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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 30, 2010 15:21:19 GMT
We mentioned them.... I review them ! |
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 30, 2010 17:03:56 GMT
FlakMicromaster Flak is a member of the Autobot Battle Patrol with Bigshot , Sidetrack & Sunrunner . It's hard to tell from the Western version but he's basically co-moulded with Sunrunner sharing the sandy beige & olive green plastic - the Japanese versions we'll talk about later make it clear that the beige plastic on Bigshot & Sidestrack is on a different sprue. However Flak also uses a small ammount of grey plastic which also appears on Bigshot & Sidetrack..... Flak is a tracked Missile launching tank. The tracks are, of course, moulded with mobility being imparted by a wheel embedded at both ends of each track. Mainly green in colour in this mode he has a moulded missile array mounted on his back. The array features space for 10 missiles in 2 rows of five. The missile array can elevate but isn't capable of swinging around independantly to the rest Flak's body. TF: Fold the missile array back behind the tank. Stand on the front of the missile array. Fold back the front of the tank to reveal the head. Fold the treads at the front of the tank down to form the arms. Flak's robot mode reveals the sandy beige plastic on his chest & upper legs but it also becomes clear that the grey of the missile track arms is plastic, not paint as on the rear of the vehicle and for Sidetrack. There's some arms embedded in the tracks which is a nice touch. Traditonal Micromaster articulation of turning shoulders and bending but linked hips & knees. I like Flak. Heck, I like the entire Battle Patrol, even though I do wonder why they're Autobots and not Decepticons. Somehow he's got some character to his moulding and the moveable parts - if accidentally so - on the vehicle mode add to the play value. Flak was not sold in Japan unlike many of the other Micromasters. PowerbombInstead the Battle Patrol is recoloured into the Battle Patrol team available in Transformers Zone as set number C-332 and then again in Return of Convoy as C-374 where they were packed with Microtrailer number 11. Some of the Patrol are renamed: Flak = PowerbombSunrunner = SunrunnerBigshot = GunliftSidetrack = SidetrackFor the Powerbomb(Flak) and Sunrunner pairing the following colour swaps apply: Sandy beige becomes white. Green becomes blue. The intention is that the grey should stay the same but very early versions of the C-332 set replace the grey with bright yellow which looks distinctly out of place. This is most obvious on Flak's robot mode where his arms are the wrong colour, but the error is present on both Gunlift & Sidetrack too. Pictures of this very rare variation can be found at Autobase Aichi. I like Powerbomb. The blue looks great and the colours on this form are an obvious inspiration behind Galaxy Force Vanguard Team Backguild/Cybertron Defence Scattorshot, which would be repainted as Universe Dropshot using an inverse of the Flak colours, the using the Flak colours themselves as Universe Overload finally aquiring the Flak name under new colours as Botcon Flak
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 31, 2010 15:07:27 GMT
SunrunnerMicromaster Sunrunner is a member of the Autobot Battle Patrol with Bigshot , Sidetrack & Flak . It's hard to tell from the Western version but he's basically co-moulded with Flak sharing the sandy beige & olive green plastic - the Japanese versions we'll talk about later make it clear that the beige plastic on Bigshot & Sidestrack is on a different sprue. Sunrunner is the only member of the team NOT to use the grey plastic. According to TFWiki "modified E-2C Hawkeye AEW (Airborne Early Warning) plane, with the real aircraft's distinctive circular radar antenna dome replaced with a hulking great missile rack." All stuff I didn't know, I look at it and see something similar to the A-10m used elsewhere. The majority of the plane mode is the sandy beige colour with the missile rack as dark green. TF: Fold the nose of the plane down under the jet. Fold the rear of the jet back 90 degrees. Stand. Fold the arms down and the wings back Sunrunner's robot has the semi traditional "plane nose on robot chest" together with the usual Micromaster articulation in the legs of bending but linked hips & knees. Shoulders are fixed on this toy replaced with elbow joints. OK Micromaster jet, but I think his form, like the rest of the team, would be better suited to a Decepticon. Sunrunner was not sold in Japan unlike many of the other Micromasters. PowerbombInstead the Battle Patrol is recoloured into the Battle Patrol team available in Transformers Zone as set number C-332 and then again in Return of Convoy as C-374 where they were packed with Microtrailer number 11. Some of the Patrol are renamed, but Sunrunner keeps his original name: Flak = PowerbombSunrunner = SunrunnerBigshot = GunliftSidetrack = SidetrackFor the Powerbomb(Flak) and Sunrunner pairing the following colour swaps apply: Sandy beige becomes white. Green becomes blue. This gives us a jet that's vaguely an inverse of the colours on Micromaster Tailwind Japanese Sunrunner is the only member of the team not to have a colour variation. The intention is that the grey used for the other three team members should stay the same but very early versions of the C-332 set replace the grey with bright yellow which looks distinctly out of place. This is most obvious on Flak's robot mode where his arms are the wrong colour, but the error is present on both Gunlift & Sidetrack too. Pictures of this very rare variation can be found at Autobase Aichi.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 31, 2010 20:11:10 GMT
BigshotMicromaster Bigshot is a member of the Autobot Battle Patrol with Sidetrack , Flak & Sunrunner . It's hard to tell from the Western version but he's basically co-moulded with Sidetrack sharing the sandy beige & brown plastic - the Japanese versions we'll talk about later make it clear that the beige plastic on Flak & Sunrunner is on a different sprue. Both Bigshot & Sidetrack also uses a small amount of grey plastic which also appears on Flak..... Bigshot is a brown 6 wheeled tank - although the middle wheel on each side is moulded and doesn't turn. He's got moving parts in vehicle mode with a sandy beige turret that can swing about 70 degrees to either side of centre and a grey gun barrel that elevates. That alone beats most Micromasters hands down. TF: Fold the front half forward to form the legs. Stand with the underside facing forward. Fold the arms up. The Bigshot robot has brown arms & lower legs with sandy beige on the upper legs and body. Traditional Micromaster articulation here has bending but linked hips & knees and turning shoulders. The turret and gun barrel on the back is a little heavy but the gun barrel helps to support the toy. Standard Micromaster robot but the moving parts on the vehicle are a bonus. Bigshot & the Battle Patrol - in this version at least - were not sold in Japan unlike many of the other Micromasters. GunliftInstead the Battle Patrol is recoloured into the Battle Patrol team available in Transformers Zone as set number C-332 and then again in Return of Convoy as C-374 where they were packed with Microtrailer number 11. Some of the Patrol are renamed: Flak = PowerbombSunrunner = SunrunnerBigshot = GunliftSidetrack = SidetrackFor the Powerbomb(Flak) and Sunrunner pairing the following colour swaps apply: Sandy beige becomes green. Brown stays the same. The intention is that the grey should stay the same but very early versions of the C-332 set replace the grey with bright yellow which looks distinctly out of place. This is most obvious on Flak's robot mode where his arms are the wrong colour, but the error is present on both Gunlift & Sidetrack too. Transformers Generations - otherwise an impeccable reference work - fails to highlight this for Gunlift & Sunrunner by only showing their robot modes on each variation (The Japanese version of the Micromaster Sports Car Patrol, the Super Car Patrol, also has this problem). Since the grey parts on both toys are on their backs it's hard to see the difference just looking at the front of the robot mode. Pictures of this very rare variation can however be found at Autobase Aichi. Gunlift isn't that different to Bigshot with the changed green only visible on the turret and robot body & upper legs.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 31, 2010 20:25:50 GMT
Micromaster Sidetrack Micromaster Sidetrack is a member of the Autobot Battle Patrol with Bigshot , Flak & Sunrunner . It's hard to tell from the Western version but he's basically co-moulded with Sidetrack sharing the sandy beige & brown plastic - the Japanese versions we'll talk about later make it clear that the beige plastic on Flak & Sunrunner is on a different sprue. Both Bigshot & Sidetrack also uses a small amount of grey plastic which also appears on Flak..... Sidetrack is a beige tracked tank with a brown turret with a pair of elevating grey guns mounted either side of the turret. Unlike Flak the tracks on this toy are 100% painted using grey paint, but like him the mobility is imparted with a wheel mounted inside & at both ends of each tracks. TF: Fold the front half of the tank forward to form the legs. Stand. Fold the back of the tank down to form the chest. Swing the arms up. His robot mode has the traditional Micromaster articulation of turning shoulder and bending but linked hips & knees. The chest isn't flat like many other Micromasters, which is a nice touch, but it's a shame the cannons on the back can't be used in robot mode. I like the moving guns on the tank mode and I like the non-flat chest - both things that set him aside from other Micromasters. Sidetrack & the Battle Patrol - in this version at least - were not sold in Japan unlike many of the other Micromasters. Transformer Zone SidetrackInstead the Battle Patrol is recoloured into the Battle Patrol team available in Transformers Zone as set number C-332 and then again in Return of Convoy as C-374 where they were packed with Microtrailer number 11. Some of the Patrol are renamed: Flak = PowerbombSunrunner = SunrunnerBigshot = GunliftSidetrack = SidetrackFor the Powerbomb(Flak) and Sunrunner pairing the following colour swaps apply: Sandy beige becomes green. Brown stays the same. The intention is that the grey should stay the same but very early versions of the C-332 set replace the grey with bright yellow which looks distinctly out of place. This is most obvious on Flak's robot mode where his arms are the wrong colour, but the error is present on both Gunlift & Sidetrack too. Transformers Generations - otherwise an impeccable reference work - fails to highlight this for Gunlift & Sunrunner by only showing their robot modes on each variation (The Japanese version of the Micromaster Sports Car Patrol, the Super Car Patrol, also has this problem). Since the grey parts on both toys are on their backs it's hard to see the difference just looking at the front of the robot mode. Pictures of this very rare variation can however be found at Autobase Aichi. Unlike his co-mould Gunlift(Bigshot) the colour change is more noticeable here with the entire tank becoming green as well as the limbs of the robot mode.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 31, 2010 20:27:44 GMT
Hmmm, there's quite a lot of repetition in these but they're intended to be read individually so I feel it's important to get across a lot of the same information for each toy.
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Post by legios on Mar 31, 2010 21:00:36 GMT
I figured that they were probably meant as individual capsule reviews - in fact that is the way I have been reading them anyway so I didn't notice the repetition very much in actual fact.
Good reviews as ever Phil. Impressively thorough. I have to agree that the Battle Patrol are really rather nice. There is a bit of individuality with the designs that I think is lacking in other Micromasters.
I am amused to be reminded that Bigshot actually has more articulation in vehicle mode than he probably would have in real-life - what with having a tank-like turret instead of a static housing for the gun. Clearly Cybertronian technology really is superior to Earthen tech.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 31, 2010 22:29:53 GMT
Micromasters do get very repetitive "Oh look another car that transforms in exactly the same way"
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