Rodimus Prime- Fansproject's TFX-04 Protector or Takara's Masterpiece-09

I think most of us can agree that Rodimus was a horrible leader. He basically screwed everything up and Optimus had to fix it- as usual. BUT, Rodimus DID have a pretty cool character design, which makes his toys somewhat neat- so it's not a bad choice to buy one every once in a while.

As of right now, I'd say your best options are Takara's Masterpiece-09 Rodimus Convoy & Fansproject's TFX-04 Protector set.
VS
Frankly, it depends on what you look for in a collectible- what you value. In this case, it's design VS durability.

So far, I've read many cases of the MP-09 being very sensative and prone to breaking- which means it's mostly a display piece.

I even bought the Hasbro version myself and it broke WHILE I was removing it from the box- and keep in mind, I was being as gentle as I could possibly be.

It doesn't matter if you buy the Hasbro or Takara version- it's still just a very sensative toy and you need to be extremely careful with it.

The pros of the MP-09 Rodimus Convoy:
1) It's the closest representation of the G1 character design.
2) It's got a matrix cavity in it's chest, and a decently detailed Matrix of Leadership.
3) It has 2 vehicle forms, both equally accurate to their G1 vehicle mode designs.
4) It's big and can pull off many impressive poses.

The cons of the MP-09 Rodimus Convoy:
1) It has extremely thin plastic in a number of places, making it brittle and capable of being easily broken.
2) The matrix it's provided with, is far too small for it to hold- plus it doesn't even open up.
3) Because of it's "back kibble" in robot mode, it's been known to have poor balance and easily tip over.

The Protector Upgrade Set is a safer choice, in my opinion- because it hasn't been known to break AND it's cheaper.

The pros of the Protector Upgrade Set:
1) It's a new design, with some rather flashy paint applications and flame molds.
2) I haven't heard any cases of this set breaking- so it's durability is good.
3) It comes with a "handshake" piece, to use with Classics Optimus Prime.
4) It's vehicle mode is sleeker and looks more futuristic.
5) It comes with a small comic book, showing Hot Rod's upgrade to Rodimus Prime.

The cons of the Protector Upgrade Set:
1)It requires Classics Hot Rod- in order to complete and form Rodimus Prime.
2) It's pieces have been known to become loose and pop off during play- but that was only in a couple reviews I read.
3) It's posability isn't as great as the MP-09's.
4) It's much smaller than the MP-09.
5) It doesn't have a Matrix of Leadership.


Overall, my suggestion would be the Protector Upgrade Set- because it's cheaper and safer in terms of breaking.

It depends on whether you're all about design and flashy collectibles, or strong, durable ones- that you can fumble and play with, without risking any functional or cosmetic damage.

My vote: Fansproject's TFX-04 Protector!

The 23-Inch Lion Force Voltron Set. My Thoughts...

As I said in my last post, I've never really been a heavy supporter of Mattel's work- especially when it came to Voltron. BUT, after seeing the new 23-Inch Voltron at SDCC11, I'm very eager and excited to get my hands on it! The only thing I see wrong with this set, is the legs of the lions being show-accurate grey/white, instead of chrome.  But, at the same time, if u DO want screen accuracy- they aced it. I've already got the entire series ordered and, just as the Lion Force Club states: As the lions are released throughout the year, I'll recieve them all, until I'm able to complete Voltron- which, after seeing it, will be pretty freaking impressive. The fact that they were able to make the pilot figures as posable as they seem to look- shocks me.

But I'll be honest folks...I'm an ORIGINAL Voltron Force fan, not the secondary line-up, with Princess Allura in it. No offense to her, I just prefer to have Sven on the team- instead of her. I was introduced to Voltron with him in it- so I prefer to sustain the team in that line-up. Frankly, I'll probably just re-sell her figure on Ebay- I don't see myself using it.

The Voltron Force toys look amazing....they really do. Very rarely, does an American company pull off a toyline THIS well. Mattel really got their s--- together, they seriously did. It shows. I can't wait to hold these lions and drool all over'em- Mattel really proved themselves.

AT LEAST for the moment- because as a collector, there's always a chance that something may LOOK nice, but once it's in ur hands, pieces start popping off constantly, things break that u never thought were capable of breaking, and the paintjob's got some problems in a considerable amount of spots.

As of right now- Mattel has done a wonderful job. Once I get my hands on these lions, we'll see if Mattel's sealed the deal on the "Ultimate Voltron Toy."

Mattel's Pushing For The "Ultimate" Voltron Toy.

I've been a major Voltron fan my entire life. I've watched every version of Voltron's television franchise possible: the original Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Voltron: The 3rd Dimension, and the newest Voltron Force show - currently airing on Nicktoons.

I've also seen many versions of Voltron appear in toylines from different companies: Mattel, Trendmasters, and Toynami.

So far, Toynami, in my opinion, holds the title of "Ultimate Voltron Toy" with their Masterpiece Voltron. As an actual owner of one, I can vouch for it's incredible detail, posability, size, and weight- it's the best Voltron toy I've ever come across.

The fact that Mattel is claiming to be producing the greatest and largest Voltron toy ever produced, holds me to be extremely skeptical and somewhat doubtful. I've actually held and played with the Voltron toys that were made by Mattel in the 80's, and they were the largest I'd ever seen, but that was the only thing they had- just size. He lacked posability, screen accuracy, weapons, and the proper paint job.

If there's one thing I've learned about Mattel, one thing that, as a collector, you should watch out for- is when a company mainly tries to sell a product based just on it's size. I'll agree that bigger is better- but if the toy lacks posability, lights & sounds, and everything else it needs to hold the "Ultimate" title- then really all it is, is just a giant chunk of plastic or diecast. Sure, it might look nice- but it doesn't do anything.

As of current press releases and online research, here's what I know about Mattel's upcoming Voltron toylines:
- There'll be 2 main lines: The Collectors Line, based on the original show and lion designs; and the Voltron Force Line, based on the latest show and new lion designs.

-The Collectors Line will certainly be more advanced in terms of craftsmanship and features. Supposedly, they will release 5 seperate lions, all with spring-loaded weapons, action figures of their pilots, and a cockpit for the action figure itself- each lion priced at around $ 30.00. When combined, Voltron should stand between 2-3 feet tall- which will officially count as the largest Voltron toy ever produced (again....watch out).

- As for the Voltron Force, I'm going to be honest- it could either fly or fail. Toys have undergone some major upgrades since the 3rd Dimension Voltron toyline, and I'm thinking there might be a chance for some serious recognition, if Mattel manages to produce a toyline with decent posability and details. They might be crappy pieces of poorly designed, poorly painted plastic- like the 3rd Dimension line; or they'll be as good as the Level One transformers movie figures we have now. We won't know until we see some actual prototypes.

As of right now, I'm not getting my hopes up- because I've seen Mattel's previous attempts at Voltron and I was always disappointed.

Stay skeptical, but also open-minded. Mattel's all about big toys, but this time, they need to prove that their toys aren't just giant bricks of plastic for us to stare at. They need posability. We'll see....

- Top Shelf Toy Store

My Review on Transformers III: Dark of The Moon

Overall, I thought the movie was okay- but there was one thing that got me: Hasbro used the Ultimate Optimus Prime toy to reel me in, but DIDN'T put his ultimate combination in the final battle!

I liked his jet-pack upgrade, but it was no different than RoboCop 3- it's been done before. I don't understand how Michael Bay could spend money on the CGI effects for Devastator and Power-Up Optimus Prime, but he wasn't willing to give us Ultimate Optimus Prime. That doesn't make any sense to me at all- because the whole "giant worm" monster mode, with Shockwave, didn't really impress me.

It's a very cheap trick to produce a product based on a character like Optimus, beef him up with an ultimate combination, and NOT put it in the film- because that's what alot of fans probably wanted to see! That's the only real reason I went- and I walked out a little dissappointed.

It's like saying, "This is going to be the ULTIMATE SANDWHICH," and when dinner comes around, all you get is the bun! Where's the meat? Where's that awesome taste you promised me?

What also bothered me was how they killed Ironhide- that was too much. They developed his character for two movies and killed him off- that really hurt. The new characters dying didn't bother me, because they weren't much of a show- they were just time fillers.

Everything else considered, the only reason I saw Dark of The Moon, was to see the Ultimate Optimus Prime combination. Seeing as how it was hype booster and a trick, I'd have to say you fooled me Bay.....totally got me- well done.

But this could certainly have an impact on the product: It could potentially drop it's demand or make it extremely valuble. As a collector, I've been driven to certain products by two main things:

1) Their role in the program or movie they're based on.
2) How rare they are.

For Ultimate Optimus Prime, this could go one of two ways:

1) Because they didn't put his ultimate combination in the movie, some collectors might lose their urge to buy the product- because they didn't see the combination in action. Some collectors, like myself, need to see a particular weapon in action, in order to develop the urge to want it- that "fan-driven" admiration.

2) On the other hand, some collectors might see this combination as extremely special- because it WASN'T used. They developed it in the blueprints, but they didn't put it in the movie- and that's why some fans might see it as extremely rare. I've had that happen to me a number of times, where I saw a concept sketch of something that didn't appear in the show- and still wanted the product after the program was over. It's that blueprint "could-have-been" hype that can increase the product's reputation- especially for a character as popular and loved as Optimus Prime.

It really comes down to one collector-based question: Will I still buy the product?

Yes- and there's two reasons why:
 1) For the past two movies, Optimus didn't have a trailer in truck mode- which went against his traditional design (he's always had a trailer). A movie-based toy with a trailer- that's pretty hard to turn down.

2) Because they didn't give him the ultimate combination, they proved that Optimus Prime can fight on his own, without any special weapons. He DID use the jet-pack, but that didn't last for very long- pretty soon, he lost it and reverted to ground-based combat again. BUT, on the ground- he killed quite a few Decepticons- fully killing Megatron and finishing off Sentinel Prime. That ability to fight on his own really boosts his character's image, and with the toy being able to do that combination- why not kick his power up another notch? He's already proven to be quite the skilled fighter- why not do it?

Overall, the film was decent- I was happy, depressed, angry, and shocked. I felt what the movie was meant to expose me to- so I have to give Michael Bay some credit. The new characters weren't too great, because as I said- they were just time fillers. They didn't have alot of character development, they were just there to look nice and fill up the screen. The plot sucked, which wasn't a surprise- but the CGI effects are the most advanced I've ever seen. If you're mainly about special effects and CGI- this is the PERFECT movie for you. If you're all about the plot and character development- you're in for some serious dissappointment.

On a scale of 1 to 10: 7

Review Time! From my personal collection, Bandai's 2008 Go-onger DX G-12 Formation!

Strolling from the 2008 Super Sentai series, Go-onger, is the first team of engines: Bus-on, Speedor, and Bear-RV.

When Bus-on, Speedor, and Bear-RV combine, they create the high-powered Engine-Oh. I find the Engine-Oh to be pretty sleek, at least from the front. It has a very sharp figure and, like the past few Super Sentai toy lines, in terms of proportions and details- it's very close to it's on-screen counterpart.

The second set of engines to join the fight are Gunpherd, Carrigator, and Birca!

When Gunpherd, Carrigator, and Birca combine, they create the trigger-happy GunBir-Oh. GunBir-Oh's my least favorite Level-1 megazord in the Go-onger toy line- because he doesn't have hands! He's proportionally great and has 2 nice weapons for arms, but the fact that he can't hold anything brings him down to the bottom of the chart.

Flying in for extra support, the 3rd team of engines: Toripter, Jumbo Whale, and Jetras!

When Toripter, Jumbo Whale, and Jetras combine, they create the fully-loaded Seiku-Oh. Seiku-Oh's a nice toy, mainly because his wings and thin body make up for not having any hands.

The 4th and final set of engines: Kishamammoth, K-Line, and T-Line!

When Kishamammoth, K-Line, and T-Line combine, they create the bulky and ancient Kyoretsu-Oh! Kyoretsu-Oh's my favorite Level-1 megazord, because I'm a fan of big collectibles. They always have more detail and usually have a major role within their own toy line- so I value them the most.

When Engine-Oh and GunBir-Oh combine, they create the 6-engine megazord: G-6 Engine Oh! Being a Level-2 megazord, I like this combination- because it's not that bulky, in terms of additional mass, and you get a new head!

When G-6 Engine-Oh combines with Seiku-Oh, they create the 9-engine formation: G-9 Engine-Oh! I retain my previous comments on G-6, but I REALLY like the new wings! Not bad for a Level-3 megazord.

When G-9 Engine-Oh combines with Kyoretsu-Oh, they create the 12-engine formation: G-12 Engine-Oh! This is the final and most powerful combination that the Go-Ongers can produce, and I find it VERY impressive. There isn't much posability, but the amount of detail, sounds, and just the overall size of the this entire, combined set is GREAT.

Manufactured by Bandai Japan, these toys are very detailed, with lights and sounds, but also represent their on-screen counterparts pretty well. If you're a Super Sentai fan or specifically a Go-onger fan, this set is certainly worth the money. I won't lie though, this set is extremely expensive- but the quality of the plastic and everything else is totally worth it. This is a 2008 Super Sentai toy series, but you can still find it on Ebay and other stores, if you search hard enough.



Welcome to the Top Shelf Toy Blog!

Greetings,

It's an absolute pleasure to meet you! We're very excited and ready to supply you with fine toys and models!

If there's one thing we're always up for, it's meeting fellow collectors. Getting to know you, as a customer and a collector, is extremely important to us.

So, feel free to introduce yourself,  tell us some of your favorite toy lines, your current major collectible, and any toy lines that you'd like us to sell. If possible, we'll certainly consider it.

Again, it's a pleasure to meet you and we look forward to establishing an exciting relationship!

- Top Shelf Toy Store