Toy Review - Unite Warriors Computron

[christalcase]

Name – Computron (Scattershot, Lightspeed, Afterburner, Strafe, Nosecone)
Series - Unite
Size/class - 1x Voyager; 4x Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - all figures received remolding
Released Here - no
Approximate Retail Price - AU$150 - AU$200
Approximate Size – unknown
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode – 2x jets, 1x motorcyle, 1x drill tank, 1x sports car
Main Features/Gimmicks – combination
Main Colours – red, white, brown
Main Accessories – guns and combiner pieces

Scattershot:



Scattershot is a heavy remold of Silverbolt and he looks great, although retains the flaws such as the bulky/square-ish body and undercarriage kibble. He does however has a new pair of guns which plugs at the back now.



In robot mode, he is slightly different to the Combiner Wars version in that he has a remolded chest as well. The red, white and brown works well.

Strafe:



Strafe is of course one of the heavy hitters of the set, being a remold of Unite Warriors Blast Off and also different to the remolded Hasbro version. Strafe looks really good, the white is very clean and the red is vibrant.



Robot mode is equally good. They have pretty much remolded everything and Strafe looks like a completely new toy. His hips are somewhat restricted but otherwise Strafe is perfect.

Lightspeed:



Lightspeed is a remold of Combiner Wars Wheeljack although it doesn't show in this mode. He looks okay, the silver is nice but otherwise nothing much else to say.



Lightspeed was only allowed a head remold. Unfortunately, this is the worse Combiner Wars Deluxe mold (personally) and hate his legs/hips. He comes with a new pair of guns.

Afterburner:



A remold of Combiner Wars Groove, he sports an elongated windshield and a new pair of guns, but is otherwise unchanged. He is more orange than expected and the plastic colouring isn't as nice as the rest of the set.



Afterburner sports a new head as well in robot mode. The new guns seem to be a bit too large for him to wield properly. You can also rotate the windshield kibble to either the windshield up or the wheel. The official Unite Warriors configuration of having the wheel sticking upwards makes it stick out a lot further from the back though.

Nosecone:



The other heavy hitter of the set, Nosecone is a heavy remold of Combiner Wars Rook but sports a huge drill attachment. The tip of the drill is spring loaded and retracts so you don't poke your eye out.



The drill is detachable to be wielded as a weapon. Nosecone works really well in robot mode as well, although he sticks out not being red in color.

Computron:



In combined form, Computron looks fantastic. He has a remolded head and remolded chest which differentiates him from Superion. As with all Combiner Wars figures, he is heavy so the articulation is wasted.



In the alternate limbs configuration, Computron still looks good although Afterburner is a bit awkward since no matter how you rotate the windshield piece, it sticks out at an unusual angle.

Overall:

Personally, I feel Unite Warriors does the character more justice than the Combiner Wars boxset, even with the price premium. All five figures look great, and the additional remolding make each figure unique and more faithful to their original incarnations. The only thing Hasbro's version does is the dedicated hands/feet, otherwise, Unite Warriors wins in every aspect.

[GoktimusPrime]

Afterburner looks a lot better in your photos than in stock images that I've seen so far. Looks more orange and less red, which is good. The stock photos made it look like it was the same red as Lightspeed. Mine's still in transit.

[FruitBuyer]

Bloody brilliant. I was late to the UW Computron train and I wish I got on earlier, he is really great. It's made even more awesome for me in that I only own UW and CW Superion so everything except Scattershot is new to me.

[GoktimusPrime]

Got mine today.

Group shot in vehicle mode

Comparison with G1 Technobots is here.

There is the temptation to review the entire set in one hit - I've already had a fiddle with them all. But in order to better appreciate each toy on its own merit, I've decided to review one figure at a time. And unless anyone here was lucky enough to get the gift set (which was never released in Australia), then collecting the Technobots one figure at the time would've been the way that we collected the originals too. So in the spirit of how I collected my G1 Technobots, I'm going to review the UW Technobots in the same order that I acquired my G1s.

==============

Name – Afterburner
Series - Unite Warriors (UW-08)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - redeco of Deluxe Groove
Released Here - no
Approximate Retail Price - ￥16200 (AU$211)
Approximate Size – 13.5cm to top of head, 18cm to top of back-mounted wheel
Allegiance - Autobot (Cybertron)
Sub-Group - Technobot (Techbot)
Alt-mode – Motorcycle
Main Features/Gimmicks – gestalt
Main Colours – vermillion & white
Main Accessories – guns x2, hand/foot module for Computicon

I have a lot of fondness for Afterburner as he was my first Technobot, and also because his bike mode was the closest thing I had to a Light Cycle from Tron. UW Afterburner is predominantly vermillion with prominent white accents throughout, which is modelled after Afterburner's G1 cartoon colours. Judging from images that I've seen of Combiner Wars Afterburner, it appears that the Hasbro version is more toy-accurate. Typical of TakaraTOMY, UW Afterburner has a few extra paint ops which help to highly parts of the mould which are unpainted and thus not highlighted at all on the Hasbro mould. This includes the silver shoulder mufflers and spokes.

The instructions and stock photos show Afterburner with the front wheel sticking up and out towards the back of the robot in robot mode. Surprisingly Afterburner's heel spurs are able to cope with this shift in weight. The robot's balance isn't affected by the more back heavy configuration. Having said that, I personally find this official configuration to be ungainly looking and I prefer rotating the wheel down as shown in christalcase's photo.

I don't have Deluxe Groove, so this whole mould is new to me. The motorcycle mode is quite bulky (although G1 Groove was always a rather bulky bike). I do like how they have made a good effort in trying to make the motorbike mode more thin. It still doesn't beat Wreck-Gar & the CHUGUR Junkions, but then again, the Junkions can't combine. So all things considered I think that they did a pretty good job. The bike is ridiculously oversized, but considering that this is meant to be a scifi bike I find it easy enough to suspend disbelief. The way that the kick stand folds down from the arm is a nice touch.

[GoktimusPrime]

Name – Lightspeed
Series - Unite Warriors (UW-08)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - redeco of Combiner Wars Wheeljack, which was a redeco of CW Breakdown
Released Here - no
Approximate Retail Price - ￥16200 (AU$211) for the set
Approximate Size – 13cm
Allegiance - Autobot (Cybertron)
Sub-Group - Technobot (Techbot)
Alt-mode – Approximated Lancia Stratos
Main Features/Gimmicks – gestalt
Main Colours – maroon
Main Accessories – guns x2, hand/foot module for Computicon

Note: See the Combiner Wars Breakdown Toy Review thread for further comments and discussions about the original core mould. This review will look at some the differences made.



I don't have CW Wheeljack, so this redeco of CW Breakdown is new to me (although not as new as Afterburner, since I do have Breakdown). Lightspeed really stands out in the UW Technobot team as the only one with a realistic looking vehicle mode. Not just the shape of the alt mode, but also the colours which are more realistic looking than Wheeljack (in terms of what you'd be more likely to see on a regular public road and not on a race track). There's nothing wrong with it per se, but it just feels a bit funny. Racing stripes on the door would've been nice, adding not just a touch of greater G1 accuracy, but also helping to further break up all that maroon. I can see why TakaraTOMY chose this mould though as it is the closest approximation to the fictitious future car mode of G1 Lightspeed. Having said that, the more realistic looking sports car mode arguably makes it look more similar to G1 Motorvator Lightspeed than Technobot Lightspeed. Well, if they ever decide to make CW Big Rescue/UW Road Caesar, then we know which mould would be an easy choice for for Lightspeed/Braver!

The robot mode does reveal more silver, dark maroon and black highlights that help to break up all the maroon on the figure. Overall it is a pretty uniform colour scheme, but G1 cartoon accurately so. The retooled head is also pretty nice.

[Paulbot]

It looks like someone forgot to Slip Slop Slap.

[GoktimusPrime]

Okay, I'm going a bit out of order now because I actually got Scattershot after I got Lightspeed, but considering that UW Scattershot is a redeco of an existing toy I think that I'll review him later. I'll add the Scattershot review to the CW Scattershot thread and link it back to here.

Name – Strafe
Series - Unite Warriors (UW-08)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - redeco of Unite Warriors Breast Off
Released Here - no
Approximate Retail Price - ￥16200 (AU$211) for the set
Approximate Size – 13cm
Allegiance - Autobot (Cybertron)
Sub-Group - Technobot (Techbot)
Alt-mode – Cybertronian Shuttle
Main Features/Gimmicks – gestalt
Main Colours – red & white
Main Accessories – gun, hand/foot module for Computicon

I don't have UW Breast Off so this mould is entirely new for me. The alt mode still very much looks like a shuttle, although the extensive retooling makes it look more like a scifi shuttle than a real life one. It reminds me of the shuttles seen on Star Trek, only sleeker and with wings. And massive cannons out the front. Much like G1 Strafe there are no visible windows suggesting that there's no cockpit - which makes sense for a Cybertronian mode when you think about it. And indeed many of the Cybertronian modes we saw in War For Cybertron and Fall of Cybertron had no true windows/cockpits. The rockets along the rear sides of the fuselage look pretty neat and help to sell the alt mode as a "rocket jet," which is what G1 Strafe's alt mode was officially described as. There are actually nine usable 5mm ports, so it's possible attach all of Strafe's weapons in vehicle mode and five additional weapons! Quite suitable given his personality (I can imagine Strafe executing a Death Blossom manoeuvre).

Strafe has a very nice looking robot mode. The retooling and new head really do evoke the original G1 character quite nicely. The silver face and maroon legs really do help to add more colours to the toy. The original G1 toy has an entirely red face, and the G1 cartoon model has a white face (same as the rest of the head) with blue visor. The silver face is accurate to neither version but looks better than both. Strafe boasts an impressive 13 points of articulation and can hold up to 12 5mm post weapons!

A really nice, solid toy.

P.S.: The robot mode with the cannons pointing down (as seen in the second photo) is the official transformation. But I like to have them pointing up as seen in the first photo.

[GoktimusPrime]

Name – Nosecone
Series - Unite Warriors (UW-08)
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - redeco of Combiner Wars Rook
Released Here - no
Approximate Retail Price - ￥16200 (AU$211) for the set
Approximate Size – 13cm
Allegiance - Autobot (Cybertron)
Sub-Group - Technobot (Techbot)
Alt-mode – Drill tank
Main Features/Gimmicks – gestalt
Main Colours – white, brown, mustard yellow
Main Accessories – guns x2, hand/foot module for Computicon

Note: See the Combiner Wars Rook Toy Review thread for further comments and discussions about the original mould.


I think that TakaraTOMY made the better choice in using Rook as the base mould for Nosecone instead of Brawl. The stockier proportions in both robot and vehicle mode seem to suit Nosecone so much better. Yes, the colours do contrast with the other Technobots, but that was always the case with Nosecone who was personally my least favourite Technobot. Little wonder that I bought him last. That and the fact that I already had the "Drill Dasher" Powerdasher toy and didn't really see the appeal of owning Nosecone (since I could complete Computron by using a Protectobot or Aerialbot ). Nosecone was the one Technobot that I bought off the secondary market after G1 finished ($5 at a Parramatta Fair ), and even then it was just to complete the set.

The colours and retooled head are clearly based on Nosecone's G1 cartoon colours, which are actually pretty similar to the G1 toy. The main difference being that the dark brown colour on the toy was substituted with a lighter brown and mustard yellow. The ability to plug his gun and/or drill into his fists is a pretty cool feature.

[GoktimusPrime]

Name – Scattershot
Series - Unite Warriors (UW-08)
Size/class - Voyager
New/remould/redeco - redeco of Combiner Wars Scattershot (which is a redeco of CW Silverbolt)
Released Here - no
Approximate Retail Price - ￥16200 (AU$211) for the set
Approximate Size – 18cm
Allegiance - Autobot (Cybertron)
Sub-Group - Technobot (Techbot)
Alt-mode – Cybertronian Space Cruiser
Main Features/Gimmicks – gestalt
Main Colours – white, burgundy, maroon
Main Accessories – guns x2

N.B.: See the review threads for CW Silverbolt and Scattershot for comments about the preceding versions of this mould. This review will cover changes made.

It wasn't until I got this toy that I realised that it's not just a repaint of Combiner Wars Scattershot, but a retool as well. The knee pads and chest are completely new. The kneepads aren't any better or worse than CW Scattershot's kneepads, but I do appreciate the fact that they do help to make this toy look more different from Silverbolt. The chest is definitely the more important retooling done to this mould as it makes the toy look much more like Scattershot! The colours coupled with the retooling really help to make UW Scattershot notably more G1 accurate than its CW counterpart (although I still prefer the toy-accurate all blue face of the CW toy, but in all other aspects I prefer the UW toy). Computicon's shorter antennae does make it trickier to pull out than the long antennae on CW Computron's head (a carry over feature from Silverbolt). UW Scattershot also features all new weapons. TakaraTOMY have scrapped Silverbolt's weapons for two new guns. The aft tip of the jet mode has also been removed, which helps to make the alt mode look that wee bit less like an Earth jet.

As I mentioned in the CW Scattershot review thread, I think that Hasbro did a commendable job in repainting Silverbolt to make him look like Scattershot, but UW Scattershot just outclasses that toy as the most G1-accurate version of this mould thus far. Although that's not to say that CW Scattershot is a bad toy though. Bear in mind that it was released significantly earlier than UW Scattershot, so TakaraTOMY had the benefit of hindsight and being able to make additional improvements. I do like CW Scattershot, but I love UW Scattershot!

Coming up next: combiiine!

[GoktimusPrime]

Name – Computicon (Computron)
Series - Unite Warriors (UW-08)
Size/class - Voyager & Deluxes
New/remould/redeco - redecoes (see review posts for each individual figure)
Released Here - no
Approximate Retail Price - ￥16200 (AU$211)
Approximate Size – 29cm to top of head - max. height may vary depending on limb configuration
Allegiance - Cybertron (Autobot)
Sub-Group - Techbot (Technobot)
Alt-mode – The Technobots!
Main Features/Gimmicks – gestalt
Main Colours – white, burgundy, maroon, red, brown, mustard yellow, metallic pink
Main Accessories – gestalt rifle

Computicon is about as good as most other CW/UW gestalts, most comparable with Superion. The most notable improvement on the TakaraTOMY version over Hasbro's (Betatron) is the new head which looks like Computron and not Superion repainted. The metallic pink highlights on the chest which resemble the lights we see whenever Computron was processing data in the G1 cartoon looks quite nice. An unexpected but very nice feature is how all of the Technobots' guns (except for Afterburner's) can combine into one big super gun. Afterburner's guns clip onto Computicon's back. Judging from photos of CW Computron, another difference is that UW Computicon comes with the same hand-feet weapons that most other CW/UW gestalts come with, whereas CW Computron seems to come with the same "fixed" hands and feet which Victorion has. UW Computicon's chest is also retooled, making it look much more like Computron's chest instead of just being a repainted Superion.