Book Review: Eclipse

Review: #87
Title: Eclipse
Series: Twilight - 3rd book
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Read Before: yes
My Comments: I will say one thing before I criticize this book, and that is, it sure is addictive. Even though I cringe immediately from the descriptions and actions, the world of Twilight is really interesting, and it really hooked me in to find out more (even though I have read this one already, it still sucks me in). I do think that Eclipse started off as being one of the better books in the series (second best, after Twilight) but it was completely ruined once you went past roughly the halfway mark. What I find annoying is Bella and the way she thinks, and it isn’t good enough for the author to mention it once, she has to mention it again and again and again and again, and it’s not just this, it’s with practically everything, she repeats to the point where you cringe every time you read the same thing. I especially cringe and find annoying the way Bella thinks that everyone is weak and going to die, seriously, and thinks fully of self sacrifice when her ideas are really out of whack. The book expands a lot of the universe’s mythology and history, so that was quite insightful, but other than that… a strong beginning and a cringe worthy ending (the author had ruined it quite a bit with all the things that were happening).
Rating: 7.5/10

Book Review: Black Heart of Jamaica

Review: #86
Title: Black Heart of Jamaica
Series: Cat Royal (not official name) - 5th book
Author: Julia Golding
Read Before: no
My Comments: Starts of a bit bland and doesn't really show much promise, but it does get better and more varied. It is one of those books where it’s best if you’ve at least read another book in the series in order to understand everything. There’s a lot of witty humour and tongue-in-cheek which is really amusing, although I do think the story sometimes gets a bit out of hand, like you don't know what the whole point of the thing that just happened was, or you’re wondering why that happened and that it doesn't really fit with the overall arc of the story. Nevertheless, it was a really enjoyable read, with the characters very interesting, it is a bit sad to see how many characters were kinda dismissed as soon as their uses were over, maybe in the sequels we get to see them again. Sometimes I can't guess or understand many of the characters’ motives, as it seemed to contradict something else they did earlier or go against their nature. Overall I think this series of books is more or less feels like bits and pieces bunched together with an overall story, not that it’s bad, but just that sometimes it feels unnecessary, but a book worthy of reading, especially since there’s not much action in this.
Rating: 7/10

Book Review: Saving Mississippi

Review: #85
Title: Saving Mississippi
Series: N/A
Author: Cornelia Funke
Read Before: no
My Comments: A surprisingly good book that I found myself easily absorbed in it. Thought it would be pretty weak, due to the whole cover and story being clearly targeted at younger girls. I only read this one because I like the author, she has managed to make a simple plot quite interesting, and it was even a little bit suspenseful for a time. It was a fun read and the characters were likeable, although very kid-oriented I really liked the ‘bad guy’ and how everything worked out, I kept finding myself looking forward to the next time I’m going to read after I’ve put down the book.
Rating: 6/10

Book Review: The BFG

Review: #84
Title: The BFG
Series: N/A
Author: Roald Dahl
Read Before: yes
My Comments: Not too bad a book but outstandingly simple, especially it’s plot, I think it’s because I’ve been spoilt by some really good books with complex plots, that this books feels childish to me. Credit must be given to the author for his incredible imagination though, most of the book has a lot of very interesting inventions from his minds, and that’s what makes his books so great. It’s only now that I see that they are aimed at younger readers, it really shows, but still an amusing read. I really like the illustrations that accompany the text and they provide a great visual cue to what is going on. I would only recommend it if you don't mind a straightforward story.
Rating: 5.5/10

Toy Review: Transformers PCC Steamhammer w/ Constructicons

Review: #41
Name: Steamhammer w/ Constructicons
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: PowerCore Combiners
Year of Release: 2010
Size Class: Commander with Drones (Wave 4)
Variations: none as of this date

VEHICLE MODE:



Steamhammer transforms into a bulldozer in the classic Constructicon green, the blade is disproportionally huge though, and takes up most of the mass. I love the silver 'grit' applications on the blade. The cockpit is a small affair, made worse by that only the front window is painted black, all other sides are unpainted green plastic (even though windows are molded in).



There are the characteristic PowerCore Combiner blue ports sticking out the back, the other two are right behind the blade, so they aren't too obvious there. There are some blades/hooks at the back and he features a Minicon port on top of the cockpit.



While a good looking bulldozer at first glance, due to most of the mass being shifted into the blade, the rest of the vehicle suffers. There are gaps everywhere, and looking from the top, you can see the arm joints, head and all sorts of other kibble. It's not a disaster, but far from the best alternate mode out there.

DRONE VEHICLES:



Being a 5-pack, instead of a Minicon, for the extra cost, you get four auto-transforming drones (too bad they don't have robot modes though). The first one I'm covering is a steamroller. I actually like this one, although it feels a bit cheap and hollow, the two wheels and roller spin. Again, there are silver paint wash on the roll which adds great visual appeal. The only bad thing is that it doesn't have a clearly defined driver's compartment.



The second is a front end loader. The scoop can adjust, but the degree of spread is very limited. This one is a bit bland but the details are adequately painted. There is a conveyor belt thing running through the middle and I love the look of that. I forgot to add that since these are the "Constructicons", they are all construction vehicles.



Next up is a plow drone, I think the most boring one of the set. There's a black paint wash on the plow, which is a nice touch, fairly plain overall. All drone vehicles have a Minicon port, but honestly, they're such a small size (about Legends) that plugging in a Minicon kinda looks ridiculous.



The last is a drill drone, my favourite of the set, primarily because of such a unique alt mode. This makes me want more than ever that they could have engineered a robot mode into these. The drill can tilt up and down, again, it is limited.



They look great together as a set, the construction theme works really well, and although they don't share any common colours, they still mash together okay.

TRANSFORMATION:

A simple transformation, really simple in fact, but it works well. Unfortunately, this causes some kibble issues in the modes but I'll get into that later. The one thing that causes worry would be the hip tabs, it tabs really tightly for combined and vehicle mode, so when it comes to pull them off, since the tabs are thin, you're bending them and causing a lot of stress. I think, over time, they will snap off very easily. I like the transformation into torso mode, and how well everything clicks and pegs together, so it forms a very solid figure. Apart from the tabs, I think this is a nice transformation.

ROBOT MODE:



I like this robot mode, many people probably found faults in him, but for all his flaws, I really like it. I love his blade weapons on the underside of his hand, I like the kibble treads hanging out onto the sides (kinda look like jetpacks actually) and I like the chest design. The only thing I don't like about him is how small he is!



All that mass in the robot is situated on his back, in the form of the vehicle blade. It's such a shame as it's a huge chunk and ruins the look. At least you use the combiner plugs as solid heel spurs, he won't fall over any time soon.



The head is an interesting design, very tubular in shape, but he's got a nice grimace. It's only on a swivel joint, and he doesn't feature a lightpipe.



As I said, Steamhammer is really short, shorter than what a Scout should be. I know that the 5-pack commanders are usually smaller but this is ridiculous, he feels fragile because of this smallness.



Steamhammer has some great joints but the killer is that everything gets in the way of each other. The legs are relatively free, but the cockpit protrudes out of his elbows which hits the blade kibble on his back. The result is that he cannot put his arms in a normal resting position. I still love this robot mode, and for some reason, he reminds me of ROTF Dirt Boss.

COMBINED MODE:



Steamhammer's combined mode is the BEST out of the whole PowerCore Combiners line, I am not exaggerating, he is the only one in which I liked the instant I saw the first photos of him. He is well proportioned, he's also the only 5-pack originated molds to feature a Minicon port in his chest.



The drones he comes packed with are really stable and some of the best ones produced, and what's more, they're the only ones with dedicated thumbs!! Yes, as weird as the reason, this was why I was sold on this set, thumbs, it just makes him look so much better. I also like how in torso mode, Steamhammer doesn't have the feel of being too thin. One little complaint would also be that his chest unclips just a bit too easily.



He's a bit shorter than Bombshock but just looks so much better, the drones do a good job of acting as feet and arms, I think it's the blocky look that makes them so much better. Another reason would be that there isn't a weird 'spacer' gap between the 'knee' and the attached drone that is prevalent on other PowerCore Combiners. Steamhammer's legs pretty much look integrated instead of something tacked on.



Head is a bit unusual, but I've warmed to it. It looks menacing somehow, sad thing is that is it really limited in how much the head can turn. A few degrees and that's it, as his 'collar' gets into the way. I do like how he has antennas on either side of his head. Steamhammer manages to avoid looking like a Devastator rip off even though he is tributing that figure.



This is where having a few toys from the line can be fun, I've attached the three Minicons I had so far (during the time I took the photo) and Steamhammer looks quite cool with these 'power ups'. The possibility of this guy is decent, but the lack of elbows hurts, a lot, the way they are bent out the sides makes all these PowerCore Combiners look awesome, but that's the price you pay for automatic transformations.



Took forever for this guy to get to my place, and I wished he was released in the early waves rather than at such a late time where a lot of people's already viewing this line as something they don't like. Steamhammer is an excellent figure for the line, and shows how great PowerCore Combiners could have been, alas, it was not to be and even this guy was fairly difficult to find...

OVERALL:

While I like Steamhammer, he is not my favourite PowerCore Combiner (Smolder and Undertow are better) BUT, he is the best 5-pack out there, with a good solid Commander toy and four well designed drones, it is the best value you're going to get with the options out there. If you're even a tiny bit interested in the concept, there's no better toy to start than this one right here, Steamhammer with Constructicons.

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Credits: linked a few TFwiki.net pages in this review if you wanted more info on the respective links

Check out other toys reviews in the 'My Transformers' page which you can access at the top of the blog.

Book Review: Egypt: A High-Speed History

Review: #83
Title: Egypt: A High-Speed History
Series: Horrible Histories
Author: Terry Deary
Read Before: no
My Comments: A fun book, although it is more of a graphic novel than the traditional text type with some pictures. I’m not even sure if it should be called a graphic novel, it’s more like a comic strip, a monotone comic strip (it’s completely in shades of blue and white). The stories are interesting, and the puns are well done, I quite enjoyed reading the book. The information it put across was something I hadn’t known before, and it’s quite unique at how they put it across, although some jokes are quite overused within the book itself (it’s great the first time but they just keep using it like two, three, four more times later on). If only more non-fiction books were like this, then I would honestly read more of them.
Rating: 6.5/10

Toy Review: Transformers DOTM Crowbar

Review: #40
Name: Crowbar
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Dark of the Moon
Year of Release: 2011
Size Class: Legion (Wave 2)
Variations: none as of this date

VEHICLE MODE:



Crowbar transforms into an unmarked version of a Carbon Motors E7 police car, he's black with silver detailing, emphasis on the black.



Surprisingly the tail lights are painted red, and there's a molded license plate. There's also an out of place silver Decepticon logo on the roof, fairly random as it's not in an obvious place in robot mode either.



Crowbar has a lot of panel breaks, a lot more than you would expect, thankfully he's black, so you don't notice it that much. All his windows are unpainted, but being that the base plastic is black and the car is black overall, I don't mind, it works here.



What I found was surprising was that they painted the each of the side mirrors to be red and blue, a really nice touch, and secures the theme of a police car. The front grill has a lot of silver paint, but after Barricade from the first movie, a police car Decepticon just doesn't have the same stun factor anymore.



Panel lines here and there, it breaks up the whole car a lot, and that's the major flaw of Crowbar.



The underside doesn't give too much away in terms of transformation. Of course, all four wheels roll.



Just like other DOTM Legions, Crowbar feels smaller than Legends in the past, he's actually a bit smaller than DOTM Bumblebee, and feels noticeably smaller than even RtS Prowl. All in all, a good vehicle mode, I really like the front design, and the painted side mirrors adds that touch of realism.

TRANSFORMATION:

A much more complex Legion classed transformation that you would expect, this is why there are so many panel lines in vehicle mode, as there's a lot of twisting and unfolding going on around here. The arms are easy, being the whole top part of the car, but the legs are interesting, and has a lot of joints (which comes in useful later on). You would have to be careful when going back into vehicle mode, Crowbar has more pegs than he needs, and I snapped a peg clean off when I tried to push his left leg into the car. Ironically, once it snapped off, that part fitted in way better, so I think my one had a manufacturing defect, the peg might be just a bit too big for the hole or skewed in angle, nevertheless, it still holds plenty well together. The transformation is annoying to start or finish due to the pieces pegging together, but I'm happy that we didn't the standard back as legs, side as arms, and front as chest transformation.

ROBOT MODE:



Crowbar's robot mode is one of the better movie Legions one yet, he looks really menacing with those bat like wing tips, long arms and long legs. The chest is the front of the car upside down, and looks great there, my favourite element by far (the two front wheels on either side of his head is a great look).



He has big flat feet, very stable to stand in a variety of poses. The arms are a touch bit too big due to it being formed by most of the car, but he gets away with it.



It is not all good news, he is extremely spindly, especially around the legs, this is the trade off you get from a design such as this... Crowbar pretty much only looks good from the front.



Not much to glean from the back. One thing to note is that you always have to put his arms in front of the legs, they have no way of sitting 'naturally' at the side due to how the shoulder ball joints are set up, this is mildly annoying. His left hand also has a 3mm hole to hold some Cyberverse weapons.



Being a "Dread", he has... dreadlocks! They flank on either side of his head, and I must say, what an ingenious place to put them, out of the way but maximum visual impact. The headsculpt is also very nice, but he has a gaping hole, which I guess is where his mouth must be. There are actually different base plastic used here, one is black, and the other is a dark gold used for the inside of his arms and his torso.



A close up of where I snapped the peg on his left leg (the 'white' circle), mildly annoying that I broke it on my first transformation.



He is tall for a Legions figure, but like I said, he is spindly and has less mass, so he feels more fragile than Prowl.



I am absolutely amazed at the leg articulation of this figure, he has a balljointed hip, BUT he has thigh swivels (required for his transformation), unbelievable, then there's the knee hinge and finally hinged feet, like I said, amazing... Compared to that, the arms are really static although they can tilt back, they can't tilt 'out' though, what's more, he also has a waist swivel... overkill, surely?!



A really rewarding robot mode, and he carries enough colours to look interesting and not like a plain lump of black plastic.

OVERALL:

A cleverly designed robot mode, just need to watch out when you're pegging him together. Otherwise, an excellent figure, and the standout in the current Legions line!

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Credit: the pictures and text are all my original work, but I've linked a few pages to TFwiki.net.

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