its quite amazing that hastak has released 3 different sets of CHUG seekers over the past 4 years, and every time there has been some sort of issue.
Siege- exclusive skywarp
ER- exclusive skywarp and thundercracker
Kingdom/Legacy: skywarp doesnt have nullrays

...im noticing a pattern of who is the most affected  

 

It just has to be the prettiest Seeker (sorry Starscream) with the best power, albeit a Jet of Very Little Brain...

 

Top of the Bots 2022

#4: Buzzworthy Bumblebee Goldbug



Oh, the fuss I made. Oh the very depths of anguish I dug from... only for this set to not be nearly so scarce as was first feared. But I think I can remain blameless (as well as charming and very handsome) in this; the previous Buzzworthy four-pack had been pretty hard to source, and absolutely no hint was given on this one until the 11th hour whether Goldbug would be using the Beetle or not-Beetle version of the mould, where it would be available from and for how much... and then was sold out from IDT within a the space of a squirrel's cough. An emotional wreck was I.

And honestly? It's not perfect even now. I'd have liked a bit more deep blue on there, perhaps the legs and forearms, the alt mode doesn't quite fit together right... but who am I kidding, I absolutely love this thing. It's not just nostalgia for the G1 toy which I had but lost as a kid (something of a shorter, less emotionally fraught version of my Thunderwing sob story) but also that honestly, the Cliffjumper/Bumblebee mould is actually really good. And this is pretty much going to be the last word in G1 styled Goldbugs pretty much forever now. If this really is the last word in the contentious licensing deal with Volkswagen, then it ended on a very, very pleasing note.

I never much cared about getting Bumblebee in the first place. Goldbug is where it's at.

#3: Legacy Jhiaxus



Funny thing, that. Everything about this toy screams that it should never have been made - a mismatched colour scheme that is more Bozo The Clown than Sinister Space Dictator, a scrunched up face based on some of the worst excesses of 90s comic design, that awkward translucent white plastic that was so objectionable on Siege Apeface, and the fact that Jhiaxus was never actually that big a deal to anyone outside us turbo-nerds.

But it works. Even the alt mode works, daft as it is. As with Goldbug, this is a definitive version of the character. We're unlikely to ever see Jhiaxus toys again, but boy howdy did they ever pull an absolute blinder with this. The robot mode has a towering stature beyond the simple voyager price point, it has poise, grace, and articulation that sets it apart from most others. And opening hands! What luxury! Not even Cyclonus got opening hands! I want every voyager to have opening hands, and it'll be a serious disappointment every time we get one that doesn't.

 

Just ordered two guns for Legacy Inferno. One is ridiculously large.

 

Hmm, the top ten figures that I got this year...

10) SS86 Ironhide
9) Jhiaxus
8) Silverstreak (A blue Bluestreak)
7) RED Reformatting Megatron
6) Victory Saber
5) Speedia 500 Road Hauler (A Hauler that I don't have to sell a kidney to own)
4) Newage Piss Magnus (he glows in the fricking dark!)
3) Creatures Collide Goldbug
2) Toy colours Cyclonus
1) Movie colours G1 Hot Rod (a myth made real)

And an honourable mention for Coronation Starscream who has lent his throne to many, many bot's this year.

 

Speaking of Lego Prime, if its not already been mentioned, he's been spotted for £80 down at B&Ms.

 

Oh? I'd actually buy it for that price.

 

Me giving my new bird a chin scratch

 

He got to meet his wee grandad, proper chuffed

 

So looks like I’ll have a second Fort Max tomorrow and will be looking to sell the other one with a Japanese speaking head (original seller sending it to me).

I’m not expecting to make back what I paid, but keen to see it go to a good home. Would anyone here be interested before I advertise more widely?
It was new out of the box, I’ve played with it for about two days but it mostly sat in base more. He’s back in his box with arm still attached (ain’t removing that, looks quite difficult). Drop me a message if you are and I can send details. I’m thinking around £200 for anyone here, plus postage/G&S.

Not needing a fast sale so happy to hold it, for a while, if anyone here is keen.

 

Thanks @Imperator. Is the above before or after Space-Police/M-Tron/Blacktron of I want to say 1992? Looks great!

All the Diaclone pics look great too!

 

Fuck me @Napalm that picture is amazing, the way the light piping makes the colours stand out, wow, just wow.

Loving this pic.

Oh and now I'm in September. Only 13,000 posts to go

 

Interesting tidbit here. Be nice to get one last reveal before we bid 2022 farewell. I'd imagine we'll see the official reveals for TFA Prowl, yer Junkion bike, and Skyquake. I'd hope for reveals for Metalhawk, Twincast, Crosscut, Shrapnel and the next pair of tiny dino's. Maybe we might even get a reveal of the Selects Guardian.

“Autobot Intelligence would like a word”
From Transformers: The War for Cybertron#6 December 2022 ‘All My Friends Were There’


For anyone who might be at all interested, I've now put the TFWiki style synopsis for the first 6 issues of this comic up here. I'll update that thread at the end of each month with the 'latest issue'.

And also, my monocultural top ten of the year
10. Skullgrin - Not what everyone wanted, or even expected, but a solid, poseable bot that was a lot of fun to play with. Plus he's got a loveheart on his nose.
9. Scraphook - If this guy is any indication, then the Junkions are going to be my favourite expression of the Equipulator (tm @Bob Schoonover ) gimmick. And I'm really glad to see them introduce new Junkion characters.
8. Starsaber - It says something that this guy isn't #1. Undeniably an impressive figure but the QC lottery (I've got a wobbly antennae and no blade) detracts from the joy severely.
7. Inferno - An absolute onslaught of deranged character. And a much improved ant mode. I've spent far too long playing with this guy's jaw.
6. Kickback - I didn't really expect to give too much of a shit about this guy, but he's stunning. As the saying goes, he look like he stepped right off the screen (in the best way possible).
5. Impactor - I feel like I'm cheating a little, with this redo of a figure from 2019, but going full TF:UK on Impactor was always going to be a special thing to someone like me.
4. Cosmos - Another surprising one. Utterly cute and adorable and brimming with personality. Quite remarkable.
3. Jhiaxus - If you're doing G2 then a more cautious soul might want to turn the volume down a little. Cautious souls have no place in toy design. Jhiaxus is everything wonderful and over the top about those G2 comics. Equal parts horrible and beautiful.
2. Tarantulas - Easily the best of the BW Generations figures. Every inch the bat shit scientist with that chainsaw and those decos. If there was any BW character I wanted them to get right, it was this one.
1. Blaster - One of my favourite Transformers done proper justice at long last. Literally the onky thing that could have made this guy better would be to give him the ol' US Marvel Comics headsculpt. Maybe one day, right?

 

*insert swearing Sam Jackson gif here*

I missed the zavvi offer and eventually caved in Costco at 120 a few weeks ago. Given I only opened it this week, a 40 quid saving is a bit of a kick in the balls.

That said...I still haven't opened Kingdom Rodimus for my TFTM display, and I paid almost full price for him too...

 

Went for a quick wander this morning and Game have the Unicron funko pop thing for £30. Dunno if that's a good deal, but I seem to remember someone missing out, so might be worth checking your local game

 

After. The original Space Police was in blue, red and black, and will probably what any retro-future sets will base themselves on if Lego deign to dip into the theme again. It also gave us this, which in my view is the greatest of all classic space ships:



Absolute legend.

Around 1993ish Space Police was given a revamp in green, grey and red, which is to my mind an even better colour scheme, though Space Police 2 didn't quite have the impact that the previous version had. This, for example, is the replacement for the above set. It's fine, but just not quite as sleek:



Then in 2009 Space Police made a surprise comeback... and entirely failed to take off in any way whatsoever. It's possibly the iteration that had the most time and effort spent on the aesthetic, emphasising the 'police' part more than the 'space', and having a strong cops-and-robbers vibe to differentiate it from the unstoppable juggernaut of Star Wars Lego sets... but Space Police 3 is not especially well remembered.



It really doesn't help that all the cops in the theme are human and all the baddies are aliens, which leaves a distinctly unpleasant taste in the mouth regarding attitudes to race and power. But anyway.

 

Yup, that's a solid 10 quid off the original price so 25% off. For anyone still wanting him it's a good deal for sure

 

There’s an alien Space CMF in the most recent CMF series, maybe we’ll get a Space Police Alien sometime in the future too

 

Good morning Thredizens! On the last day of '22, the last haul of '22. Well done IDT and your irresistable sale prices!   



Facepaint seems okay except Rooster Redburn has white overspray...on his chin...no, you went there. I am an innocent little lambkin.   

 

I'm most annoyed that I let series 21 pass me by last year, as it has a really cool updated Space Police minifig as well as an alien for him to chase.



The latest set goes on sale tomorrow and has these cheeky chaps, which would be nice to have: