In yesterday’s review, I covered Ravage and laid out the basics of what went into the Rumble & Frenzy mold. Today, I’ll take a look at Frenzy proper, the bevy of accessories that the figures come with and how they interact with Soundwave. Oh, and let’s not forget ol’ Buzzsaw. We’ll cover him in all his orange glory!
Out of the four cassettes, Buzzsaw is probably the one that most pushed me most into picking up the import versions. I could be wrong, but I just don’t him to be orange when that set debuts at TRU. He’s orange here because Takara tends to follow the cartoon colors with their Masterpiece line, but Hasbro skews towards toy colors. We’re already seeing this with Soundwave’s yellow visor on the TRU release. So, I’m going to guess that Buzzsaw will be gold or yellow when he’s released here in the states. While that’s no doubt going to look cool, I simply couldn’t pass him up in orange.
Part of that is because I love orange. You just don’t get opportunities for that color on your toy shelf often enough. But it’s also because the mold is that damn awesome (I fear that I might want it in whatever colors Hasbro does choose…). It’s funny how colors can change things though – maybe it was just all the awesomeness that was Soundwave, but I didn’t give Laserbeak a lot of time back when they first arrived. I’ve been playing with Buzzsaw left and right though. Never let it be said that colors aren’t important.
Like all the cassettes, Buzzsaw includes a pink case. These are a cool, but extra little feature for the five cassettes if you want to store them in tape mode and make them look rather nondescript. I’ll take anything extra though and if you bought both packs & Soundwave then you have one for each cassette.
Since I covered the sculpt & articulation of Rumble yesterday, I should just jump right into the accessories Frenzy. To recap in a few sentences tough, the two bot modes have sculpts that are identical in every way (as they should) except for their colors. Like, Rumble, Frenzy features sharp paint and some nice vac-metal. The good news is that means we can flipflop their names around until our hearts are content.
What I do need to cover with Frenzy here today is the accessories that the two robots come with. They both have their back-mounted pistols that have a flip-out smaller handle for them to hold the guns, but the accessories I really need to cover are the three-piece piledriver/batteries set.
I’m glad these were included, but, to be honest, I probably didn’t really need them. They have a lot of functions that I’m not completely sure of the origin of – I haven’t seen every episode or read every comic, so it may just be my inability to appreciate the options. That said, I respect that all this stuff was added in, even if I don’t understand why.
The main use of the pile drivers is to use them as pile drivers. Duh. I would like this option more, but I have a hard time getting them to attach on my figures. The idea is that the hands fold in and the tubes slide over the forearm. It should work and be snug, but I just can’t get them to stay in place. They do look cool when they’re on there and I love the extensions so they can look like they’re ground pounding, but I’d really like to see them clip snugly in place. The other useful function of the pile drivers is that they can be used to store the pistols when the figure doesn’t need them. One end just flips up and there are some specific grooves for the pistols to slide into. Soundwave also has a spot in his feet to store one set of the guns, so you’ve got plenty of options for storage on these smaller weapons. Continue to Page 2…
cool stuff. I’m almost tempted by this entire set, but then I remember I don’t have any money. :/
ah, for the days when all this stuff was actually affordable….
It’s a testament to the Transformers’ appeal to collectors that we can view two repainted characters as four unique individuals. I mean, who wouldn’t want Buzzsaw? Dude took out freaking Omega Supreme!
That’d be me. I don’t want Buzzsaw. I have Laserbeak who is a much more important character, and those two are the same toy. I only want one of that toy. I know the orange one is a different character, but it’s the same toy, and I only need one. Same thing goes for Frenzy.
Great review and pics, as always!
Regarding the pile-drivers, they do actually clip onto the robot’s arms securely . . . but you have to press ’em on pretty hard, and getting them off might make you worry about breaking the arms. I found this out whilst “reading” the instructions, and though I can’t read much Japanese, it looked like you were supposed to push the pile-drivers in until they clicked. As I say, you can do this, and they stay in place really well, but the force required to do so and then undo it is a bit nerve-wracking on such an expensive and potentially fragile toy.
I’m with you on the desire for more Cassetticons and their repaints. But I’ll also take as many Soundwave repaints as they want to throw at us. If they want to release Soundblaster with Ratbat, Slugfest, Overkill, Beastbox, and Squawktalk, I’d be all for that. Then perhaps some more repaint 2-packs with Enemy & Wingthing, Garboil & Howlback, and Glit and Bat-Bot. Then they can do a massive Shattered Glass box set with Sir Soundwave and all his minions in it. With a green ribbon headband.
Then I might, possibly, be satisfied. };D
Don’t forget ENEMY!
Oh, I didn’t, mate. };D
I think the birds look best in perch-looking-down poses, because that’s when you can take advantage of their wing articulation. Unfortunately, the wings don’t have any upward movement, but they look great in any pose in which their wings can be partially folded.
I’m glad you covered a lot of the hidden cool details like the storage compartments in Soundwave’s feet, which aren’t even mentioned in the instructions that come with Soundwave. Feels like a lot of value added. I also love that Soundwave comes with perches for the birds on both his shoulders and (well-hidden) forearms.
Like you, I ordered them from Japan instead of waiting for TRU, and I don’t regret it.
To not repeat stuff I said yesterday, I’ll just say that I like the review a lot as usual.
I always liked a full stable of casettes, so I’m very happy Takara decided to make Buzzsaw in the first assortment instead of as some weird exclusive. The G1 Buzzsaw (who was packaged with Soundwave in the US) was not released in Japan at all, except as a one-time exclusive, so they could just as well have ignored him. But I’m glad they didn’t. As Clutch noted above, he had a weirdly effective killing streak in the US Comics, where he maimed and disabled an increasingly powerful lineup of enemies until Starscream finally took him out.
As for Rumble… er. Frenzy. Whatever! I’m glad they included the piledrives, but I do agree they have a somewhat limited use in terms of posing. Still, extra value is always good.
Speaking of value, the cost for these are insane, and as an international fan I won’t even have the chance of buying these “cheaper” AT TRU… :/
If we want to fall further down the cassette hole…
http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=2810&company=1561
Yeah, I’m starting to worry this might be the only way to get Squawktalk and Beastbox ever again. Takara don’t seem to be in any rush to re-release them. I’d like to think it’s because they’re now going to put their efforts into super-articulated Masterpiece versions of them, but I’m a bit of a dreamer. A dreamer that would also love a Botch. };D
The last interview by Takara said they only have plans for casettes that were in the cartoon. So Slugfest and Overkill may be a go, Ratbat probably almost certainly, but the combiners are probably not gonna happen… MP is the G1 Cartoon line after all…
MEANWHILE, AT TAKARA HEADQUARTERS:
Sarariman 1: What can we do for next year’s TransFormers Masterpiece line-up?
Sarariman 2: We have an obsessive, irrational fanbase around the world who never tire of throwing vast sums of money at us. Why don’t we make all of Soundwave’s cassettes, then we can all retire early?
Sarariman 1: FOOL! This is a cartoon-only line! You dare speak such blasphemy under the guise of profit margins? You have shamed yourself and your family! Go commit seppuku immediately!
[Exit Sarariman 2. Noises Off: The sound of a razor-honed ceremonial blade slicing through flesh and bone, followed by a pronlonged, wet, meaty splash, and a complex thud that could only be a body hitting the floor in a tangle of limp, blood-soaked limbs.]
Sarariman 1: Honour is satisfied. Now, about the next Optimus Prime repaint . . . .
Shame they can’t do a black repaint of Ravage, but the others should be fair game, hmmm? Black and chrome? 😉
Buy the Takara version if you want all the goodies.
Not 100% sure TRU version will include the piledrivers or cassette cases.
My speculation is no for those.