Toy Review - Titans Return Wolfwire (AKA WeirdWolf)
WOLFWIRE
Series – Titans Return
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 2
Released here – October 2016
Approximate Retail Price - $25
Approximate Size - I don't own a ruler and haven't since primary school to be honest
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode – Mechanical wolf
Main Features/Gimmicks – Headmaster
Main Colours – yellow, dark blue, grey
Main Accessories – cannon/gun, sword/tail, "Monxo" Titan Master
Review in short capsule form again. No pictures unless I'm feeling less lazy later on.
- Robot mode is outstanding. Well proportioned, interesting looking, decent set of paint applications. Articulation is good as well. No wrist swivel and you can't get the shoulders all the way up to 90 degrees out from the body, but I was quite happy to see that there's an ankle ball joint. You don't see that much on deluxes anymore and it pleases me.
- The figure interacts well with its sword, although this is hampered a bit by the lack of wrist articulation. It can't really hold the cannon too tightly though because the peg isn't long enough and the wrists are quite thick. You can certainly get it held but it's an at times precarious connection.
- The headmaster gimmick is again a delight on this figure. The only criticism I have is that the connection point is a bit too deep for it to play super nice with the other Titan Masters I've got. Monxo aside, you can get them to connect but it's not the most secure fit you'll see.
- Transformation is great. It really hits a lot of sweet spots and does a hell of a lot to spice up the standard quadrupedal animal 'robot limbs become animal limbs and lie robot down' formula.
- Wolf mode is very fun. There are echoes of Zoids in the design which really tickles me in the right ways. There's a good deal of wolf mode specific articulation, and the head is on a ball joint, though it quite limited. The only criticism I have of this mode is that the gun connects to the back using two tabs. It's not the most secure connection and it means that the cannon can't rotate, or indeed be swapped out for any other figures weapons.
The complete list of negative things I can find to say about this figure are as follows: Monxo is unpainted and the head mode could use another lick of paint on the visor, the cannon looks nice but the implementation of it is a bit lacklustre and limiting, there are some fine margins that were slightly missed in the engineering that limit interaction with the cannon and other Titan Masters (though Monxo connects fine)... and that's about it really.
Other than that this figure represents fantastic bang for your buck at this price point. I think I like it more than Blurr, and I bloody love that figure.
If Hasbro can continue to crank out one absolute winner like this per wave I'm definitely back on board. The engineering is on the whole solid, Monxo aside the figure is painted well, the transformation is good, it engages well with the gimmick and is fun in both modes.
Buy buy buy.
