If you’ve read any of my reviews then you may be aware that Generations toys typically aren’t the main focus of my collecting by any means, but that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the occasional dabble along the way. If nothing else, they’ve become a fantastic part of the Transformers hobby to share with my son, especially in lieu of alternatives that might be either far too complicated or simply too fragile and precious for little fingers.

In this case, Rotorstorm was a character that he was particularly interested in, and I suppose I say that with a sense of peculiar pride. I’m sure there are more typical things for a father to consider as an achievement but the fact that my boy is so taken with a niche name like this Euro-exclusive 90’s nobody says that I must be doing something right, no?

Joking aside, I was well up for giving this new Generations Selects effort a once over too, especially as it really is all too rare for Turbomasters to have a chance to shine. They were some of my favourite latter-day G1 toys as a child myself, so the idea of them receiving modern do-overs is simply far too intriguing for me.

In this case, Rotorstorm arrives as a repaint of WFC Spinister (which is a strange situation when you consider their original toys, but I can see the logic), meaning that although there’s a lot that’s on point to his original design here, there are some departures too. One thing they’ve definitely not slouched on though is the colour scheme – woof!

Early 90’s Transformers were gloriously unabashed in how they embraced all kinds of neon and oversaturated hues and I feel like this thing understands that assignment pretty well. The main blue is on-point and it mixes well with the popping yellow of the cannons and the hot pink rotor blades to create a cocktail of eye-searing lusciousness.

I do feel a bit like they could have dialled up the pink on the translucent cockpit section, mind, if only because of how prominent that feature was on the G1 original. Really though, we’re in nitpick town at that point, as merely seeing a gaudy paint job like this on a modern toy is a pre-Millenium dream come true. I just wish I hadn’t neglected to fold out the front landing gear, eh? Ah well!

Aside from the glorious colours, I have to be honest and say this ‘copter isn’t without a few quibbles though, unfortunately. Chief amongst them is the very odd second canopy just hanging off the bottom of the thing (entirely there to create a particular look in robot form, but more on that in a moment), which not only smacks of severe vehicle mode compromise (VMC?) but also ends up rubbing against whatever surface you position him on, causing the painted translucent plastic to wear quite quickly. Mine is barely out of the box and already it has scuffs!

Past that, I’m not a major fan of the way the pink robot hands are so obviously visible on the back end, meaning that it betrays the illusion of the folded-up arms being part of the copter body just a smidge. Somehow my brain also cannot accept those sizeable sections on either side of the main canopy as being anything other than a pair of robot feet just hanging out there, even if it is helped along quite a bit by the addition of the weapons.

So, some definite compromise in vehicle form then, especially when not everything tabs in entirely solidly either. I’d go as far as saying it’s becoming a bit of a trend to see the humanoid mode being the priority on modern Transformers toys, but let’s press on and see if it’s worth it in this case.

The transformation is surprisingly involved for a toy of this size and features a few clever twists and turns along the way. Even if I maintain I’m not a fan of that second canopy solution in vehicle form, there’s little doubt that the way the hips half-turn to unfurl the robot legs is fairly striking, and I also appreciate the manner in which the upper body rotates around into its final form.

The result is a very handsome lad, all told. Again, I think the colour scheme really adds a lot to the proceedings here but even before that, there’s a fair dose to appreciate in the design and the sculpt.

It’s also quite evocative of the original toy despite very little of the details actually matching. I might have thought that I’d need to see a hot pink chest canopy to really perceive this as a true Rotorstorm attempt, but the solution of painting the chest to resemble it works well enough, in my opinion. It’s certainly an overhaul, but one I can get on board with.

And again, a lot of that is down to those colours, or perhaps, more specifically, the paint job employed here. I went to great lengths to praise Generations Selects Tigertrack for its elevated finish and additional paint applications versus your typical WFC releases and the same compliment can be levied here.

It’s not just the chest, either – everywhere you look there are dabs of paint or little touches of extra colour that help to sell this lad. I’d dare say I even think it looks better than Spinister although I’m also sure that will raise an eyebrow or two from some quarters!

Oh, and of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that remoulded head. When a Rotorstorm-from-Spinister toy was first announced, it seemed as though it was going to be a straight-up repaint including a faceplate, so the lengths they have gone to in bringing that original character to life are great to witness and entirely successful. I do miss the substantial light-piping employed on the G1 toy, but still, this is solid stuff.

What does work a little less well for me are the two obvious canopies on the shins, yet again. I feel a little like I’m harping on about it at this point but really, it’s a bit of an absurd level to go to for the sake of accuracy to the source material, isn’t it? This was evidently worked into the Spinister design purely as a way of making the toy resemble the character’s original 1980’s box art which, yeah, it’s fun, but also sacrifices a fair deal in terms of how both the vehicle mode and the robot legs present, in my opinion.

I’ve no doubt many will disagree with me but I’d have much preferred a simpler option of a split-in-half cockpit across the two legs or whatever, but still, I admire that they achieved what they set out to, at the very least. I also have the say that the silver paint here does look really good, although again, I am nervous about the signs of paint wear that are starting to appear on my copy already.

Elsewhere I love how the rotor blades flip round and settle into a ‘V” position quite stably, showing the benefit of modern engineering when you compare it to how the original Spinister toy really could have done with a similar feature! I also think this mould looks nothing shy of fabulous when posed up wielding his cannons on either forearm.

Props to the designers for even stretching the budget to include two separate moulds for these weapons. I fully expected them to be duplicated, so was quite surprised to see that they’re entirely distinct. A neat touch and one that’s appreciated.

Should you prefer then you can position them in Rotorstorm’s hands instead, and whilst they will never match the eye-gouging goodness of the original Turbomaster gimmick, they still look really nifty.

The other main gimmick here is arguably the articulation, especially given how much of it there is! If I had to cite one aspect where mainline Transformers toys have come on leaps and bounds in recent years, it’s how they pose, and this guy is great evidence of that. Aside from static hands, it features every joint you could honestly wish for and maybe even a couple of extras, not to mention it’s incredibly lithe to boot.

I’ll get out of bed for any ‘bot that can boast outward ankle tilt as good as this, and you can quote me on that. Just look at him run!

So yes, the real joy here is in playing around and posing this guy, in many ways. It hearkens back to the point I was making about the robot mode on modern Transformers toys often being the clear priority these days, and I’ve little doubt that a lot of fans would consider that more than acceptable too. I do groan a bit when I see stuff like the second canopy going on, but it’s hard to sulk when the humanoid mode can pull off the tricks this guy can.

I think I’m maybe becoming a bit of a Generations Selects snob though, as honestly, the finish employed here is another big part of what really works for me. Call me picky, but that little dab of extra paint makes all the difference, in my book, and raises Rotorstorm up from being a mere repaint to an absolute showstopper in his own right.

So, the big test – was my son impressed? Well, yes and no, as he definitely did get a bit of a kick out of seeing a toy he already owns (not the one in the pic above, I should add!) given new form and I could tell he was enjoying the way it can pose. That said, he immediately clocked the lack of light-piping (seriously, he’s a chip off the old block!) and announced that he thought the old one looked better overall. After maybe ten minutes, he’d left me to fiddle with my Generations Selects new boy and went off to give his vintage copy a whirl. ‘Nuff said.

For my money though, I remain impressed that a character like this is even given the time of day in Transformers 2021. These truly are magical times when we have at least several instances of Turbomasters being brought back to life in various forms (even if they quite clearly don’t scale with one another!). It’s hard to imagine a period when Transformers collectors were this spoilt for choice, really!

Now then, where’s the rest of the gang, eh?

WHAT’S HOT? The robot mode is fantastic, with nice paint and a popping colour scheme.

WHAT’S NOT? The ‘copter mode features a fair dose of compromise and I will never not raise an eyebrow at that double canopy solution.

TTFN