I like him. Not really crazy about the changed purple "under wrist" guns which seem too big compared to the G1 version, but hopefully a third party will make alternatives. Who knows how Chop Shop will turn out but the old legends size version was pretty good (and was the only version of that mold that didn't seem to have "wobbly mandible" at least from my experience). I do wish we could get a Kickback whose wings aren't translucent and a Shrapnel with his mandibles painted silver but there could be a "premium deco" set coming later.... +-MWG-+
I agree, I feel Ransack and Chop Shop are the 2 that we could be content with them slapping a new head and paint job on and calling it good, but new accessories would go a long way in making them distinct. I was a bit disappointed that they didn't give Shrapnel some sort of accessory that would work for Chop Shop, as Ransack got his abdomen from Kickback's wing covers. Barrage and Venom are the 2 that need new molding the most, Bombshell will work for Barrage to a degree, but needs a new beetle head/horn; Venom really needs a new mold.
We’ve had better looking insect mode Shrapnel before, but I’m fine with this one homaging the original G1 toy toy, which is more like a boxy tank tank. Robot mode is pretty much perfect for what I want want. Can’t wait to see Bombshell, as he’s always been my favorite of the trio.
As previously mentioned by either PvP or Chefatron, his torso is a little too squat. In this case HasTak clearly made him so G1 toy accurate to save them money. He's not terrible but I won't be troop building these Legacy's Insecticons like I did the Legend class versions.
Unfortunately he's not said to be released until Wave 4 of Evolution. So we probably won't get any reveals of him until SDCC July 19th or until there's a leak. A lot of people weren't too happy with this version. Especially since the paint was bad and they didn't like most of the other 3 figures that you had to buy with him... So here's hoping if they're playing those Buzzworthy Bumblebee games again, it'll consist of all 3 remaining Deluxe Insecticons in the set this time.
Shrapnel was the first Transformer I ever had. Lot of nostalgia for me And here we are decades later and I look at this guy and all I can think of is... Meh. I'm happy with the original and the Fanstoys version (and the legends class version) I have. For $25 I'll wait for him to go on sale and I'll think about it.
Really love this guy, can't wait to get him in hand. Not sure I'll ever use the forearm guns/legs, haven't seen any alt mode pics without them, so maybe they have their place. However over all this is a fantastic figure. Here's hoping for an equally good modernised version of Venom.
Careful when you get yours. His arm blasters/bug legs are mirrored and he's supposed to have one toe be longer than the other, but I ended up with two of the same guns, so he has two left feet in bug mode. (One's numbered 1, the other 4.) It's not the end of the world and you could easily miss it, just know that it's a thing. (I'll probably just sand it down and make 'em even and be done with it.) EDIT: Chefatron has the exact same issue with his. I wonder if that's not a mistake and they just produced one and called it a day to save costs.
When I got mine, I really didn't like him having the same chest as Kickback so I did the simplest of mods to help remedy the situation. Swap the arm and turn the torso around to that Kickback's back is now Ransack's chest. This helps by reversing the wing orientation, too. I also leave the bug legs on the back of his arms unfolded all the way so that they stick up like on the original toy. In the future I plan to design and 3d print some new parts. A new robot chest will replace the insect mode face cover. A new insect back plate will replace the old translucent robot chest plate. And maybe new shoulders and hips to match the original. In the mean time there's a really nice upgrade set I found on Cults3D by Chocboa. Legacy Ransack G1 Conversion Kit It includes: G1 bug legs, G1 abdomen, G1 blaster, and G1 shield. The bug legs use 5mm peg and go on the forearms. The abdomen is 2 pieces, one piece slides up into place using the notch on the back, and the other locks it together with a 3mm peg. The blaster & shield are a pretty spot-on recreation of the originals.
Disappointed with the lack of arm covers. He's small for a deluxe and his engineering is super simple. It's a pity they couldn't use some of the parts count to panel off his arms. His weapons also appear to be a waste of budget just like Kickback. And they painted his thighs for some reason? The two tones of gray between his thighs and hips just ends up looking jarring as a result. Would rather they molded them in the same color and used the paint budget to paint his pincers silver instead.
The pincers and hips are nylon, so factory paint wouldn't stick. You couldn't paint them silver. That's why the legs are two-toned -- the hips are nylon, and the thighs are a different plastic painted gray because there's no sprue for non-nylon gray plastic. (Addendum: Even assuming that there was room on the nylon moldset to put the thighs in, you wouldn't want them to be there, since this guy is also going to be Chopshop, who needs thighs differently-colored from his pincers and insect legs.)
The only Insecticon I recall having any affection or affinity for was Kickback, and I haven\'t ever felt particularly compelled to complete the trio in prior releases. I love the Legacy Kickback for being a modernized version of the toy from my childhood only with articulation. I may just go ahead and pick up all three this time, but, man, those arm blasters/bug legs look really bad.
That would only increase demand for the remaining two Insecticons. Assuming Barrage is retooled from Bombshell, where does Venom fit in?
