Much like June 2016 and March 2017, November 2017 is another month where the 3P products outnumber the official products. Well, sort of. In term of figure count, that number is up for debate. But In terms of purchase count, the number of 3P products win hands down. It’s not even close.

Let’s take a look at all the goodies.

• Titans Return Siege on Cybertron, bbts.com, $99.99

• Unique Toys Allen, bbts.com, $59.99

• MakeToys Contactshot, thechosenprime.com, $89.99

• MakeToys Despotron, thechosenprime.com, $69.99

• Fans Toys Phoenix, capturedprey.com, $210.00

Siege on Cybertron

The only official product purchased this month is the Siege on Cybertron set. This set is released in the United States as a Big Bad Toy Store exclusive. On the box, the set advertises that it includes 5 figures. They are:

• Magnus Prime (leader class)
• Tidal Wave (voyager class)
• Metalhawk (deluxe class)
• Pounce (legend class)
• Thunderwing (master class)

They are packed in the box as shown in the pic below.

Magnus Prime is obviously the big draw here. I missed out on Transformers Legends Super Ginrai (LG-35), a Japanese only release. I wasn’t paying attention, and thought that Super Ginrai is simply a Japanese repaint of Titans Return Powermaster Optimus Prime. Big mistake. Super Ginrai is generally regarded as a superior figure to TR Powermaster Optimus Prime by most fans. When I came out of my TF stupor and realized that Super Ginrai is something different entirely, it was sold out at everywhere, except for online dealers that were charging crazy markups.

It was around this time that BBTS announced that they would be releasing this Siege on Cybertron set. The set includes Magnus Prime, which is a very slight repaint of Super Ginrai. Furthermore, MSRP of Super Ginrai is $109.99, while Siege of Cybertron is only $99.99 and includes a bunch of other things. So I bought this set with no hesitation.

It’s now almost a year later as I write this, and I still have not opened this set. I took it out of the box (as pictured above), but all figures are still on twist ties. This whole set just looks so damn good in the package that I’m reluctant to take it out. I’ll probably remove Magnus Prime from the twist ties in the future, to check out this mold. And while we’re on that topic, I have no idea who is Magnus Prime. Maybe he was a previous Prime to Optimus, or maybe he’s some kind of enhanced Optimus. I could look it up on TFWiki, but I won’t. I’m gonna regard this figure as Optimus Prime.

The only other new mold in the set is Pounce. And when I say new, I mean that it did not previously have a mass retail release in the United States. Pounce is one part of a clone, the other part being his twin Wingspan. These 2 have not been produced since G1 (to my knowledge), so I’m glad they got a modern update. Unfortunately, this set only includes Pounce and not Wingspan. I would have to get Wingspan elsewhere.

The remaining full-size figures in the set are all repaints of something previously released. Metalhawk is a repaint of Triggerhappy, while Tidal Wave is a repaint of Broadside. They come with Titan Masters that are different from their respective repaints (more on this later). I really like the Triggerhappy mold, but Broadside is just so-so.

Siege on Cybertron advertises 5 figures. The last “figure” here is Thunderwing. I put that in quotes because this is just a Titan Master. It’s debatable if they should count as figures. If you choose to, shouldn’t this set be 8 figures then (the 5 listed, plus the heads for Magnus Prime, Metalhawk, and Tidal Wave)? And if you choose not to, then this set should only be 4 figures. Either way, the 5 figure count is misleading. I know I’m nitpicking here, but I think it’s important to get this right. Anyway, Thunderwing is supposed to be a huge Transformer, in the pages of both Marvel and IDW. All we’re getting here is the head of Thunderwing. I suppose HasTak can make the body later. But including only the head here and then advertising as having Thunderwing feels like a cheap inclusion. I don’t care that this Titan Master is exclusive to this set.

Again, I don’t have any of this open, so I can’t speak to the quality of any of these figs. But assuming they are as good as their repaint counterparts or Japanese versions, Siege on Cybertron is a good set to buy. At only $99.99, you are getting 4 full-fledged figures, plus 4 Titan Masters. As of this writing, the set is a bit marked up now. But it can still be found for around $120, which is still a good deal if you missed out.

Allen

The first 3P figure for this month is Allen, Unique Toys’ tribute to Springer. I did a quick review of Allen, so see that post for all the details. At only $59.99, it was almost a crime to not get this, if only to check it out. And I don’t regret it one bit. Yes, Allen is not the perfect 3P Springer. There are many other options now. And to my knowledge, none are perfect. Most fans seem to elect Fans Toys Apache as the best 3P Springer produced to date. But there are qualities to Allen that makes him worthy of your collection. He’s very robust and very playable. The transformation engineering is impressive, and all modes look good in my opinion.

Allen was purchased in the same order as Siege of Cybertron above. Buying together saves money on shipping. But you all knew that.

Contactshot

Contactshot by MakeToys is the first of three Black Friday purchases that I made from The Chosen Prime. This online dealer will feature MakeToys products at insane discounts every now and then. I’m guessing MakeToys have a close working business relationship with The Chosen Prime, if the figs can be offered at such low prices. I got Contactshot for only $89.99, way less than its MSRP of $139.99.

Contactshot is an homage to Pointblank, a Targetmaster that came around in G1 Season 4. You don’t need to be too hardcore in G1 to know about Pointblank, but at the same time he’s not a character that casual G1 fans would know about. He was one of the better G1 Targetmaster toys produced when this line was first introduced. His Nebulos gun partner is Peacemaker. In the US G1 cartoons for Season 4, Pointblank made some appearances in the three episode arc “Rebirth”. This was such a short season that none of the new characters were given enough screen time. My understanding is that, in the Japanese continuity from Season 4 onwards, Pointblank is given much more detailed treatment. However I know next to nothing about the Japanese continuity, so I cannot confirm nor deny that assertion.

Truth be told, I had a feeling that Contactshot would become a Black Friday sale item. As a character, he’s not that well known. Fans have been saying Contactshot is a quality piece, but nothing that puts it in the groundbreaking territory. The regular price point of $139.99 is a bit much for fans with no familiarity of the character. Contactshot wasn’t exactly flying off the shelves, so I had a hunch he would go on sale for Black Friday. And I was right! When I saw that The Chosen Prime was letting him go for $89.99, I ordered with haste.

I have played with Contactshot for a while now, and transformed him twice to alt mode and twice back to robot mode (including breaking a piece, but more on this later). I agree with the consensus of the TF fandom: Contactshot is a pretty good figure, but not so good that it’s a must get if you don’t know the character. But first let’s take a look at Contactshot in the package.

Contactshot comes in a pretty small box, and he’s sandwiched between standard fitted clear clam shells. It’s a no-frills packaging, and it works. However, if you’ve paid MSRP, you might make a case that the packaging needs to be more elaborate. He comes with his Targetmaster partner Peacemaker, an accessory that doubles as a vehicle top-side spoiler/thruster and robot arm cannon, one extra helmet, and two extra face plates. The extra helmet and face plates are for if you want to create a G1 toy accurate look, or the G1 Japanese continuity look.

In your hands, Contactshot feels solid and weighty. It’s clear that good materials are used for the figure. Most of it is high quality plastic, with bits of diecast added here and there. Articulation is pretty good in robot mode. He can be put into some fairly dynamic poses, and the figure’s construction is solid enough that he can hold the poses. Transformation to alt mode is satisfying. Some of it is fairly straightforward, while other areas can be somewhat frustrating. The leg transformation to alt mode can be a bit annoying. It’s fairly obvious what you need to do, but actually doing it takes some work. I do like the look of the alt mode though. Pic below.

This is a very true representation of Pointblank in alt mode. I don’t remember seeing Pointblank in this mode in the Season 4 US Cartoons. But if you’re comparing to the original G1 Pointblank toy, Contactshot is spot on. The future race car shape and colors are all accurate. Even the iconic wings/spoiler on top of the vehicle is there. The Targetmaster can ride inside the cockpit.

If you have a thing for Pointblank the character, or if you like seeing modern interpretations of Targetmasters, then Contactshot may be for you. This figure is a solid toy. But at it’s usual MSRP, I feel that it does not offer enough as a toy alone.

I mentioned I broke off a piece of Contactshot on my first transform back to robot mode. This was mentioned above, and also in a brief bit back in this post (scroll down to the part highlighted in yellow). It was my mistake entirely. I kinda forgot how to properly do it, and just tried to force it through. Big mistake. One of the red pieces on the side of one chest broke off. This was about 4 months after the purchase. I reached out to thechosenprime.com, and they were able to contact the manufacturer and send me a replacement piece! That made me really happy. I want to give them a big shout out again here. There are other online TF retailers that can’t or won’t do this (I’m looking at you, TFSource!). Thechosenprime.com is now my go to retailer for anything 3rd party or MP.

Despotron

The 2nd Black Friday item acquired from The Chosen Prime is MakeToys Despotron, their stab at a MP Megatron. Despotron was released before the 2nd official release of MP Megatron (MP-36). At the time of Despotron’s release, there were already other 3Ps in the MP Megatron game. Some stiff competition included Apollyon by X-Transbots and Mightron by DX9. It was kind of up to individual taste as to which of these 3P Megs was the right one for you. None of the three were perfect. They each have their pros and cons.

MP-36 was released after all these Megs. It is not the perfect Megatron either. But for the most part, fans seem to agree that MP-36 is slightly superior to all the 3Ps. This may simply be that MP-36 is the official product, and, rightly or wrongly, official products carry more weight in the TF fandom just by being official.

After MP-36 was released, demand for all these 3P Megs went down. I predicted at least one of the 3P Megs would go one sale for Black Friday, and once again my TF hunch was right. Though I didn’t think it would be Despotron, and I certainly didn’t think the price would come down this much. MSRP of Despotron is close to $150, and on this Black Friday it went down to $69.99! I wasted no time getting one, despite the fact I already had MP-36. Despotron was the one I wanted out of the 3Ps, before I knew of MP-36.

I studied many pics online and watched many vids of the 3P Megatrons, and what drawn me to Despotron is the way he looks and the way he transforms. In robot mode, you can see his proportions are somewhat different from the G1 TV cartoons. Despotron is a bit bulkier. Many have said that these proportions more resemble modern Megatron interpretations in the pages of Dreamweave and IDW. And some have said that this is a transforming version of Revoltech Megatron, which I do have. I personally feel that the G1 Movie Megatron had a bulkier frame than his cartoon counterpart. Despotron looks like someone that can go toe to toe with Optimus and then some. Take a look at some pics of Despotron in the box.

If you’re worried about that orange plug, don’t. It comes right out. In fact, it’s kinda loose that having it stay on takes more work.

As for transformation, I think Despotron wins hands down, even if you count MP-36. He has the cleanest transformation of all the MP Megs. He hides the gun bits the best in robot mode. He has the cleanest backside with virtually no gun kibble. And he’s actually fun to transform. This is a MP Megs figure that is not frustrating or overly difficult, and that’s saying a lot for a modern MP Megatron. With instructions, I got him transformed to gun mode pretty quickly on the first go, like less than 20 min.

I think he looks pretty spectacular in the gun mode. For a MP Megatron that’s fun to transform, Despotron is the clear choice.

Despotron does have his faults. The face sculpt is adequate, but I feel it is the weakest of all the modern MP Megs offerings. He comes with very little accessories when compared to the competition. All other figures come with silencer and shoulder stock attachment, which Despotron is glaringly missing. And considering that the MSRP was close to $150, that’s not good value.

All in all, I recommend Despotron, but only if you can find it at way less than MSRP like I did. He offers an alternate interpretation of G1 Megatron that feels very different from MP-36. Despotron is a fun transforming toy, something the MP-36 can make no claim whatsoever. I really want to do a review of this figure in the future.

Phoenix

I have saved the best for last. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you… drum roll please… Phoenix!

Let me make this clear: Phoenix is the ultimate interpretation of a MP Jetfire. Other companies have tried, with varying levels of success. I don’t have any of those other figures, and I don’t need to. Fans Toys have outdone themselves again and hit this one way out of the park. Phoenix is G1 Jetfire materialized as a masterpiece figure. I can yap on and on about how great he looks, but I’ll let the pics below do the talking.

FT Phoenix robot mode.

FT Phoenix jet mode.

FT always look very carefully at the G1 animation models and then produces figures that match that look. Phoenix is no exception. In both modes, he looks like he stepped straight out of the G1 cartoons. But what’s more important is that Phoenix bears no semblance whatsoever to the original Takatoku Valkyrie toy that is the original G1 Jetfire figure. In other words, Phoenix is entirely based on the cartoon designs of Skyfire.

Transformation of Phoenix is actually not terribly complicated, for something so massive and easily integrates itself into the MP line. I’m almost tempted to say it’s simple, but there is enough going on in the transformation to keep most TransFans interested. All modern Jetfires have been on the easy side in terms of transformation. Classics Jetfire and Generations Thrilling 30 Jetfire comes to mind.

Construction and build quality of the figure is on par with everything that FT has produced to date. And if you’re wondering what that means, it means that it’s freakin’ awesome! All joints are nice, tight, and clicky. No dangling pieces or loose limbs. A jet mode that feels and plays like a cohesive whole.

Look at the pics below for scale with some other MP Autobots. Some argue he’s a tad too big, and I could see their point. But I just love this figure so much I’m willing to look past it.

FT Phoenix with MP Smokescreen, MP Red Alert, and MP Inferno.

FT Phoenix with MP Sunstreaker, MP Sideswipe, and MakeToys Gundog.

As for accessories, he comes with his gun (also modeled after the G1 animation model and not the Takatoku toy gun). FT gives you two removable chest plates where the faction symbol would go. So you can do one as Autobot and one as Decepticon, and reproduce that famous G1 scene where he switches allegiance. Very, very cool. The jetpack is not removable, and is a permanent (albeit transformable) piece as part of Phoenix. I don’t remember if he comes with other accessories, but I intend to do a full review soon and I’ll revisit this then.

Phoenix gets the highest possible recommendation from this TransFan.

I mentioned that I made 3 Black Fri purchases. The third one is MakeToys Ironwill, their interpretation of Hardhead. He won’t arrive for a while, so he’s not featured here. But he will get his 15 minutes. Until then… Transform and Roll Out.
 

About a year ago, I reviewed Generations Thunderwing. A repaint of this figure was finally released recently, also in the Generations line. Today we’re looking at Sky Shadow. Longtime TransFans already knew this was coming, because in the instructions for Thunderwing, the diagrams was illustrated with Sky Shadow’s head (go look at it if you don’t believe me). We didn’t expect Hasbro to take a year to do it, though.

I won’t go into the mechanics of this figure. Read the Thunderwing review to get my thoughts. I’ll just say that I really like the look of Sky Shadow. The black color fits well for a stealth jet fighter. I like the head mold, as its different from Thunderwing’s. The only other mold difference I detect is in the chest. Check out the pics for yourself.

Joints on Sky Shadow seems to be a little tighter than Thunderwing. Other than that, they are virtually the same mechanically.

If you missed your chance on Thunderwing, or if you just really like this mold (like I do), then by all means pick up Sky Shadow. It’s good to see Hasbro return to the Generations line. And I like the recent trend of making minor modifications when they release a repaint, so it doesn’t feel like you’re buying the exact same thing in a different color.

More TFs to come on Christmas… Transform and Roll Out!

EDIT 01/04/2012
Here is a pic of Sky Shadow with his arms raised completely forward. To do this you must rotate the shoulder guns to the side.

It is now the end of March. Looking back, this has been a very productive month as far as hunting for new TFs. I will show here what I got this month, in the order that I found them.

Highbrow

Highbrow is a voyager figure that has been released for some time now. If I’m not mistaken, he is released under The Hunt For Decepticons subline. Right before Halloween of 2010, I met up with a dude from Craigslist to buy Armada Starscream from him. At that time he told me there has been sightings of Highbrow at the local Target. Other sightings on Seibertron does confirm that this figure has been released. So I’ve been keeping my eyes open, and almost 5 months later, I find one around mid March in said Target. To this day I’ve only seen one Highbrow. He’s hard to find in my area. I forgot to take pics of him in the box, so here he is in robot mode.

Highbrow is ok in robot mode, but his alt mode is where he really shines. I can’t think of any other TF that has a WWII plane has his alt mode. The plane is well constructed, has plenty of detail, is very robust, and simply looks awesome. The spinning propeller gimmick is also a nice touch. For a pic of the alt mode, check out my last post where he appears in a group shot.

Kup and Scourge

Around the middle of the month, the GF and I had sushi near her place. There was a TRU nearby so naturally I suggested we stop and take a look. This TRU is located in a really crowded shopping center on a major avenue in the heart of Silicon Valley. Navigating around the parking lot was next to impossible with all the cars trying to get in and out. When I finally parked, I complained to her that we’re not coming back unless I find something. As it turns out, I found Kup and Scourge here. So I guess we’ll be going back.

I opened both of these and they are awesome figures. Kup as a pickup is a great update for 2011. The alt mode is solid and the robot mode more resembles how he looks in the G1 Movie. Scourge in this form is way less of a shell-former. Oh btw, he his NOT a Targetmaster. I always assumed he is because of how the gun looks and the fact that Universe Cyclonus is the Targetmaster version. The gun does Transform like Targetmaster figs, but it is so he can use them as twin pistols or one larger rifle. This kinda reminds me of the Double Targetmasters in G1, except the guns do not transform into figures. I highly recommend both Kup and Scourge.

G2 Laser Optimus Prime

The following day I went to Target to buy some everyday supplies. This is a different Target from the one where I found Highbrow (I got a bunch of Targets near me). If I’m at any store that sells TFs I’ll be sure to stop by and check it out (more on this later). On this trip I found G2 Laser Optimus Prime in the Reveal the Shield line.

I opened this figure as well. Overall he’s not too bad, but he does have some flaws. I like the robot mode. The mechanism of the wheel transformation is not too intuitive. In fact I already broke off some tabs trying to figure it out. Also, in alt mode it is hard to store the sword where it’s supposed to go. I can’t recommend this Prime as highly as the 3 figures above.

Wheeljack, Thundercracker, Lugnut

About two weeks later, I made an order from HasbroToyShop.com for Wheeljack, Thundercracker, and Lugnut. I saw that they were available and in stock, so I went ahead and bought them. I think I already mentioned repeatedly that I bought Jazz and Tracks from HTS around Christmas and I didn’t see them in stores til about 3 months later. I have a feeling the same thing will happen again for these 3 figures. I don’t feel like waiting for 3 months to get them, so I made the order. I don’t have them in hand yet, so no pics to show. But I’ll be sure to do that for a later post.

Perceptor

After work in that same day, I went back to the shopping center of the Target where I found Prime for a haircut. Since Target is right next door, I stopped by real quick to check it out. I’m glad I did because I found Perceptor.

I still have not opened Perceptor, but I plan to real soon.

I mentioned earlier in this post I will stop by the TF section of any store that sells TFs. This includes even clothing stores! For instance, earlier this week I was at Kohl’s. For those that don’t know, they do have a toy section and they carry TFs. They generally put it all the way in the back. Anyway, I found a whole bunch of Reveal the Shield Special Ops Jazz at Kohl’s! They had like 5. Before the Kohl’s visit, I only saw him twice at different Targets, and only 1 each. So how did Kohl’s get 5?! I can’t explain it. Either Hasbro has a really weird distribution system, or there are way too many TF hunters out there camping out at the Targets and Walmarts and TRUs that as soon as some new figs come in, they hunters snatch them. I didn’t see anything I needed on this visit. However, I should point out that Kohl’s sell the deluxes at $14.99 each. Ouch! But regardless, I think I will make Kohl’s a regular hunting spot from now on.

Well, that’s it for March. I don’t plan on hunting for TFs today (but you never know, hehe). NCAA March Madness is coming to a close with only 4 schools left, and it feels like I’ve had a March Madness of my own in getting all these TFs. I already have plans for some more TFs in April, so the Madness will continue. I might do full reviews of some of the figures here. Transform and Roll Out!

As I mentioned in my last post, I was in the process of moving. Moving is such a pain in the butt, especially when you have a lot of collectibles. It pretty much took up all my time for the last 2 weeks so I haven’t really had time to hunt for TFs or write in this blog. I finally got done with the move last Friday, so on Sat I had some time to do a hunt. I went to Target and I was lucky enough to find Thunderwing. He is a rare find as of this writing. There are 28 sightings on Seibertron currently, but only one of them is in California. He’s also all sold out on Hasbrotoyshop.com.

I’m done moving, but a lot of my stuff is still unpacked at the new place. I need a break from unpacking so I’m gonna do a review. Here we go.

Below is Thunderwing in the package.

For those that are not familiar with the character, Thunderwing was a G1 Pretender. Pretenders came around after the US G1 cartoons officially stopped. Thunderwing was a Mega Pretender (the shells transform), and they appeared even later. So yeah, he arrived just in time to see G1 come to an end. I’m only aware of the character because he played a fairly significant role in the comics. He is also the lead villain in Stormbringer, where he is depicted as being huge and very powerful.

This Generations figure seems to take cues from both the G1 and Stormbringer versions of the character. His alt mode seems to be some kind of stealth jet fighter. I really like the look of this jet. His appearance in this mode is sleek to say the least. Hasbro has been really good about hiding the bulk for their jet figures as of late, unlike earlier figures (especially from the first Movie) where the bottom is pure bulk. Thunderwing is no exception. I also like the shape of the wings, the canards, and the tail fins. There’s some nice detailing all over the jet.

The colors are a pure homage to G1, where he is mostly white with stripes of blue here and there. I don’t remember what was the color of the cockpit in G1, but in this version I like the bright orange. It kinda gives the colors that little extra something. The missiles are also the same orange to match. The thrusters and missile launchers are purple, and I think that was the color of his G1 weapons. The Decepticon logo is printed on the end of both wings. A very nice color scheme overall.

Thunderwing has enough guns in jet mode to seriously take out some Autobots that dare get in his way. He’s got two black guns near the intake. These can be rotated to shoot to the side. The missiles on the wings do fire and they can also be rotated. Oh, these are probably some of the most powerful launchers I’ve tested in all my TFs.

The shot above shows the bottom of the jet. He’s got landing gears at the usual positions that you would expect. Obviously they can be retracted. It is not hard to get these landing gears out.

As you can see from the pic above, the front nosecone area can be detached to form a mini-drone. I think this feature is a pure homage to G1. The G1 figure, as far as I know, also had some kind of drone, so it’s nice to see Hasbro not forget us older fans. I don’t think this drone serves any real purpose on this figure, but it’s still kind of a nice feature. You can simply ignore it and leave it on the main figure if you find it useless.

I do have one gripe about the jet mode, and it is best illustrated with the pic above. In this shot, I purposely left the wings extended to the side. This is what you do when you transform him to robot mode. My issue is that it is really easy to accidentally misshape the jet into this configuration. This is because there is nothing locking the blue pieces of the wings in place where it needs to be. So if you’re trying to rotate or remove the missiles, or if you’re just being a little too rough with the figure, the wings will come apart as shown above. I think the easiest thing that Hasbro could have done here is put a tab on the arms somewhere, and that can stick into a slot on the underside of the wings. This way, both the wings and arms are locked in place.

But other than the issue mentioned above, Thunderwing in jet mode is still well made and well engineered. I find no other weaknesses with the jet mode.

Thundering is only rated a 2 on the new transformation scale of 0 to 5. This ranks him as easy, and I agree with this score. He’s about the same difficulty as Generations WFC Megatron (who is rated a 3 but I think it should have been a 2). Hasbro came up with some very clever and new twists on the jet to robot transformation. When I describe it here in words, it will sound like the same tried and true formula for a jet transformation (ex: nose and wings form the back, sides become the arms, back of jet form the legs, etc). However, there are refreshing implementations to how all this is done, and the result is a transformation that feels like nothing we’ve seen before. For example, the waist and upper legs have a mechanism that folds outwards in robot mode to extend the legs, instead of the usual method of pulling the legs out. However, I should point out that the transformation is pretty easy. Fans that found issues with the simplicity of Universe Silverbolt may also find issues here, though Thunderwing is not that bad. Personally, I think this is a nice change from all the more difficult TFs we’ve been getting recently. You can really have fun with this figure and transforming him won’t feel like work.

I mentioned that in G1 Thunderwing is a Pretender. In this version, his robot mode resembles the Pretender shell and not his G1 robot mode. ROTF Bludgeon started this trend for G1 Pretender characters and I’m happy to see it continued.

Thunderwing looks quite cool in robot form. His appearance is without a doubt G1 inspired. His head mold, color scheme, and overall body styling resembles the shell closely. However, since this robot mode is not a shell, Hasbro is able to make him appear nice and lean, unlike G1 shell toys where they’re all clunky and bulky. In the comics, Thunderwing is almost always inside the shell, so this is the robot form that we are used to. It’s awesome to see this figure represent that interpretation faithfully.

This figure can be put into a wide array of poses. He’s got no waist articulation and the knees are not on a ball joint, but I think those are the only limitations. I’m sure there are fans out there that will cry and whine over this, but it’s something I can easily live with. Construction-wise, I see no issues. Thunderwing hold his poses well. All his joints are just right, not too tight and not too loose. I don’t detect any paint or assembly goofs on my figure. Some might say he’s got too much kibble on his back, but I like the way it looks. Kinda reminds me of the design of the Aerialbots, having a mini-jet on the back. Besides, I think this is how he looked in the comics.

Thunderwing is able to hold a weapon in each hand for some serious twin gun action, or you can combine the two guns into one giant rifle for some heavy fire power. There are tabs and holes on the launchers designed to do this, though you won’t see that anywhere on the instruction manual. I saw someone point this out on YouTube. Oh, btw, I want to take this time to commend Hasbro for printing transformation instructions to go forward and back, instead of simply saying to reverse the process to go back. They’ve been doing this in the latest batch of figures. Personally I don’t need it, but I know it’s been a complaint by the more casual fans, such as parents trying to transform it for their kids.

I do want to gripe about the scale of this figure, and I guess just with Generations figures in general. They are all deluxe class, meaning they’re all the same size. Scale wise, that’s just wrong. Bumblebee cannot be the same size as Megatron. Thunderwing is supposed to be HUGE in the comics. Don’t get me wrong, having a figure is better than not having one at all, but Hasbro could improve on the size. I understand that Deluxe is their best selling class. But the Generations figures are really aimed at a more seasoned audience, who in my opinion would spend the extra dollars if some of these characters are released as Voyager or Leader class figures.

But that aside, I highly recommend the Thunderwing figure. He is a great update of the character. Don’t let the wing and scale issues that I mentioned discourage you. He’s got way more positives than those minor negatives. Do not hesitate to get one if you spot one at your favorite retailer.

Until next time, this is Hsunami Prime, reminding you to… Transform and Roll Out!