TRANSFORMERS TOYS AND MERCHANDISE SECTION

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

Vincent's review of Wreckage

Name: Wreckage
Function: Decepticon Close Combat

Wreckage is one of the few characters in the movie toy line that haven't appeared in either the movie or the game.

Alternate Mode:

Wreckage's alternate mode is an APC military vehicle. For those of you who don't know what an APC is (including me), it looks like a crossover between a Jeep and a tank, and due to the "boxy" look it has this bulky feel. It has 8 wheels and is covered in white camouflage splotched with gray spots, which, I assume, is supposed to be used in snow-covered areas. There is some very nice detailing around the vehicle consisting of small pipes, panels, vents and hinges. There's also a small gun-turret placed on the top near the center of the vehicle, which is very nice, although, disappointingly, it cannot turn left or right. Another thing I'm not fond of is the red, translucent square on the top of the vehicle. The square itself has no fault but it simply clashes with the colouring of the vehicle, which constitutes mainly of white and gray. I personally find this colouring OK, but I've heard someone say it's a tad "bland", but that would be up to individual taste. But this is not difficult to solve, since you can judge for yourself by looking at the toy in a store or find some pictures online. At the front of the vehicle is the Decepticon insignia that is placed slightly to the right of the vehicle. An appropriate position, I believe, since it's noticeable but not "out there".

Unless you're concentrating on the underside of the vehicle this is a well-accepted disguise for this Decepticon.

Transformation:

I prefer not to detail the transformation process, as I believe this is the "surprise" that comes with every toy. It's pretty moderate in terms of complexity, with a slight kneel towards simplicity, so it's OK. There is also this nice automorph feature that revolves around transforming most of the torso. Not the best I've seen but pretty much welcome.

Robot Mode:

Wreckage is one of those surprising Transformers, mainly due to the contrast of the impressions he gives in his two modes. While in vehicle form he gave a strong, defensive and bulky feel, in his robot form he looks rather sleek and agile. His feet are not bunt and round but rather sharp and elongated, and has a similar "toe" coming out of the back of each of his feet as if to clamp the ground. Worth of notice is how his hands are sculpted; they are not closed but rather slightly open, and his fingers look long. But they are not "too" open to hold his accessories, which I will return to later.

He now has armor around his legs, a bit around his arms, and there's this rather big panel on his back. The panel doesn't look bad at all, it's just something to keep in mind.

In this form a new colour is revealed; there are now traces of gold that are quite tastefully added. These are found on the feet, on some detailing on the pelvis, and a bit more that surrounds the face on the helmet. There is also a red, translucent cannon (similar to the square on his vehicle form) jutting out of the abdomen. I personally think it looks good, since it gives him this new aggressive attitude not detected before. Around the cannon is some silver detailing which takes a semi-circular shape. In general I find the colours good, but my only problem is the strong shade of red covering his arms and thighs. As someone else said, "...from bland to garish...and back!" But it really doesn't detract from the look too much.

The head mould looks a bit similar to Megatron's, though not identical. Wreckage's face has more bold features while Megatron's, I believe, is sleeker. The bottom line is, Wreckage looks ferocious! From his red, squinting eyes to what can seem as fangs, this is one Transformer you do not want to meet in real life. Not that transformers exist in real life or anything, which is a shame. My only problem with the head mould is that the rear half is in this mysterious, translucent red which the designers seem adamant about using. I am not sure why it is used here in this way since even if it were in gray (like the rest of the helmet) it would not have interrupted his disguise in vehicle form, which is my best guess as to why they did this. And unfortunately Wreckage's head can't look up. At first he looks slightly humped but it quickly grew on me.

Wreckage has approximately 11 points of articulation (I'm not sure if I counted them right). There are ball joints at the ankles, which I'll admit are somewhat blocked by extensions of the legs. I love feet articulation since whatever pose you put a Transformer in will be considered useless if the figure can't stand on its own feet, and I'm glad to say that Wreckage delivers. It's not the best I've seen but it's still great. There are also ball joints between the legs and pelvis, and another pair at each of the shoulders. He also has some good knees. The waist has extremely limited poseability, much to the point that it's really not worth recognizing. The head can turn a bit to the left and right, but if you turn it too much he'll end up looking down. In general I feel his articulation is really great and is one of the toy's best points. No pun intended.

Ah, accessories. I'm not a serious collector and I've never placed too much emphasis on accessories, but I can honestly say Wreckage's accessories are one of his strongest points. And this is not to say the toy itself is bad, but the accessories are that good. They consist of a pair of blades. They have large, dark-gray handles and the blades themselves are -yes, you guessed it- translucent red. At least this is the one time the color actually looks good. The blades are retractable and, as such, can be used as guns placed in Wreckage's hands. They also have pegs so that when they are used as swords you can place them in a hole under each of the forearms, making them look absolutely kick-ass.

I only recently read about this in a forum, but the blades can be attached end-on-end Darth Maul style! The only problem with this is, although Wreckage can hold it, I've yet to find a decent pose with it. Nevertheless, it's safe to say that the accessories approximately double Wreckage's posing potential.

Durability: 8 This isn't something that will break easily, and though some parts may pop off (which only happened to me once) this won't break unless you're trying.

Fun: 9 Though I'm not the kind to play with toys, I can say this is a fun toy considering the amount of poses you can pull off.

Price: 8 It's the usual price for Deluxes, and well worth it in my opinion.

Overall: 8.5 I detracted points because of some flaws with the coloring, but otherwise this is a great toy that's worthy of being in your collection.