Toy Review - Titans Return Autobot Breakaway

[GoktimusPrime]

AUTOBOT BREAKAWAY
Series – Titans Return
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - Redeco of Titans Return Chromedome
Wave - 3
Released here – November 2016
Approximate Retail Price - $29.99
Approximate Size - 13.5cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode – Mazda RX-7 FC3S^scifi car
Main Features/Gimmicks – Power^Headmaster
Main Colours – grey, black, red, white
Main Accessories – small gun, large gun, "Throttle" Titan Master

See the TR Chromedome review threads for more comments about the mould itself. This review will focus on changes made. Bomp.



VEHICLE MODE



The entire "Transtector" is just identical the Chromedome but with new colours resembling Getaway. In this regard they've done a pretty good job, even including tampographs on the doors to resemble the door stickers on Getaway. The raised central part of the bonnet is coloured grey which breaks up the white and is probably as a vague visual reference to where Rev sits on Getaway in engine mode. And considering that a good portion of Rev is grey, it's not a bad effort. A darker shade of grey would've been preferrable (I'm expecting the TakaraTOMY version to have this).



ROBOT MODE



Much like the vehicle mode, the robot mode does a reasonable job in approximating Getaway's colours on a Chromedome body. My main gripe would be the forearms and hands. They really should've been painted navy blue to break up all that white and also to achieve greater G1 accuracy. But I suspect that Hasbro's budget didn't allow it. Again, wouldn't surprise me if TakaraTOMY went for this in their LG version (we'll see).



THROTTLE

It's Stylor with a white body and blue head and limbs. Pretty much a paint-by-numbers redeco and equally as bland as TR Stylor. And the colours neither match G1 Throttle (Darkwing's Nebulan) or G1 Rev (Getaway's Nebulan), but he is carrying Throttle's name so... uh... I guess he defected? Maybe because he never got to help host the letters page. In alt mode, the head is very much based on IDW Getaway. I expect TakaraTOMY to ditch this entirely for a more G1 accurate head. But for IDW fans it looks great (but again, darker grey would've been nicer).



OVERALL

They've done a pretty good job in making Chromedome work as Getaway. I just wish that Throttle were called Rev (or something approximating it) and that it had more Rev-like colours. But disappointing effort on the Titan Master's humanoid mode aside, Breakaway itself is a pretty good redeco. Bomp.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Without his massive shoulder blades, I'm just not interested in this guy at all and that makes me sad because I love Getaway.

[FatalityPitt]

The red and yellow paint on the chest plate is surprisingly reminiscent to the G1 toy. But yeah, he needs blue on his arms, and maybe some red on his shins.

Because I like the mold, I'll likely pick this guy up.

[GoktimusPrime]

Without his massive shoulder blades, I'm just not interested in this guy at all and that makes me sad because I love Getaway.

Yeah, the shoulder pads are pretty iconic, if not incredibly impractical (Breakaway can walk through doorways! ). I suppose that Hasbro had to allocate more money into developing new moulds for Breakaway's case mates (Hot Rod, Twinferno, Triggerhappy) which may not have redeco potential (although Triggerhappy could be redecoed as Brainstorm if they really wanted to), thus it was cheaper to use an existing mould in order to allow the budget to develop those other toys.

And I was thinking about what other existing TR mould Hasbro could've used for a CHUGUR Getaway, and honestly there isn't one. The only other TRs with automobile alt modes are PM Optimus Prime, Hot Rod and Hardhead. The alternative would be to develop a new mould and later redeco it as Nightbeat and Minerva, but judging from the fact that Nightbeat has already been released as a stand-alone Titan Master figure, I think it's doubtful that he'll be released as a proper Headmaster in TR. I reckon if this were a BotCon or Club exclusive redeco, people would be all upon 'ems!

Subjective cosmetic preferences aside, there's nothing that I can cite as being any inherent flaws with this toy, unlike say Highbrow's bobble head, Skullsmasher's lack of a heel spur, or the inability for Twinferno's guns to clip onto his shoulders etc. Breakaway is a pretty nice, solid figure.

The red and yellow paint on the chest plate is surprisingly reminiscent to the G1 toy. But yeah, he needs blue on his arms, and maybe some red on his shins.

I can live without the red on the shins, but the blue arms would've massively helped. I would've rather seen them sacrifice the blue on the rear of the vehicle (which mimics Getaway's spoiler) and transfer that blue paint ops onto the arms, although it would make the vehicle seem a bit more bland. Hasbro has basically diverted more of the paint ops onto the vehicle mode than the robot mode, but you'd either have a more bland looking robot or vehicle so I guess it's much of a muchness. Even TakaraTOMY can't completely get around this -- LG Weirdwolf generally has more colours in robot mode but fewer colours than TR Wolfwire in wolf mode (although it is more G1 accurately bland in that sense). And yeah, the LG figures do generally look nicer had have more colours on the whole than TR, but they also do cost nearly twice as much.

[Maruten]

I don't have any attachment to the G1 version which makes this easier for me; I love the mold, I love the new head, I think Breakaway is probably the best of the wave. Hot Rod comes a very, very close second but I think I like this guy more.

[5FDP]

I don't have any attachment to the G1 version which makes this easier for me; I love the mold, I love the new head, I think Breakaway is probably the best of the wave. Hot Rod comes a very, very close second but I think I like this guy more.

Wait... what??! So you'd rate Triggerhappy as the weakest of the current wave?

To each their own I guess.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Hmm...I have the old Movie Breakaway, I might have to give this a try.
It looks really good.

[Thurmus]

Wait... what??! So you'd rate Triggerhappy as the weakest of the current wave?

To each their own I guess.

I sooooo want a TriggerHappy. He is awesome. Easily the best of this wave in that size.

[shockNwave]

Damn! I wish they released Breakaway before releasing Chromedome. He's got the better color scheme.

[Maruten]

Wait... what??! So you'd rate Triggerhappy as the weakest of the current wave?

To each their own I guess.

No, no, Twinferno! Twinferno is the weakest by MILES. The other three are pretty close.