July 2012 was a pretty big month for purchasing toys. While I'm usually on the road in June and July, mostly for work, I managed to pick up a bunch of stuff, mainly due to preorders and San Deigo Comic-con. July 2012 is noted for the release of the first wave of the Fall of Cybertron toys, final completion of my Transformers Animated toy collection, and a few Transformers Prime toys.
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| *Image Courtesy of Tformers.com |
The origins of this figure is also quite unique as well. Spoiler alert, in the first episode of the Transformers Prime animated series, Cliffjumper is killed by Starscream. In the following subsequent episode, Cliffjumper is resurrected as a zombie Transformer by Megatron using a fragment of Dark Energon. Poor Cliffjumper has become the first Transformer zombie in the 30 years of Transformers fandom!
Regarding the figure, "Rust in Piece" Transformers Prime Terror-con Cliffjumper, comes in a special box and insert. The box is created to mimic the characters torso and the inner plastic carton that holds the figure is molded and painted in the colors of Cliffjumper's head. Essentially, this give the collector a mini bust of the character to display.
For the toy, the figure takes the First Edition Cliffjumper mold and adds a new damaged paint scheme with a new zombie head. Additionally, the "Rust in Piece" Transformers Prime Terror-con Cliffjumper comes with 2 exclusive accessories, including a clip on shard of Dark Energon that attaches to the figures chest and a separate larger Dark Energon shard piece that the figure can hold. It's important to note that this is the same exact figure that was released earlier in April 2012 under the Takara Tomy Arms Micron Transformers Prime toy line. The only difference is that Japanese exclusive released figure was molded in Translucent Purple, did not come with any accessories but came with his own Arms Micron mini-con. Overall, I like the more show accurate figure than the Japanese version but this figure is not overly necessary for someones Transformers Prime collection unless you think Transformers zombies are cool.
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| *Image Courtesy of Seibertron.com |
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| *Image Courtesy of Seibertron.com |
Another issue that exasperated the above situation is the fact that all the other Combaticons are too big when they transform into their limb forms. The original G1 Transformer Scramble City Transformers were made up of what we can consider a single Voyager class figure and 4 scout class figures which lends the size deferential to a perfectly proportioned combiner Transformers for Menasaur, Superion, G1 Bruticus, and Defensor. It's sad that the lessons learned in 1985 have been completely forgotten in 2012, 27 years later.
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| *Image Courtesy of TFW2005 |
On top of that, the set was a limited exclusive that many had to stand in line for up to 6 hours for and shell out $100. AND ... the one I got was defective!!! Yup. My Brawl figure has a huge chunk missing from his head where one of his horns would be. It looks like a piece of plastic was removed from his head while the part was being taken off the plastic sprue during assembly. What a pile of poo.
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| *Image Courtesy of Seibertron.com |
Airachnid on the other hand is pretty horrible. She has a great helicopter mode, no arachnid mode at all, and a basic articulated robot mode. Her robot form is more basic than most of the Cyberverse 2-inch figures that price range easily half as much as this figure's MSRP. While my previous rant about FOC Bruticus was bad, Airachnid should not have been released with her crappy articulation and bad engineering. This figure is probably the worse deluxe class figure, per value and design, that has been released in the last 15 years. Wow, what a turd ... and sadly my dumb ass paid $20 for her at SDCC. Damn my completionist impulses.
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| *Image Courtesy of Seibertron.com |
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| *Image Courtesy of Seibertron.com |
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| *Image Courtesy of Seibertron.com |
The last trio of purchases in July is the first wave of Fall of Cybertron figures, Optimus Prime, Jazz, and Shockwave. I was excited for these figures and they kind of disappointed me. Optimus Prime was very small compared to the War for Cybertron Optimus Prime. The scale comparison was jarring. While I really liked the mold, simplified transformation (because face it the WFC Prime figure was insanely hard to transform right the first few times around), and a competent robot mode, the small stature of the figure really set the product back. when you think of Optimus Prime, you think heroic leader, brave, strong, large and in charge. This guy looks short and lacking.
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| *Image Courtesy of Seibertron.com |
The same principle goes for Shockwave. He's a great figure. Good transformation. But his short stature and skinny limbs just make him look diminished. This is definitely not the same G1 Shockwave that stands close to 12-inches tall and towers over all other Transformers. Lastly, Jazz. Poor, poor Jazz. Easily the worst of the trio. His huge chest (man breast hood area) stands out like a sore thumb. Transformation is on the level of a Mc Donald's Happy Meal toy and his gun is more of a pistol.
Well at least I got my eHobby Scrap Metal this month.
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