TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

Robot Mode:

Alternate Mode:

Box Art:

Ganon578's review: Onslaught

Name: Onslaught
Function: Combaticon Commander
Allegiance: Decepticon
Group: Universe Classics Legends Series

"The mind is the greatest weapon."

If Onslaught enters into direct combat, it's only because something has gone wrong with his battle plan. He prefers to remain on the sidelines of a fight, directing the action and revising his tactics second by second. Nothing gives him joy as much as a well-executed ambush, or the swift, organized destruction of an Autobot base. When he must get involved in a fight himself, he does so with cold fury, advancing meticulously across the battlefield with his fire focused on the most dangerous opponent. Every variable in a fight is taken into account in his mind, every possibility assessed, and every contingency planned for.

I don’t have many Legends class Transformers, and quite honestly I usually stick to the Deluxe class, but since I wanted to collect more of the Classics/Universe line and since I don’t have the space nor the money to pick up the Ultra class Onslaught, I thought I would try the Legends class Onslaught. I must say that I am happy with my purchase, but at the same time feel cheated since he’s only a repaint of an old mold (Cybertron Red Alert and Classics Perceptor). There is some fun to be had here though, so on with the review…

Alternate Mode: Onslaught’s alternate mode is a tough call. Yes, it’s an assault vehicle, and a decent one at that, but I think Hasbro just wanted to slap one out there so they decided on this mold and painted it. There are a couple key good points here about this mode though, one of which is the overall quality of the figure. The plastic here seems quite sturdy and I don’t think it will break anytime soon. I think the color scheme that was chosen for Onslaught is appropriate, and paint detailing is quite good here. There is nice black and blue detailing to break up the dismal gray chosen for the character, and the large cannon atop Onslaught is silver, with a small hint of red on the cannon tip. The detailing of the mold is great for such a small figure, especially the cannon, which make it stand out as a really cool Legends figure. Another fine part of the cannon is the ball joint it sits on. This allows for positioning in multiple directions (up and down as well as side to side) so Onslaught can hit targets other than right in front of him. Conveniently, Hasbro also placed a Decepticon symbol in a spot on top of the vehicle that is easily visible between the two sides of the front part of the cannon. One also nifty piece of detailing is the “S.W.A.T.” painted on the front sides of the vehicle in white. It stands out well against the darker plastic, and adds a sense of realism to this mode.

There are some bad parts to this mode though; one (which really surprised me) is the lack of moveable wheels on the sides of the mold. I figured when I got him that the eight wheels on the outside of the vehicle are what move, but alas, movement comes from four really small wheels underneath Onslaught. If you feel like rolling him over some thick carpet, you’re out of luck. Another part that frustrates me about this mode is the back half of the vehicle. When in the alternate mode, you can see all of Onslaught’s body, which basically leads to a gaping hole in the back half, with his chest and face staring upwards. If you move the cannon out of the way, this is really visible, and takes a lot out of the assault vehicle mode.

Robot Mode: The transformation from alternate mode to robot mode is really a lot simpler than I expected, and I’m not even sure it deserves the ‘2’ grade in level of conversion on the package. I’d almost have to downgrade this to a 1.5 or 1. It’s just WAY too simple. The robot mode looks really good when it’s in place; the detailing of black on the legs and blue in the arms, chest, and thighs are good. Onslaught even gets a red visor which makes his face stand out a little more, which is better than some other Legends figures. The detail of the chest is good too, just like the outside of the alternate mode. The cannon can also be put into multiple positions here, and adds a little fun to the robot mode. One really nice part of this mold too, is that the front parts of the assault vehicle flip down so he actually has feet, so getting him balanced in this mode is not a problem. Even rotating the cannon a decent degree back has no affect on him standing up.

One huge problem I have with this mode though, is the complete lack of any interesting arm movements. This is a seriously poor job on Hasbro’s part; all the arms actually do is move up and down, and his hands are just molded in to the arms and are barely noticeable. It even took me a bit when I got him out of the package to even realize he had fingers of some sort. The legs don’t have much movement here either; only ball joints at the hip.

Overall, Onslaught is decent. Not great or very good by any means, but decent. I look at it this way, if you want to flush out your Classics collection, or if you like the character but don’t want to get the Ultra class Onslaught, this one’s the one for you. He’s a cool figure if you don’t own Classics Perceptor or Cybertron Red Alert, so if you like the Legends class and don’t have the two aforementioned Transformers, he’s an inexpensive addition to your collection. Otherwise, he’s difficult to positively recommend.

Marks out of 10:

Transformation: 2. Soooooo simple. No impressive transformation of any sort.
Durability: 9. I don’t think anything will break. It’s really well made.
Fun: 3. There’s not much that can be done with him, and he’s doesn’t have a lot of movement. The cannon is the only worthwhile fun part.
Price: 5. For $5, you might want to save that and put it towards a better Transformer.
Overall: 5. I like the colors and the character, but the lack of effort here makes it tough to recommend him unless you’re starving for a figure in this mold.