Rodimus Prime [AMK Mini Series Wave 2]

Rodimus Prime is an Autobot leader whose own self-doubts often cloud his judgment. Considering he was practically thrown into the role unexpectedly… I don’t blame him. One day he’s just fishing with his little buddy Daniel, and the next he’s leading the Autobots after defeating Unicron. Add in his guilt over the death of Optimus Prime, and that’s a lot of weight to carry.

Honestly, I think Rodimus gets a bum rap over the whole Optimus situation. Megatron was already about to shoot Optimus while playing possum. Hot Rod tried to save him while everyone else just stood there. I’d like to think Optimus would’ve done the same — and decisions like that are probably why the Matrix chose Rodimus in the first place. After all, we all know how beaten down and war-weary Optimus Prime was. I’m sure he’d faced countless similar moments. Rodimus, though? He’s young, and literally was just fishing the other day.

Yolopark’s AMK Mini version of Rodimus Prime looks great and really captures his unique design. The detailing is well sculpted and he looks exactly like he should. They did a fantastic job with his flame deco, and I really like the chrome on his smokestack forearm guns. His twin Photon Lasers are also nicely represented and finished in that same chrome. That chrome means a lot to me for reasons I can’t fully explain — maybe because I’ve always loved how it was used on classic G1 toys.

The improved articulation introduced in AMK Mini Series Wave 2 really shines here. Combined with the included closed fists and open palm hands, you can pose Rodimus in just about any way you want. It’s especially fun to have him posed mid-speech, right before dealing with whatever nonsense the Quintessons or Decepticons are stirring up next. His colors look sharp against the angular sculpting, and the whole package feels very impressive — especially considering the kit assembles in just minutes.

There’s also a Shattered Glass variation available in the Wave 2 blind box releases, which is… awfully tempting. When they came up with that mirror-universe color scheme, they really struck gold. Sure, Rodimus may struggle with his own sense of self-worth most of the time, but at least he can feel confident knowing Yolopark made a great AMK Mini kit of him.

Altered Beast [Console Heroes/SEGA Genesis]

RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!

This week’s Console Heroes post comes just in time for two different occasions. First off, Setsubun is in a few days, and while Aggar may not technically be an oni… he is a giant red horned ogre. Second, I’ve been wanting to talk about something a little ooky spooky. We’ve got almost a year until the Halloween shenanigans kick off here on the site, but monsters are in the site’s description. It’s always a little spooky when every day is Halloween.

Altered Beast is a classic SEGA game originally released in arcades, and it completely blew my little mind the first time I saw it at the local Circle K. I was a kid who couldn’t get enough of monsters, and the ability to play as a werewolf absolutely floored me. The Ancient Greek setting, packed with other monsters, was just icing on the cake. While multiple home console versions were released, the most popular was the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive version, which also happened to be the system’s original pack-in game.

This Console Heroes Altered Beast diorama, aptly named the Graveyard Diorama, represents the first level of the game — which is what most people immediately think of when they think of Altered Beast. This opening stage is where Zeus resurrects you, the Centurion, and sends you to rescue his daughter from Neff, the demonic ruler of the underworld. Here, you fight zombies and other freaky monsters while defeating giant wolves to POWER UP! Each time, you transform into a stronger version of yourself until finally becoming a werewolf. Shortly after, Neff confronts you and a battle with Aggar ensues. After defeating Aggar, Neff reverts you back to your base form. Each subsequent level introduces a new monster form to POWER UP into, along with even more freaky bosses.

The diorama features the familiar cartridge replica opening up to display the graveyard level as it appeared in the game. Included is a werewolf figure in a fighting pose, a fireball accessory with one of those clear rod doohickeys to make it float dramatically in the air, and a large Aggar figure for the werewolf to hurl that fireball at. There are also life and status bars that clip onto the clamshell, further selling the game recreation.

Overall, this is a really solid set. Aggar doesn’t actually plug into the pegs on the diorama base, but that’s not really necessary. Both the werewolf and Aggar look great, and I really appreciate the dynamic fighting pose… even if it does result in a werewolf showing off his butt in toy form. Seriously, man — put some jorts on or something.

While Altered Beast does get merchandise from time to time, it’s nowhere near as common as other SEGA properties, which makes this set feel like a special treat. There are also a lot of Easter eggs in Altered Beast that reference other SEGA games. In my mind, it exists in the same continuity as Golden Axe and Streets of Rage. Maybe even Shinobi. I like to imagine a shared SEGA universe — which is funny, considering SEGA also gave us the excellent Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker arcade game (and an okay console version). Michael Jackson famously contributed to the Sonic 3 soundtrack (we’ll get to that one soon), and possibly even more SEGA projects, as that bit of history is a little murky. Thriller was also an inspiration for Altered Beast, which is pretty sweet — and fittingly, Thriller is also the name of an album by Matthew Sweet, who later named an album after Altered Beast.

You know… I think it’s time to be welcomed to my doom and go play this game again. It’s been a while.

Changeables are go!

GO TO MCDONALD'S!

Jazz [AMK Mini Series Wave 2]

It’s been way too long since we’ve taken a look at a Yolopark kit here on the site, and AMK Mini Series Wave 2 feels like the perfect time. As some of you may recall, I was a big fan of AMK Mini Series Wave 1 a few years back and was anxiously waiting for this newest batch to drop. I’ve finally got a case in hand and I’m ready to start looking them over here with you all. We’re starting with Jazz, because… how do you not start with Jazz?

One of the most awesome members of the original crew, it’s impossible not to hear Scatman Crothers’ legendary voice in your head when you think of him. This AMK Mini is a great representation of Jazz. Since it’s been a bit since we’ve talked about these sets, they assemble a little differently than most model kits. Yolopark has pre-painted and pre-assembled many of the parts, and your job is to put everything together from there to form the completed figure.

Depending on the size class, this can take a while, as some of the larger kits are pretty intricate. These Minis aren’t too complex, though, so snapping one together doesn’t take very long. Wave 1 was already great, but they’ve really upped the quality with Wave 2. Jazz has more articulation, better paint apps, and an overall higher-quality feel. It’s genuinely impressive — once assembled, this feels like a premium action figure.

Of course, these don’t transform like a standard Transformers toy would… but that’s not why you’re buying them. These kits are all about representing the robots themselves, without the alt-mode kibble that comes with real transforming toys. Jazz looks just like his cartoon counterpart, and that’s something you can really appreciate when there’s no kibble to work around.

All of the Minis come with two sets of hands: closed fists for holding weapons (Jazz has his Photon Rifle) and open palms for more expressive poses. With the amount of articulation here, Jazz can emote just about anything. His color scheme is fairly simple — white, black,  a bit of blue and gray — but it’s a combination that really pops and looks fantastic on this kit. It’s hard enough not to like Jazz as it is, and Yolopark has somehow made an AMK Mini version that’s completely impossible to hate.