General Information:
Release Date: June 2010
Price Point: $12.99 (Depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Missiles x 2, Missile launchers x 2
Thrust was one of the three "Conehead" Seekers in the Generation One series. They were called this because of the alternate transformation given to these figures where the nosecone of the jet mode was pointed up (which was not the original intent if you look at the G1 toy illustrations, which had the nosecones down). This design carried over to their cartoon and comic book appearances and became iconic enough to be used as a key feature in the retool of the basic "Classics" Seeker sculpt from 2007 with a "conehead".
For the sake of context, you won't be surprised to discover that I've reviewed this particular basic sculpt several times already. However, for the purposes of this review it makes most sense to compare to the version of a "Classics" Thrust that had already been released three years ago: Botcon 2007 exclusive Thrust. That figure took the basic Ramjet Seeker sculpt and modified it to look more like the G1 version of the character complete with new wings and rear stabilizer wings. Let's be clear: this version is not the Botcon sculpt reissued. Instead, this is a US release of the Thrust sculpt released by Takara Tomy in Japan last year which had all new parts sculpted for the wings and stabilizers.
Vehicle Mode:
It's interesting how history repeats itself. In Generation One, the central body of the jet/Seeker sculpts were used over and over to produce six different characters. The Classics Seeker sculpt has undergone the same basic, albeit using two slightly different versions of the central body, not just one. In this case, the Ramjet central body was used with new wings to create Thrust. The Botcon 2007 Thrust created four new pieces, two wings and two stabilizers to produce a proper Thrust figure. In the case of this figure, there are actually six new pieces. The two rear stabilizer fins and then the wings, each of which consists of two pieces: the wing itself and the pod in the middle with the fan inside of it. By separating the hoverfans from the actual wings, that section of the wing winds up looking bulkier than the Botcon version. Also in general both the wings and the tail fins are larger in width and height than the Botcon version. Another change involves the weapons. This Seeker sculpt has two missiles available to it, larger ones like those that came with Ramjet and smaller ones like those that came with Starscream. In Thrust's case, the designers used the ones that came with Starscream instead of the larger ones whereas the Botcon version did the opposite.
In an interesting bit of functionality, the hoverfan sections of the wings can detach and be attached to the underside of the rear fin sections. The same can be done with the missile launchers. However, neither of these configurations look particularly cool or interesting so I'm wondering if this was one of those ideas that looked good "on paper" but then didn't quite turn out as well in real life execution.
As you can tell from the above notes on the sculpt alone, there are quite a few differences between the two versions of the character. Still, several elements are represented in both. Both have the hoverfans in raised sections on the wing, both have two circular details at the base of each wing and each of the rear tailfins have a horizontal part that stretches out to the sides, leading to a vertical piece on either side. Sculpting isn't the only place where the two figures differ however. They both also have differences in the deco pattern.
When the Botcon 2007 exclusive Thrust was created, its base colors were inspired by a combination of the cartoon and G1 toys. This meant the red used on the figure was very flat (but a nice dark shade) and black was used as the primary contrasting color. We also worked hard to make sure details like the aforementioned four circles on the wings carried over details straight from stickers on the G1 figure. In the case of Generations Thrust, the primary colors seem more inspired by the G1 action figure than its cartoon representation. The primary colors of Generations Thrust are metallic maroon, dark grey and translucent yellow. The red dominates this form, which follows suit with the G1 Thrust. The wings, tail fins and the base of the missile launchers are cast in dark grey while the cockpit window is translucent yellow. The interior of the cockpit is vacuum metallized silver, giving a really beautiful glow combined with the translucent yellow to that section of the vehicle.
The paint applications on this figure are inspired by the G1 Thrust figure, with some minor adjustments. On the edges of the wings are white and metallic maroon lines that start towards the front of te vehicle and trace all the way to the sides. On the vertical fins there are "L" shaped details in the same colors. Each wing features a silver Decepticon symbol and maroon is also used to paint the raised sections of the cockpit. I find it fascinating that two different decos can still represent the same character so well. This color scheme is neither better or worse than the Botcon version, it's just a different take on the same source material and I think from a collector's perspective it is best for the two decos to be different. That way, collectors who paid a premium for Botcon Thrust do not feel somehow "cheated". It is evident in this mode that the two toys are very different animals.
Transformation to Robot Mode:
- Detach the weapons from the underside of the wings.
- Pull the rear section of the vehicle back.
- Swing the robot feet down.
- Swing the back of the robot torso back.
- Swing the wings with the hoverfans on them up so the Decepticon symbols face forward.
- Swing out the robot arms, and swing out the robot fists.
- Swing the nosecone forward a bit, then rotate it around.
- Swing the nosecone section down into the main body.
- Turn the top of the nosecone around to reveal the robot head.
- Swing the back section forward against the chest plate.
- Attach the missile launchers to his arms or place them in the fists.
As a note, you can detach the hoverfans and attach them to the underside of the fin pieces attached to his lower legs. This sort of simulates the look of the G1 Thrust animation model which wound up having those fans on his legs instead of his back. While I get the intent here, I personally prefer the look of the fans on his back.
Robot Mode:
In robot mode, the newly sculpted wing sections are very obvious. Whether or not you have the hoverfans attached to his tailfins or the wings on his back, his profile is quite different from that of Ramjet, whose wings mostly rested on his legs. In this respect Thrust winds up looking a lot more like Starscream and Skywarp. This look totally works for the figure and further separates him from the Botcon version of the character. The extra width of the wings also adds a striking element to his look, especially if you take the hoverfans off to reduce their bulk. They also wind up being less in the way of his arms as well if you remove them.
The same colors featured in the vehicle mode appear here with some additions. You'll find silver paint now on his chest and legs and gold paint on his arms, waist the the vertical air intakes on either side of his head. The face is colored light grey while his eyes are painted yellow. All in all this paint scheme takes its inspiration from the G1 figure, especially with regards to coloring the eyes yellow, paying homage to the gold stickers that were used for the eyes on the G1 Seekers. The overall effect on this figure is a striking color scheme (I'm a sucker for metallic shades of plastic) with a dynamic look that doesn't duplicate the Botcon version.
I confess I was very worried about the joints on this figure when it was first announced. As you may recall from my Universe 2.0 Starscream review, the joints on the Seeker sculpt had apparently become very loose after so many uses. I am happy to report that on Thrust they seemed to have fixed whatever quality issues were occurring and his joints are nice and tight. Also, his weapons fit perfectly in his hands and the slots on the sides of his arms. His shoulder joints do feel slightly more loose than my Classics Starscream, but that's hardly a deal breaker.
Final Thoughts:
Generations Thrust is a fantastic retool and redeco of the Ramjet sculpt. While Botcon 2007 did offer a version of this character, it was extremely limited and not everyone could get their hands on one. Now any fan can add a "Classics" style Thrust to their neo-Generation One toy shelf. Highly recommended!
