Here is Pointblank in his vehicle mode. As with many G1 Transformers since 1986, he is a futuristic car with a bit of a hint of Ferrari somewhere. There have been plenty of red carformers throughout G1, so the addition of Allspark Blue actually works well since it was made for this sort of character rather than feel like a deco change that clashes with a toy as seen with many toys from that subline. Some of the sculpted details are decently applied, though they're softer than what we've seen with earlier figures as we'll get to. Nonetheless, he looks right for what a Pointblank update should look like. I even like the windshield being a darker blue to contrast the Allspark Blue. There are even pinned wheels added onto this guy!
The side profile of the vehicle better shows the inconsistency between the shades of red, which is an issue that varies depending on the toy. Some of them can get away, with that issue depending on how spaced apart or subtle it is, but the feet and parts of the torso as well as the components that hold the shoulders all show the discrepancy pretty clearly.
His Targetmaster partner, Peacemaker (not the character Zhong Xina played in that Bing Chilling show), can peg on the back, albeit with two unique tabs rather than the 5mm post as one would expect. With the fact that both of the 5mm posts are on the sides rather than the top, it's a good approach with this guy.
For a vehicle mode comparison, here he is next to Siege Crosshairs. You can tell how these lower-tier characters work as either a new mold or reuse of a big name Autobot. Crosshairs is basically an almost blue and black Ironhide with an amusingly intact red cockpit in vehicle mode, and I am still seeking the upgrade kit to make him have his proper wheels in addition to seeking a good deal for Pinpointer, Netflix Megatron, and that orange Lionizer so I can say I own that Battlemaster. While Pointblank may have the benefit of having a new mold, he does have less of the sculpted detail presence that is found throughout Siege Crosshairs, owing to the fact that he was a reuse of Ironhide.
Transformation is pretty involved, and kind of unique in a sense, as the waist rotation, arm transformation, and the place where the head stores all reminds me of a Japanese tokusatsu mech. It's like Armada Blurr if he was more vintage in style, especially the similar design traits for the front of the vehicle becoming the shoulders. The resulting robot mode is a mixed bag if I'm being honest. The design itself is unique yet I find the way the arms work as well as the gap between where the hips and crotch connect to be a bit bothersome. Then there's the look of the torso, which feels pretty blocky and doesn't have much definition to himself. Maybe if there was more definition throughout it, it would flow better than it currently does. The arms are already going to pose a bit of a problem as we'll get to, but having part of the front section on the front side of the forearms is not a good idea for aesthetics and articulation as we'll get to. The back is shockingly hollow, and moreso than on most other figures; usually, that wouldn't be a bad thing on a Deluxe, but it's especially annoying on how much space is left from the back of the legs. I understand they wanted to make him look like his appearance from The Rebirth, but it's clear this guy has had plenty of budget cuts.
Head sculpt is pretty good, and is based on the aforementioned 3-part finale to the G1 cartoon rather than his appearance in The Headmasters, though I notice how removing the fin makes him look a bit like Shattered Glass Megatron in a way. His articulation is mostly good, with a ball jointed neck, shoulders that move front and back with the car front halves and in and out for the rest of the arms in addition to an elbow bend; the waist rotates, hips move front and back, in and out, thighs swivel, knees bend pretty deeply (giving some credit to the hollow legs), and the ankles pivot. Now notice the lack of any mention for a bicep swivel? Well, that's because Hasbro forgot to give him the proper bicep swivels so they instead had the forearms rotate like a wrist. Now I can understand if some figures like the Studio Series characters don't come with a waist swivel or ankle pivot, since they're more alien looks make them harder to work with for certain joints like that, but if MPM Starscream is going to be criticized for lacking bicep swivels despite being an expensive toy, then Pointblank deserves the same criticism when just about EVERY Generations figure has had bicep swivels. I know some will bring up any exceptions, but that doesn't excuse the lack of such an articulation point on a character like this. And the elbows don't bend thanks to those stupid red parts!
Since he comes with no other accessories, he can only use Peacemaker in his gun mode, which is fine by me. Peacemaker's not the same as the Battlemaster Targetmasters, being shorter, static in posture, and only having a unified hip joint and none of the separate hip and shoulder movement one is used to from the others. I guess it's unique that he isn't just the same as the others and hey, he's at least given a few paint apps! That being said, I'm starting to find it odd how he gets his partner as well as Blaster yet Armada Starscream and Hot Shot can't come with their own Minicon partners.
The way the two guns compare shows that while one is smaller than the other, they still get the gist of being robots performing massive sit-ups while having gun barrels cover their faces. The approach in how they each tackle the transformation is slightly different, though; Firedrive's got the barrels on the back while Peacemaker's barrel is part of the legs.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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