Transformers Legacy Evolution Voyager
Item No.: Asst. F2991 No. F9183 Manufacturer:Hasbro Includes:2 blasters, sword Action Feature:Transforms from robot to space ship Retail:$34.99 Availability: September 2024 Other: Legacy Evolution was Toy Colors, Legacy United is Anime Colors
I skipped the 2023 version - I have periods of time where I do that - but for some reason I went ahead and got the 2024 version of G1 Universe Metalhawk when ordering some other toys. I've seen plenty of the 2023 version - as I write this he's marked down on Amazon - so I was scratching my head when I heard Hasbro was bringing him back. Given pressure on SKU performance and a limited quantity of toys to go around, if you were going to do a variant (or a reissue) this may be one of the last toys I'd expect to see again."
My thoughts when I saw it were "Hey, this looks like someone waved a Photoshop saturation brush over the last toy." And if you do that, it's pretty much what it looks like - everything is in the same place, with darker gray silver elements and brighter blue, red, and gold bits. It's a retool of Kingdom Cyclonus, and his retooled pals like Ferak.
I'm engaging with this toy for the first time, and I like it - even if it is basically a redone Cyclonus. The color layout works well, with very few cheaty bits. I noticed some red paint on the wings, but only barely - it blends in well. The sculpting certainly steered to look more like the Super God Masterforce cartoon look of the inner-robot, and for a toy that was Cyclonus, they did a great job. I like the bright colors a lot more here, and I appreciate the accessories not only give you blasters, but the Pretender sword too. As much as I would like a Pretender shell figure of some sort, it was not to be. I mean we got Vector Prime with Metalhawk Decoy Armor [FOTD #1,871] a few years ago, and that BotCon toy, but I'd also be happy with a 6-inch sofubi figure or something like a Titan Hero figure - cheap, hollow, shiny.
The figure is generously sized, one of the bigger Voyagers and certainly offers enough stuff to play with compared to Cyclonus. I wouldn't say I feel any need to buy two versions of this toy, so if you have the last one you're probably good. But if you want "toy colors," this is it. It's not as stretched as the comic book versions, so those seeking the perfect inner Metalhawk toy are probably still not going to be satisfied until you get a tiny robot to wad up and stuff in a tubby armored humanoid.
Changing Metalhawk is pretty easy, and nothing made me think it's going to scuff paint like some elements on Cyclonus. Getting the knees stuffed into the shins is kind of a pain, but at least it works.
The starfighter is good, but not exactly like the toy. You lose the longer bird-like neck, and there's no Autobot symbol on either of the wings, presumably so you could use him as the NAIL-aligned leader from the comics. Aside from that, it does a good job capturing the colors and personality of that original vehicle mode, and while I didn't like it in pictures, I do like it in person. It also lacks landing skids, but that's basically fine - you're going to be leaving it in vehicle mode, or compelled to fly it around with your hand and make "woosh" noises. All the accessories plug in nicely, and while the colors are spot-on I do feel it's a little naked without the stickers. But that's toy budgeting for you.
I paid regular price for this guy, and I could just as easily have bought last year's model for $10 cheaper online. Heck, Ross and Burlington got them for around or under $10 too. I don't think either has an edge over the other, and his size doesn't make me feel like I got cheated. Putting him next to that new Studio Series 86 Optimus Prime, he holds up well. He doesn't look puny or anything, so the designers did a good job and I'm glad I finally picked up a bigger Metalhawk. Now to decide if I need to keep the Titans Return one.
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