Transformers Legacy Bulkhead review

The Transformers Prime series is no doubt a favorite of mine, what with it being a great spin on concepts seen from the movies and Animated, which are two of my other favorite iterations of the franchise, and seeing a show that trumps both of them in ways makes me happy to revisit TFP everytime I get the chance. Team Prime is undoubtedly what keeps me hooked on the show, seeing the Autobots go against the Decepticons despite seeming small made them feel like reasonable heroes to root for quite a bit compared to the usually equal or massive amount of good guy robots compared to the Decepticons. Bulkhead is one of my favorite characters in the show, and when I heard that he and Arcee were going to pop up in Legacy, I was so excited for the reveals before finding out that they were both Geewunnified somehow. While I chose to skip Arcee because her personality was sucked out, Bulkhead intrigued me and we now have his review ready!

Here is Bulkhead in his vehicle mode. It's a fictionalized version of the Raba H18, with some creative differences in order to avoid licensing issues, and it reminds me of Hound's altmode from Age of Extinction. While Prime Bulkhead was an offroad SUV that helped him be the second-largest Autobot, Animated Bulkhead being a military vehicle justifies this transition for the character in Legacy. The sculpted details are still as nicely done as the WFC trilogy's AutoCons, which is great to see for a figure like this in addition to the stronger synergy between the two lines. While the shade of green compliments the windows nicely due to it being painted clear plastic, the gray of the vehicle mode could benefit either being painted in either silver or gunmetal gray; a wash would help, too. The design of the altmode also has a bit of a Bulkhead influence in the front, almost as if his face turned into a batting ram.

It's a pretty solid vehicle mode that almost fits the character in spite of it being heavily nothing like the TFP alternate mode, it's great for a weird reverse homage on how we got Movie Hound being reminiscent of Bulkhead and then TFP Bulkhead returns for this toyline and has an alternate mode that combines elements of AOE and TLK, with the front of the former and the back of the latter. And reading, further along, will reveal that's not the only time we get another Bulkhound reference.

While the gun is shown stored on the top of the vehicle mode, the mace can be stored underneath the tarp for a more effective approach in weapon storage. 

This is the Prime: Robots in Disguise version of the character next to him for a vehicle mode comparison. At first, I was frustrated that the Legacy toy wasn't an updated version of the Prime character with better screen accuracy and engineering, but then I realized that by repurposing the Legacy figure as a G1 Bulkhead, it means I can have two Bulkies existing without doing what Hasbro did and copy-paste a universe-specific character into a G1 universe. Plus, while the new alternate mode is very different from the TFP incarnation, it still has as much personality as the original SUV, something that can't be said for Arcee in Legacy compared to TFP.

Transformation feels weirdly simple for a Voyager when compared to other figures we got in the WFC trilogy. It feels like a clunkier version of G1 Prime's transformation, and while he normally relies on being a complex conversion to look refined, Bulkhead doesn't change the front of the altmode and instead has the arms stuff themselves from the inside while the legs are more or less unchanged apart from hiding the gas tanks. His tarp can be removed if you want during transformation, but at least it stays on and doesn't ruin his robot mode compared to Earthrise Arcee when her altmode backpack isn't changed. The resulting robot mode is much blockier than the typically blocky G1 designs. While those guys at least have more definition to themselves, his design is almost reminiscent of Energon Optimus Prime, though at least it fits this guy better. In a way, it's less Transformer and more a-truck-that-stood-up-and-grew-arms for the design. 

Head sculpt looks great, and probably meaner than the original Prime Bulkhead face sculpt. That's great because I don't want to have to deal wirh a retrofied head sculpt considering how nicely done the WFC trilogy head sculpts are without trying to go for that fuzzy hand drawn look. And both the silver paint and blue eyes pop nicely from the rest of the head. His articulation is standard for the line, with a ball joint for the neck, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, wrist swivels, waist swivel, hips that move front and back as well as in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots 

His accessories aren't too bad, as the mace opens up so he can conceal his hand and make it as though it's replaced his hand entirely. The tarp can be removed from the back and become a shield for him to use, which isn't too bad in terms of appearance and effectiveness apart from the lack of a window. The shoulder cannon may be used for a regular pistol, but I prefer having it as a shoulder cannon. It's on the left side since it doesn't stay on as well for the right side possibly due to the way the tooling works. It's translucent blue but the tip is painted black in addition to some of the other areas.

As far as reuses are concerned, we currently have a Wreck-N-Rule online exclusive repaint that makes me wish this was the version of the figure we got! The more militaristic color scheme further strengthens the Movie Hound influence and the additional hammer he comes with is a nice bonus if you want to give it to Arms Micron War Breakdown. While this figure is not as impressive in terms of engineering, this deco makes me want the toy again.

For a size comparison, he is taller than the PRID figure by a few centimeters. I like the size difference since Prime Bulkhead was squat compared thanks to his altmode size in addition to the way the altmodes make sense for the two to be distinct overall. I will say that I still prefer the PRID figure because its engineering and design are stronger, the Legacy figure makes for a good G1 Bulkhead with a design made from scratch.

And here he is with a Lugnut made from 2011, that being the Reveal the Shield version of the character. These two are great together, as even though a decade separates the engineering they share as well as the difference in aesthetics and play features, with one being more about the 5mm ports and the other having spring-loaded gimmicks, the duality of design choices makes these two great rivals for a G1-inspired display of Animated Lugnut and Bulkhead in general (apart from Energon Bulkhead because nobody remembers him). 

I think you can be fine with Legacy Bulkhead if you have either First Edition or PRID Bulkhead as your main version of the Prime incarnation while this guy can instead be the G1 incarnation without requiring you to do a copy-paste of an already established design or character. While he does feel light and doesn't have the most impressive engineering or the most intricate design, he's a nice figure to have and would go well with Reveal the Shield Lugnut. But unless you're fine with the regular version, maybe wait for the Wreck-N-Rule version. That being said, he does remind me of Beast Hunters Prime, who was hollowed from the inside so they can make the illusion of a more filled in figure from the outside, and while this guy doesn't feel as cheap, he doesn't have the same quality that the other Voyagers have. And I kind of agree with Thew when he said that they made this toy a favor by making it Bulkhead instead of doing Bulkhead a favor by making him a new toy.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Legacy Dragstrip review

Dragstrip has been pretty prominent in some way, shape, or form in many TF media, as was the case with some of his fellow Stunticons. He was also the member of his team to be represented in the Combiner Wars line the same way he was the first of the team to be presented in the Legacy line. It was neat to have a G1 combiner with modern engineering and mass retail accessibility due to how most combiners before then were third-party offerings and seemed impossible to obtain. As we'll go over later on, Menasor did show he had a terribly aged character design that makes me interested in seeing how the Legacy version would turn out. So let's see what the Legacy version has to offer.

Here is Dragstrip in his vehicle mode, back to a more classic F1 formula race car with six wheels to distinguish him from Mirage. That and the overall design goes for a more classic look while Mirage (at least in the Kingdom figure) manages to have a more Ligier design by comparison). This vehicle mode's sleek, the difference in size between the rear tires and the four smaller tires add to the extended traction and power transfer for the rear vehicle, and the use of caramel brown and pinkish-red helps stand out from the dominant yellow body. The silver paint apps here and there are nice, though it is mostly found from the engine at the back. I have to knock some points off for the robot head being exposed on the back. Sure, it's not facing upwards and the head is hollow, but why would it be left in that spot as such?! At least the Decepticon insignia on the front bumper is tampographed nicely and looks symmetrical, which was something that slightly affected my Kingdom Mirage.

The side profile is low and long as mentioned before, which adds to the sleek nature of the vehicle he's taken form of. The deco is more limited from the side, but I have to comment on the way the snap-on pegs for the tires are, as they contrast compared to the rear tires due to the pegs being left in the same shade of yellow.

The guns can be placed on the back of the vehicle, allowing for some pretty solid weapon mode features that make for a more subtle addition to the vehicle mode compared to leaving the more prominent weapons of Sideswipe on the sides of his altmode.

For a vehicle mode comparison, here is Dragstrip next to his Combiner Wars counterpart, showcasing a major contrast between his alternate mode choices. While the Combiner Wars version is more of an Indianapolis-styled car, this new Legacy figure returns to his old school days of being a G1 car mode. Both designs are neat, though the CW version did feel like it was trying to be an in-between amalgamation of Dragstrip and Mirage since it was inevitable that he'd be reused in the line. Legacy Dragstrip is made specifically for himself unless we get a Gen Selects multipack of his G2 colors. One plus on the CW version is his seat is still intact compared to the G1 version.

The vehicle mode can be split in half simply by pressing a hidden button on the back of the toy. This allows you to have the figure set up for the inevitable Menasor courtesy of the skeleton frame of the Commander Class Motormaster. That has me excited for what we'll get from Combiner teams from this moment onwards, as the lack of partsforming with the Combiner Wars version was ambitious yet left the Hasbro figures a little dated with certain things. If you want to try this out, don't be like PrimeVsPrime and use scissors like he did!

Transformation is pretty involved, which is something that I did not expect in any way considering how basic the Combiner Wars version transformed. Instead of the extending legs and shoulder hinges, the figure uses more intricate parts to help make the conversion feel more interesting, from the lower legs using hinges to open them to the panels on the forearms and the wheels on the shoulders, the spoiler splitting in half, and that torso transformation being ingenious! The resulting robot mode is a much more refined version of the G1 character design, albeit with the spoiler halves now serving as the alternative to the wheels that we previously know the character design for. I like how it turned out as a much more traditional yet better engineered take on said model, though I wish the rest of the body has more color to break it up beyond the torso and the tires. Sure, the sides have those paint apps, but look at how the lower legs have no paint while the backs do because they possess the engine! Of note, this figure appears to have a pin on the back, likely a magnet for the combiner mode, and that slit underneath the flight stand is what serves as the lock to separate the halves for the arm mode. But while Skids had to deal with his robot head having a chunk of the car mode hood on the back, Dragstrip has no brains on the back of his head, much like poor Core Class Hot Rod!

Speaking of the head sculpt, it is very nicely done with the use of purple, red, and silver paint apps to make it a visually colorful head. It is much blockier than I expected, though, especially after being used to the Combiner Wars version. His face also isn't blue. His articulation is consistent with what we received during the War for Cybertron trilogy, with a neck swivel, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, a waist swivel (don't worry if it's loose since it comes from the tab being from the combiner feature), hips move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots. He also has two twin pistols, which he looks great holding due to them being nicely painted and fitting his character pretty well.

His accessories can also combine into a twin barrelled gun, which is something that almost works well. No idea why the tabs are on the same spots for both. Anyways for a robot mode comparison, here he is with his Combiner Wars counterpart, who is taller and much more stylized by comparison. You can tell now that the CW version was made as trying to be a bit of an amalgamation between the character it was made for in mind and the reuse, Mirage. The original Combiner Wars figure was alright for its time, but I think the Legacy version wins for prioritizing its own character in mind without relying too much on trying to be a reused figure for another character. Its engineering also wins, though I do wish it had the same amount of color break up that the CW figure had, though not to the same extent.

Already while the Stunticons are near completion, we got Shadowstrip, who is actually a G2 repaint of the same guy. We're not sure if we'll get the other Stunticons in the G2 color schemes as of this writing, but he is still compatible with Legacy Motormaster.

The approach that the CW figure went in having both arm and leg modes was appreciative for its time, though it has led to an issue regarding the Combiner Wars figures having to utilize mostly identical conversion traits, and the way the Legacy figure only prioritizes being an arm and only when it's split from the waist down helps that particular figure work as an independent release much better. So don't take the image of Megatron splitting him in half as a negative towards the Legacy figure as while he has a hollow head and lacking color breakup in robot mode, he is otherwise an outstanding addition to the line and has me excited for what's to come with the Legacy line's Stunticons from here.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Marvel Legends Armadillo Build-A-Figure review

Armadillo is pretty much considered a more J-list Marvel Legends addition. Still, for those who don't know who he is since he never appeared in the MCU (though he appeared in M.O.D.O.K.),  he is best known to be an enemy who'd pop up in the Marvel Universe as one of the occasional adversaries and was once known as Antonio Rodriguez before he became the bestial villain. During his early days, he sought after a cure for his wife, who upon receiving it, left him because of his altered appearance. He is best known for going against Captain America, with the Star-Spangled Avenger wanting to help the man stay away from villainy. He's popped up every once in a while and is now the subject for today's review as the final piece of the No Way Home wave of Marvel Legends.

Let's rank the figures I've received from worst to best; this is Morlun, who in spite of not being Morbius, shares the same level of okay-at-best vibes that one would have with the movie. However, Morlun is worse because he feels somewhat rubbery, and I don't like how the face sculpts look on him. There are some neat ideas for this niche Marvel villain, but he feels more like a higher quality budget toy than he really should be for the price tag he's going for.

In fourth place, it's J Jonah Jameson, based on his attire from Home movies Far From and No Way. He's neat to get as a figure that fits the line between being one of the main characters and someone that normally wouldn't sell as easily to a casual consumer. I do wish we'd get more display options from him, like a hat or maybe an optional coat for him to wear so he can be shown blaming Peter Parker for the damage he's done, but maybe I'm used to the newspaper JJ that seeing this guy in a suit does make things a little weird to work with in toy form. His left shoulder should have better QC.

In third place, it's Shriek, who not only manages to be a solid release with minimum effort put in mind as part of the character with well-made paint apps that don't look half-assed, but the double-jointed elbows surprised me since those are rare on female Legends these days. She made me want to get a Carnage figure, specifically, the Marvel Select version because that figure is awesome!

In second place, we have Doctor Strange, which is a pretty neat figure to have because of its sculpting and how well it captures the character in the MCU and in general, though the leg articulation is irritating, to say the least. At the very least, the character isn't best known to be in the more dynamic of poses, so he can be displayed with his alternate hands with no issue. And in first place, it's Miles Morales Spider-Man! He makes for a fantastic addition to the line-up after not having his own figure last year when his game came out on the PS5. I love the new sculpt work that the Gamerverse Spidey from 2018 could really benefit from if we're being honest.

Here is something worth mentioning: I did not get either the Black & Gold suit nor the Integrated suit due to me not wanting to stick with too many figures from the wave while also waiting for a possible 3-pack with Tobey and Andrew. Luckily, a relative of mine named SuperAntonioBro provided me with the left leg for Armadillo, and now we can assemble him from here!

And now with the figure assembled and in-hand, Armadillo looks fairly solid for the character design he is supposed to represent. The limbs, backpiece, and everything but his face have PVC pieces made to replicate the layered skin that armadillos are known to have to keep themselves safe from harm, and while they are textured to be similar to what the actual animals have, they might go for either more paint apps to accentuate the sculpted details (like a drybrush) or sharper details. There is a bit of a color mismatch between the pieces, though it all boils down to what kind of lighting you're in. While the bare skin has bare plastic underneath the armor, there is a transition from the beige of the limbs to the off-white of the torso, with a fade toat helps it look naturalistic. I noticed that the back has a few scratches here and there, maybe this is intentional?

His headsculpt has a well-done expression with piercing white eyes and gnarly teeth, and while some may wish he had a little more paint to convey the organic look to him, I do feel a little bothered by the armor layers looking as though it was a DIY design instead of one that looks as naturalistic as the rest of the layers. His articulation has a ball joint for the head, shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out (though the shoulder armor does get in the way while also flexing a bit), biceps swivel, elbows bend, wrists swivel as well as a hinge in and out; there is a diaphragm joint, hips that move front and back, in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle hinges as well as pivots.

For a size comparison build-a-figure I took a look at last year, here he is with Stilt-Man from the Spider-Verse wave. You can tell how much the two juxtapose each other with one being a more comically daddy long leg of a character and the other being in the traditional bulk seen with the likes of Hulk, The Thing, Abomination, etc. My guess as to the BAF choice is that Stilt-Man was a cheaper one to make due to the other figures being newly made sculpts (with the exceptions being Frogman, Hand Ninja, and possibly Prowler) while almost every figure in this wave is either using the same tooling/engineering or is a reuse of a previous iteration of a character. While I loved most of the Spider-Verse wave, I felt mixed on the No Way Home wave by comparison. However, Armadillo makes for a pretty good BAF overall, though I don't feel like buying another Marvel Legends wave for a BAF unless the figures themselves were good and the BAF was the bonus.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Legacy Kickback review

The Thrilling Thirty line and the first two chapters of the Prime Wars Trilogy gave fans what were considered the best CHUG figures of the Insecticons, with Shrapnel coming first with a Reflector Targetmaster, followed soon after by Bombshell in Combiner Wars with his seemingly planned third weapon mode. Kickback received his own in Titans Return with his own opening cockpit. Apart from their own lines being distinct, these figures are pretty different in their own way in terms of their features mentioned above and how they handle the yellow (solid yellow, metallic gold yellow, and translucent, respectively). However, Hasbro isn't done with the Insecticons yet, as we now have a remake for the last character to receive his figure in the trio, especially with the upsize and better articulation that we've gotten in the WFC trilogy. Now let's take a look at Legacy Kickback!

Here is Kickback in his robotic grasshopper mode. It's quite self-explanatory with how the Insecticons are pretty basic all around, with a few adjustments to their robot parts to make them vaguely insectoid, but it's nothing that substantial considering they're mostly using the wings, twisted heads, and altered legs to convey the look of bugs. I do like the wings and the etched patterns that he has, which help them feel more intricate as is the case with the WFC trilogy's quality. You can add the blades on the wings to make him look more striking, especially if you want to have some weapon storage that adds a bit of a striking look to him.

His weapons can also be placed between his legs for an abdomen type of look that grasshoppers have; it fills in the gap between his legs and adds a bit of a unique look that was otherwise absent on other toys of the character.

For a bug size comparison, you can pretty much tell that there's a major difference between a retro robot that was at first not meant to be a specific character before being rebranded as Transformer next to the characters who were made from scratch while adapting real-life bugs with organic details.

Transformation is pretty straightforward and nothing that inventive, with this guy already having the part layout change from being horizontal to vertical. The arms change a bit and the head turns around but that's it. The robot mode is nicely done and makes me think of Skywarp; in fact, the black and purple works wonders for a potential subgroup exclusive to the Seeker (perhaps an allusion to Cyclonus and his Armada?). He is very vertical in this mode thanks to his knife-like wings, and I have to commend the big legs for filling in the backs of the robot limbs. His chest does not open and is meant for decorative purposes; I don't get it either.

His head sculpt is pretty well done and he almost looks like he's sneering which goes well with his visor. The antennae are thankfully vibrant in yellow though I kinda hate the blemish on the left ear. His articulation is consistent with the rest of the WFC Trilogy, with a ball-jointed neck, shoulders that move front and back on a swivel as well as in and out on a hinge, bicep swivels, elbow bends, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back as well as in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, slight toe movement from the transformation, and ankle pivots.

His weapons include the gun he normally comes equipped with, which has some metallic purple accents to go with the silver. His blades can be dual-wielded or merged into some form of sword. They remind me of Dark Energon, almost like something that's come with a TFP Hardshell if he wasn't a Cyberverse-only toy.

As for the reuses, we have Ransack in the Buzzworthy Bumblebee Creatures Collide 4-pack, which has more yellow and black combined as radiation of colors compared to the refined color scheme Kickback has. His new head is a mouthplated noggin that's Grimlock if he was a bug. The toy-accurate Kickback head is meant to be given to Kickback for a toy-accurate deco.

For a size comparison, he is now a normal Deluxe dude when put next to a Deluxe like Runamuck, while still having a leaner body to make him feel smaller than any normal Decepticon, which is a neat trick of illusion if you ask me. Kickback is a pretty neat addition in the Legacy line that, while not mindblowing, does make for an even better offering for Decepticon fans that felt the Legends Insecticons felt too small compared to everyone else. He certainly made me excited for BombShrap!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐