"Generations" War for Cybertron: Siege Caliburst Toy Review

12/12/20

General Information:
Release Date: June 2019
Price Point: $5.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General (Toys R Us, Target, Wal-Mart etc.)
Accessories: Fire Blasts (Purple) x 2

Official images and text below in italics are from Amazon.com:

  • BUILD THE ULTIMATE BATTLEFIELD: The Generations War for Cybertron trilogy introduces an expansive ecosystem of collectible figures and weapon accessories. (Each sold separately. Subject to availability).
  • FEATURES CLASSIC G1 CHARACTERS: Adult fans nostalgic for the original Transformers animation and kids discovering classic characters for the first time can share and experience exciting play patterns for all generations.
  • AWESOME WEAPON MODE: 1.5-inch WFC-S30 Caliburst Battle Masters figure converts to blaster mode in 5 easy steps. Simple conversion for kids and adults 8 years old and up!
  • COMPATIBLE WEAPON MODE WORKS WITH ALL OTHER SIEGE FIGURES: Siege figures have multiple weapon ports that enable fans to attach the weapon mode of WFC-S30 Caliburst (additional Siege figures sold separately).
  • ADD BATTLE EFFECTS: The WFC-S30 Caliburst figure comes with 2 Fire Blasts accessories. Attach Fire Blasts to the ends of the figure while in blaster mode to simulate blasterfire coming from the weapon.

In 2018 the "Power of the Primes" line finished off the "Prime Wars Trilogy" which had begun with "Combiner Wars". To kick off a whole new G1 inspired series of "Generations" figures, a new line known as "War for Cybertron: Siege" started in late 2018 (with a planned wide release in 2019). This line introduced new Classes of Transformers figures into the mix seen the last three years. In place of the "Master" price point at $5.99 USD MSRP, Titan Masters and Prime Masters have been replaced with Battle Masters. Each Battle Master also includes a soft plastic "Fire Blast" effect that can attach to the weapon modes, bringing the figures to life in a new way in "Generations".

Caliburst is a character who has his roots in Generation One. When 1987 rolled around, the Targetmasters were introduced. These Transformers included weapons that could transform into a small figure. One of these was Caliburst, who was paired with the Decepticon Slugslinger. In recent years, a new version of Caliburst was released along with Slugslinger in the "Legends" line. This figure is not a re-release of that figure. Instead, this is a direct redeco of Blowpipe with a different Fire Blast effect. This review will focus on the changes made to the figure for this release.

Packaging:
Similar to the Titan Masters and Prime Masters, Caliburst is packaged on a small bubble card. However, Hasbro has stepped up the artwork to deliver a stronger visual punch. The card itself has artwork for the individual characters against a Cybertronian backdrop. Caliburst's art features him yelling with his weapon in hand. Below him is a large symbol which represents his rank. The name "Caliburst" and his rank symbol appear in a vertical chevron on the left. The figure is packaged in robot mode. His "Fire Blast" effect is on the right side. Under him is the package insert featuring the word "Siege" in giant letters and the "War for Cybertron Trilogy" logo under it. The "Transformers" logo is on top in a much smaller font. Under all that is the term "Battle Masters" next to the age recommendation and Hasbro logo. On the right is a black strip with the vertical "Transformers" logo seen on most "Generations" packaging, the "Generations" logo above it and the Takara Tomy logo above that.

Robot Mode:
Caliburst is a very straight forward redeco of Blowpipe with no tooling changes. The blue parts on Blowpipe have been replaced with black and the silver parts replaced with purple. The face is painted orange with red eyes. The result is a figure that has an interesting range of influences with the deco. Sure you can say black and purple are traditional Decepticon colors, but the original Caliburst G1 toy was blue and silver! So where did these colors come from? Well, the black limbs appear to come from the character's appearance in the three part "Rebirth" series that capped off the US G1 cartoon. The orange face and red eyes appears to be a callback to his appearance in the Japanese "Headmasters" cartoon. The purple torso and head appears to be a choice made to distinguish this figure from previous Battle Masters while still giving him a very "Decepticon-esque" appearance.

All the joints on this figure are as tight as the previous uses of this tooling. You can still detach the blaster barrel piece on the back for Caliburst to use in robot mode. This figure includes a new Blast Effect. It features an energy stream attached to a mushroom cap shaped "blast". These two pieces are cast in rubbery, translucent purple plastic. You can detach the front and "beam" portion of the Blast Effect. The energy stream can be attached to the small pegs found on various "Siege" figures and weapons. The "cap" can connect to a 5mm peg.

Transformation to Weapon Mode:

  1. Swing the weapon barrel over the head.
  2. Swing the hips back, then swing the legs forward and tab them into the slots on the weapon barrel section.
  3. Move each arm back and up and tab them into the hips.
  4. The Blast Effect can attach to the ends of the weapon barrels.

Weapon Mode:
Caliburst does not feature any retooling, so instead of the single large barrel design used for G1 Caliburst, this version has a large barrel on one side and a smaller one on the other. I really wish the designers had at least retooled this part so he could look more like his G1 and "Legends" counterparts in weapon mode.

This mode mostly shows off black plastic. It owuld have been cool if the barrel(s) had been painted grey or silver to align more with the appearance of previous Caliburst figures but sadly that is not the case.

Just like the previous release of this sculpt, you can attach the Blast Effectso to the ends of each barrel. Using the 3mm pegs on other Battle Masters, you can add on weapons to the sides or at the bottom of the figure, potentially creating triple or quadruple Targetmaster weapons!

Final Thoughts:
I love the idea of adding more Battle (or if you prefer Target) Master figures to my pile of Transformers accessories, and I love the play pattern they offer. However, I do think there was a big missed opportunity here. If the designers had just given us a new head sculpt or weapon barrel designs this would "feel" a lot more like Caliburst. That said, it is a fun toy and a great add on for any "Siege" figure. If you're not particularly attached to the character's G1 roots, this is totally recommended. If you already have Blowpipe and you're not big into redecos then you can skip this figure.

Pros:

  • Fun play pattern.
  • Features a new pair of Blast Effects.
  • Good deco (even if it's not G1 accurate).

Cons:

  • No retooling at all.

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