Deszaras is coming, Deszaras is coming…

Sandstorm is now rumoured, along with Brawn and Snarl, so that’s the core cast really done for me (and done well).

I think my wants can be split into two, figures that complete a subgroup but aren’t that interesting (Sureshot, Joyride, Hosehead). Others that are exciting but probably aren’t needed (new Broadside, Metroplex, God Ginrai, Overlord). Some in between like Omnibots and Throttlebots.

Thunderclash feels like the last character I really care about as well as being the last area of G1 (Euro G1) that I don’t have any representation of. That’s not to say there’s not still a lot I want but in terms of really really want, it’s just TC. Legacy Prime Skyquake is looking great so should get a G1 version. Holiday Prime is an ideal candidate for a Thunderclash. All the signs are there!

Victory Saber has arrived! I just had a quick peak (all looks good) but saving it for Christmas. With Desz also on his way, it got me thinking - in terms of main Japanese characters, we’ve had representation of all of them (although Leozack got the bum deal), but with the other ‘intrigue’ characters, maybe just Grandus left? He appeared in Animated so I think he’s up there. Maybe could he could be a slightly remold of a potential Commander Broadside?

I got a Marvel Legends Avalanche. That’s not taken long considering it was only revealed at Pulsecon. And Blob is now preordered to complete the brotherhood.

Ben-Gali and Vultureman are finally on their way from Super 7 to complete the new Thundercats and mutants. Just Snarf and Jaga to go!

I’ve finished the year with some very sensible spending - it’s been a huge decrease from last year. Figure of the year? Black Zarak, great deco on a great mold of a (version of a) character I never thought I’d get. Fantastic! Happy Christmas everyone.

Deszaras!!!

So happy to see the new Haslab project. It’s hard to tell what it’ll actually be like from the grey prototype, but very exciting. Just hope it does the business.

In other very exciting news, Snarf was revealed and put up for preorder, but the icing on the cake is ghost Jaga being revealed! Fantastic. My Thundercats collection will be complete. Thundercats will be like Turtles - I’d very much like the lair in brick form but otherwise I’m done.

Galaxy Shuttle arrived. Quite a clever repaint of Astrotrain, but a character I always forget about. Hopefully in conjunction with Victory Saber and Deszaras we will get a few more opportune repaints. Talking of opportune repaints, I’m hoping to see a few repaints/remolds of Holiday Optimus Prime. Thunderclash please!!!

I’m feeling very organised, everything not on display is all baggied up and I’ve got everything I’m selling listed. Feels a bit quiet on the news front at the moment and so have started on some customs for the first time in ages. Managed to get the new Lego AT-TE without the minfigs for a good price so all good.

I’ve also replaced my Robotnik:

Thinking about my Generations collection (as I often do). Sureshot and the Throttlebots are the characters from the original cartoon (core G1) that still need updated figures (well, and maybe Steeljaw and Slugfest, but like some of the the other G1 cassettes I’m not sure they can really be bettered). 

In terms of figures that have already been updated, I (obviously) would like bigger than deluxe versions of the remaining Dinobots - which we should be getting. I think Sandstorm is the only core character who really suffers as the result of being a repaint so I’d like an updated version of him. 

Updated versions of the Minibots would be appreciated but I’m not worried. Maybe a more G1 toy accurate Metroplex, but otherwise, that’s the core cast complete for me. (Maybe Sunstreaker and Perceptor in more consistent yellow and toy accurate decos?!)

Thinking about the original toyline, you could add the Omnibots and Deluxe Insecticons (who look promising given comments about toys for characters that haven’t been updated). Beyond that it’s all about JG1/Marvel/IDW/Beast Wars/Cyberverse, ‘outer G1’ if you will. And those characters I’m really content just to get a slow stream of them. Except Thunderclash, who I need now!

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I’ve built the Lego AT-TE! I think it has much greater play potential than the AT-AT, I also like the vehicle more despite not being as iconic, I like the bug look. In my little desk toy world the goodies will be in the AT-AE and the baddies on the AT-AT.

With Deszaras almost funded and assuming we get the remaining two Dinobots, it got me thinking. I think for the first time, some of my most wanted toy(s) are some Real Ghostbusters Plasma figures, more than quite a few Transformers, Thunderclash is still top though!

Thunder, thunder…..

Paddling X

Feels like a burst of lots of parcels. Firstly Planet X Swoop, great to have him back although a bit more wobbly than I remember and one wing not attached. Some loose bits which I hope I don’t loose. Sludge doesn’t seem obtainable at the moment so my head canon is that Paddles has taken his place on the team.

My first Pulsecon exclusive, Alpha Trion, arrived. The Scourge mold works really nicely although he shouldn’t have a gun. He’s actually for my Cyberverse display rather than G1 (since he didn’t have a G1 toy).

Then came a carded Marvel Legends Spider-Man. He’s got the animation deco, but given I’m keeping him carded it’s okay. I will keep him, Iron Man, Wolverine and Deadpool sealed on the retro cards. My plan is to make/buy some display cases for them and hang them on the wall.

Got the new Legacy deluxes, only opened Pointblank, really impressed looks good and tabs together nicely. I ordered some new wheels for Crosshairs as well, really makes a difference.

Also got Inferno, what an amazing headsculpt!

I’ve given up hoping for a SS ‘86 based Stepper so bought the POTP version. The car mode is cool, and overall a good figure.

Then came the blue team, Beast and Aayla Secura. The headsculpt on Beast is fantastic so very glad (but grumpy) to have replaced the old one. Aayla has a very neutral face but can do a two handed lightsaber pose so all good.

And finally, Clone Wars Darth Maul. (Is he still a Sith at that point?!). I’d have preferred him to be him with his initial droid legs but he’s pretty fearsome.

So a month of lots of stuff but nothing too large or expensive.

Racing Pulse

Started off the month with a pair of Leaders. Movie preview Ultra Magnus (cough, Shattered Glass). I think the colours work better than the standard Magnus. Blitzwing looks great, the other modes aren’t so great but robot is solid. Bring on Overcharge!

Speaking of Diaclone pairs, DK3 Breaker came in (along with his ‘brother’). It cost me twice as much but there’s something very satisfying about doing a simple bit of parts swapping. Bring on…. the same mold in yellow!

Finished building the Sanctum Santorum, some really nice bits to it and with the green copper roof it matches the Statue of Liberty rather nicely. The Shuma Gorath is nicely done, speaking of which there is a rumour he might get a Legends figure which would be pretty neat.

Pre Pulsecon there was a big drop of Legends rumours. Great that Blob and Karnak should be coming. Couple more cinematic universe Iron Men and Spider-Men, then quite a lot of wait and see!

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Pulsecon! Alpha Trion has been ordered. Transformers was pretty much as expected, but very excited to see the Deluxe Insecticons on the new poster. Lio Convoy and Tarn look good (lion head aside). Marvel Legends was more surprising, Avalanche! Combined with rumours of Blob mean the Brotherhood is looking good. Not much else of interest but there will be some anniversary Clone Wars stuff for Star Wars. All in all, and despite the leaks, more exciting than I was expecting.

Finally…….

Planet X Slag is amazing! I was so taken with the robot mode I haven’t even transformed it yet. I really ruined my budgeting getting these figures but totally worth it! Snarl is also amazing but not quite so amazing, I think Slag just has a more interesting shape, am genuinely torn about which mode to keep him in.

Cheetara finally came in, I’ve been waiting such a long time (thirty odd years really). She feels a bit more cartoony than the others as she’s a bit smoother and doesn’t have the definition.

Another long awaited female character came in - Minerva! I’ve wanted a figure ever since watching Masterforce. Very solid. It’s one of those that causes me to reflect back on how I seem to have got almost everything I want.

Got Diaclone Twin Twist, almost nothing to say about it. It’s a solid figure in a different colour. Bring on the rest of the Diaclone repaints - Overcharge, Top Spin and Insecticons please! Not to mention yellow Trailbreaker and the others…..

Marvel Legends Lizard, looks good, nothing too surprising. Feels like a while since I got an exciting Legends figure.

Started building Lego Sanctum Santorum, looks like it will be nicely detailed…..

Return to Planet X

Collecting Marvel Legends is quite different to Transformers for me, Legends I only get what I really want. Transformers I do get some stuff I don’t want quite so much. Therefore I tend to open Legends as soon as I receive them. First up was Super Skrull. I’m only getting the main characters, so passing on army builder types. Super Skrull is a bit of a grey area as he is a specific character. I also got him because he was never made in 3.75”.

I then got Toad. The packaging took me right back to visiting Forbidden Planet in the early 2000’s. He’s expensive so looks amazing and you can get a good pose out of him. I really want to get a Brotherhood lineup.

Next was Venom. This is my third version of the character (not that I opened the second). I have a very specific look in my mind of the character and this is it. I imagine him as quite hunched but the previous version couldn’t pull it off. This is perfect, apart from the feet! That’s Spider-Man and Venom finally sorted.

(I know there’s a question of whether I should be getting Transformers I don’t really want…..)

Talking of Transformers (that I do want!), I got Wildrider and Tarantulas. Both look great. Halfway to completing Menasor, and just an Inferno away from a complete season 1 of the Beast Wars lineup.

So I got to reminiscing about the Fansproject Dinobots, but looking at them again I found they often only really worked for me in one mode. I got Sludge, Slag and Swoop and then stopped. But then I remembered something else from 2014 - Planet X Swoop. My comment from the time was “Swoop is brilliant, I can’t stop looking at it. If they release a Slag, Snarl and Sludge I will be very happy…. “. But later that year I opted for Fansproject, and got rid of Swoop. The Planet X dinos were the ones that got away, but I still love those video game designs. And so I have re-bought some. I will hold off getting Grimlock until I have the others in hand and it doesn’t seem possible to get Sludge, but Swoop, Slag, Snarl and Paddles are on their way. I realise I’m very excited about getting them, especially compared to some of the mainline releases recently.

Paddles arrived super quickly.

That said, I’m rather enjoying the first wave of Velocitron deluxes. Burn Out and Clampdown are great (I did try some limb swapping with Red Alert but wasn’t happy with results). Blurr is a muchly improved with the IDW deco and Cosmos is something I didn’t realise I needed. What a wave!

Little Army

I managed to get in on the Creatures Collide set, very happy to see that Goldbug has his VW altmode. Great deco on a perfect figure (don’t need any more bazookas though). Really hope we see the rest of the Throttlebots. The rest can all be remolds/repaints of Cliffjumper, and perhaps Wideload from Huffer. Please no more bazookas though. Ransack is also cool, hope we also get the rest of the Deluxe Insecticons. Maybe need a Wideload/Venom 2-pack?!

I upgraded my 3.75” Black series (Clone Wars) Mace Windu to a Episode II version, and upgraded my 6” Black series Episode I version to the Clone Wars version. There’s logic in there somewhere! (My 6” collection is very specifically a CW cartoon collection). They look great.

I wobbled slightly on Masterpiece Shouki, but have him now. He’s Masterpiece style but retains far more of his Diaclone heritage. Really happy to have him but not sure will ever transform him again. He scales well with Combiner Wars Constructicons even if he is a bit more detailed.

Inspired by Cyberverse I decided to put together a little Repugnus army. Love these little guys! Speaking of Cyberverse, Shadow Striker and Tarn are supposed to be on their way in Legacy. Fantastic! And in Studio Series, Snarl!!! Plus lots of other interesting bits.

Got the new Spider-Man, was a bit cynical given the high cost, but yeah the extra possibility is pretty impressive. Very happy with this this pose. Also picked up a Nova as I noticed he is supposed to be getting a Disney+ series.

I’ve seen Doctor Strange and the new Thor. Really enjoyed them, great to be back in a cinema as much as anything. Ms. Marvel was also great. Trailers for Black Panther and She-Hulk also really exciting. Good times for the MCU!

MOSC-ing

Had a little bit of a clear out of old figures I don’t want anymore, completely forgot I had Generations Tracks and Perceptor still. I think this is the third time I’ve had a really good de-clutter. Quite a lot of it was as a result of having doubled up on Decepticons/Predacons (and then deciding that was a bad idea), but it’s amazing how quickly stuff stacks up.

Although it’s always a painful exercise it does feel pretty good, and I feel like my Marvel and Star Wars collections are where I want them. Need a couple of extra Transformers (sets), and need to decide what I’m doing with some Lego bits.

Finally managed to pick up a Hydra Stomper for a reasonable price. It’s huge! I’m rather happy with this picture. I figure it would be quite a neat addition to my MCU Iron Man armoury - perhaps in the regular universe Howard Stark still built it but it didn’t get used.

I’ve put in a preorder for the third MP Trainbot. I had a bit of a wobble but the latest round of pictures kept me on board. The first figure is out now, just need to track it down from the delivery service.

Had a big delivery of random bits. A couple of Grimlocks, I’m mold complete on a single toyline. I’m keeping the Reaction Grimlocks and Deadpool mint on card - my first foray into MOSC collecting.

I’ve bought some Vitruvian Hacks figures for customs. More with these soon……

Sludge has arrived!!! He’s a great size. The robot mode is fantastic, I’m not quite sure what’s going on with the underside in dino mode. I think the transformation is more complicated than it needs to be. The dino headsculpt is great though! And a listing for Snarl has just popped up. Yessssssss!!!!!!!

I built the Statue of Liberty, a different sort of build as quite repetitive but perhaps a bit more relaxing. I think Spider-Man looks good on it. Looking forward to August for the Sanctum Santorum for more New York theme stuff.

Super 7 Mumm-Ra turned up. Great to finally have it, I was expecting not to like the blue (wanted a more toy/cartoon accurate green) but actually, it’s completely fine and given Super 7 (briefly) showed off hype deco, definitely prefer this version. Sounds like some people have Cheetara now.

Having quite a calm couple of months in terms of only buying things I planned to get. Long may it last!