Studio Series 86 Wreck-Gar

[doublespy]

Series - Generations Studio Series 86
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - New


JUNKION BIKE MODE:

Growing up I've always been a big fan of the whacky retro-futuristic style Floro Dery gave to the post Season 2 designs, so I totally love this bike mode. Some of the proportions are slightly off due it having to physically transform, but overall the accuracy is amazing. I especially like how the chest piece is angle downwards like the original design, and the nipple guns are ball jointed to compensate for this. Also appreciate how HasTak handled the wheel spikes: it's good balance between safety, playability and 'bot mode accuracy.






The turbo revving young punk looks so good with Wreck-Gar.




TRANSFORMATION:
Another master class from TT. It's amazing how simple the engineering is. The original character design of course helps, but more often than not the simpler things are harder to get right than people think. They even managed to place the robot head in the right place so the speedometer details are in the right place in both mode. I also love how the wheels are designed to fit through the spikes.




'BOT MODE:
The TV talkin, earth culture lovin' dude really comes to life here. Head sculpt is effing amazing, and the colors are not only spot on, they work so well together. Hasbro designer Aaron Brooks mentioned in the stream it was really hard the nail the colors for Wreck-Gar, I think HasTak nailed them here, they nailed the whole look. Just fantastic.






He's on the larger side of Voyager class, which probably also had the motorbike mode size factored in, to work with other figures.




Articulation is as per the high standards we've been spoiled by for a while now. How the ankle title is handled is amazing: it allows for front to back ankle articulation and doesn't break the foot sculpt as bad when used. We need see more of this used on Transformers.

Aside from the seemingly universal loose waist, my copy also has a very loose shoulder hinge. Although there's a screw on the shoulder, it looks like the joint is designed to generate friction from a detented ratchet? and the ratchet joined seems to be molded a bit undersized on mine. It doesn't look like this is a common problem, but with the quite substantial weight of the wheel, looseness could be a wide spread problem on this figure years down the road.






OVERALL:
The loose joint problem certainly stopped me from thoroughly enjoying this figure, it won't stop me from rating this as one of best this year. This is easily Kingdom Cyclonus tier pure labor of love. A solid mode that has virtually infinite potential for variants. I can already imagine the Junkions selling like hot cakes when he comes out.

[GoktimusPrime]

A number of toys that I've gotten this year have had loose joints, including this Wreck Gar.

I use a product called Kiki Fix Loose Joints Action Figure which really does fix up loose joints really well. You only need a few drops too (otherwise the joint ends up being too stiff!).
Highly recommended.

[reillyd]

(otherwise the joint ends up being too stiff!).

Speaking of stiff, how bout those articulated male nipples on Wreck Gar. I just can?t get past it after someone pointed it out, and its robbed me of any joy I would have in finally owning a 86 looking Wreck-Gar. I didn?t understand it in the movie, and I don?t understand it in a toy. I would much rather have preferred a toy-looking chest. Does anyone who owns it think that they might be removable if dunked it in hot water to soften the joins and yanked real hard? Because otherwise its taking an x-acto knife to them because they really creep me out. Why couldn?t they have gone with G1 chrome chest?

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

To be fair, the G1 toy had them too, though they're closer to the shoulder joint. Presumably it was to give him guns in alt-mode.

[Seraphim Prime]

They're somewhat high to be nipples...

But I can understand thinking that they project too far out from the torso. The articulation really allows them to point forward in both robot and motorbike mode, so I'm glad they're articulated, but I can see many immature uses too...

[Gehirn]

Got mine today and the leg snapped with little pressure from how tight the joint was. Can't get either bit of the leg ratchet or what is left on the pelvis to move at all. That's how tight or fused it is.

Looks like a great Wreck-Gar besides that though!

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Mine arrived yesterday, because of rather slow amazon postage and I gots ta say. I loiks it!

Robot mode looks glorious, heroic and tough. The facial hair is wonderful and articulation is a nice touch. I like his ab crunch as well, something not often seen in Transformers.
As Doublespy stated, the ankles are handled really well too.

I like that the wheel clip in to the arms and legs nicely and still spin. When I was a kid, I wasn't a fan of the spacey design of the season 3 characters, but recently having the studio series figures in hand, I've been enjoying their 80s-ness immensley.

My only real complaint about WG is when transforming the arms and bike seat areas, I would've like s more solid "click" kinda thing to let me know they're in place, especially the bike seat. Had to do some extra fiddling to get the spike wheel clearance required on the first go. But that is a rather super minor niggle on the fantastic toy.
Wreck-Gar, Cyclonus and Rodimus.... Hmm, all great toys.