Roadbuster

When it comes to Transformers toys I love collecting figures that look amazing in vehicle mode. I usually get regular cars that you see every day on the street. I like to either display them on my desk or on a shelf. One Transformers toy that took me by surprise recently has been Roadbuster. First of all he’s a NASCAR race car, and for that reason alone really stands out. His paint job is dashing in green and white with hits of grey. Definitely not your typical every day car from the street.

I had been waiting for him for a while and knew that he would release around the time when DOTM also released. The benefit of buying a toy when it first releases (as opposed to buying from e-bay later) is that you get to choose the best looking figure. This is important to me because I’m an extreme nitpicker for flawlessness in a purchase. I like to buy on sale and make sure I have a variety to choose from so that the item I purchase is perfect. Unfortunately finding a flawless Roadbuster became a difficult task because the amount of paint details on him increased the number of chances of finding flaws. The most common flaw being the white paint on the side panels, which can have run-overs on the green. This problem doesn’t bother me too much because you can fix it by scratching some of the excess off.


And speaking of fixing all the imperfections, I would also say this figure is great for customizing. I thought of this while I had him in robot mode. Most of his limbs are grey, which allows for paint to accentuate these areas. I can image I will use silver, black, and white paint. The white paint will also come in handy because the original paint does scratch easy after a couple of transformations. While transforming him is fun and easy, I found that it took me a little while before I got the hang of things. Overall this is a great figure to have in my collection and I hope this NASCAR/Transformers relationship continues so one day we may see other race cars Transformers (Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Carlos Montoya).


Transformers website:
http://www.transformers.com/
YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k3rZYT8pqA

Movie Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Well I just came back from the movie theatre where I watched the new Transformers movie. I arrived about an hour early because I wanted good seats, which paid off because I got to choose where I wanted to sit. This being a Michael Bay film, I knew there was no other way to watch this film but in 3D. First off the graphics were amazing and just as polished as the first two films. There were scenes in it where I thought, wow the graphic artist must have taken years to work on just one scene. For example when a building is toppling over, and people are falling all around. The acting this time around was way better than the first, mainly because there weren’t many dramatic scenes; mostly action. While Mega Fox wasn’t in this film, the new female Rose (whatever here last name is) was a much better replacement. Yes, it’s very far-fetched for Sam Witwicky to have 2 beautiful girlfriends in a row, but come on that’s what summer blockbusters are all about (hot chicks showing their ass). What also added to this film was the original characters that came back and you were familiar with. I wasn’t a fan of the first film, but after the second film and now the third I became comfortable with the wacky characters and enjoyed the film itself. Now the storyline was very good as well, because it finally allowed for the Autobots to kick some ass. I hated how in previous films their fight scenes were short, and they never really demonstrated what they were capable of. In DOTM, we got to see the Transformers fight one another up-close, and use different fighting skills and weapons. Overall this has been my favourite Transformers film and can’t wait to watch it again.

Transformers Movie:http://www.transformersmovie.com/

Transformers Vault

I’ve said it numerous times on this blog, that I am a newbie when it comes to Transformers. Although I did watch them as a child, only until recently have I become interested in them. I started off watching a few episodes on DVD a few years ago and those brought back a lot of memories. I also started buying the toys, though I prefer displaying them in auto mode. However I was still confused about the whole story behind the franchise, so I decided one day to go online and read up on them. This didn’t go very well because there were pages and pages of stuff to read that was all confusing. As a result I gave up, and just stuck to watching a few TV episodes at a time and buying a toy once in a while as well.


Then one day I went online and discovered that someone had written a book about the entire franchise that contained many cool features and that was an easy read. The book is called ‘Transformers Vault’ and is written by Pablo Hidalgo. The book comes in a protective hard cover, features great art work, the writing is informative (gets to the point) and brief, and best of all it covers the entire franchise from where the Transformers started to the animated TV series, comics, toys, and even movies. I bought my copy on sale, and with all the goodies it comes with I would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves the Transformers.


Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Vault-Showcasing-Collectibles-Memorabilia/dp/0810998688/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1
YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8gHybsmyhA

Transformers Ironhide

Even though I was born in the early 80’s I never really felt Transformers were a huge part of my childhood. I guess it must be because I was still too young to appreciate them. Especially because there was a continuity in the story line, which made it hard to follow if you missed a couple of episodes. In all honesty saying “not a huge part of my childhood” isn’t really the correct thought I want to express. I think it’s more of a feeling that there was just too many good TV shows to choose from that you couldn’t be a fan of them all. I do however remember having a few toys as a child, and even posing for some pictures with them. There are so many unique things about Transformers that makes them special. The fact that you can have a toy that can transform into 2 different things (a car and robot) makes it twice as fun.

Reflecting on how much I used to like the toys I decided to pick up a few Transformers when they went on sale. The toy that caught my eye was Ironhide. He came packaged in vehicle mode as a truck. I liked how much detail the toy had, which made it almost identical to the real version of a GMC Topkick truck (I’m a big truck fan). Once I opened up the packaging, transforming him took longer than what I expected. I guess people that collect these toys must be pros and just make it look easy when I watch their videos. Once I had Ironhide in robot mode I didn’t really like him that much. I hated his head design and especially his feet. It looked like he had his toenails painted. I then decided to turn him back to a truck and have him only displayed that way. While I’m not overly excited about this model, I am glad I still bought him and believe he is a nice addition to my Transformers collection.


Transformers website:
http://www.transformers.com/
YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlJILV0G1iA

Optimus Prime Papercraft

Recently I’ve been looking to buy a new Transformers toy, more specifically an Optimus Prime. Optimus isn’t just a good guy, but he’s the biggest and baddest hero you can find. This makes him really popular and a toy that many people want to have in their collection. Unfortunately his popularity also makes his toy really expensive and hard to find. My local toy store had the 25th anniversary collection version but it was so expensive I decided to look around for a better price. While I was still looking (and still am), I decided to do a papercraft version of him. This papercraft version of Optimus Prime comes in color, takes up about two pages for the template and one for instructions, and uses rubber or string to attach it all together. While the actual template might seem a little armature at first, when you are done you will notice how professional it really is and how special this papercraft is compared to others. What makes it stand out from the rest is that since it is a Transformer, it actually transforms from robot to truck; how cool is that! This papercraft took me about a couple of days to finish, and I would really recommend it to anyone that loves transformers and wants to have their own Optimus Prime in paper.



Papercraft template link:
http://www.paperrobots1999.com/model04.html
YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25c_7bpWNwA

TF CON and 80’s Toy Expo 2010

On Sunday, July 18th, 2010 Toronto held its annual TF CON (Transformers Convention) and 80’s Toy Expo (although TF CON started on the 17th). The event was held at the Doubletree International Plaza Hotel on the west side of Toronto. I have been wanting to go to the toy Expo for years now, but something always got in the way. Luckily this year I was free to go, and since I live on the other end of town I decided to just take the subway to the event. Of course not everything went perfect because half way through my trip on the subway, the TTC shut down and I had to take a shuttle bus for a few more stations before getting on a train again. Sitting in a cramped bus was not fun, and I was seriously reconsidering heading back. However, just thinking of how I would miss the Expo for another year gave me the tenacity to keep on going on my journey. Fortunately I made it to the hotel, a few hours longer than the time I had expected to arrive at the Expo. Early bird admission into the Expo was $20 at 9 am, while regular admission after 10 am was $10. As soon as you walk into the hotel, you can easily find the entrance to the Expo and are greeted by the volunteer staff at the show. Since I arrived later I only had to pay $10 admission for which I received a wristband, a Transformers comic (old), and the Expo schedule. I then walked inside and was amazed by how many people were at the show, and how many toys there were. I paced back and force walking towards every table and looking at the toys. The prices were pretty much regular or the going rate, however you didn’t have to pay tax and were able to bargain with the toy dealers. Some of my favorite toys at the Expo where vintage Superheroes like Superman in a mint condition box, and an Arnold Schwarzenegger Commando toy. While the toys were great, what stood out for me the most was how friendly everyone was, and that’s what made it such an enjoyable experience. This Expo was a totally success for me, and I can’t wait to make the journey next year. Thanks TF CON & 80’s Toy Expo!





TF CON website:
http://www.tfcon.ca/
80’s Toy Expo website:
http://www.80stoyexpo.com/

YouTube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEU0bcJbW1Y

Transformers Chevrolet Camaro: Bumble Bee

So I’m at the Auto Show this year because I got free tickets to go, and all I could think of was getting inside the new high-end models from Audi, BMW, and Mercedes Benz. I love the smell of new cars, and of the attractive women the car companies hire to sell their cars. I made an effort to dress really nice so they’ll give me more attention, which they do. Despite being broke, I know how to clean myself up and look like I’m interesting. But being among so many luxury cars, the woman would have to take second place. Once you get inside one car, you have to try out another and another. I was taking pictures left and right of cars that I have always dreamed of owning. Then suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I noticed this bright yellow car that I just had to look at. To my surprise it was the new Transformers car that I had once read about in a magazine. I first looked at the wheels, and the rims had the Autobots logo in the center. I then stepped back and took pictures of the whole car, and of where the Transformers logos had been placed.

All I could think of was how freaking cool this was, and how I would love to own one. (I still don’t know if I would buy it to collect it as a toy and never drive it, or would it become utilitarian and use it for everyday use.) I then got up and brushed off a sales man and got inside this beauty. Inside of the car, there was more than meets the eye of Transformers logos everywhere. I think Chevrolet did an amazing job with this car, and I am very glad that they also decided to sell them to the public. The Camaro comes in either a V6, or V8 engine and can lay down an impressive 0-60 mph in just 4.7 seconds. As for me I’ll stay put and will have to settle for a Bumble Bee Camaro made by Hasbro for now.

YouTube link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmdPl7M7B74