Well....I decided to finally pick up Huffer today. Honestly IMO, he's really just "ehh", to me. He was really the onely one of the PCCs that I had a slight interest in. And now, I know this line is definitely not for me.

However....

.....E Slugslinger doesn't look half bad with Caliburst. So that's a positive for me.  

 

I think I'll pick one of the up to go with my Classics 'bots. Huffer was
never one of my favorites, so the fact that he isn't that close of match won't bother me.

 

A basic and a mini-con for $10 is a little steep, but as always I'm in this hobby for nostalgic reasons as much as anything, so an update of Huffer appealed to me. The PCC figure is clearly based off the original, from the orange trailer truck cab to the blue highlights and silver arms, to the fact that he still likes to grumble. Caliburst is a name that sounded familiar as well, and a visit to tfu.info lists him as G1 Slugslinger's Targetmaster. So we've got two homages for the price of one here.

Caliburst - the mini-con that becomes a vehicle weapon, robot weapon and power up armor.

Robot mode - about a half and half mix of silver plastic and clear aqua-blue, with an enormous arm cannon. Meaningful articulation can be found at the shoulders, thighs and knees, so he's got some potential for poses, though balance is an issue. Sculpting is pretty good for a figure this small.

Transformation and alternate modes - all three modes are more or less of the "it's a gun/armor because we say so" variety. Still, all three modes are passable, and the variety of ways in which the figure can interact with Huffer are a part of the appeal. The vehicle weapon mounts on the back of the truck, the hand held weapon mounts under the right arm via a powerlink post (and is configured differently than the vehicle gun), and the armor fits on Huffer's chest, presumably intended to be something like a bulletproof vest. It doesn't cover much, but it's still a nice touch. About the only thing missing from these modes are pegs on the legs to keep them locked in place. The stiffness of the joints does that right now, but a few transformations and that'll be gone.

Huffer
His bio is on the back of the card, but the actual specs are on the bubble insert. They don't really match the original at all, but then he's said to be faster, smarter and stronger, so that's fine.

Vehicle mode - A mustard yellow longnose tractor trailer with an orange hood and black wheels, window and grille. Not all robot parts are hidden away in this mode, but apart from the light blue connectors on the feet, none of them stand out either. The detailing is excellent. It rolls ok, but clearance is close.

Transformation - blissfully simple. The head simply folds up from under the grille, the rear of the truck splits to form the legs, while the black box on the back and the cab split in two and fold forward to form the arms. And there you have it.

Robot mode - dark blue is added to the color scheme. It's definitely Huffer, though the original is used as a basis for this new figure, not copied exactly. And again, the sculpting is excellent with plenty of detail. The hands stand out with extra details on the finger joints and arms. Articulation is a mix of ball joints and swivel hinges. The figure stands easily enough, and can achieve some limited action poses.

Now for the extra features. The connector joints for power core combiners are visible in the shoulders and on the back of the feet, and can be rotated for powerlinking with drones. I don't have any other figures, so I haven't tried it. A powerlink post in the middle of the chest folds out to allow Caliburst to attach as armor. And then there's the second head under the truck hood along with some leg transformation for 'power up mode', as the instructions call it. The larger robot head looks like it would be more appropriate for a Decepticon, with yellow horns and a fierce expression.

Overall - Well, as I said the price is a bit steep, but the set is a quality one overall. Two G1 homages, and the variety of ways in which Caliburst can interact with Huffer make this a good purchase. And after the complexity of the movie figures, the simplicity of Huffer's transformation is appreciated.

I'd recommend this pair of figures. Beneath all the gimmicks, which are pretty good, this is a good basic Transformer that would have worked well even without the combining features.

 

Awesome stand alone bot, looks ace with the Rallybots!

 

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

Clever. (Rifle trick)

Image :

 

I finally found him at a decent price today (15 euros was faaaar to much. 8 is better)
I already knew the mold thanks to the 5-pack black version of him.
But my concern is about Caliburst. Am I the only one having the head snaped of the body by transforming the arm in weapon mode ? It broke right away. I checked and it seems the head is in the way of the arms if you want them in the correct position. Am I doing it wrong ? The instructions don't help.

 

Finally exchanged it at the shop. It seems it was a mold defunct. The new one works just fine  

 

I am building a team of Shattered Glass Crankcase and his Destrons. PCC Huffer is the main component, with some Aerialbot and Combaticon drones. Just need one more.

 

Don't you just need the attack helicopter?

 

Just got one in the mail. Thanks.

 

Thank you for bumping all these old figure threads. Real trip down nostalgia lane.

 

Got the helicopter, so I can make the full SG Destructicon team!

 

I'm on a spree of rebuying the PCC corebots, and I couldn't for the life of me remember why I'd gotten rid of this guy. Then I got him back in hand and remembered – oh, right, he's boring as hell. He does look good in all three modes, but his transformation is just so dull. Hardly anything happens. Split the legs and swing the truck sides up and that's basically it.

This time, however, I have sets of drones and several of the old Maketoys Mobine upgrade sets coming, so I can finally experience the full play pattern. I suspect he'll make a satisfying torso at least.

 

Ah man, a TCracker thread was bumped.