Yes, I bought legends Broadside, both because the Nonnef 3rd party ax largely fixes his jet mode, and because I hate and fear money. I also hate hate hate the stickers Hasbro insists upon using, and I was annoyed at how much of the TR Broadside was molded in trans-blue and then dipped in paint. So, was it worth the $56 I paid for it? Read on to find--no, of course not. Come on. But I really like it all the same. BEHOLD! Carrier Mode: This is how it comes packaged. It's definitely the most competent mode, but it's also the most boring. Without the stickers, the only details are a pair of white runway lines down the prow and a pair on the diagonal strip. There's a white Autobot symbol tempoed in the center of the deck, which is a nice idea but white against light grey is hard to see. I wish they'd just gone with red. The command tower is dark grey on this version, which is in keeping with the cartoon look. Again, it makes things a bit duller, but the darker tower does help the jet mode (more on that later). One nice improvement is that the tiny Aerialbots are molded in light grey, rather than molded in trans-blue and then dipped in white paint. Their tiny details are much easier to see. Unfortunately, it's the same light grey as the carrier deck, so once pegged on, they're kinda hard to see. I wish they'd just molded them in the dark grey or red, even though that's less in keeping with the Aerialbot color scheme. Still, they look better than the TR versions. Another nice improvement is that the prow of the deck and the parts of the deck that form the jet mode wings are molded in grey rather than painted, so there's no worry about paint scratching off. Lastly, for those who get the Nonnef ax, which you really should, there's really no good place to store it in this mode. I can't blame Hastak for this one, but it's still a bit of a bummer. The side tabs are JUST too long to fit in the peg hole on the underside, and JUST too short to peg onto the arm peg holes. Robot Mode: This is very similar to the TR version. The only major changes are that his eyes are blue rather than red. Frustratingly his face-plate is still painted. It's not the end of the world, but I was hoping the Takara version would just be molded in the correct plastic. Side-note, the Titan Master has tiny blue eyes painted in and red painted onto his legs. it's nothing to write home about, but it's a nice touch. Anyway, back to his bot mode. It's fine. It's everything you could hope/expect from a Broadside. The chest has smaller red rectangles on it than the TR version (the carrier "feet" are red on this version instead of light grey), and his crotch is painted grey instead of red. So sad. Such a boring crotch. His feet are molded light grey and painted red, which I thing is the reverse of the TR version. I prefer this, as the carrier deck portions are what I'm more concerned about getting scratched. Lastly, his rifle is identical to the TR version except it's molded in light grey. But I keep it in the box with that dumb bug thing that it came with because I bought the Nonnef ax and rifle. Jet mode: with the Nonnef ax, this has become my favorite mode. I know, right?? The wings, being opaque light grey, now have red and blue paint aps on them. His tail fins are unpainted opaque light grey as well. His elevator fins are dipped in red (sad face). I can't tell what color plastic they're molded in, but my guess is dark grey based on how deep the red looks. Like a lot of folks I flipped the fins around so that his jet looks less like someone at Skunk Works got hammered on Area 51 alien wine. The Nonnef ax pegs betwixt the tail fins and holds the fanmode in place nicely. The arms don't peg anywhere, but the shoulder rotators are very solid on mine and hold in place without any real issues. I tried the "official" jet mode once. It made me sad in C-Major. One flaw with my copy: the hinge for the carrier deck likes to pop out when I fold it back for jet mode. I don't know if this is common, or if this happens with the TR version. Final thoughts. Look, it's Broadside, but way more expensive. I bought it because I have a soft spot for Broadside and a soft spot in my head. It's a perfectly fine toy; particularly with the Nonnef ax and rifle. It's a fun toy to fiddle with and looks pretty great in all three modes. But it's really only for Legends completists and hard-core Broadside fans. Broadsads.
Broadside fans have had 31 years to save up for his second toy. I bought Hasbro but should have waited for Takara. It would be a waste of money for me to have both.
I didn't buy either but fate willing LG Broadside will shelfwarm and I can snag him next year for only a little more than Hasbro price.
Awesome review! Well written, frank and honest assessment with acknowledgment of your sad, sad pro-Broadside bias, a proper calibration of expectations of anyone looking to sink this ship into their collection. Can't ask for more than that! I hate to admit that I came away from this contemplating ordering one much more than I had ever intended. It doesn't help that I like the Hasbro version way more than most people do and certainly more than it deserves to be liked. In every way that the LG version is different, it seems like it's so much better. I couldn't agree more about the Nonnef accessories absolutely saving the jet mode. While it still doesn't quite surpass the carrier mode for me, it makes me like it nearly as much. I'd say that the Nonnef axe should be considered a must-buy for either version. The result is three entirely enjoyable (if not technically good) modes....and the axe doesn't even really feel like a cheat for the Jet mode. It slots right in like it was an intended part of the design. Pretty dang cool. So after a week and a half, how are you feeling about this guy? Any re-gurts?
If anything, I dig it more? It's weird, I have it in fan-jet mode on a stand, and it just looks killer. I mean, for a flying brick.
Broadside is the sort of character and toy who has always just sucked. It really seems like some snickering designer in late 85 was like "wouldn't it be funny if we took our scale issues from incidental and for the sake of fun to an intentional level of fuck you" So in that way TR/LG Broadside IS a faithful update to the OG. Bland, weird, underdeveloped to this day, and a totally shitty jet mode.
Yikes! I don't disagree entirely...but wow. As I spend more time with the figure (TR version), I'm finding that as a toy, it's actually really enjoyable, particularly after adding the Nonnef axe and flipping the tail stabilizers. But yeah, as a Transformer in the era of the frequent delightful and amazing stuff that we're getting, he's clearly underbaked and brimming with salmonella. Really though, is it that much worse than the other Voyagers? They all kinda suck in their own way, as the neglected middle child/Voyager price point often does.
I was looking for an Autobot seeker like to land, she fits color schemes. Powerglide could be good as well
I had this guy arrive a short while back. I'm glad I picked this over Hasbro's, mostly due to the paint apps. One thing that really bothers me, though, is that THIS GUY IS TOO SMALL. I want a Supreme class version of him.
Still too small. Needs to be U.S.S. Flagg sized. Broadside's robot mode would be about the size of that kid. And he would cost like $1000.
