Wednesday, July 29, 2009

my custom ROTF leader class megatron

tried my hand at painting leader class megatron.
the color mix i used is 3 parts steel and 1 part silver (mr. hobby paints).
mayb i shud have added a bit more silver as it looks a bit dark...
i'm not quite finished with this yet, as i plan to paint more details in gold/silver, but not sure when i'll be doing that haha
anyway, on with the pics!

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

Transformers Alternity Black Convoy Review

hi bros! now its time for me to stop playing with my toys and get my arse to do my review of the transformers alternity black convoy!

first off, the size of this thing is the same as a deluxe class TF figure, but it is almost as heavy as an ultra class figure (in between leader and voyager class size). this is because of the die cast metal parts used in this toy. pretty neat huh. but the price is also in the ultra class range too, but i think it's still worth it though... haha

alt mode 10/10
the car mode for this guy is the nissan GTR, and i am very impressed by it. it has plenty of details from the opening doors, hood, boot, front AND BACK seats, steering wheel, gear shift and hand brake, to the nissan GTR logos and small paint touches. very great job done by the guys at Takara! my only complaint is that the rear part of the car (made up of the robot's legs) do not quite hold together as tight as they should. nonetheless it still deserves a perfect score.

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

robot mode 8/10
in robot mode you will see more significant pros and cons. the robot mode looks very cool, and i love the head sculpt. the alt mode kibble is placed correctly enough to look good. although many people complain about it being back heavy, for me it ain't that bad. the main problems are the short, short arms that may kill the appeal of this figure for many people. still, it's not a deadly sin... AS LONG AS its not doing any kind of pose and just stands there.

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

articulation 7/10
the articulation to achieve dynamic poses is there, and the stability given by the large foot print is really good. but this is where the short short arms really show their ugly side. due to the puny arms (and did i mention puny weapon?) you really cant get it to look awesome in action poses. which is quite sad...
Photobucket
Photobucket


transformation 10/10
one of the best things about this figure. the transformation complicated but not frustrating. very satisfying! and plenty of wow factor, how the robot kibble is so cleverly used or hidden away in the alt mode and vice versa. there is even some automorph incorporated! a good mix of old school and movie verse transformation. breathtaking!

x-factor 5/10
can't really give many marks here. the comic provided with the toy to give it some "character" is lame to say the least. the only thing going for it is that it's a representation of optimus prime in a seperate universe. and its black. pretty cool, but just not enough.

overall 40/50
surprisingly, despite its puny arms, puny weapons and lack of x-factor it still managed to achieve this score. key strengths lie in it's alt mode and transformation. a very fine toy and display piece, but not something i would whole hearterdly recommend...

black convoy says it's time to buy him the gears of war gun blaster accessory!
Photobucket

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Coming soon... review of the Transformers Alternity Black Convoy

i just bought this thing last weekend. My God, i can't believe how impressed i am by this thing. I haven't been this impressed by a toy ever since i started collecting Yamato Macross toys! i just can't wait to complete my photoshoot and review of this awesome little thing, but a bit busy at work now. Some preview pics for now!

Photobucket
Photobucket

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Transformers ROTF Leader Class Jetfire Review

Ahh... finally got my rusty ass to complete the photo shoot and review for Sir Jetfire!

Alt Mode 7/10
Plenty to love, and to hate about the alt mode. For the love of God, it's an SR-71!!! This jet is legendary. Simply love the size, panel lines, details, markings and everything else looking from the top. Very accurate to the blackbird. But, plenty to hate about the robot kibble below. Don't get me wrong though, i am not blaming the designers AT ALL for this. it has a jet mode, robot mode, and can combine with leader prime for God's sake. A solid, 7.

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

And now... BANDAI DISPLAY STAND TIME!!!
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Thanks for trying, Grandpa Jetfire...

Robot Mode 7/10
For the most part, a pretty decent attempt. Nothing REALLY wrong about it, just don't think TOO much about movie accuracy and you'd be fine. Yeah... after watching the movie a few more times, you'd be less than satisfied with this. The jet turbines are supposed to be the legs, but here you find them both on his back as kibble, while his legs have fake turbines. The cockpit kibble is on the arms, while a fake cockpit is on Jetfire's forehead. And, Jetfire's body is too big compared to his legs. Another 7 i'd say.
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

Articulation 8/10
Now let me show you how Jefire brought the pain in his day!!!
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket


Transformation 5/10
OK, not as hard as Prime's, but still much harder than Megatron's. However, the is nothing fun or satisfying about it. There is no wow factor either. Wow factor is something like when robot kibble is cleverly hidden in the Alt mode. None of that here.

X-factor 10/10
i really liked his movie appearance, though it wasn't long! First off it was simply WOW to find a SR-71 transformer. then he provided some good humour and an interesting history lesson. Then he absolutely kicked somebody's ass. Finally, he was part of the climax of the movie, 50% of it actually. Nothing less than 10 in X-factor, considering all this.

Overall 37/50
The winning point is his X-factor. Combining with Prime, a legendary jet as an Alt mode, solid movie character. Otherewise, imagine if his alt mode wasnt an SR-71 and just any plane with robot kibble under. Imagine if he was just a nobody in the movie. Imagine if he never combined with Prime. Then, this toy would be everything that reminds me of why i quit collecting TFs for a while and moved to Macross.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Transformers ROTF Leader Class Jetfire

i just got my leader class Jetfire today. simply couldn't wait to combine him with Optimus Prime. nothing to say or review about, except that it's FREAKING AWESOME!!!
on with some pics. hopefully i can do a review on just the leader class Jetfire by this weekend.

Config 1
Photobucket

Config 2
Photobucket

Side view
Photobucket

Back view
Photobucket

How the gun should be held (according to lineart)
Photobucket

How prime blasted megatron through a wall:
Photobucket

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Tribute to Mikhail Blanc - The eyes of a sniper

aka Michelle...
about time i did this
my hero, my favorite character in macross frontier
simply cried when he died

Photobucket

With the woman he loved:
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

most touching picture
Photobucket

in his 25G:
Photobucket

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

his death
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

and vengeance
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket