Transformers Arms Micron: Shadow Gora (Promotional Micron)

During the Arms Micron series in Japan, several Micron toys were made available as promotional items. Megatron's packed in Micron, Gora, was redone in black and released as Shadow Gora. Released exclusively at participating Joshin and Bic Camera stores, Shadow Gora could be had for free with a purchase of Transformers Arms Micron / Prime toys totalling 3,000 yen or more.

There was a time where I wanted to collect all the Arms Micron Microns, but ultimately I decided not to pursue that chase as it would turn out to be expensive and overall a headache I just didn't need. However I did acquire Shadow Gora before I decided to turn my efforts elsewhere.

There are no mold changes to this version of Gora. Other than the sticker underneath the red crystal, the figure is also free of stickers. Shadow Gora's alt mode is a gorilla type creature.

Shadow Gora still retains the flip out blades on each side on the weapon mode. Just like the regular version of Gora, these blades look more like butter knives. They are fat and have rounded tips. Without the silver chrome stickers that Gora sports, this just looks bland and silly.

I appreciate what Takara Tomy was trying to do w/ the majority of the Microns from the Arms Micron line, just they just don't fit into the scope of my collection any longer.

Transformers Arms Micron: Bumblebee AM-02

Before I get into this review, let me give you a little back story on this purchase.  When it was first announced that Takara Tomy's version of Transformers Prime toys would be coming with Microns (Mini-Cons) I was ecstatic.  Ever since the little TFs were first introduced in Armada / Micron Densetsu I was hooked.  I would troll the internet in years gone by looking for every single one that I didn't already own.  This included many of the Japanese exclusive Microns.  When HLJ put up some of the first pre-orders for the Arms Micron toys I quickly placed an order for Bumblebee and Ratchet.

Then as time passed and more details were released I discovered that the Arms Micron toys would feature many more differences over Hasbro's own Prime toys.  First the Microns themselves would have to be built. Secondly the Transformers themselves weren't heavily painted and came with sticker sheets.  I was disappointed to hear this news and I canceled (at least I thought I did) my pre-orders.  Turns out I was wrong and thus I now own Arms Micron Bumblebee AM-02.  Yea me!

I was impressed with my first hands on impression of the new packaging.  Not having a window displaying the toy inside gives the designers more room for great CGI as in this case.

Takara Tomy was highlighting how the other Microns could be used with each release from the very start.

  

Each side of the box highlights both Bumblebee and his Micron, B.2's tech spec rankings.

Now at the time of opening Bee here I hadn't bothered to buy the Prime version.  There are already way too many versions of Bumblebee floating around that I didn't need yet another one so similar.  Right out of the box you can see how naked he is without his pin stripes.  I guess some people may prefer this look, but it's just way too much yellow for my tastes.

There we go, that's much better.  Outside of some of the stickers just not wanting to apply very easily (the roof in particularly was a pain in the butt), look carefully at the black stripes.  Notice anything?  Do you notice the different shade of yellow?  The stickers on the roof and hood are outlined in a slightly darker shade of yellow.  I'm not sure why this was done, but it looks lame if you ask me.

The only other stickers to be applied in vehicle mode are the two rear tail lights.  They have a metallic look to them and have a streak of silver underneath the red.

I know a lot of people claimed the Transformers Prime First Edition mold to be the superior Bumblebee mold in this series, but I only found him once at retail and I opted to pass over him in favor of Arcee and Starscream.  I don't find this mold to be bad, but the shoulders leave a lot to be desired.  There is a good bit of articulation in all areas, but the shoulders and chest area are clunky and a little cumbersome.  The head sculpt however is a near perfect representation of his show self.

B.2 - despite all the small stickers, is a very cool gorilla looking Micron.  As much as I like the robot mode, his gun form is top notch.  At first I was worried when I saw the gold, but plastic on this release seemed very strong. Owning a G1 Black Zarak you can understand my hesitation in transforming this piece too many times.

Bumblebee has ports in his forearms that allow B.2 or any other Arms Micron figure.  Bumblebee has never really been known for the firepower he packs, but at least this version makes the yellow Autobot a little more menacing looking.

Of all the Arms Micron releases this is one that I really can't recommend unless you are a completionist or just a die hard Bumblebee fan.  Before his Micron was released in a few different ways I could say that was the redeeming factor if you did buy the set.  For now this guy will stay in my collection, but there are so many  other Arms Micron / Prime toys that are a better buy.

Transformers Arms Micron: Ironhide AM-20

The Japanese series of the Transformers Prime line of toys, Arms Micron, has given collector's a choice when it comes to what version of a particular character they'd like to add to their collections. In addition to this there have been several characters exclusive to the Arms Micron like. While this mold was released in the Prime series as Kup, this mold was made for Ironhide. Why Hasbro opted for Kup over Ironhide confounds me.

At first I didn't care for the Arms Micron packaging, but it's really grown on me over time. The CGI rendering of Ironhide looks really nice. It's a good mesh of G1 and movie-verse Ironhide.

Like most of the other Arms Micron releases, the back of the packaging shows off how the figure can interact with other Microns from the series. Ironhide is already tough, we all know that...but check out his extra firepower! Ironhide's included Micron is Iro. He's one of the cooler Microns, but I fear his plastic may not stay strong overtime. More on that later.

 

Both Ironhide and Iro rank pretty high in their respective Tech Spec rankings.

If there is a downside to the Arms Micron toys is the fact that the toys are devoid of tampographs and painted details. All of the figures come "naked" right out of the package. If you want the "chrome" look, more details or faction symbols you have to sticker up your figure. I have never enjoyed stickering my toys.

Ironhide's stickers apply pretty easily, something that I can't say about all Arms Micron releases. Most of his stickers are applied in vehicle mode. The sides get 3 shiny graphite stickers with a metallic red trim across the top. A single Autobot sticker on the hood and two more graphite stickers on the tailgate.

The stickers do really help break up all of Ironhide's red, but I wish the wheels had been painted as they look really cheap looking as is.

Iro forms a very large and round cannon for Ironhide. He can be placed on either side of Ironhide or in the bed of the truck. The gun looks really odd in the bed so I just leave him stuck on the side while in vehicle form.

Ironhide looks like the rough and old veteran that he truly is and his Arms Micron version is no exception. I really like his overall look in robot mode, but I wish the truck's grill would snap down a little further. 1) His mid section is rather large and 2) His head is slightly hidden by the truck's front bumper. As far as I know the Transformers Prime version of Kup suffered from these same issues.

Iro has one of the more defined robot modes when it comes to the Micron partners in the series. You can clearly make out the robot's head, arms and legs. Iro assembles fairly easy, but what most concerns me is how the arms clip onto the main body. The clips are basically "c" shaped and this goldish colored plastic seems very brittle. In fact one of the c clips on mine shows some serious stress marks just by clipping the arms on! Be very careful when transforming him. Like most of these Microns there are plenty of stickers to apply. Thankfully other than the faction symbol that goes underneath the pink crystal, none of the stickers are super tiny.

In a surprising move Hasbro did eventually release Ironhide in their Prime series, but only in the Cyberverse scale. I grabbed him more out of curiosity because at the time I hadn't yet purchased AM-20. He's pretty cool actually. I like having two weapons. The new head sculpt is a little more G1 looking with the head crest and I like how the truck's windshield forms the chest. Perhaps if he was more red I'd like him even better.

With AM-20 being exclusive to Japan not all collectors will bother to add him to their collections. Since Ironhide never showed up in the animation I'm sure a lot of collectors will skip over him, however if you do choose to pick him up I think you'll be pleased with your purchase. While not a perfect mold, it is far superior over Hasbro's version as Kup.

Transformers Arms Micron: Terrorcon Cliffjumper AM-08

When TakaraTomy sent out solicitations for AM-08 how could you not want this figure? Even though Cliffjumper didn't quite look like this in the Transformers Prime cartoon (being purple and all), this figure immediately jumped up on many people's want list - including me.

Exclusive to Japan, Terrorcon Cliffjumper is a translucent purple "redeco" of the First Edition Cliffjumper mold. Throw in a new Micron, C.L. and you've an excellent new toy to place on your Decepticon/Destron TF Prime shelf.

Terrorcon Cliffjumper comes packaged in the now standard Arms Micron boxes. Not only does it show his Micron, C.L. interacting with the toy, but other Microns (sold separately).

As you can tell there are a few mold changes for the Arms Micron release. Added are Micron ports to the car's hood and rear of the vehicle. I personally don't mind these small additions. If anything it just gives the car more "character".

Being an Arms Micron release means stickers. The windshield and windows are all black metallic stickers along with the tail lights. These stickers were nice and heavy feeling and nicely cut - they were very easy to apply. Thank you TakaraTomy for that...the stickers have deterred me from opening a lot of these Arms Micron toys.

Outside of the purple translucent plastic, maroon was used for the other robot bits. This all comes together nicely and gives off an evil vibe. A few more stickers were added to 'bot mode - around the hands, above the waist and on the shoulder pieces.

The new head sculpt looks equally as impressive as does the rest of the figure. I love the look of the broken horn.

Cliffjumper still retains his blasters that are hidden underneath this forearms. Simply lift up the forearm panels and rotate the fists around and wha-la!

The included Micron is an interesting one. C.L. transforms into what appears to be a double chainsaw type on weapon. At first I wasn't sure about him from the pictures I saw online, but once in hand he has become one of my favorite of these new snap together Microns.

The little guy was challenging to assemble. The sides of the figure are actually two large pieces that attach to the center via clips. These were very tight and hard to snap on.  I want to pick up the red recolor of this figure, but I hope he goes together easier than C.L. A lot of people early on dubbed this little guy Ravage and I can see why. He does resemble some sort of feline. Like with most of the Micron figures the majority of the stickers on the sticker sheet go on him. Thankfully his stickers are fairly big and apply easy. The only sticker you may need a toothpick to apply is the little red sticker for his cyclops eye.

Now that there has been a Terrorcon Bumblebee figure released in Japan, Cliffjumper will have another Terrorcon to pal around with. I'll eventually get that BB opened, stickered and photographed as well...just depends on how many dang blamed stickers I'll have to mess with!

Being an exclusive to Japan this version of Cliffjumper may set you back a little more than a typical Arms Micron release. I can't necessarily recommend him to everyone, especially with the SDCC and the upcoming First Edition Terrorcon versions floating around out there. It's a great figure none the less with in my opinion one of the best new animal based Microns.

Transformers Arms Micron: Medic Knock Out AM-13

When it was first announced that Takara Tomy's version of Transformers Prime would be including Microns (Mini-Cons) I was ecstatic. Then it was announced that the premium paint apps that we've come to expect from the Japanese line would be replaced with stickers I was horrified. Funny I say that because here I am with yet another Arms Micron review. In fact, I've imported more of this line than I ever expected.

The Arms Micron line is hit and miss in my opinion. Some of the Microns are fantastic while others are a so-so at best. Some figures have horrible stickers to apply (Gaia Unicron) while others apply easily and add a nice touch. I know that some collector's hate the added Micron ports to the figures. Knock Out was one of these that I heard people scream "foul!". For whatever reason Knock Out was released much later versus his U.S. TF Prime counterpart. This gave me a chance to compare and contrast and see which version I wanted more.

I opted for the Arms Micron version for several reasons. First and foremost was for the basic colors. Hasbro added some gaudy darker red w/ silver paint apps to the side of the car that I just didn't care for. This detail on the Japanese version are stickers so you can decide what look you prefer. The second reason I opted to import was the inclusion of an awesome looking Micron, Gra. Hasbro did include a nice spear type weapon like he uses in the show, but Gra transforms from a crab to a staff weapon for crying out loud!

Medic Knock Out comes packaged in the standard deluxe sized box using a mixture of CGI graphics and toy images. With the odd shape of the boxes it makes storing them an issue as they don't stack well (at least not standing vertically), but it's still a beautiful packaging job.

Right out of the box and Knock Out looks like an only Revell model kit. Bland, bland, bland. Thankfully the included stickers dress up this alternate mode quite nicely. You can see the added Micron ports added to the sides and on the hood. I don't mind these added pieces, in fact I actually prefer the look of the port on the hood as it looks like an engine block.

Looks much better now, right? Well OK, maybe the silver door stickers aren't for everyone, but at least it breaks up all the red. I am happy to report that most of these stickers are cut to the right proportions and apply very easily. The head and tail lights bring some much needed detail to the front and rear of the car. Sadly though the rear window is still solid red plastic. Wonder if ReproLabels will cook up some sort of upgrade set?

I think I got his transformation right. His chest area gave me a few issues, but this looks like the gray images used on the instruction sheet. Overall I really like the robot mode, although his arms being composed of windows isn't the best looking design that I've seen. In addition to the previous stickers we've looked there are a few added stickers to leg / knee area. These stickers have that chromed look and again help bring some detail to the "sea of red plastic".

Please keep in mind that I lack the imagination to come up with creative poses to show off a figure's articulation - so here you go. I do like the fact that the ankles are on ball joints allowing good stability of the figure in certain poses. Knock Out features standard articulation in the areas you expect - neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, thighs, knees and the aforementioned ankles.

Like with every other Micron in the Arms Micron series, Gra has to be assembled. At first I really hated this, but the more and more of these that I've built the more I look forward to the building process. Gra was no exception. The only complaint I have with Gra and the other Microns are the super tiny stickers. Thankfully most of these were easily applied and shouldn't give me any problems in the future (fingers crossed).

Keeping in fashion to the weapon Knock Out uses in the television show, Gra transforms into a staff type weapon. I'm guessing the crab claws are supposed to double as blades, but it looks like a giant cattle prod to me! Looking at the weapon alone it looks odd, but it fits oh so well in Knock Out's hands.

After fiddling around with this figure for the review I've really become fond of the mold. While I was disappointed with the recent news that Smokescreen wasn't getting his own unique mold in favor of this mold being re-purposed for the character; I feel better about the upcoming release the more I interact with Knock Out.

If you are still in the process of assembling your ultimate Transformers Prime cast of characters and can afford the mark up of the Arms Micron version, then do yourself a favor and pick up Medic Knock Out. He oughta look really good with his fellow Arms Micron release and cohort Breakdown.  I would've shown them together if I hadn't been so lazy and actually opened Breakdown!