By Loran
When the first Transformers movie came out, one figure fans had a lot of complaints about was Blackout. He was a Voyager-class figure, but a rather small one—the smallest one ever at that point. He also had a problem with his automorph gimmick, one that involved something with his gears slipping out. When the Leader-class Brawl was announced, fans were hopeful that we’d see Blackout in that scale sometime soon. Time passed and unfortunately, our wish wasn’t answered—no Voyager-class Bonecrusher, either. Well, it took them two more movies but we finally got a new Blackout figure!
…as a scout-class.
This just boggles my mind. A lot of us wanted a Scout-class Bumblebee to go with Voyager Optimus and Deluxe Ironhide and a Leader-class Blackout, and instead we get a Scout-class Blackout and a Leader-class Bumblebee? Seriously, I think Hasbro secretly hates us sometimes.
Blackout is a part of the Cyberverse Commander line, a line with “pocket-sized” versions of larger characters and a handful of new ones. They’re basically bigger, more complex Legends, and for some reason I find them more interesting than the regular Legends (or “Legion” as they’re called now).
His vehicle mode is still the licensed Sikorsky Pave Low, indicating that Hasbro’s contract with Sikorsky (or whoever they have it with) is still in effect. It’s pretty damn detailed considering how small it is, all things considered. I would’ve expected to see a few more corners cut on a figure this size. Personally I think Legends/Legion should just be dropped in favor of this class. It’s much more fun!
Blackout’s transformation actually threw me for a bit of a loop. It’s a bit more complex than you’d expect for a figure this small, primarily on his legs with all the hinges and stuff. But hey, at least he doesn’t have some stupid automorph gimmick that’ll end up screwing up the figure on you!
While not as impressive as his vehicle mode, Blackout’s robot mode looks MUCH better than some of the other Cyberverse Commanders (the ones based on pre-existing characters, anyway). Maybe it’s just me, but some of the other Cyberverse Commanders just look a little off to me. I do have some complaints, mostly associated with the arms; they stick out a bit too much at the shoulders and don’t clip in at all, making them look a little silly.
Blackout comes in the dark blue that his Premium figure from the first movie came in. It looks great, very intimidating, and it contrasts amazingly with the silver. Props to Hasbro for the color scheme.
At such a small scale, I’m amazed how accurate they made his head. The detail is MUCH nicer than the Voyager-class, and actually looks accurate to the movie.
Even his articulation is pretty damn impressive for such a little guy. Most Deluxe figures don’t have this many joints!
His only accessory is Scorponok (of course!) who comes lacking a lot of paint applications. He can store under the helicopter mode, or turn into a gun. I think I won’t bother with the latter.
Also, if you’re looking for new weapons for your Commanders, get some Kre-O sets! The LEGO-minifigure-scale weapons fit perfectly in their hands.
He may not be the Leader we all wanted, but Cyberverse Blackout is still a neat figure in his own right. He comes recommended if you don’t mind scale issues or just want a neat little figure to terrorize your Legends. Come to FPNYC and get your own hatred copter!
