The Energon Pub

Can a legends class figure be considered a Masterpiece level? For me, Brawn might as well be one (honorable mention to the latest Wheelie mold as well)

Masterpiece of course attempts to deliver a modern engineering designs to near animation accurate (?) incarnations of our 1984 heroes and villains. Sure Brawn does not fit the description in the vehicle mode (looks like a Humvee 4WD monster)but in robot, he has crossed all the "T's" and dotted the "I's".

Transform mode doesn't stray far from the original G1 vehicle/figure.The complexity of its simplicity.

Robot mode is all that we see see in the G1 cartoon. AMAZING! The face sculpt, the bullet helmet, the stance and his lack of height. All there. Also, forgot to mention, those hard etched facial lines. So bravado macho!

Vehicle mode is a rugged Humvee type modern take. Very tough looking. An apt choice from his previous G1 alternate mode.

Poseability? Excellent!. Not back heavy at all. (the flipped down panel on his feet helps add stability. Great job Takara!)

Gimmicks like the back panel turning to a shield. Reminds me of Brawn doing crowd control with his riot shield.

His back also opens to allow a Tm pilot to sit inside. But for the love of Primus, the only Tm I feel should pilot him is the Brawn Tm. Trouble is, that little bugger is hard to find on retail (ebay is another thing but the asking price for him is not justified).

Also, the panel doesn't lock. Not even a friction induced locking mechanism.

Also, how is HB (Takara I'd grant might make a more plausible back story) going to justify a mini figure that transforms into a head piloting a vehicle that transform into a robot with a head already included of the same one the pilot transforms into...... See what I mean?

Plastics? Doesn't feel cheap. Colors? Kind of subdued less glossy but with paint apps in all the right places. The OCD in me though would have preferred if that part on his groin looked like his image in the card. If Takara will release their version, I hope they fix that and give him a rim job too.

Minute issues I mentioned, I can't find anything wrong with him.

I give him a out of