One of the great things about Generations is-- and I've said this before-- that Hasbro gets a shot at making new versions of toys which weren't necessarily popular back in the 1980s, but became popular over time due to their appearance in the comic books. By giving a character a starring role in a few issues, characters like Thunderwing went from yet another Decepticon stooge to an important leader of the evil forces, which was a nice change of pace. Thunderwing is largely remembered from the Matrix Quest series where he manages to get his hands on the creative force of the Transformers mythos and, unsurprisingly, it corrupts him and causes all sorts of problems.
Rather than slap Thunderwing's head on an existing body, Hasbro made an entirely new figure which many fans thought, at first glance, was something else. Some said it was the original, some thought it was a different character, simply because it looks weirdly retro with its distinctive color scheme and orange canopy. The figure has an extremely simple transformation-- basically you fold out his legs, rotate down the chest, and presto-- instant robot. I prefer it when Hasbro makes a figure like this, simply because five years from now I'll be able to transform it without scratching my head and wondering where the left hand is supposed to go.
As a robot, it's a pretty good (and simple) toy. The arms move, and the wrists are articulated. There are joints in the knees, feet, elbows, and hips, plus the head rotates without too much trouble. The detail is present, but it's not overly showy-- the figure relies on a few elements from the original 1980s Pretenders toy, while adding a little more paint with more moving parts to go from the vehicle to essentially what was the original Pretender shell.
The weapons can be stored on his wings or in his hands, but he seems to enjoy dropping them while on display. As such, be careful as the rockets have been known to fire by themselves. (I have not experienced this personally.)
In plane mode... it's a plane. The guns are removable, and there are retractable landing gear, but it doesn't do much else. I'm OK with this, but sometimes you might want a little more action. Hasbro included a removable drone accessory, which was similar to how the "inner robot" attached to the Pretender shell of the original toy. Since the Drone looks like an unfinished accessory and doesn't do anything, you may as well just leave it attached so you don't lose it.
In short? Good fun, simple transformation. I think kids would enjoy this, even though that Drone is a little baffling. If you can get it for $10-$13, I suggest you do so-- odds are Hasbro won't make another Thunderwing soon, and the Classics-themed toy category tends to command higher prices when they go off the market. Skip a lunch and buy it now.
16bit.com is best not viewed in Apple's Safari browser, we don't know why. All material on this site copyright their respective copyright holders. All materials appear hear for informative and entertainment purposes. 16bit.com is not to be held responsible for anything, ever. Photos taken by the 16bit.com staff. Site design, graphics, writing, and whatnot credited on the credits page. Be cool-- don't steal. We know where you live and we'll break your friggin' legs.
RSS 
