Yay, it’s a Dreadwing. It’s hard to believe we first saw the grayscale prototype for this guy at BotCon 2011, which was a while ago. So long ago, the toy was gonna be Dreadwing’s green brother Skyquake at that point in time. But now we get Dreadwing (who’s alive) first and Skyquake (who died in his first appearance) in a later wave.
This is my second “Robots in Disguise” Voyager! I have First Editions of Starscream, Optimus Prime, and Bulkhead, so other than Megatron, the first few waves of Voyager Class product had been a wash. (He’s the first Prime Voyager I’ve bought in a store, come to think.) And since Dreadwing is RID instead of FE, that means he comes with one of those big-ass unfolds-from-giant-block-into-weapon-with-electronic-lights things. Megatron’s similar deal only activated his sword; his giant cannon stayed as you’d like it while in default mode. Dreadwing’s, like everyone else’s big weapon, does not. The reason it doesn’t stay in this unwrapped mode is because the weapon’s LED lights up as it does so. It’s the gimmick.
And so I shoved a toothpick in there because I want Dreadwing’s gun to look like the weapon he has on the show instead of a big mess of parts that’s taller than it is long. I wonder how long the battery will run. (If you don’t want to use a toothpick, you can prop the finger catch on the butt of the weapon into Dreadwing’s chest as he holds the gun, as shown in the photo. That’ll cram the weapon in place while looking somewhat natural.)
Dreadwing also has a sword which can attach to the gun like a bayonette, also as seen on the cartoon.
The toy itself is complicated! Not aggravatingly so, except for in one spot. There are many series of kibble panels that form Dreadwing’s robot mode, and as you get him towards jet mode, they all converge on a spot near the center of his fuselage, just behind the cockpit. You have to order these strata just right.
He is, of course, a jet with a couple of giant robot legs hanging underneath him.
And let’s not talk too much about the two robot hands grabbing out of the back near his thruster all goatse-like.
I am satisfied with him. He looks like the character, has an interesting transformation (so many surface panels of the jet move around to seamlessly form pieces of him!), and he’s a pretty cool jet if you don’t look underneath him or from the side. (If you collect Transformers, that’s just kind of a given that you accept, so.) It’s too bad about that weapon. I mean, I understand why. It’s for kids, and they like glowing. Hell, I like glowing. But fun-hating adults like myself may sometimes get cranky about it.
(Dreadwing is voiced by Tony Todd, who also voiced The Fallen, btw.)
The coloring… am I the only one who thinks it looks like the Deathscythe from Gundam Wing?
Yes, mainly because it doesn’t… Deathscyth is Black with yellow highlights. Dreadwing is Navy Blue, grey and a touch of yellow.
Where’d you find him? Everyone’s finding him but me.
Target! He’s also showing up at Walmarts around here.
Damn, all the online stores are sold out, im going to have to settle for the arms micron version
I find the easiest solution to the Powerizer weapons is to take out the spring. Did it with Optimus and Bulkhead and I can display them with their proper weapons in most poses. Haven’t done that with Megatron since his plunger only activates his sword, and you can hold that in place without taking out the spring. Also, it saves the battery. While I accept that kids kinda like glowy stuff, they could have put a lock on there. So much griping would be avoided that way.
There’s three things that bug me about those silly weapons block :
1)They should be able to lock into place like the DOTM Voyager weapons dangit!
2)They GOT to stop putting colored LEDs with colored plastics! IT DOESN’T WORK HASBRO! Use white light and let the plastic carry the darn color or clear plastic and colored light! Not both!
3)They felt the need to add those pointless transluscent forearms that don’t actually gain any illumination (especially due to point #2). If they didn’t have those you can bet your ass that Dreadwing would simply have his hands folded into his forearms like a proper Voyager instead of having them jutt from the back like a Scout or Cyberverse dude! Seriously that’s just terrible. I hope someone designs some sort of block he can hold on to hide the hands.
I second that. There could had been better ways to include the light up gimmick, like ditching the whole “transform from block to weapon”-nonsense and just giving the weapons the light-up feature.
I’m looking forward to his EU release (though I’m still waiting for some other releases, like the Vehicons).
And damn you Willis for associating Transformers toys to shock sites.
I’m assuming “block of stuff spring-transforms into big light-up weapon” was a popular thing during playtesting. Ditching half the gimmick is still ditching half the gimmick. These weapons are a lot more effort than just a stock weapon with lights, so there must be a reason behind the effort.
As always, what kids think is cool is going to be more important than what I think is cool. There’s more of them than me.
I’d like to get a kid’s opinion of those block thingie.
At least Mech Tech weapons were weapons in both modes. That worked well!
I don’t know why they didn’t go for something more simple like a simple light up feature. Heck, just add a rudimentary sound chip that goes ‘PEW!’ and that would have been pretty sweet. It’s not like those are very expensive, considering the ammount of stuff you can find near a register in cheap stores that make sound.
Bulkhead’s weapon is the only one where I really think it worked so far. I love the idea so its a shame it wasn’t carried out better. Magnus so far seems to be a step in the right direction. His weapon appears to be able to lock in its two modes. And both modes look like a weapon.
I mentally contacted 10-year-old Zycrow and he reminded me of how much he disliked the giant missile-firing cannons that GI Joes came with in the mid-1990s. He was a peculiar kid, though.
Just like Ultra Magnus, I found Dreadwing today in stores here in Germany.
I fixed his weapon with a tiny string to knot the two hinges underneath the cannon together. I can at least admit in his case that the light up-feature looks very good.
However, just as my two FE voyagers, I will not try to get Dread into his vehicle mode. It looks to complex for my likes, since I care more about the robot mode anyway.
He’s a 4chanicon?
I hope that the Arms Micron the TakaraTomy version is set to come with will see an individual kit release like many of the others have. I don’t think it’s actually been seen yet, but if I recall correctly I think it’s supposed to have a shark mode. If so, it sounds pretty nifty; I’d glady swap out the spring loaded pile of parts weapon for that.
But is he punishing? Inquiring minds want to know!
Gargh! Another voyager for me to pick up. I’ve gotten Starscream and Megatron (haven’t taken either out of the box yet) so far and I’m looking forward to Prime and Bulkhead. Reading these blogs has revitalized my interest in Transformers and with the nice looks of the RID line I’ve picked up quite a few in the last couple of weeks. It looks like Dreadwing will have to join the bunch after my next trip to Target. Oh yeah, damn you Willis! My wallet was much happier before. Thanks too tho
Starscream is amazing. He’s amazingly expressive. Any pose you think of will look natural and right for him. I don’t have Prime (I have enough of the big guy. I might grab a first edition though if I have the cash.) and I don’t want Megatron. I have Bulkhead though and he’s not a bad toy, he just has some flaws. He’s a figure I highly recommend reprolabeling. It’ll help with his bland stomach. Otherwise he’s not as bad as some say he is.
As in Candy Man (and Night of the Living Dead), Tony Todd? Well played, casting director!
I think a list of airplaneformers that don’t have large chunks of obvious robot visible from beneath would be a short list. I mean, there’s Scourge, and there’s Scourge. Masterpiece Starscream slides in under the wire. Anyone else?
RotF Voyager Starscream isn’t bad. He’s got the ass-grabby-hands sticking out the back, but not much robot is visible besides that. Plus, I seem to remember that the hands were originally designed to fold out of the way, but budget nixed it.
I seem to remember that Universe Powerglide was also pretty solid.
There’s the ROTF Mindwipe mold. Beside the fact you can see his head from below you can’t see any obvious robots bits from the side. RTS Lugnut is pretty good as not looking like robot pieces, even if his undercarriage is rather ugly.
Oddly, two of the best in this regard were Mini-Cons, and came in the same packaged: Classics Thunderwing and Steel Wind.
Jetfire?, or maybe (a favorite of mine, yet I don’t own a figure of this character) Highbrow…?
- a_o_t_8.
DOTM Deluxe Starscream is fairly chunky from underneath but none of it looks like obvious robot bits, no hands, no head, maybe the toes are somewhat visible…
He really does look that much like Depth Charge, huh? I actually think he looks better than the FP figure – more massive and wing-heavy like the original figure. Thunk I’ll get him for my Beasts of Futures Past display that I’ll make someday.
None of the Targets/Wal-Marts in my area have this guy. However I did find Knockout the other day. I hadn’t seen him at all and “Boom!” there’s three on the pegs at target.
Its not the chest that is annoying to me, its the legs. When you try to convert, the “safety” application makes them pop off.