Thrilling 30 Blitzwing

Robot Mode: Blitzwing is a clear homage to the G1 character of the same name, though more the cartoon character than the actual toy. Blitzwing has grown considerable since his G1 days, now being a Voyager-sized robot whereas the original was on the small side of the Deluxe-scale by today’s reckoning. The colours and the detailing are very well done, no complaints here. Articulation is also very nice, though he is not quite the contortionist that his fellow triple changer Springer is. The only kibble he’s got is the big tank gun on his back, but it doesn’t hinder his movements any.

There is one big flaw here in robot mode and that’s the shoulders. They don’t tab together properly, so every time you move the shoulders, they come apart. The problem here is that the gap between the rear of the shoulders and the place where they tab in is too wide. There are (at least) two possible fixes for that problem (see below), but fresh out of the box this is one hell of an annoyance and the figure’s only real flaw.

Well, not quite. Apparently some versions of the figure have a problem with the face gimmick, too. Blitzwing, while being 99% a homage to G1 Blitzwing, pays his respects to Animated Blitzwing as well by including the latter’s three faces. You can rotate the face vertically inside his helmet, unveiling his cold bastard, hot head, and crazy face. And apparently quite a few versions of the figure have a problem here, it being that the yellow paint of the helmet is so thick that the head doesn’t rotate properly. Mine works fine, but apparently that’s more the exception than the rule.

Finally we have Blitzwing’s weapons, a purple sword and a small black rifle. The sword is pretty cool, no complaints here, but the rifle... it’s pretty much the same size as the original from G1, only the figure is much bigger now, so it looks more like a hand gun than a rifle. That, and it doesn’t quite fit into his hand, as his thick forearm interferes with the back of the rifle. It’s not a big thing, but they could have given him a more fitting gun.

Bottom line: a very nice robot mode, at least once you’ve fixed the shoulder thing.

Modification: There are two methods (that I know of) of fixing up Blitzwing’s shoulders. The more extensive one requires disassembly and some sanding down of parts (see here), the simpler one just requires you to add some padding on his back (see here). I opted for the simpler method and it works just fine. My Blitzwing’s shoulders now hold together very well.

If you have a problem with the face switching gimmick, then you’ll have to disassemble the head and remove the excess paint from the inside of the helmet. No other option here, sorry.

Alternate Modes: As a triple changer Blitzwing has two different alternate modes. The first one is a jet of indefinite model. The jet actually avoids the main problem of many jet formers (the big undercarriage, usually formed by the legs and/or arms) by turning the legs into the sides of the jet and putting the arms on top. The result still isn’t exactly a case study in aerodynamics, but it does manage to look somewhat sleek and doesn’t show any robot bits, either. It does show one tank bit, though, namely the big gun barrel with peeks out at the rear. You can flip it forward, though, giving the jet one big underbelly cannon to fire. The jet has a working landing gear and you can store the weapons under the wings or put the gun on top and the sword below. So bottom line: a pretty good jet mode, no serious complaints.

Blitzwing’s second vehicle mode is a tank, also of indefinite model. The relatively sleek-looking jet manages to fold together into a mostly solid-looking square and the robot arms form the turret with the tank gun in the middle. The turret isn’t perfect, as the hinge of the gun sits near the center, so when you raise it, there is a gap in the front, but otherwise it works pretty well. Looking at the tank from the back lets you see some jet parts, but otherwise the result is pretty good. I’d call the tank the weakest of Blitzwing’s three modes, but it still works quite well.

Remarks: Blitzwing might not be the most prolific Decepticon ever, but he did appear regularly in the second season of the G1 cartoon, even made a bid for Decepticon leadership, and saved the entire Transformers race from extinction at the hands of the Quintessons in “Five Faces of Darkness”. Of course that entailed going behind Galvatron’s back to enlist the aid of the Autobots, for which Blitzwing was then exiled and not seen again on either TV screens or toy shelves until 22 years later when the character was re-imagined for the Animated series.

Blitzwing is the third and final of the Decepticon triple changers to be released in the Classics style. And while it’s a bit strange that he towers over Astrotrain (who, being a space shuttle, should be quite a bit bigger), he’s a great addition to just about any Decepticon line-up. The shoulder thing is, of course, a big point against him. Easily fixed, yes, but all the more bothersome because it would have required very little effort to get it right the first time, I believe. Anyway, despite the shoulder problem I do fully recommend Blitzwing to any Decepticon fan. Besides, someone has to save the Transformers race from the Quintessons.

Rating: B- (B+ after fixing up the shoulders)