Toy Review - SLINGSHOT (Age of the Primes)

[GoktimusPrime]

Aerialbot SLINGSHOT
Series - Age of the Primes
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - new
Wave - 1
Released here - April 2025
Approximate Retail Price - $39.95
Approximate Size - 13.5cm (head height); 15cm (total height)
Allegiance - Autobot
Sub-Group - Aerialbot
Alt-mode - White sea Harrier jump jet
Main Features/Gimmicks - becomes gestalt component
Main Colours - white, black, red
Main Accessories - x2 neutron pistols

https://i.ibb.co/T5WfndG/Aot-P-aerialbot-airraid05.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/k6gqCWcX/Aot-P-aerialbot-slingshot03a.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/4wgc77r1/Aot-P-aerialbot-slingshot03.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/8Dn2kGX8/Aot-P-aerialbot-airraid02.jpg

https://i.ibb.co/gZSfH8sm/Aot-P-aerialbot-slingshot01.jpg

WYSIWYG; this toy is what you would expect with no real surprises. This is the most cartoon-like G1 Slingshot toy made so far and feels like a Budget Masterpiece. :) Much like the Deluxe Legacy Drag Strip and Dead End, Slingshot can also split into arm kibble for Superion. This is, of course, emulating Superion's design in the Sunbow cartoon. It does mean that Slingshot doesn't become the entire arm, and he can no longer transform into Superion's leg (losing the Scramble gestalt gimmick from Combiner Wars Quickslinger (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/21625-Toy-Review-CW-Quickslinger)/Unite Warriors Sling (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/21132-Toy-Review-Unite-Warriors-Superion)).

Unlike the Stunticons, Slingshot doesn't feel like a massive upgrade from his CW/UW counterpart. In some ways, I still prefer the CW/UW mould. Definitely recommend collecting the Age of the Primes Aerialbots if you want a hyper cartoon-like set of G1 Aerialbots. This feels as good as you can get without going MP level, and honestly, considering the mess that MPG Raiden (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php/29900-Toy-Review-RAIDEN-(Masterpiece)) is, I think that this is the perfect scale for a gestalt. Going Masterpiece may give us superior individual 'bots, but the gestalt mode suffers. These smaller and cheaper figures are also more solid than a Masterpiece, leading to a more solid gestalt. Well, in the case of Superion, Silverbolt is the gestalt. These limb robots are just fillers. :p

[Keidatron]

I'm really disappointed with the leg clutter he has, I feel like those wings and tail could have been folded up better to reduce the clunk. The jet mode proportioning seems off too, looks squashed and fat

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm really disappointed with the leg clutter he has, I feel like those wings and tail could have been folded up better to reduce the clunk. The jet mode proportioning seems off too, looks squashed and fat
Yes, but then it would be less G1-accurate, and the purpose of these new Aerialbots is to make them look more like the G1 Aerialbots compared to the CW/UW Aerialbots which took more creative liberties.

https://i.ibb.co/99vxqx8x/temp.jpg

So things like...
+ Wings attached to the legs instead of the back = G1 accurate
+ Squished chunky jet = G1 accurate
Bear in mind that Slingshot should actually have more back clutter than this toy already has. Namely the aft section of the fuselage which, in G1 Slingshot, swings up and connects with the cockpit/nosecone section and lies on his back. While this may work fine on a cheap little G1 toy with two whole points of articulation, it doesn't fly with more contemporary high poseable Transformers action figures. Even Combiner Wars/Unite Warriors Slingshot incorporated the aft into the lower legs. Another reason being because Slingshot needs to have a clear mid section to allow Superion's arm to bend. With CW/UW, they just needed to keep the waist section clear, but with AotP Slingshot, and much like Legacy Dead End and Drag Strip, Slingshot needs to able to separate into halves, with Slingshot's upper body forming Superion's upper arm, and his lower body forming Superion's forearm.

Yes, CW/UW Quickslinger has less lower leg kibble, but that toy doesn't split into two halves to form Superion's arms. HasTak are trying to do something different with this set to distinguish them from CW/UW. If these changes aren't sparking joy for you, then stick with your CW/UW Superion (and if you don't own one, come buy mine! :D).

And look, there are features on this toy that I don't love, but I understand that it's to try and match the cartoon model. And I'm one of very few fans who prefers G1 toy accuracy over cartoon likeness, and Hasbro of course must appeal to the majority. Being different from my preferences doesn't make this toy inherently bad though. Just different. But some features that I'm personally not a fan of include:
+ Plain white featureless squares on the sides of the head
+ Visor is the same orange as the rest of the face/head.
+ Bland looking torso with a boxy chest.
...but these are all deliberate design choices made to emulate the G1 Sunbow cartoon model, so they're not flaws.

Another thing that I think AotP Slingshot does have a distinctive Harrier jet mode. I prefer this over CW/UW Slingshot who, as a repaint/retool of Fireflight, more closely resembles an F4 Phantom. But yeah, unlike the Stunticons, I don't think that AotP Slingshot and Air Raid are any better or worse than CW/UW; it's a matter of preference. This differs from the Stunticons, especially Motormaster, who are more objectively flawed. The AotP Aerialbots have also sacrificed the Scramble City internchangeable limb gimmick, but that was to be expected.

[Keidatron]

I'm not bothered by the wings being on his legs, I prefer that. The width of his leg in general feels clunky to me. The tail section could have been handled better, whether folded into the inside of the legs or disconnected altogether and reattached behind the cockpit, or folded up to rest against the back of the legs, I dunno, something.

Even against the animation model, the jet mode seems a lot wider on the toy. It feels stumpy to me.

Overall I'm happy with him, those couple of things are a disappoint to me personally, but it's not a deal breaker situation. Slingshot and Air Raid are the two I've been the most looking forward too. They're not the perfect I'd like, but true enough that no figure ever will for anyone.

As far as combined form notes go, none of that matters to me because I'll never combine them anyway. I want them to actually BE the limbs, rather than hang off them.

I too dislike the orange visor, and will be painting it blue eventually. I dislike how the forearm's fold up, causing that panel on the inside of his hands look.