The end is near. Slugslinger is the last figure in the Deluxe Class of TItans Return. One last Decepticon to join the ranks.
He is being released by his Titans Returns mates, Misfire and Triggerhappy. These three share legs, and that is about as close as the three will come to being "brothers" this time around.
Hanging with Overlord, he looks really good in the light blue and light grey. No extra colors needed on this one.
He comes with his Titan Master Caliburst. Back in the day, Caliburst was Slugslinger's Targetmaster, but times change and bots get… redistributed. Though Slugslinger does not have a lot in common with the other two fliers that helped to make him. Caliburst shares a lot with their Titan Masters, Blowpipe and Aimless.
Back to Slugslinger, he comes with a pair of guns. I am sure he likes it. Two guns and three barrels. The two guns can fit together to make a bigger gun. It is almost put together correctly out of the box, but this is one of the better weapons we have seen in the Titans Return line for the Deluxe figures. Many of them were too gimmicky, losing form to the function of being able to hold a Titan Master.
Transform Slugslinger, and he starts to look very familiar to the G1 fans. A twin-nose starfigher, with a heavy back end. The wide wings look great, and hold the two guns well. As you can see by the size of Caliburst, the cockpits do not fit Titan Masters. Instead, Caliburst rides in the clear blue section between the cockpits.
If you look at Slugslinger alongside Misfire (in pink), and Triggerhappy (dark blue), you can see the similarities in the back ends of the vehicles. I am a huge fan of good engineering. And to have three jets that can have matching back ends, but such different front ends, is quite amazing. They don't even have similar transformations at the front end.
I think this is a great way to end Titans Return. Slugslinger is similar to Overlord,how we get a figure that is a "retool" of another figure, but is REALLY different. Chapter 2 of the Prime Wars Trilogy has come to an end (with exception of Ramhorn). We are fully moving into Power of the Primes, with their Combiner Features, and small Titan Master type figures. As a trilogy should be, we are bringing it all together and adding a little something extra. Up next, I will be looking at the first two Voyager Class figures, Grimlock and Starscream. One is good and one is not. Stay Tuned.
Getting the last few Transformers in a series are nearly always tricky. In this case, there were three released at the end of the Titans Returns series if figures: Overlord, Slugslinger, and Ramhorn. One Leader Class, one Deluxe Class, and one Titan Master. I had good luck with the first two, but I am still having trouble getting my hands on Ramhorn. And that little guy will continue to evade me for a while I am sure.
Overlord is free with a little help from Sky Shadow. Generally as we move through waves of Transformers, we start to see redecos (paint) and retools (body work). These two share some similar components, so let's take a look at them side by side.
Well, the lower body is the same. The legs up to the torso are just repainted. The torsos are not the same. They both have the wheel, but even that is not in the same place. It is clear moving up the body that there are some very big changes that took place to make Overlord.
The entire top part of the body is all new. I think they share hands, and the internal workings of the elbow section of the arms.
From the back, the differences are even more apparent. They do share a few similarities back there, like the folding out of the jets at the bottom of the back, but the entire nose section of the jet has been redone. Where Sky Shadow's jet folded back, Overlord can wear nearly all of the cockpit on his shoulder. That is very much how he worked as his G1 Transformer as well.
Overlord still has the great articulation that we have seen in the Titans Returns line. Even more so with these two, since their feet roll at the ankles, to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground.
The directions did not mention that there are two doors in Overlord's chest. These open to reveal two slots for Titan Masters or Prime Masters (can you imagine this guy running around with the power of two Prime Masters? Yikes!!). The fit of the heads is SUPER tight, and the doors don't close.
Overlord is teamed up with Dreadnaut. He is a retool of Sky Shadow's Titan Master, Ominus. He has a new head, arms and legs, based on the G1 box art.
Transforming these Leaders into vehicle mode is a lot of fun. We get a 2-for-1 deal with a jet and a tank. Unlike Sky Shadow that is red and black with a touch of other colors, Overlord does not match both vehicles very well. There is a lot of black on the jet, but almost none on the tank, instead going for the blue, teal, white and purple of the jet's engines.
Comparing Sky Shadow and Overlord, you can really see where the similarities (tanks) and differences (jets) lie.
Back in the G1 cartoon, Overlord had a super long jet mode. This was apparently designed when the production staff was playing around with the toy and figured out the tank can transform and stay on the jet. Well, it has happened again. There are no directions for the long jet mode, but it is possible. There are some big gaps in the leg areas toward the back.
You might think that if Overlord can have a long jet mode, than Sky Shadow can too. Well, I wondered about that and found that it cannot work. Sky Shadow actually has longer arms that do not allow the hips to fold the thighs into a horizontal position.
Then there is the connection between the jet and the tank. Sky Shadow had a door that opened in the bottom of the jet (his chest) that revealed a clip to allow the jet to pick up the tank and fly around as a pair. There is no such port on Overlord. Instead the two chest doors of Overlord open and the two door latches act as hooks on either side of the tank's turret to lift the tank off the ground.
The problem is that they do not lock into place. So, it does not really work as well as it does with Sky Shadow, where you can zoom the pait around without the tank falling off.
But since the two tanks are the same, the two jets can switch places and pick up either tank. They both have the clip for Sky Shadow, as well as the two indents for Overlord's doors.
On to the base mode. All Leader Class figures can turn into a base. And as we have seen with the rest of Overlord, the transformations look a little similar, but there are some big differences. Overlord folds at the hips, so his torso is sticking up in the air. With Sky Shadow, the fold for the tower is the nose section of the jet, so he is pretty much laying down with a tower over his head. Overlord's arms are a part of the tower, while Sky Shadow's arms are an extension of the ground portion of the base.
I knew Overlord was a retool of Sky Shadow, but I am hugely impressed by how much of a retool he really was. These are two very different robots with a couple of similarities. It seems that Hasbro really did release these figures in the order of how good they are. We got one that was great, like Sky Shadow. Then they release one in a later wave that is just a little bit better. These are a couple of really great figures. A few more to go in the Titans Returns line. I have Slugslinger, and then it is the hunt for Ramhorn. And of course we are knee deep in the first Wave of Power of the Primes. I have some Voyager Class figures to look at while I am hunting down the first of the Leader Class figures. Lots more to come.
We are in the midst of Power of the Primes, but we are not done with Titans Masters yet. A bunch of weeks ago, I was in San Francisco. The day after Black Friday, my wife and I were walking around town getting ready for breakfast. We stopped in at a fantastic greasy spoon we have gone to before. The line was extremely long. Across the street and down half a block was the glowing cursive 'w' of Walgreens. My wife said, "We have to wait a bit, why don't you go take a look around Walgreens and I will hold our spot." I don't have to be told twice. Waving my goodbye and "thanks," I headed in. I didn't expect a whole lot, since it was in the middle of the city, and the Walgreens tend to be a lot lighter on goods in the big cities. But to my amazement, they had this Titans Return 2-pack of Wingspan and Cloudraker.
So, the figures are about Legends Class size, and it actually says so on the packaging. In the past, many of the special sets like this left the buyer guessing at the Class. Not this time.
Out of the box, the two guys are very similar. They share some of the same transformation, but they do not look like typical "brothers." I like the colors. Wingspan has a purple and teal color scheme going on with touches of white and hot pink. Cloudraker seems to be a little more put together with red and cream with a touch of black on the legs/wings.
From the back, Wingspan has giant gaping holes in the back of his legs… something we have not seen a lot with some really clever transformation. Like with his box mate, Cloudraker, who has wings that covers over his holes. But then he has a funky looking backpack that shows a lot of empty parts under the nose of the ship.
Cloudraker transforms into a spaceship of some sort. Clearly a light fighter, since he is a little guy, he has high engines like a lot of the Cybertronian jets we have seen in the Titans Returns line.
It is an okay ship, though there are a lot of parts that are recognizable as body parts.
Wingspan, clearly named for his wider wingspan than Cloudraker, transforms into a bird of prey. We did not get a whole lot of Beastformers in the Titans Returns line.
Wingspan does a good job transforming. Most of the parts are well hidden, with the bulk transfering to the underside of the body, helping to hide the.
Here we have it. A couple of flying robots. I would rather have seen two more similarly themed figures, as opposed to one hawk and one space ship. They even have spots for Titan Masters to sit, though I could not get one to ride Wingspan very well.
I love that Walgreens keeps getting lots of exclusives, quickly becoming one of my favorite spots to find exclusives. I can't wait to see what I find there next.
The beginning of the end is upon us. What started back in 2015 with Combiner Wars, is going to conclude with part 3, Power of the Primes. This is going to take all of the gimmicks from the first two waves and combine them into a final run to conclude the trilogy.
These figures are based on the Pretenders of 1988 and 1989. Essentially the same type of figures as back in G1. Low articulated figures with a more articulated Transformer inside. The name given to the Decoy Armor is the name of the original Pretender, with design cues and color schemes that match that figure from G1.
We are going to start small and work our way up. Hopefully as we get bigger, I can find some of the Voyager and Leader class figures. I have plenty to keep me busy until then.
So we are starting with the Prime Masters. These little guys are basically the same small robots as the Titan Masters, but without a face on their back. Instead they have a symbol on their back representing a spark, and a special ability. They are only available in the packs with their Decoy Armor, no longer creating an army of little robots like we saw in the Titans Return line, where everybody came with a Titan Master as well as single packs with vehicles. This will make the Prime Masters much more valuable of a target for the Transformers.
First up is Vector Prime. As with all of the Prime Masters, there is a robot, their Decoy Armor, and a weapon.
The Decoy Armor opens and allows for the Prime Master to hide inside, as well as be able to use the armor as a battle suit. They have accessibility to the weapon to use on their own.
Any of the Prime Masters can ride in any other Decoy Armor.
The Prime Masters are basically the same as the Titan Masters, with a symbol on their back rather than a face. Vector Prime's power is time travel. I am sure that is a good power to have.
The Decoy Armor transforms into a weapon that a Deluxe, Voyager or Leader Class figure can use. Since I am starting small, I grabbed a Titans Return figure or Orion Pax to show off the weapon. The Prime Master becomes a part of the weapon, and can be switched with any other Prime Master to mix and match weapons and powers.
Another Autobot in the first wave, this time Micronus. He comes with Cloudburst Decoy Armor and a double gatling gun.
It is really fun that there is actually space in the head to allow the Prime Master inside to see out, as if it really is a suit of armor.
Micronus' ability is Power Swap. How this will come into play is very exciting.
We saw Skullgrin last back in 2010, when he was made in to a Deluxe scale tank. But he is back now as the Decoy Armor for Micronus.
Micronus come with the power of Trickster. Oh, I am sure that is going to be an intersting power.
The weapon that Skullgrin comes with is a 3-bladed melee weapon. Not really all that useful.
And when put in the hands of a Deluxe scale figure… still not that useful.
There we have the first three figures of the Powers of the Prime line. 2 Autobots and 1 Decepticon. The playability is not too high yet, but as we introduce larger scale figures, they playability and the alternate modes of the Prime Masters will come into play.
As you can see, these new guys are just the same as the Titan Masters. That means they are interchangeable to ride in each other's vehicles, like the discussion going on here with Loudmouth.
And I am sure someone is wondering, as I was. Yes, the Prime Master can take the place of a Titan Master using the neck port. But no, it does not look good.
Stay tuned. We will take a look at the slightly larger Legends Class next.
At the beginning of the Titans Return line, we got Fortress Maximus. It wouldn't be much fun if the Autobots were the only ones who got a Titan of their own. So, Trypticon Is here at the end of the line. A nice bookend with the two Titans.
Let's start small and work our way up to the Titan. We are starting off with Necro who was known as Wipe-Out in the comics. He was originally a comic-only character, and a car. His name was changed to Necro, which brings up the idea of a Necromancer, or one that can summon the dead. Well, Necro may not be able to summon the dead, but he sure can steal their spark. Not good for anyone who crosses his path. He is a Titan Master, so that means he forms a head. No, not Trypticon's head. That would be awfully small. He forms Full-Tilt's head.
Full-Tilt is a holdover from 1986, and attached to Trypticon's front as added armor, as well as being able to be launched from the city mode. This Full-Tilt already fares better, having actual articulation, and WAY more detail molded in. He is a good looking Deluxe Class figure all on his own.
And then there is Trypticon. A massive beast of a Transformer. He is the largest Decepticon ever made, and I dare say he has more bulk to him than Fortress Maximus. I should weigh the two and see.
Anyway, the head is the first part we see, and boy is it impressive. There is a head cannon that pops up, along with two cannons in the mouth. When all else fails, there are the sharp teeth.
There are so many great details on Trypticon, from the grey/teal/purple scheme, to the areas of clear orange added in. The stickers took FOREVER to apply. There were well over 100 of them, probably closer to the 200 mark.
As if there wasn't already enough playability with Trypticon, he has pop-up blasters over the shoulders. That is 5 around the head alone, for those keeping track.
A size comparison for all to see. Fortress Maximus still has the record for height, with Trypticon beating out Devastator by a bit of height and a ton of weight.
This makes for some epic battles, with two titans going at it with good articulation. Sadly, Trypticon is based on a T-Rex, so he still has tiny little arms.
One of the great features of Trypticon is the ability to eat other Titan Masters.
Step 1: Catch your meal. Preferably Deluxe Class Transformer. They don't have any pesky helmets covering the Titan Master.
Step 2: Tear the head off your prey, tossing the rest of the body to the wayside.
Step 3: Swallow the Titan Master into your stomach prison for assimilation or use at a later time.
From there, Trypticon still has two more modes. First up is the City Mode. He spreads WAY out and has landing platforms, ramps, and weapons galore.
Trypticon does not have quite as many hidey-holes as Fort Max, but there is still a lot of playability in this mode.
There is a great hiding/storage place for Full-Tilt under the ramp. It can also be accessed in Space Ship mode.
Speaking of Space Ship mode, Trypticon kind of folds up really nicely and is ready for takeoff. The space ship looks really cool with an alternate head-like front. The real head is tucked in behind.
Overall, I don't think I could have asked for more from this Titan. He is so cool and giant, and heavy. He will take anyone to task, with his massive size. There is a lot of playability with the figure, and being able to use other figures with it. I don't know how Power of the Primes will compete with this, only going up to Leader Class. They may have some hard work ahead if the Autobots want to win this war.
With a team-up of characters with the names of Misfire and Aimless, you know they are probably not very good at their jobs. And they aren't. Misfire is a BIG retool of Triggerhappy. The irony is not lost on this writer, going from Triggerhappy who would shoot and not care where his blaster bolts went, to Misfire, who couldn't hit anything… at all.
Aimless comes with two cannons that can be put together to form a double-barreled gun. Not that it will help him any.
He is painted up in his pink and white like we saw back in 1987. There are touches of red in there too. He comes with the visor style eyes like he had in the cartoon, but it is blue like his eyes in the toy. NIce compromise.
Misfire comes with the Titan Master Aimless. The two were teamed up back in 1987, where Aimless was a Targetmaster. A Targetmaster named Aimless? As you can guess, he didn't help Misfire shoot any better. Aimless is a retool of Blowpipe that came with Triggerhappy.
I am really happy with the vehicle mode that they came up with. It is very similar to the G1 version with the double nose cones, and the forward swept wings. Even the legs fold up at the back to form an oversized engine compartment.
Aimless gets a cockpit to sit in, which has been a fantastic touch in this line.
There is a port in the back of Misfire, so the dynamic stands can be used with these figures. It allows for great posing.
The Cybertronian jet mode has a great look overall. Big in the back, and sweeping to a point in the front. We tend to lose engine nozzles in these Deluxe figures from time to time. In Triggerhappy, the engines were attached to his wings. So when they made the retool to Misfire, he lost the engines. We have ti imagine they are back there somewhere.
I am so happy with the amount of work that Hasbro has put into these retools. They are very different figures than the first version that came out. I hope we see this continue as we move into Power of the Primes.
Well, nobody was surprised that Octane was on the list of the later Titans Return line. When Optimus Prime showed up with a tanker mode and a jet mode, it was guessed that this was going to become Octane. It is interesting how Hasbro has worked this line. They come out with a retooled model first, and then come out with the main version. They did the same thing with bringing out Megatron first, and then later bringing out Blitzwing. Guess that keeps the folks interested, since some may not buy a repainted figure for a second time. Well, is that what we are doing here? Are we buying a grey version of Optimus? Not really. There are a lot of similarities, but Hasbro did a fair amount of retooling too.
First up, the robot mode. Purple huh? No hiding this is a Decepticon. He has his same purple head and big horns he had way back in 1986, when he was a triple changer. He also has the big wings sticking out to the sides. I am sure it is hard to walk through doors, and he is probably a nightmare at the holiday party. They did a pretty good job of color matching the locations on the body. The purple and grey are much darker colors than the original, which gives him a more sinister look.
Standing next to Optimus, it is clear these two are from the same base design. But there are a few of changes. Right front and center is the chest plate. While Optimus seems to have the front windshield of his truck mode, Octane has a more armor look, which travels down over the abs. The other big change is the wings. Optimus has wings that fold up, while Octane has wings that just stick out there. This is very similar to the G1 version with the big wings.
Octane comes with Murk. Not a surprise, this is a retool of Diac that came with Optimus. He shares the purple and white of Octane.
On to the vehicle modes. I always get a bit worried when we play around with triple changers. And I also get worried when we have tanker trucks. Most of the time, unless they are big Leader Class figures, the tractor and trailer end up being one long stuck together vehicle, which really limits the playability. This is pretty much exactly the same truck that Optimus turns into. Not a bad truck overall. Way better than the G1 Octane that had arms hanging off the sides, and different colored wheels.
It does suffer from being one long vehicle with no separation between the cab and trailer. There is even a place for Murk to hang out while being driven around. The two guns attach to the sides in the standard ports.
And then there is the jet mode. I actually like this jet mode more than the Optimus version. The nose of Optimus' looked like it was trying to be a fighter jet or a supersonic jet of some sort. Octane's front end looks like a passenger jet or cargo plane. It still suffers from having a really fat back end with the front of the truck tucked under each wing. But it isn't quite as noticeable with the darker colors.
These triple changers are not my favorite. I think the Blitzwing triple changer worked better. This one just has too much extra stuff to try and fit in a plane too. We really needed more Decepticons in this series, so I am glad we got him.