Wait, series 3? After series 1, 2, and the three-pack, I was certain that this line was done! And not only that, but uh... series 4 has shown up, too. Yep. I'm behind! So let's just cut to the chase. The blind bag codes are:
A - Ratchet
B - Slug
C - Phantom Strike Lockdown
D - Sentinel Prime
E - Bumblebee
F - Evac
G - Dino
H - Ironhide
I - Silver Knight Optimus Prime
J - Sky Rage Starscream
N - Drift
P - Barricade
There you go. Note the number of redone or repainted characters - it's gonna be a wild ride! You can probably still see some of these figures in stores, as Series 4 is just beginning to show up (expect a review soon). We'll start with the new figures, and then move on to repaints.
Ratchet is big, bulky, and yellow! His transformation sequence is pretty unique for the line (albeit simple), and the blocky dude stands out quite nicely!
Yeah, that's a pretty chunky vehicle.
Ironhide's easily one of the best in the series - his way of transforming leaves him with a surprising amount of articulation!
He turns into a somewhat convincing pickup truck.
Dinobot Slug (formerly Slag) picks up from Grimlock to become the second dinobot in the line! His robot form is fairly convincing, a surprise for this line.
And likewise, his dino form is pretty good! It's nice to know that Grimlock isn't the only one here.
You'd think that Barricade would be a repaint, but no - this is an entirely new figure, representing Barricade's look from the first few movies!
Easiest transformation ever. Just pop out the arms!
Sentinel Prime is an impressive chunky little figure with a creative way of folding open!
Another blocky vehicle.
Drift is a blue recolor of the red figure in Series 2.
Same transformation, too!
Evac is a blue recolor of the green Crosshairs figure from series 1!
Wait, where's his windshield?
Dino is not a dinosaur. Dino is actually Mirage (why the name?), and a recolor of Hot Rod.
Dino has a lot more red than Hot Rod!
Phantom Strike Lockdown is a weird, yellowed translucent redeco of Lockdown. That's not age or sun damage.
This figure is also a lot more soft and rubbery than the others, and likely to fall apart as a result.
Sky Rage Starscream is our third redeco of the same figure, but at least red stands out.
What will they do when they need a different jet?
Silver Knight Optimus Prime is a nice reference to The Last Knight, but it's also the fourth time we've gotten this mold. At least it's not the same paint job, right?
He's still got his flame deco, too!
And Bumblebee is the third identical rerelease of the same figure. Blah. BLAH. SHOW SOME CREATIVITY. Anyway, aside from that wasted slot, these figures are pretty good - Ironhide, Slug, and Ratchet in particular are the standouts, much like Megtaron, Sqweeks, and Shockwave in Series 2! Next up: Series 4!
