Highbrow and The Fallen - New Hunt for the Decepticons Toy Galleries!
Sunday, November 14th, 2010 2:34PM CST
Categories: Site News, Toy NewsPosted by: Razorclaw0000 Views: 65,419
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HIGHBROW
Resembling a German Focke-Wulf FW-189 Twin Boom Fighter, Highbrow thunders into action with gatling guns, rockets, and two turbo prop engines.
In robot mode, Highbrow features the same weapons, as well as flip down "aviator's mask":
See Highbrow's full gallery here.
THE FALLEN
Sporting a new Skeletor-esque purple and teal color scheme, The Fallen is back with his customary battle staff, as well as new rip off face!
See The Fallen's full gallery here.
Check out all of the latest Seibertron.com galleries here!
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Posted by Megazarak on November 14th, 2010 @ 2:46pm CST
Posted by WolfDawg on November 14th, 2010 @ 2:47pm CST
As for Highbrow, I absolutely love this figure. I don't know why though. I'm not a big fan of the color scheme (dark olive green and light blue don't work IMO), hey's really hard to pose, and his arms are a pain in the ass to make look right. He also has sucky weapons. Still, I'd say Tomahawk and Battle Blades BB aside, this is my favorite ROTF figure.
Posted by OptiMagnus on November 14th, 2010 @ 2:47pm CST
The Fallen- Thank you Hasbro! Perfect! Would like the accurate movie colors, but the cool blue colors look pretty sweet on this guy. By the way, does the Takara voyager BB Optimus Prime really have hooks instead of blades? If so, I'll have to get him for the Fallen so he can rip his face off.
Posted by mattyc1007 on November 14th, 2010 @ 2:49pm CST
Highbrow being an autobot means I cant get him
Nice Galleries once again!
Posted by shocktastic14 on November 14th, 2010 @ 3:06pm CST
Posted by Mkall on November 14th, 2010 @ 3:07pm CST
mattyc1007 wrote:Highbrow being an autobot means I cant get him
What do you have against Autobots?
Nice galleries as usual Ryan!
Posted by Noideaforaname on November 14th, 2010 @ 3:11pm CST
I have the original, but The Fallen is sorely tempting. I don't buy repaints --as a fan of the actual transformation, there's no point in getting two of the same thing-- but a rip-off-able face AND a staff AND hands to use that staff...
mattyc1007 wrote:Highbrow being an autobot means I cant get him
He lacks the Autobot insignia
Posted by WarGraver on November 14th, 2010 @ 3:19pm CST
The Fallen... meh. Good color scheme, but I dislike the mold. I'd rather get a new 'living furnace' version of this character instead of another 'alien pharaoh'.
Posted by Kingpun on November 14th, 2010 @ 3:59pm CST
Posted by Rated X on November 14th, 2010 @ 4:22pm CST
I have my 3 Fallen repaints on display as "The Primes".
Highbrow stays in plane mode. Im not one to nit-pick but I gotta point out that the idiots at hasbro mounted the cannons in a place where if they were actually fired, they would blow off the propellers in flight. Why didnt they just make the wings a little longer since this plane is not actually a real aircraft, but a hybrid of the P-38 Lightning and a German bomber ???
Posted by OptiMagnus on November 14th, 2010 @ 4:48pm CST
Kingpun wrote:Possible get a second and attempt a movie accurate repaint because I doubt we'll be seeing an official one.
I think this could happen in later waves of DOTM in 2012. I'm thinking they're gonna bring in all the movie characters.
Posted by Razorclaw0000 on November 14th, 2010 @ 4:48pm CST
Rated X wrote:mounted the cannons in a place where if they were actually fired, they would blow off the propellers in flight.
Not nitpicking, but in general, guns can be mounted like that, as long as the rate of fire and propeller spin are synchronized. The bullets literally pass through between the propeller blades. It's pretty slick.
shocktastic14 wrote:you know highbrow looks awesome but i have to disagree in what he resembles he looks more like the p-38 lightning from lockheed.
Sorry, but the core fuselage doesn't match at all:
The P-38 has a traditional cockpit, as well as foreward slung nose cone.
The FW-189, however, has the majority of the fuselage projecting backwards from the central strut. Additionally, it has a nice dome style cockpit in the rear. Remove the main cockpit, and you'd be pretty close to Highbrow.
Anyway, he's just a made up mish mash of whatever traits they think looked cool, but FW-189's silhouette was what jumped out at me immediately.
Posted by mattyc1007 on November 14th, 2010 @ 4:57pm CST
Mkall wrote:mattyc1007 wrote:Highbrow being an autobot means I cant get him
What do you have against Autobots?
Nice galleries as usual Ryan!
Noideaforaname wrote:mattyc1007 wrote:Highbrow being an autobot means I cant get him
He lacks the Autobot insignia
My bro collects Autobots while I collect Con's
Posted by chrisc4 on November 14th, 2010 @ 5:40pm CST
Posted by Blurrz on November 14th, 2010 @ 5:44pm CST
Posted by OptiMagnus on November 14th, 2010 @ 5:45pm CST
chrisc4 wrote:give me your face!
My thoughts exactly.
Posted by OptiMagnus on November 14th, 2010 @ 5:46pm CST
Blurrz wrote:Don't have an affinity towards vintage-formers like Highbrow so that's likely a pass. That Fallen's removable mask is pretty hilarious..
Well, yeah. What kid doesn't want to reenact a mutilation scene?
Posted by Wreckage42 on November 14th, 2010 @ 6:28pm CST
Posted by Rated X on November 14th, 2010 @ 6:55pm CST
Razorclaw0000 wrote:Rated X wrote:mounted the cannons in a place where if they were actually fired, they would blow off the propellers in flight.
Not nitpicking, but in general, guns can be mounted like that, as long as the rate of fire and propeller spin are synchronized. The bullets literally pass through between the propeller blades. It's pretty slick.
Did they have that technology in WWII ??? Even if they did, I would still be scared to pull the trigger. One loose bolt or miscalibration and your going for a nose dive
Posted by Evil_the_Nub on November 14th, 2010 @ 7:19pm CST
Rated X wrote:Razorclaw0000 wrote:Rated X wrote:mounted the cannons in a place where if they were actually fired, they would blow off the propellers in flight.
Not nitpicking, but in general, guns can be mounted like that, as long as the rate of fire and propeller spin are synchronized. The bullets literally pass through between the propeller blades. It's pretty slick.
Did they have that technology in WWII ??? Even if they did, I would still be scared to pull the trigger. One loose bolt or miscalibration and your going for a nose dive
They made some kind of mechanism that only fired bullets between the propeller blades during WW1.
Posted by Dr. Caelus on November 14th, 2010 @ 7:26pm CST
Rated X wrote:Razorclaw0000 wrote:Rated X wrote:mounted the cannons in a place where if they were actually fired, they would blow off the propellers in flight.
Not nitpicking, but in general, guns can be mounted like that, as long as the rate of fire and propeller spin are synchronized. The bullets literally pass through between the propeller blades. It's pretty slick.
Did they have that technology in WWII ??? Even if they did, I would still be scared to pull the trigger. One loose bolt or miscalibration and your going for a nose dive
They had that technology before World War I. The biplanes and triplanes iconic of that era typically mounted guns infront of the pilot, behind the prop.
Humorously, when they first tried to arm one of those planes, the engineers thought that the prop would be spinning so fast and the bullets travelling so fast that the odds of the two colliding were insignificant. Of course, there's a pretty significant logical fallacy there, and the first test firing of the guns shot the prop off. I believe their next approach was to simply armor the back of the wooden prop with steel or iron sheets, but that deflected the rounds back into the cockpit - not good. Both tales might be urban legends, but the bottomline is that they eventually rigged the firing mechanism to the engine using an "interrupter gear".
As to the model of the airplane, I kept seeing a Crimson Skies/Sky Captain/Tail-Spin mutated P-38, partly because the colors match up to the Gobot Guardian Bolt. I certainly see similarities to the FW-189 now that it has been pointed out though. To further complicate things, though, someone else pointed out that the stubby wings and enormous props are reminiscent of the experimental XF5U Flapjack and its flight capable precursor the V-173. I think it's funny that while any of these aircraft would be respectable alternate modes, the compromise represented by Highbrow's design probably wouldn't get off the ground.
Posted by Razorclaw0000 on November 14th, 2010 @ 8:11pm CST
Caelus wrote:I think it's funny that while any of these aircraft would be respectable alternate modes, the compromise represented by Highbrow's design probably wouldn't get off the ground.
And I think you hit the nail right on the head.
Posted by Rated X on November 14th, 2010 @ 9:38pm CST
Razorclaw0000 wrote:Caelus wrote:I think it's funny that while any of these aircraft would be respectable alternate modes, the compromise represented by Highbrow's design probably wouldn't get off the ground.
And I think you hit the nail right on the head.
Aint that the truth ???
Posted by funklizard on November 14th, 2010 @ 9:50pm CST
Caelus wrote:I think it's funny that while any of these aircraft would be respectable alternate modes, the compromise represented by Highbrow's design probably wouldn't get off the ground.
Heh… Not even with the assistance of a jet engine?
I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone else mention this… but doesn't the nose look like a jet intake?
It's a shame it doesn't look more like a P-38. That's a good looking plane. But in addition to questionable airworthiness, the mishmash of different design elements in Highbrow's alt mode winds up looking rather unbalanced. When I saw the first pictures of this alt mode, I thought I was seeing an unfinished figure that was missing some pieces.
Bot mode isn't bad, but isn't that great either.
I actually like where they were going with this guy's retro design aesthetic; but I'll pass.
Posted by Dr. Caelus on November 15th, 2010 @ 12:57am CST
funklizard wrote:I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone else mention this… but doesn't the nose look like a jet intake?
I'm sure an AeroE could launch into a lecture about the functional role of a jet engine in an aircraft, but I'll just say that I've noticed this too, but have yet to spot any sort of outlet for the thrust - were I to B.S. an explanation, I'd say it was the air-intake for the monstrous internal combustion engine necessary to drive those two over-sized props. My wife argued that it was in fact a deflector array.
I have two explanations for Highbrow's alternate mode -
1. He uses the same alien anti-gravity technology that the G1 Cartoon Decepticons and Dinobots used in order to provide lift, and his alternate mode simply provides thrust and maneuvering, or is purely aesthetic.
2. The old codger landed on earth, and selected a badass looking prototype aircraft for his alternate mode, without checking first to make sure it could actually fly.
Posted by Carnivius_Prime on November 15th, 2010 @ 2:35am CST
The Fallen looks great too and I love that he's got a removable face, hehe. I don't yet own any figure of him so I'm tempted with this one. Ok I definitely want both these figures.
Posted by kirbenvost on November 15th, 2010 @ 10:16am CST
So I'm really looking forward to Highbrow, non-flying alt-mode or not!
Posted by JokerFC on November 15th, 2010 @ 10:24am CST
Posted by Doctor McGrath on November 15th, 2010 @ 2:05pm CST
Posted by Counterpunch on November 15th, 2010 @ 2:36pm CST
amcgrath929 wrote:To anyone that owns this figure: does the hand/arm design bug you? Or is it something that can be overlooked?
It bothers me.
Posted by Doctor McGrath on November 15th, 2010 @ 2:39pm CST
Counterpunch wrote:amcgrath929 wrote:To anyone that owns this figure: does the hand/arm design bug you? Or is it something that can be overlooked?
It bothers me.
I'm afraid that will be the case with me as well. I really like the alt. mode but the robot mode is full of fail.
Posted by Mkall on November 15th, 2010 @ 3:50pm CST
Counterpunch wrote:amcgrath929 wrote:To anyone that owns this figure: does the hand/arm design bug you? Or is it something that can be overlooked?
It bothers me.
It used to bother me, but now that he is holding guns in both hands, not so much.
Posted by Evil_the_Nub on November 15th, 2010 @ 10:09pm CST
amcgrath929 wrote:Counterpunch wrote:amcgrath929 wrote:To anyone that owns this figure: does the hand/arm design bug you? Or is it something that can be overlooked?
It bothers me.
I'm afraid that will be the case with me as well. I really like the alt. mode but the robot mode is full of fail.
Ditto, if someone finds a way to modify it and make it better I'll get one, otherwise I'll pass.
Posted by angelababy on November 15th, 2010 @ 11:03pm CST
Posted by funklizard on April 15th, 2011 @ 12:18am CDT
funklizard wrote:I actually like where they were going with this guy's retro design aesthetic; but I'll pass.
Or not.
I ended up ordering the TakaraTomy version of this guy a few days ago. (I prefer the darker blue; and prices on the Hasbro version have gone up enough at this point that I could get the TakaraTomy one for just a bit more.)
I still see quite a few flaws with this figure. But ultimately the pros outweighed the cons for me:
- Highbrow is one of the more unusual and ambitious designs we've seen in a while. He's not a complete success; but he's far from being a complete failure.
- We don't get all that many Autobot planes.
- Love it or hate it, the alt mode is definitely distinctive.
- I'm surprised I haven't seen this mentioned more: the bot mode bears a striking resemblance to Energon Bulkhead. The proportions are similar; both sport weaponry mounted on flaps above the hips; and the color scheme is reasonably close. Both characters are even described as uncommonly old in their bios. I'm a sucker for homage; especially to a character that in turn homages G1 Springer.