Review – Unofficial Transformers Headmaster, Hardbone (Hardhead)

Toyworld, when they released their unofficial Transformers Throttlebot, Aurora (review here), also released the first in a new series of unofficial Tranformers Headmasters toys . . . and it’s as incredible as Aurora and Grind Rod both are. Hell, Hardbone might even be more impressive than those two combined.

H-Tank Mode

First up is Hardbone’s — Hardhead in the official line (see the TFWiki) — tank mode. Identified as an “H-Tank” due to the way the treads extend from the main hull, Hardbone’s tank mode locks together neatly and even has rolling wheels for driving him across very flat and smooth surfaces. And, as if fitting for a Headmaster toy, the opening cockpit allows you to insert the small robot (which will become the toy’s head in robot mode) inside. The fit is kinda cramped, but the little robot does fit in the cockpit with some twisting. (Though the little guy looks very uncomfortable once he’s in).

A Bulky, Satisfying Feel

In tank mode, Hardbone is one chunky monster of a vehicle. As with the other Toyworld releases the plastic quality is topnotch, and everything about the vehicle mode (other than that too-tight cockpit) is fantastically designed. The cannon elevates and swivels, the side guns add some great firepower to the design, and all in all it’s an excellent modern take on the official 1987 toy (see pics at tfu.info).

One Tiny Robot

At 1.75-inches tall, Hardbone’s driverbot/head is very, very small and has the simplest of articulation design. The legs are on ball joints, the arms swivel at the shoulders, and the head just sits there.

And when compared to the FansProject’s Function-X1: Code (last mentioned here) driverbot, this little robot from Toyworld isn’t nearly as nicely designed. Fortunately, the full robot mode of the tank and driver combined more than make up for the weak design of this little robot.

One Big Robot

This is where Hardbone becomes truly awesome. The robot mode stands about 7.5-inches tall to the top of his head and every joint is tight and works perfectly. Playing with Hardbone makes it clear that the Toyworld designers really care about their work; I’ve got zero complaints with the toy’s playability since all of the joints hold their pose and the toy has a hefty, solid feel to it that makes it clear the cash — the toy’s priced at $100 — went into making this a quality piece.

Articulation

A quick rundown:

• Head – Just a basic swivel where the little robot plugs in.
  
• Arms – Triple-swivels at the shoulders (part of the transformation process), a bicep swivel, ratcheting elbow hinge, and swivel wrists.
  
• Legs – Ratchet joints on the thighs and knees and a swivel thigh.
  
• Torso – A ratcheting waist swivel.

Just enough articulation to make him fun to pose, and all of those ratchet joints are working without any problems at all.

Paint and Sculpt

Both are excellent . . . as you can tell by clicking on and enlarging the pics. (I’m a fan of posting very large photos so everyone can easily see the toys.) Most of Hardbone’s coloring comes from the plastic rather than paint, so that’s part of the reason that the paint is fairly neat and clean. But what paint there is — look at the yellow on the guns, green on the feet, and gray on the torso for some examples — is just fine.

Closing Thoughts

Hardbone’s another example of how the third party manufacturers are forcing Hasbro to improve the quality of their Transformers toys. The high price makes this a toy many will be forced to skip, but for those of you who are classic Transformers fans and can afford him, Hardbone makes the best modern interpretation of Hardhead we’re likely to see.

That little driverbot is a weak design — especially when compared to FansProject’s first unofficial Headmaster toy’s headbot — but it is the only weak spot on what is otherwise a very impressive design.