Spotlight: Hard Hero Transformer Statues

Now it may be surprising to some but i don't just collect transformers toys, i collect Transformers related Merchandise, Statues being one of the non toy Products. Hard Hero is an American based company that had the license to manufacture "non transforming " transformer related products. basically statues.. cold-cast porcelain kind. they made a series of busts and full sized versions of the Gen 1 Characters, they even managed one for the Beast Wars. Unfortunately the licence wasn't renewed and we never saw many more after Rhinox. It was a shame, what appealed to me well besides the fact these were essentially he first High end collectible statue for transformers, but the fact that they captured the simplistic cartoon designs of the character.

Hard Hero managed to put of 14 Busts. (16 if you include the metallic painted versions of Shockwave and cyclonus). A simple Bust collection when you look at them, not alot of detail but then easily identifiable with the cartoon of old. Prime was the first Hard hero released, and he is my Favorite Autobot bust i own, That includes all the newer version but out by Diamond.

Above: Prowl, Ironhide, Jazz, Optimus Prime, Wheeljack. Hot Rod, Ultra Magnus and Grimlock.

Starscream has his trademark Smirk and Devastator is a heavy statue pretty much twice the size of the other standard busts, pretty fitting i thought since he is supposed to be a combiner.

Above: Cyclonus, Megatron, Devastator, Starscream, Soundwave and Shockwave

To mix up the busts there were some full sized.. well not literally full sized. full sized as in the busts have legs.... Ravage was marked as "1st in the Cassette Series" but alas he was the only one, a side effect of the un-renewed license we didn't get to see more, just like Rhinox. an absolute awesome looking version of the Beast Wars character, he set a high standard, but we never saw the next one (which was supposed to be waspinator) Disappointing. together the statues look pretty good as a group almost looking like a Small diorama. Optimus and Megatron sending both their pets into battle..bumblebee and ravage both had "mettlic variants" as well.

Above: Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Rhinox, Megatron and Ravage.

The Insecticons also got the statue treatment. not quite the size of the megatron and optimus but larger then the busts. Th make a nice three piece set.

Above: Kickback, Shrapnel and Bombshell

Originally a Botcon 2002 Exclusive (no i didn't attend it, my local comic shop managed to get one in) Unicron stands around 406mm high (that's 16 inches to any one reading that doesn't use metric) it is a big statue and a nice statue make sure it stands on something solid though because its also a fragile Statue, I'm petrified that one of the prongs on his wings or his hands will snap off.

So the pictures above is pretty much every transformer related Statue Hard Hero managed to release (that doesn't include the 4 metallic Variants) that is 23 Hard Hero Statues.

Sharky's Toy Reveiws - Movie Big Daddy

Who's Ya Daddy

Series: Movie Line

Size: Deluxe

Release: April-May In Australia

Price: AU$26.95

Initially this guy was to be a Walmart Store Exclusive in the USA. but since i dint live in the US and there is no Walmart's over here, Big Daddy along with the other three in the Excl. Wave found themselves on Target shelves recently.

Now those that know me, know I'm not a huge fan of repaints, and although my collection may be littered with them, i do buy the odd few. As most that will read this or care about this know Big Daddy is not a new Mould, he is a repaint of Cybertron Downshift. This is my reason for picking it up, i liked the Cybertron Version of this mould, it was an easy Transformation for a Deluxe Sized Vehicle but it was all round just a nice figure.

Big Daddy the name is also not original it was plucked from the 1990 Micromaster Member of the Hot Rod Patrol, so in simple terms

G1 MM Name & Colours + Cybertron Downshift = Movie Big Daddy. A Homage.

I love a homage just as much as any other Collector from the 80's and what the managed to do was make a pretty good figure a better looking figure. Now It definitely was not the name that made me get this figure, its simply was the fact i like the mould and the black and orange flames on the car looked 100 times better then the green Cybertron version. Not only that coming from the cybertron line the Cyber Key Gimmick that was the Cyberron line is very well hidden in this Mould, so it doesn't interfere with anything on the figure in vehicle or Robot mode.. its nicely hidden away. and lets not forget his head still looks like Wheeljack

The Figure itself has limited articulation compared to some of the movie toys, No waist Movement a slight head turn, Good shoulder and Knee Movement. The Cyber Key Gimmick does still work, and the Missile launchers are Shoulder mounted or Hand Held. So My Reasoning to Get This Figure was Pure Aesthetics.. i just liked the way it looked. Big Daddy does also look a little out of place compared to the rest of the Movie Bots, he doesn't have that fake detail design most had to show the complexity of the robot.

So if you can't tell already i Liked this Figure Not only for the homage but for how good it looks. Most definitely worth adding to a collection.

8/10