May Transformers Round Up

This month delivered a genuinely chaotic spread of everything from big retail Leader Class figures I actually managed to find in the wild, to Legends scale engineering that continue to blow my mind, to a couple of items that had me scratching my head. It was a lot. It was a lot a lot with some winners and a few losers. Let's get into it!

Transformers Age of The Primes The Thirteen Liege Maximo Leader Class

Okay so the Age of the Primes line has been doing something genuinely interesting with The Thirteen as a concept, and Liege Maximo is the proof that they trying to think outside the box, which unfortunately doesn't land for me.

This is an 8.5 inch Leader Class figure that converts from robot to alien spaceship in 25 steps, with a hand that rotates into a blaster and a set of dart artifacts as accessories. The design is...weird. I've never been a fan of combining organic elements with mechanical elements and this guy doesn't hit the mark. The cables all over his body are neat, but his alt mode is just strange. It's a no from me dog.

Magic Square MS-B64 Nosecone

Magic Square has been methodically building out their Legends scale Computron set under the ENIAC lineup and Nosecone here is their MS-B64, the second member of the Technobots to get the color prototype treatment. He transforms from robot to futuristic drilling vehicle and forms one of Computron's legs in combiner mode. The reveal images showed a really clean deco with the kind of crisp finish Magic Square tends to deliver at this scale, and seeing him posed next to the already released Lightspeed really starts to sell the vision of what the full Computron set is going to look like together. The drilling vehicle alt mode is chunky and recognizable and the weapon accessories are nicely thought out. I'm a sucker for the little guys so I like him 😊

DX9 Mini 04 God Ginrai

DX9 Mini has been one of the more quietly exciting producers in the Legends space and their take on God Ginrai is their most ambitious project yet. This is a Legends scale Masterforce Ginrai, meaning you get the core robot, a Super mode, the trailer, and a Godmaster engine unit that is actually articulated at its tiny size. The price definitely reflects all the different pieces that come in this set though, ugh. But the detail that they were able to achieve on a figure so small is very impressive!

Dr. Wu DW-ES01M Fight Track Flywheels Shattered Glass Version

I love a mold that earns a repaint and this is that. The DW-ES01M is the Shattered Glass variant of Dr. Wu's Flight Track, meaning you get the same brilliant Micromaster-scale Duocon engineering in a bold red and blue colorway instead of the standard Decepticon maroon. The included red lightsaber bonus accessory is a fun touch.

The honest reality here is that if you already grabbed the standard version, whether you need this one comes down entirely to how deep you are in the Dr. Wu collect-everything pipeline, because the engineering is identical. Which is great engineering! The upper body jet fighter and lower body tank split into a combined seven centimeter robot at Micromaster scale and I remain impressed every time I think about it. But the SG deco does not fundamentally change what you are handling. For completionists this is a no-brainer but you can skip it if you aren't in love with the color scheme (or you want to save a buck).

Dr. Wu DW-ES01 Flight Track Flywheels

And here is the standard version, because it absolutely deserves its own spotlight. DW-ES01 Flight Track is Dr. Wu's Micromaster-scale take on the G1 Decepticon Duocon Flywheels. He stands 7 cm tall in robot mode, the jet canopy opens, the tank rolls, and the whole thing fits in the palm of your hand while somehow being more articulate and expressive than the original G1 toy managed at full retail scale. The standard maroon and brown deco is faithful to the character and the overall execution is exactly what you want from a figure in this line.

NewAge S-01A Romulus Limited Version

NewAge has been doing something genuinely unprecedented with their S-01 Romulus, which is their CHUG-scale G1 Megatron with cartoon-accurate design and a functioning gun mode, and the S-01A Limited Version is a Diaclone-inspired repaint of that mold. Standing 17 cm tall with interchangeable faces, an energy maze, sword, and gun, the base figure is already one of the most exciting things to happen to the CHUG Megatron concept in years, and the Limited Version deco is for collectors who want something a little more distinctive on the shelf. The Diaclone colorway callback is a thoughtful choice that rewards people with a broader knowledge of the franchise's history.

What I keep thinking about with the S-01A specifically is the "limited" framing and what that means for pricing and availability. The base Romulus has been celebrated pretty widely for actually delivering a G1 gun mode on a CHUG scale figure at reasonable dimensions, which is something the hobby had been asking for forever. I'm here for it, I love a throw back!

Wonderful-Trans WT01 WF-01 White Ronin (IDW Drift)

This one is an older release getting renewed attention and availability, and I want to talk about it because every time it comes back into stock it pulls in a new wave of people experiencing it for the first time and I'm one of the people that got caught this time. The WT01 White Ronin is Wonderful-Trans's take on IDW Drift, standing 21 cm tall with a full body metallic paint finish, die-cast parts throughout, three swords including a great sword and two broad-edged blades, and a transformation into an Asurada-style futuristic race car. The robot mode is gorgeous. The sculpt captures the samurai energy of IDW Drift with a sharpness that very few Drift figures have managed, and the metallic coating gives it an almost artwork quality on a shelf.

The transformation itself is more involved than I expected going in, but not enough to deter some one who is motivated.

Galaxy Toys MPH Studio MINI01EX Leader King Optimus Prime Metallic Version

Galaxy Toys and MPH Studio have been building out their Micromaster-scale line steadily and the MINI01EX is their metallic variant of their tiny 7 cm Optimus Prime. This is a figure that transforms into a truck cab, includes weapons, and is constructed from ABS and zinc alloy, meaning there is real die-cast heft to something that literally fits on a fingertip. The metallic paint application is genuinely impressive for the scale and price point, and the overall design quality matches or beats what the official Core Class figures deliver at a similar price. For collectors who love micro-scale figures and want something with a premium feel without the premium price tag, this hits that sweet spot really well. This guy was the winner for May in my eyes, so it gets two thumbs up!

4th Party AE86 AE-86 Alloy Deformation Automotive Robot

The 4th Party AE86 is an alloy deformation robot based on the iconic AE86 from Initial D, and yes the term "4th party" is doing a lot of heavy lifting here in terms of licensing context. What it is, practically, is a transforming figure that turns into a shockingly detailed recreation of the AE86 sports car with opening doors, right-hand drive configuration, and visible driver and passenger seats, then unfolds into an anime-accurate robot mode with multiple expression heads and signature melee weapons. The hip joints use a pull-down mechanism that genuinely improves posing range, the weapons stow under the body in vehicle mode, and the soft rubber tires roll smoothly. For fans of Initial D and the AE86 specifically, this is a fantasy item that somebody actually made real.

Magic Square MS-B63 ENIAC No. 1 Lightspeed

MS-B63 ENIAC No. 1 is Lightspeed, who converts from robot to futuristic race car and forms a leg of Computron in combined mode. In hand impressions show a satisfying figure with clean construction, very few visible pins or screws on the front face, and a red on red on red deco that works better in person than I expected from the prototype images. The price is right for the scale and the character representation is solid.

The articulation limitations that come with the combiner engineering are present here, specifically around the thighs and hips when the hip skirts are in their standard position, and the arm range is more limited than ideal. Bur overall, I think a good buy.

Final Thoughts

May was the month of the mini figures, and it's refreshing to have a general theme for the month as well as one that I'm particularly interested in. It made my bank account look a little sad, which is basically the ideal Transformers collecting experience, unfortunately. But all in all, I'm pretty happy. See you all in June!