It’s times like this that I wished I was a more hardcore Transformers collector over the past several years. One thing I’ve always loved doing with my G.I. Joe reviews is doing team shots or comparison shots, and when it comes to Streetwise, there’s nothing I’d love more than to do a shot with him and Transformers: Generations Prowl standing side by side or back to back. I think this character and Prowl would work really well together (if you can ignore the fact that Prowl is kind of a dirtbag in the current IDW continuity).
Streetwise has a lot of fun elements that tie to his fellow police officer, from the red trim on his great new head sculpt to the black and white echos of color in his sleek sports car alternate mode. Granted, in car mode, he has much more blue trim than black, but in robot mode, the black and white offsets definitely lead me to think back to Prowl. We’ll see Prowl in Combiner Wars form soon enough, but honestly, I have more nostalgia for the classic look. Maybe I’ll get him some day.
Putting the focus back on Streetwise, he’s another great addition to the Combiner Wars brand featuring a really fun looking sports car police car mode, again leveraging the tooling from a Stunticon – this time Dead End/Brake Neck. There’s enough new tooling on the outside that the police car itself looks nicely different from the other two vehicles, and I am in love with the white and powder blue paint scheme. The transformation works really well, and leaves no robot pieces visible, looking like an excellent speedster police car, capable of chasing down any rogue Decepticon.
Like Dead End and Brake Neck, the transformation is relatively simple and quick, which is a piece of these Combiner Wars figures that I love. While some folks might complain that too few core figures are being used with a lot of re-shelling, I love the fact that so many figures share the same essential transformation mechanism. It makes it really easy for n00b’s like me to change modes.
In robot mode, Streetwise has the great black and white color scheme, with a nice helping of red mixed in, which helps tie him to some of the other Protectobots well. The team based color scheme has always left me scratching my head a bit as we see reds, whites, blues, and blacks, with no real unifying color pallet tying them all together. Streetwise probably comes the closest to using the majority of these colors together, and the result is a very appealing looking robot. His articulation is fantastic, too, with a ball-jointed neck, shoulders, and hips, along with very nicely poseable elbows and knees. In fact, the elbows are double jointed, which enables him to reach some very cool poses in robot mode.
In spite of really knowing nothing about Streetwise as a character, this figure is a ton of fun, and one of my favorites of the Protectobots team. The vehicle is sleek, the robot is fun, and the transformation from one to the other is quick and seamless. I also really love this silver shotgun, it suits the character quite nicely.
Streetwise
Character
Articulation
Vehicle
Robot Mode
Transformation
4.1
Summary
A sleek and powerful police car, Streetwise hits the streets in defense of his fellow Autobots. A great black, white, and blue paint scheme reinforces some great design aesthetics and a really fun robot mode. Even as a reshelling of two other Combiner Wars characters, Streetwise shines!
I’m one of those “in and out” Transformers fans who only ever knew about Ratchet as the Autobot ambulance, though as I’ve read recent issues of the IDW comics, I’ve started to learn more about and appreciate First Aid as a character. Even with my fascination with combiners as a kid, I only had Superion and Menasor, and didn’t follow the toyline enough to get invested in the Protectobots (though the childhood G.I. Joe fan in me loved the Combaticons). Back in those days, if you did’t buy all the toys and didn’t follow the media religiously, characters just didn’t exist.
One of the things I love about the Combiner Wars is that they’ve made me appreciate certain characters that I never even knew about previously, and in seeking out some backstory, I’ve learned to love some of the more obscure members of Transformers history.
Purely from a toy perspective, First Aid is pretty great. He’s a reshelling of the Stunticon Off Road, which is a great thing, because I’m a big fan of that figure, even if he’s become somewhat of an outcast due to the recent release of Brake Neck. In fact, I’m happy that a main release Combiner uses his parts, because I can enjoy the basics of the figure without having a “sixth wheel” so to speak.
In vehicle model, First Aid is a great looking ambulance which manages to look realistic as well as have the appropriate Autobot “edge” to him. It’s amazing how Transformers have evolved over the years, and while they still use alt modes to maintain a sense of disguise, they have begun looking less and less like real vehicles you might see driving around. At least I’ve never seen an ambulance that looks like this, but I don’t really care, the vehicle is a lot of fun. It manages to take the best elements of Off Road, yet add so many new pieces that the end result is still fresh and fun.
The transformation works really nicely, with the different panels snapping together to form the outer shell of the vehicle, leaving pretty much no robot parts visible. I had some issues snapping the roof together, but finally managed to get the tabs to line up properly. Like the other vehicles, there are holes for weapons to attach, and I must admit I find it a bit funny that an Autobot medic comes with a pretty brutal looking battle axe. It’s the same weapon that came with Off Road, so the carry forward makes sense, but I always have some challenges rationalizing “rescue” vehicles that are equipped with massive weapons of destruction.
In robot mode, First Aid is great, with a fantastic new head that has some great semi-metallic blue paint and a ton of character. His articulation is spectacular, as most of the Combiner Wars figures are, with great elbow joints, really poseable knee joints and ball joints in the hips, shoulders, and neck. He has a nice swivel waist, too, which enables him to match pretty much any pose you can think of. Like Off Road, he does have a pretty sizable chunk of kibble that hangs off his back, but it’s far from a deal breaker.
First Aid is a lot of fun. Just getting this figure has made me appreciate him much more than just a Ratchet follow up, and again, this has been what I’ve loved most about Combiner Wars. Characters who were just robots to me previously have started to become actual characters, and it almost feels like I’m getting introduced to large chunks of the Transformers universe for the first time.
Combiner Wars First Aid
Character
Articulation
Vehicle
Robot Mode
Transformation
3.9
Summary
No longer just a half-baked Ratchet rehash (at least to me in my younger years), First Aid has evolved into a great character who plays a key role in the Transformers mythology. This Combiner Wars toy does the character proud, using just enough Off Road parts mixed with just enough new covering to create a fantastic and fun new piece of the Protectobots team!
One nice thing about the fact that I have yet to review the Aerialbots is that this particular review doesn’t feel as repetitive as it might otherwise. After all, Blades is essentially the same exact figure as Alpha Bravo, but with a new head. Being a fan of G.I. Joe like I am, I’ve grown accustomed to this formula for bringing new characters to the table, and it works well here. I think it also helps that I’m not so attached to the vintage Transformers world that seeing several characters with the same Alt mode bugs me at all.
Like Alpha Bravo, Blades is a great looking helicopter in his alternate vehicle mode, an aircraft that in reality is a lot larger than his vehicular brothers, but considering the scale challenges that have existed in Transformers since the beginning, I suspect most of us are over issues like this by now.
The color scheme is great, a very nice red and white combination that is striking and makes great sense for a rescue craft. The blades spin freely on top of the helicopter, and the sleek design manages to conceal the majority of robot parts nicely.
Most, but not all. The missile pods on the side are essentially Blades’ arms tacked into each side, and it looks like it. For that matter, one must wonder why a rescue helicopter might have racks of missiles anyway, but again, these are Transformers, and are meant to represent Earth vehicles in their most basic elements. They still need to be armed to fight the Decepticons in both modes, I suppose. Speaking of which, the accessories Blades comes with can plug into various places in vehicle mode and robot mode both, adding some nice armament to the character.
Transformation from vehicle to robot is relatively straight forward, with the front fuselage breaking apart into legs, the arms separating and the helicopter tail coming up and back against the figure’s spine. Blades, like his Aerialbot brother, manages both modes very nicely, and has a considerable amount of great articulation in figure mode. Ball joint hips, shoulders and neck add some great range of motion, and he has very flexible knee and elbow joints to boot. A swivel waist is nicely concealed and very functional as well.
Blades’ new head sculpt is a terrific representation of the character, and the color breaks look really nice in both modes.
Yes, Blades is just a repaint of Alpha Bravo with a new head, but as I said, this doesn’t bother me. Heck, the upcoming Vortex from the Combaticons doesn’t even get a new head (though Alpha Bravo’s head is obviously a Vortex inspired one anyway). I think it’s kind of cool to actually have these Combiner characters who bare resemblance to each other, and when the toy itself is fun, that certainly helps.
Combiner Wars Blades
Character
Articulation
Vehicle
Robot Mode
Transformation
3.3
Summary
A fast response rescue copter and sleek warrior robot, Blades provides the critical air support for his Protectobots brothers! Whether unleashing rockets from his vehicle mode, or taking down Decepticons in robot mode, Blades is a very fun figure, even as a repaint of Alpha Bravo.
Ever since the Kickstarter launched I’ve been dreaming of getting my sweaty palms on these fun looking figures. That day has come, and I hope you’re prepared for a mammoth review of the much anticipated Marauder “Task Force”!
I will fully admit that Big Ben has never been one of my favorite characters, even with his great entry in the 1991 line, and certainly his rampant appearance in 2000 – 2002 didn’t change that opinion much. I think part of it was that I loved the 1991 run of figures so much, he sort of faded into the background in an awesome selection of character updates.
Back in 1991, Big Ben was equipped in what appeared to be arctic gear with a heavy machine gun, and I was never a huge arctic fan anyway. If I wasn’t a big fan of Big Ben even in 1991, his constant resurgence in 2000 would have definitely pushed me over the edge. So Big Ben hasn’t been high on my list of figures I wanted to see, but now that I have the Figure Subscription Service in hand, I realize that narrow opinion was a fallacy. This Big Ben update is nearly perfect.
With a new head sculpt (sporting a nicely updated Bluetooth headset replacing his previous old school earpiece) immediately Big Ben is a character meshing perfectly with more modern updates. As we’ve come to expect, Boss Fight Studio did terrific work here. Utilizing a nice build from parts in recent years, the figure is stocky and solid, yet maintains fantastic articulation and range of motion. I absolutely love the G.I. Joe: Retaliation G.I. Joe Trooper arms, they have great details and bend really far to allow for nice poses.
The Pursuit of Dusty legs adds some bulk to a winter based figure, and the overall look of Big Ben is terrific, really separating him from some other contemporaries.
The Club deco borrows heavily from the original 1991 version, which actually has the very nice added benefit of being a close match for the Z-Force deco as well, and Big Ben actually jives with the FSS Quarrel in a nice way. Utilizing his British background, the Club takes this opportunity to dovetail Big Ben with “Special Action Force” giving him a nice arm patch on one side the the Union Jack on the other, which again puts him in league with Quarrel (and the upcoming Jammer) very nicely. These are the kind of great added details I like seeing from the Club in these FSS entries.
Accessories
Big Ben is pretty loaded with accessories. He has a large backpack, which opens up, twin machine gun ammunition belts, and the heavy machine gun to go with them. He also comes with the grenade launcher from the G.I. Joe: Retaliation Trooper, a pair of grenades, and a satchel. He doesn’t come with the bag that opens for the grenades as other versions have, but the overslung satchel charge is a nice homage to it.
If you’d asked me to name 50 figures I wanted to see in the FSS, I’m pretty sure Big Ben wouldn’t have been on that list. But the Club took that somewhat forgettable character and made him extremely memorable. A great build, a fun deco, and terrific accessories makes for an impressive FSS entry, and one that I’m extremely happy we got.
Big Ben
Character
Sculpt
Articulation
Paint Deco
Accessories
4.5
Summary
For this entry into the FSS, the Collectors Club managed to take a character I had little affinity for and make an amazing modern update. Nearly a perfect parts combination, really great paint deco, a great new head sculpt, and awesome accessories give us one heck of an FSS update. Love this guy.
