Studio Series 86 Junkheap

Prelude: Hurry, hurry, hurry! Head on up and moooove 'em out! Come on down to Cybertron! And remember, a day without scrap metal is like a breakfast without sunshine! And remember, too, that there are other Junkions beside Wreck-Gar and one of them is this new, improved Junkion model here, the loveable Junkheap. Viewers at home, hold on to your seats, and make use of this exclusive offer to read the newest review on Transformers Universe, your one-stop spot to satisfy all your Transformers review needs. So let’s say go!

Robot Mode: Junkheap is an extensive retool of Wreck-Gar, so look there for the full review. This one here will focus on the differences between the two figures.

Junkheap is the same general figure as Wreck-Gar, though quite a few parts have been changed. Apart from the new head, a close match to the character model from the 1986 Movie, Junkheap has new shoulder pads (with red spikes), new forearms with adjustable armor plates on them, a new chest plate (without nipple guns), and slightly different feet (or feet coverings, rather), too. Add to that a new paintjob and you have a figure that looks somewhat similar to Wreck-Gar, but not too much.

Apart from the aforementioned changes, this is basically the same figure. Same articulation, same slightly loose hip joint, same axe weapon, same attachable tires. A word on the tires, though: due to the plates on Junkheap’s arms, it’s not possible to attach the tires to his arms unless you swivel the plates back. That’s about the only real difference, though. In all other matters, this is the same excellent robot Wreck-Gar is.

So bottom line: if you liked Wreck-Gar’s robot mode, you will like this one, too (unless you miss the nipple guns too much).

Alternate Mode: Unsurprisingly Junkheap transforms into more or less the same Mad-Max-esque motorbike Wreck-Gar does. It looks different, of course, thanks to the new colors and the changed parts, but it’s essentially the same vehicle. One positive change: the plates on Junkheap’s robot arms are swiveled back and cover some of the more pieced-together portions of the bike, making the whole thing look more solid than the Wreck-Gar version. That’s about it in terms of differences, though. Still a cool-looking bike, though with a somewhat unfortunate placement of the battle axe in this mode.

Remarks: Junkheap (or sometimes Junkyard) is one of three fully realized character models for Junkions created for Transformers the Movie (the other two being Scrapheap and, of course, Wreck-Gar himself). All other (male) Junkions are variations of the three. Junkheap was present during multiple scenes in the movie and was also seen in season 3 of the cartoon, most notably in “Starscream’s Ghost” where he was the Junkion closing the deal with Octane during his visit to Junk.

This is the second time we have seen Junkheap in toy form, the first one being Generations Junkheap from 2011, unsurprisingly also a retool of a Wreck-Gar figure. The old Generations figure took a few more liberties with the design, while the Studio Series 86 one is pretty much a dead ringer for the robot we saw on the screens in 1986. Either way, though, if you love the Junkions and want more of them that don’t quite look like Wreck-Gar, then Junkheap is worth getting. And don’t worry, Scrapheap is already out, too.

Rating: B+