[Toy Review] ‘Victorion’ of the Victorion giftset is the most unique combiner yet

Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)

Victorion is the newest Autobot combiner (literally, since she didn’t exist before last year) to join the Transformers and the result of 2015’s Fan Built Bot contest. Her Autobot subgroup is the Torchbearers, which is a departure from the usual [theme]-bot names of the groups (like the Aerialbots, Protectobots, Technobots and so on). Everything, from colour scheme to nemesis to alternate modes was decided by popularity, which has resulted in the most democratic Transformer ever.

Personally, I would have preferred a new combiner to be the result of the work of experienced designers and storytellers, because they would have designed everything with a specific theme in mind. But they did a marvellous job weaving together all the disparate elements into a unified whole, which is Victorion! Thanks Hasbro for the Victorion giftset!

Victorion and her sword. (Victorion)
Victorion and her sword. (Victorion)

The Victorion box set that retails for SGD$219.90, and was launched on 15 May.

Box art. (Victorion)
Box art. (Victorion)

Box Art

You have to admit the box art is pretty gorgeous. Ignoring from the multi-lingual text, it’s quite an impressive looking set. Victorion looks like she’s going to leap out of the box and attack you with that gigantic sword. The background also keeps you interested in where she’s from, and tantalises you with possibilities of her origin (which is the Sea of Rust la).

Box art. (Victorion)
Box art. (Victorion)
Box art. (Victorion)
Box art. (Victorion)
Box art. (Victorion)
Box art. (Victorion)
Box art. (Victorion)
Box art. (Victorion)

Victorion’s artwork is all over the box, and they’ve even managed to squeeze in a bio for her. I know I keep calling them the Torchbearers when they’re really the Rust Renegades as the box describes… but you know, I think I would have called them the Rustiellebots or something like that, just to keep with the combiner themed names.

Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)

Contents

Everything is packed with the new thin but sturdy plastic ties, which hold the contents firmly in place but break if you exert just enough pressure to pull them apart. I like it better than the paper ties (you still had to cut them out with scissors) and of course, more so than the nightmarish twistie-ties of yore (Unicron, I still have nightmares from opening you).

And it comes with an awesome A3 poster and card too! It’s sealed in a thick brown envelope. G2 Bruticus has it, but not sure about G2 Superion and G2 Menasor though.

Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
Contents. (Victorion)
The Torchbearers. (Victorion)
The Torchbearers. (Victorion)
The Torchbearers. (Victorion)
The Torchbearers. (Victorion)
The Torchbearers. (Victorion)
The Torchbearers. (Victorion)

As you probably know by now, the hands and feet are specific to this set, and not the usual interchangeable Combiner Wars hands and feet that the other combiners have been using. They can only be used as the left or right feet or hands, and nothing else. That in itself should tell you how special Victorion is as a Combiner. I mean, she’s also a completely female group too (though not the first).

Victorion's sword. (Victorion)
Victorion’s sword. (Victorion)

Victorion’s sword is also one of the highlights of the set. Unlike the other combiners, her weapon combines as well into a giant blade that’s as wide as she is. It’s clearly capable of cutting through other combiners, and matches the oversized weapons that the Combiner Hunters wield.

Victorion's sword. (Victorion)
Victorion’s sword. (Victorion)

Victorion

Combined, Victorion is quite the sight to behold. She’s perhaps the most colour coordinated of all the combiners, adhering to the green/red colour scheme. You can configure her limbs in other ways, but I’ve put her in the default arrangement as given by the instructions and artwork. It gives her a more top-heavy look, which suits her status as a “divine” combiner (since she was made via the Enigma of Combination).

Victorion and her sword. (Victorion)
Victorion and her sword. (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)

If you’ve been playing Transformers: Earth Wars then you’ll know that the current campaign ends with the retrieval of the Codex of Combination. And since all of Victorion’s components, even Rust Dust, are unlockable characters in the game, could this mean…

Victorion! (Victorion)
Victorion! (Victorion)

I wish I had the Enigma of Combination accessory for Victorion to hold though (you could only get it at the customisation class at this year’s Botcon). Myu, crafter of the accessory, looks like an awesome guy since he gave out the cool Covenant of Primus and Matrix of Conquest accessories at 2015’s Botcon too. But hey, Victorion is still awesome by herself, and I’m really stoked to see how she’ll appear in Transformers: Earth Wars.

Check out my other reviews on the bots in the Victorion giftset!

Victorion

Pyra Magna

Dustup

Jumpstream

Stormclash

Skyburst

Rust Dust

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