Fans Toys FT-11 Spotter (3rd Party Reflector)

Intro

Camera mode:

Reflector transforms into a camera. The proportions are right and it's comfortable to hold in your hands. But I can't say that it's a particularly realistic camera. The mismatched colors don't help the look much, especially from the back. There's also the fairly obvious robot head on the right hand side.

It's not impossible that a camera could look like this. The size is right for this sort of camera. Batteries, film, etc would all fit inside. But the robot modes clearly took priority when this toy was designed.

The lens and flash are separate pieces that just clip on. The lens looks nice with the clear green plastic in the front and the silver and red painted details around it. The flash however is very blocky and molded in flat grey plastic. It's not bad but it's not 100% convincing either.

Transformation:

I'm not going to describe the steps of the transformation here. With the other Fans Toys figures I own the transformations were on par with official MPs. Go through the instructions the first time and you're good from then on.

I found Reflector's transformation to be painful the first time though. Literally painful. Many parts do not seem to have enough room to move past others. Even following the instructions to the letter it was not an easy process. Having done it a few times now it is not as bad as the first time but it's still not a fun experience.

The general idea here is good. All three robots have pretty much the same transformation. The side robots differ in one place only and even then the step is only mirrored. But the process probably should have gone through another draft. A few minor adjustments to fix the clearance issues and this set would have been brilliant.

You can see in the alt mode pictures the gaps in the grey part at the top of the camera. These sections would just not tab together properly. Part of this I think is due to each of the side sections require a piece to be rolled into place. It's on a clip that's also attached to a track that is L-shaped. Most of the time it just unclips and then is really fiddly to get back into place.

Robot modes:

The robot modes of Reflector are really nice. Drawing inspiration from the cartoon depiction of the character all three robots are practically identically. The central bot obviously has the shutter at the center of his torso. His backpack also differs from the other two robots. As for the side bots the way that their backpacks fold up is mirrored. Otherwise they look exactly the same.

All three are quite poseable. They go beyond the usual articulation seen on your typical Masterpiece figure. The biggest stand out is that they all have double jointed elbows and knees. Unlike the transformation joints the ones used for articulation are all smooth and hold well straight out of the box.

The robot mode does have two very minor flaws. The side hip pieces are hinged to so that they don't impede leg movement. Sadly when flipped up they do get int the way of the waist articulation. And while the ankle tilt is really nice side to side it's designed to cup the bottom of the leg. This means that pointing the foot leaves it looking broken.

Reflector comes with three face options. You get a set of faces for each member (nine faces total). The smirking and grinning faces have a lot of character. The smirk in particular works well if you want to have these three bullying some Autobots. 

I don't think these will get a lot of use with my figures though. Unlike MP Bumblebee or Ironhide - or Fans Toys own Sever and Stomp - you can't easily swap the faces over. You've got to disassemble the head to put the new face piece in. I much prefer when the faces are designed to just plug in. This set up is just too much hassle to swap the faces around

Accessories:

The camera flash and lens break down into smaller chunks. Most of these can be reused by the robots as weapons. All accept the central grey piece pictured above. It contains a knife but seems to have no function or place to store on any of the robots.

The outer pieces of the flash and lens can combine to make a large gun. There are two of these, one for each of the side robots. While the robot mode hands don't grip the gun handle very tightly there is a place for it to tab into the forearm. These guns aren't terrible but there are better options included with these figures.

The inner pieces of the flash become sheaths for knives. These can clip onto any of the robots left legs. The way the pegs are placed they only fit on the left. Personally I'm not fond of these. I think they're too large and chunky tacked on to the side of the robot.

The knives themselves do look nice. The blades are painted silver to make them stand out. The grip tabs nice and securely into the robot mode hands. 

The main part of the lens becomes a large cannon. The transformation on this is painful. It has similar issues to the alt mode. There just doesn't seem to be enough room to move parts past one and other. 

This gun assembles around the robots forearm. There's a grip inside as well as places for the sides to tab both into the robot forearm and the body of the gun itself. Getting everything lined up is a chore.

While I don't think the gun looks half bad I don't feel it's worth the effort to assemble. I've been keeping the lens and flash in their alt mode configurations and just setting them aside.

The best weapon option in my opinion are the three identical pistols. Like the knives these tab securely into the robot mode hand. The design is nice and compact. It's just a shame these are unpainted. Painted silver like the knife blades would have been much nicer. Even cast in black plastic would have been nicer than the plain grey they come in.

Reflector also comes with a scaled down version of their alt mode. This is nicely detailed and, if I'm being completely honest, looks nicer as a camera than the actual figures combined. The flash is removable and just clips over the molded robot mode head on that side.

Finally there are three energon cubes included with Reflector. These are molded in translucent pink/purple plastic. As they're hollow they are easily held by Reflector or any other Transformer you might want to give them to. I think these are a great accessory and hope Fans Toys choose to include a few with future releases.

Final thoughts:

I can't help but be a little disappointed with Reflector. It's such a shame that the transformation here is not up to scratch. I knew the alt-mode was unrealistic going in. And that wasn't a problem. But a Transformer that isn't fun to transform has clearly failed on some level.

I'm still happy to have these three in my collection. The robot modes are great. And the official Masterpiece line has been neglecting the 'Cons so any help bulking up their forces is welcome.

I think it's important to know what you're getting if you're looking at buying these guys. I can't say I'd recommend them. But if you're aware of the issues with the transformation but still like what you're seeing I don't think they're a bad purchase.

Unique Toys Y-01 Fuel Supply Provider (3rd Party Octane/Tall Tankor)

Unique Toys seem set on making Masterpiece scaled figures of characters from the third season of The Transformers. They've made Blurr who we looked at previously and their take on Sandstorm is due out in the near future. And then there's today's focus - Fuel Supply Provider, their take on a Masterpiece Octane/Tankor (and as such this figure will be referred to as Octane from here on out).

Unlike his fellow triple changing Decepticons Octane only really featured in two episodes of the original cartoon. In one he teamed up with Trypticon to steal world monuments for Carbombya (yes, this "joke" nation is as offensive as it sounds). In the other he palled around first with Sandstorm then later Starscream's ghost while trying to escape bounty hunters sent by Galvatron.

Truck mode:

Octane's land based alt mode is a tanker truck. When I first saw pictures of this mode I must admit I was unhappy with it. For some reason I had in my mind that this should be a truck cab and trailer set up. A Google image search quickly showed me I had the wrong sort of truck in mind and knowing what the designers were going for this has become my favorite of the two alt modes.

There are a lot of nice details in this mode. The head and tail lights are clear plastic pieces as are the windscreen and side windows. Each of the wheels has chromed rims and rubber tires so the truck mode rolls really nicely. The guard rails to the rear of the tank are also a very nice touch.

From side on you can see a bit of plane junk hanging out under the truck. Some parts have detailing on them to do their best to blend in. For example the plane tail fin has the steps up to the truck cab molded onto them. The part that probably stands out the most are the jet engines sitting between the rear wheels. And it's pretty obvious that the rear of the tank is the front of the plane despite the nose cone tucking inside for the most part.

Like most official Masterpiece figures Octane has an attack mode. One where you plug his gun into the top of his vehicle mode. I haven't taken a picture of it. The plug hole is partway down the tank and allows the gun to be plugged in either way. Which means the plane also has an attack mode.

Octane makes for a small truck. But small trucks do exist. I think the scale here is up for debate. It probably is a tad smaller than it should be but I don't mind it.

Plane mode:

Octane's plane mode looks very nice. When the first pictures came out I was sold on this mode before the truck mode. Everything holds together solidly so you can swoosh this plane around to your hearts content.

The top portion of the truck cab is tucked under the rear of the plane. And the truck mode wheels end up visible on the plane mode engines. This sort of thing is unavoidable really. I personally think the wheels/engines pairing is a clever work around that gives the plane the right silhouette even at angle when the tires are clearly visible.

While the truck modes scale may be debatable the plane modes is not. As nice as it looks this alt mode is way to small next to other Masterpiece Transformers. That said a plane was never going to scale well with a tanker truck to begin with. The truck mode should be able to fit inside this sort of plane!

Transformation:

I'm not going to try and describe the whole transformation this time around. I think the important thing to mention here is just how well the transformation works. Sure, there are some noticeable plane parts in truck mode and vice versa but on the whole each mode is it's own distinct thing.

Octane uses a lot of panels to achieve his transformation but isn't a shellformer. A number of these panels exist to make transformation easier. Fold them out of the way, move what you need to move and then fold them back again. Everything tabs together solidly.

The whole process is involved but not difficult. Which, in my opinion, is what makes for a fun transformer. Octane is fun to play with.

Robot mode:

From truck to plane to impressively chunky robot mode. Octane has all the articulation of your standard Masterpiece Transformer. With relatively large feet he's nice and stable when posed as well. His hands firmly grip his gun and the wings don't impede on his articulation. They do make him a bit of a shelf space hog though.

The robot mode is carrying a decent amount of kibble on his back. And I'm not counting the wings as kibble as they clearly reference the original toy and his cartoon/comic character model. While most of the front of the plane becomes Octane's arms there's still a good amount that ends up layered on his back. It does collapse down as much as possible but if kibble offends you won't like what's left.

The head sculpt is very angular. This and his gaunt cheeked face might put some people off. It seems to take cues from the style of the IDW comics over the original cartoon. If you don't like it remember that it could be worse. Unique Toys could've used Marvel comics bug eyed design!

Even if the scale on his alt modes is iffy I think Octane looks right at home among the other Masterpiece Decepticons. He's just a touch shorter than a Seeker. While you can't really trust the G1 cartoon for accurate measurements this does seem about right for when Octane interacted with Starscream's ghost.

Final thoughts:

I own a number of Unique Toys figures and have been really happy with them. Octane is no exception. I imagine the engineering involved in making a Transformer is not simple. Making a triple-changer must be even harder still.

With Octane Unique Toys have succeeded in making a solid triple-changer. While a bit of the plane mode is visible in truck mode (and vice versa) each mode still feels distinct. I don't feel any mode was sacrificed for the sake of the other two or that one of the alt-modes was worked in as an after thought. The scale may bug some people but Octane is very welcome to stand with my Masterpiece Decepticons.

Fansproject Severo

In the war for "who can make the best third party Grimlock," Fansproject enters the fray with Severo, a T Rex loosely based on a design somewhere between Fall of Cybertron and G1.  And what an exciting entry it is.

I have been collecting the entire Fansproject Lost Exo-Realm line, which is their take on the Dinobots.  They are reasonably priced, high quality, and come loaded with all kinds of accessories, especially these mini warriors that transform into melee weapons which I lovingly refer to as "Dino-Target Masters."  Being the most current release, Severo was available in 2 versions- the first was the main figure with blasters, sword, and one target master.  The second (which is what I purchased) is a deluxe version with a bitchin' throne and additional target master.

While I think the little guys are cute, the weapons they form (for all the Exo-Realm releases so far) are a bit indecipherable in terms of "well, what the hell is it?"  In Severo's case, the best example I can come up with is a double ended hammer, similar to the one Ultra Magnus uses in Transformers Prime, except it doesn't really look like anything other than two squarish dudes hanging at the end of a pole.  And resulting weapon is a bit heavy for Severo to handle in a combat position, but more of that later.

The other accessories are self-explanatory once you see pictures of Severo in action.  He has this MEGA HUGE hand blaster that is almost twice the size of MP Grimlock's dual rocket launcher (which is kind of ironic since Severo is noticeably smaller than MP Grimlock and not designed for the MP scale at all), plus two identical blasters that can be used as hand weapons or combine to form one huge blaster for Severo in T Rex form.  As with all the Lost Exo-Realm figures, Severo has a huge sword with a blade made of translucent red plastic.  There is also a crown included as a nod to King Grimlock from the original Transformers Comic Run by Marvel from the 80's.  Lastly, there is the throne- which is clearly a nod to "A Game of Thrones" design.  Each Dinobot's sword can be attached to the back of the throne to make a neat fan design, as well as attaching all of Severo's other weapons.  However, fans will notice there is a current empty spot, since we are still waiting for their interpretation of Snarl to complete the original 5 Dinobots.

If you read Falldownthemountain's review of MP Grimlock (which you should have, otherwise shame on YOU), then you will be very familiar with Severo's form and transformation since the same basic principles of transformation apply to both, as originated from the G1 Grimlock.  Robot arms become Rex legs, Robot legs become Rex tail, Rex head flips up and over from behind the robot, and there are two distinct wings in Robot mode that become part of the upper torso with attached arms in Rex mode.  Granted, there will always be subtle differences here and there among the various companies making transforming T Rex Robots, but the concept has yet to change drastically.  Severo lacks the light-up weapon feature and auto-swivel motion of MP Grimlock, but otherwise remains on the same level in smaller form.  Most of this review will be based on the differences between the two.

 

In Dino mode, the first thing anyone will notice is the awkward angle at which Severo's neck is molded.  Aesthetically, it was kind of a turn off for me, but not enough to keep me from purchasing it.  I prefer the straight incline of Grimlock's neck.  However, this angle allows for maximum movement at the two points where the head meets the neck and the neck meets the upper torso.  Severo's T Rex arms are actually an improvement over Grimlock's- they have additional swivel and bending options, and are thicker.  They even have plug holes on the insides where you can fit an attachment, although I haven't tried that yet.  Moving down to the legs, they are chunky and provide substantial footing when the T Rex has his head low in attack mode (most of the weight needs to be right on top of the legs for him to remain standing), but unfortunately, the missing rear toe results in Severo always falling back on his tail when he is in more of a standing position.  Gotta say, though, those front toe claws look great. 

Between the short, stubby tail and meaty legs, I get the distinct impression of Hasbro's FOC Grimlock, and I was never crazy about that mold to begin with, although I like the toy overall.  It would have been nice if Severo had a nice long tail like MP Grimlock, but he just wasn't designed that way.  To make up for it, Severo has a very impressive battle attack mode where his two identical blasters come together and fit on top of his back, making him every Decepticon's worst nightmare.  You can also attach his sword and big blaster on the hips via pegs, which results in a tank of of a dinosaur.  Lastly, he also has a flamethrower nozzle in his mouth (watch out for those sharp teeth!) to match MP Grimlock's design.

 As a robot, Severo is damn cool.  He has all the standard articulation of MP class Transformers, plus a few additional details that make him worth your time and money.  I have no issues getting him into various poses, as his legs are extremely movable at all the joints (there is a very distinct ratchet sound when moving the thigh connected to the hip), and the plastic is tough graded stuff, so you won't catch him tipping over.  The hands are similar to the other Exo-Realm Dinobots- a simple design of outward-swaying fingers clumped together, and a permanently placed thumb, which gives the entire line good grips on their weapons.  Unfortunately for Severo, his single blaster is SO huge that fitting it in his hand without the finger portion moving out of place will be a common occurrence.  I'm not sure why Fansproject made the blaster so big; the other figures have perfectly fitting weapons whose size does not overpower their hand articulation, so I'm sort of stumped on that one.  And considering Severo is not MP scale, I would think his blaster would be smaller, but that's simply not the case, so this leaves you with the choice of using one of his twin blasters as a standalone piece, which can be done.  They weigh less and look better.

Even though I understand the inclusion of the crown, I could have done without it.  It's made of cheap plastic, unlike MP Grimlock's metal crown, and the way it fits over Severo's head reminds me of the classic dunce hat.  The crown comes so far down on his head that it almost covers the eyes.  In the grand scheme of things, that's small potatoes.  Sit him in his throne and relish the coolness he gives off.  Have a spare Optimus or Megatron head floating around?  Severo would look even better as the conqueror with his foot on one head and the other head being held in his hand.

A Battle of Epic Proportions

Oh, these were the stunt doubles used for Transformers:  The Movie (1986).  That explains the missing Snarl.

ToyWorld's Orionvil (3rd Party Nemesis Prime)

When deciding to choose the most applicable word to describe my outlook on Orionvil, it would have to be "bi-polar" because he is absolutely great as a robot, but his transformation is perhaps the most convoluted mess of parts I have ever experienced with any type of Transformer (including MP-05, Masterpiece Megatron, which is a piece of cake compared to Orionvil).  Being a redeco of ToyWorld's Orion (their version of Optimus Prime), he was available at BBTS for roughly $110, and he looked great in the photos.  This was perhaps a most negative version of "judging a book by it's cover" because the looks in this case were very deceiving. 

Like the name suggests, Orionvil transforms into a semi-trailer hauler in the same size class as the Voyager class figures like Brainstorm and Springer.  His packaging is very simple; nothing ornate or eye-catching.  He arrives in robot form in the package, with instructions, accessories, and a baseball card-size bio card.  Given ToyWorld's track record with previous releases, I had expected something decent, having purchased Roar, their version of Dinobot Snarl, and absolutely loved it.  What I got was a 2 hour transforming nightmare, so let's get right down to it.

The instructions, which start to falter 2/3rds of the way through, are clearly an exercise in deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics.  Although the parts in each step are somewhat highlighted, it is damn near impossible to figure out the angles, turns, and tabs unless you have access to a YouTube review, which I fortunately did.  Orionvil inherited all the same issues that Orion had.  One might think Toyworld would have done a bit of redesign based upon the negative feedback of Orion, but that certainly wasn't the case here.  The directions start out with the legs, which are not too confusing; I was able to handle that on my own, but when you get to Orionvil's chest which is essentially the front cab of the truck, the nightmare truly begins.

I don't think even Toyworld knew the correct steps to take since you have to insert tabs into the grill for one section, such as the 3 panel red tinted window, UNtab that to get the front hubs inserted, then REinsert the tabs again from the same front window.  Even the reviewer on YouTube noted how the directions do not follow a proper sequence, and he was much more positive about Orionvil than I am, and all the while you are transforming him, you have to be absolutely careful not to break these tabs, otherwise nothing will hold together.

Orionvil was so badly designed that the well hubs over the front wheels aren't even attached (a lesson I learned the first time around).  You have to hold them in place while swiveling them downwards from the inner torso of the robot, and then make sure the tab into the grill properly, which means undoing the tabs on the 3 panel window (AGAIN).  Much like G1 Optimus, the arms fit into the sides of the truck to become part of the solid unit, and that move is probably the last thing you want to do.  Unfortunately, I cannot give you a correct sequence regarding the front, but somehow, someway, it does eventually come together.  You just need a lot of patience and ingenuity to figure out the tab mess.

Once fully transformed, Orionvil doesn't look half bad.  He certainly resembles G1 Optimus in most ways, right down to the Freightliner model of truck that Optimus was based on.  I'm not sure if ToyWorld ever designed an accompanying trailer for him, but that would have been cool.  You can insert his blaster into the back wall of the cab for placement, which leaves his other two accessories (battle axe and small size matrix on the sidelines.

Now, here comes my polar opposite stance on Orion after such a horrid transformation.  When you get him back into robot mode, he truly is one of the most engaging robots out there.  His articulation either equals or surpasses Marvel Legends, which I use as a gold standard for comparison.  Arms, legs, torso, and waist have so many points of maneuverability that he makes for some great photos.

The light-piping in his head is excellent.  The battle axe, which fits over either hand, is a direct homage to the Optimus/Megatron battle over the Sherman Dam from the G1 cartoon.  And you best be careful with that axe- it is solid and very sharp!  I nicked a finger handling it the first time around.  His blaster, in comparison to his size, is huge, but it compliments rather than condemns the whole robot.

The worst aspect of his robot mode is the front bumper fender, which ironically fits behind him.  There is nothing holding it there in place, and it gets in the way of swiveling his waist.  The hood of his cab mode makes some appealing wings.

So, is he worthy of Nemesis Prime?  I would certainly say so, since the transformation is, well, quite a Nemesis in itself, but his robot is Prime.

Unique Toys Y-02 Data Courier Buzzing (3rd Party Blurr)

The Transformers: The Movie was a game changer for the original cartoon version of The Transformers. Most of the beloved characters of the shows first two seasons were gratuitously killed off and replace with new characters in order to sell more toys. While some fans whole heartedly accepted this new cast others hate them with a passion. Some even go so far as to suggest everything post season 2 has been a huge mistake.

One of the new toys characters introduced in the movie was Blurr. A jittery, impatient, fast talking Autobot. He was little more than a side character in the movie, getting enough screen time to establish his character but otherwise just present as events unfolded. But his little panicked rant about the defence of Autobot City stuck in my mind and made Blurr one of a number of toys I wanted but never got as a kid.

Third party company Unique Toys have been around for a few years now. Some of their more notable figures include Mania King, a version of Galvatron, and their Ordin series that homages the Terrorcons. They recently started making Masterpiece-styled figures with Y-01 Provider (Octane/Tankor) and now Y-02 Buzzing. As I already owned Ordin and have been very happy with the quality of those figures and have been wanting a G1-style Blurr since I was a kid I couldn't resist Buzzing.

(From here on out I'm referring to the toy as Blurr. We all know that's who Unique Toys meant this toy to be.)

 Vehicle mode:

Blurr's alt-mode is a sleek, futuristic hover car. The look is true to the G1 toy and the cartoon, sort of. Like many things in the G1 cartoon Blurr's alt-mode was drawn inconsistently. But the main features are there - two tone blue coloring, sloping three pronged front end, rear thrusters in either corner and that swept back antennae thingy on the roof.

The design is very flat and wide. As you can see in the side on "hovering" shot above. It's got that Star Wars landspeeder feel which can't be a coincidence. There is a plug hole in the underside that works with the display stand included with MP Tracks & Road Rage, or with the Tamashii display stand as I've done here. Just be careful plugging him in as I've heard of a couple of display stands losing their pegs because Blurr's port is a little too tight.

The alt-mode has one major concession - the gap behind the windscreen. This was made to accommodate his Targetmaster partner (more on him later). It does break up the look of the alt-mode and I can understand why this would bug some people. If you're not into the whole -master gimmick this is probably going to be a big black mark against this toy.

Transformation:

I'm going to put this right at the start. Blurr cheats with his transformation. If that bugs you this isn't the toy for you. He also does a lot of really nice tricks to turn his very flat alt-mode into a very well proportioned robot mode.

The trickiest part of the whole process involves that gap in the alt-mode - the seat for his Targetmaster - that's upset some people. There are a number of folding panels here that become Blurr's heels. The first couple of times I found it a little difficult getting everything to line up properly going from robot mode to alt-mode.

The front half of his alt-mode become his arms and the front of his torso and the rear half his legs and back. To get the ball rolling you unhook the two blue panels at the back of the seat. Then lift up the back of the car and swinging out the two panels either side of the antennae thingy. The side skids of the car mode then untab and swing inwards lifting the long parts up to clear the front of the car.

At this point everything should be free to move and it's a fairly straightforward process going either way. The arms untab and swing out, straightening at the elbows. This is where the first cheat presents itself. The shoulder thrusters are not those of the car mode. Flipping the windscreen down allows the head to be flipped out. And here we have the second cheat. The head antennae is not the one on the roof of the car.

The front skid of the car (which was a shield on the G1 toy) splits and collapses to fill in the middle of the torso. The middle rear of the car all folds in on itself to form the back of the robot. While there are a number of hinges involved everything works together to give the robot next to no backpack. Nothing is wasted. Everything folds away tidily. Just fantastic engineering.

The backs of the legs open to fold in the alt-mode thrusters. The legs rotate and straighten. There are panels that slide up from the shins to hold the transformation joints in place. The seat pieces all collapse down to form Blurr's heels.

Robot mode:

The robot mode is spot on Blurr. The colors, the chest, the head design. This is the guy having a mild panic attack about Decepticons at the start of the '86 movie.

The head Blurr ended up with was not the first Unique Toys designed. The first design was much rounder. But they listened to fan criticism (well, the constructive ones at least) and redesigned the head to the one we got.

Blurr's cockpit has received some criticism in robot mode as well. Many feel it's too flat. Looking at pictures from the original cartoon it does look like it protrudes further there than on this figure. So not unjustified but I personally don't have a problem with this Blurr being a bit more flat chested.

Blurr ends up more articulated than most official Masterpiece figures. This is partly due to his transformation but I wouldn't be surprised if Unique Toys put those joints in places they could be used in both modes. The arms especially make me think this with the dual swivels and double jointing right on the elbow.

One of the oddities of Blurr's design are that the skids from his alt-mode end up on his elbows. Unique Toys have designed this toy with those pieces on springs. You get full range of movement out of his arms and the springs keep the skids as close to the body as possible without hindering movement. It's a very nice touch.

Accessories:

Blurr comes with a blaster and Metroplex's transformation cog. The cog featured in a few episodes of season 3. This fits in with the pattern set by official Masterpiece toys of including an accessory (or many in some cases) that relates to a specific event from G1. 

The blaster is based off of the one Blurr used in the movie when defending Autobot City from Decepticons and ranting about it the whole time. It's nicely sculpted and fits well into his hands. It can also tab into the roof of his vehicle mode which seems to be a requirement of all Masterpiece figures - offical or otherwise.

Blurr's last "accessory" is a little black and gray transformer. As far as I know this guy wasn't given a name by Unique Toys. He's based on and clearly intended to be Blurr's Targetmaster partner Haywire.

Haywire's decently poseable given his size. Ball shoulders and hips and hinge knees all work well enough. I have heard of some people's Haywires having one hip that's prone to popping out of it's joint.

Haywire more or less transforms into a second gun for Blurr. He has a fair go of it, he really does. But on mine at least I can never get him to plug together completely straight. That said he looks more like a gun than some official Targetmasters we've had in recent years.

Haywire can combine with Blurr's other gun to create a longer rifle. The intention here is good. Sadly Haywire's alt-mode never being quite straight is exaggerated by the length of the rifle. I prefer to display Haywire as a robot or as a second pistol for Blurr, not combined.

Going back to that controversial seat - Haywire can ride in Blurr's alt-mode. He can't sit down normally, Blurr's spine doesn't leave space for Haywire's legs. Instead he ends up kneeling in the gap. It does add a little bit of play value to them as a pair. But if you don't like Haywire then all this means is Blurr's alt-mode has a gap in it. And, as I've said before, this has upset some people.

Final thoughts:

I really wanted a Blurr toy as a kid and never got one. So having Unique Toys take on the character does fulfill that for me. I like the alt-mode, I love the robot mode, and I think he looks great with my other Masterpiece figures. Unique Toys have put together an awesome toy.

But he does have his flaws. If any or all of these bother you then this is probably not the figure for you. I don't know of any other companies that are doing a Masterpiece styled Blurr (there is a Generations scaled and Legends scaled option out there) at the moment so I can't suggest any alternatives other than to wait.