Figures/items used:
-Siege Apeface
-Matrix of Chaos (POTP Rodimus Unicronus)
-Titans Return Apeface
-Titans Return Windblade
-Titans Return Overlord
-Takara Legends Blurr
Anyone else got wild combinations?
If you rotate the head like you're going into vehicle mode, you can use the 5mm port there and attach anything to it! Headmasters fit surprisingly well with no worry of anything falling out or staying stuck, and of course, works best with Sideways' head Mini-Cons.
Siege Shockwave lacks the extra tab that the SS86 version has, but I found a workaround. Thanks to the 5mm ports on Bruticus' turrets, you can apply Shockwave's armor, and even turn him into an underslung cannon!
There's also a 5mm post on the inner ankles of both legs, so you can use that to secure a makeshift Combiner foot. I'm using Offroad as an example; he fits nice and securely.
As someone who thoroughly enjoys POTP Rodimus, having his darker counterpart is just as fun! I couldn't resist the colors on this one- and who can resist a goatee and shades? He's standing on my "Heralds of Unicron" shelf next to the reformatted Decepticons, Armada Nemesis Prime, and Sideways!
The Legacy release is just fine, but T30 Crosscut is SO unique. He's got this "where did all of THAT come from" factor when you transform him from this compact car into a robot mode with loads of hidden weapons! And that metallic red paint is simply divine! I'm so glad I found this hidden gem, because I think he still holds up, right next to T30 Rhinox!
Function: Psychoanalyst
"Something small worth protecting, leaves a big impact."
The Earth is the Autobot's adopted home, but not all of them have adpated to the change. Analyee has the vital role of helping the Autobots adapt to their new world, and providing therapy to processors scarred by the terrors of war. Loves small creatures- relavent to her own size, this includes cats, dogs, humans, and elephants. Uses the cuteness of these creatures to comfort hardened sparks. Pacifistic, motherly, and sweet. Uses pacifying signal waves which trigger pleasure centers in the processor, calming unruly patients, or Decepticon intruders. Mobile veterinary clinic mode analyzes brain patterns of animals within.
Strength: 6
Intellegence: 9
Speed: 5
Endurance: 8
Rank: 5
Courage: 8
Skill: 10
Legacy Prowl is one of those figures that combine the G1 aesthetic with other shows and toylines that came after. Animated and TFP in particular was hit and miss with a lot of people, including myself. I wasn't sold on Prime Arcee, and found the design to work on other bots who would share the mold later down the line (Road Rocket, in particular).
And that was basically my problem with Prowl. He wasn't "close enough" to the original. The head was different, the proportions were slightly chunkier. Yet, after messing around with Legacy Animated Bumblebee, and more recently, AOTP Animated Ratchet, the aesthetic grew on me. So, I decided to stop being so stubborn, and get a pre-owned copy of Prowl...and y'know what? He's not bad at all!
This guy is incredibly posable, can hold several stances, and even cling to other bots (if they have a peg for the holes in his feet)! Basically, a tweaked version of the original figure, design wise, but with added features. Upgrade kits are available for his samurai armor, but you can ALSO take any set of Weaponizers and make your own!
All of that but no traffic light nunchaku, 0/10. /s
Since his Mini-Con head slot is 5mm, you can pretty much put anything there. Even Titans Return-styled heads!
As for the heads near the end, the leftover arms/legs of Rook and Mirror have 3mm pegs that can attach to the lower torso section of most figures (including Fossilizers).
Heads used:
-Kingdom Paleotrex
-Gen Selects Transmutate
-Kingdom Wingfinger
-Siege Apeface
-Sparkless Caliburst
-Legends Ghost Starscream
-Titans Return Sawback
-AOTP Amalgamous Prime
-Earthrise Slitherfang
-Rook + Transmutate + Kingdom Ractonite
-Crosswise + Transmutate + Ractonite
Legacy Nova Prime! He wasn't on my radar initially, but I went for him on a discount, and oh boy...what a stunning figure! For something so blocky, he's dynamic and loaded with posing options. It's also funny how similar his design is to Big Convoy...how would we feel about this, but in Big Convoy's colors? In any case, had a lot of fun with this guy!
This is a very anticipated purchase of mine, and it doesn't disappoint! Yeah, Crosswise and Rook partsform to combine into Mirror, but perhaps that's to the benefit of both the combined form and the heads.
While both Minicons can't ride the motorcycle like the original figure (Rook's legs don't move!), everything else is accounted for. Even the odd little "gun mode" the original Mini-Cons formed can be wielded by Mirror, made from the leftover parts. It's also nice in general to get more Mini-Cons in this style! This is an incredible update.
That's all I wanted to say. Elita Prime looks so done with him :")>!​!<
It's kind of insane how well Hoist's mold works on Animated Ratchet. A majority of the design beats, from the wheel placement to the old man paunch, are all there. I don't think it's a coincidence that this figure came out some time after people were posting their own customs of this mold!
He comes with loads of tools, and some of the best accessory storage I've seen in a while. Genuinely amazed with how well this came out, especially for one of my favorite versions of the character.
I'll admit- for what Nexus Prime is supposed to be, he's a bit underwhelming. Since his limbs are coming out in the future though, I want to focus on him as a standalone figure. Nexus is densely-built, fun to pose, and won't be breaking apart anytime soon.
As a core for modern Combiners, you won't find him flopping around and breaking down. Yet, I'm not sold on the vehicle mode, as where Quintus and Liege have convincing spaceship modes, Nexus really is a giant robot's torso with a cockpit and wings.
I still want to end this on a positive note: I'm very happy that Age of the Primes happened. Following the news of The Thirteen has been very exciting, and even though Nexus hasn't hit everyone's expectations, a majority of the others have been successful in doing so. While Nexus could be better, he's a definite upgrade to his Titans Return counterpart (even though the Pretender bit was a neat callback).
Let's see what happens, but for now, I'm glad I've been in a good place to finish The Thirteen.
Something I can't unsee, courtesy of a good friend.
Seeing the each of the Thirteen being revealed has been quite the experience, and now I have twelve! It's not just incredible that we're getting physical representation of rather nebulous entities up to this point, but considering two of them came from comics, and done so faithfully, is something to behold.
There's a lot of great detailing on this figure (though a lot of the wires being unpainted is nagging me to do something about that), and he sticks the landing in terms of posing and sturdiness. He looks excellent next to his fellow comic-debuting Prime, Megatronus, and like I said in a previous post, his head sculpt leaves room for interpretation.
Having twelve of the Thirteen, especially Liege himself, feels surreal to me- and a part of that may be due to the fake leaks earlier. But nope, this is the genuine article! We can just say, that was a bit of his trickery at play.
Joking aside, it's a neat design quirk that Liege Maximo has a sculpted mouth just above the one from the Marvel comic. It's subtle enough to ignore entirely, but also there if you want to pretend that the "red mouth" is just a chin guard.
Which do you prefer?
The arms of Predaking! Divebomb is definitely my favorite of the two, not just for his impressive wingspan, but being able to hold it without tupping over. Also, the tailfeathers becoming the connecting piece for the Combiner's legs is brilliant. Rampage doesn't have to do much compared to the other four, so I wish his Beast Mode had more articulation. Still, these are really fun figures, especially as part of a set.