REVIEW: FansToys FT-08 Grinder

INTRODUCTION
To many, including myself, the FansToys Iron Dibots represent one of the highlights of third party Transformers collecting so far. Despite only being a few years ago, the scale & ambition of producing an entire team of massive high-end figures like this was relatively unheard of outside of combiner teams when Scoria was first revealed, and it’s insane to think that it’s only just coming to an end now. Or is it?

I only ask as of course, we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Many of us thought we were done with our Dinobot-collecting after Stomp arrived last year (to a significantly warm reception, it must be stated!), as FansToys had already provided a solution for Masterpiece MP-8 Grimlock’s comparatively diminutive height with a set of platform shoe-type lifts as an accessory with Scoria. I think if we’re being honest though, this was never really a definitive solution, even if I will say that I was certainly happier with it than most.

REVIEW: Toyworld TW-M01

INTRODUCTION
I have to confess to being a Toyworld newbie. Despite my relative experience in the world of third party not-Transformers, there are still a few companies that I have yet to experience, and so when I was offered the opportunity to check out Primorion, I jumped at it.

That said, this figure is a bit of a curiosity for me. Like many people, I absolutely love TakaraTomy’s Masterpiece MP-10 Convoy, and would certainly count it as one of my favourite Transformers figures of all time. So, it was sort of hard to imagine what an alternative Optimus Prime figure might offer above & beyond what I am already familiar with. I’ve also discovered that I am not alone in wondering this, as since I started sharing pictures of Primorion, I have been inundated with people asking how it compares to MP-10, but also questioning the need for such a figure in the first place.

Questions abound. Is this figure Masterpiece-scaled? Is it Masterpiece-styled? In fact, is it even intended to be sat alongside the official Masterpiece line, or is it something else entirely? As I attempt to answer at least some of these points, I am approaching this with an open mind and actually quite a bit of excitement – it is Optimus Prime after all!

REVIEW: FansToys FT-16 Sovereign

INTRODUCTION
There are a handful of characters that, by their very nature, will always be more desirable to Transformers collectors than any others. Obvious names like Optimus Prime & Megatron are obvious examples, but for many the Autobots & Decepticons who made their debut in the 1986 animated movie are near the top of that list too, such is the impact of that particular piece of fiction on our collective childhood years. Galvatron is a character that many collectors have been hoping that TakaraTomy would tackle as part of the official Masterpiece line for some time, and remains a frequent namedrop in any conversation speculating future characters that will be released. Still, so far there's been no indication that this is about to happen, and so of course many of us are naturally turning towards third party efforts to fill the gap.

Thus far, only one contender has arguably come close to hitting the spot: DX9's Tyrant. Tyrant proved to be something of a divisive figure, with arguably as many ardent supporters as vehement detractors, though he still remains the bar to beat as far as crafting the ultimate Masterpiece-styled Galvatron goes. Naturally, many people were overjoyed when FansToys threw their hat in the ring and unveiled their design for Sovereign, but can he live up to the hype? Let's dig in and find out.

REVIEW: FansToys FT-18 Lupus

INTRODUCTION
Ask most Transformers collectors what their favourite third party company might be and there's at least a relatively safe bet that they might mention FansToys in the list of names they give you. The company has achieved a level of reputation that most can only aspire to, and perhaps with good reason - they do put out pretty consistently good figures. Clearly their success has allowed them the confidence to experiment a little more, as we have seen them recently branch out into more and more unusual choices for the characters they've been recreating. And so we come to Lupus, which sees them attempting something outside of the arguably safer territory of the first three seasons of the G1 cartoon for the first time. Let's take a look at what is also the first "Masterpiece-styled" Weirdwolf on the market!

REVIEW: X-Transbots MX-III Eligos

INTRODUCTION
The nature of pre-ordering third party items has certainly changed in the last year or so. It used to be that many fans, myself included, would do their best to have their pre-orders locked as soon as the option to do so was available, even if it was going to be some time before the figure was actually released. Of course, even though this was a very short time ago, there were also less options for individual characters too. It's a relatively new phenomenon for multiple third party outfits to all be putting out their own interpretations of the same characters over & over. However, it's now also true that a lot of us are waiting till much later in the day to place our pre-orders, if not waiting until the actual release itself, such are the multitude of options available.

X-Transbots Eligos maintains a degree of infamy in my collection for being the longest outstanding pre-order I think I will ever know; having originally ordered back in June 2015, we're fast approaching the 18 month mark. Let's be clear, that's pretty ridiculous, even if the figure has been redesigned somewhat in that time. However, I'd be hard pressed to tell you that my excitement for this figure has dwindled in that time, especially as no other third party has yet to even fully reveal their own not-Cyclonus, let alone bring it anywhere near to release. So, now that he's finally here, how does Eligos fare after all these many months of waiting?

REVIEW: X-Transbots MM-IV Ollie v2

"Version 2"s seem to be a trend that's becoming more and more accepted in the weird world of Transformers collecting, and I can't help feeling that every time it happens the whole idea becomes a little more normal to us. I still remember when TakaraTomy unveiled Masterpiece MP-10 and some of the initial reaction. "Another Masterpiece Optimus Prime?! But we already have MP-1!" Of course, that figure went on to become one of the most beloved in recent memory (and certainly in my own personal collection), and it's hard to imagine what the current Masterpiece collecting scene would be like without it!

Fast forward to today, and just this week we have also seen released Masterpiece MP-14+ - a second attempt at Red Alert using the very same mould, just with a different paint job. Yet again, this was a figure that was initially met with a distinctly muted reaction, yet has quickly won over the hearts & minds of many collectors upon release.

REVIEW: Badcube OTS-11 Speedbump & OTS-12 Lorry

INTRODUCTION
Badcube have deservedly built up a loyal following by continutally raising their own bar to put out some cracking Masterpiece-styled figures. Like many others, I have been a fan since the first days of Huff, when they still went by the name Cubex, but I can only marvel at how much they have evolved with each subsequent release up until Sunsurge. Honestly, when people ask me what my favourite 3P figure is, I often find Sunsurge somewhere on the tip of my tongue, along with maybe only one or two other examples. And yet despite their hardcore fans, there's an argument to say that Badcube still encounter some resistence whenever they unveil a new design, whether it's because of criticisms about the proportions of their figures or their complicated transformation schemes.

Which brings us smack up-to-date with the companies latest offering in the form of not one, but two new releases - Speedbump & Lorry, modelled after G1 Trailbreaker & Hoist. I've been tremendously excited to lay my hands on these guys since they were first unveiled, and so jumped at the chance to take a look at the review samples. I believe (correct me if I am wrong), that I'm also fortunate enough to be the only reviewer in the world taking a crack at both at once... how exciting!

REVIEW: Generation Toy GT-4 J4ZZ

INTRODUCTION
There is a mere handful characters who were first introduced in season 1 of the Generation 1 cartoon who are left to be produced in Masterpiece-style, whether by TakaraTomy themselves or by a third party. Depending on your preferences for different companies, Decepticons can now be considered done in one form or another. Perhaps naturally, the few remaining Autobots spots have left many collectors eager to see these characters represented on their shelves as soon as possible. Until recently, Trailbreaker was on that list, though now we have at least three versions of him on the horizon. Cliffjumper remains another. But perhaps no character has inspired such anticipation as Jazz.

REVIEW: Unique Toys Y-04 Allen

INTRODUCTION
Springer fits into a relatively dwindling pool of somewhat periphery G1 characters who, up until now at least, have yet to be tackled by either the official TakaraTomy Masterpiece line or by an enterprising third party effort.

Of course, such third party attempts are often like buses. You wait forever for one, and then several come all at the same time. So it is with the green Autobot triple changer, amid cries of “the Springer wars have begun!” across the internet. First out of the gate is Unique Toys, who came from nowhere to surprise us with Allen. However, there's also a figure from 3P heavyweight FansToys on the horizon, as well as at least one new enterprise who've already shown off their own version.

REVIEW: DX9 D09 Mightron

INTRODUCTION
Oh, boy, this is going to be an interesting one. This figure has already caused quite a commentary on-line, and so I've been thinking about the best way to approach this review. Usually, I would try to consider the various perspectives that TF fans might have when analysing a particular figure for their collection, but it seems that there's some especially strong opinions this time around. So, my conclusion is to simply present you with my own personal take - likes & dislikes - and let it fall where it may. I already know that not everyone will agree with everything I'm about to write, but it should hopefully help to give you a decent overview of the figure in hand, at least!

So, it's fair to say that the concept of a "Masterpiece" Megatron is one that's caused feverish levels of excitement and frustration amongst much of the on-line TF fandom, probably in equal measure. Whilst rumours have persisted for years that an official version (or rather, a second one if you count MP-5) is definitely on the cards at some point, others have been involved in some quite intense debate and scrutiny over what has up until now been the sole third party challenger for the crown, X-Transbots Apollyon.

REVIEW: Ocular Max PS-01S Stealth Sphinx

I've been a big fan of Ocular Max's Sphinx since first getting my hands on the original release late last year. I always liked Mirage as a character, and so it was exciting to see such a fantastic rendition of the character in 3D form. In fact, so great was my enjoyment of the first version that it didn't take much for me to be quite superbly enabled on the lighter-coloured "Alternative" version, and I don't regret this one bit. Arguably the Alternative brings out even more of the wonderful qualities of this mould. Then of course, we only recently had the striking red version in the form of Liger (my review of which can also be found here).

So, you might think that I am all "Sphinxed" out then, right? Far from it! As soon as I saw photos of this astonishing "Stealth" version, I just knew that it was something that I had to add to my collection somehow.

REVIEW: TakaraTomy Masterpiece MP-11NR Ramjet

I've actually owned Masterpiece Ramjet since he was first released this past March, but haven't yet taken the opportunity to write a few words about him. However, the recent reveal that MP-11ND Dirge will be released in 2017, after MP-11NT Thrust also lands in October this year, made me think that now was as good a time as any. A complete set of Masterpiece Coneheads - what a time to be alive!

REVIEW: TakaraTomy Masterpiece MP-25L Loudpedal

In case you haven't yet realised, Diaclone-themed repaints in the TakaraTomy Masterpiece line are now kind of a thing. What started out with a relatively oddball release in the form of Tigertrack back in 2013 has suddenly snowballed, with no less than four further homages released in 2015 alone (five if you throw in the Microchange love-in that was red Bumblebee). As if that wasn't enough, next up we have none other than a full-on repaint of one of the largest Masterpiece figures in recent times with MP-31 Delta Magnus, not to mention that the third party scene has also jumped in on the action with releases such as Badcube's Blaze and Ocular Max's Liger.

REVIEW: Ocular Max PS-02 Liger

Though we're only a few moulds in, the Ocular Max "Perfection Series" line is shaping up very nicely indeed. Equally, I've been a huge fan of the Diaclone repaints that the official TakaraTomy Masterpiece line has been putting out for some time now, and so was especially excited at the prospect of Ocular Max repainting their Sphinx mould into red as a homage to the original pre-Mirage.

For those not in the know, the pre-Transformers Diaclone line released both blue & red versions of the Ligier mould, that would later go on to become Mirage when repackaged for the first wave of the Transformers line in 1984, although the red version was only ever available packaged in a box set with Powered Convoy (which, interestingly enough, is about to receive its own homage in the form of MP-31 Delta Magnus!).

REVIEW: DX9 Toys D-08 Gewalt

Like combiners, triple changers are a kind of Holy Grail that the official TakaraTomy Masterpiece line has yet to properly tackle (outside of the likes of Tracks' flight mode, if you count that). Fortunately, a number of third party outfits have stepped up to the plate, and we now have no less than three (why is it always three?!) different versions of Blitzwing on the horizon!

First out of the gate is DX9's Gewalt, who, from pictures at least, appears to be a big chunky bruiser that also seems to be one of the company's most cartoon accurate releases thus far. I'm quite a big fan of one of their previous figures, Tyrant, although I'll admit that I was initially going to hold off on Gewalt over some concerns about the two vehicle modes from pics. However, a slew of mostly positive reviews have finally hooked me in. So, was it worth it, or should I have waited for either KFC's Ditka or FansToys' Berserk as my definitive not-Blitzwing?

REVIEW: KFC E.A.V.I. Metal Phase Five Opticlones

INTRODUCTION
There was a time when third party skirted carefully round the fringes of the Transformers character roster. The various companies seemed to have an uncanny knack of choosing characters that neither the official TakaraTomy Masterpiece line nor any of the other 3P outfits were looking to attempt. Well, that bubble has now well and truly burst, as it seems more and more commonplace for us to see multiple different versions of the same characters rolled out one after the other. If anything, fans have learnt to expect it! However, I'm not sure that many would have predicted that treatment for a relatively minor character such as Reflector.

Transformers #5 cover homage

I don't often do work like this, but something about TakaraTomy's latest Masterpiece figure, MP-29 Laserwave (or Shockwave to you and me!) is just so profoundly awesome, that I couldn't resist attempting a homage of the classic cover from Marvel's Transformers #5, which was first published all the way back in 1985. The original artwork by Mark Bright is one of the most recognisable pieces of Transformers imagery from the time, and definitely sets the mood for the story in this issue. Shockwave has defeated all of the Autobots and is busy repairing the Decepticon ranks. It's a cool, creepy tale, and definitely one of the more memorable from the original Transformers comics.

Anyway, here's the image - hope you like it!

REVIEW: Badcube OTS-Special 01 Sentinel Blaze

INTRODUCTION
Badcube's Sunsurge was definitely one of the most hotly-anticipated third party releases of last year. Many people had been waiting for years to see a Masterpiece-styled realisation of Sunstreaker, and despite other versions in the works, the company beat them to the punch and delivered what many consider to be a fantastic rendition of the character, and one that almost seamlessly fits with the official line.

So, naturally everyone was quite excited to see what they'd reveal next. What perhaps surprised some was that it was a red repaint of their previous release and not an entirely new mould; the initial reaction was certainly full of questions asking what it was all about! Of course, for those of us in the know, this repaint is an incredibly exciting release that represents a key part of Transformers history, and is something that we've been looking forward to for some time!