The Collaborative series has been quite an interesting yet imperfect line; while I won't hold my breath for certain franchises to get attention, I don't really feel as invested in the collaborative figures we have; Ectotron and Gigawatt were both neat but I don't really have the same level of attachment for Ghostbusters and Back to the Future the same way I do Transformers, and I know nothing about Top Gun (plus, Maverick looks cheap). That being said, when I saw Ultimate X-Spanse, I knew I had to obtain it as soon as possible. When the price went half-off what it originally cost, I knew I had to get my hands on one. Let's see how Ultimate X-Spanse turned out!
Here we have Ultimate X-Spanse in his jet mode. It's a Blackbird themed after the vehicle that the X-Men piloted in the comic books and in some different media. It's predominantly blue with small bits of added yellow for the turbines, the red cockpit windows, the X-logos, and the black stripes in the middle. The proportions of the vehicle mode look fairly good, though it does have some occasional issues like the kibble of the robot mode stuck underneath the jet. Also, the turbines should tab in better while the same goes for the wings staying upright. The effect pieces can be stored underneath and the landing gear can be deployed or retracted if you want.
For a comparison with Jetfire, you can tell how distinct the two takes of the same vehicle mode are when we go from the real-world design of Jetfire to the more fictional take of Ultimate X-Spanse. One is in a slick, black color scheme with subtle red accents with the proper nose and cone turbines while the other is more fictional by comparison. To the credit of the X-Men version, there is less kibble around the front of the jet mode and around what will become the legs, though Jetfire is more stable by comparison. Also, it should be worth mentioning that while there are similar parts shared between Jetfire and Ultimate X-Spanse, 95% of the toy is brand new.
The transformation is very different from what Ultimate X-Spanse had, what with the unique steps added for the legs, torso, arms, etc; Only certain aspects of it are similar to what we got with Jetfire, but because of the new skeleton used for the robot mode, we end up with an entirely different conversion; that also means he does not combine with Studio Series Optimus Prime, so anyone hoping to make a crossover between the X-Men and the Autobots from the Movies may need to expect that. The resulting robot mode is certainly a mechanized version of the X-Men character design traits. Most notably, there is the deco replicating the costume of Cyclops, as well as the X chest strap being a trait that is used in the 90s comic redesigns of select characters (most noticeable to me for X-Men-themed Deadpool), and the pouches on the belt are just as unnecessary here as they are with the likes of Rob Liefeld's drawings, but it's still a neat interpretation of what the Blackbird would be like it transformed into a robot that is themed after the X-Men (instead of it being a robot that is designed after a specific character), even if it does lean towards the likes of Cyclops.
The head sculpt looks pretty interesting with the visor flipped up, as it has an animated chin, big, red eyes, and it manages to look both humanoid and Transformery at the same time. I do like that the visor has some Optimus Prime-ear design traits, but the paint apps could be better. His articulation is actually given more points than expected. His head can look up and down as well as left and right, but his arms move front and back as well as in and out, while he has another joint between his arms and torso that gives him butterfly joints and added shoulder range. He has bicep swivels, elbow bends, and wrists that swivel. He has a diaphragm joint that can turn left and right as well as ab-crunch. He also has a waist swivel. His hips move front and back as well as in and out on ratchets (though I wish they were not plastic ratchets), thighs swivel, knees bend at two points, and his ankles pivot; getting his heels to work properly is a bit annoying, though. He has two effect pieces that go near his hands, one of which is an energy beam and another is of Wolverine's claws; both are based on Psylocke's powers.
Here we have the two little figurines of Sabertooth and Wolverine; both are decently painted and sculpted, and there is an effect piece that sort of clips on their torsos, but they're not that great. I especially hate how Wolverine has a tendency to fall over because he's got a slightly warped leg.
And here he is with Jetfire! You can definitely tell how distinct one is from the other; X-Spanse is a much more traditional robot while Jetfire is more unique due to his robot design and his overall aesthetics. Also, this is another sign that these two share very few parts or transformation steps between one another. As for X-Spanse himself, if you're a fan of Marvel and Transformers, I can recommend this guy, especially if you can buy him for half the price he's going for. Seriously, I don't think he's worth $60+ if he isn't as complex or complex as ROTF Optimus Prime, so be sure to get him on a massive discount like I did. He's probably not going to get the same level of 80s nostalgia praise that Ghostbusters nor Back to the Future will have, but he's more interesting than Ectotron and Gigawatt if I'm being honest.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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