Funny, but yeah.. I think this is the first combiner I've seen where I prefer the alt modes. Not feeling the combined mode in the grey prototype. Maybe it's the face..? I dunno. I do like the idea of splitting the arms and having two bots make the torso. It makes for a well-proportioned gestalt, that's for sure.

 

They could say it's supposed to be Cheetor for all I care. Cool looking robot with cool transformation is double cool in my book.

 

OMG I am so stoked for this set.

I've been collecting this series since the Green Jet Team (Skipped the 'Construction Bots...not TF'y enough), and this has got to be the best looking one yet in all 3 configurations.

I liken these guys to 80's Godaikin with G1 TF Styling and G2 TF articulation. If that particular blend of alchemic elements sounds like something you might enjoy, these things will not disappoint.

They've been using this basic 5-man configuration since the Police set (and hence the cross compatibility), and it really makes for a lovely profile. I haven't tried cross-swapping arms and torsos between sets yet...but given that Fire and Police are retools...and these guys are being promoted to scramble with them....there's some crazy "roll your own combiner" potential here.....

 

Was Fire King any good? I don't hear much about him. Interested in hearing about the engineering. I do like the idea conceptually of just blank new TFs with no backstory that we can use to crowd fill or just make up our own little headcanons for.

 

Looking at it, it looks more like it's Scattershot (Scatternot?) who splits in half to become the arms, with Strafe and Lightspeed as the torso. As others have said, this won't be Computron in my collection, but I could see adding it as a new combiner. Maybe one the Decepticons built based on schematics for the Technobots or something.

 

Meh

 

It's good, but not a lot of articulation. and it's not a TF. Just a combining Robot.

 

Sure, but if I squint real hard and drink heavily, I can PRETEND he's a TF.  

 

Let me break down my general impression of the figures from this line I've played with so far:

80's Godaikin-
Big, heavy (die cast), clunky. Transformations that WILL hurt your hands from joint stiffness and excessive-force-requirements. The above married with tiny fragile details (antennae and the like, occasionally key parts)- I've head one head break. There are reasons why this kind of thing went out of style...but damn it's satisfying and nostalgic.

with G1 TF Styling-
Realistic and detailed vehicle modes (Computron here is obviously not realsitic, but the detail level remains). Robot modes that look very ROBOT'y. Visors, gun hands, wheel feet, unconcentional body lay outs.

and G2 TF articulation-
Just as it sounds. Basic levels of articulation present more or less across the board. Where sacrifices need to be made for stability or transformation, they're made. Where extra articulation comes as a bonus from some other design element, they leverage it. Not much more, not much less.

They're just not *like* other figures out there, no body in 3P or in HasTakTom land are doing anything in this style. Even in more traditional "mecha"-ville from what I've seen the current focus is on detail and function. This kind of gigantic heavy playable stuff is just kind of unique.

 

I dig it...

 

Wait, what?
[looks again]
Huh. The arms, and at least the front part of the gun for the combined mode. I'm not sure if the rest of the gun is from him or from someone else. And Strafe is the lower torso with Lightspeed at the top....

I'm still not sure about some of the choices made on the individual figures, but overall, this set is starting to grow on me.

 

Whatever rocks your boat.  

As long as you're happy with it.  

 

It's sweet for the engineering. It has a great look (very very nice futuristic alt modes).

But it's not computron. Even if that is the intended homage, it is NOT computron. If the price is cheap enough, it is fodder for an AMAZING custom. The only question is who should get it? New Decepticon or New Autobot team?

 

Kudos for making a combiner without kibble, even if feet and hands clearly suffer from the decision. It looks way better than the fake defensor and is better proportioned than CW combiners, but they took too many liberties to meme me use it as my computron. As an original character, maybe...

 

It's... Different, I'll give it that.
It's in a sort of gray area for me. I don't hate it, but I don't think I like it enough to merit a purchase.

 

Their fake Defensor was terrible

 

Holy shit I love this.

I never got Fire King because he never quite did it for me, but they appear to have upped their game with this guy.

 

I could be wrong but this looks more like an 'original' take on an combiner.

 

Well, the alt modes are clearly Computron-inspired, but it's more of an homage than a rip-off. Sort of WeiJiang's The Orville to Hasbro's Star Trek. So, it's not wrong to call it Computron I don't think but it's also doing it's own thing at the same time.

 

  True. Nice analogy.

Hey some people might like that