Transformers Legacy Crankcase review

A Skids retool waa going to be inevitable in the Legacy line if Hasbro's mold planning history is anything to go by. But Crankcase getting one was not expected if I'm honest. Him being a sort of nobody in G1 is true, but people are likely going to remember him for being in DOTM as a Dread or Thew saying he grew up with the old toy. Now he's got a CHUG figure that isn't a straight repaint of a Cybertron mold released in the first movie this time! Let's see how this guy turned out.

Here is Crankcase next to Skids in his vehicle mode. I am already happy to see Skids's more pedestrian altmode be retooled into a more aggressive vehicle thanks to the new front section and darker color scheme. It's a solid contrast from the look Skids already has while trying not to be too similar to the Velocitron Speedia 500 repaint Burn-Out. The black is more of a very dark gray that is further distinguished with a bit of blue breaking it up as well as having painted rims. The hinges are odd but otherwise okay. Even the front windshield is unique from the rest of the alt mode. The front piece is pretty cool, with the bigger headlights, additional foglights, and the molded-on winch.

The backs of the alt mode are also different to some extent, but it is mostly the addition of a 5mm port and a spare tire box on the backs that further distinguish the Decepticon from the Autobot. Even the rear windshield has blue to break it up.

The transformations are about the same for both figures, but the upper bodies have a few differences with the shoulders and backpack being distinct. The wheels now face the sides rather than the back due to a new assembly that lets them better replicate the G1 design. The head is obviously new, even if it retains the same panel that Skids has (in this case, it works since it doesn't clash thanks to the blocky look). There are also the Triggercon cannons on the back, though they're small and probably aren't blast effect compatible. You may wonder what the hell happened to the front of the vehicle mode, which looks entirely different from the chest he has. It's now a cannon that he can use for his weaponry, which is a bit of an Earthrise-partsforming/Legacy engineering cop-out moment. Oh and the shade of blue on Crankcase is lighter than on Skids.

Articulation is the same for both molds, though Crankcase's joints feel looser on the legs than with Skids. And yeah, the weapons he have are an unpainted version of Skids' pistol, but he now has a cannon made from the front end of the alt mode rather than the twin-barrel forearm gun and Energon axe. I'm split on the way it turned out; I appreciate how they wanted to make him more unique from Skids, yet it feels kind of half-assed. 

One amusing thing with Crankcase is that I have a few of the Scavengers, with Skytread/Flywheels and Spinister are also part of the same IDW team, and the only characters I am missing are Misfire and Krok. IDK if I would even bother with Fullcrumbs or whoever his name was. But yeah, kind of an amusing subgroup featuring a pretty alright retool of Skids.

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