Review: #193
Name: Windblade
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations
Year of Release: 2014
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 10)
Variations: none as of this date
COMIC:
Windblade comes with Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8. As you can tell, it's quite deep into the story arc already and so if you haven't been following the comics or at least Dark Cybertron, it can be tough as to know what is happening and who the characters are. I think Windblade is introduced for the first time here but she doesn't get much screen time. She acts cool and serious. This issue is about the Autobots and Decepticons teaming up and fighting off Shockwave's undead army. Character outlines can be fuzzy in some frames and the detailing of some of the models aren't the best. As a freebie, it's good but if you aren't already following the comics, this isn't exactly going to make you want to.
JET MODE:
Windblade transforms into a sleek black and red jet with VTOL fans on each wing. It's instantly a unique design and color scheme that works really well.
The rear isn't as well formed, primarily due to the sword and sheath sticking way out.
However, if you take it out, it leaves a jarring empty gap in the fuselage which is disappointing. The robot legs are obvious, while it's a novel idea to place them there, it doesn't work and breaks the whole "robots in disguise" mentality.
The sword and sheath pegs into the underside, and it ever so slightly pushes the jet off the ground so that the rear landing gear doesn't touch the surface. The only retractable landing gear is the front, all wheels are molded in.
The rear thrusters actually have some decent detailing and looks good.
Size-wise, being a plane definitely gives the illusion of Windblade being larger than she actually is. Ignoring her wings, she very small and feels fragile.
A gimmick in this mode is the VTOL fans can tilt forward, which is cool.
The blades can also spin.
There are some good elements that work really well but there are also flaws such as the robot legs and sword sheath ruining it. It looks good on display so it's still a winner.
TRANSFORMATION:
In three words: fragile and fiddly. Windblade's transformation is not fun, the pieces are small and the plastic quality being of the softer bendier type makes you feel as if the plastic will shear off with every movement. For such a hyped up figure, Windblade is so fiddly to get back into plane mode (robot mode is better since you're just unpegging everything) such as the way the arms and wings tab in. Even once you're done, sometimes the jet feels like it's straining and will dislocate at any moment. Definitely not one for the young ones as it'll break in their first attempt.
ROBOT MODE:
Windblade's robot mode is as cool and unique as her jet mode. There is a distinctive Japanese theme here which works well.
There are some pieces of kibble, most noticeably her huge wings out to the side, but also the cockpit resting on her back.
The head sculpt is evocative of Japanese Kabuki theater makeup. It's well painted with silver, red, black, gold and blue. You'll either love or hate it, I find that it's too organic and doesn't suit a robot.
Windblade is a slim figure and has a distinctive female outline.
I'm impressed with her robot legs, being high heels. There is a slight design flaw here in that the heels folds inwards, which means whenever you're adjusting her pose, it will inevitably start to fold inwards and Windblade cannot stand. It would have been good if the designer bothered to make it click in or something.
Windblade lacks bulk and as such, feels small and fragile.
Her articulation is good, she has all the joints that you would need, including waist and wrist swivels!
Surprisingly, she isn't too hard to balance. Sure, you might have to readjust her legs and heels from time to time, and her wings can throw the balance off a bit, but on the whole, it's decent.
Next up is her weapon, her sword rests in a wicked sheath when not in use.
The sheath pegs into the slots on her hips, it actually makes great use of the mandatory slots for swivel joints (for tolerance reasons). Sadly, it doesn't peg in very securely and is prone to detaching with any sort of handling.
Her sword is transparent purple fading to just transparent at the tip to mimic the energy effect. It's really cool and the design of the sword is fantastic.
She can hold the sword in either hand and this is where the wrist swivels come in handy, allowing for some great sword wielding poses.
The sword hilt is designed to look like a VTOL fan, to give the sword more power I guess. It's a cool design but I wish that the designer could have somehow incorporated one of the actual VTOL fans into the sword but it would have been too big I guess.
The sheath has a handle designed for Windblade to hold it in her hands, which is a nice touch, it allows for even more posing opportunities.
She is flexible enough to be placed in unsheathing poses.
Her wings are adjustable but no matter what you do, it still looks awkward like they don't belong there. They can fold back and up and done, while that may sound like a lot, it still feels restricted.
The last piece of gimmick the fan at the back of her head can be detached and held in her hand as a tessen fan. It's a nice touch although it takes a fair bit of force to detach.
While the black and red works, the lack of paint applications masks some of the sculpted detailing making her more bland than she actually is.
The sword is completely made of transparent plastic with paint, so it feels as if just placing it into her hand will scrap the paint off.
This is a solid robot mode with the major flaws being the lack of solid attachment of her heels and the big wings looking out of place.
OVERALL:
Windblade was a character that had huge potential as a toy, the concept was great but the execution is a bit lacking. There are some slight flaws here and there that ruin the enjoyment of the figure. The jet mode's mostly hollow fuselage being her robot legs, fragile transformation and legs not pegging together are design oversights. Windblade is still worthwhile due to the unique concept alone but don't expect to be blown away.
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