Wheeljack [Cyberworld/ Cyber Changers]

Today we'll be looking at Wheeljack from Transformers Cyberworld. Wheeljack is a Cyber Changer class toy, which is a class size unique to Cyberworld (so far). Cyber Changers are a simple Transformers figure at the same size as other Cyber Changers (Armored and Regular) that can interact with larger Cyberworld toys. I'm pointing that out again as the ports around Wheeljack's body, like the ones on other Cyberworld toys are impossible to ignore.

Clearly there's either an upcoming gimmick that will utilize them... or one that was dropped that did utilize them. I wonder if that information will ever get out? The characters have weapons on the show that many toys don't feature either.

Weird.

Despite these things that I can't help but to notice, these are great little toys and Wheeljack is a fine example of that. The uniformity and low price of these is probably the reason for the shared engineering, and Wheeljack uses the same as Bumblebee. It's a simple little transformation that'll get you from robot to car and back quickly. In robot mode Wheeljack has the same basic articulation as other Cyber Changers, which really feels like just enough for the little bot. His colors looks really great and overall look works well on the Cyber Changer style.

In car mode, Wheeljack is a mostly white race car. It's a neat looking car and I'd like to think Wheeljack's mold could become a variety of G2 characters with a recolor. Wheeljack is a great little robot toy and another solid Cyber Changer. Really, there hasn't been one I haven't liked. They're obviously not Masterpiece or Generations figures... but are pretty great for a basic series. I really like the way Wheeljack looks. I also hope Takara releases these in Japan. I'd love a Cyberworld manga.

Wheeljack [Galaxy Version 05-One]

Wheeljack may have been one of the background characters in Transformers One, but like several of the greater Transformers cast of characters... he's there. That's a good thing as not only does it give us a large cast of with cool designs, but provides toy companies with all sorts of characters to make toys of! Blokees seem like the perfect choice for TF One characters as both styles meet in fabulous ways. Wheeljack is the first kit I assembled from my case and damn looks great!

I've always been a fan of Wheeljack and have always thought he looked cool, but this is a new level of appreciation. I mentioned in my B-127 post how these kits seem like characters out of Megaman X and Wheeljack has me mentally imagining it. Being the mad scientist of the Autobots, he'd would totally be the character that would tell you about all the great upgrades you've gotten between levels!

Wheeljack features that new sturdier design that's seemingly been introduced in this One series. If he had an 'O' ring, you could easily mistake him for a newer Action Master with improved articulation. He's got the two hands that are standard with most Blokees kits and the same laser B-127 has. It's a solid generic gun, so I don't mind. This version of Wheeljack is a miner and doesn't have a Transformation Cog yet, so he doesn't have the wings you normally associate with him. That's perfectly ok, because we're talking about storytelling and TF One told a great ... one. I really like how this kit came out, he just looks so good! The white and gray colors really pop as well. Dang, Blokees just makes good things.

Wheeljack with Rhinox [Beast Alliance/Beast Weaponizers]

I really enjoyed Beast Alliance upon it's release (as you all noticed) and taking this look back to finish the series just as Transformers Wild King is debuting is making it a little extra fun. Both Wild King and Cyberworld feel like successors to the Beast Alliance series from Transformers: Rise of the Beats and I'm all for it. Today we're looking at Wheeljack with Rhinox from the Beast Weaponizers portion of the series.

Beast Battle Masters and the Beast Weaponizers were my favorite part of Beast Alliance and Wheeljack is a great example as to why. When I covered his mainline toy, I had a lot of fun joking about the naming, but really enjoyed the characters design all together (I really wish he was another character). I haven't gotten the Studio Series version of Wheeljack yet, but this might be my favorite toy of the ROTB version as good as that mainline toy was. Beast Weaponizer figures are similar to a Core Class figure, but just a little bigger. Wheeljack is nice and bulky with a pleasant amount of articulation. It's pretty amazing just how satisfyingly chonky this figure is in hand. There's some hollowness here and there and some skimping pf paint apps... but nothing feels lacking you know? They just did and all around good job.

Transformation is easy and everything just goes into place as it should. Thanks to the placement of joints, his windshield looks as though it has eyes. That's a funny little side effect of the engineering, but isn't overwhelming. Just funny. Unfortunately his Battle Master isn't a new character or new mold. Fortunately it's a good Battle Master with a slightly different deco. Beast Battle Master Rhinox partners with Wheeljack making a great pairing. Traditionally the two are smarty pants, but as this version of Wheeljack is beefy, they contrast nicely.

Rhinox is of course a rhino and as a Beast Battle Master turns into a gun that Wheeljack can either hold or be mounted to his vehicle mode. There's a good amount of points to stick a Battle Master onto Wheeljack, so maybe you'd prefer Rhinox to be arm mounted instead. Rhinox has less colors for this version, making him look more like a natural rhino. I do wish the barrel of his chain-gun mode had some color to add detail. Overall, I really like this set. Wheeljack's Urkel inspired looks contrast with his stocky build nicely and Rhinox pairs well with him. I'd love to see this mold get reused in Cyberworld or elsewhere down the road. It's a good one.

Wheeljack [Legacy United/ Deluxe Class]

Transformers is a funny line. Now in it's 41st year, it's been reinvented countless times while still revisiting older settings quite often. As a life long fan whose been around since it launched, there's a clear split down the middle of before the 2007 movie and after. Before that movie, there was tons of reinvention with some revisiting. Ever since the movie, there's been tons of revisiting with some reinvention. I say that as today we'll be looking at the Legacy United update of Wheeljack... the one from Transformers Armada.

Beast Machines was fundamentally the end of the mainstream G1 timeline (excluding prose, comics, etc). Robots in Disguise (2001) served as a filler while Hasbro changed directions behind the scenes. Originally, Beast Machines was to be followed up with Transtech. Transtech would have continued the story with a combination of classic and beast era characters. However, as Beast Machines wasn't as successful as Beast Wars before it and things were getting pretty convoluted for what was meant to be a kids show... it was time to refresh.

Transformers Armada kicked off what was called The Unicron Trilogy with cartoons,comics,video games, merchandise, and of course toys. Armada reintroduced the Autobots and Decepticons on a new adventure chasing after Mini-Cons and ending with a big showdown with Unicron. There was a mixture of new and old characters with a lot of name reuses... which sometimes lead to a lot of confusion. That's where Wheeljack comes in. Some of you might have noticed he's definitely not the classic Wheeljack you're familiar with. This Wheeljack used to be a young Autobot warrior, who was believed to have died in battle. However, Wheeljack survived and believed he had been abandoned. The understandably angry bot joined the Decepticons and became quite the adversary for Hot Shot, whom he had blamed for the abandonment. That's the reason for the cool scratched out Autobot symbol and admittedly hard to see in the picture (it got a little lost in the black) Deceptcion emblem underneath.

Now you might have thought he looks more like Sideswipe and that the name Sideswipe would fit the character better. Well... it would have, but there was another Autobot named Side Swipe... who didn't look anything like traditional Sideswipe. Somehow, a lot of names got thrown around leading to this kind of madness and for whatever reason it just stuck. Don't ask me, I had nothing to do with it. Even more confusing was that a year later In Energon, there was a PERFECT new Wheeljack figure... that was named Downshift. Because there was already a recent Wheeljack. Pass the Tylenol. For what it's worth, his name is Rampage in Japan... which I like. In Hungry his name is Volán Jack. That translates to 'Steering-Wheel Jack'... and I kinda love it.

I've spent a lot of time talking about the time Wheeljack originally came out and his confusing name, but not a lot about his newest toy that we're looking at today. As many of you can tell, he's based on the Siege Sideswipe toy mold that's been heavily reused in Transformers Generations. It's a great toy, but I've covered the details before a few times. I've gotten most of the molds uses and really like it. Wheeljack does have a new head sculpt that resembles his original toy and show model quite a bit.

While there isn't any Mini-Con unlock-able gimmicks as in the original, he does have those clubs weapons. They were firing missiles from the Mini-Con gimmick that could hold as melee weapons. In the cartoon, lasers would fire from them... it never was very clear what they were exactly... admittedly they were a bit of strangeness in a very cool toy. The clubs serve as running boards in car mode and they look pretty neat. The car mode has a new front fascia and doors to make it resemble the original more. He does include Sideswipes missile launcher which can be held as a gun. I love those classic shoulder launchers, they look great on anyone.

Wheeljack is colored to match his show model, which matched his Japanese toy deco. The Hasbro version featured yellow stripes in place of the blue ones and a more grayish car mode. It was never quite clear as to why the difference. Often the toy designers answer to someone in marketing, so they could have been given an order based on... anything. It still looked great and there was a future recolor of the mold as Drench in Transformers Universe planned at the time. That toy never came to be, but a similar design was used for the BotCon exclusive Shattered Glass Sideswipe that used the Armada Wheeljack toy mold.

This Sideswipe always felt like the toy Wheeljack was meant to be and has always been popular. It's popped up in Blokees and even inspired a character in SSSS. Gridman, which I've talked about here before. Wheeljack and SG Sideswipe have a great look and it's not surprising to see it get homaged. I've always felt like the blue stripes on the black resemble Nightracer and Shadow Striker. That's neat. Both the Hasbro and Takara versions looked great, but I'm glad this version is show accurate. Wheeljack is a cool character with a great toy regardless of his confusing name. To me he's a solid representation of the time shortly before the launch of the 2007 live action Transformers movie. I don't think that was what the Hasbro designers had in mind when they decided to update him, but that's what they did... and I'm glad.

Origin Wheeljack (Legacy United/Voyager Class)

I'd been looking forward to Origin Wheeljack for some time now. After thoroughly enjoying the Origin Bumblebee and Jazz, it's good to complete the trio. All three have been exclusive to Target, though Wheeljack comes packaged in standard Legacy United packaging as the Buzzworth Bumblebee sub-line is officially over. As someone who prefers cartoon over comics, having the opening segment of the first episode of The Transformers recreated in toy form is awesome. The pre-Earth designs were fun and managed to work as toys pretty well.  Wheeljack was the larger of the three in that segment, so large that Bumblebee even rode inside of Wheeljack's alt mode. That can be replicated here as Wheeljack is a larger Voyager Class toy as compared to the smaller Deluxes the others were.

That's done with a LOT of folding panels and one BIG backpack in robot mode. That's unavoidable as somehow this thing had to work in the real word as a $35 toy. In the pictures, you might have noticed the blue wings in robot mode. Those are from a sort of Swiss-army part that comes with Wheeljack. They form the vehicle modes shields and can be dissembled to create the road it's driving on. The said part can be contained in the alt mode storage area or made into a sort of glider wing ... thing in robot mode. You'll have to disassemble the part to utilize all it's forms. Be careful, mines already showing stress marks from this. I could see it breaking easily. That's not the only accessory. Wheeljack comes with a blaster that can either beheld or mounted on his shoulder. In addition are the two front mounted blades he used in that segment this toy pays homage to. The blades can also attach to the front of the gun to recreate the dominator discs from 'The Core'. It goes without saying that this is a really neat toy. 

In robot mode, Wheeljack looks great... aside from that huge backpack. I'm not sure if any parts are reused from prior Wheeljack toys, but everything looks right. He's fairly articulated and even has some ports on his arms to store the dominator discs. Transformation isn't easy initially. It's something that would probably get easier after a few times, but the first couple are a mofo. There is a lot of panels in that big backpack and on his legs that fold out. They don't immediately make sense either and the instructions are a little cryptic. Once in place, however, you've got a cool... whatever that is he turns into. Folks have often called it a van, which is odd considering his sports car form on earth. Guess that's where his Rise of the Beasts form got inspiration.

Like I said earlier, Bumblebee can fit inside the storage compartment and those conductor rods that Origin Bumblebee came with can store on storage racks. Finally they have somewhere to go! This feels like a much more premium toy than you'd expect from a standard retail release. I feel like that's where Generations is going and it's a good thing. With the rising price of Transformers, it's nice to feel like I got something for my money. I've been a big fan of these 'Origin' Transformers figures and having the three Autobots in their pre-Earth forms is a real treat. I appreciate the interaction with each other as well. It bears repeating, this is a really neat toy.

Wheeljack (EarthSpark/Tacticons)

For whatever reason, it's hard to deny the charm of Tacticons. Tiny little finger puppet incarnations of Transformers characters from EarthSpark (so far) that are inexpensive and fun to play around with. They may not be for everybody, but for a bunch of us, they're a lot of fun. I picked up Wheeljack around Christmas and haven't seen once since. As you can tell by the backdrop being my tablet sleeve and not the project display board... I also took this picture around then. But now that it's a few months later we'll take a look at this tiny little oddball. Wheeljack makes up the third wave of Tacticons. I assume others from prior waves fills out the rest of the shipping case as the lack of this figure that I've seen on the shelves leads me to think there wasn't a lot of this wave ordered or stocked. It could just be my local stores though.

So... Wheeljack is just a repaint of Bumblebee.

Yep.

Literally, it could have been anyone else as it doesn't exactly look like Wheeljack either. Maybe similar colors, but nothing screams Wheeljack about this toy. Thing is... it does look pretty good. Like, I wish they would have just random name assigned this toy as it's pretty decent all on it's own. A non-show character, yeah, who cares? In a oddball line like Tacticons, a rando character would be perfect. Weird recolors are part of what made little Transformers like Mini-Cons fun. Hell, it could have been a rally car version of Bumblebee. While it doesn't look like the character it's supposed to be, it's still a good looking toy. Like all Tacticons, Wheeljack transforms by sticking your fingertip into the opening in the rear of the vehicle. All giggling aside, the vehicle then auto converts (why aren't these considered Turbo Changers or 1 Steps?) into a non-articulated robot mode. I do wish the arms moved, but alas. You can then have the mightiest of finger puppet battles or transform Wheeljack back to vehicle by closing up the vehicle shell. This is a simple but likable little toy. Wheeljack is just right to keep in your bag and occasionally take out to play with. Perfect for stress relief or annoying your co-workers, who likely caused the stress to begin with.

Decepticon Slicer (Shattered Glass/Deluxe Class)

Since we've talked about Exo-Suit earlier, it seems like a good time to talk about Slicer, the toy it came with. Slicer is an update of a European exclusive Action Master figure that has enjoyed a solid fan following. Slicer also serves as two characters, like the BotCon 2010 version, this toy can either be Slicer OR Shattered Glass Wheeljack. The latter's look was based on Slicer, which would be why this toy comes in the Shattered Glass packaging. The toy can represent whichever you prefer. For simplicity sake, I'll be referring to him a Slicer though.

The way fiction will repurpose toys into two different characters can be confusing, so I'll try to keep this simple. I don't have an original Slicer, but do have the BotCon 2010 one mentioned above. I like how this update homages it with the dual red guns. The 2010 toy had them as a holdover from it's origins from the Energon Downshift toy mold. Making it the one Slicer not made from a Wheeljack toy, technically. 

This is a great toy. Using the Earthrise Wheeljack mold as a base, Slicer is a straight repaint improving an excellently designed toy with vibrant colors. Sometimes all you need is a fresh coat of paint. Slicer is well articulated and transforms into his race car alt mode fairly easily. For weapons he has the two red guns I spoke of earlier. They can be mounted to his vehicle mode thanks to some hinges. Slicer also has Wheeljack's rocket launcher. That can be held as a gun or mounted on his shoulder in classic Transformers style. You can add Exo-Suit to Slicer (or any other similar gimmick toy) in a variety of ways as weapons or armor. Get creative! For purposes of this post, I tried to mimic the 'official' armor mode (with some liberties). I'm currently on one of my off and on Spiral Zone kicks and found it similar. Though I hate using the work kick in that way. Ugh.

Slicer with Exo-Suit is an awesome set of toys. The variety of ways they can be used is really neat and their bright colors really pop. Exo-Suit is fun to work into a variety of uses while Slicer is a good old fashioned Transformer (they've been around 40 years for a reason). This was one of the gifts my wife gave me for Christmas and a really awesome one at that. For fans of the Shattered Glass universe, it's a new toy in a series that gets updates at random intervals. This is probably a set of toys a more hardcore fan would appreciate for the character and the history, but a casual fan would find just as much fun with the neatness of the toys. I wish more Weaponizer type figures came packaged with regular figures like this.Just seems natural.

Exo-Suit (Shattered Glass/Deluxe Class)

Exo-Suit is a unique toy. Coming in a 2-Pack with Slicer (I'll get to him soon), Exo-Suit is an update of an Action Master vehicle as a Weaponizer. Using the Weaponizer gimmick means Exo-Suit can somewhat become an Exo-Suit for Slicer. It's vehicle mode doesn't really look like the original's... but it's still neat. As I understand, you can technically create a ride-able buggy for Slicer with this toy... but I didn't try it myself. The toy itself is a repaint of Black Roritchi (don't look at me, I didn't name it), which is a repaint and remold of Fasttrack. This toy has a lot of upfront explanation, but it's still a good regardless. I don't know if Exo-Suit is meant to be a drone or an individual character. Until some sort of characterization is given, I'm taking it as a drone. 

Exo-Suit is a very pretty toy in it's colors. A mixture of pink and red with some gray and black creates a very interesting robot mode. I like it!  My wife said it was a Valentines Day robot, and that works! (The set was a Christmas present from her) A lot of folks would call the deco G2, but it's really the colors the original toy had. Which was G1. The tail end of G1 in Europe (where Slicer hailed from) was converted into G2, so there's a lot of bleeding of one idea into another. The colors were really just a sign of the times. Exo-Suit is a Weaponizer as I said above. Meaning it can be pulled apart and made into armor or weapons for other Transformers figures. Even neater, the parts can be combined with other Weaponizers or similar gimmick figures to create something really unique. The gimmick is very similar to Mugenbine, which is ironic as Exo-Suit gives me strong Machine Robo vibes.

Exo-Suit is a cool toy. The Weaponizer gimmick is fun and works well with this figure. I can see some complaining about the parts forming needed to make the toy work and that'd be a fair complaint. Others like myself don't mind it, so it's really up to personal preferences. I REALLY like the colors. It gives Exo-Suit a distinct look and well... they're cool! There's two pistols that can be attached in other places and a neat little sword included. The little sword is very similar to the ones that would come with older Transformers. It's a neat little bit of flair. Vehicle mode is fun and makes me think of video games. For a figure that's basically a fancy accessory for Slicer, it's pretty great. Speaking of Slicer, we'll be looking at him in a few days.

Wheeljack (1 Step Flip Changers/EarthSpark)

Getting back to the 1 Step Flip Changers from EarthSpark (because I like them) is today's look at Wheeljack. While I've always I enjoyed 1 Step Transformers for various reasons, it's taken me a minute to figure out what it is about these newer Flip Changer versions that I like. I think for the most part, it's because they remind me of Gobots in a way. Certainly not all of them, but a good bit of them have similar proportions. Obviously Gobots had articulation and had to be manually transformed, this is just a slight similarity. With Wheeljack, I'm reminded of the Machine Robo version of Major Mo a little. Similar car, similar robot (the head obviously isn't the same).

Wheeljack of course transforms automatically, however does so with the "butterfly knife" transformation so many 1 Step Transformers use. It's been almost 10 years of this and I've yet to tire of this simple transformation. Wheeljack, like the other Flip Changers doesn't have any articulation (boo), is pretty pleasant regardless. He's just a likable little toy. I will say some more colors would be great as the little bit looks nice on the mostly all white toy... but also the mostly all white could use some more. I understand that these are inexpensive toys and there's some budgetary trimming... but that's bullshit. Core Class costs the same and are fully functional and colored. These should be cheaper. Aside from that, Wheeljack is a very pleasant little robot. I see that a recolor of this mold as Breakdown is on the way and... while it doesn't look like Breakdown, I do find it pleasant looking. Maybe a Major Mo version could come along just to make me happy.

Bios: Wheeljack

Function - Mechanical Engineer

Wheeljack is a genius at combining throw-away objects into incredibly effective weapons. He is also a spectacular driver who never passes up a chance to show off his high-speed prowess. Arsenal includes a magnetic inducer sheel, gyro inhibitor and an ever-changing array of new gadgets.

 "Never do what your enemy expects you to do."

 

 

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Wheeljack (Jungle Mission 3 pack)

Wheeljack has been the subject of much controversy in the Transformers fan world lately. Mostly because he doesn't traditionally look like Wheeljack. Normally that's not much of a surprise with movie designs, it's just that he looked so perfect last time. However, all that aside... I like the design.With his suspenders and big glasses, he looks like Steve Urkel. Someone I'd associate with gadgets. With Wheeljack's TV repair van alt mode, it works. I've always associated Wheeljack with that guy who's always making something in his garage. Every neighborhood has one. The local Doc Brown type who drives around a motorcycle made from a lawn mower engine duck taped to an old bicycle. That's Wheeljack to me, and this fits. So, I'm ok with it. 

This toy comes from the Jungle Mission 3 pack that's exclusive to Target stores in the states under the Buzzworthy Bumblebee line. As part of the mainline Rise of the Beasts toy line that is separate from the Studio Series in a move that feel at this point serves only to confuse the average consumer. Yes, the movie is a big deal this summer... but there's multiple versions of the same guy on the shelves and in some instances at the same price class. Studio Series is meant to be a fancier, more pretty toy line for collectors... but ultimately it's another version of the same guy in the same area at Target. I understand capitalizing on the movie hype, but I can't help to feel like it's bordering on potential saturation.

Not to mention, so far, the mainline has been cooler toys. At this point, I don't feel like the Studio Series version of this Wheeljack can compete. This is a great figure. Fortunately it's exclusive to a retailer in a kinda expensive boxed set. I got mine on sale for 50$, which was a good deal considering deluxe figures cost around $22 and you get three in the box. The set is normally around $70. While that still works out to be the cost of three with tax... it's a big upfront cost when economic times are tough. Stretching buying the 3 out individually would be a lot easier for most, or buying it on sale like I did. I could have bought it full retail, but it just felt irresponsible. Come on companies, do better.

The toy itself is pretty great. I REALLY like it. In robot mode Wheeljack is stocky and pleasantly sturdy. He turns into a van, you'd expect that. He's a nerd that can kick your ass. Wheeljack has a laser rifle that I think looks great. He turns into this kinda clunky old van and then whips out a neato space laser gun. It's a nice clashing of styles. Kinda like classic Star Wars, everything is run down and busted except for the guns. Considering how many battles the get into a day... I kinda understand. Wheeljack is also very pleasantly articulated. I'm sure others will point out he doesn't have some point of articulation he doesn't have (his pant's don't crease or something), but it never felt lacking too me. 

Transformation is fairly easy. I say fairly because there's a few spots you'll have to get everything just right or it won't all fit together. That's a regular sticking point in modern Transformers I've noticed. I'm not an engineer, but my theory is somewhere between the CAD model design and probably a rushed production schedule, a looking over is missed and that's a shame. It just feels like a little extra QC could go a long way. I'm not even the type to complain about big companies, so when I take the point in doing so... it's obviously hitting the unacceptable level. I feel like I'm complaining a lot here, which I don't want to do because as I've said, I really like this figure. When the only negative thing you can say about a toy has nothing to do with the actual toy. I love Hasbro's products, but the company themselves... *sigh*

I really like Wheeljack's colors. The white and copper look great. It looks used and a little faded. The only thing that would have been more perfect would be a fender painted only in primer and a few repaired spots. Work vehicles take a beating and Wheeljack seems to be the type that would use a lot of Bondo. I really dig this toy. I know my complaints about the business end have taken a lot of space in this post but that's literally the only negative thing to say. I wasn't looking for anything negative to say either, it's just unavoidable. Hell, the big complaint is that his design was changed and that too is at the corporate level. Dammit companies, get your shit together.

Bios: Wheeljack

Wheeljack is an exotic sports car with faast lines and a fast attitude. Once a prominent Autobot member, Wheeljack has had a vibrant and rocky past; ow he's a stalwart Decepticon. Left behind on a battlefield to die, Wheeljack has not forgotten his good friend Hot Shot who left him there. Now he wears his scars as a badge of honor; a huge gash tears through the heart of his old Autobot logo, a blemish he keeps to demonstrate and remind those around him how he feels about the so-called noble Autobots. One day he will settle the ancient score; with Hot Shot's ruination his revenge will be complete. In Robot mode Wheeljack skillfully wields two energy batons.

Que it Up

My toy backlog seems to know no limit, and yet, there's ones I hold off on just to feel the anticipation a little longer. Wheeljack is one of those types of toys. I got him in the summer and of course it's the Studio Series Wheeljack as he appeared in the Bumblebee movie (just in case you didn't know). I've been really into these particular figures despite not getting as many as I would have liked. Readers know just how much I loved the Bumblebee movie and these Cybertronian versions of the characters were a particular highlight. They successfully took the live action movies sci fi/tech look and applied it to the traditional Transformers looks very well. There's no wonder I'm looking forward to Rise of the Beasts as much as I am. Let's watch a little of that right now.

Damn that's exfiltrating. Wheeljack was in that scene, did you see him? I've always liked Wheeljack's design. It looks really cool. Here, it looks badass. That sci fi/tech works really well with Wheeljack's traditional design. I really like the colors on that design, in car mode it almost gives me Macross/Robotech vibes. Transformation is not terribly hard, but maybe a little picky in a few instances of getting everything into place. It's a fairly predictable transformation for a car bot, but that's not something I'd complain about. Robot mode is a little short like other recent figures, but it's substantial. The figure is fairly solid feeling with no noticeable hollowness. I'm fine if the hollow parts are from transformation (within reason), but there's just none here. I've noticed the aftermarket upgrade kits just kind of polish off the toy and don't make up for any lacking instances.

Like I've said before, I'm fine with the toys being a little smaller. Not just because I have a thing for smaller Transformers, but because I've usually felt they were just a little too big. Wheeljack is a good example of that. He's damn near perfect, and the smaller size keeps it compact and avoids unnecessary negative space. If there's an argument for the smaller sized Transformers figures of late, Wheeljack makes for a good one. There's a lot of articulation as well. You could pose him in all sorts of action scenes with that gun. I do wish Wheeljack's traditional shoulder cannon made an appearance as I think it'd add something. That's not a fault either. Just something that I think would really make an already good toy better.

Tales Of The Beast Hunters - Chapter 4: Wheeljack

Tales of the Beast Hunters - Chapter 4

Wheeljack is willing to admit that he didn't think much of the idea that some kind of ancient Cybertronian arsenal was hidden in this solar system's asteroid belt. But now that the pitted, timeworn hulk of what is obviously a very old starship fills his view screen, he's got to say he's impressed. What's more, his sensors detect vast reserves of power in the old ship's hold. When he and Bumblebee go aboard, neither of them is surprised when they find dozens of crates filled with strange weapons. Unfortunately, they are surprised when they turn to begin loading their ship, only to find Megatron and Predaking blocking their way.

Downshifting on Cybertron

Sometimes weird things happen. In Downshift from Cybertron's case, he was very obviously somebody else. Though depending on what story whatever Hasbro rep gave you, he was Downshift. Despite his naming causing a few headaches, the character got a great toy in Energon which was followed by an even better toy in Cybertron. That's what I'm focusing on here, a really great second toy of a character who isn't who all appearances would lead you to believe, but somebody else.

Transformers Greek Commercial

I really like that computer display in the opening shots. The date on the commercial says 1992, which thanks to the video quality makes it seem older. It features a red Tracks, which stands out. I'm not well versed enough in releases to know if he came in red there, or if that's just a Joustra figure used for the shoot despite the Hasbro branding at the end. Wheeljack's missile launchers look really different in one shot. Don't know if that's from the grainy video or just some production mistake. Another random thing is the commercial spotlighting standard Optimus Prime, but showing Powermaster Optimus Prime's box. It's really a mixed bag of a commercial. Something about these older grainy videos made from a found VHS tape always make me wonder if I have 7 days left to live after watching.

Weekly Spotlight: Action Master Wheeljack

"Never do what your enemy expects you to do!"

Wheeljack built and currently drives the Turbo Racer, the most versatile ground/air attack vehicle ever made. In car mode, its energon-injected, liquid nitrogen-cooled engine accelerates the craft from 0 to 250 mph in just 3 seconds. Armed with Laser-strafer rifle and a rear-mounted cannon that fires shrapnel and incendiary projectiles. Car instantly converts into jet fighter with nose mounted proton missile launcher.