Photos: Spoiler (These photos are intended for Instagram later and have been digitally edited, including the use of a color filter. For illustrative purposes only.) Listing (Amazon): Amazon.com: Transformers Decepticon Commander 3-Pack of 5-Inch Robot Action Figures for Boys and Girls, Interactive Toys for Kids Ages 6 and Up (Amazon Exclusive) : Toys & Games (Available widely in Hasbro territories, also moon-base.jp, Robot Kingdom, etc.) Apparently this has been available since July, but, despite being excited for its listing back in May (as a general fan of the Cyberverse line based in Japan, where all of these molds were skipped over, making this a convenient way to first try them out), it totally passed me by. Just got it in today, and saw there were no threads for it. While these are all previously released figures, consisting of Cyberverse Warrior Class Soundwave Cyberverse Warrior Class Starscream (second Starscream Warrior Class release) Cyberverse Warrior Class Shockwave the set it itself, repackaging the above under the "Authentics" branding, deserves some coverage. The three share an instruction booklet, and I'm unable to comment on whether the content differs from that of their individual Cyberverse releases on that front. In short: Pros: The molds themselves: As a first outing with these molds, I have to say, I like all of them. I knew I would going into the set. Your mileage will of course vary--these are simpler figures with quick transformations and one (non-poseability-hindering) spring-loaded gimmick each. Each has standard shoulder, elbow, thigh, and knee poseability, with either swivels/hinges or ball joints for each depending on the figure and its transformation scheme. Starscream alone has minimal head poseability from what I can tell. Curiously, the instructions say you're supposed to spin his head all the way around, but mine will not budge past the molding for his collar, and video reviews of the Cyberverse release seem to show the same. I wonder if any kids have broken theirs trying to force that. (Off to a rocky start on the technical issues there; more below.) I have seen many people equate RiD 2015, Cyberverse, and Earthspark's "Warrior Class" with "smaller/simpler Deluxes," and--while that is true--I have no idea why we've lost the verbiage for "Basics" circa the Beast era. These feel in every way of a piece with the size and complexity of figures in that range--just using the character roster of the core cast. For a Beast-era kid like me, they hit the sweet spot, and in general I love figures in this complexity range--not completely uninvolved, but allowing for quick and seamless conversion, with maybe a gimmick thrown in for good measure. You are unlikely to need the instructions to transform any of them, except to confirm you aren't doing something wrong (you are not) once you hit the tolerance issues mentioned below. Soundwave is the standout, with good poseability, a lot of character, a clever but intuitive transformation into a tiny reconnaissance van, and by far the best spring-loaded gimmick of the bunch, popping a connected, transluscent Laserbeak model out of his chest. Shockwave is the weakest, if only for the somewhat dull conversion into his spider-tank, and actually comparing less favorably to his Spark Armor (smaller) counterpart in some ways, and also having the most abstract and least satisfying gimmick. Starscream lands in the middle, with an incredibly simple, but not unsuccessful, transformation into what is basically Gradius' Vic Viper. His gun-flipping gimmick isn't up to Triggerbot standards of violent activation, but it gets the job done. Cons: If that were all there was to say, this would be an easy recommend at its price point for anyone who likes figures in this range and missed out on these three before. Unfortunately, and I don't know any of this was shared by their original releases (I suspect not), my copy was plagued with QC issues. That isn't normally something I'd even see fit to mention, and really, human error in factories making toys is more than forgivable, but 1) These came with some pretty fatal flaws, especially for molds aimed at being pick-up-and-play kids' toys, and 2) the fact that issues were present on all three figures leads me to believe other sets of this release may be similarly plagued/that something about their production review was off compared to other Hasbro products. Here's a simple rundown of everything I encountered: Soundwaves legs required an inordinate amount of force to clip together for the first time, likely due to the dimensions of the tab and slot being slightly off. Shockwave's cannon will not lift smoothly up his back for his gimmick due to its base block being a hair too big; I thought I was going to break it sliding it up, and it still catches each time Shockwave's cannon gear mechanism feels gummy, potentially also due to slightly off tolerances/dimensions, hindering the fun of the gimmick in both modes Starscream came with a huge splotch of errant blue paint on one knee One of Starscream's arm mushroom pegs appears to be misassembled, causing the arm to tug on it at the shoulder, which has me fearing for its longevitity. Due to the tightness of his elbows, even using his elbow joint will case this tugging, as will simply unclipping his arm from the wing for transformation As mentioned above, Starscream's instructions mysteriously mention rotating his head 360, which doesn't seem to be possible on my copy. Either an issue with mine/many copies going back to its Cyberverse release, or an instruction issue. Either way, something that'll potentially lead to breakage in the hands of its target audience. Starscream's cockpit hinge and Soundwave's elbows (both friction hinges) untab very easily. More so Starscream's cockpit hinge. There's some pretty egregious mold flashing/flacking across all three molds. More consistent than I've ever seen before. Maybe the plastic used was different now that they're under the Authentics banner, compared to the original releases; I'm really not sure. In general though, they feel less sturdy than their smaller, Cyberverse Spark Armor counterparts (though to be fair, those also retailed for a bit more iirc, albeit presumably due to their inclusion of the second armor vechicle). The plastic used on these outside of the clear bits (Laserbeak, Starscream's cannons) is soft and slightly gummy feeling. In all, still maybe worth a gamble if you're into Cyberverse or just fun, simple Transformers/modern G1 takes in general. But know that it might be a dice roll on production issues with this one.
