The RFC Mini-cast – 047: G2 Menasor Reviewed

Combiner Wars G2 Menasor finally gives fans the unreleased 1990s Stunticon colors as a complete team. John DeLuna, Exvee, Don and Matt go figure by figure, from G2 Breakdown’s teal to Motormaster’s color clash. They debate what makes a deco truly G2 and whether the box set is worth about $100. The episode opens with reactions to Terrorsaur as the free BotCon 2016 attendee figure.

Terrorsaur Is the BotCon 2016 Freebie

One host welcomes a new combiner limb, while Don had not seen the news yet. The face sculpt is the only new part, and one host calls it a step back from recent heads. The crew likes the jet mode, and one host notes the pterosaur head lines up with the nose cone. That host finds the figure uninteresting, which is fine since he will never own the attendee freebie. A joke about the Beast Wars episode “Dark Designs” follows. [Source: TFW2005]

G2 Breakdown and Wild Rider

Exvee is posting a series of G2 Menasor reviews on TFormers. Matt loves Breakdown’s teal with purple highlights. Exvee calls Breakdown the weakest deco, with too little purple compared with the 1994 BotCon figure and the 2010 homage. Don says the 1994 BotCon G2 Breakdown will always be special to him. Breakdown has lost some mystique, though, since he now exists in three molds plus a 2004 Action Master.

John loves Wild Rider’s yellow. Exvee says it is the first Hasbro Combiner Wars figure to benefit from Takara’s Unite Warriors part gating, so the arms are one color. Matt notes the classic head sculpt, and his copy is missing two hip screws. Don wishes Hasbro had released the original team members first and saved Offroad and Alpha Bravo for later. John imagines the riots had Hasbro used Offroad here instead.

Dead End, Dragstrip and Motormaster

One host likes the Dead End mold, though his copy’s head is frighteningly tight. Exvee calls it the prettiest deluxe mold, in Kool-Aid red, if not very G2. Exvee says Dragstrip breaks from the original G2 prototype’s mostly black deco with half blue, half black, and it works. Don says G2 is a spirit, not just a palette, and inverting a bright yellow racer fits it. Exvee confirms the checkered spoiler is there.

John loves G2 Motormaster’s clash of blue, red and purple. One host calls the saturated colors an unimaginably beautiful whole. Matt rates Motormaster a great robot and says his torso is not as bad as fans claim.

Blackjack and Menasor Combined

Blackjack is very purple and blends into Motormaster in combined mode. One host calls his fit the worst of any version of the mold, and another says his Blackjack holds a static pose but falls off when moved. The crew is disappointed Hasbro fixed Motormaster’s hips but not Blackjack’s fit. Matt says G2 Menasor stands far better than his Optimus Maximus. The cyan hands and feet tie the colors together, and the crew jokingly argues over whether they are aqua, teal or turquoise.

Is G2 Menasor Worth It?

Matt says the box set carries a premium but tells listeners to buy it. Don calls it a good value for collectors who love G2, and a niche set for everyone else. One host notes the $100 sticker price is about $5 more than the individual figures. The box and mini poster help, and the crew has come to see the figures as legitimately pretty toys.

Contributors: John DeLuna, Exvee, Don, Matt