Toy Review: Transformers Generations Titans Return Galvatron & Nucleon

Review:  #335
Name:  Galvatron
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Decepticon
Line:  Generations - Titans Return
Year of Release:  2016
Size Class:  Voyager (Wave 1)
Mold Status:  new

NUCLEON:

First up is Nucleon, who is the Titan Master for Galvatron.  He looks just like a mini Megatron, a bit unfortunately that the grey is unpainted so he looks very bland and horrible.  Only the eyes are painted red.

The back shows off the head which is equally unpainted except for the red eyes.

The articulation is restricted to balljointed joints, since the leg joints are useless and are only used for transformation.  A bit disappointing overall since there are some nice sculpting but the lack of paint and choice of plastic ruins it all.

CANNON MODE:

For the first time since G1, we have a Galvatron that actually turns into the cannon as seen in the G1 cartoon and movie.  This is a fantastic cannon that looks great with the huge orange barrel and the two legs.

The back is a bit too big since they're the folded up robot legs, but since it's fairly hollow and light, you can tilt the cannon upwards a bit with it falling backwards.

The figure also comes with a collector card that shows off a nice piece of artwork.

This is a Voyager classed figure and he is fairly big and bulky.  Above is a comparison with Generations Springer, note that while Galvatron is physically large, a lot of that size is created through hollow pieces so he isn't that hefty.

A comparison with Nucleon shows off how much bigger Galvatron is.

There are some pegs at the back of the cannon to stand some Titan Masters but otherwise there's no further interaction.

No significant complaints to this cannon mode.  It's faithful to the character and looks really good.

TRANSFORMATION TO JET MODE:

Galvatron has a third mode and transforming him into jet mode from cannon is actually very easy.  You detach the cannon, fold up the cockpit and reattach the cannon to the bottom.  Unfold the legs and arms and you're done.

JET MODE:

The jet mode is not too horrible but it is the weaker alternate mode of the two.  The front is well-defined with a proper cockpit and tail fin.

The back and wings are where it fails.  The wings are formed by the bulky robot legs, and when viewing from behind, it's just a gappy and empty mess.

That said, at least it pegs and holds together well, and this mode doesn't compromise the figure much but adds in a lot more play value.

The cockpit opens up and you can place a Titan Master inside.

The jet is also fairly large in size.

A mediocre jet but it does look plausible from the front.

TRANSFORMATION TO ROBOT MODE:

Once again, Galvatron is surprisingly simple to transform into robot mode.  Of course, being a Headmaster, the core robot doesn't have a head.  This is one figure in the line that feels like it didn't have to be a Headmaster and has become worse for it.  The chest is completely hollow and could have easily fit the robot head.

ROBOT MODE:

Robot mode looks absolutely fantastic and very evocative of the character.  The shade of purple and grey is nice and accurate.

He has the vehicle cockpit as a massive piece of kibble on his back but as it is hollow, it doesn't cause any problems.

The biggest problem is the head.  In order to bulk up the head in robot mode, he has a flip up mask which sits in front of the head.  It is too thick and so sticks too far forward from the face to look good.  Furthermore, he ends up having no neck articulation in the end.  Very disappointing.

Taking the mask away, the head becomes too small.  However you will note that he has a sculpted crown anyway, if only that was painted purple it could have made a decent substitute.

Size-wise, Galvatron is once again quite bulky looking and is a decent size.

Articulation is pretty good apart from the neck, literally it is as far as it can turn in the photo above.

The arms look a little bit weird since they're oddly tapered and there are the treads behind his elbows.  Otherwise, Galvatron is aesthetically strong.

Of course, there's the weapon which is his iconic orange barrel.  It slots into his upper elbow via a 5mm peg.

It severely restricts his arm movement but who cares, it looks so good anyway.

The cannon has a piece at the back that can flip forward and you can have a Titan Master man it (unfortunately, I only had Hardhead's Titan Master handy).

A strong robot mode that's only hampered by the head.

OVERALL:

Galvatron is a nice figure and is worthwhile.  It is a bit unfortunately that his fatal flaw is also something that could have been easily avoided.  The mask was a terrible idea, not only does it not look good, it also severely restricts his neck motion which is unforgivable on a figure this size.  In the end, Galvatron is still worth a purchase though since the figure has a heap of play value and looks great.

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

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

Book Review: The Maze Runner

Review:  #607
Title:  The Maze Runner
Series:  The Maze Runner - 1st book
Author:  James Dashner
Read Before:  no
Comments:  The Maze Runner follows Thomas as he wakes up in a glade, which turns out to be in the middle of a huge, ever-changing maze with a bunch of other teenagers.  Each day, they scout around the maze hoping to find an exit, but in the two years before he arrived, they could not find anything.  Of course, Thomas will be the one that instigates the finale.  The first half of the book is actually not that great, it is filled with heaps of exposition, but it’s not even exposition that gives clarity to the situation.  It leaves readers in the dark and feels so mundane and pointless.  The worst part is the slang created that’s constantly used in dialogue.  They’re basically substitutes for swear words but it feels so contrived and forced that you’ll probably roll your eyes.  Thankfully, it redeems itself in the second half where the action ramps up and there’s a sense of urgency to escape the maze.  Overall, the plot and writing style feels like the author is still trying to find his own style, as it feels amateur-ish.  While the ending was not satisfactory since it leaves too many questions unanswered, The Maze Runner shows promise.

Rating:  6.5/10

Saving Santa (2013)

Saving Santa is a Christmas themed film about an elf which causes the villain to find out the location about the North Pole and subsequently invades it.  He must then time travel back again and again in order to prevent the invasion from happening.  While the premise is not the most original, Saving Santa does have some redeeming features such as the way time travel was handled (in that actions in the past have already been performed and cannot be changed) and the musical elements.  Some of the singing was neat and the songs catchy.  The animation was lacklustre, often lacking in intricate detail, and the pacing of the film can plod on.  Overall, Saving Santa is an average film but good enough to watch to pass the time as long as your expectations are not high.

Toy Review: Transformers Unite Warriors Computron (UW-08)

Review:  #334
Name:  Computron
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  Unite Warriors
Year of Release:  2016
Size Class:  N/A
Mold Status:  N/A

PACKAGING:

As a part of Unite Warriors line, Computron comes in a beautiful box.  The front has an amazing piece of artwork.

The back shows off the stock photos and since it is TakaraTomy, they are correctly transformed and placed in dynamic poses.

The front of the box is on a magnetic flap so if you're a MISB collector, you can still enjoy the figures thanks to the window.

TECHNOBOTS:

Computron is the combined form of the Stunticons, which are comprised of:  Scattershot, Afterburner, Lightspeed, Nosecone and Strafe.

In robot mode they look great together and this is one of the most color coordinated teams in the Combiner Wars / Unite Warriors lines, with a common color of red or white.

It helps that they share common aesthetics and makes you want to display them this way.

LIMBS:

Scattershot forms the torso and fantastically, the torso mold features a new chest and head which goes a long way in differentiating him from Superion.

Afterburner normally forms the right arm.  You can have the wheel facing up or to the side, facing up is actually better since it makes the arm seem sleeker.  The leg mode is annoying in that the elongated windshield now gets in the way, no matter which way you rotate it, something is going to stick out a lot.

Lightspeed normally forms the right leg and it seems like a stumpy leg since the front of the vehicle folds down.  The arm mode is very bulky but the shorter elbow makes it look more natural.

Nosecone usually is the left leg and the drill makes a nice kneecap.  The arm mode is bulky and the drill does somewhat sit awkwardly off to the side.

Lastly, Strafe usually forms the left arm and looks really good but like many Combiner Wars molds, loses some of the vehicular elements in this mode.  The leg mode is also nothing special but still looks nice.

COMBINED MODE:

And now, combined into... Computron!  He looks absolutely stunning and is one of the best in the line.

He does bear a bit of backpack kibble in the form of Scattershot's vehicle nose and wings, as well as Scattershot's robot hands behind the knees but otherwise this is a well balanced combiner.

There is a new headsculpt (instead of lazily reusing Superion's head) with a mouth.  The antennae is also made of harder plastic.

Of course, as a combination of a Voyager and four Deluxes, he towers over all Voyagers and Leaders (above is Classics Optimus).

A quick comparison with Superion showing off the differences in the torso.  The metallic painted details on Computron's chest make it stand out and look very nice.

Computron has the joints for good articulation but is too heavy for his own good.  It's not that his joints can't hold him, the ratchets are nice and tight, but the feet is not good and likes to slide and he just usually falls over his own weight as he can't balance properly.

Computron's gun is made up of a combination of the guns from Scattershot, Lightspeed and Nosecone (the other weapons can be plugged in various places).

Unfortunately, Computron keeps the combiner pieces that can form either a hand or foot, and this means he has small feet and large hands.

Once again, the common colors of red, white and brown makes this one of the more consistent Combiner in terms of colors.

You can swap the limbs around since each component robot can form either an arm or leg.

In this mode, Computron has slimmer legs and bulkier arms.  It is your personal preference, this configuration makes it seem like Computron is better in a hand-to-hand brawl.

Another winner.  Of course, he's more for displaying in a neutral position than really be played with and posed.

OVERALL:

Computron is one of the best combiners in the end, even so far as to say if you had to get one combiner, get Unite Warriors Computron.  You can tell that a lot of effort has been made into this set, with each character getting various remolds (even the least remolded figure got a new head and a pair of weapons).  Computron is worth the higher asking price.

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

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