Transformers Generations : Fall of Cybertron – Grimlock

Couldn’t believe that I was able to find this all ready, and locally!

From what I’ve been reading, this was supposed to hit shelves in March.  I checked out a few different places, and my local Wal-Mart was the only place to have Grimlock.  I also saw Soundwave(at K-Mart and Target), Blaster(at Wal-Mart) and SoundBlaster(at Target).

I have been really anticipating the release of this figure.  Grimlock was a figure that eluded me as a kid.  Even the Masterpiece and Animated versions never crossed paths with me.  Being that Grimlock is one of the more popular characters(with good reason), his secondary market prices are pretty high.

I got this at Wal-Mart, and cost me a little less than $25 after all was said and done.

He comes packaged in robot mode, and looks pretty damn good.

The form of the figure looks very good, but leaves a little to be desired when it comes to articulation.

His T-Rex mode is pretty awesome, though he has basically no articulation in this mode.

He does have a few action features, and they definitely enhance playability.

The first is a “CHOMPING JAW!”.  It doesn’t stay open without assistance, so here’s a shot with a piece of mechanical pencil holding the jaw open.

There are pegs on the weapons, which fit into holes on the figure to be stored in this mode.

The second feature is “GLOWING EYES AND MOUTH!”.

My only gripes would be the limited articulation in both modes, and the open chest in T-Rex mode.  Other than that, the figure looks great in both modes, has great playability, and is an overall great value.

Transformers Generations : Fall of Cybertron – Shockwave

With the recent release of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys, this almost flew under my radar!

If you’ve been reading this blog for a little while, you know that I’m a big fan of the Generations line of Transformers.  The sculpts are usually top notch, and, at least in robot mode, they heavily resembled their G1 counterparts.  And the newst wave is no exception.

The new figures are based on the characters in the upcoming Fall of Cybertron video game.  In the first wave we’ve got Optimus Prime, Jazz, and Shockwave.  All of their vehicle modes are their Cybertronian modes.  And in future waves, we will see Starscream and Grimlock(really looking forward to this one).  But for now, we’re here for Shockwave.

Shockwave came packaged in robot mode, but I wanted to show his vehicle mode first.  This is his “Cybertronian Mobile Artllary Mode”.  My guess is that this is some kind of super tank, and it’s bit reminiscent of his gun mode from Generation 1.   It’s a very interesting design, and looks bad-ass!

Of course, the directions were very confusing.  But now that I’ve transformed him from robot to vehicle and back again, it’s not overly complicated(which should be expected, as it’s transformation is a level 2).

But as with the majority of Transformers, he looks better in robot mode.

Shockwave’s cannon is a seperate gun rather than being part of his other arm(as was the case with the G1 version).  Still, with his one never blinking eye, and absence of any facial features, he looks really frickin’ awesome!

Now while I am happy with this figures appearance, I do have a few gripes.  The first being the higher cost of these deluxe class figures.  I picked this up at Wal-Mart(which is usually cheaper than anywhere else), and it ran me close to $16.00.  And that was before tax!  Now, I wouldn’t mind the price increase, if I felt that it was warranted.  But these new figures are a bit smaller, and the materials they’re made from, seem to feel a bit cheaper than the older figures in the line.

So, if I were to rate this on a scale of 1-10, I’d give it an 8.5.  It’s a great looking figure, but I don’t think the price hike was necessary.  Shockwave looks like he’s the short-packed of the 3 that were released.  So if you want him, pick him up when you first see him, because you may have a hard time finding him later.

Transformers Generations : Sergeant Kup

I got this figure last August at my local Wal-Mart.  At the time of it’s purchase, it was the first one I had seen locally.  But if you find any of the Generations figures in stores now, Sgt. Kup here is usually in the mix.

Now, while I’m a huge fan of G1 Transformers, I find Kup’s vehicle mode to be a nice upgrade compared to his original look.

While it looks nice, for some reason it seemed small to me(hence the quarters for comparison).  Maybe it because it’s a pickup truck, and not a car?  I especially like the clear plastic that makes up the tail lights(not shown).  Hasbro also did a great job in concealing his blaster when in vehicle mode(when he’s on his wheels that is).

And of course I think he looks awesome in robot mode.  If you’re around my age, I’m sure you remember Kup as a grizzled veteran with a fondness for telling old war stories.  And I’m happy to report that his face still conveys that G1 feel.  Plus, with the upgraded body, he looks even better.

As with all of the other Generations figures I’ve purchased, I find this to be a nice figure.  I would like to display all of my Generations figures in the same area, so it looks like some of my other Transformers are going to have to be swapped out, as room is at a premium right now.  I’ll try to get a group shot of my Generations figures up in a day of so(after I get them all together).

Transformers Generations Scourge and recent Ebay wins.

Another day, another Transformer.

I have to say that I have been impressed with the Generations line thus far.  There are quite a few I didn’t get, but very few that I didn’t like.  The figure we’ll be looking at today, was one I initially didn’t want.

Scourge wasn’t on my want list, but like most times, the ones I truly want are never on the pegs.  Don’t get me wrong.  I think he looks pretty good in bomber and robot mode.  And the white and blue paint job is pretty sweet!

This ended up being a real pain in the ass for a level 3 transformation.  Everything is well hidden and fits together so well, you don’t really see any of the robot when it’s in vehicle mode.  And as we know, the directions did jack shit to help me with the transformation process.  But about 20 minutes after I decided not to try and follow the directions, I finally got it!  And the results are very nice.

As always, I think the robot mode looks awesome!  This is one of the few figures that looks okay with the robotic facial hair.  It didn’t translate too well in Revenge of the Fallen, but this looks okay.  And he still manages to look like a pretty bad-ass Decepticon.

I found him at Target, and there were a few Wheeljacks and Thundercrackers as well.  It figures that after i find the toys I really want after hunting for them, that they would be in steady supply shortly after.

Over the past week or so, I have been the winner of a few auctions on Ebay.  After the ones we’ll see today, I only have one more that I’m waiting on.  And that’s the one I’m most excited about.  You’ll see when it finally arrives.

I don’t have a very big collection of He-Man figures, but there are quite a few figures I would like to have in my collection.  Mantenna here, is one of those figures.  When I was a kid, I thought this figure was awesome just because of it’s feature to raise and lower his eyeballs.  Being part crab(is that correct?), and having multiple limbs probably figured into it as well.  I don’t know if the crossbow is the correct accessory, but it came with the figure.  He stands well on his own, and his eyeballs have very little wear(a big plus with this figure).

This here, is Dirty Dog.  One third of the Puppet Land Band from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.  I already have Cool Cat, now I just need Chicky Baby to complete the band.

And lastly.

I got a few more games to add to my SNES collection.  None of these are rare or stellar games, but they’re fun and they were priced right.  I never played Buster Busts Loose(at least I don’t think I did).  But coming from Konami, I’m pretty sure it’ll be a fun play-through(and it’s CIB, so it’s a win-win).  Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball came out during the SNES’s first year.  I know I’ve played it, but I have no recollection of it.  Super Pinball:Behind the Mask was popular game in my household in it’s day.  I haven’t played it since, but I remember ir being a great pinball simulation, and it was addicting as hell!  I’ll give ’em all a shot this weekend.

Red Alert!

At the end of my last post, I listed 5 lines of Transformers figures, and asked which line my audience would like to see a review from.  I got 3 votes from 6 comments I received.  Transformers Generations was the winner with 2 votes.

I found Red Alert here at my local Wal-Mart about 5 weeks ago.  That’s kind of funny because I believe he is from the second Generations wave, and I first saw him when I was Christmas shopping last year.  My Wal-Mart is notoriously behind when it comes to new toys.  I found this figure within a week of finding Wheeljack and Thundercracker.

Like a handful of figures from this line, Red Alert is a nod to his G1 counterpart.  Due to licensing issues, Red Alert had to be modified just enough to not be a Lamborghini(still looks like one to me).  He now sports Fire Rescue, instead of Fire Chief.  He looks good here, but you know me…I’m all about the robot mode.

And this is another one that does not disappoint!  In my opinion Hasbro is making the figures they couldn’t make 20+ years ago(don’t get me wrong, I love the G1 figures).  If these figures were made of die-cast metal, they would be perfect.  My only gripe has to do with the accessories.  The engine that sits on top in vehicle mode, is supposed to attach to his blaster in robot mode.  The problem is that, at least being the case with mine, is that they will not stay together.  This knocks a point off of it’s perfect score.  But looking at the head sculpt negates this, I guess.  I would give this figure my recommendation.

I have 5 more Transformers lined up. waiting for review.  I don’t know if I’ll review them all(I might keep them stored until I have more room), but 3 of them will find their way on here in the near future.  Here’s a little clue to who’s next.

Any guesses?

Transformers Generations Thundercracker

At the very same Wal-mart that I found Wheeljack, I also found this awesome Decepticon(during the same visit).

 

 Thundercracker, along with Starscream and Skywarp, were the original 3 seeker jets in the original Transformers series.  I was surprised to see the 2 figures I wanted in this wave at the same store at the same time.  I wasted no time in grabbing both of them.  It’s hard to beleive that there were actually 3 of these on the pegs!  First, we’ll take a look at the seeker mode.

I think my fascination with this line has to do with how much they are a tribute to the G1 Transformers.  The colors really pop here.  I find it amazing that the figures look this good, but are still able to evoke the nostalgia of the originals.  This was another figure I never owned as a kid(back then, I probably would’ve preferred Starscream), and it seems the ones I never owned are the ones that appeal to me the most.  If they release a Starscream and/or a Skywarp, I would get both, even though they would just be repaints.  And of course, he looks great in robot mode as well.

I have to say that I am very pleased with this purchase.  I can only hope that Hasbro continues to make these great figures(in my opinion, the movie ones just don’t have the “wow” factor).  This definitely gets my reccomendation, and another 10 out 0f 10.

I will be leaving for vacation tomorrow afternoon and won’t be back until Tuesday.  So I want to take this time to say have a happy and safe Independence Day, and remember all those who have fought and those who have sacrificed themselves to keep our wonderful nation free.

Yard Sale Finds #8 and Some Other Stuff

While this weekend wasn’t all that great for yard/garage-saling, it was a nice end to an awesome week.

Earlier this week, a co-worker brought me this.

On a break at work, we had gotten on the topic of video games.  Long story short, I was given what you see above.  It’s an Atari 2600, 2 joysticks(I know they’re not the original ones), and 11 games.  The games are, Grand Prix, Centipede, Q-Bert, Donkey Kong Jr., Ms. Pac-Man, Missile Command, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, Battlezone, Mouse Trap and Defender.  90% of the games are classics!  We’ve been doing some cleaning out and rearranging stuff at my place, so I haven’t been able to play any of them yet.  I’m looking forward to playing the god-awful Pac-Man port for this system.  The Atari 2600 was the first home console I had ever played.  It’s reign came to an end when the NES came into my life somewhere around 1985-86.

Yesterday we decided to hit the road and look for garage sales.  There were a few quick showers in the early afternoon, and that may have been why we didn’t see many sales.  At the sales we were able to find, the wares were plentiful, but of no interest to me.  The upside was, I didn’t spend much.

Everything pictured came to a grand total of $2.25.  I bought Sorry! for a few reasons.  I don’t know how old the one I had growing up was, but this one (1972) looks just like it.  And secondly because it’s a fun game to play.  The Snoopy book was 50 cents, but it’s classic Snoopy.  I found the awesome little Batman at a church sale for 25 cents!  The colors look great, the sculpt is fun, and best of all, he has a cloth cape!  The Santa Clause is a Hallmark Holiday Magic ornament that plugs into a light strand an lights up.  It looks pretty neat, and if it works, the 50 cents I paid was a hell of a deal!  There’s one other thing I want to mention about Sorry!, and that is that this particular ones game tokens look like they’ve barely been used.

What really sealed the deal of this being an awesome week, is what we’ll be looking at next.

It’s been said that good things come to those who wait.  I’ve been really patient.  And that patience finally paid off!

🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂  🙂

Our plan for yesterday was to look for garage sales in areas that are a little further from where we live.  Going outside of our local area adds a newness to the hunt.  Different people with different stuff.  While the area was new to us for yard sales, we were familiar with the area.  I found Wheeljack in this area’s Wal-Mart.  I wish my local Wal-Mart had the toy selection I saw yesterday.  I will be making subsequent trips to this store.

There was an incredible selection of Transformers, and there were 2 of these left.  I have been looking for this figure for months!  I checked many stores with no luck.  On Amazon and Ebay, this guy is selling for over $25.00!  That’s ridiculous for a new toy, and I refuse to pay an inflated price for an imaginary premium.

The head sculpt looks better than the G1 Wheeljack, and the body of the alt-mode had to be modified for legal reasons.  Still, it looks great, and is my favorite in the Generations line thus far.  The funny thing is that the instructions were actually helpful with the transformation(this is a first).  Wheeljack looks great in either mode.  His car design is sporty and sleek.

It looks just as nice as the original.  In robot mode, the head sculpt looks exactly like he did in the G1 cartoon.  His G1 counterpart is a great toy, but the head just isn’t right.  This one improves on the original, without taking away anything.

Even though I got him after almost everyone else did, I’m still happy to own this.  This gets a 10 out of 10 in my book.  Congrats to Hasbro, for getting this one right!

I have some great stuff in the pipeline, and if I can learn how update a little less erratically, we’ll see see it in the coming days.  Wish me luck!

Cybertronian Megatron and a can of poop

Yes.  You read that title correctly.  But you will have to wait until after we spotlight ol’ Megsy(come on, he would kill me if I didn’t feature him first).

Shortly before the turn of the new year(December 30, if I remember correctly), I found myself at Wal-Mart, like I so frequently do.  Any trip to Wal-Mart is not complete without a quick trip to the toy section.  Now, while I was out Christmas shopping, I had seen a handful of recent Transformers I was interested in.  I was Christmas shopping, so I couldn’t be selfish and spend my dough all on myself(I did get Rodimus Minor though).  The figures I was interested in are as follows…Transformers Generations Dirge, Red Alert, Cybertronian Soundwave and Cybertronian Megatron.  If I had the money I would have gotten all four.  So Christmas passed, and I found myself checking the pegs at Wal-Mart.  They had a bunch of Cybertronian Bumblebees, two Thrusts, and mixed in with these was a lone Cybertronian Megatron.  I didn’t even have to think about it.  I grabbed it quickly and proceeded to the check-out.

I have always thought Megatron was one of the coolest looking Transformers.  As a matter of fact, my younger brother and I both got a Megatron for Christmas in ’84 or ’85.  I loved that figure!  I would love to add that figure to my collection, but a good complete version would run me at least $80.  I don’t have that type of cash to spend on a single figure, so obviously I couldn’t put it on this years collecting goals list.  This one’s robot mode is very reminiscent of the G1 version, and it was only $9.

Megatron came carded in his robot mode, and he looks very nice right out of the package.  He is gray wih black and red, and he has some nice translucent purple spots on him, most noticeably on the spots below his knees.

His face is almost exactly the same as his G1 counterpart.  This and the arm mounted cannon is what made me want this figure.  His alternate mode is nice looking and transformation is pretty smooth.  For a level 3 difficulty, it was surprisingly easy.

This figure is worth the price, and I give him a 5 out of 5.

Now we’ll get to the part of the post that grabbed your attention in the title.  Poop in a can.  Here’s the low down.

A couple of week’s ago, my wife and I had the pleasure of sorting through a few boxes of “junk”.  Most of the stuff was older kitchen ware and knick knacks.  As we searched I came across the one item I claimed as mine.

Ogopogo Poo, in a can.  Ogopogo is basically British Columbia’s Loch Ness Monster.  For more information on Ogopogo, click here.

It does sound like there is something in it, but I do not want to ruin this treasure by opening it.  The contents sounds somewhat sandy and somewhat solid.  There is no date of any kind anywhere on the can or it’s label, so I have no idea how old this thing is.  I do know that is just weird enough for me to like.  If anybody knows anything about this, please leave info in the comments.

Here is what is printed on it’s label.  Are they trying to say that this is a can of real bull shit?  I’m not opening it to find out.

 Looks like someone else has laid claim to this mysterious souvenir.

It’s great to be back!!

Wow!  It feels like I’ve been gone forever.  I don’t have a specific idea to go in depth about, but a few of you made some suggestion as to what you would like to hear about upon my return.  The 3 suggestions were toys, video games and something Christmassy(maybe catoons another time Bobby).

First up…toys.  During my absence, I did aquire a few things to add to the collection.  The first is the large plush ALF(officially licensed), my buddy Clark traded to me.  I also managed to find a Transformers Animated Voyager Class Skywarp(review coming soon) for the low price of $12.99 at Marshall’s.  And lastly, my step brother bought me Cybertonian Bumblebee as a Christmas gift(review coming soon as well…as soon as I figure out how to transform the friggin’ thing).

Next up, we have video games.  Jboypacman suggested that I discuss some of my video game interests.  Well, three letters define my favorite video games…N.E.S.  That’s not saying that I don’t play other systems though.  I still play SNES, gameboy, Gamecube and PS2(as well as a few PS1 games).  I just prefer the old school games.  I would love to get a Sega Master System or a Turbo Grafx 16 or even a Wii.  I collect Nintendo games for all of their systems, up to the Gamecube, but primarily for the NES.  Here are a few pics of my growing NES collection.

And lastly, Bobby suggeted cartoons and something Christmassy.  And while I don’t have anything cartoon related to post, it is Christmas time, so I decided to post a picture of our little Christmas tree.  I want to get a few Christmas related posts up, so I’ll see what I can do.  If you’re a fan of Christmas, I reccomend you check out the Advent Calendar over at X-entertainment, I promise, you won’t regret it.  I’ll see you guys in a few days(when I have something else to write about).