It amazes me how despite being a fairly prominent character in at least the first half of Cyberverse, Windblade was severely shafted when it comes to merchandise. The one Autobot who was there for Bumblebee before Grimlock and Teletraan-X showed up, and she just had a mediocre Scout toy and a so-so Warrior Class figure. Now Hasbro rectified their mistake by doing what we had with Shadowstriker by making a Deluxe of the character 2-3 years after Cyberverse ended. While I didn't like Shadowstriker that much, maybe Windblade will be better by comparison.
Here we have Windblade in her jet mode. I like the idea of her being a VTOL jet, which gives her a unique look amongst other jetformers in the past, such as Starscream and Blitzwing. The mostly red and black color scheme is another signature trait of the character, and it compliments her very well in this mode. Another key trait would be the lower legs that she always has her lower legs exposed on the back. But I guess it isn't too terrible since it blends in decently.
The sword can be placed between the thrusters for both weapon storage and to simulate a boost. Not too bad, though I have a hunch said thrusters are still 5mm compatible.
For a jet mode size comparison, here she is next to Starscream from the actual Cyberverse line. Starscream's altmode probably looked like this in the show, but it honestly looks terrible and uneven. It's like he's a cheaper toy than he really should be even though he is a Deluxe. A cheaper Deluxe than a WFC/Legacy esque one, but still.
Transformation is fairly standard for Windblade figures, what with the Thrilling 30 version being the template that we later saw in RID15, Titans Return, and even the original Cyberverse Warrior. It should be noted that the wings have little pegs to attach onto, but they tend to hinge higher than usual when not in place. Windblade's robot mode is the same as it's been since 2014. While she has had some aesthetics changes for Cyberverse, this is not all that different from the G1 version (especially with the Generationized look that affected the Prime and Animated figures). Windblade still loons pretty good as far as Legacy United standards are concerned, what with the sculpted details being present as well as the decent spread of baby blue and gunmetal gray paint apps. I wish the back of the fans were painted, but you could always flip them around if you like. Kibble management is fine, though the front of the jet makes up a fairly prominent block.
Head sculpt is more comparable to the usual G1 look rather than the full-on Cyberverse aesthetics, with the thinner eyes and higher level of detailing. Contrasts her simpler persona to better correlate well with Bumblebee as a friend. Her articulation consists of a ball jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward movement if you lower her shoulder pads more, bicep swivels, elbow bends, wrist rotation, waist rotation, hip movement front and back as well as in and out, thigh rotation, knee bend, and ankle pivot.
Her fan can be removed from the back like with most of her toys. She looks incomplete without it. The backpack can detach and clean her look up, though that is not intended. Doing so at least angles her wings back some more.
For a comparison with Starscream as well as our last Cyberverse addition, here she is sandwiched in-between the Seeker and Shadow Striker. While I prefer the ideas used on the purple Decepticon's design mashup, Windblade at least feels less awkward when it comes to proportions in addition to having more natural arm articulation. Both of them fit in decently with the otherwise simpler Cyberverse aesthetics.
And finally, here we have her with both Grimlock and Bumblebee; these three Autobots certainly had memorable road trip up until the end of Season 1. All we need is Teletraan-X, even if he will call Windy "not-crew". And yes, my Grimlock's yellowed in a few areas. Overall, Windblade is not too bad despite feeling samey if you have past versions of her. She is still pretty good as someone who missed out on past versions, but otherwise, you could skip her if you have her past versions. Honestly, I'd love to see the movies change her look, even if it'll result in cringe ass purists bitching about her deviated appearance with people suddenly being fans of her. It was miracle those mfs never sent death threats to Hasbro or Paramount with Pablo Wheeljack, but who knows if I jinxed something else. But yeah Windblade is alright.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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