Toy Review: Transformers Generations War for Cybertron Earthrise Doubledealer (Leader)

Review:  #610
Name:  Doubledealer
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Decepticon
Line:  Generations - War for Cybertron:  Earthrise
Year of Release:  2020
Size Class:  Leader (Wave 2)
Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Doubledealer is based upon his G1 incarnation and is a triple-changer.  His first mode is a missile carrier and at first glance, looks pretty good.

Naturally the gigantic missile on top is the first thing you'd notice.  There are a lot of great sculpted details all round.  The back also looks good but note that it cheats somewhat since it's a detachable panel.

The biggest negative here, and this is unforgivable for a Leader classed figure, is the massive gap from the front.  A simple flipdown panel would have solved this but it is terrible.

Leader class has officially shrunk down to what used to be Ultra class, and even then, Doubledealer feels close to a Voyager figure.  Granted, he is definitely bulkier than a normal Voyager but doesn't feel like it is by a lot, or at least enough to justify the higher pricepoint.

The missile is attached to a panel that can pivot up.  All eight wheels roll as well.

There is a base mode of sorts, you can flip the back panel and the stabilizers down and then point the missile straight up.  It actually looks decent for how simple it is.

This is a decent vehicle mode, although the hollow front is disappointing.

TRANSFORMATION (TO BIRD MODE):

The weakest part of the transformation scheme is the robot legs.  The way they are designed is that there are several joints in the knee area that have different configurations for vehicle, bird and robot mode.  It is annoying and frustrating to get it there because you have to move one joint without moving the other.  The worse part is moving from robot to vehicle, while the bird mode isn't as bad.  Going from vehicle to bird has you flipping the vehicle over, compacting the vehicle mode into a box, and then flip out the wings and the head.

BIRD MODE:

Bird mode is recognizable as a bird due to the wings and head.  Otherwise, this is a block with legs, wings and head...  Nevertheless, it looks okay.

The missile pegs onto a panel (that's molded like a tail) that pegs onto the back but is somewhat unstable since the connection is not secure.

Obviously this mode has Doubledealer being a lot more compact but also makes him feel more solid as a result.  Apart from the missile, this mode has everything lock together fairly well.

The headsculpt is pretty good.  The head can look up/down as well as rotate 360 degrees.  The beak can open and close as well.

Poseability is limited though.  You can play around with the wings but the legs are static and unmovable.

Alternatively, you can put the missile on the bottom and this configuration feels more solid.

For a third bonus mode, this isn't too bad.

TRANSFORMATION (TO ROBOT MODE):

Doubledealer has a bunch of accessories, mainly being weaponry that you need to detach for transformation.  Getting him into robot mode is okay.  You fold the wings up (somewhat inelegantly) and the front of the vehicle mode unfolds to form the legs.  The arms unfold from the back and then you can fold up the chest piece.

ROBOT MODE:

Doubledealer's robot mode looks good at first glance and for the most part, he is pretty good.  There are just one or two flaws that ruin the enjoyment.

He has a tiny bit of a backpack, which is the detaching panel that was at the back of the vehicle.  It is now attached to his back and acts as a sort of jetpack.  You can also see that bird's wings folded up here.

The headsculpt is nice.  It captures the character nicely.

Ironically, despite having Decepticon insignia on his packaging, he comes packed in robot mode with the Autobot insignia.

The gimmick here is that you can flip the panel over to cover the Autobot insignia with Decepticon ones.

Just like in vehicle mode, Doubledealer is not as big as Leader class used to be, even from a year or two ago.  Above is a comparison against SS Voyager Optimus and POTP Leader Prime.  While Doubledealer is definitely bulkier and slightly taller than a Voyager figure, at the same time, he is quite hollow and lighter than the bulk would have implied.

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

The chunky look is great although the hollow legs moots that point somewhat.  The huge amount of weaponry and places to peg them to adds quite a bit of play value.

The missile splits into two pieces, one as a shoulder cannon and another as a handheld cannon which he can hold in either arm.

The other big flaw here are the loose joints, which is not limited to certain figures, pretty much the whole production batch suffers from this.  His elbows are weak to the point of struggling to keep the gun up.  While his knees feels so loose and weak that you feel something must not have attached properly.

While Doubledealer looks good, there are some design and production issues that hinders the robot mode.

OVERALL:

Doubledealer is one of those figures that looks good but once in hand, will dampen your enjoyment due to flaws that should have been fixed.  The robot knees are the biggest issues, not only being loose in robot mode but the transformation design into the other two modes make it feel fragile and frustrating to work with.

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

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

Purchase from Amazon using this link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)

Spider-Man:  Far From Home is the second in the Spider-Man movie set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  It is significant since it is the first film set after the events of Avengers:  Endgame.  The impacts of that film is still being felt.  The themes of Far From Home is similar to that of Homecoming and it focuses more on an awkward Peter Parker, who has trouble balancing his superhero life along with his high school life.  Thus, there are plenty of scenes where Peter worries about the smaller scale stuff such as trying to get together with MJ.  While this is what makes this version of Peter his own character, there tends to be too much of a focus on this when there are more interesting elements at play.  However, Far From Home is still a fantastic movie by introducing Mysterio and the four Elementals.  This leads to some spectacular fights that goes over and above what you would expect.  Seeing Spider-Man team up with Mysterio to fight these otherworldly creatures was breathtaking.  To be fair, the plot was somewhat predictable, especially with the plot twists.  It also repeats some similar events to that of Ironman, which is another big theme of the movie.  Peter is trying to follow in Tony Stark's footsteps but he has to find his own way.  In the end, Far From Home is a great movie that has a slow start but rapidly gains its footing leading to an amazing second half.

Toy Review: Transformers BotBots Moldwich (Series 3)

Review:  #609
Name:  Moldwich
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  N/A
Line:  BotBots
Year of Release:  2019
Size Class:  BotBot (Series 3)
Mold Status:  repaint of Angry Cheese

ALTERNATE MODE:

Moldwich transforms into a moldy sandwich, and it looks like it has gone off for a long while.  It's green with gooey stuff in between the two layers of what was once bread.

It's a small figure give that it is a BotBot, above is a comparison against Legion Barricade.

While not the most appealing of alternate modes, it pulls it off fairly well.

TRANSFORMATION:

Transformation is very simple.  Open the shells to reveal the arms.  You can then pull the legs down and then flip down one more panel to reveal the face.

ROBOT MODE:

The robot mode is okay.  Half of the alternate mode is not transformed to become his head.

Due to the shellforming nature of the figure, the panels just stick out to the sides and back.

The face is painted on and gives Moldwich more of a mischievous feel to its personality and character.

Moldwich doesn't gain much height in robot mode, it's much much shorter than a Legion figure.

Articulation is extremely limited.  Only the shoulders can be moved around and even then, there's not much range.  As a robot mode for looking only, Moldwich gets a pass, but in terms of play value, it's very limited.

OVERALL:

Moldwich's biggest appeal is the fact that it transforms into a moldy sandwich.  The robot mode is passable but it isn't the strongest mold to have come out of the BotBots line.

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

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

Purchase from Amazon using this link.

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases)

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019)

Demon Slayer is an anime based on the manga series and is comprised of 26 episodes. It is set in the Taisho era of Japan.  It is an unique setting since it shows a time in Japan’s past where swordsmen are still a common sight.  However, you’ll get a surprise later on.  It follows Kamada Tanjiro who is living a happy normal life with his family consisting of his mother and several siblings.  They live atop of a mountain with Tanjiro regularly heading down to the village to buy and sell items.  On one fateful day, he returns to find his family massacred.

His sister, Nezuko, who seemed mortally wounded, was still clinging onto life and so Tanjiro races down to the village in an effort to get her to a doctor.  Along the way, his sister seemingly transforms into a demon and that is when he realizes that was what had slaughtered his family. Tanjiro later encounters a demon slayer who informs him of the Demon Slayer Corps.  It is an organization comprised of people who works in the shadows to protect the people by slaying the demons.  The demon slayer, seeing potential, recommends Tanjiro to a master to help train him up, which will also help Tanjiro find a cure for his sister.

The demons have a few traits that make them stand out (which also has a few parallels to western vampires).  First, they cannot stand sunlight, withering to ashes as soon as the rays hit them.  Second, they consume human, more so for their blood rather than flesh.  For each human they consume, they get stronger.  The more powerful demons gain additional abilities and change forms, looking more like monsters and losing any trace that they were once humans.  Finally, the only way to kill a demon is to decapitate them using a special sword.

Demon Slayer starts off with a strong first episode and then dials it down as it shows Tanjiro’s training.  While Tanjiro shows potential, he had to work hard into realizing it and so he is constantly being thrashed in the beginning.  The fourth episode is where the pacing starts to pick up again, leading to a climactic battle that served as an excellent ending to the episode. The scenarios only get better from there as Tanjiro learns of the cause of the demons and the one who is ultimately behind it.  that person is the only one who would be ablet o tell Tanjiro how to turn Nezuko back to a human.  Tanjiro’s quest to find this person takes some interesting turns.  You would expect Tanjiro’s quest to be a slow burn yet the developments are quicker than you’d expect as he finds some promising leads.

So not only is Tanjiro is a demon slayer travelling with a demon but Nezuko doesn’t act like a typical demon either.  While she isn’t shown to have any extraordinary powers and her healing factor is slow, her behavior is different.  She doesn’t speak but is able to understand just fine.  This isn’t to mention the bamboo she keeps biting on all the time. Most of the variety of the anime comes in the different types of powers that demons have.  A few of them are definitely unique and it shows its creativity in how they apply those powers in battles.  Tanjiro relies on a set number of “forms” and the way he triumphs over the demons lacks the same creativity.  However, the battles nail the atmosphere.  Coupled with the unique aesthetics of the anime, and it is visually striking when the water effects of Tanjiro’s sword skills come into play during his attacks.

The anime has a good mix of humor and emotional moments, managing to balance those two.  There are a few annoying characters, especially the one who is afraid of everything.  You wonder how he managed to survive thus far (naturally, he has a hidden ability).  The other character that’s extremely impatient is also frustrating to watch.  However, both of them eventually become more endearing.

Tanjiro is shown to be too kind hearted and naïve at times.  He easily forgives even though the enemy may have been cruel and killed countless humans before (sometimes right before his eyes).  A significant amount of time is spent on each demon’s backstories, their past lives as humans before they turned, in an attempt to justify their actions.  On the flipside, while you do expect the demons to do horrifying things, they still manage to do things even worse than you’d expect. There is a really nice battle towards the end of the anime against one of the strongest demons that Tanjiro has faced thus far.  While Tanjiro pulls some moves we haven’t seen before out of nowhere, the fight emphasizes the contrast in colors and the fluidity of Tanjiro’s movement as well as the strong connection between him and Nezuko.  All this leads to one of the most visually and emotionally spectacular fights within the anime.

After the climactic battle it spends the rest of the episodes with massive amounts of world building.  It expands on the Demon Slayer corps, its inner workings and Tanjiro undergoing further training to power up.  We learn about the motivations of several characters and it manages to keep hitting the high emotional notes.

Overall, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba manages to exceed your expectations of a typical action anime.  The concept isn’t terribly special but its execution is pretty solid.  The iconic battle towards the end of the anime is one of the best in terms of its emotional atmosphere.  The ending, while lacking in action, is still engrossing especially since it leads to an arc that you’ll be eagerly anticipating.

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

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

The Invisible Hours (PS4 / PSVR)

The Invisible Hours is a game that originally required the PlayStation VR to play, but a patch has since released that allows you to play the game without using the headset.  This can only be described loosely as a game since it is more of an interactive experience.  You are pretty much a silent observer and watch events unfold in front of you.  It is heavily story reliant and that’s pretty much the only thing going for it as there is no gameplay other than deciding on where to go and who to follow.

The game starts off with Gustav arriving on an island.  He, along with six others, was invited by Nikola Tesla, with the promise that he can undo their mistakes.  Gustav was a detective and upon his arrival, he finds Tesla lying dead on the ground.  He takes it upon himself to try and track down the murderer among the other guests, including big names like Thomas Edison.  The key gimmick of the game is that there are seven different perspectives that you can follow at any time.  While you are watching one scene, things are happening concurrently in other areas of the mansion, which may provide additional clue on who the murderer is.  You’re able to move around the mansion, fast forward and rewind time, and explore.

The concurrent multiple viewpoints sound good and interesting but as a side effect, if you stick to one character, there will be sections where they do absolutely nothing.  They’ll either stand there or sit there in silence in slow motion, and it is quite awkward.  While you can take it as a cue to move to another place, at the same time, it feels rough and felt like they were dragging the scenes longer in order to fill in the time.  If you stick to one character, it will feel like the story is underdeveloped and that the revelation came too fast without much buildup, yet the whole point of the game is to watch each character before moving onto the next chapter.

Despite the negatives, having the various viewpoints of the characters and multiple plot threads happening works quite well.  The interactions between the characters unveil plenty of little bits and pieces about those characters that keep it interesting.  Each character has something suspicious and their own ulterior motives.  To aid in tracking all the scenes of the characters, if you pause the game, a map of the mansion shows up.  The map locates where all the characters are at any given time.  While it is limited to the ones you had already seen the scenes off, it helps keep track of where everyone is, relative to what is currently happening.

The game only has four main chapters, plus two small ones that serve as the endings.  If you follow on character through the whole way in each chapter, then it’ll only take an hour before you see an ending.  As you are supposed to go around and watch all the perspectives, it’ll boost the play time to around 5-8 hours.  In addition to the story, there are a bunch of collectibles spread around the mansion.  Being able to explore the mansion, especially rooms where the story did not take place in, is quite interesting and fun.  The secret ending gives another dimension to the story and it ends up being a bit more complex than at initial glance, making the story fairly worthwhile in the end as it takes on an unexpected direction.

When playing in VR, you can use either the DualShock 4 or two Move controllers.  Getting the game to recognize the Move controllers is finicky and they offer nothing above what the DualShock 4 can do.  You can move via teleporting, which helps immensely with VR sickness.  Unfortunately, the graphics are sub-par.  It is extremely blurry and hard to make out the details on the characters models, which were already simple.

Playing in non-VR mode makes everything sharper but also highlights how this was a VR developed game first and foremost.  The controls translate well but the details on the character models are scarce and there are odd proportion issues.  Overall, The Invisible Hours is an enjoyable game.  It is not the best game out there, whether VR or not, but it contains surprising twists in its story that is only evident if you put in the effort to watch all the viewpoints.

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

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