Transformers: Titans Return Skullcruncher

So, here it is: the first Titans Return review on the Coffin. Reports on these toys have been showing up for two months now, so this is hardly a breaking story; but, as I hope to show this weekend, I’ve gotten a bunch of new things in September, but work has kept me from doing anything fun.

For those who would object to my referring to the figure as his G1 name of Skullcruncher instead of the neologism SkullSMASHER, my condolences and deep, deep apathy.

Grave Considerations – Future Events, Because the Future is Where You and I Will Spend the Rest of Our Lives, In the Fture

Hello, Coffin fans.

It’s been a busy few weeks over here, again, and as a result, again, Child Sized Coffin has suffered for content, despite my actually having some things to discuss at present. I’m working on new material, pretty much as fast as I can, but I’ve also been mulling some new directions for the blog.

For starters, if you’ve been following the Coffin for its year of existence, you know that things have been  changing around here from pretty much post #1 onward. It’s taken me awhile to get this project 

Grave Considerations: Transformers Titans Return Pre-Thoughts

I have finally found some of the new Titans Return figures. Before spending time with them, let me give my thoughts on the line as a general idea.

The central gimmick of Titans Return is that Headmaster: a small robot that transforms into the head of a full-sized one. Storywise, this concept is slightly complicated by the point of origin for the story one chooses: in the American G1 continuity, the small robots were inhabitants of the planet Nebulous, where a civil war had broken out, not unlike that of Cybertrons’ past. Halves of the conflict ally themselves with either Cybertronian faction, acting as a second head being better than only one. Thus, heads and robots remain distinct entities, separate characters who more or less work together to do the things that the Cybertronian had been perfectly capable of doing on their own up until now. In Japan, the small robot WAS the character, with the larger body being an exosuit-type thing. Titans Return is predictably sticking with the American version, and so each Headmaster is a separate character . . . to whatever extent you consider a small robot who bends over to be an actual character.

Grave Considerations – Build A Figures

About a week ago, my wife and I were at a party, and a friend and I started talking about Marvel Legends figures. The conversation ranged all across the topic, from upcoming figures to the current pricing to what has to be one of the truly daunting conundrums of our times: the Build A Figure.

Transformers: Combiner Wars G2 box sets

 

Theoretically, we are deep into the first wave or two of the new Titans Return toyline at this date in late August. Theoretically. I have yet to see anything more than the $5 head robots in stores, and I’m certainly not buying those; although, the single time I did see them in store, I legitimately gave a relieved exhale that they were priced at the low price they are, and not attempting to masquerade as $10 toys, in this day where Deluxes are trying as hard as they can to stay under $17: and by ‘trying to stay under,’ I mean the $16.99 I saw them listed for at Target. Anyway, we are supposed to be well on our way into the new line, but I’ve not seen them at all in stores. So, I’m choosing to stick with happier, more plentiful times and lines, and am going to retreat once more (at least) into Combiner Wars.

Transformers: Masterpiece Ramjet

If you’ve read my Ghosts of Christmas Presents series of reviews from last December, you’re probably aware of the tendency my wife has to buy me really awesome and occasionally really rare Transformers figures. My birthday was a few weekends ago, and I turned a spry 38 years old. My wife got me a really excellent two part gift: the first part is the Takara Mall exclusive Masterpiece Ramjet.

Ramjet is the first (we now know) of the Coneheads released in the Masterpiece line. Starting from the MP-11 Starscream body, Ramjet is a heavy modification that makes a lot of improvements to that figure, and has one of the most satisfying transformation steps that I’ve come across in some time. I took a picture of it, so don’t worry. Just try to process your excitement, and we’ll get to it soon enough. 

Transformers: Combiner Wars Sky Lynx

Here we are in July, the summer in full swing. Initial sightings of the new Titans Return line are popping up on the various fan sites, so I thought this would be a good time to finally get a review done for a figure that, like the aforementioned Titans Return toys, I have not yet seen at retail.

Back in April, Combiner Wars Sky Lynx was starting to show up randomly in the wild across the country. Reports that people were finding it at random Targets or Toys R Us’ gave hope to what at the time was a spreading belief that Sky Lynx was going to be that end of a line toy that no one ever found, following in the footsteps of so many really cool figures that are released in the dying light of a series that never makes it to shelves because the new series is being rolled out. At C2E2 I found one vendor with a Sky Lynx, but at the chuckle inducing price of $45.