Apeface is a Transformer I have no real connection to, and while Optimus Primal may seem to be the only worthwhile gorillabot, I'll at least say that learning more about Apeface gave me a bit of appreciation. While he's not a complex character per se, he does make up for it with a cool design and having the ability of a triple changer. Oh, and he's also needed to help boost up my Decepticon collection, as Siege constantly fills it up with Autobots, and I'm not too interested in paying for Seeker repaints. So let's see what makes this guy worthwhile, eh?
Here we have Apeface in his primate mode. He's got quite the energy needed to make his toy a lot more interesting than other Decepticons. It's a robotic ape with a wicked head sculpt that's not trying to be as basic as the 80s, and the proportions work well for a Cybertronian take on the animal. Thankfully, he's got the gun on his back for some added power...and we'll talk about it in a bit. In terms of articulation, the arms at least have decent movement at their big ball joints, the elbows are able to bend inwards for any chest-beating poses. The legs have some form of movement, too. Even the head can move, which that alone gives it more personality than you'd expect.
Here is Apeface's Titan Master, Spasma. He's pretty well-detailed considering he's got more than two colors. I especially love how his face is painted red and has a silver visor, which helps make him more distinct from the purple head. Due to the way he's engineered to be both a robot head and a half of a gorilla head, he's actually got the gorilla visor on the back while the robot face is on his legs.
This is where you store the Titan Master when you want to turn Apeface into his vehicle mode. It's a nice, cozy spot for him, even if the cockpit's meaningless with how far back it is and with how obscured it'll be with the backswing attached.
Here's his jet mode; getting to it requires folding the arms and legs away as well as adjusting the wings and the actual jet cockpit to face the front of the jet. As far as designs go, it's...mixed in my opinion. Like I dig the nosecone and the way the wings look, but it's a little too blocky for it to look aerodynamic. Sure, it's better than someone like Broadside, but it's kind of disappointing considering how cool the gorilla mode looks. Also, I don't like how the shield's paint doesn't match up well with the wings or nosecone, and the white paint on the nosecone doesn't match with the white plastic.
If you want to depict Spasma riding the cockpit, you can attach the head upside down and swivel the head. It's not the best option, but it helps make him look like he's actually piloting the jet mode.
Transformation into the robot mode is fairly simple, but I do like how we can get a fairly uncommon jet transformation as well as one that utilized gorilla parts to make up the robot mode. Sadly, it does get a little ugly from the back, but the rest of the robot mode manages to look pretty good from the other angles. And hey, props to Hasbro for making the robot feet different from the gorilla feet! In terms of aesthetics, Apeface suffers from having white plastic that doesn't benefit him too well; it looks like the kind of plastic you'd find from a toy meant for younger kids like Fisher-Price in terms of how...gummy, I guess...it looks. More importantly, it washes out the molded details and clashes with the purple and black plastic used for the toy. Thankfully, it serves a purpose: it's actually a nylon-based plastic that keeps its tabs from breaking during the intricate transformation sequences. So while it may not benefit the look of the toy, it at least keeps it safe from breaking. At least the figure's well-proportioned, though the head suffers from looking relatively small without the old Titans Return Voyager Class head-bulks. I guess since his chest is somewhat hollow to serve as a jet mode cockpit, it's impossible to make the spring-loaded heads pop up. That being said...
...the actual Titan Master headsculpt doesn't look too great. Since it had to serve as a gorilla head, it means that the robot face is relegated to being the legs, which are thinner than the backplate. I feel that having a normal Titan Master would at least make the head slightly bigger. In terms of articulation, he's got about the same points as most Voyagers, except he's noteworthy for having no waist swivel to speak of due to his engineering. Part of me wonders if that's from him being a carryover from Titans Return. Also, when you move the ankles back straight, they need to snap with the little pegs around the legs.
Here are the accessories he comes with: a gun that's not in black plastic rather than the raspberry colored one of the G1 toy and a shield that looks more like a chest plate than anything else. It's also got a hole that makes using it as a shield pointless. I guess you can see it as a boomerang.
Do note that the accessory is clear blue plastic painted in hot pink, and because it's clear plastic, it is more fragile than it normally would be. It's advised not to attach it deeply into the hole near the cockpit, as it'll be hard to get it out of there. As a result of this, my copy snapped off and had to get its peg glued back on.
Here is the Titans Return version of Apeface; while the Spasma Titan Master's not as nicely painted, he at least has a better-looking head design. He also has a small vehicle that allows him to be a jet, gorilla, or gun. I'm certainly getting this guy so he can have a better head design and a neater weapon. Ape-ception!
Here he is with the other Voyagers in the series, and honestly, it's kind of interesting that you have five of these figures representing characters that are mainstream G1 fanservice guys while Apeface himself feels like the odd bot out. Optimus Prime's always going to get a new toy, while Megatron, Starscream and Soundwave having consistent toys in the same line felt like a dream come true; Springer getting another stab with a new figure's pretty neat, and he's already a fan favorite with G1 fans. Apeface feels like he was meant to be used in the Titans Return line but was pushed back due to Hasbro struggling to find the right plastic or gorilla head gimmick. Also, aren't most Titans Return Voyagers bigger than this? I need to get Galvatron, Blitzwing, Alpha Trion, at some point. As for Apeface himself, while he's got a couple of flaws to him, I still like owning him. Gorilla mode is my favorite mode of his, the jet mode's a bit too blocky, and the robot mode's pretty faithful to the G1 toy despite the aesthetic clash from the white plastic. Weapons and Titan Master are mixed, but hey, you're being flipped off by his nosecone. I can recommend him since he's currently at normal price on Amazon,
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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