Review #55: Legends Trailbreaker
and Hoist -- Mold Mates
Ready for a mini-version repeat of our last review? Well, here it is! A look at a Legends Class Trailbreaker (like the Deluxe version, released under the trademarkable name of Trailcutter) from 2011, and a 2012 recolor of the mold into Hoist.
Much like with Optimus and Motormaster, Hoist was given a new accessory -- a weapon -- and was remolded slightly to accommodate it. In vehicle mode, the remold involves adding a peg hole to the roof. |
Trailbreaker is basically a black SUV, which is an alt mode that suits his character nicely. He is very augmented thanks to a rather nice Reprolabels set, which gives him stripes on his sides, a faction symbol on his hood, a new grill (which has an additional faction symbol), gives him rear lights, colors in the unpainted top third of the front window, and gives color to all of his remaining previously completely unpainted windows. It also even adds a few new windows on his roof. As part of the Reveal the Shield subline, he came with a small rubsign on his roof.
Hoist, other then the remold to accommodate the gun, is a pretty straight recolor of Trailbreaker. Thus, he is also just an SUV rather then being a tow truck such as G1 Hoist or the later (previously reviewed) Deluxe Class Hoist. Hoist could use a sticker set, but alas Reprolabels hasn't as of this writing produced one for him. (And as a toy that's a few years old at this point, I wouldn't hold my breath... but I'll be happy to be proven wrong!) The only augmentation he has is via Sharpie. In vehicle mode, with black Sharpie, the upper third of his windshield was colored in.
Hoist, other then the remold to accommodate the gun, is a pretty straight recolor of Trailbreaker. Thus, he is also just an SUV rather then being a tow truck such as G1 Hoist or the later (previously reviewed) Deluxe Class Hoist. Hoist could use a sticker set, but alas Reprolabels hasn't as of this writing produced one for him. (And as a toy that's a few years old at this point, I wouldn't hold my breath... but I'll be happy to be proven wrong!) The only augmentation he has is via Sharpie. In vehicle mode, with black Sharpie, the upper third of his windshield was colored in.
In vehicle mode, Trailbreaker's a pretty good little representation of his character! And Hoist... Well, he's a green Trailbreaker! But while this might upset me in a larger class of figure, I'm kind of okay with that in a Legends Class.
In robot mode, we again have a decent little Trailbreaker and a Hoist that is almost a straight repaint. The only remolding done was to his hands, to accommodate having to be able to hold the gun. It is a bit of a shame that he wasn't given a new face, especially considering that that piece needed to be remolded anyway for the gun storage in vehicle mode. Still, when it comes to Legends Class figures, I'm not as bothered by this as I would be with larger scaled figures.
Hoist does have a bit of silver Sharpie work added to him, just to accent the front of his over-the-head force field projector, which unlike on Trailbreaker had been left unpainted. |
Hoists weapon has three ways it can be held. It has a 3mm peg, an additional peg on the side (which I like to use for vehicle mode), and the weapon's butt also happens to be a 3mm peg. I personally don't typically use that last option, but it can add extra play value.
Articulation is about standard for a Legends Class mold developed for release in 2011. He has ball jointed shoulders and ball jointed hips. He has some forward or backward ankle movement due to how he transforms, so that makes his hip articulation slightly less useless then is typical for a figure that doesn't have poseable knees.
Articulation is about standard for a Legends Class mold developed for release in 2011. He has ball jointed shoulders and ball jointed hips. He has some forward or backward ankle movement due to how he transforms, so that makes his hip articulation slightly less useless then is typical for a figure that doesn't have poseable knees.
To the left is these two figures presented along with a standard size DVD case for scale comparison.
Trailbreaker is a neat little Trailbreaker. Hoist is... well, to truly be Hoist, he'd need a bit more remolding. And he could also use more detailing, either from additional paint apps, or from a Reprolabels set. But even without these things, for a Legends Class figure I guess he's okay. It isn't like I can't figure out who he's supposed to be. If you are looking to have these characters in your collection... well, honestly you're probably better off with the more recent Deluxe Class offerings. They'll scale better with other figures, and Hoist will be able to have more uniqueness. But if you specifically enjoy collecting Legends Class figures... well, sure, why not? They're a fun pair, and you could certainly do worse then to own them. So go for it, I say! Review added 20 July 2014 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed. |