287-2
Hasbro- Transformers- Combiner Wars: Menasor.
Rating of worst to best of the Transformers movies continued; see review 208-2, 213-2, 217-2, 223-2, 226-2, 230-2, 234-2, 239-2, 243-2, 246-2, 249-2, 252-2, 257-2, 260-2, 264-2, 268-2, 269-2, 271-2, 274-2, 276-2, 280-2 & 284-2 for previous instalments:
Transformers Movie Rating #1 The Transformers: The Movie.
The Ugly: I think it is important to call The Transformers: The Movie what it is: A blatent cash grab. Even as a kid it was pretty clear what with them killing off all the original characters in favor of new carbon copies with, I’ll just say it: less than impressive action figures to boot. This strategy was clearly an attempt to get parents to buy new and different toys to no doubt lessen the blow of them seeing their hero, Optimus Prime, MURDERED on screen.
I’m not sure if I really blame Hasbro for trying to keep it fresh (lord knows the current state of Transformers could use a different approach) but I’m not sure their plan was all that successful. Sure, Rodimus Prime was an interesting choice to fill Optimus Prime's shoes, he was clearly not Optimus Prime, Same for Galvatron and most of the new crew of Autobots and Decepticons. The other glaring issue, for me anyways, was that the movie era toys were not great. Most people at this point know the history of the Transformers toyline, but if you don’t check out the Transformers episode of the Netflix series “The Toys That Made Us” for a crash course. Why does this matter? Well the movie toys were the first figures that were were actually created as “Transformers” and not as some part of another toy line haphazardly blended together and somehow these new figures seemed inferior. Sure they all had the same scale and looked like they belonged together but there was something missing: they felt a bit cheap as compared to the originals.
Eventually Hasbro and their partners found their stride what with the bevy of new gimmicks that were quickly introduced (HeadMasters baby!) but it was clear that the charm of the original figures was gone forever. Ultimately, while I call this the Ugly part of this movie, I think it was important for Hasbro to kill off the past to make way for the future of the brand. It was a bold choice that probably lead to the current success of the brand. That said, killing off a beloved character and asking kids to move on, all to buy new toys, is a bit of a dick move on their part and I feel that they could have worked in something else.
Pros: Not sure I mentioned this before, but as a kid we actually had all of Menasor’s appendages, but did not have the appropriate feet / fists to form the robot. This was primarily due to the fact that I “acquired” Motormaster from a friend and he had long since misplaced the appropriate accutroments, so to have a completed one feels pretty great. As with the other Combiner Wars figures I apprately the overall look and stature of the combined figure and am impressed that Hasbro pulled it off.
Cons: Combiner figures are amazing on paper, but in real life are a bit of a mixed bag and Menasor is no exception. Limited ability to pose and a tendency to fall over is really his downfall, but what can I really expect? It's 5 plastic toys mashed together to form a big robot; mission accomplished I suppose.
