Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Against the critical reception for this film, I thought this movie was rubbish.  You have to suspend your belief for too many scenes; there are just too many improbably events, to the point where it is ridiculous.  There was no way that Jones could have survived half of the situations he was in, let alone all of it without a scratch.  Most ridiculous would be how he survived an nuclear bomb, falling over three waterfalls in a row or how he managed to not get shot when twenty soldiers are shooting at him, at the same time.  The first half of the movie failed to interest me, the pacing was too slow and the mystery of the Crystal Skull, what it was, and what they had to do, was revealed awkwardly.  The long fight scene in the jungle, ending with the ants attacking, dragged on too long.  I was a bit shocked when the writers decided to involve aliens into the plot. What?  Did they run out of ideas?  What they did, was one of the lamest things I have ever seen.  Afterwards, I was left thinking:  "did I just see that in an Indiana Jones movie?".  The feel and tone of the movie feel like the previous three, which was impressive and gives you a nostalgic feel.  Overall, a somewhat disappointing movie, one that feels mediocre.

Book Review: D.Gray-Man Vol. 13

Review:  #300
Title:  D.Gray-Man Vol. 13
Series:  D.Gray-Man - 13th volume
Author:  Katsura Hoshino
Read Before:  yes
My Comments:  One of the more boring volumes, but only because the chapters are the ones that bridge the story to the epic battle between Cross and Tyki.  Some of the elements are confusing and hard to understand, such as Lavi’s escape from Road’s dream world and Tyki’s transformation when the Noah inside overtook him.  The art is confusing too, since it’s very busy, it’s hard to decipher what is going on.  Nevertheless, this volume is fun to read.

Rating:  6/10

Transformers Poses 12

Here's to another round of poses.

Prime Dreadwing (Commander)

PowerCore Combiners Heavytread

Kre-O Basic Optimus

Masterpiece Optimus Prime (MP-10)

Animated Oil Slick

Dark of the Moon Optimus (Voyager)

Prime Soundwave

Prime Wheeljack (Deluxe)

Dark of the Moon Starscream (Deluxe)

AA/HFTD Terradive

Reveal the Shield Tracks

Rage Over Cybertron Megatron

That's it, thank you!

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If you wanna review the previous 11 posts of Transformers Poses, click here.

Book Review: Space Demons: The Trilogy

Review:  #299
Title:  Space Demons:  The Trilogy
Series:  Space Demons - all three books
Author:  Gillian Rubinstein
Read Before:  yes
My Comments:

Space Demons – The story presents an interesting proposal and idea.  It is about a computer game that immerses the player onto a whole new level, pretty much virtual reality (you must take into account that the book was written back in 1986).  It also deals with a lot of different issues that are deeper than at first glance, such as hate, the separation of your parents and friendship.  These are handled very well, and don’t seem out of place here.  The content is interesting; you want to find out what’s going to happen and how it is going to end.  It’s also a bit freaky and too close to reality sometimes, such as seeing things out of the corner of your eye and feeling that something’s behind you.  While the characters may get annoying at times, it’s very understandable and you see a progression as it goes on.  An original piece of work quite unlike anything you’ve read before, 6.5/10.

Skymaze – It follows a similar structure to Space Demons, in that the protagonists receive the next game in the series and it comes into reality.  While not as freaky compared to the last book, there is a silent yet dangerous atmosphere.  Inside the titular maze, it feels secluded, and that there are heavy penalties for the actions of the protagonists.  Two annoying characters appear, and as you would expect, all the characters accept each other by the end of it.  There’s also a new set of issues that the book deals with, moving away with a stepfamily, siblings and just growing up.  Skymaze is very interesting, you want to know more about it, learn its secrets and what happens when the characters go further into the game.  It has also brought up one question that must be answered, where did the games come from and what were their purposes?  Sadly, it is not answered here, 6.5/10.

Shinkei – I feel that this book is a sequel in name and characters only, since it lets of a very different feel and tone.  Whereas the last two books focused upon the characters getting through the levels of a game, here, it’s more farfetched and unpredictable, in that the game’s artificial intelligence pretty much sets out to take over the world.  The games’ creator is finally revealed, and this supposedly third and final game, Shinkei, is quite a disappointment compared to Space Demons and Skymaze.  While it’s more ambitious (making dreams come to reality), the whole book is spent on the characters travelling to Japan, getting away from pursuers and entering the game where there’s a bunch of fantasies dreamt up.  It’s just more cluttered and unfocused.  Some of the characters were annoying, particularly Ben, it seems that their flaws were brought out even further, seemingly inconsistent with previous books.  The resolution isn’t that great either, the whole book is full of spiritual concepts that it doesn't really work.  Generally, the biggest problem is the lack of mysteriousness that made the previous two books so enjoyable, 6/10.

Overall – It’s a very nice trilogy of books, the third part can feel unnecessary and tacked on as it doesn't keep the same mood and feel of the previous books.  I liked seeing each character develop, while their flaws are not completely erased by the end, it creates a sense of reality.  It’s well worth your time to try it out.

Rating:  6.5/10

Battle: Los Angeles

An alien invasion, set in modern day Los Angeles, it sounds interesting.  The movie takes place as an alien species attack multiple major cities at once (they must have been gathering data to have decided to strike them), and we see just one of the many battles.  Sometimes, I wish that the writers could somehow give us some reason (any at all!) on the decision of the aliens to start an invasion (other than take over Earth).  The closest we got was that the alien uses water as power, and that Earth is the only planet in the human known universe to have it in liquid form without digging deeply into the crust.  Anyway, I thought the movie started off with guns blazing, full of action, but it was quite slow paced after that.  You are kept waiting for the climax that's bound to happen, and hopefully have some fun along the way.  I wouldn't say that the journey was a disappointment, but it could have been done better and on a larger scale.  I think I expected a full scale battle in which it was two sides against each other.  It didn't seem too far a fight to the protagonists in that the aliens had advanced technology, and seemingly much harder to kill than normal human opponents.  The actual climax, which was the last part of the film, felt tacked on.

Throughout the whole film, the protagonists were just aiming to get out of there alive with the civilians (turns out to be five people... and they send a whole squad in, in which more than half were killed) and get to the operations base.  The whole control center thing felt outside of this objective and quite simply, crazy for the small team to just charge in there.  The movie was also full of things you'll find in a stereotypical war movie, but it works.  Although you've seen similar scenes and situations before, they still impact you.  The ending does not provide much closure, as it does not cover the end of the war.  I had suspected that as the movie neared it's end, and that was disappointing.  I would rather see that the aliens were repelled (even if only from LA, whereas the other cities were still getting bombarded) rather than what we have now.  The movie could be bigger and more spectacular, it doesn't blow you away but it's worth watching.

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Review:  #298
Title:  The Hunger Games
Series:  The Hunger Games - 1st book
Author:  Suzanne Collins
Read Before:  no
My Comments:  One thing I can recommend, don’t spoil the story for yourself by watching the movie or reading a plot summarising.  A huge part of the addictiveness is due to the unexpected twists and turns of the story.  As a premise, the book is about a survival test between twenty four people between the ages of 12 to 18 (yes… children/teenagers…), they are pitted together to kill until there is only one left, who is declared the winner.  It’s brutal, it’s violent, and it can be disturbing that it is done as entertainment for a certain group of people.  Yet it brings up a multitude of questions, it makes you think of how that world got into the state that it is in, why the games were created, and what effects it would have.  You would think, if it was you, and you were thrown into something like this, with the odds most likely not in your favour, that you were probably destined for a painful death in a matter of days, what would you do.  This setting is very unique and the execution is brilliant.  To be honest, the book is a bit hyped up, but still very good nevertheless.  A part of it deals with the setting up of the games, and you can tell it’s a well thought-out process.  It’s thorough and organised as each stage of the story progresses.  It presents a strong beginning.  Once the games actually start, wow, the events that take place would not leave you disappointed.  The truth about how twisted and sick it feels hits you in the face, no mercy is found (well, almost none).  I wouldn't call it politics, but a lot of strategy comes into play in order to just survive, let alone win.  Clearly, you would expect the main character (and narrator) to win, but there were a lot of times where you just convinced yourself, how?  There was tension underlying in every action.  I won’t spoil it, but when there is a crucial announcement that sparks of hope, which is very relevant during the ending.  It was unexpected yet fitting, and the games resolved very satisfyingly.  I loved how just when you thought it was over, it wasn't, and the effects of the characters’ actions were brought into play.  I like how the author didn't pad it out *too much* with description.  There were some sad and sympathetic moments.  Oh, and the reason why it’s called the Hunger Games is revealed here (for anyone who watched the movie that was confused).  This is a great book that leaves the most impact if you go into it blindly.

Rating:  8/10

Toy Review: Transformers Generations FOC G2 Bruticus

Review:  #120
Name:  Bruticus
Brand:  Transformers
Allegiance:  Decepticon
Line:  Generations - Fall of Cybertron
Year of Release:  2012
Size Class:  N/A (Combiner formed from five Deluxes)
Variations:  SDCC and JP version in game accurate colors, retail version in Generations line, retooled into Ruination.

PACKAGING:

So, after looking into each of the five G2 Combaticons, we've finally gotten to the whole point of getting them... the combiner Bruticus.  The packaging harkens back to the style of packaging used in G2, with a packaging art of Bruticus drawn in a similar way (which looks quite awesome by the way).

Personally, I think that a lot of space is wasted in the packaging and it could be smaller.  Anyway, Bruticus is packaged in combiner mode, which isn't exactly the best looking selling point.  I'm impressed by the packaging though and it looks great.


COMBATICONS:

We'll have a look at the Combaticons together first...  As a team in vehicle mode, there's really nothing linking them together that suggests they are a team.

Still, what they have in common is similar camouflage and unusual colors that you won't see in real life.

They're not that much better in robot mode either as they don't really share any similar designs.

It's great to have them together as a group though and I think they look pretty awesome.

LIMBS:

Before we actually head into combiner mode, let's have a look at each separate limb transformation for each Combaticon.  With exception of Onslaught, each Combaticon can form either arm or leg, similar to the "Scramble City" style of the original G1 toy.  Onslaught can only form the torso however but it's a good looking one.

Blast Off usually form's the right arm.  The transformation to get it there is very simple as you just extend the legs, flip the halves open, flip down the fists and thumb piece and connect them together to form the forearm.  You can see that the robot hips form an inward elbow joint.

As a left arm, you just flip him over and then fold down a thumb piece on the other side (Blast Off has two thumb pieces that you can fold down depending on whether you need a left or right fist).  Personally, I think Blast Off's arm mode is worse of the lot.

As a leg, Blast Off's even simpler, since you just flip the leg halves back and ta-da!  It's fairly stable, he forms the third best leg.

Next up, Vortex.  He usually forms the left arm.  You do this by extending the helicopter mode, flipping out the hand from inside the cockpit, and rotate the cockpit around so its facing the right way.  Something cool with Vortex is that he is the only one that has a forward facing elbow joint (which makes it useful when he's holding the gun).

To make a right arm, his thumb is flip-able (quite ingeniously really) to make a right hand.  While he does have the forward facing elbow, it's situated too low to look natural.

I would have to say that Vortex makes the worse leg out of all four.  Why?  Because it's less stable, it relies on resting on the robot skirt, robot thighs and the two blue pieces on either side of the cockpit.  While it works, it'll require more of your attention to make sure that it is standing properly and supports the combiner.  The leg mode is similar to the arm mode but it's just that the hand is hidden and the "elbow" piece is used to the max, folding the cockpit as forward as possible.

Swindle forms the best leg since the footprint is huge and he's very stable (being both of the robot mode legs attached helps as well).  It's very simple to form the leg, you detach the front vehicle panel and attach it to a lower slot (to allow the combiner port to flip out) and then flip up the robot feet.

As an arm, Swindle is more of a mess.  Although we don't have official configurations, you apparently detach the front panel so you can extend the legs and use the robot hips as an inward facing elbow.  What's wrong with this is that it causes the upper part (where the robot arms and front panel is) to be very unstable.

To form each hand, Swindle has separate left and right hands hidden in each side of his leg, so just flip down the necessary one.  Personally, I think in terms of just looks, Swindle forms the second best arm (but in terms of stability, he's the worse).

Lastly, it's Brawl.  He's normally the left leg, and I believe he forms the second best leg out of the lot.  To form the leg, it's more complicated than the other Combaticons, but you flip the front treads back and then manipulate the turret, and it actually pegs in so the leg is very solid (but footprint is small).  Looks very good too.

The arm is more of a mess since the actual arm is formed with only his legs and everything else is a bit chunk of kibble.  The turret does peg together so it doesn't flop everywhere.  Brawl forms the second worst arm in my opinion.  The hips allow the arms to swing inward and slightly outwards (due to a waist joint).

To make the other arm, just flip Brawl over and flip down a thumb piece (he has two separate thumb pieces, which are his robot legs).  Brawl remains the only Combaticon whose arm modes cannot hold the weapon (lacks a 5mm port).

COMBINER MODE (OFFICIAL):

We'll start off with the official configuration of Bruticus, this means that all limbs are in their official configuration, and Blast Off forms the right arm, Vortex left arm, Swindle right leg and Brawl left leg.

I left Onslaught's gun attached on his back because it does two things:  it fills in the hollow torso and it gives him his signature dual cannon behind his head.

Surprisingly, Bruticus is very stable in this mode thanks to Onslaught's ratcheting hip joints.  Each combiner port has a rotating ratchet but you have to be careful, since they're very stiff you might rotate the combiner port instead, which is not recommended (wear and tear will make them easier to break or come loose).

The head sculpt is very nice, and it's fully painted, you can tell where the designer focused on the paint applications.  Bruticus can only turn left or right since it's attached by a pin swivel joint (and not a balljoint).

Bruticus is a huge hulking figure, obviously, since he's comprised of five Deluxe toys.  He towers over even Leader classed figures (although in the photo above, it's a Voyager classed Optimus) but Bruticus is very spindly.

There are many many MANY different combinations you could to to form Bruticus' weapons.  I just went ahead with the lazy way but there are so many pegs and holes that the number of combinations are endless.

You could probably tell by now but the proportions are off here.  The arms are too long, the thighs too small, and the torso doesn't have enough mass.  That's what you'd get when all five are made from Deluxes.  If Onslaught was a Voyager sized figure and engineered differently to have the mass of the torso more evenly spread, then it would have been much better.

Poseability is good in theory, but since he's so big and a lot of mass is above his waist, you'll need to be careful of balancing him and keeping him upright when posing.  It's not too much of a problem thanks to the ratchet in his knees and hips.  I think they've done a decent job of a combiner with five transforming components (and interchangeable limbs), the compromises in each robot was worth it in the end.

COMBINER MODE (ALTERNATE):

Now off to the second configuration, where the arms become legs and vice versa.  Bruticus doesn't actually look too bad, apart from the big chunk of kibble from Brawl's arm mode which looks like it's sagging to one side (it isn't).  Like it was mentioned earlier, it was tougher to get Bruticus to balance due to Vortex's leg mode.  Interestingly, this configuration allows Bruticus to have two knee spikes (if you like that sort of thing).

It's not a bad configuration but translates a lot of the bulkiness to the arms and the legs looks much skinnier.  Poseability isn't affected too much.

COMBINER MODE (PREFERRED):

You can mix and match the limbs to have your preferred ones, and the picture above shows what I prefer.  I just swapped Blast Off and Swindle around and kept Swindle in his vehicle mode because it's more solid and stable (and I don't need that elbow joint), and Vortex is shortened as well (in a fan mode that I'll later cover).

I like it like this because Bruticus is much more proportioned and he doesn't lose any stability.

COMBINER MODE (FAN):

With some tinkering you can make the arm modes of Blast Off and Vortex look much better.  I've covering one such fan mode it his review, and the instructions are in this link.  This mode shortens the arms and transfers more of the bulk into the upper torso/shoulders and the thighs are slightly thicker.  The end result is a more proportionate robot.

I wouldn't recommended letting Blast Off stay in this arm configuration for too long as it does stress his hip joints/torso a lot, causing damage in the long run.  You don't lose any poseability here and Bruticus looks much cooler.

OVERALL:

Sure, Bruticus may not be the best combiner ever and there's a lot of issues and flaws, but this is a good attempt.  As a set, the Combaticons are fun to play and fiddle around with.  There's a lot of play value here due to the versatile limb swapping.  The colors are a mish mash but surprisingly, he isn't too bad when they come together (it's actually duller and less neon than the retail versions!).  I'm actually quite impressed with the set and I had a lot of fun, I agree there are a lot of compromises and improvements can be made (as well as the plastic quality being bad), but it's just a fun toy no matter where you look at it.

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