Transformers War for Cybertron - Kingdom: Pipes

 

Earlier in the WFC Kingdom series we were treated with a great modern update on the Autobot minibot Huffer so it doesn't come as a surprise that his mold mate, Pipes, was also getting a new figure.

Huffer comes packaged in the now standard WFC type blister box similar to the Siege and Earthrise. There is a small window on the front that allows you to see the figure inside while the rest of the box is covered in some absolutely gorgeous artwork. The back of the box has two images of the figure, one for robot mode and one for vehicle mode. It lets the consumer know that in just 17 steps (3 more than Huffer) you can transform the figure between either mode.

While Pipes and Huffer are similar and their new figures do share some parts (basically the arms, legs and truck cab), the majority of the figure is new. While the original Generation One toy had chromed smokestacks/arms, this one trades that for white. While this is a little disappointing, the white doesn't look bad. The rest of the figure, especially the head sculpt is a great representation of the original toy. Pipes has the same articulation has Huffer, no changes in that department.

One of the biggest differences between Pipes and Huffer is how the truck cab is configured. For Pipes, the back of the cab sits on his shoulders where as with Huffer, the head sits inside the truck cab. This this new version of Pipes, you have an option of sorts of how you want the cab to sit on the back. Above you can see that the cab can be position diagonally downwards if you'd like to give the robot mode a slightly different look. This isn't necessarily highlighted in the instructions, just something I "discovered" while fiddling around with the toy.

Pipes' accessories are two silver painted rifles that can also be stored on the "bed" of the truck. These weapons look more like his arms on the original G1 toy. I'm unsure if this was an intentional homage, or just a coincidence. These can attach to the side of his arms or he can wield them in a traditional manner.

In truck mode he does share the same cab as Huffer, even the paint applications on the side mirrors, grill, headlights and bumper are the same. The same silver paint was applied to the windshield wipers whereas Huffer had black wipers.

Overall I am very happy with the outcome. Like Huffer, Pipes doesn't have too many official toys so this one was a welcome addition to my collection. I believe all of the original minibot cast have received a modern update in one shape or another. Hasbro has shifted to using the deluxe size lately for many of these characters, which I'm OK with, as many of them still scale with the "larger" Autobots quite well. The non-beast characters in the Kingdom line have been really, really good and Pipes here is no exception. Highly recommended.

Transformers War for Cybertron - Kingdom: Soundwave (Core Class)

 

Kingdom is the third and final chapter to Hasbro's War for Cybertron trilogy and this series introduced a new size class, Core Class. Scale wise, these are very similar to the current "Legends" scale made popular by many 3rd party companies like Iron Factory or New Age. My first exposure to these size toys came with Optimus Prime and Vertebreak released at the very beginning of Kingdom. Now that we are close to wrapping up this trilogy, more G1 characters have been released with the latest being none other than Soundwave.

Soundwave comes packaged like all the previous Core Class figures, that on a blister card sporting the same Kingdom design that also features some stellar character artwork. The back of the packaging is rather simple with product shots of both the robot and alternate modes.

I've often heard of some of these Core Class figures referred to as "Mini Masterpieces" and while I understand that term being thrown around, let's hold our horses a bit. The level of detail, articulation and paint applications on Soundwave here is very impressive. In a lot of ways this figure does look like a smaller version of it's Masterpiece version, more so than a smaller version of the G1 toy. 

Thanks to the ball joints in the arms, hips and feet, you have a great deal of range of motion of the limbs. The sculpting is fantastic, from the iconic head sculpt down to the cassette buttons on his waist...this looks like the version of Soundwave that I grew up with.

With a figure this small I wouldn't have been surprised if the cassette door didn't open, but thankfully the designers were able to keep this feature Soundwave is known for a part of the figure. A very small, non-transformable version if Laserbeak is included. The front side of the cassette features silver and red paint while the back is unpainted. Small touches like the cassette really help bring out the charm of the mold.

Soundwave never had a difficult transformation (at least in this form) and this figure is no different. In fact I was surprised at how close the transformation steps were to the original G1 toy. Now of course some liberties had to be taken, such as the feet and the weapon storage, but overall it's a very easy and straightforward transformation process. As you can see from the rear of the cassette recorder, Soundwave's weapons no longer fit inside the battery compartment. They now peg into the sides of the arms...which works in terms of practicality, but aesthetically doesn't look that great.

Overall I found this toy to be a lot of fun. I have always loved the old "basic" scale made popular by Beast Wars and subsequent lines, so it's nice to see this size still kicking. As of this post, the next series, Legacy, will be coming soon and it's already been leaked that the Core Class size will continue on. Now as great as this figure is, finding him at retail can and will be tough. If you ever have the opportunity to pick up Soundwave grab him...I highly doubt you'll be disappointed.

 

Transformers War for Cybertron - Kingdom: Huffer

 

My beloved whiny orange and blue semi truck minibot from Generation 1 is finally back and sporting a brand new look. Huffer has not had a decent new mold in quite some time so I was thrilled to hear that he would be getting the deluxe treatment as part of the Transformers War for Cybertron: Kingdom series.

Huffer comes packaged in the now standard WFC type blister box similar to the Siege and Earthrise. There is a small window on the front that allows you to see the figure inside while the rest of the box is covered in some absolutely gorgeous artwork. The back of the box has two images of the figure, one for robot mode and one for vehicle mode. It lets the consumer know that in just 14 steps you can transform the figure between either mode.

Inside the package Huffer is packaged with his easy to follow instructions, a gun and claw type weapon.

I'm an thrilled with the overall look of Huffer. The designers did a great job at capturing his likeness from the old animated Sunbow television series, while still giving him a modern updated look. The colors and sculpting are spot on, even the head sculpt is fantastic. I should note that you can pull out the cab on his back a little to give his head and shoulders a little more clearance if you will. Most of the photos I took were of Huffer straight out of his packaging.

In the old show Huffer was always whining and didn't seem like much of a warrior, but this version if Huffer means business! Back in G1 the majority of the minibot characters weren't packaged with weapons so its nice to see that Huffer is finally well armed. This gun is rather big for a hand gun, so I'm imagining it as a more of a shotgun. He also comes packaged with a claw/shield that attaches to the side of his arm via a 5mm peg. Personally, I don't care for this piece so I'm glad you are able to stow it on the back of the truck's cab in robot mode if you'd like.

At first glance I loved the way his vehicle mode looked, however after messing around with the figure for a bit there are some aspects of the design that I'm not wild about. Certainly though it's an upgrade from past molds/versions of the character.

Taking a look at the front of the truck, the designers nailed the look of the grill, headlights and bumper. The translucent blue windows looks fantastic against the light orange of the body and silver accents. When we get to the rear of the truck is when my excitement starts to wane a little. The smokestacks/robot arms has always been tough to pull off and while these look OK, I'm just not crazy about the fists being exposed. So much of the robot kibble has been successfully tucked away, but the fists are just there. It's not a deal breaker, but I wish the fists could have folded into the smokestacks and been better concealed.

I also found the clearance in the front to be an issue as the wheels were really close to a gray piece that forms part of the shoulders in robot mode. I was able to work this loose a little to where the front wheels had a better range of movement. The back tail end of the truck was great with the "metal" plate for the trailer connection to the molded tail lights that are painted red. The silver wheels also look good, though the tires are pretty slim.

Huffer's gun separates into two halves and can be attached to the rear sides of his truck mode. Snap on the claw/shield to the trailer connector to complete the look. I for one can appreciate all of the accessories being self contained, but with these pieces attached Huffer looks more like a dump truck (even a certain Autobot Throttlebot).

It's comparison time! What good would it be if we didn't look at "new" Huffer alongside "old" Huffer? As you can see there is a quite a size difference between the two, but I always envisioned Huffer as being bigger than some of the other minibots like Bumblebee, Cliffjumper or Beachcomber. The head is obviously modeled after his animation model and not his G1 toy (thank you!) and the colors on Kingdom Huffer a little more muted than on his G1 self. Again, I think this is to match the animation model.

Studio Series Jazz is a fantastic toy, but I'm so backlogged that I doubt I'll get around to giving him his own review. If we're judging the height of each robot by the top of their head, they Jazz is slightly taller...and should be. Scale is always just a controversial subject with Transformers toys - some fans will be OK with this comparison while others will probably say that Huffer is oversized.

I pulled out Earthrise Optimus and WFC Netflix Bumblebee next and I'm loving this scale. Huffer should rightfully be bigger than Bumblebee. He pulled Optimus' trailer at time or two so I think he's the perfect size when compared to Optimus.

Overall I'm thrilled with Huffer. It's hard to choose a favorite as many of the figures in the current War for Cybertron trilogy have been fantastic. Huffer has always been one of my favorite characters so I may be a little biased here, but this is a must buy. He looks great in both modes and has a fun and easy transformation. If you can find him at retail, buy him...you won't be disappointed.