Review: #302
Name: Onslaught
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Generations - Combiner Wars
Year of Release: 2016
Size Class: Voyager (Wave 5)
Mold Status: heavy remold of Combiner Wars Hot Spot
ALTERNATE MODE:
Onslaught transforms into a blue-ish anti-aircraft truck, with eight rolling wheels and an impressive pair of guns on top.
The back of the vehicle mode isn't as nice with an obvious gap and lack of vehicular sculpting. The gaps are the combiner ports, it would have been nicer if the robot mode feet folded down to cover the gaps instead of jutting out the roof.
Onslaught comes with a collector's card with a fantastic piece of artwork.
One of the most impressive things about this line is how thoughtful the remolds are and Onslaught has to be one of the best remolds ever. He is a remold of Hot Spot but with a lot of the pieces replaced and the vehicle swapped around so that the front of Onslaught is the back of Hot Spot. As a result, they look completely different.
The guns are can aimed upwards but it cannot swivel, even though there is a swivel joint, in order to hold the "turret" together, there are pieces locking it into place.
Onslaught is a Voyager classed figure and Onslaught's length is longer than most, just that he is thinner as a result.
As Onslaught now lacks a ladder to hide the combiner kibble, it's much more obvious on his back now, especially with the combiner head so that is can look like a mess, the different colors doesn't help. Thanks to the Bruticus chestplate locking in, Onslaught feels more solid than Hot Spot.
Another nice piece of interactivity is the fact that Shockwave's gun mode can slot on top of the turret for extra fire power, although it just sits loosely there, it doesn't slot in securely. Still looks fairly decent and integrates Shockwave properly into the team.
Overall a fantastic vehicle mode, the only thing letting it down is the exposed combiner head, otherwise he is perfect.
TRANSFORMATION:
Onslaught transforms very similarly to Hot Spot, with only slight differences for the extra pieces (like the double cab). It is a simple transformation and works well, a neat throwback is that his hands and arms form the front of the vehicle which splits in half. A solid transformation and very fun.
ROBOT MODE:
Onslaught's robot mode is fantastic and looks amazing, close enough to the original G1 figure to be a good homage and different enough to be a great update. The best thing are the detailed paint applications for his chest.
Onslaught wears the turret on his back and you can stick the two guns there to give Onslaught's characteristic twin guns look. This is a solid figure and does not feel like it had any of the typical cost-cutting measures.
The headsculpt screams Onslaught, although the head is a bit tight to turn.
A comparison with Hot Spot shows that the robot modes are more clear that it is a remold, however, Onslaught is more bulky thanks to the larger shoulder pads.
In terms of size, Onslaught stacks up well with the Voyagers of the past.
One thing that you would notice is that Onslaught has weak knees which makes him keel over. That is, if you haven't transformed it properly. The knees bend in a "z" shape and lock into place, this wasn't necessary for Hot Spot as he had the ladder as a third leg but it's definitely required for Onslaught.
Onslaught has heelspurs to help keep him balanced in poses. He has good articulation although I find that his joints are a bit looser than Hot Spot's.
Onslaught's head cannot tilt up so he can't do the whole bend over to fire his cannons pose.
Of course, you can take his guns off to hold it as a weapon, it would have been awesome (but too much to ask for) for Onslaught to have an extra third gun so that you can keep the twin-guns-behind-his-head look.
Onslaught's color scheme is the perfect blend of blue-grey, olive green and purple.
A fantastic robot mode overall, this robot mode is one of the best homage updates to the character since the original!
OVERALL:
Onslaught is a fantastic toy and he is in a lot of ways better than Hot Spot. Being the leader of the Combaticons, Onslaught is a recognizable character and this figure does him justice. The vehicle mode can be a bit kibbly but it is a necessary evil for the combining gimmick. Onslaught is highly recommended.
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Of course, Onslaught can combine with his fellow Combaticons to form Bruticus, who will be covered off in his own review later but here are some shots.
Onslaught's torso mode has slightly different placements compared to Hot Spot, mainly that his robot arms are rotated up to beef up the bulkiness.
When fully combined, Bruticus is one of the best looking combiner . Sure, he still suffers from the long arms, huge hands and tiny feet, but he looks great!
The only issue is stability when trying to pose him and the fact that he likes to lean forward when standing straight. That's the end of this review though, thanks for looking!
