Transformers Generations Legacy Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection Toy
Item No.: Asst. F3075 No. F5757 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:Blaster, energon canteen/spark welder Action Feature:Transforms from Robot to Futuristic Car Retail:$24.99 Availability: August 2022 Other: Ross Fodder in 2023 at $7.99
I had multiple chances to get the Velocitron Speedia 500 CollectionBlurr - he was in both waves, he sat at Walmart, and I even saw him on clearance at Walmart for $8. When the wave hit Ross in 2023, I figured "eh, why not" and chased down the ones I was missing. I'm glad I did - I think I like this Blurr more than the Studio Series 86 Blurr [FOTD #2,289] from 2021. It wasn't bad - the head just didn't click with me there. Here, it's better - but not a perfect IDW recreation, because such a thing may be impossible or at least not a lot of fun. Hasbro made something that seems to try to give you the basic feel of IDW, while being a retool, and it's actually worth the $8. The comic Blurr was a superstar race champ, a bartender, and also one of the Wreckers. He gets around.
Speedia Blurr gives us that earlier figure with a new head, new shoulders, and new front pylons. The coloring isn't a perfect match for the comics either - if anything, it's a decent pastiche of the many different ways Blurr was drawn by various IDW artists. The hood ornament-meets-Sam the Eagle head does draw from a number of unique designs, this one opting to have a little bit of nose hanging out from under a crest o the helmet. You can see designs that look a little like wings on the sides of his helmet, too.
Back in 2010, Hasbro made a Bluee [FOTD #122] that was based on his Earth mode - this one is arguably Cybertronic, and I'm considering selling the old one. It wasn't bad (especially for the price!) but the new one is a little more cohesive. Sure, he has kibble hanging off his wrists, but the blaster and "canteen" are much more interesting and I appreciate the lack of weird shoulders. The 2010 one had some impressive articulation so he could be a sniper, but I don't really need that. 2022 Blurr has articulation that's very good by modern standards, but not mind-blowing. We've gotten spoiled. He has no problems holding his accessories, and you can store them on the nose of the car which hangs on his back. It's not a perfect match for any specific Blurr but it gets the job done nicely.
Transformation is the same as the Studio Series 86 and Shattered Glass versions of the mold, which means you can tuck the spoiler out of his leg and there are a lot of folding bits to cover up things. It's not unpleasant. There's even a rumble seat in his belly, but it's usually packaged with this element down. I kind of prefer it that way since no humans are driving him.
I like the car mode, but it's not amazing. The retooled "wheels" don't actually roll. I didn't like them in the package, but once I opened it the design really grew on me as a toy. There are no rolling wheels, and you can store the accessories under the nose. It's not bad, and it isn't a perfect match for the comic art but it's pretty close for a retool of an unrelated design. They did a nice job bringing something better-than-expected, but it's worth noting the colors don't really match. I prefer the toy colors, so it works out for me just fine. It also leaves the door open to try again.
I keep fidgeting with this one - 86 Blurr seemed off enough that I didn't fuss with it much, but this one I really like. One of the advantages of straying a bit from the source material (or ignoring it entirely) is that it can't be bad. It's a new thing, or a unique thing, and as such you have to judge it on its own merits. In that respect, I really think this one works great - it's not quite a new character, but if you squint you can see enough other influences and maybe he'll hang out on your Animated shelf of Legacy toys for all I know. If you can get it on clearance, you should - it's long gone from Walmart and well worth the $8 going rate.
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