Mastermind Creations R-02 Talon - Pictorial Review

Seems that recently, everything is about combiners, even I feel more excited whenever a combiner team member arrive. Now, for something that's been long overdue, Mastermind Creations Talon (Not-Divebomb).

G1 Divebomb's Box Art
Pic Credit : TFWiki

Along with the other Predacons, Divebomb was created in 2006, given by the Quintessons as a symbol of the alliance between them and Galvatron. Forming Predaking's left arm, Divebomb is one of the deadliest predator in the sky that enjoys nothing other than destruction.

Pic Credit : TFWiki

G1 Divebomb (and the rest of the Predacons) was released in 1986 in individual pack (D-75) and also in gift set (D-78) .




In Package


Talon was the first member of Feral Cons being teased, with the first prototype being posted back in January 2013. However, due to mold issues, the release was pushed back and R-03 Bovis was released first, followed by R-04 Fortis and R-05 Leo Dux.

Just a heads up, this review will only be about Talon, without the rest of the team (due to time constraint) and I'll do a full group shots during Tigris's review.

The box follows the same theme as the rest of the Feral Cons with Talon being an Aerial Assaulter. I really like the artwork of Talon on the box compared to the rest of the team members.

Back View

Aside from the figure, Talon comes with Partical Beam Sniper Rifle and 2 Laser Daggers, a tech spec and also comic book/instruction manual.

Tech Spec

Comic Book/Instruction Manual

MMC Azalea (Not-Arcee) is featured in the concept art gallery inside the comic book.

Alt Mode

First and foremost, this is how Talon looks like without the wings.

Talon color scheme in eagle mode roughly follows G1 Divebomb with the obvious exception on the legs with G1 Divebomb sporting black and orange colors.

I might be alone on this but it seems that most Transformers that have bird as an alt mode tend to have the same problem where the alt mode ends up to be half-bird and half short-legged robot. And I see that TFC Phobos (Not-Divebomb) will also be having the same problem.

Back View

All of Talon's weapons can be stored at his back with the sniper rifle on his back pack and the daggers on his wings.

Unlike Bovis and Fortis, Talon's head is not visible when the beak is open. The eagle head is on a ball joint which allow wide range of movement.

The articulation of the wings will be explored during robot mode.

Robot Mode

Just like G1 Divebomb, Talon's wings can be detached from the main figure.

The wings' backpack comes with a male connector, the same that are used by Leo Dux.

Female Connector on Talon's back

Here he is, my favorite figure from MMC Feral Cons. Unlike the bulkiness of Bovis, Fortis and Leo Dux, Talon features a more slim and slender robot mode, fitting his role as the Aerial Assaulter. Transformation from alt mode is simple with most transformation focus on the lower body.

Kibble Free!
Side View

Back View

The sniper rifle can still be stored at the same place as it was in alt mode.

There are quite a few places where the daggers can be stored but the most prominent ones are on the side of the legs and on the wing.

Aside from the official configuration, Talon's head can also be configured to look like G1 Divebomb's head.

There's a male connector on Talon's chest that is use when Talon transformed into Feral Rex's back pack (using Felisaber as Feral Rex's left arm)

Talon comes with a lot of detailing, from the main robot to the wings part with the paint apps as clean as they get.

Talon's wings are on hinges and swivels which allows a wide range of movement.

There are also hinges that connect the wings with the backpack.

Talon's wing span

Despite the weight of the backpack, Talon can be considered quite stable and easy to stand.

Playability wise, he's the most fun out of the all the Feral Cons that has been released. With the slick design, he's even more easy to pose and play with as opposed to Bovis, Fortis and Leo Dux.

Talon comes with a ball-jointed head, swivels and hinges on the shoulders, biceps swivels,double-jointed elbows, waist hinge (he can bend forward) and swivel, universal joints on the thighs, ratchet joint on the kness and ball-jointed feet.

Add the wings to all those articulations, you have a really poseble figure with superb aesthetic and playbilities.

With his sniper rifle

One of the things that I hate is a figure that comes with weapon that it can't handle. But Talon choice of weapon is briliant, fitting his role.

People often say that I'm bias, crediting TFC releases more than I should, especially on the Not-Predaking. Well, to be biased, I must get something from TFC which I didn't. Honestly, I just prefer TFC design more, that's all. Feral Cons are awesome releases with superb quality, no doubt. I'm not sure how TFC's Divebomb will be but I really like Talon. The aesthetic, the quality, all of those really caught my attention. For friend of mine who loved Divebomb (the character) so much that he went on and bought only Talon, he won't regret it.