Picked these up over the weekend, because non-transforming toys are all I want out of Transformers at this point.
GRIMLOCK, leader of the Dinobots! I kinda hope Super7 does a version of him in Tyrannoaurus mode, because he’s one of the few TFs characters where his alt mode is probably more iconic than his robot mode.
Grimlock is the only one of the 4 Transformers I bought who came with any accessories, and he came with two!
SHRAPNEL, one of the Insecticons. This looks just like his animaton model, so it’s right on target with what I’m looking for. Shrapnel turns into a giant beetle and is generally kind of annoying. But he’ll often repeat the last word of every sentence he speaks, speaks.
This is the first Insecticon toy I’ve ever owned.
DIRGE, the least-developed of the Seekers. Fun fact: Even though Dirge’s original 1985 toy was just Starscream with new wings and paint, the ReAction figures are all based on the characters’ animation models. And since Dirge’s animation model was created a year after Starscream’s, the two ReAction figures share zero parts, as far as I can tell.
It would have been really easy for Super7 to just re-release Starscream with a new head and some modified legs, and I don’t think anybody would’ve called them out on it. But no, they took that extra step, and I appreciate it.
We haven’t gotten any of the other Decepticon Jets, so I’ll be curious to see how Super7 handles those characters. Will they all get new sculpts? Or will Thundercracker and Skywarp just be new paintjobs for Starscream? Time will tell!
ALPHA TRION, the wise Autobot sage who rebuilt a damaged Orion Pax into the brave warrior Optimus Prime.
When I went to the comic store this weekend, I asked to see all the Transformers ReAction figures behind the shelf. The shop owner said, “Okay… I got Grimlock…Shrapnel… Dirge… and Alpha Tree-on.”
Now, the owner of the comic shop, Drew, and I are pals, and we’ll razz on each other a little here and there. I knew that this character’s name is not pronounced “Tree-on,” so I asked him, “You wanna TRION again?”
“Alpha…Try-on?”
“There ya go.”
“Man, he’s the best one. He looks like a ZZ Top fan,” Drew says to me.
“Yeah, well that’s the whole premise of the show. Alpha Trion sent the Autobots to Earth to get him some ZZ Top tickets,” I said, because I am a jerk.
“Wait, REALLY?” Drew asked. And I laughed and told him no. And then someone else came into the store before he could tell me how disappointed he was that Alpha Trion didn’t send a bunch of alien robots to another planet just to see a rock & roll show.
Like Shrapnel, this Alpha Trion is also the first toy of this specific character that I’ve ever owned.
I got some other stuff I might cover in the near future, but I’m really digging these little dudes. They’re so simple, but are also probably the most cartoon-accurate designs of any of the Transformers toys I’ve ever owned.
Roll out!