Vinyl is Retro....Once again!

In a previous review I discussed Series One of The Loyal Subjects vinyl figures. Since that review was first posted I have added to the collection by finding Megatron, Optimus Prime, and Starscream (via a trade with Cybertronian Beast go check out his YouTube channel) and I am still impressed with them. Recently my local comic book shop had the newly released Series Two. Only seeing photos from conventions they appeared to be similar to Series One and so I had no hesitation at all in my mind in grabbing a couple.

With their first release there were a couple of items that could be improved on and to my surprise they have and I will first start with the packaging. With the first release the box was perfect for the G1 feel but with some figures once their accessories were added to them, say their wings in the case of the Seekers, you were not able to place them back inside. The boxes in Series Two are larger and yet they still give the impression of the classic G1 package albeit with a more of a decided Decepticon look. Still a blind pack with no part or product numbers on the outside, so it is a complete gamble on which figure you receive. The box art does include drawings of the figures that are available. In case you are wondering, in Series Two you have Slag, Shrapnel, Thrust, Ramjet, Shockwave, Mirage, Sideswipe and Prowl (the highlighted ones I received) Along with 3 mystery figures that are scattered throughout the cases available, one of which is a talking Optimus Prime.

Once the box is opened you are greeted with a foil bag further adding to the mystery of these blind boxes. Rip open into that foil and you finally get your first look at the figure you received. Inside that bag you also have any additional pieces and weapons along with a G1 style techspec card. When you first remove the figure from its foil prison you start to see the list of improvements that were made after Series One.

The first will be the improvement in poseibility. The head, waist, hips, shoulders and hands are on a ball and socket joint. When I first removed Prowl from his packaging the socket on the waist had popped apart but it was very easy and simple to pop back into place, but be a little careful as they joints can weaken. Those socket joints allow for greater movement over Series One. They do have joints in their waist, neck, shoulders and wrists but overall those joints they are more or less a few pieces of vinyl blocks. Series Two in my eyes would be considered the Generations toyline upgrade to the classic G1 figures that have inspired them.

Continuing with the idea that Series Two being an upgrade to Series One is that they are just slightly larger. For people wishing to add to their already current collection you might be disappointed in that fact, Having them side by side, I cannot line and say I am not disappointed that Thrust does not match up all that well with Thundercracker and Starscream but yet it is those differences make me glad they selected the Coneheads over Skywarp.

Well I brought it up so why not talk about Thrust?  The first improvement you can see is the weapons. The seekers in Series One have a very generic blaster where as Thrust actually comes with null rays on his arms. The post that holds them into the arms needed a dab of glue to hold them in place but in the end that is a small price to pay for the great improvement in the look. Just like in Series One, the figures in Series Two have very sharp paint apps that just scream back to their traditional counterparts. Now to get to the largest and most appreciated upgrade between the two series and that would be the way the wings attached to the back of the figure. Series One had a very flimsy and very tiny peg system. Both Thundercracker and Starscream had an issue where the two tiny pegs would not or could at all fit into the corresponding holes in the back, causing them to bend or snap off. The wings for Thrust use a larger peg to plug those parts into the back, greatly improving ease of installation and stability as well as adding additional details. 

Moving onto Prowl, where I was fortunate enough to have a couple other version of a seeker to compare Thrust to, I shall use the closest representation in Series One being Jazz. Side by side you can once again see the slight size difference and the socket joints. If you look to the paint job you can clearly see the details that were taken direct from original figures to bring the G1 feel out in these figures. Much like the comparison between the seekers the improvements are the same. The door wings on Prowls back attack the same way as the wings on Thrust connect with even the additional moulded on inside car door panels. Like Thrust there is a great weapons upgrade. With the small blaster Jazz has looking like a deformed look of his original blaster where Prowl is equipped with is an almost exact copy of the original G1 and Masterpiece figures. The next improvement would be the handle of these weapons, with a smaller peg placing them into the figures hand is easier, add to that the additional shoulder and wrist movement the figure can easily aim the blaster.

Two down and six to go in Series Two. Will I get more? Now that is a silly question to ask, of course I will. I enjoyed all heartily Series One and Series Two surpassed everything I was expecting considering I was thinking they would have the same build as the first releases. I have had some awesome luck with the first series of blind packs, and for Series Two I am 2 for 2 with one Autobot and one Decepticon. When I do get more I will be posting those photos on my Facebook page so you to have have a closer look. To keep up with my future purchases click the link below and like my page, as well you can follow me on Twitter.

TheRealRonin
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