Bah weep graghnagh! Well, it's mid-August, and TFNation is in the air.
In fact - is it today? Should I have left?
So I reckon it's time to catch up on a video I should have made about 51 and a half weeks ago
with a post-post-post-emptive peek at TFNation's first ever exclusive figure!
Yes indeed, time to skip back to 2017 and finally make friends with this adorable blue beetle blob.
It's only bloody Rune!
So this endlessly endearing TFN mascot was in fact one of four iterations of the
first ever figure from relative third-party noobs MAAS Toys
who seem to be coming at the whole morally-dubious unlicensed figure thing
from a relatively harmless and well-intentioned angle,
with an original take on Bumblebee's pilot-episode Cybertronian form
which I don't think we'd ever seen in plastic before this.
And being a blue female version of a heretofore unproduced G1 design
and a kind of soft reboot of a certain Botcon icon -
she's kind of a nerd bait perfect storm!
Now that's what I call MAAS appeal.
So yes, Rune's a rare Generations-style take on a character named Glyph,
who was born at Botcon '02 as a shiny blue Bumblebee
which I haven't got, boo.
But if you'll allow me a brief diversion I can give you a fair unofficial approximation in the form of
Impossible Toys Glypher!
Now this stumpy Bumblebabe was one of like nine versions of the Impossible mini car mould
and it's an aggressively average affair.
Pretty much just an upscaled, mildly articulated penny racer scallywag
with a big old Bumblebelly and a tiny choking hazard handgun.
But being a straightforward size-up with practically no innovation, she does kinda come off like a KO.
I mean, it's not shit, but it's SO basic.
And it doesn't really fit anywhere in my collection, especially since Rune showed up and usurped its job.
But, y'know what? I've always got room for a chubby blue VW! Not great, don't hate.
Now then, back to Rune, and we'll begin, I think, with the alt-mode - 'cos the designers obviously did.
Check out this adorable little horizontal hump of a thing with its sweet sideways saucer styles,
like some kind of techno earlobe?
So she's definitely a surprisingly hefty little saucer daughter,
certainly feels good and stodgy with her limbs and that all crammed in there nice and tight
cheeky little bit of gun stashage right there,
and like actual wheels that can pull off a proper little trundle!
Lookin' a touch tawdry topside though.
Like the entire thing's sort of an ovoid shell dome with some admittedly decent detail.
I suppose it's appreciably attractive with the little backside butt boosters,
couple of double-A power flanks and these joyfully daft little comic book speed lines!
But the paint job's perhaps a touch TOO subtle?
I mean, you know me, I love me some blue, but can we perhaps do more than one bit with some paint on it?
Like, I've tried to snazz it up a smidge with an Autobadge or three, but, Toyhax, can we?... y'know.
Front end's also lookin' a smidge ropey.
Like, I guess it makes a near-enough nosecone, but it's definitely got a distinctly crotchy air.
And that's kind of it for the alt mode. It is what it is, and it sure ain't what it ain't.
I mean it's perhaps a little boring and dorky
But if nothing else, it's totally runique!
Like, it's a fairly well-realised "what-if" alt-character version
of an under-represented slice of Cybertronic history
and if that ain't exactly what convention exclusives are for, I mean, I don't know what is.
and I for one, Glyph for this shit!
#Glyph for this!#
#Glyph! Glyph! Glyph for this!#
Yes, mama Rune!
Transformation's a classic case of "unfurl and approximate"
with a shade of shellforming and some mildly uncertain shoulder stowage.
So Rune's robo mode falls somewhere 'twixt Legends and Deluxe size,
let's call it "Rotund Class".
Check out this charming little chubster!
She's definitely a disarming little cute lump with her dumpy form and plumpy proportions!
Now the style she's rockin' is a sort of baggy-lookin' comfort fit which I'll concede may not be for everybody.
I mean, she is practically wearing her alt-mode like a loose overcoat she borrowed off her mum,
like, that's a lotta ass flap and these arm wedges are bare mischief!
They never quite seem to come to rest. Like, where do they actually go?
And even her actual arms are a bit freeform under there!
Like the shoulders don't seem to have anywhere to clip in, so you just kinda have to guess?
And the forearms are just drowned in these peculiar curvy kibble canoes.
So she is a bit of a lumpy space princess, but there's a good robot in there somewhere!
I mean, look at her sweet little noggin! It's sort of a semi-Cliffjumpery skinny beelzebonce
with a conversely angelic pure white cherub mush!
Legs are thunkingly thicc with these conical canister thighs and some serious stompin' cyberwedges!
Love the classical technodeets on there and these big old crop-circle mechablisters!
Plus she's certainly a weighty mama! Plastic's practically so dense that light bends around it
and the knees have got some wonderfully smooth action.
Also this cool decolletage cockpit curve is pure class,
and this tummy construction gives her an ab-crunch/swivel combo that most deluxes would kill for.
So yeah, she's largely a pretty class little Runatic with a sort of affable scrapiness you just can't teach!
And it is a real shame that the arms are so lost under this mighty canopy of spaceship bollocks,
plus with this basic-ass paint job of just blue and white with yellow eyes, she does look a bit nakey.
Look - let's just say there's Rune for improvement!
I mean, she's still a great example of my favourite side of the whole third party thing -
like, this incarnation of the Bumblebee body type just didn't exist before
and I'm sure that as Bumblebee or Goldbug it's probably mightily dapper,
but as Glyph, it's just irresistible!
She is my small chubby daughter and I am proud.
Now then - do I recommend Rune?
Is she good enough to track down? Can you even get one anymore?
I 'unno.
I mean, she's definitely your best option for a high-quality figure of Glyph, if that's what you're after,
but more than that, to me at least, she's a tangible plastic shard of the good times, the giggles,
and the absolute motherf***er of a hangover that was TFNation 2017!
So big up the TFN MAASive!
Cheers to Erica for Glypher, and here's to another one!
Runed forever!
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