TF Animated Takara Tomy Blurr

Transformers Animated Blurr is a toy that every single Transformers collector should own. It has one of the most unique looks in all of the TF universe, and that goes for both modes. It takes a pinch of Tron, a slab of Animated, handfuls of Classics Mirage and what you get is 100% Blurr. It's one of the top 3 deluxes I've ever seen. This isn't my first Blurr either, I already have a sealed and loose specimen. What made this an essential purchase is the fact that it's the Japanese Takara Tomy release with the different blue paint application.

New Arrivals - Late November 2014

A sales list I might have added, but the odd new figure does creep in the other direction now and then. In the picture above you can see the Mastermind Creations Reformatted R-08Z Zinnia, extra Masterpiece Wheeljack with hypno-lunchbox and coin and a Takara Tomy Japanese Animated Blurr. I finally added a new 1/55 Macross figure as well after months off from that project. Here's a quick run-through.

Recent Departures - November 2014

It's been a very long time since I've done a "Recent Departures" post, because I had not sold anything of significance after the Finnish Black Tracks some months ago. Even then, it was a loose broken extra, not my collection specimen. After amassing nearly all of Animated in a short while and expanded further into MP, 3P and Generations/FOC, my gaze once again turned to real life and more Diaclone had to go in order to bring my family and I closer to affording a property.

Badcube OTS-03 Backland - Pictorial

Hot on the heels of last night's OTS-02 Badcube Brawny pictorial, here's Badcube's version of Masterpiece Outback, "Backland". OTS-03 comes with the blaster and "Decepticon detector" from the season 3 G1 episode "Five Faces Of Darkness". The extra accessory pack that comes with the Quintesson Journal capsule for those who pre-ordered both Brawny and Backland contains an extra face (that I couldn't put on because the current one refused to budge!) and the frisbee-like Quintesson Journal prop from the G1 episode of the same name. Without further ado, here's the gallery:

Badcube OTS-02 Brawny - Pictorial

Badcube - formerly Cubex - have continued the Old Timer Series with another Masterpiece-style 3rd party minibot. Two in fact. Badcube have decided to tackle Brawn and Outback first as they relaunch their brand. OTS-02 Brawny and OTS-03 Backland (following OTS-01 Huff) are obviously intended to be Brawn and Outback, respectively. Tuesday night will see my article for TFSource on these figures, so for now I hope you'll enjoy a sneak peek pictorial of the figure that has started to ship out to retailers and customers. All judgement and comment on the quality of the piece shall be reserved for then, but for now here's Badcube Brawny in robot and vehicle mode, with and without the extra accessory pack that comes with the set of pre-ordered together.

The Art Of Paul Vromen

Many of today's most celebrated Transformers artists, people like Nick Roche, Alex Milne, Makoto Ono and Guido Guidi, started out as Transformers fan artists who made the leap to producing official artwork for comics, exclusives, conventions and even toy packaging. That is the ultimate honour and marker for success for these talented fans, and it is something that my long time friend and Dutch Transformers collector/enthusiast/artist Paul Vromen can now claim. Having recently created artwork for BotCon and Transformers Collectors Club, I am incredibly proud of my friend who provided so much free inspirational artwork for my TF-1 articles over the years. This is my tribute to his work and achievements, starting with the above artwork of Beast Wars Megatron and G.I.Joe General Hawk created for the David Kaye autograph card at BotCon 2014.

TF Animated Ratchet Bumblebee 2-pack

Just when you thought, as a Transformers Animated collector, that you couldn't possibly end up with another Animated deluxe Bumblebee or deluxe Ratchet in a lot where you wanted something else out of it, you actually go and willingly buy a 2-pack with...Ratchet and Bumblebee. Even at £17.99, why would I add a fourth deluxe Ratchet and a fourth deluxe Bumblebee to my collection, when I can't even sell the spares? BECAUSE IT'S A VARIANT, OKAY?

Hello Goodbye - My Buy/Sell/Trade

If you're reading this direct from the blog or Transformers Square One Facebook, then it pleases me to inform you that I have just added a buy/sell/trade page to Transformers Square One where I'll sell everything from vintage rare Diaclones to lots of modern Transformers Animated toys or original Hasbro box artwork from Hasbro artists, depending on what I need to shift at any given time, including a list of things I am still looking for. If you've been directed here from said sales page, then you already know it's there, and you're wondering why the hell you need to read a whole blog post to tell you how a sales list works. You'd be surprised. Actually, if you've been in the hobby any length of time, you probably wouldn't. Regardless, read on!

Diaclone "Ligier" Quickie

Transformers Generation 1 Mirage was - in its first incarnation - the Takara Diaclone Ligier JS11 F1 Car Robot, based on the 1979 Equipes Gitanes Ligier Ford-Cosworth #26 Formula 1 car driven by Jacques Laffitte. It was available in Japan in 1983 in original blue and then in 1985 in red as part of the elusive and legendary Powered Convoy DX set. This post will focus on the Italian GiG (fully Takara licensed I might add) Ligier with the rubber bopper missiles and one extra distinguishing feature - an exclusive defining sticker.

What Grade Would You Give? - UPDATED!

If you were an authority on grading, if you had the chance to decide what a sealed Generation 1 Aerialbot Fireflight on card in such gloriously well-preserved condition should be ranked as in terms of the card, the figure and the blister, how would you rate it? Well, I know how many collectors already feel about the AFA (Action Figure Authority) and the grading scene as a whole, but it's polarising and I know good people and healthy collectors from either side of the fence. I know people who collect graded items and are not engaged in a pissing contest over what the AFA has awarded the item. I also know collectors who I respect highly, and they despise the entire process. I want you to put that aside for a moment, and just study this MOSC G1 Fireflight, assessing it as you see fit according to what the AFA judge it against were this item to be sent for grading.

MMC Azalea Pictorial

Mastermind Creations have just released their Reformatted interpretation of Transformers Arcee. Now my understanding is that it is meant to evoke echoes of the IDW Arcee figure, hence being pretty well-armed and shown off on the packaging as a quite badass little warrior. I can't help but feel that to me Arcee will always be the gentle but capable fighting Autobot from the 1986 Movie and season 3 of the Generation 1 cartoon. My pictorial of this figure, in anticipation of Tuesday night's Source Article/review of this toy, has tried to capture that more G1 Arcee look and feel with the photography and posing than the ruthless and murderous IDW Arcee. All other opinions on the toy I shall reserve for Tuesday night!

TF Animated: Fight Of Start!

This isn't an easy giftset to find and then justify the price for. The toys within are not vastly different in moulding or appearance to anything that isn't already easily available from Hasbro, but for those who love the Cybertronian Mode Animated Optimus Prime deluxe or the Cybertronian Mode Animated Megatron deluxe, it's a big deal. This is the Japanese Takara Tomy Animated "Fight of Start" giftset - or at least that's what I'm calling it thanks to the gramatically incorrect English text on the back of the box. I guess it kind of acts as TT's answer to the Hasbro "Battle Begins" giftset in the US and Europe where the Earth mode deluxe Prime and Cybertronian deluxe Megatron were packaged together with the DVD.

Any Excuse...

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has ever tried to think of ways of letting their Transformers collection infiltrate their workplace. I've been trying for years to think of an excuse, and last month I managed to finally find a way of embedding the toys into something I do at work, which was deliver staff and teacher training to further education lecturers.

Oversized TF Prime Wheeljack Bootleg

I've mentioned this beauty a few times, so it's high time he got his own feature. As soon as I learned of the Chinese oversized bootleg of Transformers prime Wheeljack - possibly my favourite deluxe class figure ever - I raided Taobao to find one. The toy is roughly leader class size in height and has the exact same transformation and proportions as the deluxe, but of course is constructed from lower quality materials. It also comes in a hilariously inaccurate box. "Taikongshenrs", anyone? Truly, this is one of the best KO Transformers I've ever seen.

New Arrivals - Late October 2014

The curse is broken! I finally have in my collection an EZ Collection Smokescreen, the Takara Tomy version of the Cyberverse Smokescreen in show accurate colours, presented with gorgeous paint application. I had tried to get this figure from Asia on 3 previous occasions, one got destroyed and returned to sender, two got lost in the mail, and finally via Taobao I have this last variant of the mould I needed. Far too much hassle for such a readily available little figure. Then again, I wasn't going to pay $50 on eBay so...anyway, read on for the other new arrivals.