General Information:
Release Date: July 2023
Price Point: $24.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Walmart Exclusive (with limited quantities on Hasbro Pulse)
Accessories: Blasters x 2
Official images and text in italics below are from Hasbro Pulse
Unleash a storm of toxic destruction with the G2 Universe Dead End action figure! This converting Transformers action figure for boys and girls is inspired by the original color designs from the G2 toy line in the ‘90s. The bright color scheme of this Transformers toy is sure to stand out in any fan’s collection. This G2 Universe Dead End toy makes a great gift for Transformers fans and collectors. Look for more Transformers Legacy toys to add to your collection (each sold separately, subject to availability).
Includes: Figure, 2 accessories, and instructions.
- TOXITRON COLLECTION: A collection of Transformers robots has risen out of the Toxic Sludge Swamps of Cybertron! Toxitron is unleashing radioactive mayhem with a team of toxic warriors
- G2-INSPIRED DESIGNS: These action figures are inspired by some of the unreleased color designs from the original G2 toy line. Featuring bright neon color schemes, these figures will stand out in your collection
- 2 EPIC MODES: Transformers action figure for boys and girls converts from robot to racecar mode in 15 steps
- AWESOME ACCESSORIES: This G2 Universe Dead End toy for 8 year old boys and girls comes with 2 blaster accessories
- CELEBRATE THE LEGACY: Transformers Legacy Evolution celebrates 40 years of Transformers history. Collect different characters to create your ideal Legacy lineup (each sold separately, subject to availability)
Ages 8 and up WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - Small parts. Not for children under 3 years.
Background:
In July of 2023 Hasbro and Walmart released a new Capsule program (i.e. a set of exclusive toys with a theme) based around the character of Toxitron. Inspired by an unreleased neon green and purple Optimus Prime redeco from Transformers Universe Hasbro decided to do something particularly wacky and base an entire capsule around the idea of wild and bright colors on both the action figures themselves and their packaging. The idea is that all the Autobots and Decepticons with crazy color schemes emerged from a Toxic Sludge Swamp on Cybertron, explaining their decos.
In the latter days of Generation 2, Hasbro had many ideas for redecos of existing toys to release as part of the toy line. Among these unreleased figures were redecos of the G1 Stunticons. A handful of these sets wound up making their way into the hands of collectors over the years and in 2016 Hasbro released a boxed set of the Combiner Wars Stunticons based on those G2 decos. This means this is the second time an official Hasbro mass release Dead End has been based on this deco. You can check out my review of the Combiner Wars version here. This figure is a redeco of Legacy Dead End and you can check out my review of that figure here.
Packaging:
The Toxitron Collection is technically part of the Legacy Evolution sub-line of Generations so it takes a lot of its packaging design cues from that line including the angled shape of the box, the giant “Legacy Evolution” logo and the use of the character’s alt mode in front of the box. However, the designers decided to really go with the 90’s G2 inspired theme and color the packaging as if it were a neon “black light” poster. The background is very dark while Dead End's illustration (both robot and vehicle modes) feature him in bright, neon colors. It’s a really fun, creative way to make the packaging distinctive for this capsule program.
The back of the box shows Dead End in both modes calling out a 15 step transformation. It also features a design that looks like sludge with a “toxic” symbol with a G1 Autobot symbol in the middle. The packaging also specifically calls out Dead End as being from the G2 Universe (complete with G2 Decepticon symbol) in case anyone had any doubt if this release was a homage to that era of Transformers toys.
Accessories:
Dead End includes two identical blasters. These are based on the model used in the G1 animated series and Marvel Comic books (which were different than the blaster included with the G1 action figure). The blaster features a barrel with an angled piece on top. The base of the weapon features three 5mm pegs and an angled section in back (with one more peg to boot). The top has a targeting scope on it. Both weapons are made of black plastic with metallic blue painted on most of the weapon except for the pegs.
Robot Mode:
Since the original G2 Dead End never saw mass release, there are not a ton of photos out there of the figure. TFW2005 has an extensive gallery of the set and there is a picture of a carded sample on The TFWiki. Looking at Dead End in those photos gives you an idea of where the designers started when they created a new deco for the Legacy Dead End sculpt.
Dead End is made up of red, silver, metallic teal and black plastic. The layout of these colors in robot mode appears largely based on the unproduced G2 action figure. The arms are a combination of metallic teal, black and red plastic (the original had black and red arms). The torso and waist area are mostly silver with metallic teal paint applications. The thighs are metallic teal and the lower legs are red plastic. His head is metallic teal with yellow painted on the eyes, nose and mouth plate. Overall it is a beautiful deco in its own way. Silver and red play together nicely color-wise and the metallic teal is a gorgeous color on its own. Against silver, black and red it looks fantastic. There is a bit of G2 garishness here but it is nowhere near on the level of say Mirage from the same wave of figures.
All the joints on my copy of this figure are nice and tight and he can hold his weapons without a problem.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the accessories and set them aside for now.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- On each arm, rotate the door panels around.
- Swing the wheels down on each shoulder.
- Swing the back panel out.
- Swing the arms up (including the sides of the chest sections) and connect them together.
- Swing the arms down to the sides.
- Swing the back panel up and then the front of the car forward.
- Swing each foot back.
- On each lower leg, swing the front panels forward.
- Push the lower legs together. Be sure to connect them together tightly. This affects how well panels line up in the back of the vehicle mode. If not pushed together enough gaps can form in the back of the vehicle.
- Swing the rear half of the vehicle forward.
- Swing the lower leg panels back up.
- The blasters attach to the ports on the top of the vehicle.
You still need to fiddle with the back a bit to close up the gaps like you would have on Legacy Dead End.
Vehicle Mode:
With much of the vehicle mode on the sides of the arms and back of the robot mode, this form gives us a whole new group of details to admire. Most of the vehicle mode is made up of red and black plastic. Red makes up the body of the car while the wheels are black. There is a lot of deco in this mode and it looks great. All the details are directly inspired by details found on the unreleased G2 Dead End including:
- The hood has a large black tampograph on it that has a G2 Decepticon symbol in the center. The headlights are also painted silver.
- The sides of the vehicle have yellow and black tampos that look like a fireball.
- The top of the car features a yellow rectangle with a metallic teal border. On the original G2 toy this detail also had the name "Dead End" inside of it but that is absent here.
- The windows are all painted silver.
- The sides of the wheels are painted silver.
This vehicle mode is absolutely beautiful. As a modern representation of the unreleased G2 figure it works brilliantly. As a standalone figure I love how much deco was applied to this mode, especially bits like the back window which are often left unpainted on Transformers figures.
The weapons can still attach to the 5mm ports near the spoiler and they fit nice and snug.
Final Thoughts:
Unlike Mirage or Sideswipe which never made it past the concept stages, the G2 Stunticons actually had limited numbers produced which in a way puts them in a special category all their own in terms of rarity. I have always wanted the G2 Stunticons but they have remained out of my price range, so having a modern day figure based on one of them is a good substitute. Even without that mystique, this is a fun figure on its own and well worth the purchase. Be warned however, this figure is only one per case so you will need a bit of luck to find it. Recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt that pays homage to G1 Dead End.
- Fun play value.
- Excellent deco based on the unreleased G2 figure.
Cons:
- You need to fiddle quite a bit to not have large gaps in the back of the vehicle mode.
- Being one per case will make this figure a bit hard to find.
