Hasbro Pulse/Shattered Glass: OK, I Honestly Didn't See THAT Coming...

The final figure in the Hasbro Pulse Shattered Glass 'Capsule Programme' has been revealed (by leaked images) as Jetfire... This presents two genuine surprises.

Neither should be surprises, all things considered, but I have to admit that I didn't see either coming and, even if I'd expected the first, the second would still have been unexpected.

The first surprise, then, was that they'd repainted a Commander class figure. The reason it was a surprise is that these figure are pretty huge, and the idea that they'd turn one into what's ostensibly a limited edition figure seems like more of a risk than I'd have thought Hasbro would be comfortable with. The reason it shouldn't have been a surprise is that Hasbro tends not to make a mold if they're not planning on releasing at least one repaint, and there aren't exactly abundant options with Jetfire. The Classics Jetfire mold may only have been repainted as the random and nondescript Universe Treadbolt by Hasbro, but it was also used by Takara Tomy to create Dark Skyfire, and for BotCon Dreadwind. 

The second surprise is the colourscheme because, where SG Starscream took on the colourscheme of G1 Jetfire, SG Jetfire has just been giving a bland, mostly black paint job with a few highlights in silver/gunmetal, purple and green. Essentially a colourscheme somewhere between Siege Skywarp and Hotlink, but with a lot more black. This was a surprise because a lot of fans - myself included - would have predicted a Jetfire in Starscream's colourscheme. Shattered Glass wasn't all straight colour-swaps between analogous characters on either side, but it would have made sense in this case. Of course, the reason it shouldn't have been surprise was that it's basically a rip-off of the Takara Tomy Dark Skyfire figure, which had been officially repurposed as SG Jetfire in BotCon 2012's follow-up story, Invasion.

Still, assuming a Commader class figure was always on the cards, a repaint of Rodimus Prime would have been more logical... if a little predictable... making for a bit of a no-win situation for Hasbro, in my opinion. Do the predictable thing and people are disappointed by the lack of originality. Do the unexpected and people are disappointed that it's not unexpected enough.

So... Touché, Hasbro - you've done something somewhat unexpected... I hope you're proud of yourselves for defying my predictions.

...But your whole take on Shattered Glass in its entirety is still a bit rubbish, and you'd have been far better off creating figures of characters not featured in the BotCon comic book... Or featured in the comic book but not appearing as BotCon exclusive toys. Straight remakes - most of which are fundamentally inferior to the originals - are both disappointing and dull and, given the premium prices you've been charging due to their exclusivity (be it real or just perceived), just not worth the money.

Here's hoping your next 'Capsule Progamme' does something a little better.

...And Yet More Surprises

I just wish I could say they were pleasant.

So, first we have the revelation of a G1 toy-coloured version of Kingdom Galvatron - a toy that sold out on the UK branch of Hasbro Pulse within a couple of days of going live, despite its £59 ($82) price tag. I won't deny that the figure looks marginally better in the toy-accurate colourscheme, but the mold generally - and its alternate mode specifically - look utterly dire. Galvatron was a badly-designed character in the animated movie, not just because it looks nothing like the toy... and the sentiment works just as well the other way round. I will probably never understand the fixation on remaking a character like Galvatron in such a way as to make him more accurate to the ugly animation model, rather than just completely reinventing him into something that actually looks good in both modes, with perhaps a few nods to the animation model.

Since then, images of a War For Cybertron Trilogy version of Ravage (AKA Tripredacus Agent) made out of a re-engineered version of the Kingdom Cheetor mold have emerged. It currently appears to be available exclusively in Asia, though the instruction leaflet includes 'SDCC1' in its text, seemingly suggesting it's something for an upcoming San Diego Comic Con.

Initially, this was a pleasant surprise, not least because the original Beast Wars figure generally commands a few hundred quid on the secondary market these days (anywhere from £300 to £500+, boxed). What was visible in the box shots of this new version looked pretty good, and the set also includes a G1 Ravage toy (with chromed missile pods) in a clever presentation box representing Ravage's final appearance in the Beast Wars TV show, where he transformed into a cassette and disappeared into the console of his exploding spacecraft.

...And Yet More Crossovers

We've seen announcements recently for TransFormers crossovers with both Jurassic Park and some musical artist named J. Balvin (both with photos) as well as, supposedly, the whole pantheon of Universal Monsters, starting with Dracula, and even some tentative plot details about the next live action TransFormers movie, subtitled Rise of the Beasts... 

...And I'm genuinely starting to worry about the future of TransFormers.

Perfect Effect PE-DX10 Jetforce Revive Commander

You have to hand it to Perfect Effect: when they know they have a winning figure, they really make the most of it. Last year, I picked up their upgrade set for Super Ginrai and their Powermaster Optimus Prime/Ginrai figure to spruce up an already excellent Takara Tomy Legends Super Ginrai figure which only suffered by relying too much on the engineering of the older Combiner Wars/Legends Ultra Magnus figure. PE's Jinrai Prime figure was quickly repainted into PC-17 Core Magnus - designed to replace CW/Legends Ultra Magnus' integrated truck - and PC-20 - designed for the Primitive Skateboarding exclusive black repaint, which could then comfortably function as both a Nucleon Quest Super Convoy and a Powermaster Nemesis Prime, considering the exclusive toy's colourscheme didn't match either.

But what happened next was perhaps the most interesting development of the mold: a strange hybrid which paid equal homage to God Ginrai/Apex Armour Powermaster Optimus Prime and the deus ex machina/MacGuffin-powered combination of Optimus Prime with parts pillaged from the corpse of Jetfire at the end of Revenge of the Fallen.

Needless to say, that is very much my jam.

However, given my prior history with Perfect Effect, I'd been a little reluctant to buy the PC upgrades, let alone another complete figure... And, with my finances being less than ideal over the last year or so, I'd put off buying this set even though there were no reports of horrific QC problems like those of Leonidas. It eventually got to the point where he was no longer available via my usual channels. However, just as my birthday rolled around this year, and around the time my folks made polite enquiries as to whether there were items not on my Amazon wish list that I might like to be treated to, I found JapanWorld House of Robots - another website based on the Continent (in Rome, Italy, specifically), who had a limited stock of him remaining, and ordered him forthwith. Fortunate for me, considering they now no longer have him in stock!

So, let's take a look at Jetforce Revive Commander and see if he was worth seeking out...

The Thrilling Climax

A 'teaser' trailer for the War for Cybertron: Kingdom series on Netflix arrived in the last couple of days and, without any real enthusiasm, I watched it.

Naturally, at just a little over 20 seconds in length, it doesn't offer much, even as a teaser, but it does suggest that most, if not all transformations will continue to happen 'off screen'. There's a bit where Optimus Prime comes under fire in robot mode, and emerges from a cloud of smoke and debris in truck mode after the traditional transformation sound is heard. For that reason alone, I wouldn't bother watching any of its six episodes. But then... he also still has his Cybertronian vehicle mode, so precisely what was the point of Earthrise? And what's the point of the Earthrise toyline - and half of the Kingdom toyline - if the Autobots never adopt their contemporary, terrestrial vehicle disguises?

Hasbro Pulse/Shattered Glass: I Called It! #1

Just announced today is Hasbro's version of Shattered Glass Goldbug... and, while it follows the pattern by 'borrowing' heavily from the predominantly black paint job of the BotCon figure, they at least chose not to stoop to making him yet another reuse of the Sideswipe mold on homage to the original being Exilion/Hot Shot.