Finally we seem to be getting some of the Wave 3 figures from the Power of the Primes toyline on Australian shelves, a long wait for many of us who no longer do our shopping overseas online due to the GST. There is only one Voyager class figure in this wave and it’s a character that had their last Generations toy come out a full 10 years ago – everyone’s favorite firetruck – Inferno.
Robot Mode
Inferno has received a new head along the lines of his G1 incarnation. This is predominantly the reason I ended up picking him up as otherwise he would have looked like either Hot Spot or Pyra Magna/Megaempress. He comes with Hot Spots two guns which he can either hold in his hands, or be attached to the gestalt feet and then his back to form shoulder cannons. The box artwork shows him having a windshield on his chest like his other incarnations, however the toy itself looks like every other character that shares the mould and has chest armour instead. He is fairly tall and lanky which is at least kinda more reminiscent of his G1 heritage than the very stocky Universe version.
Vehicle Mode
Like all others of the mould he transforms into a Rosenbauer Panther 6×6 Fire Truck. He has his big long white ladder back like the G1 version which I believe is an improvement over the water cannon the Universe and Energon versions sported. However he is so long in this mode you can’t help but think ‘This is Hot Spot cosplaying as Inferno’. His guns from robot mode can be affixed to the base of the ladder, giving Inferno some alt-mode combat options.
Combiner Mode
I haven’t bothered to combine him here since he doesn’t even have a name for his gestalt mode. At first I thought has been slight retooling from the Defensor version with a visor instead of individual eyes but then I realise the yellow paint app had just gone over the nose. So really there is no difference except for the colour scheme. The combiner mode will add a lot of play value for younger fans, however for the GeeWun crew it’s hard to think of Inferno has a Gestalt torso (even if the Energon version was a combiner too) and he wont get much play in this capacity.
Worth Getting?
It’s a hard call. In some ways this version of Inferno is superior to the Universe version that came out a decade ago. However in some ways he is inferior too. If you have the Universe version of Inferno as well as any other version of this particular toy mould then this Inferno figure is an easy pass. But on the whole it is still a good toy, a decent representation of the character and the combiner gimmick will be fun for many. For the most part though I think I’ll be playing with my Masterpiece version more.
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