Windblade is one of the most utilized-new characters in the Transformers franchise, having been added in G1, the Aligned continuity, and Cyberverse. having a unique character design combined with a Japanese influence makes her stand out from plenty of other characters. After the Thrilling 30 toy, she's popped up in the RID 15 line, has only two major Cyberverse offerings despite being the main character, and in-between those events received a Titans Return figure that's got twin swords and is described by my friend Illiniguy34 as "thicc in the right places". However, she hasn't received any new merchandise after Cyberverse, which makes you wonder if Hasbro is planning to use her character again. Still, Flame Toys stepped in with a model kit that was initially the center of controversy by the bird app because of its proportions, with fights that involved big-name TF fans who look kinda ugly, anime PFPs that are from modern entries which are forgettable, and political channels that usually churn out more videos than they do spend time with friends and family. Me? I wanted to get this figure since I was initially struggling to find a good Windblade toy after Titans Return got expensive on the aftermarket, and we now have her based on the improved second prototype with more proportionate wings! Let's give Flame Toys Windblade a review!
Here is Windblade in her disassembled, sprue kit state. You have 6 bags dedicated to a majority of the robot mode, with one of them being for the weapons and other clear parts and another for her face. The seventh bag actually has the instructions and sticker sheet like a Lego set, only not folded in half in-box. And what about the assembly, you might ask? It's certainly a lot longer than I expected. I've never assembled model kits with part counts like this, as my experience came from a Speed Racer set that was much easier, a Construct-Bots Shockwave that was moreso just a beginner's model kit, and various Lego sets that were on the generally easy. This Windblade model kit required you go to the right sprue tree and find the right piece with the right designation code, much like with Gundams and the like. Some pieces do require that you actually glue them in place, most notably the parts that go underneath the chest of the torso. With some clippers and having the pieces splayed out in the right spots, it was not an issue for me when it comes to the assembly. However, I am NOT a fan of the set's stickers. It seems like of late, Transformers and stickers are not on good terms. I mean, we just had to deal with the garbage ones from Titans Return and Power of the Primes, and while they are better with Generations Selects Galvatron, they aren't 100% perfect. I was hoping these stickers would be as good as what Toyhax has to offer with their Reprolabels, but while some were fine, like the ones used for the wings and the red on the torso, the rest don't fare so well; their size combined with the small space within the crevises doesn't make it that easy to work with, and one of them actually peeled off incorrectly. They said you can paint the kit if you want, and seeing it in the stock images makes me wish that was the case already!
But anyways, we have Windblade in-hand, and she certainly anatomically correct compared to other versions of the character made since 2014. While she's got a much more humanoid design thanks to the designer, who apparently worked on some NSFW statues, this figure still captures an essence of the character Windblade has, what with the warrior motif as well as the Japanese culture (though she comes off as more of a cyborg-like being because of how organic she looks). The proportions are curvy and feminine, even more so than in her traditional design. The colors are still present, with red and black being prominent while she receives both blue and gold accents here and there. If I'm being honest, I'd rather the gold parts used for the elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles be a different color; I'm guessing they were used since the materials they're made of would better adhere to the articulation, and speaking of, the materials are good overall, though the wing tips feel a little sharper than I'm used to. Her wings look decent, and while smaller than they normally would be, look much better than the Heimlich wings she got in the first prototype. And she even has her cockpit on the back. And while people complained about her butt looking very organic, I don't personally see it because of how broken up it looks. I will say that her feel should probably lay flat for both the toes and the heels.
The headsculpt is nicely done despite being made from other pieces, though I do find this doll-like face rather uncanny. I doubt the guy who made this figure would have thought of it, but I'd like to see some alternate faces that better capture a more determined or peaceful expression since this blank stare doesn't really fit most of the poses you'd put her in (what those poses are varies depending on who you are). But I am happy that the eyes are clear and as somewhat light-piped. And as for the articulation, you have a ball-jointed head, a neck hinge, front and back shoulder movement, in and out as well, butterfly joints, bicep swivels, elbow bends that nearly reach 90 degrees, wrist joints that swivel on the peg and ball joints so you can switch them for either inward-outward movement or up and down movement. There are two torso joints connecting the stomach and upper bust. The hips can move front and back on two joints, in and out on hinges made from the pegs of the hips, thigh swivels, deep knee bends, and ankles that hinge up and down and rock side to side. There is toe articulation but it doesn't feel like it remains flat when standing still. Even the wings articulate, via swiveling up and down and hinging in and out.
It's quite an amazing level of articulation that this toy comes with, from the joints normally found on regular Transformers to ones you'd find on more collector-friendly options. And while she's great to pose compared to the average Transformer, her feet don't make it easy to have her stand; a figure stand is needed for some of those poses (as we'll get to). In addition to her feet being an issue, she does feel lighter than the normal Voyager-scale figure, which is usually common with model kits, though that comes from the pieces being thin to allow the quantity of them to combine into a quality figure. And her sword looks quite nice, too. I especially like how the blade has a fade from clear to purple in some areas.
You have an extra sword that I believe is supposed to be a spare if the first one breaks, but why save it for later when you can have her dual-wield her swords?! This makes for a sorta-kinda Aligned reference, specifically RID 2015 (which probably inspired the Titans Return toy). She is also using the Hasbro flight stand that came with The Foundation, though I'm not sure if the tight springs of the claws make it a suitable stand for this figure. For a size comparison, she is around the same Voyager height comparable to that of MPM Bumblebee. I'd say this trio makes for an awesome team that needs to be made in canon, though I can almost imagine this Windblade being friends with Movie Bumblebee a la Cyberverse. So overall, this model kit for Windblade is pretty neat to have if you're interested in spicing things up for your collection, but while I find the hatred towards it to be pretty annoying, I will admit I am disappointed that the figure doesn't have that same level of sheen for the parts, though maybe I can paint those if I get the chance to do so assuming it's possible while assembled.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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