Toy Review - Generations VOY Blitzwing

[griffin]

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details to start you off)

Series - Generations
Sub-line - n/a (Fall of Cybertron label dropped)
Size/class - Voyager
Wave - 3
New/remould/redeco - New
Released here - not expected here (released globally April 2013)
Approximate Retail Price - $40-50 (US$20-25 in America)
Approximate Size - 18cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Tank, Jet
Main Features/Gimmicks - Triple-changer
Main Colours - Purple, tan, black, grey
Main Accessories - Sword, gun

NOTE - the original official image is below. The actual Hasbro toy does not have that metallic shine to it. If official photos of the actual toy is released, it will be changed over.

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/gen47.jpg

[SharkyMcShark]

First, I want to give Hasbro a great deal of credit for trying to pull this design off in the Generations line, which unlike the Animated aesthetic (which last gave us a Blitzwing) doesn't allow as much room for chibi-fying and messing with proportions.

Springer as a triple changer has always been easy hat really - the helicopter mode is more or less the car/buggy mode with the back end unfolded into a tail boom and a rotor on the top. It's far more difficult to try and get two vehicle modes with vastly different modes visually, here a bulky tank with hard edges and a sleek jet with curvy aerodynamic lines, out of the same pile of plastic and throw a robot mode in there too. I suppose what I'm saying is points for trying.

The end product is fairly poor though. The robot mode has major stability issues around the shoulder area - the shoulders have what are effectively vestigial tabs that don't really grip anything. Think the first run of 2007 Movie Brawl, but possibly worse. The head is on the end of a bit of plastic that telescopes back into the cockpit for transformation, but this doesn't really stay up in a convincing manner (not sexual). The head has a face changing gimmick similar to Animated Blitzwing - the figure could have done without this to be honest, all it achieves is to make the head too bulky to transform properly and limits the articulation to side to side.

Jet mode is actually a very good effort. It manages to avoid massive undercarriage kibble but having some of the bulk of the tank mode on the top of the jet. It ends up looking a little bit like Macross FAST Packs (or alternatively Classics Jetfire's backpack boosters) (which were based on Macross FAST Packs). Unfortunately another major design flaw works to more or less ruin this mode - the nose cone is a very soft malleable plastic that doesn't really do a convincing job of holding the aforementioned telescoping head joint back in place on my sample, and inevitably ends up coming free at the sides and stretching/warping into an odd shape. Your mileage may vary - I've read around the place that some people have problems with this, and some people have samples that fit perfectly.

Tank mode is a bit phoned in. From certain angles it looks amazing. From other angles it looks like bits of jet folded into a gappy tank mode. That said with triple changers one of the modes inevitable suffers for the other, and here that would be the tank mode. It works a lot better than some of the this modes we've seen on other triple changers down the years (Drag Racer TM2 Megatron anyone?).

It's a bad figure unfortunately. All of the problems I've mentioned are fairly major on their own, but probably without being figure destroying. Working together however they bring down what could have been a fantastic figure with some engineering changes.

I'd like to see Hasbro keep making triple changers. There are signs here that they are learning from the mistakes of the past - I was especially pleased to see that they've learned that where one of the modes is a jet not just to shove the folded up third mode under the jet and hope no one notices. They've demonstrated that they know to hide the defining visual characteristics of each mode when they're in the other alt mode (here the tank turret and treads are hidden well in plane mode, and the cockpit, wings and stabilisers are hidden well in tank mode). So not a good figure, but perhaps a bit of hope for the future in there somewhere.

[Raptormesh]

Contrary to the reviews I've read I'm really liking the Tank mode as it felt solid to me. I especially appreciate the two panels near the hips that you fold up to lock in the threads in this mode.

On the other hand Jet mode is an utter, infuriating mess. I could not transform the nose cone properly and the tabs which don't lock easily together pops out at the slightest touch. The end result looks like a shoebox strapped to an overweight duck with a bent beak. Take my opinion with a grain of salt though as I'm collect scale model planes and macross toys so may be biased and have unrealistic expectations for a jet to look like a jet.

There are also a few QC issues with the tolerances but it's still a fun toy I guess. Maybe I'll grow to like it.

[Sutton]

First, I want to give Hasbro a great deal of credit for trying to pull this design off in the Generations line, which unlike the Animated aesthetic (which last gave us a Blitzwing) doesn't allow as much room for chibi-fying and messing with proportions.

Springer as a triple changer has always been easy hat really - the helicopter mode is more or less the car/buggy mode with the back end unfolded into a tail boom and a rotor on the top. It's far more difficult to try and get two vehicle modes with vastly different modes visually, here a bulky tank with hard edges and a sleek jet with curvy aerodynamic lines, out of the same pile of plastic and throw a robot mode in there too. I suppose what I'm saying is points for trying.

The end product is fairly poor though. The robot mode has major stability issues around the shoulder area - the shoulders have what are effectively vestigial tabs that don't really grip anything. Think the first run of 2007 Movie Brawl, but possibly worse. The head is on the end of a bit of plastic that telescopes back into the cockpit for transformation, but this doesn't really stay up in a convincing manner (not sexual). The head has a face changing gimmick similar to Animated Blitzwing - the figure could have done without this to be honest, all it achieves is to make the head too bulky to transform properly and limits the articulation to side to side.

Jet mode is actually a very good effort. It manages to avoid massive undercarriage kibble but having some of the bulk of the tank mode on the top of the jet. It ends up looking a little bit like Macross FAST Packs (or alternatively Classics Jetfire's backpack boosters) (which were based on Macross FAST Packs). Unfortunately another major design flaw works to more or less ruin this mode - the nose cone is a very soft malleable plastic that doesn't really do a convincing job of holding the aforementioned telescoping head joint back in place on my sample, and inevitably ends up coming free at the sides and stretching/warping into an odd shape. Your mileage may vary - I've read around the place that some people have problems with this, and some people have samples that fit perfectly.

Tank mode is a bit phoned in. From certain angles it looks amazing. From other angles it looks like bits of jet folded into a gappy tank mode. That said with triple changers one of the modes inevitable suffers for the other, and here that would be the tank mode. It works a lot better than some of the this modes we've seen on other triple changers down the years (Drag Racer TM2 Megatron anyone?).

It's a bad figure unfortunately. All of the problems I've mentioned are fairly major on their own, but probably without being figure destroying. Working together however they bring down what could have been a fantastic figure with some engineering changes.

I'd like to see Hasbro keep making triple changers. There are signs here that they are learning from the mistakes of the past - I was especially pleased to see that they've learned that where one of the modes is a jet not just to shove the folded up third mode under the jet and hope no one notices. They've demonstrated that they know to hide the defining visual characteristics of each mode when they're in the other alt mode (here the tank turret and treads are hidden well in plane mode, and the cockpit, wings and stabilisers are hidden well in tank mode). So not a good figure, but perhaps a bit of hope for the future in there somewhere.

Have you checked out Peuagh's video review? It has a fix for the ridiculous shoulders at the 13 minute mark...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KW0f8U-K9j0

[Raptormesh]

Jet mode is actually a very good effort. It manages to avoid massive undercarriage kibble but having some of the bulk of the tank mode on the top of the jet. It ends up looking a little bit like Macross FAST Packs (or alternatively Classics Jetfire's backpack boosters) (which were based on Macross FAST Packs). Unfortunately another major design flaw works to more or less ruin this mode - the nose cone is a very soft malleable plastic that doesn't really do a convincing job of holding the aforementioned telescoping head joint back in place on my sample, and inevitably ends up coming free at the sides and stretching/warping into an odd shape. Your mileage may vary - I've read around the place that some people have problems with this, and some people have samples that fit perfectly.


This was actually what I was hoping for when I ordered it, but on mine the "Fast packs" keeps popping out during play and I had the nosecone issue.

[Raptormesh]

Have you checked out Peuagh's video review? It has a fix for the ridiculous shoulders at the 13 minute mark...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=KW0f8U-K9j0

The fix only worked for one side of my BW :rolleyes:

[theheretic]

Still waiting on my preorder to be filled at BBTS but that video review makes it look AMAZING!

[SharkyMcShark]

Can't get the shoulder fix thing to work on either of my BWs shoulders :(

[Deceptic_Optic]

epic fail for me springer is the stronger triple changer

[doublespy]

Sharky pretty much summed up everything I wanted to say:D

Blitzwing is harder to design than Springer, if it weren't for the shoulder problem I think it is still a very good figure. Don't understand why this wasn't ironed out at the master model stage or factory test shots. The face-changing gimmick doesn't seem necessary on a CHUG style figure but I apprecaite the effort to incorporate it nontheless.

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing01_zpsf34f0661.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing01_zpsf34f0661.jpg.html)

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing03_zpsb485cf33.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing03_zpsb485cf33.jpg.html)

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing04_zps3b86f67f.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing04_zps3b86f67f.jpg.html)

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing05_zpscd59f2f5.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing05_zpscd59f2f5.jpg.html)

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing06_zps67eff24d.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing06_zps67eff24d.jpg.html)

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing07_zps8b725d93.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing07_zps8b725d93.jpg.html)

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing08_zpsa1bb4493.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing08_zpsa1bb4493.jpg.html)

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing09_zps2b52346e.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing09_zps2b52346e.jpg.html)

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac134/scorer24/TF/blitzwing10_zpsab02ec47.jpg (http://s893.photobucket.com/user/scorer24/media/TF/blitzwing10_zpsab02ec47.jpg.html)

[UltraMarginal]

really nice picture set doublespy. thanks for that.
your three robot poses really suit the three different faces.

It really looks to me like it's time for a re-do of the existing triple changers in voyager size class.

I'm so hanging for this figure, might b a while before I get it though.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

really nice picture set doublespy. thanks for that. +1, and again for the Springer set.:)

[liegeprime]

Makes me wish they'd reissue Astrotrain in Voyager size class.

[Bidoofdude]

Makes me wish they'd reissue Astrotrain in Voyager size class.

Give him the slightest bit more bulk in the chest (ever so slightly;)) and I'm in. :cool::)

[doublespy]

Thanks guys. What a shame that they won't be here in retail.:(

[loophole]

edit: nevermind...

[Raptormesh]

Thanks guys. What a shame that they won't be here in retail.:(

Lovely comparison pics, but how did you manage to get the feet tabs into the holes on the arms in jet mode? Mine doesn't align at all :confused:

Edit: Nvm, solved it. I didn't compress the threads back into the legs enough before but it fits now :)

[5FDP]

Makes me wish they'd reissue Astrotrain in Voyager size class.

That's what I thought was going to happen when all this was first announced. Some sites were reporting that we were actually getting a Voyager-sized Astrotrain. Alas, it was all a big mistake :(

[i_amtrunks]

An ambitious design leads to a few flaws that make Blitzwing far inferior to Springer. Something many figures will be for years to come.

Those who have done any reading about Blitzwing will be aware of his myriad of issues, from his tank treads, to his gun holding, to his nosecone, to various stress marks, and of course his shoulders. The shoulders will not ever be able to be fixed without major reworking, and how the designers thought it as a workable solution I do not think we will ever know. The nosecone is my biggest disappointment, I like the concept of making it out of a mallable soft plastic, but the execution is woeful, it will never clip into where it is meant to, and ruins the look of the jet mode.

Despite all his flaws, I still like the figure, as I said, it was a great concept that just doesn't quite work in some modes. He looks fantastic in all modes, bulky and tough in robot, menacing in jet and powerful in tank mode. The way the barrel is hidden is clever. The triple changing head gimmick was unneeded, but any reference to animated is always appreciated, and makes him a cool toy to sit beside Lugnut.

Worth getting, as long as you can overlook those shoulders and nosecone.

[Raptormesh]

Gerwalk/Assault Walker mode :D:

http://i.imgur.com/jd7AD1y.jpg

[UltraMarginal]

that's cool. :cool:

[kup]

Just pulled it out of the box - Not transformed yet but first impressions aren't good, bad enough that I needed to say something right away :(

Edit: ok, growing on me. I can appreciate it more now but geez, it seems we have gotten a Beta release than a final product. So many unnecessary flaws.

[Lord_Zed]

I had a look at mine, and I give the designer credit for an ambitious design, and there is quite a bit to like here, but man those shoulders........

For one thing it's probably not a good design choice, for two Hasbro's new cheaper than cheap plastic make them even more nonviable. The plastic they use for the bottom of the tank turret is even crappier than normal, it seems to even warp a bit making the shoulder transformation just not work period. Surely a nice solid piece of plastic would have really helped the shoulder issue a bit.

If this is the norm for Hasbro plastic now, no wonder third parties cost so much using proper stuff.

Anyway, while I have issue with both alt modes, I can accept them given the difficulties of designing Decepticon Triple Changer toys, but the shoulders really bug me and ruin my enjoyment a bit of what should have been the toys best mode.

[GoktimusPrime]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/jaam_shoulders.gif
The shoulders... they're just awful. :( Haven't seen shoulders so badly done since Movie Deluxe Brawl. This toy makes MP Lambor's shoulders look good! :eek: I also found the jet mode tricky to form because of the tabs - and the overall look of the alt modes were somewhat disappointing; though it is conceptually challenging. The legs lack any knee articulation, so Blitzwing can only walk around by goose-stepping. :/ The head on mine doesn't like to stay locked in when transforming to alt modes. I quite like the design of the weapons, especially the sword and cannon with its recoiling firing gimmick.

By no means pay above RRP for this toy.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Triple%20Changers/triplechanger_blitzwing1_zps882f68ae.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Triple%20Changers/triplechanger_blitzwing2_zpsaafcfe41.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Triple%20Changers/triplechanger_blitzwing3_zpsa6145126.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Triple%20Changers/triplechanger_blitzwingfaces_zps32e4f116.jpg

[doublespy]

He does have knees:) it's just between them being on the same joint with the wings on the back of the legs and the knee joints being painted, they are uber stiff.


Forgot to mention in my review, his sword is a very nice upgrade to the G1 sword. One of the best weapon homages.

[Raptormesh]

Gok in tank mode the hands are supposed to face inwards(towards the barrel of the cannon), though i actually prefer it the way you have it. :)

[Demonac]

There is a fix for Blitzwing, which fixes the shoulders quite well.

From TFW2005 (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/887150-fix-your-blitzwing-arms.html)

It's really easy to do, and works well.

[VERT]

Think im going to try this on the weekend :D

[liegeprime]

I think you've mistransformed the tank mode there a bit Gok. The arms which form the cockpit for the tank turret isn't supposedly facing down but towards the turret. Although I myself prefer that look, looks futuristic modern.:D

[Demonac]

Looking at the pics on the link I provided above, I only shaved from the top portion of the front half (the second pic, shaving more from the top than the bottom). I didn't need to touch the lower set of screw holes.

[kup]

Fixed the shoulders on my Blitzwing by sanding down the halves as in the TFW2005 link and made a huge improvement! Not perfect as the design is still flawed but the shoulders hold with acceptable movement pressure instead of just popping out on their own.

I also went an extra mile and painted the bottom and inside of the helmet black so that his head doesn't look like it's in a yellow bubble.

http://kupscigar.com/fixes/blitz.JPG

[snaketales]

I think his gun is too small.... I love the figure, but it's a damn shame about those shoulders. Nice to pose, at the moment not nice to play with (I am looking at some shoulder fixes, so that may change)

[Bidoofdude]

Got this guy a while ago. Here are my thoughts:

Pros:
Visually impressive
3 Face Gimmick
Modes are suitable enough
Colour choices are decent
Good homage to original Blitzwing
Weapons are amazing :eek:

Cons:
Some things don't line up that well, mostly due to the complexity of the modes and the rubbery material used for some parts
Helmet is a bit bubbly, but still decent
The obvious shoulder problems
My left leg is a little loose at the waist
Could the little shoulder wings be the other way round? :p:rolleyes:

Overall, it's a fairly decent toy IMO, as most of those problems can be fixed with a little handy work to create a suitable classics representation of Blitzwing.

Although the modes aren't exactly the premium, they successfully pull it off well, especially with what seems like small budget.

The face changing gimmick, although unwanted my some, is pulled off reasonably well and is a good nod to animated, evoking the true meaning of "Generations", which will be even more evoked in the coming year.

Considering the fanbase has wanted a triple changer Blitzwing for some time, this is a nice treat. Although not perfect, it gets the job done and allows for a good visual Blitzwing with acceptable alt modes.


Visual: 9/10 Playability 7/10 Transformation: 8/10 Alt Modes: 7/10

Overall: 31/40

Mean of Scores: 7.75/10 (77.5%- B+)

[kup]

Got this guy a while ago. Here are my thoughts:

Pros:
Visually impressive
3 Face Gimmick
Modes are suitable enough
Colour choices are decent
Good homage to original Blitzwing
Weapons are amazing :eek:

Cons:
Some things don't line up that well, mostly due to the complexity of the modes and the rubbery material used for some parts
Helmet is a bit bubbly, but still decent
The obvious shoulder problems
My left leg is a little loose at the waist
Could the little shoulder wings be the other way round? :p:rolleyes:

Overall, it's a fairly decent toy IMO, as most of those problems can be fixed with a little handy work to create a suitable classics representation of Blitzwing.

Although the modes aren't exactly the premium, they successfully pull it off well, especially with what seems like small budget.

The face changing gimmick, although unwanted my some, is pulled off reasonably well and is a good nod to animated, evoking the true meaning of "Generations", which will be even more evoked in the coming year.

Considering the fanbase has wanted a triple changer Blitzwing for some time, this is a nice treat. Although not perfect, it gets the job done and allows for a good visual Blitzwing with acceptable alt modes.


Visual: 9/10 Playability 7/10 Transformation: 8/10 Alt Modes: 7/10

Overall: 31/40

Mean of Scores: 7.75/10 (77.5%- B+)

You are very generous.

[GoktimusPrime]

The shoulder problem significantly impairs the value of this toy because it really affects the playability of the robot mode. Remember that the core purpose of a toy is to be played with, not just to be a poseable display piece - becoming more of an articulated statue rather than a proper toy. Saying that a toy looks nice but doesn't play so well is like saying that you have a really sexy looking car that drives/handles like rubbish (but would look great sitting in your garage). :rolleyes:

IMO if the play value fails, the entire toy fails. That's why I'm not a fan of MP Lambor, and it's also why I'm not a fan of Generations Blitzwing.



Good homage to original Blitzwing
Only superficially IMO. G1 Blitzwing was an excellent toy by 1985 standards (considering that it's a Triple Changer). Even Takara toy designer Ono Koujin considers Blitzwing and Astrotrain to be the best toys that they engineered during G1 (well, Diaclone). Blitzwing represented the acme of 1980s toy engineering; but Generations Blitzwing seems to be on the complete opposite end of the scale, being an incredibly lacking toy by 2013 standards.


Overall, it's a fairly decent toy IMO, as most of those problems can be fixed with a little handy work to create a suitable classics representation of Blitzwing.
I haven't tried to fix the shoulders yet, but easy or not IMO we as consumers shouldn't have to fix anything. The toy should be able to do what it's meant to do - in this case, stay together as a robot and be playable.


Although the modes aren't exactly the premium, they successfully pull it off well, especially with what seems like small budget.
The shoulder problem doesn't even appear to be a budgetary issue, rather just carelessness. :( As paying customers, we ought to expect better.


The face changing gimmick, although unwanted my some, is pulled off reasonably well and is a good nod to animated, evoking the true meaning of "Generations", which will be even more evoked in the coming year.
I personally don't care about the face changing gimmick one way or the other. It's a non-intrusive gimmick, which makes it nice. People who aren't fans of Animated can just leave it on the default G1-style face. :) This is a good example of how gimmicks should be done on toys; it works but doesn't adversely compromise on the engineering of the toy. It does make Blitzwing have a huge head which can be tricky to cover up with the nosecone, but part of that problem is the soft rubbery plastic they used on the nosecone; but that's not a fault of the design (but rather whoever chose to use that softer grade of plastic). Often better quality materials can drastically improve a toy; e.g. Transmetal v. Metals Megatron, Takara MP Starscream v. Hasbro MP Starscream etc.

[Demonac]

I don't understand why Blitzwing gets all this hate.
I think it's a great toy.

OK, the shoulders are a flaw, but it is fixable (I know we shouldn't have to, but sometimes these things slip through).

He transforms from a purple jet that looks nothing like a tank, to a tan tank that looks nothing like a jet. Neither mode is perfect, but look at all the dud tank & jet TF's that have come along through the years.

Springer, on the other hand, transforms from a green and yellow car that looks like a helicopter to a yellow and green helicopter that looks like a car. I call that lazy.

[Bidoofdude]

I personally don't care about the face changing gimmick one way or the other. It's a non-intrusive gimmick, which makes it nice. People who aren't fans of Animated can just leave it on the default G1-style face. :) This is a good example of how gimmicks should be done on toys; it works but doesn't adversely compromise on the engineering of the toy. It does make Blitzwing have a huge head which can be tricky to cover up with the nosecone, but part of that problem is the soft rubbery plastic they used on the nosecone; but that's not a fault of the design (but rather whoever chose to use that softer grade of plastic

^ This. :D

[GoktimusPrime]

IMO Blitzwing is a disappointing execution of a good idea. I can see that on paper (or on screen) this toy would've looked fantastic. And had just a few minor things been done properly, namely in terms of tabs, then this toy would have been so much better. If TakaraTOMY were to release their version with better tabs, I'd get it. But still... it'd mean that I would've bought two Voyager Blitzwings where I initially only wanted one... just as what happened to me with Animated Blitzwing! (i.e. Hasbro version was crap, later got the TakTOM version so now I have both) *sigh* I just can't get a break when it comes to Blitzwings... :(

Another thing that I'm not terribly fond of with this toy are the two distinctly different and mismatching shades of cream/beige -- i.e. there are parts which are beige plastic, and other parts which are painted cream... but the two colours don't quite match each other (the cream is really vibrant while the beige is quite muted and dull). I don't know if Hasbro just found it impossible to make these colours match... they gave a similar excuse with yellows on toys like Universe Sunstreaker, but yet TakaraTOMY's Henkei Sunstreaker has a lovely well-matching rich cadmium yellow. :/ Again, if the TakTOM version can make these colours match up gooderer, it'll be yet another excuse to get it. :o But still, this is a minor issue... I'd happily put up with mismatching shades of beige/cream and skip a better matching colour version if it didn't have the tab issue.

[Sinnertwin]

Meanwhile, in BBTSland... Zzz... Zzz... Zzz... I think i'll be celebrating my 50th by the time these figures arrive :p -i've PoL'd the three pack

[AJ_Prime]

I also went an extra mile and painted the bottom and inside of the helmet black so that his head doesn't look like it's in a yellow bubble.

http://kupscigar.com/fixes/blitz.JPG

Definitely looks better with the black on the bottom. I too was a bit disappointed when I first got this figure, mostly due to the shoulders. But once I did the fix it made a huge improvement for me to how much I enjoy it now.

The only thing I have a little concern about (and it may just be my figure) is that the leg articulation is a bit loose. Not overly so, but certainly noticeably, to the point where the weight on top can force it to fold on itself in certain poses.

[SuspectimusPrime]

I knew I made a mistake when I decided to open Sandstorm first, then Springer, and lastly Blitzwing.

I do really like the fact that the two parts that conflicts with his two alt modes the most - tank trends and plane wings - are built into the same part of his body, which makes for a really simple solution of turning his legs 90 degrees to reveal or hide the said part. Love the part where his treads open up to reveal more treads.

Don't really like to mod my TFs so will put this shoulder fix off for some time. It does not look like it will take long to fix both the left shoulder and remove the head spring gimmick. My real concern is the large amount of soft plastic used for a vital part of the plane mode - with the amount of force I had to use on it, I cannot see the soft rubber nosecone hinge joint standing the test of time.

The face gimmick works in a smarter way to the original Animated head, but I find it unnecessary and felt that the head may have looked better if it was 10-15% smaller. Maybe that would have allowed for a non-soft rubber plastic nosecone.

Aesthetics-wise, what was missing in the robot mode for me were wings. Real wings, and not little purple triangles.

[Gasaraki]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/iling79/Transformers/DSC_0587.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/iling79/media/Transformers/DSC_0587.jpg.html)

'If only I could turn at the waist, I'd be able to show you some real POSEABILITY!'


This guy will probably go down as the most opinion polarizing Transformer of the year... it's quite fascinating to read/hear the huge variety of thoughts on poor little Blitzwing! For myself, I've actually been enjoying the guy quite a lot... much has been said, so I'll use points:

Positives:
He's a triple changer!!
He's a Voyager - I do love the size they've chosen to do these guys in, and can now only hope for Astrotrain and Octane.
Good robot mode, IF shoulders are fixed - I think he looks great, and poses well if you take advantage of the articulation that's there. The accessories are also good fun, although I think the gun should've been larger. Yes, I agree that we should not have to fix things, but I don't mind doing a little handy work - it adds an extra level of familiarity to the toy, which I can do with as too often it's transform-thrice-and-shelve for me.
Nice plane mode - I can see the weaknesses, I keep the turret out (as per pic below) as I like the over-the-top-ridiculous look of it, and this helps cover some of the gappiness. Also like the FAST pack look it harkens to.
Triple changing head - really quite subjective... I think it's OK to have the gimmick in there, and I might sometimes use the monocle guy, but it does seem to cater mainly to Animated fans (of which I am not one). I get the Generations idea, so I can get behind this. It's good that you can just ignore it, I don't think it makes the head too big myself. The round head shape also nicely reminiscences a pilot's helmet. Although... I never really got the shockingly different color (which is also on G1 BW) - the vast majority of TFs have head colors that also appear elsewhere in the scheme, this one doesn't, and it's weird, as if the head's been transplanted on.


Negatives:
Triple changing head ***
Not nice tank mode - it's passable at some angles, and shocking at most. I like the transformation they've come up with, and I think it's an OK effort, but it does really seem like it could be much better. The jet/tank parts swap over is one of the best parts, but the tank suffers a little too much.
QC issues - shoulders obviously. I seemed to have gotten lucky with my nosecone, but I can see how it can be a real bummer.
Articulation - Arrgh, no waist! Knees could/should be lower. Gun could easily have been larger and not have the holding problem. Most of us would probably take a ball jointed head rather than the triple face changer. Oh well.
Paint - honestly I didn't notice the different colored beige on the lower legs until it was pointed out. I can forgive this myself as in most modes, there is enough else going on color wise that it's not a major fail - the tank suffers the most. It was MUCH more crucial in figures like Sideswipe and Sunstreaker as the one color dominates so much of those toys... less so in BW.


Would like to post the shoulder fix I chose to use, but it's late, so for now here's my preferred plane mode:


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/iling79/Transformers/IMG_2601.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/iling79/media/Transformers/IMG_2601.jpg.html)

[Jim_jim]

I had this as I think that the official image looks great. it turned out to be, looks great when you are looking at it from a distance. It looks so empty after transformation. So many holes and so so many spaces in between.

The only mode that I would recommend is the robot mode, yet, the faces are really really hard to change. Unless you are really really a fan of it, otherwise, buy it when you have an extra couple of bucks.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Just landed my TakTom Blitzy today and I like it. Robot mode is pretty nice and after doing that shoulder fix (why wasn't this done at the factory????) my main qualm of robot mode is gone. The face thing I don't mind, it's certainly not necessary but it doesn't kill the figure, so no problems there. The faces for me flip around nice and smoothly too.

I love the appearance of bulk in the robot and the fact that he keeps enough vehicle mode stuff so you can immediately tell there is a plane and a tanks for this guy. LOVE the sword! It's brilliant! the gun, um well, it's small and even though it IS small, he can't hold it straight? That's a pretty big oversight I think. Tak's colours are nice with a great beige and nicely metallic purle going on. The silver paint is pretty cool and matches rather well with any silver plastic

Transformation is clever and enjoyable, and gave me a few surprises. I like the wings and tank treads both being in the legs and the way they kind of swap places between vehicle modes is very clever. I also like how the wings have the little fold out part to give them a bit more body for the jet mode. It's little touches like that which help me overlook his various flaws.

Sadly those flaws are his vehicle modes. Actually just tank mode. I don't mind the jet mode that much at all, it looks pretty good and the various options for his tank turret are fun. From the back it looks bad, but at least it is solid.

The tanks mode on the other hand. What an abomination! Sure I found some parts of transforming him fun and interesting, but getting the legs to clip into the right spot was a ridiculous pain in bum That part took me the longest and I actually had to shave a little bit off the calve tabs... Then when I got him into tank mode. AAARGH! MY EYES!

It was horrid. So gappy. So dorky. So not what a tank should be. Very unimpressed there. I prefer Animated's gun Turret tank mode thing over this ugly bugger.

I think Blitzwing is a tricky fellow to design as you need the bulk for the tank and some sleek for the jet. That can't be easy (and let's remember that G1 you just flipped it over and that was pretty much it, with a turret hanging off the bottom of the jet!) so I think they have done a pretty good job designing him. I just wish the tanks mode didn't look so unfinished.

Really though, thumbs up for the robot mode! That's where the love is for me!:D

[BigTransformerTrev]

Well I FINALLY got around to tackling my Blitzwing. Took him out of the box a month ago, got annoyed mid transformation so put him on a shelf and went to play with one of my 50 BBTS POL figures.

Tank
I have to say that tank mode is my least favorite mode, which is surprising because I really love tank TF's and was looking froward to having a Blitzwing that didn't have a upside-down cockpit at the front (G1) or two comically large black cannons (Animated). But something just doesn't appeal with this mode on the Generations model, I dunno, feels a bit too boxy for my liking, the main body should be longer and flatter, and the turret is too tall, even taller when you add the machine gun on top.

Jet
Jet mode was the mode I didn't think I'd like which I'm surprised that I do. Since I've decided to look at this figure through cybertron optics rather than true earth mode eyes, I think it's a great looking jet you could imagine bombing the hell out of Iacon :) Personally I prefer to have his cannon underneath with the sword filling the gap at the top, but I do like the option of having a big cannon on top as well.

Robot
Robot mode is the most faithful official toy Blitzwing to the G1 cartoon we have had. Really looks like a commando that is going to get into the thick of it and kick skidplate! Sword is nice, gun is nice. I suppose its kinda cool they put in the 3-face gimmick from Animated, but as this is portraying G1 Blitzwing for me, its a gimmick I looked at once and will never look at again.


Overall I don't mind this figure. Like the robot, like the jet, don't think much of the tank and the transformation is a bit fiddly for my liking. Glad I got him,but he will prob spend more time sitting on my shelf than getting transformed for the joy of it.

[lancalot]

this guy a total disappointment .... i finally got him and transformed him into his different shape... none of them really looks good ...

[Lint]

Just landed my TakTom Blitzy today and I like it. Robot mode is pretty nice and after doing that shoulder fix (why wasn't this done at the factory????) my main qualm of robot mode is gone. The face thing I don't mind, it's certainly not necessary but it doesn't kill the figure, so no problems there. The faces for me flip around nice and smoothly too.

I love the appearance of bulk in the robot and the fact that he keeps enough vehicle mode stuff so you can immediately tell there is a plane and a tanks for this guy. LOVE the sword! It's brilliant! the gun, um well, it's small and even though it IS small, he can't hold it straight? That's a pretty big oversight I think. Tak's colours are nice with a great beige and nicely metallic purle going on. The silver paint is pretty cool and matches rather well with any silver plastic

Transformation is clever and enjoyable, and gave me a few surprises. I like the wings and tank treads both being in the legs and the way they kind of swap places between vehicle modes is very clever. I also like how the wings have the little fold out part to give them a bit more body for the jet mode. It's little touches like that which help me overlook his various flaws.

Sadly those flaws are his vehicle modes. Actually just tank mode. I don't mind the jet mode that much at all, it looks pretty good and the various options for his tank turret are fun. From the back it looks bad, but at least it is solid.

The tanks mode on the other hand. What an abomination! Sure I found some parts of transforming him fun and interesting, but getting the legs to clip into the right spot was a ridiculous pain in bum That part took me the longest and I actually had to shave a little bit off the calve tabs... Then when I got him into tank mode. AAARGH! MY EYES!

It was horrid. So gappy. So dorky. So not what a tank should be. Very unimpressed there. I prefer Animated's gun Turret tank mode thing over this ugly bugger.

I think Blitzwing is a tricky fellow to design as you need the bulk for the tank and some sleek for the jet. That can't be easy (and let's remember that G1 you just flipped it over and that was pretty much it, with a turret hanging off the bottom of the jet!) so I think they have done a pretty good job designing him. I just wish the tanks mode didn't look so unfinished.

Really though, thumbs up for the robot mode! That's where the love is for me!:D

Finally got my TT Blitzwing after many months of waiting. Was going to write up a review but seeing as I'm so late to the game I'm gonna steal Tet's review as my own :p

One thing I have to add is that the TT version's plastic colours are just SUBLIME. I have no regrets forking out the markup for this version of the toy.

Overall I see this as a step up in HasTak's design ambitions. While there were certainly problems in execution it is exciting to see fresh-ish transormation techniques such as the swinging cockpit, the locking and firing mechanism for the turret and the swing-out-snap-on tank treads.

[Mythirax]

So originally I excitedly took this guy out of the box and well, I hated it. Turning him into his jet form, hated it. Why? My robot mode shoulders are both terrible, peaughs fix works for only one of the shoulders. Both of my weapons don't fit in either hand, no matter how much force I'm applying, anymore and I'll snap something. So he can't be posed with weapons in hands. And well jet mode, it would look cool if my flaccid nosecone would actually click in. I've tried everything I could find on it, but now I've just made a mess of where it should lock in. now he can't be a jet anymore :D:D:D

So I left it at that for a couple of days. But tonight I decided, well maybe I'll try the tank and get lucky. Everything was going well, he transformed pretty quick and was looking good. There he was in all his glory, I finally found a mode I can display him in... POP legs keep popping out of the 3 clips that hold each leg. So he sits on the shelf for a few minutes then POP. I end up with a V shaped tank. No matter what I do they like to pop out. End result, I hated it. Real let down of a toy. He can't be displayed like a statue for me or played with. Maybe I'll wrap his tank mode in sticky tape to hold him all together :D:D:D

0/10 - Worst transformer I've ever invested money in to date. Maybe I just got one worse than others.

[Gasaraki]

So originally I excitedly took this guy out of the box and well, I hated it. Turning him into his jet form, hated it. Why? My robot mode shoulders are both terrible, peaughs fix works for only one of the shoulders. Both of my weapons don't fit in either hand, no matter how much force I'm applying, anymore and I'll snap something. So he can't be posed with weapons in hands. And well jet mode, it would look cool if my flaccid nosecone would actually click in. I've tried everything I could find on it, but now I've just made a mess of where it should lock in. now he can't be a jet anymore :D:D:D

So I left it at that for a couple of days. But tonight I decided, well maybe I'll try the tank and get lucky. Everything was going well, he transformed pretty quick and was looking good. There he was in all his glory, I finally found a mode I can display him in... POP legs keep popping out of the 3 clips that hold each leg. So he sits on the shelf for a few minutes then POP. I end up with a V shaped tank. No matter what I do they like to pop out. End result, I hated it. Real let down of a toy. He can't be displayed like a statue for me or played with. Maybe I'll wrap his tank mode in sticky tape to hold him all together :D:D:D

0/10 - Worst transformer I've ever invested money in to date. Maybe I just got one worse than others.

You sure have a lot of cheesy grins in there for the worse TF ever! :cool:

But yeah, inconsistent QC is sure a big let down... I didn't suffer from any of the worst problems you described! I think peaugh's figure is one of the few where his fix works... Most people either have to add a bit of custom plastic or get one of the 3rd party fixes.

[Mythirax]

You sure have a lot of cheesy grins in there for the worse TF ever! :cool:

But yeah, inconsistent QC is sure a big let down... I didn't suffer from any of the worst problems you described! I think peaugh's figure is one of the few where his fix works... Most people either have to add a bit of custom plastic or get one of the 3rd party fixes.

I had to add some happiness to it haha. But yeah, real shame :( - My tank mode is working now though, covered the bottom in some bluetack :D

[GoktimusPrime]

0/10 - Worst transformer I've ever invested money in to date. Maybe I just got one worse than others.
You clearly don't own: G1 Wheelie, G1 Firecons, G1 Battlechargers, G1 Action Masters, Gunrunner, G2 Sparkabots, G2 Power Masters, Beast Machines Silverbolt, Beast Machines Supreme Cheetor, Armada Sideswipe, Movie Deluxe Scorponok, ROTF Deluxe Ravage, ROTF Combiner Class Devastator, any TF1 or ROTF Megatron toy. :p :D

Blitzwing is certainly a poor toy, but I certainly have purchased or handled toys that are just as bad, if not worse. ;)

[Sinnertwin]

I prefer this (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire) fix to some of the others when addressing Blitzwing's shoulder & joint issues.

[Mythirax]

You clearly don't own: G1 Wheelie, G1 Firecons, G1 Battlechargers, G1 Action Masters, Gunrunner, G2 Sparkabots, G2 Power Masters, Beast Machines Silverbolt, Beast Machines Supreme Cheetor, Armada Sideswipe, Movie Deluxe Scorponok, ROTF Deluxe Ravage, ROTF Combiner Class Devastator, any TF1 or ROTF Megatron toy. :p :D

Blitzwing is certainly a poor toy, but I certainly have purchased or handled toys that are just as bad, if not worse. ;)

I own a large handful of those, and the ones of them I do own. I don't really have a problem with any of them that I can think of, or stands out. At least they're able to be played with in some way or displayed nicely. So for me so far, this is the worst :D But I'm sure I'll run into something that blows my mind how bad it is, and will make Blitzwing feel amazing.

[GoktimusPrime]

Voyager Blitzwing is a poor execution of what was a good design concept. You can easily see that with only a few modifications, this toy could've been so much better. The other toys I listed on the other hand were just conceptually poor toys that no degree of good execution could save. Blitzwing would've at least looked good on paper (or monitor)... I don't see how Gunrunner could've looked good at any stage of that toy's development! "What a brilliant idea it is to have a Transformer that is the kibble and the kibble that is the Transformer," said noone ever. ;)

[Mythirax]

Voyager Blitzwing is a poor execution of what was a good design concept.
This I can totally agree with.