Toy Review: Transformers Age of the Primes Slingshot (Deluxe)

Review:  #869

Name:  Slingshot

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Age of the Primes

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  Deluxe (Wave 1)

Mold Status:  new

JET MODE:

As part of the update of the Aerialbots, Slingshots gets a new updated figure and he transforms into a white jet.

It's a chunky jet, especially right behind the cockpit, since he's an approximation of a Sea Harrier.

He is an okay size for a Deluxe class figure.

There is quite a bit of undercarriage kibble, although it is semi well integrated into the fuselage so it is not too obvious.

The robot guns can peg underneath each wing, and this is a fairly decent jet.

TRANSFORMATION:

There's little creativity in the transformation scheme.  It's a simple one, where the back unfolds / extends to form the legs.  The cockpit folds back.  And the arms are from the sides.

ROBOT MODE:

Slingshot's robot mode isn't too bad, although his arms are a little bit skinny proportionally speaking.

He has a ton of kibble, most of the jet is on his back.  The pieces behind his legs stick so far back and they do get in the way.

The head sculpt is nice, and reminiscent of the blocky head of the original toy that doubled as a connector.

Size-wise, he's average in robot mode too.

He has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.  So basically the expected amount of articulation for contemporary figures.

He comes with a pair of double barrelled blasters that he can hold in his hands.

Alternatively, they can peg on his forearms, which looks pretty good.

There is no official place to store the weapons, but you can just peg them where they were in jet mode, the wings of which are now on the outside of his legs.

An okay robot mode, albeit like his fellow Aerialbots, a bit generic and bland.

OVERALL:

Basically, you would get Slingshot to complete Superion, because on his own, it's hard to recommend.  Like, he doesn't do anything particularly bad, but is such a boring and generic figure that there are better and more interesting figures to get in the line instead.

-----------------------------------------------------------

For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page and this page.

Support this blog by purchasing from Amazon using this affiliate link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Toy Review: Transformers Age of the Primes Air Raid (Deluxe)

Review:  #868

Name:  Air Raid

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Age of the Primes

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  Deluxe (Wave 1)

Mold Status:  new

JET MODE:

Air Raid, based on his G1 design, transforms into a predominantly black fighter jet.

This is an okay jet mode.  He's quite blocky, which is in line with the G1 aesthetics but still...

He's around normal size for a Deluxe class figure.

There is quite a bit of undercarriage kibble.  Basically, it's the whole robot tucked in underneath there.

The color scheme is nice, with the sparse white highlights.  Of note is that the tailfins are attached via 5mm pegs.

TRANSFORMATION:

As simple as it gets.  The cockpit folds back.  Pull the arms out from the side and flip out the fists.  Then unfold the legs from underneath the rear of the jet.  It's a typical jet transformation scheme and Air Raid feels generic because of it.

ROBOT MODE:

Robot mode looks okay, still very G1 in its aesthetics.

He wears a decent amount of kibble, with basically the whole jet on his back.

The head sculpt is fine, at least he has a painted face so the details aren't lost.

Again, he's around normal sized for a Deluxe class figure.

He has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

He comes with a pair of small blasters that he can hold in his hand.

To be honest, the main draw of Air Raid is his status as part of a combiner.  As a standalone, he's really generic and bland.

A lot more white comes into play for robot mode, which brings a nice contrast to jet mode.

OVERALL:

Air Raid is one to get if you want to complete Superion.  This is a simple figure that if it wasn't for the combining gimmick, would be too generic and bland to be worth the price.

-----------------------------------------------------------

For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page and this page

Support this blog by purchasing from Amazon using this affiliate link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Like a Dragon: Yakuza (2024)

Like a Dragon: Yakuza is a 12 episode series based upon the games. However, its story is only loosely based on its inspiration, as there are a lot of changes made. The first episode jumps between 1995 and 2005, which can make for some issues with pacing when it’s not used as effectively as it could have. It starts off with the orphans Kiryu and Nishiki, who steal from one of the yakuza. Naturally, the yakuza come to take back what’s there and it sparks off the events of the show.

To pay back the yakuza (since there is interest and damage to the amounts that they stole), Kiryu and Nishiki end up joining the clan. We’re then shown that Kiryu for reasons not yet explained, has spent the last ten years in prison. When he is released, it’s a different, yet still familiar world, for the yakuza. The show takes place in the fictional district of Kamurocho, a red-light entertainment district of Tokyo.

There are a lot of characters introduced, which, coupled with the constant shift between the past and present, can make it hard to keep track of who’s who, and what is happening. Basically, in the present, two yakuza clans are locked in battle, with Kazuma caught in the middle. Kazuma meets up with his fellow orphans, but having been in prison for ten years, there is a rift between them. Given that the show basically time skipped, we don’t know what happened, and it’s using the flashbacks to slowly reveal it.

For fans of the game, or at least having played it, there are some nice easter eggs. From Majima’s appearance to the locations. A lot of liberties are taken but still cool to see this take on those characters, and some of the actors used really evoke the characters that they are playing as. While not overly violent, there are certain scenes where it evokes the same kind of stylized and over the top violence as the games.

The plot gets clearer as the season goes along. It’s a little bit more focused, being around the theft of the money that Kiryu managed to get himself entwined in. The way that Nishiki managed to live during the past ten years, as well as how Kiryu got into jail in the first place, is slowly unveiled piece by piece. It’s not the best method, and the plot is still too scattered and unfocused to keep your attention, but it shows that it has potential.

In the final two episodes, everything is effectively revealed. Was the payoff worth all the scatteredness and vagueness early on? It’s hard to say, since it’s not as if it was an amazing secret. The show does a poor job of introducing the characters apart from Kiryu and Nishiki, that it takes nearly the whole season before you realise who is who, and how they relate to each other.

That said, the show perfectly captures the rivalry between Kiryu and Nishiki. The two actors do a great job at playing those characters. The show also touches upon the game’s occasional cheesiness with its own, with characters acting just a bit more exaggerated than in real life in one scene, before becoming extremely serious in the next. The season finale is supposed to be a cliffhanger but is easily guessable by the viewer.

Overall, Like a Dragon: Yakuza is an average show. If you come in without any background from the games, it can be confusing. Even if you have played the games, it’s still confusing, but at least you can have fun recognizing various locations within the show. The plot had potential, but the way it was executed by constantly flipping between different time periods makes for a scattered approach that muddled too much of its storytelling.

---------------------------------------------

For other reviews, have a look at this page and this page.

Support this blog by purchasing from Amazon using this affiliate link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Toy Review: Transformers Masterpiece MP-56+ Riggorus

Review:  #867

Name:  Riggorus

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Decepticon

Line:  Masterpiece

Year of Release:  2024

Size Class:  Masterpiece

Mold Status:  retool of Masterpiece MP-58 Hoist

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:

Hasbro versions of this figure comes with an extra outer sleeve, which is a simpler design.

Inside is basically the Japanese packaging and toy, and like with all Masterpiece releases, it is a nice package all round.

The stock photos chosen are good, and shows the various poses and gimmicks.

Riggorus comes with a few accessories, being an artwork card, a force field, and a pair beam emitter, as well as attachments for his shoulder cannons.

There are also optional stickers.

VEHICLE MODE:

Riggorus transforms into a Hilux camper truck, and it's one from the 1980s, so it's an older design.

It's a very detailed and faithful vehicle mode too, particularly since it is also licensed, so all the detailing is there.

He is bigger than a Voyager, but less then a Leader.

There is a chrome grill, although since the whole piece is chromed, it's a bit tacky.  While the back has sculpted Toyota lettering.

The details don't end there, as he features opening doors and an opening hood.

Open up the hood and it'll reveal some engine detailing, all this is very impressive.

The only negative is that the bright yellow used is not very realistic.

A fantastic vehicle mode, as you would expect of a Masterpiece figure.

TRANSFORMATION:

Compared to some previous toon-accurate Masterpiece figures, Riggorus isn't too difficult or tricky.  Thankfully, he doesn't include any convoluted designs and in theory, is a bit more on the simpler side for this price point.  He effectively folds inside out, as the legs as well as the arms are untucked from underneath the truck, leaving the vehicle shell that forms the torso.  It's a bit of a surprise, and the shoulder pieces are somewhat confusing in the instructions.  The transformation scheme is lacking a bit of elegance as the torso feels unfinished.

ROBOT MODE:

Given he's a retool of Hoist (which itself is a retool of Trailbreaker), he has elements of those designs, and this is not a back looking robot.

Unlike the original toy, his proportions isn't bad, and he doesn't look bloated or too fat.  He has a bit of kibble, the pieces behind his shoulders are part of the design though but they do get in the way.

The head sculpt is toy inspired and looks nice.

He becomes very tall in this more, towering over all Voyagers now.

However, that comes at a cost, and the reason he's so tall is that his torso is basically hollow and is gappy.  That's disappointing for a Masterpiece figure, given that they couldn't have found a way to cover up those unsightly gaps on the sides of his torso.

Moving on from that flaw, he's nice and chunky.  He's striving for toon accuracy but at the same time, doesn't feel too far on the toon side which is great.

Due to the hollowness of his torso and legs, he can feel light for his size though.

Articulation is naturally really good, with joints for his head, shoulders (including being able to flex in and out), elbows, wrists, fingers, hips, knees and ankles.

He comes with a few accessories, the first is the forcefield which attaches to his torso.

Next are the pair beam emitters. You need to actually remove his hands in order to attach these, which is disappointing.

The shoulder cannons can also point forwards.

Finally, the forearms can extend, which can look weird but still pretty cool.

Given how his torso is, his hip joints are differently jointed than normal.  They still have the range of motion you'd expect, but can look weird at times.

Thanks to his large feet, he is quite stable in most poses.

The robot mode can feel a bit unfinished in certain areas, given that they don't peg securely only anything, like his shoulder cannons.

The articulation in his fingers (two pieces that are jointed), provides a lot of posing fun.

Even without the stickers, he isn't too bland thanks to the silver and red on his lower body.  With the stickers, which are mostly on the pieces behind his shoulders, it can look more tacky.

Despite the flaws, this is a solid robot mode.

OVERALL:

Riggorus is a solid Masterpiece figure.  He's not the best though, or the best value.  There are flaws in robot mode that are hard to ignore, such as the hollow torso and general hollow feel.  However, he does display well and looks decent.

-----------------------------------------------------------

For other Transformers reviews, have a look at this page and this page

Support this blog by purchasing from Amazon using this affiliate link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)