More Stormtrooper News!!!

Currently working on expanding my Stormtrooper résumé with the addition of a Scout Trooper. I'm in the midst of assembling the helmet...

Hoping to have more in the future but this will do for now.

Transformers Generations Cross Cut

 I don't normally care much for Hasbro Transformers. I find that because they have to meet certain manufacturing standards and implement cost cutting measures they often skimp on their designs, and often rely on third party manufacturers to fill in the gaps


Having said that I have to admit that I am impressed with Generations Cross Cut, to tell the truth the Generations line has been really sparking my radar lately.

So what's to like about it?

First of all the aesthetics of the figure really gels with me and he definitely has that Japanese robot look to him that is missing in the American Bayformers/animated  philosophy.  Secondly he is laden with generous paint apps that make him stand out from previous Hasbro offerings. Thirdly this robot is loaded with weapons!!!  This guy has pop up back-pack cannons, arm cannons, and Macross style missile spam on his shoulders, a rifle and a pistol that can combine into a bigger rifle. What is weird about this is that according to his bio Crosscut is a communicator and not a fighter.

This current iteration of Crosscut is based on the Skids mould, which when I think of Skids I usually think...

What a tool!!!

This is why I'm having such a hard time wrapping my head around how cool this well armed guy is.

Alt mode:

Articulation is pretty standard for a Hasbro product in fact the figure lacks ankle tilts, has some strange knee designs, has no wrist swivel, lacks heel spurs, is back heavy making him hard to balance and has limited shoulder movement. 

But none of that matters!!! It's all about the coolness baby!!! I especially love that head sculpt!!!

Robot mode:

In the end this figure is definitely a mixed bag. On the one hand he looks great in both modes, has lots of gimmicks, and is fun to transform.


On the downside, he's back heavy has a difficult to find centre of gravity, his silver/grey plastic has a lot of swirling, and he has limited posability. Despite all this I can't stop putting it down.

The positives outweigh the negatives for me anyway.

Collection Kingdom MP-10 KO Optimus Prime

MP-01 Masterpiece Optimus Pime was Takara's first introduction to produce a high end collectable for adult Transformer fans. For the longest time it was thought to be the be all, end all figure for Prime fans and Transformers collectors. But the mould was not perfect...

Many complained that the figure was too big and heavy, The die cast that was first praised was later cursed. As time went on Takara had made vast engineering improvements with their Transformer figures. The time had come to go back to the drawing board.

Along came MP-10. This is the figure that is considered the definitive Prime amongst the majority of collectors. But the figure wasn't without problems. Firstly it was hard to come by and expensive. The index finger on the hands would come loose and fall off, the chest plates wouldn't close flush, The eye opacity looked dead and lifeless, the legs had problems keeping closed in truck mode, and so on and so forth.

Then came Collection Kingdom. This was a third party KO company that had taken the Takara mould and had put their own spin on it. Despite looking like the same product on the surface, closer examination of the subject proves otherwise. The one I picked up was the version two figure.

Unfortunately I don't own a copy of the original MP-10, so this video will have to suffice:

Alt mode:

Robot mode:

The Matrix feature:

I also bought third party hands from Keith's Fantasy Club.

KFC hands:

Size comparisons alt mode:

Size comparisons Robot mode:

Rocket Punch Army vid courtesy of Collection DX's Chachi Power

Is it perfect? sadly no but that doesn't diminish the overall awesomeness of the figure.