Review: #747
Name: Victory Saber
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: HasLab
Year of Release: 2022
Size Class: N/A
Mold Status: new
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
Victory Saber was part of the crowdfunded HasLab line, and as such, comes in an extremely fancy box.
It was stored in a shipping carton by itself, so the packaging is not sealed, and the slipcase easily slips out.
Otherwise, this is a very beautiful piece of packaging, with metallic lettering, it's a display piece in and of itself.
One thing that's pretty cool is the fact that the slip is reversible. The slipcase can be unfolded into a singular piece.
The flipside of the piece is inspired by the original Japanese G1 box art design.
Once inside the packaging, there is another piece of cardboard with yet another fantastic piece of art, that covers the rest of the contents. Be careful with this because the cardboard is the same type as one you might use for shipping, and so it dents really easily.
The first layer contains most of the accessories, and the flipside of this is the logo for the set.
Then you finally get to the meat of the set, and that is Star Saber, Victory Leo, Holi, Fire and the remaining accessories.
Then quickly in terms of the accessories, you get six fire effects (that combine into two bigger ones), a gun, a bigger V-Lock Cannon, two shoulder cannons, and a stand.
And because the set is so expensive, even the instructions were printed in color to show off the more premium feel of the set.
STAR SABER AND VICTORY LEO:
The set contains Star Saber and Victory Leo, obviously. For their individual reviews, have a look here and here.
The pair looks great together in either alternate mode.
As one of the unlocked tiers from having enough backers, the set comes with two Micromasters, Holi and Fire. They're nice bonuses.
In robot mode, you can see that Star Saber is the bigger of the two, but Victory Leo is nothing to be sneezed at either.
ALTERNATE MODE:
One cool thing is that Star Saber and Victory Leo not only combine in robot mode, they can combine in vehicle mode.
Basically, Victory Leo's jet mode attaches to Star Saber's jet mode, and this explains why the latter has such a big empty gap at the back. Once filled and attached, it all makes sense and we get this humungous chunky space ship.
The fire effects can plug into any of the guns.
The set comes with a stand, made from transparent blue plastic, and having the Victory logo for its base.
The stand can easily hold the combined space ship mode and is definitely the more impressive way to display it.
This is a fantastic mode, and it is worth the compromise of both Star Saber's gappy back and Victory Leo's chunky jet.
TRANSFORMATION:
To combine Star Saber and Victory Leo into Victory Saber is quite easy. Star Saber just has his feet tucked away. While Victory Leo splits into three parts. The upper portion forms a backpack that pegs behind Star Saber, and locks in very securely through three additional pieces that peg in. The lower portion of Victory Leo splits into two and then folds up to form the feet that snaps onto Star Saber's legs.
COMBINED MODE:
Victory Saber, the combination of Star Saber and Victory Leo, is a sight to behind. Granted, it's basically Star Saber with a winged backpack and extended feet, but it's still impressive.
Being a combination of two big toys, this is a hefty figure itself, and contains some kibble, but not much.
The head sculpt is exactly the same as Star Saber, so no changes here.
In terms of size, Victory Saber gains additional height, and towers over all Leaders and Voyagers. He's around Commander / Supreme size.
Victory Saber has all the articulation of Star Saber, but due to the additional weight and height, is a little bit harder to keep balanced.
He comes with a multitude of weapons and can use all the weapons that Star Saber could. The sword when not in use, can be stored by pegging it against his hips.
In many ways, this is the mode where most attention was given, it looks really good, especially with the wider wingspan.
Plus, the weapons are more scaled for him, especially the giant V-Lock Cannon looks easier to wield compared to Star Saber or Victory Leo.
You can also store the cannon by plugging it behind his torso, and then the shield can peg on top.
The stand also works for combined mode, and the height of the stand is designed in such a way that his feet still touches the stand.
This is a fantastic combined mode, and is an impressive figure.
OVERALL:
HasLab Victory Saber is a fantastic set that's well worth the asking price. He is definitely pricy, but he also feels more premium compared to a regular release. It doesn't feel as if the designer had to skimp out on paint applications, or that the figure has a lot of hollow parts to save on plastic. Everything feels and looks great, including the awesome packaging.
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