Oh what times are these when marginal characters such as Trailbreaker can be subject to third party toy wars. MMC’s Terraegis finds itself up against Badcube’s Speedbump for the place on your shelf you’re keeping warm for an official version, should we ever see it. Or could it be, we whisper to ourselves in darkened corners, that one of the would-be Trailbreakers is actually an is-be Trailbreaker? Yes, we’re kicking off 2017 with the very worst in word play.
You know all of those preconceptions you have about X-Transbots? Eligos will change absolutely none of them. If you think the company leads the field in design and you love its previous output, you’ll love Eligos. If you think XTB constantly falls short of even the minimum quality bar and that those who love it are criminally insane, Eligos will do nothing to dissuade you.
We all have our own little rules to help keep our collection in check. For instance, one of mine is ‘Make Sure You Can Afford To Feed The Child, OK You Cash Spunking Thundertwat?’ I’ve so far managed to stick to that one. Go me.
The Masterpiece Autobot cars are, I’d say (and I’m always right so that’s a fact), one of the best and most consistent series Takara has produced. The Lamborghini and Nissan molds are both top-tier stuff, and even the molds that don’t reach quite those heights – Tracks, Wheeljack (arguably), Hot Rod – are all big, big winners.
But the line has always lacked something. Specifically, a Porsche-shaped something. Jazz, possibly the most popular Autobot car of them all, is STILL missing in action from Takara’s line-up. Popular myth will have you believe that it’s due to Porsche’s unwillingness to license the 935 for a “war toy”, a category which an armed robot sort of falls into. These theories are lessened somewhat by the fact that Porsche owner Volkswagen licensed out its Beetle for Bumblebee, but it’s still a compelling narrative.
ben parfitt 