Toy Review - Titans Return Sky Shadow

[doublespy]

Great review!

I've seen him in person and I have to say they've done a really good job to distinguish him and Overlord. The engineering is on the simple side, but I do like the leg transformation; it's a very smart use of the volume in the legs to hide the tank turret.

I will probably only get Overlord, but I suspect lots of comic-oriented collectors would want to get this as well to complete their Phase-sixers.

[GoktimusPrime]

I will probably only get Overlord, but I suspect lots of comic-oriented collectors would want to get this as well to complete their Phase-sixers.

I'm a comic fan and I don't feel the urge to get this toy as I already have the previous Generations version of this toy which, as a redeco of Thunderwing, feels like a more G1 accurate figure. And you all know that I'm not that fussed about scale.

[FatalityPitt]

Even though this is a retool/mould-sibling of Overlord, this Sky Shadow looks surprisingly a lot like the G1 toy, looking at the robot mode and jet. I think it also looks different enough from the upcoming Overlord toy to warrant purchasing both characters.

EDIT: We've had two Sky Shadows in the Generations line so far. I wonder if Blue Bacchus will be getting his turn anytime soon. From memory, he was a helicopter (single propeller). A potential retool of Generations Springer/Sandstorm or Alpha Bravo/Blades/Vortex perhaps?

[Maruten]

I didn't have any particular attachment to this guy or Overlord, but having Sky Shadow in hand, he's one of my favourite TR molds. Every mode is great and I think he just looks better than Overlord (not that I won't buy them both anyway). I'm not thrilled about splitting in half to transform, or the heavy reliance on his weapons to complete his alt modes, but it's not enough to stop me loving this guy.

I'm keen for a Blue Bacchus to go with him, even if just a TM.

[Pipesqueak]

Looks great in all modes and is fun to transform. Mine is let down by QC issues including ridiculously loose arm swivels, among the loosest joints i've ever experienced on a new TF. At least they could be fixed with nail polish. But the design of the loose shoulder joints means this toy will have a much shorter useful play life for kids than an expensive leader class figure should.

[GoktimusPrime]

Even though this is a retool/mould-sibling of Overlord, this Sky Shadow looks surprisingly a lot like the G1 toy, looking at the robot mode and jet. I think it also looks different enough from the upcoming Overlord toy to warrant purchasing both characters.

I agree that Hasbro appear to have done an outstanding job in trying to make Sky Shadow look a least like Overlord as possible. But I still think that the original Generations Sky Shadow looks so much more like Black Shadow, and that would be because it was a retool of Thunderwing, which the original G1 toy was as well. But obviously Hasbro needed to retool Overlord as something, and there isn't a whole lot of obvious alternatives, so Sky Shadow's about as good a choice as any, I suppose.

EDIT: We've had two Sky Shadows in the Generations line so far. I wonder if Blue Bacchus will be getting his turn anytime soon. From memory, he was a helicopter (single propeller). A potential retool of Generations Springer/Sandstorm or Alpha Bravo/Blades/Vortex perhaps?

I'd rather they produce a Generations Blades and make it a mould-mate of Blue Bacchus. The real challenge would be Vroom. Who the hell do you redeco him as? Maruten's suggestion of having Blue Bacchus (and perhaps Crossblades and Vroom) as individual Titan Masters isn't too bad.

I'm not thrilled about splitting in half to transform, or the heavy reliance on his weapons to complete his alt modes, but it's not enough to stop me loving this guy.

The split transformation makes perfect sense for Overlord, but yeah, it'd be weird for Black Shadow.

But the design of the loose shoulder joints means this toy will have a much shorter useful play life for kids than an expensive leader class figure should.

And adults!

[FatalityPitt]

... obviously Hasbro needed to retool Overlord as something, and there isn't a whole lot of obvious alternatives, so Sky Shadow's about as good a choice as any, I suppose.

Dai Atlas maybe? Like Overlord, Dai Atlas had a tank, a jet, and a base mode. But unlike Overlord, Dai Atlas was a quadruple-changer that didn't split into separate components (at least to my understanding). Thinking about it now; part of me hopes Hasbro will one day produce a Dai Atlas, retooled from Overlord/Sky Shadow. At least this way, we'd have an Autobot version of the mould.

Actually, thinking about it more; the Decepticons are out-numbering the Autobots in terms of TR Leader Class figures.

The real challenge would be Vroom. Who the hell do you redeco him as?

If they use an existing mould, Vroom could be a retool of Combiner Wars Groove (the Deluxe). Or if they want to make a new mould for Vroom, they could retool it as Bulletbike (a G2 Decepticon) in the future.

[GoktimusPrime]

I would actually consider getting a Dai Atlas redeco of this mould!

[bowspearer]

Just picked the guy up today and while he's decent for the most part (although seriously Hasbro, would it kill you to throw a lick of paint on the Titanmaster robot modes- it's getting way beyond old at this point), there is one niggle and one missed opportunity.

Most of the figure is pretty solid, feeling like a Duocon upgrade of Black Shadow.

However there are two areas where this toy has been let down by the design process.

The first is the tank. For whatever reason there are two gaping holes along the sides where you can clearly see the robot mode legs. Some false panels here really wouldn't have gone astray.

The second is a disappointing missed opportunity. One interesting thing about this figure is that much like the Generations homage, there is a drone which attaches to the front of the jet mode to simulate the combined vehicle mode of the original G1 toy.

While this drone is nice as a mini-jet which a Titanmaster can pilot in robot model, that being the limit of a Titanmaster's interaction with it is a disappointing departure from the norm when it comes to titanmaster vehicles in this line. The thing about this line is that Hasbro went out of their way to allow Titanmasters to merge with their vehicles, yet in this case they didn't. Had they simply put a Titanmaster head sized and shaped hole in the front of the seat and a Titanmaster leg slit sized and shaped hole in the back of the seat, then it would have been possible to 'merge' the Titanmaster with the drone, which would have been quite a nice homage to the Mega Pretenders.

Still, even with these niggles, he's a credible offering and worth checking out- just don't expect perfection by any means.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

After messing around with Overlord and finding her quite enjoyable, I decided I would get this guy as well.

I held off on getting Sky Shadow, as I thought I would be disappointed by Overlord if I got this one first. Odd hey? I have more of a character connection to OL than SH. Luckily though I found OL to be an excellent figure that I really liked ( a lot more than I thought I would) and so I though I'd nab this guy as well.

SH is also pretty damn fine. He has a great presence among the other toys and aside from them having the same legs, I find it pretty hard to see the similarities between him and OL. Aside from the Transformation schematic of course.

Base mode is great, I'd actually say better than OL's. I find OL's a little lacking on mass IMO, but SH manages to make up for it with clever wing usage.

The face sculpt is great as is the helmet shape. Very nice indeed. Good pose options, glorious ankle abilities and a cool looking jet mode too.

This is my first actual Titan Returns figure (having gotten the Legends versions so far) and I can say, yeeesh. Pain those heads hasbro. I'm sure I would find Ominus a bit more endearing IF he had something to let me see some detail on him. Seriously, Ominus takes the whole Black Shadow thing too far...

Overall, I think this is an excellent figure. Not a must buy, unless you like the homage or cool looking robots but if you want a good toy for a bit of play, I think he'll fit the bill nicely. And you happen to have the bucs floating around. I got mine from amazon