The Energon Pub

I skipped out on 07 Blackout originally just because I heard so many complaints about loose joints, poor automorph, and some other issues. Anyway, I saw a review on YouTube where some guy said those issues have been solved.

Any truth to that? And is the original Blackout really as bad as I’ve heard?
(I know Premium Blackout is very new, so maybe I’m posting this a little early.)

I don't have the Premium edition, so I'll tell you what I think of the original Blackout

He's a bit undersized, not only should he be much bigger compared to the other movie TFs, but he's actually extremely small for a Voyager. With his 'backpack' taken off he's only slightly larger than a Deluxe. Still, his backpack weapon thingie is huge and while his head and shoulders may be lower, in total he still reaches Voyager size.

Articulation is fine, plenty of arm and leg movement. Waist and head are swivels. His joints were nice and tight on mine, sake for the ones needed to plug in his shoulders (more on that later)

His backpack can be taken off and transformed back into rotor mode, for use as a melee hacking weapon. It is huge when posed over his shoulder, but thay adds to the awesomeness. He's got no other weapons, nor sculpted-on weaponry.

Moldwise, he definitely suffers from his small size. The helicopter looks great with the only kibble visible on the underside of the cargo bay. His robot mode is much more solid paneled and traditional than the movie model, especially his torso. The head is awfully low detail, which is made worse by the inexplicable paint wash. Should've had solid colours on his head. The eyes are lightpiped a nice blood red.

The automorph doesn't work on mine, but can still be operated manually. Maybe I lucked out, but he doesn't give me any trouble. The very first time you tf him, it feels like you're forcing the toy in wrong directions. Once you know how exactly to move the lower body, the rest will follow without trouble.

The transformation is fairly smooth sake for the attachment of the arms. The pegs which plug his shoulders to his torso are small and require gentle care. They are also awfully loose, so if you don't plug them in, they'll just flop down. Just don't be too rough and he should be fine.

The Scorponok accessory is a nice bonus and the deployment feature in which it is launched from Blackout's helicopter mode works well. It also provides a nice in-scale Scorponok. If you own the Deluxe version of Scorpy, there is a nice extra feature. Plug the grotesquely out-of-scale Deluxe Scorp to the underside of Blackout and press the rotor button. At the same time, Blackout's rotors will spin as Scorponok's digger claws twist. Works smoothly and adds to the fun.

In short, he's not bad, though the weakest of the initial four Voyagers. He's obviously the largest and most decked out version of the character, so if you want the most complete version of all the movie Decepticons, go get him. If you're really worried about his issues, the FAB version might be an alternative. Its robot mode is basically the same size and he's much sturdier. (but also more cartoony)

Wow! I really appreciate you taking the time to post an honest review on Blackout! Aside from being cautious with the automorph feature, I guess I'll be looking for the Premium version in the future. Thank again!

Yes many of the loose joint problems were solved in the premium series. Blackout is worth getting. In alt mode, the premium looks better because of te metallic paint job and details. But in robot mode, the original is better because of the black highlights. the premium robot does not look as good because of all the light gray. Right now the original blackout is worth more and harder to find because of demand, so have fun trying to find one at a price you are willing to pay. I have read that Evac is a good toy and better than Blackout in terms of joint quality and original look and cool gun. Overall, I think nothing beats the original. If I could only choose one, I would choose the original.

Yeah, Blackout is a solid figure. While he is small compared to the other Voyager classes, his detail is great.

Initially I thought I wouldn't like Blakcout, but I thought he was a great figure when I bought him. Alittle topheavy, but nothing too horrible. I'm lookling forward to the Premium.

influence82 wrote:Yes many of the loose joint problems were solved in the premium series. Blackout is worth getting. In alt mode, the premium looks better because of te metallic paint job and details. But in robot mode, the original is better because of the black highlights. the premium robot does not look as good because of all the light gray.

Thanks for the update—and welcome to Seibertron!!!