Transformers Studio Series Leadfoot review

Did you seriously think I'd cover Devastator without taking a look at the final Wrecker??? LOL!!!!!!!! Anyways, Leadfoot carries over most of the same things I mentioned about the other two guys. He may have not done much, but I dug seeing him on screen, whether it's his banter with Roadbuster during the construction the Xanthium or him saying that he and the Autobots ain't going nowhere. Sadly, his return in Age of Extinction was brief and he didn't even get John DiMaggio's voice (instead he reused Robert Foxworth's reused Ratchet dialogue from when he was attacked by Cemetary Wind and Lockdown); sucks because I love Leadfoot the most, what with his blue visor, chunky design, and Target branding. While I like Target stores fine enough, I don't like that they're far away from where I live, as the ones I could access are either at Downtown or are at Indiana. Thankfully, Leadfoot didn't suffer from the same scalper scraps that would literally fight for the Skywarp and Thundercracker 2-pack the same way that people did for Popeyes Chicken Sandwiches. Now let's move on from an outdated meme and talk about the third and final Wrecker!

Here is Leadfoot's backdrop. Big surprise it's the same one Topspin and most of the Dark of the Moon Autobots in the line included so LET'S MOVE ON TO THE TOY ITSELF!!!!!!!

And here is Leadfoot in his vehicle mode! It's the same as the other two characters in terms of it being a NASCAR Chevy Impala Racecar, but as mentioned with Topspin, he's more than just a color swap because of how he's designed compared to the other two. That being said, his car mode certainly has more going on from the sides, whereas the middle part of it doesn't look too altered aside from the way the grill looks and how the Target logo is split. The weird part about the figure is how there's a gray panel that looks out of place, though you could say it's part of the robot mode in a way. I don't think I mentioned this yet, but while the Stealth Force gimmick is a pretty needless part of what is an otherwise awesome movie (that being Dark of the Moon), it makes sense for the Wreckers as they are the more trigger-happy Autobots ready to kick Decepticon ass.

Weirdly enough, he's a little light on Target sponsors for a toy that's based on Target itself. Sure, he has the NASCAR brand, and the 42 as well as the Ultra Wreckers details are neat, but I know he could use some references to Cottonelle, TUMS, Lysol, and an Autobot insignia. Those were the ones the Human Alliance one came with, and it'd be a neat callback in my opinion. I mean if Earthrise Wheeljack can have sponsors despite not really having them before, so can Leadfoot!

Here he is next to the other two Wreckers from the same line. I gotta say that it's so nice to FINALLY have official Wreckers that are not only in scale with one another, not only are in the same line, but are all relatively close to each other in terms of release. Seriously, before the Studio Series line was even a thing, all we had were Deluxes which had a non-armored Roadbuster and the lack of a US release for Leadfoot while the Human Alliance line had a Leadfoot who was not armored and no sign of Topspin anywhere! Sure, some would say that the Cyberverse line was the best way to complete the set, but believe me when I say that their small sizes and the fact that Topspin was both a shellformer and had no armored bits made the trio feel compromised. Thankfully, we have three Wreckers that all look good, and it's also nice to say that I own a version of Leadfoot.

Transformation is different from the other two guys, who had their vehicle mode hoods be the back of the legs, but Leadfoot changes things up by actually transforming as he normally would. The front becomes the chest, the sides of the vehicle mode become the arms, and the rear portion of the car becomes the legs. There are even hinges for the legs that further make him look squat. So...what is left to be said about the big tubby Autobot himself in his robot mode? I think he's the best-looking Wrecker of the trio, and he looks way better than the other versions of himself. Part of what makes him unique is his potbelly, which is made up from the front and makes him visually interesting from the other guys. At first, I thought that it could be a little more broken up, though there is a panel that lifs up and gives him a little more of the potbelly design. To his credit, he's actually screen accurate than the other Leadfoots we've gotten in the past. The Deluxe one was not an awful attempt, but it doesn't quite have that same level of proportion accuracy to the CG model thanks to his small head, wide shoulders, and weird chest proportions. And did anyone really like the Human Alliance one? It looks too ugly and doesn't even capture Leadfoot's physique quite well. Also, both had some ugly beige plastic.

The side view looks pretty good, and the back isn't too out of the norm. I will say that the feet are a little chunkier than what we normally have, but I think it works as once again, he's got a fairly unique design with proportions that need to be chunky for his design. Maybe some added paint would give him a better look, but he's still better than the other Leadfoots we've gotten. And his head sculpt is at the right size in contrast to his body; he certainly had a big head with a metal beard, shares, and I guess a bald spot to show his age, but part of me feels there should be some more silver paint thrown in for the cranium. Still, he's got a great head design that gives him that robo-NASCAR fan vibe.

Articulation for this guy is pretty good for a tubby robot. Head is on a ball-joint, shoulders move front and back as well as in and out, the biceps swivel, and the elbows bend. You could say that the wrists can curl in, but the hips move front and back as well as in and out, there are bicep swivels, and the knees bend. He has 6 accessories worth talking about, one of which is a shoulder cannon that has a 5mm hole, two of which are miniguns with ammunition molded on (these are for the forearms), and another two of which are missiles for his big gut. The former two types of accessories peg on with no problem, but the missiles suck at staying on in this mode and I don't know why there are space issues. His final accessory is Steeljaw, the off-screen but still cool bulldog of the Wreckers! He previously appeared in the Human Alliance version of the character, and while he may not have a tongue sticking out or can turn into a cannon, he's at least just as charming here as he was in the old set. Still weird how Leadfoot got his partner but ROTF Soundwave doesn't have Ravage and Barricade doesn't have Frenzy.

For a size comparison, here is Leadfoot next to who else but the other Wreckers of his team! And I've got to say, it's once again nice to have a set of Wreckers that are complete, but it's also nice to have a set of Wreckers who are close to each others' releases, have consistent engineering, and are all ready for action. Leadfoot is also shorter than the other two, which makes sense given his aforementioned design nowhere being as sleek as his allies.

Having all three Wreckers is pretty awesome in my opinion, and it's especially great to have them together either on display or when they're posed fighting. There may not be a Decepticon ship that was shot down, but they can always kill Crowbar before Optimus tells that the Decepticons will never leave Earth alone! As for Leadfoot himself, I think he's my favorite version of the character as well as the best Wrecker that we got in recent years. Thankfully, Hasbro doesn't do a terrible job with bringing this guy out and it makes me happy worthwhile. The only issues I have with the figure are the lack of paint in some areas and the tabs for the chest not being strong enough, but it's worthwhile to enjoy these guys nonetheless. I certainly recommend getting this guy, especially when your Target stores have him in-stock.

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

Transformers Studio Series Overload review

Overload has very little to talk about, especially compared to the other guys I reviewed this week. At least Soundwave had a role in spying on the Autobots while also having dialog, Topspin was involved with the Wreckers and would later speak in The Last Knight (albeit with Leadfoot's head and with a new name), Cliffjumper had some lines and would later be split in half, and Blitzwing was cool yet frustrating at the same time. I guess I can say that Overload had a prior incarnation from Armada where he combined with another Transformer. Oh, and he was red, too. Does that work? Anyways, let's see what the final Constructicon member has to offer as an action figure so he can make up his lack of character!

Here is his backdrop, which is the same as the other Constructicon backdrops, only in Leader size. LET'S MOVE ON!!!!

Here we have Overload in his vehicle mode. In terms of design, it looks like how it should as a long dump truck, though parts of it look pretty off, especially from the side view. I think I like the front portion of it since it at least feels relatively complete, though the In terms of coloring, there's not really much to say about it aside from the predominant red at least having some grays, blacks, and small bits of silvers and dark blues here and there to break it up.

You can better understand what I mean with the proportions from this view. The front part looks fine but the middle and parts of the back start to look pretty bad. It's especially noticeable when the hip joints are exposed and there are some discrepancies that are made for the robot mode and later the waist mode. Oh and I find it odd that there is one pair of rear wheels on the back, but that's just me. Overall, not the best-looking vehicle mode, though I do appreciate the effort in making it a larger size after just having the Legends one.

He has one piece of Devastator that requires some storage, and it's the Vortex Grinder! The piece can only be placed on the top, and it looks silly, I won't lie. Still, this piece will help with a component of Devastator's head, which we'll get to very soon!

Here he is next to the other Constructicons in the line, and what a team they are! Isn't it satisfying to make it this far, after waiting for so long to finally complete the team  As a Leader Class figure, he along with Scavenger at least make up their robot mode sizes with good vehicle mode sizes that have lengths which make Scrapper, Rampage, Mixmaster, and Long Haul feel like they're still Voyagers. But this is only the beginning, boys!

The transformation is a little involved yet not quite as complex as Scavenger's was. I think it's a little disappointing that the most involved part of the transformation are the arms, which certainly have a lot of joints to them, but they are otherwise more acceptable than transforming something like Supreme Cheetor. As for the rest of the transformation, the way the legs work is fairly simple, but it gets the job done. Also, there are heels that need to be hinged back. As for the robot mode we end up with, it's a little like Bonecrusher but with the added arms replacing the big tail. I guess it's neat, but it makes him a lot wider than Voyager-sized toys would be. The legs don't really have much to offer in terms of their design, but I like how crazy this guy looks from the top. Almost like you can't really expect him to make his move so you have to be careful whenever you get near him. He is a little hard to keep him standing still, and I feel his head sculpt's a little to Shockwavey but with added eyes and no horns.

Now it's time for the articulation! His head is on a ball-joint, the shoulders move front and back as well as in and out on some heavy ratchets, the outer set of arms hinge in and out, they swivel, and they also hinge at two points. The inner arms swivel, they bend at two points, and their claws hinge. The hips move front and back, in and out, the thighs swivel, the knees bend, and there are some ankle pivots.

For a size comparison, here he is next to the other Constructicons, here he in the back of the team. And I feel he's got a height similar to what Scrapper and Rampage have while his price point makes sense with the width that he has. And while these guys never appeared as a team in their robot modes, I like this display. It's much more refreshing to have the Constructicons stand out from one-another compared to the G1 versions, who weren't really all that different aside from Long Haul and all shared the same color schemes. These guys are different from their designs, their colors (for the most part), and they make for a unique display as a team.

And now, it's time to turn him into his waist mode. You're essentially going to need to turn him into his vehicle mode, rework the dump bed to have the stabilizers like in robot mode, and twist and turn it into the thighs and hips. As for the front of the vehicle mode, you need to hinge the parts around and give them a V-shape that will later be used for the torso to be filled in. And as it stands, this guy's not quite descriptive like with Scavenger, though he is easier to tell that he becomes a part of Devastator because he has thighs. But what about the figure itself? I think it's a nice way to cap off the Studio Series Constructicon team, and while his vehicle mode may not be the best-looking of them all, I do at least appreciate that he has some ways to make the price seem more worthwhile by at least being long in vehicle mode and wide in robot mode. I know people would love to see the spider-design that the concept art had, but this guy is still the best version of the character in ROTF, even if he was barely in the film. I recommend this guy, especially if you want to complete the Constructicons or if you love his design.

Final rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Transformers Studio Series Blitzwing review

Blitzwing, Blitzwing, Blitzwing, what a wasted opportunity you were in that Bumblebee movie. You know, it's funny how many people get upset when some Decepticons don't have as much prominence as the others, yet people are perfectly fine with Blitzwing dying too soon (probably because this isn't a Michael Bay film). Sad too because he was the first villain to appear in the movie, though he wasn't off to a great start given how people assumed he was Starscream (I mean, LOOK AT HIM) until it turns out that he was named Blitzwing, meaning this guy has nothing in common with the G1 dude (but it's okay because it's not a Michael Bay film, amirite?). Stupid double standards amongst the nerd culture aside, I did kind of like Blitzwing's design in the Bumblebee movie and was hoping to get his action figure in the Studio Series line, but less than 2 years after his brief on-screen appearance, let's see how well it stacks up, shall we?

Here we have his backdrop, which mostly reuses the same image from the encounter with Bumblebee in the movie. He can fit in there no problem, and you might even include the little B-127 himself if you want!

Here we have Blitzwing in his jet mode. Design-wise, it's not quite accurate to the vehicle mode he took form of in the movie, but it does at least resemble what it should look like without the licensing fees. As far as proportions go, I'm a little unsure of how it's supposed to look. Part of it has that similar feel to Nitro Zeus's jet mode (toy version, at least), where it's got a little too much bulk that keeps it from being very accurate to how he briefly appeared in the movie. Also, another thing I don't like about it is the overspray that goes over the canopy. That is not accurate to the movie, and I don't know why it comes with it. Also, the vertical tailfin always looks odd since it seemingly has that "split" look to it. All in all, it's a decent but not quite perfect or accurate jet mode.

The underside of the jet mode has some nice weapon storage, what with the gun filling in the gap around where the faux cockpit is placed, and there are also spots for the hand claw and the missiles...or are they bombs? The underside would be a little wonky without these pieces, so it's appreciative that they add to the toy.

The cockpit does open, though there is no proper storage for a Titan Master. Well, not that there needed to be one since he's not Titan Master compatibility. At least there's no seat that messes up the articulation!

Here is Blitzwing next to the other Jetformers of the Movieverse, which are Starscream and Nitro Zeus. His jet mode certainly has that similar look to Nitro Zeus's. It's kind of funny how that works, though it's the tailfins and sizes are different from one another. Still, while these are mostly gray jets feel like they could be been-there-done-that, but they at least attempt to distinguish each other fairly well, with Starscream doing so the most due to the unique shape of the F-22 Raptor.

The opening cockpits are a nice touch for at least Blitzwing and Nitro Zeus, though Nitro Zeus was made with Titan Master compatibility due to the existence of Cog, who was a Headmaster in the toyline despite not showing that in the movie (boo!). Oh, and I have Wheelie and Brains inside of the cockipt.

Before we cover the transformation, I want to mention that the tailfins on the shoulders are misassembled. They are slanted in the wrong direction, but you can instead swap them around and they'd look better than they are right now.

The transformation is pretty involved for a jet Transformer that is normally done up like a Starscream. The wings and arms are fairly simple, but the legs transform pretty well, and the cockpit swiveling in order to allow the faux canopy part of the chest to go over it is a nice compromise as it can't transform like it did in the movie. Sure, there are some bars that look a little out of place, but they don't look too noticeable. and things like the hinges for the wings give him a little more personality like with Earthrise Starscream. 

And the robot mode itself looks pretty good. Apart from maybe the tailfins sticking out too much from the sides or the panels within the forearms, this figure looks very close to how he (briefly) appeared on screen. The proportions are captured nicely, too, even if the arms look a little too lanky like on the CGI model. The wings look a little too big from the sides, but that's how they were in the movie. The missle pods make them look a little more complete. The face sculpt certainly has a Starscream look to it, but I feel it's a little too no-nonsense for the character. I'm sure this was intended to be a pre-2007 Starscream at some point in time before the film was re-edited, but it's a more serious Starscream face with a gas mask apparatus and some clear orange parts that I don't think were on the model. He's also kept the red part on the head.

Articulation is very good for this guy! Aside from a ball-jointed head, he's got shoulders that move front and back as well as in and out, double-jointed elbows, and wrist swivels to boot. He also has one hand that can open and close (more on that later). There is a slight waist swivel, and the legs can move front and back, in and out, the thighs swivel, the knees bend, and he has some ankle pivots! One of his accessories is a cannon that goes over either hand and it gives him a transformed state, which is done very nicely. I especially love how it mostly blends in with the hand while also giving the barrel some nice paint to boot.

Now let's go back to the right hand for a moment. It has poseability in the knuckles and only in that hand. Now why would he have an articulated right hand, let alone one that is a right hand?

Perhaps it can help him with shaking hands with the only other figure I have with poseable fingers, that being Earthrise Optimus Prime! Oh, and Beewun Twenty Seven seems angry at his friend shaking hands with a Decepticon (who isn't even his actual friend).

Maybe shaking hands for their friendship shows that there might be more to them both than meets the eye. OptimusXBlitzwing, anyone?

But of course, the main intent is for Blitzwing to grab Bumblebee by the neck and use another accessory of his to remove the voice box. You can switch out either hand and give him the extremity so you can make Bee's inability to speak official...though we know for a fact that he wasn't the true Decepticon to do that, Travis.

You can do plenty of weapon-swaps with this guy since the hands are on 5mm ports, So Mirage may have to hold BW's gun and Impactor's gun, but Blitzwing has the 5mm ports of Mirage's weapons on his arms, Impactor has the right hand and voice box remover of Blitzwing, and Ratchet can take the small pistol and instead use the left hand to give him shoulder massages.

And of course, let's bring in Darth Vader and have both of his hands cut off like Count Dooku's were back when the man in the black suit was once Anakin Skywalker. Sadly, no lightsaber is included with Blitzwing, and there isn't an Emperor Palpatine to go with him.

There may not have been any repaints for this guy, but there is an interesting history regarding the stock images. The initial pics had a fairly normal shade of gray, and there was no overspray for the canopy. The nosecone is gray, but it's not inaccurate. The second pics have a different shade of gray, but the head and crotch are not painted properly. Part of me feels this is a prototype that was used by accident, though it's funny how that it was used in the first place.

And here is Blitzwing next to the other characters in the Bumblebee movie! He scales pretty well next to Optimus Prime, though it is a case of the robot scale in the movie not being a realistic as in the other films. I guess it makes sense if Blitzwing wasn't as much of a bigger bot (or Con) compared to Starscream, but that's just me. I would add Cliffjumper in this, but he sucks...so Optimus Prime and Bumblebee have to take care of Nightbird's daughter, a guy who's named after a grunt in the 2007 game, and a guy who looks like Starscream.

And here is Blitzwing next to some of the other prominent Jetformers in the Movieverse (even if the most prominent one was Starscream). He's shorter than either of the two, but I think it works as he wasn't as much of a bigger character as either of these two gentlemen. And thankfully, he's not so short that he might as well be a Deluxe (another issue of the size charts from the Bumblebee movie). I know Nitro Zeus was repainted into Thundercracker, so I'd love to see Blitzwing be repainted into Skywarp so we can have an interesting trio of Seekers that aren't really repaints of Starscream (and are instead repaints of other Jetformers...one of them looking like Starscream, I might add).

And here are the final images we have to close off on the review. Oh, it seems Megatron isn't happy with Blitzwing taking his job as the one Transformer who rendered Bumblebee mute.

Yeah, part of me wants to end the review this way, but I don't think Blitzwing deserves that much flak.

This guy is currently tied with Optimus Prime as the best figure to be based on the Bumblebee movie. While most of the figures based on the movie have been pretty wack, this guy, along with Optimus Prime, Offroad Bumblebee, and Car Dropkick are some of the few good entries we have so far. I'm also glad that this guy isn't as half-assed like with Car Shatter, Cliffjumper, and Chopkick. I like how this guy transforms, and the accessories he comes with are nice additions, too. The right hand is a nice touch, though it makes me wish we got that for Studio Series Jetwing Optimus Prime. I'm so happy that we have a Blitzwing that is transformable and in scale with the other toys in the line, especially when all that would be acceptable was the Nitro Series one. That figure wasn't bad but it didn't seem quite fulfilling (setting aside that it was made for kids). So despite my dislike for the Bumblebee movie and my disappointment with Blitzwing's brief appearance in the film, this is a great figure for the line!

Final ranking: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐