Toy Review: Transformers Generations Rattrap

Review:  #194
Name:  Rattrap
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Maximal
Line:  Generations
Year of Release:  2014
Size Class:  Deluxe (Wave 9)
Variations:  the Japanese Legends version has slightly different paint applications

COMIC:

Rattrap comes with a comic, the issue Finest Hour:  Dark Cybertron Chapter 5.  Bad news if that if you're only getting one or two toys in the Generations line and you don't follow the comics, this will be confusing.  Good news if if you're getting all the toys, you'll have a complete set of the Dark Cybertron arc.  Anyway, Rattrap doesn't even appear in this issue which is a massive disappointment.  In terms of storyline and plot, it jumps from place to place but it fairly easy to pick up and at least kinda know what is happening.  The art is inconsistent and proportions are weird at times (especially Shockwave).  It's not the worst pack in issue but far from the best (the Spotlight ones were much better).

RAT MODE:

True to his name, Rattrap transforms into a rat.  It's nice to get some beast modes again to break up the multitude of vehicles and this is one of the best beast modes yet.

Sure, Rattrap relies heavily on panels resulting in large panel breaks but it's believable and realistic.  The brown coloring in addition to the grey "fur" looks good.

This is a plausible rat from most angles but you can see some robot kibble poking out of his stomach.

This is an angry looking rat, he has painted white teeth and his mouth can open and close.

In terms of size, because he is so compact, he can feel small in your hand.

Looking underneath, you can see the robot all tucked up inside, yes, Rattrap is predominantly a shellformer.

One really cool thing about the tail is that it is not just a single piece of soft plastic.  There must be a metal wire inside or something because you can bend it and it will hold it.

Rattrap is able to stand on his hind legs without any balancing issues although doing so does break the disguise.

What's also a nice touch is that his head can fold down and there is a second panel behind it that covers up the gap it leaves (i.e. his neck).

That's about as much articulation as you're going to get.  His hind legs are mostly static except for the feat, his front feet are on swivels but they swivel out at a weird angle.  You can't really move the front legs despite appearances as it will dislodge the transformation pegs.

This is a fantastic rat mode which is leaps and bounds better than the original figure (keeping in mind that the original was released something like 18 years ago.

TRANSFORMATION:

You're either going to love or hate it.  In order to achieve screen accuracy and like the original toy, most of the rat mode are pieces of shell that encase the actual robot parts inside.  However, one of the best things is the way the robot leg forms which ingeniously incorporate the rate's hind legs.  It is the highlight of the fight and the thing that makes Rattrap impressive.  Going back into rat mode can be a pain as you need to position some pieces just right in order to tab the pieces together.

ROBOT MODE:

Once again, Rattrap is amazingly screen accurate in robot mode.  He looks as if he just jumped out of your TV screen, down to the gears on his shoulders.

Unfortunately, he does retain most of the pieces of the alternate mode on his back, while still accurate to his original form, it would have been nice if it could be reduced a bit although I would have no idea how.

The pieces stick out a fair bit from his back, there's no way to compress it further.  It doesn't really clip in, relying more on friction to keep it in place.

One of the best things about these updated Beast Wars characters are the head sculpts which are amazing.  Once again, the head sculpt captures the character well.  It's only missing a blob of silver paint on his cranium.  Instead, it's left in transparent plastic, the lightpiping doesn't work properly due to the red painted eyes.

I've mentioned it briefly earlier on but the way the robot legs incorporate the rat's hind legs are ingenious.  I love how it integrates the rat feet as heelspurs.

Rattrap is on the shorter side in robot mode, which is true to his character.

Get ready... for Rattrap is packed full of gimmicks.  First up is his blaster, unfortunately it's in transparent plastic which makes the details hard to pick up.

He can hold the blaster in either hand although I find that the handle is slightly too large for the fists, be careful as you may stress the hands.

Now... the blaster can split into two pieces to form two separate guns.

Which allows Rattrap to dual wield!  Awesome!!

There are tiny Maximal insignia's on each forearm.

That's not all though because his left forearm can be opened...

To reveal a bomb of the type he used in the Beast Wars cartoon!!  I'm surprised they kept this piece as I thought the small size would be a prime choking hazard.

He can hold the bomb in either hand.  Once again, it's transparent plastic which makes it hard to pick out the details.

I find that the rat head is too big because it covers up his head from various angles.  Joints are also very tight.

Articulation is excellent.  His forearms can feel slightly too long when trying certain poses.

There are no balancing issues or any looseness of parts.  Paint applications are strategically placed to bring out all the details.

This is a great robot mode that just blows your mind with how good it is.

OVERALL:

Some of the best updates in the Thrilling 30 Generations line would have to be the Beast Wars figures.  They are simply amazing.  Rattrap is a massive improvement over the original (and hard to find).  The show likeness is astounding.  While transformation is a little bit tricky and he relies heavily on panels, Rattrap is a solid Transformers that's well worth tracking down.

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R.I.P.D.

I liked the premise of the film, in which there is a law enforcement department for the afterlife.  However, the idea and what you actually get are different enough that it feels as if the movie never got to its full potential.  The duo we get is supposed to have good chemistry.  There's the wisecracking old guy and the rookie, we are supposed to see them come to respect each other.  This is done in an awkward way during which they just accept each other in the climax but nothing really happens to suggest that respect was earned.  What's more, the dialogue from Roy, the wisecracker, fails 99% of the time.  It's not funny, they tried to play up the Western background but it comes off at bland and trying too hard.  The film had a decent budget ($130 million, apparently) but the special effects come off as really fake.  Effects have come such a long way that it's disappointing to see the low quality in a film such as R.I.P.D.  The story overall is stale with unfunny attempts at humour and in the end, there aren't many good points to warrant this as a mediocre movie at best.

Book Review: The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight

Review:  #446
Title:  The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight
Series:  Goosebumps
Author:  R.L. Stine
Read Before:  yes
Comments:  Once again, the author has a knack for creating some intriguing premise to make you want to go through to find out the truth.  Sadly, this book fails somewhat in the revelation in that it wasn’t that satisfying.  You expected a better mystery, maybe if the book was longer the author would have had the space.  Anyway, the plot was still interesting and while it wasn’t terribly scary, it had potential.  The idea of a scarecrow coming to life can get freaky.  There were too many cliffhangers and red herrings within each chapter that it became predictable though.

Rating:  6/10

Magazine Mogul (Android)

Like all of Kairosoft's other games, Magazine Mogul is a simulation, the theme this time around being a magazine company.  One thing that strikes me is that if you have played Game Dev Story, this game is extremely similar in the pacing and gameplay, with a few minor twists.  Basically, you choose a specialization for each of your employee, at 40% and 80% completion of the issue, an event happens in which you pick an employee to go scouting or write up a feature, before it gets proofread (i.e. getting rid of typos and you earn research points) and then it goes on sale for anywhere between four to nine weeks.  Magazine Mogul is so similar to Game Dev Story that it can feel quite stale and bland in the beginning.

Luckily, there are some new things that gets introduced throughout the game that freshens up the formula and ends up being as addictive as all of Kairosoft's other sim games.  The biggest addition is the fact that you end up being the Council of the city.  You are given a yearly budget which you spend to enhance the population of the town, such as making festivals, opening up more shops and merging with other nearby towns.  It's actually such a significant portion of the game, for something that was originally aimed to be a side activity.  The customization of your office is very limited; sadly, the camera is fixed into place so it can get a little bit boring.  Stats play a huge factor in the game yet it doesn't do a great job of explaining what each stat does.

There is a text tutorial which you can browse through any time.  However, it can get overwhelming in terms of how to raise stats, how to optimize discovering new subject matter for your magazine and managing the council side activity at the same time.  Once you get more employees, raising stats is a very clunky and time consuming affair.  Nevertheless, Magazine Mogul is a fun game that gets you into the mentality of playing just a little bit more to see how well your magazine sells or the results of your research.  Before you know it, half an hour would have passed.  This is a very dangerous game in terms of using up large chunks of time in your life...  The game is presented in the well-known Kairosoft style of pixelated sprites and settings, which can look very undefined and lacking resolution on bigger screens.

The graphics style carries its charms and these kind of graphics are all you need since the gameplay is more important.  One thing that is disappointing is that the game carries a few noticeable bugs and glitches.  Considering that Kairsoft's games are usually polished and optimized well, it comes at a surprise when music cuts out, framerate stutters and it even crashed my phone at one point (Xperia Z1 Compact running on Android 4.4.3, so I'm sure it's not the hardware not being able to keep up).  Typical Kairosoft staples are included here.  There are in-game annual award where you can win prizes for best writing, best design etc which loses the excitement and suspense soon after as you get to the point of churning out magazines with such high stats that you are guaranteed at least one prize each year.

Pumpkin products are still present which allows you to purchase items to use such as changing an employee's job or instantly replenishing their energy.  There are a limited amount of tunes that loop indefinitely, therefore it's a good thing that these tunes aren't annoying and can be quite catchy.  The game eventually gets boring before your 20th year (in which the game "ends", although you can keep playing on and on, you just don't get more points factored into your high score), there's not enough spice to last for such a long time.  It becomes repetitive as you're churning out magazine after magazine with the same motions and the things that keep unlocking are just more of the same (it just has a different name), rather than something significant that changes the gameplay.  If you're a fan of Kairosoft, it's still a must play but wait until it goes on sale, especially if you have played Game Dev Story before.

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Toy Review: Transformers Generations Windblade

Review:  #193
Name:  Windblade
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Autobot
Line:  Generations
Year of Release:  2014
Size Class:  Deluxe (Wave 10)
Variations:  none as of this date

COMIC:

Windblade comes with Burning Bright:  Dark Cybertron Chapter 8.  As you can tell, it's quite deep into the story arc already and so if you haven't been following the comics or at least Dark Cybertron, it can be tough as to know what is happening and who the characters are.  I think Windblade is introduced for the first time here but she doesn't get much screen time.  She acts cool and serious.  This issue is about the Autobots and Decepticons teaming up and fighting off Shockwave's undead army.  Character outlines can be fuzzy in some frames and the detailing of some of the models aren't the best.  As a freebie, it's good but if you aren't already following the comics, this isn't exactly going to make you want to.

JET MODE:

Windblade transforms into a sleek black and red jet with VTOL fans on each wing.  It's instantly a unique design and color scheme that works really well.

The rear isn't as well formed, primarily due to the sword and sheath sticking way out.

However, if you take it out, it leaves a jarring empty gap in the fuselage which is disappointing.  The robot legs are obvious, while it's a novel idea to place them there, it doesn't work and breaks the whole "robots in disguise" mentality.

The sword and sheath pegs into the underside, and it ever so slightly pushes the jet off the ground so that the rear landing gear doesn't touch the surface.  The only retractable landing gear is the front, all wheels are molded in.

The rear thrusters actually have some decent detailing and looks good.

Size-wise, being a plane definitely gives the illusion of Windblade being larger than she actually is.  Ignoring her wings, she very small and feels fragile.

A gimmick in this mode is the VTOL fans can tilt forward, which is cool.

The blades can also spin.

There are some good elements that work really well but there are also flaws such as the robot legs and sword sheath ruining it.  It looks good on display so it's still a winner.

TRANSFORMATION:

In three words:  fragile and fiddly.  Windblade's transformation is not fun, the pieces are small and the plastic quality being of the softer bendier type makes you feel as if the plastic will shear off with every movement.  For such a hyped up figure, Windblade is so fiddly to get back into plane mode (robot mode is better since you're just unpegging everything) such as the way the arms and wings tab in.  Even once you're done, sometimes the jet feels like it's straining and will dislocate at any moment.  Definitely not one for the young ones as it'll break in their first attempt.

ROBOT MODE:

Windblade's robot mode is as cool and unique as her jet mode.  There is a distinctive Japanese theme here which works well.

There are some pieces of kibble, most noticeably her huge wings out to the side, but also the cockpit resting on her back.

The head sculpt is evocative of Japanese Kabuki theater makeup.  It's well painted with silver, red, black, gold and blue.  You'll either love or hate it, I find that it's too organic and doesn't suit a robot.

Windblade is a slim figure and has a distinctive female outline.

I'm impressed with her robot legs, being high heels.  There is a slight design flaw here in that the heels folds inwards, which means whenever you're adjusting her pose, it will inevitably start to fold inwards and Windblade cannot stand.  It would have been good if the designer bothered to make it click in or something.

Windblade lacks bulk and as such, feels small and fragile.

Her articulation is good, she has all the joints that you would need, including waist and wrist swivels!

Surprisingly, she isn't too hard to balance.  Sure, you might have to readjust her legs and heels from time to time, and her wings can throw the balance off a bit, but on the whole, it's decent.

Next up is her weapon, her sword rests in a wicked sheath when not in use.

The sheath pegs into the slots on her hips, it actually makes great use of the mandatory slots for swivel joints (for tolerance reasons).  Sadly, it doesn't peg in very securely and is prone to detaching with any sort of handling.

Her sword is transparent purple fading to just transparent at the tip to mimic the energy effect.  It's really cool and the design of the sword is fantastic.

She can hold the sword in either hand and this is where the wrist swivels come in handy, allowing for some great sword wielding poses.

The sword hilt is designed to look like a VTOL fan, to give the sword more power I guess.  It's a cool design but I wish that the designer could have somehow incorporated one of the actual VTOL fans into the sword but it would have been too big I guess.

The sheath has a handle designed for Windblade to hold it in her hands, which is a nice touch, it allows for even more posing opportunities.

She is flexible enough to be placed in unsheathing poses.

Her wings are adjustable but no matter what you do, it still looks awkward like they don't belong there.  They can fold back and up and done, while that may sound like a lot, it still feels restricted.

The last piece of gimmick the fan at the back of her head can be detached and held in her hand as a tessen fan.  It's a nice touch although it takes a fair bit of force to detach.

While the black and red works, the lack of paint applications masks some of the sculpted detailing making her more bland than she actually is.

The sword is completely made of transparent plastic with paint, so it feels as if just placing it into her hand will scrap the paint off.

This is a solid robot mode with the major flaws being the lack of solid attachment of her heels and the big wings looking out of place.

OVERALL:

Windblade was a character that had huge potential as a toy, the concept was great but the execution is a bit lacking.  There are some slight flaws here and there that ruin the enjoyment of the figure.  The jet mode's mostly hollow fuselage being her robot legs, fragile transformation and legs not pegging together are design oversights.  Windblade is still worthwhile due to the unique concept alone but don't expect to be blown away.

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