Transformers Universal Studios: (Deluxe Class) EVAC!

09.06.2012 – There are exclusive that elusive and hard to find. The most you can acquire is through in-store only or signing up to a membership. Then you have the exclusive that you can only acquire in one destination like the Universal Studios Singapore at the Resorts World Sentosa. EVAC is one exclusive that has recently came out that you can only acquire at all Universal Studios theme park. Based on previous reports at Hollywood and now Singapore sightings that EVAC can be acquire in ANY Universal Studios.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Arcee

Presenting the Autobot Arcee (Target Exclusive Cyber-Tattoo version) as she appears in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - though Arcee is credited as part of the Transformers Dark of the Moon line (A movie she did not appear in)

There's a lot of continuity issues when it comes to DOTM Arcee - or the movie line Arcee - thanks in part to the fact that she was written out of the 1st Transformers movie and IDW (Idea + Design Works) Comics ran a comic book like in between the movies which involved Arcee (Whom a lot of people assumed to have perished in Revenge of the Fallen), and the novelization of the movie.

Then of course there are her sisters Elita 1 and Chromia. If you buy the individual toys, you'll note the different personalities at the back of their blister cards - I know I have a Chromia here somewhere (Hmmmm. Must be in storage). But if you follow the novelization of the movie - and even IDW's comic books, then you'll note that Arcee's two sisters died and they were animated only by a crazy Decepticon (Flatline) who wanted to create a new breed of what we call a "tripartite Cybertronian" - or Transformers that can operate separately but more or less have the same personality or combine - much like that camera guy Reflector. As a result the movie versions of Elita 1 and Chromia are supposedly nothing more than extensions of DOTM Arcee.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Darksteel

Presenting Tansformers Dark of the Moon's Darksteel. DOTM Darksteel obviously did not appear in the movie. In fact what he is is a repainted DOTM Sideswipe - the DOTM version so this is the top-down Corvette Stingray version of Sideswipe - with the repainted head of a Deluxe sized Starscream - yes Starscream, just look at that lovely kisser.

Normally I'm not a fan of repaints, but being a DOTM Sideswipe fan, I just could not resist getting a "Black" - Nemesis Universe like - version of him (Even if DOTM Darksteel technically isn't a Nemesis character and supposedly exists in the same universe as DOTM Siwdeswipe.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Air Raid (Hasbro)

Presenting the new Air Raid from Transformers Dark of the Moon (Deluxe Class). Let's make it a bit clear that this is the Hasbro release of Air Raid. Though I have not seen an actual piece, there is supposed to be a Takara released Deluxe Class Air Raid (the gray guy to your right) that's basically a re-paint of Thrust and also has a MechTech weapons system attachment..

Sadly, neither of the Takara version nor the Hasbro version - which is a new mold by the way, not a re-paint - look anything like the Air Raid that appeared as one of the bosses in the Transformers DOTM video-game - which was a prequel of the movie.

At any rate, here he is. DOTM Air Raid transforms from a... I really don't know what he transforms into. DOTM Air Raid transforms into a reconnaissance jet with a huge AWACS (Airborne Warning |And Control System) dish up top. Unfortunately DOTM Air Raid is kinda small. At best he's a small hybrid between a Northrop Grumman E-10 (Which is the only AWACs bearing airplane in military service today with twin jet engines) and a Gulfstream - I'll have to ask my friend who worked for the US Navy to confirm.

But I feel that, given the weird location of the intakes (on top of the plane) and the fact that an airplane with a Control System requires more space as it's supposed to coordinate other aircraft, that this probably just fell out of someone's imagination in Hasbro and is not based upon anything real.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Drag Strip

Presenting Drag Strip a Human Alliance Decepticon from the Transformers Dark of the Moon toy-line. Yes, that's a Decepticon.

I don't normally collect Decepticons. Shockwave and Laserbeak were exceptions because I liked what they looked like. DOTM Drag Strip is another exception. "Why?" Well we'll discuss that later.

If you were a fan of the Transformers cartoon, then you might remember Drag Strip as one of the Decepticon Stunticons - he was the yellow weirdly six wheeled (yes, count them, six)  F1 race-car that became the left arm of the Mighty - and very mentally unstable -  Menasor.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Whirl

Presenting the Autobot Whirl from Transformers Dark of the Moon (Human Alliance) - accompanied by Major  Sparkplug.  Neither DOTM Whirl nor Major Sparkplug were in the movie unfortunately which is a pity because when the DOTM Transformers pics first started appearing on the web there was a lot of speculation about the "Human Alliance" and how it would affect the movie (Only to find out that the Human Alliance was never meant to be a part of the movie.)

Rude marketing gimmicks aside, DOTM Whirl is actually a member of the Wreckers - the elite Autobot Commando squad out to end the Cybertronian War through any means necessary - which puts him on the same team as Topspin and Roadbuster.

Whirl was actually also released in the ROTF line as a re-paint/model of Evac who was a re-paint./model of the Decepticon Blackout, but the DOTM Whirl - with skis for feet - is closer to how Whirl was first envisioned in Generation 1 of the Transformers.

In the IDW Generation 1 continuity of the Wreckers, DOTM Whirl is actually cited by Megatron as the "One to taught him how to hate and use violence instead of peaceful means." Apparently when Megatron was just a petty criminal and Whirl was a cop, DOTM Whirl beat the crap out of Megatron in an interrogation gone bad.

Transformers Dark of the Moon: Roadbuster

Presenting Roadbuster from Transformers Dark Side of the Moon. More commonly known as the "Common" released DOTM toy of the Wreckers.

Personally I do not know what to make of the Transformers Dark Side of the Moon and their portrayal of the cult-icon Wreckers. Rather than the frustrated Autobots who cleaned up after their pacifist companions, you instead had what appeared to be engineers strangely pumped up on steroids and who appear to have spent too much time playing video games that they've gone rude and battle crazy.

They were also quite ineffective in the movie despite packing a hell of a lot of hardware - even if they were taking on Shockwave - who was damaged more by humans than the firepower of all three Wreckers combined.

And strangely they all survived. Including DOTM Roadbuster. DOTM Roadbuster also has the most lines in the movie. 

Dark of the Moon Iron Hide Revealed!

12.28.2010 - Lately we've been getting some toy updates on the upcoming Dark of the Moon toys from Hasbro. Interesting enough some are surprising evolution from the first movie characters. Quite notably Iron Hide who recently got another figure rumored to be in the Leader Class assortment. After Starscream got the treatment in Revenge of the Fallen this time we thought Iron Hide will get his turn. The famed black GMC Topkick get's Mech Tech update, and also a bad ass artillery to scrap some Decepticons.

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