Select Page

GeneralsJoes Reviews Transformers: Combiner Wars Blast Off and Vortex

While I anxiously await the arrival of my first shipment of FSS 4.0, I figured I’d wander back over to Transformers world to post a few reviews of the recently released Combiner Wars Combaticons. After all, they’re military vehicles, right? That kind of counts.

Check out all of my Transformers: Combiner Wars reviews here, or click the links below to hit them directly.

transformers-combiner-wars-combaticons-vortex (10)

Transformers: Combiner Wars Blast Off

This review brought to you by the fine folks at Entertainment Earth!

Entertainment Earth

transfomers-combiner-wars-combaticon-blast-off (16) transfomers-combiner-wars-combaticon-blast-off (13)

Sometimes, when you’re an avid, nostalgia-fueled fan, certain decisions by modern toymakers can drive you up the wall. Even if you know the reasons (more often than not financial) these choices can be infuriating.

At times like this, sometimes I’m glad I was mostly a fringe Transformers fan in the 80s, so when Blast Off is represented as a fighter jet instead of a space shuttle in the Combiner Wars line, I can kinda shrug it off and say “makes sense to me”. I mean, after all, what kind of “combat” vehicle is a friggen space shuttle?!

Granted, the Takara version of Blast Off does look pretty friggen sweet.

As mentioned, this rendition of the Combaticon air support member is a jet instead of a shuttle, a repaint of several previous releases within the Combiner Wars line, including Quickslinger. In fact, this figure is a direct repaint of Quickslinger, included the head sculpt, which has caused some understandable consternation among Transformers fans. Even if you’re not going to give folks the full blown space shuttle experience, it feels like a new head would have at least been a good bone to throw to the fans out there.

transfomers-combiner-wars-combaticon-blast-off (15)

Because Blast Off is such a straight repaint, it’s tough to find a whole lot more to talk about with the figure itself. I still really love the base figure here, and it was one of these fighter jets that got me interested in Combiner Wars in the first place, way back when. The transformation is really straight forward, easy to pull off in both directions, and the figure is very nicely articulated, something that’s especially important to a long time G.I. Joe fan like myself.

transfomers-combiner-wars-combaticon-blast-off (7)

Blast Off is colored in much the same way as the vintage version, with a metallic gray and purple mixture, both complimenting each other remarkably well. The small hints of yellow add some nice color, without being too intrusive.

transfomers-combiner-wars-combaticon-blast-off (1)

No, Blast Off is not a space shuttle, but in my opinion, he fits much better with his peers in this form. I can certainly understand the complaints of the long time fans who want a G1 update to go along with these others, but from a practical standpoint, I’m cool with the version we got.

Combiner Wars Blast Off
  • Character
  • Articulation
  • Vehicle
  • Robot Mode
  • Transformation
3.2

Summary

A straight repaint of Combiner Wars Quickslinger, many vintage fans will complain about this guy being a plane rather than a space shuttle, and while I can understand those concerns from a G1 homage perspective, I think a warplane makes more sense from a “combat” sense. That being said, it would have been pretty cool to see some new tooling here, instead of just a straight repaint of a figure we already have. The colors are nice callbacks to the vintage version, however.

[wpebayads]

Transformers: Combiner Wars Vortex

This review brought to you by the fine folks at Entertainment Earth!

Entertainment Earth

transformers-combiner-wars-combaticons-vortex (15) transformers-combiner-wars-combaticons-vortex (12)

In a way, when Hasbro first released Alpha Bravo back with their first wave of Combiner Wars figures, fans everywhere immediately knew that Vortex was just a matter of time. Not only was Vortex the same distinct kind of helicopter that Alpha Bravo was, but even the head sculpt was pretty unique to that Combaticon. With Quickslinger’s release, Alpha Bravo became the odd man out of the Aerialbots, so at this point, even though Vortex is a straight repaint of that figure, it doesn’t feel like a big deal, because the original version of the helicopter combiner has been rendered more or less extraneous.

transformers-combiner-wars-combaticons-vortex (10)

I’ll admit Alpha Bravo was never my favorite of the first run of Combiner Wars, and that opinion is maintained with Vortex. The transformation feels a little clunkier and the robot isn’t quite so fluidly articulated as some of the others. That being said, looking at the Vortex source material, Hasbro did a pretty spectacular job of updating that character to a modern version, while maintaining much of the spirit and uniqueness of the original.

Most of Vortex is gray, like the original, with just the right hints of that nice shade of green. Even the yellow painted missiles are a nice mimic of the yellow stickers adhered to the side of the original G1 Vortex.

transformers-combiner-wars-combaticons-vortex (5)

Even with the transformation being not as intuitive as other releases, it is still relatively easy and accomplished quickly, allowing for much more enjoyable “play time” for those of us who are Transformers novices.

I love the colors, really like the character now that I know him better, and consider this a pretty great update to the G1 original.

Combiner Wars Vortex
  • Character
  • Articulation
  • Vehicle
  • Robot Mode
  • Transformation
3.1

Summary

The original Combiner Wars helicopter, Alpha Bravo returns in the form of Vortex, and most Transformers fans agree this is who he should have been from day one. A very Vortex-esque head sculpt with a great vintage accurate paint scheme, brings us the assault copter version of the Decepticon Combaticon, only with two propellor blades instead of the vintage four. Using a very familiar base figure with cool transformation and great articulation helps the end result, though Vortex feels exceptionally familiar.

[wpebayads]

Combiner Wars Hot Spot and Defensor Reviewed!

Two more Protectobots reviews come your way this morning, courtesy of Entertainment Earth!  Today we look at the leader of the team, Hot Spot, as well as the combined gestalt, Defensor.

Hot Spot transforms from fire truck to robot, and Defensor stands tall with the combined might of all five Protectobots behind him.  Check out my Transformers Review section, or click the links below to see what I think.

Entertainment Earth

transformers-combiner-wars-protectobots-hotspot (20) transformers-combiner-wars-protectobots-defensor (13)

Transformers: Combiner Wars Defensor

This review brought to you by the fine folks at Entertainment Earth!

Entertainment Earth

transformers-combiner-wars-protectobots-defensor (13)

The combined form of the Protectobots team stands against the Decepticons!  To date, I’ve had some mixed feelings about the actual combiners within the context of the Combiner Wars, in some cases the result feeling like less than the sum of its parts.  While I love Superion, Menasor left me a bit high and dry to the point where I wasn’t sure I was even going to get the Protectobots.

As a kid, I enjoyed the combiner teams, and was a massive fan of the Aerialbots and Stunticons, so I felt a certain nostalgic attachment to getting those updates in the Combiner Wars.  The Protectobots, not so much.

But a constant flood of peer pressure from my so called “friends” (you know who you are) convinced me to put the Protectobots on my Father’s Day “wish list” and my lovely wife grabbed me a few of them.  I filled in the gaps pretty quickly, and I’ll be honest, I’m very glad I did.  Defensor is straight up awesome.

transformers-combiner-wars-protectobots-defensor (4)

He’s easily a match for Superion in my Combiner Wars love fest, and a good deal above Menasor.  The combined form stays together nicely, is aesthetically pleasing, and moves well without completely falling to pieces with every slight motion.

Hot Spot as the torso is a fantastic first step.  The way the ladder swings up underneath and plugs Defensor’s head into his shoulders is inspired and works amazingly well.  I also love how the framework of the ladder separates into a great looking elaborate chest plate, leaving Defensor looking pretty great even without Groove (who I will get eventually, but don’t own yet).

I chose to go with the Hasbro recommendation for the limb arrangement, which is Blades and Rook as the arms with First Aid and Streetwise as the legs.  If you go by the G1 iteration, Blades and First Aid would be arms with Rook (replacing Groove) and Streetwise as the legs.  Either way, the “Scramble City” format allows for a bunch of customization.  Personally, I like the Hasbro suggested design.  Both Blades and Rook function very well as arms with good range of motion and some nice bulk, especially with Rook on the left side.

transformers-combiner-wars-protectobots-defensor (3)

First Aid and Streetwise are both great looking legs, too, transforming in much the same way as their Stunticon predecessors.  The beauty, of course, remains in the torso, since it provides great hip joints to allow for stable poses, unlike Menasor, whose clugey hip joints almost single handedly bring that figure from great to “meh” in my mind.

Defensor’s head sculpt is fantastic, and the combination of color schemes blends really well, looking very “combiner-esque” but also creating a pretty nice flow of colors from one part to the other.  Hot Spot’s two laser weapons plug together to form a somewhat rudimentary larger weapon, and the end result is one heck of a great looking Combiner that happens to be made up of some equally great individual figures.

transformers-combiner-wars-protectobots-defensor (11)

I find it hard to believe that I was going to pass up the Protectobots only a month or two ago, but I’m really glad I let myself get pushed around by friends, as this team is fantastic and was a joy to put together.

Combiner Wars Defensor
  • Character
  • Articulation
  • Robot Mode
  • Transformation
3.8

Summary

What happens when you put five great individual figures together into a single combiner? You get a terrific update to Defensor that looks awesome and poses great. A very clever transformation gimmick for the torso adds some much needed stability to the core, and the scramble city style limbs look nice in various different configurations. He’s a great combiner and a lot of fun in all the different modes.

Entertainment Earth