RID 2015 Quillfire

Robot Mode: Let’s get my one complaint about this toy out of the way first: both in the cartoon and on the packaging of this very toy, Quillfire has his trademark insignia on top of his head. The toy itself, though? No insignia to be found. Not quite as bothersome as an entire line of mostly unpainted grey robots (I’m looking at you, Dark of the Moon), but still: it’s such a little thing, surely the cost for adding that little paint app wouldn’t have blown the budget, would it?

Apart from that, though, Quillfire is a very, very cool robot. He nicely translates the look of the cartoon character into toy form. Sure the mane of quills on the back of the head isn’t quite as bushy and majestic as in the cartoon, but that was to be expected. He is broad and stocky, looking very powerful and his animal head gives him a dangerous air. Articulation is good and one can even move the entire head assembly back and forth a bit.

For weapons Quillfire comes with a gun (which, strangely enough, does carry the insignia missing from the figure itself), as well as a single quill missile he can plug into the back of his head (the other quills are static) or hold in hand as a kind of knife. To sum it up, a really well-done robot mode, which sadly makes the missing insignia stand out all the more.

Alternate Mode: Quillfire apparently scanned his vehicle mode at the same dealership as Bulkhead, transforming into the same type of SUV. Coming in two shades of brown, the car looks pretty realistic and there are no visible robot bits, so thumbs up for that. A bit more detailing would have been nice, but overall this is a very nice car mode. Quillfire’s gun can be stored underneath in the hollow of his robot mode shins. So bottom line: no complaints here at all. A very nice car mode.

Remarks: Quillfire was one of the many Decepticon criminals escaping from the crashed Alchemore. Now free on Earth he immediately took up his old quest to launch a revolution... against pretty much everybody, it seemed. He attacked everything he regarded as some sort of authority and liked to leave his insignia behind wherever he went. He was apprehended by the Autobots multiple times, but managed multiple escapes as well. Last time we saw him he was once again snagged, this time by Grimlock, and put into stasis once again.

Overall Quillfire is a very nice toy. Just about the only bad thing I can say about it is that it’s missing Quillfire’s insignia in robot mode (something the Takara-Tomy version fixes). Apart from that, though: no complaints at all. Robots in Disguise features tons of very innovative-looking Decepticons and we need more of them in toy form. Quillfire is definitely looking good and a must for any fans of Robots in Disguise or unusual Transformer designs.

Rating: A-