Transformers Titans Return Windblade review

Can you believe it's been  a decade since Titans Return happened??? You bet Oprah Winfrey went all out and said "You're a Headmaster, and you're a Headmaster! You're now all Headmasters!" while making that a line wide gimmick from Deluxes to Leaders. Even the Legends had some compatibility as vehicles for them to ride if they already had no other vehicles in their dedicated size class. I don't know if I prefer that over making everyone a Combiner, but at least the retooling was much more effective this way, and we can see that with Windblade. Remember when she used to be marketed heavily in any new media between 2014 to 2020? Then Elita-1 returned just to mostly have beef with Optimus for different reasons depending on what media you're watching. Anyways, the mold Windblade uses for this line originally began as Scourge (who I never got) but was later heavily retooled as Highbrow (who I reviewed 5 years ago). Now I shall see how well she holds up as someone who never got the Thrilling 30 version.

Here we have Windblade in her jet mode. This is a different take from the design we usually see in the IDW comics, with more red and back swept wings reminiscent of Animated Starscream. While she has similar design traits with the VTOL fans as well as the legs on the back, this is generally deviated from the norm given it is also reusing a mold with altmodes mostly fit for male bot designs. The sleeker jet mode for a gal like Windblade is at least consistent with her.

Her cockpit holds the Titan Master known as Scorchfire, who only had the face painted and can also sit in the combined sword set up like some kind of sleigh. 

Both swords tab underneath the wings so you can have her joust at the risk of her wings breaking off. At least the fans can face any direction but they could really use some silver paint. 

For an altmode comparison, here she is with her Cyberverse version, which is slightly closer to the design her altmode usually has in fiction. Specifically it is the Legacy United version. I have no preference for either altmode design, but I like the silver paint for the fans on the more recent toy.

Transformation is very basic, as you have the forearms face forward, straighten the legs with a whole 180, hinge the front section all the way on the back, and shift the spine all the way up. Of course, the transformation ends with the Titan Master gimmick one should expect for the whole line. I love that feature, no doubt thanks to the optional head swapping between different figures and other versions of a specific character (like Voyager Optimus Prime and Legends Ginrai's heads or using the Titans Return Apeface head instead of the Siege version), and it's nice to see it continue even as recent as AOTP Horri-Bull. I don't remember how involved the original Windblade's transformation was, but if the fanbase complained about the engineering then, maybe this might be an overcorrection? At the very least, the robot mode looks good, if thiccer in the right spots according to longtime friend Ernie. I don't mind that since she at least is still feminine in her build in spite of reusing the Scourge/Highbrow engineering. In addition, she doesn't suffer from stability issues thanks to he added bulk in her legs and competent heel spurs. Not even the backpack leans her to the point of toppling over, though she is still hollow in some areas. 

Head sculpt is decent for a Titan Master take on her design, and despite having a robot folded on the back, at least we keep the Japanese influence intact for the most part. Her fan won't come off her head for obvious reasons. Articulation consists of a ball joint for the head and shoulders, bicep rotation, hinged elbows, universal hips, thigh swivels, and hinged knees. Instead of the single purple sword usually associated with her, we can now use the same swords showcased earlier as intended. They can also tab into the thighs for storage.

The Takara Legends version is slightly nicer than the Hasbro version, mostly due to them adding some extra paint apps that the Hasbro version sorely needs. The Titan Master has less black visible, but more importantly, she comes with Targetmaster Pinpointer, who comes with her since we didn't have a new version of G1 Crosshairs until Siege came out. Also, her swords are replaced with a more traditional one similar to the Thrilling 30 version.

For another Windblade comparison, here she is with the Flame Toys and Legacy United versions. I don't have that many versions of her, but it is funny that the Flame Toys version was the first one I got, and we know how that pissed so many people off on Twitter (you know who I'm referring to), and it wasn't until a decade after her debut that I got a transforming version of her to begin with. As for the Titans Return version, she is way better than I thought she'd be. Some of the initial photos always turned me off with how unnecessarily bloated she came across, but then hearing more positive things about her stability and being a heavy retool that almost makes her feel like a new toy won me over. Now I own her and am generally happy with her, though I heard she is pricey in the aftermarket. If you can get her for less than $60, dewit.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐