Universe Ultra-Class Powerglide Review with Images

Another great review.

Though, after it, I've finally decided I'll wait for the Henkei.

Thank you!

I rather like Powerglide.

Pros:
* Kewl-looking in both modes.
* Transformation sounds are good.
* interesting transformation

Cons:
* Proportions are a bit funny.
* Upper body doesn't always hold together well.
* Gun is somewhat awkward in plane mode.
* the aforementioned issues with the wing-pivot joints.
* sometimes the button gets held down by other parts in robot mode, and is easy to set off unintentionally at all times.

Summary: I'm finding that I like Powerglide more than Onslaught. However, like Onslaught, I feel I would probably like it better as a smaller toy, either Voyager or Deluxe.

I think I'm gonna wait for the Henkei version. I'm really not sold on the off white/greyish scheme he's got. And what the hell are those orange blobs on the engines?

I think Hasbro was going for a simulated afterburner effect in jet mode, but the engines can only be explained as boob guns in robot mode, or breast flame throwers. Sure it makes Powerglide look lethal but its nothing but awkward.

Okay so I have been messing with my figure more. The missle looks ridiculous on the gun in robot mode, and as mentioned by Draven, the front landing gear does not rest on the ground when the gun is added with the missle, underneath the nose in fighter mode.

Being that most of us here are not kids, and don't really need the missle(and most likely wouldn't miss it), the missle can be left off without much noticeable difference. In robot mode, I have the gun/cannon end aiming forward, and leave the missle off. If you leave the missle off, you can mount the gun in fighter mode, but, most importantly, swivel it towards the back, it will be at an angle since it is blocked from swiveling completely 180 degrees by the underside piece that forms the ab section in robot mode.

By doing this, the plane can now have the gun mounted underneath, [b]AND[/i] have its front landing gear rest on the ground! Also, by doing this, you can transform it to robot mode without removing the gun! In doing so, the gun is stored on the leg in robot mode, until you decide that Powerglide needs to hold it and fire at all the Decepticons around.

In essence, problem solved by leaving the missle off. Hell, when aiming the cannon end in robot mode, the gun looks more believable and, well much better.

I find I'm having a hard time getting him into any poses that really look cool, mostly due to the arms I guess

Completely ignoring his front side is about the only way I've gotten him to look any kind of snazzy:

Put him in one more time, coach. He can deliver.

Just did some modding on mine to level it out in plane mode.

Now it's angled enough where the front wheel touches the ground and the tankbuster cannon is off the ground.

Show us! Show us! Please?

consider me sold

Sorry about the quality of the pics. I tried to zoom in as much as possible.

On the back side of the wheel joint there's a lot of access black plastic that's preventing the wheel from rotating further. I just shaved off as much as I needed from the black part of the joint and adding a joint groove in the middle so the joint can rotate further.


Doing so levels the plane out, therefore the nose naturally pulls up. This puts the front landing gear down enough to touch the ground and pulls the tankbuster cannon up.


As you can try and see here, I added a groove in the middle so that the joint can rotate some more.


Now the plane is much more level and not in a constant nosedive.

OMG he has the heart! I didnt know that! thats really a nice touch.

Only problem is, his wings are severely pointed downwards; you can tell by the angle of the parts the rear undercart attach to.

Woohoo! Finally snagged him today, he's pretty cool. More later.

Placed with his fellow bots he looks alot better

Mine don't point down that badly actually.

I just leave the landing gear up. With the gun attached, he sits level anyway. Why mess with what works?

Yeah, though I find that flipping down the gray piece behind the front landing gear (the piece that becomes his stomach area). It hold him up a little, and allows room for the missile to be in the back of the gun, and for the gun to point straight forward.

This is exactly what I do! haha! Great minds think alike!

Everything I love about Transformers is right here with this guy. Fiddly, complex transformation, realistic alt mode, bulky bot mode, great head sculpt and mold detail, and non-annoying electronics. Total win and a magnificent toy. A bit more red and black paint on his body would be nice and I don't care for his gun, but no biggie.

Animated almost pushed me away from TFs entirely, but toys like this will keep me coming back every time.

I love how his eyes glow when his weapons fire. That's my biggest disappointment with Silverbolt... his eyes only flash during transformation.

Great minds seem to locate near each other as well. Maybe if the Hasbro photographers moved here, they could figure out how to get proper transformations for stock photos

Got him yesterday, great figure, despite the massive change in size and altered color scheme. I'll still be nabbing the Henkei Version, but he's pretty sweet:





Jet mode is pretty much a standard A-10 with some changes to avoid infringement:







As I said up above, I generally just leave the landing gear folded up. Doesn't look as silly that way. Transformation is complex and fiddly and FUN, and he looks pretty cool in robot mode as well:



He's not as nicely proportioned in Bot mode as Silverbolt, but he's certainly a hell of a lot more fun to actually transform, and since they're called TRANSFORMERS, it's no surprise who wins. I like him a lot more than I thought I would. Pick him up if you can find him.


Video review is available here:

YouTube - Transformers Universe/Classics 2.0 Powerglide

Picked up Powerglide earlier today and just did this mod on him. You're right, it improves his robot mode so much.

QFT. I did the mod on Powerglide as well as Crossovers Iron Man. Thanks, Draven, it helps SO much.

Got Powerglide today, excellent figure. I may or may not get the Japanese version when it comes out. As it is, I'm very satisfied with the U.S. version.
The "heart" was a nice touch.

Got him and silverbolt today. I've got to say PG is my least favorite classics/clscs 2.0 mold yet. On one hand I'm just happy to have a new mold representation of another character but it' kind of irks me that any of these toys should have to be modified so that they don't break or can stand up in a normal fashion. and the paint jobs were kind of shoddy on both my PG and Bolt.

My biggest qualm, however, is the fact that his torso just doesn't look very much like a torso and it doesn't seem meant to fit together in places where they probably should and the places that it does fit together don't fit very well or stay attached (the wings to engines)

I don't regret my purchase i'd rather have powerglide standing among the rest of my classics autobots then not but i am somewhat disappointed. i don't mind the size (as compared to the original or the color for that matter), but he probably could have done without the electronics because if the engines weren't there, it would slim him down and he would look a lot better

EDIT: I realize that the engines are necessary for the A-10 mode but maybe they could have folded back and had the wings flush with the inner part of the torso to achieve a slimmer look...

I got him. Not the best mold, but I am still happy with my purchase. My first Universe Ultra Class. Wanted Onslaught, wasn't there. Kinda wanted Silverbolt, also not there.

Biggest gripe is that he has this pearl-gray color, and he has a creamy-white color on him. That could have been all one color. A little more red wouldn't hurt, but not enough to make him look like Henkei Powerglide.

I give him an 9/10

Found him while digging in the storage boxes for something else, and had to take this pic:

I have to say, I really like powerglide!! Alot of people are not into him. he looks awesome! hes not as top heavy as people think. looks a hell of alot better than silverbolt who is a robot with a plane on his back, imo!

Or a plane with a box underneath

Is the last step (folding his wings up at the hip joint) supposed to take a LOT of strength on your part?

Rotating the wings or just folding them up? Both require little strength, your's must be faulty. Its easy on my Powerglide.

If you are talking about the rotation there, go the other way. It rotates much more easily one direction than the other (since it's not supposed to go the other way), even though it might seem like it's going the wrong direction.

So pretty much all the major flaws in this toy (and how to fix them) have been covered in this thread. Good job guys! So I'm just going to throw some random observations out there.

I actually passed on Universe Powerglide the first time I saw him. Exposed hands in vehicle mode bugs the hell out of me, much like exposed robot heads (though Animated Snarl did a pretty decent job blending it into the dino mode). Pretty odd thing to mis-engineer on an Ultra-class figure. Having picked him up, I concur with the majority: he's flawed, but fun, and the surprisingly complex transformation makes him for most of his flaws.

Having another robot mode nearly ruined by thigh ratchets is annoying, but at least there's a decent mod for it. Wonder if a Dremel would be overkill ...

Noticed the wings sag considerably when the rear gears are all the way out. I leave mine with the wheels positioned *forward* (the middle "clicking" position). Front gear still never touches the ground, but I don't care -- important part is the wings aren't quite as saggy.

There's a lot about this toy that makes it feel like a first draft. Obvious things like not having extra pegs for the wings to stick securely in jet mode, or tightening up/ratcheting the knee pads, or not splitting the legs wider in robot mode. Movie Barricade's hip/leg ball-joint split would've worked wonders here. There have been complaints elsewhere about the sound button being covered up by the tail, but I wonder if that wasn't deliberate -- a badly-designed gimmick for the head reveal. Try this: DON'T seat the head/tail mechanism properly until the last step for robot mode. Reveal the head, THEN push the head/tail down between the engines to set off the glowing eyes/sound effects. Makes more sense, right?

Along the same lines, the transformation sound effect triggers in the strangest place -- and it's really easy to set it off repeatedly while trying to click the upper torso into place. Worse, if the head/tail are already seated between the engines, you end up setting off the transformation sounds AND the chaingun all at once. Yet another reason to not seat the head/tail until the last step.

It hasn't happened to me yet, but I figure at some point Powerglide will keel over onto his back in robot mode, and set off that chaingun sound forever until the neighbors break in the door. Tip: leave him in jet mode, or lose the batteries.

I never cared for spring-loaded missiles, and it's doubly confusing that they'd mount a projectile in the BACK of a chaingun. Left it in the package and never looked back. As mentioned before, doing this also lets you leave the gun on the leg during transformation (just rotate it 180 degrees when transforming the legs/feet).

Glowing robo-tits. Erm, yeah. Well, what can you do? At least the heart molding doesn't pop out and glow, too.

Lastly: I know Universe Onslaught is technically a better-designed figure -- but there's something about those front wheels that keep falling off whenever I peg/unpeg them from vehicle mode that totally annoys me. Powerglide, for all his faults, has no parts that fall off -- maybe the chaingun, but since that's SUPPOSED to come off, it doesn't count. Is it wrong to like Powerglide more for being flawed, but interesting?

-XCN-

I dunno, just got him yesterday and really don't have any annoying problems with the fig. Though, I did loosen the screws to rotate the wings a little easier and to avoid the stress mark issue Razerwire pointed out (thanks!).

I still wish his missile launched from the gatling side and he was dipped in maroon-red, but otherwise he's a fun and interesting update on a classic minibot even if the color scheme kinda reminds me of a fighter pilot in a space suit.

got powerglide and w00t! he's awesome

did the hip fix and yeah.... sooooo much better



i'm now doing the same trick on Animated Leader Megs


wEE

I disagree with both of those. As I hate launching missiles on TFs, I really like that I can put aside his missile without the gun looking incomplete. And the colour scheme is growing on me. I find myself looking at him and thinking "You know, the G1 all-red look WOULD look pretty silly."

It took me 10 seconds with an Xacto knife.

i just used the nail filing edge on my fingernail clippers lol

took a little longer but got the job done
just sanded it down

but everyone knows you're a weirdo!!

Got this guy today and he is awsome! I did the hip ratchet mod to give him some decent leg movement and also needed to loosen the joints that let the wing section swing all the way around. But other than that he's perfect! I love the transforming sound he makes. He looks great as a whiteformer too.

Got one today. Sadly, he'll be getting exchanged.

I love him a lot more than I thought I would - great transformation,sounds and modes - but his arm won't peg into the body properly (as in, it doesn't stay).

"if ya got it use it!"

touche'. hehehe

Got him together with Onslaught yesterday night. Not bad. Tried the mod the thread prescribed. Now the legs pose much better instead of trying to do some stupid split.

Overall I am pleased but the head...OMG...the head! It's just too frigging big!

Oh yeah, also note the stress marks pointed out by Razorwire. Dont bother me much since there are strss marks out of the box already...

EDIT: Woops, I typed in the quickreply of the wrong tab. Sorry.

PICS! Just love him!

Come get some!


Like my gunnn?



mano a mano with Onslaught

Universe Powerglide

Powerglide is one of my favorite mini-bots from G1. I still have my original, purchased umpteen years ago at Wilson's 5 and 10c store. So I was delighted to see not only a new version, but an Ultra-sized figure as well. And it's a good figure, but not without problems. In short, I think they made it a bit more complicated than was really necessary, but maybe a few more transformations will familiarize me enough with the figure so that's not an issue.

Vehicle: Just like the original, it's a modified A-10. I'd have preferred that it was solid red like the original, but it's a very light warm grey with red trim. There are all sorts of numbers and letters 'stencilled' on it, most of which don't mean anything to me. There are plenty of panel and rivet details all over the plane. As on the original figure, the arms are on squared off pods under the wings. The three different electronic sounds are fun enough, and I appreciate the way that the machine gun sound keeps going if the button is held down.

One of my major gripes with Transformer aircraft is undercarriage junk. Cars can get away with it since they sit on the ground, but nothing ruins the illusion of a plane more than turning it over to see a pair of legs strapped underneath, or possibly even a pair of arms. Powerglide has junk underneath, but it's not nearly as obvious or detrimental as the robots bits are on movie Starscream, to pick one example. While the top of the plane looks fairly sleek, the bottom isn't. But it is, as I said, far better than most attempts.

Transformation: there are a few bits that resemble the original, mainly the arms unfolding from under the wings, and the wings folding up on either side of the torso. But the transformation is where this design starts to get more complicated than it perhaps needed to be, and less elegant. Perhaps the electronics restrict it a bit as well. There is a lot of twisting and rotating at the center of the plane for the robot waist and to get the wings where they need to be. Portions of the plane just fold back and form a backpack. The legs are similar to the Energon limbs of Superion Maximus, though with some alterations due to the size.

Oh, and the G1 transformation sound plays at a certain point, where something folds together. Nice.

I think I did a better job the second time. I may have to revise my opinion that the transformation is too complicated. It seems to help if certain steps are done first. Maybe if I read the instructions once in a while, it might help.

Robot: Needs more red, but otherwise, not bad. I assume the whole thing had to fold up around the electronics, and with that limitation, they did a nice job with some of the "Powerglide" details. Wings folded on either side with arms on them, along with a head sculpt that is based on the original, if not as close to it as I'd have liked. Pressing down on the 'collar' behind PG's head now only gives the machine gun sound, which is admittedly all that's needed for bot mode. Proportions are a bit off, but the original had skinny legs and a large upper body, so giving the new version a similar look is appropriate. The wings don't stay pegged to the engines on mine as well as they should, but the ratchets that hold the wings are stiff enough that it's not a problem.

Articulation and motion are decent. The figure is slightly top heavy, but a few dynamic poses can be achieved. The heart under the chest panel is a fanboy type detail that I'd only expect from Takara rather than Hasbro, and perhaps that's indeed where it came from. Who can say?

Overall, I had a poor first impression out of the box, but the figure is growing on me. The sound effects are put to good and appropriate use, and the homages to the original figure are nice. If you don't mind paying $25 for a figure, I'd say Powerglide is worth the purchase, whether you're a fan of the original or not.

Mine doesn't either. Is this a common problem?

ok i love this toy and it invokes some g1ness powerglide but to me its like he turned int glideimus Prime. and his matrix us" his heart" i think i might add matrix like grips and turn it into the matrix of friendship awwww. also have you left his legs unextended in bot mode makes him like a squaty wolverine type look try it is weird but cool and makes his lower body look beefier.

OMG Powerglide freakin rocks!!!

Will be trying to find him on Saturday, wont go for onslaught as i have no cash...