Dave's Transformers Studio Series Rant: Core wave 8

Noah Diaz Exo-Suit (jet, sort of)
Decepticon Frenzy (Red) (redeco of Decepticon Rumble (Blue))

Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Studio/Core8

Core wave 7 was just Bumblebee, the inevitable redeco of pink Laserbeak
from wave 4.

https://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Studio/Core4 - Rumble (and Laserbeak)

CAPSULES

$12 at Walmart or HasbroPulse

Noah Diaz Exo-Suit: Is it a good Transformer? Eh, not really. Is it a
fun toy that could pass for a B.A.T. Trooper or a Centurion? Yep! Strongly
recommended on its own merits.

Decepticon Frenzy (Red): Original mold was mildly recommended. This is
basically what you'd expect, a simple color swap to complete the duo. If you
already have Rumble, might as well pick this up too. :)

RANTS

Packaging: Same as previous waves. Frenzy has animated style art, Noah
has a movie-style render taken from the movie design (which is different from
the toy).

AUTOBOT: NOAH DIAZ EXO-SUIT
Assortment: F7491
Altmode: Jet
Transformation Difficulty: 7 steps
Previous Name Use: None
Previous Mold Use: None
Movie: RotB

It's been a few months since the movie came out for home consumption, so
I think it's safe to talk spoilers. In the movie, Noah's exo-suit is made of
what he, at the time, thinks is basically Mirage's CORPSE. So, creepy. Of
course, as the package art shows the toy isn't quite the same as the movie
design, so maybe this is something Noah gets later from his work with GIJoe.

Packaging: Two plastic ties hold the humanoid mode into the tray, and
one more holds the hand cannon in the lower right. The backdrop is the
volcanic plain on which the climactic battle happened.
The figure is slightly mistransformed to better fit in the package, and
there's a six step "get it into robot mode" sequence in the instructions.

"Robot" Mode: So, it looks like an exo-suit with a jet stuck to the
back...and it IS. The jet part is, as shown in the instructions, removable
to act as a drone or (with the help of a fold-out 5mm peg) a shield for a
larger bot. With the jet part removed, what's left does look a lot more like
the movie version, except for the helmet, which looks more like some of the
B.A.T. Trooper heads with a bright blue Y inside the T-shaped visor. (There
is a tiny "home plate" shape molded into the helmet crest that, while not
painted separately, looks like it was intended to hold a teeny Autobot
symbol.) According to TFWiki, they used a concept art design (which evokes a
glowing Y on Mirage's chest) since they couldn't portray any version of the
actor's face, I guess the opaque faceplate shown in the package art wouldn't
have been sufficient?
Aside: because of the ball joints and generally more chunky detailing
(especially on the big feet), this looks a lot more like a B.A.T. Trooper
than like a human in a powersuit. The right arm has an unremovable blade
weapon on the forearm, while the left ends in a fist but can be covered by a
blaster (both weapons are used in the movie). Hm, I'm tempted to get a
bunch, dye the jetpacks Cobra Blue, and just say they're neo-B.A.T. Troopers.
3.25" (8cm) tall in various shades of gray with some accents in blue and
silver. Light gray plastic is used for most of the wingpack and for the arm
cannon. Medium gray is used for the hinges inside the wingpack, the torso
back, upper arms, thighs, and feet. Dark gray plastic is used for the head,
torso front, pelvis, and shins.
Black gloss paint is used on the faceplate, the front of the helmet
crest, the window-like chest rectangles, and the fuller of the arm blade.
The Y-slit inside the visor is painted bright light blue that has a faint
glow under UV. There's silver edges on the chest windows, as well as silver
detailing on the abdomen, forearm tops, shins, and the edges of the arm
blade. There's also medium blue with a slight metalflake sparkle within the
forearm and shin details. This paint is also found in details on the sides
of the cannon, the leading edges of the wings and horizontal tail elements,
and much of the not-cockpit area of the jet part. The muzzle of the cannon
is painted dark gunmetal, and I there might be some gunmetal in the lower
center shins, or maybe the masking just left those parts of the shins
unpainted...the gunmetal is a very good match for the dark gray plastic. The
inside of the cannon barrel is painted a bright slightly yellowish orange
that glows strongly under UV. There's a bit of matte black paint on the nose
of the jet part.
The neck is a ball joint and importantly can look up so that he can do a
decent flying pose while looking where he's going. Sure, a heads-up display
means his face doesn't have to be forwards, but it looks cooler. This ball
joint, like the rest on the toy, use the kind of rough ball seen on
EarthSpark toys. The shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles are also
ball joints. The waist is also a ball joint, although the wingpack restricts
to mainly just rotating...without the wingpack the figure can bend about 60
degrees backwards at the waist. The wings are hinged to swing out, and have
two stable positions.
The fists have 3mm sockets, although only the left fist can use the 3mm
peg on the arm cannon to connect, the blade gets in the way on the right
fist. There's a 3mm socket on the back of the pelvis, and a 3mm peg on the
wingpack that folds out when the tail end is folded down goes into that
socket to secure the legs in jet mode. There's a pair of non-standard
rectangular sockets on the back that hold the pegs of the wingpack. The
underside of the jet nose has a wide post with a 3mm socket in it, so the arm
cannon can be stored there in "robot" mode and it is supposed to go there in
vehicle mode. The cannon itself has a 5mm diameter aperture and is
compatible with appropriate Fire Blasts
When separated, the wingpack is a sort of boomerang-shaped drone with a
big cannon on the nose, with a wingspan of 2.75" (7cm) when the wings are
folded back and 4" (10cm) when swung out, and a fuselage length with cannon
of 2.5" (6cm). On the underside is a medium gray 5mm peg that can fold out
and is totally useless for Noah, so clearly it's meant to let the drone
become a shield for a larger bot with a forearm or shoulder socket. There's
also a couple of rectangular sockets on the underside, the figure's forearms
have tabs to plug in there for vehicle mode.

Transformation: Fold out the tail and nose sections, then peg a bunch of
stuff in place (arms to the sides, new 3mm peg into the back of the pelvis,
some tabs on the underside of the tail into the calves). The feet don't lock
in place, but there's grooves on the tail to hold the heel spurs well enough
to keep the feet pointed correctly.

Vehicle Mode: It's a small jet with a robot suit strapped to the
underside, like a Jaeger or Gundam transport. I mean, if you only look from
the top side, it's decent except for the chunky robot feet sticking out the
back. They did try to justify the feet by molding the underside of the joint
socket on each foot to look like a jet thruster nozzle. The tail is styled
after the F-15 Eagle (G1 Seekers), while the swing wings with their chunky
roots with intakes don't seem to be based on any real variable-geometry
aircraft. The cockpit area does not appear to be trying to look like it has
a window, instead being the sort of thing you might see on a drone. There's
no attempt at landing gear, although bending the toes down will stabilize it.
If you include the cannon and the toes, this is 4.5" (11.5cm) long with
a 4" (10cm) wingspan (when folded back it doesn't really look like it's meant
to fly). Ignoring the toes and cannon, it's 3.25" (8cm) long. There's a
medium gray plastic hinge piece between the main chunk and the tail,
otherwise all of the "not the dude" parts are light gray plastic. No real
connectors other than the nose one for the cannon, there's some rectangular
slots on the top but that's for securing the tail section when it's folded up
in drone/shield configuration.
As a "robot in disguise" vehicle, it fails pretty badly. As "power suit
with Centurions-style bolt-on stuff," though, it's a cool toy.

Overall: This really does use its high concept to sidestep most of the
limitations of the current Core Class. Sure, it's not "really" a
Transformer, but it's a great B.A.T. Trooper or Centurion (Power X-Treme!).
I could really go for a GIJoe line at this scale using different power suits
and stuff.

DECEPTICON: DECEPTICON FRENZY (RED)
Assortment: F7492
Altmode: Cassette
Transformation Difficulty: 9 steps
Previous Name Use: None with the explicit "RED" in it.
Previous Mold Use: Studio
Movie: TfTM

Packaging: Two plastic ties hold the tiny robot onto the tray, with the
guns getting one each in the upper corners, and the pounders one tie each in
the lower corners. The tray actually has fold out corners for holding the
pounders, but it looks like they gave up on that and just added ties.
The backdrop is the top of Blaster's transmission tower from the "First
we crack the shell, then we crack the nuts inside!" scene.

On Saturday, November 4, 2023 at 5:12:02 AM UTC+1, Dave Van Domelen wrote:
> Dave's Transformers Studio Series Rant: Core wave 8
>
> Noah Diaz Exo-Suit (jet, sort of)
> Decepticon Frenzy (Red) (redeco of Decepticon Rumble (Blue))
>
> Permalink: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Studio/Core8
>
> Core wave 7 was just Bumblebee, the inevitable redeco of pink Laserbeak
> from wave 4.
>
> https://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/Studio/Core4 - Rumble (and Laserbeak)
>
>
> CAPSULES
>
> $12 at Walmart or HasbroPulse
>
> Noah Diaz Exo-Suit: Is it a good Transformer? Eh, not really. Is it a
> fun toy that could pass for a B.A.T. Trooper or a Centurion? Yep! Strongly
> recommended on its own merits.
>
> Decepticon Frenzy (Red): Original mold was mildly recommended. This is
> basically what you'd expect, a simple color swap to complete the duo. If you
> already have Rumble, might as well pick this up too. :)
>
>
> RANTS
>
> Packaging: Same as previous waves. Frenzy has animated style art, Noah
> has a movie-style render taken from the movie design (which is different from
> the toy).
>
>
> AUTOBOT: NOAH DIAZ EXO-SUIT
> Assortment: F7491
> Altmode: Jet
> Transformation Difficulty: 7 steps
> Previous Name Use: None
> Previous Mold Use: None
> Movie: RotB
>
> It's been a few months since the movie came out for home consumption, so
> I think it's safe to talk spoilers. In the movie, Noah's exo-suit is made of
> what he, at the time, thinks is basically Mirage's CORPSE. So, creepy. Of
> course, as the package art shows the toy isn't quite the same as the movie
> design, so maybe this is something Noah gets later from his work with GIJoe.
>
> Packaging: Two plastic ties hold the humanoid mode into the tray, and
> one more holds the hand cannon in the lower right. The backdrop is the
> volcanic plain on which the climactic battle happened.
> The figure is slightly mistransformed to better fit in the package, and
> there's a six step "get it into robot mode" sequence in the instructions.
>
> "Robot" Mode: So, it looks like an exo-suit with a jet stuck to the
> back...and it IS. The jet part is, as shown in the instructions, removable
> to act as a drone or (with the help of a fold-out 5mm peg) a shield for a
> larger bot. With the jet part removed, what's left does look a lot more like
> the movie version, except for the helmet, which looks more like some of the
> B.A.T. Trooper heads with a bright blue Y inside the T-shaped visor. (There
> is a tiny "home plate" shape molded into the helmet crest that, while not
> painted separately, looks like it was intended to hold a teeny Autobot
> symbol.) According to TFWiki, they used a concept art design (which evokes a
> glowing Y on Mirage's chest) since they couldn't portray any version of the
> actor's face, I guess the opaque faceplate shown in the package art wouldn't
> have been sufficient?
> Aside: because of the ball joints and generally more chunky detailing
> (especially on the big feet), this looks a lot more like a B.A.T. Trooper
> than like a human in a powersuit. The right arm has an unremovable blade
> weapon on the forearm, while the left ends in a fist but can be covered by a
> blaster (both weapons are used in the movie). Hm, I'm tempted to get a
> bunch, dye the jetpacks Cobra Blue, and just say they're neo-B.A.T. Troopers.
> 3.25" (8cm) tall in various shades of gray with some accents in blue and
> silver. Light gray plastic is used for most of the wingpack and for the arm
> cannon. Medium gray is used for the hinges inside the wingpack, the torso
> back, upper arms, thighs, and feet. Dark gray plastic is used for the head,
> torso front, pelvis, and shins.
> Black gloss paint is used on the faceplate, the front of the helmet
> crest, the window-like chest rectangles, and the fuller of the arm blade.
> The Y-slit inside the visor is painted bright light blue that has a faint
> glow under UV. There's silver edges on the chest windows, as well as silver
> detailing on the abdomen, forearm tops, shins, and the edges of the arm
> blade. There's also medium blue with a slight metalflake sparkle within the
> forearm and shin details. This paint is also found in details on the sides
> of the cannon, the leading edges of the wings and horizontal tail elements,
> and much of the not-cockpit area of the jet part. The muzzle of the cannon
> is painted dark gunmetal, and I there might be some gunmetal in the lower
> center shins, or maybe the masking just left those parts of the shins
> unpainted...the gunmetal is a very good match for the dark gray plastic. The
> inside of the cannon barrel is painted a bright slightly yellowish orange
> that glows strongly under UV. There's a bit of matte black paint on the nose
> of the jet part.
> The neck is a ball joint and importantly can look up so that he can do a
> decent flying pose while looking where he's going. Sure, a heads-up display
> means his face doesn't have to be forwards, but it looks cooler. This ball
> joint, like the rest on the toy, use the kind of rough ball seen on
> EarthSpark toys. The shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and ankles are also
> ball joints. The waist is also a ball joint, although the wingpack restricts
> to mainly just rotating...without the wingpack the figure can bend about 60
> degrees backwards at the waist. The wings are hinged to swing out, and have
> two stable positions.
> The fists have 3mm sockets, although only the left fist can use the 3mm
> peg on the arm cannon to connect, the blade gets in the way on the right
> fist. There's a 3mm socket on the back of the pelvis, and a 3mm peg on the
> wingpack that folds out when the tail end is folded down goes into that
> socket to secure the legs in jet mode. There's a pair of non-standard
> rectangular sockets on the back that hold the pegs of the wingpack. The
> underside of the jet nose has a wide post with a 3mm socket in it, so the arm
> cannon can be stored there in "robot" mode and it is supposed to go there in
> vehicle mode. The cannon itself has a 5mm diameter aperture and is
> compatible with appropriate Fire Blasts
> When separated, the wingpack is a sort of boomerang-shaped drone with a
> big cannon on the nose, with a wingspan of 2.75" (7cm) when the wings are
> folded back and 4" (10cm) when swung out, and a fuselage length with cannon
> of 2.5" (6cm). On the underside is a medium gray 5mm peg that can fold out
> and is totally useless for Noah, so clearly it's meant to let the drone
> become a shield for a larger bot with a forearm or shoulder socket. There's
> also a couple of rectangular sockets on the underside, the figure's forearms
> have tabs to plug in there for vehicle mode.
>

There are also slots for the cannon (and corresponding cannon pegs) to be mounted between the tail fins as a thruster if you wish to use it like that on the jetpack.

In article <f4cf90a4-43df-4e5c-ab99-bb772d134e3cn@googlegroups.com>,
Avaran <kjvidar@gmail.com> wrote:
>There are also slots for the cannon (and corresponding cannon pegs) to
>be mounted between the tail fins as a thruster if you wish to use it
>like that on the jetpack.

Not really. I mean, I can get it to kinda stay in place wedging it
between the tail fins, but it doesn't snap into place or anything. Those
details might have initially been planned for such a function, but the toy as
I have in hand does not allow for a solid connection. So, fan mode territory
rather than undocumented feature.

Dave Van Domelen, did just try it again now to confirm that it's not a
thing.

On Monday, November 6, 2023 at 2:35:23 PM UTC+1, Dave Van Domelen wrote:

> >There are also slots for the cannon (and corresponding cannon pegs) to
> >be mounted between the tail fins as a thruster if you wish to use it
> >like that on the jetpack.
> Not really. I mean, I can get it to kinda stay in place wedging it
> between the tail fins, but it doesn't snap into place or anything. Those
> details might have initially been planned for such a function, but the toy as
> I have in hand does not allow for a solid connection. So, fan mode territory
> rather than undocumented feature.
>
> Dave Van Domelen, did just try it again now to confirm that it's not a
> thing.

Aaaw, to bad, I was looking forward to that after reading a picture review here where they were convinced that it was a feature, and the pictures seemed to match up. Oh well, maybe I can find a way anyway :)

https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/studio-series-noah-diaz-exo-suit.1255066/#post-21801774