DSC_3278
2020 has played havoc on all the supply chains in the world, which includes of course the collectibles industry. Strangely though, my Japanese figures don't seem horribly impacted, maybe a week or two off, whereas the domestic stuff (Hasbro, NECA, etc.) has been an absolute dumpster fire with regards to release dates, especially here in Canada.
I still can't even place preorders for some of items I'm looking for, and they've already been seen in the US and parts of Canada.
But the orders are slowly trickling in, the first of which is Doubledealer from the Transformers: Earthrise line.
I don't get too many mainline Transformers anymore. In general, they are much better than what I had as a kid, but at this point in my life I just feel that toy engineering trumps all other features. But occasionally, there is that one character that tickles my fancy.
Such is Doubledealer.
If you've ever read my Transformers reviews (infrequent, I know) you'll probably have picked up I'm a Post-Movie guy myself, specifically the stuff that showed up AFTER the American show ended, focusing on the Headmasters, Targetmasters, and Powermasters.
The American storyline always made things more complicated than necessary, with body parts being sacrificed so characters could Binary Bond to each other. I prefer the Japanese explanation - tiny Transformers from Planet Master (Headmasters and so on) are tiny and need big robot bodies called Transtectors to beat the crap out of each other (at least in the case of Head and Power... I don't think Targetmasters had Transtectors).
So basically same character, bigger body.
Doubledealer was a Triple Changer Double Powermaster - value for your toy dollar, as it were. As a character, Doubledealer supplied both Autobots and Decepticons with weapons. His standard mode is the ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) Carrier, with one Powermaster turning him into an Autobot Bot, and one turning him into a Decepticon Falcon.
The Earthrise update pays homage to the classic G1 look, albeit without the giant head. Sadly, the Powermaster gimmick is no longer a thing, though it was nice of Hasbro to include a removable "Powermaster" engine as an homage to the original toy. There's now also the ability to swap faction signs to better suit the conversation Doubledealer is having at the time. I wish they had kept the painted wheels, though, as all black wheels screams "I wanted to save a few bucks" to me, especially on a figure that is at the Leader price point, and they went through the trouble of painting the little wing things on the Bot mode chest.
While we're on the subject, stickers used are of a much better quality than those horrible foil things used on the Power of the Primes line.
I wish they had given the Bot mode larger feet because it just looks awkward as it is right now.
Hasbro kept his trademark ICBM, gave him a few more weapons in the form of two missile pods, a turret, and I think a rock launcher, as well as a removable jetpack/backpack that resembles stablizers uses for large trucks, but thanks to the power of imagination serves several purposes, including hiding Doubledealers head in truck mode.
Compared to Deluxe size figures where entire car roofs have been removed, this isn't that bad.
As far as I can tell, this appears to be a brand new mould.
The articulation of the Bot mode has improved dramatically since the G1 days, and is probably on par with the repainted Blitzwing version of the character in the Generations lineup. You get ankle pivots, knees with lower leg pivot, ball jointed hips, waist, standard shoulders, bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, rotating fists, and a ball jointed head. All in all, you'll get some decent action poses and "posing with guns" sort of things out the figure, which is the norm for a Transformer figure.
Of the two Vehicle modes, the Carrier has always been the more solid of the two modes, basically being a wheeled brick with a crap ton of weapons on it. Other than additional paint, I think the weapons could have been larger to properly accompany a giant missile. There are all sorts of lovely mechanical designs that area sculpted into the shell of the this mode, which help to make the Bot mode pop.
Falcon mode is... awkward, just like the G1 version was. Post movie, many of these Triplechanger alt mode, particularly animal ones, really required imagination on the side of the kid playing with the toy. I suspect it was this sort of ambiguity that drew me towards them. Proportions are actually quite similar to the OG (still looks like an underdeveloped chicken), with the wings now more complex in terms of design, and I swear that Falcon head was lifted directly from the G1 toy. Other major changes would be the fact that the missile is no longer undermounted, which to be fair would be kind of awkward for the poor guy in the event of a bad landing.
Because everyone loves reasons to buy more stuff, there is TECHNICALLY a forth mode for Doubledealer, that of a Base that can connect to other Base Mode figures, which in the instructions is the Quintesson Judge. As far as Base Modes go, this isn't the best I've seen though it certainly beats the awkward splayed panels of Powermaster Optimus Prime.
The Earthrise Doubledealer is a fantastic upgrade to the original character, and has a very strong Bot and a very competent Carrier mode. However, at this price point, I feel that your decision to buy one of these is probably influenced by your love/acceptance of the Falcon mode - unless you're a completionist.
I've got a few more Transformers on preorder, which are now horribly behind schedule but what can you do?
Between then and now, I'm sure I'll find other figures to keep me entertained.
DSC_3278
2020 has played havoc on all the supply chains in the world, which includes of course the collectibles industry. Strangely though, my Japanese figures don't seem horribly impacted, maybe a week or two off, whereas the domestic stuff (Hasbro, NECA, etc.) has been an absolute dumpster fire with regards to release dates, especially here in Canada.
I still can't even place preorders for some of items I'm looking for, and they've already been seen in the US and parts of Canada.
But the orders are slowly trickling in, the first of which is Doubledealer from the Transformers: Earthrise line.
I don't get too many mainline Transformers anymore. In general, they are much better than what I had as a kid, but at this point in my life I just feel that toy engineering trumps all other features. But occasionally, there is that one character that tickles my fancy.
Such is Doubledealer.
If you've ever read my Transformers reviews (infrequent, I know) you'll probably have picked up I'm a Post-Movie guy myself, specifically the stuff that showed up AFTER the American show ended, focusing on the Headmasters, Targetmasters, and Powermasters.
The American storyline always made things more complicated than necessary, with body parts being sacrificed so characters could Binary Bond to each other. I prefer the Japanese explanation - tiny Transformers from Planet Master (Headmasters and so on) are tiny and need big robot bodies called Transtectors to beat the crap out of each other (at least in the case of Head and Power... I don't think Targetmasters had Transtectors).
So basically same character, bigger body.
Doubledealer was a Triple Changer Double Powermaster - value for your toy dollar, as it were. As a character, Doubledealer supplied both Autobots and Decepticons with weapons. His standard mode is the ICBM (Intercontinental Ballistic Missile) Carrier, with one Powermaster turning him into an Autobot Bot, and one turning him into a Decepticon Falcon.
The Earthrise update pays homage to the classic G1 look, albeit without the giant head. Sadly, the Powermaster gimmick is no longer a thing, though it was nice of Hasbro to include a removable "Powermaster" engine as an homage to the original toy. There's now also the ability to swap faction signs to better suit the conversation Doubledealer is having at the time. I wish they had kept the painted wheels, though, as all black wheels screams "I wanted to save a few bucks" to me, especially on a figure that is at the Leader price point, and they went through the trouble of painting the little wing things on the Bot mode chest.
While we're on the subject, stickers used are of a much better quality than those horrible foil things used on the Power of the Primes line.
I wish they had given the Bot mode larger feet because it just looks awkward as it is right now.
Hasbro kept his trademark ICBM, gave him a few more weapons in the form of two missile pods, a turret, and I think a rock launcher, as well as a removable jetpack/backpack that resembles stablizers uses for large trucks, but thanks to the power of imagination serves several purposes, including hiding Doubledealers head in truck mode.
Compared to Deluxe size figures where entire car roofs have been removed, this isn't that bad.
As far as I can tell, this appears to be a brand new mould.
The articulation of the Bot mode has improved dramatically since the G1 days, and is probably on par with the repainted Blitzwing version of the character in the Generations lineup. You get ankle pivots, knees with lower leg pivot, ball jointed hips, waist, standard shoulders, bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, rotating fists, and a ball jointed head. All in all, you'll get some decent action poses and "posing with guns" sort of things out the figure, which is the norm for a Transformer figure.
Of the two Vehicle modes, the Carrier has always been the more solid of the two modes, basically being a wheeled brick with a crap ton of weapons on it. Other than additional paint, I think the weapons could have been larger to properly accompany a giant missile. There are all sorts of lovely mechanical designs that area sculpted into the shell of the this mode, which help to make the Bot mode pop.
Falcon mode is... awkward, just like the G1 version was. Post movie, many of these Triplechanger alt mode, particularly animal ones, really required imagination on the side of the kid playing with the toy. I suspect it was this sort of ambiguity that drew me towards them. Proportions are actually quite similar to the OG (still looks like an underdeveloped chicken), with the wings now more complex in terms of design, and I swear that Falcon head was lifted directly from the G1 toy. Other major changes would be the fact that the missile is no longer undermounted, which to be fair would be kind of awkward for the poor guy in the event of a bad landing.
Because everyone loves reasons to buy more stuff, there is TECHNICALLY a forth mode for Doubledealer, that of a Base that can connect to other Base Mode figures, which in the instructions is the Quintesson Judge. As far as Base Modes go, this isn't the best I've seen though it certainly beats the awkward splayed panels of Powermaster Optimus Prime.
The Earthrise Doubledealer is a fantastic upgrade to the original character, and has a very strong Bot and a very competent Carrier mode. However, at this price point, I feel that your decision to buy one of these is probably influenced by your love/acceptance of the Falcon mode - unless you're a completionist.
I've got a few more Transformers on preorder, which are now horribly behind schedule but what can you do?
Between then and now, I'm sure I'll find other figures to keep me entertained.