MIGHTY GALE FORCE: TRANSFORMERS SUPERLINK SC-17 WING-SABER!!!

8:12 AM in CYBERTRONINAN JET, ENERGON, G1 HOMAGE, POWER-UP, STAR SABER, Superlink, WING SABER

A very warm hello to those oversea readers who have stopped by my humble blog. Many sincere thanks and gratitude. Well, yours truly WSX is here again to post a mini-rant/ review and personal musings on yet another toy which is collecting dust on my display shelve... LOL! Overall the window styled packaging is always geared towards the bigger classed toys and the Superlink and Energon toy lines are some of the most awesome/ dynamic Transformer lines ever to grace the fandom.

Today is a great honor to feature yet another homage type character, one which also forms the basis of my blog sphere and internet pseudonym. The awesome Transformer featured this time around is none other than the Super General Warrior for the Cybertrons/Autobots: TRANSFORMERS SUPER LINK SC-17 WING SABER!! Wing Saber's tech-spec is taken from one of my most favorite online sources for all things Transformers related, none other than www.tfuinfo.com . Hmm, by the looks of his tech spec/ bio data, he is akin to a chivalrous Lancelot-archetype. Brave, strong and fiercely loyal to his superiors. In short, everything desired in a second in command warrior.

TECH SPEC:
"Courage and fortitude are the foundations of a true warrior."
Wing Saber served as a first class transport for members of Cybertron's high council before he discovered his true calling as a warrior. His incredible speed and aerial skills have made him a valued member of the Autobot team. In Cybertronian Jet mode, his stealth abilities allow for long range attack that have given the Autobots the upper hand during many offensive maneuvers. Wing Saber takes great pride in his standing with the Autobots and has proven his loyalty and devotion to Optimus Prime on many occasions. His ability to Powerlinx with Optimus gives their combined robot form impressive flight capabilities. Megatron has kept an admiring eye on Wing Saber and hopes to someday sway this great Autobot warrior to the side of the Decepticons.
Strength	Intelligence	Speed	Endurance	Rank	Courage	Fireblast	Skill
9	7	10	8	8	9	10	9

"WING-BLADE"/CYBERTRONIAN JET MODE:

His overall look is reminiscent of his Transformers Victory Generation One Japanese namesake, the mighty Autobot Commander : C-324 Star Saber. Basically, Wing Saber's alternate aerial mode looks like a stealth jet, compact and sleek. This mode is also does a decent homage in channeling the whole G1 Star Saber huge jet mode vibe, obviously save for the omission of mid-sized plane which can attach to the huge unit. I always have a keen liking for any toy which incorporates the usage of translucent plastic parts-- and Wing Saber's deep red area really lends an added feel of exclusivity / individuality to the character. He comes with two spring loaded missile ports and a pair of gray missiles. If there is another major influence in the propagation and passion for collecting our plastic crack--its undoubtedly the sharpest and most comprehensive archiving of Transformers toys ever in Asia-- The following toy pictures of Wing Saber provided is courtesy and credited to Hong Kong super-collector Remy--of the hugely popular website of premier Transformers photo shoots: www.TFkenkon.com

Overall, its for me a rather "hit and miss" kinda scenario-- essentially a folded and compacted Wing Saber robot mode, although looks sharp and attractive and the "homage" to Victory Star Saber is the saving grace for this mode. A-



ROBOT MODE


Brickish- and limited posability, as expected he can only move his elbows and bend at an angle in the knees. To me, this slight drawback doesn't hamper the overall bulky and strong look of the toy. He's in the "Mega" class figure category, and his plastic body has a nice feeling of weight on him. In terms of paint job wise, his head is a copper/gold sprayed on type, with neon green eyes to reflect the CG-stylized version from the Energon/Superlink series. This little attention to detail and other molded parts really shows the level of effort the designers at Takara/Hasbro put in to increase the physical appeal of Wing Saber . Appreciative fans like myself who subscribe to the "old-school" of thought-- will always be massive fans of Japanese-Inspired mecha designs, Wing Saber included. Again, since this was released sometime or approximately SIX years ago in 2004, I wont be tempted to go into the mechanics of Transformation, as it is readily available online to the general public consumers at the Hasbro website.
A+


Next we move on to the piece de' resistance --and the whole reason why this makes e for such an ingenious toy.


WING SABER : COMBINATION / SUPER LINK MODE


As some of you are aware by now, Wing Saber is the reborn Autobot drone, Wing Dagger-- Now this time his sole purpose is to serve as the Power-Link armor to Optimus Prime. An irony is that Transformers Victory Star Saber was the main leader and relied on Victory Leo for additional fire-power. Now Wing Saber can be halved and made to become both the Flight Mode/Attack Mode as depicted above. A major role reversal if you are looking at Wing Saber's role in the Transformer Superlink/Energon time-line.

FINAL THOUGHTS:


While the nostalgic nod to G1 Star Saber is evident, down to his color combination and the fact that Wing Saber shares similar traits in blocky- body design, he is a pretty decent addition to your collection, if you ever manage to obtain one. His gimmick and appeal no doubt is his main asset of being essentially a "power-up" MacGuffin to Super Link Convoy--akin to many other Super robot/Mecha elements from those kookier Japanese noggins! Lastly, the neat and poignant Transformers Victory homage seals the deal for me, really. This is the "closest" rendition that us Transformers fans can ever hope to obtain with our grubby little fingers-- of an "updated" version of the Star Saber lore. Period.
For more of a closer look at the Energon version of Wing Saber, please visit this link

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SCORPION KING!!TRANSFORMERS SUPERLINK SD-05: MEGAZARAK!!

8:32 PM in Generation 1, Homage, Megazarak, Scorpion, Superlink

Hey all! This is yours truly WSX, once again bringing a mini-blog post, the second one for the New Year! This time around, I thought to myself that Alternity Cliffjumper can wait. Slipped my mind that I had this baby hiding somewhere in my closet of toys.... LOL. Got this collection form a local hobby shop sometime back early 2008. Thought that the character was noble, ruthless and cool at the same time. Proof is in the pudding, as they say! Check out this video clip on Youtube.com. TRANSFORMERS SUPER-LINK Episode # 3: Megazarak's Trap!

Without further delay, ladies and gentleman, I would like to present to you none other than the Super-Destron General : SD-05 Megazarak! He basically has a much more "lighter" colour scheme going for him as he is draped in gold, sea-green/bluish tinge and light brown/yellow plastic parts. To me, he looks the part and definitely resembles his old Western Generation One namesake Scorponok. Overall, I think that the box shots for the Superlink series is pretty kickass, with clear, solid graphics depicted. The usage of the computer-generated character and distinctive blue font in Japanese makes for an attractive collection. The back of the box depicts all of his Three transformation modes, and as usual ,the poses done for the toy is "stylized" for added measure!

Again, I wont go into the boring and monotonous detail of how to transform this bad-ass mofo. The instructions are similar for those of Transformers Energon Scorponok. The kind folks at Hasbro were kind enough to display and allow the general shopper and public access to any instructions/ product safety manuals of all their products. For more reference, the direct link to Megazarak/Scorponock's manual can be found by clicking here.

	Tech Spec
	"If I do not crush you with my claws, I will finish you with my sting!"
	Scorponok is a power-hungry warrior who believes that he is the rightful leader of the Decepticon. He can back up this claim with a three-mode arsenal and a nasty attitude. In scorpion mode, beware of his huge mechanical claws and energon stinger. In vehicle mode, Scorponok is a powerful jet and construction vehicle with a talent for destruction. Megatron beware! This dangerous Decepticon is coming for you.
	Strength	Intelligence	Speed	Endurance	Rank	Courage	Fireblast	Skill
	10	8	7	9	9	9	9	10

Okay, next is just a bare bones run-down on the various modes and strengths / weaknesses of each one. Ill start with the basic form and work my way through his Robot and Cyber-Jet modes.

ROBOTIC SCORPION

Basically his "default" vehicular/ scorpion mode packaged in box. He resembles a heavy-duty shoveler and looks menacing in this mode. As far as posebailty and gimmicks goes, he can open and close his "bucket" claws; swivel his tail/cockpit area with the press of a button, launch missiles from the underside launchers below his pincers. Overall, Id give this alternate mode a big thumbs up-- looks like a big, cybernetic, and well thought of "Scorpion". A++!


ROBOT MODE


Now we move on to his robot mode. Fairly simple transformation. My sincere Thanks and credit goes out to www.tfuinfo.com for the following Transformers Energon Scorponok (which had a much brighter and changed colour scheme--with the light gold being replaced by a much gaudy dark orange colour) So much for being ANIME accurate! He is poesable but limited in that his articulation is such that he only is able to move his head, visor, shoulders, claws, hips can be rotated, however-- he does have elbows and knees which bend somewhat. Overall the aesthetics are meant to be grand and big-- his shoulder pads give him a broader look. The head-sculpt is very G1, and the "pistons" and the body especially the claws make Megazarak every inch the humongous mechanical monster he is! A+

Next up:

CYBER-JET MODE

In this mode, he looks sleek and could do some serious aerial damage. However, to me this is his most "weakest" mode, as he looks as if he is somewhat stuck between robot and scorpion mode. Well, to be honest my gut instinct is telling me that the designers had this mode as an afterthought-- as ALL Transformers fans can attest to-- there is room for personal transformation inventions-- Megazarak's scorpion tale is flattened out, making the front nose of the plane--while the rest of this alt mode is just his scorpion pincers and thread-legs folded-up into a compact position. B+

FINAL THOUGHTS:

For further reading and notes of importance of the toy, please visit super-Aussie review site, Cliffbee.com. As for me, Superlink/ Energon Megazarak is an inspiring Decepticon commander, powerful and imposing. Having THREE modes and the fact he is a pretty awesome homage to his G1 predecessor Scorponok and Zarak makes him all the more one of the more coveted and value buy Destron Figure worth getting!

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