Combiner Wars Quickslinger
Review by Dkun
Perhaps one of the biggest controversies of Hasbro's new Combiner Wars line of toys was the introduction of new combiner team members. In the case of the Aerial Bots, Alpha Bravo replaced the original team member Slingshot.
But let's be honest for a moment. You didn't really think that Hasbro would just never make Slingshot again,did you? Along with the Stunticon team member Break Neck, Slingshot is on his way under the new monicker Quickslinger!
Quickslinger actually comes to us early thanks to Hasbro, and he's actually apart of the Transformers May Mayhem event!
"Mid-May – The celebration kicks off with the latest round of fans’ choice voting for the TRANSFORMERS Hall of Fame. Who will be a part of the Class of 2015 and join the ranks of Optimus Prime, Megatron, and other legendary TRANSFORMERS? You decide!
May 13 – IDW Publishing releases TRANSFORMERS #41, the latest chapter of their epic COMBINER WARS storyline.
May 22 – AERIALBOT QUICKSLINGER and STUNTICON BRAKE-NECK will be available exclusively through participating online retailers, such as Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, ToysRUs.com, Entertainment Earth, BigBadToyStore, Diamond Comics and Hasbro Toy Shop. With these two new figures, fans are finally able to complete their G1-accurate SUPERION and MENASOR figures! In addition to these all-new toys, several vendors will be running special promotions on TRANSFORMERS GENERATIONS: COMBINER WARS figures, providing fans with an ideal way to complete their collections.
Late May – TRANSFORMERS fans will come together on the official TRANSFORMERS Facebook page (Facebook.com/Transformers) for an exciting new product reveal.
May 27 – The COMBINER WARS battle comes to a head in IDW Publishing’s TRANSFORMERS WINDBLADE – COMBINER WARS #3."
Quickslinger is the same mold as Firefly, which I personally don't mind at all since that is my favorite Aerial Bot mold so far. One of the first things I noticed was just how crisp the white on this guy was.
Though some would say that the all white jet mold is a little boring, I think it does a good job of standing out from the other jets.
In robot mode, Quickslinger just looks lovely. He captures all of the colors that I think of when I hear “Aerial Bot”. And he makes it look crisp and beautiful.
Quickslinger has a brand new headsculpt, featuring a ridiculously larger set of shades. The blue paint is a new touch, and I way prefer it to his original orange goggles.
It is worth noting though, that my version of Quickslinger had some slight paint scuff. His hip pieces are actually painted black, not molded like the thighs are. Not a big deal, but definitely worth noting.
Here's a side by side comparison with Firefly in robot mode. I think that next to each other, the two figures manage to stand out more than they blur together as the same figure.
Folding their backpacks and fins differently goes a long way to make their silhouettes change as well.
As far as weapons and accessories go, Quickslinger comes with the same flamethrower and gunpod as Firefly.
Personally what I like to do is have Firefly wield both flamethrowers while Quickslinger brings in the heavy artillery. Gives them a lot more character.
Of course as a Combiner Wars limb, Quickslinger can also turn into an arm or leg. I've already stated before that Firefly makes a great leg or arm, and that stands for Quickslinger as well.
Now Superion can go full GEEWUN in your displays!
Though personally, I prefer to have Quickslinger and Firefly as the arms. There's something that just looks deliciously clean in this configuration.
With the Aerial Bots now complete, I have to say I'm really satisfied and happy with the team as a whole. What was originally a team of five robots, has expanded to a team of seven. Even Powerglide gets to be an Aerial Bot now! The new additions to the team add loads of character, and the play pattern explodes with fun as users can figure out their personal preferred Superion configuration.
Plus, now Quickslinger and Alpha Bravo can just grab a drink and let bygones be bygones. No one's replacing anyone anymore.
Comments
3 comments postedIt really seems like Quickslinger and Brake-Neck were always meant to be the intended characters to go with these molds judging how their vehicle modes better match the G1 toys.
I have a feeling you're right, but then someone at Hasbro realized, "hey, maybe sales will be better if all of these guys don't turn into the same thing." Which is probably why Dragstrip was released first instead of Air Raid, and the Alpha Bravo is a helicopter.
Actually, Air Raid was delayed due to tooling issues on the manufacturer's end. He was meant to part of the first wave with the rest of the Aerialbots but had to be switched around with Dragstrip.