General Information:
Release Date: November 2018
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Amazon, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: None
Official images and text below in italics are from Amazon.com:
- Build the ultimate battlefield - the generations War for Cyber Tron trilogy introduces an expansive ecosystem of collectible figures. (Each sold separately. Subject to availability). War for Cyber Tron: Siege plunges fans into the epic fight to survive on the final day of the Autobot and deception battle to control Cyber Tron. The time of peace is gone. Cyber Tron is a war-torn battlefield, overrun by the Fighting between two factions: the deception resistance Army and the Autobot counter-resistance fighters.
- Featuring classic G1 characters – experience classic G1 characters through the lens of the war for Cyber Tron: Siege story. The Siege line offers thrilling throwbacks to G1 toys and exciting play patterns for all generations. Fans will remember the iconic character combos of micro master action figures and kids will love the micro size and exciting team-ups!
- Awesome conversion and combination into vehicle and weapon modes – the wfc-s6 Autobot battle Patrol 2-Pack includes Autobot top shot and flak action figures. Convert the Autobahn top shot toy into its tank mode in 7 easy steps. Convert flak toy into its tank mode in 4 easy steps. Combine the figures to form the electroverge neuro blaster weapon accessory. Simple conversion for kids and adults 8 and up!
- Compatible weapon mode works with all other Siege figures – convert and combine the wfc-s6 Autobot battle Patrol action figures into the weapon mode and use it to weaponize deluxe, Voyager, and leader class Siege figures. (Each sold separately. Subject to availability.) multiple C.O.M.B.A.T. (Cybertronian omnifuctional modular battlefield Assault Tech) system weapon ports enable fans to attach the battle Patrol weapon mode to Siege figures and their vehicle modes in custom configurations.
- Add battle effects with Fire blasts accessories
Build the ultimate battlefield with Transformers war for Cybertron siege figures. Siege plunges fans into the epic fight to survive on the final day of the Autobus and deception battle to control Cybertron. The deception resistance army and the Autobus counter-resistance fighters gear up with the universe's most advanced modular weaponry, including the weapon modes of combined micro master figures -- sentient Bots that combine to form weapons.
In 2018 the "Power of the Primes" line finished off the "Prime Wars Trilogy" which had begun with "Combiner Wars". To kick off a whole new G1 inspired series of "Generations" figures, a new line known as "War for Cybertron: Siege" started in late 2018 (with a planned wide release in 2019).
In the past few years, the "Generations" line has been paying homage to Generation One toys and characters in a kind of chronological order. First they went all out with Combiners in "Combiner Wars", then leading to Headmaster homages galore in "Titans Return" and last year's "Power of the Primes" focused on paying homage to Pretenders, and to a lesser degree, Powermasters. Following this pattern, "Siege" brings us homages to Micromasters. These small Transformers had varying origins in G1, but origins aside, these characters were represented as tiny Transformers who transformed into an assortment of vehicles. Whereas they were once packaged in four member "Patrols" (or six member "Squads"), "Siege"uses the Micromasters to fill in the price point previously occupied by the "Legends" class figures, featuring two Micromaster figures in one package.
Packaging:
The "Siege" Micromasters are packaged in a bubble attached to small card. The card features the same dramatic artwork style as larger boxes in the line. This includes a black background fading into a honeycomb pattern behind the figures. The right side features the "Transformers", "Generations" and Takara Tomy logos. The left side features a vertical chyron with an Autobot symbol, the alpha numeric code "WFC-S6" and the names Topshot and Flak printed on it. The package art features the two Micromasters in vehicle mode since the figures are packaged in robot mode. The insert inside the bubble has the large "War for Cybertron: Siege" logo on it. It is dramatic and eye catching and I love how it looks on toy store shelves.
The back of the card features both characters in all three modes (robot, vehicle and weapon). It labels Flak as having a four step transform while Topshot has seven. The middle section features Sideswipe holding the two in their combined weapon mode. Below that is a ton of legal information.
Flak
Robot Mode:
This new Flak does not do a lot to alter the character's appearance. From a structural point of view, this figure is almost the same as its G1 counterpart. The rocket launchers from the vehicle mode form the legs, the treads form the arms and the front of the vehicle swings back. On top of that the details on the figure are very similar including the curved helmet with a crest in the middle, a face with visor eyes, angled details on the chest and rectangular knee armor.
Flak's colors are similar to his G1 counterpart. He features green and grey plastic, but unlike the G1 version the only beige on the figure is painted on the head. The G1 version has beige on the chest and thighs. Here, they are grey plastic. Red paint is used on the face, mid-body and waist/hip area, but I was happy to see his eyes painted orange, matching up with the character's G1 artwork.
There are six points of articulation in this mode, which is actually the same number as the original Flak figure. However, here the shoulder and hips have ball joints, allowing for a wider range of articulation. Be warned however, the limbs are pretty easy to pop off, but they do snap right back on.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Push the legs together.
- Push the robot head back.
- Swing the back piece up to form the front of the vehicle.
- Swing the legs back and forward.
Vehicle Mode:
When I was a kid, the Battle Patrol was one of my favorites. While plenty of Micromaster Autobots had cool vehicle modes, this team was clearly built for combat and to me, Flak was awesome looking with his rocket launchers in vehicle mode and my favorite in the team. When I saw "Micromaster Zone" and saw him launching rocket after rocket it made the fanboy in me squeal with delight. This design is so close to the G1 version that I automatically have a deep affection for it. Similar to the G1 version, this features a big rocket launcher section sitting on top of the vehicle. The front slopes down and there are plenty of tread details on the sides. Flak is a rolling weapons platform and I love it.
This mode mostly shows off green plastic. Some black paint is used to fill in the rocket tubes and a bit of beige paint is used on the sides above the treads. A tampographed Autobot symbol sits right under the rocket launchers. This is more deco than the original had in vehicle mode and it looks great.
Flak rolls on four wheels on the bottom of the tread sections. The two larger rocket tubes on the launcher section are sized to accommodate blast effects from Battle Master figures. This really gives Flak a dynamic look as if he is blasting away at Decepticons!
Robot Mode:
During the G1 era it was fairy easy to name Transformers characters so many of them had generic sounding names such as "Big Shot", a fairly common term. Given that, it was no surprise that this character had to be renamed as "Topshot" for this release. Still, it is clear the design is based on the G1 version of the character.
Topshot features most of the design elements of his G1 counterpart. This includes a head design with a thin crest on the helmet, a pair of raised rectangles on the shoulders and chest and wheels mounted onto the arms and legs. Even his legs share similar design details with the G1 Big shot figure including a trapezoid shape under the knees and angled panels on the sides. My only reservation is the panel that sits above his head. It obscures the detailing a bit and it prevents him from having a high central crest like the original figure. Still, this is a small quibble on an otherwise cool sculpt.
Topshot takes G1 Big Shot's colors as inspiration, but like Flak it also does something a bit different. His main plastic colors are brown and grey. However, the brown is a much deeper shade than the G1 toy had and the grey replaces the beige seen on the original version. G1 Big Shot had beige plastic on the head, chest and thighs, but here those parts are grey. Instead, the designers painted the helmet section of the head and the chest beige. The face and waist area are painted blue (a callback to G1 big Shot) and the raised panels on the chest are painted silver. A bit of black from the vehicle mode windows can be seen on the feet. It is a good deco overall. Nothing looks monotone and there are small, unexpected details like the silver on the chest.
There are six points of articulation on this figure, however like Flak the limbs pop off of the ball joints fairly easily so be careful. They do snap on without a problem, but it can be annoying when a limb goes flying during transformation.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Push the arms up and in.
- Swing the heel pieces down.
- Push the lower legs together.
- Swing the lower legs back.
Vehicle Mode:
Topshot's vehicle mode is a vehicle inspired by the G6 howitzer (sometimes called the G6 Rhino). This is basically a cannon on wheels. Topshot features some of the key design elements of both the original Big Shot figure and the real life vehicle. This includes having six wheels, a giant turret on the back and angled windows in the front. Unfortunately, there is one design choice made here that bugs me a bit. The original G1 Big Shot figure had a long cannon with a rectangular section at the end. This is based on the real life vehicle. However, this version only has a short barrel with no rectangular design at the end. The result is a barrel that looks like someone sliced a chunk off. This is mitigated somewhat if you attach a blast effect to the end of the cannon but on its own it just looks odd.
The brown plastic makes up most of the lower part of the vehicle. The turret is painted beige and silver while the cannon barrel is grey. The windows in the front are painted black. The deco looks good and I appreciate the extra little touch of the silver on the sides.
Like his G1 counterpart, this figure rolls on four wheels with the middle wheels being sculpted, non-functional details. The turret can turn in a complete circle and you can attach blast effects from Battle Masters to the end of the cannon.
Starting with Flak in vehicle mode, swing out the legs and straighten out the figure so it is flat. Then swing the front of the vehicle back and swing out the peg inside of it.
Starting with Topshot in vehicle mode, pull the robot arms out, then push them down. Now connect the peg on Flak to the port on the back of Topshot's turret. Slide the tabs on the top of Topshot's shoulders into the corresponding slots on Flak's shoulders. Then swing Topshot's cannon barrel down.
Conceptually speaking, a weapon mode for these two Battle Patrol members makes perfect sense. They're both basically rolling weapons, so why not have them both form a larger weapon? The problem is the figures do not hold together very well. If you mess with them enough they will display very nicely, but for actual play the two fall apart pretty easily. This is partly because the tabs on Topshot's shoulders don't really hold in the slots on Flak's shoulders particularly well. On top of that, the peg that holds the two together is not particularly tight. Really, these two are best used as individual weapons, and since each has a 5mm peg you can totally do that.
Final Thoughts:
The Battle Patrol is a mixed bag. Individually the figures are cool both in sculpt and deco, but parts do pop off a bit too easily for my taste. On top of that the combined weapon mode has a tendency to fall apart if moved around too much. Recommended with some reservations.
Pros:
- Sculpts and deco both pay homage to their G1 counterparts very well.
- Good decos in both modes.
Cons:
- Topshot's cannon looks like it's missing a piece.
- Combined weapon mode is only okay at best. They are better used as separate weapons.
