This WFC thing has been getting a little tiring with going crazy over the repaints, right? Sure, they're pretty much optional, but it shows how fatiguing it is to have to get constant repaints with no real surprises. It was one thing with all the Bumblebee repaints, but it's even worse when you have to consider the constant push towards them. It's not surprising or special anymore, and I'd get more genuinely excited if it were something a little more special like Netflix's Bumblebee and Soundwave. Thankfully, this 2-pack makes up for it with not just a logical Barricade repaint, but also a Punch/Counterpunch worth taking advantage of, the latter being a figure originally seen in the POTP line. Now let's give this set some attention!
Here we have the two characters in their vehicle modes. I want to get their car comparison out of the way since we've already seen the Earthrise Smokescreen mold before and want to focus on (Counter)Punch in his vehicle mode. As you can see, the aesthetics between the two vehicle modes are different from one another, with Barricade having a somewhat realistic approach in his car mode thanks to his sculpted details while (Counter)Punch instead has minimal detailing for him; it makes the two figures feel less like they belong in the same line, yet the latter is here so as to give fans a second chance of getting a version of the mold.
Let's now get Barricade out of the way with a vehicle mode comparison; both the Earthrise and Siege counterparts have the same approach in detailing that they share: a dark gray on the hood with a Black Decepticon insignia on the front, white doors with POLICE writing (English on the Earthrise one, Cybertronix for the Siege one), and to get them out of the way, both of them have the options to use their shoulder cannons on the front (which makes them almost homage Movie Frenzy interrogating Sam Witwicky back in MV1). Some of the things that make the two toys different beyond the designs and profiles include the larger use of purple on the Siege toy; it kind of makes the toy look cooler and I wish Barricade has more purple on him beyond that wimpy lavender. At least he has a gold gun that the Siege one lacked.
And here are all of the uses for the Siege Prowl and Earthrise Smokescreen mold. We've got quite the display when it comes to having the bad cop and the good cop joined alongside with a robot who is not blue despite his name and a robot who was entirely different in Armada and Prime. And yeah, I had to get a Siege Smokescreen just for these comparison pics but at least I paid him for a cheap price!
The transformation is the same as with Smokescreen and co, and the tolerances on him feel very good overall. His robot mode also looks pretty solid, though I'm still not much of a big fan of the lavender shoulders and thighs; they make him look unfinished compared to the slick black. Also wish he has some more purple like with Siege Barricade. Side by side, you can tell how consistent they mostly are, though with the Earthrise one having the Earth look. That being said, I think the head on Siege Barricade looks better for him than the smoother detailing that is from the Earthrise one; it's the opposite thing where Smokescreen's Siege head didn't quite fit him but his Earthrise head works perfectly.
And here are the other uses together! Isn't it funny how Most of them were exclusives in some fashion? Siege Prowl and Barricade were available at general retail, Bluestreak was available at Walmart, and Smokescreen was a Selects repaint; In Earthrise, Smokescreen was the only one to be a retail-exclusive as Prowl was included in an Amazon-exclusive 2-pack with Ironhide, Bluestreak became a Walgreens exclusive, and Barricade became an online-exclusive. Also funny that while Prowl, Smokescreen, and now Barricade were given proper spotlight on a review, Bluestreak is the only one to not be covered beyond mold history mentions as well as in-hand comparisons.
Now let's go over the real star of this 2-pack! Here we have (Counter)Punch in his vehicle mode, certainly having a nice, sleek look to him. The design is very reminiscent of a Hot Wheels car when it comes to the overall appearance; the tires are massive, the grille looks small, and the windshield is thin. Almost impossible to sit in the car mode if it was real, and it's got that international car look that one would find from European vehicles. That being said, I don't like how easy it is to get the front of the car lined up in certain spots (such as the grille and the front quarters), and even with the shoulder fix that I made, the error is still present.
In terms of the coloring, the toy is much lighter than the original toy, which does help it stand out from the original POTP version but does make him look a little less cool than I'd hope. Also makes me wish that the toy would retain the red rims that make him stand out among all the other blue cars; it's weird how some WFC figures lack rim paint when others don't.
For weapon storage, you can either hide the gun underneath the vehicle mode so it won't be left on the roof unless that's what you want it to do. It's a rather small gun so be sure to keep it with the toy.
The transformation is very much reminiscent of the Combiner-Wars figures in terms of engineering. Most obvious is how the legs transform, in a fashion similar to Dead End did (also similarly done with Titans Return Chromedome). The front of the car splits in three parts: the shoulder pads made up of the front quarters and the middle part folding away inside the backpack. The resulting robot mode is quite the design when it comes to making the carformers feel original in design. The torso looks fine but does have a lot of yellow all around it with the panel in the center being the only thing breaking it up. The proportions are also very odd; his torso is fine but the head might be a little too small, his arms a tad too short, and his legs quite longer than the rest of him. The shoulders being swept back is a nice touch and at least tab in place, but the legs look kinda crappy from the front. Oh, and while you can flip down the panels on the front and back (to allow a POTP hand to be attached or hide his allegiance, respectively), the Prime Armor is not included with this set.
The headsculpt is small but painted nicely, with the cap being in a nice black as it contrasts the yellow cheekguards and the silver of the mouthplate and face. The eyes are puny but are painted blue. His articulation is good but a little limited. The head is on a ball joint, and the shoulders can move front and back okay yet are hindered by the shoulders when moving in and out. Biceps swivel, elbows bend, waist swivels, and the hips move on ball joints yet are loose out of the package (while the thigh swivels are tight as hell); the knees bend, but because of his transformation, he has no ankle pivot. You can give him his small pistol, but combining its size with the already short forearms makes for an unamusing combination.
And as for transforming him into Counterpunch, you basically flip the hands, reposition the shoulders so the wheels face the front, hinge the panels in place, and reveal the eyes of the Counterpunch face. It's not that complex of a transformation, but it makes the robot mode look pretty striking in terms of appearance. Firstly, the chest is the roof of the car mode. Second, the legs look much more like legs. Third; the shoulders don't restrict his movement. The articulation is still the same otherwise, as is the yellow pistol.
In terms of the prior version of the mold, this is the Power of the Primes version. He looks much nicer than the current one, with a richer shade of blue, more paint apps on the thighs, red rims, and the Prime Armor that includes the Prime Master Prima himself. While this is like how people saw the Takara toys from Henkei and United compared to the (Counter)Punch we have here, at least the Earthrise one we have here doesn't look like it's in completely wrong colors.
Here we have these two for one last shot. Stylistically, these two don't really belong in the same line. Barricade's proportions and articulation fit with the rest of the WFC line on top of having the 5mm holes to weaponize him. (Counter)Punch lacks those features, resulting in two figures that don't quite belong with each other. It's not as obvious as some of the Universe 2003 sets where we have, say, a repaint of Beast Machines Blackarachnia and a reuse of the Armada Sideswipe mold, but it's not as seamless as you'd think. That being said, Barricade is a great repaint of an already solid mold while the (Counter)Punch mold is a good way for people to get a hold of the figure if they can't get the POTP repaint, even if the colors are a little wrong in terms of shade.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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