Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyMuffler  Well, I just quit collecting Star Wars Galactic Heroes because of all the repacks/repaints. Looks like I might have to be stopping my Robot Heroes collecting as well. I don't so much mind one or two repacks in the scenes sets, but repacking the movie 1 Barricade with a "repaint" that is little more than changing the purple to blue on his joints and the white to yellow on his headlights just makes me go a big O_O. And I do not at all like these little added bases that they are tacking on to a lot of them (mostly in the scene packs). Why change the design when you are this far into the line?
And I would like to echo the sentiments of those wondering why we are getting seconds thirds and fourths of characters when some haven't even been done yet. And it isn't like we are talking background nobody characters. Soundwave and Jetfire? WTF?
I really like these and don't really want to stop collecting them but if this repack crap continues I will have to. Hopefully they don't get as happy with it as they did with Galactic Heroes. Those things are impossible to collect. $25 a pop for the scenes packs and you are lucky if you get TWO figures that are new. |
I reviewed Battle of the Allspark:
BATTLE OF THE ALLSPARK
Seven figures for £20. That almost works out about regular price as the two-packs plus a free figure.
Optimus Prime in vehicle mode.... after the Ironhide and Megatron vehicles from the last set, Optimus Prime just seems underwhelming. Even Ironhide is better than him. Although you do have to think of these figures as regular ones rather than special ones in the last set. First thing you'll notice is Prime's large back wheel. It really is laughably huge particularly when the front of the cab is so small. I wouldn't say it looks bad or good, just funny. It works for being a Robot Heroes toy but does kinda screw up the scale of the overall toy. It really does make the front look tiny. Optimus Prime doesn't have a long nose here, more of a stumpy nose. Like Ironhide, Optimus Prime has a raised eyebrow look too which adds some needed character. Sculpting, detail and paint is average. Optimus Prime is hollow inside but the gap is narrow so its not really much of an issue. Noticeably cheaper than the previous set.
Bumblebee... not much to say. Its just Bumblebee's vehicle mode jumping up from a cloud of dust. The only thing he gets in the way of characterisation is that the front end is bent forward as he jumps. Very low in detail and sculpting quality. The paint is functional at best. The rear of Bumblebee isn't painted at all. Bumblebee is the worst of the Robot Heroes vehicles at being hollow inside.I just find that this really cheapens the look of the toy.
Ratchet is in robot mode and wouldn't be out of place in a two-pack set. He's a better looking toy than the first Robot Heroes movie Ratchet figure with a larger appearance - he's the same size in height as the first Ratchet but this Ratchet is squatting whereas the first Ratchet was standing. This Ratchet also has an accurate face unlike before; detail, paint and sculpting is okay. Just the same as the two-packs really but at least he's better than the two Autobot vehicles in this set. The pose Ratchet is in is quite fun, he has a bladed disc that he looks like will shoot from his fist at you and his facial expression reallly works for this pose - a wink and a smirk.
Sam. I mentioned in the intro for this pack that for the cost and the amount of figures you get, its like getting a free figure. Sam would most definitely be this free figure. He's tiny, can only move his head, isn't that well detailed or sculptured. Paint is okay but nothing special. Sam just looks like a generic human teen. Easily the worst figure in this set and quite possibily the worst mold in the entire Robot Heroes line.
Back on form is Starscream. Although like the other new molds in this set he is averagely sculptured and detailed, his vehicle mode is quite cute and fun to look at. The actual jet is quite tiny but the rocket flame and the large cloud base do a lot to improve the toys overall appearance. The jet is quite nice with an oversized cockpit and large but stubby wings and its quite visually pleasing that he's at an angle. Only one Cybertronian symbol can be found on him and no Decepticon insignia (in fact, Ironhide is the only vehicle so far to have an insignia, none of the others do).
And now on to the repaints. At first glance Brawl may look identical to his original release, I certainly thought so until I compared the two side by side. But no, this Brawl has a brigher green than the original. However, all the paint applications remain the same. No new colors or extra paint anywhere. Still, if you didn't have the original mold, you would like this one a whole lot more than if you did. The mold itself is okay, still averagely detailed and sculptured.
And finally, if Brawl was difficult to spot as a repaint from his original release, then Megatron is even more so. Almost everything is identical in color to the original release. I managed to spot three differences from this release to his original - the impact blast from his flail is a darker red, his eyes have been painted blue first and then red whereas the original had his eyes painted silver first and then red, and the Decepticon insignia on his back is different but in the same place still. I am quite disappointed with Megatron and Brawl as they are barely any different to their original releases. At least in prior multi-packs we got Supermetal finishes and improved paint applications. Anyway, if you don't own this mold already either then you'll appreciate it more. As a Robot Heroes toy, its quite average but the flail attack does make it look interesting and Megatron's blue face is nice too - better than being all grey like the first Robot Heroes Megatron toy.
Overall, not a great pack. I don't mind molds being reused as long as they are significantly painted differently to their original release, Optimus Prime and Bumblebee don't really look that good and Sam is quite poor and generic looking. The best toy in this pack for me is Ratchet although he can't sell the pack by himself. If you don't have Brawl and Megatron already, you'll get more out of this set than I did. Although I was always going to buy this set sometime, I really did feel a lot of hesitation when deciding to buy it so soon - it just does so little for me but I like to be on top of new Robot Heroes releases even if they are lacklustre like this one.
