General Information
Release Date: October 2024
Price Point: $24.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Walmart exclusive (with limited quantities available on Hasbro Pulse
Accessories: Hammer, Claw, Cyber Key
Official images and text in italics are from Walmart.com:
- Star Raider Cannonball Action Figure: This 55inch (14 cm) Star Raider Cannonball toy features deco and detail inspiration from Transformers lore
- 2in1 Converting Transformers Toy: Converts from robot toy to car toy in 14 steps for versatile play
- Awesome Accessories: Comes with a gatling blaster, claw, and hammer accessories for enhanced playability
- Articulated for Play and Display: Features articulated heads, arms, and legs for dynamic action poses
- Celebrate the Legacy: Honors 40 years of Transformers animated history! Collect other Legacy: United figures to expand your collection (each sold separately, subject to availability)
- Gift Transformers Collectibles: Makes a great collectible figure gift for any Transformers fan
Unite your favorite characters from across the world of Transformers robots into your collection with the Transformers Legacy United Star Raider Cannonball action figure! This 5.5-inch Star Raider Cannonball action figure converts between robot and car modes in 14 steps. Gear up for battle with the included cyberkey, hammer, claw, and removable roof piece accessories. The Star Raider Cannonball figure is inspired by the character from Transformers lore and features articulated head, arms, and legs for awesome action poses. Celebrate the last 40 years of Transformers history with Transformers Legacy action figures. Transformers Legacy opens the portal to a whole new universe of -- More Than Meets the Eye -- bringing together every Transformers generation like you’ve never seen before. Collect and combine different characters to create your ideal Legacy lineup.
Background:
Cannonball is a relatively obscure Transformers character first introduced in 2006. Over the year, multiple Transformers characters have taken on the mantle of "Cannonball". You can read about the various Cannonballs on the TFWiki. The original Cannonball toy was a redeco of the Cybertron Red Alert Deluxe Class figure. This new version is a redeco and retool of the Legacy Crankcase figure, which in turn was a retool and redeco of the Legacy Skids figure. We don't often see retools and redecos of retools and redecos so this is an unusual case. Check out both those previous reviews for a nice historical look at the foundations of this figure.
Packaging:
Cannonball is packaged in the standard Legacy box 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 Cannonball sits in features blue and white colors, offering nice contrast to the darker outer box. On the left side is a box describing Cannonball as a "Star Raider". The Legacy United logo is under artwork of Cannonball in vehicle mode. The left side of the box (if you are facing it) features Cannonball's robot mode art.
The back of the box shows Cannonball in both modes calling out an 14 step transformation. Under all that is the new 40th Anniversary Transformers logo. A box on the right focuses on his Cyber Key feature. One thing of note with this box: the cardboard is of significantly better quality than the previous two years of Legacy figures. This cardboard feels solid and firm which hopefully means damaged boxes on store shelves and right out of the case will be less likely. Since the first wave of "Legacy United" I have been thrilled by this (it's the little things sometimes...).
Accessories:
The original Cannonball figure had the capability of attaching a claw or hammer to his left wrist. He also included a Cyber Key which activated an action feature in the Cybertron version of this character. Here's a rundown of the unique accessories included with this version of Cannonball:
- Lightbar: The original Cannonball was a redeco of Red Alert, so he was an emergency vehicle complete with a lightbar sculpted onto the top of the vehicle. This time out, the lightbar is a separate accessory but its design is modeled on the original Cannonball's. The lightbar is split between to angled sections with a rounded piece in the middle (which on the Cybertron toy was actually the top of Cannonball's head). Behind the lightbar are smaller siren lights with a "Cyber Key" slot in the middle. This slot fits the Cyber Key though in this new version of the character it does not activate any features. It is just there for show. This piece is made of black plastic with green, gold and purple paint.
- Cyber Key: In the Cybertron series Cyber Keys activated powered up features on Transformers. To simulate this play pattern this figure comes with a Planet Earth styled Cyber Key. Thew sculpt is directly based off the Cyber Key included with Cybertron Cannonball but this one is much smaller and made entirely of black plastic with no paint applications. This key does fit right into the Lightbar section but it does not activate any features. It is just for show.
- Hammer: The hammer head looks a lot like the one included with the original Cannonball featuring two square ends and a square section in the middle. The piece a peg in the middle with a port in it that fits into Cannonball's left wrist. This piece is black with no paint applications.
- Claw: The claw features a large top claw and a slightly smaller bottom claw. This features a 5mm peg on one side and a port on the back to attach it to Cannonball's left wrist. This piece is black with no paint applications.
Robot Mode:
Cannonball is a fairly extensive retool of Crankcase. Here's a rundown of what's been changed:
- Head: Cannonball features a new head sculpt based on Cybertron Cannonball's head design (which itself was originally Red Alert's head design). The design has a round helmet section with visor eyes and a very pronounced "chin strap" piece. The head is gold, silver and purple with some black on the left side. The black on the left side is meant to allude to an eyepatch, a stereotypical feature of pirates in some fiction.
- Shoulders: The shoulder pieces from Crankcase have been replaced with all new ones. The key feature of these shoulder pieces are the panels on the sides which have been designed to look like the doors from the vehicle mode. On the original Cannonball these panels actually did form the doors so this is a nice nod to that feature of the original figure.
- Chest: The chest piece (which also forms the front of the vehicle) has been replaced with a new one with features that come right from Cybertron Cannonball. This piece includes some vent-like designs on top and headlights with a series of horizontal lines on them. Now, on the original Cannonball this part of the vehicle mode did not form the chest of the robot mode, but it still looks good. This piece is dark grey plastic with gold, silver black and yellow paint applications.
- Left Wrist: The left fist has been replaced with what looks like a blaster barrel. This is a carry over from the design of the character Red Alert. You can imagine this as a blaster or you can use it to attach the Hammer or Claw accessories.
I am really happy to see just how much retooling was done for this release. I'm glad it was not just a head swap.
The colors on this figure are dramatically different than previous releases. The main plastic colors are dark grey and gold. Paint colors include gold, silver, purple, black, yellow and green. I really love the way the colors are distributed, especially on the chest and head. I would have liked a bit of purple on the lower legs to match the original Cannonball but that is a minor quibble.
Functionally this figure retains Crankcase's "shoulder cannons" (I'm using the term loosely). This is a fun nod to the original Cannonball's ability to activate hidden cannons when you plug in his Cyber Key! I really appreciate this homage even if it's not quite as dramatic as the original. While you can attach the Claw and Hammer accessories to the back of his lower legs, you can also fit them into the slots on the inside of his lower legs for storage.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Swing the wheels on the bottom of the feet out to the sides.
- Swing down the panels on the front of the lower legs.
- Push the lower legs together.
- Swing the chest up over the head to form the front of the vehicle.
- Swing the arms down, then swing them in. The curves on the back of the forearms should fit into the tabs on the gold section the head is attached to.
- Swing the lower body back at the hip section, then bend the legs and swing them forward to form the rear of the vehicle.
- Swing the doors down.
Vehicle Mode:
While this vehicle mode is structurally similar to Crankcase in terms of the parts that move and how they move, much of this vehicle mode features all new parts. I covered the front of the vehicle in the robot mode review, but other parts are new too including the windshield (which is now curved instead of flat and rectangular) and the sections that form the rear of the vehicle. These feature what look like storage containers mounted onto the sides above the rear wheel wells. These designs come right from the original Cannonball figure. The back of the vehicle is mostly new too, featuring lots of line details including vertical rear lights. Like the robot mode, I am both surprised and happy to see how extensive the retooling is in this mode. Often vehicle forms take a back seat with retooling but not so with this figure!
The vehicle mode features all the same colors as the robot mode but you get to see some deep purple on the windows (with a silver stripe on top of the windshield) and beautiful green skulls that are reminiscent of the Vok from Beast Wars. Gold paint is used for a really nice trim that starts over the front wheel wells and goes all the way back to the rear ones. I really love the deco on this figure. It's unusual and features some beautiful colors.
Final Thoughts:
Cannonball is fantastic. This is exactly what I want from a retool/redeco: a significant number of new parts and beautiful new colors that are very different from the original figure(s). I also have an attachment to the character having written a story for him via the (now defunct) "Transformers Collector's Club" many years ago. Not everyone likes redecos and retools but if you are into them this is a great one. Highly recommended!
Pros:
- Extensive retooling of the Crankcase sculpt that goes beyond just a new head.
- Nice homages to the original Cannonball both in the retooling and deco.
- Beautiful colors with unusual design patterns like the skulls.
- No apparent mold degradation (I point this out because of how many times this base tooling has been used).
Cons:
- I would have loved the Cyber Key to actually activate something but I understand the constraints of the price point.
- A bit more color on the lower body in robot mode would have been nice.
