Universe Powerglide

Prelude: I've had Universe Powerglide at home for some time now and he is, that much should be said right at the start, one of my favorite figures.

Jet Mode: Powerglide transforms into a subsonic Fairchild A-10 Thunderbolt fighter jet, nicknamed the "warthog". This fighter is used for fighting tanks and other ground-based targets. So much for the background. And how does he look? Great! Just great! The color fits, the detailing is superb, the entire thing might as well hail from a Revell model kit. Looking at the jet, there is little to betray the fact that a robot is hidden inside. This alternate mode is just pure joy.

In terms of armament he has a seven-barreled 30 milimeter Gatling cannon under the cockpit, just like the real thing. Sadly it's not in the middle, that just wasn't possible. Powerglide's legs are formed from the underbelly of his front section. But that's just a very minor flaw. The landing gear is a bit strange, too, but that's pretty much it in terms of criticism. Not even Powerglide's arms and shoulders, which are beneath the wings, disturb the picture, as you can easily imagine them to be missile launchers and targeting gear, which the jet usually has. So a very hearty thumbs up for the alternate mode.

Robot Mode: Here, too, Powerglide excels. He looks great and even manages a close resemblance to G1 Powerglide. Der upper body looks powerful and the legs almost athletic. No room for complaints regarding the posability, either. He can pose with the best of them. What I also like is that his transformation is rather simple. Finally, this figure proves that Hasbro is still capable of putting love for detail into their figures, as Powerglide has a heart hidden under his chest panel. A homage to a rather stupid G1 cartoon episode, but whatever.

The stability and design also leaves nothing to complain about. Everything fits together well and I've found no coloring irregularities, either. Oh, and I almost forgot. Powerglide features light and sound effects (turbine sound, machine gun fire, and the transformation sound). Just one minor point of criticism here: If they'd foregone the sound effects and the transparent organe plastic for the turbines, Powerglide would look even better than he already does.

Bottom line: This is a great figure, a true collector's item, which every Transformers fan should own, because he is worth his money. Only some minor points deduction for the landing gear, the fact that the cannon is not centered, and the look of the turbines. Which leaves us with...

Rating: A-