Newage Legendary Hero Freyr

Series: Legendary Heroes
Designation: NA H57EX
Year: 2023
Faction: Autobots/Dinobots
Category: G1 Legends

Prologue:  Legend reviews are like a double-edged sword. Should you, as I did (with a few exceptions, of course) commit yourself to the EX deco by Newage, then the chances are good you also have to live with a few compromises. Meaning, in Newage‘s case, the scale is mostly locked in on the robot modes. And even then, they don’t always fit 100% and mixing with Magic Square doesn’t get you the hoped-for success all the time, either (like with Scott/Hound: the jeep fits better to Night Tracer/Onslaught). But the Dinobots work awesomely in bot mode and Freyr in its EX deco? *Spoiler alert* Glorious!!!

Review: Like his colleagues Ymir and Rhedosaurus (who already got their EX treatment), Freyr comes in a quasi-G1-perfect box, with the familiar retro grid, new versions of the graphics, etc. The whole layout, fitted to the box of course, is a very close match. Perfect for G1 enthusiasts.

When it comes to accessories, you’ll get the slimmed down version of the cartoon deco: Flight stand, rockets (without smoke trails), launcher (which, of course, launches the rocket and doubles as blaster), and a pair of relaxed and fisted hands each.

Similar to the cartoon deko (you’ll find my video review here) the accessories fit and function well, with the sole exception being the flight stand. That still doesn’t peg in deep enough to the designated port in order to sit securely.

But for Freyr himself: Sculpt details are still cream of the crop and, same as many of the different versions of released bots, he got a new g1-toy-accurate head. Newage didn’t need to touch all the other sculpt details, since these still just work great.

The biggest upgrade, as with every EX version, is the paintjob and Freyr is nearly perfect. Nearly, because, just as with Michael, he is missing a small selection of tampograph stickers on the wings (see before/after picture). Apart from that, this guy is glorious. Little bit of pearl red, gunmetal on the arms and legs, and the most important part, which nearly makes you forget about the missing tampos: FULLY. CHROMED. WINGS. That’s how you do it!

Talking about articulation, you probably could not expect more from Freyr than you got, if you ask me. Newage was able to give him (nearly) the full monty. Double-jointed elbows and knees (which break open the sculpt a little, but at some point compromises are unavoidable). „Beak on the chest, so no ab crunch, right?“ Wrong, you got it crunching. Lift the beak, do your pose, and just fold it back down and if you like the flight stand better in the back, just rotate the hip. You can barely spot it and it works. That’s how I got him in my display.

The only thing missing, when we talk about articulation, is - as is often the case with Newage - the missing foot pivot to the outside, or how I like to say (Thanks, Bobby): no outside rocker. Still, if you play with the tolerances and weight a bit and balance it out with the wings, you can pull off a running pose. Just take your time.

The dinosaur mode is amazing too. Feet are able fold away, but you can put up Freyr on them still, let him use his wings as supports, and the head comes down nicely but also folds back up to the neck for a flying pose. All that you need is possible.

Only one thing needs to be said about the transformation to pterosaur: I didn’t need the instructions. I had the cartoon deco first, took it out of the box, and just transformed it without any problems. Everything is fun and pegs in as it should. Only slight problem is that the dinosaur legs need to be at an angle and don’t really lock in properly. You need to find your own angle here, which is a bit weird. But returning to bot mode, the legs peg back in no problem.

Freyr’s alternate mode, the mighty Pteranodon, is a hole-in-one and I got no points of critique whatsoever. The box-of-feet on the back complete the look, beak opens, and the chrome wings are the cherry on top. Bravo!

When you look at where Newage‘s journey began, from the first releases to those coming out now, there’s no denying, at least for me, that I am looking forward immensely to future releases. The Dinobots are damn good fun, I hope Menasor gets brought on its way soon, and the future looks bright. Just for final words on 2023. Freyr though is my favorite of the year besides Michael.

Packaging:                             9/10
First impressions:                 10/10
Accessories:                           8/10
Materials:                               10/10
Paint application:                 9/10
Articulation:                           8/10
Engineering:                          9/10
Robot mode:                         10/10
Alternate Mode:                   10/10
Playability:                             10/10
Value for money:                  7/10

Final Score:                          9,1/10