Transformers The Last Knight Barricade review

He first appeared in MV1, went absent in ROTF, returned at the end of DOTM, was presumed dead in AOE, and was redesigned in TLK. No, he never appeared in the Beewun flick, but his name is Barricade! The TLK design was something I felt a bit mixed on myself. I love the Trilogy designs of the Transformers more than I do the AOE/TLK designs in terms of the robots that were in both eras. Optimus had a pretty awesome Knight design that had a problem with looking like it didn't transform, Bumblebee had a similar issue, Galvatron felt plain, and Barricade didn't scream "To Punish and Enslave!"; he looked a bit too much like an Autobot. This especially applies to the TLK Barricade toy we'll be taking a look at.

In vehicle mode, Barricade now transforms into a Saleen 302 Mustang. It's nowhere near as iconic as the original Saleen Mustang, but it's alright nonetheless. I feel that it's a bit less accurate of an altmode compared to the actual car it's based on. The doors, paint apps, and spoiler are not accurate to the final design. Also, is it me, or does this toy need more paint apps? Sure, there's the POLICE and Decepticon insignia present on the doors, the front of the car's decently detailed, and "to punish and enslave" is present, but it could use a few more decals, right?

The weapon storage is not too shabby. The pistol and nightstick can remain on the botton, while the wrist-mounted gun can be mounted on the back. It's a bit of a neat attack mode.

Barricade transforms a bit more simple than his previous selves. A massive part of his vehicle shell becomes the back, the chest simple folds down, and the legs just slightly straighten out instead of doing anything that's a bit more involved. As for the shoulder pads, they just stay there and don't really look too good.

The robot mode looks bad. I won't say that it doesn't scream Barricade, but it doesn't feel like what the TLK design should be. He's seriously simplified than he should be, with the way he's engineered compared to the other TLK toys. I'd say this feels more like a Generations Barricade than a TLK Barricade. He looks fat, he looks unimpressive, and he's less bad cop and more good cop. Scratch that, he's Paul Blart Mall Cop! He's not skinny in The Last Knight, but he certainly wasn't this fat in the movie either!

The face sculpt may look accurate to the promo art, but it's not accurate to the movie design. Barricade never had this mouthplate design whatsoever, having a fully exposed face and having the extra eyes colored blue in the movie.

An aspect of this figure that I do like is the use of the knuckledusters. They're mirrored words that should say "Protect" and "Serve", though they should say "Punish" and Enslave". Still, the effect is neat, though kind of hard to pull off in-universe since he'd make a massive dent on the armor of an Autobot while a human would be splattered by his fist.

The articulation is standard for a Deluxe. Ball joints at the head, shoulders, and hips. A bicep swivel and elbow bend, wrist swivels, thigh swivels, and a bend at the knees. You can have Barricade use the pistol and nightstick like cops would. Alternatively, the nightstick can be a blaster or melee weapon.

He can store those weapons and use his ring blaster. It slots from underneath the arm and can wrap around it, creating its look. Also, can you tell a glaring issue with the toy? There are some beige plastic parts that don't go well with the silver pieces of the toy. The biceps, hips, ring weapon, and nightstick should not have those parts in the color, yet they do.

Overall, this is an alright but not great take of the Decepticon enforcer. It's got some proportion issues, looks inaccurate, and could be better suited for a Generations Barricade than a TLK Barricade. Hopefully, the Studio Series line can make this design more accurate AND a new mold, too.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐