Toy Review: Transformers DOTM Hatchet

Review: #50
Name: Hatchet
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Dark of the Moon
Year of Release: 2011
Size Class: Commander (Wave 3)
Variations: none

Note:  for some reason the formatting for my 'enters' have gone wrong and I can't seem to fix it, now everything's spaced out too much, :(

JET MODE:

Hatchet transforms into a modified Eurofighter Typhoon jet, which is completely different to what he had transformed into in the movie (a Chevrolet Suburban - but hey, at least we got a toy right?).  There's the illusion of a sleek jet but if you look closely, there's a lot of stuff packed here, creating a stubby look.

There's a fair amount of detail, with some sculpting on the fuselage, and twin thrusters out the back.  The biggest thing that ruins Hatchet's jet mode is the claws that stick out the back, this feels lazy... but there really isn't another way to store them that doesn't make the jet worse.

The white nosecone is composed of rubbery plastic, but it isn't the usual soft rubber (thank goodness), it doesn't warp easily.  There's some painted details, including the silver cockpit and gold on the wings and winglets.  However, there are a lot of noticeable seams everywhere.

Hatchet has retractable landing gear... of sorts.  Only the one in front is retractable, the two landing gear underneath each wings are molded in.  However, you don't even have to deploy the front one and Hatchet will still sit flat on the table due to all the bulk underneath.

With all these problems, they are still forgivable as the overall shape is nice, and he looks great.

Slung underneath each wing is an 'attack drone', although they can pass as missiles as well.  Relative to the size of Hatchet, they feel oversized.  They don't do much, so it's best to leave them alone.

The underside isn't bad, but you can see the stomach sculpting for the robot mode, and of course, the claws are really obvious.

Perhaps the most surprising bit of all, is that Hatchet is decently sized.  Especially in DOTM where everything has been scaled down, for a Scout-sized equivalent class, he feels as big as they were in previous lines, you don't feel ripped off.  It's a nice jet mode in the end, but with just a bit too much stuff underneath.


TRANSFORMATION:

Going with the drones first, you can flip out a barrel on each one to become Hatchet's weapons.  Yes, I have two of the laser ones, one should have been a multi-barreled gun, what this means for me is that I got a defected toy and they cannot combine like they should.


Now that that is out of the way, Hatchet's transformation is exceedingly simple, but very effective.  You pretty much unfold everything from the jet, the cockpit becomes his tail, and it extends, which is nice.  Going the other way can be somewhat annoying lining up the front area.  Simple and fun.  I wouldn't go so far as to call it elegant, but it's designed well.


ROBOT MODE:

Hatchet is a bit different from most Transformers in that his robot mode is a quadruped affair.  I like this difference, it sets him apart nicely and it's finely executed here.  Personally, I love the twin shoulder cannons, and as a side effect of the two same blasters, my Hatchet now has symmetrical cannons.

At first glance you might think that his forearms are too long and big and that his hind legs in comparison are too short.  That is correct, but it can be remedied somewhat by fully extending the hind legs.  The tail has three joints, I love how the designer bothered to let the nosecone extend further to create a slimmer and more jointed look.

However, the biggest liability here is still the hind legs, compared to the forearms/legs, they are really restricted.  With the way they are jointed, it's very hard to find a way to pose them that looks good, even in a neutral pose.  These legs are by far the biggest flaw.

He has some really nice abs sculpting for his 'stomach'.

The head sculpt is wickedly detailed and evil, but I find is extremely ugly and unsuitable.  The head is jointed only to look up or straight forward, no side to side motion or downwards (the latter for a more conventional robot mode since he balances easily on two legs).

Hatchet looks good from most angles, the hind legs are situated too close to each other, especially in comparison to the forearms.  Speaking of the forearms, they end in open claws, which feels kind of weird.

His body is too short, and yes, it seems that I have been going on about all his faults, but he is one of the better DOTM toys, and he's great fun.  It's only because of the liberties taken due to his small size that created all these minor flaws.

The claws are open for a reason, as he can hold his cannons as a handheld weapon.  The arms can only point straight forward due to the way the claws are angled (you can only bend the arm 'sideways').

Other Cyberverse figures make better use of these handheld weapons, and they look brilliant as guns.

As in vehicle mode, Hatchet is a decently sized Commander classed toy.  You don't feel ripped off (unlike, say, Commander Megatron).

Poseability is limited but he just looks so good in a neutral pose that you don't need to do anything special.

OVERALL:

Hatchet is a good toy, relatively speaking.  I say this because he is great compared to the current DOTM Commanders, but previous Scout classed figures have been designed better.  Granted, he still packs a lot of fun and one of the better toys so far.  I would recommend him in a sale though, as I still don't believe any Commanders are worth full price.

--------------------

Credit: pictures and text are all mine, but I've linked a few pages to TFwiki.net.

Thank you for reading this review, more can be found at this page.