Darkmount/Straxus review challenge !

[Philip Ayres]

I noticed several Generations Darkmounts (aka Straxus) walking out of AA with members of this forum.

Mine isn't due for somewhile (he's in a set with Megatron, Red Alert & Soundwave)

So my challenge to all the Darkmount owners out there is to write a review of the toy in whatever manner you want.

[Rich]

Toy reviews aren't my thing, but I have to say I love this little dude. I don't tend to buy anything other than reissues (although I got animated Prowl at AA - Wyatt drew on it, so now I don't want to open it!), but this figure, whatever O may think, manages to combine nostalgia and modern features in really great way; getting endless variations of the same character is pointless IMO, but to get a genuinely new toy and to also have it be 'old' is just really cool. Generations seems to be a really good line and I'll be watching and hoping for an Impactor, a Xaaron and a Jhiaxus (I know there have been versions of him, but I ain't got one). I also really like that Generations has profiles, and thought it was interesting that it was written the past tense, but it's a shame that Hasbro didn't get somebody with a tiny ounce of syntactical verve (or even just above a 12 year old's grasp of grammar) to write them.

[jameso]

My review: Darkmount doesn't look anything like Straxus and like most new toys lacks the robotic like engineering of the earlier toys. 2/10.

[panderson]

Aug 17, 2010 15:08:38 GMT Philip Ayres said:

I noticed several Generations Darkmounts (aka Straxus) walking out of AA with members of this forum.

Mine isn't due for somewhile (he's in a set with Megatron, Red Alert & Soundwave)

So my challenge to all the Darkmount owners out there is to write a review of the toy in whatever manner you want.

For some reason, I have just got the image of a short story or comic where Straxis reviews Darkmount as if he is another clone for him to get in....
Lets see if I can follow this through...

[The Doctor]

I may make Straxus my next video then.

-Ralph

[Hero]

Go for it!

===KEN

[Jaymz]

Aug 17, 2010 15:51:52 GMT Rich said:

I also really like that Generations has profiles

Only on the US cards. European ones have the profile condensed to a sentence and translated into 11 other languages, the tech spec numbers have also been cut.

[Rich]

Re: Jim. That's shit. The whole of Europe can read English anyway, why not just use that.

[legios]

Generations Deluxe Darkmount:-


Darkmount is packaged in his vehicle mode, so we shall start here. When first released from the package we can see that Darkmount is a blue half-tracked armoured vehicle of some kind. At first glance he looks a lot like a self-propelled artillery piece of some kind. Not any particular kind mind you, that fact that he is half-tracked instead of opting for either fully wheeled or fully tracked, along with the unusual design of the drives compartment moulded into the forward right-hand side betray the fact that this is not any particular Earthen vehicle. Further examination shows that Darkmount's cannon can not only elevate and depress but is mounted in a turret that can traverse through 360 degrees like that of a tank, rather than a fixed superstructure like tracked artillery. The shape of the turret, and the way it is mounted quite a way back on the vehicle is very like a Self-Propelled Gun, making Darkmount a bit of a hybrid.

His forward wheels are free-running, whilst his tracks are solid-moulded. He does have a pair of small wheels hidden under the tracks though, so he runs quite nicely on my living room carpet.He has plenty of detail moulded in as well. It isn't immediately obvious because of his mostly uniform blue colour but he has plenty of hatches, grills and what-not moulded into him. Perhaps most surprising of all, Darkmount has optional accessories for his vehicle mode. He comes with a small six-round missile pod, a three barrelled smoke-discharger and a small gun that looks like either some sort of high-tech weapon or a WWI vintage water-cooled machine-gun depending on my mood. Each of these accessories has a clamp which can attach to any one of six bars across the vehicles structure – two just forward of the tracks and four on the turret – as well as to a bar recessed on the hatch moulded on one side of the turret (this reveals that the picture on the box has been flipped – as it shows the small gun, and the hatch on the opposite side of the vehicle mode to where they are actually located). There is a suggested mounting schema for the weapons but you are free to mount them anywhere you feel like. I think some are more successful in some locations than others, but it is very nice to have the flexibility and it adds a little bit more play value to the toy.

The final detail to mention regarding this mode is that there is an ID number painted on it, both on the turret and on the forward end of the vehicle. Specifically it's hull-code is given as “M17”, which as we will see pretty much must be intended as a homage to #17 of the Marvel US comic.We will get to why in due course.

To sum up the vehicle mode, we have an interesting hybrid of tank and self-propelled gun with some nice detail sculpting to which the extra weapons add a nice extra touch of play-value.

The Transformation, which – having lost the instructions – I am having to work out by myself, is rather surprising. At first glance you might expect the turret to become either arms or kibble, but instead the turret actually unfolds to form the legs, and in the process reveals the gun to be the handle of a two-headed Military Pick. The arms are instead folded out from beneath the chassis whilst the tracks fold away to the rear of the humanoid form as about the only bit of kibble it has (or a sort of royal cape if you want to think of it that way Meanwhile the front of the vehicle becomes the chest of the humanoid mode and very familiar head is revealed. Indeed, Darkmount is none than the ruler of the fortress of Darkmount, Governer of Polyhex, crusher of special arms and murderer of Scrounge's...... Straxus! Thus the meaning of his M17 hull-code stands revealed as his self-aggrandising callback to his first appearance. (Right enough he probably doesn't want to remember Marvel #18....).

He cuts an impressive dash in his humanoid mode. His overall shape really doesn't feel that much like his vehicle-form rearranged. Indeed, the only thing that really hints at what he turns into is the two track sets hanging down his back. They have done a very good job of designing in the sloping surfaces and rounded arms that are characterisic of Straxus in the comic. The head-sculpt is very Straxus-ey as well.

He is blessed with a considerable amount of articulation as well. His hips are ball-jointed, with two-part joints at the knee that give almost the flexibility of a ball-joint. He also has a rotation joint at the waist, as well as elbow, shoulder and wrist joints that give him a lot of flexibility. His hands are articulated with which he can neatly grasp his pick. He is impressively poseable in the upper body, allowing for some action poses, including a nice two-handed grip on the pick. The only real fly in the ointment is the way the feet are jointed. Only being attached by a ball joint on one side they won't always bear the toys weight in some poses, limiting what you can do with the legs.

Darkmount is, of course, armed with a trusty hand-weapon – in this case more similar to the pick from his first appearance than the axe-shape it assumed later. However, unlike his comic body, Straxus is not armed only with a melee weapon. All but one of the bars that his weapons can be attached to in his vehicle mode are still available in humanoid mode, allowing his subsidiary weapons to be added to his legs or to the tops of the track sections that rise above his shoulders.

In many ways I cannot objectively evaluate this toy – I have wanted a Straxus toy since I read the UK issues in which he first appears, so I suspect I am somewhat biased. Taking into account the clever design of the humanoid mode – which doesn't necessarily seem like something that might have come from the vehicle mode – the good array of articulation and a very good vehicle mode, I would have to say that “Darkmount” (like I am not going refer to him as Straxus at least as much if not more often) is a very nice toy indeed, with a lot going for it.

Karl

(See, I held up my side of the bargain Mr Darkmount sir. Please show mercy to me.....)

[Philip Ayres]

It's a shame you lost the instructions as there's an easter egg in it.....

[Philip Ayres]

Well done so far. Keep em coming, It's interesting to see how differently (or the same) we all look at the same toy.

Looking forward to some video action there Ralph.

And in case you've not looked elsewhere the Easter Egg in the instructions

SPOILER: Click to show

It shows the remoulded Skullgrin's head! (picture@2005 boards)

[bertie]

He is so on my list.

[The Doctor]

I'll get the video done tonight or tomorrow.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Good man

[The Doctor]

I need to buy batteries for the camera and a prop though so it will get done when it gets done.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

A prop? SDCC Blaster for an issue 18 reinactment?

[Kingoji]

Review this guy? Me?
Well, okay. To borrow from your friend and mine, Hero Ken Flatt;

Lord Straxus RULES!

[grahamthomson]

I will not buy "Darkmount" until he comes in a two-pack with Legends Cosmos redone as Scrounge!

[Kingoji]

I want monies for that concept. I first drew him almost a year ago!

[The Doctor]

Aug 19, 2010 22:43:38 GMT Philip Ayres said:

A prop? SDCC Blaster for an issue 18 reinactment?

No, no, no. That would be too obvious.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

I'm intrigued.....

[The Doctor]

Won't get the chance to do it this weekend. Sometime next week, pop pickers!

-Ralph

[The Doctor]

Props acquired but the lurgy has laid me low. I'll get this done sometime soon, damn it!

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

I'll send Ratchet to give you an oil change. That'll help.

[The Doctor]

An ill Ralph finally got it done this afternoon.

(cross-post from Star Dub thread)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=44JJD2QQ32o

-Ralph

[Shockprowl]

Hurrraaah!! That's my evening viewing sorted!

[Philip Ayres]

Fabulous. Jonathan ran over to say hello as soon as he heard the music.


He's going to be so disapointed when he meets Martin Landau.

[The Doctor]

Nick has now pointed out that Straxus does actually have heel spurs. They are well hidden. I had no idea they were there. Clever.

-Ralph

[legios]

Until you mentioned that they existed I had no idea they were there either! Straxus now stands in front of his assembled troops (Jetblade, Thrust, Movie Mindwipe and Skystalker) glorying in his newfound power of standing upness.

Excellent reviewage there. Highly entertaining as ever - and the Prop of Great Mystery is (like the best surprises) something I didn't anticipate beforehand but seemed obvious in retrospect...

Karl

[blueshift]

Straxus also has the same clips that Movie Skystalker and others do on their weapons which look a bit like lego man hands, so they are all interchangable!