I finally got my Legends Unite Warriors Bruticus! Was it worth the super expensive shipping and import fees to have it right now?
Well, I'll check it out and compare it with the G1 original at the same time. Right of the bat, we see that the UW version follow the cartoon colors rather than the old toy colors like the Hasbro version did.
First, Brawl.
Neat tank with nice details. Unfortunately, the UW turret don't turn at all like the g1 original.
In bot mode, Brawl have a bit of a problem with his waist joint, but its fine. Still havent received the small G1 Brawl gun from ebay.
Next is Swindle. Not a big difference with the Hasbro version and it's still a solid mold.
I really appreciate that the UW version went the extra mile to make the end of the combiner peg into a different color.
Vortex is the same excellent helicopter mold as before but with one exception: a 4 blades propeller instead of the usual 2.
Those blades are a bit awkward in robot mode, but they ain't so bad.
(Goddammit, blurry photo...)
4th member is Blast-Off. Hasbro made him into a jet for reasons. But Takara created a whole new mold by giving him his proper space shuttle mode. I never handled it before and I can tell that I'm impressed the way it's built. Sure, the obvious arms in shuttle mode are weird, but it's a price to pay for a 4 changer.
The bot mode have an unique transformation for his chest. I think this bot is the coolest of the team.
Finally, the leader, Onslaught. Honestly, he's the weakest of the bunch. Sure, his colors are absolutely magnificent, but it's his solidity that is very questionable. For some reasons, I just can't make his vehicle mode straight. The legs just won't peg into the crotch properly. I never had that problem with this bold before.
His bot mode is very nice, but he suffer from "noodle legs" syndrome. This mold have a tendency to have weak floppy knees depending on which one you get and this Onslaught is one of them unfortunately. This make him as posable as the G1 original.
So that Onslaught keep is original looks, I can't use the gun-canons on his back as his regular guns. So I too a spare Armada Optimus Prime gun, I repainted it, and gave it to him. It work very well!
And finally, the BIG BOI, Bruticus himself. While the G1 original use the head and the chest plate as separate parts, the CW/UW version integrated to parts into Onslaught himself. That was a genius design. What's not genius is that Onslaught's "noodle legs" syndrome carry over the combined mode. This make the G1 original ironically way more solid than the Unite Warrior. UW Bruticus flop all over the place and you must position the legs
juuuuuuust right so that he don't topple over. For the money I paid, it's extremely disappointing. Also, Blast-Off's arm mode split a bit too easily but it's a common CW annoyance. I never considered it before but maybe this time I'll but some upgrade kits if it can improve his solidity.
At least once stable, UW Bruticus look great.
So, was this Bruticus worth the EXTRA 60/70$CAN I had to pay just to be sure to get him? Well, unfortunately, no. Definitely not. If it weren't for that pandemic bullcrap, I could have went the normal EMS route, avoid the ultra expensive Mandarake DHL service, and save the custom fees because by normal postage, Mandarake is completely invisible to customs. Not so with DHL. Still, the guy came in barely FOUR DAYS since ordering, instead of being lock in some limbo like my other two Mandarake orders. So it's at least that.
)
wanted to see if there was enough interest, as you said it could lead to other reissues, but more importantly, hopefully new ones. Also I want to believe that TT may have done a small reissue of Superion previously, even while the UW line was still being offered. My UW Superion I obtained about a year after its release, and it doesn't seem to have any issues with the head, also I remember some 3rd party retailers restocking Superion pretty late into UW run, which is why, despite being the first release, it was still available for quite a while. Which I think might add a valid point to Sabr about why TT would choose to re-release it (again?) If that is the case.
