Darkmount/Straxus review challenge !

[The Doctor]

It's a great play feature. Adds a lot.

Straxus screams army builder to me. Should I ever come across any in sales I know I'll grab a few. I dream of a legion of a dozen Straxii, striding across the living room table with pick axes to hand...

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Aug 29, 2010 21:02:43 GMT blueshift said:

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!

Toys with bars & clips:
Skystalker
Recon Ironhide
Breacher
Darkmount

Toys with bars:
Seaspray
Scattorshot
Brawn

[Philip Ayres]

Aug 29, 2010 21:06:25 GMT The Doctor said:

It's a great play feature. Adds a lot.

Straxus screams army builder to me. Should I ever come across any in sales I know I'll grab a few. I dream of a legion of a dozen Straxii, striding across the living room table with pick axes to hand...

So you'll be buying Generations Skullgrin then ?

[The Doctor]

Oh yes.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

As will I.

[panderson]

My first review - wanted to try something different - would welcome thoughts

The Upgrade – an unconventional review of the Darkmount toy
 
Lord Straxus looked at the monitor and considered the design specs of the latest model. He had been toying with a new form for some time, and he was also aware of the potential for assassination. Having a back-up body in which to plant his spark was always a benefit. Straxus clenched his fist, causing gears to grind as he muttered, “Damn Ratbat and his constant twittering over the fuel-costs of the project.”
 
The ‘Darkmount’ model, named after his beloved fortress, certainly exuded power. Straxus looked first at its alt mode. Gone was his powerful Cybertronian cannon form, in favour of an earth-based half-track tank. The mode was a nod to the developing front on that distant back-water of space. While he still had much work to do to build his power base outside of Polyhex, the recent Decepticon transmission from the area required attention. Straxus also knew at some point he had to walk on that disgusting organic mudball, if only to deal with Megatron. He made a mental note to give Spanner a gentle ‘reminder’ of the importance of the spacebridge project, and how it needed it sooner rather than later.
 
The mode still held power; a strong cannon, which had an impressive range of attack. Moreover, there was a multitude of hard points to attach additional weaponry. The newer models on Cybertron were developing these hard points more and more. This was good, in that it could allow for adaptability in the heat of battle. If you lost a weapon, there was another close by that one could use – even if you had to rip it from the cold dead hands of your fellow warriors. The Darkmount had three weapons at hand, each based on what the alt-mode should have, but there was the potential for many, many more upgrades on top of this. This could make for a very impressive alt mode, with a large amount of potential damage being wrought. This made Lord Straxus smile. There was no place for mercy or subtlety at times of war – only death, and this mode could provide him with the raw power to deal with any rival.
 
However, his smile faded when Straxus considered the Darkmount more. The level of detailing was impressive, and he could see his regal form looking good in this body. However, the colouring made it hard to see its beauty. The overuse of one shade of blue made it seem like a huge block of...what was the human material....plastic!! While there were dashes of grey and black in parts, the blue just dominated things. He looked at his own body....he did not think that he would like such a limited pallet. Straxus considered recent similar upgrades, in particular those taken by this season’s best Kombat Pit player, Bludgeon. He remembered the similar tank form he had taken, with the colour and style variations looking much more....distinguished yet menacing. Straxus also remembered the tank treads on that model being made of rubber!! He considered that the different sizes of the models were an issue here, and wondered if up-scaling Darkmount may be a solution.
 
 Straxus also mused on the weapon points. He remembered the work done on the ‘minicon’ project, and considered the problems faced when too many upgrades were utilised. As well as being ungainly and impractical...they just did not look good. He would have to run a new simulation considering all the different upgrades available to the model to see if it was as beneficial as it first seemed.
 
“Still...” Lord Straxus muttered, to no one in particular, “I won’t be in this mode all the time, only when I need to wield its power.” He nodded, when he thought that, ‘yes, I will be in my robot form the majority of the time’. Straxus tapped a few buttons on the console and the tank unfolded into robot mode. He paused, rewound, and then played the transformation out in slow motion.
 
Straxus gasped at both its simplicity and beauty. There was nothing that surprising in where things came from. Indeed, he knew Megatron had been looking at a tank upgrade with some similar mouldings. However, it seemed to just fit together tighter than he expected. The chest panels in particular stood out. Straxus loved how they opened up to give him greater mobility in the shoulders, and revealed a more detailed design for his upper torso. The way the front tires bended in was also new to him. It seemed to add to the mobility while also giving the impression of muscles under the chest. In addition, while having the back section of the tank become the legs was somewhat standard in these modes, here the legs were the turret, and the back sections split off and become two back panels> oy eas different, and provided some the opportunity for alternative detailing and modelling of the legs. Straxus did think for a second this made it a part ‘shell-former’ like those sub-par droids that scuttled around the melting pool. He had seen Ratbat looking on the creatures, and quite loudly praising their fuel efficiency. “I swear,” boomed Straxus, “If he had his way, we would all be downsized into these creatures.”
 
Then he saw the cannon transformation and his grin grew wider. Such ingenuity!! The designers would be getting extra rations this cycle. Straxus may not even kill one of them as an example, which had been his usual method of ensuring good work. The cannon detached from the vehicle form when it transformed, twisted and became his signature battle axe. He was a little unsure of the grey cannon/collar attachment which moved down the shaft. He was not sure of its function, but was sure this would come to the fore in time. It did not detach from the sheer joy at seeing his beloved axe stay with him in vehicle for. He had always worried about placing it in subspace when he transformed. There had been rumours that more than a few Deceptions could access the sub-space pockets of other ‘Cons...he was sure he had seen Swindle carrying around more than a few extra weapons recently...
 
Straxus now gazed at the completed robot form, with its axe in hand. He was happy to see the addition of extra colour – the red at the shoulders was particularly welcome...he never did like the gold scheme he had briefly. Straxus also looked at the head. This captured his proud features well. Some would say his head was very serpentine, showing his strength and instilling fear as onlookers wonder when he would ‘strike’.

However, he then saw some issue with the legs, particularly the feet. The heels could be extended for some balance, but this did not appear to be an option that was readily evident. In addition, while the joints were tight at present, he was worried that if he was under extended combat action or duress, these appeared particular points of weakness. There was already the potential for unbalance, given the weight of the back panels, and Straxus could sense that he may have some problems with a few of his combat stances. Overtime, this could become worse.

Lord Straxus then remembered the additional combat mode his technicians had commented on. He had always wanted the power and flexibility that a triple-changer form would offer. Again, he typed into the console and almost screamed in frustration, smashing his fist down into the arm of his thrown he was sitting on. “WHAT TRAVERSITY IS THIS!!!” The third form was meant to be a gun emplacement, similar to some degree to his current alt form. There were some nice touches of control sections coming out of the turret to which his fellow 'Cons could help him aim. However, to call this a third form was like sating Unicron was on a diet! “IT LOOKS LIKE IT LSIPPED A TRANSFORMATION COG – BY THE INFERNO!!” He had decided that he was wrong – one of the technicians...no TWO of them....would now die for this. The Smelting Pool would have more fuel tonight.

He sat back in the throne, knitted his fingers together beneath his faceplate. So, what to make of this 'Darkmount' model. Putting his anger aside at the so-called third mode, he was pleased with the design of the tank mode, as well as the general look of the robot mode. He would feel comfortable in that. It would be familiar, yet modern. However, he could not shrug off how the colour scheme robbed the model of much of its detailing. It was there, but you would have trouble seeing it before you felt it. The legs were also a worry to him. They looked the part, but the lacked the solid power he felt he needed. He felt in himself that maybe a more traditional transformation for the legs may have been more apt. Yes, it would have been a little less flexible, but he would have been more stable in this form. He though again that maybe this form may have benefited from a higher scale. The legs may have been sturdier if done the same but with larger parts. Likewise, the simpler transformation would have been just as good in a smaller mode. While he disliked the idea of downscaling, the though of the speed and flexibility he had seen in recent 'scout' class models appealed to him. Straxus would have gladly exchanged some of his mass to be able to run rings round the larger models. Size was not everything after all. He knew Ratbat commanded much respect, and look at his size!

In all, Straxus could not shake a general sense of ennui over this model. Darkmount had been promised as the ideal upgrade of his form. The best this age could have to offer. However, there were just too many nagging issues to this to elevate it to this promise. Straxus sighed, tipped his head to the side and summed it up in one sound. “Meh..”

Straxus turned his mind back to the other projects he had going on, The Megatron clone and the remodel of that 'volunteer' for the Nemesis Prime programme were developing well. He looked over the data on these two, before typing a quick message for an update from Spanner.

He was so intent on his work, he did not see the gold finger tip pull away from the position it held over his shoulder, retract, and retract, until it disappeared into the vent above the throne....

THE END
DARKMOUNT....3 stars out of 5

[Philip Ayres]

Different is what we want. Well done Paul! I'll read it in the morning.

[Philip Ayres]

My turn:

Generations Darkmount aka Straxus

Straxus is a villain created for Marvel's transformers comic, loosely based on the Diaclone jet design used for Starscream and others, first appearing in US Transformers #17/UK Transformers #66. The reason he was created, rather than use an existing unused Decepticon, is because he meets his end in US Transformers #18/UK Transformers #69. The character was popular leading to some return appearances in the UK comics. Fans have wanted a Straxus toy for many years, and finally Hasbro obliges us in the Generations toy line. Unfortunately the name Straxus is unavailable, possibly due to it being a Marvel comics character, possibly due to being an obscure character in the Big Finish Doctor Who audio series, but I've also heard that the name may be in use by a film studio of a non-reputable nature and that Hasbro wanted to avoid a repeat of something similar to the Nexus Maximus incident. So Straxus acquires the name Darkmount, which in the comics was the name of his base. Straxus isn't the first Marvel comics character to be made as a toy: In 2003 Jhiaxus, a Generation 2 comics only character, was a Universe exclusive repaint of Beast Machines Jetstorm for KB Toys. I hope we don't have to wait a further seven years for Impactor or Flame. Actually Flame might make a good re-deco of Generations War For Cybertron Megatron!

Darkmount's vehicle mode here is a blue half track tank. In addition there's a small amount of grey panelling on the toy. Putting him straight to the Transformers Tank Test we find that the turret turns and the gun barrel elevates so we find he passes the Tank Test on both accounts. The gun barrel extends quite some way over the front of the tank. At the base of the barrel is a series of four what looks like grenade launchers. The end of the gun barrel is in fact a very short Mini-con peg. I got Swindle to attach OK but couldn't get Pinpointer or Throttler to mount. Adding ones like Sky Blast, Ransack or Throttler as extra weapons would be nice. Your mileage here may vary. On the front of the tank, and again at the front of the turret, is a M17 marking, a reference to the issue of the US comic he first appeared in.

Darkmount is a superb exponent of the new clip & bar accessory gimmick. He comes with three grey weapons connected by a ball joint to a red clip: a gun, a six missile bank and a three tube grenade launcher. He had a vertical bar at the back of the left turret and a horizontal bar at the front on the same side. The right side has two horizontal bars at each end. There's a bar across the hatch on the top of the tank - perfect for the gun - and a vertical bar in front of each tank tread. You could also connect the weapons to the handles that folds out the back of the tank (Why are there handles? Read on!)

To transform Darkmount into his cannon mode start by separating the rear deck of the tank and pulling out to the sides. Rotate the robot arms underneath so the can bend down at the shoulders then rotate the fists so the knuckle faces up. Rest the deck halves on the back of the arms. Swing the sides of the front of the tank out to the sides and fold the underside of the front of the tank down. Turn the turret round so it faces backwards, rest on a surface and push the turret forward so it's level. Fold the handles out from the back of the tank and rotate to the sides.

His Cannon Mode has elements of Straxus vehicle mode from the comics which was basically a flying cannon, but overall it's nowhere near that design. The best thing you can say about it is to praise the way it works as a weapon for the smaller scout class vehicles.

Transformation to robot mode: Start with the tank. Pull the rear deck halves out to the sides revealing the arms. Fold the deck halves down so the tank treads are next to the body. Push as far forward as you can so they're out of the way. Swing the arms down at the shoulders and fold the shoulders & front wheels forward past the deck halves so that the wheels point in diagonally. Fold the bottom of the chest down under the front of the vehicle. Fold the top of the chest forward, folding the head up from underneath it then fold the chest back down again. Fold the turret down so it hangs under the vehicle. Open the doors on the underside of the turret, though they're now facing upwards, fold each half of the turret forwards to form the legs and then close the doors on the back of the lower legs. Remove the tank barrel from the turret - oh dear it pulls out of what will now be his bottom leaving a 4mm peg hole behind as it were. Fold the grey flap closed over the front of his waist and straighten the legs in relation to this. Fold the waist up to the body clipping the lower chest into it. Fold the front of each turret half forward to form the feet. Press in on his heel to pop the heel spurs out the bottom of his foot and fold these back. Rotate the arms at the biceps so the tank tread parts are on the outside of the lower arms and if necessary rotate the wrists so the palms face the body. swing the sides of the front of the tank out to the sides to become shoulder pads and then lock the tank deck halves together to form a backpack. Open the hand and place the tank barrel in it. Turn the connector for the tank barrel down 90 degrees to form the head of Straxus' signature weapon, his axe.

Darkmount's robot mode looks much like Straxus' appearance in the comics. The main colour used is blue for the lower legs, chest sides, shoulder pads, arm guards, head and fingers. The centre of the chest is painted gold with the sides of the chest having a red triangle design, making the chest look like a modified version of the chest used on the Diaclone jet design. This design inspiration is perhaps a little more prominent in this panel from US Transformers #17. For an alternate chest design fold the shoulder pads back into the place they occupy in vehicle mode. The head is spot on which is important when producing a new version of a familiar character. As a nice touch you can see the raised neck through the sides of his mouth. Sadly the head is non removable so you can't recreate his later Marvel UK appearances where it's disembodied in a jar. The figure has a slightly odd look to it from the sides: if the legs are straight in relation with the waist then the robot looks down and the top of the chest slopes forward. To get the top of the chest level and the robot looking straight ahead means that the back is sloped oddly wit the top projecting back. Since the toy is already a little back heavy due to the backpack posing the toy like this means it's a little off balance. Add into this a pair of hips which are a little bit loose and you've got a recipe for a toy that falls over easily. The robot is the usual sort of size for a deluxe toy but this makes it look rather small if you want to recreate his comic appearances with the original Blaster. I'd suggest you put him up against Device Lable Blaster instead.

Articulation isn't bad, but is a little odd in a few places. The ankles for a start are on ball joints but the ball projects into the side of the ankle giving a slightly odd appearance but allowing for a decent spread legs stance. The knees are hinged, there's a thigh swivel and the aforementioned slightly loose ball joints on the hips. The head turns, the shoulders are ball jointed, the biceps turn, the elbow bends and in another slightly odd touch has a hinge which allows it to bend in. Finally the hands are ball jointed with the fingers being hinged so that they close against the thumb forming a grip that can hold a 5mm peg. However the ball joint on the hand has a tendency to fold down so you'll not be able to get him to hold any particularly heavy weapons. He's fine with his axe though. The axe supposedly stores in his backpack but for the life of me I can't work out how, despite looking at the instructions which are rather unhelpful in this area. I suppose you could stand a legends figure in the backpack but that won't help the overall balance of the toy.

The clip and bar gimmick works less well here. There's a bar on either side of the top of the backpack which are useful, but there's nothing on the shoulder pads or the forearms which would have been useful, while all the rest of the bars are scattered over the legs and the feet which are less useful for mounting a weapon on.

So decent, if odd coloured tank. But it isn't the first blue Transformers tank by any means and is necessary for the robot mode. The tank mode is enhanced by the clip gimmick but the cannon mode is a bit of a let down. The robot mode is quite faithful to Straxus comic appearance. Well worth buying and hopefully it will encourage Hasbro to do more comic characters as toys. Impactor please.

Generations Skullgrin

A repaint of Darkmount has already been revealed. Looking at Darkmount's instructions you can see the new head for Skullgrin there. I'm guessing the blue will be swapped for grey and the red for purple.

[Philip Ayres]

Rock Star Straxus!