If you’ve noticed lately, I’m buying a lot of Transformers, particularly ones that share molds. Those can be difficult to review because, other than paint, there can be a big “been there, done that” vibe. I’ve got an idea to combat that. Four Cassettes. Two Days. One Review… in Two Parts.
In today’s review, I’m going to cover Ravage thoroughly and Rumble partially. For some features, like interactivity with Soundwave or accessories, check back tomorrow for the Frenzy & Buzzsaw review. The rest I’ll cover here.
The very first thing I want to talk about is the price. Yes… I paid $60 for the two cassettes featured today. Do I recommend that for everyone? Probably not. For me, I have an unnatural love of the cassettes and I guess I kinda convinced myself that $60 isn’t bad for an import price. Hasbro will be bringing these to retail as part of a TRU exclusive pack that includes MP Soundwave and all five cassettes. It will probably cost about 40% of what I paid for my Soundwave & cassettes.
I don’t really have a good reason for not waiting. I am incredibly impatient. And I love the colors here – I don’t really care for Hasbro-Soundwave’s yellow visor and I have no idea what they’ll do to the cassettes. So, to have the cassettes the way I wanted them (particularly the Creamiscle Buzzsaw) and to have them in-hand already, I did toss $120 BBTS’ way. It may not have been the wisest money spent this year, but I don’t regret it one bit. Especially considering I don’t have to waste one iota of energy worrying about when or if he shows up at my TRU.
Okay, with that long monologue out of the way, let’s talk toys. Rumble & Jaguar showed up on my doorstep about a month ago. I immediately redubbed Jaguar “Ravage” on account of my living in America and all. I’m not sure if Rumble is really Rumble or if he’s Frenzy, but I don’t care. I’ll stick with Rumble since it says so on the box, but I’m pretty sure the red one was Frenzy when I was a wee tot.
Since I already had Laserbeak, I knew the cassettes would be small – they’re actually the exact same size as the cassettes from when I was a kid, but the cassettes in this two-pack go completely different routes when they transform. Ravage feels like he gets smaller since some of his transformation this time around goes to making him a little more “three dimensional”. Rumble meanwhile is comparatively huge, with his transformation making him a little taller than the cassettes of old.
Ravage is probably the more impressive of the two despite his smaller size. He has great articulation; I wish they would’ve been able to work some side-to-side movement into the head, but the up/down movement is pretty good. The ball-jointed shoulders on the front legs are fantastic and along with the other 14 points of articulation in the limbs, Ravage was a lot of fun to pose. I wish I had a small flight stand to pose him leaping, but I’ve found plenty of great poses to put him on the shelf without it.
The paintwork is pretty good overall considering the size. Like Laserbeak, the silver paint seems a little more prone to scraping/damage than I would like, but luckily there’s much less paint on Ravage. I have noticed that the gray paint on the lower legs has lost paint on a couple pegs that are needed to keep his sturdy in cassette mode. Not a big deal, but those might have been best left unpainted. The two tiny Decepticon tampos are nice and clean. Continue to Page 2…
Pretty cool review so far. These guys look good enough to display with my Generations figures even if they’re actually part of the Masterpiece line.
I could use the savings that a Hasbro version would provide, although releasing Soundwave with a yellow (?) visor is kind of a deal breaker here. After all these years I’m still not sure if Frenzy is Rumble or if Rumble is Frenzy but I do know I’d want them in their classic G1 colors.
I figure once you have both, it doesn’t really matter who’s who!
We’ve only seen shopped images so far, but I don’t much care for the yellow visor (I never had the toy). Really though, the visor should be switchable at this level. Grimlock is all the more awesome because both modes can switch eye color.
it’s the unending controversy… to me, Rumble is Red and Black (because that’s what the toys said and in this case, the toys are always right)
I’m waiting for the TRU exclusives… I have to, it’s much easier… provided mine gets more than 4 in…
My TRU got in Prime one time and the two pieces were gone in a day. Hopefully, Soundwave will be much easier!
I only had the Laserbeak & Frenzy (blue) set (ok, and the later lion and ratbat sets), but ‘blue’ was called Rumble on the TV show. You could probably count on one hand when red Frenzy/Rumble and/or Buzzsaw appeared on the cartoon. I’m pretty sure the blue guy was Frenzy in the comics? again, Ravage and Laserbeak were the two troops Soundwave usually deployed.
I’m glad you like them, and the accessories do look neat. I guess I’ll wait for tomorrow to see how they actually work? I’m just not that nostalgic enough to want these, $60 or not, or even the current retail discscscs.
Then again, that last shot reminds me of the time I was waiting for the afternoon kindergarten bus with mom, and our blue heeler Mississippi was running around just up the road where there’s a blind curve at the bottom of the hill, and she…. 🙁 🙁 🙁
Let’s go to your happy place…
Yep, I’ll cover the accessories more tomorrow since Frenzy has exactly the same complement. Duplicate molds can be tricky to review…
I did get this set of Rumble and Ravage and like them a lot. I’m still hanging on the fence over Frenzy and Buzzsaw, I think the tipping point will be if something cheap comes into my BBTS piloe of loot that I want to ship … I’ll add another $70 to that order to feel better about not paying $9 in shipping.
Collector’s minds work in mysterious ways.
They do indeed. Shipping was virtually free for these with the PoL, so that helps. I just figured when it comes to TRU, an exclusive in the hand is worth two on the shelf?
If anyone has anything they’d like to see tomorrow that wasnt covered here, shout it out! The pictures are taken, but I’ll probably do a rewrite before I post it.
I’m glad that this was the first review back as I totally love these guys. Though I will be eaiting for the TRU release, I’ve watched or read pretty much every review I’ve found. I just love them. Rumble/Frenzy looks remarkable accurate (just like Lazerbeak), but to me, the gem of the collection has to be Ravage. Not only does it look amazing in bot mode, but that transformation is a thing of beauty. The first time I saw the head transforming, my jaw literally dropped. I really hope these are released soon. Is there a proposed release date for these guys? I have a birthday coming up…
I’m not sure if TRU is planning for Summer or Christmas.
Summer seems more likely…
And, yes! The head transformation for Ravage is great! The halves coming together is brilliant.
“I’ll stick with Rumble since it says so on the box, but I’m pretty sure the red one was Frenzy when I was a wee tot.”
Short-ish version: toys had blue Frenzy and red Rumble. US cartoon switched the names (and associated powers, though Frenzy never actually displayed his high-frequency disruption power in the ‘toon). Japanese dub of the US cartoon switched the names to how the Hasbro toyline had them, making the original US cartoon the only significant instance of a blue Rumble in 1980s media.
Whether the cartoon’s relative prominence in the US Transformers fandom means Rumble should be blue forevermore has been fought about since 1994 and is essentially pointless to argue about. See more here: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/FIRRIB
Thanks, Monzo!
Great review! I can’t wait for the TRU versions of these guys to hit
I’ll keep an eye out for you here too. Hopefully, he’ll be easy to snag!
I heard the pile drivers can be stored somewhere in soundwaves legs. I’d like to see pics of that tomorrow.
I know the guns can be… Hrm… I’ll check on the pile drivers.
I belive the piledrivers connect to the underside of Soundwave’s arms (by the elbow. I guess it’s supposed to be a double cannon? Alternatively, you can combine the piledrivers with Soundwave’s sensor and then plug them into the cassette deck as a “charger.” Neither feature is spectacular.
And as for their US cartoon appearances, looks like Frenzy and Buzzsaw had 4 and Frenzy was also in the movie. TF Wiki is verry verry thorough….
I did the same thing Noisy did for the same reasons. I wanted cartoon accurate SW and didn’t want to deal with TRU. MP-10 was apparently very tough to find in TRU, I saw one once on the shelves.
I currently have SW and his cassettes on a shelf with my Quake Wave (3rd Party Shockwave). Noisy, did you get in on Quake Wave? He is unbelievable!
I haven’t jumped on Quake Wave just yet… I’ve spent way too much lately. The third run is tempting!
Noisy, would it sound weird to you if I said I want the casettes more than I want Soundwave himself? I dunno, but I have never been able to get myself to “play” much with my large Masterpiece figures. They’re so big and unwieldy (though I love Grimlock dearly). But these little guys I can see sitting on my desk or fiddling around with when I’m bored.
Yeah, actually I am weird.
Anyway, great review and congrats on picking these up early. I hope Takara and Hasbro toss more of these at us, since the molds are so solid. I absolutely want to see a Glit and Howlback from Ravage, Sundor and Garboil from Laserbeak and Enemy from R/F!
And I share your Rumble/Frenzy confusion. As a kid I followed both the toon and the comic, and they each had their own version of it.
you see, I knew you could count them on one hand! LOL 😉
Nah, I think I like the cassettes more too. The big-ins are almost more fun in their alt modes due to the size, but these guys are just right. I’m dying for more cassettes!
Great review and pics, as always!
I was very pleased with this set (and the other Soundwave-themed MP sets), and hope that they get around to all the other Cassetticons in Masterpiece format . . . . and then do MP SoundBlaster and MP Shattered Glass Soundwave. With all the Cassetticons.
Because, as we all know, SOUNDWAVE SUPERIOR.
My favorite G1 Transformers episode is “S.O.S. Dinobots” (I would ask my mom every weekend to go rent the VHS copy at the video store), and in it the blue cassette identifies himself as “Rumble.” So that’s that.
Also, after playing Magic: The Gathering for so many years, I automatically associate the colors red and black with words like “Frenzy”.
Have to say these blow the discs out of the water. Classics Ravage I wished looked.that cool. Will have to look nto fnding a Toys R Us in my area and an easy way to get there.