General Information:
Release Date: December 2014
Price Point: $9.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Amazon, Target etc.)
Accessories: Blasters x 2
*Images above with asterisks and text below in italics are from Amazon.com:
Convert, arm and attack with all the Transformers action you can handle! This Thundercracker figure is a vicious Decepticon who smashes his targets from far away with his hardcore sonic boom. He'll be a match for any Autobot in robot mode, and when he converts to super-charged jet mode, no enemy can hope to escape him! Keep converting him back and forth so he can handle whatever his foes dish out! Transformers and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro.
Thundercracker is a character who traces his roots all the way back to the original "Transformers" series. As one of the three Decepticon "Seekers", he was featured often as one of Megatron's primary warriors. Thirty plus years later and he's still very important and currently plays a very prominent role in the IDW Publishing comic book series. This sculpt was previously used for Legends Class Starscream and Acid Storm, so check out those reviews to see my detailed thoughts on the sculpt. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.
Packaging:
The packaging of this figure is similar to other releases like Huffer. He is in a bubble attached to a relatively small card. The card utilizes the "red and black" premium style packaging seen in all the Combiner Wars figures. The artwork is from the "To the Rescue" campaign in the "Transformers Legends" mobile game. He includes a trading card that features his character art. The back of the packaging shows the figure in both modes with a brief blurb about his ability to create sonic booms.
Robot Mode:
This Thundercracker design is based off the modern day take on the Seekers developed by artist Guido Guidi. It features many more sleek angles and shapes than the original Seeker design. It manages to bring the design into the present day but preserve a lot of the elements that made the Seeker design distinctive. Interestingly enough, this is actually the first Thundercracker to be released for "Combiner Wars". Later this year, a Leader Class version of the character is due out. That figure is a significant retool and redeco of Leader Class Jetfire.
The primary plastic colors on this figure are dark blue and black. These were two of the primary colors on Generation One Thundercracker (and most of his other appearances as well). The blue makes up most of the figure with the black used on smaller parts like his feet and his arm mounted weapons. Paint colors include silver, gold, black, red and white. The silver is the most heavily used color on the main body, making up everything from the sections flanking the head all the way down to the waist. His face is also colored silver. The cockpit window on the torso is painted gold. These two colors add an excellent splash of brightness to an otherwise dar looking figure.
Red paint is found on two places: the eyes and the wings on his back. The eyes are a tad sloppy, meaning the red bleeds out onto the silver a bit. However given how tiny the slot is, I'm not entirely shocked and I don't consider this a dealbreaker. The wings have red and white lines tampographed on them along with large Decepticon symbols on top. This is a pattern inspired by G1 Thundercracker's wings and it adds another dash of color to the robot mode.
Unlike the previous two releases of this sculpt, Thundercracker does not come with any Mini-Con or Micromaster partner. His only weapons are the blasters that attach to his arms. They can also be held in his hands. All ten points of articulation on this figure are nice and tight, which is great to see given that this is the third release of the figure (including the Japanese release of Starscream).
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Remove the weapons for now.
- Push the two halves of each foot together.
- Connect the two lower legs together.
- Swing the rear stabilizers out to the sides.
- Swing the wings piece back and connect it to the back of the lower legs using the tab.
- Swing the cockpit section up, folding out the nosecone.
- Swing each arm down, connecting the forearms to the wings using the tabs on the underside of each wing.
- Connect the weapons to the sides of the arms.
Vehicle Mode:
The shining aspect of the deco in this mode are the red and white details on the wings. The red sections are thick and in this form you get a better look at it, revealing that it is a metallic red and it looks beautiful. The white stripe outlining it offers some nice contrast from the dark blue plastic of the wings. The Decepticon symbols on top offer a G1 homage as the G1 Thundercracker toy also had huge Decepticon symbols on his wings. This mode reveals a new section of gold detail for the cockpit and silver flanking the front section of the jet. It's a strong deco that pays wonderful homage to G1 Thundercracker.
The 5mm hole on the top of the vehicle is still there even though Thundercracker doesn't include a "partner/weapon" figure. It still holds weapons nice and snug.
Final Thoughts:
Thundercracker is a figure I was hoping would be created. Even better, there is another redeco planned for later this year as Skywarp, allowing fans to complete the trio of "original Seekers". It is a bit annoying that we don't have the mini-figures anymore, but the figure is a fun one with a strong deco.
