Blog #1269: Toy Review: Transformers: Generations: Titans Return Deluxe Perceptor & Convex

Transformers: Generations: Titans Return Deluxe Perceptor & Convex

There are a few things I need to say about the Titans Return line.

First off, the trading cards.  Hasbro made a big deal that they were doing real trading cards and not just a picture with no meaningful back.  I guess they tried, but in the then end, they failed miserably.  The cards suck.  There are only four ratings instead of the eight that nearly all other tech specs have had for 30 years (when we’ve actually had tech specs).  There is no quote or function, and the only bio is a couple lines on the back of the package, they didn’t even bother to put it on the card.  Hasbro fails again.  What else is new?

Secondly, what the fuck is it with Hasbro that they need to focus on only one theme at a time?  Why are we getting Targetmasters and Powermasters as Headmasters?  It makes no sense.  Worse yet, the two Targetmaster converts, Blurr and Scourge, both have awful paint jobs (or I should say, barely any paint jobs at all).  They put all the work into the real Headmasters and just mailed it in on the Targetmasters that they shouldn’t have been doing in the first place.  As usual, they half ass everything, just like with Combiner Wars, where they ended the line without doing Terrorcons, Predacons, Seacons, Monster Pretenders, G2 Protectobots, and G2 Constructicons (in both colors).  I mean, they still could do those as box sets next year, but I’m not going to hold my breath.

Thirdly, the Titan Masters.  Why can’t they be consistent?  Apeface, Brawn, Nightbeat, and Terri-Bull are named for the actual characters they are the heads for instead of the actual heads they represent.  Clobber and Skytread could theoretically be the Headmasters for Grimlock and Flywheels.  This makes no sense.  Pick one way of doing it.  It would make far more sense to name them for the Headmaster and not the character they partner with, as we are only getting the Headmaster.  Related to that, it really sucks that we aren’t going to get any real versions of the Headmaster Juniors or Headmaster Horrorcons.

Finally, the Headmasters are freaking tiny.  G1 Headmasters were way better than these, and had the ratings meter on the chest gimmick that they didn’t even try to reproduce.  Another thing that sucks is that the heads of the Headmasters are articulated.  This makes it so that the larger robot heads are articulated, but also makes it hard when plugging them in to Titan Masters vehicles.  G1 Headmasters were so much better, but that’s true of most G1 toys.

Anyway, on to the review.

Convex

Titan Master: I hate that he’s a Headmaster, but I love the name Convex.  I really like the Perceptor head sculpt.

Perceptor

Vehicle Mode: Perceptor’s microscope mode is pretty good.  However, there is no place to store his Headmaster.  The instructions actually show him like I have him pictured as if he is being examined.  You can also put him there in head mode.  Both are stupid.  This is a prime example of why you don’t make Headmasters out of non-Headmasters.

Robot Mode: Perceptor looks great in robot mode.  His gun is odd though.  It has a stand like a sniper rifle, but I don’t recall Perceptor ever being a sniper.  This probably was done so you can lie the gun down and put his Titan Master on it’s seat, but that’s pretty ridiculous, so I’m choosing to ignore it.

Overall: I love that he’s a microscope.  That’s what he was in G1, so that’s a definite plus.  But it’s not like you can do much with that.  In some ways, I prefer the TF 2010 Deluxe Perceptor that turned into a truck.  A great homage though.

Thanks for reading!