VEHICON (FIRST EDITION)

This was the second unit in the Prime series that I purchased. Before the normal line were sold on shelves, no one bothered touching them. However shortly after the first wave of the Prime series started to appear, the FEs started selling like hot cakes. It was only then, that I realized there were differences between the usual line & the First Editions (FE). Moreover, I'll tell you about the headache I'm about to face at the end of this post.

Out of the box Vehicon looks like every other concept car. My first impression of it was that it resembles a Batmobile.

It comes with a small blaster that can be tucked in at the bottom of the car, or be attached to either one of the small holes on top of the bonnet.

The transformation of Vehicon isn't easy. There are a few points to be careful about especially at the waist. The feet transformation takes a few steps & doesn't look that straightforward in the pictures.

This bot is actually quite flexible & once you get the hang of it, you can pose it freely. 

One problem is that the blaster doesn't really attach onto the hands. The blaster peg & the hand slot don't fit snugly. With this, more problems started popping into mind.

I noticed that there was indeed a difference between the FE & the normal Vehicon. Although the vehicle molds look very similar, the outcome in bot mode after transformation is quite different. 

 

The normal Vehicon looks sleeker, and holds a larger blaster.

Then another problem arose. Should I start collecting the FE, normal version or the Takara Vehicon (also known as Beacon). I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the Takara Micron alone. Hence I doubt I'll be buying the full Takara Vehicon.

Here's a closer look at Arms Micron Noji. It transforms from a long blaster to a... blaster on legs? I can't find any suitable word to describe the alternate mode. You'll just have to make do with the images that I have.

Here's how Noji looks like attached onto the FE Vehicon. 

Overall, this bot here has opened my mind up to the following problems. Which one of the three versions to purchase initially, or should I wait until Jet Vehicon comes out before making a decision. When that comes out, I believe there will be a new Micron as well.

DR. AKI ROSS

I just purchased two units of Palisades figures recently. These toys come from the animated film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001). In this post lets first take a look at the lead character, Dr. Aki Ross. The film was made entirely from CGI & the voice of this character is played by Ming-Na Wen.

Here's a look at the packaging.

The first thing I wanted to find out is if the mold can be interchangeable with other 1/6 figurines. Upon further inspection, you'll see that the clothes are sewn tightly onto the armor.

The view from different angles.

A mugshot of Aki. United States Military Force (USMF) Science Division.

This figure only comes with two accessories, a hand  blaster & a container carrying a plant. In the movie, the plant actually plays host to the 6th spirit that she needs to protect in order to save the planet.

The container can be taken apart to reveal the plant.

One major problem with my figurine is that Aki doesn't stand still. Her legs & joints are very weak. Hence some of the angles were shot with Aki lying down instead of standing upright.

In a nutshell, I bought this figurine because I was an avid fan of the Final Fantasy series during my teenage days. Back then, a full fledged CGI film was almost unheard of with so much effort put into the making of this film in order to look realistic.

I have not much interest in 1/6 scale figures. Once I'm done with this review, sadly off she goes into my Toy Graveyard.

SIXSHOT [ASIA EXCLUSIVE 2012]

Bear with me as I'm a toy collector, not a 80's Transformers Cartoon fan. Hence my background knowledge of Sixshot may not be as extensive as other TF fans and reviewers out there. The first thing that stood out like a sore thumb at the local toy store was the size of the boxes. They were huge & I had no idea it would be this big.

The packaging is very different from your usual Encore or Reissue versions. It is slightly glossy, and comes in dark grey. The back however bears the trademark G1 style.

The image above is a screen capture from the episode "Ultra Magnus Dies!!", in the Transformers: The Headmasters cartoon series. As you can see, the reason why this bot is called Sixshot is because it has the ability to transform into six different things. It was only after purchasing Sixshot that I found out about his other codename, STAG. It stands for Solo Transformers Assault Group. I guess its appropriate since he's able to transform into numerous forms & operate as a one robot army.

This exclusive version also comes with a coin. I remember sometime last year, Takara came up with the limited edition coins with the launch of Masterpiece Rodimus Convoy. From there on, some other toys that came along with special coins include Materpiece Optimus Prime reissue and Encore G1 Devastator.

Now let's take a look at the different forms that Sixshot can transform into:

1) Robot Mode

Sixshot stands about the height of a typical Leader Class Transformers. The main things that are different from the previous Sixshot reissues & G1 is that this exclusive version comes with certain chrome parts such as the chest piece & the two blasters. Because of the chrome, you'll have to handle this toy with extra care. In the years to come, the chrome may chip off, just like some of my current Beast Wars Transmetal series. The legs are not articulate & the only parts that you can move are the shoulders.


2) Laser Pistol Mode

In this mode, Sixshot transforms into a hand blaster. One thing cool about this mode is that they have looked into the detail of creating a trigger for the blaster. You'll be able to see this in the first image above.


3) Tank Mode

There is nothing special about this tank mode. The wings just tuck in to the sides, legs get flipped to the back & then flip out a small cockpit at the back to complete this mode.


4) Wolf Mode

In wolf mode, I noticed that many people are not aware that there is a shoulder joint that can be flipped backwards. This will enable the beast to stand on a level position. Also, in this mode, there's no right place for you to attach the blasters, unless at the lower rear of the leg.


5) Armored Carrier Mode

In my opinion, this vehicle resembles the previous tank mode. If you have a look at the second image above, you'll see that there  are two seats made available. I believe if you wanted, you could fit a Zoids pilot at the front of this vehicle.


6) Star Fighter Mode













Among all the modes, this by far has to be my favorite. The jet mode is just plain simple & stylish. Once in jet mode, the two blasters attach to the edge of the wings.


7) Secret 7th Mode - Wingwolf

In the cartoon series, there is actually a secret 7th mode. This mode is known as Wingwolf. It is s basically a combination of each of the six previous modes & in this mode Sixshot was able to defeat Ultra Magnus. To me, it looks just like an eagle with the head of a tiger.

Like many other reissues and Takara Transformers, the toy comes with some stickers applied. Don't just choose based on the condition of the box, but open the cover up to pick a Sixshot that has nice decals on. I never expected myself to have purchased this toy but when they came out, it was just too tempting.

At the same time, here's an update on the upcoming Third Party Sixshot. From the creators that brought you Knight Morpher Commander (KM-01), Mastermind Creations have posted three sample shots for their depiction of Sixshot.

They are knows as Terminus Hexatron (Sixshot remake), Grandus Hexatron (Victory Greatshot) & Shadow Hexatron (Police J-Decker - Shadow Maru) respectively.