The TFP version of Wheeljack is my favorite version of the character, and definitely the best one we've ever got. The G1 version is overrated in spite of his cool car mode, while he was just there in Animated as well as in Cyberverse and Earthspark. He was radically different in Armada (which is fine) while Dark of the Moon had him as Que while Bumblebee gave us Downshift and Rise of the Beasts earned Jackie the loving nickname of Pablo. With that said, I choose TFP Jackie as the king of all iterations, on top of him being a Wrecker AND having his own ship! But let's make this a special review by taking a look at the regular PRID version AND the Gear Factory Wander Warrior!
Before we begin, we gotta talk about the name of the company responsible for making this toy. Fans already know APC Toys as the ones who made numerous fourth-party TFP knockoffs surpassing the HasTak toys' quality. So much like the company that made nearly-identical KOs of First Edition Cliffjumper and Bulkhead, is GearFactory an alternate name for the company in case something went wrong for APC Toys? Keep in mind that there was once a factory raid that affected numerous bootleg factories during 2020 as commissioned by Hasbro. There is a chance that APC Toys resumed to its old name after announcing its own version of TFP Bulkhead, so keep that in mind if you're wanting to get their version of the First Edition mold.
Also, new to this figure are the accessories that came from Dr. Wu, which consist of the additional swords that better match the cartoon, two alternate unmasked heads with different expressions, and cannons meant to go either in vehicle mode or held in his hands. We'll cover those more in detail down in the review.
Here we have Wander Warrior/Wheeljack in his vehicle mode, which is said to be a stylized combination of the 2005 Lancia Fenomenon Stratos Concept and the 2011 Lancia New Stratos Concept. A perfect reimagining of the G1 alt mode, we have a street-legal yet still stylish car design that captures some of the foreign elements the classic race car without depending on any of the brand licensing or sponsorship decals. Since a lot of the Prime altmodes had some of the more modern aesthetics we saw in the movies with a hint of Animated here adn there, it was great to see Wheeljack stand out from the other Autobots. Some could say he has a bit of a IDW Drift influence, though that's rather loose and probably unintentional. That being said, some would say that the vehicle mode's deco is somewhat lacking despite being accurate, though they could paint the headlights and the front-side triangles that not even Gear Factory added. That being said, nothing appears to be skimped on this figure, and there was even a bit of black added near the doors. The tires are still silver, and they roll nicely like the old toy did.
The swords originally made for the Hasbro version can peg underneath the vehicle mode with the same tabs and storage area that the old toy had. Not only are the sword handles red, but the silver of the blades is much shinier and closer to chrome than the Hasbro version did.
They can also be attached into the front if you really want to have him cut any Decepticon ankles with his tuskatanas. Take note of the red paint on the handles; I fear they may chip overtime.
For a vehicle mode size comparison, here he is next to the old Hasbro version. The shade of white should obviously be different from Wander Warrior because of the age and repeated exposure to natural light despite being in my room. My old copy's got the headlights sharpied in, even though it not only looked bad but also inaccurate to the cartoon. If they were painted in silver, then they may fit in better than they currently do. Wander Warrior also has the windows tinted black rather than use the same shade of blue that we'll see in the light-piping, and that difference will be more noticeable as we get there later down the article.
Of note, you have the option to either use the cannons OR two built-in flaps to fill in the gaps that were in the Hasbro version, allowing you to complete the lower area of the front end. Amusingly, the regular Hasbro version looks more like the upper mouth with two buck teeth and missing teeth while Wander Warrior either looks more like there are two metal teeth replacements or a complete set of dentures.
Transformation is the same as the Hasbro version, with no noticeable differences beyond the flaps. It does the standard Wheeljack affair of having the front section be the legs and the roof be the chest, though we have the inclusion of a faux chest and little feet rather than using the front end as the actual feet. This robot mode generally looked good, and at least matches the CG model better than most PRID toys, but I always found the arms a bit problematic because of the length they had combined with the windshield halves not having anywhere else to go. In fact, this mold appears to have those forearm pieces not stay in as securely compared to Hasbro's Wheeljack, a common issue I've seen in other reviews. Cosmetic wise, the only issue I have is that there should be more green visible, especially the chest having less here.
The head sculpt is accurate to the TV show's model as expected, and I love how much stronger the light-piped eyes are for this figure more than on the original Hasbro version. You also get two alternate unmasked heads, one smirking and one snarling; these were taken from the Dr. Wu set and are easy to install via removing the head from the ball jointed neck.
The rest of the articulation consists of ball joints for the shoulders, hinges built-into the sockets, double-jointed elbows, bicep rotation in-between the elbows, ball-joints and hinges for the wrists, finger articulation for the index and middle fingers only, universal joints for the hips, thigh rotation , hinges knees, and ball jointed ankles.
"Hold on, why are there two different pics of his swords?", you may ask? Comparing them in each hand, the one in his right hand is the Dr Wu sword that better matches their aesthetics in the cartoon while the one on the left hand is the stock Hasbro design, albeit with a red handle. Once again, be careful with sliding them into the hands of you want to avoid paint chipping. Weapon storage is possible, though the Dr Wu swords go within the spoiler; they can go in the usual storage area but they're much thinner and can rattle around.
The guns can easily be held in-hand, though I don't think the grip is that great. They don't really hide the hands that well, but at least there is a method of giving Wheeljack some range weaponry that he usually lacks.
The grenade can peg on the right hip, an addition never seen on the original version of the mold, and it is also possible to remove the top part to simulate him throwing it at the Decepticons.
As far as reuses are concerned for the regular HasTak mold, this is the Takara Arms Micron version of Wheeljack, whose paint apps are nearly replaced with stickers, has his swords in all grey plastic, and features 5mm ports on his shins. His Arms Micron, Wuji, turns into a bulky ass sword that looks stupid, and some of his parts are cast in softer plastic. Where are those "Takara is always better than Hasbro" mf's now?
Up next, here we have Dark Energon Wheeljack. Resembling Slicer, this clear blue, red, and orange repaint radiates a unique deco rarely seen in Wheeljack toys with a somewhat new Autobot badge tampo on the arms. This is my favorite out of the Dark Energon set, though they were only sold on BBTS.
For an extreme retool, here we have Beast Hunters Wheeljack. Spikier than before and coming with a disc-launching Falcon Spear, this design makes for a more radical interpretation of the character, even if it wasn't in the show...like a lot of designs in the line.
If you want yours to be swirly and have a bit more gold, then go with the Go! Hunter version.
Dead End was a version of the mold I once had but regrettably gave away back then. Just look at how toxic yet gorgeous he turned out! He even has a new head to go with this redeco. I plan to undo my mistake of giving this away someday.
After that, we got Wildrider, Takara's own Stunticon retool. Though more traditional in deco, he has some gold rims and a more convincing Arms Micron named Ozu, who turns from mammoth into grenade launcher.
Finally, here is Timelines Chromedome. This IDW-esque retool was the character's first new toy he received before Titans Return, and wasn't a Headmaster like in the comics. Stylor is a redeco of the Arms Micron, S.S., who came with a Takara Smokescreen retooled from Knock Out. His swords have red handles, which you could give to Jackie if you include both.
As far as size comparisons are concerned, here he is next to fellow Wrecker Bulkhead. Their height difference looks to be accurate here compared to the show, and whether you got the AC-01 Arms Iron or the upcoming APC Toys Giant Hammer, you can't complain.
And here he is with PRID Ratchet with the ToyHax Reprolabel stickers. Once again, they appear to have the right scale. Ratchet should be taller, so maybe we'll have APC Toys work on him soon?
And here he is next to the Hasbro version for a better idea on how different the two figures are. Apart from the articulation additions for the biceps and fingers, most of the hollow areas are filled in, the hips are now universal joints rather than ball joints, the light piping is stronger, and the plastic quality appears to be somewhat denser for the KO. That being said, the official copy does have the forearms tab in better while there is a bit more green visible.
That being said, Wander Warrior makes for a great version of the TFP Wheeljack mold if you never got a hold of the Hasbro version and want a little more bang for your buck. His price is comparable to the Deluxes we get nowadays, yet there are fewer hollow parts in favor of more accessories with paint applied. I recommend him if you never got yours. If you want, the Hasbro version can be Makeshift.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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