Power of the Primes Tailgate

Robot Mode: Let’s start with this figure’s resemblance to his G1 predecessor. In short, it’s a near-perfect match. PotP Tailgate is bigger, of course, and better articulated than the G1 Minibot, but apart from that the two match very closely, both in design and look.

Apart from that there is actually not much I can write here. Tailgate’s articulation and detailing is good, but not spectacular. He comes without a weapon like most of the current Legends-class figures. And... yeah, that’s pretty much it. So to sum it up for the robot mode: pretty much a straight-forward adaption of the original figure from 1986.

Alternate Mode: The original G1 Tailgate transformed into a car very closely resembling the Pontiac Firebird, one of the most iconic 80s cars in my mind. PotP Tailgate also becomes a white sportscar that holds some resemblance to the Firebird, but certainly not enough to warrant paying licensing fees. The car looks good, though, so nothing to complain about here.

Like most of the Legends-class figures since Titans Return Tailgate, too, has a cockpit for a Titan or Prime Master to sit in. The only downside here is that the cockpit can’t be opened without halfway transforming the back portion of the car back into robot mode, you need to partially flip out the legs again. An extra hinge on the roof panels could have easily solved this, I believe, so this is a slight point deduction. Otherwise, though, a good car mode. Nothing spectacular, but nothing bad, either.

Remarks: For the longest time Tailgate was merely that white Windcharger repaint who briefly appeared in Five Faces of Darkness for the sole reason to be stomped flat by Trypticon. He had an amusing profile text, suggesting he was incapable of understanding that Earth’s machines weren’t alive, but that was it. It wasn’t until James Roberts made him part of the main cast of his More than Meets the Eye / Lost Light comic book in IDW that Tailgate was truly established as a character.

This figure here, though, is not the Lost Light Tailgate (we already have that one in the Thrilling 30 version), but rather a very close adaption of the original G1 figure. So bottom line, Power of the Primes Tailgate is nothing more and nothing less than a slightly bigger, better articulated version of the original G1 Tailgate. So while there is nothing particularly wrong with him, he doesn’t really stand out in any way, either.

Rating: C+