[REVIEW] Richard's Reviews: Transformers Energon Skyblast

The following review and pictures can be found online here:
http://www.vigilantstudios.net/transformers/energon/tfe_skyblast.html
Skyblast

I was going to use the "Tired of losing battle after..." spiel from the G1
Jetfire commercial, but I've done that to death in previous reviews. Anyway,
as one of the Autobot's two initial Omnicons, Skyblast bears some physical
resemblance to G1 Skyfire, which I understand was supposed to be his name at
one point. So, with a low retail price, $6.99 at Toys R Us, and a number of
accessories, let's get to the review, shall we?



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Review

Set Includes

Skyblast is some form of flying craft. As the media for Energon is limited
at the moment, it's unknown if he's capable of space flight, though I
suspect he is, or is relegated to atmospheric flight only. That aside,
Skyblast is one of the most heavily-armed jets around. There are two cannons
in front of his canopy, two more barrels on either side of his fuselage,
just behind the canopy, and a cannon or missile on the tip of each wing.
Here's hoping he's not a pacifist. Skyblast is mostly white with maroon trim
and black, gray, and gold highlights with a splash of blue hear the vents.
On his underside are gripper claws that can grab a Mini-Con.

Included with Skyblast are five maroon Energon parts: a chip that attaches
to the peg housing the Autobot logo in the rear center of the ship, a lance
and double-barreled gun which can be combined and attached under the cockpit
to give him even more firepower, and two blade halves, each of which can be
placed on either wing tip.

Start-Change-Finish

To transform into robot mode, flip the claws out and swing the wings
forward. Bring the lower legs down, rotate the claws to the outside of the
legs, and fold the gray section up to form the feet. Rotate the chest plate
180 degrees. This will turn the cockpit around to reveal the robot head.
Also, the instructions make no mention of it, but the cockpit can be folded
back and then up again to allow Skyblast to turn his head. Finally, rotate
the wings around 180 degrees. The newly exposed side, unfortunately, has no
paint applications and looks rather bland as a result.

Robot Mode

At 4 1/2" tall to the top of his cockpit (when lowered), Skyblast is now
ready to absorb Energon for use on the side of good. He features a fair
amount of articulation for a toy his size: neck, ball-socket hips, bending
elbows, and his shoulders rotate around and bend outward. As mentioned
above, his wings in this mode lack paint applications and makes him looks a
little plain, especially considering his Autobot insignias weren't painted
either. You may want to leave the wings in their original position if you
prefer.

Energon

The Energon parts can be arranged in a number of ways. The lance can be held
like a cane or sword or attach to the gun to form a rifle. It also has a
Mini-Con port making it able to attach to other Autobots or Decepticons. The
blade halves can attach to the wing tips or combine and attach to the rifle
to form a spear. The chip can only be attached to same location mentioned
before.

Overall

Skyblast is damn nifty. He has a neat vehicle mode and a good robot form and
his accessories make for a wide variety of uses. He could use a few more
paint applications, but otherwise he's a good toy.

Final Grade: B+