Transformers Legacy United Origin Wheeljack review

The Origin trilogy began with Bumblebee in 2021 when the Kingdom line was still running; the figure wonderfully replicated the flying saucer altmode while making the toy transform into a G1-accurate robot mode with as little kibble as possible. Jazz did a similar thing in 2023 with his altmode, and while there is still a but of concern over how the toy will age like with SS86 Jazz, it so far holds up bar maybe the pin making things worse. At the very least, both have very proportionate robot modes that their regular Earth counterparts don't. As for Wheeljack, we're about to see if he's worth obtaining given how he has quite the standards to fulfill in this trilogy. Let's review this guy and find out! And no, the figure lacks any Buzzworthy Bumblebee packaging as we are still in normal Legacy United aesthetics. 

Here we have Origin Wheeljack in his vehicle mode, who is given the Voyager Class treatment with how big this thing kind of is compared to prior Origin figures. He looks hollow from the inside but there's a reason why as we'll get to later on. As far as aesthetics are concerned, this is more in-line with recent G1 figures in Legacy and SS86 than those of the WFC Trilogy, which is to be expected. The altmode is accurate to the brief appearance it had in the G1 cartoon, though I do find the cassette-reel looking detail below the windshield to be a bit similar to a sticker, it reeks of retro detailing.  The stripes in the middle are fine though a bit confusing with the mint green looking more like part of the vehicle deco or if it was intended to complete the look of the window. Otherwise, it does the job of looking like how it did in the cartoon for a few seconds. And if this isn't cutting it, you can attach the blast shield so he can protect himself from a blockade of Seekers as well as deploy some fans to combat the fire of Hotlink's flamethrower, though these better resemble and also double as dominator disks.

If you own Origin Bumblebee, you can slightly mistransform him so he can properly ride inside Wheeljack. Yes, they're work buddies. To be honest, it might be my copy but this figure doesn't feel all that solid due to the hollow space from the inside lacking the usual structural support of a normal Transformer. Nowhere near as satisfying as shoving G2 Smokescreen into Dreadwing.from here, you can clip the 5 conductor rods included with Bee onto the sides of Wheeljack, though one will go unused so get used to the slight asymmetry.

Alternatively, you can store the conductor rods inside Wheeljack without needing to have Bee ride inside his larger partner. As for the blast shield, it can come apart so you can clip the pieces into an alternate road of sorts that feels kind of limited with display options. It's not as versatile as wooden train tracks while I have no faith in these being doable if this is done repeatedly.

For a size comparison, here he is with his fellow Origin figures. He is larger than the rest, which surprised me when I first heard of this figure being labeled as a Voyager and not a Deluxe, a rarity for a character like Wheeljack (and pretty much any Autobot Car that is strictly G1 and if we exclude Masterpiece and Alternators). Honestly, this looks just about what I'd expect from a Wheeljack in this form.

BUT THEN!

Transforming this guy isn't exactly like a shellformer, though it's kind of close. His altmode parts moreso fold into each other to fill in the legs mostly, though they look so bulky and quite messy from the sides, they end up looking too much like a typical shellformer design. This especially rings true for the backpack, where it is as wide as it is deep. At least there is some storage for the dominator disks/fans. The resulting robot mode feels stumpier than Wheeljack normally is, in contrast to the Origin versions of Bumblebee and Jazz being slimmer than their respective Netflix & SS86 counterparts. This all goes down to how nonexistent his biceps are in contrast to the Mega Man lower legs, the latter missing some details that should represent what will become the Lancia decals. Also those wings were laughable.

To the figure's credit, the head sculpt is just as good as it is on the Earthrise figure, and despite first glances, it's actually newly made from scratch. They didn't have to do it, but I'll always appreciate it.

Wheeljack's articulation consists of a ball jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, wrist rotation, waist rotation, front/back hip movement, in/out leg movement, thigh rotation, knees that bend at 90 degrees yet have these indents likely due to transformation, and ball-jointed ankles. He can hold his gun, which I like that it's painted a gunmetalish silver like most of his head while the tip is translucent given how it's translucent like on the sprue.

His backpack is ridiculously huge as it is, so why not make it look more ridiculous by giving him the blast shield and make even more prominent wings. You know, for when Wheeljack needs to protect his back. At least his gun can peg on the shoulder.

For a robot mode size comparison, here he is in between Jazz and Bumblebee, also Origin figures as you can tell. Despite being a Voyager, he is the same height as a modern Deluxe, which does make sense given how it'd be bizarre for him to tower over both characters instead of just Bumblebee. Still, it's amusing to see how more proportionate the other Origin figures are in comparison to him. He's needlessly going camping compared to either character.

And here he is next to the Earthrise Wheeljack mold, albeit the Generations Selects version that has the proper white shade and toon window colors. I know some would find the WFCE Jackie mold to have his proportions similar to the Origin version, but it is easy to argue that they flow better on the Earth mode instead of the Origin version. Eh, it could be argued that he lost weight upon reaching the Earth. And you can see that the head sculpts are actually different between Earthrise Jackie and Origin Jackie, though it doesn't matter honestly. Overall, Origin Wheeljack is a pretty cool concept that I never thought we'd see come in an official HasTak figure, though I feel like the idea is better than the execution. I'm not saying he's a terrible toy, but I feel he could use a bit more refinement compared to the other Origin figures. Bumblebee is an underrated figure, and Jazz probably got the best proportions out of the trio; on top of that, it can be challenging to make a solid trilogy as we just saw. Both Origin figures before Wheeljack got discounted pretty quickly, so I'd say you can expect the same to happen for Wheeljack at any rate.

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

Transformers Legacy United Sandstorm review

Back in 2013, Hasbro proved how insane their heavy retools can be when turning one toy into another; Springer's mean, lean, and green IDW design was already a hit amongst fans who loved the Nick Roche redesign, and the fact that we got Sandstorm's more unique appearance out of it made things even more exciting with how Hasbro could pull so many tricks with the radically different designs from each other. I mean, between retooling Combiner Wars Rook into Swindle, Titans Return Blurr into Brainstorm, Studio Series Helicopter Dropkick into AOE Helicopter Drift. Now we decided to give them distinct molds this time around. In 2019, we had Springer in the Siege line while Sandstorm had to wait for his unique sculpt 5 years later. The name itself had been used on a G2 Seeker for Generations Selects as well as a Walmart retool/redeco of Scorponok, so now we'll finally review the original owner of this name!

Here we have Sandstorm in his ground vehicle mode, which depicts him as a Baja buggy closer to the original toy with the cage bar of the cartoon design. Making a more refined take of the old toy's alt mode was for the best given how plain the cartoon model was. And a good thing too since the alt mode is pretty good for the most part. While rough around in some areas due to the parts of the robot mode being a bit visible, this is consistent with the Season 3 aesthetics of the Transformers. The two shades of orange are different, with one being a more traditional shade and the other having a reddish tint. The latter is meant to fit with this mode specifically, though some of the traditional shades of orange poke through the back. The monster tires are made of PVC, and the rollbar cage on the back not only makes the spoiler look puny, but also makes it look like there is an engine in the back of the Baja buggy. So a bit too much like an old Lego set in terms of aesthetics but it's fitting for most Transformers in the mid-to-late 80s. Oh, and both guns have dedicated storage spots.

The side of the car doesn't bother hiding the small plastic wheels that will eventually be used for the helicopter mode. Speaking of, the helicopter's front halves are in the back, and while they may be used as bumpers, this still means we have quite the unusual design for a Baja buggy. The arms hang between the tires but at least the hands are tucked away, and the panel near the doors helps hide them. Also, the cage could go down more than it currently does.

For a size comparison with another Baja buggy Autobot, here he is with Beachcomber from last year's Legacy Evolution line. While the peace-loving Minibot has a more traditional design, complete with a rollbar look over the seats and fog lights, it's clear that they both had different design choices implemented to go with what was present at the time they each came out. Though the fact that the 1985 lineup had a UFO, dinosaurs, bugs, and a base with a made up rocket and tank doesn't really help our son of a Beach. The PVC tires that Beachcomber and Sandstorm both have are neat, but I really hope they don't rot over time, like with the RID 2001 Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, and Autobot Brothers having cracks in their rubber tires.

And here he is with Siege Springer, who will soon be replaced by the SS86 version for anyone who'd want to get a new version of a rarely-reused figure, even if the retooling here and there doesn't quite justify the Leader Class pricing. Sandstorm is higher up from the ground than Springer is, though it's all because one has monster tires and is meant for offroad driving while the other really isn't. Also, those cockpit sizes are quite a stark contrast, it's so funny.

Transforming him into his helicopter form is quite involved, as it's a case of turning the toy inside out in a case similar to Siege Astrotrain. I like how you have to tuck away parts of the dune buggy from within or underneath the helicopter mode, though they are still fairly visible in some angles. In defense of the alt mode's engineering, it is challenging yet rewarding as we get quite a nice-looking Pave Low helicopter that reminds me both of Armada Hot Shot and one of the orange versions of Grindor that came with an HFTD Bumblebee whose windows were green. The shade of orange used for this mode is my favorite out of the two, on top of how more refined the aerial vehicle mode looks compared to the ground vehicle mode. Apart from bits of the Baja buggy being visible from underneath, the one issue I have with this altmode would be how wonky the blade propellers look, with the way they simply don't even give how the figure transforms. At least the base that the propeller is attached to is a different shade of orange from the rest of the body. Now the cage serves as somewhat of a rescue stretcher, made to either take smaller figures or to capture them. Rotating the winch allows you to either lower or raise the stretcher.

For a helicopter mode size, here he is with Siege Springer yet again, whose helicopter mode is nowhere near as convincing as Sandstorm's, even if one is moreso meant to look futuristic. I say this because it's literally having the back of the car altered to look like a mermaid tail while the front pylons are shifted to the back. Sandstorm's altmode is generally more successful all around, though both have different guns present on their sides, which is synergy, I guess.

Because of the way Sandstorm's propellors transform, you can almost recreate the first step of Blackout's transformation in the 2007 movie.

As for the transformation of the robot mode, Sandstorm once again turns inside out as you go halfway into the Baja buggy mode before you instead reposition his arms nd chest into place while folding some of the helicopter parts away (though I might have missed out on two pieces in the back!). The legs can extend, though they are stiff for the first few times. The resulting robot mode is generally accurate to the character design, having a good level of sculpt work while adhering to the Sunbow aesthetics (not to the same extent as the Masterpiece figures). While he has a backpack that's pretty wide and deep given the way his altmodes both work, it is at least fairly hollow when viewed from behind. In fact, the lower legs are also in a similar case where they aren't as dense as people may think when you view them from the sides. It's almost like they're supposed to fold on the back but they simply cannot. It's an interesting case of not leaving the thighs and forearms hollow while the backpack and lower legs are instead. The black legs and the orange upper body makes him look like a Home Depot employee.

His head sculpt is not cartoon-accurate but is instead based on the G1 toy; it is actually a mix between the two, with the helmet being more like the cartoon while the mouthplate is moreso from the original toy. I don't mind this a lot since it's at least a unique look that gives the impression that Sandstorm would deploy a mouthplate if G1 characters had this ability to deploy/retract them. His articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation, waist rotation, front/back hip movement, in/out leg movement, thigh rotation, knee bends, and ankle pivots that can hinge down due to transformation. Annoyingly, the chest detaches due to the peg being shorter than it should be; there is a mod where you can alter the stability of the toy without any issues.

Aside from the guns, this figure can now be posed ready to throw the cage at any unassuming foe, though I wish he had articulated fingers so he could make it look more like he's properly holding it. Also, the tailfin/spoiler can come off if it bothers you, but it's negligible at best given how small it is.

For a size comparison, here he is with Siege Springer, and it's reminding me that the SS86 version won't be any taller than its previous form so that retooling better be enough to justify double-dipping at twice the price. Speaking of, Sandstorm is a good figure (and I'd argue he's good in ways similar to his Thrilling 30 counterpart), but he is NOT Leader Class price good. While the figure does so much good, I can't help but feel that if we got a similar figure like this in the Siege line or the Thrilling 30 line, we'd probably get an equal or slightly lower quality version of what we currently have. I recommend getting him at a lower price.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Legacy United Cybertron Starscream review

Legacy gave us an Armada Starscream that was a pretty good improvement on the undersized Thrilling 30 Deluxe, and we now have the Cybertron design that was likely the most reused when it came to merchandise. However, it appears we are missing Energon Starscream from Legacy Evolution. Come on, Hasbro! You had one job and you flubbed it all because you're still afraid people hate Energon severely! Anyway, we are dipping more and more into Cybertron characters having dedicated new molds (apart from Vector Prime), so we'll see quite a bit more franchise love soon with Hot Shot after this guy. But until then, let's review the iteration of Starscream that set aside his Armada aspirations in favor of being a traditional backstabber!

Here we have Cybertron Starscream in his vehicle mode, a Cybertronic jet similar to the appearance of the G1 character's War Within design with arguably the best look for a Tetrajet than any other iteration. While it looks fairly bulky as a piece of flying aircraft, especially given how small the wings are, this fits well as if Starscream took the power of a massive battleship and shrunk it down to be fitting for his current size (spoiler alert: he grows HUGE near the end and fights against Primus). Heck, look at how the cockpit scales with the rest of his vehicle mode; this guy would be massive even without the Omega Lock! If you look closely behind said cockpit, his head is no longer buried within what will become his chest pylons, as the figure can now store it away properly.

The cannon is able to be stored on the back, which uses two little tabs from within the tailfin halves to store it in place, but I can at least say it's something. It also makes up for the miniguns surrounding the cockpit being molded in place. And on the back, you can barely see the Cyber Key stored in place.

For a jet mode comparison, here he is next to his Armada counterpart. They're both great in their own ways, but I have to admit that I kind of like Cybertron a tiny bit more since he feels more like a heavy-duty threat, even if Armada looks more aerodynamic by comparison. Honestly, Armadascream fits well for someone who's not quite as evil as he'd later become in Cybertron, especially given his character arc. Poor guy never got redeemed.

Transformation is similar to the original Voyager Class toy, though without ratchet joints and with some additional steps, such as the head now requiring you flip it out as well as bringing the hands out. Some of the figure's engineering features parts borrowed from Siege Starscream; they include the butterfly joints, inner shoulders, biceps, and wrists. Not only is that a pretty genius move since Siegescream was already great, but it also means he gets to have as much arm poseability as that figure has despite his bulkier shoulders. The robot mode, much like the transformation, is a case similar to Beast Wars Silverbolt where I mention how they knew if it ain't broke, there's no need to fix it. While the design is leaner than the original toy, it still captures that more ruthless side of Starscream if he were to truly fulfill his plans. I love how even without the traditional wing kibble on the back, he still feels like he has them with the winglets on his shoulder pieces. His shins should use more paint apps, and maybe the inner crevices on the shoulders below the red areas, but he's otherwise great all around. He even has the show-accurate navy blue. It might be closer to black without being as dark as said color.

His head sculpt is top-notch notch as always with the Unicron Trilogy line, and I think he has a slight smirk at least from this angle. It's almost like his plans are coming to fruition at long last, and it'll "pain" him to unleash his revenge against Megatron. His articulation consists of a ball-jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward shoulder movement (with the pieces being able to hinge down for more range, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation, slight hinges for the wrists due to the transformation, waist rotation, universal hip joints for front and back movement as well as in and out, thigh rotation, standard knee joints, and ankle hinges as well as pivots. The blades can be flipped manually instead of automatically like the Cybertron Voyager Class toy once had.

While you can't normally use the spring-loaded swords, you can at least utilize the Cyber Key for recreating the scenario where he'd deploy them like in the show, though at this rate, it's more of a bonus compared to actually contributing to a gimmick. He can still use his blaster, which I believe isn't one that was utilized in the show at all but is still a good addition apart from it being entirely unpainted.

Some of Starscream's parts, consisting of the tailfin halves and the null wing pieces, come disassembled out of the box. While this is usually done to make the packing of a toy much easier without tackling space issues, it makes me wonder if Hasbro plans future reuses where they'd alter sculpted details or any weapons they'd utilize. A Skywarp is coming soon, but I would also love to have repaints based on Universe 2008 Dirge, Shattered Glass Starscream, and the Thrust-esque Toys R Us repaint that Hasbro included in a 2-pack with Vector Prime. We should also get repaints based on the Legends of Cybertron line, such as Skywarp, Sunstorm, both Universe 2003 AND G1 Ramjet, and maybe that one obscure Legends Class 4-pack version of Starscream that came with redecos of Universe 2008 Bee, ROTF Bee, and 2007 Starscream. Hell, I'd even take a G1 colors version like the Platinum Edition version got! Don't expect a Thundercracker since he had a design unique from Starscream's in Cybertron.

For a Unicron Trilogy comparison, here he is with his Armada counterpart, and no Energon iteration between them. I do like Armada Starscream a lot, though I have to admit that Cybertron Starscream feels a lot more fulfilling as a design, as he feels a lot less restrained when it comes to looking like a threat while Armadascream was more like he'd be in-between good and evil, which is symbolic of his character arc in Armada itself. If we had Energon here, he'd represent being incomplete and lost until he gets his Cybertron upgrade. 

And here he is with his fellow Cybertron new mold, Override. I love the fact that we got two new molds for the Unicron Trilogy, especially since Siege Galaxy Upgrade Prime and Gen Selects Hot Shot were both reuses of existing figures. After seeing the Armada line get new molds with respect put in them, I know we have a lot to look forward to for the Cybertron line. Admittedly, we still have redecos like Cannonball being made from Crankcase as well as Vector Prime being retooled from Jhiaxus, but at least we get a sense that there's effort put into making them fairly faithful to the Cybertron line. I still look forward to new molds regardless, and repaints where needed. Cybertron Starscream, on the other hand, is a very good figure, and one I'd consider to be up there with the best molds of the Legacy United line without a shadow of a doubt. I greatly recommend you get this guy, and if you haven't gotten Armadascream, I recommend him too if you see him on clearance since we gotta give them homes.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Legacy United Silverbolt review

This version of Silverbolt is the best namesake we've ever had. This guy has done a lot more throughout the Beast Era in contrast to the G1 Aerialbot. He was initially a Predacon, later joined the Maximals, grew a crush on Blackarachnia, and helped save the stasis-locked G1 Autobots and Decepticons from total annihilation! He even had crazier adventures when he was briefly a Vehicon named Jetstorm (who led the Aero Drones) before Blackarachnia was able to slowly rescue her lover and make him technorganic like the rest of the Maximals were. Silverbolt's appearance in Beast Machines is bizarre as hell, but his Beast Wars counterpart was still great overall. And after years of having the same old Deluxe for years, we can finally have an updated version of the character to go with our additional Kingdom and Legacy figures!

Here is Silverbolt in his beast mode, seen in the first pic showcasing an already good level of articulation if you untab his limbs. The jaw opens, the wings gap at two points, and they can also hinge up and down at the swiveling mushroom pegs. The forelegs are supposed to be tabbed in place, but they can untab so you can have them with the same range they will receive when used as robot legs, so we'll save them for later. The hind legs don't do much even when untabbed. Anyways, the Fuzor elements of this beast mode give a prominent wolf body with the wings and claws of an eagle. Admittedly, I kind of wish he'd have a wash on the feathers or fur to make them stand out more beyond just the usual sculpt work, though silver paint could have worked. At the very least, the proportions are accurate to the show, though the hind legs could be a bit bigger than they currently are. While there is a lot of bare gray plastic, the copper paint apps on most of the feathers & legs, the white tail feathers, and the black on the tips of the feathers and muzzle of the wolf head are appreciative.

For a size comparison with another Voyager Class figure who didn't go Transmetal in Season 2, here he is next to Kingdom's Rhinox. These two look pretty good as two of the sole non-Transmetals in season 2/3. I probably should have used Dinobot but we'll get to him in a moment, just wait. The scale between these two appears fairly consistent, though I remember Rhinox transforming less and less in the cartoon.

Transforming him is fairly close to the original Beast Wars toy, though now the wings can be positioned the same way on any normal winged Transformer. It's a case of "if-it-ain't-broke, don't try to fix it" for how faithful it is to the old toy, though it is a reminder that Mainframe made some of their CG models pretty close to the toys with slight liberties taken. The resulting robot mode looks good, though apart from the lack of silver paint to make it pop, a big issue I do have includes the fact that the arms and wings hang a little lower than they should. Despite these issues, the rest of the toy looks good, especially when put next to his appearance in the cartoon. We get more copper paint apps for the torso and loincloth-esque plate, the red orb in the stomach is picked out, and the rest of the proportions are spot-on to what we previously had.

His head sculpt is good, though a small part of me wished that it was both a little wider or for there to be a bit of a snarling expression. Silverbolt's canine teeth stood out amongst a majority of characters in the show, and it'd be neat for him to flash his pearly whites for added personality. His articulation consists of a neck swivel, shoulder rotation, bicep rotation, double-jointed elbows, wrist rotation, waist rotation, universal hip joints, thigh swivels, knee bends, ankle hinges, and ankle pivots. The feathers can come off and swerve as his swords, though their slots have unique sculpting to store them in specific sides of the wings.

Here he is with Rhinox once again in the photo on the left, showcasing the consistent scale between the two in the cartoon. Maybe Rhinox should be a little taller than Silverbolt, but at least the scale between the Fuzor we're reviewing and Airazor is great. With these two united, Silverbolt can now share love with the dark poison of his heart.

And here he is with the other characters of Beast Wars voiced by Scott McNeil! YES!! I love how versatile the man himself is when it comes to playing numerous characters in the show, between the raspy and noble Dinobot, the sarcastic yet somewhat cowardly Rattrap, and the buggy whipping bot Waspinator; Silverbolt's Adam West-esque (Adam Westque?) mannerisms mixed with that of a superhero proves how memorable each character portrayed by Scott was, even to this day. As for Legacy Silverbolt, while there are a few things I'd do better, I at least value seeing an already great Beast Wars toy get a well-deserved glow up, which makes me hope we see Quickstrike as a Deluxe in another line along with the Transmetal versions of most of the Maximals and Predacons, TMII Cheetor and Blackarachnia, Depth Charge, Rampage, and Dinobot II.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐