General Information
Release Date: January 2024
Price Point: $24.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Stormfall Sword, Fan
Official images and text in italics are from Amazon.com
- CYBERVERSE UNIVERSE WINDBLADE ACTION FIGURE: This 5.5-inch (14 cm) Cyberverse Universe Windblade toy features deco and detail inspiration from the Transformers: Cyberverse animated series
- 2-IN-1 CONVERTING TRANSFORMERS TOY: Transformers action figure converts from robot toy to jet toy in 16 steps
- AWESOME ACCESSORIES: This Cyberverse Universe Windblade Transformers figure comes with Stormfall Sword and fan blade accessories. Accessories attach in both modes
- 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 Cyberverse Universe Windblade 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 Deluxe Class Cyberverse Universe Windblade action figure! This 5.5-inch Cyberverse Universe Windblade action figure converts between robot and jet modes in 16 steps. Gear up for battle with the included Stormfall Sword and fan blade accessories. The Cyberverse Universe Windblade figure is inspired by the character from the Transformers: Cyberverse animated series 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.
Background:
Windblade has the distinction of being the first "Fan Built Bot". For many years, Hasbro would have fans vote on qualities of a figure such as the allegiance, colors and even the name and in time these features would be worked into a figure released at mass retail. The first Windblade figure was released in the Generations line in 2014. Later she would pop up again as part if the Titans Return line. In time she popped up in 2015's Robots in Disguise cartoon and toy line. More recently she appeared in the Cyberverse toy line as both a Scout Class and Warrior Class figure. On top of all that she has appeared in convention exclusive boxed sets, card games, video games and more!
This version of Windblade is meant to represent her Cyberverse incarnation which is an interesting choice. I originally assumed this was a G1 or even Robots in Disguise version of the character but Cyberverse actually makes sense given that it was a more recent series and most kids visiting toy sections would likely recognize her from there and not a release from a decade ago.
Packaging:
Windblade is packaged in a now 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 Windblade sits in features yellow and orange colors, offering nice contrast to the darker outer box. On the left side is a box referencing the "Cyberverse Universe" with Windblade's name under it. This is an interesting choice as it differentiates her from other incarnations such as the one that appeared in the "Prime Wars" Trilogy. The Legacy United logo is under artwork of Windblade's vehicle form. The left side of the box (if you are facing it) features Windblade's robot mode art.
The back of the box shows Windblade in both modes calling out a 16 step transformation. Under all that is the new 40th Anniversary Transformers logo. One thing of note with this box: the cardboard is of significantly better quality than the previous two years of Legacy figures. This cardboard feels solid and firm which hopefully means damaged boxes on store shelves and right out of the case will be less likely. I was very pleasantly surprised by this.
Accessories:
Windblade includes two accessories, both based on previous versions of the character:
- Headdress/tessen: Windblade has a headdress piece shaped like a fan. This piece also appears to double as a Tessen, a Japanese War Fan. This piece is made of black plastic and painted gold except for the tab that attaches to the back of the head. The same tab can be used to attach to one of Windblade's hands.
- Stormfall Sword: Unlike previous versions of this sword, this one features a blade that looks like flames. The sculpt is beautiful and the handle and hilt have a design that evoke the hover fans on her wings. It's a lovely design. The handle and hilt section are clear plastic and painted black while the sword blade itself is translucent purple plastic. The handle is 5mm allowing Windblade to hold it in her hands. The sides have 3mm pegs sticking out that allow you to attach the sword to the side of either thigh.
Robot Mode:
Windblade may have appeared across various Transformers universes but her design has remained very consistent. This figure has some designs that lean a bit towards the Cyberverse version, particularly an "X" shaped design on the chest, but if you played around with the deco you could conceivably slot this into any "universe". That said, here are some of the design elements that carry over from previous Windblades intot his figure:
- Head: The head resembles a human head with the "helmet" section looking a lot like styled hair. The face features a Kabuki inspired design and the headdress attaches to the back of the head, adding to its almost human appearance.
- Wings: The wings from the vehicle mode are on the back of this figure and they stick out to the sides in a very dramatic fasion. The hover fans on each wing are very prominent and suggests she uses them in combat.
- Shoulder Armor: Eachs houlder is covered with an armor piece that appears to feature two thick layers of armor. The original Generations Windblade had a smaller version of this armor.
- Knees: This seems like an odd part of the figure to focus in on, but Windblade has distinct, oval shaped knee armor pieces that call back to similar designso n previous versions of the character (though on the Robots in Disguise version they were a bit more rectangular).
- Lower Legs: Each of the lower legs feature details that looks like thrusters, reminiscent of those seen on G1 Seeker characters like Starscream.
One of my favorite things about this figure is its very dramatic silhouette. The wings on the back are striking, but I also appreciate the way her shoulder armor flares out, then narrows down to her forearms. Meanwhile the torso features a narrow waist, but then the body widens at the legs, giving her a very powerful appearance. This sculpt is fantastic and features a lot of smaller details such as layers of detailing that look like armor plates on her mid-body. She also features one of the more intricate head sculpts in Legacy United looking almost human thanks to the Kabuki inspired design.
For the most part, Windblade's color scheme is pretty consistent across versions with only some slight variance. In general her primary colors are red and black with some silver and blue details. Using the Cyberverse version as the primary inspiration, there are several light blue details on this figure including the head, chest, wrists and knee armor. On top of the blue details is a tiny Autobot symbol. The face has a beautiful deco with white on the face and red detailing based on Kabuki style designs. Her mid-body and lower legs feature silver details. Overall there is a lot of intricate detail in this deco and it looks great! I would have only wanted one deco point added to match the Cyberverse animation model better: blue on the edges of the hover fans.
There are twenty eight points of articulation on this figure. She exceeds the standard 20-ish points because her wings can move back slightly and swing up and down, allowing her arms to move back a bit for dynamic poses. I was also happy to see she has wrist articulation. Since her weapon is a sword this allows for additional posing possibilities. Her sword can fit in either fist and thanks to the small pegs on the sides it can attach the side of either thigh. The figure has eight 5mm ports: two on each wing and two on the bottom of each foot. One of these is a thruster from the vehicle mode that forms a heel on each foot, so if you attach Blast Effects to them they look like she's flying!
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the weapodn and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Push the shoulder armor pieces down.
- Swing the wings down so they are pointed out to the sides.
- On the back of the figure swing the nosecone of the vehicle mode down.
- Swing the panels on the back out, revealing the halves of the nosecone.
- Swing the nosecone halves out.
- Swing the back piece over the robot head. There are tabs on this section that fit into the slots on either side of the robot head.
- Push the halves of the nosecone section together.
- Rotate the lower body around.
- Swing the panels on the back of the lower legs up and push them into the thighs.
- On either side of each foot, swing up the vertical and horizontal stabilizer fins.
- Swing the front of each lower leg up, then push the legs together.
- Push the wings in, using the tabs on the inner edge of each wing to connect to the main body.
- Straighten out the arms and attach the hands to the pegs on the leg sections.
- The sword can be attached to the hole on the bottom of the vehicle mode towards the middle.
Vehicle Mode:
Windblade's vehicle mode is interesting. She is labeled on her box as Cyberverse Windblade, but her vehicle mode resembles her Generations and Robots in Disguise versions more. This is most notable towards the back of the figure where she has two horizontal stabilizer fins and then one vertical one in the middle. However in the Cyberverse toy line Windblade had two vertical and horizontal stabilizers instead. Beyond that however the rest of the vehicle is very similar to previous versions of the character including having hover fans on the wings and a narrow nosecone section. Other fun details include the thrusters on the back and top of the rear section and even a pilot's seat sculpted inside the cockpit!
There are no color surprises here with red and black making up most of the vehicle mode. We do get a look at the clear cockpit with the frame painted red. The vehicle colors contrast really nicely and look great.
Final Thoughts:
This figure is excellent. It represents the character well, it has a fun and intuitive transformation and it features good articulation and a unique weapon. I appreciate little touches like the sword being able to attach to the hips in robot mode. Highly recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt that calls back to the character's previous incarnations.
- Very nice deco in both modes.
- Good articulation.
- Straight forward transformation that is fun and not fiddly.
Cons:
- While a cool figure, this version does not offer much that previous versions did not. If you already own several Windblades, you may wind up skipping this one unless you are a completist.
