Toy Review: Generations Brainstorm
Name: Brainstorm
Size: Voyager
Gimmick/Accessories: X2 hand guns, pilot/Headmaster Arcana.
Vehicle mode: Based on Nick Roche's design from MTMTE, Brainstorm transforms into a stylised, sleek Cybertronian jet. He boasts some really nice lines, although his transformation is a little weak - the engineering is not too much more than the G1 toy displayed, with legs and arms basically folded up underneath him. I can't help noticing that he's a lot curvier than the angular Fansproject Smart Robin (a Brainstorm "homage") that was released not too long ago. The softer lines and aerodynamics are broken somewhat by the forearms and lower legs which just hang off the bottom of the aircraft. Arcana can ride in his cockpit, and looks mighty fine doing so. His robot mode guns store in vehicle mode by becoming part of the nosecone, giving him his traditional shape.
Robot Mode: Breaking the recent streak of smaller and smaller toys, Brainstorm is a really good size, feeling a lot more like a true voyager than some of the recent AOE toys (such as Evasion Mode Prime). His robot mode is stunning, with vivid colours which are balanced really well. A genius move on the part of the designers was to put the Headmaster's own head on a ball joint to make Brainstorm's head likewise ball jointed. Another neat addition is inside the chest, where he sports a "mini-tech specs", not unlike the original G1 toy, although the levels are static and not activated by the Headmaster. He sports some strong ratchet joints and has a good amount of articulation, and is able to strike some good poses. My Brainstorm's wrists are a little loose, but I suspect that might just be mine rather than a design flaw, and is an easy fix.
Headmaster: Here's where I have some issues. Other than the ball jointed neck, which I think is great, Arcana is a disappointment. His articulation is poor, especially in the arms which, as you can see from the pics, are basically the width of the head, looking side on. On mine, the legs are so loose they come off almost every time he's transformed. In addition, the legs are moulded in off-white and virtually completely covered in turquoise/blue paint, some of which scratched off with little encouragement on the very first time he was transformed into robot mode. I am at a loss why the legs weren't just moulded in blue in the first place. The moulding and paint apps on Arcana's forehead is also poor. As has been noted in other reviews I've seen, in Headmaster mode, the head is terrifically difficult to remove.
Overall: Despite the flaws in the Headmaster design, Brainstorm is a great sculpt, looks very good in both modes, has colours that pop, and will look fantastic displayed. I am encouraged by HasTak revisiting the Headmaster gimmick, and hoping they continue to expand this area of the Generations line in the near future. A good, solid figure, and well worth having in your collection.
DSC_0066 by M-bot2011
DSC_0069 by M-bot2011
DSC_0073 by M-bot2011
DSC_0074 by M-bot2011
DSC_0075 by M-bot2011
DSC_0070 by M-bot2011
DSC_0072 by M-bot2011
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Originally Posted by Bidoofdude
