009-R
Hasbro- Transformers Animated: Bulkhead
Release Date: 2007
Current Price and availability: $52.00
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/Transformers...-Ug:rk:11:pf:0
It’s fun to think back 15 years ago when there was only just one Transformers series going at any given time. Sure, at that point they were all fairly similar (save Beast Wars and Machines) but for worse, in the case of Transformers Energon, or better, in the case of Transformers Animated, if you didn’t like what was on TV were were pretty well out of luck for new Transformers content. And when I say that Animated was better, that’s just my personal opinion as I’m sure many people didn’t care for it, however when it was first announced there was an uproar of monumental proportions. People, including myself, were just not ready, but that feeling of dread quickly subsided when we were first introduced to the amazingly engineered toys that somehow captured the animated robot aesthetic yet still Transformed convincingly into the animated style vehicle; it still amazes me how well they pulled it off to this day with many of my favourite toys (not just transformers) are from this series. As for the show it lasted a few seasons but was ultimately dropped for the movies (which is a whole other conversation as to what that direction was in) and for the most part I believe it was well received. Yes it was a bit silly, in a Teen Titans way (BEFORE Teen Titans Go! was a thing). But it was clear that there some real heart and soul put into it by people who really cared about the Transformers franchise.
Pros: Bulkhead was my favourite character to come out of Transformers Animated series in most part due to this figure alone as he stands out, albeit stoutly, as one of the favorite toys of my collection. His vehicle mode captures his general military look really well and looks like it rolled right out of the cartoon while the robot mode screams Bulkhead from head to toe, in my memory at lease. Articulation is decent and in line with the characters TV persona and I like that he comes with an attached wrecking ball accessory that fits in his unique claw hand.
Cons: Something that the Transformers brand tends to have a bit of an issue with is size and scale with Bulkhead being no exception. As a standalone figure he looks great, but when you line him up with his peers he certainly does not scale well at all. Hasbro tried to remedy this by releasing a larger “leader class” mould that I also like, but this one still wins out on charm. Additionally I had some hairy moments with the transformation from vehicle to robot when some panels almost refused to come loose, so much so I thought for sure I was going to break it.
