Thundercracker Probability (Math.) 1/12 Transformers Defender Version 01 Shattered Alliance Item No.: Asst. 5000888 Manufacturer: Blokees Includes: Null-ray cannons, POG card thing Action Feature: It's a kit Retail: $2.99 Availability: Q4 2024 Other: I think that's a wrap on series 1
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For this particular robot mode toy of Thundercracker, his name is just "Thundercracker." You also have a 1:12 chance of getting Thundercracker Vehicle [FOTD #2,115] in the same case, which surprised the heck out of me when I found out they have slightly different paint colors and different null-ray cannon molds. I would have expected some parts reuse, but no. It's rare that I complain about such things, but I can't think of any reason they wouldn't share the same elements.

But let's not get ahead of things. This figure came out before Starscream, giving fans a prepaint. Prepaints don't come up very much, but they should. Fans get a "lesser" character, like Thundercracker before Starscream or a non-movie Clone Trooper before something you saw on-screen, to get two bigger bites at the apple. Here (and in Studio Series 86), Thundercracker is a new mold, a debut - and a good one at that. It will sell based on that newness, but the demand for Starscream not only still exists but increases. "Where's Starscream?" is the first question consumers will ask, and we know he's coming - but that little mystery increased chatter and promotes both this item and the future release. It's kind of brilliant, and more companies should deploy it to get us interested.

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The robot is great - and shares a lot of parts with other figures. The chest, head, shoulders, shins, and back wings (and cannons) are shared with other Seekers, while the forearms, fists, legs, and waist are shared with several other little robots. The forms remain specific enough to look like Autobots and Decepticons, yet generic enough to serve as any of a number of other characters.

The figure exists somewhere between "cartoon" and "toy," giving a really good super-deformed and nicely jointed figure at a low price. But, there's room for improvement should a version 2.0 be needed for a future series. The wings are swept back a bit, so they don't get in the way of the arm articulation - that's great! However, they're painted on the "wrong" side - the cartoons typically have the Decepticon symbols upside-down, and clearly visible when viewing the robot from the front. Further, I was surprised the shade of purple is different than the symbols on the plane mode. The reds and whites on the stripes are also more vibrant on the robot. The orange cockpit is more or less the same, complete with added drawn detail to add a little depth and personality to a tiny element that probably didn't even need it. That's a nice bonus.

The figure's legs have no painted detail, so there aren't any bits to represent the leg fins or the shin boxes. The knee vents are unpainted. I don't feel like this is some massive injustice - I had to check the cartoon to verify that they were indeed missing. At this size the toy looks fine, and the figure's head and torso bring in enough color that a few missing picas of color don't seem to disrupt the look of the character. Even with the wings, there really are no problems posing the figure or getting him to sit or stand. You can easily aim his shoulder cannons at other figures, and his feet are large enough so that you can pose him without worry of his easily tipping over.

The aforementioned shoulder cannons still confuse me, as they're basically the same size and very similar dimensions to the one on the vehicle. (The vehicle is slightly longer, and the shape is slightly different.) They're functionally different - the pegs on the robot are larger, so you can't swap cannons between the jet and the robot. I don't know why they didn't just pick a size and run with it, but there you are. They fit well, the joints are tight, and there's little chance of losing them as a result.

It's interesting to see what Blokees prioritizes with the figures and vehicles, as there are a lot of elements on the Thundercracker robot's backside that are left undecorated, while the jet gets multi-colored decals. I would have made the same call - nobody needs to see paint on the bottom of the jet, and to keep costs down it makes sense to prioritize the part of the robot most fans are actually going to look at. If this little guy were $5 or $6 I would expect more coloring, but at $3 it's a quickly-assembled and enjoyed diversion. I wouldn't necessarily I look forward to years and years of repaints, but it's a solid design and I'm not going to skip out on a Sunstorm or Acid Storm if we ever get them.

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