"Time to Waste"

With the Decepticons en route to recover their leader Megatron, and the discovery of the long-lost AllSpark Cube, the military forms an improvised plan to race to Mission City to hide the Cube from the hostile alien robots by shielding it with the technology of the city, and then evacuate the Cube via helicopter to another location while they are distracted. Once there, they are ambushed by several Decepticons including the revitalized Megatron. During the battle- no longer isolated from the outside world by Hoover Dam- the Cube accidentally comes into contact with the ground, and spreads its mysterious life-giving energy across the city, turning everyday electronic items into more Cybertronians… Real Gear Robots! After the Mission City battle, many of the smaller newly-created robots manage to escape out of the city limits, but some are picked-up by hidden Autobots and Decepticons, and then used as spies and scouts to find each other- using their disguised forms to trick humans into carrying them wherever they need to go.

"Gaming the System"

Meantime’s disguise mode (back) is that of an LCD wrist watch with metal-link armband. He is molded in dark navy blue and dark gray ABS plastic, with orange and dark gray painted highlights. The face of the watch is a non-functioning dark turquoise LCD display. On the four corners matching where the wristband attaches, there are differently-molded details to simulate tiny buttons. The LCD display features the time 5:17:40am, volume indicator bars, alarm icon, and a day month counter saying Wednesday, January 2nd. (Perhaps as an inside joke, read as seen- WE 01-02- it could also be pronounced as “We won too”, though I’m not sure if this was intentional or not.) And just above the LCD display is a raised Decepticon symbol painted purple. On the back of the watch section are some intricately-molded details of internal gears and levers; though non-functional and out of place on a digital watch, it is a nice detail to have.

The wristband on either side is segmented into three hollow, jointed areas, and this is the only flexibility in this mode. Due to how he transforms, sometimes bending the wristband separates the segments. The wristband connects at the ends via two ball-and-socket type pegs which fit into holes on the opposite side(s). It is only able to make it around a wrist that is a maximum of 7” circumference; stretched out completely, Meantime’s disguise mode is 8¼” long.

...

Transforming him is a piece of cake- very simple to understand, very simple to execute. Unlike the majority of the Real Gear Robots line, Meantime has what can be described as an Automorph feature, which is found in each of the main figures from the movie line of characters- the standard Deluxe-class, advanced Voyager-class, and especially-complex Leader-class. As the legs are deployed and shifted downwards at the waist, the shoulder and head automatically extend upwards from the center of the body from behind the LCD watch. It’s a little unexpected considering that Automorph is absent from the rest of the Real Gear Robots line, and it’s tricky to figure out where to place your fingers the first few times you change him. I find that it’s best to grasp him between two fingers on both the front and back side of the watch’s body.

After securing his hips together to finish off the Automorph, the rest is manually changed- flipping out the fists, twisting and lowering the arms, repositioning the feet, and twisting the watch face around 90-degrees clockwise.

...

Meantime’s robot mode (back) is very, umm… flat, from a side view. His shoulders are quite wide, though not to the point where he ends up looking too deformed. Unlike most of the figures from the movie’s line-up of characters, the visor in Meantime’s head is transparent orange, and actually works correctly when you shine light through it! (Friggin’ about time they got that right-!) Some of the watch’s buttons adorn the top of his head like a crown as well. His torso is quite round with angled buttons at the four corners, and a tiny dark gray waist/hip section, which is made up of the joints at the bases of the wristbands. And of course, the Decepticon symbol is clear for all to see right on his chest. He’s a bit gorilla like with arms and legs almost the same length, though it’s not immediately obvious. And of course, what watch-transforming toy would be without a copy of his own watch mode molded onto his left wrist…?

Poseability is quite good, considering how he flexes about in disguise mode. I swear, Meantime is either a long-limbed gymnast, or Neo from “The Matrix”. (Ya know- bullet-time…? Whatever…) His unusually-long heels allow him to bend backwards a lot further than most robot toys would dream of. The ball-and-socket joint for the neck on my toy is slightly off, and so he has a tendency to look down and left all the time when it’s positioned to look straight ahead. (This is most likely an isolated manufacturing error, as I have not heard anyone else complain about it.) Something that struck me as odd was that extra set of ball-and socket joints in his shoulders; they seem a bit redundant, though I get why they are there. But I thought that he would have done fine without them.

Unlike most of the toys in the Real Gear Robots line, none of the screws on Meantime are covered. This may owe to the fact that screws can sometimes be seen on real watches. Also, most of the Real Gear Robots are representations of smaller electronic devices, and so the screws are usually hidden or not seen at all on things like cell phones (Autobot Speed Dial 800) or multimedia players (Decepticon Booster X10). However even in the digital age of watches, they are not really all that out of place, and are only seen on the back of his head and upper body.

Simple and fun. That is the mission of the Real Gear Robots line, and this toy accomplishes that very well. Very easy to play with, the head, shoulders, and hips all pop-off if too much pressure is applied, he’s quite flexible, and the colors don’t clash with each other. Things to complain about? Mmm… nope, he’s good! Thing’s to change? Mmm… maybe rework how his arms connect to his legs in disguise mode so that they can slip apart better when changing him, but not come unlocked when flexing the wristbands. (Though I doubt this could have been done any differently than it was, so…) He was also so close to being 1:1-scale that another inch or two of length in his wristband and he would’ve fit over an adult’s wrist. So close! But then his limbs would have been really long indeed! So, no complaints. I recommend getting Meantime!

"Gaming the System"

With the Decepticons en route to recover their leader Megatron, and the discovery of the long-lost AllSpark Cube, the military forms an improvised plan to race to Mission City to hide the Cube from the hostile alien robots by shielding it with the technology of the city, and then evacuate the Cube via helicopter to another location while they are distracted. Once there, they are ambushed by several Decepticons including the revitalized Megatron. During the battle- no longer isolated from the outside world by Hoover Dam- the Cube accidentally comes into contact with the ground, and spreads its mysterious life-giving energy across the city, turning everyday electronic items into more Cybertronians… Real Gear Robots! After the Mission City battle, many of the smaller newly-created robots manage to escape out of the city limits, but some are picked-up by hidden Autobots and Decepticons, and then used as spies and scouts to find each other- using their disguised forms to trick humans into carrying them wherever they need to go.

"Gaming the System"

Power Up VT6’s disguise mode (back) is that of a generic portable hand-held gaming device. It is molded mostly in light gray ABS, with two separate purple ‘buttons’ along the top edge. The non-descript “Start” and “Select” buttons, also, are painted black. The circular direction pad on the left side is molded in black ABS. The four buttons on the right side are actually molded on a single black piece under the grip, and then painted their respective colors- blue, green, yellow, and red. The big display screen is actually a decal applied in the factory. Details on the screen are: a green and silver plane firing orange blasts, a cityscape background, a targeting icon, a purple Decepticon symbol in the lower right corner, a power indicator along the right side, and target-identifier & player command icons in the lower left toolbar. (For those of you keeping count, that is Voyager-class Autobot Jetfire from the 2006 “Transformers: Cybertron” line in the picture.)

I suppose that the left and right button controls are the special feature of Power Up VT6. Both sides are held up by single springs underneath. The four color-coded buttons are actually one piece; pressing on one moves the other three.

…

Transforming him is a piece of cake- very simple to understand, very simple to execute. Unlike the majority of the Real Gear Robots line, Power Up VT6 has what can be described as an Automorph feature, which is found in each of the main figures from the movie line of characters- the standard Deluxe-class, advanced Voyager-class, and especially-complex Leader-class. As the legs are deployed and shifted downwards at the waist, the shoulder and head automatically extend out from the center of the body from behind the display screen. It’s a little unexpected considering that Automorph is absent from the rest of the Real Gear Robots line, and it’s tricky to figure out where to place your fingers the first few times you change him.

After securing his hips together to finish off the Automorph, the rest is manually changed- flipping out the claws, lowering the arms, and repositioning the legs.

…

Power Up VT6’s robot mode (back) is a bit on the thin side. Looking at him from a side profile, from his knees to his head is all really thin; however, looking at him from the front, his legs are thin front waist to feet, as are the arms even more. His head is even flatter, though it does feature eyes that glow green when light shines through them. His hands are more like claws, but it’s hard to tell since they’re really thin, and can’t grip anything. His lower legs are jointed on the back side of them, and look rather awkward. His display screen is prominently shown across the front of his entire upper torso.

Poseability is good. There are regular twist joints in his neck, shoulders, wrists, hips, and knees; while ball-and-socket joints are in his elbows and hips. The biggest issue in posing him is how far forward his lower legs are position from his upper legs. With little support in back, he is prone to falling over backwards easily despite the small ridges at his heels. His hands/claws can pitch up and down due to how he transforms, but since they don’t really look like either claws or hands, it’s hard to pose him in a satisfying way.

Unlike most of the toys in the Real Gear Robots line, none of the screws on Power Up VT6 are covered. This may owe to the fact that screws are usually seen on real hand-held game devices. Also, most of the Real Gear Robots are representations of smaller electronic devices, and so the screws are usually hidden or not seen at all on things like cell phones (Autobot Speed Dial 800) or multimedia players (Decepticon Booster X10). Because of how small he is compared to a real game device, the screws on Power Up VT6 are more prominent and thus their presence is exaggerated & more noticeable.

Simple and fun. That is the mission of the Real Gear Robots line, and this toy does that fairly. I was looking forward to getting him, but when I finally did, I was disappointed. The lower legs were a big part of that, and I thought that maybe they could have been redesigned a bit; maybe eliminated those large gaps on the front of them too. Also the hands, again, bugged me a bit, but I’m not quite sure why. The Automorph feature, too, was a surprise, though I’m not quite sure if it was a good idea to add it. That I know of, none of the other Real Gear Robots have Automorph, so why should just this one? Colors didn’t bother me, nor did the articulation. In disguise mode, he’s just fine, and I had no problem with it other than perhaps his small size, but that is the sacrifice of the line to make them cheap. Something just didn’t work right here, or he rubs me the wrong way, so I mildly recommend getting Power Up VT6.

--Released by Popular Demand!--

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

Just before “Transformers” was released into theaters in July, 2007, Warner Brothers’ music label released a single CD containing songs performed by various popular bands that were appearing in the film. (Four of these songs did not make it into the film but were included on the CD anyways, including a remake of the classic G1 Transformers theme by Mute Math!) It was unknown at the time how well the film would do, and so none of the original score composed by Steve Jablonsky was included. Even though the film did quite well internationally in theaters despite criticism from even hardcore Transformers fans, the original score also received praise. After seeing the film, many went to stores to buy “Transformers: The Album”, hoping to be able to listen to some of the original soundtrack (OST). Unfortunately, Warner Brothers had not anticipated this in the pre-release months, and a letter was sent out shortly thereafter that they would not be releasing any of the OST.

(For you anime fans out there, Jablonsky composed the complete score for Katsuhiro Otomo’s 2004 film “Steamboy”. He had also previously collaborated with “Transformers” director Michael Bay to score 2005’s less-successful “The Island”.)

This was criticized by many. The webmaster of The Knight Shift created an online petition mere days after “Transformers” was released in theaters; asking Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, and Warner Brothers to release an OST containing only music composed by Mr. Jablonsky. While sales for “…The Album” dropped rapidly inside of a two week period (from #29 to #76 on the Billboard music charts, and no more than 91,000 units sold), by the end of July, 2,000 signatures had been recorded by the petition, and by mid-August five weeks later, that number had quickly doubled to 4,000.

(Yours truly can be found as entry #1112!)

On August 26th, Warner Brothers announced that- by popular demand- they would be releasing a single CD containing most of the OST from the film! By then, the petition had surpassed 5,000 signatures. The release date would be October 9th, 2007. The movie “Transformers” itself would be released on DVD a few days later on October 16th. Depending how well “Transformers: The Score” does, Warner Brothers mentioned the possibility that a 2-disc OST containing the complete 90 minutes of the score would be released later on. (Please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please…)

(Whether intentional or not, October 9th is written out as 09-09, or 9-9. The release date for “Transformers” in the United States was July 4th, 2007- written out as 07-04-07, or 7-4-7 on promotional materials; an obvious & eye-catching though unrelated reference to the famed Boeing 747 wide-body commercial jumbo jet. Playing with numbers, are we…?)

On September 2nd, Steve Jablonsky e-mailed The Knight Shift, thanking them, and everyone who had signed the petition, for supporting him and the music. He also mentioned that an OST had always been in the works, but would have been released later on.

Yay-! I wanted to hear the OST as well, and was quite mad when there wasn’t going to be one released. They neglected to release an OST of Randy Newman’s score when the Star Trek-parody “Galaxy Quest” (1999) came out, and it made me mad! Same with David Arnold’s score for the remake of “Godzilla” (1998).

(I absolutely loved the scene where the Autobots descent from space, and then gather in the alleyway. That inspirational piece of music, alone, convinced me that I wanted this OST!)

If you read these notices at the end of these reviews on CDX, and you too signed the petition, I thank you as well! And if you read it, but did nothing… Heh-, well... I hope a protoform Autobot hard-lands right on your a--!

"Cracking the Signal"

With the Decepticons en route to recover their leader Megatron, and the discovery of the long-lost AllSpark Cube, the military forms an improvised plan to race to Mission City to hide the Cube from the hostile alien robots by shielding it with the technology of the city, and then evacuate the Cube via helicopter to another location while they are distracted. Once there, they are ambushed by several Decepticons including the revitalized Megatron. During the battle- no longer isolated from the outside world by Hoover Dam- the Cube accidentally comes into contact with the ground, and spreads its mysterious life-giving energy across the city, turning everyday electronic items into more Cybertronians… Real Gear Robots! After the Mission City battle, many of the smaller newly-created robots manage to escape out of the city limits, but some are picked-up by hidden Autobots and Decepticons, and then used as spies and scouts to find each other- using their disguised forms to trick humans into carrying them wherever they need to go.

"Cracking the Signal"

Decepticon Wire Tap V20 is a repaint of the earlier-released Autobot Speed Dial 800.

Wire Tap V20’s disguise mode (back) is that of a black and silver cell phone. He has perhaps the most accurately-proportioned disguise mode out of all the Real Gear Robots series. Of course, with the size of real cell phones today, it’s kinda disturbing. He has a small display window on the front cover which shows a black Decepticon symbol against a red background and the digital time 3:35pm. There are two non-functional buttons on either side of the cover joint for volume and the phone’s camera shutter trigger. There is a camera ‘lens’ on the back side right at the top cover’s joint.

The ‘special feature' of Wire Tap V20 is, well, opening up. Many of the familiar buttons are here, though non-functional- keypad buttons with alphanumeric characters, Dial and Hang-up buttons, two Option buttons above them, and a central button that I can’t quite figure out. The pound (#) and star (*) keys are still physically molded there, but the symbols themselves were not added. The top cover section has, again, a large decal for the display window which shows other familiar phone icons- connection quality, Menu options, Connect/Disconnect icon (tiny triangles pointing opposite directions), and ringtone icon- though fewer that Speed Dial 800 has. A larger black Decepticon symbol on a red-orange background serves as the wallpaper. The printed digital clock inside, again, shows 3:35pm. An added molded feature includes the small vertical ear speaker at the top of the cover. A new addition- small printed purple Decepticon symbol- also appears in the space between the keypad and top cover joint inside.

(If the time 3:35pm has any significance, I am not aware of it; other than that it is in contrast to the 7:47pm that appears on Speed Dial 800.)

...

Transforming him is a piece of cake- very simple to understand, very simple to execute. The only complaint I have in the entire toy is in rotating those supports out of the bottom of his feet; there’s nothing to grab onto, and so you just have to press hard on them until they swing out. There is one big issue I must mention about transforming Wire Tap V20, and that is how his legs are positioned. The instructions and box art show that the fold-out sections on his feet are actually high-heel like parts. However, if you are to orient the legs the way they have it, then not only do the front of the legs have these huge gaps in the front, but the knee joints do not work. Now, even though he balances more correctly in this form, I prefer to reorient the legs ‘backwards’. This now makes the heels the front of the feet, and places that large gap in back, so he looks like he’s wearing knee-high boots instead. However, it has the larger advantage of freeing up his knees so that they function more like human legs. He also tilts forward a bit in a neutral pose this way to better balance the heavy weight of the top cover in his back. I have photographed him as such.

Since the Real Gear Robots line was inspired by events near the end of the 2007 film, but is not directly affected by it, and because of their relative size, there is no ‘Automorph Technology’ feature. No loss there. If anything, I don’t see how they could have incorporated one into Wire Tap V20, and I think it was better for them not to try it.

...

Wire Tap V20’s robot mode (back) fits into my “oddly-shaped-robot” list. He doesn’t have eyes, but the camera lens serves as one big Cyclops eye. It doesn’t work very well, though, since you can almost look under the camera lens part, and imagine it as more of a visor above the rest of his face. His arms are very tiny, and end in two-finger claws with a single-axis wrist joint. A contrast to Speed Dial 800’s coloring appears here- while his upper arms, claws, and thighs are a slightly darker shade of gray, the same parts on Wire Tap V20 have been changed to a kind of dark red. His silver face, also, is lined by a copper color, whereas Speed Dial 800’s face was plain silver. The main body is a T-shaped arrangement from the various buttons of the keypad. The legs, as I described above, look like knee-high boots with tiny upper legs just barely able to fit in the joints needed. The feet- which are painted silver- are hook-shaped, and I think they could have had them rotate differently. The top cover serves no function in robot mode other than as a big backpack. Unlike most of the figures in the Real Gear Robots line, Wire Tap V20 does not have his name printed anywhere on him.

Poseability is fair, though the proportions of everything make it difficult to find any good poses. His head is always facing forward due to that his neck only serves as the rotation joint for the top cover during transformation. Both shoulder and elbows are ball-and-socket joints, but his claws only bend up-and-down due to how he transforms. The legs are the most articulate, with two joints at the hips, and two at the knees, all free-rotate. Like the elbows on the Real Gear Robots Autobot Longview, Wire Tap V20’s knees are so close to his hips that they make little difference in posing. There is no distinguishing special feature on Wire Tap V20 in robot mode.

One other thing I should point out that took me by surprise was that all of the screws holding him together have been covered up! Even the screw holding the top cover joint together was covered, but was not painted like it was on Speed Dial 800. This is a very unexpected touch, but certainly appreciated, and adds all the more to the illusion that this is a “real” electronic device. So, aside from the irremovable pins in his hips, he has no visible screws anywhere!

Simple and fun. That is the mission of the Real Gear Robots line, and this toy accomplishes that very well. I can tolerate him, even though he is rather disproportionate for my usual tastes. While how his arms are stowed and unfurled is interesting, I would have used other parts of him to make bigger arms, and also some how utilized that top cover rather than just letting it hang off the back. Um… what’s up with the little loop on top of his head? Makes him look like a miner when the face covers are closed! The color scheme is quite a contrast to Speed Dial 800’s, and looks a little more attractive as far as a cell phone goes. I can easily imagine him just sitting on my nightstand, and then when I go to bed, him transforming and chatting it up for hours, pacing the length of the wood and waving his little arms about, before I go to sleep. Creepy though, like most other electronic devices will just up and change into little robots. The concept is a nice one, and I like these repaint colors a bit more, but the proportion of things in robot mode still forces me to give Wire Tap V20 a mild recommendation.

--Released by Popular Demand!--

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

Just before “Transformers” was released into theaters in July, 2007, Warner Brothers’ music label released a single CD containing songs performed by various popular bands that were appearing in the film. (Four of these songs did not make it into the film but were included on the CD anyways, including a remake of the classic G1 Transformers theme by Mute Math!) It was unknown at the time how well the film would do, and so none of the original score composed by Steve Jablonsky was included. Even though the film did quite well internationally in theaters despite criticism from even hardcore Transformers fans, the original score also received praise. After seeing the film, many went to stores to buy “Transformers: The Album”, hoping to be able to listen to some of the original soundtrack (OST). Unfortunately, Warner Brothers had not anticipated this in the pre-release months, and a letter was sent out shortly thereafter that they would not be releasing any of the OST.

(For you anime fans out there, Jablonsky composed the complete score for Katsuhiro Otomo’s 2004 film “Steamboy”. He had also previously collaborated with “Transformers” director Michael Bay to score 2005’s less-successful “The Island”.)

This was criticized by many. The webmaster of The Knight Shift created an online petition mere days after “Transformers” was released in theaters; asking Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, and Warner Brothers to release an OST containing only music composed by Mr. Jablonsky. While sales for “…The Album” dropped rapidly inside of a two week period (from #29 to #76 on the Billboard music charts, and no more than 91,000 units sold), by the end of July, 2,000 signatures had been recorded by the petition, and by mid-August five weeks later, that number had quickly doubled to 4,000.

(Yours truly can be found as entry #1112!)

On August 26th, Warner Brothers announced that- by popular demand- they would be releasing a single CD containing most of the OST from the film! By then, the petition had surpassed 5,000 signatures. The release date would be October 9th, 2007. The movie “Transformers” itself would be released on DVD a few days later on October 16th. Depending how well “Transformers: The Score” does, Warner Brothers mentioned the possibility that a 2-disc OST containing the complete 90 minutes of the score would be released later on. (Please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please…)

(Whether intentional or not, October 9th is written out as 09-09, or 9-9. The release date for “Transformers” in the United States was July 4th, 2007- written out as 07-04-07, or 7-4-7 on promotional materials; an obvious & eye-catching though unrelated reference to the famed Boeing 747 wide-body commercial jumbo jet. Playing with numbers, are we…?)

On September 2nd, Steve Jablonsky e-mailed The Knight Shift, thanking them, and everyone who had signed the petition, for supporting him and the music. He also mentioned that an OST had always been in the works, but would have been released later on.

Yay-! I wanted to hear the OST as well, and was quite mad when there wasn’t going to be one released. They neglected to release an OST of Randy Newman’s score when the Star Trek-parody “Galaxy Quest” (1999) came out, and it made me mad! Same with David Arnold’s score for the remake of “Godzilla” (1998).

(I absolutely loved the scene where the Autobots descent from space, and then gather in the alleyway. That inspirational piece of music, alone, convinced me that I wanted this OST!)

If you read these notices at the end of these reviews on CDX, and you too signed the petition, I thank you as well! And if you read it, but did nothing… Heh-, well... I hope a protoform Autobot hard-lands right on your a--!

"Connect. Record. Inform."

With the Decepticons en route to recover their leader Megatron, and the discovery of the long-lost AllSpark Cube, the military forms an improvised plan to race to Mission City to hide the Cube from the hostile alien robots by shielding it with the technology of the city, and then evacuate the Cube via helicopter to another location while they are distracted. Once there, they are ambushed by several Decepticons including the revitalized Megatron. During the battle- no longer isolated from the outside world by Hoover Dam- the Cube accidentally comes into contact with the ground, and spreads its mysterious life-giving energy across the city, turning everyday electronic items into more Cybertronians… Real Gear Robots! After the Mission City battle, many of the smaller newly-created robots manage to escape out of the city limits, but some are picked-up by hidden Autobots and Decepticons, and then used as spies and scouts to find each other- using their disguised forms to trick humans into carrying them wherever they need to go.

"Connect. Record. Inform."

Speed Dial 800’s disguise mode (back) is that of a dark gray and dark blue cell phone. He has perhaps the most accurately-proportioned disguise mode out of all the Real Gear Robots series. Of course, with the size of real cell phones today, it’s kinda disturbing. He has a small display window on the front cover which shows a light blue Autobot symbol and the digital time 7:47. There are two non-functional buttons on either side of the cover joint for volume and the phone’s camera shutter trigger. There is a camera ‘lens’ on the back side right at the cover’s joint.

The ‘special feature of Speed Dial 800 is, well, opening up. Many of the familiar buttons are here, though non-functional- keypad buttons with alphanumeric characters, Dial and Hang-up buttons, two Option buttons above them, and a central button that I can’t quite figure out. The top cover section has, again, a large decal for the display window which shows other familiar phone icons- connection, battery capacity icon, Menu and Select options, Connect/Disconnect icon, and ringtone icon. A larger red Autobot symbol serves as the wallpaper. The digital clock inside, again, shows 7:47pm. An added molded feature includes the small vertical ear speaker at the top of the cover.

(In case you don’t realize it, the time 7:47 is in reference to the month, day, and year that the live-action film “Transformers” was released in the US- July 4th, 2007, or 07-04-07; promotional materials showed this as 7-4-7. Many of the other Real Gear Robots- though not all of them- have a similar homage on them.)

...

Transforming him is a piece of cake- very simple to understand, very simple to execute. The only complaint I have in the entire toy is in rotating those supports out of the bottom of his feet; there’s nothing to grab onto, and so you just have to press hard on them until they swing out. There is one big issue I must mention about transforming Speed Dial 800, and that is how his legs are positioned. The instructions contrasts the box art, which say that the fold-out sections on his feet are actually high-heel like parts. However, if you are to orient the legs the way they have it, then not only do the front of the legs have these huge gaps in the front, but the knee joints do not work. Now, even though he balances more correctly in this form, I prefer to reorient the legs ‘backwards’. This now makes the heels the front of the feet, and places that large gap in back, so he looks like he’s wearing knee-high boots instead. However, it has the larger advantage of freeing up his knees so that they function more like human legs. He also tilts forward a bit in a neutral pose this way to better balance the heavy weight of the top cover in his back. I have photographed him as such.

Since the Real Gear Robots line was inspired by events near the end of the 2007 film, but is not directly affected by it, and because of their relative size, there is no ‘Automorph Technology’ feature. No loss there. If anything, I don’t see how they could have incorporated one into Speed Dial 800, and I think it was good for them not to try it.

...

Speed Dial 800’s robot mode (back) fits into my “oddly-shaped-robot” list. He doesn’t have eyes, but the camera lens serves as one big Cyclops eye. It doesn’t work very well, though, since you can almost look under the camera lens part, and imagine it as more of a visor above the rest of his face. Actually, I thought that he looks better with the two face covers left closed. His arms are very tiny, and end in two-finger claws with a single-axis wrist joint. The main body is a T-shaped arrangement from the various buttons of the keypad. The legs, as I described above, look like knee-high boots with tiny upper legs just barely able to fit in the joints needed. The feet are hook-shaped, and I think they could have had them rotate differently. The top cover serves no function in robot mode other than as a big backpack. Unlike most of the figures in the Real Gear Robots line, Speed Dial 800 does not have his name printed anywhere on him.

Poseability is fair, though the proportions of everything make it difficult to find any good poses. His head is always facing forward due to that his neck only serves as the rotation joint for the top cover during transformation. Both shoulder and elbows are ball-and-socket joints, but his claws only bend up-and-down due to how he transforms. The legs are the most articulate, with two joints at the hips, and two at the knees, all free-rotate. Like the elbows on fellow Real Gear Robots Autobot Longview, Speed Dial 800’s knees are so close to his hips that they make little difference in posing. There is no distinguishing special feature on Speed Dial 800 in robot mode.

One other thing I should point out that took me by surprise was that all of the screws holding him together have been covered up! Even the screw holding the top cover joint together was both covered and painted. This is a very unexpected touch, but certainly appreciated, and adds all the more to the illusion that this is a “real” electronic device. So, aside from the irremovable pins in his hips, he has no visible screws anywhere!

Simple and fun. That is the mission of the Real Gear Robots line, and this toy accomplishes that very well. I can tolerate him, even though he is rather disproportionate for my usual tastes. While how his arms are stowed and unfurled is interesting, I would have used other parts of him to make bigger arms, and also some how utilized that top cover rather than just letting it hang off the back. Um… what’s up with the little loop on top of his head? Makes him look like a miner when the face covers are closed! The color scheme is rather plain, but, again, the idea is to make him blend in and not draw attention to him… as most cell phones are prone to do. I can easily imagine him just sitting on my nightstand, and then when I go to bed, him transforming and chatting it up for hours, pacing the length of the wood and waving his little arms about, before I go to sleep. Creepy though, like most other electronic devices will just up and change into little robots. The concept is a nice one, but the proportion of things in robot mode forces me to give Speed Dial 800 a mild recommendation.

(There was a later repaint of this figure, called Decepticon Wire Tap V20, who was colored black, silver, and red.)

--Released by Popular Demand!--

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

Just before “Transformers” was released into theaters in July, 2007, Warner Brothers’ music label released a single CD containing songs performed by various popular bands that were appearing in the film. (Four of these songs did not make it into the film but were included on the CD anyways, including a remake of the classic G1 Transformers theme by Mute Math!) It was unknown at the time how well the film would do, and so none of the original score composed by Steve Jablonsky was included. Even though the film did quite well internationally in theaters despite criticism from even hardcore Transformers fans, the original score also received praise. After seeing the film, many went to stores to buy “Transformers: The Album”, hoping to be able to listen to some of the original soundtrack (OST). Unfortunately, Warner Brothers had not anticipated this in the pre-release months, and a letter was sent out shortly thereafter that they would not be releasing any of the OST.

(For you anime fans out there, Jablonsky composed the complete score for Katsuhiro Otomo’s 2004 film “Steamboy”. He had also previously collaborated with “Transformers” director Michael Bay to score 2005’s less-successful “The Island”.)

This was criticized by many. The webmaster of The Knight Shift created an online petition mere days after “Transformers” was released in theaters; asking Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, and Warner Brothers to release an OST containing only music composed by Mr. Jablonsky. While sales for “…The Album” dropped rapidly inside of a two week period (from #29 to #76 on the Billboard music charts, and no more than 91,000 units sold), by the end of July, 2,000 signatures had been recorded by the petition, and by mid-August five weeks later, that number had quickly doubled to 4,000.

(Yours truly can be found as entry #1112!)

On August 26th, Warner Brothers announced that- by popular demand- they would be releasing a single CD containing most of the OST from the film! By then, the petition had surpassed 5,000 signatures. The release date would be October 9th, 2007. The movie “Transformers” itself would be released on DVD a few days later on October 16th. Depending how well “Transformers: The Score” does, Warner Brothers mentioned the possibility that a 2-disc OST containing the complete 90 minutes of the score would be released later on. (Please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please…)

(Whether intentional or not, October 9th is written out as 09-09, or 9-9. The release date for “Transformers” in the United States was July 4th, 2007- written out as 07-04-07, or 7-4-7 on promotional materials; an obvious & eye-catching though unrelated reference to the famed Boeing 747 wide-body commercial jumbo jet. Playing with numbers, are we…?)

On September 2nd, Steve Jablonsky e-mailed The Knight Shift, thanking them, and everyone who had signed the petition, for supporting him and the music. He also mentioned that an OST had always been in the works, but would have been released later on.

Yay-! I wanted to hear the OST as well, and was quite mad when there wasn’t going to be one released. They neglected to release an OST of Randy Newman’s score when the Star Trek-parody “Galaxy Quest” (1999) came out, and it made me mad! Same with David Arnold’s score for the remake of “Godzilla” (1998).

(I absolutely loved the scene where the Autobots descent from space, and then gather in the alleyway. That inspirational piece of music, alone, convinced me that I wanted this OST!)

If you read these notices at the end of these reviews on CDX, and you too signed the petition, I thank you as well! And if you read it, but did nothing… Heh-, well... I hope a protoform Autobot hard-lands right on your a--!

"Seeking the Beat"

With the Decepticons en route to recover their leader Megatron, and the discovery of the long-lost AllSpark Cube, the military forms an improvised plan to race to Mission City to hide the Cube from the hostile alien robots by shielding it with the technology of the city, and then evacuate the Cube via helicopter to another location while they are distracted. Once there, they are ambushed by several Decepticons including the revitalized Megatron. During the battle- no longer isolated from the outside world by Hoover Dam- the Cube accidentally comes into contact with the ground, and spreads its mysterious life-giving energy across the city, turning everyday electronic items into more Cybertronians… Real Gear Robots! After the Mission City battle, many of the smaller newly-created robots manage to escape out of the city limits, but some are picked-up by hidden Autobots and Decepticons, and then used as spies and scouts to find each other- using their disguised forms to trick humans into carrying them wherever they need to go.

"Seeking the Beat"

Autobot Night Beat 7 is a repaint of the earlier-released Decepticon Booster X10.

Night Beat 7’s disguise mode is the only other set in the Real Gear Robots line that is composed of two separate parts- a small light blue, light gray and silver MP3 multimedia player (back), and a single cordless earpiece. The non-functioning MP3 player is just a block of plastic parts with a rectangular transparent-blue window on the forward half, and a generic five-button keypad below. The window exposes some of the robot mode’s parts. The MP3 player itself has no function on its own, though I will say that looking at it from a distance, you could easily mistake is for the real deal.

The earpiece (back) is the ‘special’ feature of the disguise mode, though it, too, is non-functional. A semi-flexible rubber clip similar to that of many hands-free/cordless earpieces used for phones wraps around the back of it. Unlike Booster X10, Night Beat 7’s name does not appear on top of it, but a red Autobot symbol is printed on top. And it operates along the same principle- clip the toy to your ear by slipping the rubber between your right ear and head, with the plastic earpiece flush against the outside of your right ear; nothing goes inside the ear. Admittedly, the small light blue & silver projection from the earpiece suggests more of a cordless phone earpiece since it looks like a mini-microphone. On kids it will looks fine, but on adult collectors, the earpiece may look a bit out of proportion. What are ya gonna do, ya know?

(That I am aware of, most portable MP3 players do not use cordless earpieces, as they would get lost too easily…)

...

Transforming him is a piece of cake- very simple to understand, very simple to execute. The only complaint I have in the entire toy is in rotating out those bird legs underneath! This is really the only place where his size works against him. While putting them back in isn’t a problem, slipping them out of position to transform him is more nuisance than problem. Was Night Beat 7 only slightly bigger…

Since the Real Gear Robots line was inspired by events near the end of the 2007 film, but is not directly affected by it, and because of their relative size, there is no ‘Automorph Technology’ feature. No loss there. If anything, I don’t see how they could have incorporated one into Night Beat 7, and I think it was good for them not to try it.

...

Being a repaint, Night Beat 7’s beast mode (back) shares the structure of Booster X10, and so shares the traits that make the Decepticon similar to the G1 character Laserbeak, though with different coloring. It is also not a straight swap for colors either. Whereas Booster X10 had silver lining the black buttons of his disguise mode, Night Beat 7’s body is light blue with regular blue painted on. Also, Booster X10’s eyes and beak were painted yellow- the only contrast on that toy; on Night Beat 7, his eyes are painted blue, but his beak remains the natural coloring of the light blue plastic beneath it with silver highlights for the rest of the head. Booster X10’s tail was all red paint over the transparent orange plastic, but Night Beat 7’s transparent blue tail is painted light blue and highlighted with a second color, silver.

Night Beat 7 has a narrow streamlined head & neck with a red Autobot symbol printed on top of it, two thin light gray legs with claws, and the earpiece forms the bulk of the upper body with a light blue & silver double-barrel cannon projecting from it. His wings are made up of the split outer casing of the MP3 player. Inside are two pairs of transparent blue wing parts that swivel out as the wings are extended to full length; these blue parts have a feathered or flowing-energy mold that fill the space between the outer wing parts and the body nicely. The tail is the flat, curved casing from beneath the keypad, and has some tech details underneath. Since his main body is now molded in light gray, it is easier to see the molded tech details in the ABS under his body between his legs, shoulders, tail, and neck. Like Booster X10 before him, Night Beat 7 has a red Autobot symbol on his forehead; and the larger red Autobot symbol is still visible on his back.

Poseability is different here because Night Beat 7 is a bird. The wings are jointed at the shoulders, and can only snap to 45-degrees. But, due to how he changes, the wings can also slide forward in various ways. (The feathered parts can move, but they only slide out a specified distance when transforming, so they can’t really be used for posing.) The tail can shift up and down, but, again, this is due to how he transforms. The legs have good range of motion, with joints at the hips, knees, and ankles for good posing options. (The hip joints on mine are a bit loose, so he has a tendency to droop over time.) Someone pointed out to me that you can twist his neck around its center axis, so that you can give him (or rather he can give you) a quizzical look. Though the head is a separate part before he’s assembled in the factory, it cannot be twisted. The cannon mount on top can certainly be removed, but… why would you want to?

One other thing I should point out that took me by surprise was that the few screws holding him together have been covered up, specifically on the wings! This is a very unexpected touch, but certainly appreciated, and adds all the more to the illusion that this is a “real” electronic device. So, when in disguise mode, he has no screws showing! (In beast mode, the single screw keeping the earpiece together is hidden, so I don’t count it.)

Simple and fun. That is the mission of the Real Gear Robots line, and this toy accomplishes that very well. Plus he looks good, and changes easily. Things to change? Honestly, I can’t find anything that I would change! I can understand why it’s a little tricky to unfurl his legs, but that, again, is due to his size. It’s not very glamorous in beast mode, but the functionality, detail, and aura more than makes up for it. He is a fair design for a repaint, though I thought the color pallet was a bit bland with all these different colors relating to blue; it might work on another toy, but not really this one. Considering the popularity of personal multimedia players today (and how much he looks more like an iPod™ due to the pale coloring!), ya kinda start feeling paranoid that other common electronic devices will suddenly up and transform into miniature robots! I thought that because of the coloring and the clear homage to Laserbeak that Decepticon Booster X10 was cool, but Night Beat 7 just brings something different to the table.

--Released by Popular Demand!--

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

Just before “Transformers” was released into theaters in July, 2007, Warner Brothers’ music label released a single CD containing songs performed by various popular bands that were appearing in the film. (Four of these songs did not make it into the film but were included on the CD anyways, including a remake of the classic G1 Transformers theme by Mute Math!) It was unknown at the time how well the film would do, and so none of the original score composed by Steve Jablonsky was included. Even though the film did quite well internationally in theaters despite criticism from even hardcore Transformers fans, the original score also received praise. After seeing the film, many went to stores to buy “Transformers: The Album”, hoping to be able to listen to some of the original soundtrack (OST). Unfortunately, Warner Brothers had not anticipated this in the pre-release months, and a letter was sent out shortly thereafter that they would not be releasing any of the OST.

(For you anime fans out there, Jablonsky composed the complete score for Katsuhiro Otomo’s 2004 film “Steamboy”. He had also previously collaborated with “Transformers” director Michael Bay to score 2005’s less-successful “The Island”.)

This was criticized by many. The webmaster of The Knight Shift created an online petition mere days after “Transformers” was released in theaters; asking Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, and Warner Brothers to release an OST containing only music composed by Mr. Jablonsky. While sales for “…The Album” dropped rapidly inside of a two week period (from #29 to #76 on the Billboard music charts, and no more than 91,000 units sold), by the end of July, 2,000 signatures had been recorded by the petition, and by mid-August five weeks later, that number had quickly doubled to 4,000.

(Yours truly can be found as entry #1112!)

On August 26th, Warner Brothers announced that- by popular demand- they would be releasing a single CD containing most of the OST from the film! By then, the petition had surpassed 5,000 signatures. The release date would be October 9th, 2007. The movie “Transformers” itself would be released on DVD a few days later on October 16th. Depending how well “Transformers: The Score” does, Warner Brothers mentioned the possibility that a 2-disc OST containing the complete 90 minutes of the score would be released later on. (Please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please…)

(Whether intentional or not, October 9th is written out as 09-09, or 9-9. The release date for “Transformers” in the United States was July 4th, 2007- written out as 07-04-07, or 7-4-7 on promotional materials; an obvious & eye-catching though unrelated reference to the famed Boeing 747 wide-body commercial jumbo jet. Playing with numbers, are we…?)

On September 2nd, Steve Jablonsky e-mailed The Knight Shift, thanking them, and everyone who had signed the petition, for supporting him and the music. He also mentioned that an OST had always been in the works, but would have been released later on.

Yay-! I wanted to hear the OST as well, and was quite mad when there wasn’t going to be one released. They neglected to release an OST of Randy Newman’s score when the Star Trek-parody “Galaxy Quest” (1999) came out, and it made me mad! Same with David Arnold’s score for the remake of “Godzilla” (1998).

(I absolutely loved the scene where the Autobots descent from space, and then gather in the alleyway. That inspirational piece of music, alone, convinced me that I wanted this OST!)

If you read these notices at the end of these reviews on CDX, and you too signed the petition, I thank you as well! And if you read it, but did nothing… Heh-, well... I hope a protoform Autobot hard-lands right on your a--!

"Download. Distribute. Destroy."

With the Decepticons en route to recover their leader Megatron, and the discovery of the long-lost AllSpark Cube, the military forms an improvised plan to race to Mission City to hide the Cube from the hostile alien robots by shielding it with the technology of the city, and then evacuate the Cube via helicopter to another location while they are distracted. Once there, they are ambushed by several Decepticons including the revitalized Megatron. During the battle- no longer isolated from the outside world by Hoover Dam- the Cube accidentally comes into contact with the ground, and spreads its mysterious life-giving energy across the city, turning everyday electronic items into more Cybertronians… Real Gear Robots! After the Mission City battle, many of the smaller newly-created robots manage to escape out of the city limits, but some are picked-up by hidden Autobots and Decepticons, and then used as spies and scouts to find each other- using their disguised forms to trick humans into carrying them wherever they need to go.

"Download. Distribute. Destroy."

Booster X10’s disguise mode is the only set in the Real Gear Robots line that is composed of two separate parts- a small red, black and silver MP3 multimedia player (back), and a single cordless earpiece. The non-functioning MP3 player is just a block of plastic parts with a rectangular transparent-orange window on the forward half, and a generic five-button keypad below. The window exposes some of the robot mode’s parts. The MP3 player itself has no function on its own, though I will say that looking at it from a distance, you could easily mistake is for the real deal.

The earpiece (back) is the ‘special’ feature of the disguise mode, though it, too, is non-functional. A semi-flexible rubber clip similar to that of many hands-free/cordless earpieces used for phones wraps around the back of it. Booster X10’s name and a silver Decepticon are printed on top. And it operates along the same principle- clip the toy to your ear by slipping the rubber between your right ear and head, with the plastic earpiece flush against the outside of your right ear; nothing goes inside the ear. Admittedly, the small silver projection from the earpiece suggests more of a cordless phone earpiece since it looks like a mini-microphone. On kids it will looks fine, but on adult collectors, the earpiece may look a bit out of proportion. What are ya gonna do, ya know?

(That I am aware of, most portable MP3 players do not use cordless earpieces, as they would get lost too easily…)

...

Transforming him is a piece of cake- very simple to understand, very simple to execute. The only complaint I have in the entire toy is in rotating out those bird legs underneath! This is really the only place where his size works against him. While putting them back in isn’t a problem, slipping them out of position to transform him is more nuisance than problem. Was Booster X10 only slightly bigger…

Since the Real Gear Robots line was inspired by events near the end of the 2007 film, but is not directly affected by it, and because of their relative size, there is no ‘Automorph Technology’ feature. No loss there. If anything, I don’t see how they could have incorporated one into Booster X10, and I think it was good for them not to try it.

...

Booster X10’s , erm… beast mode (back) requires special attention in that it is clearly an homage to the classic G1 character Laserbeak, who served the Decepticon Soundwave faithfully as an aerial spy. Laserbeak transformed from a red-and-black audio cassette- stored in Soundwave’s chest compartment [along with fellow cassette/mecha’ Buzzsaw (also a bird), Ravage, Rumble, Space Case, and Wingthing]- into a bird with top-mounted laser cannon(s). (Funny, with a name like “Laserbeak” you would think he would shoot a laser from, well… his beak.)

Booster X10 has a narrow streamlined head & neck with a purple Decepticon symbol printed on top of it, two thin black legs with claws, and [again, like Laserbeak] the earpiece forms the bulk of the upper body with a silver double-barrel cannon projecting from it. His wings are made up of the split outer casing of the MP3 player. Inside are two pairs of transparent orange wing parts that swivel out as the wings are extended to full length; these orange parts have a feathered or flowing-energy mold that fill the space between the outer wing parts and the body nicely. The tail is the flat, curved casing from beneath the keypad, and has some tech details underneath. Also noticeable if you look closely is some molded tech details in the black ABS under his main body between his legs, shoulders, tail, and neck. Like Laserbeak before him, Booster X10 has a purple Decepticon symbol on his forehead; his name and the silver Decepticon symbol are still visible on his back.

Poseability is different here because Booster X10 is a bird. The wings are jointed at the shoulders, and can snap upwards only once, to 45-degrees. (If the earpiece/cannon were removed, they could go a full 90-degrees.) Due to how he changes, the wings can also slide forward in various ways. (The feathered parts can move, but they only slide out a specified distance when transforming, so they can’t really be used for posing.) The tail can shift up and down, but, again, this is due to how he transforms. (The tail joint on mine is actually a little loose, so it can’t really suspend itself very well, and tends to droop to whatever surface it’s on.) The legs have good range of motion, with joints at the hips, knees, and ankles for good posing options. Someone pointed out to me that you can twist his neck around its center axis, so that you can give him (or rather he can give you) a quizzical look. Though the head is a separate part before he’s assembled in the factory, it cannot be twisted. The cannon mount on top can certainly be removed, but… why would you want to?

One other thing I should point out that took me by surprise was that the few screws holding him together have been covered up, specifically on the wings! This is a very unexpected touch, but certainly appreciated, and adds all the more to the illusion that this is a “real” electronic device. So, when in disguise mode, he has no screws showing! (In beast mode, the single screw keeping the earpiece together is hidden, so I don’t count it.)

Simple and fun. That is the mission of the Real Gear Robots line, and this toy accomplishes that very well. Plus he looks good, and changes easily. Things to change? Honestly, I can’t find anything that I would change! I can understand why it’s a little tricky to unfurl his legs, but that, again, is due to his size. It’s not very glamorous in beast mode, but the functionality, detail, and aura more than makes up for it. Booster X10 is a winner even if he’s evil, and considering the popularity of personal multimedia players today, ya kinda start feeling paranoid that other common electronic devices will suddenly up and transform into miniature robots! Highly recommended!

(There was a later repaint of this figure, called Autobot Night Beat 7, who was colored light blue, light gray, and transparent blue.)

--Released by Popular Demand!--

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

Just before “Transformers” was released into theaters in July, 2007, Warner Brothers’ music label released a single CD containing songs performed by various popular bands that were appearing in the film. (Four of these songs did not make it into the film but were included on the CD anyways, including a remake of the classic G1 Transformers theme by Mute Math!) It was unknown at the time how well the film would do, and so none of the original score composed by Steve Jablonsky was included. Even though the film did quite well internationally in theaters despite criticism from even hardcore Transformers fans, the original score also received praise. After seeing the film, many went to stores to buy “Transformers: The Album”, hoping to be able to listen to some of the original soundtrack (OST). Unfortunately, Warner Brothers had not anticipated this in the pre-release months, and a letter was sent out shortly thereafter that they would not be releasing any of the OST.

(For you anime fans out there, Jablonsky composed the complete score for Katsuhiro Otomo’s 2004 film “Steamboy”. He had also previously collaborated with “Transformers” director Michael Bay to score 2005’s less-successful “The Island”.)

This was criticized by many. The webmaster of The Knight Shift created an online petition mere days after “Transformers” was released in theaters; asking Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, and Warner Brothers to release an OST containing only music composed by Mr. Jablonsky. While sales for “…The Album” dropped rapidly inside of a two week period (from #29 to #76 on the Billboard music charts, and no more than 91,000 units sold), by the end of July, 2,000 signatures had been recorded by the petition, and by mid-August five weeks later, that number had quickly doubled to 4,000.

(Yours truly can be found as entry #1112!)

On August 26th, Warner Brothers announced that- by popular demand- they would be releasing a single CD containing most of the OST from the film! By then, the petition had surpassed 5,000 signatures. The release date would be October 9th, 2007. The movie “Transformers” itself would be released on DVD a few days later on October 16th. Depending how well “Transformers: The Score” does, Warner Brothers mentioned the possibility that a 2-disc OST containing the complete 90 minutes of the score would be released later on. (Please, oh please, oh please, oh please, oh please…)

(Whether intentional or not, October 9th is written out as 09-09, or 9-9. The release date for “Transformers” in the United States was July 4th, 2007- written out as 07-04-07, or 7-4-7 on promotional materials; an obvious & eye-catching though unrelated reference to the famed Boeing 747 wide-body commercial jumbo jet. Playing with numbers, are we…?)

On September 2nd, Steve Jablonsky e-mailed The Knight Shift, thanking them, and everyone who had signed the petition, for supporting him and the music. He also mentioned that an OST had always been in the works, but would have been released later on.

Yay-! I wanted to hear the OST as well, and was quite mad when there wasn’t going to be one released. They neglected to release an OST of Randy Newman’s score when the Star Trek-parody “Galaxy Quest” (1999) came out, and it made me mad! Same with David Arnold’s score for the remake of “Godzilla” (1998).

(I absolutely loved the scene where the Autobots descent from space, and then gather in the alleyway. That inspirational piece of music, alone, convinced me that I wanted this OST!)

If you read these notices at the end of these reviews on CDX, and you too signed the petition, I thank you as well! And if you read it, but did nothing… Heh-, well... I hope a protoform Autobot hard-lands right on your a--!

"Observe. Anticipate. Defend."

With the Decepticons en route to recover their leader Megatron, and the discovery of the long-lost AllSpark Cube, the military forms an improvised plan to race to Mission City to hide the Cube from the hostile alien robots by shielding it with the technology of the city, and then evacuate the Cube via helicopter to another location while they are distracted. Once there, they are ambushed by several Decepticons including the revitalized Megatron. During th