{"id":23133,"date":"2013-04-15T00:57:48","date_gmt":"2013-04-15T05:57:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23133"},"modified":"2013-04-15T00:59:22","modified_gmt":"2013-04-15T05:59:22","slug":"transformers-masterpiece-rumble-ravage-review-part-i","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.itsalltrue.net\/?p=23133","title":{"rendered":"Transformers Masterpiece:
Rumble & Ravage Review (Part I)"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a> If you\u2019ve noticed lately, I’m buying a lot of Transformers, particularly ones that share molds. Those can be difficult to review because, other than paint, there can be a big \u201cbeen there, done that\u201d vibe. I\u2019ve got an idea to combat that. Four Cassettes. Two Days. One Review… in Two Parts.<\/p>\n

In today\u2019s review, I\u2019m going to cover Ravage thoroughly and Rumble partially. For some features, like interactivity with Soundwave or accessories, check back tomorrow for the Frenzy & Buzzsaw review. The rest I\u2019ll cover here. <\/p>\n

The very first thing I want to talk about is the price. Yes\u2026 I paid $60 for the two cassettes featured today. Do I recommend that for everyone? Probably not. For me, I have an unnatural love of the cassettes and I guess I kinda convinced myself that $60 isn\u2019t bad for an import price. Hasbro will be bringing these to retail as part of a TRU exclusive pack that includes MP Soundwave and all five cassettes. It will probably cost about 40% of what I paid for my Soundwave & cassettes. <\/p>\n

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I don\u2019t really have a good reason for not waiting. I am incredibly impatient. And I love the colors here \u2013 I don\u2019t really care for Hasbro-Soundwave\u2019s yellow visor and I have no idea what they\u2019ll do to the cassettes. So, to have the cassettes the way I wanted them (particularly the Creamiscle Buzzsaw) and to have them in-hand already, I did toss $120 BBTS\u2019 way. It may not have been the wisest money spent this year, but I don\u2019t regret it one bit. Especially considering I don\u2019t have to waste one iota of energy worrying about when or if he shows up at my TRU. <\/p>\n

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Okay, with that long monologue out of the way, let\u2019s talk toys. Rumble & Jaguar showed up on my doorstep about a month ago. I immediately redubbed Jaguar \u201cRavage\u201d on account of my living in America and all. I\u2019m not sure if Rumble is really Rumble or if he\u2019s Frenzy, but I don\u2019t care. I\u2019ll stick with Rumble since it says so on the box, but I\u2019m pretty sure the red one was Frenzy when I was a wee tot. <\/p>\n

Since I already had Laserbeak, I knew the cassettes would be small \u2013 they\u2019re actually the exact same size as the cassettes from when I was a kid, but the cassettes in this two-pack go completely different routes when they transform. Ravage feels like he gets smaller since some of his transformation this time around goes to making him a little more \u201cthree dimensional\u201d. Rumble meanwhile is comparatively<\/em> huge, with his transformation making him a little taller than the cassettes of old. <\/p>\n

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Ravage is probably the more impressive of the two despite his smaller size. He has great articulation; I wish they would\u2019ve been able to work some side-to-side movement into the head, but the up\/down movement is pretty good. The ball-jointed shoulders on the front legs are fantastic and along with the other 14 points of articulation in the limbs, Ravage was a lot of fun to pose. I wish I had a small flight stand to pose him leaping, but I\u2019ve found plenty of great poses to put him on the shelf without it.<\/p>\n

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The paintwork is pretty good overall considering the size. Like Laserbeak, the silver paint seems a little more prone to scraping\/damage than I would like, but luckily there\u2019s much less paint on Ravage. I have noticed that the gray paint on the lower legs has lost paint on a couple pegs that are needed to keep his sturdy in cassette mode. Not a big deal, but those might have been best left unpainted. The two tiny Decepticon tampos are nice and clean. Continue to Page 2…<\/a><\/p>\n

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While transforming Ravage is easy, there are a few steps that I still have to stop and think about it, or check the paws to make they\u2019re facing the right direction. Rumble on the other hand has a great transformation that reminds of me of the classic G1 bots I had a kid. Everything unfolds pretty simply, and Rumble goes from rectangle to little man without any confusion. <\/p>\n

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Like Ravage, the figure really shines in robot mode. I love the MP line for doing (mostly) a great job on both the robot & alt modes, but I think the robot modes are where the toys really shine. Other than Optimus who spends a lot of time in his iconic truck mode (seriously, I need two!), the rest hang out as robots.* <\/p>\n

* – Though it would be great to have a little stack of microcassettes for $120 to show off when folks come over, right?<\/em><\/p>\n

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As a robot, Rumble has that classic look and great articulation. I could use a little more in the arms, some length and maybe a bicep swivel, but that\u2019s just me being nitpicky. He looks and moves great. You can see in a couple of the pics how we\u2019ll he can pose. The ball-joints at the shoulders, hips, and ankles do most of the work, but there are plenty of hinges (some due to the transformation) that make the figure probably one of the best articulated little Transformers I\u2019ve seen in awhile. <\/p>\n

The paintwork on Rumble is sharp, I love the vac-metal details on the torso, though mine came a little chipped & scratch. I\u2019ll probably do worse to it over time though because these guys are fun to play with \u2013 I don\u2019t get one bit of hesitation even though I paid $30 apiece. <\/p>\n

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Rumble includes some great accessories which I\u2019ll cover in the Frenzy review tomorrow (you’ll see them all in the gallery though), but I did want to highlight the pistols since I view them more as part of the figure. While they do have a hinge that switches the handles between a peg that fits in the hand and one for the back, I primarily only want to have the pistols back-mounted. I think the figure just looks more complete with them back there.<\/p>\n

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Overall, I love having these guys. I think anyone who is waiting for the Hasbro TRU version of these guys will be in for a delight. As awesome as they are, they\u2019ll surely be more awesome at 40% of the price. Takara did a fantastic job turning their classic cassettes into modern Transformers figures. While Masterpiece has really upped its game since MP-10, Soundwave & his cassettes still seem to raise the bar even higher. They\u2019re going to be a great set to have this Summer (or now if you\u2019re bad with money!). Be sure to check back tomorrow when I’ll do Part Two, focusing on Frenzy & Buzzsaw as well as the accessories and some cool ways these guys interact with Masterpiece Soundwave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \t

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