Can't wait to hear your opinion of Whirl. I think Armada Starscream is a decent figure, but since I despise Armada...
The thing about the new Armada Starscream is that it removes all the things I hated about Armada, except perhaps the color scheme.
Whirl is pretty darned good.
I have a fondness for Whirl. I always wanted a G1 Whirl, but it was one of those figures that was available at only a few stores and I never had a lot of money as a kid. I loved the helicopter form, the color, the uniqueness of it. When I finally had saved some money, I went to Toy City to get one, only they had none left. Only Roadbuster.
I eventually picked up Whirl many years later. As with many G1 figures, it was a brick. It was still awesome in the way Roadbuster was.
Generations Whirl was obviously designed by someone who obsessed about Whirl as much as I did. The color is there -- a little darker and not quite so powder blue -- as is the design. This is Whirl, and many elements of the design go right back to the original.
And yet, it's updated, too. Unlike the original Whirl, there's poseability in arms and legs. There are a lot of ways to pose it, with joints, swivels, and parts that twist and turn. Yet, it still has the original claws and the shoulder mechanism is reminiscent.
Whirl loses a little of the sleek helicopter form from G1. Not too much, though -- looking at both forms, you can appreciate how they really tried to maintain the original look.
Quality issues -- for the most part -- have swung back the other direction. When I opened this up, I kept thinking it was a third party product, and I mean that in a
good way. High quality plastic, different color blues, neither of which is garish or kiddy, paint that accentuates the design -- this is the polar opposite of MInicon Assault Team. This feels like a toy made for adults and collectors.
There's a maturity to this that I didn't even see with Springer and Sandstorm, and I liked them. Even the bright yellow rotors don't feel kiddy. The yellows have been downright ugly lately (Minicon Assault Team and Armada Starscream), and it's not distracting here. These colors coordinate, and they gave Whirl a nice set of blue tones and blue accent paint that matches so well that you have to look twice to see what's painted and what's molded.
It comes with stickers. This is also an homage to G1, as both Roadbuster and Whirl had decal-like stickers (clear, instead of foil or opaque). I really don't want to go down this route long term, but for Whirl it's...nice, I guess? Except for the Autobot symbol, Whirl doesn't need decoration. He's already got more paint than half the things Hasbro has offered up recently, so it's not like they are replacing paint apps with decals. That would be my biggest concern. I have left them off and it looks fine.
Transformation is a mix of intuitive and unusual. Whirl comes in robot form and his feet aren't extended right. I had to break out the instructions to figure this out, and even they weren't helpful. The way the helicopter tail is handled is also intriguing. It makes for a pretty small backpack, considering it's a helicopter.
Whirl has some parts that look like they might be trouble -- those black shoulder joints -- but the figure feels solid. The knees are double jointed, and the second joint is very difficult to move. I worry about the amount of force needed to move what is a small joint. The tail assembly could have been horrible, but it's solid, too. This is refreshing after Minicon Assault Team, with its thin plastic and parts that fall off.
There's only one thing I'm not wild about, and I understand why they did it. The feet are...different. Whirl is digitigrade, with strange feet and knees that go the other direction. I think they did this for the walker mode, but I'd rather just have a normal robot, thanks. The original Whirl had huge clodhopper feet.. so it's not unexpected that the feet would be different. You can turn the legs around 180 and it will work that way -- it doesn't look as nice, but it does work. I still wish they had given the option for normal (or close to normal) robot feet. It doesn't seem like it would have taken too much to do.
The accessories are unpainted, but they make up for it with flexibility. You can put them in various spots and clip them together. They are also an homage to the original accessories. The helicopter looks good with or without them -- they are not nearly as large and cartoony as some recent weapons.
Stability is good in robot and helicopter modes (I haven't messed with the walker mode yet). My Whirl is misassembled and I don't know if this is just mine or if all of them will be like this. There actually is a good set of tabs and locks, and one of mine -- a tab that's on one arm that should lock into the leg and make the whole helicopter body solid -- is backwards. It's a bit of a disappointment. However, it still holds together pretty well. Better than Springer, at any rate.
There's a little gappiness to the helicopter and it's not as smooth as the original. However, I have to say that overall, I think it's very strong. In my mind, Whirl had a lot to live up to and this pretty much nails it.
From the pictures, I was afraid this was going to be a spindly, monochromatic mess. I have also seen many wannabe Whirls over the years, from the recolor of Blackout to the Human Alliance version that didn't think the original's feet were big enough. This is the first that can stand with the original.
Bottom line: It's a great update of a G1 toy. There are a few downsides, but the overall quality and the upsides more than make up for them. Looks great in both modes, enjoyable transformation, and a third mode as a bonus. Well worth $20.
ing piece of shit. In picks, the vacuum metal parts looked great and reminded me of the good old days of the later Beast Wars figs. In hand... the thing just feels cheap. If I saw this at a garage sale I'd think it was a decent KO fig. Ratchet joints, hollow feeling, doesn't hardly weigh anything despite it's size, simple transformation, giant backpack... ugh. I was pleasantly surprised he has rubber tires though. So there's that.
