Review – Corbot V Carnage Axe

Inspired by War for Cybertron, the Corbot V War Axe accessory released last year was a fantastic third party accessory for use with the Cybertronian Optimus Prime. I initially ordered the axe primarily because of curiosity — just how cool would Prime look with a giant axe? — but as soon as I had opened and played with the Corbot V War Axe there was no way that my Darkside Cybertronian Optimus Prime (available now at TFSource) was going to be left without an axe of his own.

Fortunately for me and my Prime, the crew at Corbot V decided to re-release their axe accessory in darker colors; a perfect fit — as you can see in the photos here — for the Transformers United Darkside Optimus Prime. And since it’s simply the previously-released accessory in new colors I knew before I even opened the package that this would be an excellent accessory and would be both durable and gorgeous.

Packaging

Above and below you can see photos of the clear plastic card that the Carnage Axe is packed in. The packaging is attractive and functional, but isn’t particularly stunning or exciting. But that’s okay, since the minimalist approach to packaging works — the accessory is quite well protected — and the packaging doesn’t drive the cost of the axe up to unreasonable levels. I’m a fan of beautiful package design, but I can appreciate that the approach taken with the Corbot V Carnage Axe is functional and relatively inexpensive.

Sculpt

I cannot be absolutely certain, but it looks to me as if the Corbot V Carnage Axe was digitally sculpted and then printed from a file in order to make the master. The lines are clear and smooth, the three separate parts that make up the axe fit together perfectly and without any problems, and every detail looks perfect. It’s a great sculpt that’s enhanced by durable, tough plastic and overall I have to say that I’ve got no complaints at all with the look or feel of the accessory.

Paint

There’s actually very little paintwork involved in the Corbot V Carnage Axe. The blades of the axe are cast in a semi-translucent plastic that’s then painted with a faint spray that fades out and the detail lines on the axe’s pattern are painted, but everything else is the raw plastic. But it all works; I wish I could have snapped a shot or two that really shows off the nearly-clear axe blades, but unfortunately I didn’t have any luck staging a photo that really illustrated just how cool the effect is.

Playability

As with the Corbot V War Axe I have only tried the Carnage Axe with my Transformers United Darkside Optimus Prime . . . but since Prime looks so awesome with the axe I’m quite happy. The axe being constructed of three pieces allows you to pose Prime holding the axe with one or two hands, and the only limitation to what you can do with the axe is Prime’s poseability; there’s nothing about the axe that restricts how it can be held.

To get Prime — or any other toy with 5mm peg holes — to hold the axe in two hands it is easiest to separate the axe into its individual parts and slot each one in and then assemble the axe while the toy is holding the shaft parts. Once that’s done it’s an easy enough matter to move a hand or arm and slowly position the axe the way you want it. And since it’s a durable plastic I didn’t once feel like I was going to snap the axe while playing with it.

Closing Thoughts

The Corbot V Carnage Axe (available at TFSource) is every bit as much fun as the earlier War Axe and highly recommended to anyone with a Darkside Cybertronian Optimus Prime or just about any Megatron toy with 5mm peg holes. At about $20 it’s priced relatively inexpensively for a third party Transformers accessory and definitely worth the money if you want to outfit one of your Transformers with a wicked axe.

An impressive work, and I’m now waiting to see what accessory the team at Corbot V brings us next. I still would love a mace or warhammer for use with my Cybertronian Megatron, but regardless of what their next project is the quality of this Corbot V Carnage Axe makes it almost a certainty that I’ll try the company’s next release.

Philip Reed should find more giant melee weapons for robots to hold.