Toy Review - TFPrime DLX Wheeljack

[griffin]

(Please post photos, comments or even a fully comprehensive review - these are just brief details)

Toy Review - Wheeljack
Series - TFPrime
Sub-line - Robots in Disguise
Size/class - Deluxe/Revealer
Wave - 1 (Regular series)
New/remould/redeco - New
Released here - Should be here March (Released globally Jan 2012)
Approximate Retail Price - ($24-30?) US$12
Approximate Size - (14cm?)
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Sports car
Main Features/Gimmicks - none?
Main Colours - White, black, red
Main Accessories - 2 swords

[SMHFConvoy]

I picked Wheeljack today at TRU for $30. Despite the price gouge I really wanted this figure. So yes my opinion of this figure will be biased. Wheeljack was the first TF I got as a kid. It broke my heart when it was stolen at school all those years ago...


What The Math? SWORDS? by ENsoehardi, on Flickr

I'll post a few photos here but you can see more on my flickr account or just by searching the web.

I'll start with the figure's cons:

• OMG he has swords like Drift
• He doesn't invent things that go BOOM (unconfirmed)
• The knee spurs keep folding back on his leg
• No bicep swivel
• His vehicle attack mode is nonsense
• Window/ windscreen hang off forearms
• No Autobot insignia (What's up with that Hasbro?)
• Bit of a hunchback
• "Transformers Prime Robots in Disguise Deluxe Revealer"

TEEF by ENsoehardi, on Flickr

And now the figure's pros:

• It's Wheeljack
• His vehicle mode is cute, petite and angular (if he was sprayed black he'd be a stealth car! Or Slicer. Hmm...)
• Vehicle mode weapons storage
• He is really easy and fun to transform
• Robot mode is nicely proportioned
• Weapons store on back
• Paint apps are a stylised version of the G1 figure
• Figure has good stability
• Decent articulation (I count 13 points)

This would be easier with bicep swivel by ENsoehardi, on Flickr

Now for something completely different! What other characters could you mod him into?

• Makeshift (no mods necessary! Maybe red eyes.)
• Slicer (or Stealth Mode Wheeljack. Black, blue, whatevs.)
• Chromedome
• Arcee (to fit in with the whole, "Arcee was gonna be a Chromedome repaint.")
• Sideswipe (Swords!)
• Sunstreaker
• Hotrod
• I guess Drift

Yes my review is a bit light on commentary but there has been a stack of reviews of this Wheeljack (Not mine, they all bought their own.) on Youtube. I just wanted to give you guys my opinion on this figure and that is, "Yes he's worth the purchase."
If you can get it cheaper he is definitely worth it!

SMHF Convoy

[GoktimusPrime]

I picked Wheeljack today at TRU for $30. Despite the price gouge I really wanted this figure.

$30 is the standard RRP for a Deluxe in Australia and has been for quite some time. Quite a few retailers do discount to $25, but $30 is pretty average. $35 is excessive (which is how much Myers charges for their DLXes ).

I'll start with the figure's cons:
[*]He doesn't invent things that go BOOM (unconfirmed)

I don't see how that's a con for the toy. It may be a con for the character on the show -- one of several (he's really only Wheeljack in name and appearance; in actuality he's more like Drift -- hence the fan nickname "Driftjack" ).

[*]No Autobot insignia (What's up with that Hasbro?)

YEAH! Deluxe Optimus Prime and Soundwave also have no insignias too!

And now the figure's pros:
[*]Paint apps are a stylised version of the G1 figure

And thus bristling with Italian patriotism! Salva la nostra economia!

Now for something completely different! What other characters could you mod him into?
[*]Makeshift (no mods necessary! Maybe red eyes.)

Nah, give him a new head - one that has the mouth exposed instead of the G1-esque "faceguard" That'll give people who already have Wheeljack a greater incentive to get this toy. Also give him a Decepticon rub sign.

[*]Slicer (or Stealth Mode Wheeljack. Black, blue, whatevs.)

I'd get this

[*]Arcee (to fit in with the whole, "Arcee was gonna be a Chromedome repaint.")

Call her Elita-1 or Chromia or something to avoid confusion with the existing TFP Arcee character/toy.

[SkyWarp91]

Oh man those swords make him look like a murderous badass. Can't wait to get mine!

[SMHFConvoy]

$30 is the standard RRP for a Deluxe in Australia and has been for quite some time. Quite a few retailers do discount to $25, but $30 is pretty average. $35 is excessive (which is how much Myers charges for their DLXes ).

Whatevs. I could've waited for it to come out at Kmart, Big W or work where I'd get a staff discount. I really wanted him!

I don't see how that's a con for the toy. It may be a con for the character on the show -- one of several (he's really only Wheeljack in name and appearance; in actuality he's more like Drift -- hence the fan nickname "Driftjack" ).

I did say that was uncomfirmed. WJ's supposed to back season 2 so they might play up the inventor side. Also the way the character was portrayed for 22 mins may actually put them off from buying this figure. Anyway in my head WJ invents things and can use swords!

YEAH! Deluxe Optimus Prime and Soundwave also have no insignias too!

The factions and the symbols are blatant and obvious in the show you'd think they'd be stamped with the respective factions... But upon further consideration the mainline is skewed towards 5+ so their figures can be good guys bad guys dependant on mood, weather or whatever. KIDS!

Nah, give him a new head - one that has the mouth exposed instead of the G1-esque "faceguard" That'll give people who already have Wheeljack a greater incentive to get this toy. Also give him a Decepticon rub sign.

I'll leave that to you. Too much effort. I'd rather make him into Chromedome

Call her Elita-1 or Chromia or something to avoid confusion with the existing TFP Arcee character/toy.

CHUG Arcee. Happy now?

[AJ_Prime]

OOOoooh yeah, mine's just been shipped from BBTS. Can't wait, this figure looks great!

[GoktimusPrime]

But upon further consideration the mainline is skewed towards 5+ so their figures can be good guys bad guys dependant on mood, weather or whatever. KIDS!

Kids know the difference between factions and would appreciate logos. That was one (of many) things that made Transformers cooler than say Gobots when I was a kid. I often have kids walking past my car and pointing at the Autobot logos going, "Transformers! Mummy look, an Autobot!" etc. Kids would also notice the inconsistency too; i.e. all the other toys have logos but not DLX Prime and Wheeljack - not to mention it's plastered all over the packaging (and packaging art).

I'll leave that to you. Too much effort. I'd rather make him into Chromedome

Oh right, you were talking about customising - sorry, I thought you were referring to a future redeco/retool by Hasbro. Oops.

[SMHFConvoy]

Kids know the difference between factions and would appreciate logos. That was one (of many) things that made Transformers cooler than say Gobots when I was a kid. I often have kids walking past my car and pointing at the Autobot logos going, "Transformers! Mummy look, an Autobot!" etc. Kids would also notice the inconsistency too; i.e. all the other toys have logos but not DLX Prime and Wheeljack - not to mention it's plastered all over the packaging (and packaging art).

Do you take everything so literally? Or do you just troll the boards to nit pick on every little thing?

If a kid decides that they like Megatron so much that to him or her, Megs can be a good guy. It's a toy you play with it and you use some imagination.

I'm not an idiot and I certainly don't think that kids are idiots but they show a lot more plasticity in imagination.

[Sky Shadow]

I picked Wheeljack today at TRU for $30...

Great review, SMTFC!

[GoktimusPrime]

Picked this toy up yesterday - a nice solid Deluxe figure. The lack of an insignia bugged me before I got the toy, but since getting the toy it bugs me even more! The reason for this is that the toy, by design allows for an insignia to be placed on the mid-chest panel (where the insignia appears on the package art) but this panel folds away and is completely concealed in robot mode and replaced by the two back "wings". In other words, the mid chest panel is "faux kibble," meaning that if Hasbro had placed an Autobot logo tampograph on that panel for robot mode, it's not visible in vehicle mode and therefore doesn't detract from the "robot in disguise" aesthetic of the vehicle mode.

In this sense it's a lot like Transformers Car Robot (e.g. Fire Convoy, Car Robo Bros etc.) where the faction logos were only on robot mode parts but not on any of the alt mode panels, which I think is such a simple but clever idea. Quite a few movie-verse toys do the same thing too (e.g. TF1 DLX Jazz, ROTF DLX Skids, DOTM DLX Quejack etc.). TFPrime Wheeljack's allows for the Autobot logo to be placed on the mid-chest panel which would, by virtue of design, be completely concealed and replaced with different alt mode panels. So I see no valid reason why Hasbro has omitted placing a logo on this toy!

In fact - and I mentioned this to some guys at the meet on Sunday - what I would have done is place a rub sign on the mid-chest panel (yes it's a small panel, but you can get small rub signs - look at the little rubs signs used on some Beast Wars figures). And make say 1 in every 10 or so Wheeljacks carry a Decepticon rub sign, i.e. making him Makeshift! There would be _nothing_ on the packaging to tell you which was which, the only way to find out would be to buy the toy! You'd be effectively blind-packing the character's allegiance (and thus who the character really is)! You could put a small blurb on the back of the card advertising this feature - saying something like "Hey kids, have you really purchased Wheeljack or is it the secret Decepticon spy Makeshift! Rub the seal of authenticity on his chest to find out!" <evil.grin>

Anyway, I stuck an Autobot logo sticker on the mid-chest panel of my Wheeljack. It's oversized but it was the smallest one I had. Better than having no logo at all. My only other gripe would be the sword handles, oh sorry, Battle Sword (as opposed to the kind of sword you don't use in battle?!? (o_O) I await to see Hasbro release a toy with Battle Bazookas ) handles -- they're rather long which means that they kinda get in the way when you wanna quickly spin his hands around during play. On the plus side it allows for a double-handed grip, which I suspect is the intention. The ability to stow the swords away at the bottom is okay, but not as neat as say on Generations Drift. On the plus side they can be turned outward for his vehicle attack mode. But overall this is quite a nice and fun toy.

Photos!

Double-handed grip:


Single-handed grip, "Nito-ryu" (dual swords):

Fighting with two swords is really hard and a very highly advanced skill (very few fighters ever successfully master it). That's how hardcore Driftjack is!!