Ever since All Hail Megatron, IDW’s version of Thundercracker has been one of the most interesting characters in the Transformers comics, and it’s a depiction that’s earning him not one but two new toys this year. Today we’re taking a look at the smaller of the two, the Legends class Thundercracker.
This Thundercracker is based on the F-22 design that was designed by Guido Guidi for IDW, and it’s a straight-up redeco of the excellent Legends class Starscream mold that was released in early 2014. It’s a mold that features a simple but pleasing transformation, and a decent range of articulation. The deco is excellent, and arguably works far better on this toy than it did on Starscream.
While not as awesome as Powerglide or Bombshell, this Thundercracker is an excellent example of how to do a redeco. Legends class Skywarp to finish the Seeker trio, please, Hasbro?
Check out the gallery at the link below and see what you think of this fun toy:
Autovolt 127
Man Thundercracker is getting all the love these days.
I may consider getting this one, but only if we are getting Skywarp for sure.
LegendAntihero
Thundercracker looks really awesome in his F22 Legends toy. It also helps blue is my favorite color
N_M_S
Your preference, not mine, and I don't think we ever agree.
Fixedwing
I just got him yesterday and can't wait to transform him. I hope Skywarp is made also. Still happy to have TC.
mx-01 archon
I doubt the IDW license allows artists to retain ownership over their own designs.
They've already been compensated, in the form of payment for their work in the first place.
It's doubtful there's "commission" paid when an artist's particular rendering inspires a toy.
Don Figueroa's somewhat infamous tantrum over Generations Deluxe Megatron always baffled me in that regard.
RobotoChan
Colours should never look different on a camera if you shoot your subject properly.
Your camera's white balance should be set according to the colour temperature of the ambient light, if you even use your ambient light, or else match it to the strobes or continuous lighting you are using in your photography. Use an 18% grey card to get the camera capturing colours correctly in your given lighting conditions.
Make sure you process your photos on a monitor that is colour correct and can display the full gamut, or as good as you can get. Match your camera's colour space to that of your computer hardware as well.
If your camera supports colour profiles or similar, make sure you know what profile you are using. I tend to turn that off as much as possible and enhance colours in post if I need to.
If you simply point your camera at something without thinking and expect magic to happen, you will be disappointed.
Sol Fury
Yes, I've been working on it, but there's always a balance between getting the colours right and then getting things bright enough to see all the details. I've improved a lot, mind – I bet I'll crack it eventually.
There already was a Thundercracker in that scale – he came out with Hoist, and he was a Fall of Cybertron-esque version of the character.
SpinalCord
Oh my god why… so many better things that could be made, especially when there are already 3 classics Thundercrackers.
… and then the other 20 seekers…
David Hingtgen
No such thing. No toy since the original has been dark enough. TC toys have been "continually lightened" by Has-Tak since 1984…
(DOTM deluxe was the darkest in recent memory, and MP-07 of course—but neither captures the essence of the original's gorgeous metallic deep sapphire blue)
N_M_S
Yes, mine is quite dark… too dark, honestly.
Hmr.
EMP Starscream
Skywarp. Soon! Please! I love these little legends figures. Sunstorm would be sweet too.
Friendross
keep hope alive
i hope I'm wrong… but my understanding/the impression i have, is that idw tf artists are under some of the comic industries strongest "work for hire" agreements and they have zero interests in anything they make
again, i really hope thats wrong and that someone corrects me and points out alex milne and gang do get compnsated some way when hasbro takes a design and makes a toy
shadowfall1976
Now….Skywarp please. Hoping to have all 3 is the only reason I bought the Legends Starscream…. Just gotta get this TC.
BuzzingNeon
They ought to upscale that Thundercracker into a deluxe so we could have a Thundercracker who would be in scale with the new Armada-style Starscream and Fall of Cybertron-esque Skywarp.
Dean ML
Hope Hasbro does the right thing by the hard working, underpaid comic artists and compensates them whenever they make toys based off their designs.
jestermon
Blues an purples always look off on cameras that may be it.
Bumblethumper
that looks a different, brighter shade of blue to the one I got.
David Hingtgen
Guido's are rather Su-27esque, without being an Su-27. Really, it's like Guido's and this mold take from the same sources, but swapped:
Guido's is like 70% Su-27, 30% F-22.
This mold is like 70% F-22, 30% Su-27.
artiepants
but worth noting, IIRC, Don's WERE F-22s, Guido's were i think based on a Russian (???) prototype
Edit: i got all excited thinking this would be the Leader
David Hingtgen
Because the molded-in striping pattern is TC's, not SS's. Similar issue with the MP seeker mold (like the molded-in intake details are based on TC's stickers, not SS's)
Despite SS being the "main" seeker, for some reason a lot of details of recent seeker molds use G1 TC's sticker-sheet as the basis.