You can always count on Hasbro for some Transformers exclusives at San Diego Comic-Con, and this past year was no exception. There were not one, not two, but three different exclusives offered this year. We tackled Soundwave already, but today we're turning our eye towards the Transformers Generations Titans Return Titan Force set, which is certainly a mouthful.

The set is fortuitously timed to release alongside the new Titans, like Fortress Maximus who also made his debut at SDCC, and includes some new decos for existing figures Windblade, Sentinel Prime and Brainstorm. Sure, this is another Windblade in the long line of SDCC Windblade exclusives, but this set still manages to have plenty of appeal.

 

Transformers Generations Titans Return Titan Force Windblade
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Now at first glance, Windblade doesn't seem like anything special or new, and you might be wondering why she's even included in this set. Yeah, she talks to Titans so it makes sense that she's in a Titan Force "team," but she's just the same figure with a new deco that we've been seeing since her debut. Ah, but you see it's that new paint app that actually makes her inclusion in this set seemingly not so inconsequential after all.

Though I do prefer her more traditional palette, this gray, red and blue actually ties her closely to the other SDCC 2016 Transformers exclusive, Fortress Maximus. If you only view these two exclusives separately, you might not get that connection, but when you have to two next to one another, it becomes immediately clear what Hasbro was trying to do... or at least I hope it was more than just a happy coincidence. Still, Windblade is a nice toy, and one that transforms with incredible ease. I just wish we weren't getting new Windblades so often.

 

Transformers Generations Titans Return Titan Force Brainstorm
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Brainstorm has a great colorway, and it matches up with his current IDW incarnation fairly well. What makes this Brainstorm special is that he's got a little Titan Master running the show upstairs. His head pops off and transforms into Teslor, who you can use with both of Brainstorm's vehicle modes as a pilot. The Titan Masters are fun little throwbacks to the Headmasters, and they'll be playing a part in a number of Transformer figures in the coming year. They don't offer a ton of playability, but they do add another factor to these figures that would otherwise still be solid toys.

Both of Brainstorm's vehicle transformations are easy enough to pull off, though the cockpit windshield doesn't quite sit like you would think it should. There's a bit of a gap between the top of the canopy and the back rest, which would look better completely closed off. Teslor fits inside snugly, and even in the alternate transformation --- which takes the nose of the vehicle and makes it more of a sidecar --- you'll find room for the Titan Master. Of the three figures, Brainstorm's main vehicle mode is the most alluring.

 

Transformers Generations Titans Return Titan Force Sentinel Prime
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Sentinel Prime is a funky figure, and I mean that in the best way possible. The bright orange and red used in the standard figure were already vibrant and popping, but making those elements translucent for the SDCC exclusive iteration just makes the whole toy that much more visual engaging. It's worth pointing out that in addition to being mostly translucent, this Sentinel Prime isn't designated as an Autobot, but rather bears the designation of his troops from the comics.

Like Brainstorm, Sentinel Prime's head is actually a Titan Master (Infinitus), and the little dude can fit inside the cockpit of both the train/tank transformation and the space shuttle vehicle form. You could ostensibly take any of the Titan Masters and replace them where you wanted, but it'd be hard to find one that suited Sentinel Prime quite as well as Infinitus just because of the colorway.

For me, the space shuttle vehicle transformation is where it's at when it comes to Prime. I love space ships, and how easily Prime is able to swap between robot and vehicle forms made it easy for me to get him set in that situation. The tank/train form is decent, and Hasbro's done a nice job with the manufacturing to keep a lot of the parts hidden away while in either vehicle form. I just don't really understand the appeal of a very long tank/train. Yeah, those parts and molds will be used elsewhere for other figures, and I appreciate getting a third form for Sentinel Prime. It just doesn't look as nice from a design perspective, though it is just as toyetic as any of the other Transformers in this set.

Overall, the Transformers Generations Titans Return Titan Force is a nice bunch of figures. Even though the biggest draw is the different decos being used, there's not a lot to take umbrage with when it comes to the molds and transformations themselves. Yes, these characters have been seen and done before, but not quite like this. Sometimes that's just enough. Now just cross your fingers Windblade gets a bit of a rest in 2017.

 

 

The Transformers Generations Titans Return Titan Force set was available exclusively at San Diego Comic-Con. This set was provided by Hasbro for review.

 

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