Windcharger is noticeably bigger, but they are close enough to look good together to my eyes.

 

^Cool.. he's like WC's little bro.

 

Thanks. That will totally work. Now I need to get that Windcharger.

Edit: I totally just bought Windcharger.   This should look better than the upcomming Windcharger repaint.

 

^ Yeah, I have no plans to get the upcoming Windcharger repaint. I love having the two characters as seperate molds, gives them more individuality. Enjoy Windcharger, he's still one of my favorite scouts.

Also I finally fixed my Tailgate's mid-section with some Future and he locks together solidly now (the peg was just slipping right out of the socket). Helps me like the figure much more now that he can actually stand in bot mode.

 

How feasible do you think it would be for Hasbro to jump in with a Huffer/Pipes and a Brawn/Outback to keep this kick-ass Legends trend going? I mean we're getting a Gears, another Windcharger, Cliffjumper. It'd be nice to round out the 84 minibots in Legends form...

 

I just picked this little guy up. He's great! What exactly is the problem with him again? I mean, he has a neck swivel despite all the kibble! That's awesome.

 

I just picked him up too and I love him, for the price. $9?? that's great! also I just did a video review of him if anyone would like to watch and give me some constructive criticism, I'm just into my fifth review and any suggestions would be greatly appreciated

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3mU1R5IQts

 

Proof that Tailgate's alt mode would look immensely better if they had gone for a true black windshield instead of silver.

 

I don't know why people are so hard on a Tailgate. I think he's just as cool as the other legends with partners. I think Hasbro has struck gold with this class. It's too bad that they won't have partners anymore after Nemesis Prime and Cliffjumper...

 

His torso not tabbing together was the turd in the punchbowl for me. It was hard to enjoy his redeeming qualities when he wouldn't stay together in bot mode. I've since fixed it and now my opinion of him has improved. Totally happy with him, although I'd likely still buy a 3rd Party version as a supplement because I love the character so much.

 

I don't think most people would say he's a bad figure per se. On the contrary, Tailgate has a nice alt mode, a fun transformation (I find the way the legs fold back up and peg into the doors to be really neat), and a sculpt that really does capture the essence of the MTMTE iteration of the character. All that is really endearing.

However, in a line that has consistently produced really cool figures, he just doesn't hold up quite as well. The panels hanging off of his arms and back tend to bump up against each other more than I'd like. Though, admittedly, that's my only real complaint. In terms of the partners, Groundbuster just doesn't seem as cool as, say, Payload or Flanker (or even Reflector) - though I have come to terms with him being a Cybertronian canine refuse collector   .

Make no mistake, though, the set to me was definitely worth the $13 that it goes for here, and they're both worthy additions to my collection. No regrets at all!

Like you, I love these Legends. It's my favourite size class in the current Generations line just for the fact that they've all been consistently well designed and fun figures. It makes me quite happy that it's going to carry on into 2015 (with any luck, finding them will get easier). As for the loss of partners in general, I won't mind as much if that results in the price going down by a couple of dollars. If not, though, it would be a bummer for sure.

 

I don't want it because I love G1 Tailgate and this just isn't the same. Wish they had done a Scout remold of WC instead.

 

Any tips for fixing that? I also have a torso that doesn't tab as well as it looks like it should.

 

I just put a dab of clear nail polish on the tab and let it dry overnight. When I pegged it together the next day it worked perfectly.

 

Finally found this fellow and his wavemate at my local Wallyworld. Just some quick notes - Tailgate I dig for the most part; Groundbuster is definitely the weakest of the companions so far for me.

As for Tailgate himself, I dig the altmode and transformation, and even though I'm not a comic reader, the bot mode is great despite the backpack. My only real letdown is that the white and teal just make him very plain, IMO. Would love to see a redeco in darker colors, or maybe based on one of the Hot Rod Patrol micromasters.

 

this mold is pretty terrible ~ bad proportions (HUGENORMOUS arms and shoulders!!!), awkward articulation (i.e. the shoulders barely working because of the kibble) overly organic upper legs and torso (he looks really out of place with other classics, almost more like a TF Prime mold) and kind of an annoyingly fiddly transformation (i.e. it's easy to get it wrong) and i just don't care for the head design much.

As a bonus, he also comes with by far the worst Targemaster/Micromaster/Minicon, in all 3 modes!

However, the exhausts making a belt is pretty sweet and clever, and the core ideas of the transformation are pretty great, might have been less fiddly as a deluxe.

 

I still want a black and gold repaint with a Burt Reynolds head, complete with removable cowboy hat...

If I find another one of these im making that.

 

I like him.



He's adorable.

 

For more pics, click on the image above

Robot Mode: Tailgate’s robot mode is based heavily on the design used in the More Than Meets the Eye comic series from IDW (more on that below). He is largely a shell-former, as he carries the largest part of his car mode on his back, only his arms and shoulders actually become part of the car chassis. The kibble doesn’t really get in the way, though, and Tailgate is highly articulate thanks to ball-jointed limbs.

The one weakness of this figure is its plainness, as what little detailing the figure has is mostly swallowed up by the predominantly white and grey paint job. I like the way the legs are patterned, but that’s just about the only interesting thing here. A few more colored highlights would have worked wonders here, but as it is Tailgate simply looks boring. G1 Tailgate, despite being smaller and 27 years older, looks more detailed and intricate than this guy. So bottom line: an okay robot mode, but one that desperately needs some more detailing.

Alternate Mode: Tailgate transforms into a rather plain-looking white sports car with blue flames on the hood for details. There are very few other details to be found here, sadly. The exhaust on the back is a separate, unpainted grey piece, while the hubcaps and windows are also grey. That’s pretty much it. So bottom line a working, but pretty boring-looking vehicle mode.

Partner: Tailgate comes with Minicon partner Groundbuster, who transforms from robot into a skid loader and can also become a sort of grabbing claw (possibly for disposing bombs) for Tailgate to wield in robot mode or mount on his hood in vehicle mode. Not a bad Minicon, but somewhat oversized and awkward-looking as a weapon for Tailgate.

Modifications: I may have mentioned it a few times, Tailgate just looks boring. Thankfully there are stickers from Reprolabels.com to be had for him. In robot mode they add details to his legs, chest, and arms, while the car mode gets more blue flames, blue trim, and now just looks pretty cool. Fans of the IDW comics get to choose between putting “Bomb Disposal” or “Waste Disposal” on Tailgate’s arm / car door. In Tailgate’s case the Reprolabel stickers are a definite must.

Remarks: For the longest time Tailgate was just that white repaint of Windcharger, who had a blink-and-you-missed-it appearance in the G1 cartoon episode “Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5” and that was it. It wasn’t until James Roberts selected him as one of the core cast for his “More than Meets the Eye” comic book that Tailgate really became a character. Tailgate is from ancient Cybertron, buried and forgotten by everyone, with a new lease on life in the present. Little more than a child in terms of development, he spun tall tales about his past deeds and struck up a strange relationship with fellow ancient Cybertronian Cyclonus, who has since become something of a father figure for him.

As a toy Tailgate is necessary for completing your Lost Light crew (as far as that’s possible without there being a Rung toy), but fresh out of the box he’s pretty boring. There is nothing wrong with him as such, but he’s boring. The Reprolabel stickers go a long way towards making him look more interesting, so if you plan on getting this figure, do yourself a favor and order them as well. All in all, though, not a must-have. Only for fans of the IDW comics.

Rating: C (original) / B- (with stickers)

You own this figure? Then leave a rating on TFU

 

he's got that weird buttflap with the hinge... i hate toys with that. looks like robo-hemmies.