The Titans Return toyline has had a peculiar quirk. To get more toy sales Hasbro has been releasing figures that obviously have other characters alt-modes before those characters get released themselves. To this end we had a Sentinel Prime which would obviously be retooled into Astrotrain and a Sky Shadow which everyone knew would become Overlord (making some people regretful they spent a fortune on Carnifex). Now the last two obvious retools have been made and we get a look at Wave 5 which was what we all wanted Wave 3 to be. So lets take a look at Blitzwing (retooled from TR Megatron) and Octone (retooled from TR Optimus Prime).
Blitzwing
Robot Mode
Quite a nice looking Blitzwing and is both well proportioned and easy to pose. One thing here that is a big plus is he does not come with the shoulder issues that the Thrilling 30 version of him came with. You can remove the tank turret from his back if you don’t like it sticking up but personally I find it gives him that bit more of a G1 look. Speaking of a G1 look, its interesting that his Headmaster Titan Master Hazard looks a lot more like the original toy than what Blitzwing looked like in the cartoon.
Tank Mode
While certainly better looking than the Thrilling 30 version, he suffers from having a big gap at the front with his jet modes engines on display for all to see. Also the wings would benefit from an extra few millimeters so that they could fold properly down the sides and underneath the tank rather than jut out from the sides. I quite like the little cockpit sticks up like a blast shield instead of just hiding Hazard within.
Jet Mode
A lot more sleek than the Thrilling 30 version. However instead of having his legs sticking up on the back its got his tank parts sticking out below, much like the G1 toy. While that’s great for display, it aint great for play and for any kid making him zoom above their heads its quite an obvious design quirk that perhaps could have been handled better.
Octone
IDW – say goodbye to all those ‘Tall Tankor’ jokes
Robot Mode
I think probably the best looking official Octane Octone toy we have had to date (which if you count the Kre-O version makes a whopping total of 4). He has the taller shoulders reminiscent of the Universe version and the dynamic wings of the G1 version along with the squarish chest. Once again he is able to be posed fairly easily as well as good articulation. Would have been nice to see him armed with a shield instead of a second gun.
Tanker Truck Mode
Best. Taker Truck Mode. Ever. The G1 version was good but the huge arms at the sides wrecked it and you had to add the huge cover on the back whereas here it is built in. This tanker mode looks very sleek for a tanker truck, makes the odd colour scheme work well and I love the stripes at the sides. Only thing is be careful of the stripes – they are stickers, not paint – and are liable to get worn off unless you are careful during transformations. There is a small unobtrusive cockpit on the top of the tanker for Murk to ride in.
Cargo Plane Mode
It seems all Octone toys suffer in some form from having a bit that just wont fit. With the G1 toy it was the arms in tanker truck mode (yes they weren’t great in plane mode either but at least sorta hid under the wings) and with the Universe mode it was that one of the robots arms ended in a vastly oversized melee blade that frankly looked odd at best. With this incarnation of Octone it’s the cargo plane mode. The front two-thirds look fine but he has the split truck cab sitting either side at the back, making the G1 plane vastly superior for me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice enough looking plane but certainly the weakest of his three modes.
Worth your money?
So are these two worth getting? For Octane Octone I’d say a definite yes. Despite the drawback of the plane modes rear it is still the best Octane toy we have had to date. Blitzwing, well, it depends if you have the Thrilling 30 version and how much you like it. Blitzwing seems destined to never have a normal head again, either sporting three faces of darkness or his skull turning into a little robot and running off. Personally I’m still glad I got him and he fits in well to my ever expanding Blitzwing family.
Got something to say about these two toys? Would love to read it in the comments section below!
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