Dave's Movie Transformers Rants: AllSpark Blasters Wave 1

     Ratchet (not reviewed)
     Bumblebee

     Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Movie/ASB1

     More roleplay toys in the tail end of the 2007-8 movie line, these are
intended to go along with the Prime helmet, rather than the Nerf transforming
weapons.  Ratchet's blaster showed up solo first, with Bumblebee's coming in
as a running change a month or so later.  

CAPSULES

     Ratchet: Changes from a flashlight to a short-barrelled blaster, has a
somewhat smaller grip area, so I passed on it.  $19.76 at Wal-Mart.
     Bumblebee: Changes from a blaster to a different blaster, not visually
that impressive of a change.  I'd have preferred just having separate
triggers for the two kinds of sound, but it's a decent sound and light toy
(no firing missiles).  Mildly recommended.  $19.76 at Wal-Mart.


RANT

     Packaging: Cardboard boxes 14" (26cm) wide, 8" (20cm) tall and 5" (13cm)
deep, with most of the front open and a "TRY ME" opening on the right side so
you can see if your hand will fit in the grip.  The lower lip on the front
shows the two modes of the gun and has a head shot of Bumblebee.  The left
side has standard movie CG art of Concept Camaro BB in robot mode, the top
has the same mode-shift pictures as the front.  The bottom has cosells of the
Ratchet blaster and the Prime helmet.  The back panel shows the gun in each
mode being held, with various callouts.  The inside behind the gun has an
AllSpark image on lightning crackle.
     The Ratchet packaging is similar, but with different pictures,
obviously. 
     Callouts on the back include: "Laser flare beam!"  "Easy conversion with
sounds!  Just pull the trigger!"  "Laser pulse sounds!"  "Converts from laser
blaster to plasma cannon!"  "Plasma pulse light!"  "Plasma explosion sounds!"  
     There's also the following text block in the upper right:

     Be like Bumblebee!  Now you can experience the power of the TRANSFORMERS
robots!  Convert yourself into an unstoppable AUTOBOT warrior with a single
pull of the trigge.  Battle in both modes with this awesome, handheld plasma
cannon! 

     In package, the gun is in a TryMe mode, so pulling the trigger gives a
random sound, either firing or transforming, accompanied by flashing blue
LEDs.  The switch is on the robot hand's little finger, on the backside in
packaging, and is rather hard to move while the packaging is intact.  So it's
hard to switch it to regular "on" or even turn it off in the store.
     I tried opening the box from the Try Me side, and it wasn't "clean".
Lots of thin cardboard bits that rip open, etc.  Between the inner tray and
the outer box are the unbagged instructions and a supplemental FCC
information sheet.  The instructions show how to convert the gun, change the
batteries, and switch the sounds to Normal, Off, or Try Me.
     Three twist-ties and a little blister tray hold the gun to the inner
tray.  

     Appearance: In Laser Blaster mode, there's a 3" (8cm) wide yellow and
black octagonal cross-section barrel extending from just ahead of the grip to
an orange round 2.25" (6cm) diameter safety barrel tip.  The outer barrel has
black racing stripes down both upper sides, some silver accents on the sides,
and red Autobot symbols printed along the top rear on a piece that arches
over a black-painted sight.  Thie wraps around a cool gray central core, with
a yellow hexagonal ring where a pistol's extendable stock might be.  The ring
is 2.25' (6cm) across and has its bottom along the slider rod that inserts
into the central core, so it looks more like an oversized "hammer".  The grip
is black plastic and rounded, with silver paint on the indentations where the
fingers go.  The trigger itself is yellow plastic.  Wrapping around the front
of the grip is a set of yellow molded robot fingers, making it a partial
glove.  The molding is symmetric, so it looks the same in either right hand
or left (unlike the weird effect you get from holding the Nerf weapons in
your left hand).  Jutting out of the trigger guard is a yellow cylinder with
gool gray cap, presumably meant to be an energy clip.  The battery
compartment is on the bottom of the grip.  Total length is 13.25" (34cm).
     In Plasma Blaster mode, the outer barrel is split into halves that flank
the central core, which itself is an octagonal mix of cool gray plastic and
clear colorless plastic.  Blue paint on the rear section of the core give the
appearance of vents.  While the main orange-painted safety tip has receded,
there's a smaller orange plastic safety tip left on the core.  Total length
in this mode is 14" (36cm), as transformation involves pulling back the hex
ring. 
     In either mode, it has a nice heft, being 1.3 lbs (590g).

     Transformation: Pulling back on the ring makes the barrel sides
separate, and it locks in position for Plasma Blaster mode.  If the switch is
Normal, you'll get a G1-style transformation sound effect.  In Try Me mode,
there's no accompanying sound.
     From Plasma Blaster mode, pulling the trigger all the way will unlock
the transformation, but it will only automatically transform back if the
barrel isn't pointed upward (there's a spring, but it's not very strong).
Depending on how quickly you pull the trigger, you either get just the G1
transform sound, or part of the plasma blast first.  Note, it's tricky to get
the Plasma Blaster to fire without tripping transformation, that "half pull"
thing isn't always easy.
     There's no light either direction, although a slow pull to go to Laser
Blaster mode will get the light of a plasma blast.  Also, because the spring
is weak, it doesn't hold together very firmly in Laser Blaster mode, and
sudden movements can cause the barrel shell to move just enough to trigger
the transformation, both in terms of making the sound and causing it to start
firing as a Plasma Blaster.
     However, the looseness has a plus side.  You can "kachunk" it into
either mode (although you need to pull the trigger for going back to Laser
Blaster mode) just by shaking the gun in your hand dramatically.  And if you
really don't want it to transform, adult-sized hands have no trouble grabbing
the hex ring or its strut with a thumb to modelock.

     Light and Sound: In Laser Blaster mode, you get a "fwee" sound followed
by repeated "chakachaka" and then an explosion.  Holding the trigger down
will keep the "chakachaka" going until a second or so after you let go.  This
is accompanied by rapid flashing of the blue LEDs along the sides, with
slightly slower flashing during the explosion sound.  Holding the trigger
down allows "walking" your fire across a field.  :)
     In Plasma Blaster mode, pulling the trigger halfway (or all the way
while the gun is pointed up) will yield more of a mortar thump sound
followed by a "fading into the distance" energy hum.  The LEDs will flash
more slowly, four or five times, while the sound cycles.  Holding the trigger
down will just repeat the cycle, rather than lengthening the center part.
     There's a third energy sound that triggers in either mode, and seems to
be the "wake up" sound.  A sort of deep energy thrum followed by a clank, as
if slamming a metal energy clip home.  This gets a short flash, a long flash,
then another short flash of the LEDs.  Note that if you hold the trigger down
when getting this sound, it will *not* cycle or repeat or anything.  It'll
just finish the cycle, then stay silent until you let go and pull again.  It
has to stay idle for about a minute before you can get the powerup sound
again.  
     With the switch on Try Me, you'll randomly get one of the five sounds
(laser blaster, plasma blaster, powerup, transform one way, transform the
other way).  The lights flash as normal for each sound.
     Unfortunately, the way the LED lightpiping is set up, most of the light
goes out the sides, and there's almost nothing pointing forward.  So no
flashlight effects, or beam-painting someone.  I think Ratchet's blaster has
a searchlight mode that deliberately works as a flashlight, though.

     Overall: Well, a touch expensive for a gun that's just a sound and light
toy, with no actual missiles.  And given that there's no gun in this line for
Prime, and no masks for BB or Ratchet, the costuming angle is kind of lost.
Still, it's a fairly nice toy weapon, with good sound effects.

     Dave Van Domelen, not too interested in Premium and other recolors, and
wanted to get SOMETHING new while waiting for Animated.  ;)