Copy/Pasted from my facebook
So I've done some babbling about buying a lot of transformers. Included in those madman ramblings was my attempt at justifying the acquisition of multiple instances of a specific character. At this point I could probably populate a couple of shelves with singular characters in varying degrees of design. Unless I used all Bumblebees, but then the incessant buzzing would keep me up. I need my sleep, dammit!
anyway
WINDBLADE! that was my latest discounted purchase! She transforms in a similar, but noticeably different way than her previous incarnations, however when you look at the underside of the jet mode you can see that, much like previous incarnations, she's just got all her robot bits folded up there. Such is the curse of almost all transformers that become flying machines.
Once unfolded into her robot mode, the differences between this Windblade and the other two become apparent. Instead of the usual red face paint and painted lips, this version has a "battle mask" that covers up most of her face. A lot of people who also collect action figures didn't like this, but I think it's a good change from having every one look the same.
Windblade also has much better articulation than either of her two previous iterations. Especially the Titans Return version of her. That one looks good, but the wings get in the way of most of the arm articulation. Likewise her Generations version has terrible leg articulation, with the wing heels bashing into each other every chance they get. With this new Robots In Disguise version of Windblade, the wings on her back or her legs don't hinder any of the articulation.
And now for my problems with this toy. First, she still comes with a pointless fan that attaches to the back of her head. I don't understand why this needs to be a thing. It's adding a piece to a figure that could have benefited from extra paint applications, or maybe an extra point of articulation. Or even an extra step to the transformation so she wouldn't have a massive backpack that off-sets her balance. Oh well, at least she can fan herself off on a hot day. In the end though, it's not a huge issue. Also I do appreciate extra props that I can use for picture taking purposes.
Another issue that isn't too huge, but is annoying enough to bother me, is her sword. It's exactly the same sword as her Generations predecessor, except Hasbro cheaped out and made it boring! I would have preferred grey plastic at least. But no, solid black plastic instead. Look at the difference. Generations Windblade's sword is beautiful with it's black painted hilt, translucent blade, and sparkly turbine in the middle. Robots In Disguise Windblade's sword is just a slab of boring plastic. Thankfully this is an issue that's easy to correct simply by swapping them. Then everyone is happy! Well, except Generations Windblade, who gets stuck with a dud.
Finally, there is a distinct evolutionary step forward in the overall design of the three Windblades. However, there is one MASSIVE step backwards (in my opinion). It may seem small but it's a huge pet peeve of mine when it comes to female action figures. COMBAT HEELS! I'm not a woman, or a military strategist, however it seems to me that wearing a set of high-heels would be a huge detriment in a combat situation. Sure the character can fly, and probably spends most of their time in the air, but this is just stupid! I thought we were done with this when Titans Return Windblade appeared, she has normal flat feet! Bah. I hope this sort of thing doesn't only bother me.
They all look so good with each other. Flying in formation, about to lop Starscream's stupid head off. They're awesome! Also this is only my second RID figure, the first being Strongarm.
So, with all of that said, do I regret purchasing this new version of Windblade? No. No I do not. It has it's flaws, but they're outweighed by the good things. I just like to complain, it's more entertaining that way. My biggest issue now is that I'm going to have to buy a fourth version of her now so I can recreate the Golden Girls.
Thank you for being a friend~
[ Click to attempt signal recovery... ]
