Toy Review - Wildrider (Legacy)

[GoktimusPrime]

DECEPTICON WILD RIDER
Series - Generations
Sub-line - Legacy
Size/class - Deluxe
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - 2
Released here - July 2022
Approximate Retail Price - $37
Approximate Size - 13cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Sub-Group - Stunticon
Alt-mode - approximated Ferrari 308 GTB sports car
Main Features/Gimmicks - becomes TL Menasor's leg kibble
Main Colours - dark grey and red
Main Accessories - x2 dual Energon scattershot blasters













[u]Overall[/b]

Much like Dragstrip, Transformers Generations Legacy Decepticon Wild Rider(TM) is a pretty good adaptation of G1 Wildrider's cartoon model. Incidentally, the overall shape of TL Wildrider is also more G1-accurate, I suppose because the original toy was the base design even for the cartoon. The chest and arms look particularly like the toy (you could almost believe that the chest is die-cast metal (it's not )).

One small gripe with this toy is the way that the front wheels are configured in the official robot mode transformation. It makes the backpack kibble needlessly expansive and the wheels end up just being an eyesore and also getting in the way of backward swinging arm movement. You can, of course, fan-mode this by simply opting not to swing the wheels down. But it does seem like a waste of effort to make this part of the toy more complex than it really needed to be. I would have preferred to see this feature scrapped and the money otherwise spent to be used on other things like more paint apps. The legs are particularly bland and really could do with a few more colours to break up the monotony of grey. Would've been nice to see some tampographs on the knees and feet that resembled the G1 stickers. I will give this toy credit in that at least this unfortunate feature of the robot mode is undoable; so it's by no means a deal-breaker.

[Deano85]

I will definitely be leaving his front wheels pushed in when in bot mode, instead of the official wing out style they tried to implement.

[Sutton]

Transformed to car no probs, but going back to robot and the thigh-swivel mushroom peg came clean off - I can see how it happened and I could have applied pressure in a different place, but something to be mindful of.

Hopefully he's not too hard to track down a replacement. I'm gluing the leg back on in the meantime since the swivel isn't necessary for transformation. And he's a pretty generic looking dude, so good customising fodder later on.

[Deano85]

Wild Rider with Dragstrip

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Pretty nice looking toy and some good articulation. As others have stated, the splitting of the bonnet is pretty strange choice. Like I can kind of understand why it's there, as you can lower the profile of the bumper behind his head when you do it, but you only make a couple of mm difference. Surely if they did something different, like having the windshield fold in a little closer, the bonnet and backpack would've fitted smoother.
Regardless though, I, like most others it seems just leave it together for a generally nicer look.

I really like the paint on the weapons, the very subtle purple silver is nice and they look like decently sculpted weapons. and the way the mount on the car makes a reasonable work around for the big acnnons the originals came with.

Speaking of the car, dang! That is where the love is, I like it a lot. It seems close enough to the Ferarri look, while still looking cartoon-esque and is beautifully 80s. Very nice. Just a shame Breakdown will look almost the same Also, as Kurdt pointed out the Decepticon logo gets a bit lost in the bonnet colour somewhat, a shame, since the Stunticons are so very much bad guys.

Since I am getting the lot, I will say this guy is worth it, but even without the others, it's a nice car model and a fun Robot.

He also looks nice cruising around with his black and red buddy Runabout

[SharkyMcShark]

I think the added benefit of the weird seemingly pointless hoot split is that you'll be able to have visually distinct Wild Riders/Breakdowns in robot mode with the full set.