Reveal the Shield Wreck-Gar

Dedication: This review is dedicated to the loving memory of my mother Charlotte, who passed away on March 2, 2011. Fare well, mom, until we meet again.

Robot Mode: Let’s get the most important thing out of the way right at the get-go: This figure is a near perfect adaption of G1 Wreck-Gar, not the original toy, but rather the character we saw in the 1986 movie and the subsequent season of the G1 cartoon. There are some slight differences, as the original Wreck-Gar had his steering handles on his shoulders instead of on his leg and didn’t have that big wheel on his shoulder, but apart from that? Perfect. Right down to his cheesy mustache and goatee. I really like his look.

Looks aside Wreck-Gar also boasts very good posability. He’s slightly limited as his one leg can’t fully extend because of the motorcycle saddle that becomes his lower leg, but it’s not a hindrance in any way. The big wheel on his left shoulder can be positioned in multiple ways, up, forward, backward, whichever way you prefer. He can even take it off his shoulder and hold it in his hand as a combination of axe and shield.

Speaking of axes, Wreck-Gar has a mighty big one as his main weapon. He can fold it in half and store it on his back. In combat, he can wield it one- or two-handed and you can either leave the blades folded together into a sort-of disc (or maybe a buzzsaw) or unfold them into a star-shaped quad-blade. Wreck-Gar carries no ranged weapons (unless those are actual nipple-guns on his chest), but can easily use the weapons of other current figures, though the only clip-on port he has is on his knee.

All in all a very good robot mode that perfectly captures the spirit of one of my favorite G1 characters.

Vehicle Mode: Wreck-Gar transforms into the same kind of motorcycle he did in the original cartoon. I don’t think it’s supposed to be any existing model, more like a cross between a chopper and a dirt bike. Wreck-Gar’s torso forms the middle, while his arms and one leg form the front, with the other leg forming the back and saddle. The resulting motorcycle looks a tad pieced-together to my eye, especially around the middle, but it’s still a solid vehicle mode and looks far more like an actual motorcycle than the original G1 toy did.

Not really that much I can write here. The motorcycle looks good and other Deluxe-sized figures can easily ride it. The axe weapon becomes the exhaust pipe here and the bike’s got a decent amount of detailing when it comes to the handles and brakes, though they’re made from some sort of rubber. So all in all a pretty decent vehicle mode, even though it is kind of hard to miss that it’s assembled from something else.

Remarks: Wreck-Gar was one of the most unique characters created for the third season of the original Transformers cartoon. The leader of the Junkions, a tribe of Autobots made from, living amidst, and trading in - you guessed it - junk. His design made him nearly indestructible and his personality was formed almost exclusively from watching Earth’s TV programs. He always spoke in movie quotes and commercial jingles. Oh, and he had the voice of Monty Python’s Eric Idle. I always loved Wreck-Gar.

This is only the third Wreck-Gar figure ever and the one who most closely mirrors Wreck-Gar’s appearance in the 1986 movie and subsequent 3rd season. A good figure with no flaws except for a slightly pieced-together looking vehicle mode, there really is nothing major to complain about here. Oh, and a second version of this figure with a different head, portraying a generic Junkion, is already in the plans and on my must-buy list, too, maybe even multiple times.

So the final verdict? Nine out of ten doctors recommend buying a Reveal the Shield Wreck-Gar figure; it is in no way detrimental to your health and increases your happiness factor by a significant margin. In no way is he in danger of being cancelled or losing his time slot. So buy it now, viewers, and may all your programs be serials.

Rating: B+