Here we have Powerglide in his A-10 Thunderbolt fighter plane mode with some license-avoiding tweaks to keep him a bit genericized. The proportions aren't super deformed like on the old toy but they are a bit closer to the cartoon depending on how well drawn the altmode was. It looks like what it's supposed to, and while the deco is minimal, I with the silver wasn't super thin on the red plastic given how prominent it is throughout him. The cockpit looks fine but the turbines on the back almost have the base red plastic bleed through while the Autobot insignia could stand out better with white borders. One interesting aspect about the altmode is the faux rubsign on the back. He is the only character to get this treatment unless we count the Galvatron II repaint, and with the line just now giving some acknowledgement to a more mainline release for Generations, it seems weird but I guess something had to do with breaking up the deco. Also, no, it doesn't reveal his shield because of the transformation.
The weapon can store on top, but so can the mask as the ridge on top let's the mask slide on top of it. It's almost like it's trying to be the Happy Toyz Truck from Maximum Overdrive, the one with the Green Goblin face on the front, but not as effectively.
For an altmode scale comparison, the closest he would naturally scale with someone in this scale would probably be Cosmos. He might fit well with Warpath, but Seaspray will be so-so while Beachcomber looks goofy next to everyone for scale. Then again, G1 scale makes as much sense as The Last Knight or the entire concept of Autobot Megatron.
Transformation is a bit involved than what I expected, mostly with the panel that ends up on his back to keep the wings in place. The legs also end up becoming a bit more compact with the turbines hinging downwards after the vertical tailfins become feet for the robot mode. The arms now have the fists fold out to make the front section a little less awkward, but the elbow joints make no sense; bending them backwards doesn't affect the mushroom joint, but trying to bend them forwards for a deeper range results in them getting stuck and the forearms popping off the joint. One cool thing I like is that the head's face panel can rotate 180 to reveal the face while the point on the nosecone tabs it in place securely. The robot mode is generally good, especially given what to expect for the engineers going for the whole Mini-Masterpiece route. We got the wings sandwiching onto the torso, the rear makes up the legs, and the color layout is present as one would expect. However, we have the robot mode facing forward a without having anything rotate like on the old toy, which is fine since the rubsign halves would be distracting like the slit of blue and yellow on his crotch (what is that implying, HasTak???). I appreciate that there is a bit of red to make the forearms a bit less bland, but if there was one issue I'd have with the robot mode, it would be the look of the feet. Kudos for trying to use them from parts of the altmode creatively, but they look flimsy and a bit underdone compared to the rest of him. That aside, he still works well as far as the design goes.
Head sculpt is about what I'd expect, but the eyes appear a bit oversized than they should be, almost like what happened with the Classics Deluxe Optimus Prime. Hopefully the Reprolabels set I got for dirt cheap will fix that, and he same goes for a long overdue Windcharger upgrade set. Articulation consists of a slight ball joint, swivel shoulders, outward arm movement, bicep rotation, and elbows that almost bend 90 degrees if not for the ridge that stops it in place before it bends much deeper while getting stuck (already talked about the joint popping off). The waist rotates, the hips are universal, the thighs rotate, knees bend, and the ankles rotate as well as pivot. His gun may look similar to other generic Autobot guns but is new for him. Sadly, he lost a second gun that was included on a sample copy for a Hasbro China display.
The mask goes over the face once you rotate it away, and you can recreate the time he was pretending to be some kind of alien monster from the episode Hoist in Hollywood. No, it is not compatible with the other robots that wore the mask. The other episode Easter egg comes in the form of a heart hidden underneath the chest panel, and while it's a cool tribute to The Girl Who Loved Powerglide, the heart does blend in a little too much with the rest of the inner workings. Maybe it if was darker while the heart remained the same, it could work better.
For a robot mode size comparison, here he is alongside the other figures from the same Year 2 lineup. For some reason, he is shorter than everyone else, even the stumpy ass Cosmos. And with the price hike striking the line once again, that is extremely unexcusable. Honestly, I get that Powerglide is a fan favorite and all, and while I like his design and transformation for the most part, the elbow issues as well as the height hit him more than any other Minibot we got in the past. While he is cool, he ends up feeling more like another gap filler; people would defend him by bringing up two easter eggs that justify picking him up at full price, but two Sunbow nods, a 5 out of 5 it does not make.
Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐ and a half out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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