The Generations Selects line is one that divides people. On the one hand it provides opportunities for figures to get made that might otherwise not due to a lack of popularity. On the other, it means these figures are often only available either online, at specific stores and/or limited to a few select countries, meaning higher prices with a dollop of international postage for good measure.
The War for Cybertron Siege toyline has had a whopping nine Selects figures released this year. Some such as Redwing have been virtually impossible for overseas collectors to get their hands on at a reasonable price. But some have been released through multiple US online stores making things a bit easier, and today we are looking at the latest wave of them, consisting of the Powerdashers Cromar and Zetar, and the always mysterious Nightbird.
Note: As all three characters are minor retools of other Siege figures that have been out for quite some time, we will be focusing more on their aesthetics rather than their articulation, transformation and Weaponizer potential.
Powerdasher Cromar
Robot Mode
Whilst it seems his main weapon would be to hang about in Cybertronian Sewers eating Decepticon Protoforms, as a retool of Six-Gun his body is bristling with weapons. Two long guns on the lower arms and four cannons on the shoulders and back. Not bad since the original toy didn’t even have a gun.
Cromar gets his distinctive face from the 1984 Mail-away figure he is based on (and the only TF I had and lost as a kid that I have yet to replace as an adult). It’s… not flattering and makes this a figure you really don’t want to give to a coulrophobia sufferer as a gift.
Alt-Mode
Pretty much Siege Six-Gun with new colours. However it works for the character quite well, with perhaps only Cybertron Sideways being a more appropriate recolour. I likes it!
Powerdasher Zetar
Robot Mode
No fingers, no neck, but one helluva hat! The silly thing is the drill on his head can be spun fairly easily in robot mode but not in vehicle mode. A retool of Siege Brunt, he lacks a certain appeal that Brunt possessed, but is certainly faithful to the original toy & character. The bonus being he gets a gun this time around which (due to the no fingers thing) can be attached to his forearms.
The look of his head really makes me want to get the third Powerdasher – Aragon – just to see if he has some clownish attributes too.
Alt-Mode
Once again we are looking at Siege Brunt, but with a drill on the front. The ironic thing is that the cannon on top, if you attach the blaster, sticks out further than the drill does. But hey, with the drill that close to the ground Zetar can definitely get a job drilling holes for oversized cybermice or mowing really thin strips of lawn. Unite Warriors Nosecone or even Combiner Wars Drillhorn make far more practical looking drill tanks.
Nightbird
Robot Mode
A retool of Siege Chromia, Nighbird boasts a totally new headsculpt which is very indicative of how she looked back in the G1 cartoon, though severely limits how much she can turn her head. She comes with the same weaponry that can be either a pistol and grenades, a gun or a sniper rifle. It would have been nice if she had come with some sai’s like the Legends version of her did to show her Ninja origins.
What is very disappointing for a Selects figure is that Nightbird comes apart quite easily. Her legs, arms and crotchplate all come off way to easily, though at least are not too hard to reattach.
Alt-Mode
I had no idea she would be this black! Her backpack makes up the majority of the car body and it’s as black as black can be with a dark purple canopy. I would have liked to see the backpack/car body remain grey with the black limited to her fenders. However at least this car mode is more generally Cybertronian, rather than the Legends version which was quite Arcee indicative.
Worth Getting?
Only if, like me, you are a fan of obscure G1 characters. All these moulds have been done before and none of these characters are popular enough that any kid is going to be screaming for them this Xmas. It’s nice to see the Powerdashers get new figures after all this time, though the lack of a dash component kinda irks me. Nightbird isn’t bad but I find the Legends version to be far superior in both modes. So yeah, they are all nice in their way and I’m glad to have them, but none have any wow factor that is going to keep you awake at night wishing that you owned them.
Got anything to add to this review? Pop it in the comments section below!
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