Studio Series #88 Sideways

The funny thing about the original Revenge of the Fallen Sideways toy was that, in spite of its inaccuracy - both in robot mode and vehicle mode - I enjoyed it so much that I ended up buying its two repaints - Dead End and Movie Advanced Dino - both of which I enjoyed every bit as much as the original.

However, it can't be argued that Sideways wasn't in serious need of a do-over, so the announcement of a Studio Series version was great news. What wasn't so great was that, once again, Audi had declined to grant Hasbro the licence to reproduce their car (one has to wonder why they ever agreed to have one of their vehicles appear in the movie franchise in the first place - what did they think they were getting themselves into?), so he's still not an authetic Audi R8.

Still, with expectations suitably adjusted and allowances made, let's see how the new version of Sideways compares to the version from 2009's Revenge of the Fallen toyline.

Fourteenth Anniversary

I said last year that it seemed as though there was a good chance that the Third Parties were going to become the only worthwhile thing about collecting TransFormers and, in the intervening time - particularly with the disappointingly inconsistent War For Cybertron Trilogy coming to an end, and the introduction of the generally disappointing TransFormers Legacy line - I have yet to see anything that will change my opinion for the better.

At this point, Studio Series is basically carrying the full weight of my expectations as a collector and, while some of the toys released over the last year have been great, there has been a discernible drop in quality in others, both in terms of design and materials. Worse still, with the introduction of Studio Series '86 - effectively a dumping ground for figures they couldn't squeeze into Kingdom - and the addition of Core class to the line, even this flagship brand is beginning to look a little dubious.

I have a set of Third Party figures on order or preorder, but, for one reason or another, none arrived in time to make this list... but hopefully it gives me a head start on next year's.

So, let's get this sad little show on the road...

Studio Series #85 Arcee

(Femme-Bot Friday #79)

Arcee doesn't have the greatest of histories in the live action movie series. Unceremoniously pulled from the first movie, she was pushed back in for the second - albeit in such a way that it wasn't clear whether she was a single consciousness split across three bodies or one of a team of three independent robots with superficially similar designs - only to be (presumably) killed off in the final battle. Fans seem to have been reasonably positive toward the original, unused movie design, but overwhelmingly unfavourable toward the so-called 'wheelsnakes' of Revenge of the Fallen.

She was then absent from subsequent movies, only turning up in the tentative reboot that was the Bumblebee movie, in the all-too-brief opening scene set on Cybertron. Even here, the reception to her design was not consistently positive, with many feeling that, while the overall design looked good enough, the uncanny appearance of her face was off-putting... And, of course, that brief CGI sequence only featured the movie protagonist's vehicle mode, so many were inclined to feel pessimistic about any toys that might come along.

But, when the toy was finally revealed, it looked surprisingly good... from most angles, at least. Let's give it the once-over, and see what we make of it.

TransFormers Legacy Tarantulas

While I've amassed a fair old collection of original Beast Wars toys, Tarantulas is one character of whom I've never owned a single toy. Even the Telemocha re-release didn't grab me... Though that's perhaps more because I just felt the original Beast Wars toy failed to adequately represent either him or Blackarachnia, and the TransMetals upgrade never really appealed to me because I was very late to my appreciation for its ostentatious chrome and gaudy colourschemes. Nowadays, I'd be somewhat keen to get my hands on the TransMetals version, if it weren't for the fact that I'm basically out of space on my single Beast Wars/Machines shelf.

After the third chapter of Hasbro's War for Cybertron Trilogy turned into a haphazard convergence of G1 and Beast Wars, I ended up buying more of the latter selection than the former... But, while two versions of Kingdom Blackarachnia were produced, Tarantulas remained notable by his absence.

But then Legacy arrived, and it wasn't long before Tarantulas was announced. It wouldn't be unreasonable to presume that he'd effectively be Kingdom Tarantulas, rebranded for the newer line... but, to my surprise, that has turned out not to be the case. Come into my parlour, and lets find out what makes this figure something different.

Studio Series #84 Ironhide

The funny thing about Ratchet and Ironhide, these days, is that development of one will always lead to the appearance of the other, even if only one of them is actually present in whatever media might be associated with a given toyline.

The less funny thing is that, like the Seekers, it's becoming increasingly common for the pair to be released according to different strategies - witness the US release of both War for Cybertron Ratchet figures as Walgreens exclusives.

Thankfully, no such problems with the Studio Series interpretations of Cybertronian Ratchet and Ironhide from the 2018 Bumblebee solo movie. Not only did both appear on screen (if only for a couple of seconds apiece), but both have received distributions seemingly unrestrained by any retailer-exclusivity marketing deals. As mentioned in my write-up of Ratchet, my expectations were low, but the toy turned out to be both technically impressive and a more satisfying Cybertronian form than those offered by the War for Cybertron line... So let's take a look at Ironhide and see how much of that carries over to the mold's inevitable second use.

Studio Series #83 Soundwave (& Ravage)

The arrival of a Cybertronian Starscream in the Studio Series toyline, based on the brief appearance of the Seekers and Coneheads in the Bumblebee movie, certainly got people excited for the prospect of more toys based on the robots seen in that short CGI sequence.

From my point of view, while Starscream himself was a huge disappointment - firmly putting me off buying the Thundercracker repaint, even if they do subsequently produce a Skywarp repaint as well - the next round of Cybertronian toys made for a very refreshing change from the ugly, blocky simplicity of the War for Cybertron: Siege line... But that's not to say the Studio Series figures weren't without their controversies.

Because, while a certain amount of suspension of disbelief is pretty much prerequisite when it comes to the concept of alien robots transforming into vehicles - even alien vehicles - some folks felt that Soundwave stretched credulity. But could he truly be the straw that broke the donkey's back?