Not everybody likes the nosed updates of some toys, but I do. Prime Universe Thundertron gives the figure - if you ask me - a better design and better coloring. They dropped the electronics, but it's a little more retro Zoids-y. I just like the darker blue and copper highlights a lot more than the previous toy of the character, which I had passed over at many a Toys R Us. It has real personality, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the beard.
I've bought a lot of these guys, and so many of them are fine. They make older fans happy because what most fans want is a super-articulated robot with a nice robot mode and an alt mode that's OK, but doesn't have to be perfect. This one isn't content to just adapt the old toy, they made something that a Prime-style agnostic like me looks at and goes "yes please." The robot mode has a nice fluffy beard, a good face, and a smattering of carved-in (but not painted) scars. There's no budget for it, but it would be cool to see them bleeding Energon or something to really stand out. The robot mode has big shoulders, heel spurs, an optional peg leg, and the obligatory cat chest. Given that the robot shoulders also become bulky cat shoulders, it's a little inelegant. Having said that, I wouldn't get rid of them.
About that peg leg - his right foot pops off and can plug on to the sword so you won't lose it. I like that. He looks like he should be stomping around on the deck of some ship, too. I would love it if his robot eyes were a little squinty or angry, too, but I'll take a bearded robot with a distinctive hat. I would also like it if he could stow the sword on his hip, and while there's a little slot there it's too loose to grab the tab. I'm unfairly beating up on this toy for what it isn't, because what it is, is a taller 7-inch Voyager-class robot that - to me at least - doesn't immediately read as "pirate" due to the colors. But reading the backstory, and the pegleg, I see it. I hope kids might be able to get one and let their imaginations go wild and invent a fun story since this character never got his due on TV and nobody's going to read those novels anymore.
Changing Thundertron is pretty involved, but the instructions can be a little hard to read - there are a lot of moving parts that are kind of hard to get just-right. I needed to consult the instructions and look at some pictures to ensure the dark gray robot thighs were rotated properly.
The robot lion mode is neat. It doesn't quite read as a lion, mostly because it's loaded with extra parts. The robo-fluff on the kitty head doesn't quite read as a mane to me, if anything it seems more like a bushy tiger. The fluff is jointed, but the front legs peg in place under the shoulders so the paws can move forward, but not to the sides. The range of movement on the back legs is more or less normal, but some added blue armor looks like Kickback's wings and while it recalls the original toy, I don't love it. Thundertron's feline head also pegs in place, so it won't be doing much moving. It's a good thing I really like how it looks, as a toy it's not exactly a big step forward as it has no gimmicks and middling articulation. It also has a storage slot for the sword, but storing it covers up the Star Seeker faction symbol. That's really obnoxious - I'd rather they move the logo, or leave it off entirely if it's hidden.
I picked up the original Thundertron toy from Prime and looked at it in stores a few times, and I just didn't like it. Conversely, I saw this on a stream and went from "no" to "yes" immediately. It looks cool, I like the beard and the sword and the goofy robot mode. I doubt you'll find this to be the best toy you'll ever buy, but if you want a Zoids-inspired big cat and a perfectly nice robot pirate with a peg leg, why not buy this? It's fun. If Hasbro recolors this one as "Alpha Lion" I'll probably buy it, despite having sold the Titans Return Alpha Trion due to my just looking at it and not caring after a few years. But that's age - I might feel the same about this, but I hope not. He's got a peg leg, I love it.
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