I have been searching for new Transformers action figures for some time now.  None of the local stores have stocked anything new in a while.  Which really isn’t that big a deal.  I don’t like the movie figures for the most part, but I am aware of other options now.  Options like figures based on the new video game…  that I won’t get to play for probably 5 years…  but still, they aren’t based on Micheal Bay’s design abortions.

When I visited my friends earlier in the week I had occasion to visit the Target and actually see these toys.  There were also other toys I wasn’t aware were available yet.  The War For Cybertron guys were cool and everything, but I own, like, 150 Optimus Primes, and the only Bumblebee I feel I’ll ever need. (Universe Classics)  If I was swimming in money these guys still would end up lower on my list than a lot of other things.  Really, they looked cooler and bigger in the pictures online.  I mean, Bumblebee looks like he might even be taller than the Prime.  Which isn’t that big a deal.  Scale and Transformers are not friends.  I’m just saying.

Anyway, those two lost out because there were guys there that I don’t have other versions of, or at least haven’t had a new version of since the 80s.  I got a sportscar guy called Drift, who has 3 bladed weapons.  There’s even places on his person to store said weapons.  That’s a cool feature.  It sucks having to sit stuff to the side when they aren’t being held.  There’s a lot of panels in awkward places when he’s a robot, but you can still get him into some pretty dynamic poses.  He looks like he could take Bludgeon if he had to.

I also got  Huffer with Caliburst.  I don’t know if there’s a show going to be connected to these guys, but they seem to be part of Hasbro’s new idea wave for this year, or whatever.  Calliburst is a Minicon that transforms into 4 “different” modes.  Mostly he just contorts and sticks to Minicon pegs.  I have no problem with this.  I like Minicons.  I have a bucket of them, so I can mix and match.  I’m glad they haven’t ditched the concept so there’s a reason to have the old ones around still.  I prefer the ones that turn in to weapons because they remind me of Targetmasters.  The wild thing about Caliburst is that he is a Minicon that has Minicon pegs on himself.  So you can make a superweapon if you have a mind so to do, and I do.

My Caliburst was put together wrong so he won’t transform the way he’s supposed to.  His knees are on backwards.  Normally I would fix it myself, but it’s metal pegs through plastic holes which can only end in tears.  It doesn’t ruin him per se, so I can cope.  Production errors do seem to be on the rise though.  Of the few I’ve purchased in the last year almost all of them had a part stuck on wrong, or some other flaw.

Huffer seems to be at least sort of an homage to his G1 namesake.  He’s a commander bot, or something.  Whatever they call it, it means that he can use drones to become a gestalt robot.  There’s an extra head in his torso in case the opportunity presents itself.  I have no drones to make this happen, but I’m glad that the option exists.  I’m not anti drone.

His transform is simple but cool.  He becomes a very solid little semi.   With Caliburst stuck on a certain way he looks kind of like a wrecker.