Transformers Reveal the Shield: Legends Class G1 Optimus Prime

You'd think a Legend class would be HUGE, bigger than a Voyager and a Deluxe for sure, and beating out the Supreme Class for size.  But in actual fact, a Legends class figure is smaller! How much smaller?  Try the whole way!

Yes, that was one of the things that really appealed to me when I spotted this single Optimus Prime in a sea of Legend Class Megatrons.  He's so tiny, he just had to be full of surprises!  The other thing was that I'd never seen this class of Prime (nor knew that they produced this G1 version) and I'm an Optimus addict--I just gotta catch 'em all! (That phrase is eerily familiar...;P)

But from the get go, this figure turned out to be full of surprises, the biggest one of which wasn't at all good.  Hit it to find out more!

Dislike: That my lil' Prime broke apart when I first swiveled his waist to tray and transform him.  The first rotation loosened the ribbed metal "screw," and the second created a separation between the chest and the lower torso. Try as I might, I couldn't press it back in.  So I thought instead of forcing it and breaking itty bitty Optimus, I'd slowly remove the top half from the bottom half and re-screw it in.  Alas, this wasn't to be because:


1) The metal screw that I thought was a screw was actually a ribbed metal "nail" that had been hammered into the plastic of the lower torso.

2) The "screw" hadn't been hammered in straight.  That meant that while I could fit it back in the hole, the upper body wouldn't swivel correctly, instead rotating at an angle that would cause the top half of the figure to spill over itself.

What I dislike about this the most is that it's gonna take a helluva lot of work to fix this! How, you ask me?  Well, I'm clueless too! :'(

Like: That it's a really tiny Prime that can transform and has some itty bitty articulation.  The upper body is actually pretty decent, with Shoulder hinges, a ball joint, and elbow balls. These facilitate the transformation, but they also really give this tiny guy some serious motion.

The gap you see is due to the screw.  Argh!

Like: That his vehicle mode is pretty tight!  Yeah, his legs clip together well, his arms and forearms tuck into and under his chest well.  It's good enough that you wouldn't be able to tell it could transform (If you didn't know about Transformers and couldn't identify with Prime's iconic red and blue coloring.)

Dislike: That he doesn't have leg articulation below the hip/leg joints.  while I know it had to be cheaper to mold the whole leg with no joint, couldn't they have included just a basic knee hinge? It doesn't have to be a fantastically flexible joint, but as long as it bend, I'll take it.  As a result, his straight-leg syndrome severely restricts his stances and takes away from the potential of his great arm PoAs.

Also, his leg joints are limited.  This quite a waste because they're actually balls but have been severely blocked by the leg sculpt.  You get about 45 degrees out to the side, which isn't too bad.  You get about 30 degrees backwards, but only about half of that out front.  Yup, this means no sitting or front kicking.  Even stepping forward is tough because Prime just looks like he's strolling in the park when you put one leg forward and another back.  Better to leave him in a heroic wide stance. Heh.

Like: The sculpt is very well detailed for a figure only 3 inches high.  He's got great detail on his face, legs and abs, although the paint is pretty basic.  I guess it's ideal if you're up for some paint customizing!

I also love the Reveal the Shield sticker on his left forearm.  It's tinnier than any I've seen before and works just as well--you don't even have to rub/press it--just breathe on it. ;)

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 7/10 - Great sculpt for its size and aside from his "missing back" and the forearm kibble, he could rival some of the newer Optimus Primes out there.  He's surely better looking than the G1 release of Prime from way back.

His painted parts are: the red head panel, the blue helmet and silver eyes and mouth.  The smokestacks are also painted silver, while the lower front half of the truck mode below the window is cast in silver and painted red.  His thighs and fuel tanks are silver over a dark blue cast plastic and his chest windows are stickers.  All in all it's a decent amount of paint on the smallest class of Hasbro TF, so good effort.

Poseability: 5/10 - It's just tough to get lil' Prime here in any decent action poses because of his
straight leg problem.  Besides wide-legged and normal stances, the only other thing he can do is a walking stance.  Hm.  More's the pity that he's got good upper body articulation that can't be fully exploited because of the stiff legs.

Fun: 8/10 (5/10 if it breaks like mine) - Hey it's Prime! (Hey he broke right out of the package!)

But in all seriousness, there's something fun about these pocket-sized Transformers.  It's just more than cool that they are so small and yet can transform better than those G1 figures we used to play with in the 80s.  Or at least this lil' Prime is better than his 80s counterpart.  This is a toy that's simple enough that I would transform him again and again.

But in order for that to work the toy has got to be sturdier than what it was.  And I'm not even a rough little rug rat who tore apart his Prime because he was too eager to read the instructions (though I feel like it.) Some quality control is in order here, especially for a figure as rare as this.  How rare?  Well, he's the only one I've ever seen in the wild, the wild which is flooded with Megatrons and Starscreams.

 Value: 6/10 - I paid S$11.90 ($US 9.15) and breakages aside, it has no accessories.  Prime's clearly got two hands to hold stuff with so where's his iconic laser cannon?  What is Optimus without that sweet armament that always seems so full of Decepticon decimation potential but never seems to injure them that much?  Kinda naked, that's what.  Oh well, at least he's got some paint on him and a good sculpt.  Add to that a tight vehicle mode and Prime is more or less satisfactory.

Overall: 6.5/10 - I really never thought this fella would turn out to the be-all-and-end-all of Optimus Primes.  I did indeed expect him to fall far short of Deluxe and Voyager figures.  He did surprise me in many good ways but there was one major nasty surprise that just really ruined the enjoyment for me.  He'd probably get bumped to a full 7/10 if he didn't break and if I took that fully into account, he'd be less than a 5.

But I have to stay objective--Prime is as good as any Legends you can find.  The fact that he's our old fave G1 Autobot leader just makes him worth having.  I can't say that you'll have to be careful when selecting your Primes, because in this instance, it's impossible--you can't just bust open the package to check all his joints.  I guess it's just my luck.  Here's hoping that you have better if you find him! :)

Geekcreek's Top 10 Guest List!

No, this isn't a list of who I've invited to swim in creek...of geeks.  It's a Top 10 List from Chase Variant's first ever guest writer, Geekcreek.  He's a toy geek (like most of us) whose also a globe-trotter (unlike most of us), who takes some of the most beautiful one-shots of GI Joes against real life landscapes.  If you don't know of him, check out his site, simply entitled Greek Creek!

But the guy s not just a one-trick pony, oh no.  He also does lists! If you haven't read those, check this one over at Poe Ghostal's Points of Articulation.

Yeah, he sure loves his Joes! (As do lots of us!)

So without further ado, I give you Chase Variant's first ever Top 10 List by Geekcreek!


Geekcreek:

Just as the Western media heralded the arrival of the new decade in January 2010 despite the fact that it did not begin until January 2011, the action figure scale I am discussing today is no longer technically three-and-three-fourths inches, but something closer to four inches. Still, we call it three-and-three-fourths inches, right? Huzzah for consensus reality!

As a geek who moves from country to country every couple-few years, I have recently grown to love small-scale action figures for their portability—Star Wars toys and G.I. Joes and Marvel Universe figures take up considerably less luggage space and cost less to ship than do their larger counterparts in such series as Masters of the Universe Classics and Marvel Legends.

But there is a special quality to toys in this scale that goes beyond mere convenience. Something intangible, but satisfying—so much so, indeed, that I find myself wishing that all my favorite properties were to scale with my G.I. Joes.

And so it is that I invade Chase Variant to bring you...

Ten Toylines That Should Be Produced in the 3.75-Inch Scale

Before we get to the list proper, there are two properties that warrant an Honorable Mention:

First, the world needs WWE wrestlers in the 3.75-inch scale… again. Seriously, Mattel, bring back Build n’ Brawl, already!

Secondly, the DC Universe needs to join the ranks of Star Wars and Marvel Universe… for real this time; Mattel’s efforts with the DC Universe in this scale thus far have been embarrassing where both sculpts and articulation are concerned.

And now for the ten: 

10. Transformers

One could make the case that the Transformers series just needs a scale in general—pick a scale, Hasbro, any scale, and stick with it consistently! Fighter jets should not be the same size as firetrucks and racecars! We geeks are a fragile, delicate lot, and these issues are upsetting to us!

But while we’re wishing, let us get specific: Transformers toys in a 3.75-inch scale would be transcendent. Understand, I am not suggesting that the Transformers should be four inches tall—I want them to be to scale with figures that are four inches tall. I want a series of G.I. Joe-scale vehicles that transform into robots that tower over their human counterparts.

The San Diego Comic-Con will feature a compromise of sorts in its exclusive G.I. Joe Sky Striker jet, repainted to resemble Starscream’s alt-mode. This jet won’t transform into the robotic sycophant we all know and love, but it’s a start.

09. Spawn Classics

I suspect that few geeks are mourning the loss of Spawn in the toy aisle. I admit that I don’t particularly miss Spawn, either. I looked back at the early Spawn comic books recently, and the HBO animated series and live-action film, too, and none of it holds up or is in any way essential, and while McFarlane Toys has earned its place in action figure history, and while its Spawn toys deserve much of the credit for the company’s success and notoriety over the years, the nearly complete lack of articulation in series after series of Spawn toys showed how out of touch with the collector market McFarlane Toys had grown. Spawn is essentially a dead license today, where toys are concerned.

I am convinced it needn’t stay that way.

The Tenth Anniversary Spawn figure and the recent HALO series prove that McFarlane Toys can imbue a figure with first-class articulation without sacrificing the breathtaking sculpts that brought them to the dance. If McFarlane Toys dared to release a new series of Spawn action figures that are compatible, size-wise, with Star Wars and Marvel Universe figures, featuring the beautiful sculpts for which they’re known and the articulation collectors tend to forget they can produce, Spawn could be a contender again.

The name would have to dictate the content of the series: Spawn Classics. The first wave would feature Spawn, Clown, Overtkill, Tremor and Violator, replicating the lineup of the first-ever wave of Spawn toys back in the mid-1990s. (Lacking only Medieval Spawn, whose fate is tied up in courtrooms due to a complicated series of lawsuits between Neil Gaiman and Todd McFarlane.)

For fun, each figure’s accessories could include a miniature replica of its laughably outdated (if stunning at the time) Series 1 counterpart… and Spawn could inexplicably come with a board with a nail in it, just as he did at the start.

08. Movie Maniacs

I’m not the McFarlane Toys fan this list might be making me out to be, and I’ll say here what I said above: this series would need to adhere to modern standards of articulation in order to succeed.

Beyond that, this entry is little more than an excuse to request G.I. Joe-sized action figures of Robocop, The Fly, and Jason Vorhees.

Is that wrong?

07. Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

There have already been two action figure series devoted to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Unfortunately, each series boasted inconsistent sculpts and mostly uninspired articulation.

Meanwhile, Joss Whedon fans are a crazed bunch whose obsessive thirst for all things Whedon cannot be quenched. As such, any toy company willing to take a chance on a series of attractive, articulated, readily available at retail, affordable, Star Wars-sized Buffy and Angel toys would be rewarded with absurd amounts of money.

Buffy and Xander and Illyria and Lorne deserve a toy aisle resurrection... and so do characters from another Joss Whedon property…

06. Firefly/Serenity

Realistically, the TV series Firefly never set the world afire, financially speaking. Serenity’s success was fairly modest, too. But I predict that a G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra-style series of Firefly/Serenity action figures would be a wild success for one simple reason: its fate needn’t rest exclusively in the hands of Firefly fans. When that Star Wars collector gets sick of troopbuilding Clone Troopers and that G.I. Joe nerd decides to take a break after buying his 500th Snake Eyes figure, a Han Solo-like Captain Mal and his motley crew of space ruffians would seem mighty appealing as an alternative and a supplement; the aesthetic of Firefly was so real-world and gritty and understated that a proper series of action figures faithfully reproducing that aesthetic could blend in to practically any other series of toys.

05. ThunderCats

Bandai would have been wise to have adhered to Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Classics scale with its upcoming ThunderCats series, as there is a lot of fan crossover between the two properties, and many a disappointed geek who would have enjoyed displaying his Lion-O and He-man alongside one another may just skip ThunderCats 2.0 altogether out of spite.

The 3.75-inch scale is nowhere near as natural or intuitive for ThunderCats as the MOTUC scale, but I recommend it anyway. Why? Because fans of this scale will buy damn near anything produced in this scale.

Imagine Storm Shadow wielding Panthro’s nunchucks, or Cobra Commander with the Sword of Omens in his hands… Make it happen, Bandai!

04. Pulp Adventure All-Stars! 

Alright, yeah, so I made this series up completely. But can you blame me? Why is it that in 2011 we still don’t have proper action figures of Sherlock Holmes, The Shadow, The Spider, Long John Silver, Ned Land, and Allan Quatermain?

And while I’m dreaming, why not make them Star Wars-sized?

…oh hell with it, I’m such a charitable guy that I’ll also let Hot Toys produce twelve-inch versions.

03. Centurions

For proof of the viability of a Centurions resurrection, look no further than Sigma 6, which in its first series especially seemed to be clearly inspired by The Centurions.

Wait, I forgot—collectors hated Sigma 6. Alright, bad example…

Still, one suspects that Joe-sized updates of Ace, Max and Jake—and Doc Terror and Hacker!—would get the toy bloggers talking.

02. TMNT Classics

Again I force the word Classics into an entry. And why not, it seems to be working nicely for Mattel.

The name “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics” would open the door to figures based on the original Mirage comic book designs, figures in the style of the Jim Henson suits from the first live-action Turtles film, figures inspired by the vintage animated series and even figures based on whatever new direction Nickelodeon decides on for the Ninja Turtles property.

And the 3.75-inch scale would mean that the Turtles—and Leatherhead and Casey Jones and the Rat King and others—could finally chill out with your Yoda and Reed Richards figures. ‘Cause that’s what you’ve been clamoring for, no doubt.

01. MOTU 

This is as good a place as any to copout with the concession that I don’t necessarily want these properties to abandon their existing scales. It would be financial suicide for Mattel to abandon its MOTUC scale for its Masters of the Universe figures, for example.

On the other hand, that series sells with sufficient briskness that the property could probably sustain a secondary series of 3.75-inch figures, as well. A smaller scale would also make new playsets such as Castle Greyskull and Snake Mountain more likely.

And at the risk of alienating ninety-percent of my toygeek colleagues, I’ll lay down the gauntlet:

This series must feature 2002 reboot-style sculpting, ‘cause not everyone is content with MOTUC’s fawning rehashes of squat, interchangeable toys from the mid-1980s.

…but yeah, I’ll take the MOTUC articulation, thanks.

Take those asskickingly awesome sculpts from the failed MOTU relaunch of a decade ago and update the articulation and make them to scale with Sith badasses and Cobra assassins and the Avengers, and it’d be the event of the year for myself and thousands like me who have no life.

The Chase Variant Christmas Stocking!

What a Christmas it has been!  Chase Variant (aka me) didn't get lots of toys this year, but what I did get was awesome.  Quality over quantity, I always say (when I get less toys for X'mas).  So what did I receive from Santa in 2010?

Nothing.

Told you he's awesome! :P

But I did get a Masterpiece Black Optimus Prime from my wife! Thanks Dear, you're the best! :D

Thanks, Bro!

And I got me a Henkei Transformers Animated Voyager Class Black Out from the Rangerlord, all the way from Japan!

And just for good measure, he threw in a DC Superheroes Scarecrow!  Awesomeness!

Now how will I be able to open and review all these on top of the swag I got from the Singapore Toys, Games, and Comics Convention?  How?  How?

I'll also be away for the next two weeks for my much delayed Honeymoon in New Zealand.  Once I get there, I'll have no chance whatsoever to take pictures of toys.  (Photo studio's at home, see?)  I'll also be checking out whatever toy joints they might have and adding to the review backlog!!!  What terrible problems I have, eh?

Anyways, hope all of you had a great Christmas with all the toys you can have and then some.  here's also wishing you only the best for the New Year ahead!

Cheers
-Ewan

(P.s-Don't forget to check out the last review of 2010 on Chase Variant: Transformers Challenge at Cybertron 3-Pack!)

Transformers Universe Challenge at Cybertron 3-Pack

That's right, folks.  It's Cyclonus, Galvatron and Hot Rod!  (I refuse to call him Rodimus despite what the box says.)

I was really happy I got this for the deal I did at the Singapore Toy and Comic Convention (STGCC) two weekend's ago!  After all, I'd held back on Universe and Henkei versions of both Cyclonus and Galvie, and missed out on Hot Rod because...I hesitated (Yes, the cardinal sin of hunting rare toys...)

Despite Hasbro releasing this set more than a month or so back, I still didn't stump up the cash for it. Why?  Because there was a ton of them at department stores islandwide and they were still at retail (S$69.90, that's US$53.75.)  TFs here always eventually go on sale, with prices dropping by as much as 50-70%, depending if there's a sale on top of the clearance prices or not.

Nevertheless, the rare or really popular characters get snapped up as they normally do everwhere.  And Hot Rod was one of these fave characters.  I never really saw the original single-packed Hasbro release on the shelf, let alone the shiny, chromed out Henkei version.  If I did, they would be priced at double retail and I wasn't paying through my nose for it.

So I waited.  And thankfully, I didn't have to wait too long since STGCC threw up a great deal for this set at S$45, that's about 35% off retail!  Happy, happy, joy, joy!--I was finally going to own my very first Hot Rod!!!

But since when did Hot Rod fight Cyclonus and Galvatron on Cybertron?  Didn't Hot Rod's first and last fight with Galvie happen in Unicron, just before he opened the Matrix of Leadership and became (wait for it...porn star name...) Rodimus Prime?  Maybe that's what Hasbro was going for, pretending that lil' Hot Rod here was his 'trixed up Prime self, hence the name on the box.  A lil' lame, but still a commendable effort on Hasbro's part to fool the kids.  Yeah, because we kids who were around in 1986 to watch the movie ain't being' fooled! :P
Packaging strategy aside, let's see how this trio fared against the ranks of the rest of the Henkei/TF Universe!

Hot Rod (Rodimus)

Like: A great sculpt, both in car and robot mode.  True to cartoon likeness but successfully re-imagined to be a little more complex and "up to date."  I really like his head sculpt, "wings", hot rod pipes and gangsta engine block. 

Like: His funky red and yellow color scheme.  It's true to the movie, where he's almost hot pink. Almost, so this "chilli red" is perfect for a repaint/redeco.

Like: Ease of transformation.  His chest flips over his head, his arms tuck in by his sides, and his legs tuck up into a frog-like postion.  Then his wings flip down to form the back.  Simply genius!

Like: The leg articulation, the best part of which is the forward bending motion.  He can literally bring his knees to his chest, straighten his legs and almost touch his toes! (But for his ahoulder articulation.)

Dislike: Arm articulation.  He gets a 90 degree bend out of his elbows, which is great.  But his shoulder ball-joints are restricted so that he can't raise his arm out to the side very much at all.

Like: His photon laser/tailpipe.  It's a wonderful use of an accessory to make it part of the vehicle mode and easily stored.  He can hold his photon laser realy tightly in both hands as well as on his back/in the back in car mode.  Oh yeah, it also shoots a projectile!  Weeee!

Dislike: In car mode, he looks short of decos and rather plain.  Missing the flames on the front wheel tops and behind front wheels that the Henkei version has.

Dislike: The colors of painted parts are a little, well, "off."  The light blue windshield and windows is a little weird and flat.  The tailpipe flame/projectile is also painted the same blue and came with some paint chips.  Not good at all.

The yellow flames on his chest can barely be made out against a slightly darker yellow.  The yellows are so close that in some shots you can't really make them out from each other.

 The white on Hot Rod's face also doesn't completely cover the entire surface right to the top of his head.  His "horns" are also very lightly picked out in gold and should be bolder.  Why not paint them yellow to match his wings and flames?


Like: That he's got a flip put data-com communicator!  While that's what they call it in his instructions, it's more reminiscent of the wrist buzz-saw he uses during the movie to free himself of some cybernetic seaweed/tentacles on the Quintessons' planet.  He uses it to save Kup, too so it's a fun feature to have. :)


Dislike: Some parts look brittle, especially at the joints where they have metal pins. I didn't handle the toy roughly at all but these areas have plastic stress mark already--a little disappointing and makes you wonder at the quality of plastic used to make this toy.

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 7/10 - Some might think his red is little too "hot pinkish," but I quite like it. The issues I have are with the weird blue for the windshield/windows, the sloppy face, and the faded horns.  There's also a lack of decos in car mode.  But that's what customization is for, isn't it? Heh.

Hot Rod also lacks one thing that most good TFs have: light piping for his eyes.  But that's something that's easily forego-ableif the sculpt is great like it is in this instance.

Poseability: 8.5/10 - I just love the forward bend you can get from his legs at the hips.  It's a good as it can get.  This guy's got no waist, as with most TFs, but his ball shoulders are limited to virtual swivels, which limits the his ability to point a gun.

Fun: 8/10 - It Hot "You go The Touch" Rod!!!  And he's got a rockin' sculpt at the right size that's in proportion with Voyager Optimus Prime and other Deluxe figures. Yeah, he's all fun and games until he opens that darn Matrix...it all goes downhill from there. Lol.

Value: 8/10 - At a third of a S$45 3-pack, this guy costs only S$15 (US$11.50). That's the price of most Universe Deluxes at clearance.  Pity you can't get him on his own right now, though.  So you get the best Hot Rod sculpt in a unique color, without having to search high a low for it. He's good value even at double the price, but I wouldn't pay more than that, since he isn't all decoed out anyway.

Overall: 8/10 - He is, after all, a pretty hard to find and sought after figure.  So a solid rating for this guy despite his flaws.  A touch up here and there and his appeal would improve greatly.

Galvatron

Like: He looks great in robot mode, due in large part to his color scheme.  This may not be 100% cartoon accurate, but as far as his toy goes, the right parts are highlighted molded purple and white so that the figure stands out even from a distance.  This means you don't have to look at him up close to realize what partsare what on the figure.

Like: The size of his arm cannon.  It's just the right size in proportion to Galvie, not too big and not too small.  In addition, the cannon transforms to become slimmer and less flat than in tank mode, making look really great on his arm.

Like: His granny face. It's all pissy and sour--just like the cartoon! :P

Dislike: Kibble.  And lots of it.  His butt kibble and backpack kibble are especially much and get in the way of his shoulder swivels.  The junk in the trunk blocks his legs, which is a pity because he's actualy got some decent aritcualtion there.

Like: That he transforms to a tank instead of a standing cannon of some sort. It makes for better display/play value, I feel.

Dislike: His size.  He's too small and it's very disappointing.  Why not make him a Voyager Class figure?  Some of these guys need it.  They deserve it.  If Megatron was a Voyager, why not Galvie too?  It'll just allow him to get beat up by Henkei Voyager Prime and Ultra Magnus in Fansproject armor. Or at least give him a fighting chance.  As it is he just looks puny.

Dislike: His really complicated transformation.  Then when you're finally done wrestling this guy to the ground two hours later, you find all the parts don't tab together well.  He ends up feeling less like a tank and more like a row boat. This wouldn;t be bad if it were 1985, when sometimes certain robot  modes weren't all that tight. BUt even during those times, vehicle modes were pretty solid, and Galvie here isn't in tank mode.

Dislike: His cannon arm articulation.  It's swivel only at the shoulder, hanging off a sliding hinge. He can't point out to the side (due to the size of the cannon's butt), but can point...across his chest!  Them's the breaks of having a big-ass laser cannon on your arm, I guess...

Dislike: That his head had fallen out in package!  Thankfully all the parts were in the package but I had to screw both halves of the head and the light piping together with a tiny screw.  The head is still kinda loose and has a gap on each side because I don't have a tiny enough screwdriver!

Dislike: His left arm ball joint is really loose.  Hanging on to Galvie by the arm only is enough for the arm to pop off.  His right arm is a movable hinge (to facilitate his tranformation) yet it still pops out randomly.  It's just a pity the whole figure is not a lot more solid.

Like: He's got great orange light piping for his eyes!

Like: Blocky legs.  They're stable and in robot mode it's broken up just enough so it doesn't look like he's standing on his treads looking like at upright tank.  The legs also have some fantastic articulation, with a swivel hinge hip, a thigh cut, a hinged knee, a cut below the knee, and a pivoting foot.  Pity it's blocked by a kibble that's meant to be...sort sort of butt loin cloth?

RATINGS

Aesthetics: 6/10 - His limbs and cannon look great, especially the lower half of the body.  The torso and head are a tad small and the kibble on his back and butt just kills it.  The colors are a plus point, with right amouns of purple, the nice white, and bits of red and orange.  But overall Gavatron needs to be bigger.

Poseability: 6/10 - He's got some great PoAs, but they're all limited or blocked.  The main thing that needs to have a great range of motion is the arm cannon, and that's got the worst range of motion of all his four limbs.  The main hindrance to Galvie's articualtion?  Yes, the back and butt kibble.

Fun: 6/10 - I wanna pose him beating down on Hot Rod and Ultra Magnus.  I wanna have him in my display holding The Matrix aloft with his light piping aglow.  I wanna have him in tank mode looking menacing and blowing away onrushing Autobots.  Well, that's all not going to happen because of the poor articulation.  Except the last thing, that one will be due to size--he's practcaly the same size as Bumblebee!

Value: 6.5/10 - As cheap as he is as part of a 3-pack, all the flaws just make him seem like just a lot of trouble just to transform into something that doesn't look great or even have a really stable form. It's a reall pity because I think if they'd made him in Voyager size then he'd have a lot less problems and would sure be worth the extra money you;d have to shell out for a bigger class of Transformer.

Overall: 6.2/10 - Galvatron really seems to get to no love, both from his designers and from this review.  Heh.  What I do see though is a pretty innovative transformation, great PoAs, good-looking colors and even a great head sculpt.  But somwhow they all don;t seem to have come together too well.

Cyclonus

Like: That he's the most cartoon accurate version of the character to date.  There have been two previous color schemes of him released before--the Universe Classics single and the Henkei release.  The Universe was purple and grey, while the Henkei version had purple, shiny purple, silvers and pinks, even (IIRC).  But color aside, what makes him appealing is his sculpt.  Great head, good proportions, maybe a little skinny, but certainly tall enough to go side by side with other Deluxe figures, and maybe even the odd Voyager.

Like: Great transformation.  His body unclips and reforms by clipping together.  You'd never be able to guess how he'd transform if you saw him in either modes.  Yet once you follow the instructions and try him once, Cyclonus becomes easy to transform, instinctive, even.  And it's all down to its great design.

Dislike: Joint broke!  Well, I may dislike the joint for having broken even though I didn't use unusual force on it (I blame the poor quality of the assembly), but I have to say the sculpt is so good that his arm can just simply clip on in either mode and no one would be the wiser.  In fact, all these shots of Cyclonus are taking place post arm-twisting accident.  The arm doesn't fall off in robot or vehicle modes, which is a testament to the strength of the sculpt.

Like: The colors!  His colors are spot on, if not really pleasing.  He's made up body parts molded from three different shades of purple.  The darkest covers most of his body, his forearms, knees and "toes" are a slightly brighter shade, while his thighs, biceps, and fists are made of this silvery light lilac that perfectly completments the rest of his body!  Throw in some paint for detail and he's complete.  There's purple on the front of his shoulders to match the forearms, silver for his face, "neck", and abs, a touch of red and a some orange on his front abdomen and viola! A great job!

Like: He comes with Nightstick!  The guy not only transforms into a gun, he's also got articulation!

 

Like: That Cyclonus has got red light piping for his eyes! It's something that we've been spoiled with when it comes to TFs. And it's such a simple and elegant feature that adds value to both the look and the playability of the toy.

RATINGS:

Aesthetics: 7.5/10 - Great to look at, but not as good as Hot Rod/Rodimus.  The colors are great, but he does look a little skinny from certain angles and Nightstick looks really thick when held by Cyclonus.

Poseability: 7.5 /10 - Pretty decent.  His arms has enough PoAs to simulate pointing out to the side.  His legs are great, but like Hot Rod, he doesn't have a waist.  He's stable enough when it comes to various stances, but he's no Hot Rod or even Galvatron, who have much blockier feet.  But Galvatron has his own problems (see above), while Hot Rod is just stellar when it compared to the 2 Decepticons in the pack.  Cyclonus is in the midle, but definitely closer to the Rod.

Fun: 8/10 - I have as much fun trasforming him back and forth as I do trying to make him battle his arch-nemesis Ultra Magnus.  In fact I have more fun doing that, because Ultra Magnus (with Fansproject armor on) is way too huge for this guy, who is supposed to be the same size as Rodimus' No. 2.  Too bad they decided to make all the Decepticon fighter jets Deluxe-sized because they sure would fit in with the Autobots eter if they were Voyagers.

Value: 8/10 - He comes with his Targetmaster gun, Nightstick!  That in itself is awesome because it's like having a whole other 1/8th of a Transformer!  Jokes aside, the addition of the mini transformable companion and the re-molded colors make Cyclonus worth at least a second look, especially if, like me, you don;t own one of his older releases.

Overall: 7.75 - Cyclonus borders on greatness--it's just his overall size I have a problem with.  He could afford to be much bigger and a little chunkier, though the latter is a minor issue.  If you're putting together a squad of Decepticon jets you'll problably go for Starscream and his Seekers first.  But if you're a post-"cartoon movie" fan then you'll surely dig this redeco of Galvatron's lieutenant.

Overall 3-Pack Rating: 7.25/10 - If you're getting Challenge at Cybertron simply because of Hot Rod, it may not be worth it.  If you don't have a Cyclonus as well, then it's good 3-pack to get because these two are the superior figures of the set.

Despite having been released twice before now, this version of Cyclonus has the best color scheme.  If you do have both Hot Rod and Cyclonus already and your primary target is Galvatron, I'd say wait till Hasbro comes up with a better (or bigger) sculpt for Galvie.

Otherwise, you've got to be as mad as the Decepticon leader himself to be wanting to buy the set and chuck 'Rod and Cyclonus...Unless...Unless you found it in your Christmas stocking on the morning of the 25th.  Even then you'd have to be crazy--throwing away toys?!?  Santa may not have delivered to you that Masterpiece Optimus Prime everyone so covets, but he did give you a free toy--three, in fact!  Ho, ho, ho!

Merry Christmas and Happy a Happy New Year, everybody!  May all your stockings only be filled with action figures and your X'mas trees be uprooted with the largest of playsets! ;D