Review: #792
Name: Wheeljack
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Generations - Studio Series
Year of Release: 2024
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 23)
Mold Status: new
VEHICLE MODE:
Based upon his appearance in Rise of the Beasts, he is one of the last to be released into this line. He transforms into a licensed T1 Volkswagen Type 2 van.
It's deliberately designed to look old and aged. While the front windows are transparent smoky plastic, the back is painted, and has holes due to to the ball joints required for robot mode.
As a van, you would expect him to be bigger, but unfortunately that is not the case. He's quite compact and small in vehicle mode.
The robot weapon can peg into a slot on the roof.
There are some neat details on the sides to replicate the vehicle from the movie, although the transformation joints are somewhat distracting.
All in all, this is a decent vehicle mode.
TRANSFORMATION:
There is little surprising about Wheeljack's transformation scheme. In fact, it can be a little bit annoying because everything is pegged quite securely in vehicle mode (it requires some massaging when you first you transform him). The back splits to for his legs, then you can unfold everything else from within the vehicle. The doors that end up becoming his wings can be annoying because a lot of pieces get in the way of each other. Since figures now rely mainly on friction joints, you'll get various pieces popping off.
ROBOT MODE:
Wheeljack's robot mode is nicer than the mainline version, even if only for the better coloring. He does look more complex in robot mode though.
There's a lot of kibble surrounding him. Some are intentional, like the door wings (which are the wrong way around so that the unpainted side faces the front), some are not like the chunky legs and panels on his back.
The head sculpt is very detailed and overly busy, but that is due to the movie's design.
He comes with a cardboard stand, depicting the scene in the movie where he and Arcee teams up to fight the Terrorcons.
Articulation is fine, he has the standard joints for his head, shoulders, elbows, waist, hips, knees and ankles.
He comes with a small joint, rather than the arm blaster he used in the movie. It's casted in the same smoky transparent plastic though.
He can hold the weapon in either hand.
He can reuse the same place in vehicle mode to store the weapon in robot mode, which is just behind his head.
There is a reliance on using faux parts to replicate the design, and that is a byproduct of the simplified figures these days.
Wheeljack's robot mode looks good and is stable, which are the two thing mains that you would look out for.
OVERALL:
Wheeljack is a nice figure. His design is polarising, but which movie design isn't. For what it is, this is the best figure we've had of the character. There are no major flaws here.
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