Yes, something I’m used to as a Transformers fan is characters having nothing in common with past versions of themselves, and it’s been the case since Transformers Armada. That said though, Mirage still used the original version of the character as inspiration to an extent, and it’s not a big deal since this is the first time seeing Mirage in this continuity. “Not everything needs to be G1 accurate,” but it’s not just about being G1 faithful, but being faithful to and consistent with the source material regardless of continuity. Wheeljack already had a design in the new movie continuity, and his name was being attached to a character who shares pretty much nothing in common with the Bumblebee movie version. Bumblebee and ROTB I’m pretty sure is in continuity with each other. From that standpoint, I completely understand the resentment towards Pablo.
This! If maybe ROTB Wheeljack was named after someone else, maybe the reaction wouldn't have been so bad. I've heard Beachcomber floating around as an alternate fan name and I personally think that fits Pablo better, but that's just me.
Tbh I actually understand if things aren't G1 faithful. That series was not good by a long stretch, and this is coming from someone who watched most of it yesterday. People who say "G1 is the only good transformers media" are just nostalgic.
@@S0n0fG0D It’s just a fact of the franchise that characters will have nothing in common with past versions of themselves, though I question why Transformers is the only franchise that does this, especially so frequently.
Personally, I prefer his toy bot mode over his movie bot mode, his proportions are more robotic, which I like, I find super funny how in production videos, the people behind the movies keep talking about making the transformation look real, the toy designers should be involved in the movie designs, they actually know how to turn a vehicle into a robot.
I feel similarly to SS scourge’s design over the movie verson. Both movie Mirage, and movie Scourge look super skinny to me with a lack of vehicle parts (the lack of vehicle parts is my only real issue with the designs), so they end up looking like dudes in mech suits or normal robots, mirage especially.
5:45 It's not that I like opaque windows, but it more has to do with how the clear plastic is used. The bumblejumper example you used is an excellent example as to why I'd prefer opaque plastic: Large chunks of clear plastic that require a ton of paint that often slightly mismatches the rest of the vehicle mode...but then they start making that clear plastic load-bearing with tabs and/or hinges, and I get petrified at the idea that the clear plastic could just crack and break from regular use. Aesthetically, I prefer dyed clear or those super shiny metallic decals from Toyhax (shiny thing good). flat-color paint just looks...awkward.
The problem with the transformation is trying to bring it from robot to car. It’s extremely hard to connect the back part of the roof with the area around the wheels, with a lot of clearance issues and flexing
Fun Fact: Volkswagen owns Porsche... Porsche used to make tanks and engines during a certain war so... it makes sense on why they dont wanna be associated with war too much.
For recent examples, ROTB Wheeljack, not because of the whole Pablo arguments, but because of the inaccurate legs and back, mediocre articulation, and transformation even more clashy than Kingdom Rhinox (not even counting the Transparent Plastic)
There's also Satellite Soundwave. He might not be some engineering disaster that falls apart or anything, but he's probably the definition of bland. Just a bland grey guy that turns into a bland grey spiky ball, the most nothing figure in the entire line.
Yes, thank you! I know a lot of people dislike him, but I love this guy. I fiddle with him every now and then on the shelf, but seeing the mini community of lovers this guy has is so reassuring to see. Do hope they revisit Mirage again with his other alt modes from the film just so I can have a mini collection of him.
Being there for the streams was hella fun and helped a lot for how I wanna structure my scripted videos in the future, despite said scripted videos not really being the same as a figure review. As for the figure itself... haven't handled it and probably won't for a while since the kaiju collection and Legacy Uni is taking top priority for me when it comes to figure buying. Seriously, I've been counting down to Titanic Creations's upcoming Gorgo repaint and Yongary like its Christmas.
4:44 Wasn't this already been answered by a lot of people in previous videos you covered before regarding bot or con symbols in live action movie designs? I know it's your personal nitpick, but the live action movie designs DO NOT display their faction symbols unlike their G1 counterparts because it's accurate to how they look in the film. It's not a budget reason for being lazy or lacking, they're meant to look like that because of accuracy. To be specific, the Bayverse designs DO NOT display their faction symbols. Bumblebee and ROTB gets a pass because of their G1-remade appearances, but Bayverse ISN'T G1. I hope that answers your question, Doc.
I think the reason why people haven’t gotten to the vehicle mode isn’t because of the transformation itself, I think it’s because people are extremely paranoid about the clear plastic, because as we all know clear plastic is as fragile as brown Lego brick, you just need to look at it the wrong way and it will just vaporise instantly, this is also the reason why people like opaque plastic because non clear plastic is an instant upgrade from clear plastic
I don't mind this figure, mirage was the best part of rotb, but I feel like they'd be able to make a more accurate version if they do his (brief) F1 mode or something. Considering they wouldn't have to deal with corporate shenanigans, Hasbro would surely be able to make an accurate version of mirage
Personally I’ve been waiting for a brand new Mirage for too long. Like I love the G1 character but man when I got the Alternators figure, it changed my perception of how the character should be done. Respect to the F1 alt plus referenced in the movie but personally this figure was a breath of fresh air and now he’s right next to my Classics Figure. I did own Decepticon Mirage and never loved it so I’m glad I skipped on it.
Watching this makes me kind of regret not buying him. That custom at the end looks AMAZING, if only the corporate meddling wasn't there. Frankly, I think if the original designed was tweaked to be less had to convert from model to toy (while still remaining twinky) things would be better. Mayne I'll try and pick him up if I can find him. On the topic of the clear parts, my two cents is that I actually really prefer the clear windows from an aesthetic perspective. It looks more like real glass. In practice though, they are really scary as they are more fragile than opaque plastic. That's why I prefer the Autobot 5 Pack (even if I think Wheeljack looks awful) as they will stand up better to the test of time. Maybe a darker blue would look nicer
Honestly if they come out with another ss mirage that could be a while new mold based on the end credits and bump it up to voyager I wouldn't mind because it would either allow decent engineering with it being licensed or an amazing transformation
Idk the SS stinger or arcee triplets probably have a strong hold on the worst. The car is very nice painted details and metallic blue eye pleasing, the robot mode inaccurate yet still fine looking for its restrictions I wonder if in the next film they could base the model off this figure making it accurate and could repaint it into the rusted look (I think that was a post credit or exclusive footage thing seeing Noah rebuild him)
yeah Mirage is not a bad studio series car bot. He has alot of annoying clearance issues but he is really fun minus that. i own alot of the car deluxes and i would say that car shatter, car soundwave, and 01 Bumblebee are the worst. :quick note i don't like soundwave because of major paint chipping issues but other than that he is fine.
Personally I perfer opaque windows for solidity reasons. And if the color isn’t exactly appropriate, I’m sure toyhax labels or custom paintwork can fix it
11:53 - You've heard of Elf on a Shelf something something I may end up picking this up if I can find him, especially after picking up a Noah core class figure at my local toy convention (which is even further afield of screen accuracy but still a pretty darn well designed Exo-Suit figure).
Ho! I'm happy to see someone who agrees with me on this figure! I got em' the day of Halloween last year & I love it! While I dont collect transformers (ive only 4) I love flipping them back & forth & that car mode is gorgeous! Fab review doctor!
I've had no issues with my mirage, even added a bunch of extra paint to pick out the sculpted details and he has become one of my favourite rise of the beasts ss figures
I love mine. Mine came with an unpainted front left tire well. I was like wtf at first but after awhile it really just gives it character. I also found a shorts hack to make him movie accurate where you unclip his front end and put it between the front pieces of his chest. Just a really f'ing awesome figure.
Got mine with a crack in the rear window from the two tabs at the base to the centre, not ideal at all but surprisingly it hasn't broken, extended or snapped off
If they redo this guy or make a masterpiece version with the license, since I'm personally a fan of the mainline, they should alter the shoulder kibble of that design to give him a Crosshairs-style coat and the accurate back wheels. The back kibble would still be horrid, but Crosshairs also has that problem and that mold's okay in my opinion.
I don’t want everything to be G1, and I like this Mirage design… but I do think it’s weird when something is so similar to a pre-existing design. Like, yeah the robot mode looks nothing like Jazz, but they chose a silver and blue Porsche car with big headlights. That’s just something very associated with Jazz. It’s not a call for the brand to stagnate to say it reminds of Jazz. That’s just the staying power of that character. No, I don’t think he should’ve been called Jazz in the movie. You’d need to completely rewrite the script to make the dialogue fit Jazz, and then get a new VA. But I do think a car so evocative of Jazz was a weird choice. He didn’t have to be an F1, but that particular car wasn’t necessary either. It’s like if the next cartoon gave Bumblebee a red chest and a visor with no mention of Hot Shot.
I'll probably do some pin knocking so I can remove that backpack if I want to for photos and the like, but this review has brought a lot of positivity to this toy where many others haven't.
This figure is as faithful as it can possibly be while maintaining the alt mode's look of an officially licensed Porsche. Imo it feels like the tried their best but had to work with a lot of restraints given the licensing and engineering (I'm no expert but handling the figure gave me that vibe). Thankfully the clear plastic has withstood me manhandling it. I did a Diego Doom and had a second copy ready incase something bad happened to the first, but surprisingly it still is in one piece, now I have a bot AND a car mode for ROTB Jazz, sweet.
my issue with this figure is that, chiefly, it doesn’t feel like the mirage i fell in love with. ss volksbee is one of my favourite figures of all time because he feels like he should even if he’s bogged down in kibble, there’s still that core of cute and cuddly bumblebee that i love. mirage though had the opportunity to capture the character but failed, he’s stout and broad-chested and that just doesn’t feel like my cocky twink boy. to paraphrase another definitely queer robot boy, could’ve been, but he’s not.
Honestly the moment I saw Mirage in the teaser trailer I knew there was no way they could accomplish that robot mode at a deluxe pricepoint.the fact that he actually is an officially licensed Porsche is amazing on its own.
I kinda what to get mirage and Nightbird. But knowing movie figures, they normally release better versions like year or so later. I really love her design and car. But the figure looks really meh in robot mode. Its nice to actually get retro cars for change. It works way better then the latest models. Makes more sense too. As they would scan what they would find. Makes them feel slightly less of an AD.
So what I’m doing is making the helmet blue and then the legs light parts that are just awfully ass ima dab some blue around it and red inside of it and last but not least ima just real quickly paint the see threw arms kinda silver maybe
I think the main problem is porche probably had a heavy hand in the production of the figure, if hasbro wasn’t worried about the license we’d get an amazing figure, much like the bayverse mirage/dino, his design is equally as hard to adapt to toy form, yet hasbro did it so well
Enjoyed the video I recently got into collecting Transformers figures, I personally don’t collect movie figures even though I’ve grew up with those movies they’re just not my cup of tea in designs and aesthetic but I might get Mirage for my brother who enjoyed his character in rotb and wouldn’t mind the short comings of this figure since he doesn’t really care about that stuff since he’ll mainly just have it on a shelf just to have it but nice Video Doc
I do think he is a bit underrated I personally like him but the transformation into car mode can be more frustration from trying to get the roof tabbed and I think it needed more paint on the legs just bits of gold and the blue and red of the thighs make this figure look better
what do you think of the Studio Series DoTM Prime swapping the clear windows for Silver paint? it probably wouldn't work against an almost enitrely silver character, but it also removes the issues with clear plastic
I got an upgrade kit for this that replaced the toes, blasters and midriff, but it can’t transform with the new midriff so I ditched it, honestly this review reminded me how fun mirage was in the movie, and how fun it was to just play with this thing
Given how elusive some of these SS toys were to find and still are I impulse bought Mirage and Nightbird at Walmart December last year. Expected to like Nightbird more given how bad the reception for Mirage was but was surprised to find it the other way around. Nightbird even in vehicle mode is scaled too small, has terrible kibble management and only one sword. Mirage though the kibble is obnoxious especially with the doors is still nicely proportion in both modes, and the transformation between bot/car mode isn't near the nightmare I expected. Giving up on official instructions years ago It was pretty simple to see where everything went and how as well as watch for any clearance issues without fear of breakage. Personally haven't had any clear plastic breakage or cracking outside of some of the Energon era toys. Really like how seamless/convincing the arms are as the side windows. Only saw the movie for the first time the other night and quite honestly I thought Mirage was just a really chill, and upbeat guy who just wanted to hang out. Definitely would love to see a review on the SS Wheeljack.
I saw three of these in a local shop and they wouldn't sell for the longest time, the reason being all of them had yellowed to some degree. I wish I took a picture of it cause one of their shoulders actually looked like it started to decay
So glad I'm not the one guy who thinks the hate is absolutely blown out to exaggerated degrees. As someone who has Mirage as one of my favorite characters in Transformes history, I was really glad to see a version of him get the spotlight in the movie and the SS figure does things really well with what it was given in my opinion and he's nowhere near the bottom of the bottom with the likes of ROTF Arcees and Satellite Soundwave. Frankly just glad to see you making these sort of "in defense of" figures like this and Legacy Breakdown. Blasting a shitty figure is nice and all but I do have an appreciation for the underdogs myself.
I do try to keep it balanced. The problem is the only videos TH-cam seems to recommend to people are super negative ones or super long video essay type ones.
I'm just hoping that they give him another shot, preferably with either the F1 alt mode. So he doesn't have to adhere to the Porsche liscensing and he can be way more accurate
Mirage isn't the worst. His vehicle is beautiful and his bot mode isn't bad. It does take a bit to get used to visually, but once it clicks, it really works.
My theory was that Mirage’s robot mode was a leftover design from AOE/TLK (given how much they bullcrap their way into the robot mode with minimal car parts visible, slotting in Porsche parts shouldn’t be hard) meant for a potential Bayverse movie 6. However, when Bumblebee did better than expected and Bumblebee 2 was smooshed together with the planned Beast Wars movie and elements of the original Bayverse movie 6 (see the inclusion of Unicron; that must’ve been something Lorenzo pushed for and Caple agreed with because he adored the opportunity to make 86 movie references), the design was brought back and was given Porsche elements once the Porsche name was chosen. He absolutely would’ve been Jazz (because alt-mode) or Hot Rod (because characterization) if it weren’t for Lorenzo wanting to continue to insist that Bumblebee and ROTB are canon to the Bayverse.
I own the figure (courtesy of BotBenderOrinj) and have my gripes with it. Personally, I rate the figure only a 3/5 for a few reasons: 1. The clear arms a just a huge wtf moment and I think a little fan backlash is warranted when clear plastic is notoriously fragile, even if thick and reinforced. Only time will tell if these hold up. Plus, it washes out the sculpting detail. 2. The transformation is not great. Other studio series have this problem too, but I feel we started moving away from clunky transformations as time went on. Porsche's hissy fit gave Mirage some awkward kibble distribution with low clearance to manipulate parts. Also, my copy just doesn't like to hold together. Really tight tolerance for pegs/tabs 3. His kibble is so dang awkward. I am a figure posing nut. A transformer is as much an action figure as it is a 3d puzzle to fidget with. With large and weird leg kibble, its hard to work with despite all the joints you could realistically want on a modern figure. - Still, despite its flaws, I still am glad to own the figure. Mirage is one of the few things I liked from ROTB, which is mostly imo a disappointing return to form for the live action movies
Hearing Primal Dialga's theme at the end is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. As for Mirage himself, for me he's mainly a case of not being a fan of the legs from the knees down like Legacy Hot Shot. The clear plastic issue is standard carformer fare so it's not worth specifically ragging the figure for. I don't hate him, he just ended up being one I passed on. By the way, may I ask your thoughts on Legacy Sandstorm? I'm absolutely looking forward to him as one of my favourite triple changers and that heli mode is perfect for bringing Bayformers Blackout into the Generations fold like how they did with Barry previously. If that redeco does happen my wallet's gonna weep.
I don't like see thru windshields personally. I don't need it to be show accurate, but I don't want to see the robot bits inside the car, or have a broken windshield just because somebody decided seeing robot bits crammed into the cab of a car looks good.
Mirage's alt mode is one of the best SS has ever given us It is damn near perfect The robot mode is kinda shit but the alt mode alone is enough to make Mirage a decent figure
At this point it just annoys me that the designers of the CGI models in the films haven’t figured out that you just can’t take a car and turn it into a robot without having visible car parts all over the place. People complain a lot less when the kibble is accurate to the source material. Sometimes, it seems like they get it. Look at movie Ironhide and others. Other times, it’s like they think they’re just designing standard non-transforming robots. Age of Extinction Optimus Prime. Someone in here said they should let the toy designers help them in this aspect, and I think that would be the best way to “fix” the problem. With all that out of the way, I actually love SS Mirage. He reminds me of the Alternity figures or Generations Drift. He’s got a really cool almost samurai look and I’ve actually got mine poses with Generations Drift’s short swords. He’s badass!
The shift in AOE was actually due to the change in lead designer. Aaron Archer would veto "bad designs" when they were impossible to make toys out of. John warden didn't really care. He said "eh, go nuts".
Everything doesn't HAVE to be G1 Accurate...but I do prefer G1 Names & Character Designs to be kept the same across the entire franchise. Nothing wrong with creating a new character instead of reusing a name with a previous character history.
Yes, something I’m used to as a Transformers fan is characters having nothing in common with past versions of themselves, and it’s been the case since Transformers Armada. That said though, Mirage still used the original version of the character as inspiration to an extent, and it’s not a big deal since this is the first time seeing Mirage in this continuity. “Not everything needs to be G1 accurate,” but it’s not just about being G1 faithful, but being faithful to and consistent with the source material regardless of continuity. Wheeljack already had a design in the new movie continuity, and his name was being attached to a character who shares pretty much nothing in common with the Bumblebee movie version. Bumblebee and ROTB I’m pretty sure is in continuity with each other. From that standpoint, I completely understand the resentment towards Pablo.
This! If maybe ROTB Wheeljack was named after someone else, maybe the reaction wouldn't have been so bad. I've heard Beachcomber floating around as an alternate fan name and I personally think that fits Pablo better, but that's just me.
@@retrosympathizer8776 Yeah, Pablo will always be Beachcomber to me. He even has the glasses to match.
Tbh I actually understand if things aren't G1 faithful. That series was not good by a long stretch, and this is coming from someone who watched most of it yesterday. People who say "G1 is the only good transformers media" are just nostalgic.
@@S0n0fG0D It’s just a fact of the franchise that characters will have nothing in common with past versions of themselves, though I question why Transformers is the only franchise that does this, especially so frequently.
@@banobobot every franchise has this. It's like asking why we still don't have 90s batman. Or why superman isn't wearing his undies on the outside.
Personally, I prefer his toy bot mode over his movie bot mode, his proportions are more robotic, which I like, I find super funny how in production videos, the people behind the movies keep talking about making the transformation look real, the toy designers should be involved in the movie designs, they actually know how to turn a vehicle into a robot.
I feel similarly to SS scourge’s design over the movie verson. Both movie Mirage, and movie Scourge look super skinny to me with a lack of vehicle parts (the lack of vehicle parts is my only real issue with the designs), so they end up looking like dudes in mech suits or normal robots, mirage especially.
5:45 It's not that I like opaque windows, but it more has to do with how the clear plastic is used. The bumblejumper example you used is an excellent example as to why I'd prefer opaque plastic: Large chunks of clear plastic that require a ton of paint that often slightly mismatches the rest of the vehicle mode...but then they start making that clear plastic load-bearing with tabs and/or hinges, and I get petrified at the idea that the clear plastic could just crack and break from regular use.
Aesthetically, I prefer dyed clear or those super shiny metallic decals from Toyhax (shiny thing good). flat-color paint just looks...awkward.
I think flat paint works fine for either a retro cartoon look or when the windows are just… black
honestly the clear plastic is kinda why I'm afraid to mess with the ss mirage. I don't want to break it.
Yeah- that's why I like black plastic for windows more.
The problem with the transformation is trying to bring it from robot to car. It’s extremely hard to connect the back part of the roof with the area around the wheels, with a lot of clearance issues and flexing
I haven't had any issues. Bit of gentle panel massaging and bobs your uncle.
Might vary from copy copy though
Fun Fact: Volkswagen owns Porsche... Porsche used to make tanks and engines during a certain war so... it makes sense on why they dont wanna be associated with war too much.
Volkswagen was pretty much a Nazi company, so there's that too.
at least it's nothing like mercedes-benz, having Mr. nein/11 being photographed in one of their vehicles lol
noo my dream car is a volkswagen :(
I mean, Porsche’s founder was literally personal friends with Hitler
The VW Beetle was actually designed in collaboration with Hitler
@@ZstackZip VW was literally owned by the NSDAP. Not in collaboration. Fully owned by them.
this is not the worst ss figure. Remember the Arcee triplets.
Or wwii bumblebee and hotrod
For recent examples, ROTB Wheeljack, not because of the whole Pablo arguments, but because of the inaccurate legs and back, mediocre articulation, and transformation even more clashy than Kingdom Rhinox (not even counting the Transparent Plastic)
There's also Satellite Soundwave. He might not be some engineering disaster that falls apart or anything, but he's probably the definition of bland. Just a bland grey guy that turns into a bland grey spiky ball, the most nothing figure in the entire line.
I think they were fine
@@boulder5540
Better bland than being a figure that could break at any time
KABLAM! I may not own Studio Series Mirage, but I love the more chunky design and the "coat tail" looking hips.
Crosshairs vibes
Sadly, studio series crosshairs did not live up to the original design
@@DrLockdownIs the TLK toy any better?
Not sure. Never owned it.
@@RevengeoftheBallen831I have both and I prefer the SS one, the TLK has a more solid robot mode but I much prefer the look of the SS
Yes, thank you! I know a lot of people dislike him, but I love this guy. I fiddle with him every now and then on the shelf, but seeing the mini community of lovers this guy has is so reassuring to see. Do hope they revisit Mirage again with his other alt modes from the film just so I can have a mini collection of him.
Being there for the streams was hella fun and helped a lot for how I wanna structure my scripted videos in the future, despite said scripted videos not really being the same as a figure review.
As for the figure itself... haven't handled it and probably won't for a while since the kaiju collection and Legacy Uni is taking top priority for me when it comes to figure buying. Seriously, I've been counting down to Titanic Creations's upcoming Gorgo repaint and Yongary like its Christmas.
You're one of my favourite YT channels keep up the good work! always fun, good and interesting reviews
“Clear plastic is durable”. No. It’s not. Mine is cracked. I don’t think it’s gonna break but still.
I think that’s just bad luck on your end, I’ve had Mirage since December and he’s held up fantastically
@@elitegamer21005 yeah probably
@@elitegamer21005same, I had mine too since December and I often transform him once in a while like once 1 week
Mine hasn’t cracked, but I will admit it’s pretty scary
3:46 3:50 i thought he was just chill and groovy
Yeah, that and the HRT jokes don't really make sense here.
He's an Autobot carbot. They ALL have synthol filled chests.
11:40 same here, breakdowns my favorite stunticon as well
4:44
Wasn't this already been answered by a lot of people in previous videos you covered before regarding bot or con symbols in live action movie designs? I know it's your personal nitpick, but the live action movie designs DO NOT display their faction symbols unlike their G1 counterparts because it's accurate to how they look in the film. It's not a budget reason for being lazy or lacking, they're meant to look like that because of accuracy. To be specific, the Bayverse designs DO NOT display their faction symbols. Bumblebee and ROTB gets a pass because of their G1-remade appearances, but Bayverse ISN'T G1.
I hope that answers your question, Doc.
It wasn't answered.
Guess that makes sense, but personally I'm not a fan.
@@DrLockdown
Understood and respect your opinion on it. Glad that's cleared for ya and everyone :)
I think the reason why people haven’t gotten to the vehicle mode isn’t because of the transformation itself, I think it’s because people are extremely paranoid about the clear plastic, because as we all know clear plastic is as fragile as brown Lego brick, you just need to look at it the wrong way and it will just vaporise instantly, this is also the reason why people like opaque plastic because non clear plastic is an instant upgrade from clear plastic
5:58 thank you! I’ve seen so many people praise the blue but it’s so ugly but because it’s toon accurate it gets a pass.
Doc. You're an awesome reviewer. With the recent drama, I wanna remind you you're an amazing person and we're all on your side
What did you want them to do, make the robot mode accurate? Because thats literally impossible, even if they didnt have the porsche liscense.
I don't mind this figure, mirage was the best part of rotb, but I feel like they'd be able to make a more accurate version if they do his (brief) F1 mode or something. Considering they wouldn't have to deal with corporate shenanigans, Hasbro would surely be able to make an accurate version of mirage
7:13 "because mirage is a bottom" 😂 yeah mirage's definitely a bottom, he gets his gas pumped in
I have two silver ss figures jazz and sideways and they are both great (besides sideways’s ball joint looseness)
Personally I’ve been waiting for a brand new Mirage for too long. Like I love the G1 character but man when I got the Alternators figure, it changed my perception of how the character should be done. Respect to the F1 alt plus referenced in the movie but personally this figure was a breath of fresh air and now he’s right next to my Classics Figure. I did own Decepticon Mirage and never loved it so I’m glad I skipped on it.
Watching this makes me kind of regret not buying him. That custom at the end looks AMAZING, if only the corporate meddling wasn't there. Frankly, I think if the original designed was tweaked to be less had to convert from model to toy (while still remaining twinky) things would be better. Mayne I'll try and pick him up if I can find him.
On the topic of the clear parts, my two cents is that I actually really prefer the clear windows from an aesthetic perspective. It looks more like real glass. In practice though, they are really scary as they are more fragile than opaque plastic. That's why I prefer the Autobot 5 Pack (even if I think Wheeljack looks awful) as they will stand up better to the test of time. Maybe a darker blue would look nicer
Honestly if they come out with another ss mirage that could be a while new mold based on the end credits and bump it up to voyager I wouldn't mind because it would either allow decent engineering with it being licensed or an amazing transformation
“MiRaGe HaS tHe WoRsT cOnVeRsIoN”
SS-49 bumblebee: exists
Idk the SS stinger or arcee triplets probably have a strong hold on the worst. The car is very nice painted details and metallic blue eye pleasing, the robot mode inaccurate yet still fine looking for its restrictions I wonder if in the next film they could base the model off this figure making it accurate and could repaint it into the rusted look (I think that was a post credit or exclusive footage thing seeing Noah rebuild him)
yeah Mirage is not a bad studio series car bot. He has alot of annoying clearance issues but he is really fun minus that. i own alot of the car deluxes and i would say that car shatter, car soundwave, and 01 Bumblebee are the worst.
:quick note i don't like soundwave because of major paint chipping issues but other than that he is fine.
I love the use of clear windows. I've never had an issue with them.
Personally I perfer opaque windows for solidity reasons. And if the color isn’t exactly appropriate, I’m sure toyhax labels or custom paintwork can fix it
It’s honestly nice to see someone praise this figure. Hell if he had this exact robot mode in the movie I think it’d look way better
Toyhax decals on all your Legacy Stunticons is a huge win!!! Another great review dude.
Haha, not all of them I'm afraid.
11:53 - You've heard of Elf on a Shelf something something
I may end up picking this up if I can find him, especially after picking up a Noah core class figure at my local toy convention (which is even further afield of screen accuracy but still a pretty darn well designed Exo-Suit figure).
Ho! I'm happy to see someone who agrees with me on this figure! I got em' the day of Halloween last year & I love it! While I dont collect transformers (ive only 4) I love flipping them back & forth & that car mode is gorgeous! Fab review doctor!
I've had no issues with my mirage, even added a bunch of extra paint to pick out the sculpted details and he has become one of my favourite rise of the beasts ss figures
I love mine. Mine came with an unpainted front left tire well. I was like wtf at first but after awhile it really just gives it character. I also found a shorts hack to make him movie accurate where you unclip his front end and put it between the front pieces of his chest. Just a really f'ing awesome figure.
Glad you enjoy it, i still hate the clear plastic though
Got mine with a crack in the rear window from the two tabs at the base to the centre, not ideal at all but surprisingly it hasn't broken, extended or snapped off
If they redo this guy or make a masterpiece version with the license, since I'm personally a fan of the mainline, they should alter the shoulder kibble of that design to give him a Crosshairs-style coat and the accurate back wheels. The back kibble would still be horrid, but Crosshairs also has that problem and that mold's okay in my opinion.
I like the new voice for the patreon sponsor, bravo to him!
Yes finally thank you‼️‼️ I’m tired of people saying that this is the worst studio series figure, it’s one of my favorites from last year
I don’t want everything to be G1, and I like this Mirage design… but I do think it’s weird when something is so similar to a pre-existing design. Like, yeah the robot mode looks nothing like Jazz, but they chose a silver and blue Porsche car with big headlights. That’s just something very associated with Jazz. It’s not a call for the brand to stagnate to say it reminds of Jazz. That’s just the staying power of that character.
No, I don’t think he should’ve been called Jazz in the movie. You’d need to completely rewrite the script to make the dialogue fit Jazz, and then get a new VA. But I do think a car so evocative of Jazz was a weird choice. He didn’t have to be an F1, but that particular car wasn’t necessary either. It’s like if the next cartoon gave Bumblebee a red chest and a visor with no mention of Hot Shot.
I'll probably do some pin knocking so I can remove that backpack if I want to for photos and the like, but this review has brought a lot of positivity to this toy where many others haven't.
This figure is as faithful as it can possibly be while maintaining the alt mode's look of an officially licensed Porsche. Imo it feels like the tried their best but had to work with a lot of restraints given the licensing and engineering (I'm no expert but handling the figure gave me that vibe). Thankfully the clear plastic has withstood me manhandling it. I did a Diego Doom and had a second copy ready incase something bad happened to the first, but surprisingly it still is in one piece, now I have a bot AND a car mode for ROTB Jazz, sweet.
11:37 PerspectiveEnd punching the air rn. 💀
Wait, what happened to The Lazy Eyebrow?
Semi-quit due to increased responsibilities.
Gotta love the SS characters I have a love hate relationship with the movies but it’s nice to see real cars that transform
my issue with this figure is that, chiefly, it doesn’t feel like the mirage i fell in love with. ss volksbee is one of my favourite figures of all time because he feels like he should even if he’s bogged down in kibble, there’s still that core of cute and cuddly bumblebee that i love. mirage though had the opportunity to capture the character but failed, he’s stout and broad-chested and that just doesn’t feel like my cocky twink boy. to paraphrase another definitely queer robot boy, could’ve been, but he’s not.
Honestly the moment I saw Mirage in the teaser trailer I knew there was no way they could accomplish that robot mode at a deluxe pricepoint.the fact that he actually is an officially licensed Porsche is amazing on its own.
Mirage on that HRT 🤣🤣🤣 I love Transformers
Nobody ever watches through the transformation, so they always miss jokes like that
@@DrLockdownEven with a F1nn appearance to boot, a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one
I honestly really like ss Mirage, probably one of my favorite ss figures to date
i really like it but im scared to transform it from a car again because the clear plastic by the front wheels has already cracked
wait was that an optumis impression?
I kinda what to get mirage and Nightbird. But knowing movie figures, they normally release better versions like year or so later. I really love her design and car. But the figure looks really meh in robot mode. Its nice to actually get retro cars for change. It works way better then the latest models. Makes more sense too. As they would scan what they would find. Makes them feel slightly less of an AD.
So what I’m doing is making the helmet blue and then the legs light parts that are just awfully ass ima dab some blue around it and red inside of it and last but not least ima just real quickly paint the see threw arms kinda silver maybe
0:49 well I have earthrise a g1 esk prime just some prime and movies and done
I think the main problem is porche probably had a heavy hand in the production of the figure, if hasbro wasn’t worried about the license we’d get an amazing figure, much like the bayverse mirage/dino, his design is equally as hard to adapt to toy form, yet hasbro did it so well
This figure looks pretty good, if I ever find it, I'll be sure to pick him up.
Enjoyed the video
I recently got into collecting Transformers figures, I personally don’t collect movie figures even though I’ve grew up with those movies they’re just not my cup of tea in designs and aesthetic but I might get Mirage for my brother who enjoyed his character in rotb and wouldn’t mind the short comings of this figure since he doesn’t really care about that stuff since he’ll mainly just have it on a shelf just to have it but nice Video Doc
The Mirage figure is great. I just wish they added a Mushroom pag where it connects on the backpack so you're able to take it off
I do think he is a bit underrated I personally like him but the transformation into car mode can be more frustration from trying to get the roof tabbed and I think it needed more paint on the legs just bits of gold and the blue and red of the thighs make this figure look better
what do you think of the Studio Series DoTM Prime swapping the clear windows for Silver paint? it probably wouldn't work against an almost enitrely silver character, but it also removes the issues with clear plastic
I wasn't too much of a fan, so I applied black reprolabels to them. Looks better, but yeah it was a bit of a shame.
can’t wait to see dna make an upgrade kit for the arms
You can point the headlights on the back even further down, hiding them really well. Takes a bit of effort though
I will hopefully get to experience Breakdown and complete menasor in July, when my Amazon order says he'll arrive
I got an upgrade kit for this that replaced the toes, blasters and midriff, but it can’t transform with the new midriff so I ditched it, honestly this review reminded me how fun mirage was in the movie, and how fun it was to just play with this thing
Didn't even know there was an upgrade kit. Huh.
Given how elusive some of these SS toys were to find and still are I impulse bought Mirage and Nightbird at Walmart December last year. Expected to like Nightbird more given how bad the reception for Mirage was but was surprised to find it the other way around. Nightbird even in vehicle mode is scaled too small, has terrible kibble management and only one sword. Mirage though the kibble is obnoxious especially with the doors is still nicely proportion in both modes, and the transformation between bot/car mode isn't near the nightmare I expected. Giving up on official instructions years ago It was pretty simple to see where everything went and how as well as watch for any clearance issues without fear of breakage. Personally haven't had any clear plastic breakage or cracking outside of some of the Energon era toys. Really like how seamless/convincing the arms are as the side windows. Only saw the movie for the first time the other night and quite honestly I thought Mirage was just a really chill, and upbeat guy who just wanted to hang out. Definitely would love to see a review on the SS Wheeljack.
If you ever need car clarification just send em my way!! And yes you guessed right! They’re air intakes!
7:00 *PAUSE*
What absolute GODSEND of a figure is that plane?!? I need to know
14:12 AND THE ROBOT MODE LOOKS EVEN BETTER WHERE THE FUCK DO I BUY HIM
GDO powerdrive.
It's okay.
I saw three of these in a local shop and they wouldn't sell for the longest time, the reason being all of them had yellowed to some degree. I wish I took a picture of it cause one of their shoulders actually looked like it started to decay
So glad I'm not the one guy who thinks the hate is absolutely blown out to exaggerated degrees. As someone who has Mirage as one of my favorite characters in Transformes history, I was really glad to see a version of him get the spotlight in the movie and the SS figure does things really well with what it was given in my opinion and he's nowhere near the bottom of the bottom with the likes of ROTF Arcees and Satellite Soundwave.
Frankly just glad to see you making these sort of "in defense of" figures like this and Legacy Breakdown. Blasting a shitty figure is nice and all but I do have an appreciation for the underdogs myself.
I do try to keep it balanced.
The problem is the only videos TH-cam seems to recommend to people are super negative ones or super long video essay type ones.
I'm just hoping that they give him another shot, preferably with either the F1 alt mode. So he doesn't have to adhere to the Porsche liscensing and he can be way more accurate
Mirage isn't the worst. His vehicle is beautiful and his bot mode isn't bad. It does take a bit to get used to visually, but once it clicks, it really works.
I just dislike clear plastic so that's an easy skip for me. It's already bad on United Bee.
My theory was that Mirage’s robot mode was a leftover design from AOE/TLK (given how much they bullcrap their way into the robot mode with minimal car parts visible, slotting in Porsche parts shouldn’t be hard) meant for a potential Bayverse movie 6. However, when Bumblebee did better than expected and Bumblebee 2 was smooshed together with the planned Beast Wars movie and elements of the original Bayverse movie 6 (see the inclusion of Unicron; that must’ve been something Lorenzo pushed for and Caple agreed with because he adored the opportunity to make 86 movie references), the design was brought back and was given Porsche elements once the Porsche name was chosen. He absolutely would’ve been Jazz (because alt-mode) or Hot Rod (because characterization) if it weren’t for Lorenzo wanting to continue to insist that Bumblebee and ROTB are canon to the Bayverse.
That...can't be true because they designed the robot around the Porsche licence, and they didn't have that until ROTB.
Great review!
Personally I hope we get an SS figure of the F1 car Mirage briefly was in the movie
I own the figure (courtesy of BotBenderOrinj) and have my gripes with it. Personally, I rate the figure only a 3/5 for a few reasons:
1. The clear arms a just a huge wtf moment and I think a little fan backlash is warranted when clear plastic is notoriously fragile, even if thick and reinforced. Only time will tell if these hold up. Plus, it washes out the sculpting detail.
2. The transformation is not great. Other studio series have this problem too, but I feel we started moving away from clunky transformations as time went on. Porsche's hissy fit gave Mirage some awkward kibble distribution with low clearance to manipulate parts. Also, my copy just doesn't like to hold together. Really tight tolerance for pegs/tabs
3. His kibble is so dang awkward. I am a figure posing nut. A transformer is as much an action figure as it is a 3d puzzle to fidget with. With large and weird leg kibble, its hard to work with despite all the joints you could realistically want on a modern figure.
- Still, despite its flaws, I still am glad to own the figure. Mirage is one of the few things I liked from ROTB, which is mostly imo a disappointing return to form for the live action movies
Updated intro 👌🏻👌🏻
6:42 oh hey, a weapon that stores without being too small or making the back of the vehicle ugly
Ok maybe I’m too mean to SS Galvatron
Galvatron is a hella difficult design. I think it deserves some slack
@@DrLockdown that’s fair, though part of me honestly prefers the original voyager in some respects
The Takara deco, anyway
Hearing Primal Dialga's theme at the end is a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. As for Mirage himself, for me he's mainly a case of not being a fan of the legs from the knees down like Legacy Hot Shot. The clear plastic issue is standard carformer fare so it's not worth specifically ragging the figure for. I don't hate him, he just ended up being one I passed on.
By the way, may I ask your thoughts on Legacy Sandstorm? I'm absolutely looking forward to him as one of my favourite triple changers and that heli mode is perfect for bringing Bayformers Blackout into the Generations fold like how they did with Barry previously. If that redeco does happen my wallet's gonna weep.
I think he looks pretty good personally
15:11 woah where did you get that Monado from Dr Lockdown?
Firebyte27 printed it. I painted it
I don't like see thru windshields personally. I don't need it to be show accurate, but I don't want to see the robot bits inside the car, or have a broken windshield just because somebody decided seeing robot bits crammed into the cab of a car looks good.
I SOO AGREE, clear windows look so much better than the pointed ones, and i find theym kinda ugly as well ngl
I don't really care about inacuracies as long as the main design elements are still there.
PLEASE someone tell me what the custom is at 16:57
I literally included the persons twitter handle on screen
@@DrLockdown oh sorry 😭
Hope you're having a good day
oh hey, SamKay made it into the video!
Mirage's alt mode is one of the best SS has ever given us
It is damn near perfect
The robot mode is kinda shit but the alt mode alone is enough to make Mirage a decent figure
What's the name of your blahaj?
Have not picked one yet
@@DrLockdown the name of mine is Boris Kalashnikov, war vet and both my therapy shark and test dummy for injecting needles for practice
All of the rotb studio series figures are close to fantastic
What's the name of the song at the end of the video?
Dialgas fight to the finish.
Though, unfortunately it's a remix I downloaded years ago that doesn't seem to exist online anymore
The shoulders where you have the stickers are headlights
I know, but there wasn't anywhere else to put the badges
@@DrLockdown ah I see,
Porsche really screwed the designers and fans with this one
So how is the complete Volcanicus?
Pretty good
The foot broke on my copy that was the only one in my store ever
Huh? The foot isn't even clear plastic. How did that happen?
@@DrLockdown it popped off the ball joint and refused to go back on and that was the last one ever in Walmart
@@DrLockdown I was literally having a breakdown because of it cuz I’ve been looking for it forever I still am and still 0 luck
I will disagree on the clear plastic being durable the back window on mine cracked super easy while transforming it
At this point it just annoys me that the designers of the CGI models in the films haven’t figured out that you just can’t take a car and turn it into a robot without having visible car parts all over the place. People complain a lot less when the kibble is accurate to the source material. Sometimes, it seems like they get it. Look at movie Ironhide and others. Other times, it’s like they think they’re just designing standard non-transforming robots. Age of Extinction Optimus Prime. Someone in here said they should let the toy designers help them in this aspect, and I think that would be the best way to “fix” the problem. With all that out of the way, I actually love SS Mirage. He reminds me of the Alternity figures or Generations Drift. He’s got a really cool almost samurai look and I’ve actually got mine poses with Generations Drift’s short swords. He’s badass!
The shift in AOE was actually due to the change in lead designer.
Aaron Archer would veto "bad designs" when they were impossible to make toys out of.
John warden didn't really care. He said "eh, go nuts".
I do like this figure a good bit, despite being a kibbly mess he still FEELS like Mirage.
Everything doesn't HAVE to be G1 Accurate...but I do prefer G1 Names & Character Designs to be kept the same across the entire franchise. Nothing wrong with creating a new character instead of reusing a name with a previous character history.
There's a upgrade kit of ss105 there's is very funny