Combiner Wars Sky Reign finally brings a new torso mold, and John DeLuna and Matt put it through a full review. Sky Lynx looks great in all his modes, but soft ratchets and friction tabs hold him back. The pair rank the four limbs from Wheeljack to Smokescreen and place Sky Lynx among the Combiner Wars Voyagers. They close by trying to keep their Computron expectations in check.
The Limbs: Wheeljack, Hound, Trailbreaker and Smokescreen
Matt ranks Wheeljack worst, then Trailbreaker, Hound and Smokescreen as the best. John agrees on the worst and the best. Hound’s dark green suits the original toy, but both find his angular head sculpt slightly off. Matt avoids third-party Masterpieces, so he skips the Gundog comparison. Trailbreaker has a great head sculpt and an 80s paint job, but John wants silver on the chest. His new hand-foot piece has fine silver detail that is hidden if used as a foot.
Matt likes Wheeljack’s head sculpt and nothing else, since he has never liked the base engineering. John says the creamy off-white car needs far more paint. Smokescreen’s red, blue and yellow pop, and he pairs nicely with Sky Lynx. Matt put his G2 Aerialbots on Sky Reign and recommends it.
Sky Lynx: Shuttle and Dino-Bird Modes
Matt likes Sky Lynx but is a bit disappointed, comparing the hype to Brawl. He reports weak joints and a shuttle mode that does not peg together cleanly. John finds the shuttle tiny. Matt says Sky Lynx feels small in his dino-bird mode, and both struggle with hind feet that fold into the legs. The toy feels light and hollow. Too many panels lock by friction instead of ratchets. The unofficial griffin fan mode looks serviceable.
Sky Reign Combined
Both love Sky Reign’s V-shaped, Silverbolt-like silhouette after many Hot Spot and Onslaught torsos. The bad news is the hips. John’s left hip barely ratchets, Matt’s right hip is the same, and they say Exvee has the issue too. The torso is hollow from the side. John hopes Liokaiser fixes the hips, while Matt is excited because Liokaiser is a character fans never really got.
Where Sky Lynx Ranks Among the Voyagers
Matt names the Hot Spot and Onslaught robot the best figure and Silverbolt the best torso. Sky Lynx and Motormaster are a coin flip at the bottom, each with fit problems. With firmer joints, Matt says Sky Lynx would blow Motormaster away. Matt will display him as Sky Lynx, next to his Cloud Rodimus.
Keeping Computron Expectations in Check
Computron has been Matt’s favorite Autobot combiner since childhood, so he has kept his expectations low. The crew discusses the newly revealed full-color box art, the Silverbolt retool for Scattershot and a Takara Groove limb. They expect the Wheeljack shell to return as a red car limb. [Source: TFW2005]
Contributors: John DeLuna, Matt
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