Kingdom Cyclonus

Prelude: In 2009 we got Universe Cyclonus (followed by many, many repaints) and for over a decade he was the undisputed champion of all Cycloni. Now it’s a new decade, though, as we enter the (hopefully) Golden Twenties. And as such there is now a new challenger, looking to take the title from the long-reigning champion. Kingdom Cylconus is here, so let’s say go!

Robot Mode: It has been said that the best reviews are the negative ones, as they are usually quite entertaining and more fun. If that is true, then this review will be terribly boring. Cyclonus in robot mode is pretty much perfect. He superbly portrays the character we have seen on the TV screen and in the comics, no doubt about that. He looks the part and he can move the part, too, being a very nicely articulated figure. His knee joints area bit weird, as they are both for bending the knee and for sliding it down into the shin as part of the transformation, but after a while you get used to them. The wings on his back can fold flush against his shoulders or stand off at an angle, which looks better in my opinion.

Cyclonus is Voyager-class, a good size for him as he towers over his previous Deluxe-class incarnations. For weapons he comes with a blaster, which is rather atypical of Cyclonus figures. Where is Nightstick? Well, he can easily use any of the previous Nightsticks, as well as any of the Siege Targetmasters, too, but I for one don’t mind him having a normal weapon for once. A nice, retro-looking blaster works well for Cyclonus. So bottom line: a great robot mode. No complaints unless you want to nitpick about the knees.

Alternate Mode: Now the one weak spot of Universe Cyclonus was the jet mode, which looked good overall but wasn’t terrible stable, especially in the back. The same cannot be said for Kingdom Cyclonus. The jet mode looks very solid and wholesome, everything clicks together solidly, there are no visible robot bits, and there is even a landing gear. Overall this is one of the best jet modes I have ever seen. There is no bulging underbelly, the whole thing looks sleek and aerodynamic, it just works.

Cyclonus’ weapon (or a Targetmaster) can be mounted on top of the jet and you can add blast effects to the rear, either to the thrusters sculpted into the robot legs or the robot arms (or both). So overall, absolutely no complaints here. A perfect jet mode, unless you really don’t like the futuristic sci-fi jet Cyclonus becomes.

Remarks: Cyclonus was created in the 1986 Transformers movie from the remains of dead Decepticons (which one is an ongoing debate in the Transformers fandom, though the semi-official answer is that he was Bombshell) and served as lieutenant to Galvatron in the third season of the Transformers cartoon. He was also quite active in the Marvel UK comics, where he travelled through time alongside Scourge and Galvatron.

One has to wonder why Cyclonus is in the Kingdom toyline, seeing as his best buddy Scourge and most of the other Movie TFs are being released in the Studio Series at pretty much the same time. Maybe it’s a weird form of symmetry, seeing as Reveal the Shield Cyclonus was released in a series that, for indecipherable reasons, ran parallel to the first Generations toyline. Not that it really matters, just something that occurred to me.

I honestly didn’t think any (official) figure would ever top the Universe Cyclonus mold, but I was shown the error of my ways. Kingdom Cyclonus is basically a perfect toy representation of the character we saw in the movie and the third season of the cartoon. If you really want to nitpick, the knee joints take a bit getting used to, but otherwise? Perfect. Fully recommended to everyone unless you really can’t stand the character.

Rating: A

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