Toybox REVIEW: Transformers War for Cybertron: Kingdom Blaster & Eject

Release Date: January 2022

RRP: $29.99/£24.99

Transformers has moved out of the War for Cybertron trilogy and now entered the Legacy era, but one of the last releases as part of the Kingdom line is a particularly interesting one as it straddles them both. Transformers War for Cybertron: Kingdom Blaster & Eject were announced as a very late entry to the final part of the WFC trilogy, but by the time they were released in Kingdom packaging it had already leaked that they would be part of the initial range of Legacy figures as well. Unlike fellow carryover Galvatron (who lacked the battle damage paintwork in Legacy) there are no differences between the two versions, so collectors can simply choose from which version is more readily available (or perhaps more importantly, cheaper).

Blaster comes in a voyager class-sized box bearing the standard Transformers Kingdom design and layout, which follows Hasbro's recent move to use less plastic in their packaging.The front of the box is adorned with some brilliant artwork of Blaster transforming from robot to boombox mode, set against a volcanic landscape. This artwork stretches out on to the diagonal spine section, although not really in a way that it can be appreciated without seeing the whole thing. The other spine features another bit of Kingdom artwork, with Optimus Prime and the Autobots teaming up with Optimus Primal and the Maximals as the threat of both the Predacons and Galvatron looms over them. The back of the packaging features the usual Hasbro renders of the figure in both modes (as well as the number of steps the transformation has), and then inside Blaster is neatly fixed to a cardboard tray with a number of elastic ties.

If you've purchased the Kingdom release of the figure rather than the Legacy version, inside the box will also be a randomly-assorted "Golden Disk Destiny" card. These cards each feature a foil image of something that heavily featured in Kingdom's storyline, and peeling back the image will reveal one of the many fates that could befall them. My copy of Blaster included a card of the Ark, which in its second destiny could one day become the "Dark Ark".

Kingdom Blaster is the ideal update to the iconic G1 character, making very little in the way of changes to the design but at the same time giving it all the qualities you'd expect from a modern Transformers toy. Most importantly his tapedeck/boombox mode hasn't been sacrificed, which probably goes to show that these toys are more aimed at nostalgic collectors now rather than children. Blaster features lots of nice moulded detailing across his body to give it a bit more depth, while elements like the speakers in his lower legs are separate parts rather than simply painted on. His main gimmick is his spring-loaded chest compartment, which can be opened by pressing down on the row of grey buttons just underneath. Inside you'll find space to hold a cassettebot. It's a staple part of both Blaster and his Decepticon arch-rival Soundwave, so no figure of either would be complete without it.

Like nearly all modern Transformers, Blaster is very nicely articulated - altogether featuring;

- Ball jointed head

- Swivel hinge shoulders and hips

- Hinged elbows, knees, ankles and feet

- Bicep, waist and thigh swivels

The wrists are also hinged, however this is more part of the transformation than to add more poseability to the robot mode. Boxy as his robot mode may be this is more than enough articulation for Blaster to pull off some fantastic action poses - from wielding his weapon to opening his chest compartment. While he can't quite push down on the buttons with his own hand, you can certainly get close enough to pull off a convincing pose. The combination of the swivel hinge shoulders/hips alongside the bicep and thigh swivels do wonders for the limbs, and as always the fantastic ankle tilts modern Transformers have are perfect for getting the figure flat-footed in action poses.

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