Transformers G1: Diver C-203

I have a confession to get off my chest. I absolutely love G1 Transformers Pretenders. There, I said it. Whew! That feels much better!

When I first got back into collecting G1 toys several years ago I knew I needed to focus my buying on something. Instead of just buying any and everything TF I could find, I set my sights on the Pretenders. Why you may wonder? Well it was easy for me. 1) I had stopped collecting by the time the Pretenders were released so I never had them as a kid. 2) It seemed that no one else wanted these guys so in the early 2000's I could pick them up cheap - whether it was at Botcon/OTFCC, at local toy shows or even on eBay. *Sigh* That is no longer the case. These guys ain't so cheap anymore and that sucks.

During my quest to buy up all the Pretenders I eventually migrated to picking up the Japanese Pretenders. My first was Metalhawk. After seeing the awesome packaging job Takara did with them I knew I wanted all of them. Sadly though most of the toys weren't changed from their Hasbro counterparts. That didn't stop my from acquiring several of them however. It was around this same time that I found out that Lander C-200 was only made available by mail in Japan and thus wasn't easily found on the secondary market. To this day I'm still in search of him. I also discovered that Diver (Waverider outside of Japan) did have one small change...his Pretender shell's hair color! More on that subtle change later. Even though he was already on my radar, after I learned of this difference he shot up on my list.

Diver isn't rare by any means, but finding one that was affordable proved to be a tougher task. I didn't really keep up with how long I sought out a Diver I could afford, but sometime last year I was able to finally grab him.

Prior to the Pretenders I knew that Takara had used a front lifting flap, however I never owned any of the Takara boxed Clones. What I like best about these boxes is the large vibrant box art. I always thought the Pretenders box art was some of the best during the G1 era.

Flipping up the front of the box you are presented with a very nice layout. We are treated to more box art which appears to based on the Masterforce anime as well as the traditional window displaying the toy.

I mentioned that Diver's haircolor is different than his Habsro Waverider counterpart.  What is a little puzzling is Diver has brown hair while Waverider has blone, but if you look at the image used above for "Pretenders Mode" you can see Diver has blonde eye brows.  Hmm.  At the bottom of the flap we have the traditional step by step transformation as seen on most G1 Transformers packaging.

The second section underneath the flap reveals the traditional blister window displaying the toy inside. Here you can clearly see that Diver's shell sports brown hair as opposed to blonde. Something about Japanese packaging that always threw me off was the inclusion of English. While I won't complain that I can at least read some of the text, it still to this day puzzles me.

I'm sure most G1 TF fans have seen the box art found on the back of the box before. I still have to rank this particular battle scene as one of my favorites if not my #1 favorite. I just love how Lander (Landmine) and Dowlos (Skullgrin) are emerging from their Pretender shells, locked in battle.

The sides of the box depict a rough transformation sequence. This is the same image used on the inside of the front box flap.

Did I mention that my specimen came sealed? Not only did I get a new, minty Transformer, but I was assured that I'd get an unused sticker sheet and the coveted (at least by me) tech spec card. In the past I've been known to buy a Japanese TF just to own it's trading card. Also sealed inside the bag is a catalog, mail away order form and the instructions. I never did apply the stickers so I apologize for the the naked figure images below!

Diver's weapons and accessories are unchanged from his Hasbro release, although I swear it appears that his belt, axe and helmet are whiter than I remember Waverider's being. I'll also point out that even on a new, sealed toy there can be problems with a toy 20+ years old. Right out of the box there were small spots on the helmet. It also has a very oily touch to it, albeit a chemical reaction breaking down the plastic. My Dinoforce Pretender shells have this same problem.

Being a Pretender don't expect much in the way of articulation. The shell's arms can rotate a full 360 degrees, but that is it. The helmet and belt prevent the shell from splitting in half. Be careful when un-attaching the belt as it pegs onto two small tabs that can easily be broken. I also believe that continual removal of the helmet can wear the painted hair.

All of the larger Pretender's inner robots share a very similar transformation style. This is in part to the way the figure has to be folded up to fit inside the shell. Most of the times the arms fold forward or back to give the figure a more streamline look. The legs are purposefully bowed like the are to fit inside the legs in the shell. For this reason some of the Pretender's alt modes aren't the most convincing and a big reason the Pretenders don't get a lot of love, but Diver here has always been one of my favorites.

Transformation to his submarine form is really easy. Fold the legs out and wrap them around the body of the figure. Fold back the arms and rotate them up. Flip the figure over and pull out the small fins embedded in the sides of the legs. Attach the rifle on top and you're done!

Ok, so Diver won't be winning any awards for most complex transformation or best alt mode, but I think it's a pretty cool toy none the less. Of course with the addition of the stickers provided the toy would look better, but I'm slow to getting around to stickering new TFs.

Do I recommend Diver to all TF collectors? No. You can get all the same satisfaction out of Waverider and your wallet won't hate you the next day. However if you are completely infatuated by Pretenders such as I, how can you pass up a beautiful boxed specimen?

Mega Bloks Halo: Series 5 Blind Packs

Mega Bloks keeps churning out the blind packaged figures with the newest set, series 5!  This time around there are 8 new figures to chase.

I was hoping I'd end up with one of the Flood figures, but I ended up with the UNSC Green Spartan (common).  That's OK since the figure is pretty cool.

  

Up until this series the only other UNSC Spartan figures I've pulled were non-green, so it's finally nice to have this guy.  I love new shotgun he comes with.  So far I've just stuck with one pack, but I may have to try my luck again in the near future as I love the Uncommon Arctic UNSC COB figure.

Transformers G1: Chase C-94

Chase marks my 3rd and final Japanese G1 Throttlebot in the collection...for now.  With awesome packaging like this how can one not want all 6 boxed, in their collection?  Chase's box sports the same style packaging that Goldback(bug) and Wideload we previously looked at.

I don't think I even brought up the pull back friction motor in the other reviews.  I for one like this "gimmick".  While my Jumpstarters and Battlechargers may not function as good now as they did 20 years ago, all of my Throttlebots work like a charm.

Look mom, no flap crease!

I really wish I could read Japanese...or at least find a translation for the back of these Throttlebot boxes.  The big blue "VS" letters for instance - who were the Throttlebots ever pitted against in the comics or cartoon.  I for the life of me can't remember if they had a nemesis.

I know it's not environmentally friendly to use styrofoam anymore, but dang do I ever miss these kind of inserts.

Who would've thought a small smushed up Ferrari would still look so great!  Chase is by far one of the best looking Throttlebots in vehicle mode, but he'll always be 2nd place behind Freeway.  Speaking of Freeway, I really, really, really want the Japanese boxed version of him.

Blue was a great choice for his robot bits...well at least for his head.  However when I look at his robot mode the G2 Gobots version of Optimus Prime comes to mind..

Fellow blogger, Pax Cybertron, has set out to own all of the Throttlebots as well, Japanese or Italian.  A little friendly competition is always fun.  At least we both have one version of Chase.

If you enjoyed these Japanese G1 posts then keep on reading as I have some more things up my sleeve from the Land of the Rising Sun with a vintage taste.

Thundercats: Berzerker Hammerhand

I never had the opportunity to own many of the vintage LJN  Thundercats toys when I was a kid, but I had Hammerhand and most of the pirate themed Berserkers and I loved them all.  Was the pirate or the big honkin' fist that made him so cool?

I love the cybernetics he has been fused with, from his backpack to his large metal boot.  The purple wires you see on his bag plug into two small holes...however due to the short length they can easily be pulled out of the holes.  A minor design flaw, but needs to be pointed out.

Like with most of the vintage Thundercats toys, Hammerhand has his own gimmick as well - that being his fist.  There is a round peg on the back of his elbow that looks like the handle of a pair of scissors.  Pull this back and his fist opens and closes.

" Hammerhand Smash! "

While I love this figure, I do have to admit that he hasn't aged well.  What I mean by that is he looks really goofy.  He looks very much like an 80's era figure.  There are better LJN Thundercats figures to be had, but of the four Berserkers Hammerhand is far the best.

Transformers G1: Wideload C-92

Continuing my own Throttlebot spotlight we'll take a look at Wideload. Of all the Japanese boxed Throttlebots I own, Wideload's box shows the most wear. It's still a little gem in my collection though.

Wideload will always be special to me as he is attached to a very vivid memory of my childhood. As my brother and I got older my grandmother quickly learned it was easier for her to let us pick out our own birthday present as opposed to her guessing what we liked. I believe I was turning 9 or 10 when I bought my U.S. G1 Wideload. We had ate lunch at Wendy's and then went across the street to a regional store called Roses. Think of a very early Walmart. I actually remember buying several G1 TFs there, but in particular Wideload.

I love the bright orange used for the majority of the vehicle, although it sorely needs some paint apps to bring out the molded detail. I believe Reprolabels may have done some sort of upgrade set, but I haven't looked into those. To this day I still don't know what the blue payload in the back is supposed to be.

Diminished robot mode, but none the less still cool. Great head sculpt I might add, but I wish the red paint just want's slopped on the face. His eyes need to be a different color so they stand out better. All in all this has to be one of my favorite Throttlebots. Can't wait to see what ToyWorld does with him later this year.

LEGO Legends of Chima: Razcal's Glider #70000

I'm a casual LEGO collector.  I say casual because for one I already buy and collect a lot of other things.  I also don't buy more because of the higher price tag on most sets.  However I still love to browse the building block aisle when I'm at Target or Walmart just to see what is currently on the shelves.  A few times a year I'll even buy a set that catches my eye.

I grew up with the Town / City theme and it has always been my favorite.  The few sets I still own hail from that theme.  I love the other themes that LEGO comes up with, but I've never really attempted to collect much of those non-City sets.  I liked the past Castle sets with the dwarves and trolls and last year's Dino theme was fantastic, but I only bought one or two sets from each theme.  2013 brings yet another new theme and I'm afraid this one really has captivated me.  Legend of Chima.  So awesome.

I think I may have seen a glimpse of this new theme in a catalog I received in the mail, but I didn't really pay it much attention.  However on a recent trip to Walmart I saw most of these new sets on the shelves and I was in awe.  During my free time later that evening (i.e. - after the wife & kids were in bed!) I headed over to Lego.com to check out what this new Legend of Chima was all about.

Basically the premise of the story is a world where animals have lived together in harmony in the Kingdom of Chima.  However all is not as it was anymore as the different animal tribes are in battle against each other - fighting over the Kingdom's natural resource, Chi, which is their source of life.  Like a lot of fantasy situations this resource is just as dangerous (in the wrong hands).  The lions were appointed guardians of Chi after they were the first animal tribe to drink from the ancient pool of Chi.  Of course the other animal tribes weren't happy and chaos as ensued across the land.

There is a lot more to the story, but you should get the point.  What is really cool about this new theme are the mini figures of course.  And the new vehicles are pretty cool looking as well.  After browsing the website and looking at the various products both online and in store, I'm getting a major Battle Beasts / Beast Saga vibe.  This is a good thing...well for me at least.  At this point there was no way I could turn back.  I had to grab at least one set to see if my excitement was authentic or if I was just over hyping these in my mind.  Like a lot of you that may be on the fence when it comes to a new theme, I grabbed the smallest (cheapest) set for my trial run - Razcal's Glider.

As we take a look at this set please keep in mind that in my excitement to get this up on the blog, all photos were taken with my phone.

Alright.  Look at this beautiful blue packaging.  I love it.  Something I noticed while standing in the store was the upper right corner is different from set to set.  Each set has it's own animal pictured in the corner that is most appropriate for the set - in this case a raven.

In typical LEGO fashion the back of the box shows off the model and it's action features.  In this case a launching chain type weapon to still Chi from the other animal tribes!

  

The main draw for many will be mini figure(s).  I wasn't sure at first how the animal heads would be done.  Would they be solid like some of the past non-human figures or would they be more like masks or helmets?  As it turns out the animal heads are more helmet like, but it they look fantastic.  Most of the figures have shoulder and chest armor that fits on the upper torso.  The flat rounded blue piece I'm assuming is a small piece of Chi.  Perhaps this powers the armor or the weapons?  The wings are done by two small pieces that fit on the back of the armor.  I believe these are the same wings that the flying mummies used in the Pharoah's Quest sets.

  

After seeing the animal helmet I figured the actual head piece wouldn't have much detail.  I was wrong.  Of course the head piece would need some good eyes since they show throw the helmet piece, but to see the level of detail along with a painted beak was unexpected.  Flip the head around and you go from an evil stare to a bloodshot look of surprise (or is that insanity?).  Of course the rest of the body sports some nice paint apps.  The talons on the toes are a nice touch.

Razcal's weapon is comprised of 5 pieces.  It looks pretty fierce in his hands and it's a nice touch over a sword or pistol or some other kind of conventional weapon.  This weapon will break down and be stored on his glider, but more on that later.

Razcal's Glider is modeled after a raven and I have to say looks pretty nice.  The mixture of black and gray with splashes of red and purple looks really good.  The question I keep asking myself is why would a raven creature that has wings need a flying vehicle?  According to LEGO's website the kingdom of Chima is quite large and the vehicles are needed to cover the expansive grounds.

Look at the cockpit and you'll see that the steering wheel is actually a small bone.  Nice.  On the back of the glider sits a Chi crystal that I assume powers the glider.  If you look at the "tail feathers" you may notice the two purple pieces are actually the blades to Razcal's weapon.  The other section of the weapon attaches to the side opposite the chain.

The glider's beak is actually cast out of a softer plastic.  I don't ever remember assembling a LEGO set that had soft plastic pieces before.  I'm sure this was done because of child safety requirements.  I love how they incorporated red translucent pieces to resemble the eyes of the raven.  Just underneath the front of the glider you'll see what looks like a missile.  You actually flick this piece and a small rod with a chain attached launches from the rear.  From the back of the box this looks as if it is used to steal Chi crystals from their enemies.

The claws underneath the glider along with the wings are all moveable and positionable to your liking.  So far this is the smallest set (minus the coming poly bag sets) released, but don't let it's small size deter you from checking it out.  I believe this is the only set that the Razcal mini figure currently appears in so if you want all of the figures, then you may have to eventually pick up this set.

I like what LEGO is doing with this theme and if I can afford to I'll be picking up more sets in the near future.