Transformers Legends Roadbuster review

A lot of people think about the Wreckers when it comes to their history as a Marvel UK idea as well as later media using them regularly, such as the movies and Prime. Not only do people not bring up their first American media appearance from around 2001 for BotCon media set during the events of Beast Machines, but we also have to look into the history of the OG Marvel UK Wreckers they used. One of these characters, Roadbuster, was like a lot of G1 characters from the early days whose life began as a toy originally made by a different company. Instead of Takara, it was made by a competing Japanese company known as Takatoku Toys, who made a set of transforming robots for a line named Special Armored Trooper Dorvack, with the old Roadbuster toy originally named as the Dorvack 1/55 Mugen Calibur. The company went bankrupt, the license was owned by Bandai, and they let Hasbro distribute the molds in the line in the era where they had very little American presence (even before the days of MMPR). This figure, along with Whirl, Jetfire, and the Deluxe Insecticons, had no Japanese release whatsoever, and further still, only Jetfire got to be in the cartoon as Skyfire (which may explain why the design was altered heavily). And with a faithful update made nearly 30 years later, how well does this 2014 toy hold up over a decade later?

Here we have Roadbuster in his vehicle mode. It is an off-road 4x4 combat transporter that could be Cybertronic, but what matters is that this design looks ready to rumble against the Decepticons; you already have the giant tires that would roll through the toughest of terrain, but with other design traits like the tiny windshield, the armor added onto the body, and the wench on the front similar to Siege Hound, it's a good thing this dude is on the side of the Autobots. Even the color scheme is not like the usual "friendly" palette of the Ark crew. It's so good that we later got a use of it for an Animated Ultra Magnus repaint.

As expected, you can load this thing up with weapons also pre-Siege style. That said, the grip of each port varies, especially the ones behind the windshield not having the best angle or tightness compared to the others. 

Transformation is somewhat straightforward, mostly aiming to match the old toy. While the whole G1-with-knees thing has been a complaint many people had with some recent lines, I don't mind it as much on Roadbuster purely because he hasn't had a new mold like this between G1 and Thrilling 30. I mean, he had both a canceled retool of Energon Strongarm and a Target-exclusive repaint of Hot Shot. As for the bot mode, it's a little leaner compared to the bulk of the altmode, but it still fits for a non-bruiser like G1 Roadbuster. After all, he makes more sense to be the gunner-type, right? The proportions of this mode almost fit that of a soldier, all without making him too generic, and I like the Autobot badge placed on the left side as it feels more like a medal of honor. He doesn't look that hollow, but it should be worth mentioning that because the rear wheels are folded on the back of his legs, he has to stay in a bit of an A-stance. The only other oddity is that the feet look a little off, but not as clown shoe-like as the early photos made them seem. 

Head sculpt appears heavily armored and almost like a mix between a military helmet and a respirator, and the green light-piping is glorious for a design like this. The articulation, on the other hand, is a bit iffy; the neck is on a ball joint, while the shoulders rotate normally whereas the in/out arm movement are on these really awful plastic ratchets that could have been normal swivel hinges. Biceps rotate, elbows are double jointed, and the hips barely move forward yet can move back much further. I'm questioning if Hasbro looked into the space for the hips while engineering the toy. Anyways, the legs move in and out effectively, thighs swivel albeit tightly, the knees are almost double jointed, and the ankles pivot. I believe the Takara Legends repaint has an issue with the quality control versus the Hasbro version. 

The weapons can not only mount on various different spaces of this toy, but he can also combine them into a super cannon. As for the kinds of guns he comes with, they include a missile pod, a grenade launcher, a missile launcher, a rifle, a scope, and a pistol.

The original Hasbro version is colored slightly differently, but it primarily uses stickers to give it that retro G1 feel. Problem is that the cut of the stickers is a bit rough in terms of sizing, and while it is cool to choose either a red Autobot or blue Wrecker insignia for the chest, putting a sticker with a clear background ruined the coloring of the latter.

The other Takara reuse of this mold comes in the form of Cloud Roadbuster. Yes, he looks like Energon Ironhide because the name "Roadbuster" was first used by Takara for the Superlink line, hence why we have this tribute in addition to the G1 Roadbuster colors of this mold.

And finally, we have a BotCon 2015 exclusive in the form of General Optimus Prime. Now before certain Redditor-esque YouTubers make shitty videos with titles like "the weirdest Optimus Prime toy ever" with words like "bruh" or "wtf" in their equally shitty thumbnails, this is based on a canceled Generation 2 toy that was an auto-transforming toy repainted from Auto Roller Dirtbag. If the grey were painted silver or if the visor was yellow or gold, I would use this for a Halo TF mashup based on Master Chief. Soon I will get him and C-81 so there can be a unique bit of history for the Optimus/Megatron shrine.

Speaking of, here he is with SS86 Optimus Prime for a size comparison. Being a Voyager from a decade ago, he is a head shorter than a modern Commander Class. I don't mind this since I'd imagine Roadbuster being taller than the average Autobot Car. Who knows if he would be a smaller Voyager if we get a new mold for him again, but for now, this mold is decent for a 2014 release. I wish the articulation for the legs was refined and the weapons could stay on better, but he will fit in fine with recent stuff overall, and he shouldn't be that expensive in the aftermarket.

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