Transformers Generations Brainstorm Review
One of the last Generations Voyagers before the Combiner Wars switchover has finally hit retail stores and we’re showing it off! Read on to find out how good the toy is and where you can possibly find one
Brainstorm is from the final wave before the Transformers Generations toyline switched to the Combiner Wars subtitle. Final waves like this can be hard to find due to stores still filled with previous waves and wanting to get the newest toys. There is also always a lull of new toys on the shelves after X-Mas. It probably didn’t help that Brainstorm was the only new figure in the case (The other two figures being Whirl and Roadbuster, who are still clogging a few shelves in my area)
Online, Brainstorm can still be found at a few places like HTS, but in general retail he has been few and far between. Until last week, I had only heard that a few people found him at Ross shortly before X-Mas (I did see a Whirl at one around that time, so it’s possible, they got a few cases of Wave 8) But this week apparently TJ Maxx stores have gotten cases of Wave 8. I’ve seen a few friends online find him and that’s where I found this Brainstorm.
The box is the 30 years Generations box that we’ve seen in all of the 2014 voyagers. The big selling point/feature on Brainstorm is that his “Head converts to Pilot” Also known as Headmasters to those of us who grew up in the 80’s
The vehicle mode is similar to the G1 futuristic jet in design, but this one is much more streamlined and a lot less blocky looking. All the classic points are there though, the grey wings, light blue body and double nose cannons.
As you can see, the Headmaster can fit into the cockpit pretty well
The “Pilot” is not named on the packaging or instructions, but we’ll continue to call him by his G1 name of Arcana. The figure only vaguely looks like the G1 counterpart in that he has blue arms and legs and an orange face. The rounded rectangle on his chest is reminiscent of the original Arcana’s chest but that’s about it.
One of the details I kinda miss from the original Headmasters is the flip down forehead piece that would cover the robot face in pilot mode. The new Arcana doesn’t have this so we get to see a large upside down robot head on his back.
The articulation is slightly better than the original. The legs have the same hip and knee hinge joints, the arms seem to have ball joints but since they are the whole side of Brainstorm’s head, they don’t have much room to move. The head is the only true improvement. It’s a ball joint that can move up, down and all around.
The new Arcana stands taller than the Jr Headmasters figures and I believe shorter than the original Headmasters. (I believe that my KO Spike Headmaster is the same size as the original)
Much like the vehicle mode, Brainstorm’s bot mode is a lot less blocky than the original.
The articulation on Brainstorm is quite nice. Much like the Combiner Wars Megatron I recently reviewed, Brainstorm has hinged panels on his hips to allow the legs more movement while keeping the aesthetic.
The legs have swivel hinge hips along with hinged knees and swivel thighs. This allows Brainstorm the ability to sit with a leg or two crossed. The arms are much like the legs with multiple POA and double hinged elbows. The only bit of articulation it’s missing is swivel wrists. The feet may not have the greatest range of motion, but they do have rocker ankles! This tiny bit or extra articulation helps when posing in battle stances.
Since Arcana’s head is the attachment point when he turns into Brainstorm’s head, that means that Brainstorm has a ball jointed neck. The head can look all over the place
Another neat feature is that when you press down on the grey piece directly behind the canopy (this is to move the latch that holds the head in place) the back of the cockpit seat folds down to reveal a prepainted tech spec similar to the rolling mechanism the G1 Headmasters all had. While it’s not as cool as the original, it’s a nice detail that adds a bit of nostalgia to this figure.
Lastly, Brainstorm’s double nose cannon can detach to become dual blasters the figure can hold. They are similar in design to the G1 weapons with a lot of sculpted details and nicely painted barrels.
Brainstorm is an excellent update to the original. It has a similar appearance to it’s G1 counterpart while supremely improving on the design and articulation. The modern Arcana is nicely detailed with some improved articulation as well. However, I have noticed that after multiple transformations, the blue paint on Arcana’s feet & hands seems to be chipping off. While this modern Headmaster may not have the tech spec feature of the originals, it is a great figure and I highly recommend it to anyone.