TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:
Alternate Mode:
Box Art:
Technical Specifications:
STR
INT
SPD
END
RNK
CRG
FPR
SKL

ganon578's review: Legends Beachcomber

Name: Beachcomber
Allegiance: Autobot
Function: Geologist
Group: Universe G1 Series (Legends)

"Know the conflict within before facing the conflict without."

Generation 1 Bio: Warfare holds no interest for Beachcomber; he much prefers to take long, lone journeys into the vast expanses of desert wilderness and along the rugged coastal shores that occupy so much of the American landscape. Only in these places of such stark, natural beauty does he feel he can completely escape the conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons. Only in these places can he purge himself of the tensions that sometimes interfere with his operating efficiency, and relax. He's cool-headed, low-key, personable; he's what Earthlings would refer to as "laid back." But despite his feelings to the contrary, he never shirks his responsibility to fight for the Autobot cause when called upon. Deep down he knows that until his side wins there is no true escape, no matter how far he travels into the desert.

Information/History:

Beachcomber is part of a Legends wave that is the start of what I think the Legends class should be all about. Small Transformers that aren’t just little versions of bigger Transformers (don’t get me wrong, some of the Legends are good even though they’re just wee versions of larger toys), and Beachcomber is part of a wave that consists of other minibots: Bumblebee and Brawn. At first seeing the photos of Beachcomber from Botcon, I knew I was going to pick him up. He’s a new mould, a new character in the Universe line, and he was just too cool to pass up…

Alternate Mode:

Beachcomber transforms into a small dune buggy, which is almost identical in look and size to the G1 minibot that he’s based on. The colors are pretty much spot on, except Hasbro used white in place of grey. I think the white works really well on him, and brings a little more life to the already bright blue that he is. In his modern toy, Beachcomber sports a higher wheelbase than the ‘bot he used to be, and he also now carries a spare tire on the back of the buggy along with a machine gun. Who knew such a laid back guy would be openly carrying around a gun? Looking back at the old toy, it’s amazing how similar the new one is to it, but also it seems like the old one looks like more of a go-cart than this version. Personally, I like the new version much better. Detail is decent; the tires have little traction grooves on them, the gun mould is great, even if it’s a little thin and brittle, and the roll bar/cockpit cage is silver, which coupled with the white front wheel wells and yellow headlights, makes the blue stand out well. Beachcomber actually has small black seats in the cockpit too, which gives a great touch of realism to such a small figure. If there was any problem I would have with the vehicle mode, it would be the lack of a visible Autobot symbol. The old G1 minibot had one on the hood, and this one doesn’t. But it really doesn’t matter here, because he’s just awesome in buggy mode. Quality is good, and I don’t think anything will break.

Robot Mode:

Beachcomber has a surprising amount of articulation in this mode. He has shoulders that allow his arms to bend up and down, but they can also be shifted a bit away from his body too. His legs are also quite articulate; the hips are on ball joints and can be moved about, and he actually has knees! His feet are large enough to give him a good amount of balance, and if you actually work at it, you can get him into a dynamic position. Detailing in the mould is about the same here as it is in buggy mode. He has moulded hands, a well-detailed face, and parts of his chest are moulded as such that they look like exhaust pipes. Color-wise, Beachcomber’s white really stands out here, and the paint applications are superb. His face (which is actually a lot larger than your typical Legends Transformer) is silver, and he has a light blue visor that has blue metallic flake in the paint. It’s a great job on the face, and his visor really sticks out. The chest is painted mostly white (as mentioned above) with some yellow and red detailing as well, with his Autobot symbol proudly resting on the top of the chest. He’s really durable in this mode; there are no real breakable parts that I can easily see outside the gun on his back. Beachcomber’s robot mode is great, and it’s a fantastic update to his G1 figure.

Marks out of 10:

Transformation: 5. It’s a simple transformation (as is with all Legends class Transformers), but it’s a lot of fun to switch him back and forth.
Durability: 8. He’s rugged, but the gun on his back might break if you fiddle with it too much.
Fun: 9. Two great modes. The wheels roll well and keep him high enough to roll on carpet. He’s got a great amount of articulation for such a small figure, plus he’s got a sparkly visor. What’s not to love about that?
Price: 10. Inexpensive. Fit him into your budget. Seriously.
Overall: 10. He gets high marks for the mix of fun, durability, and coolness. He’s super affordable, and a great display or play figure in both modes. Well worth your money. This is exactly what the Legends class should be intended for…