The Energon Pub

(Yes I know this is yet another thread with me whining about my indecisiveness. You have my condolences.)

So. Windblade. Hasbro clearly wants us to really, really like her. She's gotten several official toys so far- but none of them seem to be the definitive version of the character. It's a shame because I really like the design, but out of the three CHUG scale versions of the character, all three seem to have some sort of fault.

So Seibertron Seibertron, on the net, which Windblade toy should I get?

CANDIDATE NUMBER ONE: Thrilling 30/Legends Windblade.

Honestly I'm not very keen on this one. It has articulated wrists, which is cool, but the headsculpt is a bit eh, the jet mode has a big hole in it and legs on the top, and her heels need Shapeways supports. Also, the mold is available as Slipstream, who looks a lot better. I think.

CANDIDATE NUMBER TWO: RID Warrior Windblade.

This actually looks like the best bet so far. The base mold is good and the jet mode is very coherent. Unfortunately, the paint is very lacking and the face is OH GOD WHY. That said, the head will almost certainly either be resculpted or replaced entirely via Shapeways, and the paint I can improve upon myself. Also she's available locally for fairly cheap.

CANDIDATE NUMBER THREE: Titans Return Windblade.

This is oddly in between the two others. The jet mode is a bit wonky, but still OK, and the robot mode looks largely alright (though photos and renders have not been kind to her). The face looks good, but the swords are a bit out of place for her- what happened to her purple sword? However, proportionally she looks...weird. She'd definitely need the least amount of work to look good, but I'm worried that she's too flawed at the base level. That said we've only seen prototype pics and renders of her, so who knows, she might be good.

I think if your biggest problem in terms of molding is the face and you're willing to improve the paintjob yourself, your best bet might be the upcoming battle mask variant of RiD Windblade. It even seems to have a bit more colouration than the non-mask variant so less work for you!

Based on what you said, it seems you like the rid mould best and are willing to custom it to be your perfect windblade. If it's cheap and easily found, go for that. Yes it takes work but you'll have your perfect windblade at the end.

I got the Legends versions and don't need any other version of the character. The sword fills out the top of the plane and, sure it's hard for her to stand on her own, but she's never going to be on her own, so that's alright too.

But it sounds like you like the RiD version best so .... get that, I guess.

For the Thrilling 30 version, just pop the heel struts out, turn them around and pop them back in. Improves stability by quite a lot.

Before considering TR Windblade, wait for later review to pop out. She shares parts with Scourge and Highbrow, and especially the latter is known to have rather loose head connectors.

If you like the less fiddly RID mold then track down the Takara Tomy Adventures versions. They nailed the paint on that one, it's a great figure, though I prefer the extra black and more streamlined look of the original.



Emerje

Black Hat wrote:(Yes I know this is yet another thread with me whining about my indecisiveness. You have my condolences.)

So. Windblade. Hasbro clearly wants us to really, really like her. She's gotten several official toys so far- but none of them seem to be the definitive version of the character. It's a shame because I really like the design, but out of the three CHUG scale versions of the character, all three seem to have some sort of fault.

So Seibertron Seibertron, on the net, which Windblade toy should I get?

Especially if you are a customiser/painter then RID Windblade is the way to go. She is the only jet without gaps and has good stability and everything is tight. Her biggest issue really is the paint apps but thats not a issue when you can paint

Also unlike the others you can get her for cheapest today

william-james88 wrote:

Black Hat wrote:(Yes I know this is yet another thread with me whining about my indecisiveness. You have my condolences.)

So. Windblade. Hasbro clearly wants us to really, really like her. She's gotten several official toys so far- but none of them seem to be the definitive version of the character. It's a shame because I really like the design, but out of the three CHUG scale versions of the character, all three seem to have some sort of fault.

So Seibertron Seibertron, on the net, which Windblade toy should I get?

Especially if you are a customiser/painter then RID Windblade is the way to go. She is the only jet without gaps and has good stability and everything is tight. Her biggest issue really is the paint apps but thats not a issue when you can paint

Also unlike the others you can get her for cheapest today

Well, that settles it- RID Windblade it is! The face, now I look at it, could probably just be improved with some sculpting rather than outright replacing the whole thing.

You know I'm really surprised they molded her shoulders in red rather than black. If the paint budget wasn't there to give her the proper detailing then wouldn't it have made more sense to do the shoulders in the correct "majority colour" and match up with the arms better?