Transformers Legacy Wildrider review

Wildrider is a weird one; he is fairly disposable as a character, doesn't get represented in other forms, and his post-G1 toys were constantly made as repaints, and was kind of replaced in Combiner Wars. See, back when Hasbro used to bring us the many combiners, the original Scramble City 4 were shown to have 4/5ths of the cast present, with the Aerialbots replacing Slingshot (Quickslinger) with Alpha Bravo, Wildrider (Brake-Neck) with Offroad, Groove with Rook (with Groove now a Legends figure), and shuttle Blast Off with a brown Quickslinger as Blast Off. I would have gotten Brake-Neck, but him just being a gray Dead End with only a new head turned me off (wait till a similar thing happens in this line). I think Wildrider might be a better figure in this line, so let's hope that's the case!

Here we have Wildrider in his car mode. It's a genericized Ferrari 308 GTB sports car to avoid licensing issues, but it is a reasonably nice-looking vehicle as expected. It's got a few decent details, but it otherwise mainly prioritizes the signature gunmetal-gray with red accents look one would expect from this character. The red windows look gorgeous while contrasting the darker coloring used on the body. I do wish the sstripe popped a little more.

Side profile is pretty scrappy with those transformation seams, and it does mean that the pinstripe on the side doesn't really line up 100% perfect (it's 90% perfect). But at least the wheels are painted, though for some reason, the front ones look fine and dandy and the back ones have the mushroom pegs...yeah me neither.

Guns can be placed on the back and they don't stick out too much in this way.

For a vehicle mode comparison, while Offroad may be nothing alike Wildrider overall, there have been a few attempts to reference him with the deco; the gray body, the red windows and side decal (albiet done in a different manner), and the Decepticon on the hood are callbacks to the original guy. However, Offroad is a new guy all around. I did want to make Offroad the actual guy and pretend Wildrider doesn't exist for my CHUG collection, but with Legacy making refined Stunticons, I knew I'd have to get the team again.

For a vehicle mode group shot, Wildrider looks great with the other members of the Stunticons. Soon, I shall get my hands on Dead End and Breakdown, who might be pretty exciting or disappointing if you're getting to understand the gist of his current state.

Transformation is pretty much whad I'd expect for a guy like him. Typical leg transformation, arms don't do a whole lot, chest panel hinges to bring the head up, blah blah blah. New to this figure is the ability for the front of the car to split into three so it can look broken up and add some form of illusion to this guy transforming, but if I'm honest, it's not really worth it if it makes the back kibble look worse. The resulting robot mode is fine. It's nothing I'm crazy for since he feels plain. I like the colors on the upper body, which I'm sure the lower body could use, but he's alright, I guess.

Head sculpt looks like Wheelie's head if it had Frankenstein drills on the head and was pissed off because of his design being mid at best. And we have a continuation of Stunticon heads being random; Dragstrip's back of his head was hollowed out, while this guy's got lightpiping despite having painted eyes! His articulation consisted of the head, shoulders moving front and back and in and out, bicep swivels, elbow bends, a waist swivel, hips that move front and back as well as in and out, thigh swivels, knee bends, and ankle pivots. His guns make him a little better, and leaving the backpack untransformed, while making him even more plain, does look better; I wonder why Hasbro's resources are inconsistent with Legacy.

For a robot mode size comparison, he's nearly the same height as a Combiner Wars figure, which is fine, I guess. While his robot mode is plain, Offroad has had a few issues with the shoulder kibble, an even bigger backpack that's hollow from the top, skinny arms, and a sort of nondescript chest. 

And here he is next to Motormaster as well as Dragstrip in the robot mode, feeling kind of baggy and unimpressive compared to the more robust Motormaster and Dragstrip. Granted, it might be due to the way the first Deluxe and the Commander transform in comparison to Wildrider, but it's still going to be something that'll determine if he's worth it. Oh yeah, he's able to transform back in his combined state as the back of the leg by opening the windshield and hinging the front of the car up. It does the job alright. And that sums up Wildrider. He does the job alright. I only recommend him if you want to complete the gestalt since he's otherwise functional but not interesting on his own. I'm curious about Dead End since he's probably got some issues, and Breakdown's probably going to be an interesting discussion because he might win or lose!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐