Toy Review - Titans Return Wheelie

[GoktimusPrime]

Balko would be best but I believe someone already said they sold out there.

Yeah, I checked Baulko out on Friday and they were sold out. Top Ryde had heaps on Friday, but I don't know about now. I can check Top Ryde out for you when I get time to go there again, but it won't be soon as I'm pretty busy this week. Anyone else able to help?

[millhouse]

If anyone is able to grab a Wheelie and post him to WA (at my expense) I'd be super appreciative! PM me if so.

[5FDP]

Yeah, I checked Baulko out on Friday and they were sold out. Top Ryde had heaps on Friday, but I don't know about now. I can check Top Ryde out for you when I get time to go there again, but it won't be soon as I'm pretty busy this week. Anyone else able to help?

Just got back from Top Ryde. They're sold out as well Got the generic '2 weeks' to restock. I'm taking that with a HUGE grain of salt.

[SMHFConvoy]

Just got back from Top Ryde. They're sold out as well Got the generic '2 weeks' to restock. I'm taking that with a HUGE grain of salt.

They were already running low when I rocked up Saturday morning, last weekend.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Who'd ever have imagined that Wheelie would be so popular...?

[Handsprime]

On Tuesday I was in Glendale because Dad had a job up there and I needed to get my L's up so yeah drove up there and whatnot, had a look inside the Toymate because apparently it has really good stock and grabbed myself a Wheelie.

I actually do love the toy, my only problem is that his vehicle mode can be a little bit tricky to properly transform, but other than that I like him

[GoktimusPrime]

I just managed to get MP Daniel to fit, and that was after wriggling his feet through the hole at the bottom of Wheelie's cockpit. Phone camera refused to focus...

These Titan Masters must really, really tiny if they're meant to fit inside this space.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Mp daniel kooks pretty chill in his car there. Off cruising for chicks next?

[doublespy]

Wheelie is a fantastic little figure.

Every once in a while, a main line figure pops up. It is such a pure labor of love by the designer and so great overall that it becomes an instance classic, like ROTF Leader Optimus and Generations Voyager Springer. I feel like Wheelie might be it in this new Titans Return line. He looks great in both, has excellent articulation for his size and a fun and creative transformation.

He's not flawless. Right out of the package I have trouble standing him up.

The inside of his legs forms the top front silver section in vehicle mode, and the designer literally "cut corner" here to make the seams follow the contour and look more nature. But that extra bit of plastic is quite critical for him to be able to stand in a wide legged pose. It also doesn't help that the heels formed by the front wheel section are offset towards the outside. It sure takes some practice to balance him.

It was also pretty hard to fit everything together in vehicle mode. The square pegs on the back of the waist piece are meant to fit into some grooves on either side of the arm, but the grooves had some mold flash inside so I had to shave some plastic off. Not an ideal design for manufacturing decision probably, as small square shape is harder to control mold tolerance than a round peg.

These two issues aside, he's excellent





The vehicle mode is quite faithful to the G1 design, with some modern twist, especially towards the back, which gives him some hard edges to break up the oval shape of the car nicely. I also like that they used the same "tinted" clear plastic for his wheels.

The transformation is involved for his size, and like Goktimus mentioned, the use of space to create the seat is truly a great touch, and not something you see often even on bigger size toys.


He does have a molded spot for Autobot symbol, but it's not used here, presumably because the dark canopy piece that covers it would make it really hard to see in robot mode. I don't mind it as I do like the tinted clear plastic better than TakTom's see though


TakTom do get the deco right most of the time, but in this case I like the Hasbro version better. The lighter orange looks very nice in hand the two tones of orange complement each other beautifully.


There's one thing that to this day 3rd party companies still can't beat official figures on: the head sculpt. Wheelie's noggin looks great. It's all in the modeler's touch; something intangible that can't be defined by mere geometries.


Aside from the usual articulation, he has a wait joint due to transformation, which is always a welcome for dynamic poses. And the transformation joint below the neck allows his head to tilt up a little bit, just enough to take effect yet not to break up the sculpt.


I wish he came with a slingshot. I've yet to find a 5mm gun that's short enough for him to hold when his elbow is bent.





Wheelie is already a great stand-alone figure without the Titan Masters interactivity, which from I've seen so far looks like an awesome play pattern.

All in all, a wonderful package that excels within the confines of Legends class size. The recent Generations Legends have generally been really well done,
which reminds of the ROTF commander class, which gave us some of the best pocket sized figures.

[philby]

nice reviews i'm not sure if i've seen him around locally. i think i will grab one if i do.