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General Information:
Release Date: July 2012
Price Point: $7.99
Retailer: General release (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Cannon, Sword
*Images with asterisks* and text below in italics from The Official Transformers web site:
DREADWING is fiercely loyal to MEGATRON, and is nearly as savage in battle as the DECEPTICON leader himself. As a Seeker, he proved himself a force to be reckoned with. As DECEPTICON second in command, he may be the end of the AUTOBOTS.
Bring the DECEPTICON menace into your TRANSFORMERS adventures with this intense Commander Class DREADWING robot-to-vehicle figure! In robot mode, your evil DREADWING figure’s weapons combine to make serious trouble for the AUTOBOTS. But when they’ve got him on the run, convert him to fighter jet mode to keep him one step ahead! Keep converting him back and forth so he can handle whatever his AUTOBOT enemies throw at him!
Includes 1 figure. Commander Class Series 2 005 DREADWING. Ages 5 and up.
Dreadwing is an interesting character in that he was introduced long after his "twin" brother Skyquake. Skyquake was only seen "alive" in one episode and then would later be shown in a more "Zombie" like state of mind. Dreadwing however was active in a couple of episodes so far and was shown to be a very honorable warrior with a slightly different code of behavior than his fellow Decepticons. Dreadwing is also interesting in that he was brought out in the toy line before Skyquake. I would have expected it to be the other way around based on the order of their appearances in the television show. The Commander Class version of the character came out first in the summer of 2012, to be followed in the Fall by the Voyager Class figure.
Robot Mode:
Dreadwing is identified as a "Seeker" in the "Transformers Prime" television show. The term "Seeker" is traditionally reserved for those Decepticon jets who formed a bulk of the aerial combat units such as Thundercracker and Skywarp from Generation One. This generally gives people the image of a very thin, sleek and powerful looking Decepticon, but in the case of Dreadwing he is bulky and powerful while having sleek details worked into his design. Most of his armor is bulky looking, from the layered armor on his forearms to his wide chest down to his rather thick lower legs. Even the robot head is wider than most Decepticons we have seen in the past. I really like this design contrast with past characters we've seen such as Starscream.
A lot of the details from the television show CG model carry over ot this figure. The head design is spot on with a high central crest and horns sticking up on the top of the head, a narrow face with wide helmet sections near his mouth. He also has several layers of armor sculpted onto the chest that are set at angles. Many of his design elements come to sharp points such as the armor on his forearms, his knee armor, feet and even his fingers (sculpted here as a partially open hand).
Color-wise, this interpretation of Dreadwing seems a bit darker in tone than his on-screen counterpart. His primary plastic colors are dark blue, silver and translucent yellow. However, the blue used here seems a shade or two darker than the one Dreadwing actually has on the television show. The silver is used on smaller parts such as his upper arms and thighs. The paint colors used on the figure are yellow and silver with a touch of red. The silver is most heavily used on his torso, where the armor on the sides are painted completely silver (whereas on the show that armor is a mix of blue and silver). Both his knee armor and feet are also painted silver. While not 100% show accurate, it does "break" the dark blue color in the right places ot keep the figure looking interesting. Most of the vehicle mode's front end on his chest is actually a translucent yellow piece, but blue and silver paint are used to make it look more like the armor on the show. Offering some bright contrast on the figure is yellow, which is mostly seen here on the face, arms and shoulder armor. You see some peeking through form the wings on his back as well. The final color touch are his eyes, which are painted red. Considering how tiny his eyes are, this is a very impressive detail and I'm glad it wasn't skipped!
Dreadwing includes two weapons, both taken directly from the television show. One is a sword with an indent at the end. The other is a long cannon. Both of the weapons are cast in translucent yellow plastic. What's interesting to me is that the sword on my Dreadwing appears to be a slightly lighter shade of translucent yellow than the cannon. Dreadwing can hold both weapons in either hand or attach them to the holes on the sides of his forearms. The cannon has a 3mm peg on the bottom and the back, allowing the figure to hold the weapon almost like a club. The sword can attach to the cannon either on the sides or the bottom (forming a bayonet styled weapon). In another nod to the television show, the weapons can store on Dreadwing's back thanks to a peg in the center of his back. Another interesting functional detail are the pegs on the inside of each forearm. These are meant to be part of the transformation scheme, but can be used to attach Cyberverse weapons such as his own cannon, freeing up his hand to hold an additional weapon. Talk about a potential walking arsenal!
Dreadwing has eight points of articulation in this mode. Six of these are ball joints, allowing for a good range of motion. These include the shoulder, elbow and hip joints. For those who own any of the Cyberverse playsets with light up Energon Boosters (like the Energon Driller) you can connect the light up parts to the back of Dreadwing (where you would normally store his weapons) to light up his chest. The effect works, but not great since only a small bit of translucent yellow plastic shows in the front.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach the weapons if attached.
- On each foot, swing the robot feet down.
- Swing the middle of the torso up to form the front section of the vehicle.
- Swing the shoulder armor pieces forward, forming armor on the sides of the nosecone section.
- Swing the remaining section of the torso down, then swing the legs back.
- Rotate each lower leg so the horizontal stabilizers are flat.
- Push each lower leg up and attach it to the section with the vehicle's engine using the tabs on the legs.
- Connect each robot arm using the peg on the inside of the forearms to the holes in the back of the lower legs.
- The weapons can be attached to the peg on top of the vehicle or using the holes on the underside of each wing.
Vehicle Mode:
Dreadwing's vehicle mode is a modified version of a F-35 Lightning II jet fighter. Like the real life vehicle it has two horizontal and vertical stabilizers in the back and panels around the base of the nosecone. Where it differs is in the shape of the nosecone with some embellishments on the rest of the vehicle. The nosecone is a sharp pointed one that resembles more of what we've come to expect from jets like the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The sides of the vehicles near the front of the wings have some extra stabilizers sticking out the sides, and each of his wings and vertical stabilizers have hooked/angled ends that make the vehicle look a bit more futuristic and fast. Most of the robot mode parts manage to blend in well with this vehicle mode so he doesn't wind up with a ton of distracting undercarriage junk. Overall it's a really nicely sculpted vehicle mode.
Dreadwing shows mostly dark blue plastic in this mode since almost all the silver has been tucked underneath the vehicle. The nose of the vehicle is silver (made of a rubbery plastic for safety) while the front landing gear is made of regular silver plastic. The middle of the vehicle and the cockpit cover are translucent yellow. A bit more yellow color comes into play on designs at the edge of each wing and stabilizer. Yellow is also used for "wing" designs on top of each wing with Decepticon symbols in the middle. This color scheme echoes the one used by the real life Blue Angels, a part of the Navy's air division. The colors look great here and I really appreciate that the yellow edge accents were used on all of the wings and stabilizers, not just two or four.
If you have the weapons attached to the wings, you can still attach additional Cyberverse weaponry on the top of the vehicle, giving it some added play value.
Final Thoughts:
Overall this figure is a strong showing from the Cyberverse line. It looks great in both modes, the sculpt is true to the character and it's fun to play with. Highly recommended!
