Category Archives: Review

Name: Rager (Huffer)

Line: 3rd Party Transformers

Series: Mini Warriors

Size Class: Legends (-ish)

Producer: iGear

Year of release: 2011

Yes, the double name hints at the content of the review: this is another 3rd Party Transformer that I got at the LCC. And again it’s an homage to a classic G1 character. Wonder if you can guess which one (if you somehow missed the title).

This is Rager and he resembles… oh to hell with it! Unless you know very little about Transformers you recognize him instantly: it’s friggin’ Huffer! A small orange/yellow truck with twin funnels, sounds familiar?

The cab’s front features nice details: the grill pattern is cleverly used also to cover lights which ups Rager’s toughness in this form. This cab makes me think of a riot control or a roadblock breaker vehicle more than a simple utility truck. And later on you’ll see that it fits this guy’s overall theme.

The rear is ok, obviously it contains some robot parts but they are neatly compacted to a satisfying degree, no complaints there. The funnels, though, are a mixed sort in my eyes. They certainly do work, especially when viewed from a distance, adding both a nice color contrast and a welcome variety to the vehicle’s line. On the other hand from up close you can see that the interesting sculpt is messed with the ball joints showing from behind and one can’t help but wonder: shouldn’t those ends point backwards?? Yeah, they should and this could’ve been fixed with a simple swivel joint for each. Also, and this I found the most annoying from a photographer’s point of view, the funnels don’t attach to the truck’s side, don’t click into their positions, they are just there. Yes, the cab has round-shaped edgings but they offer very little assistance and the vehicle shape’s stability is endangered each time you touch it.

Size comparison time!

As you can see at the beginning of the review I estimated the Class as a Legends. So here are two other Transformers trucks from this class: Generations Optimus Prime and Motorbreath, an exclusive recolor of Reveal The Shield Optimus. In GEN Opie’s review I admitted to my utter ignorance concerning trucks in general so I have no idea what kind of size Rager’s alt mode would have in real life, but I guess it’s a sort of semi truck, so it’s probably a bit too big for the other guys. But don’t quote me on that. What I do remember is the fact that occasionally Huffer pulled Optimus’es trailer in the show and his truck mode then was visibly smaller than Prime’s, so there you go. You can quote me on that coz I watched the show a lot.

And throwing in the only other Legends-sized Transformer I got, Generations Thundercracker, because why not. Let’s use these guys for comparison of robot modes as well.

Rager is short but sturdy, looking accordingly among other figures of Legends Class. Of course in this case that’s obviously not accurate, as Huffer was significantly shorter than Thundercracker, not mentioning Optimus. I’ll get back to the size matter later on. For now marvel at his posture: he definitely looks like a guy who can break through a roadblock, regardless of the mode he’s in. He also has a face of someone… in rage. And that directly references the original G1 character.

I must confess I have a soft spot for G1, especially the early Marvel comic books series. I just loved how the story and the characters gained so much depth compared to the animated series. The tv show was fun but rather light and more adventure and combat oriented, while the comics explored various Transformers’ emotions, motivations, weaknesses and traits of character other than ‘a leader, a brute, a joker, a scientist’ etc. Now, that was something new and truly welcome for a kid like me then – it reminded me of X-Men, another comics franchise that I’ve loved for all those years. Transformers kept this more mature approach to telling the story of giant-robots-from-space for quite some time, I remember reading few UK-exclusive issues years later and enjoying them too. But for me the essential time was the very beginning, when there were only few Autobots and even fewer Decepticons active on Earth and therefore writers could present most of them to a satisfying degree. Those who remember the plot of Ratchet’s lonely quest against Megatron know what I mean.

Huffer also seemed to be one of the Autobots given more attention. He was the Ark’s brilliant engineer and also the crew’s main naysayer, always focused on repairing the ship and getting the hell out of this weird green planet, away from the conflict with Decepticons and humans alike. He did carry out other missions and performed well, even confronting Megatron himself once, but he always had this attitude. In the tv show they made him this always nagging comic relief character, but in the comics he was a genuine robot with a depression, home-sick to the point of pondering whether switching sides wouldn’t prove more beneficial in terms of returning to Cybertron. Add this to his enormous strength in a rather tiny body and you got a character so much more appealing and complex than Bumblebee. But noo, it’s the oh-so-friendly and loyal boy-scout on a scouting duty who won the place in the spotlight! And soon Huffer became one of background Autobots, being present only to fill frames during group scenes, until he finally got seriously damaged and put away in a stasis state awaiting the publisher’s attention… I mean available spare parts.

And this image of Huffer is in my opinion perfectly represented by Rager. Those muscular arms and massive chest are made for heavy lifting, handy both for work- and combat-related purpose. The color scheme matches both the G1 character and toy design, with the face of this figure much more accurate to how he looked in the show and comics.

All right, let’s get down to business and test Rager’s posability, with a little help from Motorbreath here.

High-kicking – check.

Bending knees more than 90 degrees – check.

Posing for a ‘Prime wants YOU kicking Decepticon ass for the Autobot army’ poster – check!

Rager just can’t help looking cool and bad-ass and it’s not like he’s trying to avoid it. He embraces coolness and Bad-Ass is his middle name. Check his cybertronian driving license if you don’t believe me: Rager Bad-Ass Huffer, originating from Epicville, occupation: Engineer… of Pain!!

Of course Rages comes packing and what is more bad-ass than dual-wielding? I’ll tell you what: dual-wielding really cool-looking revolver-style pistols!

Take a loot at those puppies. Just… just look at ’em! I have seen many creatively designed and nicely sculpted Transformers firearms, but I can safely say that for me this lil’ guy takes the grand prize. I only wish those sported a bit of silver paint apps here and there to highlight that awesome shape. I wonder how many of you think of what I’m thinking looking at a robot armed with twin revolvers…

A western-themed showdown at sunset! I bet not many Decepticons would dare to confront an Autobot looking like this.

Actually some could, as Rager’s guns fit smaller universal sized Transformers hands. You know what I mean, some have this larger size grip, like most Deluxe figures, and some use this smaller size, like for example Motorbreath. So he can wield Rager’s weapon but will he do it with all the style and cockiness like a pro bad-ass would?

I didn’t think so!

So how is Rager, apart from bad-ass and filled with rage? In terms of Transformers figures he is… ok. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy posing him and seeing him on my shelf a lot, but he is no breakthrough. He feels a lot like Generations Optimus of Legends Class: has good posability and nice, G1-accurate design, but that’s mostly it. Yes, his paint job is applied perfectly and his pistols are tiny masterpieces of creativity, but in the end all you actually get is a very good Legends Class Transformer. I think the size is the main problem here. Take a look at this picture, where I attempted to create a buddy shot with his team-mates from the original Ark’s crew.

Yeah, Huffer is supposed to be short but not that short! I hoped that he would fit fellow Autobots from my collection, who are mainly of Deluxe or Voyager Class, but it doesn’t work. Also, he suffers from some issues that I guess result from the size. Posing his head (that is placed on a ball joint) is a real pain: an average person’s fingers won’t fit inside the cab ‘hood’, so you just can’t reach inside there. At some point I was so fed up and irritated that I went and asked my Wife to lend me a pair of tweezers to grab this friggin’ head and turn it properly for each photo! Rager can’t also place his arms flat on his sides due to the wheels limiting movement. And I assume the funnels would click into place in vehicle mode if he were a tad bigger and had any set of additional pegs or edgings for that. Generally the alt mode is a bit crude, I appreciate the front grill details but apart from that it feels… lacking. And again: not a real problem for the Legends Class, but that’s the thing: one could expect a larger and more detailed figure considering it was released by a 3rd Party, so in theory it’s supposed to be a perfect version of the character.

However, regardless of what I wrote above, I still am very glad I got this guy. And I can and will recommend him, providing you are fully aware of what you are doing. And by that I mean: being aware of his size, flaws and features. You see, Backfiery was a randomly bought figure – I decided to get him basing on the way he looked in robot mode (his packaging had a see-through section). And this worked, just like I stated in Backfiery’s review: if you like his looks then you’ll probably like the figure once you get him in hand. Rager, on the other hand, is a figure that you want to learn about before purchase (also because his packaging does not allow peeking inside). I had watched a detailed review of him before going to London, so when I saw him at the LCC I knew what to expect. I won’t even start about the price, as I covered the subject of the overly expensive nature of 3rd Party Transformers products before. By the way, an interesting fact: at the very same place where I got Rager a recolor was available, called Black Rager. As you can probably guess, he features a more toned down color theme, which might prove quite fitting for a beefy tough guy like that. But you know what? That version was noticeably cheaper than the original Rager, even though their release dates are subsequent years, so the age (and availability) of the older guy wasn’t a huge factor here. It seems that, like me, most people want the classic Huffer-like persona, even if he costs more. And if that’s your preference too, then Rager delivers just that. Just know what to expect: not a short Deluxe, that’s for sure.

I think he might go well with Scouts perhaps? I don’t know, I don’t have any to check. I came up with this idea, though.

Brave Huffer took on Megatron in Marvel comics so I decided to give my Revoltech Megs a go and I think it works. Megatron was one of the largest Transformers from the initial set-up and Huffer one of the shortest so I’d say this looks fine.

As I mentioned, I have a thing for G1 characters so this guy, looking so close to his original design, hits just the spot on my nostalgia board. I wish he was big enough to be able to play along Deluxes, but I’m still fond of him the way he is, as he looks just great on the shelf, immediately bringing memories of those classic Transformers stories. And I recommend him to those of you who are willing to put your nostalgia glasses on and see an almost perfect Huffer, falling juust a bit… short. Ha!

In the comics Huffer was of course overpowered by Megatron, but hey, this is no Huffer, this is Rager and it’s payback time!

Summary

Strong and weak points:

+ classic, instantly recognizable look, both in terms of colors and shapes

+ cool beefed-up design and ‘angry’ face sculpt perfectly fit the original character concept

+ good articulation, including knees bending more than 90 degrees and a waist joint

+ fantastic unique gun mold

+ twin pistols add to the ‘bad-ass factor’

+ aesthetically pleasing compact vehicle mode

+ very good paint job quality

+ solid construction, doesn’t feel flimsy or fragile at all

– head needs a lot of fiddling to pose it

– arms can’t rest flat along the body due to placement of wheels

– funnels don’t lock into one position in vehicle mode

– size too small to fit among Deluxe Class

– pistols could use some paint apps to highlight the details

– no place to either holster the guns in robot mode or store them in vehicle mode

Who will like it:

those liking Huffer as a character and/or toy design; those wanting a refreshed version of the character with modern articulation and cool tough looks, who don’t mind his size

Who won’t like it:

those hoping to use him as a scale-accurate Huffer next to Hasbro’s Deluxes and Voyagers; those expecting flawless design from a 3rd Party product

Name: Backfiery (Kickback)

Line: 3rd Party Transformers

Series: Causality

Size Class: Deluxe (-ish)

Producer: FansProject

Year of release: 2011

Lately me and rehael had the opportunity to attend the MCM London Comic Con (that I will from now on refer to as LCC) which means that some of the upcoming reviews will concern figures generally hard to come by in retail, at least around here. And regardless of where you live I bet it’s not that easy to get hold of 3rd Party Transformers there. If you don’t know, 3rd Parties means companies other than Hasbro that design and produce Transformers products, of course calling them different than by their official toy line and character name due to copyright laws. Why do they do it? Well, as in most cases when business is involved, they do it to make money, but for us, collectors, it’s important how they do it. First of all 3rd Party companies often release various accessories and kit sets that can be used to upgrade official Hasbro’s toys, like armors, alternate heads, weapons, parts or stickers that you can use to make your Transformer more a collector item than a toy. An example of that can be a set including a coronation crown and a cape for the old MP-03 Masterpiece Starscream to wear (which probably inspired Takara to release their own upgraded version of Masterpiece Starscream: MP-11, which has similar items included as accessories). 3rd Parties also create complete Transformers figures that are either redesigned and retooled versions of toys already released by Hasbro or depict characters that hadn’t been given a plastic representation before. And the aim is to create figures that resemble the characters from the original Transformers animated show and/or comic books as close as possible while at the same time giving them maximum posability achievable for the particular mold. In short: those products usually mean expensive but satisfying versions of Transformers that we fans had been long hoping for.

This review covers a figure like that: a transforming robot released by the company FansProject called Backfiery, which is (as it’s often diplomatically stated) ‘an homage’ to the Insecticon Kickback.

You know this funny little cliche commonly used in modern comedies where somebody is hyping up the crowd by promising to show something of great interest or quality and when it is revealed then instead of the expected ovation the audience goes completely silent and the only sound that can be heard is a quiet cricket’s noise? I think this would be just the appropriate reaction here – both as a comment on how unimpressive this alt mode is after all this high talk about 3rd Parties’ stuff and referring to the fact that it is, well, a bug.

It is a grasshopper to be exact which is true to the original Kickback character alt mode. And that’s the problem here. If you are for some reason unfamiliar with that insect check out some pictures of it and tell me: can you imagine any exciting use of this ‘design’ adapted to mechanical form? I’m not saying a grasshopper is an ugly bug (which by the way probably could be at least somehow translated into ‘menacing’ as a cybertronian being), I am saying it is boring. It has a slick body with long thin wings that it spreads only when in mid-jump, a large head with antlers and its most defining feature: the long and powerful hind legs to make those long leaps. And that’s it!

To be fair Backfiery delivers what it was destined to – you can see his mighty legs here. It’s ironic and kinda sad that the original character’s name and main ‘combat ability’ were just that: he could kick back his opponent really hard. How exciting. Especially compared to his Insecticon pals: Shrapnel who could summon lightning and Bombshell with his mind-control abilities. Maybe that’s why FansProject in their own not-so-canon continuity made Backfiery the leader of not-Insecticons and upped the skills of them all few notches. But more on that later. For now we have an alt mode that does what it can with the idea of a mechanical grasshoper.

The head is… ok for an insect, I guess. Nothing much to it, really. The color scheme of yellow antlers on a black head remind me of the G1 Kickback but Backfiery features also these large red eyes that are empty, bug-like and indifferent; either bland or creepy – depending on your take on insects. The head sadly has no articulation, no opening mouth, no swivel or looking up or down, nothing. As you can see the front legs can move to some extent so Backfiery can point to a leaf onto which he’s going to jump next.

Each of the four legs is on a separate ball joint, severely limited due to the design of the figure in the insect’s torso area, but they do allow for some diversity of the direction the legs point at. It would have been really great to have additional swivel joints in the ‘elbows’ here to somewhat make this alt mode more able to ’emote’ and I admit that’s one of my gripes with FansProject’s design. I get it, a grasshopper is really hard to turn into such an interesting cybertronian beast mode as, say, a dinosaur or a puma, but I believe a figure of that size, designed as an expensive collectible item, could have been given additional four swivel joints. It would have at least given Backfiery more of this insect-like disturbing feel, with lil scratching legs moving all over the place. I’m sorry, I have a bit of a problem with insects (they disgust me to a phobia-near level), but paradoxically I would gladly welcome some of that bug aesthetics here because that would breathe more life into this rather boring alt mode.

Apart from that Backfiery’s articulation includes some hind legs movement and also a limited posability of the wings set on visible ball joints. But that doesn’t achieve much to be honest. I know that the big elephant on the couch is the knife-like thingies on the side but we’ll get to them later on. For now, let me just say that yes, they are accessories meant for the robot mode and yes, you can remove them, but then the insect is even more bland so I decided to leave them on to provide some eye-catching elements.

Here’s a size comparison with other beast modes that I had handy: G2 Grimlock and Snarl. Of course scale can’t be taken under consideration with Transformers animals modes – just try to imagine a correct-sized dinosaur figure next to an insect one! But Backfiery seems on par with the old Dinobots as far as toy reality goes, they look like they could get involved in a fair beast fight. Oh and speaking of beast fights…

Does this look as awkward as I think it does? I tried to make our bug a bit more interesting and menacing and put him against Beast Machines Optimus but even such a duel doesn’t seem too exciting.

I came up with this attack mode that involves standing on hind legs and fighting using four front ones. This doesn’t look that bad in my opinion, but again it makes me think how much additional leg joints could benefit here giving Backfiery ability to gesticulate more dynamically in this pose.

All right, that’s it for the alt mode. FansProject had to go with a grasshopper because that was the original idea for this character and they did their best. The body shape and color scheme are both reminiscent of the old G1 design and upgraded enough to make it look more realistic in terms of cybertronian universe. I can think of few tweaks possible to improve it a bit, mostly involving additional joints here and there, but it would still be a friggin mechanical grasshopper so there aren’t many places you can go from there.

Let’s proceed to the robot mode, shall we?

Ahh, so much better! Now that looks like a collector’s-grade figure that is worth dragging from London in a creatively overstuffed suitcase. The color scheme again resembles the G1 toy but the slick look and this feel of a thin and agile person wearing a kind of oriental-looking armor makes me think more of the recent Fall of Cybertron Kickback version.

I love this kind of… a Gundam design, yes, that’s what I think of when looking at Backfiery. He’s got arms with… a number of joints – I read opinions that there are even too many of those to pose him correctly, but since for me ‘correct’ robot posing doesn’t necessarily mean copying human poses, I am fine with that and just enjoy the incredible range of motion there. I also like how the insect legs form what can be viewed as sword hilts over his shoulders.

And on his shoulder pads there are those small white symbols that from up close can be identified as fire flames. That is due to the edge that FansProject took while recreating their version of Insecticons story. Each of these 3 guys now controls one element and Backfiery obviously is the fire guy. So no more kicking his opponents back, now he can spit fire onto them in his grasshopper mode! What a relief! But wait, there’s more!

If you wonder why Backfiery has a faceplate even though original Kickback had an exposed face, let me inform you that all new not-Insecticons have head designs like that. And the reason for that is the best reason there is – ninjas! Oh yeah, Backfiery is a mecha-ninja now, just like his team-mates.

And this is where the knife-like things come in that turn out to be… knives. They are also his only weapon so no laser guns and no ranged fire ability but… come on, ninja! A Transformer wielding knives that is a ninja. That’s awesome and you know it, it’s just the universal ninja rule.

Backfiery, with his slick design and highly posable arms, is just the Transformer you want to be using bladed weapons.

He can pull off almost all kind of poses that involve mostly his arms articulation. The only setback here is lack of waist joint that could add more flexibility to some poses. A minor issue (with such quality of the rest of the figure) but still a noticeable one. I think it results from the transformation process and it’s hard to assess how hard it would be to avoid it so I won’t judge the designers for this one, but it has to be mentioned.

As for poses involving leg articulation – it’s not bad but not ideal. This is as close as you can get him to perform a high-kick. Hips have ball joints that are slightly limited due to the legs’ upper parts design and I can’t help feeling that this perhaps could have been handled a tad better, since this guy is supposed to be a ninja. It looks all right but leaves me wanting just a bit more. I guess it’s this ironic situation where good quality provokes craving for even a better one. His agile-looking design is so appealing that I tend to ‘forget’ it’s a Transformer and want him to be a ninja-level guy, at some point expecting poses that one usually gets from G.I.Joe figures or even ones from lines like Play Arts Kai or S.H. Figuarts.

The same thing concerns his ability to reach the spare knives. They are neatly placed on the sides of his lower legs and even though usually I would never expect such a reaching-down pose from a Transformers toy, now I tried to achieve it. I guess the result is a kind of compromise: it works story-wise – for the purpose of a diorama or an action shot but it’s not the real thing. On the other hand: can you really expect double knee-joints in a Transformers figure the size of a small Deluxe one? Yes, sometimes you can, but it’s not a rule, so it’s up to you to decide whether this is the buy/pass point of this figure for you.

This whole idea of carrying six small knives immediately makes me think of Danny Trejo’s character in the movie Desperado. You know what I mean, right? The bad-ass knife-throwing guy, oh yeah… I think this is the main appeal of Backfiery for me – he is fun in terms of pulling off a believable look for a ninja-Transformer, no matter how ridiculous that sounds.

Let’s go back to those wings of his for a moment. Throughout the review I made him wear them down like this and this is also how the instruction and pictures on the box depict him. I like this look due to the wings adding to the aforementioned feel of him wearing two swords on his back – when viewed from the robot’s front they seem to be the swords’ blades. You can also spread them to some extent and achieve this split-coat or bladed-cape look which is also both aesthetically pleasing and fits the character. But you might remember the G1 version’s raised wings posture and if you miss it…

…there you go! The wings can be positioned just like the original Kickback wore his: raised and extended towards the back. But there is one more option…

And this is another look that I dig a lot. While before Backfiery had this elegant feel to him, like a warrior wearing a cape along with an armor, now he seems more bad-ass, like in an attack mode, encouraging enemies to come get some good ol’ back-kicking and fire-breathing.

Since we’re already focusing on his back area, let’s take a full look to check if the kibble problem is present.

I say it’s fine. Yes, the grasshopper head is there but the four insect legs effectively cover it up forming a small and unobtrusive backpack. Also, regardless of how you pose the wings they will always be present as well to help in retaining the visual cleanness.

Time for more size comparisons. Again with G2 Grimlock. Oh my, did Transformers robot designs change over the years! The improvement is extremely obvious and astounding.

And now next to his Decepticon companions, Generations Megatron and Classics Starscream. They are both of Deluxe Size Class and he seems to fit this scale as well, that’s why I put ‘Deluxe-ish’ in the description at the beginning of the review, even though this of course is a classification system concerning only official Transformers figures. Let me also mention here that Backfiery feels like he’s made from a more flimsy, softer plastic than older figures. In terms of material he is much more like Generations Megatron here than Classics Starscream. Now, that’s not especially a bad thing, as this plastic seems to offer more flexibility in terms of details and design, but at the same time it’s bound to be less durable and more prone to breakage. I’d say that this is an ideal opportunity for a blatant blog’s name drop again: this is not a toy. This definitely feels more like a collectible item. I’m not saying the figure’s gonna break while you transform it, pose it or even play with it, no way. Its quality is just fine, I experienced no issues whatsoever. I am just clearly stating: if anybody got this strange idea of buying a 3rd Party Transformer (a hard to find and expensive purchase, mind you!) as a kid’s toy – don’t! It’s designed to be handled… maybe not even with care but with respect.

Speaking of respect… Here’s our 3rd Party bug next to one of the most beloved and admired Transformers from the times when Hasbro started this trend of new designs and tooling for well known characters: Classics Mirage. He was praised for his then superb posability and slick design and that’s why I show him here. I think he aged ok, but one can notice where the today’s figure-making technology comes in and what can now be achieved: Backfiery is even less blocky and even more human-like and his ‘spare parts’ left from transformation are hidden better. Mirage is yet another Deluxe and is noticeably taller than not-Kickback, but if you’re wondering whether our flaming grasshopper shouldn’t be considered a smaller Class instead…

Here you go, a comparison with (rather tall for his Class) Generations Optimus Prime of Legends Class. Backfiery is too tall and also too advanced, complex to be thought of as a Scout. He’s a Deluxe, no doubt about it, just a short one.

Ok, some final remarks. First of all, let me state it clearly: I get how 3rd Parties’ products work and why they are scarce and pricey. And this is something that you have to be aware of and prepared for if you are considering buying one. This guy set me back £45 (around $72) and that’s approximately the price I see on him in online stores. Providing he is not tagged with Sold Out status. And that’s the thing – I know he is expensive, probably too expensive for a figure of that size, articulation and design, but 3rd Party Transformers are like that. You either agree to it or not. And if not, then you have official Hasbro’s merchandise to get for more reasonable prices. Generally what I’m trying to say here is: I will evaluate and rate him not as a regular Transformer but as a rare collectible Transformer-like item, which means I do mention the high price here but I won’t list it in the Summary section and won’t use it as a factor lowering his Final Grade. Because then each 3rd Party product would get minus 1 point off the bat, which doesn’t make sense.

With that clarified, what do I think of Backfiery, as the figure itself? I like him a lot. He has his flaws and I will list them below, but for me they don’t manage to counterbalance his merits. On his plus side I would first of all bring up the fun factor. Yes, I know I mentioned it in Generations Optimus review as well, but to be honest I had the same feeling of fun while handling and posing Backfiery. But while before it derived from the idea of a little yet posable figure, this time it’s simpler: not-Kickback just works. Yes, his alt mode is meh, but it’s due to it being a boring grasshopper – and no way around it. But in robot mode he truly shines, in my opinion gracefully pulling off this concept of a ninja-Transformer, delivering cool design and this unique slick charm whenever his articulation falls short. I am really glad I got him, even for that price, and I look forward to not only having him displayed on my shelf (where he looks just bad-ass wielding those darn knives), but also to future occasions to take him out and pose and perhaps photograph again.

On the other hand I realize he may disappoint some – being a bit more delicate than older sturdier Transformers toys (but on par with recent Generations line depicting IDW designs)  and at the same time lacking some of the joints that you’d like him to have to achieve all the ideal poses you can expect from a high-class collectible figure. I’d say I can recommend him if you really like either the character or the design of his robot mode. I do and I deem him a valuable addition to my collection. I think that if you like what you see on the pictures here and don’t mind the financial aspect of acquiring a 3rd Party Transformer, then you’re going to enjoy Backfiery. But he is not a universal omg_everybody_instantly_loves_him figure.

Summary

Strong and weak points:

+ neat design of a slick and agile character in robot mode

+ fantastic arms articulation

+ decent legs articulation

+ compact and consistent robot form

+ intriguing idea of six knives as weapons, all of hem mountable on the robot body

+ easily recognizable representation of the original G1 character

– boring alt mode

– lacking few articulation points that would come in handy in both modes (especially waist joint in robot mode and ‘elbow’ joints in insect mode, double-jointed knees would also be welcome for a ninja)

– softer plastic means more delicate figure than older Hasbro ones (not recommended as a toy)

– presence of a small ‘backpack’ in robot mode

– no laser gun/firearm of any kind mind trouble some

Who will like it:

collectors wanting a modern posable representation of Kickback; those who are into this manga-ish robot aesthetics; those digging the concept of a ninja-Transformer and keen on having a figure that pulls off this look

Who won’t like it:

those seeking a sturdy and solid Transformer that can be safely handed to a kid; those expecting a more dynamic and interesting alt mode; those wanting utmost human-like posability

Name: Optimus Prime

Line: Transformers

Series: Generations

Size Class: Legends

Producer: Hasbro

Year of release: 2013

I am Optimus Prime!, proclaimed proudly my favorite Transformers toy, which was (can you guess??)… Optimus Prime, namely G2 version. And at this moment I really wish I hadn’t sold him as he would be perfect for comparisons for this particular review due to obvious inspiration drawn from the old Opie that influenced this modern guy’s design. But don’t worry, since my old red and blue pal is long gone living with someone else, I have found a decent replacement. Before we get to that let’s take a look at the hero of the day – Generations Optimus Prime.

I’ll start with his vehicle form.

Now tell me this doesn’t bring instant memories of the G1/G2 design. Even the Optimus’es rifle is there, with the option to mount it on the roof, just like I remember.

I amused myself lately with an online guide giving advice on how to write a successful toy review and it was strongly stressed there not to describe what the readers can see on the picture. So… Generations Prime uses an alt form of the very classic truck with a flat engine compartment, red cab, blue back and nice silver paints apps, which all can be seen here, BUT what you don’t know is that the wheels are perfectly functional so the truck rolls just fine (whew, close save!).

The overall shape and details like front grill or side… barrel-like silver thingies (Ok, I will come clean: I don’t know a thing about trucks! I’m sorry!! I guess those are fuel tanks but in case they are the Obvious-Truck-Technology-Components-Shaped-Like-Cylinders-That-Do-Things and the Everybody-Knows-What-Those-Are-I-Can’t-Believe-You-Don’t rule is in force here – I choose to go with ‘thingies’) all scream ‘G1 Optimus!’ and only the dual headlights and the aero-dynamic fairing element bring the taste of a more modern design to the table. So what IS the big difference here? Coz surely Hasbro didn’t just release almost the same old toy again, right? Now THEY wouldn’t do something like THAT, now would they? Actually they would and did many times but the factor here is… size.

Oh great Primus, he is so SMALL!! Not sure if you shouted that (in my imagination) while seeing the photo or if it was me remembering my first reaction to this guy, but yeah: HE IS SMALL.

Here is a comparison with Optimus from the Classics line, a replacement for the G2 one that I mentioned. Since the Classics Optimus is a re-imagination and a modern-figure-technology retooling of the old Opie himself, we can use him to kinda complete the circle of classical Primes. A bit scary how it all adds up, isn’t it?

The vehicle modes together form a cute truck and truckling family – so similar you can almost feel their Sparks pounding with need to transform and roll out! Or just roll out since they are in the vehicle modes already… I didn’t choose the best moment to use that classic line, now did I?

The cabs feature a number of similar elements, yet here you can see why Classics Optimus isn’t just the G1 one with new articulation and transformation. Ironically the small freshly released guy is the more old-fashioned one of the duo.

Checkin’ the rears of those puppies proves that scaling down the size didn’t involve making the back of the new Optimus’es cab look much worse. No robot parts are showing and even if it doesn’t exactly mimic a truck’s back to the perfect degree, the thing is – neither does the Classics one. The one thing the Generations Prime is lacking is swivel joints in the feet that could make him stretch them out in truck mode, like his bigger pal does here. And his legs could click together so the truck would retain more stability. Instead they only have these tiny molded edgings that guide the parts together but don’t lock them in one position. But it’s no biggie, really.

It’s funny how they even both share the same imperfection: the visible blue back of robot’s head in the roof, which the larger Prime usually camouflages with his own truck fairing attached on top of the vehicle mode. Man, this is a bit like watching the toy-making technology take yet another step. First we get the Classics version which fixes a number of the original G1’s flaws and now a much smaller Transformer pulls off almost the same look! But hey, we’ve all seen this before: a fantastic vehicle mode, even of a small scale toy, and then the robot mode tries to convince us a sew-random-looking-parts-in-random-places-together look is the new thing. No, it’s not and that is what made me hate so many movie Transformers designs. Aaanyway, this guy. Robot mode!

Here he is. In all his glory. And I’m not being sarcastic – I really like this look, especially considering his size. You can instantly identify him as THE Optimus Prime – the colors, the shapes, the head sculpt – it’s all there. Even the rifle looks familiar.

The chest is another spot where lack of one set position that the parts could click into is a bit of an issue – the pieces tend to move further away from and closer towards each other to some extent when you fiddle with the figure.

I would say that in robot mode he reminds me more of modern designs. The chest seems to have this Classics version’s fake truck front thing going on, with painted ‘headlights’ and some faint sculpting around the stomach area that MIGHT be a hint of the fake grill element. And his split chest immediately makes me think of the Prime version of… Prime (yes, fishing for easy and pathetic jokes here but I also deem the show’s title really low in creativity department).

One thing that differentiates those two Opimuses the most is the Autobot emblem placed between the small guy’s chest pieces. However, if you wish to mend that for some reason, you can push his head just a bit forward and down, as if he is nodding (a joint resulting from the transformation), and then it’s possible to form what looks like a full chest.

Ok, let the big Opie put the lil one down so we can assess his size by comparing the two in robot modes.

Pals for life! And now a comparison with a modern G.I. Joe figure.

Not that much of a difference any more! Also, Optimus is quite posable. He can pull off action poses…

…high-kick thanks to ball-jointed hips…

…swivel his chest area thanks to a transformation joint there to… walk like an Egyptian, I suppose..?

And he can sit down, which isn’t that obvious for many Transformers. So you can start preparing a sitting place on your desk for the leader of Autobots! Don’t worry, he doesn’t take much. Also, he uses ball joints everywhere but none popped out in my figure yet so here’s hoping that they do and will fit tight enough. The leg joints can be a bit loose when trying to pull a pose that depends on some more extravagant balancing, though.

A quick look at the robot’s back as the infamous ‘kibble’ effect (parts left from transformation forming a huge ‘backpack’) often ruins that section of Transformers.

Luckily everything is in order here. Yes, there is a small hunch but it doesn’t do the overall silhouette much wrong. You can also leave that cab’s front part hanging down instead but that makes Optimus sport a kind of partial skirt which I don’t like so I prefer to follow the official  instructions on this one.

A look back at Classics’… back shows more similarities in design – they both carry an extra baggage on their back but it’s really nothing to write Cybertron about.

Soo… we can move on to the conclusion section, right? … What’s that? He came with an accessory? One apart from his rifle? Oh, slag, right, THAT thing. I almost forgot about it following taking it out of the packaging and putting aside. All right then. Here comes… Roller.

Yup, THE Roller, the scout vehicle that Optimus used to drag around in his trailer and almost never let out to, you know, scout things because he had Bumblebee for that. Well, I guess if you’re a wise leader of giant space robots then you just gotta be extra prepared. Even if you’re not so giant in this incarnation.

Roller traditionally has six wheels and is blue. Yes, I stated the obvious there, this review is now officially doomed.

The most important question, that you are undoubtedly asking, is: Does Roller roll? If you mean the sheer movement – yes it does, even if somewhat reluctantly due to middle wheels being sculpted on fakes. If, however, you mean his overall coolness, awesomeness level and wow factor… well, read on.

You see, Roller is more than meets the eye (see what I did there?? not too obvious? well timed? booyah!). It… or more appropriately (?) he… transforms.

I know it’s not the first transforming Roller out there but I’m still not sure how to handle that idea. Is it…he a sentient robot now? Or a drone? And why am I even pondering – just look at him! If you think that his transformation process didn’t do much and that his robot form is just the vehicle standing on the rear and that it totally sucks then… well, then you are not alone. Hasbro, come on! I mean, come on! Really?? In 2013 you give us a tiny Optimus that is almost a scaled down Classics and THIS?? You couldn’t even make his legs extend?! Oh yeah, as for his articulation (can’t believe I actually used that word concerning this thingie) he can raise his arms. Sigh. Could someone just please put the poor thing down?

Oh and if you’re desperately out of action toys or REALLY miss the late 80s, then you can have Roller be your retro Micromaster and wield Optimus’es rifle… coz why not, right?

But wait, there’s more! The excitement continues because Roller has an alternate transformation mode! It’s a… just look at it…

A GIANT rifle. I…I got nothing. A giant rifle. There you have it.

Sure, Optimus can wield it…a little. Finding poses involving Da R(ev)oll(v)er that don’t make Opie fall is challenging but possible. The question is: what for? Seeing this in package I hoped for a new scaled down version of a Targetmaster set but it hardly works. Maybe as some Desperate-Measures-Last-Resort-Doomsday-Gun to face the most powerful opponents? But only if you’re willing to far-fetch it A LOT.

But you know what? There is one use that good old-new Roller here can be put to and I mean besides following Prime in that oh-so-exciting vehicle mode. Thanks to the universal peg being used as the handle you can give him to the big guys.

When I was a kid and the chance to acquire any Transformers -master toy around here was exactly 0.00% I dreamed of having a Headmaster or a Targetmaster and trust me, I would have been ecstatic to have this little guy around then. And even nowadays Hasbro is for some reason excessively economical on -masters Transformers so one may consider overlooking Roller’s obvious flaws if one wants Cyclonus to have other Targetmaster pals or foes.

So, to sum up, how does Generations Optimus Prime of Legends size class stand? In my opinion he is great – with certain uses in mind. He rocks as a tiny Transformers figure that you put on your desk (and that’s exactly what I bought him for). He can be a funny addition to your Transformers shelf standing next to a larger Optimus or perhaps punching big Megatron’s leg. You can use him as a small and mobile toy to entertain your kid while on a car trip or during a prolonging wait at the doctor’s. Or you could buy him as a perfect little gift for your cousin’s son if you want something of good quality and moderate price. As a Tranformers toy on his own, one to play with etc – well, he can work depending on your preferences and standards. He IS small and a bit fragile (just a bit, really) and his articulation is ok but not fantastic compared to larger modern Transformers. Still, he does transform to a nice looking truck and is fun to handle, to put it a bit awkward. You’ll understand if you choose to get him, trust me. He just has that… fun factor to him. And he is a tiny mighty Autobot Leader, there’s always that. I am really happy that I bought him but I can see reasons why he is not the perfect choice for everybody.

Summary

Strong and weak points:

+ very neat looking vehicle mode

+ slick robot mode with good articulation (for that size)

+ small size enabling a number of various mobile uses

+ opportunity for great comedic uses

+ the overall ‘fun factor’ (a tiny transformable Optimus Prime!)

+ Roller works as a Targetmaster companion for larger robots

– lack of parts clicking into set positions causes some instability (legs/back in truck mode and chest pieces in robot mode)

– articulation depends solely on ball joints so is as limited as can be expected

– leg joints are already a bit loose on some poses so that might become a problem later on

– Roller is rather meh in vehicle mode, is ridiculously ugly and limited in ‘robot mode’ (!), its gun mode looks merely ok (and not from every angle) and its addition to the set undoubtedly boosts up the price

Who will like it:

those looking for a typical parody-toy or a desk-toy; those looking for a small Transformer with a nice looking alt mode and good robot quality and articulation (considering the size); those who would use Roller as an old-style Targetmaster companion

Who won’t like it:

those expecting a superb-articulated and fully posable Transformer