Dran0n's Blog

2011-12-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

The Sickness is the first effort from the band, Disturbed. They debuted with a bang, of which they haven't reached since. And it's what the name suggests; aggressive, angry metal. It would really classify as nu-metal, and some of the best from that particular genre. It was certainly something. Really heavy, dark, and loud. David Draiman has the unique bark sound to his voice, but actually has decent range, being able to scream and growl, while returning to singing nicely. I also can't understand a word, and have made up half the lyrics. But the guitar is muted, low, and heavy for sure. The drums are thumping and seem to set the tone for everything. The electronic elements blend in perfectly, and are really well done. It sounds sort of dark and creepy, angry and violent. It's low and mean. It's that signature Disturbed sound. C'mon and feel their noize.

"Voices" has some fun little effect, with David growling "so" in that barking voice of his, then they lay on the heavy. The rest is David half-screaming, half-singing to some guitars which are on perfect tempo. It leads into "The Game", which isn't as good. The chorus is really the song's saving grace. It still feels a little "off", I guess. I like it a lot still. "Stupify", one of my favorites. This song really helps make the album, it really gets you going. Really heavy chorus with a great rhythm section, bass and drums working hand-in-hand. David does a great job singing things you'd have to read to understand, and some very excellent guitar work. It's just really heavy and sticks in your head. One of the best.

Who hasn't heard "Down with the Sickness"? No one, and for good reason. It's my personal favorite on this album, and favorite Disturbed song. The intro starts with Mike and some great orangutan drumming, but Dan comes in with some fantastic palm-muted guitar and David makes more noises. This is where things get "heavy". David can change between barking and singing really well, and the rest of the band do a great job leading into an amazing chorus, albeit and odd one. The bridge is an odd one, as it's basically David screaming about how abusive his mother was. Can't verify the authenticity, but it adds some more dark, angry, violent lyrical to an already dark, angry, violent album. Lead riff to chorus, end. Fantastic.

"Violence Fetish" is filler, really. It begins with some distorted guitar courtesy of Dan, and David doing his "Disturbed" thing. The guitar is weird, yes, but David and Dan are still magical together, and they do a good job. Needs some more traditional hardcore metal choruses, but dear lord the chorus is made of joy. The guitar is doing this fun screeching, with a hint of technical elements and David is just screaming and being angry. Makes the song. "Fear" has a really different intro, with some drums and this interesting little techno effect, then drops so excellently with David screaming and Dan providing the heavy. The whole band mixes together and delivers and perfect verse, and a pretty good heavy metal chorus. The outro hits you hard, with everyone kickin' it into overdrive.

"Numb" is filler, filler, filler. It's also sort of different in the fact it's slow... but slow, harmonizing David doesn't sound as good as the slower songs from American Capitalist. The c horus is pretty good, with all that good screaming and the rest of the band bringing in some hardcore. The chorus is what saves the song. David's more harmonizing voice doesn't really work on the song, and it's just kinda sub-par. "Want" begins with some very quiet, soft talking and this robotic drone and this industrial banging sound... Then at the 27 second mark, David startles me by screaming "SHE WANT MEH!" as loud as he can, then they destroy the verse. Dan's guitar palm-mutes and squeals. It's a slower song, but it's a slower Disturbed song done right. Decent effort with "Numb", but this is brilliance. It's crunching, heavy, and just great.

"Conflict" is great. The beginning has little bit of Dave, but it's really just doing their heavy (again) thing. The verse is a mix of Dan muting and Dave half-singing again. The chorus is full of screaming and plenty of HEAVY. The drumming is great on this album, I might add. But this song in particular. We are reunited with our double-bass drum friend, and it's a grand reunion. The bridge is actually fairly creepy, and the song ends with muting and bass/drum deliciousness.

"Shout 2000" is, in fact, a cover the Tears for Fears song of the same name. Not really original, but it's an amazing heavy metal cover of an older pop song. I really do like the Fears version, but oh my. I do love the Disturbed one. Even more so, I think. Sorry, but I do. Deal with it. "Droppin' Plates" is such a silly song. "A little somethin' for your earholes! GET UP!" Okay, it is one of my favorites from these guys. It's just sort of rolling, and David's screaming takes it places. It's the heaviest. They dished out the heavy good here. It's rolling and full of David's screaming and Dan on the higher strings. They just go all out on this on.Turn up your speakers.

"Meaning of Life" begins with a little drum beat from Mike, and an electronic beat that's a dead ringer for "Head Like a Hole". This song is also very heavy, it can compete with "Droppin' Plates". Full of palm-muted joy, and David flawlessly singing to screaming and back again. Mike works overtime, and the bridge is great. Dave basically raps, and I really couldn't understand what he said. Anyway, this is a brilliant way to top off the album. Fast, heavy, and probably the creepiest song on the album.

Overall, The Sickness wins in big ways. It's nu-metal at its absolute finest. Heavy, palm-muted guitars, fast drum rolls, screaming vocals and electronics mesh together flawlessly to create this lyrically dark, violent, profane, and angry album!

I also learned that Song-by-song takes a lot of time and text.

Five Finger Death Punch - American Capitalist - A Review

2011-12-18T02:47:00.000-07:00

In starting; Wow.

Five Finger Death Punch are indeed a sonic war machine of sorts, and American Tragedy only cements this further. One wouldn't describe modern (largely) as "clever" or "mature", but this album certainly is. Five Finger have certain "no bull" type approach to their music, and from the opening moments and growls, I could tell one of the year's finest was coming. Many years of hard work and middle fingers have come together to birth this, c'mon and feel their noize.

The opening track is hard and fast, setting the tone perfectly. Guitarists Zoltan Bathory and Jason Hook are sick. They create a low, death metal sound and trade off time signatures so effectively. The beastly riffs can be a tad repetitive, but the low tuning really does make up for it. This album is also a lot more solo friendly. They're more pronounced, more respected. They're beautiful, roaring, explosive, great. They remind me of 80s heavy metal solos of yore, and are integrated perfectly to the growling, crunching frenzy. There are also more acoustic intros on American Capitalist than on previous Five Finger Death Punch albums. It gives it a more intelligent feel, but keeping the brutality. The guitar work here is truly something to be admired.

The rhythm! Oh, the rhythm is tight. The bass/drum sync is spot-on brilliant and makes this album so amazing. Chris Kael makes a wonderful debut, and gets his own little solo on" Generation Dead", even! Jeremy Spencer delivers a brutal double-bass drum pummeling. He too gets his little moment on the title track. But, i do wish we got maybe some slightly more aggressive drums, but is hectic enough to please. The rhythm section does get a little repetitive (yet amazingly synced), that said.

The lyrics and vocals are great as ever. Ivan Moody continues to live up to his name, delivering angry throaty growls and clean, harmonic vocals. The lyrics are aggressive and angry. The growling hate-filled verses come and kick your skull in, and the clean, harmonized vocals come in and finish the job with an equal amount of sheer aggression. The lyrics are both really angry, and highly intelligent. I'd go so far as to describe some of it as poetry. In short, my ears hurt.

"Under and Over It" is the first single, and it's a brilliant example to sum up FFDP. It's full of all the anger and aggression, fast paced drums, sizable riffs, and some deep, catchy lyrics. "The Pride" is a brilliant list song, as Mr. Moody runs down pop culture icons and brand names. It's the most blatant about commercialism, and a sarcastic comment on our materialistic obsession. These guys have perfected every sonic element for sure.

"Coming Down" is the first softer, acoustic song on Capitalist. It's a music suicide note that's touching, as well as FFDP tough. Moody's voice reaches new heights, and Bathony/Hook top things off nicely with some wicked distortion.

"OHHHHHH YEAHHHHHH!! **** IT.", screams Moody before we are bludgeoned by the brilliant double-bass stomp and the guitarists curb stomp you into submission. The bass/drum sync really do shine here, and the solo fits in so perfectly. One of the heaviest tracks, and it's catchy, but "Menace" ends, and the groovy bass and guitar distortion lead nicely into "Generation Dead".

FFDP get "real" with "I Remember Everything" which beings with Moody bearing his soul and flaws in a letter to his family. It slowly builds up to a true "sky full of lighters" (sky full of iPhones?) chorus. Honest as it gets.

"Wicked Ways" is super catchy and sort of punky in its own way. "If I Fall" is another good example of everything FFDP. It starts out with a slow intro, then blasts into a full on assault of thee aforementioned double-bass and hyperspace-speed riff, while Moody spits out "If I Fall, I'm dragging everybody down."

"100 Ways to Hate" is a metallic, atomic assault. Everything gets caught in the mushroom cloud. It's a giant middle finger to all y'all haters, and ends poetically with an "eff you".

American Capitalist is easily the best Five Finger Death Punch album. They seem more confident, and have perfected their sound. It's a brilliant assault of all things great about heavy metal. "Bass drum kick that'll blow out your eyes", lightspeed, low riffs, excellent solos. It has poetic, intelligent, angry lyrics with some great gruff verses and epic, harmonic choruses. I think it's the best album of the year. Haters gonna hate.

2011-12-18T02:46:00.000-07:00

Hollywood Undead gets a lot of hate, but I feel it's unjust. I'm no diehard, but I like me some Hollywood Undead. That said, when evaluated on their own merits, the L.A.-based rap-rock sextet can deliver a very pleasing album full of great beats, and catchy vocals. Plus plenty of distorted guitar give it some weight and grit. Hollywood Undead pick up where they left off with their 2008 hit, Swan Songs. American Tragedy is a darker, funner, booze-soaked ride. Still all the tongue-in-cheek sort of self awareness, but with a little more edge.

The album starts out amazingly strong with the crunching, industrial "Been to Hell", and closes very nicely with a the underrated rap-rock classic "Tendencies". It's electric and murderous. The Linkin Park-sounding "Levitate" is fantastic as well. "I Don't Wanna Die" is reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails. Could be considered fairly emo, but I'm not sure I care. "Apologize" is a highly self aware to which goes down real smooth with the new vocalist, who sounds like a mix of Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, and Justin Timberlake (?). It's a great slap in the face to all the haters. "We don't apologize, and that's just the way it is." The ballads are very forgettable, and really don't do it for me. "Coming Back Down", "Hear Me Now", the like. Really, the only ballad that worked was "Pour Me", in which Johnny 3 Tears pours his guts out and bears his lonely, boozed soul. It has a really great hook, and a dark ballad. Real, true genius lies in "Bullet", a disturbingly upbeat and catchy song about a man longing for suicide. It's probably the album's sunniest track, despite the dark subject matter.

This album though is tonal. It's hard to flip-flop between your "Been to Hell"s and "I Don't Wanna Die"s to blatant and unsubtle tracks like "Gangsta Sexy". But the party anthem "Comin' In Hot" is a guilty pleasure. It's foul, it stupid, but it's catchy and just metallic enough. Charlie Scene dishes out wisdom such as "man sword". These tracks are og course purposely vulgar and edgy. I just can't place if they're doing it on purpose or if they're trying to be tough gangstas...

Overall, American Tragedy is at least worth checking out, especially to those disappointed with Linkin Park's A Thousand Suns. It's amazingly catchy, no doubt. Killer hooks, distorted guitars, aplenty. Hollywood Undead still do have sort of a identity crisis, have one foot in the typical party lifestyle of drugs and women, and another foot in the dark and surreal. I can still appreciate it for what it is, and it's a perfect follow up to Swan Songs, if not better.

The Magic Momet At Papa Murphy's.

2011-12-02T17:34:00.002-07:00

Ahh yes. Well, here's another story about pretty much nothing.

It was a snowy night. One of the first in little old Lehi, Utah. Anyway, it was a magical sight. My friends and I decided to cut through the Papa Murphy's parking lot. But, why just walk? Why just swagger? No, no, we danced in the falling snow. We pranced in the parking lot, and two employees noticed us and came out with us. We danced until the employees notice two of their co-workers standing outside on the other side of the building. They immediately stop frolicking.
"What are you doing?! Get the (f-word) back in the store! You're supposed to be closing!" One of the employees said, pointing at the store.
"Just smoking a cig, (b-word)!" the co-worker cooly replied.

And I laughed and laughed. That's my tale.

Smash.

2011-04-16T01:06:00.002-06:00

Smash propelled The Offspring into the mainstream. Many would be nay sayers, but I felt The Offspring still had all of their credibility when Smash came out. Smash set the bar high for both the band and punk music in general. The album smashed (dohoho) records by being one of the most popular albums by a then indie band. Smash in my opinion is their personal best.

Time to Relax
Just the intro. It informs us to relax and enjoy the finer things in life. Not The Offspring's best album intro track (Have to give it Conspiracy of One), but it's still pretty tops.

Nitro (Youth Energy)
This song is just huge. Smash starts out fast and intense. There isn't a slow, dull moment in this song. The fast drum rolls, heavy guitars and wailing vocals are skull crushing. Easily the best Offspring opener. It's rivaled only by Ignition's "Session", but this is faster and louder. It tells one to live life to fullest, and to let go of the past. "Our generations/Sees the world not the same as before/We might as well just throw it all/And live like there's no tomorrow."

Bad Habit
This song starts out simple and slow. The wailing vocals are present, but there is a slow bass line, and it draws you in. It then explodes into full madness. The song is about road rage, and pulling out a pistol whenever a bad driver cuts him off. It isn't deep on any level, but it's both funny and intense. It's a fast, explicative filled ride.

Gotta Get Away
One of the three single from Smash. This song is definitely slower, and more stable. It has a more grunge type feeling to it, and it stands out as the black sheep on Smash. It's still just as good as the other, more pumped up song. The song was written about the pressure of getting the album done recording by 1993. The lyrics are rather grumpy, but it's catchy and has a great bass line.

Genocide
This song is just great. It's has more of a social edge, and is more punk for sure. "Dog eat dog / Every day / On our fellow man we prey / Dog eat dog / To get by / Hope you like my genocide." It's one of the songs that give Smash it's edge. One of the best.

Something to Believe In
The greatness continues on! It begins with some nice bass riffs and drum beats, but the guitar is tad lazy, I suppose. The overtone is centered on religion and it sounds terrific. The chorus is moving, and Dexter's voice is melodic in a way. They lyrical content is sensitive, yet very fast paced and energetic. Great.

Come Out and Play (Gotta Keep 'em Separated)
Another single. Even if you aren't an Offspring fan, you know this one. This song has a certain style that sets it apart from the rest. It's a little more Nirvana-alternative with some surf rock, as opposed to the rib-crushing punk. It has the catchy little "Gotta keep 'em separated!" hook and an excellent main riff. The song is about school violence, I believe. The gangs stake their own campus locale/And if they catch you slippin' then it's all over pal/If one guy's color and the others don't mix/They're gonna bash it up, bash it up, bash it up, bash it up. Excellent song, easily one of the best. What could top it?

Self Esteem
The third single. Self Esteem is a tragic masterpiece. It's about the one-sided relationship, and it works. The memorable "La, la, lala, la, la, lala" intro is strange, yet effective. The song is slower, and the guitars are lower (rhyming). That said, the crunching guitar appears in all the right places and the "yeah" chants all mix with the slow beat to make this. I would say this is the best song off of Smash, and The Offspring's all-time best. It's worth checking out, even if you aren't a fan.

It'll Be a Long Time
Typical Offspring punk song. It rocks literally and metaphorically.

Killboy Powerhead
This is a cover the Digits song. This song doesn't really have any deeper meaning. The lyrics are fast, but "Killboy powerhead" is still sung in glorious Offspring style. It carries on the strong energy and fun from the previous songs, and makes me want to smash something.

What Happened to You?
This song ditches the fast punk and goes for a more up-beast, peppier route. It's got a really catchy sound, and a great chorus only The Offspring can deliver. It's humorous and fast. A bright, fast, peppy song about a friend's drug abuse. I would say this is one of my favorites.

So Alone
A sucker punch. It's got a really short running time of about 1:20, but still is filled the fast-paced Offspring joy. It's a little short for it's own good, really. It's over before you know it.

Not the One
This song is really catchy. It's like Nitro part II, a fast paced punk song which I think talks about how the world got messed up by earlier generations. Standard Smash fair, but still fun to listen to. It's really sad as it is almost the end of the album.

Smash
The final song and namesake of "Smash". It's like Nitro part III, except I prefer it to both of them. It as the typical fast lyrics and catchy chant, sure to be remembered for it's shock value. It's catchy, and has a nice edge. The underdog of the group, and kind of the final commentary.
Soon after, there is the demo for Come Out an Play. More Arabian sounding.

Overall, Smash is fast, fun, edgy, and intense ride, start to finish. The choruses are catchy, the drum beat is fast, the guitar is crunching and the bass is stiff. It can get a little repetitive, and it's not very deep, but the pros outweigh the cons.

Best Track: Self Esteem
Lesser Track: So Alone

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

2011-04-10T12:06:00.004-06:00

Yes, I have fallen into the cute, diabetes inducing trap that is My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

The series premise pretty much goes like this:

Twilight Sparkle is a pupil of Equestria's ruler, Princess Celestia, and being seen buried in her book and studies and such, was sent by Celestia to go make friends. Her assistant, a baby dragon named Spike, goes along with her. She meets Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. They pretty much explore the town, and solve various problems. Each episode usually ends with Twilight writing back to Celestia the lesson of friendship she learned.

Twilight Sparkle - A unicorn pony, she is Princess Celestia's dearest pupil and at first considered the pursuit of knowledge to be if higher importance than making friends and socializing, but early on in the series, Princess Celestia orders her to take a break from her studies and visit Ponyville to learn the importance of friendship. This proved to be the key to unlocking the "Elements of Harmony" and defeating Nightmare Moon. She decides to stay in Ponyville and study friendship with her mentor's blessings. Her part in the Elements of Harmony is magic.

Applejack - An earth pony. She is dependable and sensible, but also stubborn and a wee bit selfish. She also comes from a large family of apple-name related members who run an apple orchard and an apple business. Her part in the Elements of Harmony is honesty.

Rainbow Dash - A Pegasus pony. She is brave and bold, but also mischievous and proud, but can be kind of a jerk. She can fly super fast (sound barrier breaking fast), with the help of the other pegasus ponies, has the job of clearing clouds out of the sky and otherwise changing the weather. In addition, she aspires becoming a member of Equestria's aerial flight team, the Wonderbolts. Her part in the Elements of Harmony is loyalty.

Pinkie Pie- An earth pony. She is an obsessive party planner who is a total riot, talkative, and a bit air-headed. She also enjoys singing and playing pranks, with the exception of Fluttershy. Rarely does she not have a smile one her face. Her part in the Elements of Harmony is laughter.

Fluttershy - A Pegasus pony. She is sweet, calm, timid, and very shy in social events (thus Fluttershy), but when pushed, she mans up and can be forceful. Despite this demeanor, she has a great love for animals and is willing to help them at any cost. It was revealed that she is a year older than Pinke Pie. Her part in the Elements of Harmony is kindness.

Rarity - A unicorn pony. She is very stylish and beautiful, as she is interested in fashion and wishes to be the center of attention. She considers herself a lady and often acts sophisticated. She can also be very dramatic and at times distraught. She dreams of becoming a designer for Princess Celestia and marrying Celestia's nephew. In some episodes, Spike is shown to have a crush on Rarity. Her part in the Elements of Harmony is generosity.

This show is just a joy to watch. I mean, fighting space robots are nice, but this show is just nice. I'm going to be honest and say that I like it as much (if not more) that the new Transformers show (Prime). It get's me through Friday. I go through school knowing that when I get home, My Little Pony is there waiting for me. I'm not the only one outside of the target demographic that likes it, it spread through out /co/ like wildfire, and quickly became a legitimate meme on KnowYourMeme.com. It's produced a slew of "Reaction faces", and Derpy Hooves spun off into her own meme, in face. Voted "Best New Show of 2010" by Nick and More. This show draws you in with it's cuteness, and punches you in the gut with it's smart writing forcing you to stay for the season. The art style is really great. It's highly stylized and cute, but not in a crappy way. The facial expressions are great. You can tell the animators were having fun with it. We have Lauren Faust of Powerpuff Girl's fame for this. I eagerly await the second season.

Until next time, bronies.

2011-02-14T13:44:00.001-07:00

One sentence review of ToyFair: Meh.

Technically not a sentence. Lacks a subject and verb.

Hey, Hey.

2011-01-16T23:34:00.002-07:00

So ... it's January. How was your Christmas? Good, good. New Years? Huh.

Well, Hero Factory. Hero Factory 1.0 was complete disappointment and should never be spoken of again. Hero Factory 2.0 was totally delightful! It used a new building system and everything. Lead to more articulation, and less awkward robot modes. I wish I could say the villains aren't garbage, but they are. Jetbug is decent I s'ppose.

I currently have all, but the very manly Breez. Evo is in lead, and I assume he will stay in the lead.

Yeah, pick some of these sets up, as they are surprisingly decent!

2010-11-14T21:42:00.000-07:00

Seeing as it's half way through November, I should make a kost about Halloween. I was that dude from District 9· Wikus van de Merwe· Y'know the prawn guy. Made a lackluster glove and everything. C-Man was a Twinkie. I kid you not, a Twinkie. It was pretty cool. C-Man's mother was Hit-Girl from “Kick ___”. That was rad. I enjoyed that film. Anyway, happy November.

Also, I do not suggest using a Wii for typing a blog post. This took forevah.

Vintage Commander Cody BOOYAH!

2010-09-25T22:53:00.003-06:00

I have acquired the new, spiffy Commander Cody who is part of that new wacky Vintage Collection figures. I think a full review is in order, perhaps sometime next week?

What have I become. Star Wars, Transformers, and Lego? Won't be long Until I start enjoying Godzilla and Bruce Lee movies and eating Pocky in my parents basement. Madness.

Scott Pilgrim Graphic Novel

2010-08-29T21:24:00.002-06:00

Got me one of those Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. Number 2, Scott Pilgrim v.s. the World, oddly enough.

Finished it, pretty good. 9/10.

2010-08-24T12:38:00.001-06:00

Got the 6" Mark V Iron Man figure today.

Best yet! Blows War Machine and Mark VI out of the water.

i can haz hangover mark for armer?

Scott Pilgrim v.s. The World

2010-08-16T13:28:00.003-06:00

I saw this on Sunday.

I was looking forward to it quite a bit, judging from the trailer it looked so delightfully nerdy and kewl. My want to see this went into maximum overdrive when I saw the Tomato Meter (80/10). So I viewed it!

It was great, had everything you could ever want in a movie. Good story, characters, acting, pacing, humor, visuals, amazingly choreographed fight scenes, and awesome video game references.

If you've seen the trailer and thought "This looks too nerdy and manga-ish, pass." Do not! It was pretty funny and even non-dorks can enjoy this.

So overall, 9.5/10. Probably number 10 on my list of favorite movies ever.

TIME TO BUST OUT THE GRAPHIC NOVELS UPON WHICH IT WAS BASED!

About the RPMs Binge.......

2010-08-14T05:11:00.002-06:00

I have decided to sell 'em. $2 EACH (also gotta add shipping)

Fo Sale:

- Sideways
- Barricade
- Megatron
- Starscream
- Optimus Prime
- Ironhide
- Bumblebee(Camaro Concept)
- Bumblebee (2010 Camaro)
- Sideswipe

The others I have decided to trade for a G1 Bumblebee and Cliffjumper.

RPMs Binge

2010-07-30T10:42:00.003-06:00

So, Dollar Tree has been stocking RPMs. So the logical thing to do was to buy 14!

I have:
- Ratchet
- Jolt
- Ironhide
- Mudflap
- Skids
- Bumblebee (ROTF Car mode, Bee without Battle Mask)
- Bumblebee (TFM1 Car Mode, Bee with Battle Mask)
- Sideways
- Megatron
- Mixmaster
- Optimus Prime
- Long Haul
- Rollbar
- Starscream

And that's your lot.

MASTERPIECE MOVIE STARSCREAM!

2010-07-19T12:45:00.003-06:00

So, we, the fandom, are getting the first movie Masterpiece toy! I was so excited when I saw the news, it was awesome, I almost exploded, but it turns out that it's just a repaint of the Hasbro Leader Starscream. Sigh, still it looks amazing in jet mode.

Click the title for a link to the photo gallery.

Jimi Stringer Review or Something

2010-07-10T22:22:00.003-06:00

So, Hero Factory is upon us, it seems. I'm glad it is, because it's Bionicles replacement and I was eagerly anticipating the release of said line, so here ya go, Jimi Stringer:

Box - The box is the same canister as the Bionicle Stars, but with a remolded lid (and a new sticker on the front) It features a nice picture of Jimi Hen- Jimi Stringer, looking all heroic and what not (he is from Hero Factory, so I guess it makes sense). On the back it features a picture of him running up to Corrotor (spell?, who comes out a little later this year. Also quite possibly a picture of Jimi's helmet (the box is upstairs, I'm downstairs, dont wanna get it, Furno had a picture of his mask, so maybe Jimi does. Box get's a B+ it does it's job well.

Build - EASY. I DIDN'T EVEN NEED TO LOOK AT THE PICTURE. C.

Figure - The figure is quite nice, to be honest. The new pieces are great (he has 17 pieces and 12 of them are new molds)especially the chest pieces. He does have the Bionicle Glatorian hands and the old hand/connector bits and a Glatorian head, not bad. This d00d looks totally freaking wicked. All orange and black, and his gun arm all up in your face. He looks like quite the menacing character, but it turns out He is to Hero Factory as Jazz is to the Autobots, smooth, cool headed, digs music (he does have speakers on his chest, so I guess he can play music, too. Walking jukebox?). He does have some flaws, such as the arm/leg bits are bent awkwardly (like always) and they don't have many connector bits (2, too be exact, least on the sides, two by the socket up top), The lack of armor on his right arm, he's got big 'ol bulky legs and a big 'ol cannon arm and a little stick arm (ROTF Megatron, anyone?). The biggest flaw is the aforementioned cannon arm, it's half a cannon arm. It's a little awkward to look at it from the inside, because well, there isn't an inside. Would it have killed Lego to add the other half of his weapon? I hope Duncan doesn't have this problem. Once you get over those problems he's pretty darn neat actually. I like the little tiny tread detail on certain parts (the best way I can describe it is the texture Batman's Dark Knight suit had in the movie, or like a really fine strainer), either way I love it. The speaker chest is cool, the feet are awesome, the leg armor is stellar, and the chest pieces, well, don't get me started. So overall, I say if you are going to get Jimi, get him if you planned in nit getting it, I say stay away, there's nothing really to change your mind, maybe you should go purchase a Star or something instead, but I say at least give HF a shot. He gets a B+, a very enjoyable toy, but the hollow cannon REALLY bugs me. Anyways, enough of this wall of text, here's a picture of this sexy beast:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RIVERS CUOMO

2010-06-13T17:00:00.003-06:00

Today is the 40th birthday of Weezer vocalist and guitarist, Rivers Cuomo! So, go listen to the Pinkerton album. Now.

IT CAME! IT CAME! IT CAME!

2010-06-13T00:06:00.002-06:00

So, it came. What came you ask? Well, let's go back in time, the new Infiltration Soundwave & Battlefield(?) Bumblebee hit store shelves. It contained a special redemption certificate for Recon Ravage. It was $20. I had both molds. One (BB) was lazy. Then, it went one sale for $10, and one fool bought it. Then, he got it again from a relative, returned it, and dude, the 3 stickers needed were there! Now all he needed was $4.95 for shipping or whatever, got that sent out. Fast forward 4 weeks and 6 days later. There was a soft knock on the door. Wasn't a friend. Wasn't a salesman. Wasn't a Jehovah's Witnesses, it was the mail women and she left a a big white box on my door step with a sticker reading: PO Box 11488 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
Bozeman, MT 59719
Zack ****
2 **** W **** N
Lehi UT 84043-3559

Flipped it over and there was big N.E.S.T symbol looking into the very bottom of my soul. Very profound. Not wating a second to cut open and remove it's very awesome contents, I went to the kitchen grabbed a knife and cut it open and out popped Ravage and a $5 of $20+ coupon and a letter from Optimus Prime himself!

So, after the scary ordeal of cutting every twist tie, out popped Ravage, the long awaited and fabled Ravage. The one thing I liked was the Chrome! Last we saw chrome on a (Hasbro) release was probably with Robots In Disguise back in '01. I could be wrong. Chrome wise this guy doesn't disappoint. He has some on the following places: Back, sides of torso, little Alt. mode fins, above the little fins on the tummy, the front forearms (legs?), inner thighs on the front legs, guns, and the inner thighs of the back legs. This guy is awesome, but lets save some for the review, eh? Either way, glad he arrived, the Ravage mold is awesome sauce, so yes!

BRODYQUEST

2010-06-01T09:56:00.000-06:00

BRODYQUEST!

First Full Day Of Summer

2010-05-29T10:21:00.002-06:00

Today, May 29th 2010, is the first FULL day of Summer! Time for the joy and merry making I mentioned earlier! In honor of this, I'm going to buy you all a round!

R.I.P Gary Coleman, yesterday he died and put an end to the marry making and joy and we took time to respect him and make jokes about him. Now the number of black people who live in Santa Quin is back down to zero. Too soon? Sorry. R.I.P, you will be missed, my fan head butting friend, you will missed.

Now we will never know what Willis was talkin' 'bout.

Gary Coleman Died Today.

2010-05-28T20:23:00.005-06:00

He was 42. R.I.P man, R.I.P.

That sucks, nobody should have to die at only 42 inches

He died of a Brain Hemorrhage: It's like a Stroke, but Diff'rent.

Sad, Such a short life.

Sad that he's now 4 feet under.

(look down below for what comic says)

Too much, too soon, huh? Well, even though I've been probably very offensive, R.I.P Gary Coleman, you will be missed.

Megan Fox NOT in Transformers 3.

2010-05-28T13:18:00.002-06:00

It's official Megan Fox (24) is not going to be in the upcoming sequel in the Transformers series. She was cut from the series because she was spoiled and didn't appreciate everything, she complained a lot and called Micheal Bay "Hitler". She complained about going to the pyramids.

I'm serious.

Personally I'm rather thankful she's gone. She FAILED at acting. Hopefully her replacement is better. Heck, I'd make a better replacement. That piece of wood over there would.

LEADER STARSCREAM RELEASE DATE!

2010-05-28T13:13:00.003-06:00

So, the magnificent and majestic Leader Class Revenge of the Fallen Starscream figure comes out August 9th 2010. The dude is flipping awesomeness, here's a totally tubular picture of the radical beast known as Starscream:

The figure he is standing next to is the Voyager Class Starscream the was released earlier.

Better picture:

DUDICORN. IT'S SUMMER.

2010-05-28T13:02:00.003-06:00

So, appears the glorious time of Summer is upon us. Time for joy and marry making. No longer do we have to go to school, no more tests, quizzes, classes, homework, etc. I was personally glad to get out of school, freaking Per Algebra was getting intense. Looks like I'm retaking it, oh well. TIME TO CHILL OUT. I do not have to get up at 7:30 in the A.M. AWESOME SAUCE.

For me, this Summer there will be much internet, so much so, my face will explode, sad, but true. Lots of staying up late and (best of all) sleeping in. Time relax, and get lots 'O plastic crack. Still need Mark IV, VI, and I Iron Man suits. BAH. Time for sodas the size of the Empire State Building (like now, I'm packing 64 oz. I wonder if I'll find the fabled 100 OZ. SODA). So, hopefully I'll post more here, and else where on the webs. HA HA, look at me, talking to the imaginary followers.

PINK TRIANGLE ON HER SLEEVE.

HASBRO IS HAVING A TF GIVE-AWAY!

2010-05-28T10:58:00.003-06:00

So, if you spend $25 on pretty much anything Transformer TOY related between May 28th and July 31st (2010 obviously) and print out the redemption certificate on the website (click on the title for link) and send it to Hasbro by July 31st and you will get THREE DELUXE CLASS TRANSFORMERS! FOR FREE!

I'm going to try to do this, sounds awesome.

Boba Fett dances to Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga at Disney's Star Wars ...

2010-05-27T20:56:00.000-06:00

DUDE. IT BOBOA FETT DANCING TO LADY GAGA. *HEAD EXPLODES*

Darth Vader and Stormtroopers dance to Michael Jackson at Disney's Star ...

2010-05-27T20:54:00.001-06:00

LOOK AT THIS.

SHEER WIN.

HE DOES FAIL AT MOONWALKING HOWEVER.

Just Something.

2010-05-26T19:48:00.003-06:00

So, the past few day, I've been going through Weezer's entire discography. It took a few days, but I finally did it! Here they are in my personal preference:

1. Pinkerton (1996)
2. Weezer "The Red Album" (2008)
3. Weezer "The Green Album" (2001)
4. Raditude (2009) <-(Haters Gonna Hate)
5. Make Believe (2005)
6. Weezer "The Blue Album" (1994)
7. Maladroit (2002)

There ya go. Um, yes.

DUDICORN. IT'S ALMOST SUMMER.

2010-05-25T20:32:00.001-06:00

I get out of school on Friday.

GUESS WHAT THAT MEANS!!!

Why, yeah, more posts!

Transformers: Prime News

2010-05-21T16:50:00.002-06:00

So, Peter Cullen (who voiced Optimus and Ironhide in G1 and Movie Prime) and Frank Welker (Soundwave, Megatron, Skywarp, Sludge, etc. in G1 and Movie Soundwave & Devastator) are coming back for the newest Transformer cartoon (entitled Transformers: Prime) Cullen is coming back for Optimus (no commercials)and Welker's characters remain to be seen.

Other miscellaneous news on TF: Prime:

Starscream will be more like GEEWUN, Ratchet was confirmed, at it will appears on a Discovery Kids (?) extension called The HUB, which will premier 10/10/10 and it will feature a new G.I. Joe show and My Little Pony (I think) and will remaster old Generation 1 episodes and show those.

First Review Ever.

2010-05-20T20:56:00.000-06:00

It's dated 2/25/07 and it's pretty bad.

So here's the Takadox review. Takadox's building process is different. :) I can't tell you how it's different :(. Now for the flaws:(. He looks weird when he's not leaning forward. The Squid Launcher is hard to figure out. Upsides:) He glows in the dark , His eyes can't come out. I have to give him 9/10.

LOTS AND LOTS OF STUPID :) SMILEY FACES. AAARRRGGG!!!!

Some More Transformers 3 News.

2010-05-19T21:57:00.002-06:00

A video of the set:

And Megan Fox is rumored not to be in Transformers 3! HOORAY. I'm not going to sugar coat it, HER ACTING SUCKED.

Consider Replacements: Gemma Arterton (most likely, being an actual actor), Miranda Kerr (model), Bar Rafaeli (another model), Brooklyn Decker (another model).

Pretty rad.

MYTHBUSTED!

This Was Mistake, But Let's Keep It Anyways.

2010-05-15T23:13:00.005-06:00

Okay, This is Legit News

2010-05-15T23:13:00.004-06:00

Yes, oh yes. That's awesome. SO GLAD I DIDN'T GET BLUDGEON (They are mold mates, or more commonly known as a re-paint). Look at the guy! HE'S A DEMON ON WHEELS! Purple, Green and all! Man, oh, man I can't wait for the dude.

To see what I'm talking about, click the title!

NOTE: There were pictures of him in a bag labeled "BOTCON 2010". He is NOT a Botcon exclusive a is most likely a general retail release.

OH YES.

2010-05-15T23:09:00.001-06:00

I know there's a bunch of random non-sense stuff here, but I found this GIF pretty amusing, MAYBE YOU WILL TO (GASP, ALL CAPS!).

WOAH DAWG ANOTHER POST!

2010-05-14T23:05:00.002-06:00

Man, I think I'm pretty good at keeping up with this Blog stuff.
I kinda like it.

Anyways, get a whole box full of THIS D00D!

Yeah, all the gold all up in your grill.

THAT'S LUCKY DRAW FO YA!

I Just Made It To The "Older Post" Mark

2010-05-14T22:59:00.003-06:00

Yes, you heard me. Now there's an older post thing at the bottom.

Quite an accomplishment for me, TONIGHT I FEAST AND DRINK! And that's AAAAWWWWRRRIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT.

I leave you with a GIF, and happy ROFLCopter Friday.

Transformers 3 Skids and Mudflap Car Mode Images!

2010-05-14T16:01:00.002-06:00

Skids was a Chevy Beat (now Spark) and Mudflap was a Chevy Trax. Now they are the same car with slightly different paint schemes:

Friday & Iron Man 2 Makr II Suit thoughts/review

2010-05-14T15:46:00.002-06:00

How's your ROFLCopter Friday?

Good? That's nice.

So, about a week and a half ago I picked up the the 3 3/4" Mark II suit from the new Iron Man 2 toy line.

First off, HE'S ALL SILVER AND I LIKE IT. The silver is a delightful Hasbro silver and the black lining really brings out the detail and that's AAAAWWWWRRRRIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT. There's also little gray dots that are meant to show all the screw head and stuff, but on the chest piece towards the ARC reactor deal in his chest there's a TON of those little gray dots. It kind looks like a jumbled mess, but what are ya gonna do. The articulation is pretty awesome, he'll do pretty much any pose you want him too. He is a repaint of the Mark III suit (or vice versa (spelling?)), either way, this guy gets a little bit more up and down head move meant and that's AAAAWWWWRRRRIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT. So, I think this dude is pretty awesome. His gun is a bit daft and I'm afraid of after putting it on some many times, it'll rub the silver off, this okay because it's not AAAAWWWWRRRRIIIIGGGGHHHHTTTT. He comes with a stand and these 3 card things, it's quite awesome. I give him an 8.5/10.

EVERYONE IN THE HOUSE SAY SILVER.

Picture:

ROLFCOPTOR FRIDAY

2010-05-13T21:56:00.000-06:00

HAPPY FREAKING FRIDAY!

I Got The K-Mart Iron Man 2 Three Pack

2010-05-13T21:29:00.003-06:00

Yes, indeed, I have finally gotten it. It was on sale for $15 and I have a twenty percent (Thank You Burger King!) off coupon which took $3 off, so total, it was $12 minus Tax. So, here's a brief overview of all three figures .... by the way, they're
3 3/4" tall.

(In order from place in package left to right)

OMEGA FACTOR ARMOR (War Machine Repaint)
The name seems to imply ALL CAPS! Anyways, he's basically War Machine painted green and silver. A little black comes in and the little red details ARE ALL LIKE, UP IN YOUR GRILL AND STUFF. And this totally stellar repaint has the little (tasty) yellow and black stripes on the side of the guns, which previously was only featured on the Target Exclusive HALL OF ARMOR (more ALL CAPS!) War Machine (which I've head is on sale for $10, was $13), so that's FREAKING AMAZING! It comes with a basically a BLOWN-UP SUPER MECHA FIRING BULLET MACHINE GUN OF ULTIMATE DOOM! It shoot a little orange projectile. Meh. He comes with a (Grey) ammo belt and it doesn't seem to want to peg in (same problem on the original release), the only one who could do it right (cuz these guiz are obviusly doin it rong) was the Wal Mart Exclusive 6" War Machine (BUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUYBUY)
So, yeah... pretty cool. 9/10. Better than the original!

Vibranium Armor (Mark VI Repaint or, IRON PATRIOT!)
This is basically Mark VI suit in Cap America colors. AND IT'S AWWWWRRRIIIGGGHHTTT.
The shield is floppy, the clip doesn't do CRAP. What I did was put the shield on through the FRONT strap, push all the way to the elbow, twist it 90 degrees, and put the other strap on over it. Also, flip the clip down before doing this. I's not the best, but better than that clip. Not much to say about this'n. The blue is kind of metallic, and the red is pretty shiny. Eh, one of the better of the set. 9.3/10.

Bio - Metal Armor (Mark V repaint)
This dude is pretty rad, I must warn you. Like, his red translucent-ness is OFF THE HIZZLE YO! All of his body, but the joints, and shins are molded in a translucent red plastic! AWESOME? I THINK SO. (OOP, THERE ARE THOSE ALL CAPS). The rest is black and silver highlights! Well, he's probably 40% Black, guess that's not really a highlight. This dude (like the other dude) KICKS THE ORIGINAL VERSIONS TRASH! No suitcase (it is the portable suitcase suit)(still has the suitcase hand, though) it has the Hyper-Velocity Suit gun/shield/thing. It works pretty well. Overall, this due is the weakest of the sets, but that doesn't say much. 8.5.

Flaws: The paint. Please, Please check the one you got ALL OVER for paint issues, I made off pretty well, a few minor this on Bio-Metal dude. There were 2 where I went, and the other one was was pretty bad on Iron Patriot. PLEASE CHECK! TAKE CAUTION! PLEASE! PLEASE! ARRG!

Picture:

Watchmen

2010-05-13T15:53:00.002-06:00

Sooo, seeing how I got through reading Watchmen for the Ffffforth time. I thought I'd make a review or something of those sorts.
Watchmen is limited comic series of 12 comics which ran from September 1986 - October 1987. It was written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons.

So, the Comedian (Edward Blake) is killed (thrown out a window of a very tall building previously getting the beating) and this makes one member of the retired Watchmen team, Rorschach (Walter Kovacs) suspicious or "Paranoid" as Nite Owl II (Dan Dreiberg) puts it, he goes to a secret military base to warn Dr. Manhattan (John) and the Silk Spectre II (Laurie Juspeczyk), then goes to warn Dan. Laurie calls Dan, they go to dinner because John (being to super human blue dude that he is) is too busy with Ozymandias (Adrian Veidt) so, then Laurie breaks up with John, falls for Dan, Rorschach goes to prison, Silk Spectre II and Nite Owl II got break him out and then go to the Antarctica to face the man who kills Edward and something happens to New York, thus ending the Cold War (You'll have to read the book to find out who, and what. You'll never see it coming, unless you've seen the film).

So I think that Watchmen takes superheroes and puts them into a very realistic (well, as realistic as it could be) environment, and have very realistic problems and are human, the have troubles and none of them a perfect. It's a lot more interesting that any other superhero comic, it's very dark, also. I had to edit the summery to leave out some inappropriate stuff. This isn't Spider Man and shouldn't be read by children.

I just like the the realistic, flawed, human characters. I'd be hard-pressed to find a dull moment in Watchmen, it kept me hooked until the end. Well, this one dude was reading a comic in the comic (Yo dawg, I heard you like comics, so we put a comic in yo comic so you read while you read), and the comic he was reading was BORING. It included the text on the top and bottom of a frame-panel-thong. Though the don't add anything and you can just skip that, thankfully.

Honestly, what hasn't been said about Watchmen? It did something that had never been done before and it revolutionized the way Graphic Novels we're written.

10/10 *****/***** 5/5, whatever. IT'S AWESOME.

Iron Man 2 Review

2010-05-10T17:36:00.007-06:00

I went to the midnight showing of Iron Man 2. I got really sucked into the hype, I mean, I bout 4 3 3/4" figures and both 6" figures (that are currently out) and so, the day finally arrived! Here are my thoughts:

First off, the first Iron Man is FAR superior in every way (aside from fight scenes and Black Widow *AHEM*). Iron Man 2 did have it's moments, but for the most part was not as good. I thought Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) was AMAZINGLY annoying for the first 1/4 or so. Just, wow. The first one had a nice amount of comedy, but this one had too much and it got annoying. I thought Don Cheeto did a nice job with War Machine/James Rhodes. I also thought most of the other characters were good, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) were alright, did do much for the plot, just to pimp the Avengers movie (which there are several hints at). We didn't see Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) much at all. She did not get hit the face or anything, which was rumored.

Tony suddenly, almost out of no where he becomes an alcoholic! I know he was a drunk in the comics and he drank a lot during the first movie, but DUDE!

I was also sad to that the Mark V (Suitcase Armor) scene with the Mark I Back/Whiplash was actually pretty short, spanning only a few moments. I did however think it was pretty radical. Ivan (Whip/Backlash) was just slowly walking on the race track (long story, pretty dumb too. Scarlett kind just let Tony do whatever he wanted, despite being REALLY drunk) slowly walking, the suit burning where the the whip connected to his chest armor thing. It was pretty raditude I must say.

The Mark IV was sadly almost identical to the Mark III suit from the last movie, and featured very little.

Also, Howard Stark (Tony's dad) made a "City of the Future" model and Tony actually found a new element in there. WAT.

War Machine was freaking cool man, when the Hammer Drones were attacking, War Machine kicked some major behind. There's a scene with no music and it's just basically War Machine and Iron Man beating up Hammer Drones, the theater was full of the sound of gun fire and lasers. Pretty rad.

One thing that made me cringe was when Tony (clad in the Iron Man armor) came up (DRUNK) and was like "People always ask me how I go to the bathroom in the suit, the answer is.." Makes a face. "Just like that." Sigh....

So, I don't think I'll spoil the ending, but it's kind of lame.

So, overall, I thought the good outweighed the bad, I give it a very positive 7/10.
It's definitely inferior to the first film, but it did have it moments and wasn't as bad most of the more recent Marvel Moves *COUGH* X-Men Origins: Wolverine *COUGH*

I say go see it.

Wonder how many TL;DR I get or WALL OF TEXT!s I'm going to get.

TF Club Shattered Glass Cyclonus Pictures

2010-03-05T21:56:00.001-07:00

The Transformers Collector's Club has updated with a new image of their exclusive Shattered Glass Cyclonus. Shattered Glass Cyclonus will be available for preorder shortly (awaiting confirmation of the shipping schedule from the supplier) so stay tuned for your chance to preorder this toy and also the highly anticipated Punch / Counterpunch.

On the subject of Punch / Counterpunch, mainly speculated with the toy's dual faction transformation if he might also feature remolded hands to better fit the fact that the torso twists around during the transformation - unfortunately, an interview between Seibertron and Pete Sinclair have confirmed that this will not be the case, because a decision was instead taken to focus all the available budget on the best head sculpt / remold possible. - TFW2005

Takara Tomy TF Animated Shockwave Picture

2010-03-05T21:54:00.002-07:00

New pictures have surfaced of TakaraTomy's upcoming Transformers Animated Shockwave figure in package. TakaraTomy's Shockwave is scheduled to be released in Japan on April 24th. - TFW2005