Update: Corrected the retail price, it’s actually SGD $31.90. Thanks to the fan who helped spot the error!
So this is the second Combaticon that Hasbro sent over, Vortex! He retails for SGD $31.90 in stores. He’s a redeco of Alpha Bravo, but I prefer to think of him as the evil twin brother of Blades, who’s also mould-mates with him.
Now, Vortex bears the odd distinction of being the only Combaticon to also have a Kreon build for him (although admittedly, that was for another incarnation of Vortex). Helicopter Transformers are either fun or frustrating because of the rotors, but I like them, especially when they can detach and be used as weapons. This version of Vortex doesn’t have detachable rotors, which is a bit tricky when it comes to his combined mode.
Packaging
Yep, he comes with a comic! No tease of Bruticus here, unlike with Onslaught. I still like how the comic’s cover also doubles up as the artwork for the packaging. At least there’s no wastage (if you throw away the bubble and card) or you don’t have to worry about carefully opening it or carefully storing it to maintain the integrity of the artwork. Also, you get to compare how he looks to Blades.
Contents
He comes with just one gun. But then he comes with double cannons sculpted on to either side of his arm. Then again, those are really, really bright yellow cannons. It’s the first thing an Autobot enemy will target. I guess if you give him the limb gun he’ll have a total of gun barrels to fire at his enemies, but that’s not really as menacing as one very imposing looking weapon.
Would have been nice to see a bit more of his kibble on the comic cover, though that might be a bit distracting given that the rotors might interfere with the title of the comic.
Robot Mode
Vortex’s robot mode looks great with that gritty grey and green deco… but those yellow guns! I live in mortal fear of the paint chipping off. Also it really, really sticks out. If it was red, I would understand, since red signifies danger and destruction. But yellow looks a little too friendly. And the part where it segues into the hand looks odd.
I would have preferred it in classic black. Then again, they they’re trying to give us more paint apps on a limited budget! So props for the effort there.
Alternate Mode
So he transforms into an approximation of a Aerospatiale Dauphin except he has two blades instead of four. If you’re not sure what that is, well, it’s a multipurpose helicopter (though in this case, it’s pretty clear that the purpose is for war, given the whole, you know, Combaticon theme going on?) that’s expensive. It takes a bit of wiggling to get everything to fit snugly, and as with all aircraft, he has landing gear under his nosecone.
Overall
It really does come down to how much you like helicopters. If you do, then you would have Vortex already. If you don’t, well, Vortext is pretty heavily armed (7 gun barrels!). But that yellow really, really distracts me.
Then again, it won’t seem too obvious when he’s part of Bruticus! Which is what we’re all buying the Combaticons for now, aren’t we?
I’ll be checking out the other Combaticons over the next few days, so check in again!
Combaticon Toy Reviews
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