General Information:
Release Date: October 2019
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: None
Official images and text below in italics are from BigBadToyStore:
Recreate the ultimate battle with Transformers War for Cybertron: Siege, featuring classic G1 characters. Siege plunges fans into the epic fight to survive on the final day of the Autobot and Decepticon battle to control Cybertron. The Decepticon resistance army and the Autobot counter-resistance fighters are equipped with the universe's most advanced modular weaponry, including the weapon and armor modes of Micromaster figures -- sentient bots that become weapons!
- 1.5 inches (3.81cm) tall
- Made of plastic
- War for Cybertron trilogy introduces an expansive ecosystem of collectible figures
- Battle Squad two pack combines to form a weapon
- Use the weapon mode to equip other Siege figures
- Direct-Hit converts into vehicle in 5 steps
- Powerpunch converts into vehicle in 4 steps
In 1990, the Micromasters were one of the dominant parts of the Transformers toy line, so Hasbro introduced a variation on the Micromaster play pattern: Micromaster Combiners. These teams were packaged in "squads" of six figures as opposed to four. Each pair of characters could split up into two individual vehicles (or vehicle halves if you prefer) and then combine with a different team member to form some fun (and sometimes silly) vehicles. Imagine say, a vehicle with the front of a dump truck but the back of a jet fighter. It was odd, but fun. Now in Siege two of the last Micromaster releases of the year come right from one of the Decepticon teams: the Battle Squad!
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 a Decepticon symbol, the alpha numeric code "WFC-S47" and the names Direct-Hit and Power Punch printed on it. Both names are taken directly from their G1 counterparts. The package art features the two Micromaters 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 shows Direct-Hit having a five step transformation while Power Punch has four. The middle section features Apeface holding the two in their combined weapon mode. Below that is a ton of legal information.
Robot Mode:
Direct-Hit is a brand new sculpt that borrows a lot of its design elements from his G1 counterpart. These include:
- The head design features a central crest on the helmet with thin, raised panels on either side. The face features a distinctive mouthplate with a curved section on top and a distinctive chin piece.
- The chest has two vertical rectangles on either side, each with a series of horizontal lines inside.
- Each arm features wheels on the upper arms and a series of horizontal ridges along the forearms.
- Each lower leg has a half of the vehicle mode windshield in front and a bar-design with a circle at the ends.
Siege Direct-Hit is not quite as tall as G1 Direct-Hit, but he looks a bit bulkier and he has a few more sculpted details than the G1 version. I really like this sculpt.
Direct-Hit is cast in light blue, black and pink plastic. These colors are similar to his G1 counterpart. The biggest difference is the torso, which was purple plastic on G1 Direct-Hit but black here. That said, some purple paint is used in the "vents" on his chest to call back to the G1 version. He also has gold on his face, a darker shade of blue on the forearms and a Decepticon symbol right under his chest. The windows on his feet are painted silver. The deco looks great, especially for a Micromaster sized figure.
There are seven points of articulation on this figure, which is a good amount for a Micromaster. His arms can move up and down and each leg has two points of articulation. His head can also turn side to side, which was a nice surprise. The 5mm port from his vehicle mode can swing up over the back of the head, allowing you to attach weapons with 5mm ports.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing the heel pieces down.
- Push the legs together.
- Push the robot arms up.
- Swing the arms up, then in to form the sides of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
The designers used G1 Direct-Hit's vehicle mode as a starting point for this mode, but they modified the design to give it more detailing. The two vehicles are angular vehicles with angled windshields in front, headlights over the front wheel wells and hatches on top. However, there are some new details too. In front of each forward wheel well are additional lights. On the sides there are vents and on top are two cannons in addition to his hatch. There are also additional rail details running along the sides. I love the look of this vehicle. It looks like Direct-Hit originally scanned the G1 form in the 90's and then upgraded himself later on.
This mode mostly shows off blue and black plastic. The windows are painted silver and the details in the back are painted gunmetal grey. The lights above the windshield are painted yellow. Again I am very happy with the number of paint details on this figure given its small size class.
Direct-Hit features a 5mm peg in the back with a smaller peg at the end to attach Blast Effects parts. This peg is also what you use to connect Direct-Hit with Power Punch to form their combined vehicle mode. That also means you can connect him to any other Micromaster vehicle with a 5mm port. They can't all do this, but I found the Storm Cloud sculpt can do this, forming an interesting looking G1 "Micromaster Combiner" style vehicle!
Robot Mode:
Power Punch's new form borrows a lot of design elements from his G1 namesake. These details include:
- The head design has visor eyes and a raised bar between the eyes and the mouthplate.
- The chest features four raised circles on it with a horizontal line in the middle.
- The forearms each have raised bars on them.
- The knee armor on both versions of Power Punch have a series of three thin bars.
Power Punch is cast in the same colors as Direct-Hit: light blue, black and pink. The paint colors on him include silver, gunmetal grey, blue and yellow. In this case the basic color layout of the figure is similar to his G1 counterpart, but there are a lot more paint applications on the figure. My favorites include the gunmetal grey and Decepticon symbol on the chest.
There are seven points of articulation on this figure. Surprisingly, even though his head is under the rear panel of his vehicle mode it can still turn!
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Move the arms up.
- Swing the legs back and up.
- Push the arms in on the sides.
Vehicle Mode:
Much like Direct-Hit, this vehicle mode feels a lot like Power Punch first adopted one vehicle form in the 90's, then upgraded resulting in a ton of more sculpted detail in this modern day version. This mode features plenty of the basic design elements of the original Power PUnch. This includes a giant cannon in the middle with (non-functional) pistons at its base. In front of the cannon is a hatch and there are some ridged details on the sides (presumably where a passenger would step up to in order to get into the vehicle). That said, there are plenty of additional details not found on the G1 version including circle and rectangular details in front and some designs that look like control panels on the sides. Overall the vehicle looks great as both a homage and upgrade of the original.
This mode mostly shows off light blue plastic with pink on the cannon (though in some light it looks almost like a dark lavender color). Blue and silver are used to paint in details on the sides and front respectively. The back also features some blue. Again, this is more paint detail than I would expect for a Micromaster so I am impressed.
Most of Power Punch's functionality in this mode revolves around his cannon and the ports on the front and back of the vehicle. The cannon itself has a 5mm peg at the base and a smaller peg at the end to attach a Blast Effect. The front of the vehicle has a 5mm port, allowing you to connect him to Direct-Hit or any other Micromaster with a 5mm peg (which also serves as a fun nod to the G1 Micromaster Combiners). The 5mm port can also be used to attach a Blast Effect. Meanwhile, the back has four circular ports that allow you to attach four Blast Effects. Theoretically you could attach six Blast Effects to this vehicle which is both silly and fun all at the same time!
Combine the two vehicles together and you get a larger vehicle that looks like a cannon being towed by a truck. Nothing new is revealed here. You just wind up with a large vehicle with a giant cannon on the back - which is great! The funny part is, this form is not so much called out as a combined vehicle form on the packaging, but instead this is meant to be the Battle Squad's weapon mode!
So, to call this a weapon mode, you kind of have to use your imagination a bit. Flip the vehicle hover, then use the peg on the cannon for another figure to hold, the combined vehicle form winds up looking like a giant shoulder cannon. The four ports at the back of the combined vehicle now wind up being weapon ports in the front. It actually looks super cool and heavy duty once you attach Blast Effects to it.
Final Thoughts:
The Battle Squad two pack featuring Direct-Hit and Power Punch is fantastic. Both figures are super cool updates of the G1 characters and they make for fun toys. Highly recommended!
Pros:
- Both figures have great sculpts.
- Nice deco on both figures.
- Fun play value.
- Ability to "combine" with other Micromasters is an unexpected bonus.
Cons:
- As fun as I find the weapon mode, it can be interpreted as being a bit lazy. I don't see it that way, but other fans might.
