We're now at the final Cyberverse Deluxe figure in the line! Now I have to admit that Thunderhowl was a surprise addition in the line since I was expecting someone more prominent like Windblade, Starscream, or Clobber to be in the line. Not that uncommon characters are a bad thing, it's just kind of unusual that just about everyone else was a familiar face in the show and he wasn't. But with all that set aside, some may find it underwhelming that it wasn't Thunderhoof like in RID15, but it's also not Thundertron like from TFP. Anyways, it's reviewing time!
Here we have Thunderhowl in his wolf mode. It's a much more mechanical design than the more organic-esque beast modes found from TFP, but it is on-par with Grimlock's design in Cyberverse. It's got kind of a more knight feel that I'd assume Steeljaw would have gotten if he didn't turn into a car in RID15. As far as colors go, this guy does not look like how he does in the cartoon; he should be a gunmetal gray with silver and blue highlights rather than blue with gold. Also, those red pieces may be there to stand in for the cape, but they stick out weirdly compared to everything else.
Beast mode's articulation is alright, as the jaw can open from the bottom and the upper part of the head can move up, too. The forelegs, being the arms in robot mode, have just about the same range of articulation that they will have in robot mode, only the shoulder piece is in the front and the wrists shouldn't swivel. The legs have a similar amount of movement that they will have in robot mode, but on top of having the armor piece in front of the hips, the legs are also bent to look more animalistic.
You can display him blasting the Decepticons if you so wish. It looks more like he's vomiting an icy water attack rather than a blast, which would make sense for a similar attack with Grimlock because the dude's a living flamethrower.
The sword doesn't really store anywhere, so what I would do is place it under the shield. Thankfully the gap of the sword and shield is tight enough to make the sword remain safe from falling out, though it still sticks out.
Transformation is a little more involved than the other guys, and certainly moreso than beastformers who simply extend the limbs, hinge the animal head down, and reveal the robot head. In this case, the figure has a few hinges to make the limbs shift from one part of the robot mode to the other, in a brilliant method of using hinges for the shoulders, the hips, and part of the torso. The crazy part is the fact that the head has two shoulder pieces that cover part of the head. And as for the robot mode, aside from the inaccurate colors, looks quite good if you ask me. The design captures a majestic approach (which makes sense in the context of him being a knight), and it's a pretty solid take on the guy if you ask me. That being said, his arms look like they make him have a bloated appearance because of how they stick out; they can't go all the way down. Also he has no good heels since the figure isn't too heavy from the front to help counterbalance the back for some reason, and it's also frustrating when the ankles are loose as hell. Still, not a bad design if you ask me.
Head sculpt is pretty good yet is inaccurate to how it looked in the show. It's been a while since I saw his appearances in Cyberverse but I don't remember him having this half-Magneto/half-Prowl/half-mecha design. The articulation is the same as with the other Cyberverse Deluxes, the WFC Deluxes, and I presume most of the Studio Series guys, but not only are his ankles ball-jointed rather than on hinges and pivots, but there is no waist swivel included. I don't think there was a removed waist swivel on any Deluxe I've covered so far from the former two lines (while figures like Ratchet and Jazz had no waist swivels in the Studio Series line), but it does make sense because of how his torso transforms. His wrists not only swivel but also hinge down thanks to the fact that they're on ball-joints. He can also hold his sword in one hand and have his shield on another arm and look badass.
And here we have Maccadam's head...which looks like he's shedding tears. Why? Maybe it's because the paint apps are not well-applied but also because if you don't plan to complete the rest of him, you may very well make a scenario where Maccadam was straight up MURDERED by Thunderhowl! But as for Thunderhowl himself, apart from the inaccurate deco and the loose ankles, this figure's pretty neat if you ask me. I have a feeling you may find him no problem at a Target or Walmart if there aren't any Megatrons or Grimlocks left warming the pegs. Still, there is a bigger version of him that's more accurate, has the cape, and doesn't give you the burden of completing a BAF, so it's honestly up to you.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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