Robots in Disguise/Car Robots

[The Huff]

RID Predacon Bruticus is also a must. An absolutely insane toy even by Beast Machine standards.

[Pinwig]

Feb 5, 2021 1:54:36 GMT Toph said:

Hasbro versions actually look better

I get the impression that's a common theme with this line. Lots of the toys seem to be takara's decos with bits added. Unless they're totally different like Ruination.

[Philip Ayres]

RiD is a bit matter of taste on which deco is better, YMMV.

It's one of two lines where Hasbro are second AFTER Takara. The other is Cybertron and there the consensus is that Hasbro's decos are generally better.

[Pinwig]

Feb 4, 2021 23:16:33 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Does Pinwig own any flavour of Stealth Bomber?

No, but I've already been sniffing around that two pack on eBay. That looks pretty cool.

[Philip Ayres]

The stealth bomber is one of the best TFs of all time.

For my money the BWII colours are better but RiD has some mould improvements to the missiles

[Pinwig]

Frustratingly, there's a sealed/new Dreadwind & Smokejumper going on eBay at the moment for thirty quid, but it's buyer collects only in Milton Keynes!

Bludgeon is great fun. Mrs P has come under attack this evening from bellows powered missile fire. It's a great reminder that chunky simple robots with action features are just as good, if not better than super-articulated screen-accurate modern generations figures. This puts them to shame really. I'd say all that's missing here is flip out feet like G2 Megatron just to break up the legs a bit, and more importantly a clip on the bellows to store them in the hollow in the back in robot mode.

[Pinwig]

Oh I see, the bellows still attach to the back of the canon in robot mode. Nice. He's just the right height to be a sidekick to Scourge and I love the way the two of them together are like a warped nightmare version of Prime and Megatron.

[Pinwig]

As shown last night, one of the great things about a line that is still relatively recent (oh yes it is) and unpopular is that you can pick up sealed/new figures pretty cheap. I've been wanting to get Landfill as much as I did Scourge, and used a few coupons to get all four figures for about £14 each sealed on card. Definitely opening them though, I can't wait to build this combiner.

The RiD quest continues.

[Stomski]

Feb 5, 2021 12:26:35 GMT The Huff said:

RID Predacon Bruticus is also a must. An absolutely insane toy even by Beast Machine standards.

Uh, insane yes. Good, no. It is dire and I don't regret selling mine on.

[Toph]

I was not fond of the mold, or it's colors.

Wouldn't mind seeing the character revisited with a better designed mold.

[The Doctor]

I remember the fuss about Bruticus at the time. When I eventually saw one I was a tad underwhelmed!

-Ralph

[Toph]

I do wish they had decided to finish the Transtech Starscream and Cheetor molds and released them in RiD

[Pinwig]

This weekend will be Build Team weekend for me. I've unboxed them all (impressed with the sticking power of the twenty year old glue holding the bubbles on) and intended to spend a bit of time with each. First up - Wedge, what a neat little dude! How cool is he! Bit back heavy in robot mode, but a terrific face sculpt and really nicely proportioned.

[Pinwig]

It's weird fiddling with these. Twenty year old toys, yet brand new. They feel closer to Armada than any of the other RiD figures I have. The number of ball joints is the only weakness with them, particularly in the hips. Otherwise, given three of them have not only robot and vehicle modes but also two combiner configurations they're very clever.

[Pinwig]

Absolutely loving messing around with these chaps at the moment. Why is Hightower the only one who has a separate pistol weapon to his detachable building part weapon? 

[Toph]

Why have I spent 15 years trying and failing to figure out a viable mold for a prebeast BW Scorponok, when RiD Grimlock is right there?

[Bogatan]

Those guys take me back. I some how ended up buying at least some of these guys from Japan at a time before I had paypal or a credit card. I suspect I sent cash to some random Japanese dude. Could have been a newsgroup or the guys own website (I miss geocities).

Ive always called build Boy, Build Boy so I'm sure he was one of the ones I got, or maybe I just love the name.

I think I got Mach Alert from the same source.

[Pinwig]

Landfill achieved! Grimlock arms version, and isn't he a bugger to get into arms mode, needed a video for that. Clever the way the three robots pin together as a triangle with Wedge stuck over the top. Nifty. Not very articulated, but then as he's taking on the Baldichaps it's all about the arms anyway.

[Pinwig]

Well it's been at least four weeks since I last had an RID toy so it must be time for another one. Side Burn arrived today (loose complete with backing card & instructions, like new condition, £7.50 plus postage).

I was really looking forward to exploring these car brothers figures because of the asymmetrical nature of the robots but oh my GOD what is going on with that right shoulder. Man that's a faff to rotate into place. Once there, I'm pretty happy with this one. Hasn't filled me with the chunky glee that the Build Team did, mostly because being a twenty year old figure the ball joints in the ankles aren't great and he needs more balancing than posing to keep him upright, but it's an... interesting experience. Rubber tyres though, that's always worth a smile. You can broooom the car mode and it actually rolls forward.

[Toph]

Yeah, Sideburn forced some changes going forward.

[Pinwig]

Are Prowl and X-Brawn any more stable?

[Toph]

They are indeed.

[Pinwig]

They remain on the list. Side Burn looks pretty good stood with Landfill. Pity the car panels on his back don't fold up more. Interesting through the passage of time that as a Deluxe he's the same height as an average modern one like Runabout and the articulation is quite good given the ball joints. The many, many ball joints.

[Toph]

Sideburn is a great toy. Great robot, great vehicle. Interesting and extremely unique design.
He just has a terrible transformation scheme.

[Stomski]

The car brothers are awesome. I have a special place for them in my nostalgia vault, probably as they were the first major return to original designed real world aesthetic vehicles in a long time. Couple that with the complexity and I was sold.

[The Doctor]

I did enjoy them back in the day, which was last week and clearly not 20 years ago!!!

-Ralph

[Jim]

X-Brawn was my first toy as an adult collector, kicking off All This (Beast Wars having coincided with university), and I'm never sure whether it feels like just the other day or a lifetime ago

[Stomski]

I'm only 24 so not sure I can wholly relate.

[Pinwig]

That's 24 in hexadecimal is it?

[Pinwig]

Second arrival in two days!

This time - Dreadwind and Smokejumper, loose complete and in mighty fine nick. I will keep this one for the weekend I think. The Decepticon army grows!