Transformers Cyber Battalion Figures

I’m lumping these guys into one review.  I really don’t think they warrant individual posts. We’ll be looking at Jetfire, Optimus Prime and Prowl.

So last month or so, news hit that these “Cyber Battalion” figures were starting to show up at Walgreens all over the US.  Sure enough, I hit up a few of mine (there’s one like every block in my area) and found them.  I grabbed Jetfire, Prowl and Prime.  I saw a few Bumblebee’s and I guess there’s a Megatron out there too, but I’ve yet to see him.

So these guys are, I guess, dubbed “Cyber Battalion”.  It doesn’t say that on the box anywhere.  They are, for all intents and purposes, up-scaled legends class figures.  Meaning they have similar transformations and limited articulation.  They are painted quite well and feature a lot of nice detailing.

Lets start with Jetfire.

I will say the boxes are neat.  The cover art is great, they have a brief bio on the back with the instructions.  The windowless box is a clean look, and somewhat unique from what we’ve been seeing.

Jetfire looks nice, though admittedly, his detailing gets washed out in the white a bit.  He features his cockpit chest, visored mask, backpack wings.  Basically everything you want in a Jetfire.

His articulation is at the hips, shoulders and neck. Also his antenna/ears fold down for transformation, which is neat.  He does NOT have upper thigh rotation or knee bend, which is probably the biggest draw back to these guys.

I really dig Jet mode.  It’s got the classic hybrid F-14 look, the big red thruster pack (molded in), just over all a good looking alt-mode.  He does have the “folded up robot” look on the bottom, but so does Leader Class Jetfire and that toy’s a masterpiece.

Scale wise, I think he works well for the CHUG line.  They all stand a bit taller than a Voyager, but shorter than a Leader.

Of all of these guys, I think Jetfire has the most to offer and has a solid place on a collection shelf.  He’s limited in his leg articulation, but otherwise stands as a solid entry to the character’s toyline.

I was most interested, I guess, in Prowl.  He looks really nice on the box art (even though it’s a CGI rendering), but he’s definitely not an up-scaled version of the old Classics Legends toy.

Aside from he arm panels, which aren’t the best look, he actually has quite a bit going for him.  His head sculpt is great (although my version had a scuff on the eye), I dig the light-bar feet, and he’s got the familiar front-of-the-car chest.  He loses his door wings, but that’s not the worst draw back.  He also has pretty solid articulation.

But again, he lacks upper thigh and upper arm rotation which would actually make a world of difference here.   Otherwise, his biggest draw back is…well, his size.  He’s kinda huge, for a Prowl.

It’s not the worst problem, and if scale doesn’t bother you, he’s right there with everything else.  I didn’t think of it at the time, but I should have taken a picture with the Combiner Wars Constructicons.  He’d probably fit right in with them.

His alt-mode is nice.  It’s a solid cop car.  But again, it’s a BIG solid cop car.

Finally we have Optimus Prime.

Optimus looks the most “Legends-y” out of the three here.  He does feature a LOT of similarities between the old Classics Legends class version, mostly in his transformation scheme and lack of articulation.

He looks nice, if not a bit skinny, but otherwise he’s got all the Optimus Prime-y stuff you’d want in an Optimus Prime.

He has modest amount of pose-ability and he IS very stable, I will for sure give him that as a credit to the toy.

So what’s the bottom line? Would I recommend them?

Honestly, no.  Probably not.  Maybe Jetfire.  Maybe Prowl.  Here’s the major issue I have with the recommendation:  The price point.  These guys cost about $18-20 bucks at Walgreens.  That’s an absurd price for what you’re getting.  Jetfire at least comes with two guns, but Prime and Prowl do not (though they feature 5mm grips and can wield anything you want to give them).  They come with nothing.  The painted details look good, but the lack of articulation and a lot of hollow sections should make these a $12 dollar toy easy.  They don’t have as much “substance” as a Deluxe so they should definitely not cost more than one.   If you’re like me and piss money away on stuff more often than you should, then go ahead and grab them.  They look nice.  Just don’t expect any bells and whistles.  I would like to see how Megatron looks and feels in hand.  If I find him, I might do a review for him.