Here’s the last of my Transformers series, for now. Hasbro Masterpiece Thundercracker! (Yes, the stand has a typo, saying Thunder Cracker.)

Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-17 Prowl.

Next to Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-12 Sideswipe.

From back: Hasbro Masterpiece Soundwave, Hasbro Masterpiece Thundercracker on Hasbro Masterpiece Optimus Prime, Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-12 Sideswipe.

Prowl’s sexy back.

Optimus Prime, mid-transformation. Note the light blue eyes, the way it should be, cartoon-style.

Getting his Matrix fix in his battle station.

This explains where the trailer goes when he transforms – Roller drives out of the trailer, and tows the trailer away to a safe place.

Based on Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-10 Optimus Prime, he has a magnificent cartoon-based sculpt.

Clockwise from front right: Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-12 Sideswipe, Reveal The Shield Special Ops Jazz, Generations Wheeljack, Generations Springer, Hasbro Masterpiece Optimus Prime.

I love Sideswipe’s paint job. Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!

Sexy back, too. He’s a lot easier to transform than Prowl.

Here he is with Alternators Sideswipe, who had lousy leg articulation.

Perspective makes Alternators Sideswipe look smaller, although he is a 1:24 scale car. I don’t know what scale Masterpiece Sideswipe is.

And now, for a smaller run – my Transformers Prime collection, and other deluxe figures!

Left: Generations Sergeant Kup, right: Prime Sergeant Kup.

I obviously like the Generations mould better.

“Damn kids! Get off my lawn!”

Left to right: Generations Sergeant Kup, Prime Sergeant Kup, Prime Cliffjumper First Edition.

Left: Prime Wheeljack on United Scrapheap, right: Prime Cliffjumper First Edition on Takara Tomy United Wreck-Gar.

That they can ride each other is very cool! Here’s United Scrapheap on Takara Tomy United Wreck-Gar…

…and Takara Tomy United Wreck-Gar on United Scrapheap!

Prime Cliffjumper First Edition, a very handsome muscle car.

It even has a slightly painted rear.

Awesome shadow, too.

Prime Starscream First Edition.

Quite a bit of kibble for the back, but otherwise slender profile.

Generations Autobot Springer. Not a triple-changer, and a bit clunky.

He does have an awesome helicopter mode, though.

Reveal The Shield Special Ops Jazz. My favorite version of Jazz, even beating Alternators Meister (Jazz) because it doesn’t have loose shoulders.

The face is spot on!

Prime Wheeljack.

Also a sexy back.

Not the engineer we knew.

Yes, I love Wheeljack too. Left to right: Unrelated Prime Vehicon, Prime Wheeljack, Generations Wheeljack, Cybertron Downshift, Energon Powerlink Downshift. Due to licensing issues, Transformers often get renamed, to get their proper names back later (in the case of Wheeljack.)

Slightly off topic, but here’s IDW Orion Pax.

First official mould of Orion Pax, and a good one.

Unrelated Takara Tomy Animated Bulkhead.

Left to right: Prime Starscream First Edition, Prime Vehicon, Prime Cliffjumper First Edition, Prime Wheeljack.

Fall Of Cybertron Shockwave.

The cold guardian.

Left to right: Prime Vehicon, Prime Vehicon First Edition. One of the rare cases where the First Edition is weaker in design.

In vehicle mode however the First Edition (on the right) is beefier.

First Edition. With clunky shoulder transformation.

Not first edition. Like a cockroach-inspired drone.

First up, my darling theropods. From left: Energon Grimlock, Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Dinobot, Classics Grimlock. Dinobot is the odd one out, being a velociraptor instead of a tyrannosaurus rex.

Clockwise from front-right: Classics Grimlock, Energon Grimlock, Energon Swoop, Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Dinobot.

Energon Grimlock and Energon Swoop combine to form Energon Mega-Dinobot, a rare and clunky two-figure combiner. Here he is in scale to Hasbro Masterpiece Soundwave and Hasbro Fall Of Cybertron Bruticus Generation 2 in the background.

I’d forgotten to put this in the previous blog entry about combiners. This is Reveal The Shield Deluxe Optimus Prime with Make Toys Battle Tanker add-on. Not mine – belongs to Amir, a colleague of mine.

This, too. Star Wars Transformers Millenium Falcon (who becomes a Space Balls-like Han Solo and Chewbacca) on the right, and Takara Tomy Reissue Unicron (Amir’s) on the left, without the plates that make him a spherical planet.

Another one I forgot – headshots of the Robots In Disguise Build Team peeking out.

Another – TFC Hercules, in his vehicle form, minus TFC Exgraver not-Scavenger. Amir’s as well.

Knock-off Fansproject City Commander…

…an add-on for Classics Optimus Prime.

Yeah, I quite miss the old office. Left to right: Chuck, the yellow Angry Bird, best of the original; Energon Powerlink Tow-Line, Energon Powerlink Prowl, Energon Powerlink Rodimus, Energon Powerlink Inferno, Energon Powerlink Energon Hot Shot, Energon Powerlink Downshift, Generations Wheeljack, Prime Wheeljack, Cybertron Downshift, Robots In Disguise Grimlock, Robots In Disguise Hightower, Robots In Disguise Heavy Load, Robots In Disguise Wedge, Takara Tomy United Wreck-Gar, Alternators Ravage, Alternators Mirage, Alternators Decepticon Rumble, Alternators Grimlock, Alternators Hound. Whew!

Now that all that is out of the way, here come some triple-changers! Clockwise from front-right: Classics Bumblebee, Classics Astrotrain, Classics Tankor (Octane), Fansproject Warcry. Bumblebee is not a triple-changer. Warcry technically is a quadruple-changer since he can become an arm or leg… but he doesn’t have the parts.

Either triple-changers or quadruple-changers here. From front-right: Generations Springer, Fall Of Cybertron Onslaught, Fall Of Cybertron Swindle, Fall Of Cybertron Brawl, Takara Tranformers Collection Re-Issue #17 Blitzwing, Animated Blitzwing, Generations Blitzwing, Fall Of Cybertron Soundwave. Soundwave can take an unofficial form as a boombox, just like in the game!

I break the above rule for these aerial fighters.

From left to right, front row: Fall Of Cybertron Vortex, Takara Tranformers Collection Re-Issue #17 Blitzwing, Takara Tomy Prime Arms Micron Vehicon General, Fall Of Cybertron Blast Off.

From left to right, middle row: Generations Springer, Generations Blitzwing, Animated Blitzwing.

From left to right, back row: Transformers Star Wars Millenium Falcon (Hans Solo and Chewbacca), Hasbro Masterpiece Thundercracker.

Generations Blitzwing has a very customizable form, once you get past the weak shoulders and hard-to-flip face-swap mechanism, both of which can be fixed with a bit of hacking – look it up on YouTube.

The standard jet form, from the back.

A War For Cybertron-styled custom transformation.

His default face is the best-looking.

He was born to spar with Generations Springer, who has the best frame I’ve ever seen in a Transformer.

His athletic look has prompted many a colleague, who’d just pass by and ignore the Transformers, to genuinely ask: How much is this one?

He also has a custom fourth form – gerwalk mode!

His lesser-liked helicopter mode.

Still, I have the most Blitzwings. In fact, I have all triple-changing Blitzwings there ever were! Left to right: Animated Blitzwing, Generations Blitzwing, Takara Tranformers Collection Re-Issue #17 Blitzwing.

The face-swap gimmick I spoke of first showed up in Animated Blitzwing, himself an awesome figure with great articulation. You’d roll a dial on the back of his head to turn his face around inside its helmet.

All the triple-changers I can remember, in road-worthy form. From front-right: Generations Springer, Fansproject Warbot, Transmetal Airazor, Transmetal Tarantulas (as a motorbike, not obvious), Classics Tankor, Classics Astrotrain, Takara Tranformers Collection Re-Issue #11 Astrotrain, Takara Tranformers Collection Re-Issue #17 Blitzwing, Animated Blitzwing, Generations Blitzwing.

Same as above, just in aerial form, except Transmetal Tarantulas, who has become a tarantula.

Again, as robots.

I also have a thing for Transformers that combine and merge into what is unofficially known as a gestalt – a larger robot made of smaller robots who transform themselves. This is Fall Of Cybertron Bruticus Generation 2!

A key thing about combiner teams is that the members must be able to transform between two modes as well, and a third mode which is as a part of the combiner. There are some combiners that have drones that are only in vehicle mode and don’t transform into robots. I don’t consider those worth collecting.

Another plus point is when they have a fourth mode – usually only applying to figures that are usually arms but can become legs, or legs that can become arms. The center torso guy doesn’t have a fourth mode.

There are also third-party combiner figures. This is Fansproject Warcry. I didn’t do my research before buying – this did not come with the extra parts needed to merge with Energon Bruticus!

He is supposed to be an Energon Bruticus-compatible version of Swindle. Here’s Generation 2 Swindle on the left.

Here are a whole lot of white space shuttles. Clockwise from top-right: Fansproject Flameblast, Takara Tranformers Collection Re-Issue #11 Astrotrain, Generation 2 Blast Off, Classics Astrotrain. Although I have Energon Powerlink Jetfire, I’ve omitted him from this picture.

From left: Generation 2 Blast Off, Fansproject Flameblast, Takara Tranformers Collection Re-Issue #11 Astrotrain, Classics Astrotrain.

Astrotrain is a triple-changer, but I’ll leave the triple-changing collection to be blogged later.

Flameblast is supposed to be an Energon Bruticus-compatible version of Blast Off, also regrettably missing the extra parts. What I really should have got was the Fansproject Munitioner and Explorer two-pack.

Clockwise from front-right: Energon Sledge, Fansproject Flameblast, Fansproject Warcry, Energon Duststorm, Energon Kickback, Energon Barricade, Energon Stormcloud. I initially collected these Decepticon combiners (before the Fansproject guys) to form a Decepticon gestalt; they were from the Energon Constructicon Maximus and Energon Bruticus Maximus sets. The Energon combiners got lazy – there are only 3 unique molds for 5 characters, with two pairs of twins in different colors, and one unique torso figure. I didn’t buy double, but I skipped Energon Steamhammer, the torso figure for Energon Constructicon Maximus, thus making 5 figures exactly.

I did however buy the full set of Energon Superion Maximus, all in separate boxes. Nope, I don’t keep any Transformers MISB (Mint In Sealed Box).

One such combination! I could reuse Kickback’s foot for Fansproject Warcry.

This time, with Energon Sky Shadow as the left leg and Energon Windrazor as the left arm. You can also spot TFC Madblender not-Mixmaster in the back, and Robots In Disguise Landfill (as the Build Team).

TFC Hercules not-Devastator and THS-02 Hybrid Style Convoy (Optimus Prime). Both are not mine, but Amir’s, a colleague of mine.

This has got to be one of the handsomest of the third-party Devastators to storm the market.

Size comparison from left to right: Fansproject Protector not-Rodimus Prime-add-on’s not-Offshoot, Reveal The Shield Deluxe Optimus Prime with Make Toys Battle Tanker add-on, War Machine, Energon Powerlink Downshift on Energon Powerlink Rodimus, Classics Hot Rod with Fansproject Protector add-on, Robots In Disguise Landfill, and part of TFC Hercules. Mine? The Powerlink pair and Landfill; the rest belong to Amir.

Powerlink pairs are interesting; they have four forms – robot, vehicle, upper body, and lower body. Please pardon my laziness to omit the medicine and notes from the picture.

Clockwise from front-right: Energon Powerlink Inferno, Energon Powerlink Downshift (who should be named Wheeljack), Energon Powerlink Prowl (who should be named Mirage), Energon Powerlink Tow-Line, Energon Powerlink Energon Hot Shot (The extra Energon in its name implies that it is the silver recolor – sad that I could not find the first version, as each other figure is the first version.)

Classics Hot Rod with Fansproject Protector add-on. Pardon the lack of foresight on the shallow depth of field.

Robots In Disguise Landfill is amazing. He’s made out of just four parts; three of which can cycle between being both arms, the left leg, and the right leg. The chest plate and head is made from Wedge, the center guy. Everything else clips on. Ugly, but quite innovative for its time.

A knock-off Fansproject City Commander add-on for Classics Optimus Prime, and THS-02 Hybrid Style Convoy (Optimus Prime) riding on his shoulders.

Classics Hot Rod with Fansproject Protector add-on in the back, and Takara United Optimus Prime in front.

A regrettably blurry shot. From left: Fansproject Flameblast, Prime Wheeljack riding Takara Tomy United Wreck-Gar, Deluxe Barricade with Frenzy (from the first Michael Bay movie), Robots In Disguise Landfill, and yet another Energon combiner with Aerialbots for arms and Decepticons from different combiner teams for legs.

And now, on to the latest darling of the third-party series – Fansproject M3 not-Menasor!

Amazing articulation and component reuse!

His sword stows away on his back. The rails on the back are optional, to give him a skyscraper-ish form.

Fully articulated fingers and arms let him reach for his sword.

The torso is Diesel not-Motormaster. Love his head sculpt!

He can load up on all his extra bits, usually used to form the gestalt, like this. Hasbro Masterpiece Optimus Prime is in the background (the one based on Takara Tomy MP-10).

Here the not-Stunticon team is, in scale to Hasbro Masterpiece Optimus Prime, and Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-12 Sideswipe and Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-17 Prowl. Diesel cannot turn corners while Optimus has the articulation to.

Not-Stunticon team. From left to right:
– CA-10 T-Bone not-Wildrider
– CA-09 Car-Crash not-Breakdown
– CA-13 Diesel not-Motormaster
– CA-11 Down Force not-Drag Strip
– CA-12 Last Chance not-Dead End

Some sacrifices had to be made to allow for full articulation. The legs go on calf braces that connect to feet (as opposed to being formed entirely from the leg figure.) Same goes for the arms. The ultimate goal would be to not use any extra parts, like Fall Of Cybertron Bruticus!

Those are, at the moment, two goals that nobody has achieved just yet. Either you get a handsome combined mode at the expense of extra parts, or a frigid combined mode with no extra parts.

Also note that the arms and legs have been swapped. When a combiner can do this, it is said to have Scramble Power.

These pictures aren’t my full collection – I’ve got Generation 2 Aerialbots that I won’t take out, since Slingshot’s head broke (as is with all gold-colored plastic) and his head functions as the connector. I’ve also got Beast Wars Magnaboss, a three-figure combiner, that I’d have to dig up, too.

After posting all the gigs I was to post, I went next through the Transformers pictures I had, all from various times over the years. I found it easier to separate them by category.

It so happens I have a thing for Soundwave and his ejecting minions (unofficially termed Cassetticons) – be it discs, guitars, missile packs or cassettes, like the original. My criteria was that the Soundwave toy must have at least one minion in order for me to buy him.

Left: Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-13 Soundwave (not mine); right: Cybertron Soundwave.

Left: Hasbro Masterpiece Soundwave; right: Hasbro Masterpiece Optimus Prime. Notice how sleek and similar both their backs are!

Hasbro Masterpiece Soundwave has yellow eyes like the toy, but we all know that Decepticons have red eyes, so I used a Sharpie to color them in, so they would look glorious and red, like the Takara Tomy version.

He has a way of attaching Rumble and Frenzy’s kibble, as well as a snap-on grid.

One of the coolest poses you can get with him, is that he can press his own eject button, just like in the cartoon. Here you can see I had not painted his eyes in yet.

All his cassettes! The Hasbro version comes with all 5 – Ravage, Laserbeak, Buzzsaw, Rumble, and Frenzy. Megatron, obviously, is not a cassette.

Those with red highlights rode together. Following the Generation 1 cartoon naming, Ravage is being ridden by Laserbeak in front, with Frenzy holding Megatron.

Takara Tomy Animated Soundwave, with Laserbeak, who is perched on Soundwave. Another rolling thing is that Laserbeak usually has a way to attach to Soundwave firmly.

Laserbeak transforms into a Dean-Razorback-V-styled electric guitar!

Even in vehicle mode, Soundwave implies a music box. Next to him is Takara Tomy Animated Bulkhead; they came together in a double pack.

Flying V, indeed!

Then there’s Hasbro Fall Of Cybertron Soundwave.

He ejects circular discs that are spring-loaded; when the discs are ejected, the impact from landing triggers their spring-loaded transformation. However you still need to adjust it just a bit to make it not look like it was dropped. Poor Ravage.

Frenzy’s feet need to be pulled out, and his arms need to flip down, before it can look right.

But hey, this is one classy guy, with awesome light piping.

He, too, can press his own eject button. Unfortunately, Laserbeak does not peg on his arm like the other Soundwave/Laserbeak versions do.

But enough of Soundwave! Let’s look at other versions of his minions. Here’s a gathering of birds of prey – clockwise from bottom-left: Takara Tomy Masterpiece Laserbeak, Hasbro Fall Of Cybertron Laserbeak, Cybertron Laserbeak, and the rare Energon Swoop, an Autobot.

I recently bought this pack of Takara Tomy Henkei Autobot Specialist figures – from left: Mirage, Ironhide, Hound and the odd Decepticon, Ravage.

Alternate mode. Sadly missing a part of Mirage! Ravage, as a cassette, can hook onto Hound’s back, just like in the cartoon, when it wanted to infiltrate the Autobot base.

Amazingly, it is about the same size as Masterpiece Ravage – which is the same size as the Generation 1 Ravage. This probably allows it to fit in Generation 1 Soundwave – it fit in my Masterpiece Soundwave!

Transformed, both look awesome.

Transformers Device Label Jaguar (Ravage) on the left, versus Alternators Ravage, who transforms into a Jaguar XK car.

Prime Rumble.

It can simulate the pummelling motion of the original Generation 1 character.

Next to the very handsome Reveal The Shield Special Ops Jazz. The Prime series is shorter, smaller, and hollower, sadly.

There was also a Alternators Decepticon Rumble, with spring-loaded piledrivers.

For scale, a bunch of Masterpiece figures – Hasbro Masterpiece Optimus Prime with trailer, and Takara Tomy Masterpiece MP-12 Sideswipe inside. On the left is Hasbro Masterpiece Soundwave, with Hasbro Masterpiece Thundercracker standing behind.

Lastly, a big gathering of pairs:
– TFC Hercules not-Devastator with Hasbro Fall Of Cybertron: Generation 2 Bruticus
– Fansproject Warbot Defender (one in robot mode, the other in armored vehicle mode)
– Alternators Jazz with Reveal The Shield Special Ops Jazz
– Classics Optimus Prime with THS-02 Hybrid Style Convoy (Optimus Prime)
– Cybertron Soundwave with Fall Of Cybertron Soundwave
– Prime Vehicon with Prime Vehicon First Edition

Spot the Classics Kup behind, and a giant 11x11x11 Rubik’s Cube, behind the 5x5x5 V-Cube and 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube if you will!

There will be more after this.

I had a bit more time to fiddle with Transformers: Construct-Bots. This time, my objective was to merge just two figures into one, with modern articulation and all the robot parts used. In a way, like Star Saber and Victory Leo. There would be no crossover outside of the two figures involved, even though I had five figures.

View from the side and back. I like how limber the two figures from the Optimus Prime versus Megatron set combine to form.

He’s even double-jointed at the knees! I did not improve on arm articulation, though.

But wait, there’s more! On the right is Soundwave and Triple-Changer Blitzwing combined, with Triple-Changer Bumblebee in the middle to show scale.

The back. It’s a bit different, with Soundwave’s feet sticking to the wings on the shoulders.

He, too, can lift a heavy weapon (or, depending on orientation, a shield!)

Previous attempts:
Construct-Bots, Revisited
Construct-Bots!

I had some time to fiddle around, to make Version 3 of a Transformers: Construct-Bots gestalt. The first two versions are here.

On the right is Hasbro Transformers Masterpiece Optimus Prime (the later one, based on TakaraTomy’s Transformers Masterpiece MP-10.)

He also has modern articulation. The fists at his elbows can be employed to stop the forearms from being able to turn backwards.

I wanted the arms to extend out further, so I had to use a rather flimsy way and cover them with wings.

From the back.

It’s really hard to describe how I did the waist and back. The waist joint is not that playable, though.

He’s double-jointed at the knees, when most Transformers aren’t (one of my main gripes, as well as feet that can fold either way.)

Transformers: Construct-Bots! I have to say, I love the line, despite all the flak it gets. Once you get past the notion that you’re only supposed to assemble it as per instructions, you can get some really cool alternate modes. Here’s Blitzwing, using all parts that came in the box, forming a more stealth-bomber-like plane.

Once you get past the notion that it must transform from robot to alternate mode without detaching parts, it gets even better. Bumblebee is a truck!

I first bought Blitzwing and Bumblebee, because I have a thing for triple-changers. Shame that the instructions tell you to detach parts to go from one alternate mode to another. For the others, you don’t need to detach parts to go from robot to alternate mode. I think this particular configuration doesn’t need detaching, though it will be calf-heavy; not a problem as it adds to stability.

All the triple-changing Blitzwings for scale.

My colleague didn’t like the hollow look either, and he didn’t understand the appeal of it, until he fiddled around with Blitzwing. Here’s an awesome alternate mode, that doesn’t transform, but uses all the parts in the box.

More angles of this masterpiece.

I was fiddling around with both, when I realized I could have a gestalt! I just needed to buy 3 more Construct-Bots.

I then bought the Optimus Prime Versus Megatron set, and make a gun entirely from all the pieces from Megatron’s box. Yes, it has a moveable trigger and safety lock.

Please pardon that the plasma cells are not symmetrical.

Non-transforming Huffer! Only Optimus Prime pieces.

All pictures above from my phone and processed by Instagram. Now for some serious camera action!

When stripped down for hands-on battle, you can stow away the pieces as a suit on wheels.

Megatron’s broken C-shaped wrench. Go easy on these.

Now, I had 5! Notice that Bumblebee who is normally short is taller because of his feet.

My first attempt at a gestalt, with the conditions:

1) use all the parts in the box
2) parts from a robot don’t cross over the merge points (I accidentally used Blitzwing’s machinegun on Bumblebee, so this is imperfect)
3) have modern-day articulation

I managed to use all parts for Soundwave and Blitzwing (the legs) but adding more to the upper three would make it imbalanced.

The wings of Soundwave and Blitzwing were used as giant rear braces. The wings on Megatron and Bumblebee can fold out for a wide-winged gestalt form.

My second attempt at a gestalt, Menasor-style. It balances a lot better and is more playable.

If you recolored Optimus Prime to Motormaster, you could buy the Stunticon limbs and make a proper-colored Menasor!

I didn’t use all parts this time, even removing Optimus Prime’s feet.

The limbs are simple, too; detach the arms on the leg limbs and put them behind, and detach one arm from each arm limb to attach to the underside. The cannons add stability. Originally, Megatron’s black cannon was in the left arm, keeping to no-crossover-rule, but it didn’t match in color so I swapped them.

I also made a jet wing attachment, but that made him fall backwards.

In scale to Transformers Fall Of Cybertron Bruticus (with non-destructive flamethrower mod).

Yup, you can make your Transformers: Fall Of Cybertron Bruticus look (more) like the one in the game by flipping Blast Off’s jet/flamethrower around, without unscrewing or hacking the toy! Here’s how:

Detach the hands at the shoulder ball joint.

Transform the legs like this. The guns should go into the holes on the side of the arms, then into the holes on the legs.

Like so!

Okay, so he’s still a little hollow, but at least it bends at the elbow.

An alternate mode. (Yes, you might’ve caught me forgetting the chest ‘wings’.)

How it works from the other side.

Now if you refer to the game you’d realize I have the flamethrower with the boosters on the wrong side, but the underside of the boosters don’t look great at all. You can swap Blast Off’s guns and turn the flamethrower the other way for a third mod.