General Information:
Release Date: Summer 2016
Price Point: $297 (for the Transformers Subscription Service 4.0 with a total of seven figures), $120 individually when sold on the Collector's Club store
Retailer: Fun Publications Exclusive
Accessories: Hand/foot/weapon, Swords x 2, Blaster (large), Blaster (small), Claw weapon
The theme for the "Generations" segment of the "Transformers" toy line in 2015 is "Combiner Wars". The focus will be on updated versions of Combiners from the past (with some new elements thrown in for good measure). The idea is to take lessons learned from the Bruticus released a couple years ago and create better Combiners featuring a Voyager Class central body piece with Deluxe sized limbs. To spice things up a bit, some of the Legends Class figures released for "Combiner Wars" will be able to serve as weaponry for the combined giants.
When "Combiner Wars" kicked off the focus was on characters who were traditionally associated with being Combiners such as the Aerialbots and Stunticons. However later on down the line characters who were not traditionally associated with being Combiners began to be integrated into the line. Many of these characters were Autobots from the 1984-85 era of Generation One such as Wheeljack and Trailbreaker. When the Transformers Collector's Club decided to expand the "Combiner Wars" line with exclusive figures, they drew on the G1 era for inspiration. One of the last figures in the fourth subscription service the club released was Impactor, the infamouse leader of the Wreckers from G1. There has been a mass release Impactor figure before in "Generations" but this one is the first released by the Collector's Club.
This basic sculpt has been used several times in the "Combiner Wars" line in one iteration or another. It underwent significant reotoling at one point as well. Here is a rundown of reviews and news releases (based on order of release):
Packaging:
Impactor was among the last ofthe figures shipped out for the fourth subscription service. He was packaged with Bluestreak. The two figures were packed in a cardboard box with a lid that flips open. The figures themselves are set inside a foam tray with their weapons around them. Their tech specs and instructions were packed in plastic bags underneath the foam.
Accessories:
In the G1 comic book, Impactor was able to attach a harpoon to one of his wrists. Taking a cue from this, Fun publications included a pile of accesories for him in this set. Here's a rundown:
- Claw: This is the same claw weapon included with Rook. This version is cast in silver plastic with no paint.
- Swords: These are the same swords that came with "Generations" Arcee. This time out they have been cast in a pearlescent silver plastic.
- Small Blaster: This small weapon included with "Generations" Arcee. This time it is cast in silver with no paint.
- Large Blaster: This is the large blaster included with "Generations" Arcee. This time it has been cast in purple plastic with yellow on the barrel and top.
- Hand/Foot/Weapon: This is the same piece included with Rook featuring two rockets in front. This time it is cast in all purple with no paint applications.
That is a lot of accessories for one figure! I like the creative use of including a combination of both melee and energy weapons. The swords can be attached to Impactor's right wrist, simulating his look in the G1 comic books which is an inspired use of both the figure and accessory. If you like loading up your figures with weaponry, this will be a fun piece for you.
Vehicle Mode:
Impactor was the leader of a group of Autobots known as the "Wreckers". With a name like that, you would expect any vehicle mode he has to be a rough and tough one. That makes Rook's ATV mode a perfect choice. It is big, bulky and can carry the various weapons included with the figure all at one time (if you're wondering, the swords can loosely slot into the rectangular grooves in the middle on top of the ATV). There has been no retooling of the vehicle mode parts so from a sculpting perspective it looks the same as Rook.
Where Fun Publications excels is giving existing sculpts brilliant deco and this figure is no exception. Most of the vehicle is cast in purple plastic. Smaller parts are silver and white. The wheels are all black. These are some of the base colors of Impactor based on his comic book appearances. There is quite a bit of paint on this mode. Yellow is used on the front end, the windows, the sides and the back. Silver is found on the front grille, the sides of the wheels and the tiny details sculpted into the sides such as the axe and storage tanks. A tampographed Autobot symbols is found on the top of the vehicle on the left side. A bit of dark orange is used for the headlights in the front. Overall the deco looks great. The silver on the small details such as the axe look especially amazing since they help bring out some fantastic sculpted details.
As mentioned above, you can attach all of Impactor's weapons in this mode. He has four 5mm ports (two in back and two in front). Also as I mentioned above the swords can attach using the rectangular grooves in the middle of the vehicle mode. They do not hold particularly tight, so do not go shaking the figure around with them attached in this mode.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
- Detach the weapons and set them aside for now.
- Swing the top half of the front section up.
- Swing the robot arms out and rotate the forearms in.
- Swing the robot head out and turn it around.
- Pull the robot legs out, swing them down and push them into place.
- Swing each of the feet up.
Robot Mode:
Impactor features a brand new head sculpt based on both his G1 and IDW Publishing comic book appearances. It features a round helmet section with parts that stick out on the sides. There is a central crest and the helmet comes down over the nose. He has thin eyes and a mouth. The head looks great and it helps sell the figure as the Wrecker leader.
The deco pattern on this figure has its roots in the G1 Marvel comics, but it borrows details from IDW Publishing as well. Most of the figure is purple plastic with silver and white used on smaller parts such as the elbows and thighs. Yellow paint is used extensively on the figure. You'll find it on the head, shoulders, torso, left fist and lower legs. The right fist is deliberately not painted so that arm more closely resembles the comic book depiction of Impactor where his right forearm leads to a harpoon instead of a hand. Attach his claw or sword weapons to that forearm and the illusion is complete. Silver paint is found on the face and shoulders. A bit of red on each knee is inspired by a detail in the same place on the IDW Publishing version of the character. A bit of purple paint is used for line details on the head. These minute details are among my favorites as they show a lot of extra care being put into the figure. He looks great and offers a very distinct color scheme for an Autobot.
In contrast to my copy of the Botcon Tarantulas figure, the joints on this figure are uniformly tight at about the same level as my Rook figure. Unfortunately, Impactor does suffer from a flaw that Tarantulas also suffers from: the connection joints on the hands. The tubes on each hand are supposed to be tight enough to hold weapons. On my Rook figure, they are more than tight enough. However on both my Tarantulas and Impactor the left hand cannot hold a weapon at all (they literally just fall out) and the right is much more loose than Rook's. Fortunately the right side is the arm that Impactor should have his harpoon attached, so it works out. Still it is disappointing.
This mode allows you to store the swords on the rectangular slots on the back. Since those slots are not pushed up against the vehicle form this time, you can push the tabs on the swords in more so they do hold securely. His other weapons fit into any 5mm ports such as those on the shoulders and back.
Transformation to Arm Mode (Starting in vehicle mode):
- Detach the weapons and set them aside for now.
- Lift up the front of the vehicle and swing it back on top of the robot arms.
- Swing the halves of the vehicle's front end out and connect them together.
- Swing the robot foot pieces up.
- Swing the Combiner connection piece up.
- Turn the lower body around. The direction depends on which arm you want him to form.
- Transform the hand/foot/weapon piece into hand mode bu swinging the thumb up and in. The swing out the other fingers.
- Attach the hand to the port on the bottom of the robot feet.
- The claw weapon can fit into any of the 5mm ports including the hand.
Arm Mode:
Impactor's arm mode is nice and bulky, just as you would expect for the Wrecker leader. The joints are relatively tight, but not super tight. Having him hold a Legends Class figure as a weapon will involve tucking the elbow back a bit to stabilize the joint. This mode does not really reveal any new color details, but the colors do look good, partly thanks to the white and silver breaking up the purple.
Transformation to Leg mode (Starting in vehicle mode):
- Detach all the accessories.
- Swing out the palm portion of the hand/foot piece to flatten it out. The thumb piece should act as a heel.
- Swing the robot head up.
- Swing the "back pack" up and back against the robot arms.
- Push the robot head down.
- Swing the silver connection piece in the center of the torso up.
- Swing the robot feet up.
- Connect the foot piece to the bottom of the vehicle.
Leg Mode:
This form is one of the most stable looking among the "Combiner Wars" sculpts. It is thick and stands strong. The ratchet joint that allows the knee to bend on a Combiner is strong so no issues there. From a color standpoint this largely looks like a variation on the vehicle form, so no surprises there. Overall one of the better "Combiner Wars" leg modes.
Final Thoughts:
Impactor is a fantastic example of the cool figures Fun Publications was able to turn out during its time running the Collector's Club. The Rook sculpt was a perfect choice for the character and the new head sculpt looks great. The deco in both vehicle and robot modes is faithful to the comic book character and look great on their own. Of course, being a club exclusive this guy will not be cheap, but for hardcore collectors who have wanted a proper Impactor figure, this one fits the bill nicely!
Pros:
- Fantastic new head sculpt.
- The Rook sculpt offers the bulky appearance befitting Impactor.
- Excellent deco inspired by the comic books.
- Great choice to add extra accessories and kudos for creative use of Arcee's swords as "harpoons".
- Joints are a bit tighter than those on my copy of Botcon Tarantulas.
Cons:
- Exclusive nature and high price will keep many fans from getting this figure.
- Weapons will not stay attached to left forearm.
