Review – Transformers Generations Thrust

Line: Transformers * Manufacturer: Hasbro * Year: 2010

Now that we’ve taken a close look at the Cybertronian Soundwave (review here) it’s time to look at another Transformers Generations action figure. But this time we’re looking at a repurposed older mold; Thrust’s basic body comes from 2006 and comparing this toy to Cybertronian Soundwave clearly shows that this is an older generation toy. It’s still cool and way better than it’s ancient ancestor, but it might be about time for Hasbro to redesign the basic “Seeker” toy.

Packaged in an Unusual Form

Thrust comes packaged in jet mode, but in a decision that I cannot understand Hasbro chose to mount the wing thrusters on the tail wings instead of the jet’s primary wings. Weird, especially since the photo on the back of the card shows the wings in the correct position. The photo below shows Thrust as he comes out of the pack which is also the way that he’s presented on the instruction sheet.

The next photo shows Thrust in his proper jet mode. The wing thrusters snap into the holes in the wings so repositioning them isn’t a big deal. As you can see, I’ve snapped the pic with Starscream to show how these two toys look side-by-side. In addition to the wings being completely different Thrust’s nosecone/head assembly is different; it’s shorter than Starscream’s and transforms differently. This is great, since it’s a minor tweak that makes Thrust look just a little different from Starscream’s robot mode.

Robot Mode

The photo below left shows Thrust as he’s presented in the instructions. Not only are the engines mounted in the wrong place but the wings are also flipped around. Gina and I played with the toy and she eventually found a way to flip the wings; later I figured out that rotating the wing positions before completely transforming the toy makes it much easier than making the change after Thrust is in robot mode. The photo below right shows Thrust in his proper form and as he appears on the card back.

Articulation

Thrust doesn’t have quite the same level of articulation as Cybertronian Soundwave or Cyclonus (review here), but he’s far superior to the 1985 version of the character. The legs have hinges and swivels at the knees while the hips are ball-jointed. The head twists, the elbows are hinged, and the shoulders swivel and swing out (all required for transformation). I’m gonna call the articulation adequate but lacking in comparison to newer Transformers toys.

Rough Seams

Thrust has some pretty nasty seams where plastic parts come together, especially on the forearms where the plastic is jagged and ugly. There are a few other rough plastic spots; overall it looks like the plastic pieces needed some cleaning before the toy was assembled. There’s nothing overly damning, but it’s a bunch of tiny annoying spots that bring down the toy’s quality just a little. A fanatic could no doubt go through and clean up the spots, but nothing here disrupts the playability or display value of the toy.

Paint

Thrust is cast in maroon and dark gray plastic with a goldish-yellow and silver paint details added to the toy to bring out the details. There’s also some white on the wings, but I can’t decide if it’s printed or painted on the parts. The paint is clean and functional, but there’s nothing here to make it anything more than a workhorse paint job.

I Want More Seekers

It may be an older design, but Thrust looks so much better than his original toy that I’ve gotta admit that I want to grab more of these “Seeker” toys. He’s got just enough poseability to be fun, and I appreciate that Hasbro retooled the nosecone/head to make him look different from Starscream. And so far all I’ve got is Starscream and Thrust so I may have to run out and grab the Dirge I spotted over the weekend; assuming he’s still at the store. Of course the older toys in the series could be kinda tough to find, but maybe I’ll get lucky.

Closing Thoughts

Thrust isn’t the best toy in the Transformers Generations series because at his core he’s a four year old design. But he’s still an improvement over the old design and the appearance is great. I don’t know why the instructions show Thrust with his parts in the wrong spots, but with a little work it’s easy to reposition the thrust fans to the correct placement.

And yeah, I think the best way I can tell you what I think of Thrust is to say that I’m gonna go back to the store right now and look for Dirge. I hope he’s still there.

For other opinions on Thrust see this review at Shukuenshinobi and this review at 16bit.com.

Philip Reed also has a packaged Straxus/Darkmount that needs to come out and play. Philip is overjoyed with what he’s finding in the Transformers Generations series.