The penultimate Transformers challenge.

In the world of classic Transformers, some toys are legendary. One of these figures is Decepticon Sixchanger, Sixshot. Known for his classy ninja looks and impressive array of alternate modes, Sixshot has been a fan favorite for many years, has received a re-issue, and even a few retools as Greatshot from Transformers Victory and Shadowmaru from J-Decker.

This is not a review of Sixshot.

On the Autobot side, there was another Sixchanger. He wasn't as big or even as stylish as Sixshot and for the most part, he was pretty much forgotten. This toy was Quickswitch.

Like every classic Transformer, Quickswitch comes with a parent-confusing instruction manual. The best part of each manual is seeing how many names are used for a single piece of the toy.

The figure I bought was a pristine example. It had no box, but it still had the whole tech spec. This is Hasbro's trademark feature for their major toylines. Its these little insights into the characters that keep people coming back to the same toys twenty years after the fact. Check out the elaborate names for each of Quickswitch's mode. Oddly enough, these names are not used within the instruction manual which opts for simpler names. For example, "assault beast with stealth shielding" becomes "flying puma."

Taking a look at Quickswitch one can see he is rather plain. By this point in the Generation 1 toyline, the overall aesthetics had shifted completely to blocky sci-fi vehicles with equally blocky robots. Quickswitch's combination of red, white, teal, yellow, and gray is vaguely patriotic (made for a good guy) while not being particularly eye catching. He does have some sharp looking stickers chock full of mechanical detail which helps to break up the monotony of his design. From the front, you don't get any cues as to what exactly he'll transform into. The figure comes with two identical guns.

From the back, we see the only hint to Quickswitches six modes is the top side of a boat. You can also see the retractable nose wheel and two wheels on the roof of the boat's cabin.

One plus side to Quickswitch's transformations is his articulation. People worship Sixshot, but frankly he's a total brick in robot mode. Quickswitch's plethora of ratcheted joints lets him endeavor in basic poses like kneeling.

Quickswitch's first mode is a basic sci-fi jet fighter.

Practically every mode for Quickswitch is merely a repositioning of his limbs into different positions. For a sci-fi jet, Quickswitch looks alright. The combination of his arm panels and blasters make for passable wings and the two panels on his head make for okay tail fins.

The flying laser pistol mode is the toy's simplest mode and also the most bizarre. In this form, Quickswitch is practically in boat mode with two guns sticking out of the front. The weird thing for me is that Quickswitch's Japanese counterpart, Sixknight is introduced in Transformers: Masterforce using this mode. What unfolds is a dynamic sequence involving Sixknight dogfighting a few jet fighters while in gun mode.

As a toy gun, Quickswitch is sized for small hands. I could only wrap my pointer and middle finger around the "handle." The front wheel is meant to act as a gunsight.

Hydrofoil mode is Quickswitch's most complete looking form in my opinion. The boat part meshes well with the rest of the figure while the twin blasters make the vehicle look like a cool attack boat.

The only real problem with this mode is that Quickswitch has no wheels to roll around on. Despite the weird tripod skis, he is quite stable. I have not attempted to see if the toy will float like this and I'm not going to try it with those paper stickers.

Turning the hydrofoil over and flipping out a few panels converts Quickswitch into drill tank mode. There is actually quite a lot of detail under those panels. The treads are not functional but Quickswitch rolls around using his jet mode landing wheels. As you can see, the drill bit is the mounting point for the blasters in flying gun mode.

Sadly, the size of Quickswitch's drill makes him one of the least threatening looking drill tanks. Even Technobot Nosecone blows him away.

I have saved the most elaborate mode for last. As a "flying puma" Quickswitch reveals a few more hidden parts such as the paws on his haunches and the puma head. His "wings" are simply his head fins tucked under the belly of the assault beast.

Oh the majestic puma.

Quickswitch is a forgotten entry in the Transformers toyline. He has barely any media exposure outside of a commercial and one issue of the UK Marvel comics. While overshadowed by the arguably more impressive Sixshot, Quickswitch is still a fine toy in his own right. A few of his mode can feel same-y, what he does do is done well and the satisfying "click-click" of his joints make him a fun toy to mess around with. If you can find one for a reasonable price, I'd say go for it. At the very least check out the adventures of Sixknight, who really does the design justice in animated form.

The Deluxe Class Cyclonus is a fantastic update to the G! character.

The original Cyclonus, released in the 1980s is a real ugly toy. I understand that we all look back on G1 with a sense of nostalgia, and the toy line was in fact really groundbreaking. but lets face facts, most were clunky, ugly things. Where at least most of the original G1 figures had an excuse (their forms were dictated by what they transformed into). Cybertronian forms such as Cyclonus had no such limitation, and it just seems like crap design to end up with what we did.

I know there, are different origin stories for Cyclonus. You know what? I don't care.

What I do care about is good toys, and this new version of Cyclonus is a good toy. Hell, I'd say its a great toy.

Cyclonus comes from the Classics 2.0 line of Transformers - modern toy design created specifically to evoke the spirit of classic characters. In this they succeeded.

Packaging this thing in Jet mode was a mistake, because it hides the awesomeness within.

The jet is a futuristic, angular mish-mash of shapes. It's not the most elegant design in the world, and parts of it don't fit together quite right. It is almost as if it was just too ambitious of a design for the scale they made it in.

But once you transform into robot mode - all is forgiven. Cyclonus is pretty awesome. He is fearsome and menacing. He looks like he could totally kick your ass. There are some neat transformation tricks, such as the way the leg panels separate and move down the legs.

This rockin' figure has some great articulation, especially in the legs. Ball joints at the hips, then good knees, and feet are articulated. It just looks evil.

The gun that is included is actually a robot named Nightstick. The original G1 Cyclonus was also sold as a Targetmaster in the US, so the inclusion of Nightstick is a tribute to that. He on his own is a nicely detailed robot, a far cry from the old G! Targetmaster.

If you want a more detailed review than this, there are plenty on the Transformer sites. He's been covered enough in depth. I just wanted to show him to you. Even if you are not a hard-core TF fan, he is worth picking up.

When you gotta get your boys in to the combat zone, call Stratosphere.

The Autobots being primarily a group of robots who turn into cars and trucks sometimes need help from some high-flying, heavy lifting comrades. Stratosphere fulfills this task with gusto.

Stratosphere starts off as a military transport plane. His exact design is an amalgamation of several different real life planes include the C-17, C-5, and An-225. He's actually quite convincing in this mode.

Stratosphere rests on 11 landing wheels (although only 3 are actually functional) and features a smattering of typical military aircraft markings as well as many Autobot symbols.

Stratosphere's main gimmick is a spring loaded cargo bay where he can store the miniature Optimus Prime. Simply rotate the tailfin assembly downward to open the bay.

In robot mode, Stratosphere uses all his hidden bulk to expand into a really intimidating robots. Despite the odd choice of orange for his arms, Stratosphere manages to invoke images of a gaunt, giant of a machine.

There's something very traditional about Stratosphere's head design. The combination of canopy windows on his head and the small markings around his eyes give him the visage of a strong soldier.

The light piping gimmick works really well with this toy.

Stratosphere features plenty of articulation in his arms, legs, head, and hips. His arms feature small gears that move as you position the arms. His claws are articulated and can hold things pretty well.

The in-scale Optimus makes reinforces the "giant Autobot warrior" effect.

The miniature Optimus Prime is a grat accessory in its own right. For me, this guy is like a new version of Micromaster Overload which was one of my favorite toys.

In robot mode the Micromaster aesthetic is in full effect. He really feels like a toy right out of my youth.

Overall, Stratosphere is a great toy. From a solid jet mode to a strong robot mode you really can't go wrong with this one.

Changes from awesome jet to adorable robot and back.

"Breakaway is really fast and likes to bomb things."

I have a thing for robots that turn into jets. Breakaway is my recent cheap fix.

In jet mode Breakaway is a reasonable facsimile of an F-35 Lighting II. He is cast primarily in shiny tannish-brown plastic with his details provided by paint applications. One notable feature of this mode is that his head is visible inside the cockpit.

From the rear, Breakaway looks reasonably compact and complete for an tweleve dollar toy. He is light years ahead of the jets from the previous movie line.

In profile we can see how all his parts fit together quite nicely. Breakaway has one retractable main gear and two wheels on his underbelly which all him to roll about while making plastic rumbling noises.

Breakaway even looks good "in flight."

Transformation to robot mode is easy and intuitive. It feels a lot like Energon Starscream or Generation 2 Smokescreen and I like that. In robot mode Breakaway combines that classic Aerialbot look with a "frog man" motif as evident by his large feet and hunched appearance.

From the rear we can clearly see the "tribal tattoos" that dominate his wings and tailfins. I would have much preferred some old Aerialbot style stripes to these weird green markings.

Up close we can see Breakaway best feature: his adorable face. A combination of a Zaku-esque breathing mask and two large blue eyes make this badass robot look like a helpless little puppy. Won't you give him a hug?

Breakaway's articulation is pretty standard. He does have a waist joint but in order to use it you must forgo locking his tail section into his back. His one "Mech Alive" feature is a dial on his right arm that spins the Gatling gun. The gun is really tight whereas ideally it should just spin freely with a flick of the dial.

In the end I found Breakaway to be a refreshingly simple figure. The combination of a great jet mode, intuitive transformation, and charming looks makes me think Breakaway will be a sleeper hit for the new Transformers Revenge of the Fallen movie line.

Takara's near exact recreation of their lukewarm Rodimus Prime still warms my cold, cold heart.

Rodimus Prime is the Transformer everyone hates. When we were all kids we all loved Optimus Prime, so it's natural to hate the guy who replaced him. "How dare he replace Optimus Prime?!"

Well, it was kinda different for me when I was a kid. Little 5 year old me sat in the dark theatre and watched Optimus Prime die. And that little 5 year old version of me cried. But by the end of the movie, man, I was back in action. I was down with Rodimus Prime and his new brand of butt kicking. Of course I asked for Rodimus Prime for Christmas. I was the kid that Hasbro was looking for. I wasn't one of the millions who hated the way the movie cruelly massacred the kid friendly gun-wielding robots we all grew to love on the cartoon.

So I got the toy for Christmas and it was... well. It was okay. I remember getting a lot of enjoyment out of it, but six months later I was trying to trade it to some kid for Optimus Prime, so I guess I got over my love of Rodimus. I managed to lose the trailer part of Rodimus at school one day, and then I traded the robot to that kid, and he never gave me the Optimus in return. I got screwed! All I kept was Rodimus' gun.

A few years ago I succumbed to the vagaries of nostalgia and got the reissue Rodimus Prime from the local Toys "R" Us for $20 or something like that. I mean, looking at the toy now, objectively, it's... not... that... great. I guess it looks pretty good in truck mode, but can't really do much but drive around, and the robot mode is almost completely immobile. It's basically a statue. All you can do is raise its arms. Uh, what? Arm moving is an action feature? Star Wars toys have more articulation! Don't they? Well, I guess I don't have any Star Wars toys so I can't honestly say. That was a horrible analogy.

How does the reissue Rodimus Prime compare to the original? It's almost identical. Yes, the copyright is different. And the orange is slightly brighter in the reissue. That may just be because the old one is faded... I'm not totally sure. But it is a little brighter. Other than that, it's a perfect recreation.

There are no child safety issues to be concerned with, since the original Rodimus was already as child safe as possible. It doesn't fire anything, it doesn't have small pieces to swallow, and it's pretty difficult to break. It's also not that exciting, but Rodimus still has a place in my heart.

One "feature" I think is really funny about the toy is that Rodimus has bags under his eyes. They made a big deal about how Rodimus was the matured form of Hot Rod. So how do they indicate maturity? Bags under his eyes! See, not sleeping enough makes you mature. Also he's a lot taller and skinnier. Hmm... Bags under his eyes... too skinny... maybe the real truth is that Rodimus developed a drug problem due to the pressures of leadership. I'm a horrible person, and since I'm finished desecrating yet another piece of my childhood, I'll just wait for my place in Hell now.

The original G1 Blurr first appeared in the original transformers movie. He's been represented in several different toy lines since then, but next to the original, this is my favorite. All it needs is metal.

Transformers Animated continues to be a fantastic toy line with great designs, too bad the show is being supposedly canceled.

I didn't care for the show at all, but usually if there's no show, there's no toy line. But with Hasbro, who knows.

The original G1 Blurr first appeared in the original transformers movie. He's been represented in several different toy lines since then, but next to the original, this is my favorite. All it needs is metal.

In car mode, Blurr is a futuristic race car. His lines are sleek, reminiscent of the Mach 5 from Speed Racer.

The color scheme evokes a very Tron like aesthetic, which I am a sucker for.

The vehicle rolls freely and the only gimmick is an Energon saw that pops out from under the front of the vehicle.

The tips on the front of the vehicle are rubber, a nice choice, likely for safety reasons.

Transformation to vehicle mode is pretty straightforward and what you get when you are done is a fantastic looking, super articulated robot form. The Transformers design team have really found their groove with these Animated figures.

Blurr stands over 7 inches all and is pretty well articulated, especially below the waist. The large pointy shoulders hinder some of the movement of the arms, but it's not too bad. Despite the spindly appearance, Blurr has tight joints that makes posing a breeze.

The Energon saw that was stashed under the hood is now a shield in robot mode - affixed by a peg to the arm.

The head has a gladiator-style look to it, and features the standard light-pipe effect.

This guy is really fantastic, even if you are not a fan of the show. Grab one while you can.

On his own, Hound is a good enough toy, but Ravage makes him a must buy.

One of the great things about the classics line is how the designers have managed to both pay tribute to the classic G1 designs and infuse a modern design aesthetic. Hound is a perfect example of this.

The G1 Hound was one of the very first Transformers to hit the states. I remember him being a little floppy in the legs, but he was generally cool. Having once owned the original Hound, I can safely say that this toy is a fantastic tribute to the classic Transformer.

But why does he come with Ravage?

I find myself now staring at the screen. What can I say about this particular Transformer that hasn't been said before? Not much. It's pretty standard fare. It's not hard to transform, but I'm not going to go over it step by step. It's a fun little toy. That's about it.

In vehicle mode, Hound is... a Jeep. But hound is no longer an old military jeep - this hound looks suspiciously like that old G.I. Joe Jeep, the Vamp. This wouldn't be the first time that Hasbro has made a Transformer in homage to a Joe toy.

The wheels roll, the gun (erm, sorry, Hologram Projector) can be mounted to the back of the seat. Ravage in tape mode can rest on the back of the vehicle by mounting on two flip up pegs.

Robot mode is pretty good, but kind of stocky. The head and arms are fully articulated, but the legs are kind of restricted due to design.

His gun can now be placed on the shoulder.

Or, he can hold it in his hands.

Hound is neat and all, but really, you bought this for Ravage. I did too. Why the two are packaged together I have no idea. Maybe they thought Hound would not sell enough on his own? Either way, we have a new ravage, and I am glad.

I am also glad that Ravage is still a micro cassette. They didn't try to make him a memory stick or some other lame thing. In fact, he is the same size as the old ravage in tape mode.

I wonder....

Well what do you know? This new Ravage fits inside of a classic Soundwave! That is awesome.

Ravage can even use the same weapons as the G1 toy!

The new ravage unfolds a bit like origami. Comparing the new and old Ravage shows you just how far we've come in terms of design and engineering. This new one is perfectly compact, yet makes an excellent action figure. What a great surprise.

On his own, Hound is a good enough toy, but Ravage makes him a must buy.

This kind of toy belongs on your shelf. I keep mine in vehicle mode. The children lust after it, and I hit them away with sticks and I shout "away children, this is not for you!"

It's that cool.

I have a confession to make. This is my first Binaltech. Indeed, I had some Alternators, but never an original JP version. What a fool I was.

Was there always this much metal in the Binaltech? This toy makes me want to sell all my alternators and go out and replace them with the Binaltech version.

BT-22 Convoy feat. Dodge Ram SRT-10 is the latest Binaltech figure from TakaraTomy. It's basically the same as Alternators Optimus Prime, but this time its all METAL.

Convoy comes courtesy of Anime-Export.com

Lets start off with Vehicle mode.

Convoy is a Dodge Ram SRT-10 Pickup truck. It's a heavy duty machine with a dodge viper engine in it. To say this thing hauls ass would be an understatement. So it is a fitting truck form for Convoy.

Most of the outer covering is metal. The only exceptions are the roof and part of the hood. The wheels are rubber and the front wheels turn in tandem.

The doors open as well as the hood and tailgate. It is here where I experience my first displeasure with the toy. The door falls off. Nothing is broken, it just does not stay. It is best to leave it off for transformation.

The door being off provides a good look into the detail inside the vehicle. Each gauge is meticulously detailed.

Transformation is an enjoyable experience. The metal provides satisfactory tactile experience. Things go clank and clang. Things go click and clack.

Watch the video. Then return.

In vehicle mode, Convoy looks impressive. His legs are largely metal, and articulation is sufficient. The hip joints are rather loose. It is unfortunate. A blight on an otherwise stellar design.

Well, that and the door.

The engine of the Dodge can transform into a small weapon. Hardly a fitting weapon for an autobot commander. The peg on the handle fits into the hole in the palm of the hand.

The head rotates, the arms move. The doors get in the way a bit. Convoy looks great from the front, but from the back it is a jumbled mess. Best not to look at it from that angle.

They say that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The whole of convoy is metal, heavy, clanking, rubber tires, intricate yet detailed. The door kind of sucks, but when taken into consideration against the rest of convoy, it is a minor annoyance.

This kind of toy belongs on your shelf. I keep mine in vehicle mode. The children lust after it, and I hit them away with sticks and I shout "away children, this is not for you!"

It's that cool.

Should you want to partake in the cool that is the BT-22 Convoy feat. Dodge Ram SRT-10, you can order yours at Anime-Export.com
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"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.

"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.