Here are Dreadwing and Skyquake in their jet modes. They are both based on F-35 Lightning II fighter jets, but the sad thing is how embarrassing the kibble is. Granted, it's nowhere near as bad as POTP Starscream, but the jet modes would benefit from having their undercarriage kibble look so out of place. The legs aren't the only part that ruins it, the split waist not only looks bad but it doesn't flow nicely with the undercarriage of the altmode.
They look better when they're viewed from the top, though there are still some problems that they share. For example, the hands are not hidden properly because Hasbro didn't make the transformation hide their parts properly. I should mention Skyquake's feet aren't hidden properly; that's on me. Also, while their colors are different, their paint applications have the same design patterns. At least Skyquake has some silver for his cockpit, but that's about it. All in all, their jet modes are okay but could use a bit more work to make them streamlined.
This is their weapon storage, which does look pretty clunky. At the very least, you can have the weapons deployed while they're on the ground. Still pretty stupid weapon storage, especially considering just how the swords are slapped on the top of the jet modes.
Before I begin discussing the transformation, I do want to mention the backpieces snapping off. This has happened only on Dreadwing, but it could happen on Skyquake too. These pieces are on some thin hinges that have fairly tight indents that keep the pins from making the piece flop. The problem is that the plastic used to hold the pins are far too thin, and as a result, they easily snapped off. You can glue it shut in the vehicle mode position if you like, but it's baffling how Hasbro didn't try to make this toy feel stable. Now I'm worried about the use of PVC on this toy.
The rest of the transformation is pretty so-so. It's got some nice tweaks to the formula of the traditional Seeker transformation, but the exposed robot junk makes it a lot less impressive than it really should be. The wings especially ruin the fun, as they can get a bit loose and make me worry about their durability. I also wish some parts of the transformation, like the hinges connecting the shoulders or the tailfins on the lower legs, could be better done.
Robot modes are the best part of these figures. They capture the look of the robot modes nicely, even if they still have some problems. Mainly the tailfins sticking out a bit more than they should, and I also wish that the shoulders didn't look too disconnected from the torso. It's a mixed bag considering just how the looks of the jet mode were already bad enough, and especially a shame since these two were good characters in the show. At least the clear parts of their forearms are subtle like most figures have been (which Optimus Prime and Starscream are not so lucky with).
They don't look too bad from the sides, even if their wings look somewhat slapped on there rather than looking integrated.
From the back, they look fine, even if you're likely going to have the fuselage missing if it breaks off.
Head sculpts look good, though the paint used for Skyquake looks a lot nicer than on Dreadwing. It should be mentioned that their heads are made of PVC, which gets pretty annoying when you have to keep them from deteriorating. Also, the neck joints are very stiff, especially on Dreadwing. Optibotimus mentioned that his friend had a Dreadwing that had its eyes snapped off because of the tight joint and the material used for the face. Be careful when handling yours.
Articulation for these two is decent overall. Heads are on stiff ball joints, shoulders move front and back, in and out, swivel at the bicep, bend at the elbow, and swivel at the wrists. Hips move front and back, in and out, swivel at the thigh, and bend at the knees.
Their weapons are usable in their robot modes, too. You can sort of have the weapons remain in their deployed positions, though it depends on how they're placed. Also, their swords are the same from one another. No paint differences, but at least the barrels for Skyquake and Dreadwing look different from one another.
There are at least two other reuses of this mold. First up, it's the Arms Micron version, which has a metallic blue and darker grays, stickers instead of paint applications, and an Arms Micron named Jigu. I'm sure it still has the same QC issues that are present on the Hasbro version, so this figure really isn't worth getting (also didn't get a Skyquake along with him). The fins are blue than black in the stock photos only.
This is Jigu, a cycloptic shark who becomes a gun for Dreadwing. He's not too bad for a shark, though he's not much of a selling point for this version of the toy.
This is Megaplex, which gives him a different deco that looks more prototype than official, though that was how his Machine Wars toy looked. As a BotCon 2013 repaint made for the Machine Wars box set, he comes with Hoist (reuse of Generations Kup), Strika (reuse of Generations Warpath), Obsidian (reuse of HFTD Highbrow), and Skywarp (reuse of ROTF Dirge). He doesn't come with the Powerizer weapon, which is great for fans that never liked it, but it does mean he comes with just a sword.
These two molds look the part in terms of their designs capturing their looks on the show, but they still suffer from plenty of flaws, including the shoulders sticking out a bit too much, the potential breaking points for some parts (along with the aforementioned fuselage), and the awful vehicle mode kibble that makes me feel disappointed in how these turned out. I was lucky to get them for 12 bucks each but had they been priced much higher, you would really be better off getting other figures, especially for the harder to find Skyquake.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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