Wingfinger is the third addition to the Fossilizer subgroup, and he's certainly going to break a few tropes present in the line; he's the skeleton of a flying dinosaur, he's a Maximal, and he's going to have a unique design compared to the asymmetrical nature of the other figures in the line. On top of that, he's going to make for an impressive beast of a machine when we delve into the unnamed Fossilizer combiner, but in a wave of Deluxes that consisted of an updated version of a previously released character from Reveal the Shield as well as a highly anticipated new mold of Scorponok (also a Wheeljack repack), does this guy manage to be a great entry into the line? Let's find out.
Here is Wingfinger in his skeleton mode. It's very much a Pterodactyl or Pteranodon, and with the mindset of it mimicking how the beast looks in the museum, I'd say it does a very good job. The plastic color is certainly more of a creamy look compared to the dark beige of Paleotrex and the gray and white of Ractonite. It's a nice way of making him visually distinct while making the dino skeleton look realistic. And I also like the black for the inner section of the ribs and where the eyes would have been. As far as the articulation is concerned, the head can spin loosely on the 5mm peg, the arms move out, hinge at the elbows, and the feet can move down on the ball joints. The beak can open but when you close it, it makes a loud snap!
For a size comparison, he definitely is thinner than both of them but is certainly taller. I'm not sure if that's accurate to the real scale of dinosaurs, but at the very least, it does make you appreciate the kind of details put into them. They're definitely the most unique as far as the line-wide gimmick theme is concerned, given how they're different from G1 Cityformer accessories turned into robots and Micromaster bases that can stand up. These guys are original characters with designs that feel unique while reminiscent of the Beast Wars II and Neo aesthetics.
Transforming, or in this case, partsforming, Wingfinger, just about what'd you expect if you're familiar with the way you change Paleotrex and Ractonite into their robot modes...although the main issue comes from the way it's handled here. While the forearms and legs attach no problem, the Pterodactyl head doesn't feel like it's integrated into the robot mode nicely, and the torso...or I guess, spine, of the body ends up feeling too loose overall. It's just not as well-handled as the other two are, and it's a shame. The robot mode definitely has a slender design to him, making him lean, mean, and overall a skeletal fighting machine. Is it me, or do I sense a bit of Animated Swoop in him? He's got a similar head silhouette to him, but the proportions are definitely skinnier than the other two bots. The biceps may seem too similar to the thighs of Paleotrex, and the thighs may be too similar to the lower legs of that guy, too, but they're newly tooled for this guy. Also, you notice that the swords are on the back of the shoulders for weapon storage.
Head sculpt is very sleek and not as descript compared to the fragmented look of Paleotrex or the brutish look of Ractonite, but it fits well for the ninja visor of the character. Also, nice Maximal insignia applied onto the forehead. His articulation is pretty much on-par with what we got before, but with a few exceptions. The head is on a ball joint, shoulders move front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, and ball-jointed wrists. The waist swivels, or in this case it's the upper torso, the hips move front and back, in and out, there are swivels at the knees, and the knees bend at two points to get a digitigrade look, and there is no ankle pivots. It's rare that figures don't have waist swivels (Apeface and Blackarachnia come to mind), but it's even rarer to see a figure not have ankle pivot when that's been the trend for every WFC figure made since Siege.
The accessories he has are two swords made from the wingtips of the beast mode. They can be made into a makeshift dual staff weapon, and I guess the Pterodactyl can peg onto the underside of the arms to be a weapon of some kind.
For a size comparison, he is taller than both Paleotrex and Ractonite. While he's not perfect, I do appreciate that he's different from those two as far as proportions and coloring is concerned. That and he is a Maximal instead of a Predacon. Makes me wish we got a Mastodon and a Sabertooth Tiger...sadly, he is the weakest of the three due to his stability.
Disassembling him is pretty easy, but be warned that the upper arms and the swivel of the pelvis do not come off. And if the head crest comes off, don't worry, it serves a purpose in a future mode we'll get to. But basically, the thighs, lower legs, forearms, upper torso, pelvis, dino head, and swords are removable.
And as for the weapon modes he has, you can turn him into some form of a pickaxe or scythe with a dino head on the top. The wings can go on the back to make some form of flight tech maybe, and the forearms can be claws if you so desire. Tracks here isn't the best example due to how he's designed, but I'll get to him in his review, trust me. The versatility is neat, though I think it'll work with some better figures in the line. At the very least, you can also make a bow if you want.
And if you think we're done with Wingfinger (and the Fossilizers), we've got a final mode to go over! This unnamed Fossilizer combiner is the result of using a good majority of parts made from Wingfinger, Paleotrex, and Ractonite into a decently sized but somewhat unwieldy combination. The way it all works is pretty unique, but the execution could be better. The main factors are the proportions being very wonky, with skinny arms and legs, a chunky torso, and a skinny midriff. The tolerances of the parts can be a little annoying, especially if it all depends on the QC of each figure. Then comes the way the execution works. The chest doesn't have any proper security due to the lack of devoted tabs to keep it from being kept in place, and the way the arms attach is not the best, especially with the forearms. Also, the colors work well on their own but they look ugly when combined. There's a reason why color schemes like this don't look as nice as traditional decoes made up of different characters like the Combaticons or Stunticons.
The head is made up of the dino head of Ractonite with the crest of Wingfiner. It's why the thing comes off at random and why there's a blue slit within it. It's an interesting combination of parts for a somewhat unique head design that gives it a little more of a contrast of drone appearance than what Combiner heads usually go for. The articulation is a mess because of the many parts used for the combined mode, with a neck swivel and slight hinge, shoulders that move front and back, in and out, bicep swivels and elbow bends at the weird way the forearms peg onto the upper arms, fingers, a weird method of a diaphragm joint, hips that move front and back as well las in and out, thigh swivels, too many knee bends, and some ankle pivots. See, the articulation wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't made up of parts that were already given a lot of joints on their own.
The accessories are made from the three Fossilizers, and I came up with a sword tail drill thing from the two Preds and a weird cannon made from the pelvises of Ractonite and Wingfinger. Both are as successful as you'd expect.
For a size comparison, he's around the height of a pre-War for Cybertron Leader Class Transformer like Ultimate X-Spanse and Grindor. It's certainly got a rewarding feel for anyone that completes the trio, and I'm sure there's more mix and match potential if you use Skelivore, Transmutate, or Tracranius! It makes me wonder what the two Fossilizers shown on the Hasbro PulseCon 2020 poster would be like if integrated with this set, but I doubt those will see the light of the day as much as an MMPR Megazord homage out of the line. So Wingfinger on his own is the weakest of the three in terms of the quality of the toy, but maybe you might find some enjoyment from the dino mode if you have the other two. The combiner, on the other hand, is a cool idea on paper with an execution that can be done better. Maybe fans can do the idea justice with their creations. After all, that's the point of the WFC-izer figures!
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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