MegaSteel MS-03 Buster
Bottom Line (** 1/2 stars (out of a possible 5)
By Stygian360
Introduction:
MegaSteel Buster had several tough acts to follow going into this review- KFC Transistor and an earlier although quite noble attempt at Blaster from Unique Toys called Soundmixer. Both were stellar figures in their own right; plenty of articulation and G1 pizzazz and quite evocative of the original character. That said, Buster isn’t quite as good as either of those and once I get into the actual details of this review it will be made clearer as to why.
Articulation:
Starting off with articulation. Everything that’s here is more than adequate and is fairly standard for what we’re seeing on third party releases these days. Swivel neck due to a great ball-joint, swivel and hinged shoulders (due to transformation). As an aside, I find that hinged shoulders are quite useful for arm positions that might not be achievable normally- say for gripping the barrel from underneath or holding a sword, etc. Every collector is going to have a different angle on whether the figure still looks right when he’s essentially over reaching at that joint, but for me it works fine. Anyway, Buster also has swivel hips, knees and ankles. In other words everything here is standard, useful and works great. It seems odd to use the word “standard” when describing such voluminous articulation, especially when so many early third party releases struggled with basic articulation, but what’s old is now old and it’s pretty “standard” to give these figures every bit of articulation possible. In this regard Buster will not let you down at all.
Paint:
For an action figure that comes in a box fit for high-end jewelry or a silk shirt it seems odd that there would be overspray and paint chips on Buster straight out of the box, but alas there are both. It’s almost like MegaSteel said; “Let’s dazzle them with presentation and then fall short on paint.” Obviously I jest and apologies to MegaSteel, but it’s difficult to see why so much effort went into making sure this release was as solid as possible before putting it on shelves, only to fall short on something as key as paint. Regardless, what isn’t as already described is solid if not mind-blowing. After all Blaster wasn’t known for his intricate paint color. But the chipping- particularly on his front leg speakers- really dings this release. Also of note; paint overspray on several knobs on his shoulders and the colors chosen seem a tad muted as well. For instance; the blacks on his speakers could have been darker and I’m not sure the orange works in place of what should truly have been red.
Transformation:
This is the point of the review where I feel MegaSteel truly let down this release. Buster can practically be transformed blind-folded and that’s right out of the box. Yes he’s that simple and with zero attempt at egregious hyperbole here. True, some collectors like simple because it means they don’t have to dig out instructions or hop on youtube and go through recent video reviews for help, but the truth of the matter is with third party prices as high as they are- granted the quality is generally there to match- there needs to be as much value add as possible. For many this ‘value add’ means an intricate if not confounding transformation. Unfortunately here Buster is going to let you down. Essentially you swing his arms back, fold the legs up (after swinging the feet panels back), tuck a few panels into place, and then swing the two pieces that form his handle into position and you’re done. That’s in competition with recent Hasbro releases for least number of steps! I’m not sure why MegaSteel chose to make him so simple, but I can frankly admit it was over so quick that- like a father putting his child’s toy together on Christmas Eve and digging around to make sure he didn’t miss any screws- I was looking around to make sure I’d done it all. Not just done it correctly, but had done it all period! Okay, I’m beating a dead horse here, but you get the point. He’s not going to blow any collectors mind as to intricacy of engineering. But as I’m often fond of saying in my reviews, what’s here works.
He also includes a nice hand-held weapon that fits easily in either hand and also tears down for easy storage. And his last accessory is an additional head. Although both expressions are roughly the same- as is the style of head- so I’m not sure of the benefit of one over the other. I suppose it’s left to the buyer to decide.
Bottom Line:
Honestly I was let down by Buster. He seems like he’d make a great Classics version of Blaster, but since he lacks any in-scale tapes, doesn’t have a working spring-loaded tape door, and his transformation is dirt simple I’m not really sure how much of a value add he is in that regard. If looks alone work for you then you’re going to be pleased. One plus is that his heft (he includes diecast in the legs and a few other places) is substantial and makes him at least feel worth the money, but personally other recent Blaster third party releases better fulfill all of these categories. Overall I like what MegaSteel attempted here and perhaps after tuning in better with what fans really expect from a release at this price point they will be doing better, but as it stands I don’t feel this release hits enough sweet spots.
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