my protection."

Video review included!

Optimus was a young and optimistic recruit in the Autobot Academy, wanting to face off against real Decepticons in a battle as part of the Elite Guard. Unfortunately, he missed the war by a few million years, and eventually failed to pass the Academy. His ambitions and dreams crushed, Optimus was instead assigned command of a small maintenance crew for the tedious and boring duty of repairing and cleaning-up the Space Bridge network. But when the Autobot crew accidentally comes across the very powerful, life-giving All Spark which was lost at the end of the war, they are suddenly ambushed by the greatly-feared leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, and his own broken army of experienced soldiers in their search for the legendary artifact. The Autobots get away from the Decepticon warship, and Megatron is destroyed in a fluke explosion, but damage causes their ship to crash on an unknown planet. Optimus Prime and his crew go into emergency stasis lock for 50 years, and reactivate in the future underneath Lake Erie near Detroit, Michigan. The Autobots reformat their alternative forms to match those of Earth vehicles so as to blend in. As they begin to explore Detroit, they come across a human girl named Sari Sumdac, whose father owns the largest robot manufacturer on the planet. When she sneaks aboard their ship to see more of the transforming alien robots, Sari encounters the All Spark, and it rebuilds her electronic key card to carry many of its own powers. With Sari’s help in understanding Earth’s unusual cultures and customs, Ratchet, Prowl, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Optimus Prime swear to protect the All Spark from rogue Decepticons until Elite Guard reinforcements arrive.

After a surprising engagement with the leader of the Decepticons thousands of stellar cycles after the end of the Great War, the crash landing of his small Space Bridge maintenance ship on an unknown planet, and the startling discovery the legendary & powerful All Spark, Optimus Prime is finally living out a dream that had been quashed hundreds of years ago- the chance to be a hero. But now, a lot of responsibility has been placed on the shoulders of this young Elite Guard washout, and he must summon the strength & integrity to bring his small band of miss-matched Autobots together as a team to protect the All Spark until their great leader Ultra Magnus can send reinforcements to recover it. But first, they must determine what kind of planet they have crashed on. With biological life infesting this planet, there exists a level of technology through which they can blend in. Taking the form of a “fire engine”, Optimus Prime leads his crew into Detroit, Michigan, where they come across a young human female named Sari Sumdac. Though wanting to preserve their anonymity while on this Earth, this is soon defeated when they are forced to reveal themselves to the world, and they become instant celebrities... and heroes. Dealing with primitive humans, Sari and Bumblebee getting into mischief all the time, Bulkhead breaking things left-and-right (as usual), Prowl following his own solitary agenda, Ratchet grumbling about how things were different during the war, the most valuable artifact in the universe in his cargo hold, and a bunch of Decepticons hunting them - how is a bot supposed to deal with all this!? The only way Optimus Prime can: with perseverance, wisdom, courage, honor, responsibility, and dedication.

Optimus Prime’s vehicle mode (back) is that of a futuristic 4-wheel fire engine, with a water cannon on the back. Now, the most-obvious deviation for the toy from his counterpart in “Transformers Animated” is that his vehicle mode does not include the trailer/back half. On the other hand, the trailer is never seen on-screen in the series except in vehicle mode, so what happens to it when he transforms is up to speculation. What is clear, though, is that in the series Optimus can still drive around without the trailer. And this is no different for the toy- the top section behind the over-engine cab can be detached, and he still can move about just fine, albeit a little more front heavy than before. And when that top section is removed, then he more closely resembles (back) his predecessor(s) from 1984-onwards. Being a fire engine, the passenger cabin has a pair of non-functional blue strobe lights on top. Above the narrowing light gray front bumper is the passenger compartment, decorated in Prime’s trademarked red & silver, but enhanced with black as well. While the windows in the side-doors are not painted in, the two angular windshields are transparent-blue ABS. Upon closer inspection, a further detail is that there is circuitry molded in on the inside of the windshields, giving them a techy look; while they may be transparent, the inside of the cabin is black, so it’s very difficult to tell if there are other molded details within. All four wheels are the same size and design, but the front ones are narrower from a forward profile. While he no longer has cylindrical fuel tanks visible, the blue back half is rather poorly set up to disguise his legs from robot mode, especially when that top section has been removed.

Other than the wheels allowing him to roll very easily across any flay surface, the Water Cannon from the top section can be freely twisted around 360°, though always at an angle.

Automorph Technology is a special feature which was introduced in the “Transformers: Armada” (2002-03) line, and returned in “Transformers: Cybertron” (2006); though it was not called such until the debut of the toy line based on the first live-action film “Transformers” (2007). What Automorph does is- depending on which toy is involved- use a series of internal levers & gears, triggers, and buttons to move one part of the figure without you having to move it yourself; it automatically transforms for you. Sometimes, an Automorph feature will be electronically-powered, though this is reserved for special larger sets only.

For Optimus Prime, there is one Automorph feature:

• After separating his ankles, and flipping the front bumpers/wheels around to become part of his lower legs, there is a small black button on the back of the cab just above his legs that needs to be pressed downwards. When depressed, the blue back half of the vehicle mode will automatically twirl sideways and downwards to become his legs! Then, when they stop turning, you can press the now lower torso/legs forward just a little, and they’ll snap into final position, preventing the mechanism from accidentally engaging when not intended.

This spinning transformation feature is a direct reference to the style of animation in the series which all of the Transformers utilize, which is a whirl of motion while transforming which is untraceable by the eye.

. . .

While the leg Auto-Conversion is a very cool effect, it’s kinda tricky to put back. But then, everything else involved in transforming him falls into place easily enough. Although, I will say flipping the shoulders forward the first time threw me off because there are pegs that they’re fitted to on the back of the cab that they don’t tell you about, so you have to really tug on them to get ‘em loose.

And finally, how Optimus Prime transforms is very similar to his G1 predecessor- arms deploy from the mid- and back of the cab, legs fold out from behind, red cab becomes his chest, engine grille becomes his stomach, the wheels end up on his legs (albeit in a different location), and a panel needs to be opened & closed so that his head can flip up. About the only things that are different is where the front bumper ends up, how his legs deploy, and where/how his hands deploy!

Optimus Prime’s robot mode (back) is the newest incarnation of, and tribute to, the character so beloved since 1984. This one, however, has a very strong posture thanks in large part to the animation style used by Cartoon Network for “Transformers Animated”. While the coloring scheme remains red, blue, and silver, black is added along the outside of his lower arms & waist. From a side profile, his shoulders and neck are aligned in the same position with his ankles, but his chest & hips are- forgive the expression- thrust forward rather arrogantly, giving him a very curvy back. However, he is in no danger of tipping over whatsoever, with those huge feet. His head is very traditional in design, though one thing that a lot of fans complained about was the decision to make his mouth light blue. (I was indifferent to such an issue. To me, this was comparable to painting flames on the movie version of Optimus Prime from the 2007 film- it fit the design style enough that it wasn’t distracting.) I don’t know why, but in addition to the traditional paired pointed antennae for his ears, I always see the forehead for this incarnation of Optimus as very reminiscent of the peaked cap worn by military servicemen in dress uniform. (Perhaps an intentional throwback to his earlier days in the Elite Guard Academy...?) For a change, the headlights of the truck form are preserved on his chest, right below the identically-positioned windshields, and to either side of the truck’s front grille at his stomach. The transparent-blue strobe light array now rests on the top of his back, though you can now see that the red coloring was painted on since it does not appear there in robot mode. His arms are near identical to his cartoon counterpart’s; though incorporating black paneling along the forearms, and black elbows. The front bumper of the alt. mode, rather than remaining preserved as a belt across his waist, has been separated and repositioned behind the back of his legs. Indeed, the front wheels, which traditionally rest at his hips, have also been moved down with the halved bumper to occupy his ankles along with the inward-turned back wheels!

The range of motion on this figure is pretty good. About the only thing on him that doesn’t move around are his ankles. And even though they move during transformation, the wrists are locked in place by those panels on the outside; the only way to counter this is to un-snap the panels, and then the fists can rotate in-and-out, but the panels would just hang there instead. Each shoulder also features double joints which fold out and allow him a greater range; they also allow him to fold his arms forward without bumping them into the vehicle mode’s side-view mirrors on his chest. His waist, not unsurprisingly, can turn through the full 360° quite easily. Too easily, I’d even say- his torso is so loose that it turns the first chance it gets. However, because the mechanism is disengaged (if you remembered to do that final snap after the legs have spun down), you won’t strip the gears or break anything else accidentally. Though his head can’t look up or down, it can still spin side-to-side all the way around. The only real problem I have with the poseability is in the hips- like the Voyager-class Autobot Grimlock figure, they can’t bend that full 90° forward, but I’ll say that the range is better than Grimlock’s.

. . .

For special features, Optimus Prime is loaded. The closest one to being seen in the series is his faceplate. This is usually stored on the front of his neck (which helps contribute to his “...Animated”-styled long chin). There is a tiny blue lever on the back of his neck that, when pushed downwards, will slip the faceplate upwards to cover his light-blue mouth; thus giving him a closer resemblance to many of his predecessors! The second is that his eyes are also made of transparent-blue ABS, and when light shines through the back of his head, they glow. (Does it work...? I’d say it is average and not as great as other figures, but- hey, at least it works!)

The other two features are his weapons...

While he does have a single-blade extendable rocket-powered Energon ax in the series (crazy as that sounds), that is represented only with the smaller Deluxe-class Optimus Prime (Cybertron Mode) figure. Here, the Ion Ax (back) is very wide and double sided, and is formed by the majority of the top section from the vehicle mode; though not resembling the one in the series in any way.

Since none of the Autobots in the series have dedicated weapons (other than the occasional shuriken or rocket-powered Energon ax), they usually depend on their internally-mounted Space Bridge maintenance tools to get by. Being disguised as a fire engine- which are usually designed for many different types of rescue operation- Optimus Prime comes across in the series as a living multi-tool with all kinds of features. Unfortunately, cool as all this sounds, the Voyager-class toy is not as well equipped as Batman himself is. And so, we must settle for a simple Water Cannon. While mounted internally on the back of his fists in the series, this one is big enough that he can grip it like a blaster. Now, when I say that it is a Water Cannon, I mean that it can hold actual water inside of it! There is the smallest of black rubber stops) under the blaster that can be popped-off (it remains attached via a soft cord), and the small reserve can be filled with tap water. To squirt the water, press in on the front of the nozzle.

(Now, I don’t plan to fill mine with any water, so I can’t give you range or how many shots you’ll get. But I’m guessing there might be enough for about ten good squirts out to about a foot-or-two.)

The instructions also specify that when opened up, the Ion Ax can be placed on Optimus Prime’s back, to act as a jet thruster pack. The Water Cannon can also remain attached in this form as well. (While he cleverly uses his Energon axe in the series for very short boosts, he is nowhere-near capable of flight in such fashion!)

What the Instructions *Don’t* Tell You

[fanfare sounds]

The Voyager-class Optimus Prime set, fortunately, has only two marks in this frustrating category:

• The faceplate has a small blue point on his chin which slips through a hole in the red plastic when it’s moving up and down. Unfortunately, this hole disappears when you twist the neck to either side, preventing the faceplate from going either direction. So the lesson here is that Optimus Prime must always be looking straight ahead when you move the faceplate around.
• While this is rather an omission rather than something that was completely unexpected, this is still something important that was overlooked. What they fail to elaborate on, unfortunately, is how to reverse the process of transforming the legs back once they’ve been spun down. Through guesswork on my part, I’ve determined that the waist needs to be pointing to the right before you un-snap it to reengage the mechanism. Then, holding the red cab section, rotate the legs/lower torso clockwise, slowly & gently helping them pitch (i.e. rotating the cab back) at the same time. The mechanism is spring-loaded, and so while it will easily spring downwards, it cannot do the reverse; you have to help it get back. And then, once the legs are near-horizontal again, you need to depress that black lever again so that it can be re-locked.

I’ve heard of people simply forcing the waist section up without spinning it, and I greatly fear that this will rapidly wear down the mechanism inside, and so I strongly recommend that you not do that! So long as you take your time and remember to start the process with the legs & waist facing the right direction, you should do just fine.

...but the instructions don’t tell you any of this.

Many people and longtime Trans-fans were once more greatly disturbed by the newest incarnation of those famous shape-shifting alien robots in disguise; for example, turning the famous Optimus Prime into a measly wannabe with no ambitions and trust issues, or the overall design style of merging & graceful lines/curves matching that of other recent cartoons such as Disney’s hugely-popular “Kim Possible” (2002-2007). And yet after a rocky start in trying to win back the minds of the fans, the show has become a hit on its own as much as it is a tribute to the original G1 series from 1984. Plus, “Transformers: Animated” is an original American series like “Beast Wars: Transformers” (1996-99) and “Beast Machines: Transformers” (1999-2001) before it, rather than being a dubbed anime production from Japan. The same can be said of the toys thus far in their initial releases. But as word has spread across the Internet, the toys have come to shine on their own- not just for their functionality, but for their absolute and striking similarities to their on-screen counterparts, which has never been as fully successful before- where proportions were usually off, colors were wrong, and functions were off or not mentioned. In other words, after 23 years, we are finally getting in our hands what we see on the screen in a way never seen before in Transformers history.

This is another figure that I was looking forward to with great anticipation from the very moment that I saw it online in late 2007. And it has not disappointed in any way. Perhaps some of the tabs and the holes that they fit into are a little finicky when you transform him, but that’s no big deal. While this is a feature that has appeared in the past, the Water Cannon, I thought, was a nice idea, but I’m sure that other collectors like myself will also never be putting water into it. Though I knew the Ion Ax would not look anything like its on-screen counterpart, I was glad that at least the figure came with a large ax of some kind. Next time, though, I expect the one seen in the show to be in the same box. And attaching the two weapons to his back was also a cute little gimmick, and it didn’t sacrifice any other part of the toy to accomplish, which was really nice for a change! The moving faceplate, also, was nice and a good alternative to using a separating accessory piece for those who couldn’t stand his blue lips. The Auto-Conversion legs were, of course, really awesome, and a great way of paying respect to the ninja-quick insta-transform that these characters go through. But, of course, with the exception of the large ankle kibble, this is another fine, fine example of Takara’s hard work of bringing us a toy that so closely matches its on-screen counterpart, and yet plays homage to the past great leaders of the Autobots. Things to change? Yeah- give him an Autobot symbol somewhere, mnn? In the series he has a red symbol on each upper arm, but the only indication of such is an indented panel on the front of his right upper arm! I am also a little annoyed with how easily his waist turns after I lock it in place when transforming him. Oh, and in the future, I’d like to see a fully-functional fire engine trailer section to go with this figure. As is, though, I am very satisfied and I highly recommend getting the Voyager-class Autobot Optimus Prime (Earth Mode) figure.

Oh... and please forgive me my little, um... AT-ST moment here; I couldn't resist.

--Renewing the Charge--

[DISCLAIMER: This last section is not supported, advertised, or endorsed by either Hasbro, DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, or Warner Brothers Records. It is a fan-supported effort completely independent from all companies affiliates with the 2007 film "Transformers".]

Not even a week after "Transformers" entered theaters on July 3rd and became a blockbuster, scores of fans were clamoring for a copy of the original musical score by Steve Jablonsky. However, WB Records said in an official statement that the score would not be released for the foreseeable future. In protest, a fan-supported online petition was set-up to persuade the record company to reconsider. By the end of two months, over 5500 signatures had been recorded (your's truly at #1112).

Victory for the signers was claimed when “Transformers: The Score” was released in October that same year, containing just-shy of one hour of the original score. Jablonsky also personally wrote to the creators of the petition thanking them for their efforts. The CD would go on to become the 32nd best-selling soundtrack on Amazon.com at the time of its release.

However, victory was short lived. Because the CD was so popular, it disappeared from shelves rapidly, and was not restocked. By the end of 2007- a mere two-and-a-half months later- new CDs were no longer being produced, but were still being sought after. Reports of online price scalping were not uncommon when stores ran out, easily selling for double the original prices. (Don't worry- I got my own copy in October, and loved every minute of it!)

. . .

Well, the folks at The Knight Shift who brought you the first petition have come back, and they are saying "Give the people what they want". I recently learned that a new Petition 2.0 is now up, and is accepting signatures once more. This new effort is directed at Warner Brothers Records, and is asking for an extended reissue of "Transformers: The Score", with the potential for additional original tracks to be added.

(Yours truly is petition signer #563.)

If you signed the original petition, I both thank you and ask you to put forth your effort on this new petition as well. If you did not sign the original petition, but got the CD, please sign this new petition. If you are a fan of Steve Jablonsky, please sign this new petition. If you are long-time Trans-fan, or you simply enjoyed the film the movie, then please sign this new petition. I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed the original CD release, and I want others to share in it as well.

Lame 2001 reference aside, we've got some new zoids news..

All due 01/09

Zoids Ironking Anime 10th anniversary - 6,825yen

Zoids RCZ Crimson Horn - 5,250 yen

Zoids RCZ Tigagodos - 3,780 yen

Japan continues to release cooler versions of the transformers we get in the states.

Japan continues to release cooler versions of the transformers we get in the states. It's just not fair. Why don't we get chrome too?

These two are due 11/2008 for 2100 yen. As an aside, Newbury Comics has begun to carry Henkei Transformers in their retail stores, although they are marked up to about $40 each.

Ironhide

Galvatron

It's funny how cool things you can get for $7. This toy is probably one of them.

So... we meet again...

Hi guys, Wallas here. Sorry for not submitting anything in a while, but I didn't have time to post any Transformers-related stuff (I barely kept up with the gallery schedule on my own site) and as or Microman reviews, I was waiting until I got my hands on the whole Biomachine subgroup. And I actually did complete it few days agoso it's time to review... another toy I got on that occasion :P

Acromuzan is part of Microman 2006 line, AcroyearXADO that was a counterpart for Micro Assassin Force. Basically, Acroyear are the evil cyborgs that always mess with Micromen. I bought him along with Biomachine Godoh and Trinity from eBay because in total it would have cost me only $9 more. And guess what? He was well worth it :)

Let's start with the box. It's a typical slide-out blister card. Simple, stylish, done mostly in green and white, with several layers of graphic showing the character on the card. It's one of those cool cardboards that you can actually use as a display background for the figure. About the tray- it's nicely done, with all dedicated weapons and parts surrounding the toy, whereas standard Microman parts (extra hands and display stand) are tapeglued to the card behind the figure. The back, as always, is a guide to the toy and it's features. It seems Takara thought it's more than enough, as no manual was included honestly, I can hardly blame them, it's not a super-multi-mode transforming toy like Biomachines that you need further instructions to handle it properly).

Now let's face Acromuzan in his Naked Style mode. This is a standard '06 Micro Action Body, only with a bulk-up modification that's used very rare in the line.

Anyway, the toy is made of transparent green plastic with golden joints. Combined with white touches and light-green tattoos all over his body, Acromuzan could be a forest spirit incarnation... which is pretty close to the truth... we'll discuss this feature further on. Oh, and there's one thing that makes me laugh here. To cite Jeff Dunham's Achmed..."- So, are you a Muslim? - I don't think so. Look at my butt,
it says ". Now look at Muzan's back and spot the simillarity :P

As usual in this series, Acromuzan head is completely chromed (silver, shiny, reflecting everything around) and looks like he's a bald, monk-like man with a small beard.

So, we come to basics. First, the comparison. Just as all other toys form this series, Acromuzan is smaller than your typical Revoltech (not to mention your typical Transformers Animated Bumblebee). Fortunately, he wins against an AA battery... And, as mentioned before, he comes with 5 extra pairs of ABS-made hands, that (unlike most Kaiyodo's toys) feature an additional joint. And there's that basic Microman stand, too.

Let the great action pose show begin! Seriously, although Revoltechs have more points of articulation, I suppose it would be quite difficult for them to beat the poseability of toys like Muzan. Just imagine what could he do with a better stand...oh, did I mentioned, that compared to 2004 Micromen, Acromuzan and his buddies have additional toe articulation?

Presenting everything you get inclusive apart from the infomercial. So, what do we have here...

1 Acromuzan
1 display stand
2 pieces of torso armour
1 interchangable head/ battle helmet
6 pairs of interchangeble hands
2 pieces of shoulder armour
2 pieces of foot armour
4 short melee weapons
1 long sword

That's a great amount of parts and believe me, they come together in few different combinations that I'll show later on.

Now, after attaching most of these things to the main body, we get a second toy in form of a samurai warrior with strong bug-like theme. I mean, there's a caterpillar crawling across the chest piece, most of the armour has small blue gems that look like bug eyes, and then those tattoos and the color of his skin, not to mention his awesome helmet... you get the idea.

You give Acromuzan some armour and he still is incredibly poseable... wow. He loses his display stand option , though. Not a problem, actually, he's quite stable on his own.

Now, what all boys (and maybe some girls, too) like- weapons! As said before, Acromuzan is equipped with 4 small melee weapons and a sword. I'll describe them one after another.

The cool part about the gold weapons is their ability to combine. Yo can use them as single tools, dual/triple weapons, or you can just pull them together into one big staff, it's really up to you, just know, that there are more than 20 possibilities of connecting these things.

Even cooler, the inner sides of the shoulder armour (double-jointed on the shoulders) have special holders to store the melee weapons when not used. This can be used either as a decoration (when pulled inward to the maximum), as another combat configuration (when pulled out), especially effective when the user makes his way through a crowd, slicing and hitting everything on his sides.

And we just can't forget about the sword, the most impressive piece in this set. It's chromed silver and fades into green near the top. It's also quite realistic, even with this unusual shape, as it sports several cracks and even some artistic carvings. And you can really tell that this is a collector-oriented toy. How? Simple. It's sharp. I mean, you won't get hurt by the edges, but the tips are a different story. I almost cut myself when played with this baby, and this goes for the rest of Acromuzan's weapons as well (this can be a royal pain when you try to disconnect the staff with sweaty hands, I assure you). Other than that, it's just a normal toy sword with all of its functions.

Well, not exactly, this sword can also be mounted atop Acromuzan's helmet, which is pretty weird configuration that I never use.

Ok, so it's time for some afterthoughts. Let's face it. Acromuzan is a fantastic toy with an enormous play / display value as well as a very reasonable price (about 7-8 dollars) He encouraged me to collect other Microman toys and I hope he will do the same for other people like me.
10/10 :)

"Cybertron is cool, but Earth rules."

The great evil leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, has been resurrected on Earth! Using a stolen key card modified by the legendary All Spark to rebuild his old body into a new form, he finally sheds his repulsive guise as an “Autobot” in front of his long-time and ignorant companion, Professor Isaac Sumdac, within his private lab in Sumdac Tower, and blasts through the Autobots’ defense. Entering their small maintenance ship for the second time in fifty years, Megatron finally claims the true All Spark as his own after millions of stellar cycles of searching, and immerses it within his chassis, making him near-unstoppable. But through determined teamwork and trickery, Optimus Prime recovers the key card, and uses it to make the All Spark in Megatron’s chest explode! Though with only minor injuries, Megatron kidnaps Professor Sumdac, and escapes with the other Decepticons. Then finally, the Autobot Elite Guard arrives on Earth a few days later, with the great and noble commander of the Autobots aboard, Ultra Magnus. Though initially doubtful of the claims of Optimus Prime’s small Space Bridge maintenance crew, he sees that they are telling the truth, and tells them to keep up the good work, and continue to hold Earth safe as Decepticons throughout the galaxy rise up from word that their leader is still alive. Meanwhile, it is discovered that the All Spark was not destroyed, but rather fragmented and dispersed across Detroit. With new un-allied Cybertronians being created randomly across the city from All Spark fragments, Megatron on the loose, and Sumdac’s young daughter, Sari, wrongfully evicted from her only home, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Prowl, Ratchet, and Optimus Prime have their hero work cut out for them... but they’re up to the challenge.

While the self-fulfilling and arrogant Sentinel Prime was filling Ultra Magnus’s audio receptors with horror stories of potential organic contamination from this Earth, and great mistrust & doubt of his former Academy classmate Optimus Prime, Jazz was more open-minded on both subjects. Though hearing troubling tales about giant organic alien spiders from Sentinel, Jazz was quick to realize that even though Earth and humans were vastly different from Cybertronians, they had their own ways of doing things that strangely struck a chord in him. Of particular interest to him was the fact that each human is created uniquely from all others- whereas all Autobots share similar structures and forms with unique Sparks. Trained in a higher level of Cybertronian martial arts than Prowl, this makes him equally sensitive and open-minded to things that others would not immediately recognize. And no matter what he does, he always puts a personal flair into it. This also certainly applies to his fighting style: cool, fast and impressive with his twin Energon-powered nunchaku- with which he can deflect energy shots, and slice through hard metal. Otherwise, the way Jazz figures, it just ain’t worth doin’ if he can't do it in style.

The voice of Autobot Jazz is performed by cartoon and television actor Phil LaMarr, as his only character in “Transformers Animated”.

Jazz’s vehicle mode (back) may no longer be a Porsche 935 Turbo, but it sure invokes the feeling of his original G1 disguised form, particularly with the red and blue stripes along the rounded nose. While no longer a racing vehicle, he retains the look of a sports coupe, though with the exaggerated styling of the “...Animated” line. The passenger section is lower than you might expect, and is flanked on either side by stylized extended side-view mirrors. Believe it or not, the front and side windows are actually made of the same transparent-turquoise ABS plastic, but for whatever reason, they have been completely blackened out [by whatever method]. Rather than being placed in back, the four exhaust pipes are located prominently on either side of the two doors. And in back, the tail lights are raised on high flairs above the back wheels.

One obvious paint error is found here: on the character’s vehicle mode in the series, the red and blue stripes continue all the way up and over the car, but on the toy they occupy only the hood. The reason this was done, however, is because when Jazz is transformed, he has no blue and red stripes along the front of his lower legs... which are made up from the roof of the vehicle mode. (So, if this toy is true to the character’s appearance in that regard, then does this mean his transformation is different in the series...? I’m inclined to say “No”.)

Unlike most of the figures I’ve reviewed so far from “Transformers Animated”, Jazz is one of the very few that does not have an assisting Auto-conversion feature. Not to spoil anything here--

“Spoil what exactly...?”, you ask.

--but the only ‘special feature’ he has is his robot mode’s weapon. Beyond that, you do it all yourself. (Of course- sarcasm aside- there’s certainly nothing wrong with that!)

One thing about his transformation I will comment on, though, is that it’s rather difficult to get the bottom panels of the lower legs to slip past the windshield when transforming him between either mode. While bending the hips helps a little bit, I’m afraid that someday that windshield might declare it’s had enough, and finally crack or warp. (Unfortunately, the panel on the lower leg cannot be trimmed down by you because he needs it to stand upright!) So you’re just gonna have to deal with it as is, and be aware that’s you need to be both careful and patient.

Oh, also, you don’t have to store his hands folded inwards 90° when he’s in vehicle mode; they’re just fine stored as if they’re extended for robot mode.

Jazz’s robot mode (back)- unlike his disguised form- does not nearly as closely resemble his G1 counterpart from 1984. Perhaps the closest comparison might be that the car’s nose, wheel wells, and hood become his upper torso, and that’s about it. While the roof and back of the car still become his legs, they are reoriented to point downwards and are placed on the front of his legs rather than the back. His head, while an original design, does carry one familiar trait- the light blue visor. The visor is transparent, so that when light shines on the back of his head, the visor will glow. (Does it work? It’s a “Transformers Animated” figure- of course it works! And quite clearly too!) While he carries the now-trademarked large chin that all characters do in this series, his gray face is narrow with sharp features, similar to Prowl’s. Because Jazz always appreciated hip-hop and pop culture, one awesome detail they added was a pair of black headphones molded directly into the sides and top of his head over his even more-subtle white flat cap-shaped forehead! Perhaps the most stand-out features of the arms other than their flexibility is the storage clips for the upward-pointing nunchaku on the outside of his elbows, and that his hands are opened up a little rather than being solid fists [which, notably, transforming toys in the “...Animated” line do not utilize nearly as much as its predecessors did].

Notice also that, not only is Jazz the first character toy to have a red Autobot symbol on his chest (all of the Autobots' are red on-screen), but he is the first release to display the winged Autobot logo created for the series which designates him as part of the Elite Guard.

As Jazz is a smooth operator in everything he does, his range of motion is equally fluid and impressive, with ball-&-socket joints in his neck, shoulders, wrists, and hips, and everything else twisting freely, including a waist joint! Perhaps the only objection I have with Jazz is that his ‘headphones’ bump into the back of his neck when turned side-to-side; so when he looks to either side, his head tilts downwards quite a bit, and he can’t really look upwards. The proportions of the figure, also, are only slightly off from his on-screen counterpart- his lower legs are slightly longer than they should be, and his upper legs aren’t long enough, but there is no interruption in style or function to be a problem. While the clips for his nunchaku do indeed shift to that upwards-position in the series, the weapons themselves do not appear- stored internally instead until needed. But here, since they are big enough, their correct orientation has them rising quite a bit beyond the elbows. While poseability is in no way a problem, if you wish, you can remove the weapons and leave their clips open to recreate the more series-accurate look. Perhaps this would be the only consideration of “kibble” I would apply to this figure other than the windshield on his back (which really doesn’t get in the way of anything anyways).

. . .

Jazz has only one weapon feature- two pairs of nunchaku (aka nunchucks), which are stored on the outside of his elbows. They can be easily separated from each other- each pair being tied together with small pieces of white string- and placed in both of Jazz’s hands, though the curved sections will not fit at all.

This is another first for me in the world of Transformers®- I have never own any character by this name before (though I would certainly like to get a G1 ver of him). But I can tell that, like many of the characters from the first season, this one was crafted with a little TLC by the good folks over at Takara, and was brought to life by the wonderful animators over at Cartoon Network. You cannot look at this guy and deny that he is a tribute to the classic hip-hop-bot from the ‘80s, but now with a crafted body to match his personality and legacy. The poseability is awesome, and though he doesn’t have any shooting weapons, the nunchaku, I thought, were a nice change from a blaster or missile launcher or- heaver forbid!- a sword; we haven’t really seen that kind of weapon on a Cybertronian before. Even more-so than some of the other figures I have, the proportions chosen by the animation development team translates very well into toy form. I mean- headphones on a robot? That is an awesome idea, and, again, it fits the character! So, complaints? Other than having a difficult time getting his legs past that windshield when transforming him, not really. So, I give full marks and a high recommendation for the Deluxe-class Autobot Jazz figure. I hate to sound clichéd, but seriously... he rocks!

--Renewing the Charge--

[DISCLAIMER: This last section is not supported, advertised, or endorsed by either Hasbro, DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, or Warner Brothers Records. It is a fan-supported effort completely independent from all companies affiliates with the 2007 film "Transformers".]

Not even a week after "Transformers" entered theaters on July 3rd and became a blockbuster, scores of fans were clamoring for a copy of the original musical score by Steve Jablonsky. However, WB Records said in an official statement that the score would not be released for the foreseeable future. In protest, a fan-supported online petition was set-up to persuade the record company to reconsider. By the end of two months, over 5500 signatures had been recorded (your's truly at #1112).

Victory for the signers was claimed when “Transformers: The Score” was released in October that same year, containing just-shy of one hour of the original score. Jablonsky also personally wrote to the creators of the petition thanking them for their efforts. The CD would go on to become the 32nd best-selling soundtrack on Amazon.com at the time of its release.

However, victory was short lived. Because the CD was so popular, it disappeared from shelves rapidly, and was not restocked. By the end of 2007- a mere two-and-a-half months later- new CDs were no longer being produced, but were still being sought after. Reports of online price scalping were not uncommon when stores ran out, easily selling for double the original prices. (Don't worry- I got my own copy in October, and loved every minute of it!)

. . .

Well, the folks at The Knight Shift who brought you the first petition have come back, and they are saying "Give the people what they want". I recently learned that a new Petition 2.0 is now up, and is accepting signatures once more. This new effort is directed at Warner Brothers Records, and is asking for an extended reissue of "Transformers: The Score", with the potential for additional original tracks to be added.

(Yours truly is petition signer #563.)

If you signed the original petition, I both thank you and ask you to put forth your effort on this new petition as well. If you did not sign the original petition, but got the CD, please sign this new petition. If you are a fan of Steve Jablonsky, please sign this new petition. If you are long-time Trans-fan, or you simply enjoyed the film the movie, then please sign this new petition. I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed the original CD release, and I want others to share in it as well.

"You ain't heard nothin' yet!"

Optimus was a young and optimistic recruit in the Autobot Academy, wanting to face off against real Decepticons in a battle as part of the Elite Guard. Unfortunately, he missed the war by a few million years, and eventually failed to pass the Academy. His ambitions and dreams crushed, Optimus was instead assigned command of a small maintenance crew for the tedious and boring duty of repairing and cleaning-up the Space Bridge network. But when the Autobot crew accidentally comes across the very powerful, life-giving All Spark which was lost at the end of the war, they are suddenly ambushed by the greatly-feared leader of the Decepticons, Megatron, and his own broken army of experienced soldiers in their search for the legendary artifact. The Autobots get away from the Decepticon warship, and Megatron is destroyed in a fluke explosion, but damage causes their ship to crash on an unknown planet. Optimus Prime and his crew go into emergency stasis lock for 50 years, and reactivate in the future underneath Lake Erie near Detroit, Michigan. The Autobots reformat their alternative forms to match those of Earth vehicles so as to blend in. As they begin to explore Detroit, they come across a human girl named Sari Sumdac, whose father owns the largest robot manufacturer on the planet. When she sneaks aboard their ship to see more of the transforming alien robots, Sari encounters the All Spark, and it rebuilds her electronic key card to carry many of its own powers. With Sari’s help in understanding Earth’s unusual cultures and customs, Ratchet, Prowl, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Optimus Prime swear to protect the All Spark from rogue Decepticons until Elite Guard reinforcements arrive.

It’s Sari’s birthday! As her father ponders what to do with his gift from last year, the robot dog Sparkplug, his secret alien companion, the disabled “Autobot” Megatron, suggests making a robot that will impress Sari with those unusual audio frequencies which humans seem to enjoy- music. And so they collaborate to make Soundwave- a dancing music entertainment system. At the party, Soundwave is a hit, but only a few days later, as the thrill is wearing off, Sari decides to carelessly upgrade the boombox-bot with her All Spark-enhanced key card to make him more interesting. The upgrade works. However, what no one realizes is, Megatron specifically designed Soundwave so that every time Sari upgraded him with the key card from lack of interest, he would become more powerful- soon enough so to become Megatron’s new body. However, as the days go by, and he is upgraded more and more, Soundwave begins to act independently from Megatron’s commands. Now fully aware of himself and with a growing passion against humans for their mistreatment of robots, Soundwave is confronted by Megatron, and decides to join the Decepticons to rid Earth of them. Using his sound frequency control & disruption systems, Soundwave finally upgrades himself into a more powerful armored form using all of the near-by robots in Detroit now that he is a true Cybertronian. Then he directs the majority of robots to attack both humans and the Autobots. What he didn’t count on, though, was Bulkhead and his illogical loyalty to the now-kidnapped Sari and the rest of humanity, and so Soundwave was defeated in a single punch from the giant Autobot. But as Sari and Bulkhead mend their friendship from disputes over the former Soundwave, a small blue and yellow cassette tape player with a Decepticon logo on the cover sits alone in the sewers of the city, calmly and patiently waiting for the chance to free all machine-kind from the oppression of humanity, and destroy the traitorous Autobots...

The voice of Decepticon Soundwave is performed through the use of a vocorder (which renders any spoken words in a mechanical and emotionless monotone) by cartoon-veteran actor Jeff Bennett, who also covers Autobot Prowl and several other semi-regular & guest characters in “Transformers Animated”.

Soundwave’s vehicle mode (back) is something that many have likened to be a futuristic take on the 2004-2006 Scion xB minivan for its unusually-blocky appearance. And to be honest, I agree. The center of the bumper on the front has several non-functional buttons painted gold; these represent a throwback to the origins of Soundwave from the original G1 character from the 1984 TV series, whose alternate form was that of a cassette tape boombox. Here, the gold buttons are indicative of the controls on the front of the boombox. Another indication of his G1 roots is in the implied wheels from a cassette tape on the doors and back, though the latter is not painted in. Some details, such as the various headlights are not painted in even though they are molded in. While his primary coloring is dark blue, Soundwave has unusually bright highlights of neon turquoise, which are gathered on the top and sides of the vehicle mode only. While the contrast is obvious, it is actually rather striking how stand-out the lighter lines really are- almost to the point of glowing! One odd feature, though are his windows- even though they’re darkened transparent ABS, you can’t see light shining through them. (So, if you can’t easily tell that they’re transparent, and they’re too dark to let light through, then what’s the point of making them transparent at all??? Same with the headlights!) Though he doesn’t have one there in the series, Soundwave has a golden Decepticon logo printed onto his hood.

. . .

All that Soundwave does in vehicle mode is roll around. Because of his size, I suspect it would have been difficult to incorporate several small fold-out speakers like he has in the series.

Unlike all but one of the figures I’ve reviewed so far from “Transformers Animated”, Soundwave does not have an assisting Auto-conversion feature. Though it’s not surprising considering his size, other Deluxe-class figures- like Autobots Bumblebee and Prowl- had some kind of assisting feature. But everything on Soundwave is moved by you- no gears, no springs, no levers, no nothing.

If you’re gonna use Auto-conversion a lot in similar-sized Transformers, Takara, then please be consistent about it, huh?

Soundwave’s robot mode (back) is only dedicated to his G1 roots in a small way, compared to most other characters from “...Animated”. While his head has angular features as well as a narrow red sunshade/visor appearance, the only other reference besides his dark blue coloring is the intentional design of the classic cassette tape deck door & controls on his chest. While it again carries a printed gold Decepticon symbol and clear cover, it is non-functional, and does not open up to allow smaller spy robots to be placed inside or removed. The gold-painted tape deck controls, actually, show how dissimilar his transformation is from in the series- a new bank of non-functional buttons was molded onto his chest rather than using the ones on the front grille of his vehicle mode like he’s supposed to. Behind Soundwave’s head, attached to his back are another pair of round neon-blue circles which represent more of his sound-projection arsenal; not unlike the same details on the doors of his vehicle mode/lower arms of his robot mode. However, he loses his trademark shoulder-mounted missile launcher. (Bummer. In the series, before his final upgrade, Soundwave did deploy a missile launcher, but when everyone looked at him, he quickly disguised it as another speaker.) Because his upper torso is rather broad, the disproportionately-long arms are able to freely hang without touching the legs at all. He features open-palm hands which fold out from the forearms, and they droop well below his knees... which they are not shown doing in the series. However, the two back wheels swing around to become more sound speakers, just like they do in the series. His lower legs, also, are slightly shorter than their in-series equivalents, which may explain why his arms appear longer than they should be. The front windows of the vehicle mode form his feet, thus explaining why no light could shine through the transparent plastic- they’re opaque in the center!

His range of motion is pretty good, perhaps only faltering in the feet- which swing a little inwards, but do not tilt forward or backward. Ball-&-sockets are in his knees and ‘lower’ elbow joints. (I’ll say again: his elbows are double-jointed. Whoa-!) Unfortunately, the panels on his lower arms bump into his shoulders, so they’re limited as well. (What a waste.) Soundwave’s head also has this type of joint, but he has no neck to speak of, so he can only look side-to-side effectively. Because of how he transforms, his wrists can bend inwards 180°, so you have some play there as well.

. . .

This set doesn’t come with a built-in special feature. Instead, a non-functional flying-V electric guitar is included, which was not seen in his first appearance. There are pegs on either side of it on top, which can fit into holes on the inside of Soundwave’s lower arms. This way, he can hold the guitar and look like he’s playing it (but without the associated shoulder strap). However, there is a more-obvious reason that this set includes the guitar other than it goes great with a speaker-themed robot. The guitar can transform into a thin-profile flying reconnaissance drone called Laserbeak! This air spy- originally a cassette tape which could fit inside of Soundwave’s chest- was part of the G1 character’s regular arsenal, and is nearly as well known as the boombox-themed Decepticon himself. Laserbeak’s feet can fit into several slots on Soundwave in whichever mode he’s in- as a guitar, on the vehicle mode’s roof; as a bird, on either forearm panel.

What the Instructions *Don't* Tell You

[fanfare sounds]

The Deluxe-class Soundwave set, fortunately, has only two marks in this frustrating category:

• When transforming his chest, the instructions tell you to fold his chest panel forward 180°. However, what they don’t tell you is that the section it is folding up against is also double jointed, and needs to be lifted up and slid backwards to line it up into its proper position. If this doesn’t happen, his chest will hang down lower than it is supposed to!
• More of a minor thing, Laserbeak’s tiny feet also allow him to hang off of Soundwave’s back in robot mode as a guitar because it uses these slots to do the same on the roof in vehicle mode. (Or, if you wanna be cute, he can hang there partially-or-fully transformed in beast mode to give Soundwave a skinny flight pack.) And really, these three available slots on Soundwave’s chassis do not dictate which direction Laserbeak has to fit, so he can face ‘forward’ as easily as he does ‘backward’.

Many people and longtime Trans-fans were once more greatly disturbed by the newest incarnation of those famous shape-shifting alien robots in disguise; for example, turning the famous Optimus Prime into a measly wannabe with no ambitions and trust issues, or the overall design style of merging & graceful lines/curves matching that of other recent cartoons such as Disney’s hugely-popular “Kim Possible” (2002-2007). And yet after a rocky start in trying to win back the minds of the fans, the show has become a hit on its own as much as it is a tribute to the original G1 series from 1984. Plus, “Transformers Animated” is an original American series like “Beast Wars: Transformers” (1996-99) and “Beast Machines: Transformers” (1999-2001) before it, rather than being a dubbed anime production from Japan. The same can be said of the toys thus far in their initial releases. But as word has spread across the Internet, the toys have come to shine on their own- not just for their functionality, but for their absolute and striking similarities to their on-screen counterparts, which has never been as fully successful before- where proportions were usually off, colors were wrong, and functions were off or not mentioned. In other words, after 23 years, we are finally getting in our hands what we see on the screen in a way never seen before in Transformers history.

I’m just gonna come right out the gate and say: this toy is absolutely screaming to be up-scaled into a Voyager-class figure! [He’s also almost got- in my opionion- something of a similar style to the unique electronic-circuitry design from Walt Disney Pictures’ unique live-action film “Tron” (1980) as well!] As a Deluxe-class figure, he’s by far, one of the most out-of-scale figures in the entire line- standing no taller than the [relatively] appropriately-sized Autobots Prowl and Bumblebee; when in fact he is supposed to stand as tall as Bulkhead! Now, of course, several characters in the line are of smaller scales than they’re supposed to be, but this is a very big exception. He’s near flimsy- with disproportionate joints- and has no special feature other than the provided Laserbeak. While Takara has been doing a fantastic job of recreating these toys in the same proportions and features as their on-screen counterparts, this one seems to suffer a bit because he’s so small. While it’s nice to have the air drone return and be able to transform, consider that the larger character’s most-recent predecessor from “Transformers: Cybertron” (2006)- who was also a Voyager-class toy- could carry Laserbeak in his chest container. (Indeed, it would also have been nice if they’d painted in some yellow eyes & beak and silver paneling on the beast-bot other than using just some minor red, and leaving the rest plain ABS black.) While none of the other Deluxe-class figures’ joints can snap, nor can this one’s, but neither do his transforming knee joints, and they tend to swivel about too easily. Otherwise, his poseability is great, the multiple [implied] speakers look cool, and he remains a pale tribute to his more famous G1 predecessor. While I like my Deluxe-class Decepticon Soundwave, I don’t think he’s the best effort that could have been put forward. I don’t know about you, but I’m gonna start wishing really hard that Takara makes him bigger and better for Season Three in 2009...

--Renewing the Charge--

[DISCLAIMER: This last section is not supported, advertised, or endorsed by either Hasbro, DreamWorks, Paramount Pictures, or Warner Brothers Records. It is a fan-supported effort completely independent from all companies affiliates with the 2007 film "Transformers".]

Not even a week after "Transformers" entered theaters on July 3rd and became a blockbuster, scores of fans were clamoring for a copy of the original musical score by Steve Jablonsky. However, WB Records said in an official statement that the score would not be released for the foreseeable future. In protest, a fan-supported online petition was set-up to persuade the record company to reconsider. By the end of two months, over 5500 signatures had been recorded (your's truly at #1112).

Victory for the signers was claimed when “Transformers: The Score” was released in October that same year, containing just-shy of one hour of the original score. Jablonsky also personally wrote to the creators of the petition thanking them for their efforts. The CD would go on to become the 32nd best-selling soundtrack on Amazon.com at the time of its release.

However, victory was short lived. Because the CD was so popular, it disappeared from shelves rapidly, and was not restocked. By the end of 2007- a mere two-and-a-half months later- new CDs were no longer being produced, but were still being sought after. Reports of online price scalping were not uncommon when stores ran out, easily selling for double the original prices. (Don't worry- I got my own copy in October, and loved every minute of it!)

. . .

Well, the folks at The Knight Shift who brought you the first petition have come back, and they are saying "Give the people what they want". I recently learned that a new Petition 2.0 is now up, and is accepting signatures once more. This new effort is directed at Warner Brothers Records, and is asking for an extended reissue of "Transformers: The Score", with the potential for additional original tracks to be added.

(Yours truly is petition signer #563.)

If you signed the original petition, I both thank you and ask you to put forth your effort on this new petition as well. If you did not sign the original petition, but got the CD, please sign this new petition. If you are a fan of Steve Jablonsky, please sign this new petition. If you are long-time Trans-fan, or you simply enjoyed the film the movie, then please sign this new petition. I thoroughly appreciated and enjoyed the original CD release, and I want others to share in it as well.

CollectionDX's own EVA_Unit_4A visits a small Transformers convention in Tacoma, Washington

So, there was this little get-together these guys would have once a year at one of their houses. And they would share stories, the latest rumors, toys, books, and food. A nice little yearly summit between friends. Then after six years of this, the summit got a little bigger because friends were bringing friends, and then the friends were bringing friends... And so, to expand the exposure of the public to the venue, they decided to move into a small convention center. They weren’t looking to become a huge annual event, but still a get-together where people could enjoy what they knew best.

And they called it the Cybertron Conference. And it was good.

2008 was the third year that CybCon was held at the King Oscar Motel & Convention Center in Tacoma, Washington, on August 23rd.

I regret that I was only able to attend the last hour and a half of the con before they started packing up, so I missed most of the highlight events (in no particular order)-

• Table displays of Transformers-related art, oddities & rarities
• Screenings of random TV episodes across the franchise
• Play “Beast Wars: Transformers” for PS1 in head-to-head matches on a big projection screen on the wall
• Trivia throughout the con
• Speed transforming contests for both kids (10-and-under) and adults- how fast can you change a Transformers from alt. mode to robot mode?
• Silent auction

Several tables were set up along the walls, where pre-registere