New Arrivals - Mid August 2014 (Part 2)

When I started this blog I did not expect to be posting "Oh look what I just bought" segments every bloody day, and I still don't expect it to continue in that vein. For now though, it's what is dominating my hobby time, especially as I am constantly looking at moulds and toy lines I had ignored up to 2 months ago. Almost every direction my collection is going in right now is a result of toys people have placed in my hand and said "I dare you to hate that". This is the result. 

Fall of Cybertron Soundwave, Blaster and Data Discs

Properly good Transformers toys

Fall of Cybertron Soundwave, Blaster and all the discs were bought because I was given Ratbat/Frenzy as a present for my daughter. Seeing how brilliant those discs were I bought her more, and then more after that. It was the Autobot cassettes Eject and Ramhorn that convinced me to look at the Soundwave and Blaster mould seriously. I took a chance on them with a seriously cheap international lot - along with some Prime toys we'll see later - and have been enormously happy with the toys. I'll be featuring them more heavily in a TFSource Article this week, but for now it's enough to say these toys are everything that make the Transformers brand and concept the enormous beacon of joy in our lives that it has always been and was originally. 

Prime Wheeljack and Knockout, AM Wildrider and BH Smokescreen

Deluxe class Transformers Prime Wheeljack has a lot to answer for. It's lead to Arms Micron Wildrider, Beast Hunters Wheeljack, Prime Dead End, Legion Class Beast Hunters Smokescreens and now the full deluxe class BH Smokescreen together with a recommendation - because I actually listen now - deluxe Prime Knockout. Knockout is super fiddly but a grower, extremely plain in robot mode in my opinion. Smokescreen has a reputation for parts popping off, mine seems to be alright if handled slowly, although bits are falling off more with subsequent transformations, and what's with the biggest feet on a TF ever? The vehicle mode is gorgeous, though. Wildrider and Wheeljack are part of a dynasty of the best deluxe mould outside of Animated ever, and I wanted a complete Wheeljack. Wildrider has a bizarre rear wing which screams "I'm missing something", and not just the Micron elephant. I like these a lot, maybe more experimentation is in order! Again, more on Tuesday.

Battle Blade Bumblebee

Battle Blade Bumblebee was sold to me as a "smaller Human Alliance Bumblebee". I didn't think that was possible. However, this has turned out to be the best deluxe movie toy I've ever seen. I'm not counting ROTF Lockdown as it wasn't on screen, but I cannot believe what an enormous improvement this is over the 2007 Camaro first attempt. A brilliant figure, really intricate and very posable with little of the obstructions that made the original so cumbersome to display. Deluxe class, with the battle mask gimmick, tremendous. And eight dollars.

Takara Tomy Activators Soundblaster

Activators completion takes another small step forward, the problem is the Japanese Activators look so cute in their tiny packaging that I can't bring myself to open it. Had these all been available in the UK in this packaging, I would have bought them all and raised them as my own, taken them on trips, read them bedtime stories and protected them from harm. As it is though, I suspect he'll be free and displayed alongside Electromagnetic Soundwave within the week.Or I'll have to buy another. Shit.

All the best

Maz