
Transformers Generation 2 had its fair share of baffling colour schemes. If anything, the line is widely known for it.
However, I doubt many makeovers of the moulds that made it through from the original ’80s roster were quite as absurdly overhauled as Onslaught. Whereas the Combaticon leader was traditionally known for his sultry dark blue, silver and ‘combat brown’, he was instead presented in eye-searing uniform yellow with a bright purple camouflage finish. It’s like seeing your commonly very severe boss living it large at a company fancy dress bash.

OK, in truth, it’s not as cringe as that analogy implies, although I admit that even some of the most ardent Transformers fans occasionally struggle with this particular repaint choice. For me, there’s always been something about the classic 1993 toy that I’ve adored, and it’s one of the vintage G2 releases I most enjoyed adding to my collection some years back now.

So, when Ocular Max started pumping out ‘Regenesis’ versions of their Assaultus crew, I knew this would potentially be the one I’d be most thrilled for. In previous reviews, I’ve waxed lyrical about Fraudo, Impetus, Probus and even Volatus. Still, even just clapping my eyes on yellow Incursus here, I cannot tell you what an undeniable thrill it is. It’s just so incredibly absurd, yet entirely awesome in equal measure.

That’s largely down to what a change it is from the toy’s original outing. Whereas the limb lads are all at least vaguely reminiscent of their original counterparts (with the possible exception of Volatus), Incursus is such an astounding breath of fresh air that even if you’re already familiar with this design, it can’t help but feel somewhat new. That yellow is like a punch in the face as soon as he slides out of the box.

It helps that this is an already excellent design, no doubt. I thoroughly enjoyed examining its predecessor in great detail, and although it’s not without its quirks, it’s certainly proven itself as my go-to Masterpiece-styled Onslaught thus far. A big part of that is the vehicle mode, for starters.

It’s much the same story here, with Onslaught’s military truck form expertly recreated in high-end detail. The proportions might be lo-o-o-o-ong, but that only adds to this thing’s presence as you’re handling it, almost as much as that outrageous colour scheme!

The finish is good here, too, with the camouflage pattern nicely applied and touches such as the semi-translucent windows all on point. There isn’t much in the way of highlights to break up the mostly block colour scheme, but it doesn’t need it in many ways! It’s so in-your-face that it works regardless.

On my copy, some of the panels around the mid-section don’t sit quite as flush as they do on the original Incursus, although it’s not a significant problem by any means. It primarily concerns how the legs collapse from the robot mode, as they don’t wait to clip in at the sides. Still, with a bit of wrangling, he looks good on the whole.

There’s also a bit of play value in this mode, as his cannon turret can be moved around quite a bit and posed as you wish. It’s also possible to pull the cannons out a bit further and pose them independently should you prefer.

You can then extend the truck around the middle, allowing it to angle on a hinge and make it look at least a little like it could take a corner. The whole thing reminds me of the old London ‘bendy buses’ in a way, but I still appreciate this aspect of the design nonetheless, and the feature is admittedly a leg-up on Onslaught’s classic toy.

You can then stow the other vehicle modes from this set atop the rear transport bed, which, I have to tell you, is way more fun than it has any right to be. I will admit that seeing Probus in G2 colours atop this thing filled me with childlike glee!

Alternatively, you can mount the two storage crate accessories included in the package here. These are part of the ‘upgrade kit’ offered for the original Ocular Max set and turn into additional feet for the combined mode to give it an appearance closer to that of the vintage toy. It’s excellent that Ocular Max included these pieces from the off in this case. They can also be transformed into a ramp for the rear of the vehicle mode, should you desire.

It all adds up to make this an enjoyable alternate form and a vital component of a release that is already shaping up to be noteworthy for more reasons than simply being yellow this time around. That said, I can’t deny the new colour scheme isn’t an incredible joy to behold when lined up next to the other members of this set, with the absurd levels of saturation on offer a real dream come true for fans of G2 Transformers.

Whether you’re a newcomer to Ocular Max’s crew or here for a second helping based on these outrageous colour schemes, there’s little denying that the complete team of five toys is a formidable force when lined up together. The new hues are naturally a major part of that, but this is a wonderful roster of fabulously designed toys at their core.

Naturally, there’s more to this story, so join us for part 2 soon when we’ll be examining that robot mode in detail!