Though its been an hour and I still haven't been able to transform him; I just can't figure his legs out, instructions or not. And I'm terrified of breaking him!
Review to follow
Masterpiece Rodimus!
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Kaylee
- Big Honking Planet Eater
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I have him :3
Though its been an hour and I still haven't been able to transform him; I just can't figure his legs out, instructions or not. And I'm terrified of breaking him!
Review to follow
Though its been an hour and I still haven't been able to transform him; I just can't figure his legs out, instructions or not. And I'm terrified of breaking him!
Review to follow
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Guest
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Kaylee
- Big Honking Planet Eater
- Posts:4071
- Joined:Thu Oct 26, 2000 12:00 am
- ::More venomous than I appear
- Location:Ashford, Kent, UK.
- Contact:
=Masterpiece Rodimus Convoy=
==Introduction==
In the high and far off times, almost as long ago as I can remember, Hasbro
decided that their current toyline could do with a refresh. Out with the old,
in with the newcomers.
So they replaced their toyline of 'Transformers', mostly moulds acquired from
Japanese companies who, in the 1970s, produced various transforming robots,
with a new range of bright, shiny toys for the children of the 1980's to ask
Father Christmas for.
Thus it was that the leader of the Autobots was replaced with a new mould, or
to be accurate two new moulds: Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime, respectively representing the
youth and adulthood of the new Autobot leader.
I distinctly remember both toys: I got Rodimus Prime first, and later on was
lucky enough to get Hot Rod. Hot Rod was cooler: he transformed into a racing
car, whereas Rodimus was more of a brick that turned into a slightly larger
brick.
The mould for Hot Rod just looked and felt better: more like he appeared in
the accompanying cartoon and comic series. The colours were right and he had
a neat transformation.
Rodimus came with a trailer which turned into a battle station, in the manner of his predecessor Optimus Prime,
but had a far simpler transformation. His eyes were slitted: like he was
gritting his teeth ready for battle. Rodimus lacked that fun quality that Hot
Rod had.
So it was this backdrop that Takara have released their latest Masterpiece
against, and my hat's off to them once again for their imagination and
attention to details: particularly in the robot mode.
Not only have they managed to capture in one toy both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime (or Hot
Rodimus and Rodimus Convoy if you're feeling Oriental) but also each distinct
vehicle mode.
The figure is not without it's flaws though, and I'd argue it is probably the
weakest released so far. I'll get to that presently, but firstly:
==The Good==
===Perfect figures===
Both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime are perfect in robot mode.
Hot Rod looks and feels young and alive and, as you would expect from the
Masterpiece line, has fully articuled hands, fingers (albeit bunched into one
set of four fingers and a thumb), ankles, wrists, hips and so on.
The face sculpt is dead-on and the colours are accurate. He is a sleek,
perfect model in all regards and looks perfect just stood on the desk.
Similarly, Rodimus Prime looks like a seasoned warrior and different enough
from Hot Rod to work well: despite the transition being no more than a
different face sculpt, slightly longer legs and a higher spoiler on his back.
The transition works well, with each figure having a distinct personality
mostly achieved through the highly accurate face sculpts.
Both figures have a chest cavity to insert a small Autobot Matrix of
Leadership accessory, which bizarrely is a completely different size to the
accessory shipped with Masterpiece Optimus Prime.
===Perfect colours===
The colours are absolutely spot-on and represent a well thought out compromise
between the more purple muted colours of the character in the comic and movie as
compared to his brighter, crimson colours in the cartoon show.
===Best of the rest===
The trailer for Rodimus Prime is largely identical to the original 1980's
mould: it opens up to reveal a swivveling gun turret and two armoured shields.
The best addition here is the ability to store both of Hot Rods guns.
Incidentally, the guns are also able to combine together to form Rodimus
Prime's eliminator rifle. A nice touch and a loving detail.
The figure also includes a vizor which can be flipped down over the eyes,
simulating the character's binoculars as used in the cartoon.
==The Bad==
Sadly I've got far too much to say in this section. Far too much. And all of
it so easily avoidable!
I say avoidable, ultimately I'm not a toy designer or an engineer: I *assume*
it is all avoidable, given the sheer amount of detail which some aspects of
the figure have been given.
Firstly my biggest gripe: the character's transformation to vehicle mode
(either of them) is difficult, time consuming and not something I will be
doing often: I'm too worried about breaking the toy.
My biggest secret? I've yet to transform him properly! I can't get his legs
to fold down properly, despite hours of trying. I daren't force the joints
too much, and the actual process of unfolding his 'boots' and collapsing them
into the tailgate of his vehicle mode seems to be impossible inside 15
minutes.
I've spent 45 trying to do it and still am unhappy with the result.
None of the other Masterpiece figures have been this difficult. Megatron came
close, but Megatron at least had some metal parts to give me some confidence I
wasn't going to twist something off where it wouldn't go back on.
Prime was simple, Starscream was a bit of a pain but not too bad.
The furthest I have to go back to find a Transformer this hard to actually
transform would be Binaltech Smokescreen, who was an absolute pig to put into
his (admittedly beautiful and detailed) vehicle mode. And even when I did
manage it, the vehicle mode looked awkward and off.
Hot Rod is the same. The vehicle mode looks awkward, like half of it is about
1/8 inch out of place, just enough that the panels don't sit down properly.
What's the use of a Transformer that I not only can't transform, but feel
worried about breaking? You may well ask.
===All plastic===
I'm disappointed in this. There is no metal component to be found in Hot
Rod. None whatsoever. Apart from a few pins and screws he is an all-plastic
affair, like Starscream.
What's missing are some nice metal legs, or a metal torso. Something to give
the character some solid weight and to make him feel less flimsy, less like
actually playing with him is going to snap him in half.
Given the attention to detail some aspects of the figure got, making him
entirely out of plastic seems an odd decision for Takara to have made.
===Size===
On the subject of odd decisions, for some reason Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime is not
on the same scale as Optimus Prime and Megatron. This means, for one thing,
his Matrix of Leadership accessory is considerably smaller than Optimus'. It
also means he stands apart, like a lesser model.
I would much preferred they'd made him just an inch taller and brought him
into scale with the larger robots, but this seems to be an ongoing randomness
with the Masterpiece line.
My vision is that someone at Takara just rolls a dice and whatever number
comes up, that's how many inches smaller than Optimus the next figure will be.
Again, easy to fix. Why was it done to begin with?
==Overall==
There is lots wrong with Masterpiece Rodimus Convoy. Sadly, a lot.
His robot form is beautiful, his vehicle mode I find almost impossible to
create. His gun, visor and weapons storage in the trailer and Matrix are all nice
touches that show a huge amount of thought and love.
His inconsistent size with the other Masterpiece releases, his overcomplex
transformation and lack of any metal in the build show a considerable lack of
thought and love.
What to make of this?
Honestly I don't know. I like this figure and am pleased with him: I've been
pleased with every Masterpiece regardless of their faults:
* Starscream's size and, frankly, bizarre colour scheme
* Megatron's chicken-legs and rusting metal
* Grimlock's size and fiddly chest/tail
* Prime... well Prime is pretty much perfect now I think about it. And that
is an encouraging thought.
Rodimus Convoy is probably the most flawed to date. I don't know what more to
say about it, some aspects of this toy I love. Some aspects are just a
disappointment for a doll costing over $150.
It feels almost like they just released the prototype, like Takara ran out of
cash and had to put *something* out there. Some bits of the prototype were
done, others were half baked.
If you love the Masterpiece line, and I do, or you love Rodimus/Hot Rod then
get him. Faults aside it's a beautiful figure.
If you're on the fence, give it a miss or pick one up later.
Personally I'm happy, still, to support the Masterpiece line as there is yet
enough goodness coming over in the figures to keep me interested. Indeed, if
Rodimus is out now then surely the next figure must be his arch nemesis...?
Build quality: 7 / 10
Colours: 9/10
Detail: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10
==Introduction==
In the high and far off times, almost as long ago as I can remember, Hasbro
decided that their current toyline could do with a refresh. Out with the old,
in with the newcomers.
So they replaced their toyline of 'Transformers', mostly moulds acquired from
Japanese companies who, in the 1970s, produced various transforming robots,
with a new range of bright, shiny toys for the children of the 1980's to ask
Father Christmas for.
Thus it was that the leader of the Autobots was replaced with a new mould, or
to be accurate two new moulds: Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime, respectively representing the
youth and adulthood of the new Autobot leader.
I distinctly remember both toys: I got Rodimus Prime first, and later on was
lucky enough to get Hot Rod. Hot Rod was cooler: he transformed into a racing
car, whereas Rodimus was more of a brick that turned into a slightly larger
brick.
The mould for Hot Rod just looked and felt better: more like he appeared in
the accompanying cartoon and comic series. The colours were right and he had
a neat transformation.
Rodimus came with a trailer which turned into a battle station, in the manner of his predecessor Optimus Prime,
but had a far simpler transformation. His eyes were slitted: like he was
gritting his teeth ready for battle. Rodimus lacked that fun quality that Hot
Rod had.
So it was this backdrop that Takara have released their latest Masterpiece
against, and my hat's off to them once again for their imagination and
attention to details: particularly in the robot mode.
Not only have they managed to capture in one toy both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime (or Hot
Rodimus and Rodimus Convoy if you're feeling Oriental) but also each distinct
vehicle mode.
The figure is not without it's flaws though, and I'd argue it is probably the
weakest released so far. I'll get to that presently, but firstly:
==The Good==
===Perfect figures===
Both Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime are perfect in robot mode.
Hot Rod looks and feels young and alive and, as you would expect from the
Masterpiece line, has fully articuled hands, fingers (albeit bunched into one
set of four fingers and a thumb), ankles, wrists, hips and so on.
The face sculpt is dead-on and the colours are accurate. He is a sleek,
perfect model in all regards and looks perfect just stood on the desk.
Similarly, Rodimus Prime looks like a seasoned warrior and different enough
from Hot Rod to work well: despite the transition being no more than a
different face sculpt, slightly longer legs and a higher spoiler on his back.
The transition works well, with each figure having a distinct personality
mostly achieved through the highly accurate face sculpts.
Both figures have a chest cavity to insert a small Autobot Matrix of
Leadership accessory, which bizarrely is a completely different size to the
accessory shipped with Masterpiece Optimus Prime.
===Perfect colours===
The colours are absolutely spot-on and represent a well thought out compromise
between the more purple muted colours of the character in the comic and movie as
compared to his brighter, crimson colours in the cartoon show.
===Best of the rest===
The trailer for Rodimus Prime is largely identical to the original 1980's
mould: it opens up to reveal a swivveling gun turret and two armoured shields.
The best addition here is the ability to store both of Hot Rods guns.
Incidentally, the guns are also able to combine together to form Rodimus
Prime's eliminator rifle. A nice touch and a loving detail.
The figure also includes a vizor which can be flipped down over the eyes,
simulating the character's binoculars as used in the cartoon.
==The Bad==
Sadly I've got far too much to say in this section. Far too much. And all of
it so easily avoidable!
I say avoidable, ultimately I'm not a toy designer or an engineer: I *assume*
it is all avoidable, given the sheer amount of detail which some aspects of
the figure have been given.
Firstly my biggest gripe: the character's transformation to vehicle mode
(either of them) is difficult, time consuming and not something I will be
doing often: I'm too worried about breaking the toy.
My biggest secret? I've yet to transform him properly! I can't get his legs
to fold down properly, despite hours of trying. I daren't force the joints
too much, and the actual process of unfolding his 'boots' and collapsing them
into the tailgate of his vehicle mode seems to be impossible inside 15
minutes.
I've spent 45 trying to do it and still am unhappy with the result.
None of the other Masterpiece figures have been this difficult. Megatron came
close, but Megatron at least had some metal parts to give me some confidence I
wasn't going to twist something off where it wouldn't go back on.
Prime was simple, Starscream was a bit of a pain but not too bad.
The furthest I have to go back to find a Transformer this hard to actually
transform would be Binaltech Smokescreen, who was an absolute pig to put into
his (admittedly beautiful and detailed) vehicle mode. And even when I did
manage it, the vehicle mode looked awkward and off.
Hot Rod is the same. The vehicle mode looks awkward, like half of it is about
1/8 inch out of place, just enough that the panels don't sit down properly.
What's the use of a Transformer that I not only can't transform, but feel
worried about breaking? You may well ask.
===All plastic===
I'm disappointed in this. There is no metal component to be found in Hot
Rod. None whatsoever. Apart from a few pins and screws he is an all-plastic
affair, like Starscream.
What's missing are some nice metal legs, or a metal torso. Something to give
the character some solid weight and to make him feel less flimsy, less like
actually playing with him is going to snap him in half.
Given the attention to detail some aspects of the figure got, making him
entirely out of plastic seems an odd decision for Takara to have made.
===Size===
On the subject of odd decisions, for some reason Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime is not
on the same scale as Optimus Prime and Megatron. This means, for one thing,
his Matrix of Leadership accessory is considerably smaller than Optimus'. It
also means he stands apart, like a lesser model.
I would much preferred they'd made him just an inch taller and brought him
into scale with the larger robots, but this seems to be an ongoing randomness
with the Masterpiece line.
My vision is that someone at Takara just rolls a dice and whatever number
comes up, that's how many inches smaller than Optimus the next figure will be.
Again, easy to fix. Why was it done to begin with?
==Overall==
There is lots wrong with Masterpiece Rodimus Convoy. Sadly, a lot.
His robot form is beautiful, his vehicle mode I find almost impossible to
create. His gun, visor and weapons storage in the trailer and Matrix are all nice
touches that show a huge amount of thought and love.
His inconsistent size with the other Masterpiece releases, his overcomplex
transformation and lack of any metal in the build show a considerable lack of
thought and love.
What to make of this?
Honestly I don't know. I like this figure and am pleased with him: I've been
pleased with every Masterpiece regardless of their faults:
* Starscream's size and, frankly, bizarre colour scheme
* Megatron's chicken-legs and rusting metal
* Grimlock's size and fiddly chest/tail
* Prime... well Prime is pretty much perfect now I think about it. And that
is an encouraging thought.
Rodimus Convoy is probably the most flawed to date. I don't know what more to
say about it, some aspects of this toy I love. Some aspects are just a
disappointment for a doll costing over $150.
It feels almost like they just released the prototype, like Takara ran out of
cash and had to put *something* out there. Some bits of the prototype were
done, others were half baked.
If you love the Masterpiece line, and I do, or you love Rodimus/Hot Rod then
get him. Faults aside it's a beautiful figure.
If you're on the fence, give it a miss or pick one up later.
Personally I'm happy, still, to support the Masterpiece line as there is yet
enough goodness coming over in the figures to keep me interested. Indeed, if
Rodimus is out now then surely the next figure must be his arch nemesis...?
Build quality: 7 / 10
Colours: 9/10
Detail: 8/10
Overall: 7.5/10
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Optimus Prime Rib
- Over Pompous Autobot Commander
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Aaron Hong
- Me king!
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- Location:...No let ME fold the map GAAH
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Optimus Prime Rib
- Over Pompous Autobot Commander
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- Joined:Mon Apr 19, 2004 11:00 pm
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- Contact:
