Where to start?

The last couple weeks of training have gone well, more or less.  My head seems so full of new information that at times I believe it will explode, raining bits or cranium all over my classmates.  I've started to make friends with some of the people in my class.  Unfortunately, the ones I'd actually like to hang out with after work live in either Seattle or Everett.  I suppose if it's meant to be that something will work out.  There are a couple *cough*three*cough* of people in my class that annoy the living crap out of me.  All are know-it-alls and all apparently love the sound of their own voice.  One of them bugged the crap out of me so much during a lunch break that I almost called HR on him.  My wife talked me out of it.

During breaks and lunches, I've managed to finish reading my copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.  It's a wonderful read for those of you Star Wars fans out there that want to know some of what happened between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.  The story was expanded on so much from the graphic novel and PSP version of the game that it makes me wonder if any of the missing material that I read in the novel are in the X-Box 360 or PS3 versions of the game.  So now, naturally, I want either of those systems so I can play The Force Unleashed on the bigger screen.  Since I'm making more money now, it might be a possibility later on.

In one of my more recent blogs, I touched on my scoring of new Transformers; Universe Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Silverstreak.  Well, I finally took some pictures of them today since it was sunny outside and I was able to clear a shelf off in the living room.  The pics came out all right, I'd say.  I still miss my old camera.

Here we have Ironhide and Silverstreak.  Once upon a time, Silverstreak used to go by Bluestreak, because his character "talked a blue streak."  For some reason, Hasbro can't seem to trademark or copyright that name, so they went with Silverstreak, which means nothing.  He's Bluestreak to me.  He and Ironhide are together because they had a significant scene in the original Transformers 3-parter where Ironhide chased after the Decepticons after a battle and Bluestreak went to bring him back, but instead joined Ironhide.  Despite their efforts of listing lazily to the right, Ironhide got shot down by the Decepticon Skywarp, landing in a lake, and Bluestreak went in to get him.  Jazz used his grappling hook to bring them both to shore and they lived happily ever after.  Also, Ironhide should have a cannon, that can double as a sword, but our cat Fiona knocked him off his shelf and I can't find it.

Up next are the original Autobot brothers; Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.  The neat thing about them is that except for their heads and paint schemes, they are exactly the same toy.  Hasbro designed them that way on purpose.  If you turn either one 180 degrees at the waist in robot mode, you'll see the chest of the other on the back.  Sideswipe is the eager, angry brother, bent on bending as many rules as possible to get the job done.  Sunstreaker, on the other hand, is vain and a little egotistical, spending his down time making sure he looks good.  I admit that I never really cared for either of these guys back in the day, but these modern versions are pretty darned cool.  The original toys, especially Sunstreaker's, were really crappy, even by 80's standards.  Shame it took the powers that be almost 25 years to do them justice.

Last weekend, I went to Wal-Mart for something.  I can't remember what my intention was other than to maybe just look around since I don't get to stop into stores during the week anymore.  I wasn't expecting to find anything, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the Wal-Mart exclusive Star Wars Legacy Collection A-Wing Fighter.  The basic mold is the same one used for the previous versions of the toy, though the electronics from the original are long since gutted.  This time around, the A-Wing has a newly-molded instrument panel, which is a nice improvement over the previous version.  Also included is Green Leader from Return of the Jedi, Arvel Crynyd.  This is the guy that flew his damaged A-Wing into the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer at the Battle of Endor that caused the Imperial vessel to crash into the second Death Star.  Arvel uses the same body as Tycho Celchu from the 30th Anniversary Collection, but sports a new head and helmet.  This is Arvel's second figure and while not completely accurate, it's a lot better than the last one, which was also a Wal-Mart exclusive.

Yesterday, I took the second assessment test at work for new recruits.  They gave us two hours and I used almost all of it too.  It was hard and I didn't leave with much confidence.  Sure, it's open book, open Intranet, but I couldn't find a lot of the answers - only half-answers that I hope led me to the correct option on the test.  Needless to say, the bus ride home was a somber one, depite it being Friday.

Which reminds me of Thursday after work.  My wife and I came out of the building a little later than usual and saw the bus at the stop across the street.  So, we started to run while in the crosswalk.  I don't know what happened, but the top half of my body was apparently going faster than the bottom half and I lost my balance.  I thought I could roll it off, but the crosswalk was at the top of a hill and therefore at an angle.  I hit the ground and hit it hard, landing on my left knee and upper arm and scraping the area in-between my left ring and middle fingers.  As I fell, I could hear my wife calling out to me.  I've never heard her sound more panicked.  I scrambled to get up and continue, waving at the bus.  But, he didn't see either of us and drove off.  So, we sat down and my wife apologized over and over for telling me to run.  I told her it wasn't her fault that her husband was clumsy.  When we got to the parking garage after the bus ride home, I hit my knee on the glove compartment, sending more pain through.  Let's just say that it's three days later and I'm still in pain, but no bruises.

To leave on a high note, we went to Target this afternoon after having lunch with my Mom at Panda Express.  We were originally going to meet at Black Angus, but they changed their hours and don't open until 3pm, which is way to late for lunch in our case.  It was an enjoyable meal, though it would have been nicer in a booth than at a small table.  But, it was the company that was important, not the location of the food.  Those were secondary.  Afterwards, we went to Barnes and Noble, where I saw way too many books I wanted and left with none.  Mom bought herself some romance novels, but she can't find a couple books that were supposed to be out at the beginning of the month.  It's weird.  Maybe next time though.

Anyway, while we were tooling around Target, we picked up the Incredible Hulk on DVD as well as Family Guy volume six.  Target's version of the Family Guy set includes a poster and script from the 100th episode.  Neat.  While the wife went looking at cat food, I perused the action figure aisle.  I was hoping to find Transformers Animated Ultra Magnus, but ne was absent.  I did, however, find a couple new Star Wars battle packs and after talking it over with the misses, came home with the B'Omarr Monastery Assault set.  It features Anakin Skywalker, a Battle Droid, and two STAPs (Single Trooper Aerial Platform).  This set is inspired by the scene in the Clone Wars movie where the Republic is climbing the cliff face on Teth to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son from his kidnappers.  The STAPs are redecoed from the Episode 1 toy and feature stands for display that double as "controls" for play.  There's a button underneath that, when pressed, raises the platform the figure stands on slightly and launches the "missiles" from the guns.

The Battle Droid looks to be a redecoed version of the carded version in stores now.  I don't have it, so i can't say for sure.  It definitely has a more animated vibe to it's look that the other versions of the Battle Droid I've owned in the past.  From the packaging, it appears as though you can disassemble it, but I didn't feel like prying it off it's perch to find out since he's held together with a bunch of those little clear rubber bands.  His backpack falls off easily and reveals a nice lightsaber scar on it's back.  Ouch!

 

 

 

 

 

The real prize of this set is Anakin.  While he shares the same mold as the single-carded version, he has superior articulation.  This Anakin has knees and ankles, which make positioning him on the STAP a lot easier and makes him more fun to play with.  His head looks to be a little different from the other version as well, though it may be the superior paint job on this version.  Anakin also sports cloth for his lower Jedi robes, another advantage over the other version.  It's funny.  Usually the pack-in figures are the ones that are lower in quality or lacking in articulation.  While this version of Anakin does lack the force blast launcher and "rope," it is the superior of the two.

Transformers Cybertron tells the tale of the Autobots searching the galaxy for the legendary cyber planet keys that, when combined with the Omega Lock, will save their home planet of Cybertron from an ever-growing black hole created from the destruction of Unicron. The Decepticons want the keys and lock as well, but merely for the power they possess. Thus, the war between the Autobots and Decepticons rage across several planets in the latest Transformers series to hit DVD.

The animation and voice acting is very well done. Gonzo, famous for their anime, does a superb job with the CG used for the Transformers and the cell animation used for the non-Cybertronian cast. They don't mesh perfectly, put it's a better effort than older attempts to mix CG and cell animation.

Garry Chalk and David Kaye once again reprise their roles as Optimus Prime and Megatron. With the exception of "Robots in Disguise" and the more recent "Transformers Animated," They have played those characters, or incarnations of, for over 10 years.

The rest of the cast does a fine job, though the producers this time around decided to give the cast of characters an international flavor. Jetfire is Australian, Red Alert is British, Scattershot and Thundercracker speak with a southern accent, Backstop is Jamaican, and one planet is home to nothing but Irish Transformers. It takes a little getting used to, but it works out all right.

The story starts with the Autobots evacuating Cyberton to Earth. Here, they will be in disguise and cars, trucks, scooters, phone booths, and traffic lights, just to name a few things. During a surprise attack by Megatron (who steals the map to the keys) and Starscream, Landmine is warped to Earth where he's found by three human kids; Coby, his brother Bud, and their friend Lori. The kids help patch him up and thus the war is brought to Earth.

Eventually, the Autobots find their way to two other planets, Velocitron (the Speed planet) and the Jungle planet, always two steps behind the Decepticons. Fonrtunately, our heroes have teamwork on their side and despite both sides gaining allies, the Autobots come away from both planets with the keys and the lock.

Starscream later betrays Megatron and finds his own army of Decepticons to find Earth's key. Eventually, the battle goes to Gigantia, where the final key is located and a very long and dangerous battle is fought between the Autobots, Megatron's Decepticons, and Starscream. I won't tell you how it ends, but being it's a cartoon I'm sure you can figure the basics out.

This show was not made with the US audience in mind. It was produced in Japan and edited for America. There are a number of inconsistencies the editing creates and while it's branded as the sequel to Transformers Energon, it doesn't make sense since in that series, the humans worked with the Autobots and were well advanced in their technology. Cybertron places Earth in a more believable modern setting and the human populace doesn't know there are aliens among them for about half the series.

All things considered, Transformers Cybertron is an enjoyable show to watch. The transformation sequences get old quick though, since they reuse the footage almost every time someone transforms, especially Optimus Prime. However, it's beautifully made with a great cast of actors. If you're a Transformers fan, you should check this series out.

Galvatron returns once again to be a power-up to Megatron. Sadly, as in the Robots in Disguise line, a power-up only gets you a new name and new paint job and an odd one at that.

Tank Mode
Galvatron is 10" in length from the tip of his cannon barrel to the end tips of his rear treads, simply massive compared to most of the Armada toys released to date. He is primarily off-white with purple paneling in places, yellow painted fog lights, some black and light purple highlights and gold for the missiles and various other parts. Four wheels under the treads keep him rolling and he is loaded with gimmicks.

Galvatron starts out with eight Powerlinx points: one on the side of each front tread, one on the side of the rear right tread, one on top of each of the rear treads, one on top of the right tread and two atop his turret. Only the two atop his turret activate any functions, the rest are static. The one right behind the clear windowed Decepticon insignia moves back and locks into place. This flips the dual missile launcher on the left side of the turret up and forward, activating a missile-launching sound effect. The missiles can be fires be pressing the black buttons behind them. The second Powerlinx on the turret activates a machine gun sound. Move the Minicon to either side for a continuous burst of fire. The main cannon fires a ball-ended missile and creates a different firing sound. Turning the turret approximately 45 degrees from the front facing position in either direction activates another series of sound effects. Galvatron declares, "The power is mine!" in a sped up version of the voice used for Megatron, followed by the cannon, missile and machine gun sounds. All these effects light up the Decepticon symbol when activated.

The claws in-between the front treads can be made to grasp Minicons. On the right rear tread, a panel lowers to reveal a flip-out ramp and retractable claws. The claws can grab Minicons foolish enough to drive up the ramp. The compartment on the left rear tread extends outward to reveal a compartment to hold Minicons. I haven't found one that will actually fit in there while closed, however. Atop the right front tread is a ramp that folds up and forward. You can pretend to launch jet Minicons from here as well as add an additional static Powerlinx point. Flip the small switch on the left front tread to reveal three more static Powerlinx points. So, in an optimal configuration, Galvatron can hold twelve Minicons in tank mode.

Transformation
Transformation is rather easy, likely due to the amount of gimmicks in play on Galvatron. Extend the rear treads back and flip up the feet and stabilizers. Rotate the waist 180 degrees and stand him up. Rotate the turret so that the cannon is facing to the left or right of the robot and push the cannon so it faces forward. Open the panels on the front treads and pull down the arms. Close the panels and push the small button on the chest down to reveal the robot face.

Robot Mode
Galvatron stands at 7 ½" at the top of his head, 9 ½" to the top of the claws on either side of his head, or 10" to the tip of his treads when positioned straight up. He can look Starscream and Thundercracker eye-to-eye, yet maintains a more massive and powerful look. There is more light purple visible in robot mode, primarily on his shoulders and torso with some gold highlighting his abdomen. He features shoulder joints enabling him to move his arms forward, back, and out. His elbows bend and swivel and his right wrist turns as well. The left hand features an opening hand with the four fingers and thumbs connected to springs. Sadly, his legs can only move outward at the hips and his knees inward. Galvatron can also turn at the neck and waist.

On his left forearm, moving the Powerlinx peg forward reveals a small knife blade protruding from his left hand. That's a neat feature should Galvatron find himself in hand-to-hand combat. There are another six Powerlinx pegs that are static in robot mode in addition to the ones from tank mode on his back. The three missiles can be placed in the left tread housing. The ball-ended on fits into the top notch just below the first off-white section of the hinge, while the other two missiles fit snuggly in the notches near the second green hinge. Close the hatch and Galvatron now has a missile launcher on his left shoulder. Configure Clench into weapon mode "A" (extend the legs down at an angle), and he fits nicely into the slot on the right tread housing. Closing the hatch secures him in place. Clench can also function as a hand-held gun in configuration "B" (extend the legs straight back and move the right arm down to form the handle). The turret cannon can also be fired in this mode on either side.

One last gimmick involves raising his upper torso and positioning his turret in front of him. Face the cannon and missile launcher forward and configure Clench in vehicle mode with his cannons face up. Lower the upper torso and using the crank now located on the right side, you can turn the turret around and around, blasting the Autobots all the while. This also repeats the various weapon sound effects.

Clench
The name Clench was the name of a G2 Obliterator (who in turn was also well as Colossus). It's good to see a new name re-used in stead of the endless strings of Mirages and Prowls. He is a cross between a cannon truck and a dune buggy. He is mostly black with silver windows, purple front wheel housings and gold cannons. Clench features three weapon configurations, though one is not mentioned anywhere on the instructions outside of transforming him to that point. To transform into robot mode, swing the legs back and fold the cannons back against them. He features hip, knee, and shoulder articulation. There are some white painted highlights on his torso and his eye visor is painted yellow.

Overall
While Megatron was my favorite Armada toy (and still is), Galvatron falls further down the list. Sure, his simple transformation makes him fun to fiddle with and all the different gimmicks and their configurations are a blast to play around with. But, the color scheme is just bland and unimaginative. I think it's time toys named Galvatron looked for a new body shop for their paint schemes. At least Clench is a lot of fun to play with. I'm thankful I paid less than $20 for this toy. But, whether you pay $18 or $25, you'll still get your money's worth, that's for sure.