Unite warriors Computron

[RNSrobot]

Picked this guy up tonight. Fucking outstanding. Beautiful decos, new head sculpt, weapons. Strafe is awesome. Nosecone may be my single favorite deluxe across the cw/uw range. Scattorshot is actually scattorshot, not silverbolt with a new head. And Computron looks great. So, so happy to have this toy.

EDIT: having trouble uploading pics from my phone, I'll add some later.

EDIT 2: Here is a full review!!

SCATTORSHOT
Beautiful deco, consistent. The new chest piece does wonders to set him apart from Scattorshot. He looks slick. The nice part is the animation model isn't so different from his toy so this still gets to my love of the original toy. The new guns give him some extra firepower and freshness.

vs Hasbro
Hasbro's is fine with just a new robot head and reshelled jet, except for the garish, bright red. It clashes with the traditional maroon and doesn't seem to have any obvious inspiration. It's not toyetic or toonish. And it looks bad.

LIGHTSPEED
Gorgeous deco, a brilliant red. Lovely new head. The twin guns are great, especially how they connect to his car doors/arms. As usual, the Breakdown mold is a fantastic limb. I really like the Wheeljack retooling and IMO it is a very good match for Lightspeed’s slick car mode.

vs Hasbro
There are many folks who don't like the Breakdown mold. I can get why (the hips are goony), but I am a fan of it. The Hasbro toy is a pure repaint. It's not bad but the robot mode has far too much white; again, it's not toy or toon close and doesn't look good. The limbs in particular should be red, and there’s no reason they couldn’t be. IMO Breakdown makes a better limb than Streetwise, particularly as an arm. YMMV.

NOSECONE
Whether it’s Rook or Swindle, the Rook toy is one of the strongest deluxe toys of the entire CW line. Big, solid, great in either limb mode, fun to transform, and just well designed. Nosecone adds a great new head, swaps the wheels for treads in clever fashion, and the top part for a nosecone adaptor. It leaves him a touch hollow from the side but the giant drill is a GIANT DRILL. He has three other guns, and a very attractive color scheme that works with both the G1 and toy.

vs Hasbro
If Rook is one of the top CW limbs, Brawl is widely considered one of the worst. However, the deco on Hasbro Nosecone is on point. As a strict recolor of Brawl (with a drill attachment vs the tank cannon), it makes sense. Shame they couldn’t add a new head. The same flaws which hinder the Brawl mold persist; the bad waist, lack of tight joints. He’s a solid leg and an interesting (if floppy) arm. It’s a fine, logical choice for Nosecone.

AFTERBURNER
In some sense, he’s too much of a normal motorcycle with future windscreen, but in other ways, the mold works even better for AB than Groove. The red and white is sharp, his two new guns are VERY cool, and the new head is again successful. A skinny leg or a great arm. Great as well for those who haven’t had a chance to experience Groove.

vs Hasbro
A straight redeco of the Takara version, including new head. Includes Groove’s sideguns instead of the new UW ones. I feel like the Hasbro version is trying to do too much; again, it takes more cues from the toy, but adds in some odd design choices. The red is strange. I actually quite like the green windscreen. Folks who prefer their Afterburner orange will be happy with this guy. Can’t really go wrong either way!

STRAFE
Oh my God, what a fantastic toy. I haven’t experienced the Blast-Off mold so I can’t compare but… wow. Just a great toy. A fun transformation, lots of detail. Great head, his big guns are detachable, he doesn’t partsform as I understand Blast-Off does. Again, the red and white deco is sharp. He’s a very nice arm, haven’t tried him as a leg yet. One gripe would be that his back kibble doesn’t really peg in. It’s fine, it doesn’t flop around but it feels like it should…?

vs Hasbro
The only major retool in the CW set, Strafe is a very extensive retool of the Air Raid mold. And it works very well. I don’t quite get the really off-white color. The orange chest connector is ugly and disappointing --- it should be white, but again, without being slavish, it simply doesn’t *look* good. The big guns aren’t removable. New head is just as good as the Takara one, more toy-based. Nothing wrong with Hasbro Strafe… just that Takara Strafe is soooooo good.

COMPUTRON
Somehow, Nosecone being the only non-red-and-white Technobot doesn’t totally clash, but hey, it’s true to the oddity of the toon and toy. It looks great. Just outstanding, but what makes it the best is the new head and chest. It’s not Red Superion, it’s Computron (or Computicon, whatever). The HFG are good shades, too, although the “stock” placement is a bit odd, switching the HFG around from their actual owners (ie giving Wheeljack’s gun to Afterburner). I can’t say enough good things about this toy. Silverbolt is an incredibly strong base torso; UW Computron is my single favorite combiner of the entire line.

vs Hasbro
I really don’t mind the HFG but I appreciate many aren’t huge fans. The new feet are great. The hands are a bit disappointing --- they have no articulation and almost feel a bit cartoony/oversized. The Takara hands and Hasbro feet, IMO, would be the best combination. He looks good as a combined robot but there’s no way around his torso being a red Superion. It’s a much better deco than the half-assed single-packed voyager Scattershot/Betatron, however. I really like the blue highlights on the thighs. He is what he is, and it’s a shame Hasbro couldn’t somehow include the new Computron head if not chest.

OVERALL
IMO there is little competition between the two. It isn’t really a competition, mind. Many aren’t going to pay the price for Takara UW (I paid $170 shipped) when Hasbro Computron will he had at 120 or less with sales or clearance. Hasbro’s is fine for those who want *a* Computron but Takara’s is so significantly different it becomes Computron and not a red Superion. I am in love with this toy, it’s gorgeous, fun, fresh, full of new and interest.

THE WINNER...

HERE COMES A NEW CHALLENGER
HASBRO COMPUTRON COMES WITH SCROUNGE.

WINNER: HASBRO FOREVER

[Roadhammer]

I have some money coming in the next few weeks, and I am severely tempted to blow most of it on Takara Computron. Computicon. Whatever. It just blows what I've seen of Hasbro's Computron out of the water, even if they use the Breakdown mould for Lightspeed over Hasbro's Dead End repaint.

[WereDragon EX]

Originally Posted by Roadhammer

I have some money coming in the next few weeks, and I am severely tempted to blow most of it on Takara Computron. Computicon. Whatever. It just blows what I've seen of Hasbro's Computron out of the water, even if they use the Breakdown mould for Lightspeed over Hasbro's Dead End repaint.

Hmmm... I wouldn't say Takara's Computron blows Hasbro's "out of the water". I suppose I'm one of those people who double-dipped and got both and I can appreciate both sets on their own merits without comparing them to each other, based on what both companies were able to accomplish given their circumstances and business perspectives.

[wervenom]

I double dipped and yes both have their merits but with the exception of the hands and feet I would have to agree that Takaras blows Hasbro out of the water if you are a animation accurate type of collector. If not then it may not make that much of a diiference

[Transbot90210]

I was strictly Hasbro with this line until Computron. It took a long time for me to decide but I went with United Warrior (Takara) Computron. I am 100% happy with my decision.

P.S. The PE hands and feet are a must but no need for the other set. As for Hasbro, you need the other set but not the hands and feet, so they tie there :P

[wervenom]

^^ Agreed. I did double dip on Bruticus though as well but I have plans for the CW version of him so hopefully that works out.

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by Transbot90210

I was strictly Hasbro with this line until Computron. It took a long time for me to decide but I went with United Warrior (Takara) Computron. I am 100% happy with my decision.

P.S. The PE hands and feet are a must but no need for the other set. As for Hasbro, you need the other set but not the hands and feet, so they tie there :P

I've held cw Computron in hand, and I too am usually a Hasbro guy. Uw absolutely blows cw out of the water. There is not a single thing about hasbro's that is better outside of the feet. Straight repaints without new heads, a questionable deco on scattorshot (the bright red is clashing, doesn't homage anything, and ruins his look), no new combiner head. Strafe out of air raid is a nice choice but uw strafe is outstanding.

I know nothing is truly "objective" with transformers, and I rarely think Takara is better, but... Man.

[alternatorfan]

The only thing about takaras offerings is the nosecone figure and the new head for computron
The rest is meh
Hasbros is much better
Aside the paint apps
Wouldnt waste money on 2 of them
Straight up ballers in my opinion!

[Roadhammer]

I'll agree that Hasbro wins on the hands and feet for their Computron, but that would be about it for me. Takara's Rook retool for Nosecone works a hell of a lot better for me than Hasbro's Brawl retool (which strikes me as a very lazy, half-assed one at that), and while I agree Hasbro's Strafe is strong, Takara's is better. And I prefer an accurate combiner head rather than just the straight repaint of Superion. I don't particularly have any strong attachment to Scrounge as a character, so I don't mind missing out on him. And I've been a Hasbro man on CW until now. Hell, I'm a Hasbro man on mostly everything because importing Takara figures gets expensive. But Computron I think, would be worth the investment.

I'm also hoping Hasbro is planning on releasing their own version of UW Blast Off next May. They've done it for every other UW exclusive so far...

[RNSrobot]

Originally Posted by alternatorfan

The only thing about takaras offerings is the nosecone figure and the new head for computron
The rest is meh
Hasbros is much better
Aside the paint apps
Wouldnt waste money on 2 of them
Straight up ballers in my opinion!

Hasbro's is much better "aside from the paint apps?" Eh, to each their own. =)

I definitely am not buying both. Pick your poison!