Till All Are One for tonight.

 

Titans Return Grotusque:

 

The big green guy today.

 

Unite Warriors Bruticus  

 

This sexy yellow fellow has my attention for today!

 

What, where, and how?

 

Haha   metallicus prime, Facebook, digibash

 

Though it isn't real, it is beautiful!

 

Some of us are waiting more patiently for POTP Leader Prime than others.

 

Yeah, I'd probably buy that if you caught me on pay day.

And now reach the first great truth of the Pretenders; the Decepticons always look way better*.

Skullgrin was the Decepticon Pretender featured most prominently in the comics and the promotional boxart. It's easy to see why; that is an incredibly striking and demonic looking shell. Sure, he still looks a bit tubby, but forgivably so. The comics downplayed whatever menace the toy had by...making him a film star. Oh well. Masterforce did a hell of a lot more to sell the horror potential of the Skullgrin, Submarauder, and Bomb-burst (or should I say Dauros, Glimmer, and Blood). That opening scene in Masterforce is truly excellent and horrific.

That shell is fantastically ugly. Masters of the Universe levels of grotesque! And I love it! The pink eyes really glow on that bone white Goat skull. one quirk I didn't really notice until i was an adult, was that his lower jaw is molded into his chest. Not a great idea. His accessories are great two, with the big skull of his belt and the big cutlass. He's easily my favourite of the classic '88 Pretenders.

If there's one thing the Pretender alt modes all seem to do badly is the arms. Usually they're just hanging there, pretending not to be arms, but Skullgrin's arms actually...transform. And I guess that's why I find Skullgrin has one of the better altmodes. Let's not mess around, it's still awful. But just not as awful as the rest. The robot mode is one of the gangliest of the bunch with a tiny torso that's only filled out by the top of his legs. It's a weak look.

True to form Skullgrin is the best of the wave Prime Masters. I really think they've done such a good job of capturing the fundamentals of that excellent design, from the more stylised goat skull head to that distinctive skull belt. There's only two tiny, pernickety, changes I'd makes, which is to give him a dash of grey paint on his shoulders and to change his claw weapon to some sort of sword. That said, that claw weapon is excellent. I must admit I don't think the Decepticon melee weapon alt modes are going to work as well as the Autobot gun modes. None the less, I'm excited to see how later weave Decepticons like Octopunch and Bludgeon are going to look in melee weapon mode.




*The only exception being Longtooth, who was probably originally conceived as a Decepticon.

 

Mirage was one of the first Transformers I got as a kid. I can remember sitting at the leisure centre playing with him while my brother had some kind of class. Great days. Anyway, for this reason CW Mirage is my fave of today.

 

Decepticon City Nemesis Command:






Titans Return Trypticon for today.

 

Does the shell on yours close properly? Mine does on the Autobot Prime Masters but it never closes on my Skullgrin so occasionally just falls open.

 

Yeah, I think so? With all three of them there’s definitely a ‘right’ to put them in and out (feet first), but other than that I think they’ve been smooth enough.

 

Ach, I’ll have to buy another one when they hit retail then (the horror! Lol)

 

also...
I always feel super conflicted about CW Mirage. It gets so many things right but I just can't get past the chest not having the front of the car on it. I know there's a mod, but I don't always feel mod competent. I definitely think it's a nicer toy than the earlier (was it Classics?) version. Honestly, I've come so close to getting him so many times. I remembering hovering over him in the Toymaster in Whitby one time, my face looking like I was working through some deep ethical dilemma.

 

I know what you mean, it bothers me as well. But he’s a fun figure so I can forgive it. I missed the earlier Classics Mirage and have often coveted it, sounds like I’m better off with this guy anyway.

 

Totally! I mean, that facesculpt is brilliant.