Toy Review - BRAWN (Studio Series)

BRAWN-AT-ARMS
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Studio Series
Hypo-line - Bumblebee
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 15
Released here - ??? 2022
Approximate Retail Price - $35
Approximate Size - 11.5cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Armoured materials transport/mining vehicle
Main Features/Gimmicks - (see accessories)
Main Colours - olive green, mustard yellow
Main Accessories - rifle, screw

VEHICLE MODE

https://i.ibb.co/6RzmmCh/studioseries-brawn02.jpg
10cm (L) x 6cm (W) x 4.5cm (H)
Brawn transforms into an armoured materials transport. The overall design reminds me of rovers seen in scifi movies like 2009's Moon or 2015's The Martian etc. :) It has a spacious looking cockpit with a broad windscreen, and the rear section has an open top and looks like it's designed to transport cargo (e.g. rocks, minerals etc.). Brawn's rifle attaches to the top of the vehicle. It's a little bit loose fitting; the gun won't fall out if I hold the vehicle upside down and shake it, but if I pick the toy up by the gun, it will immediately detach. Prone to falling off with accidental bumping.

https://i.ibb.co/PN9V50G/studioseries-brawn03.jpg
13.5cm long w/ drill attached & 6.5cm tall w/ rifle mounted
Brawn comes with a drill accessory that can be attached to the front grill. As well as an obvious call-back to the drill used by G1 Brawn in the Sunbow cartoon, it also completes the look of Brawn as a mining vehicle. One could imagine him drilling through rock with the debris being loaded in the rear section for transportation. Sadly there's no spinning gimmick for the drill bit. Not too screwed up, but a nice twist.

ROBOT MODE

https://i.ibb.co/gPY5wSC/studioseries-brawn01.jpg

The robot mode is extremely accurate to the screen model; this is usually the level of visual screen likeness one would expect to see from a Masterpiece. I suppose this is the advantage of basing a toy on a screen model which never had an alt mode.

https://i.ibb.co/9grqVNq/studioseries-brawn00.jpg
Comparison with Bayformers Brawn

As a character who only appeared on screen for a second, having the toy really makes me appreciate the movie design. The great thing about the character designs in the Bumblebee movie is that every character is instantly recognisable by fans. Brawn is never identified by name on screen, but there's no doubt over who he is. I like how he has the same feet as Bumblebee and Cliffjumper... possibly done to cut corners on the CG model, but it I do like how it makes the three Mini-Bots have a common footprint. The helmet and pauldrons does give Brawn a kind of Medieval flavour. The drillbit can attach to either the tip of the rifle barrel or on its top. The weapons can then attach to Brawn's back for stowage.

OVERALL

HasTak have done a pretty clever job in creating a super screen accurate robot mode with an intuitive transformation and pretty neat looking and solid vehicle mode. The robot looks like a tough little trooper (which suits Brawn), and I like how the vehicle mode is an off-road mining transport, as it gives the drill a meaningful purpose (and thus makes the toy more fun to play with). Most kids won't understand the G1 reference, so I think it's cool that the drill accessory has been made to work on two levels. My only gripe is the aforementioned loose-fitting rifle attachment in vehicle mode. Highly recommended.