 Windcharger
Not Dead Yet, Will Be Soon
Transformers Studio Series 86 Deluxe
Item No.: Asst. G0477 No. G1927
Manufacturer: Hasbro
Includes: Blaster, energy effect
Action Feature: Transforms from robot to car
Retail: $27.99
Availability: December 2025
Other: The obligatory best update yet
|
| PREVIOUS |
 RSS |
NEXT |
Appearing in The Transformers: The Movie only as a dead body, Windcharger is a funny choice for a line specifically targeting the film. This figure looks very much alive and vibrant, complete with representations of his powers from the cartoon series. I don't begrudge them bringing in elements of the cartoon in the movie line (look at Optimus and Megatron!) but I have to admit, it's kind of funny given all he did was get pulled out of some rubble by Arcee.
A more minor Autobot, Windcharger did more than Sunstreaker and Sideswipe - so I'm glad to see his biggest update yet. He's usually a little guy, the last of which was The Power of the Primes Windcharger [FOTD #1,903] nearly ten years ago. I have to admit, I forgot how much I didn't like how that toy's head looks and am glad they tried again. I'd love to say "this is the last Windcharger you'll ever buy" but presumably there's a Missing Link toy on a drawing board in Japan and I have to imagine someone, somewhere, is working on a Walmart exclusive toy head variant right now.
Click here to check availability at Entertainment Earth.
Click here to check availability at Amazon.
Click here to check availability at eBay.
I could probably copy and paste this to nearly every Studio Series 86 toy review - "Wow! Hasbro did a really nice job! The cartoon model was adapted to an actual transforming toy better than ever, with more articulation and gear than all previous releases. Sell your other ones and buy this one!" I'm looking at my Reveal the Shield, Combiner Wars, and Power of the Primes comparison shot - and I think I can safely say this holds. If I had a G1 Windcharger I'd hang on to it, and I am somewhat annoyed that each other version offers something interesting like flip-out magnets, or a sculpt more in line with the IDW comics, or an opening compartment for little guys to ride in. If you're the kind of collector that just wants the best one in the best scale, get the SS86 one. But each of those old ones offer something to toy junkies or the fans of the comics.
He's big, the "silver" is more blue, and he looks more like the animation model. Articulated wrists barely swivel, but bend back for transformation while rocker knees let the whole red part move a bit. He stands fairly well, but I'd have liked some heel spurs. You'll notice the lower legs are quite large, as the entire top of the car chassis are wadded up in there. It's impressive! Sculpting is on par with other toys in the line, but the most notable feature is the face. There's a lever on the back of the head to let his head pivot up and down. On one hand, this is really cool and a neat way to add some personality and some play in a figure for collectors. On the other hand, more parts means more tooling, more assembly, and more costs. You want to get something extra out of a $28 deluxe, so this element helps take the sting out. There's also a yellow "magnet power" piece you can plug on his chest or back, and a small blaster. It feels like a solid package, but as we creep toward $30 it's getting a lot harder to say "I feel like I got a good deal here." It's Hasbro's best effort yet for Windcharger, but the last one was slightly smaller and $10. It was not as good as this new one, and it's my hope that Hasbro continues to keep the minicars at this size so we don't have to contemplate starting over again in five years.
Transformation is pretty involved. The robot body has a lot of bits that flip and swivel out of the way to wad him up in a car shape, and then you unfurl panel after panel out of his robot calf muscles to clamp on top and now you've got a little red car that has been changed for legal reasons
With lightly bigger wheels and a generally slight build, it reminded me a lot of the old toy I never had. There's a big red Autobot symbol on the hood and silver-painted hubcaps. The headlights are also decorated, without too many embellishments. For example, you don't get a bonus 5mm port to connect gear or anything - but you can clamp the magnet blast to his grille. You can also store the blaster under the toy. Hasbro and Takara-Tomy did a nice job here, offering more of the kind of features that appeal to collectors. That is to say, articulation and bonus accessories rather than play features in the forefront here.
You can't hide mass, but Hasbro does a good job shifting things around to get a car that looks like a car and a robot that looks like an animation model with some weirdness in the boots. It's not perfect, but it's very good and I struggle to imagine how it could be improved without being a $100 Masterpiece toy with some die-cast metal in it. (Confidential to Hasbro and Takara-Tomy: I'm not re-re-rebuying this guy at $100.) I'm probably going to have to start unloading some old Windchargers because really, I don't need four, and this one is the best of the lot. Get it if you have some cash in your pocket and buy this instead of a soda or a coffee (for several days.)
--Adam Pawlus
Additional Images
Click here to see more Hasbro figures in Figure of the Day.
Click here to see more Transformers figures in Figure of the Day.
Want to buy this figure? Check Transformers availability at our sponsors:
Entertainment Earth
