The Transformers third-party world has long been a competitive space, and with Fanstoys and MMC dominating the Masterpiece scales, a second battle has now broken out in the Legends ("smaller" for the uninitiated) market. The two main rivals are Magic Square and this year's newcomer, Newage. Both companies have delivered knock-out products, with Magic Square's recent take on Megatron being arguably a definitive take on the character, and Newage delivering a Seeker Jet (Starscream et al) that's better than any other version in any size class. From sculpt to articulation, they're jaw-dropping.
With the current main-line (Transformers Siege & Earthrise) now delivering an affordable deluxe scale take on a lot of the core G1 characters as well, it's becoming increasingly difficult to pick a single range to collect.
"Bring me scandalous pictures of Optimus Prime and Elita 1!"
So let's welcome Newage back to the ring then, with their take on a toy-version of the Transformers camera trio, Reflector. This is a strange bot as it comes in two flavours - the original toy was comprised of three distinct robots - Spectro (red), Spyglass (blue) and Viewfinder (purple). These three bots transformed individually, before you could combine them into their camera mode. The cartoon elected to simplify things and make them clones - three identical robots in grey, purple and teal that spoke in unison. This became the "main" take on the character going forward (with only the now defunct Dreamwave Comics using the toy designs) and subsequently the "toy deco" is used when trying to milk the mould, to varying degrees of success.
As well as a recolour of the clone-style robots, Newage has added brand new head-sculpts for each toy, and this works wonders for selling it as a new set. Aping the original toy release perfectly, the company has also cleverly added tampos that recall the original's stickers, adding a new level of authenticity. The extra details really make the figures feel a lot more premium, and coupled with metallic colours, clear plastic on the chests to show off the sculpted detail underneath, you have a set of toys that look unbelievably beautiful when in-hand.
Each robot comes with a signature weapon taken straight from the original toy, a flash that can be used as a gun/searchlight, and a lens that takes a battery to activate a light (in the lens which seems odd!) and more appropriately emits a picture-taking sound.
Look at how cute it is!
Speaking of camera gubbins, the camera mode itself is a joyful little gadget, actually coming in at the same size as my fully-working Nikon F camera (it takes teeny-tiny film and is utterly adorable). The bots combine convincingly, never popping off and it feels weighty in your palm. It's always been a parts-former, so no criticism of the lens and flash being separate pieces, they work just as the original did back in '84, and that's just fine with me.
The build quality, which is Newage's real hook, is as solid and self-evident as the best of their releases so far. With Newage having now released the main 6 Seekers, Megatron in various flavours, the Insecticons, and now Reflector (with a Soundwave incoming) the company have cleverly covered almost all of the top Decepticon figures from the original first season. Only Shockwave and the Constructicons remain, either of which is a mouth-watering prospect at this point.
This attention to detail at such a small scale, with wonderful articulation and spot-on sculpting, are really starting to make my Masterpiece collection look completely redundant. I now have a large selection of Legends figures, which I can actually pose in battle for a more lively display, that is more immediate and, more importantly, fun, than anything in a larger size. This could be the end destination of my collection, with all other toys cleared out, safe in the knowledge that I still have excellent representations of the characters I loved throughout my childhood.
If you want a legends-scaled Reflector, either of the Newage decos is a complete and utter win. Forever ticked off my list, these bad paparazzi bots will take their rightful and permanent place on my display. More please, Newage!
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