General Information
Release Date: September 2023
Price Point: $34.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.)
Accessories: Sword, Cannon Barrels x 2, Tank Turret Base
Official images and text in italics are from Amazon.com:
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Background:
Bludgeon was introduced in 1989 during the "Pretenders" era of Generation One. His outer shell was based on traditional Samurai Armor with a creepy skull head. His inner robot was Decepticon who transformed into a tank. This character never appeared in the G1 cartoon, but he was a prominent character towards the tail end of the G1 comic book and he became a favorite among some fans. The character may not be as popular as say, Megatron or Soundwave but he has popped up now and then in the toy line over the years. In 2016 he was a Botcon exclusive. A version of him appeared in Cyberverse and his design was used for Power of the Primes Quintus Prime. For Legacy Hasbro has taken the Tarn sculpt and reworked it into a new Bludgeon! This review will focus on the changes made to the Tarn sculpt for this release.
Packaging:
Bludgeon is packaged in a box with the standard Legacy Evolution 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 Bludgeon sits in features different shades of blue colors. On the left side is a box referencing the "Comic Universe" with Bludgeon's name under it. The Legacy Evolution logo is under artwork of Bludgeon in vehicle form firing his weapons. The left side of the box (if you are facing it) features the robot mode art. The back of the box shows Bludgeon in both modes calling out an 27 step transformation. In the corner is a box showing his two cannon barrels combined into one large weapon. Under that is the "Evo Fusion" logo.
Accessories:
Bludgeon includes the same accessories as Tarn with one more added on for good measure:
- Cannon 1: This is not the official name, but since he comes with two I have to distinguish them somehow. This cannon is (presumably) the back half of the larger cannon when you combine the two into a super weapon. The rear of this weapon features a rectangular section while the rest is a cylinder. This piece is made of translucent orange plastic with silver and orange paint details. Several parts are left exposed so the translucent parts look like they are lit up with energy. This piece features a 5mm peg on the back and bottom and a 5mm opening in the front.
- Cannon 2: Again, not the official name but I am calling it this to differentiate this accessory from the other. This cannon has a design that is distinct from Cannon 1. This cannon is mostly a cylinder with a raised, angled piece on top towards the back and the barrel narrows towards the front. This cannon is also made of translucent orange plastic with silver and orange paint on it. Like the other cannon several translucent parts are exposed. There are 5mm pegs on the back and bottom while the front has a 5mm port.
- Tank turret base: The two cannons can attach to a turret base piece. This is what allows the cannons to attach as a dual cannon to the figure in either mode. The top part of this piece is dark grey and the bottom piece is grey. The top part has a 5mm port on top and two ports on either side. The bottom features a 5mm peg. The reason there are two pieces is so the turret can turn in tank mode.
- Sword: The sword accessory is an addition to this set. The design is based upon the one carried by Bludgeon in the IDW Publishing comic books. The sword is made out of red-brown plastic with silver paint on the sword blade. The handle is 5mm and thereis a 5mm peg on the side of the hilt to attach it to his back in robot mode for storage. I love the addition of the sword as it calls back to his appearances in the G1 comic books where he was shown wielding a sword even though the G1 figure did not include one.
Robot Mode:
Bludgeon features an all new head sculpt based on his G1 head design (that would also later appear in the IDW Publishing comics). The "helmet" section looks like a Samurai helmet with two horns sticking out to the sides from a central crest. The face looks like a mechanical skull, another callback to his G1 predecessor. It's a beautiful head sculpt down to wire like designs inside the mouth, a reference to his IDW Publishing apearance.
The rest of the body remains the same as Tarn's, and the design does not exactly line up with any specific interpretation of the character, but the tank treads call back to various versions including G1, IDW Publishing and Cyberverse. The chest armor piece has a design that evokes the eyes on a skull.
Bludgeon's plastic colors include black, translucent orange, gunmetal grey, green, red-brown and solid orange. I was impressed by how many plastic colors went into this figure. Many Transformers figures top out at around three or four colors. These are all colors traditionally associated with Bludgeon (and trace their origins back to the G1 figure). Paint colors include red, silver, orange red-brown and green. One of my favorite deco points on this figure is the torso which features translucent orange plastic with silver and orange paint over it. It looks like he has energy glowing from within, an effect I always appreciate on Transformers figures.
This figure has twenty six points of articulation and in terms of tightness they feel the same as my copy of Tarn. These points of articulation are really great and given Bludgeon's martial arts based fighting style it helps him strike some cool poses. His accessory attachment points are also still nice and tight, so no worries about mold degradation on this figure.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing the cannons on his back down.
- Pull the back plate out, then swing it down and rotate it around.
- Rotate the head around, then swing it back and down.
- Lift up the chest plate.
- Pull the shoulder/treads out a bit to the sides.
- Rotate each arm up.
- Swing the inner tread on each arm back at an angle.
- Swing the chest plate up more, connecting it to the tab on the piece attached to the robot head.
- Push the lower legs together.
- Point the feet down.
- Rotate the shoulder/tread section so they are aligned with the main body.
- Push the back panel with the cannons on it down.
- Swing the lower leg armor back a bit.
- Rotate the forearms so the dark grey forearm armor faces the bottom of the vehicle.
- Rotate the fists so the fingers are facing the same direction as the bottom of the vehicle.
- Swing the forearms in, with the elbow joints at an angle, then connect the forearms to the sides of the thighs using the tabs on the thighs and the slots on the forearms.
- Swing the forearm armor up.
- On outer shoulder sections, swing the panels on the sides out. Then swing the tread sections back, then swing the panels up.
- Swing the lower legs up and down, connecting them to the tabs on the back panel and tank tread sections.
- Attach the tank barrel base with cannons to the slots to the slots on the lower leg sections towards the back of the tank.
- The sword can be attached to one of the ports on the side of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
Bludgeon's vehicle mode features no new parts. It is basically a straight up redeco of Tarn's vehicle mode. The same colors from the robot mode all carry over but the colors all consolidate quite a bit with lots of orange on top and towards the front and black on the treads making up much of the sides. Green and gunmetal grey break things up in the middle. The vehicle looks great and while it is the same sculpt as Tarn, it looks very different thanks to the colors.
The turret piece turns without a problem in this mode and the ports to attach additional weapons work just fine.
Final Thoughts:
Bludgeon is a cool redeco/retool. If you liked the Tarn figure, you'll dig this one too. I really like the new head sculpt and the inclusion of the sword is a nice bonus. I do wish a bit more had been changed, like perhaps a new chest plate but overall this is a cool figure. Recommended!
Pros:
- Very cool new head sculpt.
- Really nice deco.
- Good play value including articulation and plenty of attachment points for accessories.
- Adding in the sword was a great idea.
Cons:
- The chest panel sometimes pops off during transformation but it is easily reattached.
