Transformers Attacktix by Hasbro

Attacktix is one of those rare lines that is fueled by families and kids – not by the snotty Comic Book Guys who turn their nose up at anything that doesn’t involve a twenty-sided die, cards, or a ever-evolving 25+ page instruction book. The Star Wars line of Attacktix has been extremely successful and Series 4 is just beginning to show up in stores, with a Series 5 already in the works. Hasbro has decided to try to expand the line by introducing Transformers Attacktix. They are shipping with Series 4 Star Wars boosters and they are marketed together. An Intergalactic Showdown pack, that includes six figures from both lines, has been a good seller so far.

So today I’m going to give my impressions of the Transformers line and discuss pros/cons. I’ll even go into what figures are the best/worst in my opinion. I want to add that I’m not really a Transformers fan and that I’m basing my opinions on the overall game play and figure sculpts with no serious prior knowledge of the Transformers universe.

The Starter Set

The starter pack comes with four figures you can see: Skyblast plane form, Skyblast robot form, Dirtboss and Overhaul. They run about $10 at your local stores. This is an excellent pack to buy and probably the best value and figures you’ll find in the series (well, besides Optimus Prime or Scorponok, I will discuss those later). Dirtboss is by far my favorite figure to play with and he’s got a strong shot. Both Skyblasts are formidable with strong springs. The “poker” that robot Skyblast is holding is quite powerful and actually a very nice piece to attack with for close-up kills. All their sculpts are unique except perhaps Overhaul. He’s only a so-so figure for me, those dark colors are quite boring, but his bullet is nice.

Verdict on the Starter Pack: If you’re going to try Transformers attacktix, start with the starter. The best figure in the series (Dirtboss) is found here and the others aren’t too shabby. Some stores are going to stock a “bonus” figure in this set so you will eventually get 5 figures for 10 bucks if you wait.

Booster Packs

These are “blind” packaging and sealed in a manner there will be no peeking or pillaging like in previous Star Wars lines. Two figures are included for $5. Before you balk at the price remember that most collectible games run much higher per figure. AND these are STURDY collectibles. Throw one against the wall and it’s not going to bust. Seriously…I’ve tried it. Plus this is a game you can fart around with at your desk, friends, etc without bringing out the encyclopedia to explain it.

Each booster contains one “rare” and one “super-rare” figure. There are 18 figures to collect: 6 rare, 12 super rare. There are some duds for game play although all their sculpts are nice enough for general display pieces. Trading is always encouraged in these sorts of games and I think attacktix has been pretty successful in that regard.

My verdict: If you like the starter pack, pick up a booster or two or three. Trade with your friends or check out the Attacktix trading board with your doubles.

Mega Transformers Pack

This pack includes a large Omega Supreme figure and a small Crumplezone figure for approx. $13. “Mega” figures have been successful in the Star Wars line of Attacktix in terms of sales but I suspect not many people use them in game play. Their directions for use tend to be iffy, they are not tournament legal, and they often are taken down very easily with the right attack. I think they sell well because they make great stand-alone toys for kids. Previously they were $10 and did not include the extra small figure. I think Hasbro is trying to rope in the kids into buying more of the line with the small figure addition although I’m not sure how well that will work. Increasing the price point isn’t going to help sales in my opinion.

Besides my two cents on the marketing of this Mega I have to say it is very disappointing. Like past Megas a strong shot to the knee will bring the Supreme down and when you attack using his “scoop” arm his knees tend to buckle unless you’re holding him very steady, in the right manner. The bonus figure, Crumplezone, is very weak and costs 30 points to play with. He is technically a “striker” but his plastic is soft and his arm short and hard to maneuver to get a strong punch. Plus, he’s just tiny.

My verdict: If you love playing attacktix but have found that you don’t usually play with Megas no need to buy this pack. The extra figure isn’t worth the extra $3 price tag and Omega Supreme is more of a display piece than attacktix fighting beast. Plus, if you bought the Intergalactic Showdown pack you already have an Omega Sentinel, which is the EXACT SAME SCULPT as this Omega Supreme except for a different right arm.

Best/Worst of the Line: (click on images to enlarge them)

Worst Sculpt: Crumplezone #25 - Not only is he a small figure, his arm is a weird shape that makes it hard to use. It's not the length of a saber, that's for sure. Plus, his green paint is plain, pea-colored yuck. No kid wants to play with a spinach colored toy.

Worst Playing Piece: Super Optimus Prime Truck Form #14 – His shot is way too high to be effective against regular figures. For some reason his bullet can point straight up but what is the point of that? To shoot yourself in the eye?

Most Disappointing: Ransack #18. In theory his attack should rock. He holds a fork that shoots out that you can spin. In actual game play he hardly ever brings anyone down with his weak-springed, difficult-to-position weapon. Plus, he has a small base so he rarely makes it down the battlefield without getting sniped.

Best Sculpt: Super Optimus Prime #13. This figure captures the spirit of the most popular Transformer Autobot with an excellent paint scheme and nicely positioned weapon. Plus, he has the best bullet out of the whole series.

Best Playing Piece: Dirtboss #20 – a unique powerful bullet, plus a strong, heavy sculpt make Dirtboss so far our play-testing favorite besides Optimus Prime. Plus, his purple paint scheme is just plain fun.

Most Surprisingly Great: Scorponok #15 While his attack takes some getting used to, and may require some house rules, this figure is very tough to bring down PLUS guarantees a kill almost every time he is close to an opponent. He’s mighty powerful indeed!

A couple of other observations:

Unlike the Star Wars line which has multiple factions, Transformers is made up of only two groups: Autobots and Decepticons. This I’ve found is extremely simplistic for kids (do you wanna be bad guys or good guys?) in comparison to Star Wars. Because of this, special powers (which are located on the bottom of the figure for “advanced” games) seem to gel better than ever. Examples? Skyblast the robot dies, bringing in Skyblast the plane. Dirtboss dies and brings in any Decepticon into play from back-ups.

Mixing both the Transformers and Star Wars lines doesn’t really work that great in my opinion. It can be done but it’s not as fun as I thought it would be and I plan to stick with specific themed games.

Conclusion:

If you’re a Transformers fan than I highly suggest Attacktix. There are few, if any, transformers games out there and this is a nice start. If you collected Star Wars Attacktix prepare yourself before you buy these – the gameplay is more simplistic and the two lines do not mesh very well together.

For more info on Attacktix check out:

Joeattacktix.com

The Attacktix Messageboard

Masterattacktix.com

Hulk vs. Leader Two-Pack

By Toybiz
I was very lucky to pick this nice two-pack up on a Friday night last week. When I returned to the store a couple of days later the pegs were empty and I was relieved I had snapped it up when I saw it. I HIGHLY recommend you do as well because these two-packs are an excellent value and product.

Let's examine the packaging...Normal Marvel Legends clamshell. What's exciting this time around is how the clamshell is truly filled with stuff. Toybiz utilized all the space inside to include some very nice accessories. For $14.87 I got: A trading card, comic book, diorama background, base, two clear stand pieces that clip into the figures back and the two amazing sculpted figures. Yowza! Not to mention the nice cardboard, individualized explanation of the characters' origins and powers that is included in all Marvel Legends figures. The comic book is a pretty good story FYI. The diorama is a thick cardboard background that fits nicely into the base piece included. The clear plastic stand pieces are what you've seen before in preview ML series and also clip into the base. All in all, a nice set up. The diorama does look a bit puny once you put the enormous Hulk figure in front of it.

The figures themselves are more of the four star quality that I've been spoiled with lately from Toybiz. The joints are tight, not broken, and the paint application is stellar. My figures stood well on their own without the base, although I doubt they would stand the test of time.

The Incredible Hulk does have a new head sculpt that reminds me a bit of the Lou Ferrigno TV Hulk version. The Leader comes in two variations - the other headsculpt is the long-head. I prefer the brainy look honestly. Please note that is the only difference between the two packs - a different head. So yeah, that sucks because I know that having variant heads that you can interchange is very possible in today's market. But with the value you get from the two-pack with all the other goodies I can accept the companies' marketing decision. Plus, all variations are evenly packed. When I originally saw all the two-packs (which include Captain America/Red Skull & Daredevil/Kingpin) I saw an equal number of each version of each pack. I know some collectors will have them all though and will end up shelling out $90+ for them. But if you're not that anal, spending $15 for two amazing figures with accessories is a great value. I highly recommend if you're a fan of any of these characters to choose your favorite and pick up a set.

My score: 10/10 (again!)

Magneto by Toy Biz

Again I review a Toy Biz product. Honestly this is because there isn't much on the shelves right now that interests me.

The packaging is pretty cheap - no clamshell here, just the usual card. I can't imagine that kids are going to want this figure, which may explain why he's very short packaged. However, the image in the background is very nice and features the new Astonishing X-Men, a comic written by Joss Whedon (and one which I highly recommend).

Why did I pick this figure up off the shelf? Number one reason: the amazing head sculpt. This is the contemporary Magneto. The paint is so well done on his face! His hair sculpt is also detailed and neat - nice touch Toy Biz! Another plus is that his joints are tight and very easy to pose, with all the normal high articulation you can expect from this company. In fact, Magneto has been standing solo on my shelf for over a week now without toppling. He does come with a soft plastic helmet that does fit over his head rather nicely but I decided I preferred the distinguished no-hat look instead. I do appreciate though they made it out of soft plastic, so it will not scratch the paint on his head. He also has a little articulated side piece on the side of his suit, which I found particularly cool. Things like this will disappear once Hasbro starts making figures because, let's face it, that little piece breaking off makes the toy pretty unsafe for kids. And it will break off with any sort of play.

Also to note is Magneto's very fine cape. It sits nicely on his shoulders and isn't so heavy it pulls the figure backwards like I have seen previously in many Marvel Legends figures. Mine had a bit of white paint on it but it was easily wiped away after I took the pictures for this review.

So why will Magneto not be getting a 10/10 from me? The accessory included has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen. It's a shoulder pack that will require 3 AAA batteries to function properly. 3 batteries!!!! Who's bright idea was that? What will this amazing back pack do with three full size batteries you ask? For one, topple your figure over. Two, it will "attract" small metal objects to the extended gun at a push of the button. Guess what? Doesn't work that well. After unscrewing a tiny screw, placing in the batteries, then re-screwing the back plate back on, I was rewarded with a weak magnet effect. Toy Biz could have saved the money and just put a REGULAR magnet at the end of the backpack or put some magnets in his hands. Personally, I think that would have made a lot more sense. The accessory is a piece of trash and a waste of space and money - I have no clue what I'm going to do with it.

Still, I can't fault the figure which is ultimately a nice collector's piece. For some reason people are drawn to it on the shelf too, which I find rather odd. It must be because he's so handsome.

My score: 9/10

Spider-Hulk by Toybiz

Spider-Hulk!

With a new influx of amazing product hitting the shelves I decided to devote my first review from my hiatus with the awesome figure Spider-Hulk!

The origin of this figure from the comics can be found here and here.

Unfortunately they are not exciting reads although the art appears to be awesome.

The packaging to these products is your classic blister card. I LOVE blister cards FYI. Easy to open! For MIP collectors though the elusive mint packaging can be a tough find.

Once opened, Spider-Hulk, while smelling pretty bad, is an awesome toy. I really hate when figures reek like glue paint out of the package. I can only assume that Toy Biz is rushing to get out as much product as possible before their license ends so there is no airing out the figures after painting.

This is a heavy figure - on the scale he tips almost 1 lb.! Many times I'm disgusted because Toy Biz's prototype figures are much better than the finished product. However, this time around, this figure met all my expectations. The rips in his shirt, pants, and leggings are detailed and crisp. The paint is almost perfect, and even his nails have a white/gray wash to give them a particular crusty feel. Specifically I like the large head that fits in scale with his body. His overall body sculpt is pretty awesome as well and, like my friend said when she was over, "He looks scary!" The scary factor is why I like him of course.

Another fine trait is that the joints are pretty tight. I've had problems with some of the larger scale Toy Biz figures in the past but they are finally perfecting their joint work with a tight "click" joint that will hold form and let's Spider-Hulk stand on his own on the shelf without falling. The articulation is overdone in my opinion, especially when some joints just don't work (in my Hulk it was a thumb joint). Still, I can get over that because he can be posed in a great many ways.

Of course, there is a downside to this cool abomination of a figure. The "action feature," which I will always insist is incredibly unnecessary, is very lame. Push a obtrusive button on Spider-Hulk's back and he'll "throw" the included rod that breaks in two. What basically happens is that after a few attempts of actually getting the piece into Spider-Hulk's hands (not that easy of a feat) you push the back button and the rod is dropped straight down, vertically. The back of the package made me chuckle because it has the rod moving quite a ways horizontally away from Hulk after that button is pushed. Uh....not possible and kinda mean to imply such could happen. The button does not stick out of his back as bad as the Wolfman villain from the previous Spider-Man series at least. Still, I'm sure kids could care less and collectors are peeved that it ruined the big Spider-Man symbol on his back.
Enough belly-aching though. Besides a few little problems this figure is definitely worth the $8 price tag. Just the fact that this is Spider-Man and the Hulk combined into one awesome action figure makes him this spring's "must have" figure.

My rating: 9/10