Marvel Legends Iron Man vs Spiral review

I haven't paid much attention to the second lineup of MvC inspired Legends, but there was one set that changed my mind. How did I end up with the Iron Man and Spiral 2-pack, you may ask? First, we gotta go back to the reveal; at first, I was under the impression that Iron Man was just a rerelease of that one Modular mold without the metallic colors and retooled unibeam. After finding out that it was a new mold, I decided to pick it up, but I chose doing so via second hand because I want to give Hasbro less money. I liked the original Modular Iron Man they made, but I wish the proportions were better and didn't have small shoulders. On top of my curiosity on this redesigned figure, I did like the original Spiral and wouldn't mind getting another version of her. Let's see how well this potentially underrated set turned out!

Here we have Iron Man in-hand, and while he may look like the previous Modular version we got from Hasbro, this one is closer to what the physique should look like for not just the armor but comic book proportions in general. The shoulders are bigger nor do they hang as low, the torso is tapered properly instead of vaguely appearing superheroic, and the legs have more bulk in them. All this helps improve the look of not just Iron Man, but any superhero with a build like this, armored or not. The bright red and yellow are accurate to the game, but I would love to see a metallic repaint. That means no marbleized plastic, Hasblo! One downside my copy has is the right kneecap's yellow paint chipping slightly.

Head sculpt is consistent with what the design previously got in Legends, though the eyes are still black rather than red like in the promo art and sprites. At least they aren't blue like in the HasCon version. Articulation consists of a ball and hinge combo for most of the neck as a dumbbell joint for the lower part to give him some slight tilt or whenever he needs to raise his head while flying. Not the best approach to neck engineering but it's reasonable. Shoulders rotate, hinge in and out, biceps swivel, elbows bend at two points, wrists swivel and hinge inwards and outwards. We have a dated waist swivel and a not so great ab crunch. We have butterfly joints but they only go backwards; at least they don't disrupt the sculpt, a similar benefit with their Hulk body. Hips are on ball joints, thighs and boots swivel, knees double bend, and ankles hinge as well as pivot. One of his pairs of hands include a more clutching right hand and a pointing left hand.

He comes with two massive blast effects that look cool when they use the dual colors and double layering at the base, but they're annoying to keep upright without them drooping at the pegs or weighing his arms around at the biceps given those get loose. It may seem possible to remove the blue pieces from the middle purple ones, but doing so seems pretty difficult, and I don't want to imaging reattaching them.

His other accessory is a holographic shield that can clip onto the wrist like almost every Captain America figure under Hasbro. You may notice that the middle of the shield is sculpted similarly to the forearm bit, and while the clip can detach, this visual trick would have people believe that the forearm bits can also detach to strength the illusion. However, despite what Hasbro stock photo editors claim, that is not possible whatsoever. I saw AnthonysCustoms attempt recreating the look, and he called them out for misleading people with their renders. That said, the differences between the Modular Iron Man from 2021 and the new one 5 years later at least make me appreciate Hasbro taking a second stab at this design to improve his physique without just up-sizing it slightly. I still hope we can get this with metallic colors, though maybe not as dark as the original release. 

As for Spiral, the main differences are the heads, weapons, belt, boots, and a second cybernetic arm on her left instead of a fully organic one. Obviously, this all matches the sprites and character art from MvC2, with the swords likely stemming from Capcom wanting to simplify work on said sprite work rather than using an entirely different sword and a weird axe thing. As expected, anything that appears metallic is mostly marbleized plastic, but one thing that sucks is that at least in my copy, the arm joints feel a little gummier than the original's. Maybe they were also like that on the original, but it's out of reach currently given I've been organizing shelves. Aside from that, at least she doesn't feel like that much of a downgrade.

She also comes with a pair of alternate hands, with fists, karate chop hands, and gestural hands per side. The previous Spiral only had 2 alternate hands, mostly for the left side, but I like this both as a way to give her something still without charging a higher price while also nodding to her hand-to-hand moveset she usually worked with in the game.

Overall, this set turned out a whole lot better than I anticipated. Thanks to Iron Man being a new mold and Spiral already having some value once again despite her differences, I see this as a pretty solid recommend in spite of the price bs Hasbro does nowadays. Only real issues mostly lie in some aspects of Iron Man, mainly the torso articulation and the wonky size of the blast effects not fully working with his joints. And of course, we need that Proton Cannon again for him and War Machine. Says a lot when the non-MvC MAFEX has one! As for Spiral, you could choose what aspects you like of each look, but do you prefer her with mostly unique weapons or more alternate hands?

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Age of the Primes Overview + End of the Road?

In a first for many years, a Generations subline has reached its end much sooner than the trilogies we got for almost a decade. We got the Prime Wars Trilogy from 2015 to 2018, the War for Cybertron Trilogy taking us from 2019 to 2021, and the Legacy series going from 2022 to 2024. We've seen size classes come and go, prices increase, and various non-G1 characters here and there, but the Age of the Primes line is set to be replaced with a currently untitled line. Some say it's "Age of Evolution"; others call it "Megatron Rising". We'll see what the line has to offer (assuming I won't quit collecting), but it's easy to see how quickly the AOTP series went through if you consider the heavy Prime presence in 2025 versus only less than half of the roster for 2026. Let's take a look back at what we got during those past 2 years, but keep in mind a lot of what I'm going to say is recycled from the ranking posts I made. Thankfully, I'm going to sprinkle in some new material to keep things interesting.

Solus Prime - I hate that the parts on her pop off too easily, and the skirt flap armor does make posing her a bit awkward without trying to make the design broken up too severely, but I can at least defend her and say that she isn't a truly terrible toy. I love the bot mode design, combining elements of her Covenant of Primus design with the appearance she briefly had during Power of the Primes. Her altmode being a Cybertronian minitruck also fits well, especially with a truck being fairly fit for a Prime than a car, but my favorite thing would have to be the color scheme; something about the purple and gold makes her almost Wonka candy-esque. I don't know what repaint potential could pop up with this mold because it's too character-specific.

Aerialbots - Air Raid and Skydive work about the same as Slingshot and Fireflight. They transform the same; they have similar color schemes, and they all work either as arms or legs, two of them split in half, and the other two are cubed up and barely visible. Not much else to say other than you're better off getting them if you really want Superion; they lack any individuality, unlike the Stunticons and now the Combaticons. Be ready to deal with these basic bots now that we have at least one of them reused for a Nexus Maximus limb. There is even a chance we'd get either a toy-accurate or G2 Superion set.

Alchemist Prime - Maccadam used to be a Prime as Cyberverse later established, and I honestly feel happier with owning two versions of the character since they did the revelation of his past without making him feel like a self-insert (cough Rung). While his altmode is closer to an Earth vehicle, I still find him generally enjoyable when it comes to his transformation and having a chunky yet still badass bot mode design. And as mentioned before, he still makes for a better Bulkhead than the Legacy version! Maybe he could be a cool G1-style Stockade.

Vortex - I already love the Combaticons, and seeing that we're getting a new version of them for AOTP makes me even happier. Vortex not only isn't a retool of a reuse-friendly figure this time around, but he also has a more robust transformation that doesn't feel all too been-there-done-that compared to other figures he previously had. The light blue is sort of out of place, but certain groups wanted cartoon accuracy, hence why it's there. Can't wait to finish Bruticus. Ironically, he will be reused as Alpha Bravo for the last wave; we go from having an OC repainted into a classic guy to said classic guy whose toy was later repainted into the OC. I bet we will get a G2 repaint or a Ro-Tor at some point, but not a bunch of other characters like in Combiner Wars?

Micronus Prime - I was worried I wouldn't like this little dude just because he felt like he would fill his price tag with crap that makes it feel like you're paying for a Core Class with benefits. However, giving him the Apex Armor, having it turn into a cool unicycle, and integrating the Minicon influence naturally makes this guy an underrated figure. The only oddity is that the parts meant to hold the wheel look like propellers on his back. I'm not sure what kind of repaint potential he has. Maybe someone could retool him to look like Bigweld from Robots? I don't know; that's the best I got unless we can alternatively turn this into the Omegamax Megazord from Power Rangers S.P.D?

Venin - The new mold Insecticon we've waited for since Legacy began, one knows you simply don't make a retool like we got with Ransack, Chop Shop, and Barrage. While the wings make his arms jut out more and his bot mode head looks less Cybertronian, I still appreciate how unique he is compared to the others, and somehow his color combo works much better than it normally would. It also helps that he was meant to be the true leader of the Insecticons. Maybe a pre-TF deco homage would be cool, given this was from the Takatoku Toys line of insect robots.

Cybertron Sideways - Thank you, Walmart, for redeeming yourselves somewhat by making him in stock immediately after cancelling people's preorders by mistake. Sure, some people would not care too much about this if they own the original version already, but he still makes for a great figure based on one of the best designs in the Cybertron line. He's not just faithful to the design, but he has slightly better articulation and still retains the old gimmicks, albeit working manually. Let's see some repaints based on his clone army and Universe 2008 Ratbat.

Prima Prime -  The first-ever Transformer Primus created finally gets a toy that turned out better than I thought. He is pretty plain with the light grey plastic, but the design nicely balances his old Marvel and Aligned designs; the Star Saber is a neat inclusion, his Matrix can be integrated into said weapon, and he can also do a hover mode for his altmode. Best of all, he isn't made for any retools, mind you, despite his simple design. That said, a fully silver one would be appreciated.

Red Alert - About time we get another Armada character that's a new mold, and what better choice than the medic bot himself? While Red Alert once again lacks a Minicon, the design is still faithfully recreated and does the shoulder cannon gimmick, even if manually. His design is blocky and chunky, but I always appreciated it when HasTak used to reinvent the classic aesthetics and give them a unique twist instead of rehashing G1/evergreen again and again. I may plan to get Flatline if he's sold on clearance, but I want to wait for a discount on Red Alert's Powerlinx repaint since the Minicons drove up the price a bit more than I'd like. Wonder if Energon Prowl and Movie Inferno repaints can happen, too.

Sky-Byte - A delightful toy / He may be stuck with third place / But he still kicks ass. Cybershark is next / He is one neon repaint / I'd get him some day...One other option / Would be to do Cloud Hellwarp / Skywarp as a shark!

Heatwave - I wanted to like this version of the character so badly, especially since having poseable Rescue Bots was always a thing that should have been done sooner. Chase was pretty cool back in the Legacy United line, yet Heatwave ends up feeling more like an afterthought, considering they didn't do anything to change his torso's proportions or remove any remaining altmode-specific details left behind from Bulkhead's military truck design. Why complain about the torso, you may ask? Because in the old toy and the show, he pulled an Optimus with his arm transformation simply by having them come out from the side, hence why you have these front sections around the headlights that looked vaguely like fingers. I don't know how successful that would have been, but if Hasbro was willing to do something about better matching the old transformation, it would have been better than just letting him stay with an empty torso. Still worried about how Boulder and Blades would turn out...

Alpha Trion - It's neat to get a version of the character that is from his earlier appearances, making him appropriate not just for stuff like War Dawn but also representing his early days as a Prime. I also appreciate that the altmode isn't as much of a shellformer, especially given how often that would theoretically turn out with figures like Scourge. The articulated hands are a nice touch, and the same goes for his pen and the Covenant of Primus. I still wonder where he gets the ink from...also don't know what this should be repainted into.

Megatronus the Fallen/Herald of Unicron- What an awesome design done justice after the previous attempt we got in the Titanium Series. A beefy robot mode that no doubt inspires the Decepticon leader named after him in some continuities, fire effect parts that represent his War Within flaming abilities, and various options for his weapons thanks to the ports and lore influences. It's also great that he isn't retooled or is a pretool for a future Megatron, especially knowing how easy that could have been if Hasbro wanted to do his IDW design (either Stormbringer or the one when he was an Autobot for some lame reason). The Herald of Unicron retool is a great throwback to the time we had a Deluxe version of the Chaos Bringer in the Cybertron line. I think I like this one more for being larger.

Onyx Prime - I would have expected this figure to turn out like shit, but I think he ended up being so close to being the best figure from the line (at least for the first year). Robot mode looks very dynamic given his non-G1 design, transformation is not as confusing, and the option to have him either as a centaur or a beast with optional extra legs makes him much more versatile than people realize. Also, despite being brown, the color works better on him than on any typical robot. The Deceiver repaint representing Shockwave disguised as Onyx in the IDW comics is cool, even if that series grew worse in quality.

Silverbolt - Even though my Combiner Wars copy broke for being cheap and I got the Universe version for less than the original price, I still wanted to have combining Aerialbots. Silverbolt isn't a perfect Commander Class figure, from the lack of specific joints to just recycling alt mode/kibble problems we've seen since 1986, but he at least has a decent super jet mode idea with the folded-up combiner frame. Plus, unlike Menasor, he thankfully doesn't have a concerning issue with his fragile shoulder hinges.

Star Convoy/Optimus Prime - I'm still calling him that instead of the name Hasbro has him because it sounds less clunky. Seriously, was it hard to use Star Convoy/Optimus Prime? Anyways, I will complain that he is hollow for his price, but it is great seeing the old design as a more poseable action figure; the price is thankfully lowered (but who knows if this will continue), and he at least gets to come with his Micromaster, Hot Rod. Why Hasbro couldn't do the same with Drill Bit and Ramjet is beyond me. That Nemesis Prime repaint looks slick, but it's going to be pricey as hell. At least the Energon Shockblast Core figure makes it almost worth it.

Blast Off - While it's cool to have a shuttle mode Blast Off without the issues of a retail exclusive's limited availability or using an Aerialbot redeco as his mass-retail form, he's still pretty basic sauce as a Transformer. He's the kind of figure that does the job fine enough without needing to be that much of a wow factor beyond completing Bruticus, and I guess matching the Sunbow animation 1:1. That said, the nosecones, hand halves, and the forehead visor are still stupid. As always, expect either a G2 or Movor repaint.

Quintus Prime - While it's cool he has some legs underneath his tentacle hula skirt, it's hard to pose him beyond "aura farming," as all the Instagram content farm pages tend to say. At least the clear plastic is PVC, but who knows if that would last longer than what Hasbro uses for their windows. I guess the squid mode is a neat bonus if you want to make him a "triple changer". I got no repaint ideas for this one.

Quickstrike - Finally got a version of this character that looks even better than the old toy, yet is slightly more poseable with enhanced durability! Best of all, he makes for another member of the Predacons. If only we got this around the same time as Silverbolt. Now we need the Transmetals and TM2 Blackarachnia. Sadly, the original Beast Wars toy never had any repaints compared to other Basics, so I got no ideas for him, either.

Sureshot/Joyride - While the Targetmaster Autobots are finally complete, the Sureshot mold is still very weak. I don't like how wonky his proportions are, while the altmode ends up looking more like a poor Lego dragster than a convincing altmode. Not helping is that Joyride's got the same level of frustration, only his spoiler had to partsform while his Powermaster partner is even worse than what SS got. Makes me dread how many Powermaster figures will turn out, especially anyone potentially sold as a Deluxe.

Powerglide - At long last, we get a new Powerglide over a decade since Combiner Wars. I dig some of the engineering used for the transformation, especially the faceplate so we can have him with the stupid mask from the Hoist on Hollywood episode. The heart from The Girl Who Loved Powerglide is also neat. As for actual issues, the feet still look like crap, but the forearms are easily dislodged if you try to bend them too far. Not sure why TFWiki hasn't mentioned that unless it's a rare problem. That fake rubsign is kind of retarded though, ngl. At the very least, a Bad Boy can finally complete the eHobby G1 GoBots set in modern toy form, but I wouldn't mind Hasbro re-creating the colors of the Universe 2008 Ultra or the Combiner Wars G2 style repaint that came with Superion. 

Smokescreen - I wasn't 100% sure if he would replace the Beast Hunters mold that easily, and sure enough, he hasn't, but I think it'd work better if it were another character. For one, this should have been an RID15 Jazz given how similar the designs are, though I could easily get this as a Barricade based on that sexy TFCC repaint if we can get an Arms Micron Frenzy homage for an accessory. I just wish the torso could go down more since he looks slightly mistransformed. That, and his punch dildos are a joke, when I'm sure Smokescreen had more convincing arm cannons in the show. Apparently, the Megatron Rising line we're getting next will turn this into an "evil Prowl", and it's probably not Shattered Glass either.

Amalgamous Prime - If you're willing to spend $42 on a Voyager, the only recommendation is this dude. You've got plenty of potential alt modes to make on top of the stock options, so much versatility with the 5mm ports, and you're able to combine him with any -izer or -ator we've got since Siege to make wacky combinations. So much fun from the only figure in this size class worthy of an awful price. If we ever get a repaint, I'm guessing a Shockwave one would be cool given their similar head designs.

Brawl - He's the better of the two Voyager Combaticon limbs, but that's not saying much. The issue is that, for as complex as he may be, the color mismatch with those greys, as well as the molding's seam line on the barrel, doesn't help make this feel worthy of a Voyager. Not only that, but the face paint apps are prone to scratching off because of how small his space is during the torso segment of the transformation. Also, Hasbro lied, saying this figure would have a ratcheting mechanism like the Constructicons' legs, but he clearly has nothing of the sort. 

Nexus Prime - The fact that we are getting a frame for this dude around 2028-9 proved that Hasbro didn't plan ahead with making a combined mode out of this character. And it sucks, too, because this could have easily been another Commander Class figure, or at least finding some way of making it a MTO release at a reasonable price while we get the limbs over time. Sadly, even if we could have gotten that frame much sooner, the figure still suffers from plenty of issues by itself; the Cybertronian jet mode looks worse than Energon Wing Saber, and the robot mode is extremely generic (probably because the designers took influence from the equally generic TFOne design). The combiner torso is the best part of the figure, but you'd have to use Superion's frame instead. Good luck being patient while Hasbro keeps jacking up the prices! Also, fuck repaint potential; not even an Energon Wing Saber retool is good enough.

Armada Sideways - He may not have had the initial distribution issues of his Cybertron counterpart, but he still had some form of controversy with Hasbro not acknowledging his head-swapping gimmick or the Minicons in general. Still, for as pricey as Voyagers have gotten, I can at least say there is some good bit of play value going on with this toy specifically, whether you want to display the Minicons individually or as a single robot to ride on the bike, and choosing one of three heads is cool despite there being no blank chest piece for the regular mode. Not 100% perfect, but a good bit of Armada fun in modern Generations. And hey, he at least came with his Minicon unlike practically everyone else. WASSUP WIT' DAT?! What are the chances we get the only other Energon acknowledgement in mainline Generations with a Rapid Run repaint?

Swindle - I really want to like this guy since I love the Combaticons in general, but he is starting to make me think twice about this whole Voyager-price Deluxe BS. For one, the only way he's going to get that type of price is purely from a slightly more involved transformation than the average Deluxe and an accessory set that is mostly for him. Then there is the fact that a figure like him easily gets sold out, even with a higher price tag than what Vector Prime got thanks to some discounts. Ignoring those issues, bot mode is fine, but the Jeep mode is kind of wonky, and the trailer should have been black to look better as Bruticus's weapon. You bet we can get a G2 repaint or a Rollbar in the near future.

Vector Prime - He is the only repaint from the Thirteen's lineup, but at least it's excusable given his history as having a more golden deco in his youth. Thankfully, they fixed some of the joint tolerances since my copy of the Cybertron colors had some loose waist and hip joints that I had to tighten despite the use of pins instead of screws. This repaint seems to be closer to the Galaxy Force repaint (the Hasbro-made repaint, not the Takara line) than the Universe 2008 one. While they did lower the price for him, the lack of a Safeguard Minicon is still a retarded Hasbro move. Now to look for the original 2005 mold and see what's better on each version.

Big Convoy - For a guy with "big" in his name, he sure comes off like a shrunken-down bootleg of the original toy with a high price point. Now I get that he comes with plenty of paint apps and accessories, on top of using some butterfly joints, but that barely makes him worthy of the modern Leader Class price point when some Voyagers had this level of engineering back in the ROTF days. They'd either have plenty of accessories or play features that make this feel like a joke in comparison. I bet Hasbro would put HFTD Battle Blades Optimus and claim he is a Leader Class figure. That said, it is impressive they can pack in a lot for a figure smaller than the original Takara release, but I would rather wait for a sale to pop up with a Nemesis Prime repaint. More like Mid Convoy, amirite?

Liege Maximo - This design is straight up wicked, especially when you'd think he wouldn't get any merch given his out-there design almost making him look like an evil tree trunk. I'm so glad we got this instead of the Loki-esque design the Aligned continuity went with because this is a much more unique way to interpret a member of the Thirteen. Best of all, he looks way better sitting on the throne that came with Coronation Starscream than the Seeker ever wished he could. I guess the silver and gold TF One colors would be used for a repaint, but honestly, would they fit this gnarly look?

Onslaught - Onslaught - The best part about this is how good Bruticus ends up when you complete the set. I also love how well the battle platform looks compared to the others we got since Legacy, given it doesn't look too much like it's made from the husk of a larger robot (even if we have the thighs and fists still exposed). The option to separate the front of the truck from the rest is admirable; his cab looks flatter than normal. The worst part is the lack of his own gun when everyone else got their own! Do we have to take some of them from the leg bots, like with the Energon lineup? I have a feeling that would still apply if we get a G2 Bruticus or Ruination set.

Armada Jetfire - No, he doesn't have Comettor, and he is intentionally designed to look mistransformed, but this guy does so much good that it's easier to forgive his flaws than with Onslaught's. Let's also remember that he comes from an alternate pair of pants for Optimus, but the true test to come will be integrating Overload. Until then, this dude wins the spot for the year. And in some ways, he's better than the Titan Grimlock. I still look forward to seeing a Spacewarp repaint or an Astrotrain retool at some point.

Is This The End of Collecting Generations?

Back when I went full-time collecting in the early Studio Series and Siege days, I thought to myself, "I'm hoping to get all of the characters I want without worrying too much about constant repeats or missing out on other franchises". I assumed everyone would get the Siege treatment, but then we got Earth modes for Earthrise (of course) before we got more of the latter than Cybertronian forms during Kingdom (which also gave us the Beast Wars characters in their glory). I still had some hope of completing my casts, especially as we got closer and closer to at least a solid Sunbow cast. I didn't have plans to do Cyberverse or TFP casts, mostly just the Unicron Trilogy and Animated, to the point where I wouldn't mind getting a hodgepodge cast of characters from lines new and old. For example, my Animated Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Prowl are from Legacy, while Ratchet and Wreck-Gar are from Age of the Primes, but I'm tempted to just get Bulkhead from the original Animated line the same way I did Megatron, Grimlock, and Soundwave. Similarly, Armada Optimus and Megatron are Legacy Evolution releases, while their Energon and Cybertron counterparts come directly from the original toy lines. 

However, the rise in prices yet again has made me go from collecting whole waves of figures to being selective, and now I'm starting to either cherry-pick or outright abandon waves altogether. There are 3 definitive purchases I have in mind for Studio Series 2027 so far (TLK Megatron, 2007 Ratchet, and Scorn), and I'm starting to think about doing the same for the rumored Age of Evolution/Megatron Rising line. I remember seeing the listings mention versions of Energon Scorponok in the Leader Class lineup, as well as possible releases for Animated Slipstream and a new Transmetal Megatron that is even better than the original (at least the brittle Hasbro version). Then we started getting glimpses of the line supposedly being a Megatron-themed line where they must take down evil Autobots (aka Shattered Glass but in the normal world because we gotta sympathize with the misunderstood Decepticons, right, Reddit/Tumblr/BlueSky/any larper who only likes IDW and some new media only?); on top of that, we not only got potential leaks to these lines, but things like Scorponok not being Energon but instead G1 (at least matching the rumored Leader Fort Max in Studio Series), and Transmetal Megatron being a retool of the Kingdom figure and not a new mold are heavy disappointments. It's also gotten me worried about what would happen to Armada Demolishor and Cyclonus, if the delay in a Nexus Maximus frame is bad enough already.

All that has made me realize that if I'm already not interested in what's to come with the line, assuming these leaks are true, then why would I continue reviewing everything? I've already held off on reviewing the repaint wave we're finishing AOTP off with, even the G2 Wildrider, unless he's on sale. I used to be invested in every release for completion's sake when Studio Series began, and delving from the beginning of Siege to the end of Legacy United. 2025 was when I started skipping figures. Minus repacks, I don't have Jalopy (but may when I get him on clearance, who knows atp). I didn't bother with the translucent Energon Collection set; I would have gotten Trypticon if not for me getting the Titans Return version as a gift, and I'm waiting for Powerlinx Red Alert, Sentinel Prime, and Monstructor to go on sale. Would be cool if they showed up at Ross, but I'm not putting too much faith given I live in the Midwest whereas these online items would mostly reside at the West Coast. Do I want to deal with a similar process for whatever the next line will be? No, obviously not.

So where do we go from here? We ended the Age of the Primes sooner than past trilogies since 2015, and all we have is a duology. While I doubt I'd ever do any ranking lists for whatever we get next, or retrospectives for that matter, I do want to delve more into getting older Transformers either way. Why else was I happy to have Takara's G1 Galvatron reissue as well as DOTM Sentinel Prime or Animated Soundwave? It's also why I'm slowly preparing myself for a hopefully eventful 20th anniversary marathon of reviews celebrating the 2007 movie. I wish I could have delved into more DOTM or Beast Wars reviews; I know I can keep going somehow (plus at least I covered RID 2001 a good while ago). So while Generations reviews may sunset soon, I know older toy reviews are going to be a recurring thing until I'm happy with my vintage collecting. Stay tuned for my 2026 Miscellania ranking as we reach the end of the year!

Transformers Studio Series Devastation Bumblebee review

Earlier in 2026, I said I wouldn't bother with Devastation Bumblebee despite the figure seemingly being worth a pickup. The fact is I'm tired of going back and forth with what version of G1 Bumblebee I want for my display, as I got the Netflix Earthrise version and liked it despite the inaccurate yellow and the partsforming. Then came the SS86 version, who in spite of the black windows and flat roof, was at least given the chibi look to match the cartoon. And hey, Toyhax stickers were able to make said windows blue. Now we have this figure to talk about, and while he may look better than Optimus ever could, I still wasn't sure if I'd want to pay $28 for another G1 styled Bee at this point. And that's ignoring Origin and Core. I felt that while it may be good, I would rather wait for a retool that I'd probably like. Instead, a sale popped up where I can get 25% off any toys at Target, while the figure was already discounted at $20. Combine that with me having a $15 gift card, and that's how I bought Bumblebee for a dollar! Let's see if he's worth all 100 pennies.

Here we have Devastation Bumblebee in his vehicle mode. It's based on the Classics version of the character, but stylized somewhat to fit the cartoon-inspired aesthetic of the game. As one should expect by now, the only bit of semblance to the game, deco wise, are the cel shaded windshield on the front. I don't know how soon we'd get a Spotlight 3-pack that has him with a superior deco, but I don't want to spend money on the grey prototype or test shot versions just for that paint job. As it stands, it faithfully recreated that altmode with the slightly matte grey paint apps at least helping the figure look somewhat like the game without using silver. Honestly, if they weren't going to match the game's aesthetics fully, why have the white cel shading to begin with? The actual issue I have with the toy is the rear section having the exposed forearms from the back like some awkward attempt at opening his exhaust port. On the flip side, his three guns can leg on the roof and the doors for some vehicular combat.

For an altmode comparison, here he is with his Netflix and SS86 counterparts. He has the best shade of yellow compared to the others, but it's funny how none of these even match the chibi VW look properly. Not even the SS86 version because of the roof and rear. Netflix does have the nicest altmode apart from the holes in the rims. That said, at least the Devastation version is accurate to how it appeared in the game, but man is it tiny. Paying $27 for a Scout-sized figure is fucked up in the mass retail world.

Transformation is a little different from what we previously got with the SS86 version, mostly with the legs not just requiring multiple hinges to adjust them in place but also locking in properly so they wouldn't flop around. So, the shins now use the hood halves instead of hiding them from sight. The rear and roof transformation is similar to what we got, but instead of having the backpack flat, we now have the rear wheels fold into a backpack that looks similar to the Classics version, with the taillights now dangling from the back. You could theoretically fold those up as well, but I wouldn't risk it because of potential paint scratching. As for the bot mode, not only is it accurate to the character model from the game, but it's both better proportioned to the G1 design than the other Deluxes AND looks a hell of a lot better than Optimus ever did. I love how sleek and agile he comes across, and the backpack sticks out more than with Netflix or SS86, I'd argue it still looks good considering the last time we got a similarly proportioned Bee for the Masterpiece line, it was an ugly ass mess from any angle that isn't the front. Plastic quality on this figure is good, though the shin panels detach a little easily. Other than that, this figure is no floppy mess nor is he in need of a severely crucial upgrade set unless you want to.give him some Action Master or Classics-themed add ons.

Head sculpt is good, though keep in mind that the figure suffers from a pretty bad design flaw: when transforming the chest area, the copyright info is molded inside the roof piece, and the lack of space means that it will damage the paint on the face, especially the mouth and nose. You need to shave the wording off with a pair of tweezers or a small enough screwdriver to reduce the risk of this happening. While the fix is obviously hidden from plain sight and won't damage anything important, we still shouldn't have to do that. I feel far less annoyed because I spent a buck on this toy, but I would have a different tune if I paid retail price. Articulation is standard, with ball jointed head and shoulders, swivels at the biceps, hips, waist, and thighs, whereas hinges are used for the elbows, outward leg movement, knees, and ankles. His twin pistols are cool to have instead of just one, but less cool is the hollowness they have on opposite sides. The larger gun can peg on the back for some added firepower if you want Bee to have a gun pointing up at all times. Maybe he can use it on unassuming Decepticons. 

One of the reuses we have is the Optimus Prime: Awakening version of the character, where for a few seconds, Bee was depicted as a Decepticon before combining into King Bee. New to this mold are an evil head, a right arm with Megatron's fusion cannon as an accessory, different paint apps for the front area and windows, and a Decepticon logo that's probably a sticker. We get a figure based on a brief moment in a questionable Peter Cullen sendoff but no ROTF Twins? Pass!

As for his Goldbug DLC skin, I hope it looks as nice as these CG renders! I kind of want to get this because the mold's good as well as me loving the game, but it's $2 extra, so we'll have to wait and see. Also, I'm guessing he's called Goldfire instead of Goldbug because the game used the alternate name.

For some Bee comparisons, here he is standing taller than both his Netflix and SS86 counterparts. This means he will be taller than either version of Cliffjumper as well as have no synergy if you were to have this be a standard Bee and use Legacy Goldbug (or vice versa). I wish someone could turn Devastation Bumblebee into a Beetle as well as have CJ match up with him on the same moldm

And here he is with the SS86 and Siege 25th Anniversary editions of Optimus Prime, both making better Devastation options than the actual Devastation toy. As for my final thoughts on Bumblebee specifically, I'm glad I got him on clearance, but I have to admit that even if I got this for a buck, I am still reviewing it like I would a standard Deluxe in the current economic climate. This Bumblebee is good, but not entirely worth the price tag due to the cel shaded deco only being limited to the windows instead of going all out with the paint apps. I don't remember how much this Siege Optimus repaint went for in 2019, but he has to at least be the same cost as the original recipe version with the battle damage paint apps. Since we have a smaller Deluxe size this time, why couldn't the deco at least be as comparable to what the Optimus I'm using as an example had? On top of that, paying nearly $30 for a Deluxe is one of the most retarded things Chris Cucks has ever done in his god awful run as Hasbro CEO, and they want us to do that another 2 times with the retools? Fuck no, bitch! Especially when one of them's based on a mediocre short film rebranded as a "tribute" to the late and great Peter Cullen. Worst of all has to be the copyright info etched into the toy and damaging the toy's face paint right out of the box. Again, this figure is good, but far from worth the full price as mentioned earlier. Since we're approaching Christmas, just get this guy on discount if you can. He's at least better than Orion Pax.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐