Blast Off is the fifth Combaticon I’m reviewing. Thanks Hasbro! He goes for SGD $31.90 in stores, and is the most controversial member of the Combiner Wars Combaticons, thanks to his alternate mode. While here he transforms into a Harrier Jump Jet (side note: a jump jet is a jet that can take off and land without requiring a runway), his G1 form saw him blasting off as a space shuttle, which half of the flying Transformers turn into anyway.
So, Blast Off is a redeco of Quickslinger and hence a retool of Firefly. He sports a more complementary colour scheme than the brightly juxtaposed colours of Quickslinger, but otherwise has all the same accessories and quirks of his mould-mate.
Packaging
In package, Blast Off looks sullen and grumpy. Maybe it’s the colours, but it’s pretty clear from a glance that he’s one of the bad guys. He has a bit of that stealth feel, yet he doesn’t look dark or plain enough to really be counted as a stealth jet. Perhaps it’s to match his fellow Combaticon Vortex‘s colours.
I have no issue with him being a fighter jet here, instead of a space shuttle. While yes, I know that a space shuttle version of him will be made in Takara’s iteration of the character, I think that he fits in better with the military theme by being a plane. Seriously, I don’t know that many armies that have a space shuttle as part of their fleet. And that’s also not a very good disguise for a Transformer if he’s going to hang around other war machines, right?
Contents
Blast Off comes with one gun, which is disappointing because you can’t get him to be symmetrically armed in alternate mode (ie, the same type of gun on either wing). Then again, he does come with a limb gun so you could arm him with both weapons, just that he doesn’t look all that balanced out. It’s probably bad for the plane’s engines too, since one side will always be heavier than the other.
His gun is also grey at the bottom, since it doesn’t need to black if you’re never going to see it (it’ll be pegged into his hand or wing).
Bonus points for calling out his space shuttle mode in his bio though
Robot Mode
In robot mode, Blast Off looks aloof and collected. There’s something to be said for those big, solid, purple eyes and that slight sneer on his face. You could even say he looks kind of gangster with that head sculpt. His chest is significantly plainer than the previous moulds, but again this works with the whole devil-may-care demeanour about him.
Alternate Mode
So Blast Off’s jet mode is, as mentioned earlier, a Harrier Jump Jet. His transformation could hide his robot kibble a little better, but I suppose since he’s going to have to be part of a giant robot limb, this works as well. It’s a rubber nose cone, if you’re wondering.
Overall
Blast Off, when seen as part of the Combaticons, makes more sense as a fighter jet. By himself, it doesn’t really matter what he transforms into, since he doesn’t have to depend on his team mates. But as part of the Special Teams, yes, a fighter jet is better.
It doesn’t mean I’m not going to buy the inevitable space shuttle version of him (and the Groove motorcycle) when it does come out though!
Check out my review of Bruticus soon, where I put all five Combaticons together!
Combaticon Toy Reviews
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