World's Smallest Review

I was working on this week's review but I had a change of plans. That change came in the mail today and so I just had to share my latest online find. If you have read previous reviews (and you should be) I have not held back in saying that my favourite character to collect is Starscream. If they give any figure that name, chances are I will be interested.

This purchase is no different, but with a little extra. Not only did I add to my Starscream collection, but I also received a World's Smallest Acid Storm. When researching these guys I found that they could go into two different categories. The first being that they are Knock Offs of the original releases of WSTransformers. The second and a far better description is that these figures being WST 2.0.

The reason I would prefer calling these guys WST 2.0 is for the Null Rays. With the first run of WST the Null Rays were a closer representation to their G1 counterparts. The 2.0 version have Null Rays closer to the one that came with the Classics/Generations Seeker mould. Outside of that one main difference, they appear to be almost identical to WST 1.0.

I feel no need to explain the transformation process, it is identical to the original GI releases, or even the KO versions I reviewed earlier. There is one additional piece of toy engineering that I did not expect in a figure of this size. Hidden inside the nose cone is a front landing gear that flips down and eliminates the chance of losing a very tiny part. Now the designers did eliminate all concerns with losing parts. The fists slide onto the arm nubs, just like the G1 and KO versions, but if lost will be far harder to locate.

Along with all the little plastic goodness, there were stickers that needed to be applied. I don't know exactly what it is about stickers that makes me happy. It could be a little piece of my childhood appearing once again, it could be the fact that I can look at the figure and say to myself, yes I put those on. Now I did do one slight change, I did not like the Decepticon symbols that were meant for Acid Storm, so I went with different ones that I had available.

The colours are spot on to the original Starscream in both Robot and Jet modes. Even though there was never a official G1 version of Acid Storm but if there were, I'm sure they would be spot on too. There are a couple of flaws that need to be addressed. The first being are the hollow parts in the robot legs and under the nose cone. With the hollow bits in the nose you can never have a acceptable Conehead. The stickers that did come with the figures are slightly off cut,  and they do lose some of the details that were present on the sticker sheet when applied.

All in all, I am happy with my find and purchase. The amount of detail in these little guys is impressive. The panel details, the Null Rays and you can almost make out the majority of the face details. Of course at this scale other details had to be omitted but there are far more overall than I expected. The only real poseibility is in the arms and with the upgrade to ball joints versus a pivot point so the range is far greater than just in and out.

I thought when I first started this tiny review, I would have more little jokes but I feel I just came up short in that task. Oh well there is always next time.

TheRealRonin
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The stickers make the Robot

In a previous review I went over the figure that rekindled my enjoyment of Transformers. While handling my dollar store Devastator, I was amazed with some of the paint apps, the build quality and the over look of the pieces, but I felt something was missing.

While reviewing the originals in the photo galleries available on www.seibertron.com I noticed that these figures were closer to the originals than I had first imagined. That realization started the wheels in my head spinning and I wondered if Reprolabels had a complete set to provide me with some extra details. That answer is yes.

This is the first time I have order from Reprolabels. I could only go by other reviews that I have read or seen, so I was wandering into uncharted waters. I easily order the set through their site via PayPal and in a week they arrived. They arrived inside a plain envelope with my name and address, sandwiched between two cardboard pieces to prevent bending during shipping. With my order came my set for Devastator, replacements for my original G1 Sandstorm, as well a very pleasant surprise of clear Autobot and Decepticon faction symbols.

With all the eagerness of a child at Christmas, I began the process of removing the stickers that were already present on the figures and the decisions begin. Do I remove them all or keep some? The choice was made to remove them all and the pain staking task of the goop removal that follows. Some were easier to remove than others, but in the end I had six naked figures ready for their transplant.

Being the first time I have held Reprolabels, I will admit my preconceived notions I my have had were quickly gone. I first thought they would be identical to the stickers I am familiar with as a child but I could not be more mistaken. They are thinner than the originals but do not let that fool you. I feel these stickers are even better quality then the ones that came with Metroplex.

I picked Not Mix Master as my first subject. Once I got the stickers removed using my finger nails, cleaning wipes to loosen up the paper and a good deal of elbow grease, I was ready to begin. As I started I noticed that I have mistransformered Mix Master the entire time, a fact that I'm surprised no one pointed out to me in my last review. It did not take long for me to wonder how I did this as a child without the patience that I have gained over time and a good pair of tweezers. You can see from the placement of one sticker on the chest it is not correctly placed.

For being a knock off, I am impressed that each sticker went exactly were it should go without any overahang. There was only one alteration that needed to be done. On Mix Master the level to launch the missile that plugs into the top of his head is placed in the centre versus near the top on the original. I cut the sticker from the sheet and from an eyeball measurement cut the sticker once again to fit around the lever. Another addition would be after I removed the sticker that was around the drum. To remove the bland look I used a couple clear Decepticon symbols from the freebie sheet to add some additional details.

Short of that one alteration, the rest of the stickers were applied in their correct locations. The transformation (pardon the pun) is impressive. Minus the multicoloured difference, these figures could now pass for off brand originals. The 6 members of Devastator look like they finally belong to the Decepticons, faction symbols and all. The original stickers were boring in comparison, and they add the extra details to blank areas that were overlooked by the original labels or paint applications.

In the past I have only ever displayed the team in their combined mode, but now I am debating if I want to keep them combined? For now I shall keep them combined but I would feel no shame in the future showing off the members in their individual alt and robot modes. Spending nearly 2 hours of removing and applying stickers, I will without a shadow of a doubt recommend this set to anyone with an original or KO Devastator. I cannot wait till the time I can add some fresh life into the G1 Sandstorm that I have had since a child, but that will need to wait.

The following is a side by side comparison of the figures so you can be the judge. Tell me what you think by leaving a comment. I feel I made the right choice but it still feels odd about putting $13 stickers on a $6 toy. 

TheRealRonin
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The One in Till all are One.

In my last review I,well for better lack of a term gushed over my enjoyment of Starscream. So for my latest I shall discuss the toy that got me start to collecting Transformers and bring a small piece of my childhood into my adult(ish) life.

One day while visiting a local dollar store I had just happen to pass through the toy section and mixed in with the various cheap toys and amusement devices I saw something that caught my eye, a bright green dump truck. On closer inspection I saw a additional yellow excavator and blue dosser. I grab the dump truck and to my enjoyment the bright packaging shows what appears to be a combined Devastator. Flipping the bubble pack over, I see black and white instructions to change the truck to a robot. I begin to think to myself, are all 6 in the shelf? If they are do they have all the pieces? So I begin to look on the peg board. I already located the dosser, excavator and I was holding the dump truck, let the hunt begin! I find the concrete mixer and front end loader easily, I am holding all the pieces? I look at the added parts, I see two fists and forearms, a large gun and a plain looking panel, but where is the head? I go digging further, there has to be a missing part.There buried deep in the pegs is a yellow crane and a familiar face looking right at me. There in my hands I have all six members of the Decepticon team known as Devastator, and all for the convenient price of $1 each. So forgetting why I went into the store in the first place and not knowing the Pandora's Box I was about to open, but I had the biggest grin on my face.

I know these figures are not the standard green of G1 release or the yellow of the G2 figures. They of course are missing the Decepticon symbols or may not even be the original moulds, but I did not care. When I returned home I ripped into the bubble packs and laid the parts out in front of me as my inner child was screaming for joy as I began to inspect my haul. Now please forgive me as my memory is not what it use to be, so I do not recall which parts came with what figure so I shall review each one as if it came with those parts originaly.

Not Mixmaster

The cement mixer and right leg of the team is mainly black with a yellow mixing drum with silver paint details and chrome plastic. The stickers on this figure and the others came applied out of the packaging, which is a shame as the one on the drum is not aligned correctly. Unlike the original versions there are no die cast parts, but what do you expect for a buck? The wheels are free rolling and the drum does rotate, just a fun little vehicle. Transformation is very simple, pull the cab forward and tilt up. Take the rear wheels and pop them out followed by......oh wait that's all! In robot mode you have a red chest piece and a sticker on the waist and surprisingly yellow painted eyes. The only articulation is in the shoulders to move the arms up and down.

Not Scrapper

A red front end loader with black wheels and cab cover. The cover has the only sticker application in alt mode. The wheels roll free and the bucket can be raised and lowered. Flipping the rear section over creates the legs and exposes the chrome plastic for the thighs. Pop the head up and position the bucket and arms to complete the transformation into robot mode. Taller in robot mode then his right leg comrade with additional sticker details on his chest. The black head does appear to have a faint application of yellow for the eyes.

Not Long Haul

The truck is mainly green with gold paint details on the hopper, chrome plastic on the underbody and a sticker applied to the hood. The wheels do move freely, but you will not be able to move the hopper without those rear wheels lifting off of the ground. Continue moving the hopper up and over and you have formed the legs, bend the front cab over to form the chest, and move the roof of the cab over to the back. Next you will want to pop the head up and move the arms out followed by the fists. In robot mode you can clearly see further stickers on the inside of the hopper and the surprise of the painted eyes on the face. The short arms do move up and down and due to transformation there is additional movement in the wrists. I call those arms short because if you look at this figure on it's profile, they are not even long enough to reach past the chest.

Not Bonecrusher

This purple bulldozer had some flaws right out of the packaging. The canopy that covers the control area was mismoulded and one of the pegs that hold it in place is not present. There is a sticker on the top of that canopy, as well on the engine cowl. There are no wheels under the solid treads so there is no rolling, but the bucket does move up and down. There is a lot of transforming in such a tiny vehicle, the first thing is to move the treads over to the front via the pivot point under the bucket, slide the front of the treads out and rotate them up to form the feet and legs. Next you want to take the engine cover and rotate them outwards and twist to expose the arms and hands hidden underneath. On the upper shoulder there is another joint so you can bend those arms to a 90 degree angle. The chest looks plan till you move the bucket up on the additional pivot point, moving the open end towards the figure to expose the additional sticker hidden underneath the bucket. Move the canopy back and pop up the head. This head being yellow is perhaps the reason why the eyes are not painted, but the chrome forearms and yellow hands help bring colour. The legs and feet are static in place, but the arms do move in and out as well as up and down.

Not Scavenger

The yellow colour is a reminder to the G2 version, with paint details on the boom and a sticker application on the sides. Much like Not Bonecrusher, the moulded treads have no wheels or moving parts but there are two points of articulation on the boom arm, as well the main bode does rotate. Move the treads over and rotate the feet out, pop the arms out from the sides and flip the head up. We are back to a black head so once again the nice added touch of the painted along with the normal articulation only found in the shoulders. There are no additional paint or sticker applications in robot mode. The chrome piece on the chest adds some extra details but the connection port for combine mode is in a very unfortunate place if it were moved into position.

Not Hook

The final member of the team is a crane made up of purple and yellow plastic with free rolling black wheels. The boom crane can expand with a chrome hook on the end and does pivot up and down. It is placed in a rotating base adding to the play value while in vehicle mode. To begin the transformation, grab the cab section and move it forward as it slides along a surprising little piece of die cast, this frees up the cab pieces as you flip them over to form the feet, now slide the assembly back into the original position. The arms are hidden behind the rear wheels, pop them out and flip up the head, you have the robot fully transformed. There is a sticker applied to the chest and once again the added touch of the painted eyes or visor in this case along with the same articulation in the shoulders.

Now that you have meet the team time to move onto the main show. Not only did my dollar store find nab me all six members there was also some additional parts tucked away inside each bubble pack that look mighty familiar. Just like any other G1 combiner you have many pieces that could be easily lost over time, but without these additional parts you cannot merge and form the first of the combiners, Not Devastator! The one thing I never understood about some collector's is there hatred of partsforming, yes I will admit in a past review I jumped on that same train but I believe partsforming has a place when done correctly, and making combiner is the best way to apply it. So lets begin.

Not Devastator


Why not start with the legs? After all that is the way it is done in the cartoon. Before I get started it is best to start these transformation into the body parts from their alt modes. Starting with Not Mixmaster, place the cab in foot mode but leave the arms tucked in. Now grab Not Scrapper and move the arms straight up and flip the entire assembly with the bucket facing down. Next you can grab the larger bland looking red piece and tab in the legs into the corresponding parts on the hip assembly.

Onto the torso by first taking Not Long Haul and bend the cab into the same position as in robot mode but now here comes the tricky part. Slide the centre piece that is sticking up from the bland red central piece in between the chrome thighs till it tabs all into place, the hopper section will bend back slightly making it look like it will start leaning forward. Complete the look by taking the red waist cover and tab it into the underside of Not Long Haul.

Now with Not Hook take the front and rear sections and slide them out as those parts will slip on the die cast piece in the centre. Once split turn them 90 degrees so the front cab and rear bumper are facing forward. Take the head piece from the pile of parts and slide it over top of the die cast piece. One last step before placing this part into position, there is a small tab on the right shoulder that you need to swing out, now. On the head piece there is a tab and slot and taking a look on the top of Not Long Haul, the smoke stack looks like a tab and on the top of the cab there is a slot. Place tab to slot, slot to tab and the chest and head are now all connected.

Now take one of the fists and forearms and piece them together. There is another little surprise, the forearms are spring loaded launchers that work quite well and lust like their original versions. Under Not Bonecrusher's there is a peg that the forearm slots into. On the underside of the dosser you will see a small hole that looks like it is waiting for a square peg, the same peg that was swung out before pacing Not Hook on the rest of the combined figure.

With Not Scavenger in alt mode, move the treads out of the way as if you were going to change them into the legs, next take that very unfortunately placed connector and pivot it in place. Build another forearm and hand combo and slot that into the peg available just on the front of Not Scavenger. Unlike Not Bonecrusher this limb connects differently, the connector hooks into an available port on the left side of Not Hook. Now you have a fairly naked combiner, time to dress him up a little. On Not Long Hauls front grill area there is a rectangular hole, the chest armour has a post that slips into this available port. Now on to a personal choice, there is a small weapon that can plug into the side of the head followed by holding the large gun into one of the fists.

Other than it not being an official release, you have a great KO figure. The head sculpt is exactly how I remember with a painted silver face and red eyes, the winged chest amour and the large rifle. With the different shaped limbs this figure always looks to be in a state of motion even while standing still.
For a KO the joints are tight and the figure surprising stays together quite well. Now there are a couple of flaws, I did end up receiving two right hands, so I have the left hand on backwards just to keep the shape. The other flaw is the stickers, the glue used is very weak something that I have forgotten about as Not Devastator stands along with my other combiners and this is the first time I have really handled him in years, to be honest.

Starscream might be my favourite character, but combiners have always been my favourite figures to collect. To add the grandfather of them all even if that figure is a knock off, I am happy to place it along my legitimate releases. Oh and even though it was only seconds for you, it was a few minutes for me, I just went to the Reprolabels.com and ordered a set of replacement stickers for my Not Devastator. I shall update this entry or create a new entry outlining the removal and application of those new stickers.

TheRealRonin
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Bricks of Articulation

For many of those who review toys online we do it because we are giant kids at heart. Generally our first review are a personal favourite, a rare find to share or a collector's personal holy grail. With my first review I am going to go against tradition, and review a toy that actually not only made me giddy to find out about but was an absolute joy to play with and in the end, got my creative juices following. I present to you Knock Off (KO) Generation One (G1) Seekers.

In the Transformers Universe, my favourite character hands down is Starscream. In 1986 when people cried from the death of Optimus Prime, I cheered! When Galvatron turn Screamer into a pile of rust and stepped on his crown, I will admit, I did tear up. There was no character in the original series that I could gravitate towards more. Not only was he second in command, but had his own troops that would be affectionately known as The Seekers, but Starscream and some of the best lines one character could ever have. Sure, both the toy and cartoon characters were identical outside of the obvious paint jobs, and well let us not forget the "Coneheads" with their different wings and one very important transformation step left out, but in the end Starscream was and always has been my favourite.

Now part of the time spent collecting Transformers is not the hunts in store or online, but actually seeing how the toy works in real life. Some of us do not have the luxury of tons of disposable cash or sponsorship, so we look to online reviewers of the toys we want or did not know we wanted. One such reviewer I have bookmarked is Cybertronian Beast, you can check out his You Tube page just by clicking on the link. Recently he posted a video of KO Seekers and a quick couple of emails back and forth, I was able to gather the location of the figures and where to pick them up and so I shall review for you. I present to you Transformable Robot!

There were three to choose from, one yellow, red and purple. The purple one is slightly different as it comes with Thrust's wings. In a simple bubble card back, with no instructions or writing on the back at all, these figures come packaged in their F-15 alt mode.

 

Everything is there, one F-15 KO Seeker, two Fists, 2 short Missiles, 2 long Missiles and what is not shown is two Launchers, and a front Landing Gear! I enjoy the fact that the cockpit canopy opens, but the nose cone looks a little off. It appears they moulded in upside down.

Transforming these figures brings back fond memories of some of the seekers I had as a child, and nothing has changed here. The plastic quality is exactly what you would think of a cheap KO. The chest piece is not die cast and the nose cone is not rubber. There is noticeable plastic flash that was not trimmed away, but the joints are surprisingly tight and the figure does stand upright quite easily.

If you are familiar at all with the original G1 toy, nothing new here at all. It is a little transformation mixed in with partsforming. First pop the wings off, next you pop the canopy on its hinge from the fuselage. Now you are free to move the arms out from the main body and rotate them outwards and around. Separate the nosecone from the canopy and using the hinge joint and feed the nose through the opening created by moving the arms out of the way, and take the cone and flip up and over. This is the difference in steps between a Conehead and a Seeker, if you wish to display in the traditional Seeker look, flip the cone back, if not you have a Conehead. Take the fists and place them on the arm stubs, remove the cannons from the wings and place then in the holes on the sides of the arms. Place the wings back on the body but switching their sides, right wing in jet mode to left side in alt mode and visa versa. Flip the feet down and if you have a traditional seeker, take the side elevators and rotate them 90 degrees with the flaps facing the front of the robot.

As I said a very simple transformation, it will perhaps take you longer to read the instructions versus doing it, but each time I transform them I have a grin on my face. There is something to be said about the toys from my past that cannot be replaced by the 100 step transformation that have become common place these days. No head, waist, elbow, knee, foot or hand articulation, you get one and that is the shoulder.

The head sculpt is plan, but the details are there, but as you can see the overall fit and finish from these photos as it is not on par with the original releases that these seekers are inspired from. The right foot on Seeker Red clearly shows the separation in the two pieces.



The figures come with their stickers already applied but in the wrong areas. The pin striping is in the correct spot and almost spot on, but the knee stickers have been placed on the wings where the Decepticon symbol would normally be. Now there is an additional sticker application on the Purple Seeker, harking back to the inspiration of where these figures came from.

Now having played with these figures, I cannot help but smile. I now own three classic seekers that I did not spend an arm and a leg on. They were only $2.50 each, and I gathered the three different ones that were available on the shelves.

As I held them I recalled an episode of the original Transformers series titled 'Divide and Conquer' and this is when my creative juices began to flow. In that episode Megatron calls to Cybertron and instructs three unnamed seekers to halt the Autobots from their task of gathering a part to repair Optimus Prime. In 80's cartoon fashion, of course they failed in their task.

Here is a screen capture from that episode, and you see the three unnamed seekers. We know that the green one would later to go on and earn the name 'Acid Storm'. What am I planing on doing is cleaning up the plastic flash left behind, repairing any noticeable gaps and blemishes and swapping out the red cockpit glass on the Yellow Seeker and placing it in the Purple Seeker. The reason for that is to set him apart from the others as the "leader". Once the stickers have been removed and the parts ready for paint, I will be paying my own homage to this episode. With a fresh coat of paint, some Reprolabels I believe that I was have a unique addition to my collection that will most definitely be a conversation piece.

I will keep you posted on that project, maybe an update or two as it progresses, but in the meantime I am gathering my thoughts for my next review and looking to my shelves and wonder which one of them will be in the spotlight.

TheRealRonin
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