The first post-movie line is a return to the basics...cel-animated cartoon
where Autobots crash-land on Earth and wake up after a long nap. Although
most of the details differ from G1....
I'm going to try something new here. Toys that get a Strongly Recommended
(or better) rating will be in boldface, while those getting Neutral or
worse will be in italics.
- Legends - Actually sold under the Universe line as the Animated Series,
but I'm including them here.
- Wave 1: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Prowl.
- Wave 1.5: Starscream, who's really part of a wave
with three G1 Series Legends, but I'm splitting it off into its own review to
keep all the TF:A stuff together.
- Activators - press-button autotransformations.
- Wave 1: Bumblebee (compact car), Bulkhead (armored
truck), Starscream (fighter jet).
- Wave 2: Lockdown (muscle car), Autobot Ratchet
(ambulance), Optimus Prime (truck).
- Wave 3: Optimus Prime reship, Patrol Bumblebee (black
and white redeco), Thundercracker (blue and black redeco of Starscream).
Only Thundercracker reviewed.
- Wave 4: Bandit Lockdown (redeco), Megatron (Earth
mode), Grimlock. Lockdown not reviewed.
- Wave 5: Dirge (blue and tan Starscream redeco,
non-show clone) and Cliffjumper (Bumblebee remold).
- Wave 6: Fireblast Grimlock (magma redeco), Soundwave
(new mold).
- Wave 1: Bumblebee (compact unmarked police car,
Autobot), Lockdown (futuristic muscle car, Decepticon), Optimus Prime
(Cybertronian truck/halftrack, Autobot), Prowl (motorcycle, Autobot).
Updated later with fixes for some of the production problems (basically,
everyone but Prime).
- Wave 2: Blackarachnia (Mecha-spider, Decepticon),
Ratchet (ambulance, Autobot). Updated 6/13 with some notes.
- Wave 3: Oil Slick (chopped motorcycle), Autobot Jazz
(sports car), Soundwave (van), Snarl (triceratops).
- Wave 4: Swoop (pterodactyl), Sentinel Prime (truck),
Elite Guard Bumblebee (recolor of Wave 1 BB).
- Wave 5: Blazing Lockdown (redeco from wave 1),
Blurr (sorta Mach 5), Swindle (urban assault vehicle).
- Wave 6: Waspinator (techno-organic wasp), Samurai
Prowl (extensive remold, motorcycle with sidecar).
- Wave 7: Freeway Jazz (Bluestreak-ish redeco),
Electrostatic Soundwave (gray redeco with keytar Ratbat).
- TRU Exclusive Wave 1: Cybertron Mode Ratchet
(Cybertronian ambulance), Arcee (Rocket Car/Scalper Bait)
- TRU Exclusive Wave 2: Rodimus Minor (sportscar),
Cybertron Mode Ironhide (redeco and head swap of Cybertron Mode Ratchet).
- Target exclusive Deluxe/Legend Pack Wave 1: Rescue
Ratchet (yellow redeco) with Legends Prowl and Starscream, Stealth Lockdown
(smoky clear redeco) with Legends Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. The Legends
figures are all slightly different from the single-pack versions. 1/9/09:
Review updated with the Rescue Ratchet set.
- Bumper Battlers Soundwave: Okay, I finally got one of
these simplistic little guys. It's okay, but one of those toys I will freely
say are for little kids and have almost no appeal to adult buyers.
This price point is a mix of single Voyager-sized toys and two-packs of
Deluxe-sized toys. Disclaimer, the "official" assortments don't consider the
two-pack a Voyager, but official assortment numbers are often stupid and I
ignore them in favor of my own labels, as I have for years. :)
- Wave 1: Bulkhead (SWAT van, Autobot), Starscream
(Futuristic jet, Decepticon-ish), Optimus Prime (Earth-Mode Truck, Autobot).
Review includes notes on "fixing" Megatron. Updated 6/25/08 with the running
change adding Optimus Prime into the mix.
- Two-Pack Wave 1: "The Battle Begins" Two-Pack.
Deluxe sized Optimus Prime (Earth-mode Truck) and Megatron (Cybertronian
spacecraft). Also includes a DVD of the first episode of the cartoon (22
minutes, not the entire opening "movie"). I originally called this Voyager
Wave 2.
- Wave 3: Grimlock (robot T.rex, Autobot-ish), Lugnut
(Cargo jet, Decepticon). Blitzwing (jet/tank triple changer Decepticon)
added in a running change as a sort of Wave 3.5. Update 8/28/08: Blitzwing
added.
- Wave 4: Grimlock reship, Shockwave/Longarm
(tank/crane), Skywarp (Starscream redeco). Shockwave is the only one fully
reviewed here.
- Two-Pack Wave 2: Jetfire and Jetstorm who combine to
form Safeguard, sold at the Voyager price point. An ambitious idea, but with
so-so execution.
- Wave 5: Wreck-Gar (garbage truck), Atomic Lugnut
(redeco, not reviewed).
- Target "Ultra" Two-Packs: Sunstorm with Autobot
Ratchet (redeco of Voyager Starscream, unchanged Activators Ratchet),
Shockwave with Bumblebee (purple redeco of Shockwave, unchanged Activators
Bumblebee). Quality control is pathetic on these.
- Wave 1: Bulkhead with Headmaster (SWAT van, Autobot),
Megatron (Helicopter, Decepticon).
- Wave 2: Ultra Magnus (Assault Carrier, Autobot).
There's a LOT of defective ones out there, my replacement for the seriously
defective one I got was slightly defective. Review now more or less
complete.
- Roll Out Command Optimus Prime: Big and
show-accurate, but seriously hobbled by gimmicks. I got it for $20, and
wouldn't recommend it for a lot more than that.
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