Transformers Prime (RID) Bulkhead review

Bulkhead's big size could potentially pull him back at times, but he still manages to maintain remaining as much of a great Autobot as much as he is a former Wrecker. Even if he is a big softie, at least he was willing to kick some tailpipe after "getting out of the car and stretching after a long ride". And hey, having him take Miko with him wasn't too bad as she got to be interested in fighting alongside her big buddy. In terms of toys, Bulkhead once had a First Edition figure that got extremely hard to find, but maybe the Prime: RID figure will be just as good?

Here is Bulkhead in his vehicle mode. The vehicle mode looks good overall, what with the proportions of the altmode capturing the mass of the offroad truck he takes the form of. I like the shade of green, and while the tires should be painted silver, they at least look decent on their own. I do wish there was black paint or grey paint for the windows, however.

While there are a few details that could be added to complete the look, this figure at least looks nice in vehicle mode. It's not 100% compromised as many fans thought it would be.

Being a Powerizer, you can display him with the weapons attached on one 5mm port if you like, although it does make him look somewhat like Energon Ironhide. These weapons aren't screen accurate, and they're not quite as neat as the MechTech weapons, which weren't that neat, to begin with.

The wrecking ball can be pulled down at a lever, and it spins for a bit. If the wrecking ball was removable, I'd use it as his main weapon.

Bulkhead's transformation is fairly simple compared to the First Edition vehicle mode. Its engineering helps prevent it from trying to squeeze a big robot into a Voyager-sized offroad vehicle. The torso is what feels the most simplified part of the toy, and that unfortunately affects how it's presented.

In robot mode, Bulkhead does look decent but is less screen accurate to the CG model than his First Edition counterpart. I don't want to trash on this toy because I am happy to have a complete Team Prime after this figure proved to be a pain in the ass for a good while, but the torso and shoulders don't look right. Bulkhead fits his name by being a beefy robot that has a lot of the vehicle mass added onto his torso, which gives him the look he has in the show. The PRID version makes him a lot less bulky in comparison, and it doesn't make him look as chunky as he should be. The shoulder pads also don't look good; rather than being integrated in the design, they look more like they're designed to be separate pieces. Again, not accurate. The forearms and legs look decent, but this figure mostly looked accurate in the 2015 Robots in Disguise TV show.

The side and back views also look fine for what they are, though I hate how there are green tires and wing pieces that don't look accurate. While Bulkhead does have his rear tires stored on his back, he shouldn't have parts of the altmode stick out more than he should. At least he doesn't look as slim in-hand as reviewers say he is in-hand.

The head sculpt looks very good, and you can move the mouthplate up and down if you like. It's a feature that the First Edition doesn't do to my knowledge. While there is light-piping for this figure, the eyes are painted blue and actually look nicer like that. Prime's toys benefit from not having their eyes unpainted as their optics were not too big in the show.

Articulation for this big guy isn't too bad. Head is on a ball-joint, shoulders are on ball joints to help them move front and back, in and out, swivel at the bicep, bend at the elbow, and slightly curl the hands inward. Hips move front and back, in and out, swivel at the thigh, and bend at the knee.

You can attach the battering ram onto his right arm if you wish to sort of mimic the wrecking ball replacing his right hand. It looks alright but isn't as iconic.

The actual wrecking ball is somewhat hard to make it look like it's deployed properly. The issue is that there is no real way to keep it locked because Hasbro never used the one good thing of most MechTech weapons: keeping them in another mode. At least those had a normal weapon mode, to begin with.

This figure had at least one reuse, that being the Arms Micron version made by TakaraTomy. Like Ratchet, he has sticker sheets and a Micron of his own. The Autobot insignias look alright, and the rims are nicely painted, but beyond that, I don't think you should 100% get this guy unless you have him for clearance. The paint apps on the Hasbro version are fine enough for the most part, and I don't think the Autobot insignias are actually on the proper vehicle mode. At least the Micron ports are less obvious, though they are only so because they are on a larger toy. Also, stickers over the molded parts of the vehicle. Whyyyyyy?

His Micron is called B.H., which turns into his wrecking ball. I guess he makes for a nicer Micron for how he works as a flail rather than a fully-integrated weapon. It's in a darker green rather than silver, so you will need to paint him up if you wish. Whichever version you get is a pretty good take on the mold all around, despite some inaccuracies with the robot mode. I don't hate the PRID version of Bulkhead like some do, so if you want to get the First Edition, go get one. If you can get this guy for cheap, I'd recommend getting him despite some things I don't like about this toy. It's not as bad as people say it is despite some of the issues I brought up. I'm just happy to have a Bulkhead that is closer to the show after years of having the more Brawn-esque Beast Hunters version.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐