REVIEW: Ocular Max PS-14R Incursus Regenesis (part 2)

Welcome back to the second part of our Generation 2-flavoured Ocular Max Incursus review. Last time we looked at the Regenesis take on this toy’s vehicle mode and found it to be a bit of a joy, all told, with that new yellow colour scheme adding a real sense of life to the proceedings!

Naturally, there’s more to say about Incursus, especially as it’s once you get to the transformation that this toy really has a chance to shine. We’ve seen the conversions of the rest of the crew vary in complexity from the slightly fiddly (Impetus) to the fairly straightforward (Probus), and despite being by far the most sizeable example, Incursus sits firmly towards the latter end.

Much of that is down to how broadly familiar Ocular Max has kept this design versus its vintage counterpart, with the main principles of transformation following that classic toy. Ultimately, the arms fold out to the sides, the legs slide out and down, and you’re kind of there. Job done.

OK, there is a bit more to it along the way, mainly in the finer details, but even then, none of it is incredibly complex or taxing, and it all happens with the kind of precision and grace that Ocular Max seems to have bottled by this point. I dare say you could probably give this one a go even without instructions, as the only bit likely to cause confusion is how some panels on the legs are supposed to be positioned, given there’s the combined mode built in there too.

Incursus also boasts some of my favourite transformation steps of the entire set, not least of which is how the head unfolds from the main body. It emerges from an opening compartment on his robot mode back, hidden inside the larger Assaultus combined mode ‘helmet’ and behind that form’s sizeable chest plate. It takes a couple of extra steps to unfold everything at this stage, but it’s still a wonder to behold and never fails to raise a sense of delight in how clever it is.

The result is immediately impressive, too, not least because of Incursus’ sheer size in humanoid form. He’s massive! The big brute stands well above the classic MP-10 Convoy height that many Masterpiece-styled designs seem to us as a default, and his hulking upper body makes him stand out even more. This is not your father’s Onslaught!

That said, it’s also tricky not to notice one of the more apparent grumbles about this design: the proportions of the robot mode are distinctly unbalanced. The legs cannot help but come off as oddly stumpy, not helped by the waist being set so strangely low in the main body section. Incursus’ beefy arms and upper torso only compound the effect, making him look a little odd if not carefully posed.

The problem can certainly be mitigated with a bit of consideration for how you position Incursus, as a slight bend at the ab crunch and the knees all help offset how tiny those legs are compared to what’s stacked above them. However, it’s still hard not to notice. We’ve already talked about how some of the other toys in this set make sacrifices to incorporate the ‘all-in-one’ non-partsforming approach to the combined mode, and this feels like a similar story.

It is a shame because the visual effect is impossible to ignore. Still, you become more accustomed to it over time, and it’s certainly not enough to detract from enjoying everything else this robot mode offers. Incursus remains an outright beaut’, just one with a reasonably obvious quirk that it’s worth being upfront about.

It’s slightly compounded by other odd choices, such as the panels on the insides of his arms that prevent the shoulder sections from sitting flush against the body. True, they can be folded down near the elbows, but then they get in the way of the articulation, so it’s a touch awkward either way.

That aside, there’s precious little to quibble about here, though, especially not with that new yellow and purple palette on the go. I was already excited about this toy being presented in his G2 colours, and nothing about seeing it up close and personal left me feeling disappointed. He’s a knockout.

Again, it’s incredible to see what a difference this new look makes for the mould, as it feels almost like an entirely new toy. I’m sure it helps that there are elements which haven’t been directly palette-swapped, such as the black on the chest or the face plate, all adding up to make him feel very different to what we’ve seen before. The presence of the toy-styled chest plate versus the original’s default cartoon vibe helps a smidge, too.

Still, it’s good news for collectors who already have the first release in hand, as it’s possible to own both and have them feel distinct. Dare I say, I might prefer this Regenesis take overall, truth be told.

One thing that really makes an impact here is the light-up visor gimmick, which shines beautifully with a pleasing warm orange glow. It adds a lot of character and helps to make Incursus feel ‘alive’. Unfortunately, getting it to work is a hassle, as there’s a flaw in how this head piece is put together, although it is possible to fix it.

Random one if you have Ocular Max Incursus Regenesis & can’t get the light-up visor to work. There are two moulded nubs on the neck piece which prevent the head from being pressed down to activate it. A v light sanding will allow the head to be pressed & it should work just fine. pic.twitter.com/ZRfJqtnTL1

— Nobody Summons Sixo (@SixoTF) February 9, 2023

Try as I might, I couldn’t get the gimmick to activate by pushing down on the head, and it took me to unscrew and disassemble everything to see what the problem was. The neck piece has two small nubs that are too high to allow the head to be pressed down properly, preventing the switch inside from being pushed. A quick bit of sanding later, and voila, we have light!

Still, these unwanted modifications are enough to take the sheen off any new toy, and, in Incursus’ case, it’s annoying to see the gimmick is still a little temperamental even after being ‘fixed’. It also doesn’t last long enough for my tastes, with barely enough time to activate it before taking one or two quick photos before it’s flicked off again. Rather annoying and cumbersome.

It’s a strange situation considering how slick Ocular Max is with this kind of stuff usually, so it’s a rare oversight on their part. At least the resulting effects look so super once the light is activated, even if it is only fleeting.

For what it’s worth, the eye visor’s appearance is great even when not lit up and besides, it’s not enough to entirely diminish my opinion on what is otherwise a rather wonderful specimen in hand. Especially not one that is tons of fun despite such issues.

For starters, Incursus is very enjoyable to just pick up and pose, never failing to look rather imposing in spite of his odd proportions (and his vibrant colour scheme!). He’s very menacing once you clip his primary weapon into his palm, and cannot help but catch your eye as a result.

Even better, this release again comes with the additional parts found in the original’s upgrade kit, including the extra toy-styled blaster for the combined mode that can also be wielded by Incursus. It’s rather massive, but he still grips it well! You can also raise his backpack cannons up a bit, which allows them to be positioned forwards for some additional arsenal. Epic stuff.

Really though, the true joy in this release is just how well it captures that same absurd spirit of his vintage G2 counterpart, ably recreating the vibes of that beloved original toy to significant effect. In truth, the ’90s specimen is a little more burnt yellow compared to Ocular Max’s lemony tones, but it still works beautifully and gives me all the right vibes to call this an outright success.

Moreover, he works amazingly well in a Masterpiece-styled G2 line-up, sitting comfortably alongside efforts from the likes of X-Transbots and more. The official line may have all but given up on providing us with these sorts of homages in more recent times, but several 3P outfits are filling in the blanks nicely, and Ocular Max is certainly a sizeable part of that.

Naturally, though, he looks best alongside the rest of his crew, ably binding together this troupe of OTT colour schemes by being the largest and the loudest of them all. It takes quite a bit for a set of repainted toys to inspire the same enthusiasm as the original outing, but it’s really noteworthy when it raises the bar. These guys just about manage that for how wonderful they look together.

As a key component of such a fantastic ensemble, Incursus is worth a look, even before we start assessing the full Assaultus combined mode. He may have his flaws but he’s still such a bold statement that I cannot help but sit up and want to listen.

WHAT’S HOT? The COLOURS! Oh, and it’s an all-round nicely designed toy, too. Also, the COLOURS.

WHAT’S NOT? There are some flaws, most notably the odd proportions in robot mode. My copy also doesn’t fit together perfectly in vehicle mode and there’s an unfortunate problem with the light-up gimmick that takes a point off.