SUPER TACTICAL COMMANDER GRAND PATRIOT (GREEN Vr.)

This is going to be an interesting post to write. But before I blog about the Grand Patriot, first I want to show you something else. Below are images of Rolling Thunder from the GI Joe series. This huge toy was released in 1988 & packs a heavy load of firepower.

Now let's have a look at Grand Patriot.

The Super Tactical Commander: Grand Patriot (STC-GP), comes in two color schemes. The first is molded after Optimus Prime's colors. This can be seen from the box design. Before purchasing this toy, all I knew was that there were going to be two color variants for it & I had my eyes set on the green version.

When you get hold of the box, you'd be surprised at how light it is. The other thing that automatically comes to mind is the plastic quality of this third party. If it's light, does it mean that's it's fragile? Well, not really.

Out of the box, STC-GP's trailer looks pretty huge. From here, you will see that there are quite a number of similarities with GI Joe's Rolling Thunder.

On first impression, the Grand Patriot has a futuristic feel to it. It was only after purchasing this unit & doing my research for the review that I found out about the Rolling Thunder. The Grand Patriot play set is actually meant to work with GI Joe figures.

In terms of mobility, the hub cab & trailer can turn to a certain degree, without any obstruction. From here, you can see that the gap between the cab & trailer looks quite prominent.

Now let's have a look at the hub cab. The front of the cab does look like it's heavily armored. It has a pair of twin cannons attached on each side of the cab's roof. The fun thing about this cab is that it can carry a variety of supporting firepower.

Here is the first example. Grand Patriot is seen carrying two huge missiles that resemble the rockets on Rolling Thunder.

This is another example of STC-GP carrying a single hand blasters.

Alternatively, both hand blasters can also be mounted onto the hub cab.

Next we have a look at the robot mode. Only the hip joints & elbow are very tight while everywhere else is quite loose.

Although this figure looks bulky, the Grand Patriot can move freely at his waist giving it a lot of flexibility.

This is another mode of Grand Patriot. The fuel tanks from the trailer turns into laser blasters that can be attached onto the arms. There are also mini laser cannons that can be raised up at the shin.

Guess what? STC-GP comes with his own matrix too! Initially the matrix was a very tight fit, & it still is after numerous times of taking it in & out. I suggest getting a small pocket knife to pry the matrix out rather than to damage the chest.

On top of that, there is a second head that comes with it. I tried to pull the head out & switch it but it seems like a very tight fit. I rather not damage my STC-GP, so I'll just leave  the current head on for now.

These are images of the trailer, that open up to form a battle station. The creation of the Grand Patriot was to compliment the GI Joe toy line. Above, we see various settings where the GI Joes can be placed at the command center.

This is another version of the battle station. The rocket missiles can be placed at different locations and the main deck, replaced with the blaster rifles.

Here's how the trailer looks like on its own, as a heavily armed & fortified weapons center. It's a pity that the rear rocket turret can't be mode about in this mode.

In case you're wondering, this is where it all started. This is the artwork design of a comic book artist by the name of Don Figueroa. It was his version of the GI Joe Rolling Thunder Optimus Prime. When you look at this, I must say that the people at Xovergen have done a pretty good job in designing something as close as this.


Even though the plastic quality of this toy is below par & the joints can be quite fragile, I appreciate the effort made for such an attempt. Kudos.

DARKNESS MEGATRON WITH ARMS MICRON GORA II & HADES

I finally found a store that was selling this at a price that I was willing to pay for. Being the fourth Takara Transformers Prime in my collection, as usual I took my time in putting on the stickers. In comparison to my other toys from this series, the stickers are a better fit this time and I didn't have to do any trimming before applying them.

In the years to come, it's going to be deja-vu for us when our kids sell off our collection two decades from now. They're probably going to be ranting about the same thing we're fussing about now, on the sticker quality of our G1 Transformers.

Let's have a look at Darkness Megatron (DM). He comes in sme purple paint job and translucent purple parts to depict the infusion of Dark Energon. Also the head, chest piece and shoulder pads are chrome plated. The stickers do a good job in complimenting the chrome scheme on DM.

When you pick up DM from your local stores, have a good look at the chrome finish. I took my time in selecting a good one. However, look closer at the third image above. You'll notice that there is a chrome defect on the back of the left shoulder pad. The chrome finish looks like a rust stain, or a burnt stain to me. Pity.

This is Arms Micron Gora II. In weapon mode, it becomes the signature arm blaster that DM wields. Gora II transformers into a robotic gorilla. The blaster barrel looks a lot bigger than Gora, that came with AM-05 Megatron.

Here's a comparison with Shadow Gora, the only Gora that I have for now. In terms of parts, most of it are identical. Only the tip of the barrel / gorilla arms are different. Gora II's arms are a lot bigger & it doesn't transform into blade mode like the previous Gora.

DM comes with a second Arms Micron known as Hades. This Arms Micron has many pegs & holes all over it, to be combined with other weapons. The robot mode of Hades is a robotic bat.

A closer look at Hades in a different posture, resting on the ground upright with wings closed up like a bird.

This is how Hades looks like in jet pack mode. Here, Hades can be attached onto the back of DM. There is something special about this huge weapon, as Hades carries all three types of crystals as you can see.

Besides being a jet pack, Hades also transforms into a huge scythe. Don't be fooled by the ferocity of this weapon. It's not all that great. The upper part of the scythe is so heavy you'll have to pose with the scythe correctly, otherwise the weapon will bend forward from the connecting peg at the tail.

A group picture of DM with his assistants.

Here we see DM with his jet pack & arm blaster. One major flaw in this mode is the weight of Hades. In jet pack mode, Hades actually falls backwards due to the weight. If you look closer at the second image, you'll see that I've actually flipped the bat legs forward to give Hades a better grip onto the back of DM. That way, the wings won't fall back when you're posing DM.

This is the scythe mode of Hades. Although the rear toes of DM are quite soft, DM stands quite stable. In addition, the arms and leg joints are pretty flexible.

Be careful when transforming DM into jet mode. The shoulder pads of my DM are very tight. Try to apply slow pressure on it, otherwise the shoulder pads may just snap off & you'll see yourself heading to the toy store to pick up another DM. Also, the shoulder pads are quite fitting, between the legs in jet mode. Just keep an eye out for the chrome work whenever you transform it. From the side, DM looks like the UFO Robot Grendizer from the Mazinger trilogy.

To those that really do take care of their toys, the jet mode doesn't have any landing gears for your information. So don't go sliding the toy all over the table & end up crying when you see scratches all over the arms of DM.

Darkness Megatron with Gora II.

Darkness Megatron with Hades.

Darkness Megatron with both Arms weapons. Don't fly the jet all over the room at will. Both the microns may flip forward due to their weight, at the rear connecting peg of DM.

Here's a couple of images of DM, with a combination of other Arms weapons. This is when your imagination starts to run wild. The Dark Matter Calibur along with the scythe can both be held by Darkness Megatron without falling.

These are some examples of how you can attach other Arms weapons onto Darkness Megatron in jet mode. Hades is carrying up to nine Arms weapon here and it is still quite solid.

Overall there are many flaws in this toy ranging from the chrome finish, tight shoulder pad joints, no landing gears to the weight of Hades both in back pack & scythe mode. I'll just have to give this toy a four, out of ten.

Lastly, these are just some screen captures from the online game at the Transformers Prime website. You can also get some ideas on how to combine your AM weapons to form Super Combo Weapons.