Transformers: Legacy - Bomb-Burst

When I learned that Hasbro was making another attempt at bringing the Generation 1 Pretender characters into the Legacy line, I was beside myself with excitement. The G1 Pretenders have always been some of my favorite toys and characters, despite missing out on them when they were originally on retail shelves. When I first started to re-build my G1 collection the Pretenders were the first I went after. I always found the monster like Decepticon Pretenders to be more interesting and the monster vampire, Bomb-Burst, is a great example.

Bomb-Burst is part of the Core Class size of Transformers in the Legacy series. While I would have preferred him to be a deluxe class size, I'll take modern version of these characters however I can get them.

Pulling off a G1 Pretender type shell with modern toy making could be done I suppose, but Hasbro decided to go a different route and basically merge the shell and the inner robot together. Bomb-Burst retains the look of his outer monster vampire shell look, complete with large bat ears, snub nose and sharp teeth. The back of the figure does give you a peek at the inner robot's vehicle mode. I'm not wild about this "backpack", however I can live with it as the rest of the package is pretty awesome.

One of Bomb-Burst's pack in weapons just happens to be a smaller version of his classic sword.

The other included weapons are two blue, arm mounted lasers. On the G1 version these guns were wielded by the inner robot and a part of the robot's alt mode. With the Legacy version these guns double as the bat wings that were originally attached to the shell's shoulders. One side of the guns' fins are painted like wings. These attach to the nose cone "backpack", however said nose cone has to be positioned outward from the body, and well just looks a little odd. Looking straight on its not that bad, but viewing the figure from an angle or the rear you can see the flaw. The nose cone can also store the sword accessory which is a nice touch.

Hasbro nearly nailed the look of the G1 inner robot's alt mode, which you'll see more in some comparison pics below. It's not an exact 1:1, but it retains most of the look. From the maroon cockpit, to the VTOL engines on the top of the aircraft, it's still a jet that is formed by literally folding up a robot. By the way, the sword's hilt makes the gun for the ship's cockpit, wasn't expecting that.

I know that the original G1 toys aren't everyone's cup of tea. Some of them aren't that great and some of the toys haven't aged that well, however some of the designs and characters found in the original 80's series are fantastic. Hasbro found a way to bring one of the more obscure characters into modern form, and while I wish it was larger this is still a great toy. I hope we see more of the Pretenders brought back to life (in either scale), whether that be in the Legacy line or in a future Transformers series. 

Matchbox Working Rigs: 2023 Collection, 05/16 - GM Brightdrop Zevo 800 (FedEx)

GM Brightdrop Zevo 800

I don't often look at the Working Rigs hanging on the pegs at my local stores, but the other night I had to run into Walmart to grab something so of course I make my obligatory run down the toy aisles. Hanging right on the front of the peg, catching my attention was this new FedEx delivery truck. I think I remember hearing some guy on YouTube talk about this release, but this was my first time seeing it in person. One of the reasons I gravitate to the Matchbox brand is because of the models and realistic decos many of them sport. I figured this would blend into the collection quite well.

Upon freeing it from it's cardboard and plastic prison, I was impressed. I could tell the vehicle had some heft to it in the packaging alone. The whole body is diecast metal with a plastic base. The windows are tinted black so unfortunately you can't see into the cab. The FedEx paint apps are fantastically applied to all 4 sides of the vehicle. The rear cargo door even advertises that this delivery truck is eco friendly.

The rear cargo door is also diecast, something I wasn't expecting seeing how it's a functional piece on the vehicle. Not only does the door lift up, but it can be pushed into the cargo bay to keep the door open. From what I've seen most of the Working Rigs vehicles do have moving parts so this isn't anything special on this release, but still a nice touch.

This is a really impressive vehicle and one that I'm happy to add to the collection. I believe Matchbox also released a FedEx themed Action Drivers set...guess I'll have to track that down now.

Auto World: 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 Special - Release 2, Version B

 

Vintage Muscle series

1971 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 Special

Release 2, Version B

Limited Edition

Premium Facts...

* Only 83 units of the Dodge Dart Swinger

Special were built in 1971. All of them

were in Canada as a special order.

* 63 units sold from Crosstown Motors in

Edmonton, Alberta, 18 were sold at

Crestview Dodge in Regina, Saskatchewan,

and 2 throughout unknown sales.

2210

Plum Crazy

Final Faction: Synthoid (Kharn)

I'm not sure what function the Synthoid plays in the Kharn army, but it's nearly on the same level as the Brute in terms of strength. I think it has a marine look with the swept back head and arched mouth. It has 8 small red eyes and a purple circle underneath the mouth. I'm not sure what purpose this serves, maybe it's another mouth or maybe it's a weapon of some type? The back features a pair of 5mm ports for additional weapons sold separately.

The Synthoid's unique feature is that it's limbs are interchangeable. While it only comes packaged with one set of limbs, additional limbs can be purchased and even mixed match for several different looks. The default limbs include a large blade appendage and a more traditional arm limb. The Synthoid has long, squat legs that look pretty muscular, giving me the idea he's fleet of foot. It almost seems as if parts of the limbs and even the legs have a sculpted hair texture.

I can't say the base Synthoid figure is one of my favorite Kharn aliens, but once you start to add some of the additional limbs and weapons it does give the creature an even more unique look. If you're building a Kharn army you'll need a few of these and side by side w/ the Brute they make a menacing looking duo.

Final Faction: Drone (Kharn)

 

Every good alien army needs their grunts to send into battle and for the Kharn that would be the Drone. Their bio mentions being used for both battle and labor operations. They aren't the brains or the muscle, but fall somewhere in between.

The figures are cast in a gray plastic with a teal paint wash application, but only on the front. They have a very eerie looking head with small red eyes, kind of reminds me of the cave dweller monsters from the movie The Descent. From the front the arms and legs look spindly, but from the side view you can see they are larger than they appear. The back of the shoulders and elbows have some sharper edges while the legs are posed in a grasshopper like position. Their feet have two claws if you will on the back which helps give the figure good balance.

There is also a single 5mm peg hole in the upper portion of the back that would later be used with additional weapon packs that were sold separately.

Unlike the other Kharn troopers, the Drone does come packaged with their own weapon. I don't believe the packaging gives this weapon a particular name, but it reminds me a bit of the Needler gun from the Halo games. It's cast in a light blue/teal plastic and feels really sturdy. The Drone figure can wield the weapon rather nicely in either hand.

I ended up buying way too many of these figures, but they are really great. After opening all of the figures this one by far is one of my favorites. The additional weapons packs really helps change the look of these figures so multiples are recommended. There is also a black/green Venom repaint that equally looks great. Even if you don't care for the human Alpha Team 1 figures, these would make some great interstellar cannon fodder for your GI Joe figures to go up against. Think of them as a cousin to the Lunartix Empire!