Transformers Age of the Primes Onslaught review

We took a look at Mega-Octane in both RID 2001 and later Unite Warriors, and then we got a figure named Onslaught who was actually reused from Energon Barricade. Now we have a proper Onslaught to look at, and what better way to do just that than review his recent Age of the Primes appearance? While I first heard the name "Onslaught" form playing Marvel vs Capcom, I did get to hear of a Transformer possessing this name back when the days of TF video games were real and not just mobile slop. Fall of Cybertron had the best use of the Combaticons, though they sadly failed with their Deluxe figures making a so-so Bruticus. Combiner Wars later did versions with better scale and engineering, but I got those as Ruination instead. The latest Generations line may leave us leaving with a slow ass rate to get the newest Combiners, especially with Vortex appearing a year before everyone else, let's see if the wait is worth it as we get to the torso Commander of the year: Onslaught.

Here we have Onslaught in his entire vehicle mode. It looks like a more elaborate take on his G1 altmode, which will have purists whining it isn't exactly like the old toy. This time, the cab area is more independent from the rest of the altmode, being able to rotate at the trailer hitch somewhat before bumping into the hips of the gestalt frame. Speaking of, having the thighs visible is one of the issues I have with the figure, and while that was always going to be a factor for at least one of the modes to be compromised, I'm sure there could have been a way to conceal them better. At least the cannons are painted silver, though they are separate pieces this time around. The green stems from the need to match the source material, and while it does look like a nasty shade of green, at least it fits Onslaught mostly.

The truck can be a separate piece from the rest of the altmode, no doubt something Commanders based on gestalts have done. I can see what they're going for with making the altmode independent for the robot mode, yet there isn't much to say about it since it looks nondescript and incomplete without the rest. Reminds me of one of those truck GoBots that got a third party MP figure. Stacks, I think was the name.

Here he is with his fellow Combaticons, minus Swindle because he is on the way. As G1 scale logic is stupid, I will just pretend Onslaught is mostly normal size while everyone else is intentionally based on the smallest possible versions for the altmodes they assumed. Didn't FansProject do something similar with their version of Blast Off that combined with the Energon Bruticus mold?

And here he is with Mega-Octane, just showing how undersized the Combiner Wars altmode looks in comparison. You can just about fit MO in the trailer with one of the tires barely slipping off the surface!

Transformation is pretty similar to what the G1 toy did with its sequence, mostly with the front end becoming the arms, the back becoming the legs (albeit like the Universe version), and the backpack serving a similar purpose to the cannons we used to get as an accessory, albeit this time they are faux parts due to the real ones being oversized. As for the bot mode, it is heavily based on the cartoon models, which were very different from the toys (either because they can't translate them fully or the designs of the toys were too awkward to work with). You can tell the difference between which one is closer to the media when you watch the G1 cartoon Combaticons next to the RID 2001 Commandos. As for the way the accuracy turned out for Onslaught, it's fine. He is a blue robot with the cartoon accurate details where you would need them, and undersized cannons on the back made from the cab or the altmode. I haven't mentioned this yet, but I don't like the way the blue on the arms and feet are slightly different shades from the rest of the toy; makes me think they will yellow overtime like on many early 2020s Transformers. At the very least, he has a good enough set of heel spurs to keep him from falling over.

Head sculpt is the one thing carried over from the old toy, and it's got the right shade of color for the visor and the mouthplate. Not much else to say about it. Articulation is standard for a figure of this style: ball jointed neck, shoulder rotation, outward arm movement, bicep rotation that clashes with the elbows due to the design of the forearms, waist rotation, ratchet joints for the hips moving front and back, standard joints for outward leg movement, thigh swivels, hinged knees, and ankle pivots. No wrist or finger articulation seems standard for the combiner Commanders, but what is not standard is the lack of a weapon! A military dude not coming with any guns is already a stupid decision to go for, and while Hasbro stated Swindle will come with a rifle for Bruticus, how will that really benefit the Combaticon leader? Yellow won't fit him unless he was in G2 colors (coming soon in 2030, I bet). It's almost like when Hasbro didn't give Energon Barricade weapons, but at least all Deluxe torso bots didn't come with accessories, AND you can easily give Barricade the guns that came with Blight and Kickback, which is how things work in my (and Classic Thew's) house when you remember that those two had arm cannons. Fof nearly $100, there was 

I mean, the trailer can turn into a turret for Onslaught to man, and while it looks the most like the old toy's base mode, I'm sure he would want to run towards the battle with his own weapon in hand. As for a look next to Mega-Octane in bot mode, he is slightly shorter than him due to being only part of the torso rather than being the entire torso. Once again, I don't mind that they're unique from each other, especially since they would need more than just different paint jobs to give them their identities.

And here he is with the other Combaticons. We could really use some yellow ATP, even if he will be the same height as fellow short Voyager Brawl.

Transforming him into the Bruticus frame is like with what we've seen before. The trailer becomes part of the body while the rest forms the bare arms and legs waiting for the others to attach onto them. As expected, the arms can extend while detaching the front and back halves of Blast Off and Vortex, though leaving the arm frames green instead of grey does make them blend in less. At least the leg set up is new when Swindle and Brawl are absent: instead of looking like he has no shins, he now looks like he uses what amputees have when they need to sprint in the olympics. At least the toes are painted to show who goes where. The chest and cannons look awesome, even if the former looks a little cut off at the winglets.

Head sculpt looks spot-on to how Bruticus looked in G1, though I wish the grey plastic used wasn't as cheap as it kind of is. At least the mouthplate and eyes pop enough from this. ball jointed neck, ratchets for the shoulders front and back as well as in and out, rotation at the elbows, ratcheted elbows, wrist rotation, a waist rotation, ratchets on the hips moving front and back as well as in and out, thigh rotation, ratchets in the knees, and ankle pivots put much higher than normal due to the integration of the leg bots.

Although SS86 Shockwave is intended to go with this set, the Siege version can tab in place fine enough if you want to stick with this and not spend slightly less for a Voyager that comes with less than a Leader did in 2019.

And here he is with Ruination, who has the benefit of not missing a leg. You can see just now different the design philosophies are between Legacy/AOTP and Combiner Wars, between figure integration, size class difference, and overall aesthetics. As I said before, I like having the UW set to make Ruination distinct from Bruticus, even if Hasbro wants to make a repaint set in the future. It won't do the Air configuration though! As for Onslaught, while I like a lot about him, I'm not a big fan of how the green looks on the arms, the truck by itself looks bad, and the lack of a weapon takes points away for a dude who is a military Transformer. That said, he still has the best play value with his teammates, and the combination is just as satisfying as before with Menasor and Superion. He isn't worth $100+, but if your Studio Series MTMTE preorders for Starscream, Prowl, and the Insecticons got canceled, go to Target Customer Service and use any gift cards they cancel to lower the total price of Onslaught if he is still in stock over there.

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐