Dave's Transformers Rant: Scout Wave 7 Repugnus (Undermine recolor) Shortround They're definitely bringing out the Repugnus name lately. Found both on the same day but at different stores. Oddly mixed wave...one is a recolor, while the other is a completely new mold not seen in Galaxy Force. http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Cybertron/Basic3 (Undermine) Updated June 9, 2006, with Key Code info. CAPSULES Repugnus: Based on a Recommended toy, with a superior color scheme and nifty backstory. Recommended. $6.99 at Target. Shortround: Solid vehicle mode, decent transform, interesting robot mode. Key gimmick is a bit weak, even for a Scout. Recommended. $6.94 at Wal-Mart. RANTS Packaging: I clearly got these from totally different shipments, since Repugnus has the Space Camp sticker and (non-winning, sigh) entry piece, while Shortround does not. Both have the Jungle Map. Shortround, oddly, also lacks the Primus Battles logo, putting him in a weird transitional position between Space Camp and Primus Battles. 7 twist-ties hold Repugnus's beast mode into the blister. Three ties hold Shortround's hovercraft in place, plus one on his gun. A single rubber band wraps around the rear section to keep things from flopping. AUTOBOT: REPUGNUS Planet: Jungle Altmode: Spinosaur (dwarf variety) Previous Name Use: G1, Universe Previous Mold Use: Undermine Key Gimmick: Fin-strike blade Key Code: s48r Among the very few places on the Jungle Planet not firmly under the control of SCOURGE are the fetid swamps in the valleys at the foot of the Steel Shard Mountains. Here, REPUGNUS rules. He and his subjects rejoice in the stinking slime of which they make their homes. He protects their freedom fiercely, using his intimate knowledge of the swamps to isolate and destroy any invaders, often without ever being seen by his targets. So dedicated is he to the freedom of his people that he even exiled his own brother - UNDERMINE - for being in league with SCOURGE. STR 7 INT 8 SPD 6 END 10 RNK 8 COUR 8 FRB 6 SKL 9 Avg 7.75 Key Code Info: As with some of the other Transformers in the Cybertron toy line, this character shares it's name and color scheme with a character from the original 1987 Generation 1 Transformers toy line. In his original incarnation, he was what was referred to as a "Monsterbot" and he was a huge, bug-like creature. Also, in his original form, Repugnus was an Autobot! (Note, the "it's" in the second line is their error, should be "its" instead. Shows color guide, including the printed-on Autobot symbol.) Planet Key: Standard Jungle Key. Color Swaps: Light green becomes golden yellow (FFCC00), although they get tricky and fully paint several of the yellow pieces. Dark green becomes black, and gray plastic becomes a deep red (CC0000). Both the red and yellow plastic glow somewhat under UV. Interestingly, while the yellow in this toy look like the yellow in Universe Repugnus under normal light, they don't look the same under UV. Paint Apps: The head is painted over in black with light blue (66FFFF) eyes and gold mouth/teeth. The inside halves of the head (the outside of the robot forearms) are also painted golf, as are the the entirety of the yellow plastic parts on the thighs and the back half of the pelvis piece. There's red stripes on the throat (which become stripes on the upper arms), red detailing on the fin's key slot area, and a red strip along the abdomen of the robot mode. The top of the fin and most of the robot face are silver, but the robot eyes are left unpainted. There's also silver bits on the robot chest and on the left hip (over which is printed an Autobot symbol). Unlike Undermine, there's no paint on the claws. None of the paints react strongly to UV. The paint apps on the head area are significantly different on the package photo prototype. Other Comments: Can't find any mold differences, or significant differences in stability, tolerances, etc. I kinda like how he's set up as a warlord on Jungle, establishing a splinter faction...he's only really an Autobot because he's anti-Scourge, not because of any implication that he works with Optimus Prime. Overall: Dynamic colors, interesting story. Definitely worth picking up at Scout prices. Better than Undermine, really. DECEPTICON: SHORTROUND Planet: Earth Altmode: Hovercraft Previous Name Use: None (Temple of Doom doesn't count) Previous Mold Use: None Key Gimmick: Fusion torpedoes Key Code: s639 Some might call SHORTROUND obsessed because of the way he follows THUNDERBLAST around, but most DECEPTICONS just call him annoying. Still, he serves his purpose running supplies at speeds up to 350 mph over land and sea, and whenever the AUTOBOTS show up he freaks out - filling the air with enough superheated plasma to allow other DECEPTICONS to escape in the confusion. He may be a nerd, but at least he's a destructive nerd. STR 6 INT 5 SPD 7 END 6 RNK 4 COUR 5 FRB 6 SKL 5 Avg 5.5 (Wow, nice to see someone with cruddy specs) Key Code Info: Shortround, in addition to being completely in love with Thunderblast, is also completely obsessed with toys. This little Decepticon, when not annoying the slag out of his team-mates, or causing confusion on the battlefield is either on-line or shooting around the galaxy, hitting all of the best collectible toy stores he can find. The prizes of his collection? Mint complete Generation 2 Defensor and Menasor. (Heh, also keep in mind there may not even BE mint complete G2 Defensor and Menasor...I don't think they made any Hot Spots or Motormasters for the limited BotCon pressing. I could be wrong, though. Also shows the toy color guide.) Planet Key: Standard Earth Key. Color codes: dark gray (darker than 333333), light blue (66FFFF), purple (9933FF, more or less), metallic light blue (66CCCC) paint, metallic purple (same shade) paint. Light blue and purple plastic STRONGLY UV, almost look the same under UV. Purple paint moderagely UV glowing. Vehicle Mode: This is a hovercraft of some sort. It's too small to be a ferry or landing craft, and the shape of the front end suggests combat armoring to me, so it's probably an assault vehicle. But I couldn't find anything remotely like it online (doesn't help that any search for military hovercrafts floods with LCACs). 4" (10cm) long, it's a solid little vehicle mode. The skirts are a very dark gray (darker than 333333) and most of the hull is white. The thrust fan assembly and Key Slot chunk is made from a light blue (66FFFF) plastic, as is a vent in front of them (aka the robot head) and a bit near the front of the hoverskirt. The detachable gun is also light blue (and it follows the US-original Scout tradition there in having a weapon that's not really integral). The bit where the gun plugs in is purple (more or less 9933FF), as are the wheels on the underside and some jointing bits. There's some metallic cyan paint (66CCCC) on the nose, metallic purple (9933FF) paint on the windows, and extensive bronze paint along the sides. The intake fans in mid-hull are gold in a dark gray housing. Dark gray paint is also used to extend the hoverskirt around part of the rear. A non-metallic purple Decepticon symbol is printed on the right side roof of the cockpit. The light blue and purple plastics positively glow under UV light, and the metallic purple paint reacts a little. There's no poseability, as one might expect. It rolls along nicely on three small wheels on the underside, and very little robot kibble is visible anywhere on the vehicle. The thrust fans are the Key gimmick: inserting the Key makes them pop open to reveal two gold-tipped non-firing torpedoes. That's pretty much it. The Key can be left part-way in without triggering the torpedoes and without falling out. The separate gun is 4.2cm long (about 1.75"). The prototype pictured on the package differs from the final toy in two ways I can be sure of. One, the bit into which you plug the gun is white plastic on the prototype, rather than purple as on the toy. Second, the fan tips on the main thrusters are painted purple on the prototype, but unpainted on the toy. Also, I think they mirror-flopped the prototype pic, since the Decepticon symbol is on the wrong side on the vehicle mode but the correct side on the robot mode. Transformation: The skirts split into large claw arms, and once they're out of the way you can swing the lower torso down. Once it locks into place, the head is pushed up a little so you don't need long fingernails to get it out. The forehull splits into the legs, with the thighs folded up inside. Light blue pieces slide back to "open" the claws, although whichever arm holds the gun looks better with the claw slid closed. Robot Mode: 3.75" (9.5cm) tall at the backpack, a little shorter at the head. The abdomen/pelvis piece is actually light blue plastic, but almost entirely covered with dark gray paint (that matches the dark gray plastic quite well). The thighs are purple plastic. The face has a SCUBA mask appearance, with gold eyes, dark gray central piece and silver air hoses. It's kinda weird having an extra paint color for such a small piece. The chest has vent patterns painted gold, and the intake ducts end up on the kneecaps. The Key Slot assembly forms a big backpack, but Shortround's heel spurs are long enough to compensate. Poseability is pretty good, if a bit weird in the arms. The head is a ball joint, as are the hips. The knees are hings, as are the toes (although they can only straighten out, not bend further than flatfooted). The shoulders are ball joints out on the end of hinged rods, with a fair amount of restriction due to stuff getting in the way. The elbows are a combination hinge and swivel that's not immediately obvious (well, the swivel part is obvious). Unfortunately, they're hinged so that Shortround has to hold his gun sideways if his elbow is bent. And, as mentioned above, the claws slide open and closed. The slider is stiff enough that if a weapon has a reasonably long peg, it can be held by the claw. For reference, Hardtop's weapon's peg is a little too short for a firm grip, but Armorhide's is long enough. He can also hold his Key in either hand. As an aside, it has been pointed out to me that the color scheme in robot mode is evocative of G1 Dreadwind's. And yeah, it's pretty close, leaving aside the dark gray. Not sure if it's intentional, though. Overall: While I wouldn't nominate Shortround for the "tiny god" epithet, it's a very good toy. I can't really put a finger on anything other than the sideways gun grip that keeps me from strongly recommending it, I expect it's more that while it lacks great flaws, it also lacks great merits. Dave Van Domelen, didn't find Alt.Prime on today's shopping trip, but at least scored these two.