Ex-Factory Gladiator

What we have here is the Ex-Factory Gladiator, a 3rd Party Masterpiece Transformers-scaled representation of the Generation 1 Centurion Droids as seen in "The Key To Vector Sigma" episodes. These droids guard the Vector Sigma supercomputer, are supposed to have impervious armour and be highly-skilled fighters. Interestingly, they are not supposed to be armed, but Ex-Factory have equipped them with a handgun. 

Burnout - Hi Res Gallery

This week on TFSource Blog I published an article called Burnout, exploring the causes of collecting fatigue and general disillusionment with Transformers buying and the community. Having not received or bought much in the way of new toys recently, I'm having to get creative with article topics and even moreso with the photography. Thanks to my daughter's toys making for great Masterpiece accessories, I came up with a few images I can be proud of where the figures are demonstrating exhaustion, sadness and negativity. Here's the high resolution gallery of those same images. Enjoy!

Diaclone "Red Ironhide" Quickie

The title of this piece sounds a bit ridiculous as we all know the Generation 1 Transformers Autobot "Ironhide" as a red figure and character, but as a Japanese Takara Diaclone it was a black figure. A Car Robot No.2 Black Nissan Onebox Cherry Vanette, to be precise, and the second ever Diaclone Car Robot to be released all the way back in March 1982. This was also available as the Diakron DK-2 in North America in 1983 (and Finland in 1984/5) in black, together with a black release in Italy under the GiG Trasformer banner, and then came the red.

New Arrivals - October 2014

Mercifully haven't done one of these posts for a while as they were literally taking over the blog, and October has been much slower in terms of arrivals which again I am pleased with, but here's a quick run down of what's new. In this first picture you can see a number of figures already reviewed on this blog like Human Alliance Leadfoot, KO Animated Activators Lockdown and the wonderful die cast KO Activators Bumblebee, but also a sealed Takara Tomy Animated Electrostatic Soundwave, sealed Hasbro Animated Rodimus Minor and sealed Hasbro Animated Ironhide (none of which are sealed any more) and Hasbro Animated Skywarp.

Diaclone "Black Tracks"

Solved mystery, personified rarity, fraud magnet, ridiculed hackney. But is the Finnish Diaclone "Black Tracks" now irrelevant and over-discussed because of attempted fraud, blurry Japanese images and crazy prices? Try telling every single Diaclone or Transformers car variant collector in the world minus ten that this toy is irrelevant, uninteresting and yesterday's news. Of course if you're not one of them, well, at least the pictures are nice. To me this is still the pinnacle, the embodiment of the appeal of this hobby. Welcome, the Finnish Takara Diaclone "Auto Robot" Corvette Stingray in black.