General Information:
Release Date: August 2022
Price Point: $24.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Walmart Exclusive (with limited numbers sold on Hasbro Pulse)
Accessories: Blasters x 2, Axe
Official images and text below in italics are from Hasbro Pulse:
The race is on! Bots from across the multiverse have gathered on Velocitron to participate in the Speedia 500, a planet-wide race to determine its next leader. He may not be the fastest, but Burn Out is determined to win the Speedia 500.
Includes: Figure, 3 accessories, and instructions.
- UNIVERSES COLLIDE: Universes collide with Transformers: Legacy! This epic line of Transformers toys brings together fan-favorite characters from across the Transformers multiverse
- VELOCITRON SPEEDIA 500 COLLECTION: The race is on! Bots from across the multiverse have gathered on Velocitron to participate in the Speedia 500, a planet-wide race to determine its next leader
- DIACLONE-INSPIRED DESIGN: This Transformers 5.5-inch Diaclone Universe Burn Out robot toy is inspired by the original Diaclone appearance, updated with a Generations-style design
- 2 EPIC MODES: Action figure converts from robot to turbo car mode in 15 steps
- AWESOME ACCESSORIES: Comes with an Energon axe and 2 blaster accessories. Accessories attach to figure in both modes
- Figure scale: 5.5 inches
- Ages 8 and up
In 2005 Transformers fans were introduced to the Cybertron cartoon. The series would introduce several Cybertronian colonies, an idea which made perfect sense but had not been explored much in the lore. One of these worlds was the "Speed Planet" known as Velocitron. On this world, races were used to determine supremacy including the grand event known as the Speedia 500. Riffing off this event, Hasbro created a Capsule Program for Wal-Mart using the Speedia 500 as its inspiration. It also incorporated characters from the IDW Publishing version of the Speedia 500 including Burn Out and Road Rocket. This line was released at Wal-Mart in August 2022 with limited quantities made available on Hasbro Pulse. Pulse shipped first with Wal-Mart putting the toys on shelves in stores before shipping their site pre-orders out. As of August 21, 2022, Wal-Mart's estimated ship date for their pre-orders is October 2022.
Packaging:
When the original Generation One figures were released, they were packaged in a rectangular box with a large flap on the back. They sat inside the box in their alt-modes relying on the package artwork to show off the robot mode. However, for quite some time now, Transformers have been mostly packaged in robot mode instead, a move partly intended to show off the value of the figure you are purchasing. This has led to more vertical packaging that discarded the old "rectangle box with flap" design. Aside from some Vintage reissues and the Vintage Headmaster line, this style of packaging has been very rare in modern day releases.
Enter: the Speedia 500 collection! This entire line features its characters packaged in G1 shaped boxes complete with a rectangular shape, a window in the front and a flap on top. The only exception is Scourge, who is packaged in a big, closed box with an illustration in front. The background features a wonderful black to blue gradient and each box features the text "Velocitron Speedia 500 Collection". A lot of graphics on the boxes are references to the race including arrows and even the symbol of Velocitron itself boldly shown off on the front of the boxes. Each character does feature new box art including Burn Out. Interestingly, the box for Burn Out features her in both modes. The flap on top has her in vehicle mode while the left side of the rectangular section shows her in robot mode. Burn Out is part of the multi-versal Legacy line so she is referred to by her universe as "Diaclone Universe Burn Out". The back of the box shows her in both modes, calling out a 15 step transformation.
To say I love this packaging design would be an understatement. It manages to blend some nostalgia with a modern day line and the graphics are all consistent with the world of Velocitron itself.
Background:
Before Transformers was even a concept in the mind of a Hasbro employee, Takara had released their line of Diaclone toys in Japan. These included several figures using the same basic tooling being released as variants on certain vehicles. One such action figure was the Honda City Turbo with black as it primary color. Decades later, that figure would be the inspiration for Timelines Burn Out. Now fans have another chance at owning a figure that serves as a homage to the Diaclone figure in the form of the Speedia 500 collection Burn Out! This figure is a redeco and retool of Legacy Skids so you'll want to check out that review. This review will focus on the changes made to the base figure for this release.
Accessories:
A lot of the Legacy play pattern revolves around connecting accessories to each other and to the figures. To that end, Burn Out includes the same three accessories as Skids:
- Liquid Nitrogen Rifle: This is represented by the single barreled weapon. This is an alternate take on the weapon that came with G1 the Honda City Turbo toy, which was much larger and longer. The weapon has some nice sculpted details including indentations on the weapon barrel and the sides. There is one 5mm peg on the bottom and two 5mm ports, one on top and one on the bottom. The end can accommodate Blast Effects, which is a great touch since those have not been included with Deluxe Class figures for quite some time now. This piece is made up of black plastic but mostly painted silver.
- Twin Electron Blaster: This is the dual barreled weapon included with the set. Featuring two thin barrels connected by a bar in the center, this also pays homage to a weapon from the original Diaclone Honda City Turbo figure. This has one 5mm peg on the bottom and two points at the end to connect Blast Effects. This piece is also black plastic with silver paint.
- Axe: Back in the Unicron Trilogy Energon series, one of the gimmicks of the line was a series of translucent plastic weapons intended to represent "Energon Weapons". That idea pops up again in Legacy with new translucent weapons. In this case we have a clear blue plastic axe. The weapon has two different 5mm pegs, one on the bottom and one on the back, allowing it to be held as a blaster or axe weapon. It also has 5mm ports on the sides and one in the front, allowing this weapon to serve as the core of a much larger weapon.
All three weapons can be combined into a "super weapon" by connecting the two silver weapons first (the dual barred piece connects upside down to the other blaster). Then you attach the axe on top. The result is one mean looking weapon!
Robot Mode:
To differentiate this figure from its predecessor, Burn Out features a whole new head sculpt. Instead of a face with a nose and mouth, this one features a curved helmet section with panels coming up the sides of the head. Burn Out has thin eyes and a mouthplate with a line running down the middle. This head sculpt is based on the alternative head used for the Diaclone Honda City Turbo figure and it looks great! The rest of the figure remains unchanged in terms of tooling.
At first glance it may look like Burn Out is just all black plastic with some translucent blue and red parts but a closer inspection shows that some parts are actually a very dark grey (not quite gunmetal, but close). These include her fists and the front panels of the lower legs. Paint colors include red, silver and yellow. The pattern of paint is similar to Skids but not exactly the same. For instance, Burn Out's shoulders are painted with silver and red while Skids' shoulders were unpainted. Black paint is used on the translucent blue parts and it matches up nicely with the black plastic. I do wish there had been some paint used on the lower legs. Between the dark black and grey plastics, it looks awful plain unpainted and there's so much wonderful sculpted detail there it would have been great to see that detail brought out more by paint.
All the joints and 5mm ports on my copy of this figure are just as tight as those on Skids. The figure feels solid.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach all the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing the chest section up.
- Swing the arms out to the sides.
- Swing the upper body forward on the central hinge, then swing it back up on the secondary hinge. This brings the two halves of the figure closer together.
- Swing the front panel of each lower leg forward.
- On the bottom of each foot, swing out the rear vehicle mode wheels.
- Rotate the arms forward at the shoulders.
- Rotate the forearms around so the 5mm ports on the forearms are facing you.
- Swing the arms in so they are under the chest section (now the front of the vehicle mode).
- Swing the lower legs up into the thighs, connecting the rear of the vehicle to the top panel.
- Close the doors.
- The weapons can be attached to the top and sides of the vehicle.
Vehicle Mode:
This mode features mostly the same deco pattern as Skids including the large stripe pattern running down the sides. This is also a callback to the Diaclone era figures. Despite having different heads and/or base colors (red, silver, blue etc.) the actual stickers running down the sides were the same design. In this case, I really love how the red and silver pops against the black. The front end features a lot of silver paint on the grille and yellow headlights. Much to my delight, it turns out the designers worked in some extra paint applications in this mode! The front bumper features gunmetal grey and red details while the rear lights have been painted in using yellow and red (a callback to the stickers used on the Honda City Turbo figure's rear lights!). I really appreciated these extra touches, especially the rear lights which are often ignored in modern day Transformers figures.
Similar to Skids, this vehicle mode feels solid and looks great. I appreciate how the vehicle manages to pay homage to the Diaclone Honda City Turbo without being a licensed vehicle.
Final Thoughts:
Burn Out is an old fashioned head swap/new paint figure. This is the sort of thing we used to wait to get at Botcon, but now it's a (somewhat) more widely available store exclusive. I also appreciate how the term "Diaclone" has become a part of a line outside of a convention exclusive (and it gives Twin Twist someone to hang out with!). I really loved the Skids figure and this also gets two thumbs up from me!
Pros:
- Excellent new head sculpt, helping to differentiate this figure from Skids.
- Fun play features.
- Intuitive transformation.
- I love Diaclone homages!
Cons:
- Could use a few more paint applications on the lower legs in robot mode.
