Toy Review: Transformers Retro Seaspray (Deluxe)

Review:  #911

Name:  Seaspray

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Retro

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  Deluxe

Mold Status:  new

PACKAGING:

Released as part of the Retro subline, Seaspray comes in retro inspired packaging, which means he's on bubble cardboard (an extreme rarity these days).

The back depicts classic G1 art, and tech specs, and this is like a blast from the past.  The packaging has just enough modern touches to not feel outdated.

VEHICLE MODE:

Surprisingly, unlike most of the other Retro releases, Seaspray is a brand new mold (rather than a reuse from the Generations line), and transforms into a hovercraft.

This is a very decent hovercraft.  The shade of blue used is vibrant, and pairs well with the white and yellow.

Seaspray is a decent size for a Deluxe, considering that he is a minibot.

The robot gun can peg onto the side towards the back.

He has some small plastic wheels on the bottom to allow him to roll.  The propellers at the back can also spin.

There are only two minor flaws in this mode, the first is that his robot head is visible at the back.  Even though it kind of blends in as it's the same shade of yellow as its surroundings, it's still obvious.

The second is that he is fairly hollow when you look underneath, but considering real hovercrafts are the same, it's not a huge deal and he feels quite nice in hand anyway.

A fantastic vehicle mode.

TRANSFORMATION:

Seaspray has an enjoyable transformation that isn't too complicated.  The general idea of the transformation is similar to toys of the past, but updated here.  The front splits and unfolds to form his legs, and a few panels of the hovercraft will fold around his legs as a result.  The sides become the arms, and they just require you unpegging him.  The rest of the assembly folds together to form the torso.

ROBOT MODE:

Seaspray's robot mode is very very good.  It captures the character perfectly.

Despite some G1 artworks depicting him as very chubby, he's more towards the animation model (as expected) and so he isn't too fat.  He has great proportions.

The head sculpt is also fantastic.

As a minibot, you would expect him to be a little bit shorter than normal Deluxes, and that is the case here, but he doesn't feel small thanks to his solid feel and proportions.

Articulation is great, he has joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.

He comes with a silver gun as his weapon.

He can either hold the weapon in his hand...

...or you can attach to in the same place as vehicle mode so that it looks like a shoulder cannon.

A really surprising and amazing thing is that he doesn't have any kibble at all in robot mode, which is very impressive.

He has wide feet, which really helps in his stability, he'll probably never keel over, but it's not wide enough to look out of proportion.

A big difference of Seaspray compared to some other contemporary figures is that he actually feels solid and quality in hand, rather than a flimsy hollow piece of plastic.

A robot mode that's a great follow up to vehicle mode.

OVERALL:

It is a shame that Seaspray was released as part of the Retro line rather than the Generations line, given that he'll probably have a little less availability.  This is a really good figure that perfectly captures the characters in both modes, and is a brilliant toy to boot.  Definitely try and get Seaspray if you can.

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Toy Review: Transformers Sonic the Hedgehog x Transformers Collaborative Blue Booster and Wingtail

Review:  #910

Name:  Blue Booster and Wingtail

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Sonic the Hedgehog x Transformers Collaborative

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  N/A

Mold Status:  new

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:

A collaboration between Sonic the Hedgehog and Transformers, this set comes with Blue Booster and Wingtail.

Blue Booster is based on Sonic, and Wingtail is based on Tails.  They come packaged in robot mode.

Each side of the packaging has some shots of Sonic.

And it is a simple, but attractive package overall.

CONTENTS:

Blue Booster is based upon Sonic's race car in the racing games, while Wingtail is based on the plane that shows up in the games.  The alternate modes of both is probably their better modes.

The robot modes isn't disastrous, but both of them have their flaws, Wingtail more so.  They're just a bit too cartoony and not robotic enough, so it doesn't manage to pull the look off well enough.

OVERALL:

Should you get this set?  Well, only if you are a massive Sonic fan that also happens to be a massive Transformers fan.  At full price, the set is overpriced for two very mediocre toys.  It's a novel product, but not one to put in the effort to seek out.

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Symphonia (PC)

Symphonia is a 2D platformer that has aspects of Metroidvania but doesn’t fully embrace that model. There are sections where you wouldn’t be able to reach the first time you encounter it, but they are usually for a collectible so it’s not as a whole new area unlocks, and you are supposed to backtrack to try and progress the game.

You play as a violinist, and the game’s story doesn’t have any voiced dialogue, and there is very limited written dialogue. It’s told mostly through the visuals. The violinist travels to the Heart of Symphonia, in the hopes of meeting the orchestra only to find all its members missing. The violinist then goes ahead to find the missing members return them. The game is in 2D, so you (usually) go from left to right. The game has gorgeous art as well, and the levels look stunning.

As a platformer at heart, the jumping mechanics, and the feel of it, are extremely important. Symphonia nails that. The normal jump is so so but use the right trigger and the Violinist will use the bow from the violin to strike the ground to jump higher. Well, basically it’s just a higher jump but the feeling as if you’re vaulting off a pole is addictive, and it makes platforming a whole lot more fun.

There are no enemies in this game, it’s pure platforming, which makes the level designs more important as there is nothing else to distract you. The game requires some precise platforming but has a lot of leeway so that it doesn’t feel unfair or stalls you for too long. Usually you are able to figure out what to do and give it a few tries to progress. Dying is not punishing as you respawn at the start of that section, and each section is small enough so that it is not that painful to redo.

Another major ability also utilizes the bow. Whenever you see a red cushion, this means that the Violinist can stick to it (like a vampire) and then vault off it. It can be finnicky as you can get confused between using the normal jump button and using the trigger button, but once you get used to it, it’s smooth and satisfying. The wall jump mechanic is like every other game and doesn’t feel quite as polished as the other gameplay elements.

Apart from jumping, the Violinist can also play his violin. Playing it anywhere doesn’t really do much, but at certain points in the game, he can play it for a collectible. There are other types of collectibles in the form of notes that are scattered through the levels, a lot of them are obvious, even though most of them require you to go out of your way to collect it.

There are four main areas, with the first one being a tutorial of sorts. As the difficulty gets higher progressing through the areas, there are different types of obstacles rangin from rotating boxes spikes and air currents. There are some sections where you will die multiple times because it is hugely reliant on getting the timing perfect. Earlier on, it’s annoying but manageable as you don’t feel it is completely impossible, so you keep trying until you get through it. In the later areas, the last one in particular, it crosses the line and becomes unfair. It’s frustrating when it is so reliant on perfect timing because then you get a de facto time limit. If you don’t do it in one go, you’ll die.

When you have a time limit, it feels like it wrestles control away from you. The platforming sections are less about pure skill where you can do it at your own time, and more about forcing you to play it the developer’s way and restricting you. Now you must rush through those sections and it’s not as fun if you don’t like that type of gameplay. The later gimmicks / abilities can be imprecise, especially the one where you latch onto something, but it is slippery and doesn’t suit using a controller.

Unfortunately, where the controls feel tight in the beginning, it loses that by the end. If you get to do it at your own time, it’s fine but combined with the forced timed sections and it’s a recipe for disaster. For a game billed as a “non-violent” platformer, there is an actual final boss that is anything if not violet, and it’s one of the worst levels, bringing out all the flaws of the control scheme. The story takes three to four hours to complete and a lot more if you want to collect everything (which are usually the hardest challenges). However, there is a sense of artificially extending the gametime since it stretches the final level’s five to ten minute section into over half an hour as you are forced to repeat huge sections of it due to dying.

Overall, Symphonia starts off as a strong platformer, and refreshingly fun thanks to its focus on pure platforming. It was perfectly balanced and you wanted more. However, by the last third of the game, it destroys all its goodwill with the introduction of some imprecise abilities combined with lazier level designs that are nowhere near as tight as it should be. You know what to do, even though it becomes ever more reliant on trial and error gameplay, but the control scheme fails you. It crosses the line with its final boss and its seemingly never ending final section that just feels unfair and cheap.

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Toy Review: Sonic the Hedgehog x Transformers Collaborative Wingtail

Review:  #909

Name:  Wingtail

Brand:  Transformers

Allegiance:  Autobot

Line:  Sonic the Hedgehog x Transformers Collaborative

Year of Release:  2025

Size Class:  N/A

Mold Status:  new

VEHICLE MODE:

Wingtail is based on Tails, a character from Sonic the Hedgehog, and he transforms into a propeller biplane.

It's a great alt mode, looking good from all angles.

Being a plane helps its size, as it looks bigger than a Deluxe.  However, Wingtail feels lighter than he should.

The robot weapon acts as a thruster at the bottom of the plane, complete with a blue fire blast effect.

Take the blaster away and Wingtail can still balance on its three landing gears (although the wheels cannot roll, they are cast in one piece of plastic).

A shot with Blue Booster, and Wingtail looks much bigger.

The propeller can spin, and the canopy can open.  It's a fantastic plane mode.

TRANSFORMATION:

Despite the simplicity, Wingtail can be a pain to transform as there are a few parts that are only held on by 5mm pegs and they like to pop off.  The back section splits into two and they are just kibble around the robot's waist.  You can then unfold the legs from the back.  The front is the torso, while the arms are right behind it and you can fold the four wing panels around the arms.

ROBOT MODE:

Wingtail tries to take elements of both its inspiration, and a mechanical robot, so that it looks somewhere in between.  It's a very cartoony look.

Wingtail has a massive amount of kibble, and it's ridiculous.  Effectively half the plane hangs off the robot, but in particular, the back of the plane around the waist constantly gets in the way.

The head sculpt is okay, it's a tad bit too organic looking, with only the solid blue eyes kind of the main robotic element.

In terms of height, Wingtail is around the typical Deluxe, but looks way more simple, and like a toy for a younger audience.

A comparison against Blue Booster, and Wingtail looks chunkier and clumsier compared to the slightly sleeker look of Blue Booster.

If you look at Wingtail from the side, you can only see the legs, that's how bad the kibble is.

Articulation is okay, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and ankles.

His robot weapon is a silver blaster with a blue fire blast effect.

He can hold the weapon in either hand.

His legs are hollow, as are his arms, so he has a feeling of cheapness and hollowness around him.

It's not the best robot, and despite the kibble, at least he is not unstable.

OVERALL:

Wingtail is the weaker one of the set.  It has an awesome vehicle mode but the robot mode is a letdown.  It looks too cartoony and unlike a robot, while the sheer amount of kibble just detracts from the figure as a whole and makes him unfun to play with.

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