COUNTDOWN: Legacy Menasor – 28 things to know!

What a week for new toy reveals, eh? It feels like we say that a lot, but honestly, it is well deserved this time, as the Hasbro Pulse Fan First Tuesday stream from yesterday did not disappoint! 

Together with other recent photos, it has provided us with a fantastic first look at Legacy Menasor (well, most of him, anyway!) and the second and third members of the individual Stunticon crew. They’re shaping up to be a terrific effort, so let’s look at all the details about these new toys, shall we?

 

#28: The toys look pretty swish!

OK, first things first – the toys themselves look really very exciting, as Motormaster and Wild Rider join the previous effort, Drag Strip, in expanding on our Stunticon line-up. Fans have been looking forward to these lads for a while now, and I think it’s safe to say that, by and large, they hit the mark. I’ve seen a few grumbles about the reasonably obvious kibble on Wild Rider (a design decision that was even briefly acknowledged on the stream) but mostly, the reaction has been tremendously positive overall.

 

#27: Wild Rider is Deluxe class

As expected, Wild Rider is a Deluxe class figure with an approximate retail price of $24.99, which puts him firmly in line with Drag Strip. He certainly captures the thuggish energy of the classic G1 character as we know him from the cartoon, complete with a very faithful overall design and head sculpt. Again, the back kibble is a bit unfortunate, leading many people to wonder if it’s mistransformed, but anyone who has seen the stream will tell you it’s definitely not!

 

#26: His name is now in two parts

This one’s a minor point but interesting nonetheless – whereas he’s typically been known as ‘Wildrider’ before, here it’s written as ‘Wild Rider’, in two words. This is actually not the first time that’s happened, with some versions of the 1990 gold card Classics reissue of the G1 toy doing the same thing.

 

#25: Wild Rider has two guns

Like Drag Strip, Wild Rider is also armed with a pair of blasters, something that is a bit of a departure for the G1 Stunticons as they’re typically presented. Still, more firepower is never a bad thing!

 

#24: The guns can be pegged onto his car mode

As you might have anticipated, the guns can be clipped together and pegged atop the vehicle mode for a spot of automotive armament. The car itself is a non-licensed approximation of his classic Ferrari 308 GTB look.

 

#23: The designers are proud of the sculpted details

Quite a bit was made of the sculpting work on toys such as Wild Rider, with particular attention being paid in adding various ‘story’ elements such as panels that could potentially be accessed for repairing damage etc. Designer Mark Maher was clearly quite proud of the team’s work here.

 

#22: Motormaster is Commander Class

Naturally, a big focus on the stream was Motormaster, who steps up as the largest new toy offering at the Commander class price point. Again, it’s a mostly faithful rendition of his classic G1 appearance, with a distinct boxy overall appeal. 

 

#21: The box art slaps!

We’d seen it before the stream, but wow, it’s worth noting just how gorgeous the Legacy box art is, right? There have been some stunning examples already and Motormaster’s packaging continues that trend with aplomb.

 

#20: You get a tease of the other Stunticons

Eagle-eyed collectors will undoubtedly have noted that the remaining Stunticons, Breakdown and Dead End can be glimpsed in the background on Motormaster’s box. Here’s hoping they’re not too far behind! 

 

#19: The G1 cartoon was a big focus in the design

The G1 Sunbow cartoon was referenced many times on the stream, as it was evidently a considerable influence on the aesthetic and design of these characters. Some fans may be disappointed by that, as plenty of people would have preferred a more ‘toyetic’ look (or even something new entirely), but the route taken shouldn’t come as a major surprise to anyone. Whilst the toys aren’t as slavish as what you’d expect from a Masterpiece offering, there’s little doubt that they’re attempting to bring the animation models to life as closely as possible.

 

#18: The truck mode is slightly truncated

A few people have pointed out that Motormaster’s trailer looks a little short in terms of proportions, no doubt as a result of the transformation it needs to go through (but more on that in a moment).

 

#17: The cab and trailer can separate

What is quite neat is that the cab section can be separated and used by itself, something that was impossible on the G1 toy.

 

#16: The trailer has a stand

Additionally, the trailer section features a small stand which means it can remain upright even when the cab is separated. Neat touch.

 

#15: The robot mode is formed out of the cab

There has been much speculation about how a Legacy Motormaster (and Menasor) would transform, although the result is perhaps the most expected of the various options. The first point is that the cab section becomes Motormaster in his robot form, which is another departure from the G1 toy (where the trailer converted with it). It means that Motormaster’s truck mode can be more in scale with other toys in the Generations line-up without his robot mode towering above them like some bizarre behemoth (although I have seen at least a couple of people pining for such a thing)! I’m sure most collectors will be happy with this solution.

 

#14: The robot mode has faux feet

As an expected consequence of Motormaster’s weird animation model, he has been given a pair of ‘fake’ cab feet in his robot mode, with the actual front of the cab slightly disguised on the front of his shins. This is very similar to how the various third party MP-style options operate, with DX9’s Capone in particular feeling somewhat similar to what we see here (although the Legacy toy looks cleaner, in all honesty).

 

#13: Motormaster was designed as a rival to Optimus Prime

Takara designer Takio Ejima was featured on the stream to discuss his part in designing Legacy Motormaster. It was clear that the toy was considered a rival for Optimus Prime in many ways. While it might sound like an obvious point for many fans, it was still exciting to hear, especially considering their original 1980s toys were so different in size!

 

#12: The trailer becomes a ‘gunner station’

In what must surely be one of the coolest features of this set, the trailer not being part of Motormaster’s transformation allows it to become a separate ‘gunner station’ (or base mode, if you prefer!). Motormaster himself can then take pride of place and man the primary weapon.

 

#11: The gunner station is adjustable

However, it was acknowledged on the stream that the main cannon is adjustable and can be flipped over to better work with the smaller figures in the Legacy line-up, even including a moulded set of visor-like binoculars for them. Nifty.

 

#10: The trailer also becomes the shell of the combined Menasor form

Of course, there’s more than meets the eye here because the trailer then transforms into the bulk of the combined Menasor mode, as many people will have predicted. The picture above is found on the back of Motormaster’s box and shows the big robot form without any of the four small cars attached, which explains why it looks a little odd for the moment! This approach is interestingly the route the various 3PMP options have taken (with some variation along the way, mind), to the point where I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the designers had at least looked at what the unofficial outfits have been cooking up over the last five years or so. However, the Legacy toy has a few extra tricks up its sleeves.

 

#9: The cars feature more transformation to combined mode than you’d expect

Firstly, while just about everyone expected the cars to be essentially ‘slapped on’ the Menasor limbs, they do feature a bit more transformation than that. It’s not much, but it might be enough to appease some critics of the cartoony Menasor vibe anyway!

 

#8: Adding the cars includes some very cool details

What is really something is how the combined mode comes together, with a pair of spring-loaded flaps activating as you install the cars on the back of the legs, for one thing. These flaps push forward and fill in the front of the shins, but they also feature the same moulded detail found on the bottom of Wild Rider’s car mode, thus recreating an authentic look versus the cartoon model. Clever.

 

#7: The cars on the arms can be added as whole toys

What’s also neat is how you can quickly and easily peg the cars into the arms and then separate them into two halves once they’re in place, extending the arms themselves at the shoulder joint as you go. Again, it’s a simple enough idea, but the design and execution look really quite slick. 

 

#6: The sword is used for both Motormaster & Menasor

One thing to note in terms of weapons is that Motormaster and Menasor share a sword here, which is fine in terms of animation accuracy, although it could have done with extending a little for combined mode, maybe.

 

#5: Menasor’s gun is the gunner station’s main weapon

Menasor also boats some firepower, as he can wield the large cannon from the trailer’s gunner station mode. Additionally, you can clip the smaller guns from the individual Stunticons onto his limbs etc.

 

#4: Blitzwing’s Energon hands are *not* used on Menasor!

Oh, and it’s maybe a moot point now, but many people had been wondering if Legacy Blitzwing’s rather massive ‘Hulk hands’ were going to be incorporated in Menasor’s design somehow. Needless to say, they’re not. 

 

#3: There’s speculation as to whether it will work with Combiner Wars toys

It got even better. Those are Combiner Wars ports it uses. If they're the same size, this will work with those toys. pic.twitter.com/OH7HihexYh

— Rick A. (@rick_akker) April 12, 2022

File this one away under ‘to be confirmed’ for now, but there’s been a fair chunk of online debate about whether the new Legacy combiner will be able to interact with the 2015 Combiner Wars Menasor or not. The most hopeful of fans are speculating that the ‘old’ Stunticons limbs might be able to peg onto the new combined mode shell, for example, although nothing on the stream or in the promotional pictures gives confirmation either way at the moment. It certainly seems like some of the same size ports are in use, so we will have to wait and see.

 

#2: It comes at a price

Another aspect of this new release that’s caught some attention is the cost! With a recommended retail price of $89.99, it’s certainly not a cheap prospect, adding up to be one of the more expensive mainline releases in recent memory. Still, there’s seemingly a *lot* in the box and some nifty design work on show, so perhaps it will still be enough to tempt collectors on board!

 

#1: It’s not going to please everyone… but it is proving popular!

So I have to ask – do you like the combined mode solution for Legacy Menasor?

— Sixo (@SixoTF) April 12, 2022

The final point to acknowledge is what a weird design Menasor was always going to be! Truly, if you want a cartoon-flavoured take on the big goon, this heavily-partsforming approach to making a combined mode shell from the trailer is really the only way it will happen. That doesn’t mean everyone is happy about it, especially as many collectors would have preferred something less slavish to the animation. However, if the online reaction is any indication, it appears as though most fans have been very impressed with what they have seen so far, and the design choices for the set have been fairly readily accepted. I’ve even seen one or two fans who had sworn off the very idea of such an aesthetic now readily jumping on board, so that’s a good sign!

One thing’s for sure, the design team have clearly poured a lot into this one, so it will be exciting to see the finished result before too long!

 
 
So, that’s our list! Are you excited about Legacy Menasor?

TTFN