Hypothesis: What would happen if you took one of the most iconic Decepticon generals, down-scaled him, and made him into an accessory for the Combiner Wars line? Conclusion: You’d get a friggin’ sweet toy!

Shockwave comes in the standard packaging for both Combiner Wars and the newer Titans Return. Moving on!

Much like the Powerglide from this line and like Shockwave’s previous outing 2012; this logic machine takes the curiously illogical approach to his alt-mode(s). This is apparently a cannon mode but considering there’s no mount for him, he’s just lying around — unless you take a leaf out of 2012 Shockers’ play book and this is his ‘Cybertronian mobile artillery’ mode.

The real value to Shockers is in his traditional gun mode which is a faithful update to his 1985 original. While not designed for children to wield; the wily cyclops has both a 5mm peg for regular Transformers to wield him but also a clip that allows for the CW Bruticus to handle like he did in The Revenge of Bruticus (here substituted by the other famous Decepticon cyclops; Lugnut!). Depending on the friction of each figure’s joints, Shockwave can be held pretty nicely by most.

Shockwave’s transformation is simple and intuitive like many of his line-mates and the result is an adorably sized, yet perfectly proportioned, figure. He’s even around the same size as the Rewind I reviewed recently!

Shockwave’s colour scheme is simply delicious; decked out in rich purple with translucent pink highlights and the grey of his limbs making him pop all the more in contrast, a single dot of yellow to pick out his cold monocular eye.

The detail of his sculpting is impressive for a figure this size and with the help of a decent array of ball-joints and transformation hinges, you can get Shockers into a decent assortment of poses!

For an RRP of £9.99, much like Rewind and Powerglide, it’s hard for me to sell a Legends scale Transformer as a good purchase at this price point but if you can get him for even a few quid cheaper (like I did), I’d say this diminutive yet definitive Shockwave is worth your time. It’s only logical, after all…

Powerglide has always been a firm favourite of mine since I was a kid, you can blame a very well-loved VHS tape with The Girl Who Loved Powerglide on it. As such, when I saw that the new Transformers Combiner Wars line was going to be featuring one of my favourite ‘Bots, I jumped at the chance as soon as I saw him in-store!

The new Legends scale packaging for the Generations line is slick as hell! It’s crisp and stylish and I kinda dig it. What I don’t dig are the Collector Cards that are bundled in with every figure now. We get it, Hasbro, you need to get your money’s worth out of all that Transformers Legends artwork you paid for…

Powerglide transforms into a stylised A-10 Thunderbolt II and it’s entirely serviceable. What do you want, he looks like a better version of his original version? Okay, the back end on my figure likes to bend where his conspicuous knee-joints are but it’s not that bad. And his fins are loose as hell… And his fuselage is wonky. Okay so it’s not GREAT. Like I said, serviceable.

The new moulds in the Generations like are pulling double-duty as either components to their thematic Combiner or, in Powerglide’s case, as Targetmasters. Yes, Powerglide adds triple-changing into his arsenal by becoming a gun so heft that only five guys combined into one can wield him! It’s not a bad form to be fair.

Powerglide’s robot mode is what I bought this guy for because he is spot-on, tip-top, G1 awesomesauce! The delicious red, the huge Autobot symbol, that FACE. Mmmm, perfic’! He has a decent amount of articulation, pulling off all the poses you’d want him to but I’d have loved a bicep swivel so he could pose hands-on-hips.

Powerglide is a fantastic little figure but your mileage may vary but I love him and he’ll fit in right alongside his Minibot update brethren.