Tailgate Still Not the Comics Version Transformers Age of the Primes Deluxe Class Toy Item No.: Asst. G0474 No. G2014 Manufacturer: Hasbro Includes: Blaster Action Feature: Converts from car to robot Retail: $27.99 Availability: August 2026 Other: Windcharger Retool
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Usually if you ask a fan which version of a character they want, it's very likely to be from the cartoon or the original toy. With Age of the Primes Tailgate, that's more or less what we get. This toy takes last year's very nice Studio Series 86 Windcharger [FOTD #3,012] and gives it some new colors and new parts, which is more or less what the original toys did in the 1980s. However, this character did basically nothing in the old cartoons so a lot of fans in the English-speaking world have gravitated to the IDW comics interpretation of the character... who is much more popular, and gets a lot less official merchandise.

This toy more closely matches the comics profile model, which informed a cartoon fan art model which seems to have informed the toy. It's a reasonable thing to do, but not a perfect match since this particular mold doesn't bother with the shoulder pylons that typically go around the head. It's sort of its own thing, but it does keep that teal box behind the head and adds keeps Windcharger's unique face lowering lever on the back..

If you want a non-1980s version of the G1 cartoon-ish/toy/comic character, this is the one to get.

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I wasn't a huge fan of the robot at first glance. It's a sensible update of Windcharger, with a new head, chest, and waist. The blaster is also new, while everything else seems same similar enough to call it unchanged. Windcharger had an extra energy effect, dropped here for character and perhaps budgeting reasons. Articulation remains great, although the bottoms of the feet aren't as stable as there are no heel spurs or similar back-of-the-foot piece to keep the figure from potentially tipping over if you aren't careful. I was able to shoot it just fine, but I do find myself wishing the feet were a little less round on the bottoms. Articulation is generally excellent, consistent with most modern deluxe-sized toys. Given the prices, that's really good.

Unique to Windcharger and Tailgate is a boxy head with a separate, jointed face inside. A lever on the back of that box allows you to tilt the face up and down. This isn't a feature that would be missed had they left it out, but it's a little more fun than just having a plain swivel head. I like seeing Hasbro and Takara-Tomy try out new ways to interact with figures beyond "now with ankle tilts," but it doesn't fundamentally add a lot to the finished robot. You're likely to just keep it standing around and holding the blaster, noticing the face mask that covers the mouth and not the nose. And depending on your feelings on recent news, this may cause you to laugh or cry a bit.

Since it's over a head taller than the last one, it's probably worth your while to pick it up if you're continuing to collect the post-Siege scale of robots in disguise. If you aren't, I might recommend holding back to see what happens with comics-inspired figures as we go forward. Surely a new version is going to be coming eventually, but for now, this is pretty great.

It's a simple transformation, and I like that - the legs unfold to make up most of the top of the car, and everything tucks in place nicely. The blaster hides under the vehicle, and you're good to go.

What really may surprise you is that the car mode is similar in size to the 2018 Tailgate [FOTD #1,941], which also went for the toy/cartoon look through a slightly different lens. Both cars are the same length, although the 2026 model is a little taller and a little wider, with details closer to the original toy. You get painted wheels, separate roof windows, and slightly exaggerated wheels. The Autobot logo replaces a rubsign, and the colors are a pretty great match. It looks like a car, with minimal non-panel distractions. They did a nice job here, and it's very similar to Windcharger's car mode. I'm generally impressed.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this rounds out Hasbro's remakes of deluxe-sized 1984-1986 minicars. Hasbro could still do South American recolors, or Japan's remaining Bad Boy (from Powerglide), or other variants, but those seeking to finish this particular "team" in mostly toy flavors should now be pretty much set. I'm still surprised Target hasn't had a Red Bumblebee variant, but maybe that's coming along with various convention variants. If not, we are probably a few years off from an IDW redux of Tailgate since the demand still seems to be there. This is the best modernized version of the original 1980s toy to date, and I would recommend it to anyone collecting the team at this scale. But if you're happy with your old ones, in this economy, you should do what makes sense for your budget.

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