Well, today I started getting ready to go back to class. Hopefully the new teacher is as good as the old one...So I managed to see my financial advisor, and he found that I could be likely to get a Pell Grant so, whoohoo...but which meant I had to go all the way to the college to get the pell grant forms and pay $10 to reapply for access to Campus Connect....which I got there just as soon as the school's financial office closed, so I couldn't get any of that...but I did get the Fall Semester class schedule so I can write up my trial schedule. Onto the toy portion of this posting. I went down to Target sometime afterwards, and dropped by the in-store Starbucks. They had this green tea frappachino that really tastes alot like the green tea ice cream...so if you like it, jump on it while you have a chance. It's limited edition.

Anywho, I did a bit of running around the toy aisle to find that Target is clearancing their Nano Building System sets by Megabloks....which seems to be the only time I buy them on clearance. (Not that they're expensive or anything, but the items I paid full price for...I hate. I can't really find any redeeming quality for buying them.)...which probally makes y'wonder why I've bought them anyways. Prof. Skull at the Shockertoys forum came up with a design that combines these Nano bricks, with Shockinis to come up with a very intresting design. I figured I'd get a few to see how these sets are, and to add some members of the Nano-'Kini group....besides the tags said they were $4.18 (previously $5.99)...but the scanner told a completely different price. $1.14, so who am I to complain if they're garabage? Picked up a Military Humvee, and a Police Interceptor(I think that's what it's described as.) I just wish they had the Apache Copter.
I'll probally make a post on them in a few hours after I get a bit of time to build and play with them...as for why I haven't been playing with them. Two words. NEW TRANSFORMERS! yaaay! Well...if you include the yaaay, that'd be three....Anyways, back to the Transformers.

I picked up the two Deluxes toys Thundercracker and Hotshot, also known as Thundercracker and Exillion in the Japanese version, I'll start the commentary off by saying, out of all the Transformers toys released domestically, Cybertron has the BEST packaging by far. The cards are in the shape of the Autobot and Decepticon symbols, and the plastic bubble containing the toy is multi-leveled and faceted making it very easy to spot on the shelves. Let's hope Hasbro continues this trend till line's end. Now, onto to the toys in order of opening.

Thundercracker, if you want me to put a number value on him, I'd have have give him a 4 out of 10. (10 being greatest.) If it hadn't been for Galaxy Force, I would of either waited for the figure to be marked down or passed it up. The character is getting a bit of abuse from both allies and enemies alike in a Waspinator-fashion(for those of you that've seen Beast Wars, you'll know what I mean.) which makes him quite like-able.
The toy on the otherhand, presents a really nice vehicle mode(a military air combat craft) and a ho-hum robot mode. Negatives are a plenty in the figure, but I'll cover the one that can be repaired first. On my figure, it appears that his cannon arm has been built backwards, as it has the screws away from Thundercracker's body. This can be easily fixed by unscrewing the cannon, and turning the upper-arm around. Screw cannon and upper-arm back together...which leads us into the main problem with the toy. Thundercracker's cannon is just TOO HUGE for his scale...partnered by small feet, he tips over quite easily. I still haven't found a pose that he can stay up in due to the feet. The last problem he has, is his arms feel and look disconnected from his body..there isn't anyway to click them into place. I do believe this toy could of been better at a $15 or $20 price scale. (too bad the $15 scale was done away with.)

Up next is Hotshot. for a numerical description, I'd have to give him a 6.5 out of 10(10 being the greatest, of course.) He's an intresting toy for several reasons. He manages to be an old character, a new character and a homage all at the same time.
As I've said, his name in the Japanese version of the series is Exillion, the Japanese version hasn't anything to do with the previous two Transformer series(Armada and Energon), so that makes him a brand new character, but he was designed in such a way, he also works as Hotshot from Armada and Energon. It doesn't end there, the homage to this figure is quite clear, if you activate the force chip feature, he gains two spoilers in vehicle mode, which is that of a semi-modern but still futuristic sports car. A nod to the original G1 Hotrod, not only that while transforming him, you rotate the canopy so those spoilers are sticking up behind his head like the original G1 Hotrod.
The vehicle mode looks great, as does his robot mode. I can't think of many Transformers that can actually cross their arms in front of their chest, besides a few really expensive ones..the only negative I see, is in the legs. They compress too easily(they strech out for part of the transformation), making him look like a hobbit or something of the sort...they also don't swivel, but eh. that can be modified sometime in the future.

I defiantly recommend Hotshot, but Thundercracker...he's a hit and a miss. If you like the character on the show, I'd suggest thinking REALLY hard about purchasing him. But if you don't, don't bother.

Aoi