A redeco was usually not just obligatory, but predictable - almost every Transformers mold since the 1990s received at least one redeco, be it an obvious Thundercracker or Skywarp from Starscream or a less likely Viper from Powerglide. In Titans ReturnAutobot Rewind brought joy to fans of the Chromedome/Relationship from the comics and to fans wanting a tape for Blaster. It also made a lot of us assume we'd see a blue redeco Eject, which at press time has not been announced and has not shown up in the USA or Japan lines. It's low-hanging fruit, but we don't have it here - it's one of few easy repaints based on the 1980s toy line that Hasbro hasn't yet produced. (See also, Frenzy, Generation 2 Defensor.) We don't know when or if those guys are coming, but Rewind's parts were repurposed with a new head to give us Rumble [FOTD #1,673], so right now we just have to assume Hasbro plum forgot, doesn't care, or has yet another new take on the cassette bots down the road and doesn't want to "complete the set" just yet. But while we wait to find out the truth, Rewind is great.
The toy is packed out in robot mode - and the robot mode is partially inspired by the More Than Meets the Eye comics. The head has the red face plate, big blue eyes, and little camera off to the side of his helmet. The figure sports 11 points of articulation and stands about 4-inches tall. He looks like a mishmash of a few existing takes on the character, but his personality is pure IDW comicsverse. The comic version has pointier shoulders and slightly stronger colors (and a red camera light on his head), but other than that this is pretty close. It evokes that design, but it isn't a perfect replica of any existing version - this is its own thing with design cues from the comics. Hasbro could easily do another new version to be more like the original toy, or the cartoon character, or even a more-comicsey version.
Futzing it all into a box for the smart phone mode isn't a huge challenge, and you can probably figure it out easily. There's a 3.5mm jack in the back which you could plug in actual earbuds - just like the iPhone can't now - and the screen has cassette tape wallpaper to evoke the original toy's alt mode and to remind the buyer of the format people couldn't wait to get rid of. It's sturdy and solid, and you can cram it in Blaster's yellow chest. Rewind's toy gun can even fit in there, too. Hasbro did a great job here. I'm not saying that it's the alt mode you would have necessarily asked for, but the execution is good.
The tank mode is pretty good - actually, I'd say it's amazing given that this is a small $10 triple-changer. It has rolling wheels, fake treads, and tiny pegs to mount Titan Master robots (sold separately). Those pegs are a lovely bonus feature but it's a goofy, impractical thing I both praise Hasbro for including and wouldn't have noticed (nor cared) had they forgotten. The design of the toy doesn't allow the tank turret to turn, but being able to get a convincing tank and robot out of a small rectangle brick is no small engineering feat.
If you love the comics (or the big Blaster) you need this toy. It's fun, simple, and decent. It's not a meaty thing, but it does a lot and it's a lot of fun. If you like the character and his relationships in the comics, it's a required purchase - one that may no doubt result in him becoming expensive down the road, as is the way with certain popular robots in disguise in Transformers fiction. Assuming you can still find them, go get yourself Chromedome and Rewind while you still can.
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