Toy Review - JP Arms Microns (TFPrime) AM07-AM14

[griffin]

Since most of these are similar to Hasbro versions, and few will be importing them, the JP Arms Microns are being grouped together.

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details to get you started)

- - (April)
AM-08 Terrorcon Cliffjumper (+ Jida) (translucent purple FE Cliffjumper)
AM-09 Soundwave w/ Laserbeak (+ Zori)
- - (May)
AM-10 Bulkhead (Voyager) (+ B.H.)
AM-11 Arcee V2 (+ Arc)
- - (June)
AM-07 Starscream (Voyager) (+ Gul)
AM-12 Decepticon Breakdown (Voyager) (+ Zamu) Separate review here.
AM-13 Decepticon Knockout (+ Gra)
AM-14 Decepticon Vehicon V2 (+ Naji)

Series - Arms Microns (Japanese Version of Transformmer Prime)
Sub-line - n/a
Wave - n/a (see above)
Main Features/Gimmicks - Each has a Micron-weapon model-kit, plus sticker sheet instead of paint apps.


AM-07 Starscream (+ Gul)
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - New (for Japan)
Released here - Not here (Released in Japan June 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - ?yen
Approximate Size - 20cm (Starscream), 5cm (Gul)
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Fighter Jet (Starscream), bird/blade (Gul)
Main Colours - Light grey, mid grey, purple (Starscream), blue (Gul)
Main Accessories - Micron, (2 missiles?)



AM-08 Terrorcon Cliffjumper (+ Jida)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - Redeco & new head (for Japan)
Released here - Not here (Released in Japan April 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - ?yen
Approximate Size - 14cm (Cliffjumper), 5cm (Jida)
Allegiance - "Decepticon"
Alt-mode - Trashed Muscle Car (Cliffjumper), panther?/claw (Jida)
Main Colours - translucent purple, black (Cliffjumper), grey (Jida)
Main Accessories - Micron



AM-09 Soundwave w/ Laserbeak (+ Zori)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New (for Japan)
Released here - Not here (Released in Japan April 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - ?yen
Approximate Size - 14cm (Soundwave), 5cm (Laserbeak), 5cm (Zori)
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Drone Jet (Soundwave), condor (Laserbeak), Scorpion/whip? (Zori)
Main Colours - blue/grey, black (Soundwave), blue/grey (Laserbeak), purple (Zori)
Main Accessories - Laserbeak, Micron



AM-10 Bulkhead (+ B.H.)
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - New (for Japan)
Released here - Not here (Released in Japan May 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - ?yen
Approximate Size - 18cm (Bulkhead), 5cm (B.H.)
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Armoured Truck (Bulkhead), robot/knuckles (B.H.)
Main Colours - Army green, grey (Bulkhead), dark green (B.H.)
Main Accessories - Micron



AM-11 Arcee V2(+ Arc)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New (for Japan)
Released here - Not here (Released in Japan May 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - ?yen
Approximate Size - 14cm (Arcee), 5cm (Arc)
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Motorcycle (Arcee), robot/sword (Arc)
Main Colours - Blue, black, pink (Arcee), pink (Arc)
Main Accessories - Micron



AM-12 Decepticon Breakdown (Voyager) (+ Zamu) Separate review here.


AM-13 Decepticon Knockout (+ Gra)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New (for Japan)
Released here - Not here (Released in Japan June 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - ?yen
Approximate Size - 14cm (Knockout), 5cm (Gra)
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Car (Knockout), Crab/spear (Gra)
Main Colours - Red, maroon, grey (Knockout), maroon (Gra)
Main Accessories - Micron



AM-14 Decepticon Vehicon V2 (+ Naji)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New (for Japan)
Released here - Not here (Released in Japan June 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - ?yen
Approximate Size - 14cm (Vehicon), 5cm (Naji)
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Car (Vehicon), Rhino?/gun (Naji)
Main Colours - Black, purple, silver (Vehicon), dark purple (Naji)
Main Accessories - Micron

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Pickd up vehicon and CJ, but have only played with Vehicon so far.

Amazing transformation to get rid of the bonnet and roof, but the robot mode is let down from lack of a waist joint.

So far my experience with the microns isn't impressive. They're not bad, but not awesome either. Naji is a robot boar and Transforms into a large version of the vehicon' angled gun. However it is too large to look like it's part of the robot hand like the FE Vehicon could do. Plus it is HUGE when mounted on the car...

Thats all for now, its late and I am tired.

[GoktimusPrime]

RE: Vehicon

Wow! This is the first Transformers Prime toy ever that's managed to impress me and the first TF Prime RiD design that I consider an improvement over its First Edition counterpart (in some ways)! The big improvement is that it's a lot less fiddly to transform, the bonnet pulls back a lot further allowing the head to be better exposed, and the robot mode overall is more solid. The toy is essentially a shellformer, but it's a really well done shellformer! Possibly one of the best shellformers I've ever seen because it doesn't just shove all the kibble off to the sides and back, but a lot of it gets tucked inside the legs. And the clever thing about this is that it leaves a core basic robot mode, so if you want to retool this mould, so to give it a different alt mode (re: Jet Vehicon), then all you have to do is change the alt mode kibble panels!

Sure, the cynic in me goes, "Well that's cheap... obviously it saves HasTak money if they can reuse the same core design," but the optimist in me sees that this also allows designers to maintain a consistent look with the robot mode! Both Vehicon and Jet Vehicon have the same transformation schemes and the same shaped stickers -- that's how similar (almost identical) they are despite their very different alt modes. In this sense, they kinda remind me of the G1 Clones!

Their Arms Micron partners/guns are indeed, as Tetsuwan Convoy said, quite large an do look silly when attached to the vehicles. But I don't mind them... they look badass to me. But yeah, FE Vehicon's gun and the way he holds the gun is far more showlike than the new Vehicons. I also do like how they slightly modified the design for Jet Vehicon's Arms Micron so that they're not [i]exactly[/i identical to each other (but still really damn close)

The main drawbacks is that:
+ It's small... typical post FE TFPrime.
+ There are some neat features from FE Vehicon that are gone, like transparent side windows.

Comparison w/ First Edition Vehicon (left)




Comparison w/ Jet Vehicon

[GoktimusPrime]

Comparison pics between AM Vehicon (left) and TFPRiD Vehicon (right):











IMO Hasbro's Vehicon looks MUCH better than TakaraTOMY. Having paint apps trumps stickers, and no annoying Arms Micron to construct and apply even more annoying stickers on!

[Bidoofdude]

I'm still confused. Is all the colour from stickers, or just details and outlines with the plastic molded in black. Anyway, Hasbro looks better IMHO.

[griffin]

Sometimes they have a little paint, if stickers can't be used somewhere. But the (Japanese) Arms Micron versions rely mostly on the stickers to give the more detailed colourings. As such, any textured mould detailing that gets coloured with paint on a Hasbro figure, would be completely covered over by the sticker (losing all the texture, and the effort gone into it by the designers).