I have serious mixed feelings when it comes to this set, some of which have nothing to do with the figures themselves. They’re based on the “deluxe” Insecticons that were originally released in 1985, and they were pretty sweet figures for their time. But I hated them. I hated them because my mom surprised me with them one day after school. Weird reason, right? I came home and found them sitting on my bed waiting for me. I was stoked. She didn’t buy them for no good reason, though — she bought them because my dog had died that morning and the Insecticons were meant to cheer me up. They didn’t. I played with them less than probably any toy I ever owned as a kid because all they did was remind me of my dog. So when this set was announced, my immediate impulse was to skip it. But the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be no big deal, and since I skipped the black/yellow Insecticons, I figured I could go for these in their place. So I rolled the dice and ordered them. I’m sorta glad I did, but I still have genuine mixed feelings that are truly more objective in nature and have nothing to do with my dog. OK, enough of that sad story! This is a 2012 holiday exclusive set of transforming robots! Let’s take a look! Grab a candy cane and read on!
They come packed in a pretty standard window box that showcases all three figures. Nothing fancy, but still pretty cool. The original Fansproject Insecticons were all available as singles, but these guys can only be purchased as a set.
Also included is this little surprise envelope. What’s in it, you ask? We’ll find out in just a little bit!
Included with the instructions is this card that gives us the characters’ bios. Sounds like these were the original Insecticons who “evolved” into these more effective warriors. That seems to be unique to the Fansproject universe, but it’s difficult to say, exactly. The original deluxe insecticons never appeared in the cartoon or the Marvel comic, so their stories have never really been fleshed out at all. It turns out they were originally a pre-Transformers set of toys made by Takatoku Toys. They let Hasbro release them in the US as part of the Transformers brand, but, sort of like the original Jetfire, Hasbro couldn’t really do anything with them beyond that initial release, so the only Insecticons we ever really got to know were the original yellow and black ones.
For scale, they’re about the same size as iGear’s Mini Warriors, which makes them about the same size as a Classics deluxe figure — roughly the same size as Classics Bumblebee. I think that’s a good size for them since they turn into insects, and that makes their being on the smaller end of the scale spectrum OK. To be truthful, since I never picked up Fansproject’s initial Insecticons set, I expected them to be a bit bigger. Their size isn’t bad, though, and their bot modes do look pretty cool. The molds work surprisingly well for the characters they’re intended to represent. But, aside from some new heads and some new tooling here and there, there shouldn’t be many surprises here for anyone who has the initial Insecticon releases.
First up is Chop Shop… er… I mean “Blockade,” the figure based on the Transformer Chop Shop. I can comfortably say that I’m a fan of this guy’s ‘bot mode. It looks great and, thanks to the paint scheme and some retooling, he’s a close match to the original Chop Shop. It’s by no means perfect, but if I can look at the figure and immediately know who it is without taking a “yeah, sure, I guess” leap of faith, then Fansproject is doing just as well as Hasbro.
The head sculpt is new, as are the antenna-pincher things that stick up from his shoulders. The shoulder things would have worked well with not-Shrapnel as well, but I appreciate that they’re unique to this figure.
He’s a reasonably well-articulated figure and can be put in many cool poses, but the legs on mine were so stuck at the hip that I honestly wondered if they were articulated at all. I really had to work them a lot to get them moving, but once I got them going, I found them to have a totally decent range of motion. This guy’s ‘bot mode gets a big thumbs up from me. I like it.
His insect mode, however — YUCK. I just don’t see an insect here no matter how much I squint, tilt my head, and try to talk myself into believing it’s an insect. The box could have told me it’s a spaceship and that wouldn’t be any harder to believe. I just don’t like this mode at all, so he’ll be staying in ‘bot mode forever.
Teardown is probably my second favorite from the set. The colors pop really well, and the new head sculpt is very similar to Barrage, the Transformer on which he’s based. Aside from the head and the colors, though, he doesn’t resemble the original Barrage much because it looks as though the sculpt was primarily meant for Fansproject’s take on Bombshell.
The red eyes stand out really well against the rest of the green, yellow, white, and grey.
He’s definitely a bulky figure, and his articulation is a bit limited as a result. The yellow things on his inner legs prevent his legs from coming together in a way that looks natural, for example. His waist pieces and shoulder pads don’t lock in place, so they constantly move out of place as you move his arms and legs, which gets annoying quickly.
His insect mode is much more successful than Blockade’s, I think. I can look at it and can tell it’s an insect and I don’t have to temporarily suspend any disbelief. Still, he’s going to stay in ‘bot mode.
Finally there’s Plunder, based on the Transformer Ransack. Like the other two, I am a fan of his ‘bot mode. It’s a successful homage to the original figure thanks to the new head and the colors, especially the translucent orange wings. His colors may not be the most exciting or eye-catching, but they’re perfect for the character.
This guy’s head seems to have less personality than his companions. I think that’s a good thing, though, because it adds variety and makes him look like a less empathetic, more serious member of the squad. It sort of reminds me of Soundwave — cold, unfeeling. And since Ransack’s character has never been defined in a cartoon or comic, that’s what I’m going with. Because I can.
His articulation is a bit better than his companions, which might be due to his not being a stocky little tank in ‘bot mode. His proportions are much more “human” and he just looks more natural in just about any pose.
His alt mode sort of looks like a grasshopper, enough that I can tell that’s what it’s supposed to be when I glance at it. It’s not perfect, but it’s OK. His transformation, however, is pretty miserable. I was actually surprised by how complicated it was, and some parts don’t peg together as well as they should, so that makes for a less than satisfying alt mode. It’s still better than Blockade’s alt mode, though.
They do look pretty cool when displayed all together, but I definitely prefer their ‘bot modes across the board. It’s a fun set and despite not being 100% happy with all three figures, I’m glad I got the set. They’re fun and they just look cool on my shelf. These figures are only available at TFsource and they won’t be reissued, so if you’re interested, it would be a good idea to place an order sooner rather then later. The set costs $159.99 shipped. Pricey, but for three 3rd party figures, it’s not terrible.
Almost forgot something! What was in that small green envelope?
It was a…
… second set of the exact same weapons they came packaged with. Cool, but… why? Eh, who cares, I guess? I’ll find a use for them. Pretty anti-climatic, huh?
Additional Links:
-TF Source Exclusive Armored Battalion
