MMC Reformatted R-28 Tyrantron / Tyrantronus

2017 has been the year of Megatron. We've had the glorious Masterpiece MP-36, we've had Spark Toys version of the War Within Megatron and now MMC give us the long-awaited IDW Megatron as seen in the pages of More Than Meets The Eye/Lost Light, Chaos Theory and Megatron origin...R-28 Tyrantron/Tyrantronus. MMC have been going at the Lost Light cast and crew something fierce, with the DJD, Turben (Whirl), Calidus (Rodimus) and more to come. Tyrantron is a major draw for lovers of the title, especially as James Roberts writes Megatron in an absolutely compelling, complex and multi-faceted way that has brought him to life for me and others in a way little other TF fiction ever did before. Tyrantron is a big deal.

MMC Reformatted R-24 Turben

Haven't you ever heard of knocking?

Mastermind Creations' Reformatted series currently stands as the best source of IDW-themed Transformers-based 3rd party figures, in my opinion. They're not beating around the bush with character choices either, instead going straight for the More Than Meets The Eye/Lost Light jugulars. We've had Calidus (Rodimus), Kultur (Tarn), Boreas (Cyclonus) and Tyrantron (Megatron), with their Drift analogue not too far away. That brings us nicely to R-24 Turben - their shot at an IDW-style Whirl.

MMC Reformatted R-27 Calidus

Congratulations to Mastermind Creations (MMC) for being the first to market with a genuine IDW More Than Meets The Eye Rodimus-a-like, one that has been promised for some time. SXS may also have theirs on the way, but this toy has been teased for almost 3 years. Arise, Reformatted R-27 Calidus! Can you fill that spot on the Lost Light display shelf!

MMC Reformatted R-22 Boreas

Do you remember when people used to joke that Mastermind Creations would take years to get things to production? They had some justification with the likes of Talon, Seraphicus Prominon and Carnifex, but I feel as though they've been pumping out the releases relentlessly in the last 12 months. Jaegertron, Anubis, Carnifex, Continuum Set for Carnifex, Titanika, Kultur, Dicamus and now Boreas - their version of Cyclonus. We haven't even mentioned their Ocular Max line, and let's not forget that Calidus is shipping now. R-22 Boreas is loosely based on the IDW Cyclonus seen in More Than Meets The Eye/Lost Light, but he's obviously from the same mould as Jaegertron and Anubis.

IDW MTMTE #45 - THAT Scavengers Photo

We've come to expect the unexpected of IDW and James Roberts since ongoing Transformers comic series More Than Meets The Eye (MTMTE) began, and now well into its second 'season', the surprises and unexpected twists have not slowed down. From the set of Friends to charisma vampires, the creators of MTMTE have taken this Transformers title to completely new levels while arguably never losing touch with what makes it so popular and essential at its core. If you're not averse to the risk of possible spoilers, you can see the freshly revealed preview of MTMTE #45's first page above, featuring a photograph of actual G1 Transformers toys in the bottom panel. That photo, like all the other panels on the page, depicts Spinister, Crankcase, Krok and Misfire - the beloved Scavengers (absent since issue 8 - kinda) - in all sorts of bizarre situations that have occurred off-panel throughout most of season 1 and 2 while we've been concentrating elsewhere. But where did that photo come from, and how did it come about?

MMC Cynicus - Extended Pictorial

Time for some more Mastermind Creations Reformatted R-12 Investigator Cynicus (breathe) images. This time he stands alongside well known Masterpiece and 3rd Party figures in terms of scale, so you get a good idea what to expect in hand. His posability and configurations continue to wow me, but he is delicate, and must be handled with due care. The transformation is so much more user friendly than Azalea, so with a couple of tries, it will be second nature and pretty fun. Enjoy the pictures, next will be the review.

MMC Cynicus - Pictorial

Surely about 5 years ago, something like this would have been completely inconceivable? A high quality transformers product created by a new company, completely unaffiliated with the official manufacturers and based entirely on an original character created for an official Transformers comic by a fanfic writer who made it and illustrated by a fan artist who made it. If Mastermind Creations Cynicus is not worthy of "For the fans, by the fans", I don't know what is. Based on the IDW More Than Meets The Eye original Decepticon Justice Division character "Vos", MMC's Cynicus takes the vision of James Roberts with the visual execution of Alex Milne and gives it form. The DJD's newest member has a toy, and it's lovely. MMC R-12 Reformatted Cynicius review is incoming, but for now please enjoy the pictorial.

Transformers Cloud Hot Rodimus

I managed to be completely underwhelmed and uninterested in Transformers Cloud - the story of Cloud World and the Transformers that live there (and SARA...seriously if you care, go here). I'm being unfair, of course, I care as much about Transformers fiction as I do the toys. Maybe even more. But, this piece is about the first TF Cloud toy to capture my attention, TFC-A03 Hot Rodimus, a Hot Rod-coloured Generations Springer, and that is in no way an over-simplification, that's exactly what this figure is. It also happens to be magnificent.

Generations Drift

Here's the dedicated Generations Drift post I promised. Drift as a character was first introduced by Shane McCarthy in IDW's All Hail Megatron #6 in 2008, drawn by celebrated TF artist Guido Guidi, and as you would expect of anything 'new' in the Transformers universe among the sea of established characters and relationships, it was met with mixed reactions. McCarthy makes no secret of the fact that Drift was modeled after ancient Samurai warriors and uses a "cool" Japanese drift car. His inception was due to McCarthy feeling that there was a gap in the Autobot lineup for rehabilitated Decepticons or bad guys who had seen the error of their ways, or simply switched sides. He felt that the IDW approach to Transformers meant that more grey areas existed between good and evil, and the creation of Drift was that perspective on Autobots vs Decepticons personified.

IDW MTMTE #33 - Personal reaction

I'm warning you right now, if you haven't read IDW's Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye #33, don't read this post as there are going to be spoilers of the kind that you will never forgive yourself for reading. Your curiosity simply cannot be allowed to triumph on this occasion. Plus they are just my own uneducated thoughts and feelings on the issue and the title in general of late, so you can find much more insightful analysis and theorising on the TFW or IDW forums. Last chance, leave now or be spoilt/bored.

IDW MTMTE and Dark Cybertron covers

A quick pictorial tonight looking at all of the IDW Transformers More Than Meets The Eye cover variants, and all the covers from the crossover "Dark Cybertron" that took place between seasons 1 and 2 of More Than Meets The Eye and Robots In Disguise. What was not quick was the setting up of these photographs and the number of times I nearly fell off the chair and flat on my face trying to get some elevation for the camera!

Selling Art Is Hard

When Alternators and Binaltech were huge, I bought as much original box artwork for the Alternators toy line as I could get my hands on. Why? For investment purposes? Hell no, have you seen the artwork for Alternators? Created by Transformers comic and toy industry legends Marcelo Matere, Alex Milne and Guido Guidi amongst others, they were the lovechild of the best official TF artists around and the best looking Transformers toys we'd had in years. If I had not bought them at the time when they were offered by the artists themselves at conventions, I might have lost the chance to get them forever. Having these pieces of unobscured, full-size history was the mightiest honour and pleasure an Alternators/Binaltech fan could experience. And I loved them, and displayed them fully.

Top 3 Toughest IDW MTMTE Covers

As Season 2 of IDW's Transformers More Than Meets The Eye (MTMTE) comic is due to begin in April, and the Dark Cybertron crossover issues of MTMTE are finished, it's as a good a time as any to reflect on all of what writer James Roberts calls "Season 1" of his hugely popular run so far. I myself only came aboard in August 2013, so my MTMTE comic collecting is but 7 months old, and I quickly committed myself to collecting every cover of every issue, be they incentives, exclusives or limited releases. I likened it to my variant toy hunting in a recent article for TFSource, saying "the disease had jumped species". Here, then, are the 3 covers that I found most difficult to find and purchase from issues #1 through #22.