#mack reviews

[macks-mechas]

Today's review: Studio Series Gamer Edition Bumblebee!

This is the only figure from this line I actually wanted. It not only is a new take on the original (now very creaky and chipped) deluxe figure from 2010 but it is the only one of these new Studio Series takes that, so far, isn't a downgrade. Optimus has some good qualities but as many bad, whereas the original toy just needs an axe and its golden!

But onto Bumblebee. This toy has an amazing amount of sculpted detail across it and a decent amount of paint apps too. The vehicle mode holds steady and looks closer to the game vehicle than the original figure did, but the original was based on concept art after all. The vehicle mode can store all 3 weapons. The sword is really the only one out of place as when you had a weapon in game you could deploy it in vehicle hover mode so, for once, the exposed weapon on the hood is accurate!

Transformation is nifty, but do take care. I've already and broken and stressed 2 tabs because this thing REALLY wants to stay together as tight as possible. But when in robot mode you are left with a figure that is as close as I think we'll ever get to the mass shifting screen model.

Now, for this there needed to be a pay off somewhere. The old figure opted for a hefty, chunky, heavy backpack and inaccurate kibble on the arms. This one has opted for game accurate arms, backpack and legs in favour of a pot belly I shall dub 'oh lawd he comin!' Given the consensus online among fans I'm not the only one to think he looks like a Halloween car costume. That said he is really articulate and poses very well.

Plus he comes with a plethora of accessories! Unlike the... thing you got with the original this figure has his neutron blaster from the game, a plasma gun and his sword. The plasma gun is one I always remember favouring for its long distance shot and high power, but it was slow to reload if I recall. All three accessories are easily swapped out and can be used with any of the other Gamer Edition figures.

I used the last 5 photos to replicate some stills from the game's trailer and his concept pose.

I give Bumblebee 8/10 - If you'd prefer this figure as a different character then wait for the inevitable Cliffjumper to follow!

[millllennia]

Cornelia Street

this song took a hot second for me to get but now that I do, I'm sobbing 

first impression thingy from release night:

THE WIGGLY SOUNDS ARE COOL (note: will revisit this in the production section)

“drunk on something stronger than the drinks in the bar” drunk on LOOOOVE BOYSSSS

“leading us home” its not just her home!!!!

This is about the time she broke up with him and he convinced her to stay?? (note: I don’t remember which of them said that this happened or maybe I invented that in my brain but the lines “I thought you were leading me on/I packed my bags, left Cornelia street before you even knew I was gone” and “you called, showed your hand / I turned around before I hit the tunnel..” section reminded me of it?? couldn’t tell you why

Oh my god 

I totally relate to this wow wtf Taylor 

this song is fear. the whole thing is the message that “if I ever lost you, I would never be able to go back to the place we fell in love. I love you so much that the memories would just be too painful” which is beautiful but also ASDKDJGDASGASDAGEWHDSHGASG WHY TAYLOR WHY

"that’s the kind of heartbreak time could never mend” this line killed me because I totally get this. knowing in your bones that losing this person would completely undo you at the seams?? yeah. hi how are ya

“barefoot in the kitchen, sacred new beginnings” y’know that really sweet scary moment when you realize that you’re falling for someone?? yeah that’s what this line reminds me of. 

again, mack needs to be a nerd and talk about the production. even from my first listen, I noticed the super cool production on this song!!! the wiggly things (maybe synth?? they open the song and are in a higher register than the melody) almost go unnoticed until they are just GONE as she sings “I hope I never lose you” and that’s what broke me. she is talking about their love and how beautiful it started, and then when she starts to talk about her fear, the constant sound (metaphor: constant LOVE AND PRESENCE OF JOE) disappears.

I'm super into a simple percussion line and this song HITS IT OUT OF THE PARK it’s interesting but not too much. 

I really hope we get this as an acoustic/piano song on the tour that we “still don’t have confirmed” (Taylor don’t tease us with this. come on.) but at the same time, hearing the production quality in a stadium (or with my ass sat on the couch as I watch iPhone camera videos) would be soooooo cool too. if I was Taylor I would have a tough time deciding how to present this because of how much of a masterpiece it is. 

I feel like theres so much more to talk about but I am still crying so we’re going to leave this here. there you go. thanks for making me cry Taylor (I love you so much btw). 13/10 

[macks-mechas]

Today's review: Marvel Legends Deluxe No Way Home Green Goblin!

I may be a bit biased as the Green Goblin was always my favourite Spider-man villain, not to mention Willem Dafoe is my favourite incarnation of the character. But I think even with those aside this is a fantastic figure that is filled with detail, articulation and comes with all the accessories one could expect from the character and more!

Firstly I'll talk about the glider. Unlike the previous Marvel Legends Green Goblin (which I have since given away) this glider is much bigger and have way more articulate joints to it. Each wing features two pivot points, one of which is a ratchet joint, and the foot plates are fitted into their slots by pegs which both then peg into the bottom of the feet and have a foot latch as well. This allows the plates to rotate and rock side to side, allowing for some really nice poses when on the glider. It is, as can be seen, much bigger than the sky stick used by New Goblin in Spider-man 3.

The figure itself is absolutely covered in sculpted detail. The botched repairs to his armour have all been properly coloured and worn to show the haste of the patch job and the new weapons on his arms have been fully painted and don't hinder the figure's movements at all. The headsculpt is a striking likeness of Willem Dafoe, right down to the gap tooth.

Accessories are more than I expected for even a deluxe figure. The Goblin has his glider, a pumpkin bomb (the right size for once), the separating footplates, his goggles, an optional hood and an optional Green Goblin mask head (mine is very stiff and I have only managed to successfully get it on once, but given how hard it was to remove I opted not to try again).

The Green Goblin has some amazing articulation, although some joints are quite stiff. Much like my other Marvel Legends figures I found that the central torso ball joint was really tight and the same for at least one joint on each arm and leg. Although, as a plus, none of these are pin joints that will rust over time. I've been able to pull off most poses from the screenshots I had, even managing to stand the figure with Peter Parker wrapped around him punching his face. I would say that he would benefit from a foot rotation joint for the glider and butterfly joints in the shoulders, but otherwise the articulation is spot on.

I give Green Goblin 10/10 - I absolutely love this figure and it was definitely worth the Deluxe price point!

[macks-mechas]

Today's review: Studio Series Voyager Battletrap!

I will begin by saying that I love this character's design. Much like Scourge everything about him screams 'bad guy'. The huge grill, spikes everywhere and face sculpt all hearken to a character that is here to fuck shit up royally and that he does.

Firstly vehicle mode. I never thought pick up truck would make such an effective villain alt mode, but here it is. The colours look both fantastic as the Battletrap's colour scheme but also believable as an Earthbound vehicle. There are some downsides to this mode, though. The crane is unmovable and the arms are hanging out the back of the cab, sometimes causing a separation between the upper and lower halves of the doors.

Transformation is not so unique but very nifty, utilising a lot of unfolding segments and hiding of kibble to leave a clean robot mode. Again, like Scourge, he has a roof that is painted but cast entirely in clear plastic so do take care when transforming.

The robot mode is by far my favourite mode. Whilst many fans are not fond of the crane under arm parts I find they make great secondary melee weapons when unfolded. The wrecking ball attaches to the hand easily by wrapping round it much like Legacy Bulkhead's own. Articulation in this mode is very flexible and with few limitations. Compared to most Voyagers of the line with the amount of detail, paint and articulation I think they've provided us with one of the best Voyagers so far!

I give Battletrap 9.5/10 - Take care with the roof but otherwise he's a solid winner!

[macks-mechas]

Next review: HGAC Gundam Deathscythe!

Finally I have completed my HGAC Gundam collection! Once Epyon gets its time to shine I will have accumulated all the Gundams (not counting rebuilds).

The Deathscythe, by design, is the definition of unnecessary excess. It has massive bat-like shoulders, a coffin shaped shield and a beam scythe so huge it can reach whatever is standing next to it just by swiveling. But, forgoing this overindulgence of edgelord, this is still an awesome gunpla.

The articulation is much the same as the rest of the newer HGAC Gundams. Though it does have some points that are unique to this kit. In order to allow the arms to reach out to the sides properly the shoulder vernier engines can pivot inside and out of the way. The legs carry a similar mechanism to the MG Jesta in that the knees extend to allow the legs to bend 180 degrees without the knee pad hindering them.

The kit comes with two main accessories; the beam scythe with 2 blades and the shield with its own scissor beam blade. The shield has a point on its back which can be used to mount it to an action base, a nice display feature.

I give the Deathscythe 9/10 - another excellent Wing kit well worth the wait!

[macks-mechas]

Next review: Studio Series Deluxe class Nightbird!

This was a figure I was skeptical of when I saw its design, especially due to the lack of the wings and having only one of her signature swords. But after getting the figure in hand I have to say it is quickly becoming my favourite Terrorcon figure!

Firstly, unlike Mirage, the vehicle mode and robot mode were designed simultaneously with no compromises for the sake of the vehicle's appearance. She still looks like a very faithful rendition of the Nissan Skyline, even coming with the purple chrome wheels she sported on screen. It scales nicely alongside the other Terrorcons in vehicle mode and gives a nice transition between the deluxe, voyager and leader classes.

Transformation of this figure is simpler than it looks and very fun to do. I still have it on my desk to mess around with as I enjoy changing her from one form to the other. I would advise to watch the hinges on the door panels as they fold into the skirt, they do tend to catch sometimes. But otherwise the transformation is clean and easy to do.

Robot mode does sport kibble on her back, but they've tried to keep the figure as screen accurate as possible in the process. Nightbird's articulation here is excellent, with ankle pivots and a waist joint unlike others in the line. The backpack does tend to cause her to fall over in some poses, but just lean her slightly forward to compensate for this and she'll stay put.

Her only accessory, as mentioned, is a single sword. But she does have the clip for another on her hip and, if you'll notice, the wings on her back are mounted only by mushroom peg. It's as if Hasbro know that fans will make their own parts to suit and have made the addition of these easier for them on purpose!

I give Nightbird 8/10 - An excellent way to round out the main Terrorcons from Rise of the Beasts!

[macks-mechas]

Today's review: Studio Series deluxe class Mirage!

Like many people, I had been anticipating Mirage's Studio Series addition ever since watching Rise of the Beasts. But, like many, I had expected there to be some severe design cutbacks due to his on screen appearance being rather slender and more humanoid than his other Autobot counterparts.

However it turns out that the design choices for this figure were more to appease Porsche than to fit the figure's physique. Unlike other figures in the lineup, the main emphasis with Mirage's design was to homage the 1992 Carrera and then worry about robot mode after. As a result he has a lot of hanging kibble so as not to spoil sections of the car's design, which impacts the figure's stability and poseability as well.

The Carrera mode does look nice, but has a lot of easily visible seam lines due to the use of clear plastic for the majority of it. As such the silver paint was not applied fully across these parts to prevent scratching but at the cost of being a less solid looking alt mode.

Then we get on to transformation... Normally a transformer is fun to convert from one mode to the other, and I have found Mirage's transformation easier the more I do it. But it is not a fun figure to transform. There are many parts that have to be forced into place but due to their tight fitting and being constructed from clear plastic there is a risk of breakage down the line.

When in robot mode, Mirage does have some redeeming factors. The face sculpt is excellent and the placement of certain kibble is movie accurate. Articulation is very limited in the legs, but it can be worked with. This is helped especially by the ankle joints which are really flexible but really sturdy too. His accessories consist of just one of his twin blasters which fits nicely into either hand.

I give Mirage 3/10 - unless you really want a Carrera transformer or to complete your ROTB collection you're best to give him a miss.

[macks-mechas]

Today’s review: HGUC Gundam Narrative C Packs!

This Gundam is not a design from Katoki’s art book I ever thought I’d see on screen. Mostly due to the fact it was never designed for combat. Originally a prototype of the Nu Gundam that was meant for testing equipment, the Narrative Gundam lay in mothballs until it was retrofitted for battle to capture the Gundam Phenex. Now we see the mobile suit in its final form, with psycho frame hastily installed across the body in an attempt to increase its reaction times.

As this is a prototype test machine, there are various places where armour is at a minimum or just non existent. Some of these areas have now been fleshed out with psycho frame which gives the mobile suit a more impressive silhouette. The colour and parts separation makes the build very fun, but I will admit some lesser than clear parts to the instructions made me second guess a few fittings and was a bit annoying.

The articulation of the kit is a real shining point for the NT Gundam. On top of the usual it also has flexing shoulder mounts that bring the arms forward across the torso and rotating forearms separate to the upper biceps, meaning the shield is not restricted to being fitted behind the arm.

Accessories are minimal as the main draw was the psycho frame. You have the shield, 2 beam sabers and a beam rifle cobbled together from old Jegan parts. The beam sabers, unlike the conventional pink blades, are fitted with two red ones that have no flex to them as they were molded together with the psycho frame sprue rather than coming separate.

I give the Narrative Gundam 8/10 - for the diehard fans its a must buy, but worthwhile still for those on the fence.