Toy Review - HUFFER (Kingdom)

[Lint]

HUFFER
Series - Generations
Sub-line - War For Cybertron
Sub-sub-line - Kingdom
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 2
Released here - March 2021
Approximate Retail Price - $30
Approximate Size - 12 cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Prime Mover
Main Features/Gimmicks - Geewun Nostalgia, being an awesome transformer
Main Colours - Orange, Baby Blue, Silver
Main Accessories - coolest gun in the Trilogy, Riot shield


SUMMARY


Handsome little fella
Best looking gun in the entire Trilogy
Transformation is a bit sticky/crunchy


https://i.imgur.com/AgFLyoTh.jpg
Cranky yet majestic
https://i.imgur.com/ymXlgCPh.jpg
"Aww geez, why do I have to look so awesome? It's just too much darn it"
https://i.imgur.com/72snkXqh.jpg
Ready to tow
https://i.imgur.com/ZLTJFcPh.jpg
Ready to plow through some zombies


THICK

Possibly my favourite geewun deluxe in the Trilogy now (yes topping Cliffjumper), Huffer wildly exceeded my expectations in both quality and... well quality. Everything you would want painted is painted and the sculpting exudes so much character. There is very little left to desire. Huffer's accessories are also best in class with the best looking gun in the trilogy to date in my opinion. The riot shield is also a great addition and cleverly forms a cover for the alt mode hitch. A nice addition as well is that this shield can also be mounted in a 5mm hole on top of the cab, should you wish Huffer to pull Prime's trailer. Also not to be overlooked is Huffer's superior poseability in bot mode. The only thing this guy is missing is a wrist swivel (not that he needs it). The cap it all off, I find the transparent blue plastic for the cab to be absolutely gorgeous. I have a few minor quibbles with the alt-mode and transformation which are detailed below.

PROS

The colours really pop. This is one handsome transformer! They even painted his tail lights. That never happens!
Kickass articulation and balance. This guy has pretty good balance and the joints to make use of it!
Accessories are the bomb.


CONS

Transformation is just a bit too sticky/crunchy for my liking. Call me spoiled but things don't quite tab/line up well enough 100% for me to take pleasure in transforming him. It's a bugbear that ruins an almost perfect toy.
The alt mode just seems a little off, as if the rear wheels and front wheels are at different elevations. It's a bit of an optical illusion because the orange plastic rear of Huffer's alt mode slopes downwards. The stickyness of the transformation also makes like the cab is being pulled backwards from a straight level. The not-hidden fists not only feels lazy, but unnecessarily so. Front wheels have a tendency to pop off during transformation.


In conclusion: why are you still reading this. Go get this guy!

[dirge]

I love this figure, too.

The transformation is on the simple side for a deluxe... but it's so Huffer. And it's been a long time coming; especially after the lacklustre (and surprisingly expensive now) Combiner Wars offering.

The gun splitting for transformation is both innovative and inelegant in execution; but I don't care since I'm not going to attach it as a back plate thing, since he didn't have that in G1.

[Skyfire]

This is simply the best Huffer ever made, until they make a Masterpiece one. I remember seeing the Combiner Wars Huffer and thinking, "No, dear God, no." So this is much welcomed.

"Go get this guy!" - He's sold out! At Myer he was on super special for $25 and was the first to go among his case mates. Even expensive EBGames has no more stock. I posted about him listed at Toys R Us online for $29, where he got snapped up quickly. And he's MIA at Amazon AU. Fortunately/unfortunately Popcultcha has him for a costly $40. Kingdom wave 2 Deluxes are yet to show at Big W, Kmart, Target, Toymate (and Toyworld?). It's a bit worrying that Big W has their sale on now with lots of KD w2 Voyagers but no Deluxes. So I really hope the mass retailers get him in quantities as he deserves to be in any G1 person's collection (and to stuff up the scalpers).

However, there are some minor criticisms. His size is too big. He towers over the Power of the Primes, Combiner Wars and Titans Returns minibots, and is almost Studio Series 86 Jazz's height. So I found the best place to put him is next to Masterpieces where he comes up to about mid thigh on MP-44 Optimus.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51099299073_bab57c1528_k.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kRtgkP)

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51098596266_90448ea8f2_h.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2kRpEqs)


Another small thing is the light blue/grey paint around the Autobot insignia. The insignia sits on top a raised, shield-like area that is coloured around in the cartoon. It would have been nice if they followed that, though it would have required alteration of the molded detailing of the chest.

Also, the shoulder pylons might or might not annoy you. The cartoon did not have them but the G1 toy did sort of (they were the hinges/levers for the cab). For the Kingdom version, they play no role in transformation but add some continuity to the undercarriage, which can be appreciated when looking into the front wheel well at certain angles.

Lastly, why not make the feet out of the orange instead of grey plastic like on the box art and like the cartoon, which would also make the truck all orange?

[dirge]

Lastly, why not make the feet out of the orange instead of grey plastic like on the box art and like the cartoon, which would also make the truck all orange?

Because of the diamond lattice on the cab of the truck. I’m
Not disagreeing with you; I just see that they chose that direction. I’m personally fine with the choice, but your preference also makes sense.

[GoktimusPrime]

Huffer is my favourite Wave 2 Kingdom toy. Lovin' it. :)

https://i.ibb.co/vm8XShx/kingdom-huffer01.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/7Cb8GbB/kingdom-huffer02.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/48kSYSF/kingdom-huffer03.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/Lz49tZR/kingdom-huffer03a.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/1X4T84Q/kingdom-huffer05.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/RzDLrcY/kingdom-huffer06.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/3B8PWmL/kingdom-huffer07.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/dcrXFYQ/kingdom-huffer08.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/3dYWZnH/kingdom-huffer09.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/P4k84tb/kingdom-huffer10.jpg

[MayzaPrime]

He is back in stock at Amazon for $34... After reading this review I bought one :D

[Skyfire]

He is back in stock at Amazon for $34... After reading this review I bought one :D

So did lots of others - he's #1 Best Seller in Action Figures on Amazon AU as of right now. Ha ha!

[Dimi194]

Definitely a fun figure - huge shame about the limited elbow articulation though! Stops him from being up their with Sideswipe as a WFC deluxe favourite.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Been messing with mine for a while now and I like it. SOme odd things with him though. As mentioned in the first post, the vehicle mode seems odd with the wheels and the angling up of the cab. It's by no means a deal breaker but strikes me as a strange decision.
i do like the different options, adding the tray, or having him flat bed for trailer carrying. I do like that the cb is a very faithful representation of the original toy.

Robot mode seems remarkable buff for huffer. He looks way cooler than my impression of the character. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is entirely personal. I feel that it doesn't convey the character of Huffer all that well, despite having his face. Also, I am often at odds as to what to do with the cab in robot mode. I wish there was a more solid lock in position for it. Do I extend it up high, or have it down close? I'd like it close, but it gets in the way of the arms...

Also transformation feels a bit inelegant. the rotation of the wheels into the chest is neat, but the clearance between the arms and those wheels just isn't enough and I find they often clash and get in the way of each other.

While a very nice toy, I find these minor niggles bring him down. BUT the fact that I have the time to pick on such relatively minor niggles is a sign of a good toy.