Here is Motormaster in his truck mode. I've already got the trailer on there because it's a mandatory aspect of him. I have to commend Hasbro for going back to a traditional Motormaster look without it being too slavish to the single-unit truck mode he possessed in G1. It's a pretty amusing vehicle mode considering how it's a truck and trailer combo, but I can respect it as it gives Motormaster more of an identity. For the most part, the vehicle mode is successful thanks to the color scheme, appropriate use of paint apps where necessary, and the weight of the entire unit. I'm serious, this guy's pretty heavy for a Commander Class figure. Probably as much as Jetfire.
The trailer is something many critiqued long before it was released, though. It's taller in height yet shorter in length than the proper proportions of a trailer. I'm guessing this was to make it fit with the human proportions of Menasor, but other criticisms I have include that cut up detail for the stripe as well as the tine wheels on the back. Those look so under-sized on there somehow, not to mention that they're pretty easy to untab with how heavy the thing is. The front section does look awkward with the chest and thighs being exposed, but it's something I can forgive a little more than the other negatives.
For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is sandwiched between two Primes. It's worth mentioning Optimus was a Leader and Rodimus is a commander, so you can tell how small Prime looks in comparison to Motormaster. Rodimus's vehicle mode looks very lovely, with the bright and sharp deco as well as how it doesn't feel cheap compared to Prime's trailer. Motormaster's trailer looks a little imperfect compared to the cab itself, but at least he has painted tires! Though it's worth mentioning that while Rodimus prioritized being a premium-esque figure, Motormaster prioritizes being a combiner.
For a G1 comparison, you can see just how the original toy's proportions work compared to the new version, though to the Legacy version's credit, it is a much more independent cab that isn't hilariously out of scale.
And here he is next to his Combiner Wars counterpart. I was pretty happy with the truck mode design for Motormaster in that line, what with it being a mix of himself and Galvatron from AOE, but I'm happy to see the G1 design return as a much more refined toy all around. And yes, Motormaster can separate from the trailer.
And here he is next to Legacy Dragstrip. I'm pretty amused how we're getting these guys one by one, while Dragstrip was on his own in the first wave of Combiner Wars while the others were in the next wave, and each team outranked one another. But yes, the scale is good.
Transformation is pretty intricate for a boxy truck, and it's a pretty clever way to capture that G1 robot mode without doing it the old way. The front of the cab forms the lower legs, and we even get faux truck front feet to replicate the G1 accuracy in such a cute way. The upper body's really cool, with the way it folds inside out as the tires go on the back. It's a pretty cool method of making him look like the character model, and if anyone has a problem with this approach, which I doubt it, I'd take this over the old toy. And the robot mode is certainly G1 accurate. I always find it cool how Hasbro can take the dumbest G1 designs and make them cool somehow, and Motormaster is no exception. Between the unique design combined with the part layout for the vehicle mode, there is a unique flare for a character like him. If anything, it's probably for the best that he has the Commander Class treatment as that combined with the lack of hollow spacing makes him remarkable for a design.
Head sculpt is the classic helmet within a helmet design that is undoubtedly a carryover from the G1 toy's head inside a cavity. I think he'd look fine with just one helmet, but maybe he's going to need to keep it safe because he butts heads one too many times. At least the eyes aren't blending in too much with the face paint, unlike Earthrise Optimus. The articulation for this guy is pretty good. Head is on a swivel, shoulders move front and back, in and out, bicep swivels, elbows, wrist swivels, waist swivels, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots. His sword is not that great. Not only is the blade barely any different from the handle in terms of coloring, but it's proportions are not that great. It's probably a little too deformed to represent a proper sword since it's meant to balance itself for both this guy and the combiner mode.
For some reason, you can add the sword on the holes whenever the fists are folded away. It's a silly thing you can do. I don't think that was intentional, though. And as for the trailer, you can take it all apart and rearrange the parts into a battle platform of some sort. I won't deny it's a pretty cool thing considering how the trailer needs to do something whenever Motormaster isn't in his combined mode, and it is a pretty unique thing, but I won't deny it isn't that stable.
For a robot mode size comparison, here he is sandwiched once again by the two Primes of the WFC trilogy. He's certainly about the same height, though it is amusing how Optimus and especially Rodimus both have finger articulation, the latter having wrist hinges in addition to more knuckle joints and a better-articulated index finger. And of course, the arms have butterfly joints and a more versatile neck joint. I'll state that while those would be nice for Motormaster, it is clear that the Combiner aspect is more of a priority than articulated fingers. Plus, articulated fingers are so inconsistent on the Voyagers and Leaders. Some have them, some don't. Shrug.
And here he is with the other two Motormasters I own in my collection. G1 toy is the epitome of blocky while the Combiner Wars version did look cooler in Forged to Fight than in real life, considering his proportions look bad compared to the new Motormaster It's undoubtedly a massive night and day difference.
And here he is with Dragstrip once more. I'm really hoping getting the other members won't be too hard, especially since Breakdown is still yet to be revealed.
And now, we can transform him into Menasor...and it's kind of familiar in terms of engineering considering that the trailer uses the same skeleton frame style of ingenuity shown with the likes of some Legends scale versions of the Stunticons from third-party companies. Previously from the Prime Wars, Hasbro chose the old method of making the torso bot be the main part of the gestalt while the others formed the limbs. That was fine on the older toys because they were much simpler and didn't have much to worry about in terms of the added weight affecting the articulation. The Prime Wars line certainly had issues with making sure that the characters were able to have as many modes as possible while also making them easier to work with for kids in addition to older fans. It definitely resulted in some odd proportions and a few compromises here and there. With Menasor's skeleton frame, the figure looks much more robust, the transformation is much more involved, and Motormaster himself forms the rest of the torso while a majority of it is made from the trailer already. And what an impressive bust for a gestalt! He's certainly incomplete for the limbs, but we'll get to those in a moment.
As for his own head sculpt is concerned, the details are impeccable, and I love the sharp craftsmanship applied to his face in addition to the paint apps compared to what we've seen before. His articulation is more-or-less the same as Motormaster, though I'll admit it sucks he doesn't have finger articulation. I'd love to have seen that be added onto him, and maybe the same method as shown with Siege Jetfire? Again, different priorities between the two Commanders...his sword looks more like a dagger in this mode, though.
The cannon piece is not used in the combined mode, but you can alter the cannon part so now the handles point up, allowing Menasor to man it from here! And for those wondering about the hollow shins, worry not, there are buttons on the back that close them up...you'll just have to wait for Wildrider and Breakdown.
Now here's something that surprised me on this guy. Since it turned out Dragstrip was no longer going to work the same way he did in Combiner Wars, instead of being the entire arm, you simply attach this figure on the arm of the skeleton and then extend it so you can give him the proper range necessary. It's a pretty cool method and it looks way better than the cheapass approach of the animation model and the clunky Combiner Wars toy.
And for a comparison that is not quite fair yet, here he is with his Combiner Wars counterpart. Yeah, one's got the skeleton frame and the other goes for the old-fashioned way, but I'm sorry; this approach of the Combiner Wars version SUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKS. Those proportions look awful, the hands are too big and the feet are too small, everything clashes with each other, Motormaster sucks as a torso, and the whole thing barely stays together. IDC if I paid twice as much for a Voyager with even more benefits than a Leader; Legacy Menasor is already going to be better.
If you're wondering, yes, you can use the Combiner Wars limbs on the guy much like how you could with Legends Godbomber, though the aesthetics between the likes of Breakdown and Offroad from the CW line clash compared to Dragstrip and pretty much all of Menasor. It won't work with the lower legs of the frame since they have their own tabs preventing them from being used on any other figure. That being said, this guy is a pretty cool release. It makes me excited to get the other members once and for all, and I'm very interested in seeing how the other gestalts will turn out from here. Only time will tell, but let's hope Legacy gives us one combiner per year.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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