IT'S A fireTRAP!

So I found another one of those Transformers Scout Class figures on sale for 5 bucks, and I just couldn't resist.

This is Firetrap. His card says he's some kind of Autobot weapons enthusiast. Whatever. He has guns and turns into a truck... what more do you need to know?



I'm not sure if this is a real type of truck, but I want one. I've always said I needed a cattle pusher on the front of anything I drive-- combine that with big freakin' cannons on top, and you get my perfect vehicle.


The bot mode is REALLY nice-- the main reason for getting the figure, in my opinion.


He has a really cool helmet and gas mask kind of face going on. Not exactly sure why a robot needs a gas mask, but who cares? He looks awesome. You can't really make it out in any of my pics, but the dark spots where the eyes are are quite recessed and have little goggle-type eyes inside of them. Pretty darned detailed for such a small figure.


As you can see, he has a very dynamic sculpt with lots of personality. He looks like a bruiser. He's a tad shorter than the other Scouts, but I think that gives him a certain charm. His color scheme and diminutive nature make me think about the old Generation 1 Transformers character Brawn. He's kind of like Brawn meets Ironhide.



Now... about those guns: this guy has 'em! He has two wrist-mounted cannons that can swivel on their bases and pivot up and down. This works in both modes, and it is awesome. The cannons aren't really meant to be removed, but you can pop them out of the sockets. They just look better on the wrists, and there's really no where else to store them anyway. He's poseable as all get out... he has at least 16 points of articulation in bot mode that aren't solely for transformation, so he can be put in all kinds of crazy poses!


And best of all? He looks great with the other Scouts. I've pretty much pledged that I'm only collecting Scouts from here on out (unless it's Optimus Prime-- that's a whole other issue). I mean, these little dudes are super awesome, super detailed, and super affordable-- what's not to love about 'em?

Cheap and Classy!

The other day I got my latest Transformer figure. Walmart is having what appears to be a regional if not nationwide price cut on their TF figures. The Voyager sized figures are $13, the Power Core Combiner 2 packs are $7.50, the Scout class figures are $5, and the Legends class are $3.50. Not the greatest sale ever, but it makes each one just a bit more attractive to the thrifty TF fan!

I picked up one of the Scouts that I had been wanting to get, but the price kinda kept me from pulling the trigger. Scouts aren't the biggest Transformers (they stand roughly 5 inches tall), but they are very nicely made. Seeing one for $5 is much better than seeing one for $10.



This is Hubcap. He's an Autobot warrior (I guess-- they used to give them neat titles like "spy" or "commando", but now they just call them "Autobot" or "Decepticon.") who transforms into a classic hot rod. My dad says it looks like a 35 or 36 Ford... they can't really mimic some cars exactly due to licensing issues, so they sometimes get really close without being exact.



The car mode has a lot of style. I love classic cars, and it's really rare to see a Transformer who turns into one.



The car has a LOT of detail hidden here and there that didn't really need to be addressed in such a small toy. The door handles, gas cap, rumble seat handle, and even the tire air nozzles are sculpted in minute detail. On the front right tire there is even a sculpted tire balance weight that isn't sculpted on the others. That's a really nice bit of detail that really makes the toy stand out!



He's perfectly scaled to the Classic Voyager Prime, so that's nice. I love scale, but I've learned to live without a set scale in the Transformers toy universe!



The robot mode is just fantastic. He has a very dynamic build with just enough bulk to make him look adequate as a warrior, but with a lean enough frame to make him look like a spy.



Curved forms are rare on Transformers, so it's always nice to see it used well.



He's very poseable with at least 17 points of articulation (not including the parts that move when he transforms). So he can take on great action stances...



... as well as more subdued poses.



He looks great with other Scouts...



... and even better with the larger Voyager class figures.



Pretty spiffy!

The only drawback to the figure is a blatant lack of weaponry of any kind. His hands are molded open, and he can't really hold any standard TF weapons, which kinda sucks. I'd have been happy with guns molded into his arm panels, or the exhaust pipes pointing straight back in the car mode so they could be arm cannons in the bot mode... instead they bend outward, so they can't really be used that way.

Other than that, this is one cool little dude. If you dig little toys, robots, Transformers, and/or classic cars, take a look at Walmart while they last. $5 ain't bad at all for a super poseable action figure that's engineered to turn into a classic ride!

I smell savings!!!

It has been a while since I did one of my Cheapo Toy Reviews, so I figured it was high time I did another one!



Yesterday I had to go to town to run errands, and I ran across some fun stuff on the cheaps.

First up is this Hot Wheels Custom Motors Batmobile Starter Set from Mattel



I had been wanting one of these sets, but I'm too cheap to buy one for 8 bucks. There was something about the way it looked in the package that made me wary of paying over 5 bucks for it. If the building gimmick wasn't all that great, I'd essentially be buying a small Batmobile toy for 8 bucks. But 5 bucks is a bit better. Thank God for Walmart's after Christmas clearances!



"100+ Combinations!" "Easy-Snap Customization! Build and play your way!" How can you go wrong with that intro?



These are certainly some interesting combinations! I particularly like the second one down on the first picture up there-- the "wheels in the back, tank treads in the front" version. I was all psyched to build that one!



So you basically get this roughly 4 inch long plastic (it looks diecast in the package) Batmobile "Tumbler" from the newest Batman movies and a buttload of extra parts to customize it.



You can have the tumbler in its standard open windowed version...



... or in its hatch-closed, armored version. It's a subtle difference, but it's really cool that you can do it this way.



You can see here that it's a beefier toy than the standard Hot Wheels vehicle.



That the Batmobile from the Hot Wheels 2010 series by it. Both of these are nice toys in their own right.




You can see that the Tumbler is a really nicely detailed toy... not quite worth 8 bucks by itself, but pretty nice indeed.




This is the fully armed Tumbler. It has a turning cannon on top with what appears to be an additional cockpit and side-mounted missile launchers. They too can pivot, if only slightly. This is a really fun configuration. I imagine this is the "riot control" version of the Batmobile!




This is the tank version of the Batmobile. The treads don't really move-- there are tiny wheels under the treads to suggest movement. I found that kinda lame, but so few toy companies make toys with working treads anymore. I miss the old tank I had when I was a kid. It had rubber treads that really rotated. This version is really cool looking, all things considered.



BEEP BEEP!!!

So I decided I wanted to make the "wheels in the back, tank treads in the front" version from the back of the package. This is where my disappointment began:



The tread parts are totally incompatible with the wheel parts... the wheels rely on the vehicle being flat, and there is no way to elevate either end of the Tumbler when it is connected to wheels.



What you end up with are weird "up in the air" treads that don't even let you use the tiny wheels under them. The treads are locked in the position they are in, and you can't rotate them down to better touch the ground. I was pretty hacked off when I found out about this.



It's the same story when you reverse the set-up. Again you have floating treads that don't even roll.

I'm pretty angry at the people at Mattel for putting pictures on the back of the box that show something that you can't actually make. To me, those pictures are a selling point, and playing with a buyer's wants to sell a lackluster toy is the lowest of the low. But, honestly, I should have expected something like this from Mattel. They didn't get the name of being the most corrupt toy company in the business without working for it.

Still... I'm glad I bought the toy at the price I got it. $5 is a very nice price for a well-made Batmobile that you can reconfigure several ways. Just don't expect to make that many different types of vehicles with the set. The way it is configured doesn't give you many options for building random shapes. You're pretty much bound by the wonky way the thing is made.

So... worth it? Not for $8, but definitely for $5!

Now... onto the other thing I found:

Right now Family Dollar stores are having an after Christmas clearance on their toys priced $10 and above. You get 50% off any of these toys! So when I snagged this Megabloks 6" Magnetic Buildable Iron Man 2 War Machine Figurine for $5, I was all kinds of happy!



I had had my eye on this set for a while, but I'm a cheap, cheap, horribly cheap person, so I just couldn't make myself part with 10 bucks for it. When I saw it for 5, I grabbed it faster than a ninja.



So basically you get the Terminator and some armor. Woo Hoo!



This is the core figure frame that holds the armor. It's actually my favorite part of the whole thing! It's poseable as heck, and the waist, shoulders and neck are all magnetically connected, so you get a really nice range of movement. The only drawback is that the waist and neck are REALLY loose. The shoulders have rubber resting cups for the metal balls and keep them from flopping all over the place-- the waist and neck needed these same cups to keep things from going all goofy. Still, it's a super awesome looking figure, and the ball joints allow for some crazy action stances.



Magnets rock.



So here he is all armored up. The set has 10 armor pieces and two weapons. The plastic is really sturdy and should hold up to lots of rough and tumble play.



The backside of the figure is kind of lacking in the armor department, however. They really needed at least a piece to cover up the back of the torso. But it's still a pretty cool looking figure without the back stuff.



He's still pretty poseable all armored-up, but the movement in his hips and waist are really hindered by the torso armor. Still... he looks nifty with his armor on. You can get some neat poses out of him.



AGGHHHH!!! IT SEES ME!!!

So... is the figure worth buying? Certainly not at $10... but if your Family Dollar store has him for $5, I'd say to definitely snatch one up! If nothing else, that crazy Terminator core thing is worth the $5 alone!

Until next time, happy bargain hunting, kids!