Toy Review - TFPrime Legion Fallback

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

Series - Transformers Prime
Sub-line - Cyberverse
Size/class - Legion
New/remould/redeco - Redeco
Wave - 4
Released here - April 2013 (globally August 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - $7-9 (US$5)
Approximate Size - 7cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Armoured truck
Main Features/Gimmicks - none
Main Colours - Brown, light brown, grey
Main Accessories - gun/sword

http://www.toycollectors.com.au/tftoys/tfpc25.jpg

I saw this toy today... picked up and was unconvinced (I already have Cyberverse Breakdown). Then I flipped it over and read the tech specs profile describing Fallback as being formerly responsible for helping Autobots colonise other worlds, but is now in charge of helping them heal worlds; a neat reference to Australia's history of colonisation and contemporary reconciliation! So I bought it. :D

This may be one of the few (if not the first) times I've bought a Transformer purely based on its tech specs profile! :eek: For a cheap little $7 toy where Hasbro's actually put effort into putting in a more meaningful Australiana (and not just another "Croy-key! Oy'ma Bogan Croc Huntah! Izzat a shreeemp on me bahbie?! Streeeewwwttth!" stereotype :rolleyes:) into the Outback character, I'd highly recommend this for any Australian TF fan. :)

It's possible that the 'colonization' reference is a nod to Australia, but there's nothing in any of that profile that refers to reconciliation, Goki. The toy's a cute homage to Outback

"Before the war, Fallback scouted newly discovered worlds to determine if they were suitable for colonization. Now his duty is to assess a world's environmental health and recommend ways in which the Autobots can protect it while also using natural resources to their advantage."

To me, the key word is "now." Fallback used to find new worlds for the Autobots to colonise, but now (implying that he wasn't doing so before), he helps the Autobots can live in a mutually beneficial way on their host planet. It implies that previously their policy with living off-world was quite different. Although exactly how it differed is not explicitly stated, the use of the word "now" implies that it may have been very different to their current policy where they take the host planet's environmental welfare into consideration. It's not exactly a reconciliation with any sapient species per se, but rather an amendment of the way the Autobots now see living off-world where they no longer wish to simply plunder/exploit natural resources.

I see it as an allegorical reference the initial relationship between Whites and Indigenous Australians during colonisation and the current relationship which strives more toward one of mutual respect; but in Fallback's case, it's talking about mutual respect for nature where there previously wasn't. That's how I see it anyway. :o

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sky Shadow

The toy's a cute homage to Outback

---

Yeah, it would be nice if there was more to it but I don't think so.


"...not with my trusty Decepticon Detector"

This is ok. Not great. Mainly cos its fugly and too small.