Transformers Studio Series Hatchet review

In 2022, two figures for the Studio Series line were intended to be part of the Buzzworthy Bumblebee line: an Earth-mode retool of Hound as well as the final member of the Dark of the Moon Dreads named Hatchet. Neither figure got released due to poor sales with said line's Deluxes, resulting in fans initially getting the Detritus redeco that should have been made after Hound while Hatchet would get nothing for the 2023 selection. Around the same time, both figures were confirmed to be canceled in 2024, listings for the 2025 line did confirm Hatchet would get a release once and for all (Hound proper was included with the Autobots Stand United 5-pack with cartoon-accurate redecoes of Jazz, Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, and Trailbreaker). After 3 years of not having the bestial Dread member, is this figure worth the 7-year wait to complete the trio? Let's find out.

Here we have Hatchet in his vehicle mode. It's the same modified Chevrolet Suburban altmode we've seen from prior Dreads, with the same sculpted details, elevated height, and sirens signature for these altmodes. There isn't much else to say beyond the fact that it still retains the same minor color break-up with the gray hinge in the middle of the doors. That being said, the slits intended to store the spikes in vehicle mode are left untouched despite the figure not coming with those accessories.

Here he is alongside the other Dreads, showcasing how minor the differences are beyond the thicker Chevy logo on the right vehicle as the somewhat different shades of blue for the windows. Hatchet is mysteriously missing a Decepticon insignia, with Berserker including the narrow-eyed version signature of the movies while Crowbar comes with the more traditional design seen in other media. Imagine if Hasbro randomly gave Hatchet a Generation 2 insignia.

The transformation is mostly the same that we've seen before with the other figures, with the front of the vehicle now being the back of the robot mode. We end up with a quadruped rather than a biped for the robot mode, however, and it kind of shows both the ambitions and limitations of making a Transformer that stands on all fours from one that stands like any other person. In all honesty, the kibble being on the back was always an issue that I had when the sole stock render was leaked in 2022, and I'm afraid to say that nothing has been changed to rectify it. Granted, the new parts are appreciative of making the figure feel different from the other Dreads, but I feel like this would have gone by better if this was an earlier release for the line rather than a more recent offering. Sure, some figures made recently can be held back in terms of engineering due to a hard-to-make design (such as ROTB Mirage, only that was due to the Porsche license dictating the car be accurate), but other figures like AOE Galvatron, TLK Crosshairs, and Offroad Bumblebee manage to be relatively clean in their robot modes from utilizing more experienced engineering compared to older figures in the line. The tail I can forgive at least given that it was bound to partsform while Hasbro would have to come up with an "accessory" of sorts. Speaking of partsforming, I feel the same could apply to the forearm kibble because of how easily it pops off during transformation; do yourself a favor and superglue them in place, even if we shouldn't have to.

Articulation consists of the general same points we've had before, though we have some weird things going on here and there. The head rotates at the base of the neck, and the jaw does open rather wide (oh no, here comes MuppetHistory), but the dreads, despite being poseable, clash with the shoulders shrugging close to the neck and simply retract inwards. Despite being at an angle, said shoulders are on ball joints while the biceps are on swivels, and the elbows can bend decently well in conjunction with the front paws. The hips and, strangely, knees are on ball joints while the ankles are on hinges. So while we have the same points found on the other Dreads, some of the changes are unusual given how they didn't need to be altered (especially the angled shoulders and the ball-jointed knees). Also, I am not a fan of how loose that connection is with the tail's slots, so I'm just going to say you can slide it higher in the back.

Here we have Hatchet alongside his fellow dreads, with Berserker standing in for Crankcase since Hasbro foolishly repainted Crowbar into Crankcase with no new tooling. These three do make for a great trio, though I'd rather you find a better background that looks more like a highway chase with these three going after Dino, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee as the Autobots protect Sentinel Prime.

And here he is standing on his hind legs as Dino chases after him! This is the best I could come up with until I get more creative displays to better recreate the DOTM scene. If you're someone like me who's a big fan of Dark of the Moon and always wanted to recreate the brief yet memorable Dreads trio, then who am I to stop you. Honestly, I know there'll be a group of people who'll say "Oh geez, you got what you wanted and you still complained about it how ungrateful ☝🤓"; first off, tell that to the typical Geewunner and come back to me. Second, even when the stock photo was first leaked, I was still on the fence about how it would turn out, and while I doubt it'd happen, I would have appreciated Hatchet be reworked from the ground up rather than be a retool of the other Dreads. He's far from the worst figure in the line, but I know he's going to be ranked low on the list.

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