transformers

REVIEW: Fanstoys FT-18 Lupus

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Do you reckon Fanstoys are the most divisive third party company on the market? Actually, no, thinking about it, that would be X-Transbots. But what does set Fanstoys apart is its following. I don’t think there’s a more actively loyal fanbase for a 3P company out there. But where ardent support comes, vocal opposition always follows. Such is the way with fandoms. It’s almost impossible to mention the company online without supporters and detractors pouring in. Which is all a bit tedious, really.

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REVIEW: Takara MP-33 Masterpiece Inferno

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There’s a bit in my notes here made quite early on in my time with Masterpiece Inferno that reads as follows: ‘Would leg detailing save it?’ The bit I want to draw attention to here is not necessarily the sentiment but more the fourth word – ‘save’. An hour or so into my Inferno experience and I felt that it was a figure that needed saving.

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REVIEW: Masterpiece MP-11NT Thrust

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It’s a good time to be a seeker collector (that’s the name we give to Starscream and his Decepticon jet pals). It’s not such a good time for Takara’s seekers, however. Its first conehead release (the three jets where the cone sits above the head in robot mode), Ramjet, was hit with one of the worst QC controversies we’ve had in the official line, with huge numbers of copies coming with incorrect shoulder assemblies. For a figure that cost so damn much (even by Masterpiece standards) it was a shocking error, and one that weighed heavily for anyone pre-ordering its next conehead – Thrust.

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REVIEW: Generation Toy J4zz

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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.

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