Can you get a screwdriver or nail file in there for leverage to try and pry it out? Mine were super tight the first time I transformed him and a screwdriver wedged in there popped it out.

 

I tried, with a bit of cloth wrapped over the top so as not to scratch anything. Ultimately what worked was just Rae’s force, orc the course of an hour or two. I was beat red in the face by the time it finally popped loose. I think I’m just gonna have to transform him a bunch of times to eventually wear it down a bit. I might have to take a file to it,too​

 

Pretty much the only issue I have with the figure.

 

I don’t hate how it looks with the leftover trailer bit pegged onto his back as wings. There’s only one peg holding it in place, but it still feels like a pretty secure connection.

 

This post will focus on Motormaster's robot mode!


First, it should be known that the Stunticons are my favorite combiner team bar none. It was the first combiner I completed on my own (Devastator was with the assistance of my brother, so he was a shared toy). I always loved the idea that the Decepticons would have an evil Autobot squad better than the Autobots having an airforce (we had Jet/Skyfire, Powerglide already! J/k).
Like Springer (well, pretty much all of the toys...) looked cooler in their animation model. In terms of Motormaster, both toy and cartoon featured a blocky design, but the head was redesigned for the show in a more trapezoid shape. This current offering retains that, but in a nicer polished way. Instead of the lavender paint glob used to color his face in the CW mold, Legacy's version gives it a nice metallic sheen with a stern scowl. It looks aces, IMO.

The CW mold was a fun attempt, and was probably the best rendition that Hasbro ever produced, and he along with the rest of his team were favorites of mine, despite the frustrating combined mode. Also certain design choices took away from his character that I felt NEEDED to be there. Namely, his TRUK FEET:



I love his truck feet, and I am glad this iteration has it, despite it being a faux aesthetic. When I think of his overall design, cab feet, and block head come to mind. Legacy pulls this off! What sort of throws it off is his large shin/knee pads that robs the attention away from them. I'll admit that before I had him in-hand, I hated them, but in-hand they are fine.

Another sorely missed aspect was his proper weapons. We got a sword of some design, but instead of the twisted metal of CW's version, we get the proper one here, and it's big and beefy. Almost too big for MM himself, which means it will do nicely on Menasor.

Sadly, his trademark Cyclone gun is absent in favor of a double barreled blaster, which is even BIGGER than the sword, so, again, reserved for Menasor. So the sword will be MM's primary weapon until we get some sort of weapons pack (hint, hint Hasbro!)


Articulation-wise, he's got pretty much all the joints you'd expect from today's Transformers, save for a neck joint for looking up or down, which makes sense when your head is a huge trapezoid.
He can hold a decent high-kick pose, but his top-heaviness is made trickier without a good heel support. Standing him in a profile pose even requires some adjustment to keep him falling back, so adding that sword might provide a tiny bit of balance.


Out of curiosity, I wanted a peek of Menasor's mug, and I found it hilarious that you can have both MM and Menasor face one another for some proper banter of self-loathing.

"I'm the king of the road!" "NO! I'm the king of the road!"


I'll follow this up with some thoughts on his truck mode with trailer soon. Stay tuned!

 

Wow. Those extend out pretty far!

 

Yeah, those look like hot garbage. I actually laughed because of how bad they look.

 

That's because it is ******ed looking.

 

Yeah, that's... not good. It looks like crap IMO (I believe @ziltama said "hot garbage" and I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment).

But if anyone is looking for Motormaster weapons, his G1 weapons work like a charm.

 

Ha! Makes it look more like the G1 toy with the ridiculously long and exposed arm connections.

 

I think you guys said it better than I did!

 

Menasor mode is huge! I know hes roughly the size of Skyfire, but I haven't handled him alot since hes in storage. His joints are super tight, and he lools great. This truly is the great apology for CW Menasor!

Here are some shots next to ER Megatron...



And while the Dinobots themselves are huge...well..see for yourself how Sludge measures up to him:


Can't wait to get this guy fully assembled! We continue to eat well my friends!

 

My only critique is that the thighs need to be about an inch longer and slightly beefier to balance out the arms. If an upgrade kit can help fix that, he's a perfect combiner then.

 

This guy is really fighting it out with Skylynx for #1 commander class for me. It kinda goes back and forth depending on my mood.

 

I need to see him complete, but so far hes a high contender for my toy of the year.

 

Here’s my alternate base mode. It’s slightly more solid than the official version. I wanted something that at least had ramps.

 

Hey thats cool! It almost reminds me of the OG Motormaster's base mode.

 

Not sure if I should review the toy I got or the toy I wanted.

Let's start with what I wanted. Like a lot of you I am not a big fan of faux parts or the design of Sunbow Menasor. It would seem a simple thing to add a joint to allow us to turn the legs around (love to hear the percussion). That said I understand why they did what they did, and I think what we got is impressive on its own terms.

Motormaster is a clever bot. Big and chonky, he immediately evokes the G1 character who always had one of my favorite designs. So much better than the original brick with arms. I found the transformation confounding at first, but once I figured it out, it felt new and intuitive. Kudos.

The trailer is a bit small, but short trailers are thing so fine. I don't find it terribly convincing with all its visible seams but it works for a toy. Not a fan of base modes, but what we get works and is a big improvement on Legacy Laser Op.

Accessories are a little disappointing. The sword is ok for Motormaster but a bit small for Menasor. The gun works on the turret, but I would have liked a dedicated rifle for the robots.

It is hard to grade Menasor when I only have 40% of him. There are any number of easy ways Hasbro could have built this frame from the trailer, but they chose to be clever instead. Its going to make it harder to switch between modes, but I very much appreciate the final result. The leg gimmick is great (though it would have been nice if we got a smidge of color on the shins). Main disappointments are lack of ankle tilt and the pinned hands. I get that Hasbro probably couldn't give us fully articulated mitts, but did they have to do something that would make it hard for a 3p upgrade?I also like my larger figures to have an ab crunch and downward head tilt, but I expect sacrifices with combiners.

Grades:

Alt Mode: B
Motormaster: A
Base: B-
Menasor: Inc (leaning towards B+/A-)
Transformation: A-

Overall: A

Edit: I forgot about the gun emplacement that gets left behind in Menasor mode. Worst toy ever! F

 

There is ankle tilt.

 

Though it would be a heavy burden, I would be willing to take UW Computron off your hands so you would have room for this clearly superior figure.