Dave's Sector 7 Transformers Rant: Wave 2 Strongarm Skyblast Clocker (not reviewed) Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Movie/Sector7-2 Update 7/15/07: Found a Clocker on the shelf, added info. As part of its movie-related exclusive content, Target is selling recolors of various Scout class Transformers with Sector 7 markings and backstory changes to fit them into the movie continuity, more or less. The first wave had RoboVision promo stuff in it, and was Arcee (blue recolor of Energon Arcee), Signal Flare (green and gray recolor of the Energon toy, oddly with opaque gray Energon bits) and Hardtop (dark gray recolor of Cybertron Hardtop looking like the Striker vehicles seen in the movie, with a smoky clear Planet X key that has a Sector 7 logo and dark gold trim). I didn't get any of them, since I already had plenty of each mold, and Target wanted $7.99 for them anyway. Arcee had never been recolored, but I kept buying more for kitbashing. :) Hardtop was declared to be the one who destroyed Bumblebee's voicebox, in contradiction of other sources that have Megatron doing it. He's also the only Decepticon in the first three waves, presumably hiding in deep cover. Wave 2 repeats the pattern, with two Energon recolors and one Cybertron. I got Strongarm for Wonkimus Major and since it had never been recolored (and Target was having a sale, finally) got Skyblast for myself. Clocker wasn't on the shelf, but neither Wonkimus nor I want it anyway. I've already got two of that mold, after all. Wave 3 will have another Arcee recolor as Elita-1 (her first mass-market toy, so I'll probably get one), another Skyblast recolor as Air Raid, and the Cybertron toy of the lot, Armorhide done up in black with hazard stripes as...Armorhide. Here's the reviews of the originals for these three molds: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Energon/Basic1 - Strongarm and Skyblast http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Cybertron/Basic2 - Clocker All three molds were originally Recommended. CAPSULES Strongarm: A decent recolor, and if you don't already have two or more copies of it, you might want to pick this up. Mildly recommended. $7.19 on sale at Target, normally $7.99. Skyblast: A good mold which even has a sort of proto-Automorph to it, and a very nice color job. Recommended. $7.19 on sale at Target, normally $7.99. Clocker: Not fully reviewed, but some comments based on the packaging pics, and the techspecs will be added later if I can find them. RANTS Packaging: Like a shorter version of the Deluxe packaging, with a squatter blister (same width, though). The swoosh that has "Automorph technology" on some of the Deluxes is blank for these. An "Only at (o)" sticker is on the front. They're listed as Scout Class on the lower right truncated bit of the blister. The card itself is 7.5" (19cm) wide and 8.25" (21cm) tall. The blister is 7" (18cm) wide, 5" (13cm) tall and 2.5" (6cm) deep. On the back are photos of both modes on the left, and bio/techspec on the right. They're rated as Quick Conversions (level 2), and have co-sell pictures of the robot modes of the other two figures in the wave at the lower right of the cardback. Unlike wave 1, there's no RoboVision stuff. Instead, they're pushing the Ultimate Energon Weapons, and made the Energon bits clear for all of this wave (being opaque gray for Wave 1). The instructions are loose inside between the inner and outer blisters, no catalog or other paperwork. Sector 7 Logo: This doesn't appear on the packaging, but most of the toys have it. Inspired by their mission involving the AllSpark, the logo is a cube seen corner on, with one face down, one face up to the right, one face up to the left. The bottom face is cross-hatched, the upper left is filled in, and the upper right is open. Above the cube is "S7". When present, it's tampographed on a flat surface. Existing faction symbols are not removed if molded, but are often not painted, so they fade into the background. Annoyingly, not present on Clocker or Skyblast. None of these toys had functions or mottos in the original source, but TFU.info has 'em for Strongarm and Skyblast, so I'll use those and make up my own for Clocker. Functions are also my own devising. AUTOBOT: STRONGARM Altmode: Offroad Vehicle Previous Name Use: Energon (Universe, sort of...just repackaged) Previous Mold Use: Energon (See above) Package Callouts: "Combine gray parts to create an ultimate Energon weapon!" "Ultimate Energon weapons can be used with other TRANSFORMERS figures! (sold separately)" Function: Energon Processing Motto: "I'm a worker, not a warrior." STRONGARM would eather work than fight, just like his friend SIGNAL FLARE. He is an electornics and physics genius who builds weapons and other gear for the AUTOBOTS. Good natured and friendly, he always has a joke for any situation, and keeps up a constant stream of conversation while he works, either with other robots in the room, or with his voice-activated computer. He may not charge into battle all that often, but as the guy who keeps their gear in good order, he's seen as invaluable by the other AUTOBOTS. STR 7 INT 9 SPD 4 END 5 RNK 4 COUR 5 FRB 3 SKIL 9 Avg 5.75 A twist-tie on the Energon crane (the tire is on the vehicle, so the weapon is not in axe mode), one on the vehicle. The Energon chip is just held in by the blister. A rubber band holds the rear of the vehicle together. Color Swaps: Yellow becomes a light yellow-green, the dark blue-gray becomes a sort of forest green, black becomes dark gray, the light tan becomes light gray, and the clear red becomes clear smoky yellow-gray. Paint Apps: In vehicle mode, a sort of yellow-brown color is used on the windshield, front grille, and rear box (where the Spark crystal is). The hubcaps are silver, the headlights are yellow. The molded Autobot symbol above the left rear wheel is not painted, but a silver Sector 7 logo is printed ahead of it. In robot mode his head is painted mostly black with brown brow and silver face. His eyes are left unpainted light green. There's some brown paint on his shoulders, and silver raised parts on his thighs. Other Notes: While not lightpiped, his eyes will glow under UV, since the light green plastic his head is made of has that property. Overall: A decent mold, and this is the first version that isn't really garish, which is a plus. If you missed out on Energon, as well as the Universe reissues, you might want to pick this up. AUTOBOT: SKYBLAST Altmode: Aerospace Fighter Previous Name Use: Energon Previous Mold Use: Energon Package Callouts: Same as on Strongarm. Function: Aerobatics Expert Motto: "My greatest ally is the sky itself." A young aerial daredevil with a talent for painting complex designs in the sky using only his exhaust smoke, SKYBLAST is looked on with awe by DECEPTICON and AUTOBOT alike. No other flyer among either army is capable of the intricate maneuvers that are this robot's specialty. He is friends with few others, preferring to spend his time alone in the sky he loves. In addition to his incredible skill as a pilot, he wields a powerful electro- discharge cannon in combat that is capable of knocking other flyers out of hte air with one shot. STR 6 INT 5 SPD 9 END 7 RNK 4 COUR 9 FRB 8 SKL 10 Avg 7.25 One twist-tie for the Energon Spear (Shadow Spear?), one for the vehicle mode. The Energon Chip is just held in by the blister. Color Swaps: White becomes medium gray, red and dark gray become black, clear red becomes clear smoky (faintly purplish). Paint Apps: Notable for having no Sector 7 logo. The vehicle mode has light french gray (slightly brownish) and white paint that evoke winter camo patterns without actually BEING a camo pattern. The Autobot symbols on the tops of the wings are also painted in light french gray. There's some gold accents on the wingtips, wing roots and by the thrusters. The tip of the nose and some details on what becomes the robot chest bottom are painted black. In robot mode, the face and forehead table are light french gray, with gold eyes and a gold circle in the middle of the forehead tablet. There's no paint on any of the black pieces, probably because they're a kind of plastic that doesn't take paint well. The lack of paint on the undersides of the wings really stands out next to the paintless arms, though. Other Notes: Oddly, the picture of the robot on the cardback has the nosecone upside down on the head, as if they popped it off and put it back wrong. Also, as pointed out in a "Later note" on the original Skyblast review, he actually has an Automorph. :) It's not really pointed out in the instructions, and you need to have the arms in just the right position to avoid blocking it, but when you rotate his chest his head turns. Overall: A pretty swank recolor of a decent mold that never got recolored in Energon (although the Attacktix version is getting a red recolor as Thrust). Could stand a little more color in robot mode, and it's a pity they couldn't find a spot for a Sector 7 logo, but them's the breaks. And it even fits the movie design aesthetic some, what with the proto-Automorph. AUTOBOT: CLOCKER Altmode: Sportscar Previous Name Use: Cybertron Previous Mold Use: Cybertron Planet Key: Gray Speed Key Package Callouts: "Removable exhaust pipes!" "Insert Key to activate features!" "Key Activated (symbol) Snaps up laser cannons!" Function: Rapid Pursuit Motto: "It's not the destination, it's the trip!" Before the war for the AllSpark began, CLOCKER was a professional racer on CYBERTRON. His speed and skill dazzled millions of fans, and for a while, he seemed unbeatable. He was on top of the world. Then war came, and there were suddenly no more races to run. He turned his skills to finding the AllSpark, stopping the DECEPTICONS, and bringing peace to CYBERTRON. He dreams of the day the war ends, and he can race again alongside his AUTOBOT friends with no limits on how far or fast he can go. STR 5 INT 6 SPD 10 END 5 RNK 3 COUR 9 FRB 6 SKL 8 Avg 6.5 Color Swaps: Orange becomes dark gray that's almost black, blue becomes light gray. The clear plastics are all a dark smoky gray, contrary to the package photos that portray a nearly clear colorless. Paint Apps: Extensive medium blue (chest, legs, forearms, gun), red forehead and other details, and some silver (like on the pipes). There's a silver Autobot symbol in the "hood ornament" position, but no Sector 7 logo. Other Notes: Rather than make a special Sector 7 Key for this one, they just made the Speed Planet Key in dark smoky gray, with no chrome on the symbol and silver bordering. Overall: Well, the sale was over by the time I found this, which combined with the lack of a Sector 7 logo to keep me from buying it. It feels like they're starting to cheap out on the repaints. And now for an archival bonus, the bio notes for the Wave 1 toys, taken from transformers.com. AUTOBOT: SIGNAL FLARE Wired more for hard work than the heat of combat, SIGNAL FLARE prefers to remain hidden in the background, rather than on the front lines with OPTIMUS PRIME. On Earth, he stays in his vehicle mode and works secretly with humans to construct buildings capable of resisting even the mighty weapons of the TRANSFORMERS. When duty calls, however, he uses his powerful radar dish to transmit information between hidden AUTOBOT cells in preparation for the coming battle over the AllSpark. AUTOBOT: ARCEE A fast, aggressive warrior, ARCEE is one of the most dangerous AUTOBOTS, despite her comparatively small size. She believes without question that the DECEPTICONS must be stopped at all costs. That belief, combined with the combat training she received from IRONHIDE make her a pure warrior, a creature of speed and sudden action, striking the DECEPTICONS whenever she can and fading away into the depths of space. DECEPTICON: HARDTOP As an elite tracker and spy for the DECEPTICONS, HARDTOP has come into conflict again and again with AUTOBOT spy BUMBLEBEE. What began as a professional rivalry defined by the limits of their allegiances on opposite sides of a war became a full-fledged vendetta over the years. The two robots have played a punishing game of cat and mouse across the breadth of the galaxy; it is a little known fact that it was a shot fired by HARDTOP that took away his AUTOBOT enemy's ability to speak without pain.