Titans Return Brawn

Prelude: This figure here was a gift from my good buddy Caked-Up, who also said that I should be able to just “sneeze out” a review for this little guy, whatever that means exactly. So, thank you Caked-Up, but this review will not contain snot, just so you know.

Robot Mode: Brawn, the G1 toy, and Brawn, the cartoon character were a closer match than was the case for quite a few other G1 characters, but there were still noticeable differences. The Titans Return figure here is clearly cartoon Brawn, very faithfully depicting the small powerhouse we saw on the screens. The look is pretty much perfect and articulation is quite good for this figure thanks to ball joints.

The only downside for me is that Brawn doesn’t come with a gun. Instead his sole accessory is a plate that he can attach to his arm as a kind of shield. With some imagination it can double as a sort of gun, I guess. If you don’t want to use it, he can store it on his lower back. Bottom line, this robot mode here is Brawn, period. Very nicely done, no complaints except for the lack of a gun.

Alternate Mode: Like in days of yore Brawn transforms into a green jeep of undetermined model. The resulting vehicle looks pretty good and is as detailed as you can possibly expect at this size. The panel he used as a shield in robot mode now forms the rear part of the roof, but the sculpting is such that even without it the car doesn’t look incomplete. So if you happen to lose this small extra part, it’s not the end of the world.

Like many Legends-sized TFs from the Titan Return line Brawn features a cockpit where a Titan Master figure can ride inside the car (Titan Master Brawn could thus ride inside Legends Brawn if you wish). The car also has a 5mm hole on top to plug in weapons, once again highlighting the fact that Brawn doesn’t have a gun, sadly. Overall, though, a good vehicle mode that is very Brawn, pure and simple. No complaints.

Remarks: Brawn was one of the more prominent members of the Autobot crew during season 1 and early season 2 of the original Transformers cartoon. Sure, he was a stereotype, the tough little guy who regularly beats up bigger and badder bots, but it worked. Brawn successfully tangled with lots of opponents much bigger than himself. In the three-part episode “Ultimate Doom”, for example, he took out three nameless Seekers and Soundwave in a manner of seconds, then holding his own against Shockwave until help arrived in the form of Skyfire. Sadly Brawn was the first casualty of the infamous shuttle slaughter scene in the 1986 Transformers movie, dying from a single blast to the shoulder. How the mighty had fallen.

For all that he appeared in lots of episodes, toy-wise Brawn hasn’t exactly been prominent. Apart from the original toy back in 1984 we haven’t seen a whole lot of him. A Universe Legends figure in 2009 and some repaints of other figures to keep the name in use, that was pretty much it. But Titans Return gives us not just one, but two Brawns. This one here and a Titan Master that can become a Brawn-head for any other figure.

This particular figure here is Brawn as if he stepped right off the TV screen, really. I wish they had given him a gun, but that’s pretty much the extent of my complaints. Otherwise a fun little figure of one of my favorite characters from the early days of the Transformers. Nicely done.

Rating: B+