General Information:
Release Date: October 2022
Price Point: $24.97 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Wal-Mart Exclusive (with limited quantities on Hasbro Pulse)
Accessories: Blaster, Checkered Flag
Background:
In 1985, the Transformers toy line started moving away from a focus on “realistic” alt-modes for characters and opened the line up to really anything including space ships. One of these was the Mini-Bot Cosmos, who was featured in a couple G1 episodes which often featured him in his “flying saucer” alt-mode. His personality, distinct voice, round and somewhat unwieldly shape helped fans gain a certain affection for the character.
Post G1 there have been a few Cosmos figures including Universe 2.0 Cosmos, Generations Cosmos with Payload and Titans Return Cosmos. This figure represents the first time he has been made with a new, Deluxe Class sculpt.
Cosmos was one of the most desired figures in the first wave of Velocitron Speedia 500 figures but he was extremely difficult to find because he was limited to one per case. Limited quantities were put up for order on Hasbro Pulse and sold out very quickly. My copy of this figure was from the Pulse order. I was never able to successfully order from Walmart and I never saw it in store. Surprisingly, in October 2023, fans began to find the Velocitron collection at Ross stores (with the Voyager Class figures appearing at Ollie’s stores as well) including Cosmos. However, he remains elusive and after market prices are still rather high as I write this review.
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 featuring both modes. The flap on top has the vehicle mode while the left side of the rectangular section shows her in robot mode. Interestingly, Cosmos’ name does not call out any "Universe" of origin so we can assume his universe is G1 here. The back of the box shows the figure in both modes, calling out a 21 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.
Accessories:
Cosmos includes two accessories:
- Blaster: This weapon is a small blaster with a fairly simple design, consisting of angled sections in the middle and back with a medium sized barrel in front. This piece is made of green plastic with no paint applications. The handle is a 5mm peg and the sides have 5mm ports. The front allows you to attach a Blast Effect.
- Checkered Flag: One of the most unusual accessories ever, this checkered flag is a nod to Velocitron’s “Speedia 500” race. This piece is green plastic and painted white and black in a checkered flag pattern. This piece attaches to the blaster which Cosmos can then hold by the barrel like it is a flag on a small pole. The connector piece is a 5mm peg, so you can attach this to any Transformer or weapon with a 5mm port.
Vehicle Mode:
Cosmos has one of the most unusual vehicle modes among the Autobots: a flying saucer. While previous Generations versions of the character have tried to streamline this alt mode to give it a less whimsical appearance, this version leans into the somewhat goofy nature of the alt mode. The vehicle is a fairly round and thick saucer with a large section on top that is much taller (proportionally speaking) than it is on other versions of Cosmos. You’d think from the way I’m describing it here that this may not look so great, but I love it. It has a really fun appearance that befits a character who was created in the 80’s when UFOs were all the rage. This mode also nods to the original Cosmos figure in many ways. The round section with another round section on top comes right out of G1. The front has two small blasters in front and in the back are triple thrusters on either side. The section on top has sculpting on it that is based on designs used in the G1 cartoon model. Overall I really dig the sculpt on this vehicle mode.
There is a lot of green plastic in this mode with some yellow peeking out in the middle. The outer ring of the top and bottom sections of this vehicle are painted dark green. The middle of both the lower section and top section feature silver paint. There is also blue and red paint on the top section including an Autobot symbol in the middle. These details are intended as a callback to G1 Cosmos’ animation model. Interestingly, some official stock photos show an Autobot symbol over the silver section in the front, but the final figure does not have it.
The blasters in the front of those mode allows you to attach Blast Effects, but sadly the thrusters in the back do not have ports to attach Blast Effects. There are three 5mm ports in this mode, allowing you to attach his accessories and then some!
Transformation to Robot Mode
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Swing the sides of the saucer out.
- Hold on to the front of the vehicle and swing it forward. You’ll see this reveals the robot mode waist and legs. Snap it into place.
- Split the front end of the vehicle and swing the halves up to form the feet. Swing the sections with the blasters back to form the heels.
- Pull the rear section back.
- Push the top of the vehicle down and flip it around, revealing the robot head.
- Rotate the back section around.
- Fold the curved, back section down, then push in the back section a bit (not all the way).
- The arms are connected to yellow pieces which have a “U” shaped gap, slide those over the green tabs sticking out the side of the vehicle’s top section.
- Swing the fists out of the forearms.
- The blaster and flag can be fit in his fists or the sides of the arms.
Robot Mode:
Cosmos looks fantastic in robot mode. For the most part he looks like the G1 animation model leapt out of the TV onto my desk. His silhouette is round and rather thick looking from his arms to his legs. Even his head is wide and to me, he somehow winds up looking pretty adorable (and I mean that as a compliment). Cosmos has a lot of the details you’d expect including his distinct head shape, eyes and mouthplate design. His arms have two raised circles on them and there are panels on the hips with vent like details in front. One of my favorite details are the thrusters sculpted on top of the hands. The G1 action figure actually used those thrusters as his hands and in the cartoon they sat next to his hands as an extension of his forearms. It’s great to see this detail carried over in this mode since technically the “real” thrusters from the vehicle mode wind up behind the shoulders in this mode.
The only part of the figure that is not quite G1 accurate are the “back” pieces of the vehicle mode which sit at an angle on his back. To me that’s no big deal. I love the way this figure looks.
Cosmos is made up of green, yellow and red plastic. Green and yellow make up most of the body. The head is red plastic with yellow and blue paint on it. His arms have yellow paint on them. The yellow doesn’t quite match the yellow plastic color, but it still looks good to me.
Cosmos has twenty two points of articulation. This includes three in each arm and five in each leg. I’m also counting the ability of his “hip flaps” to swing in and out. There are six 5mm ports in this mode. The fists, the elbows and one on the bottom of each foot.
Final Thoughts:
Cosmos is fantastic. It is a real shame that this figure is so hard for fans to get their hands on. Keep in mind, even with his showing up at Ross stores, he’s still one per case and not all fans have a Ross near them (I definitely don’t). If you can get this guy at a reasonable price, he is definitely highly recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt in both modes.
- Good deco.
- Unique and fun transformation.
- Unique accessory!
Cons:
- The rarity of the figure is a real downer.
- Some fans may have an issue with the hollow forearms. I personally don’t have an issue with it.
