Titans Return: Hardhead Review

On to the next Transformers: Titans Return review, this time on the Autobot named Hardhead.  Hardhead is part of a grouping of Transformers called the Headmasters.  Well, that's what they were called back in the 80's.  At the time this line debuted, I had already started getting disinterested in the line and was growing up into pre-teen/adulthood so I really don
t know much about the characters....only the gimmick that was being introduced.I saw the 5 part series that told the origins of the Headmasters and realized that this wasn't going to be my cup of tea.   I guess others in the U.S. thought the same and the interest in the line waned a bit.
It seems, from the tfwiki, that Japan created it's own anime for this series and started to deviate from the G1 cartoon here in the states.  You can check out the history of the Japanese Headmasters here.
From this series, it looks like Hardhead was 1 of 10 to undergo a rigorous training to learn the art of transformation again.  It also looks like Hardhead was a partier.  Check out the picture below:

The animes in Japan....man, I don't know, they add some weird stuff every now and then.  So, Hardhead is a kareoke superstar, that's his sctick.  He's also a soldier for the Autobot cause and that's, in part, why I like him.  I also like the color pallet on this figure.  Here is Hardhead shutting Blurr up from talking so much.

Okay, so here are some pictures of Hardhead from the Titans Return series from yours truly:

I'm digging the colors on this guy and the mobility.  Oh, the mobility.  Just like Blurr, this guy has joints in the shoulders, elbows, hands, waist, hips, knees, and toes if you want to be technical.  His gun turrent can be positioned on his right shoulder or it can be sent to the back and hang out there.  Really, really a good spent dollar on this guy.  And, like I mentioned below, here is a picture of him mis-transformed (love it).

See you next time.  I'm getting a San Diego Comic Convention exclusive in the mail either today or tomorrow so that'll be the next review.

Something a bit different...Titans Return: Blurr

With a renewed love for a series of toys that I grew up with, I'm going to do something on this blog that I've always wanted to do in other blogs I've written; a toy review (or two).  So, with that, I bring to you the first of three (maybe four) reviews of the new line of toys from Hasbro called "Transformers: Titans Return."  The first figure I picked up was a character I grew up enjoying when he had screen time.  He's the fast talking, even faster speeding (get a drift that I like fast characters), Autobot named Blurr.
Blurr debuted in the classic Transformers: The Movie, an animated movie that came out in 1986, I believe.  Here's a link to a brand new blu ray version of the movie that'll be coming out in September of this year.  The first signs I knew I'd like this character was when he spoke to Ultra Magnus (the Field Commander of the Autobots still left on Earth.  Here, check out this scene below, and it'll basically show you how I instantly gravitated toward the him.

So, yeah......that was quite a bit of Blurr speaking and moving.  A bit more in one shot than what's needed, I'm sure.  At rate, you get the picture....he's fast.  So, Hasbro's decided to make a new toy of Blurr one with the great articulation that we have these days and some of the reminiscence of his Generation 1 (the first television series to debut and from this point forward, will be referred to as G1) look.  The first figure that came out of Blurr looked like this:

Yup, a brick.  But, we got a lot of those in those days.  Technology and a budding franchise that a company didn't want to invest too much money into (that's only my opinion folks) gave us a lot of bricks back then.  We did have to use our imaginations and we'e lucky to have the tv show to help supplement that.  Yeah, I know they were 30 minute commercials.....but that's what hooked me into this franchise.

There have been other iterations of Blurr in other lines I didn't collect years ago.  Here's a look at what they looked like:

Never owned those figures, more than likely, never will.  But, still like the character.  Which brings us to this, Titans Return: Blurr (the pictures below are from my vault):

The packaging for Titans Return is pretty average as they've been using a similar type of packaging for lines previous to this one (ala TF: Generations and Combiner Wars).  I like how they show that the gimmick for this line is that the head comes off and you are left with a headless robot.  The back side of the packaging shows Blurr in vehicle and robot mode.  I totally dig the vehicle mode.  It looks pretty much like the movie alt mode back in the 80's.

  Here are a few more pictures of the actual figure.  I had to put the Headmaster driver next to the vehicle mode Blurr because it reminded me of the old Transformers: Headmasters cartoon, which was supposed to be season 4 of the original Transformers series.  

I do like this figure, in general. He's articulated in the arms, waist, and legs, more so than I've seen some other figures these past few years.  The only gripe I have with this figure is the coloring.  If you'll notice, he looks like a mechanical Smurf.  There was at least a bit more to him in the series, I was kind of hoping for the same thing here.  I may end up customizing him or ending up getting the Japanese version later on down the line.  Here's what he'll look like in Japan.:

A bit more variety and the white changes up the monotony of the dark blue all around.  Attention to detail, Hasbro.  hahaha.....

For the last pic, I had to take one of Blurr mis-transformed. I love looking at these types of pictures and thinking to myself, "What the hell were they thinking when they did THAT?"

  See you next time with a review for Hardhead. No, that's not a typo.  C'mon, these characters are from the 80's.....people were high on an hourly basis coming up with this stuff.

The Flash

"My name is Wally West, and I'm the Fastest Man Alive."  Those words were the first I read of the character named "The Flash".  Wally isn't the first person to own this moniker of The Flash, nor the last.
Wally was the sidekick for the 2nd Flash named Barry Allen.  He was infused with the Speed Force in a freakishly similar manner as Barry as well.  I think it was just the writer being lazy in finding a unique story for how Wally got his powers that were different from Barry Allen and Jay Garrick's (the original Flash).
One of my favorite artist for the Barry Allen era was Carmen Infantino.  I mean check out the simplicity of the costume.  The simple, yet descriptive, costume immediately shows a reader that this hero is a hero of speed.  Like the messenger God Hermes in the times of yor.

Here is a look at a typical Carmen Infantino cover for the Flash.  I mean, I loved the covers back in the old days.  They told you a bit of what's going on inside and left you wanting to know more.

At any rate, why is The Flash (Wally West version) one of my all time favorites?  Quite simply, when I first started reading the series, Mark Waid was writing him as the prodigy for Barry just after the first Crisis.  The idea that Wally had to step up from being the sidekick to the hero played out month to month.  I liked the idea of how Wally was constantly questioning his decision in taking up the mantle that he seemed to have slowed down.  He couldn't run as fast as he used to.  He couldn't ever run as fast as his mentor, Barry.  

It took quite a few comic book publishing years for Wally to find his place in the Flash lore and for him to take his rightful spot on the Justice League of America before his real adventure began.  What was the next evolution?

Geoff Johns' and Scott Kolins' run on the Flash was perhaps my second favorite run on this series.  Geoff didn't only focus on the hero, he focused on the hero's rogues, gave them personalities, gave them reasons as to why they do what they do and why they torment the Flash. Here's an example of the "new" rogues of the Flash.

Scott's art worked so well on this character.  Not shaded, no changes in pencil depth, just plain lines that looked like they were speeding along.

Great stories, a fantastic run; Geoff and Scott made me care about Wally West and the cadre of characters once again.  Thanks so much for those memories.

Then, Flashpoint happened after Barry Allen was re-introduced in The Flash: Rebirth.  After Flashpoint, Wally West seemed to have been forgotten.  No one seemed to remember the name, nor the fact that he was the Flash when Barry was presumably dead.  The age of DC 52 happened.  I wasn't too happy with that run, though Francis Manapul did do a decent Flash with what he was left with from the lore.

Now, Rebirth has happened in DC across the board and guess who's the reason for this new renaissance?  Yup, Wally West.  Readers have thought Wally was returning back to the Kid flash moniker but, let's face it, he's too old.  That name now goes to the Wally West that's been introduced in the New 52 and on the television show.  Nope, Wally is still a Flash.  Take a look at the killer costume he's sporting these days.

Can't wait for a figure of this costume in the years to come.  Check out my ever growing Flash wall below.

Transformers

As a young boy, I enjoyed the toys, TV show, and comic of the franchise called "The Transformers".  It is a franchise that I was a part of the debut and I still remember coming home from school and the show debuting right before my birthday back in '84.  I remember seeing characters like Trailblazer and Cliffjumper helping save the lives of humans from the evil doings of the Decepticons.
I tried collecting as many of the figures as I could, but I didn't THAT much of an allowance back then.  hahaha.  I remember having characters like Trailblazer, Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Starscream, Powerglide, Skids, Warpath, (a lot of other mini bots that I can't remember) and 4 out of 5 of the Arielbots.  I also had the full versions of Devastator and Bruticus as part of the combiners.

Years had past.  I remember catching some of the newer shows and seeing some of the newer lines in the toy aisles of Wal Mart and Target.  Only every so often did I end up purchasing a couple of figures from various lines.  My collection was....eclectic, to say the least.

Then, Fall of Cybertron came out for the PS3.  I fell back in love with the line and started reading the comic from IDW.  Fresh takes on the classic G1 figures and more complicated transformations.  The games itself was fun to play.  I've never reached a 100% completion on either game, but I'll try one day.

Yes, I know there was a game before Fall of Cybertron called War for Cybertron, I liked that one, too.

Here's a look of how Optimus Prime looks like in the games.  I believe this is an actual figure from a third party company (not Hasbro).  Looks good, right?

Here is a look at a crossover series that IDW will be doing later this summer.  It'll crossover toy lines such as Transformers, G.I.Joe, M.A.S.K., and Rom (I think Micronauts as well).  

With what's going on with the series nowadays, I'm sure I'll stick around and see where some of my favorite characters end up heading.  

P.S. I don't regard the Transformer movies from Michael Bay any part of the Transformer universe.  They are just a mess of explosion and unrecognizable robots.  

Been awhile

Started a new job here in the states back on April 25th.  It was 5 weeks of classroom training and then 6 months of on the job training.  I'm in the midst of that training now.  It's definitely a harder job than I've ever been exposed to and it's making me learn new skills that I haven't thought I needed to develop in my older age.
Right now, I still am reeling by the fact that I have this job.  I'm nervous, I'm excited, it's just really strange.  Sorry for the lack of updates.  I'll time stamp some new ones to continue on this blog as much as possible.

Some Newer Pics Part 7

Last one of the mech drawing, for now.  I hope you enjoyed some of the newer doodles I've been doodling as of late.

Some Newer Pics Part 6

The next two blog entries are of more mechs.  Just random doodling while I've been at work training.  Yes, I do listen while I'm being trained.  I actually listen better while drawing.  Strange, huh?