General Information
Release Date: July 2024
Price Point: $24.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Walmart Exclusive
Accessories: Wings x 2
Official images and text in italics are from Walmart.com:
- STAR RAIDER FILCH ACTION FIGURE: This 5.5-inch (14 cm) Star Raider Filch toy features deco and detail inspiration from Transformers lore
- 2-IN-1 CONVERTING TRANSFORMERS TOY: Transformers action figure converts from robot toy to bird toy in 21 steps
- AWESOME ACCESSORIES: Star Raider Filch Transformers figure comes with 2 attachable wing pieces
- ARTICULATED FOR PLAY AND DISPLAY: Transformers figures feature articulated heads, arms, and legs for action poses
- CELEBRATE THE LEGACY: Transformers Legacy United honors 40 years of Transformers animated history! Collect other Legacy: United figures to unite your collection (each sold separately, subject to availability)
- GIFT TRANSFORMERS COLLECTIBLES: This Star Raider Filch action figure toy makes a great collectible figure gift for any Transformers fan
Unite your favorite characters from across the world of Transformers robots into your collection with the Transformers Legacy United Star Raider Filch action figure! This 5.5-inch Star Raider Filch action figure converts between robot and bird modes in 21 steps. Gear up for battle with the included 2 attachable wing accessories. The Star Raider Filch figure is inspired by the character from Transformers lore and features articulated head, arms, and legs for awesome action poses. Celebrate the last 40 years of Transformers history with Transformers Legacy action figures. Transformers Legacy opens the portal to a whole new universe of -- More Than Meets the Eye -- bringing together every Transformers generation like you’ve never seen before. Collect and combine different characters to create your ideal Legacy lineup.
TRANSFORMERS and HASBRO and all related trademarks and logos are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc. © 2024 Hasbro. Includes figure, 2 pieces, and instructions. Figure scale: 5.5 inches. Ages 8 and up. Warning: Choking Hazard - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. © 2024 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Manufactured under license from TOMY Company, Ltd.
Background:
When the Transformers: Prime series ended, it was followed up with Robots in Disguise, the second Transformers show to be called that (so many people call it "Robots in Disguise 2015" to distinguish it from the 2001 series). The show had plenty of Decepticons who had beast-inspired robot modes and vehicular alt-modes. One exception was Filch. This curious Decepticon did not seem bent on world domination or destruction. Instead, she seemed to have a curious need to collect objects she deemed "Shiny!" and store them at her nest.
Unfortunately, Filch was not a regular character on the show and she was never made into a transformable figure for Robots in Disguise 2015. For fans who enjoyed the character's brief appearance, now they get to add her to their Generations shelves as a "Star Raider" under Thundertron's command!
This figure is a retool and redeco of the Kingdom Airazor figure so definitely check out that review before this one. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
Packaging:
Filch is packaged in the standard Legacy box design. The box is roughly rectangular with an angle on the top and side. The front features an open window and there is a cardboard hook on top. The graphics are very similar to previous years of Legacy boxes with blue and purple tones. The tray Filch sits in features blue and white. On the left side is a box with the term "Star Raider" and the name Filch name under it. The Legacy United logo is under artwork of Filch in beast mode. The left side of the box (if you are facing it) features Filch's robot mode art.
The back of the box shows Filch in both modes calling out an 21 step transformation. Under all that is the new 40th Anniversary Transformers logo. These boxes continue to use the much stronger cardboard that has been used for Transformers for about a year now (and I love it!).
Accessories:
The Kingdom Airazor figure was designed to emulate a lot of the organic appearance of the character, especially in beast mode. That meant that her feathers were all designed to look like those found on a real life bird. Filch however was entirely mechanical with no techno-organic style parts, so the wings on this figure are totally new parts.
While Airazor's wings pieces were all connected, Filch's transformation had parts of her wings connecting to her forearms. To emulate this design half of each wing is able to detach via a 5mm port and connect to her fists or forearms. The 5mm pegs on the wings sit on hinges, so you can pose the wings out in different ways. These are not the same wing pieces found on Airazor. Instead, these are mechanical looking wings with angled "feathers".
The wings are made of a dark blue plastic with purple paint on the edges.
Robot Mode:
Filch's basic design is very similar to Airazor's. She has wings on her back, a beast mode head on her torso and the bird legs become the robot legs. However, there are many new parts on this figure including:
- Head: Filch features an entirely new head. I am very happy the designers resisted to urge to just repaint Airazor's head and save money. The head features a long crest on top and the "helmet" section has parts that extend back and then point up, looking almost like feathers. Her face is sculpted in the Robots in Disguise 2015 style complete with having no nose and a mouth with lips sculpted on (as opposed to just a thin line).
- Back: The back panel features a mechanical looking piece that could be a vent or even a storage compartment (I'll let your imagination roam).
- Wings: The wings on the back of this figure are mechanical looking, complete with sculpted details set at right angles and feathers that end in straight lines instead of curved feathers.
- Shoulders: Airazor's signature shoulder armor has been replaced on Filch with "C" shaped armor panels that better reflect how her shoulders looked in the cartoon. These also help give her a more mechanical look than Airazor had.
- Torso: More on this in the beast mode review, but since the beast mode head makes up so much of the torso, the chest especially winds up looking very different than Airazor's.
- Legs: The lower legs on each leg are new pieces designed to better reflect the metallic armor there seen on Filch in the cartoon. These leg pieces are slightly wider than the ones on Airazor.
In a fun bit of design coincidence, the official transformation instructions indicate that the beast mode claws should actually face front in this mode. That's different from Airazor whose "robot feet" point forward. Doing this helps make the figure look even more like the Filch animation model while still being the same pieces carried over from the Airazor figure. Overall this is a lot of retooling on one figure and it looks fantastic.
Filch is made up of dark blue, purple and lavender plastic. Paint colors mostly match up with the plastic colors as some parts alternate colors (you'll see this a lot on the torso and waist). Light blue is used on the eyes and lower legs. The light blue in particular is inspired by the Robots in Disguise 2015 animation model which featured light blue lines of "energy" running through the robot mode. It's nice to see nods to the original deco on this figure.
There are twenty six points of articulation in this mode. This includes five on each arm six on each leg. I'm also counting the ability of the wings to move at the base. In this mode you can attach her wing accessories to her fists, forearms, thighs or wings. My preference is having them on the forearms to match up with the robot mode seen in the cartoon.
Transformation to Beast Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing the back panel out.
- Swing the beast mode head on the torso up. This will swing the robot head back into the chest compartment.
- Swing the back panel back down.
- The back piece is connected to hinges. Extend those by pulling the back/lower body section down gently.
- Rotate the arms inward, then swing the wrist and fists up.
- Push the fists into slots on either side of the mid-body. There is a tab on each fist that fits into a corresponding slot in this area.
- Lift the tail feathers on the back.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Rotate each lower leg around.
- Swing the legs up and connect the slots on the inside of each thigh to the tabs on the sides in the hip area.
- Swing the lower legs over the thighs, then swing the ankle hinges forward.
- Rotate the feet around so the claws face front.
- Swing the wings down at the base.
- Attach the wing accessories to the wings on the figure.
Beast Mode:
In the cartoon, Filch was a Cybertronian bird in beast mode. The new beast mode head here is a mechanical bird head. Like the one in the cartoon she has a notch on top of her beak and a "collar" at the base (though the collar mis mostly a carry over from Airazor). The wings have hover fans sculpted into them at the base, another callback to the animation model. The mechanical looking "back pack" is prominent here complete with a small, raised section on top. Overall the beast mode looks great and does a great job of paying homage to the character from the cartoon.
This mode shows off all the same colors as the robot mode. The main "newly revealed" section is the head which has a very intricate deco. I was surprised to see light blue eyeballs painted in!
There are nineteen points of articulation in this mode, which is quite a bit for a bird beast mode. The wings have eight by themselves, the head can turn side to side, move up and down and the beak can be opened. Each leg offers another three points of articulation.
Final Thoughts:
I have wanted a transforming action figure of Filch since I first saw her on Robots in Disguise 2015 so having this figure is an absolute joy (and shiny!). Apparently I'm not alone because Filch preorders sold out very quickly. I suspect she may be tough to find so if you want her, grab the figure when you see it and don't wait! Recommended.
Pros:
- Extensive retooling that goes beyond just a new robot and/or beast mode head.
- Excellent articulation.
- Good deco.
Cons:
- There is a bit of undercarriage junk in beast mode, but this was unavoidable given the price point in my opinion.
