Review: #471
Name: Blitzwing & Hazard
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Generations - Titans Return
Year of Release: 2017
Size Class: Voyager (Wave 5)
Mold Status: remold of Generations Titans Return Megatron
HAZARD:
Let's start with the Titan Master first and Blitzwing comes with Hazard.
Hazard has the typical Titan Master articulation of a balljointed head and shoulders.
JET MODE:
The first alternate mode for Blitzwing is a purple and beige jet, although the purple is a lot more overpowering this time around.
This is a pretty good jet if not for the hefty undercarriage kibble, especially the tank turret that awkwardly juts out from the bottom.
For a size comparison, above is him against the original Generations Blitzwing. This version is more solid and equally hefty.
Now a comparison against the original usage of this mold, Megatron. The purple plastic is less bland than the grey of Megatron. Blitzwing carries on using stickers on the wings for detailing and it is luck of the draw if yours are applied cleanly against the edges or not.
Blitzwing's robot weapons can sit underneath each wing, or you can plug it at the rear and allow Hazard to sit in it.
The other place for Hazard is the cockpit. It's not a typical opening cockpit since the nose comes up with it though.
As part of the Titans Return line, Blitzwing comes with a character card.
Blitzwing has a similar issue in that the friction in the leg panels are not tight enough to keep the pegged in and likes popping open. Otherwise, this is a decent jet mode.
TRANSFORMATION (TO TANK MODE):
While you would expect triple-changers to be more complicated, the transformation to tank mode here is simple and elegant, yet effective. The benefit with all that kibble underneath the wings is that they just unfold to form the tank treads, fold the nosecone in, flip it upside and wraps the wings around to get the rest of the tank done.
TANK MODE:
While there are still compromises in this mode, this is still a fairly decent tank.
The wings folded up on the sides is a little bit messy, and the gappy front where the sides protrudes more than the middle is weird but otherwises, the designers did a splendid job of hiding the jet parts.
Size-wise, this version is now longer than the original, but still a normal size for a Voyager.
This mode is now mostly beige, making it a little bit more bland compared to the jet.
There's plenty of play value here, the turret has 360 degrees of motion. There are small plastic wheels underneath the treads to allow it to roll.
The robot gun can peg onto the cannon, and the sword pegs against the back.
You can also detach the cannon, attach it to the robot gun and place Hazard in it.
Hazard can also man the turret, with a dedicated spot for a Titan Master.
Or, if you have spare Titan Masters, have the robot gun on top with another Titan Master. There are plenty of options.
A solid mold and looks great as a tank considering that it is a triple-changer.
TRANSFORMATION (TO ROBOT MODE):
Getting Blitzwing to robot mode is also quite easy. The front of the tank extends to form the legs, the sides folds together to form the arms. Once again, it works out with its simplicity.
ROBOT MODE:
Robot mode is where the figure shines as it looks great, apart from the buff upper body and skinny legs that is. It looks better in person.
There's a bit of kibble underneath each arm, and the jet wings are folded awkwardly on his back.
The headsculpt is great, and there are two spring-loaded pylons to bulk up the head.
He is about the normal height for a Voyager. As he doesn't have a cockpit for his chest, he isn't as faithful as the previous figure.
The purple and beige looks nice and spices up the mold compared to the blander Megatron. Blitzwing has a remolded head and chest.
Blitzwing has great articulation, with joints in his elbows, shoulders, neck, hips and knees.
That being said, he doesn't exactly have the biggest heelspurs. Coupled with the mass concentrated on his upper body, and balancing him can be difficult at times.
His weapons include a sword and a gun.
The weapons can be held in either hand. The sword looks great.
The gun on the other hand, isn't as stellar thanks to the big gap. The gimmick involving Titan Master is usually detrimental to the weapons and this is the case here.
Nonetheless, this is a solid robot mode that is solid and fun to fiddle around with.
OVERALL:
The mold was already fun for Megatron, and now having the proper character it was designed for makes it better. The color scheme is nice (apart from the tacky wing stickers) and the remolded chest is welcome. This is a stellar figure and welcomed especially if you don't already have Megatron.
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