transformers

y u do dis?

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Amazing sculpt? Check. One of Fanstoys’ best, in fact.

Great alt mode? Check, not that I can get it to all tab in correctly, but still.

Horrendous, soul-crushing, enjoyment-sapping transformation? Check. Fanstoys, why u do this?

Standing this side by side with XTB Eligos there’s no doubt that Quietus’ bot mode obliterates it. But had the XTB had a decent transformation, I’d had definitely stuck with it (for the same reason I ended up going for Open & Play’s Big Spring over Apache).

Alas, Eligos is pretty grim too, so Fanstoys wins. But it’s a hollow victory.

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Fair play, X-Transbots

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I have never been shy of criticising XTB. While the fandom celebrated releases such as Eligos and even the woeful V2 Ollie, I have often been left bemoaning the poor materials and lackluster execution. And while stuff like Paean showed signs of improvement, it wasn’t until Klaatu that I really thought XTB were finally delivering on the long-promised improvement.

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Hail to the King

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Combiners are perhaps the best example of the trade-off a design team has to make. Every Transformer is a delicate balancing act between robot, alt-mode and transformation. Whether you prioritise the look of the robot on your shelf or the feel and enjoyment of one in your hands is always the determining factor (aside from finances, perhaps) that what sort of collector you are.

On first impression Hasbro’s new Power of the Primes Predaking appears to prioritise play. Robot and, in particular, beast modes are fairly basic – a bit Fisher-Price, even. Razorclaw, in particular, looks like he was designed to “awwwww CUTE!” the Autobots to death. It’s a bit absurd, really.

Then you get to the combined mode and suddenly… you understand.

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