General Information: Images:
For the sake of context, you won't be surprised to discover that I've reviewed this particular basic sculpt several times already. However, for the purposes of this review it makes most sense to compare to the version of a "Classics" Thrust that had already been released three years ago: Botcon 2007 exclusive Thrust. That figure took the basic Ramjet Seeker sculpt and modified it to look more like the G1 version of the character complete with new wings and rear stabilizer wings. Let's be clear: this version is not the Botcon sculpt reissued. Instead, this is a US release of the Thrust sculpt released by Takara Tomy in Japan last year which had all new parts sculpted for the wings and stabilizers.
Vehicle Mode: In an interesting bit of functionality, the hoverfan sections of the wings can detach and be attached to the underside of the rear fin sections. The same can be done with the missile launchers. However, neither of these configurations look particularly cool or interesting so I'm wondering if this was one of those ideas that looked good "on paper" but then didn't quite turn out as well in real life execution. As you can tell from the above notes on the sculpt alone, there are quite a few differences between the two versions of the character. Still, several elements are represented in both. Both have the hoverfans in raised sections on the wing, both have two circular details at the base of each wing and each of the rear tailfins have a horizontal part that stretches out to the sides, leading to a vertical piece on either side. Sculpting isn't the only place where the two figures differ however. They both also have differences in the deco pattern. When the Botcon 2007 exclusive Thrust was created, its base colors were inspired by a combination of the cartoon and G1 toys. This meant the red used on the figure was very flat (but a nice dark shade) and black was used as the primary contrasting color. We also worked hard to make sure details like the aforementioned four circles on the wings carried over details straight from stickers on the G1 figure. In the case of Generations Thrust, the primary colors seem more inspired by the G1 action figure than its cartoon representation. The primary colors of Generations Thrust are metallic maroon, dark grey and translucent yellow. The red dominates this form, which follows suit with the G1 Thrust. The wings, tail fins and the base of the missile launchers are cast in dark grey while the cockpit window is translucent yellow. The interior of the cockpit is vacuum metallized silver, giving a really beautiful glow combined with the translucent yellow to that section of the vehicle. The paint applications on this figure are inspired by the G1 Thrust figure, with some minor adjustments. On the edges of the wings are white and metallic maroon lines that start towards the front of te vehicle and trace all the way to the sides. On the vertical fins there are "L" shaped details in the same colors. Each wing features a silver Decepticon symbol and maroon is also used to paint the raised sections of the cockpit. I find it fascinating that two different decos can still represent the same character so well. This color scheme is neither better or worse than the Botcon version, it's just a different take on the same source material and I think from a collector's perspective it is best for the two decos to be different. That way, collectors who paid a premium for Botcon Thrust do not feel somehow "cheated". It is evident in this mode that the two toys are very different animals. Transformation to Robot Mode:
As a note, you can detach the hoverfans and attach them to the underside of the fin pieces attached to his lower legs. This sort of simulates the look of the G1 Thrust animation model which wound up having those fans on his legs instead of his back. While I get the intent here, I personally prefer the look of the fans on his back.
Robot Mode: The same colors featured in the vehicle mode appear here with some additions. You'll find silver paint now on his chest and legs and gold paint on his arms, waist the the vertical air intakes on either side of his head. The face is colored light grey while his eyes are painted yellow. All in all this paint scheme takes its inspiration from the G1 figure, especially with regards to coloring the eyes yellow, paying homage to the gold stickers that were used for the eyes on the G1 Seekers. The overall effect on this figure is a striking color scheme (I'm a sucker for metallic shades of plastic) with a dynamic look that doesn't duplicate the Botcon version. I confess I was very worried about the joints on this figure when it was first announced. As you may recall from my Universe 2.0 Starscream review, the joints on the Seeker sculpt had apparently become very loose after so many uses. I am happy to report that on Thrust they seemed to have fixed whatever quality issues were occurring and his joints are nice and tight. Also, his weapons fit perfectly in his hands and the slots on the sides of his arms. His shoulder joints do feel slightly more loose than my Classics Starscream, but that's hardly a deal breaker.
Final Thoughts:
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Thrust was one of the three "Conehead" Seekers in the Generation One series. They were called this because of the alternate transformation given to these figures where the nosecone of the jet mode was pointed up (which was not the original intent if you look at the G1 toy illustrations, which had the nosecones down). This design carried over to their cartoon and comic book appearances and became iconic enough to be used as a key feature in the retool of the basic "Classics" Seeker sculpt from 2007 with a "conehead".
