General Information:
Release Date: April 2017
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Cabin cover/Shield/Weapon
Official images and text below in italics are from Amazon.com:
In Titans Return, the Autobots and Decepticons unite with Titan Masters, small bots that carry a power boost. Titan Masters are key to controlling an ancient race of warriors the size of cities: the Titans. Brawn takes on any challenge thrown his way, even if it is the size of a planet. As one of the strongest and most macho Autobots, Brawn could take out any Decepticon in one punch, easily, or at least he thinks so.
Brawn is a character whose origins go all the way back to Generation One. He was one of the original Autobot crew who crashed on Earth with Optimus Prime. Unlike some of his fellow Ark crew members, Brawn has not received a ton of attention over the years (especially compared to say, Optimus Prime or Bumblebee). However as time has passed some figures have come out including the Universe 2.0 Legends Class figure and even a version fromt he live action movie series. More recently Hasbro released a Titan Master Brawn. However this Brawn as a mini Titan Master figure with a vehicle. The Titan Master transformed into a head based on G1 Brawn's head design, but many fans felt this tough guy Autobot deserved more. Now with the release of Legends Class Brawn, fans finally have their wish!
Packaging:
Brawn is packaged in blister card style packaging. The card features the "Transformers" logo in the front against a black background with the "Generations" logo above that. most of the card is taken up by Brawn's artwork. This is all new artwork based on the figure in the packaging but the colors are very different. They seem more based on how the character looked in the G1 cartoon. The art is colored in a beautifully painted fashion that recalls the artwork from G1 toy packaging. On top is a small "Titans Return" logo. Brawn himself is in robot mode inside the bubble with a collector's card behind him. The insert in front shows a photo of the figure in vehicle mode with the name "Brawn" printed next to an Autobot symbol. The back of the packaging features a grey grid with CG renders of the figure on top in both modes. There is a brief blurb talking about how tough he is. Overall it's really cool packaging and I'm happy the art features so prominently.
Robot Mode:
In the G1 cartoon, Brawn had a fairly unique but simple design. His head had a round helmet with a face in it (as opposed to the visor eyes and mouthplate of the action figure) and his arms and legs were mostly blocky parts. His torso had a curved section that almost made him look like he had a bit of a belly going. Overall he wound up looking stocky and tough, like a brawler which was very appropriate to his tough-guy personality.
This new incarnation of Brawn has a lot of the same design elements, but with new ones worked in as well. A lot of the G1 elements are intact. These include:
- A part of the vehicle's front end winds up on the back of his head and coming over it a bit. This section has two bar like sections that raise up slightly. This is similar to details on the G1 Brawn action figure which also featured part of the vehicle's front end on the back of the head.
- The shape of the head is based on the G1 animation model, complete with the rounded helmet section and face.
- The torso has curved, vertical lines on the sides with horizontal lines in the middle.
- His forearms are thick and blocky.
- The waist area features details inspired by stickers on the G1 Brawn figure including a row of three thin rectangles.
- His knees have a rectangular detail etched into them, a feature borrowed from the G1 animation model.
Of course, there are some differences. The upper arms and shoulders have wheels on them while G1 Brawn did not. There are also more details on the shoulder area than the G1 Brawn figure and animation model. These differences are minor however and overall the sculpt for this figure really shows the love for the character of Brawn.
Brawn is cast in four main colors: metallic green, yellow, black and metallic grey. These colors are inspired by those on the G1 version of the character. Green makes up most of the upper arms, back and legs. Yellow is used on the torso/waist area as well as the forearms. The metallic grey is used for the head. I was very happy to see the head in particular was kept grey (with a silver face and blue eyes). It would have been easy for the designers to just make it yellow or something and paint it all silver, but that would have looked wrong.
There are several paint apps in this mode. Aside from the face mentioned above, his shoulders have some yellow on them. The forearms are painted silver while blue and black paint are used on thin details at the waist area. A tampographed Autobot symbol sits in the "abdominal" area, right where it was on the G1 version of the character. It is a simple deco, but it pays proper homage to G1 Brawn and it looks great.
Brawn has eleven points of articulation. The shoulder, elbow and hip joints are ball joints, allowing for a good range of motion. Each of his forearms have two 5mm ports. One in the fists, one on the sides. This allows him to hold his weapon/shield. This is formed from the top of the vehicle mode's cabin section. It has three barrels sculpted into it, so you can treat it like a rocket launcher or you can attach it to his forearm like a shield. Considering how rarely Legends Class figures have accessories, including this was great to see.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessory if attached.
- Straighten out the arms and rotate the forearms in.
- Rotate the forearms in so the sides face forward.
- Swing the heels forward.
- Swing the arms up.
- Connect the lower legs together, then swing them forward.
- Attach the accessory to the top of the cabin section.
Vehicle Mode:
Unlike his G1 incarnation who was a Jeep type vehicle, this new version of Brawn is more like a Humvee. Like a Humvee he has a boxy shape with lots of details that hint at a rough and tumble function such as a cage on the front end of the vehicle and covers protecting the rear window. Similar to a Humvee, the back of the vehicle angles downward. Other cool details include spare tanks on the sides and what appear to be spare gas canisters mounted on the front. A really fun touch is the weapon attaching to the top of the vehicle. The vehicle looks fine without it, but with it you wind up with a fun G1 homage. The G1 Brawn had a spare tire sitting on top of the cabin section. This Brawn's weapon/cabin cover has the same! I really appreciate touches like this. It really shows the designers are still thinking of long time fans and the history of the character even as they design a new form for him.
This mode mostly shows off the metallic green plastic. The wheels are cast in black. All the windows and a small piece of the hood are painted black. The sides of the vehicle have both silver and yellow paint on them. These colors are also found on the front of the vehicle. The finishing touch is a small Autobot symbol tampographed onto the hood. This touch is a bit of a homage to G1 Brawn who had an Autobot symbol sticker on his hood. The deco on this mode looks great. The only thing I would have liked to have seen added would be silver on the sides of the wheels and black paint on the side windows towards the back. Other than that I have no issues with the deco.
As mentioned above, the accessory with the "spare tire" on it connects to the top of the vehicle. However if you take it off you can attach any 5mm peg weapon to it. In a fun twist, if you swing the cabin section cover forward, there is a seat for a Titan Master to sit in! So yes, you can have Titan Master Brawn driving Legends Brawn for some good, meta fun!
There is one more bit of functionality that I confess I missed until some fans pointed it out: you can take the accessory and attach it to the back, covering up the legs to even out the rear. The result is a vehicle form that looks much more like the original Brawn! I love this extra bit of G1 love. This also frees up the 5mm post on top to attach a weapon.
Final Thoughts:
Brawn is awesome or as I like to say: Brawn is love. This figure belongs in your collection now. Don't hesitate, just go get it!
Pros:
- Great sculpt in both modes.
- Pays homage to G1 Brawn very well.
- Good deco and rich metallic green plastic color.
- Plenty of places to attach accessories.
- It's Brawn!
Cons:
- The wheels and windows both need a bit of extra paint.
- Some paint details in the front were not fully painted. This may vary from copy to copy of the figure.
