Review: #83
Name: Tomahawk
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Autobot Alliance (or Hunt for the Decepticons)
Year of Release: 2010
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 3)
Variations: remolded into DOTM Vortex (Japanese exclusive)
HELICOPTER MODE:
Tomahawk transforms into a primarily black attack helicopter. The rotors, as you would expect, spin freely. It's very angular and looks great. There's a tiny seat in the cockpit.
The tail rotor is molded plastic. Tomahawk has three point landing gear, all retractable... to a certain degree. The one underneath the nose can retract fully, but the ones on the body, whether you retract them or not, makes no difference.
It's not all good news though, while the overall shape looks great, from the side, you'd notice that the body bulges out. It's actually the robot legs folded up there, and they do ruin the aesthetics somewhat. However, it's bearable.
You'd notice there's some clips on the back for some clip on weapons. Tomahawk is well armed enough already though, with two missiles launchers (complete with a spring loaded missile in each, and having a c-clip for those clip on posts), two gatling guns and two molded missiles under each wing.
There's a spy camera underneath the nose that you can turn from side to side, a nice touch.
The black and gold accents work really well, but there are a lot of robot bits that's visible, including the back of the head underneath the cockpit and the aforementioned legs.
A realistic helicopter, and one that's great to play with and whiz around the house (if that's your thing). It displays well, and just generally a very solid vehicle.
TRANSFORMATION:
A very interesting transformation. Generally, it transforms as you would expect by just looking at the robot, but the way it does so, adding a little bit here and a little bit there, makes it much more satisfying and intriguing. It's elegant, so to speak. The way the feet fold is interesting, and I like how the back of the helicopter ends up on his arms. The only disappointing thing here is how the rotor is adapted, it feels uninspired and lackluster compared to everything else. It's a really solid transformation and great fun to do. Everything clicks into place solidly and feels like it goes there for a reason. This was pretty much the thing that sold me Tomahawk in the first place as I was on the fence on both the robot and helicopter mode.
ROBOT MODE:
Tomahawk's robot mode feels like a crossover between the blocky Classics G1 styling against the Movie aesthetics. The upper body fits in perfectly with any Classics/Henkei/Universe figure, while the legs are at home with the Movie figures. I won't say it is a perfect blend, since the legs doesn't really fit overall, but it's not terrible either.
Tomahawk is a fairly spindly figure, but he does have some bulk to him. He contains a few kibbly elements, most notably the rotors on his back, but he has the wings on his shoulders (but they house the missile launchers so they're there for a good reason) and the helicopter pieces on each of his forearm.
The head sculpt is amazing. Or, I should put it more accurately, the lightpiping, it just shines through really well, and brings so much character out of the robot. From afar, he does look like he's smiling, but his mouth is set in a neutral position. To be honest, the shoulders sit further down than they should, making him look weird when viewed from head on.
One of the more interesting ways to deal with the tail rotor (something previous helicopter Transformers have trouble in the past) is that it's sculpted and acts like a melee weapon. You can either keep it as a pincer, or fold the two pieces together to act as a small blade, which I thought was really awesome.
Then there's the ranged weapons, the fixed missiles and gatling guns are still there but the missile launchers are detachable and you can plug them into his hands. However, the missiles themselves are too long, so you cannot bend his elbows properly.
Alternatively, you can plug them onto the clip on joints outside his arms (the ones that were at the back of the helicopter), but the missiles weren't really designed in mind to clip on them as it attaches at an awkward position, nevertheless, the option is there.
Tomahawk has excellent poseability, you'll probably get loose hips straight out of packaging but that's nothing that nail polish or superglue can't fix. The feet can take some adjusting to suit your preference, but overall, this is a strong robot mode.
OVERALL:
I was initially skeptical about this figure, but once I had a go at it, I was won over. This is a brilliant toy, and much better than his wave mate Terradive (even though the general consensus is that Terradive is better). The transformation is interesting, and fun, with a few things that you don't expect, but are welcome additions. Both the helicopter and robot mode have good display value, and is fun to play with. A figure with not too many flaws that break the figure, highly recommended.
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