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| Two weeks to flatten the curve, but wait! That was over a year ago. We are still locked up! |
The last of the Decepticon Triple Changers in the LG line looked at today. Let's get started!
So first off, Decepticon is spelled "Desepticon" again. I guess this is the norm for the Japanese Transformers today. The comic featured here is weird again. It actually pays homage to Octane in his limited appearances in the G1 cartoon. He was once possessed by the ghost of Starscream, so he gets possessed in the form of the SS headmaster which is the gimmick for this figure. Additionally, Octane was looking at a female model in the cartoon as well, so that is the theme here where there is female modeling. Some of the girls featured here came from the combiner Megatronia. All I can say is poor SS. Here is the link for the synopsis.
https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Legends_Comic:_Bonus_Edition_Vol._57
Jet mode
Neat Jet mode. I like the paint Takara used here. You can actually see mini windows right above the metal cage. The cockpit is actually somewhere towards the tail of the figure where you can insert the Headmasters inside. The weapon pegs are on the side, and last but not least, if you flip the flap behind the jet end down, you can do a head on with the Headmasters. It's pretty much where you place them in robot mode. This mode plays really nice as well. I love it.
Tankor mode
Another well done mode. The silver paint really shines in this mode. This mode was fairly easy to transform into from jet mode. I like how it rolls. I really felt like I was playing with a long toy. There are small pegs in this mode where you can stick the headmasters on him so that they don't fall. Also, I did try to recreate the scene where his head stuck out of his truck mode prior to meeting ghost SS. It is a little weird that the windows still stick out. It may have worked on the jet mode, but it does feel a little awkward to have mini-windows stick out in a fueler. I dig that metal cage below it though as well the silver wheels.
Robot mode
Damaged goods
So what happened here is that as I tried to peg the weapon handle on the bottom, I discovered that the gun was actually melted. It came defective! Darn it! I didn't see it at first when I was playing with it on the alt modes since it requires you to peg the weapon on the side. So I had to use Blitzwing's weapon to show you folks how it could had been had this defect never arose. I doubt Takara be able to do anything now.
With Blitzwing's weapon.
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| That collar gimmick! |
So what triple threat figure is complete without the collar gimmick? For Octane, you push his stomach to reveal the collars. So you pretty much read my analysis of the melted weapon. This was upsetting indeed. Octane is in his G1 cartoon colors so no surprise there. If you do get the Titans Return version, it's based off his G1 toy so depends on what you want. Octane plays nice here though his wings can get in the way of posing with his arms. His joints are tight and I dig his look overall. Easy to transform here from his tankor mode. No waist swivel here once again. For the Takara vs Hasbro comparison look here.
Here is the anime comparison
Starscream's Ghost and Ghost in the machine tribute.
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| Don't make me do that! |
It was so nice to see Takara add this gimmick as a tribute to the episode Starscream's ghost. Octane's shoulder blades, located behind his triceps, can be flipped up to mimic SS's shoulder blades. Scourge is used here as a re-enactment of their encounter in the episode "Ghost in the machine."
The Headmasters
Here you see the close up of both Hm figures given here. They are well painted as usual for Takara figures and I like how they used translucent parts for SS giving him that ghost feel. Both Hm have head swivels for those who are wondering.
The Triple Changers (Head on!)
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| "What is the purpose of possessing Astrotrain?" |
The pictures explain everything. Octane is the smallest of the three though the differences aren't too drastic. 86 Scourge is the smallest in this pic despite being voyager size. Ironically, AT is the tallest of the three but is the smallest now if you place the Siege/ER version next to them. Darn scale system. SS possessing AT mentioned above happened in Ghost in the machine.
As a refresher, Blitzwing was meant to be the traitor in Starscream's ghost instead of Octane, but since Octane's figure was more brand new, Octane held the honor of being SS's buddy.
Conclusion:
Imo, Takara hit a home run with Octane. The alt modes I felt played the best of all the triple changers. The ghost SS gimmick is pretty much what you are paying extra for. The paint is nice. I do prefer it slightly over the Hasbro version. I'm not too big on the stickers concept but the Hasbro version is a nice homage to the G1 toy so no real qualm here really. The only messed up thing here really was my black gun which came melted. Ugh.. Oh well. I live to fight another day.
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| "I live again!" |
