Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series (Dead) Brawn (Deluxe)

Review:  #874

Name:  Brawn

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Generations - Studio Series

Year of Release:  2024

Size Class:  Deluxe

Mold Status:  retool of Studio Series Brawn

PACKAGING:

This special edition of Brawn comes with in a two-pack with Ratchet, and the packaging is a bit more unique in that they're packed side by side.

VEHICLE MODE:

Based upon his appearance in the original 1986 movie, Brawn transforms into an off-road SUV.

The front is good, while the back is okay, there are exposed hinges which are made more obvious with the yellow plastic, but it's still very decent.

Given he is a minibot, and scale is important in Studio Series, Brawn is quite small here for a Deluxe.  He's super compact.

The robot weapon, which is a gun, pegs on top of the roof.

Unlike Ratchet where the retool was more obvious, Brawn's vehicle mode is pretty much the same as the original release.

There's no much play value here, the wheels roll but there is a very small ground clearance.  All the windows are painted a bright blue.

A decent vehicle, and you can't fault the number of paint applications, since all the areas where you would expect paint does have it.

TRANSFORMATION:

Simple and elegant, Brawn has a solid transformation.  The sides detach and then fold together to form the legs with a satisfying click.  While the arms then unfold from the side.  Most of upper area of the vehicle doesn't move but it still works really well here.

ROBOT MODE:

Brawn's robot mode is great, he captures the short stocky proportions perfectly.

A big part of the vehicle ends up as kibble on his back but it doesn't get in the way at all.

The head sculpt is new, and he has a screaming expression, given this is the "dead" version of the character.

In terms of size, he is once again quite short in robot mode when compared to a normal Deluxe.

A quick comparison with Ratchet, the other figure in the pack.

As part of the Studio Series line, there is a big wide cardboard stand that is able to display both characters at the same time.

The head was one part of the retool, the other part was his chest which is a hole to represent battle damage.  Otherwise, the rest of the figure remains the same.

Articulation is great, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

He comes with his gun, as well as rubbery blast effects.

He can hold the gun in either hand, it's a small one but still looks great.

The blast effects can be attached to the end of the gun.

However, the main usage of the blast effects is to attach it to his battle damage, to represent his death scene in the movie.  It's morbid but also has a dark humor feel to it.

The gun can store on his back, in the same place as vehicle mode.

Despite the dedicated retooled parts, it doesn't stop him from looking great in normal poses, in fact, it gives him a bit more grit and expression.

A fantastic robot mode that looks great and plays great.

OVERALL:

Brawn is a strong solid figure, and if you've missed him the first time around, then the two-pack is worth getting if you're also interested in Ratchet.  The retooled parts does a great job at not only replicating the death scene from the movie, but also doesn't get in the way of making him look normal if you don't want him to look like he's half dead.

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Princess Peach: Showtime! (Switch)

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a game that after so much time, finally stars Princess Peach as the protagonist again, rather than someone having to be saved by Mario. The game does have a plot to set up its events, whereby Peach goes to the theatre to watch a play. Upon arriving, it is taken over by the villain, Grape, and her minions, the Sour Bunch. All the plays are corrupted and taken over by the villains, and Peach travels through each one to restore each one with the help of Stella, the guardian of the theatre.

The theatre element plays into the gameplay. This is a third person action adventure game of sorts, although it is on the easier side and designed more for younger audiences, it’s still fun, enjoyable, and relaxing. Peach herself can jump, and twirl Stella, who takes on the form of a ribbon. This has various effects depending on what it is used on, such as restoring a flowering tree, freeing the play actors, or dispatching enemies.

The gameplay gimmick here is that Peach will eventually gain a different costume in each level. Peach literally changes costumes and gains different abilities. We’re quickly introduced to Sword Peach, where she wields a sword and can have more aggressive attacks. Due to this gimmick, a lot of the game’s enjoyment is the variety of costumes and abilities. It is fun to see Peach gain the abilities of a ninja and able to wall run and camouflage herself or become a cowgirl and lasso enemies to throw them against each other.

Each level is short, and while the gameplay design of the levels is nothing innovative (they’re functional, but won’t blow your mind), since it plays as if Peach is in the play, complete with props and changing backgrounds, it brings with it a lot of charm. Then it mixes different types of gameplay so you’re not always jumping, fighting enemies and facing bosses. There’ll be chase sequences, minigames and bigger set pieces.

Each of the levels have various collectibles, including stars for completing certain objectives, and a ribbon for finding a hidden character. Like in all Mario games, there are coins. These can be used to progress the game and spend on in-game costumes for Peach. You can replay levels to get any of the collectibles that you’ve missed but you’ll have to play through the whole level from start to finish, which can be repetitive. This is because you cannot skip cutscenes, and you cannot back out of a level early.

While the game is mostly a sidescroller, it’s more like a 2.5D game where there is limited 3D movement. Due to the theatre theme, each level is like a stage play, complete with props. At times, it does mix between something that belongs in a play and something that doesn’t due to the larger setpieces. The changing gameplay helps with ing things fresh, such as the baking minigames, or even levels where Peach becomes a detective and you need to find clues to solve mysteries. Although these detective levels slow down the pacing too much.

Despite the simple controls, or maybe it is because of the simple controls, but given each different dress that Peach obtains only provides her with a different singular ability, it can be awkward and clunky to use at times. Especially during sections where you know what to do but need to do it in a timed section, you’ll end up failing due to fighting against the controls. On the other hand, at least the graphics are bright and colorful, suiting the theme of the game and looks good… except for the few times where the resolution feels a bit fuzzy.

Most levels are short-ish where they take less than ten minutes. Some feel shorter and some feel longer, there’s not that much consistency. However, the different transformations keep things flashy and fun. Bosses in general are as easy as the rest of the game, thanks to their obvious patterns. The game takes around five to six hours to complete and after that, there is not much more content to play other than replaying levels to gain all the collectibles. There are harder challenge levels where you can go for high scores.

While the story is simple, there is enough charm to it, and it tells enough without bogging you down with cutscenes. Plus, it’s more plot than usual for a Mario game. It helps that the villains are likeable and that’s due to the theatre setting where everything is flashy and melodramatic. No player should have any issues with completing the game due to the low difficulty. Even if you lose all of Peach’s hearts, you’ll just end up repeating that section of the level with a minor penalty. If you cannot pass that section, it’ll even offer you an option to skip it completely.

Overall, Princess Peach: Showtime! is a simple game, and that can be boring and off-putting for some. On the other hand, this means it’s the perfect game to play for relaxing, or in between heavier games. The different transformations that Peach can obtain provides enough variety to the short runtime so that it doesn’t outstay its welcome.

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Studio Series (Dead) Ratchet (Voyager)

Review:  #873

Name:  Ratchet

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Generations - Studio Series

Year of Release:  2024

Size Class:  Voyager

Mold Status:  retool of Studio Series Ratchet

PACKAGING:

This version of Ratchet is inspired by his death scene in the 1986 Transformers movie... and he comes in a 2-pack with a similarly fashioned Brawn.

VEHICLE MODE:

The mold itself is from Studio Series Ratchet, but replaced the front windscreen with a damaged version, as well as replacing all transparent plastic in the original release with painted ones.

Ignoring the windscreen, this is a really good vehicle mode, and unlike the Earthrise Deluxe, the back actually looks like the back of a vehicle.

The only negative is that even though this is a Voyager figure, he is very compact, and is only slightly larger than a Deluxe.  Nevertheless, he does feel nicely put together.

Despite the damaged windscreen, it surprisingly still works fairly well.

He comes with Brawn, who doesn't have any damage visible in vehicle mode.

His robot weapons can store in one of two places, either on the roof or underneath.

Additionally, the lightbar is attached via a simple 5mm peg, so you can remove it for a non-rescue vehicle.

There are a lot of transformation seams though, and this seems unavoidable with Ironhide / Ratchet figures, even the Masterpiece version has them.

TRANSFORMATION:

While inspired by the Earthrise Deluxe, this is a different transformation and one that is surprisingly good.  Most of the budget went into this, hence the smaller size.  There is no partsforming, the whole figure form sth erobot mode, and it manages to do this by having the back form chunky legs, and then having a few panels fold on top of each other to get rid of the extra mass.  While the front form the chest, and the arms fold out from the middle.  It seems elegant when executed liek this.

ROBOT MODE:

Wow, this is one of the best Ratchet figures we've had that had the whole vehicle form the robot mode.  The proportions are surprisingly good and he isn't overburdened with kibble.

A lot of the kibble wraps around his legs, but done in a solid manner.  He doesn't carry much of a backpack either.

The other remolded part of this figure is the headsculpt, where he now has a screaming face of sorts, or maybe it's one of pain.

Unfortunately, most of the budget went into the engineering, so he is only Deluxe sized, and kind of disappointing that way.  At least he does feel solid in the hand.

There is a big cardboard stand, which can fit both the figures in the 2-pack at once.

A short with his packmate Brawn, and another one with the Earthrise Deluxe, showing how they are similar in size, but whereas the Earthrise version feels hollow, this Studio Series version does not.

A close up of his chest showing the remolded chest with all the damage.

Articulation is great, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

He comes with a pair of silver guns, as well as two blast effects parts (that are comprised of three smaller pieces).

He can hold the guns in both his hands.

Furthermore, you can attach the purple blast effects to the tips of these weapons.

However, the best is using the blast effects on his chest, as that has a 5mm port, and you can replicate his death scene...

The pair of guns can be stored behind his legs when not in use.

He has big chunky limbs, which helps in making his feel good in the hand and when posing him.

The shade of white used is bright, as well as the baby blue, yet it somehow works well together.

A fantastic robot mode, and this is even a good repaint / remold.

OVERALL:

The mold itself is worth getting.  This version is novel in that it is replicating a death scene, which feels like some sort of dark humor.  Yet its concept manages to work in execution.

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