Blitzwing has been frequently shown in numerous iterations of the Transformers multiverse, from G1's different variants to Animated and making his cinematic debut in Bumblebee as a Decepticon that dies early on (that nobody batted an eye over because of course). G1 Blitzwing's gotten different versions of his own toys apart from the original, mainly the Thrilling 30 with the numerous flaws that upset fans to the Titans Return version that was meant to come out but we got Megatron first. Legacy, much like the War for Cybertron trilogy, is set to make the most out of the G1 cast by making their toys much more refined without using gimmicks that are line-wide, but will that mean Legacy's take on the triple changer gets to be the definitive version of the character? Well, I'm not PrimeVsPrime so I won't automatically go "THIS IS THE BEST VERSION EVER" so let's take a look at this guy.
Here is Blitzwing in his tank mode, being a much more traditional design that's found with the character. The color scheme is the standard deep desert sand beige primary color choice with purple to break up the monotony. The proportions work well for the most part, and I do like how there is a good amount of sculptwork on it in spite of the quantity being slightly smaller than before. Some might find the turret a little undersized compared to the rest of the tank, but that's likely because of the integration of the jet mode. However, there is one thing many brought up numerous times that needs to be mentioned, and that is the phallic front section where the exposed jet cockpit remains! I know that's a bit of an homage to the G1 toy and the cartoon to an extent, but it looks pretty stupid on there without being able to fold away properly. If it were at least able to be shifted halfway into the rest of the tank, it'd still look bad but not to this extent.
The turret can rotate while the barrel can hinge up and down. The weapon storage itself is standard for the line, with the guns on the sides and the sword slapped on top. The guns can be pegged onto the other 5mm ports of the sides, but the purple ones stress the rims for some reason. The big missile pods are the one thing people don't like about this toy considering how nevermind the figure's prices are much higher than normal for a figure half the size of Leader Class figures 10-15 years ago; these pieces are the bane of any fan's existence apparently! Honestly, they look fine here. The red is appreciative since it breaks up the color and also it being in clear plastic makes it work better than had it been opaque.
For a vehicle mode size comparison, he definitely looks oversized next to Blitzwing. It was inevitable, let's be real. While the train mode comes with a tender to extend the length of the trail mode in addition to tons of guns, Blitzwing utilizes the weapons that he comes with to justify the Leader Class price point. I think our spaceman wins in this front by an extension.
Transformation into the jet mode is pretty cool, with the way you fold a sand beige tank into a purple jet, and I really like how the wings unfold from the legs. And always, the tank mode hides in the bottom and kind of ruins the otherwise nice-looking jet mode. It's got such a dynamic presence from the top, especially one that fits the bruiser look Blitzwing possesses. I love the silver added on the vertical tailfins and the nosecone, both of which compliment the jet along with the other silver accents and any yellow paint apps. Once again, the vehicle mode has something from another mode that compromises it from a certain area, including the tank kibble that sticks out like a sore thumb.
The weapon storage for this mode is about what you'd expect, though the missile pods become the hand gauntlets rather early to make clunky, chunky extensions to the back. The guns work as null-rays in this case while the sword is under the turret.
And for another vehicle mode size comparison, we have him next to Astrotrain, who utilizes his tender as a launch pad/treaded crawler vehicle albeit without the ability to remain flat properly. These two vehicles scale a little better than the original, but no by much. I think both characters have a few issues with handling the Leader Class pricepoint in this mode.
Transformation into the robot mode is pretty robust, from the way the tank parts fold away while consisting of the faux wings to the turret filling in the back, and from the wings keeping the legs from becoming hollow to the panels of the robot filling in the gaps. And yep, the resulting robot mode is very G1 accurate. It's a blocky but still refined take on the G1 design, and it does the job pretty well. I like the silver thighs going along with the paint apps on his torso and midriff, but I can't say that this figure is visually interesting considering how it feels reminiscent of some Earthrise toys that go for the G1 look but not doing too much that's considered interesting. Granted, he's better than someone like Hoist or Snapdragon, but I'd say it does the job alright.
Head sculpt is the norm for a character like him. A blocky yellow head with a red visor and a silver face underneath it. As for the articulation, the head is on a ball joint, shoulders can move front and back if you move the shoulder flaps up, in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, wrist swivels, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back (also with skirt panels) as well as in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots.
The weapons he comes with are the standard for someone like him. His sword is nicely painted and does look cool but the blade is made out of PVC for some reason despite other swords in the past being made out of ABS. The guns are standard for the line and may or may not utilize the blast effect pieces.
And now we can put the gauntlets on his hands. The purple combined with the clear red makes a nice combination in contrast to the aforementioned comments on me saying it wouldn't look good if the red was opaque. The hands themselves remind me of Hellboy! Butt the funny thing is that people HATE these pieces because never mind that the figure is the most G1 accurate version of the character ever made; those accessories ruin the value of the toy and there will never ever be a good G1 Blitzwing!!!! Honestly, this helps make an otherwise uninteresting character feel a little more interesting since these can go well with making him look like he can use finger lasers or brute force amplified with these gauntlets. I don't think they truly justify the Leader price point, but if you hate them, PUT THEM AWAY! Anyways, let's compare him to his previous iterations. The Thrilling 30 version may have the most stylized look, from the Seeker cockpit to the rounded design as it takes elements of his Animated incarnation, but he immensely suffered from numerous quality control issues with the shoulders and the face-changing gimmick. Titans Return Blitzwing is pretty clunky and may not have the best front section for a tank mode, but I'll give him credit for being otherwise complete. I know people would not want to qualify the toy because it was a Headmaster, but he otherwise manages to be great enough to keep on a CHUG shelf if you don't want Legacy Blitzwing. Hell, one thing both of these characters have compared to the Legacy version is that they are both taller than this guy AND cost less! I know inflation has been a thing, but it makes you wonder what Hasbro is trying to aim for.
For a robot mode size comparison with Astrotrain, which utilizes the tender as a backpiece as well as a combined cannon and slippers. These two have numerous flaws in terms of how they aim to use the Leader Class price point compared to other characters like Galvatron, Ultra Magnus, and even Doubledealer in spite of that guy's flaws. Of the two, Astrotrain is probably the better Leader Class Triple Changer out of the two offerings we have here, especially considering how he manages to have better-engineered vehicle modes while making the most out of the accessories he has. Blitzwing's vehicle modes each have a glaring issue and his accessories don't feel like they're enough to make him worthy of the price point. Then there's the discount Astrotrain got that made him even more valuable for the affordability. We don't know if Blitzwing will be discounted since that's pretty inconsistent with the WFC trilogy these days. But overall, I'd only recommend Blitzwing if you're a super fan of G1, if you never got a version of him, or if you are completing the Legacy line. There are things I like about him, but I can't say he's 100% perfect considering how some stuff pulls him back.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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