![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
The Mini Directory Home News Reviews The List NYTS Links Ramblin' Man Gallery |
Roy's Toys Shelf |
|||||||
Description; a demolitions specialist for 'Energon'. The piece is an Ultra-sized 'bot, about the same scale as Scroponook. The figure in vehicle form looks like an amored tow-truck with giant tracks for it's back wheels and a huge 'snow-plow' in front. Landmine's second form is a 'bot mode composed of it's cab while the back end with the tracks and the large winch and missile launcher becomes an artillery piece. Finally the two sections recombine into and armored mode. The winch section attaches to the 'bot's back, whlie the tracks are attached to the 'bot mode's arms to become giant gauntlets. The whole piece is paintinted brown with lots of gray and silver. |
||||||||
Landmine - Hasbro, Transformers, Energon Meat and Potatoes; 5.0 Perks; 5.0 Homer Factor; 5.0 |
||||||||
![]() |
||||||||
Ok, let me start by saying Hasbro is running out of cool names for Transformers. Sorry guys, but a lot of the new characters are beginning to sound like rejects of 'Image' comic titles. Demolisher? Oh boy. Snowcat? Ok, it's a homage to 'GI Joe', but lordy. And now... Landmine??!?!?!??!?!?!?!!!! Oh well, sports teams are running into the same problems... the Columbus CREW???!?!?!!! Granted, this is soccer, but sheesh! Ah, but I digress. So I've severely dissed the name of a new piece from 'Energon'. Is this the end of it all? Is the line going to pot? Is everything reverting to... gulp... 'Armada'? Ah, the VERY GOOD news is that's not the case. Collectors everywhere, although the name kinda sucks, this piece ROCKS. Meat and potatoes, as usual, are outstanding. The beauty of this line is the transformations and intricate detail in sculpting hasn't lead to a sacrifice in articulation. Landmine is a battlefield demolition vehicle that turns into a robot. It could very easily have looked like a tow-truck, but instead there's a massive plow in the front, a host of panel lines and vents, all giving Landmine a terrific look beyond just another truck. And articulation? Wow! Shoulders, knees, this things is almost as flexible as a Marvel Legends piece, in both 'bot mode and armored mode. 'Armored mode' you ask? Ah, but that's for the perks section. Bwahahahahahahahahahahahaha! The perks include the transformation into THREE modes. Yep, three. First there's the butt-kicking vehicle mode that looks like it could ram through Mt. Everest. Then there's the separate robot and artillery unit mode. The vehicle splits into two parts. The front third that's the cab becomes the 'bot. The back two-thirds of Landmine, which has the truck's winch, rocket launcher, and tracks, become an artillery unit. It's not a great mode, but much better then some of the lame 'vehicle/assault' modes from 'Beast Wars'. Finally... there's the armored mode. The artillery section separates into three sections; the winch and the two tracks. Two tracks become giant 'gauntlets' for Landmine, and are equipped with massive, moving 'claws'. The third part, which has the rocket launcher and winch, becomes a 'backpack'. In addition to the winch and rocket launcher', two massive shoulder cannons can be deployed as well. Ok, it doesn't say so on the, but that's what they look like. Considering they come over Landmine's shoulders like the cannons on the SDF-1 from 'Robotech', I'll stick to it. Oh, and there are the obligatory sound effects on this one. They started to bug me, AND the cats, so I pulled the batteries out. Homer factor? I've always been kinda 'eh' about construction-based Transformers. Don't get me wrong, they're all pretty cool, from the Constructicons on down, but they just never grabbed me. But this piece has so many modes and options, it was hard to resist. In the end this is another great piece of work from Hasbro. After 'Armada' a lot of fans were very, very leery of what 'Energon' had to offer. Well, so far it's been well worth the wait. Hasbro isn't just re-hashing old tricks, it's creating new ones! Woohoo! |