The epic battle between the Autobots and Decepticons has spanned galaxies and more than 10 million years. The Transformers continue to fight a galactic war for Supremacy; the evil Decepticons, led by Megatron, seek to conquer and rule, and the heroic Autobots, led by the noble Optimus Prime, fight to protect and preserve.
The Ultimate Transformers Store offers a huge range of collectibles and toys for the Transformers fan, from the classics up to the new movie products.
Amazon.com Review The popular and fun anime TV series "Bakugan Battle Brawlers" has spawned this strategic game that pits a variety of "Bakugan warriors" -- such as "Juggernoids," "Fear rippers," and "Robatallians" -- against each other for points. With this Bakugan Starter Pack, kids 4 and above will enjoy the challenge of earning points by rolling their Bakugan (or shooting them from a launcher) onto magnetic cards where the plastic spheres burst open to reveal the fearsome warrior apparatus inside. Kids will also love the way the Bakugan transform suddenly into warrior mode, and fans of the show will have an especially good time with the game.
Inside each plastic sphere is a fearsome warrior apparatus. View larger.
There are many colors and varieties of Bakugan to collect. View larger.
What We Think
Fun Factor:
Durability:
(what this means)
The Good: Wide variety of Bakugan make them fun for kids to trade and collect
The Bad: No instructions with some toys
In a Nutshell: Clever and exciting interactive game that kids will enjoy even if they're not familiar with the TV show
At a Glance
Ages: 4 and up
NOTE: This Bakugan Starter Pack includes a random selection of three Bakugan warriors. It also includes three metal cards and instructions. It does not include the optional Bakugan Launcher.
Ready, Set, Play! The mission of Bakugan game play is to battle against other Bakugan to win the points awarded on the cards by getting your Bakugan to land on card. Players will love pretending to be one of the various characters in the show, such as the fiery 12-year-old leader "Dan" or the wise "Marucho," and they gain a deeper understanding of the cards and warriors as they play.
The Starter Pack includes instructions, making it an ideal way for newbies to get started with this fun and exciting game. The game itself is fairly straightforward, but if your child has never played before, you might have to help him or her to understand the rules -- after reading and understanding them yourself. While some of the plastic Bakugan pieces are small and could easily get lost, others, like the Bakugan Deka, are as big as a softball.
The Starter Pack comes with three Bakugan and three cards -- perfect for kids who are new to the game and who want to try it out. The illustrated instructions are easy to follow.
Exciting Magnetic Action The Bakugan come in lots of colors and varieties that make them fun to collect and trade. Most of them are pocket-sized and easy for your child to carry around and bring over to their friend's houses. Having a magnet that activates the warriors is a clever idea that adds excitement to the game. The Bakugan Launcher (sold separately) is a great accessory, with three shooting modes ("curve," "angle, and "distance"), but it doesn't come with any instructions.
Room for the Imagination We like that this that this game combines skill (aiming your Bakugan) with strategy (placement of the cards). We also enjoyed the way the warriors pop open on the magnetic cards -- although sometimes they do it even when they don't land on the cards. Being unfamiliar with the TV show, we felt a little lost at first in the world of Bakugan. But with the help of the colorful, animated Bakugan Web site, we got the gist of what the game is about and how to play. Our attempts to fire the launcher proved somewhat difficult and instructions would have helped. But the launcher isn't necessary. Kids can simply roll the Bakugan like marbles for a fun and action-packed game with their friends.
What's in the Box Three Bakugan, three metal cards, and instructions.
my son really enjoys playing with itJanuary 6, 2009 My son enjoys it however there is really no educational value, but children need to just "play" sometimes
BakuganJanuary 6, 2009 My 4 year old boys love Bakugan. I love that they are small enough for them to carry around in their pockets, but big enough to not get lost in their playroom. The Bakugan balls don't always close properly and my boys get frustrated. But they have been fun for them.
Bakugan BallsJanuary 3, 2009 Bakugan Starter Pack (styles and colors vary) My two grandsons really love the Bakugan balls. One of them takes them to school in his backpack! My advice is to be cautious when purchasing the single 'loose' balls. Some of them could be highly overpriced.
Good overallDecember 30, 2008 My 5 year old son loved this toy. He loves to carry them around and watch them open on the magnetic card. As a parent I have been a little frustrated. He ended up with 9 of them for Christmas and two already broke.
mmDecember 29, 2008 My son enjoys these little toys, but like a lot of toys like these it is a passing fad. Do not invest in too many of them because the interest wanes!! He is into dominos now!!
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Transformers News from Seibertron.com
Takara Style MP Starscream Custom Box Seibertron member, Coolpop has found a interesting custom box for Masterpiece collectors, MP Starscream U.S. Edition in a TakaraTomy style box. Coolpop gives us his review:
Custom Made Takara Style Masterpiece MP-3 Package Set
This set is made by a Chinese TF fan and he only produced 50 sets of them (probably all sold out now). The fixed selling price was RMB150, plus all shipping and fees, it came out to be around RMB314 (I used Airmail for international shipping from China to USA), and this is about US$47.50 shipped.
The purpose of this custom package set is to convert US Masterpiece Starscream into Takara style Masterpiece packaging. Unlike another MP Starscream custom package set seen last year on eBay that only comes with outside color box (you put the whole US MP Starscream w/ original package into this custom box), this new set actually comes complete with inner plastic clampshell tray, plastic nose ; tail holder/divider, updated graphic/art instruction booklet ; character card.
US Masterpiece Starscream ; all accessories placed in the inner plastic clampshell tray
Side by side comparisons with origial Takara MP-3 Green Starscream:
Inner tray with toys ; accessories
Color instruction booklet ; character card (front). It's a pity that the creator decided to use actual toy shot instead of using toy art like the original booklet cover
Color instruction booklet ; character card (back)
First two inside pages of instruction booklet
Front of box
Back of box
Top of box
Bottom of box
Side of box (both sides are the same)
Another comparison photo
Final comparison shot
Overall the quality of this custom package set is very good, I am very impressed with the extent of details the creator has paid attention to match with the original MP Starscream box and inserts (reshoot of the toy with correct position, angle, distance, light source, reflection, placement, art, font, color, etc.). I consider myself very fortunate to have the opportunity to purchase this custom box set, and it will surely add that extra specialty to my complete Masterpiece collection.
Later comment: So much for the 50 sets limited run, hahaha. I just found out the Chinese seller I bought from just put out 10 more sets for sale, I guess the creator saw both bigger demand and extra income, and he decided to pump out more.
It can be found on Taobao but only open to Chinese residents. Panli does allow foreign transactions.
Seibertron.com's First "Buried Treasure" Review - Cybertron Cannonball! The year 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise. To celebrate this incredible milestone, Seibertron.com will look back at a quarter-century of great Transformers toys, bringing back into the limelight some brilliant figures that have fallen through the cracks over the years.
Once a week, a fan (be it a member of the staff or a user on the site) will have the opportunity to write about one of their favourite "hidden gems" of the Transformers Universe, and have their review posted on the site's front page.
We hope this feature will be a great success, and that many of you will be encouraged to look back at the last 25 years of Transformers and perhaps take a worthwhile second-look at some real unsung classics of the Transformers universe.
Buried Treasure - Cannonball (Cybertron series - 2006)
By Skowl
Avast ye Transformer fans! For the inaugural "Buried Treasure" Review, I decided to pick a figure that embodies the very notion of "buried treasure." Pirates have not been all that common in the franchise, and for years only the Beast Wars II Seacons could lay claim to that title. But all that changed during the amazing "Transformers Cybertron" line, when we were given a unique repaint of popular Autobot character.
The Red Alert mold had been released in the first wave of Deluxe figures and, from my memory, had been a decent hit with the fans. The mold was a vast improvement over the Armada Red Alert but still retained many of the character's traits. From the obvious "medic" element, to the sympathetic look on the head sculpt, to all the first aid tools and add-ons - it was obvious that the new Cybertron Red Alert mold was all-Autobot. Which is why many fans were so surprised to see the figure repainted later down the line... as a Decepticon!
Around the same time that the Autobot Red Alert got a massive upgrade, the deluxe-class Decepticon Cannonball was released. Perhaps the character, whose bio reveals him to be a looter of sorts, salvaged the old Red Alert toy and saw it as a good enough mold to use for himself!
It's difficult to write about any figure from the Cybertron line without mentionning the brilliant packaging. The series has come and gone, but it still had the most eye-catching packaging of any Transformers toy line I've ever seen. From the faction-shaped card backing to the brilliant character art, everything about the packaging was clean, sharp and just great to look at. With nice, dark colours and cool silver highlights, Cannonball blends in beautifully with the packaging, making him a great piece for any MOC/MIB collector.
But the real fun starts when you get this little buccaneer out of the packaging. It's amazing what a little paint can do, isn't it? Looking at Cannonball, it's difficult to tell he was once an Autobot ambulance (type thing). The dark colours give him a very menacing look, ressembling some sort of hearse, and the whole thing is beautifully decorated with sharp silver highlights, including silver trim and mag wheels, and wicked skull decals that really add alot of personality to the figure (as if a Transforming pirate wasn't cool enough already).
The old "Cyber Key" gimmick works just as well with Cannonball as it did with Red Alert. Just stick it in the slot at the rear end of the car and watch as some cannons flip out, ready to blow any landlubber to pieces (should I stop with the pirate jokes? They're just so easy to write!). Not an amazing feature, but still added value, especially since the key gimmick really doesn't get in the way of the toy's functionality.
His transformation, like Red Alert's, is unique and shows alot of creativity in the engineering. Cannonball's body is basically made from the middle of the car, while the front and back ends come together to form the legs.
Yes, Cannonball's vehicle mode is wicked, but it's his robot mode that really makes him shine. I doubt many people thought "pirate" when they first laid eyes on Cybertron Red Alert, but it works so well in robot mode you would think that's what the designers were aiming for all along. Red Alert's "gun-hand" and add-ons just scream pirate-y hook hanks and the black "eye-patch" over the left side of his visor is a real nice touch. The colours work really well in this mode, with the nice silver detailing continuing over his chest, shoulders and legs and the clear purple windows of his vehicle look great in the proper lighting. And don't forget how cool those blue skeleton decals look in robot mode - two on his shoulders and the big skull on his back. Sweet.
He is fairly poseable in robot mode, but lacks alot of movement in his legs. It's ok though, he more than makes up for it by having cool, interchangeable pirate weapons (handy for shooting blaggards in the face), a great colour scheme with lots of unique detail and an awesome bio. Heck, he doesn't need to be super-poseable, he looks great just standing there!
Cannonball is a brilliant figure and one of the best, most original repaints in the history of the franchise. His unique personality makes him a great addition to any collection, and a must have for pirate fans... if you can ignore the fact that this pirate transforms into a car of all things...
So set sail, collectors! This is one piece of Transformers treasure that should definately not stay buried!
You can visit the complete Cannonball gallery on Seibertron.com by clicking here, and find your own buried treasures by visiting all the galleries here!
If you would like to submit a review of an obscure or rare Transformer figure for our "Buried Treasure" feature, please contact me (Skowl) via private message! Mini-review new ROTF "Dead End" Figure Seibertron.com member Guyincognito has just informed us that a mini review of the recently revealed Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Scout Class figure Dead End has been posted on Cybertron.ca.
The review, performed by Pascal, gives us some great size comparison shots in both robot and alt mode, and discusses some of the major pros and cons of the figure.
Courtesy of Cybertron.ca
Courtesy of Cybertron.ca
You can view the complete review with more images by clicking here. Video Review of City Commander Upgrade Resident Transformer reviewer Peaugh has posted a nice, detailed review of the recently released City Commander upgrade set created for the Classics Universe Ultra Magnus figure.
The video goes in the great step by step detail on how to convert and attach the new addition along with nice video angles showing off the impressive attachments.
The images show both robot and vehicle mode (Earth Helicopter). The image of the robot mode shows that Megatron has decent articulation, but unlike the Leader Class version, his cannon cannot be attached to his forearm.
To view all the images of Activator Megatron, please click here.
Seibertron.com Reviews Soon To Be Released Glu Mobile 'Tranformers: G1 Awakening' Game Thanks to staff member Stormrider, I was given the chance to make contact with a member of Glu mobile;#x2019;s PR staff, and was able to play a demo of the soon to be released ;#x2018;Transformers: G1 Awakening;#x2019; game for cellular phones. Glu Mobile was very kind and even sent me a compatible phone loaded with the game to play, as they do not currently have a version available for the iPhone.
I was able to spend about a week with the game, wasting many precious hours, staying up until the wee early hours of the morning as I played the addicting game, and tried to experience as much of it as I could before I had to send the demo back....
First off we have Stealth, err, Goldbug... I mean ELITE GUARD BUMBLEBEE by Tamo536. Straight up repaint of the Original Animated Bumblebee, but according to the reviewer the 'stingers' are now able to better fit into the arms...
And also a huge picture montage courtesy of the Japanese Transformers Image Board showing Sentinel in package, with other Elite Guard members, and with the Headmaster unit firmly placed on his shoulders.
Everybody should want to get Sentinel as soon as they can...
"Move bots or you'll have to do more transform ups!!!"
Gallery and Review of Club-Exclusive Nightbeat Figure Philip S. has posted a detailed photo gallery and review of the upcoming Official Transformers Club exclusive deluxe figure Nightbeat.
Read the review and see the photos by clicking here.
Video Review: McDonalds TFA Optimus Prime Resident Transformers video review master Sean Long has done it again. This time, Sean reviews the upcoming Mc Donald's Happy Meal bonus figure, Transformers Animated Optimus Prime. Sean gives us a good look at the figure, with comparison shots of it next to Movie Legends Optimus Prime, TFA Bumblebee, and TFA Deluxe Battle begins Optimus Prime.
This figure appears to be leaps and bounds better than previous Mc Donald's figures that were available in the past.
To view the complete review of this surprisingly nice figure, click here.
Transformers Animated Bulkhead - Video Review Sean Long has done a video review of Animated Transformers Bulkhead Leader class. The review shows the step by step transformation process and demonstrates the accessories. He also demonstrates the size comparison with Animated Bulkhead Voyager class.
