They form the bulk of my collection and I still think if you want to judge a line you should look at it's Deluxe offerings.
The selection of the Deluxe figures formed the "main course" of the line and they may have caused the most complaints of the line.
As Transformers fans we're used to repaints/remolds in our toys. It's a way for Hasbro to save some money in the design/production process and I'm sure sometimes we get extra figures only because of this method. Sometimes it brings a massive surprise that we didn't see coming, Wheeljack/Tracks, the upcoming Blurr/Brainstorm. Done right remolds can work REALLY well.
Sometimes though it can get a little obvious and a monotomus..
Combiner wars has A LOT of this, let's take a look at the list and you'll see what I mean.
- Dragstrip/Mirage
- Skydive
- Alpha Bravo/Blades/Vortex
- Firefly/Quickslinger/Blast Off
- Air Raid
- Dead End/Brake neck
- Streetwise/Prowl/Smokescreen
- Breakdown/Sunstreaker/Wheeljack
- Off Road/First Aid/ Ironhide/Trailbreaker
- Rook/Swindle/Hound
- Brawl
- Groove
27 Deluxes and only 11 different molds. WOW.
To put that in perspective the upcoming Titans Return has only had two waves of Deluxes announced so far and it's 8 different molds and we know because of leaks that there's another 2 fresh molds after that.
I'm not going to go through each one this time or I'd be here forever. Let's just cover the highs/lows.
HIGHS
(In no particular order.)
As Transformers fans we're used to repaints/remolds in our toys. It's a way for Hasbro to save some money in the design/production process and I'm sure sometimes we get extra figures only because of this method. Sometimes it brings a massive surprise that we didn't see coming, Wheeljack/Tracks, the upcoming Blurr/Brainstorm. Done right remolds can work REALLY well.
Sometimes though it can get a little obvious and a monotomus..
Combiner wars has A LOT of this, let's take a look at the list and you'll see what I mean.
- Dragstrip/Mirage
- Skydive
- Alpha Bravo/Blades/Vortex
- Firefly/Quickslinger/Blast Off
- Air Raid
- Dead End/Brake neck
- Streetwise/Prowl/Smokescreen
- Breakdown/Sunstreaker/Wheeljack
- Off Road/First Aid/ Ironhide/Trailbreaker
- Rook/Swindle/Hound
- Brawl
- Groove
27 Deluxes and only 11 different molds. WOW.
To put that in perspective the upcoming Titans Return has only had two waves of Deluxes announced so far and it's 8 different molds and we know because of leaks that there's another 2 fresh molds after that.
I'm not going to go through each one this time or I'd be here forever. Let's just cover the highs/lows.
HIGHS
(In no particular order.)
WHOOP WHOOP! THAT'S THE SOUND OF THE POLICE! (and that other guy...)
The Streetwise/Prowl/Smokescreen mold is awesome, I can't speak 100% for the 'Con versions but I know they've got to be as good as these guys. Solid car modes, solid robot modes and some pretty good limbs. I especially like how you can position the car front up in arm mode and it makes for some epic shoulder pads. If you're looking for downsides you could consider the unpaintable plastic placement. It's right on the arms/side of the car It's really hard to hide on Smokescreen, thankfully what can't be painted can be labelled!
Read my Prowl review HERE
Read my Prowl review HERE
Skipped waist day, all of them.
Brawl is pretty good, he looks beefy enough and has a really good tank mode. I wish he had a weapon though, I don't like using the Hand/Foot/Gun for it and the only other option is the tanks gun barrel which I prefer leaving in his turret. He's being used (badly) for Nosecone in the upcoming Computron set but all they're doing there is adding a drill. Woo.
I suppose I should mention the waist as well. It's very hit and miss if yours will clip together properly for robot mode, mine does, just about and it seems after talking with him about it Tricky's sits OK as well.
Even with it clicking together well enough it still makes him look pretty thin around his waist, shame, he could've used the extra girth.
I suppose I should mention the waist as well. It's very hit and miss if yours will clip together properly for robot mode, mine does, just about and it seems after talking with him about it Tricky's sits OK as well.
Even with it clicking together well enough it still makes him look pretty thin around his waist, shame, he could've used the extra girth.
Groovy.
Groove (the last CW figure I grabbed) was a good way to end it for me. Despite all of the stress and hassle getting him (bloody May madness) he turned out to be worth it. If you're still after one DO NOT pay more than the RRP for him though, he's good but I don't think he's worth the extra.
He's the only figure in the line that has light piping as well. I wish more of them had it.
He's the only figure in the line that has light piping as well. I wish more of them had it.
The new guy, a used car salesman and that jeep guy.....
Rook/Swindle/Hound.
Rook was quite the pleasant surprise, he's the "replacement" on the Protectobot team and I'll be honest if Groove was never released I'd have been OK with him staying. He's a great block of a figure with great articulation as well as the awesome trick of giving him "Hulk hands". He forms a bulky arm but he feels a little wasted as a leg. Great figure and it's a shame this mold without changes wasn't used more. I'd love a "Wandering Roller" from Unite Warriors but that set is a little out of my price range for now.
Ok I know I'm a little biased here as Swindle is my favourite member of my favourite team but it's honestly a good figure. Mine had a production error where he has two of the same thigh so one of his knees doesn't work properly thankfully when I got Hound I checked him over before I left the store and he was fine. They transform into a sold jeep mode that you'd be forgiven for not realising was a remold of Rook. They're both really good figures and despite buying Hound just to finish off Sky Reign I'm glad I got him, I already think I should re name him, Jeeper Creeper maybe? Wait wasn't he a Renegade?
Rook was quite the pleasant surprise, he's the "replacement" on the Protectobot team and I'll be honest if Groove was never released I'd have been OK with him staying. He's a great block of a figure with great articulation as well as the awesome trick of giving him "Hulk hands". He forms a bulky arm but he feels a little wasted as a leg. Great figure and it's a shame this mold without changes wasn't used more. I'd love a "Wandering Roller" from Unite Warriors but that set is a little out of my price range for now.
Ok I know I'm a little biased here as Swindle is my favourite member of my favourite team but it's honestly a good figure. Mine had a production error where he has two of the same thigh so one of his knees doesn't work properly thankfully when I got Hound I checked him over before I left the store and he was fine. They transform into a sold jeep mode that you'd be forgiven for not realising was a remold of Rook. They're both really good figures and despite buying Hound just to finish off Sky Reign I'm glad I got him, I already think I should re name him, Jeeper Creeper maybe? Wait wasn't he a Renegade?
He's come to raid your air! Is he a Spaceball?!
Air Raid was a weird one as you'd think he'd have more re-uses. I was honestly surprised when I was researching this and realized he didn't get a repeat individual release. Sure he's got various boxset and TFCC figures but nothing at retail. It's a shame he was part of the whole "Wave 2 not being released in the UK" problem (I'll talk about that in part 3).
LOWS
LOWS
The savior of G1 and the two dudes who copied his style.
Alpha Bravo/Blades/Vortex was what I thought I'd get sick of first with all the mold repetition and I was right. It's a good figure, all of the modes work well but it's the first figure were I'd got sick of it. It's by no means the most repeated figure but it's close when you take boxsets and Unite Warriors into consideration.
The problem came with the first reveal, it was obvious at the time that Alpha was going to be Vortex. From day one we knew it was coming and it took way to long for the Combaticons to drop.
It's made worse by the fact the only differences between all 3 is the paint and Blades' head. So I guess Blades has "Rescue missiles"? The ladies in the Victorion boxset had new arms couldn't at least one of the three retail versions get some new arms?
The problem came with the first reveal, it was obvious at the time that Alpha was going to be Vortex. From day one we knew it was coming and it took way to long for the Combaticons to drop.
It's made worse by the fact the only differences between all 3 is the paint and Blades' head. So I guess Blades has "Rescue missiles"? The ladies in the Victorion boxset had new arms couldn't at least one of the three retail versions get some new arms?
Space sniper no more!
Blast Off was a disappointment because of one simple thing, I can live with him being a jet but why on Earth did they use the Quickslinger head? Blast Off has a face plate! Firefly (not noted as a low as I don't mind the mold really) has a face plate, why didn't they use that? I would love to know what happened there (Kudos to the new "Till all are one" comic for having with a removable faceplate!).
I don't even think of him as Blast Off, he's Blast Jet in my household!
I don't even think of him as Blast Off, he's Blast Jet in my household!
Seems like nobody at Hasbro knew where the truck hood was meant to sit in robot mode.
Much like Blast Off Ironhide was a let down, I think mine came with some bad tolerances as he doesn't well together in arm mode and he's a bit loose all over (oooh eeer!) Trailbreakers OK, I'm glad they changed the arms as well as the head. Mines nice and tight in his joints and he stays together nicely. After seeing the H/F/G that he came with I wish they'd done some more with the two finger look. I think Sky Reign would've looked good with the "claws". Trailbreaker is by no means a low point but he isn't great either.
Read my Ironhide review HERE
Read my Ironhide review HERE
The good, the bad and the "He's OK I guess"
I couldn't pick a favourite but I can pick a worst.
Breakdown/Sunstreaker/Wheeljack.....
I would've avoided the mold completely if it weren't for the fact my remaining choices for Sky Reign limbs were expensive customs, repeating someone I'd already got, expensive Botcon/club figures or Wheeljack/Sunstreaker.
I went with the easiest to fix, Wheeljack.
It's easily the worst mold in the Deluxe selection, if not the entire line, the hips, the plastic choices (that yellow on Sunstreaker, good lord!) and in the case of Wheeljack the utter lack of paint apps. At least in Wheeljacks case reprolabels can fix him. He's OK, disappointing everywhere else. He can't even stand properly most of the time, I took Wheeljacks crotch apart "Aaaaargh, my crotch" and did a little bit of cutting on it and he stands a lot better now. I don't know if you'll have to do this to yours but I had to.
I don't know if it's a standard across the three molds but in leg mode my Wheeljack's combiner peg wont sit properly, it wobbles in place making Sky Reign a tad unstable.I'd pull it apart to try and fix it but it's held together with pins so I can't get in there.
At least I didn't get Sunstreaker I suppose.
I want to end part two with some thoughts on the Hand/Foot/Guns that each limb came with.
They aren't the best things in the world but for the job they have to do they work just fine. People have complained about them (especially with Perfect Effects offerings out there) but it comes down to a simple thing.
As much as adult fans are going to buy these toys and build teams as they know them, some of the target audience for these figures has no idea who's supposed to be an arm or a leg according to a 32 year old cartoon.
Hasbro had to do something where a limb could be an arm or a leg while at the same time not burying the torso guys in kibble that they couldn't use. Top it off with the idea that people should make their own combiners (I did, twice! It was fun!) and flexibility is the key.
Having the switching ability and packing them with the Deluxes was a great idea. They are far from perfect but they do the job just fine and if you hate them that much you have options to replace them.
Next week I'll be finishing off this mini series by discussing everything Voyager class and bigger as well as giving my final thoughts on the line.
Breakdown/Sunstreaker/Wheeljack.....
I would've avoided the mold completely if it weren't for the fact my remaining choices for Sky Reign limbs were expensive customs, repeating someone I'd already got, expensive Botcon/club figures or Wheeljack/Sunstreaker.
I went with the easiest to fix, Wheeljack.
It's easily the worst mold in the Deluxe selection, if not the entire line, the hips, the plastic choices (that yellow on Sunstreaker, good lord!) and in the case of Wheeljack the utter lack of paint apps. At least in Wheeljacks case reprolabels can fix him. He's OK, disappointing everywhere else. He can't even stand properly most of the time, I took Wheeljacks crotch apart "Aaaaargh, my crotch" and did a little bit of cutting on it and he stands a lot better now. I don't know if you'll have to do this to yours but I had to.
I don't know if it's a standard across the three molds but in leg mode my Wheeljack's combiner peg wont sit properly, it wobbles in place making Sky Reign a tad unstable.I'd pull it apart to try and fix it but it's held together with pins so I can't get in there.
At least I didn't get Sunstreaker I suppose.
I want to end part two with some thoughts on the Hand/Foot/Guns that each limb came with.
They aren't the best things in the world but for the job they have to do they work just fine. People have complained about them (especially with Perfect Effects offerings out there) but it comes down to a simple thing.
As much as adult fans are going to buy these toys and build teams as they know them, some of the target audience for these figures has no idea who's supposed to be an arm or a leg according to a 32 year old cartoon.
Hasbro had to do something where a limb could be an arm or a leg while at the same time not burying the torso guys in kibble that they couldn't use. Top it off with the idea that people should make their own combiners (I did, twice! It was fun!) and flexibility is the key.
Having the switching ability and packing them with the Deluxes was a great idea. They are far from perfect but they do the job just fine and if you hate them that much you have options to replace them.
Next week I'll be finishing off this mini series by discussing everything Voyager class and bigger as well as giving my final thoughts on the line.
Stu "Darkageis" Murray is a founding member of The Old Oilhouse, a lifelong transformers nut and collector of Sentai and Kamen rider in most of it's forms.
He sometimes takes epic trips and tells tales of these sagas often.
When not watching people in spandex fight each other he paints miniatures, go HERE to take a look.
He sometimes takes epic trips and tells tales of these sagas often.
When not watching people in spandex fight each other he paints miniatures, go HERE to take a look.
