What's small, green and not Irish?

Well I hope your hangover was not too bad and your St.Paddy's Day enjoyable. In honour of the day in which beer is turned green and everyone is Irish, I bring you a review of something small and green. No I am not reviewing a leprechaun, although that would be an awesome. I bring you Cyberverse Commander Class Hardshell.

I am not a huge fan of the Cyberverse Figures in either Legion or Commander classes, but I needed a Hardshell to complete my Transformers Prime collection and other then his small stature not matching in scale with my other Deluxe and Voyagers within my Prime collection he does fit in nicely. With the recent introduction of simpler transformations and the upscaling of Cybervese figures into Deluxe Class, I hope Hardshell is next on this list.

I am going to start with Insect mode. They were able to pack a ton of bug in such a small figure.

The first thing that draws your attention are the wings, held into the main body on a ball joint adding to the possibility but be careful, at least on my figure they do have a tenancy to pop out easily. Like any insect we have a total of 6 legs but it is only the rear two that later become the robot's hands that are poseable. The long upper mandible hides a mouth that surprisingly does open and close. The is weapon storage on top of the figure in insect mode, but with it's fierce mandible is it really necessary?

Transforming this little bug into a fighting robot is both interesting and challenging, a surprising combo in a tiny figure. After splitting the abdomen, untuck the legs and move them into postilion keeping in mind that they are meant to be placed like chicken legs. Next you need to position the arms and flip the rear leg pieces into the forearms. Now for a surprising piece of ingenuity for a figure of this scale, take the head and legs section of the insect mode and turn it 180 degrees. Once turned grab the robot head that is tucked away inside the chest and pull it up, that movement will expand the collapsed chest and setting it into place. Once done reposition the head back down making sure the gaps created by that action are filled in with the layered parts. The shoulder covers are on a double jointed swivel. Move then from the back to the front over the arms and the transformation is complete.

In robot mode, the choice in colours of green and yellow really pop and are applied in the right areas. There is grey plastic in the arms and an attempt to match that colour on the neck and face of the creature via a [aint application. There is not much in the way of poseibility. The head moves up and down and there is a chest crunch but these are due to the transformation. The shoulders and elbows are on ball joints allowing a free range of motion and posing options. There are joints on the hips, upper thigh, knee but those joints are mainly used to achieve the chicken leg look and fro folding the legs into the abdomen. The feet are on a ball joint so you can place the figure easily into a walking pose. Now the weapon I do not recall being seen in the show, can be placed on one of the two ports available on each forearm. I like to display mine in a more regal pose, using the friction launcher as a shield and the "missile" as a staff as the wings add to that feel making the appearance of a cape. The head sculpt does not have that much in the way of detail but the application of the silver paint does bring it to life.

In short I am a fan of this tiny guy, but it is the size that is preventing me from owning more. Unlike the Vehicons in my last review, unless they amp up the size to at least a deluxe class I shall keep any I find on the shelves for you. If they do make a Deluxe Class version all bets are off and it is time to rumble. I feel the welcomed upgrade is needed as these Insecticons should not be looking up at Airachnid, they should be worshiping her as they tower slightly higher than her but for now these two figures will be placed on my self together. Oh and not to worry, I am considering some of the third party additions to help improve the Queen of the Insecticons.



TheRealRonin
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Army Building with Steve

Time to go back to what I am famous for (or at least in my own mind) and that is to review a toy that makes me happy. I figured since my last review was of the abysmal Darth Vader crossover, I ask you this. What is a leader without his troops? Well the answer would be a mad man, as every great leader always has mindless troops to carry out their orders.

On that note I present to you the only fitting troops for a Transforming Vader and that is, Robots in Disguise (RiD) Deluxe Class Vehicon. Now I was very fortunate to come across two in a case I purchased a while back, so I could begin my army building and as you can see those two lead to me purchasing the Takara Tomy Arms Micron Deluxe Class Flying Vehicon.

I never went and purchased the First Edition (FE) Vehicon and you know what, I'm glad. Sure the FE is slightly larger, but is no where near as screen accurate to what the RiD version is. I have not seen a FE up close and personal, but from what I have seen from other reviewers and watching Transformers: Prime, I prefer the second release. The one thing I am impressed with is that they decided to use a whole new mold and not rework or repaint the old and in my book that is a huge Thumbs Up.

First I think I will start with their alt modes. In
their respective vehicle modes you can see the many differences in the design and yet at the same time you know they are cloned cousins. For the RiD Vehicon you have a very classic muscle car look. With its clear windshield, passenger windows and headlights, enlarged rear fenders and spoiler, as well as a beefed up front end. There are two weapon ports on either side of the rear fenders, but the weapon works better when you plug into into the driver's side panel. The plastic wheels roll easily and no robot junk is rubbing on the ground, table or pavement. Speaking of robot "junk" and I am not certain why some people do this, but a quick look on the undercarriage shows very little in the way of what this figure is and how it transforms. The paint apps are sparse, with purple pin striping on the rear bumper, front fenders and a Decepitcon logo on the hood.

Now on to the vehicle mode to the Flying Vehicon. It is easy to imagine a muscle car in which the lines have been elongated and made aerodynamic. The beefed up front end is replaced with a knife sharp edges, the large rear fenders and spoiler morphed into tail fins and with the addition of the forward swept wings and elevators to complete the look. Unlike it's pavement bound cousin the paint applications are far more sparse with just a unique wind swept stripping on the doors. Now being a Takara import you have the additional bonus of something you really see outside of G1 toys, Generations Metroplex and Whirl....Stickers! There are a few you see in this mode. Silver stickers on the leading edge of the wing tips, the front fenders as well as a purple Decepticon logo on the nose. Now being an Arms Micron figure there are multiple 5mm points in which you can attach weapons to, but I feel that will disrupt the air flow over this sleek jet car, unless I missed a third party creating under mount weapons or the wings.

Even with their slightly different outward appearance, the transformation between the two is very similar with the added bonus of an awesome piece of engineering to prevent that normal fault that the majority of carformers suffer from. These figures hide the entire rear windshield, roof, front windshield and hood within the calves of the well articulated legs. The main difference is the starting point of which one you are transforming. If you start with the Flying Vehicon you need to first unpeg the wings from the body and flip the whole assembly over, followed by bending the wings in on themselves using the hinges on the additional piece. Now that you have the one main difference out if the way time to bring the Decipticon cannon fodder to life! Take the rear fenders and untab them and move them out of the way via the swivel joint on what will become the figures shoulders.

Now starting at the back, flip the trunk, roof and hood all in one piece. Once flipped up here is the really awesome trick, separate the two halves and flip the spoiler over (on the Ground Vehicon), flip the trunk over next in the same motion the roof, windshield and hood. By combining those sections you have just created the backs of the robot mode lower legs. Now you want to bring down the feet up and front half of the legs, making sure you have pegged them into the folded section's available slot. Now position the front fenders how you see fit and you are now done the lower body.


The arms themselves have a unique joint built into them. First you will need to separate the door panels from the rear fenders, and on the swivel joint, rotate that 90 degrees. Now bring down the lower arm using it's pivot and ball joint till straight, flip out the hand and you are done, well you will need to follow those steps for both arms. All that is left now is a little auto-morph, once you pop up and flip down the rear bumper, the head will pop into position. The  final step on the Flying Vehicon is to reposition the wings back out to complete its look.

Articulation is what you would expect from today's deluxe figures. The head is on a ball joint and can move freely. The shoulders are on a double joint with a swivel needed for transformation and a ball joint in the outer shoulder as well there is an upper arm swivel. The elbow joint is different, but aides in the show accurate look. There is pin joint that connects to a ball joint that fits into the forearm. The hands only movement is a flip in and out with no swivel or rotation. There is no waist articulation. The hips are on a ball joint and surprisingly no upper thigh swivel. The knees bends a full 90 degrees and the feet just move down from a pivot joint. Poseability can be difficult, but if you ever saw Transformers: Prime these troopers mainly just wandered the halls with their long arms swinging at their sides.

In robot mode the two figures really show off the fact that they are cousins. The purple and clear chest in my humble opinion goes back to the days of the Cobra B.A.T.s in GI Joe, with a deception logo under the clear piece. The purple colour continues in the joints, hands, hips and shins. Its flying cousin has an almost pink colour, with the Deception logo and shins being stickers.

Both figures come packing heat that they will miss each and every Autobot by a country mile. The Flying Vehicon comes with an Arms Micron weapon. In the package there is some assembly required, as well as a multitude of stickers that need to be applied. Once assembled you have perhaps the only thing that is not show accurate. Yes the blaster's barrel is triangle in shape, but that is where the similarities end. Now being an Arms Micron in does transform. By rotating the the back piece over and flipping down the legs, now you have a very odd cycloptic creature with a large triangular tail.

The pavement cousin has a closer to show accurate weapon with two different ways to hold said weapon. You have the traditional 5mm peg that fits quite nicely in the hand but by doing so you give the Vehicon a gangsta look, holding the weapon sideways or you have my favourite way. Flip the hand in as you would for transformation and on the forearm a small cut out. On the bottom of the weapon you will see a small clip the clips into the small cut out giving you the appearance that the arm transformed into the blaster.

In the end I am happy to have Steve and his buddies in my collection. I have not been one to army build even with wanting a dozen of every Cobra Trooper there was when I was younger, but these three standing tall with other Prime figures looks impressive. The unique engineering, the show accurate look and just lack of bot kibble brings these figures to life. In my opinion both figures are a must have but can be difficult to come by. The Flying Vehicon version is only available as an import (in Deluxe Class) and somewhat recently there was an updated version released, in a silver/grey application matching those found in the last season of Transformers: Prime. Do yourself a huge favour if you collect the Transformers: Prime line, get two, three or twenty and build yourself an army to do battle with the Autobots, but leave Steve back at the base, we like Steve and well Starscream needs someone to blame.

TheRealRonin
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Partsforming....In a Galaxy Far, Far Away

I came to the realization as I was doing a quick read of my previous entries and I seemed to provide very positive reviews with very few negative remarks, well time for a change of pace. In many ways having a hobby and collecting toys can be enjoyable, the hunt and purchase is always fun. There is the odd time when you see a possible new addition with either wide eyed enthusiasm or you scan the perfectly displayed piece in its box, the elegant photoshopped photos and wonder is this worth it?

The following review falls in that category. This was a figure that in the box, the photos and the features it screamed "Buy Me!" Now the previous price points even while on sale never fully tempted me to pull the trigger then it happened, the jolliest of seasons....Christmas! 

I voyage to a little (OK little does not do it justice) overstock toy fair in town. I came across a toy that on size alone intrigued me, the contents of the package drew me in and the shiny lights hooked me. I saw the price tag of $20 and I was sold or should I say it was sold. I present to you the crossover mishap of when Anakin takes Arcee out for a date and she demands to be Force Choked.....I give you Darth Vader/Star Destroyer or Anakin Skywalker/Republic Attack Cruiser!

Where do I begin? This toy is big and looks very impressive in the box. Displayed in the Darth

Vader robot mode with an open window to hear what Vader has to say. That's right Ladies and Gentleman, Vader talks, Nooooooooooo! Well thankfully no whiny screams, but I will get to that shortly. When I opened the large box from the bottom, parts began to spill out, large panels, small panels, light sabres and what I think are missiles.

One of those panels is the bridge section to the Star Destroyer. This piece needs to be clipped on a large peg behind the head of the figure. That peg both holds the panel and adds to the back kibble making the overall figure extremely top heavy and once placed you will never be able to stand the figure upright without it leaning against something Even with the legs the way they are depicted on the box, it will never stand under its own weight or not for very long.




What mode shall I start with? Why not start with the evil of the Empire, Darth Vader. I understand

that this is a crossover toy, meaning that there needs to be compromises to show both properties within the Transformers and Star Wars universes. Now keeping that in mind I believe they did an admiral job with Vader, as there is enough glossy black to offset the battleship grey but that is where it all ends.

Let's begin with the back pack. It is bad enough with the overly large back piece even attempting to have this figure stand on its own, but the designers in their infinite wisdom ADD to it! The two towering spikes just behind Vader's shoulders bring this to a figure that can challenge Metroplex for tallest Transformer. I do like the fact that the inside of the two pylons are painted red and black, but makes you wish they also did that with the underside of the cruiser deck to add to the look of a cape or cloak, (if I am so inclined one day, I may paint that piece) The two pylons are only held on by two tiny tabs that slot into ill fitting holes making it almost impossible for them to stay in place for any length of time. Like everything on this figure iy will be a running theme, the design is there but the execution and overall fit and finish is not.

Onto the head mould, they added what appears to be a more sinister look to the helmet with the slightly slanted eyes and raised brows yet it still looks like Vader, well sort of. I have no idea what possessed the designers to add the Empire symbol to the forehead? I know this is a Transformer too, and faction symbols have always been a part of that, but we have 2 on the shoulder pads, no need for a third!

Now you move onto the iconic Light Sabre...but wait what have they done here....a flaming sword? OK that does it! Out of all the things to change, miss the mark on or just royally ignore and that is Vader's light sabre! Yes the colour is right, and believe it or not they even got the handle right, but that is it. The figure comes with 2 blue light sabres, why could they not have included one normal red sabre is beyond me. I might look later into kitbashing one of the blue sabre's onto the hilt of Vader's and repainting it, but for now I shake my virtual fist at thee.

Transformation between Vader to Anakin is simple, but there is a neat little trick they did to make it enjoyable. First if they haven't already fallen out, remove the shoulder pylons. Take the legs and collapse them at the knees and now the fun part. Separate the chest from the waist and flip down a panel on the chest. Now that it is free to rotate, well after you left the large backpack up a bit, you turn the chest piece, Vader's helmet splits in two in order to reveal Anakin's head. As you spin, a mix of a Transformer and Star Drive sound plays, which is a nice little touch in what is becoming a toy with multiple design flaws. Next lift up a couple of flaps on the backpack and that is all that is required to bring Anakin back from the Dark Side.


As you can see other than a new mid piece and head, there is nothing new to report. You can combine the two shoulder pylons to make a shield in which can be "held" via a peg on the forearm of the figure, and use one of the two blue light sabre's to complete the look. Even in this mode painting the underside of the cruiser black would help in bringing this figure together. I feel that would convey the cloak Anakin has been known to wear in both the movies and animated series quite nicely. The figure does stands slightly better this way, as the added weight to the front and the rear cape piece used as a stand, but yet it is still top heavy and will fall over easily.

The head sculpt is different. They did include the scar over the right eye, but it looks like they were trying to go with a Hot Rod look with the face. Going from a future Prime to the face of Evil is missing the mark by a mile, but again two different properties and two different universes some liberties are need to be taken.



As I mentioned, in order to hold the shield you need to attach it to a peg on the forearm. It is a good thing that the shield is a huge and hollow piece. You need to twist the arm at one of the few points of articulation in order for Anakin to hold it, and in doing so it looks like he broke his arm.

In both these modes there are lights and sounds. Now of course in Vader mode the lights in the chest and head are Red and in Anakin mode they are Blue. Pressing the grey button located in a very inappropriate place activates the speech and light features.

While in Darth Vader mode:

- Impressive, most impressive.
- The force is strong with you.
- Release your anger and complete your Transformation
- I find your lack of faith disturbing.
- If he could be Transformed he'd be a powerful ally.
- Join me on the Dark Side.
- Lightsabre sounds
- Breathing sounds

While in Anakin Skywalker mode:

- We got em right where we want em.
- You're no match for a Jedi Master
- The Sith will never Transform me
- Lightsabre sounds

Now there are even sounds for when you switch from Anakin to Vader.

Anakin to Vader:

- The Transformation is now complete

- What is thy bidding my Master?

 Vader to Anakin:

- Anakin Skywalker Jedi Knight

- Anakin Skywalker at your service 

I had to highlight the little tip of the hat to The Transformers. Now as everyone knows in the Transformers Universe you have a Robot Mode and you have an Alt Mode. Time to investigate the two Alt Modes.

Since I started with the evil of the Empire, Darth Vader, it is time to look closer to the Empire's Destroyer. What you see is not really a Star Destroyer but a Chicago Deep Dish pizza with a bridge. The dimensions are way off and there was not even an attempt to taper the bow section of the ship. Here is where the majority of the parts forming comes into play. You may recognize the bow pieces as Star Anakin's "shield" It clips into small pegs on the cape section and surprising quitewell. There are no paint apps in this mode but I do not recall anything but Battleship Grey in the original movies.

There are a couple of items that I find at fault in this
mode, the first being that is not a stand the Star Destroyer is on. It is actually the bridge section to the Republic Cruiser. The second is the overall fit and finish of the panels. I have mentions the bow section fits in just right, but the port and starboard panels do not fit in as well. There are a total of two pegs and one slot that connect them into the rest of the figure, the top peg and the slot fit fine but the bottom peg does not slide in easily and pops out.

So by now you can imagine the transformation between the two space ship modes is easy. It just requires you to flip the vessel over. You would be partially correct, but thankfully to does involve removing those troublesome side panels. Now before I move on, I would like to show you what this figure looks like when you are not partsforming. With the bow, port and starboard sections removed you can see that the actual transformation to vehicle mode is quite easy. All that is required is to turn the legs on their sides and peg them together and into the cape of the backpack. The arms are twisted so the peg I showed earlier clips into the side of the body with a slight bend at the elbow. Now making sure your robot mode is in the Anakin Skywalker mode, you now have the necessary clearance required to bring up, rotate and flip down the Destroyer bridge section. Vader's helmet is just in the way for that step. As you can see, when people complain about partsforming, I will always hold this figure up against them, any time and any where because without those panels this figure is well, a sleeping Vader.

On to the Republic Attack Cruiser and flip, well only after you remove the two side panels. Now this side has some good paint applications, with the maroon stripe down the centre and what appears to be the bridge section as well all the rear tips. There is also a Republic logo on both sides of the hull. Now in the movies, the cruiser had less of a tapered bow, but of course this mode still has the deep dish pizza look, as well it balances on the bridge once again.


As you may have guessed this mode has some flaws, most notably the open sides exposing the arms of the robot mode. You would think a partsformer like this would have had a couple of additional panels to cover up those sections, and of course those same pieces would form some sort of weapon on shield, but no.

You might be wondering where those side panels disappeared to (or not, but I will show and tell you anyways) The bridge section for the cruiser flips up to revel another panel that you flip out and pop out a couple of side pieces. You take the two thruster panels that you slightly flipped up on Anakin's robot mode and place them just on the inside of the panel you flipped down from the bridge section.

On those panels there is a small peg hole that the former side panels
clip into and slide into the open area where the thrusters once sat. Actually this is a surprising use of toy engineering and all the pieces fit very securely together. Now this mode does suffer from having the bridge section of the Star Destroyer laying flat to the back looking like an interstellar trailer hitch, there is no way to hide that piece or even attempt to. 

On what appears to be the bridge of the cruiser, you can pop out the spring loaded missiles and replace them with the two blue light sabres to simulate laser blasts.Correct me if I'm wrong but where they not red?

The lights and sounds continue even in the alt mode, all depending on which button you press, but first you need to tell the electronics what mode you are currently in. When you flip the bridge section of the Cruiser and the rear engine panel you will see a toggle switch. The number II position is for Robot Mode and number I position for the Alt Mode sounds. At least the buttons to activate the sounds and lights are in a less uncomfortable place, but depending if you have the Star Destroyer up or the Attack Cruiser, the available buttons activate different sounds.

Star Destroyer Mode (in quotes said by Darth Vader):

- Flying Noises

- Blasters

- "You may fire when ready."

Attack Cruiser Mode (in quotes said by Anakin Skywalker):

- Flying Noises

- Blasters

- "We've got em right where we want em."

- "Locked on Transform."

- "Stay on Target."

- "Engine thrusters full power"

But wait there's more....Partsforming! The two side panel/thruster packs combine together, and with those blue Light Sabres make a weapon for Vader. It clips onto the forearm in the same fashion as Anakin's shield and gives the Asthmatic Leader a duel cannon blaster, a weapon that he would never use to begin with in either universe.

Well there is not much more I can add. If you have not gotten that impression already minus a few good points I have not been moved by this toy. Was it worth the $20 I spent? Perhaps, I thought this review would allow more playtime with this toy and I would find more that I would enjoy, yet sadly that is not the case. With its awkward ill fitting panels, inability to stand on its own and the lack of articulation that has not been seen since the days of G2 Transformers. I shall be placing Darth Vader with his flaming sword and large backpack, minus the pylons and blaster shield back on my shelf. While he stands with his gangster lean in the hopes that someone out there may want a closer look next time.

TheRealRonin
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*EDIT* Well apparently I had Vader slightly mistransformed. Now in my defence the instructions are not all that clear, and messing with a top heavy toy's legs is the last thing I want to do but anyways.....as you can see from this updated photo, the backs on the robot thighs are black. By placing the figure into a Jean-Claude Van Damme leg split, you can rotate the brown thigh around at the hip and turn those to the dark side (sorry for the bad pun) Also in this photo you can now have a better look at the very unfortunate placement of the activation button for both the Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker modes.