Sunday, March 26, 2023

Transformers Toys Legacy Evolution Deluxe Scraphook Toy Review

 

Hello and welcome folks. I finally got another TF review up and running after my trip to the mainland. Today, we look at a newly created Junkion for the Legacy and G1 continuity line. Let's just get started!









At this point, we are probably used to the plastic-less boxes. I kinda miss it actually. The boxes do feel much lighter without it. That's just how I feel. The digital profile is now on the top of the box.

For those who are interested, here is the link: Scraphook bio card.

Standing tall








SH in the flesh. I think he looks great. He is painted in colors that do resemble a Junkion. I thought this was a cool feature, but he only has one painted eye. Most likely lost an eye during his skirmishes with the enemy. Aren't they Junkions though? Couldn't they just replace it? To be continued I guess. He is part of the now Legacy evo combiner gimmick where his limbs can be removed and placed on other figures. I didn't really try this though I probably will when I get Shrapnel. For now, look at the back of his box to get an idea. Because of this gimmick, he does get wobbly, but mainly in the arms area. His elbows are very loose as a result and pops off with little force. You can peg his wings on his back (not pictured here) to give him the impression that swords on kept in the back of him.

Also, I actually do prefer his original look and the chain hook weapon on his forearm. Would had been cool no doubt had Hastak gave us that. The one given here lacks re-playability because the hook can be only twisted at best and removed. A chain would had really made him more fun to play with.

Here is his wiki page and original design: Scraphook Wiki

Alt mode (w/ Wreck-Gar and Junkheap).








I think we all saw this that a tow truck is smaller than a motorcycle. Oh wait, what the hell is Groove doing as a leg of Defensor or why is Blast off the arm of Bruticus? I never really bought into all that. It just would had been nice to see SH larger and that darn hook do more than twist and turn. This mode was fairly easy to transform into though his back portion took me sometime. 

Some more pics
















I'll just leave it here. I think he looks great with the team. But honestly, why don't WG and JH have guns? Anyhow, the guns are placed on his shins in alt mode. In robot mode, you can actually leave it on his shins to cover the gaps if that is your forte, though this deprives him the use of his guns. 

Conclusion:


It's finally nice to have a Junkion member that isn't a motorcycle. He looks different too but thanks to the paint scheme, he blends in nicely. I'm not into the whole weaponizer gimmick but its good to have some novelty. His size is fairly disappointing but my heart will go on. Just also wish you can do more with that hook of his. It looks like Hastak really dropped the ball on that one. Anyhow, add this guy to your Junkion collection. 



Monday, March 13, 2023

Star Wars in Death Valley 2023

 I did this while I was on my trip to DV back in Feb 26-28. The only shot I couldn't get is Dante's View where it is the overlook of Mos Eisley in the films due to the snow storm flooding at the time. Enjoy.

Mesquite Sand Dunes



Twenty Mule Canyon (1st pic is a deleted Return of the Jedi scene)

















Artist Palette
















Golden Canyon







Desolation Canyon




That's it for now and thank you Jesus for a safe trip to the canyons and back. See you later folks.



Saturday, February 18, 2023

Transformers Toys Legacy Evolution Deluxe Breakdown Review

 At long last Menasor is complete! Without further delay, lets review the final member of the Stunticons and let's get started!


Boxing





I'll admit his artwork looks great.

Out of the box








So BD is a remold use of Wild-Rider. I remember when I fidgeted with his UW version years ago, I was not impressed by this character. His UW version felt boxed in. However, the Legacy version feels more free. The only thing that felt really off was his split looking back; you don't necessarily need to do this but this is supposedly how he looks toywise. But in general, his backpack does look a little too big for him. He is given two weapons which one is a small rifle which works and a boomerang spoiler. The latter is what irks most fans. For me, I wish I could split it in half so you can place it vertically behind his hind legs. Would had helped if he had a peg on his back as well. If you like WR, then BD plays fine as well.

Alt mode









I have the Legacy Evolution pamphlet. I heard the early versions came without the Evo sign and the booklet was a different color. Anyhow, transformation is fairly easy. The spoiler is where its supposed to be, however Breakdown has no real way to implement weapons on this mode. There is a way and that is if you remove his spoiler. Otherwise, it belongs on the bottom of his front hood. He also has the slant peg wheels on his back tires which Hasbro have been using for quite sometime. This mode looks nice overall sans the lack of weapon placement.

Merge to become Menasor!




He is finally complete! How do you like the positioning of the cars? Front or back? For me it doesn't matter but the cars up front bring out more of a personality for him imo. I don't know if I stuck BD into the pegs too tight but I had trouble getting him back out to test play with him a few more times before I wrote this review. You can see the shin flaps don't close all the way for mines. A few collectors have this issue as well.

Conclusion


I wasn't expecting much because he was my least favorite in the UW line. Here he is a definite improvement despite being a lazy remold of Wild-Rider. Cutting costs I believe. They could had done something better with his weapon situation. Like I said, at least have a storage option for it on his robot mode. Once again, you can slice the bugger in half but I'm not that accurate so I rather not try it (yes, some fans did this online). Well, if you are a Menasor fan, here you have it! The good thing about BD is that he isn't difficult to play with nor is he a terrible figure. Works just fine.