A purely Transformers Animated updated this time. The Unicron.com Transformers Animated accessory set I received recently includes the Allspark, Ratchet magnet upgrades, an Allspark key and 2 sets of stasis cuffs. The Allspark can open and the stasis cuffs are rubber, as are the Ratchet magnet add-ons to make him show accurate. They come with stickersheets too but as you can see on mine, there's some peeling. It's a really really nice thing to have, especially as mine came as a complimentary extra with 2 BotCon exclusives I bought from a Swedish collector.
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| Family Mart exclusive Activators Ramjet |
The accessory set I will save until the end, but first here is the item that has broken the back of my drive to complete the Animated Activators sub-range. The Family Mart exclusive giveaway Activators Ramjet has arrived from Japan! Twenty bucks from an online store the day before Auto Assembly 2014, I could not resist. It's a reseal but the toy is untouched, and this is the only way one can get an Animated Ramjet, although I don't believe he was ever properly referred to as Ramjet in the show, despite even receiving a conehead add-on at one stage! I think aside from the unreleased white Electromagnetic Soundwave, this is the toughest Activator, and he can now stand proudly alongside Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp and Dirge, and it's up to me to find someone to do a Thrust custom!
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| EZ collection Legends Animated Elite Guard Optimus Prime |
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| Don't you love "WYSIWYG" auctions? |
A "Lena" special, I'm beginning to realise that this eBay seller's auctions are a complete lottery. This Legends class exclusive Elite Guard Optimus Prime toy was a must have since I bought the full size voyager, and it was about $15 on eBay with free shipping. The windscreen/chest section is quite savagely scratched up but I don't care enough to chase a perfect one, this will do. It's saying something that I believe this tiny mould to be so much better than the Activators Prime mould, which neither activates nor compacts well enough for my liking.
Back to the Unicron.com Animated Accessory Set. The Allspark opens up and can come apart, revealing a blue removable orb in the centre. The rubber magnets clip on very well to Ratchet's hands and the stasis cuffs are perfect for deluxe figures like Lockdown. This match-up is quite the ongoing grudge match, with the wartime Lockdown vs Ratchet flashback from "Thrill of the Hunt" being the inspiration for this shoot. Their confrontation int he present day and then during Age of Extinction means there's previous here and serious beef.
This is exactly what add-ons are supposed to do, make an already good (or bad) toy more enjoyable, more interactive and add play value. On top of that, adding the magnets and Lockdown's engine (originally Ratchet's EMP generator) to deluxe Ratchet beefs him up considerably. If only all deluxes came with this much weaponry or accessories. I think he looks amazing this way.
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| Locked down |
Evildoers like Lockdown benefit also from the add-on set, with the stasis cuffs being compatible with - I assume - most of the deluxes and looking every bit the show prop. I don't know what the general opinion is on this set or what folks make of their quality, but peeling stickers aside, I'm truly happy with it and feel it has injected even more character and enjoyment into a line of toys that already stood head and shoulders above others to begin with.
The problem with figures like Lockdown and their compatibility with accessories like this, though, is that they just don't stay on that long...
All the best
Maz
Maz
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