#newage transformers

[sophiegoose]

If I ever win the lottery I'm not telling anyone...but there will be signs

[robotshowtunes]

Cyclonus & Tailgate (2005 IDW Continuity)

[megaturtle1012]

Something’s not quite right here…

[drlockdown-reviews]

Adorable

[frankenwolf1564]

NewAge Mimic: Mini, but mighty

Spawned from NewAge's "fuck it we ball" approach to repaints and a complete lack of any toy, ever, H60W Mimic comes in to hopefully fill a tiny hole in your heart.

Introduced in Transformers Animated, Wasp was first seen as a dark doppelganger to that shows Bumblebee, before going on to gain several sets of additional legs. With the official toy getting canceled and going completely unreleased, the slightly-less-creepy-but-similarly-insane Wasp never saw a release in plastic form, unlike Waspinator, and this is something that NewAge has attempted to amend. With a reuse of their Windcharger mold to better capture the slightly slimmer feel of the on-screen Animated design. they've brought this G1-esque re-imagining to life in sleek, fierce fashion.

Now, you may be asking yourself: Why didn't they just use Bumblebee? To that I say: Fuck if I know dude. For a slightly more genuine answer, he's a bit fat. G1 Bee is much more stout and round than his Animated counterpart, with whom Wasp shares a body. It doesn't quite fit the, frankly, much edgier persona his green cousin carries. A Windcharger redeco leaves a much slimmer build while still staying comfortably in minibot territory. Besides, you can't argue with how good the vehicle mode looks. This is one of the many freedoms granted by releases such as this. There's no source material to adhere to. Wasp was, obviously, never in G1, so the character doesn't have to stay a Bumblebee recolor. NewAge was free to make him whatever they wanted, and his lush paint job speaks for itself as to how well that worked.

The transformation is a fun, clever time that neatly packs everything away and doesn't waste any space. My only complaints are the lack of tabs in his legs in robot mode, the fact that there's no where to store the stinger, not that weapon storage was ever one of NewAge's focuses, and that pulling the arms out when going to robot mode can be a bit annoying thanks to his size. There simply isn't enough toy to get a solid grasp.

Articulation is solid and sturdy, with enough to leave him plenty expressive and appropriately menacing without being a pain to pose at this scale, which we'll get to in just a second... His head and shoulders are on ball joints, giving them plenty of freedom (though those shoulders can pop off a bit easily), and his arms are hinged for nearly 90° forwards and back. He's equipped with an ab crunch, and moving further down he's got a full 360° waist swivel, thanks to the transformation. His knees are a bit strange, sitting just above the set of hinges that form his shins, which, again, don't tab together. His feet are big enough that he doesn't have too much trouble standing, but his heels also could've been just a bit longer. Mimic is able to achieve a wide range of dynamic poses, further amplified by his single stinger accessory.

Now, for those that don't know, Legends scale is, in short, a shrunken down version of the TF cast, based around the old Legends size class from Generations and comparable to the modern day Core class. Much more manageable for some collectors, but far too pricey for what you're getting for others. So, when you combine a miniature scale with a minibot... you get mini^2. Mimic is Micromaster sized.

Now, this isn't inherently a bad thing. Not by any means. I find him quite fun to hold, and save for one or two things that are just a bit too small for my fingers, NewAge kept him fairly easy to manage. Does this mean I wouldn't also want him a bit bigger? Also no. If he were the same size as Legacy United Bumblebee, I would be a very happy woman. Would fix my few gripes with him. But alas, he is not.

Overall, Mimic is a well designed, well produced take on Wasp, but his biggest weakness is tied to the entire basis of the company that made him. The only other issue with this set is that, well, it's a set. Mimic is sold as part of a two pack with H60B Nightcralwer, or, if you so prefer, Shattered Glass Windcharger. It's a fine deco with a lush finish, but... I don't want him. It's another rather unfortunate result of the legends scaling. Probably. They're so small they have to make two of them at a time. Maybe. I don't work for them idk- Their Bumblebee and Cliffjumper molds were sold the same way, with this sets original release being Windcharger and Tailgate. Those guys had a buddy, so Wasp had to have a buddy. Unfortunately, I don't think you're allowed to have roommates in the Stockade.

[isaacsra]

[hikaru-shirogane]

Come on, Ace, give me the goods.

[vihattu-thethoroughbredofsin]

It's raining Skyfires, hallelujah! It's raining Skyfires, hey-hey!

It is quite unusual that we have received so many variants close to the canonical Skyfire from official and unofficial manufacturers. From 2019 to at least 2023, there are as many as 4 different alternatives, small and bigger.

Just look at this!

1. Transformers War for Cybertron: Siege Commander Jetfire (Here, because he is going to be re-released); 2. Transformers War for Cybertron: Siege Commander Jetfire (Shattered Glass); 3. NewAge H45 Firefox (Legends Skyfire/Jetfire); 4. NewAge H45B Strangelove (Shattered Glass); 5. NewAge H45 EXR Firefox (Chameleon Version); 6. NewAge H45T Firefox (Clear Version); 7. NewAge H45 Firefox (Animation Version) (this is the fifth version, they are trying to squeeze everything that is possible and impossible out of it); 8. Magic Square Toys MS-B47 Meteorite; 9. MP-57 Skyfire.

My hope is as weak as the fire of a match against a hurricane. But I want to think that this is some kind of sign from the universe (or rather from Hasbro with Takara). Maybe, suddenly, he has gained enough popularity in the eyes of fans so that they will return him to us in some media. To return him in his true form, with his design (*an evil look towards the Cyberverse*) and not a maniac with an incomprehensible motivation (*a dissatisfied look towards the WfC trilogy*).

And finally give him back his true name! Seriously, this name was used only in the very first cartoon and in the SuperLink, when translated into Energon, there was Jetfire again. What's wrong with his name, Hasbro? Is it so difficult to buy back the rights to it? Or how this copyright system works in America in general, Takara has no problems with this, although Japan seems to be tougher in this matter. Maybe the new arrangements with Harmony Gold will allow them to use it, I do not know, just give him back that name for once...

[licensetohyperfixate]

Newage Snarl!!!!!! Hell Yes! So soon after the C-Deco Slug reveal as well! Hyped! Honestly a peak hyperfixation moment.

[mythsteps]

The Plus of My Minus

[sophiegoose]

you all have no idea how hyped I am for this little man

[robotshowtunes]

Shockwave's cannon arm is connected to a nuclear reactor in his torso and has nearly complete control over most forms of radiation, form the electromagnetic spectrum to x-rays, infrared, and radio waves. He can manipulate these as powerful energy blasts, which are magnified even further in his space gun mode.

[gwilda]

Life and Death in the Fast Lane: Stairway to Heaven with Gwilda Wiyaka

Down Load Audio to take along!

As we move further into the long-awaited Aquarian Age, time is compressing, rules are changing and assumed truths are proving to be false. We must shed the frequency of one reality before ascending or descending to another. In this episode we will address why and how to evolve with the increasing frequency of our times.

[drlockdown-reviews]

NGL, I'm getting real tired of NewAge putting all their Minibots in two-packs.

Works great for Sunbow Completionists, but for anyone else who wants only one or the other (especially in the other wackier decos), it comes across as incredibly greedy.

Like Star Wars Black Series type greedy.

Might seem like it makes sense with Huffer and Pipes, but what about Seaspray being packed with G2 Seaspray?

Octopunch being packed with SG Seaspray?

Wasp with SG Windcharger?

It literally only works with G1 Sunbow completionism, and even then in the NewAge groups people aren't happy.

[frankenwolf1564]

Newage Umibozu: Deep depths, deep cuts

I swear I’m not just going to review NewAge stuff I am not one of those people endlessly sucking their co-

Back with another NewAge offering, H43V Umibozu, aka Depth Charge, sees the legends scale company lightly poke Beast Wars with a ten-foot pole to bring the Transmetal 2 season three star to life in a somewhat unconventional fashion.

Before getting into the actual figure, we need a bit of context, partially because the story behind this release is half the fun. Back when the Kingdom line launched and we got the superb G1 Cyclonus, many fans noted that if you turned his spaceship mode around, it kind of resembled a manta ray. This prompted other, more diehard fans to ponder a potential retool to turn the mold into Beast Wars Depth Charge, in a similar vein to the Transformers Collectors Club Hunt For The Decepticons Terradive (whew!) repaint for the same character. While Hasbro passed on such a release, due to a number of different possible reasons, NewAge said “fuck it we ball” and announced Umibozu. If I’m remembering this correctly, he even came out after their initial batch of Cyclonus repaints, due to the fact this deco was inspired specifically by those fan comments. It’s not too dissimilar to how they announced a G2 Tigerstripe Grimlock after the Legacy figure was revealed. They saw there was a market and jumped into it.

Now, on to the actual toy! Depth Charge wears the Cyclonus mold well. His slim, slender form is a bit of a departure from the notoriously bulky original toy, but it does a much nicer job of matching the trimmed down show model. The round forearms help more than you might expect, being one of the few shapes to make a complete carryover. The chest does its job of evoking the originals fish face, and the colors stand bright and proud. The purples and blues are spot on, really helping bring this guy to life. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for much more outside of a wholly new mold, something that MP scale company Transart is planning on tackling.

The transformation meets a similar standard of “clever yet simple” that I’ve experienced with some of their other offerings. The nosecone/tail folds up quite elegantly, and the way the back of his legs reshape themselves is exceptionally well done. There is some partsforming to get him into manta ray mode, but considering the mold wasn’t designed to accommodate such features in the first place it is an unsurprising and not all that bothersome element. My only legitimate complaint about it is that the fins pegs are perhaps a bit too tight, making minor modifications to get them looking just right a tad annoying. The outcome for your efforts looks gorgeous, no matter which way you spin it. The blues and silvers are cleanly separated, with some delightful purple accents at the retooled wingtips. The fins still work just fine for the jet mode, the stylized departure not detracting too much from the jet’s profile or making it feel like it could never work as such, especially not in the world of the transformers. Of course, we all know why they’re really here. With a quick hand transplant and literally just turning the thing around, you’re left with a more than serviceable manta ray. Could they have made a more believable/organic alt mode? Not as easily, but almost absolutely. Did they need to? No. This doesn’t feel “off” compared to the original considering its techno-organic nature. Pro-tip though, scrunch up the nose cone for a better-looking tail.

I know I’ve made a fair amount of comparisons to the original but those are completely based on “feel” of the character and he’s had two toys alright?

                Articulation is mostly within NewAges standard, with only one or two gripes holding him back. Starting at the bend in his die-cast toes (not a lost art anymore, huh?), he’s got ankle tilts, a 90° knee bend, thigh swivels, ball jointed hips, accompanying skirt flaps, a waist swivel just because this time, an ab crunch, universal jointed shoulders, and a ball jointed head. His arms can hinge outward at the bicep, mostly for the transformation, but if that’s extended even slightly you can’t use the bicep swivel. His elbows are double jointed, and he comes with a wrist swivel thanks to a pair of alternate hands. You can swivel his forearms if you so wish, but again this is another transformation joint and doesn’t look all that natural most of the time. You’re still more than able to get a wide range of dynamic, expressive poses out of him, but the arms are left just a bit cumbersome. Accessories are kept fairly light, with the manta ray fins, a pair of open hands to really sell some of those poses, and a blaster that he can have a bit of trouble holding dead on due to the shape of his arms.

As a new Beast Wars Depth Charge, this obviously falls short, but as a pre-earth Cybertronian Depth Charge? It hits every mark it needs to. It comes in looking stunning and executes the idea presented perfectly. Regardless of whatever flaws the figure may have, it sets out with a concept and completely nails it. This is, I believe, NewAge at their best. Not strictly adhering to cartoon accuracy cMph Devastator, but taking liberties and creating something new. Both this and H60W Mimic (reviewed here!) revive the long-begotten Hasbro days of turning whatever into whoever. We simply don’t get as many imaginative repaints as we used to, despite the apparent rising tooling costs. Gone are the times when we’d regularly get the likes of ROTF Deadend, Energon Tradbolt, Armada Airazor, or nearly the entirety of the Universe 2003 line. There are plenty more examples with convention exclusives and the like, even Depth Charges second actual figure was exclusive to the Transformers Collectors Club, but those have always specifically been more specialized and niche, as well as impossible to get your hands on nowadays. There is one I’ll need to take a look at though… thankfully I won’t have to go on a complete rampage to find it.

[isaacsra]

保齡球初學者。（你球怎麼還在手上！？犯規了。）

#變形金剛 #隔板 #transformers #transformersidw #transformerscomics #decepticons #transformersforgedtofight #transformersforlife #transformersphotography #robots #transformerrobot #newage #h47p #彈簧刀 #bulkhead