Review: #777
Name: Crashbar
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations - Legacy: Evolution
Year of Release: 2023
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 2)
Mold Status: new
VEHICLE MODE:
Crashbar transforms into a motorcycle that takes inspiration from the Junkions. The major issue here (and it is really more of an annoyance) is that the front section doesn't quite lock onto the front wheels, so it can move from side to side thanks to the hinge.
Surprisingly, this is a great looking bike mode and looks very cohesive, despite also being a hodgepodge of parts.
In terms of size, he is okay, although it is a disadvantage being a bike in that he feels smaller than a typical Deluxe.
The impressive thing is how all the robot accessories (being the two tailpipes and the two guns) integrate so well into the bike mode. While you can remove them, it is not recommended as those pieces help hold the bike together, as well as covering the gaps towards the back.
Scraphook's packaging and instructions specifically calls out to his ability to interact with Scraphook.
Firstly, you can remove the front and back left side of Scraphook, and attach the front and rear parts of Crashbar instead. To be honest, it looks kind of weird...
The other, more superior combination, is that the half of the front of Scraphook can attach onto the side of Crashbar as a sidecar, and it looks great here. You can even have the other half on the other side so it's like at trike.
A great bike mode and makes a nice difference to the slicker sportier motorcycles that we usually get.
TRANSFORMATION:
Crashbar doesn't need to partsform, which is great. His transformation scheme takes a lot of inspiration from Reveal the Shield Wreck-Gar. The front and back unfolds to become the legs, while the body has the torso and arms folded up into a cube, so all you need to do is just pull them out. It's a simple, yet elegant, transformation.
ROBOT MODE:
Crashbar looks good in robot mode too, and the asymmetry in the legs works in his favor.
A difficulty of motorcycle Transformers is how to deal with the wheels, and Crashbar has them behind his shins, mostly out of the way, although they don't really lock into place.
The head sculpt is nice, and he has a moustache too.
Size-wise, he remains fairly small and slim for a Deluxe, and this is the biggest negative against this figure.
He has great articulation, with joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, wrists, waist, hips, knees and ankles.
He comes with a few weapons, the tailpipes are usually attached on his back, and his main weapons are a pair of guns (which were the side bags in motorcycle mode).
He can hold the guns in both hands and they look way more awesome that they have any right to be considering what they are in motorcycle mode.
As Crashbar comes with numerous 5mm ports, there is a lot of flexibility in how you have him wield his weapons. He can have the guns on his forearms, for instance.
He can also hold the tailpipes as handheld weapons but due to the way that they are shaped, they don't look that great.
In yet another undocumented feature in the instructions, the wheel behind his right leg (the rear wheel) can detach and you can fold out spikes, similar to Prowl's throwing stars, and you can peg it as a shield. This is simply an awesome weapon.
Here he is next to Scraphook, and you can see that Crashbar is definitely on the smaller side of things.
The biggest annoyance with posing him is the tendency for his limbs to pop out thanks to his Evo-Fusion gimmick, which is just basically that he splits apart like a Weaponizer from previous lines.
Nevertheless, this is a fantastic robot mode, he is just so well designed.
EVO-FUSION:
Crashbar's Evo-Fusion gimmick is basically Weaponizers from previous lines. The instructions only show him splitting up into various pieces, so it's disappointing to not really see an official "weapons pack" mode. Guess you'll just have to use your imaginations.
OVERALL:
Crashbar is well worth getting. Both his modes are near perfect, each with minor and forgivable flaws. The simplicity is elegant, and he works so well. It is an impressive feat of engineering to pack that many gimmicks into the figure, as well as allowing it split apart and have so much interaction with other figures.
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