COUNTDOWN: Legacy Titan Nemesis – 12 things to know

The Transformers news continues to drop thick and fast! Following the recent reveal of the new Legacy Nemesis on the Hasbro Pulse Fan Stream, we now have the official product shots of the toy and a packaging reveal!

The Titan class toy is shaping up to be quite a stunner and will make an excellent counterpart for the Kingdom Ark. It seems to be quite a complete package, too.

There’s a lot to see and talk about with this one, so let’s jump right in and explore everything you need to know about this giant new toy!

#12: The Nemesis originates from the G1 cartoon…

First, the Nemesis is a clear homage to the classic 1980s Transformers cartoon and is based on the Decepticon spacecraft seen in the first episode, More Than Meets The Eye (part 1). This is the ship that Megatron’s forces use to leave Cybertron in pursuit of the Autobots on board the Ark. Though neither vessel is actually named in the cartoon, the new toy’s likeness is surprisingly close to the screen and even includes a few more detailed nods towards the animation. Interestingly, we’ve already seen the cartoon take on the Nemesis homaged in toy form, mind, as the control chair that Megatron occupies was released as an accessory with Studio Series Coronation Starscream.

It’s worth noting that this spaceship is often mistaken for the one that the Decepticons use as an underwater base throughout much of seasons 1 and 2. That craft was built from scratch at the end of More Than Meets The Eye (part 3) but crashes back on Earth underwater. In contrast, the Nemesis is later uncovered in a mountain in South America during the events of the episode Microbots (although more on that in a moment!).

#11: …and the G1 comic!

The Nemesis also appeared in the Generation 1 comic during the ’80s, although not by name. During #1 of the comic, there’s nothing quite like the stylised portrayal we’re now used to from the cartoon, although the events of the Decepticons leaving Earth to pursue the Autobots are depicted there too. However, when we later revisit the ship in Earth’s orbit during the events of the UK-exclusive storyline Target: 2006, it looks significantly closer to how we now think of it, minus its signature all-purple colour scheme. It’s a reasonably inauspicious appearance because, after one solitary panel, it’s blown up by Galvatron!

#10: It was first named ‘The Nemesis’ in Beast Wars

In truth, a lot of the Nemesis’ notoriety is owed to Beast Wars, as had it not cropped up during the ’90s cartoon, it’s unlikely that it would be so commonly thought of now. For starters, during the two-part finale of the same name, the ship was first titled (only ever being referred to as the Decepticon space cruiser before). It was also granted a very foreboding presence with an incredible array of firepower and the feeling that it was essentially indestructible for the most part. During the story, the Nemesis is first discovered underwater, but by the end of the show, it has crash-landed again, presumably to line up with where it is later discovered in the Generation 1 cartoon.

#9: The new figure is the largest female Transformers toy ever released

Here’s a fact: Legacy Nemesis is now the largest female-coded Transformers toy on record! Whilst there have been ladies in disguise of all shapes and sizes over the years, the current Titan line-up has always been a bit of a boys club, so it’s great to see that shaken up a little.

Not only is the design intensely cartoon accurate, but the finish looks stellar to me, with some extremely detailed moulding that helps create that sense of it being absolutely massive. She’s a beaut’!

#8: The head design is modelled after the Decepticon insignia

No doubt anyone familiar with Transformers will have immediately clocked that the Nemesis’ robot mode face is a dead ringer for the Decepticon logo, much in the same way that the Ark had an appearance based on the Autobot insignia. That was intended as a homage to The Last Autobot from the Marvel comics, although in this case, there’s no such reference; she’s simply an opposite number for the good guy spaceship to square off against.

#7: The head can compress into a battle mask

One funky gimmick we’ve seen is that the Decepticon-styled face can also compress down slightly, presumably intended to form a battle mask of sorts. She looks a little like she’s playing peekaboo to my eye, but it should be fun!

#6: The spaceship mode has multiple options for display

It might sound silly to count ‘standing up’ as a toy feature, but I think it’s allowed in this case! After all, it’s neat that you can display the Nemesis in the upright position featured in the cartoon shortly before it takes off to pursue the Ark (even if it does look a little like something else, too).

Equally, for those who prefer to position it more traditionally, the bottom fin can be split and fanned out, allowing the Nemesis to sit in a flush on a flat surface too. There’s even a little fold-out ramp at the rear!

#5: The robot mode features blasters that store on the shins

One thing I thought was missing from the Ark was a sense of handheld firepower, so seeing the Nemesis packing in that department is fab. The two sizeable guns can then be stowed away on her shins when not in use. Neat!

#4: There are also handheld axes formed from the spaceship fins

Additionally, the fins found on the forward section of the alternate mode can be detached and wielded as miniature axes when in robot form. They’re arguably undersized, but it’s still a nifty feature.

#3: Also included are tiny Seeker jets and a connector ramp

The side of the spacecraft mode features a small ramp section with several very tiny Seeker jets present. These are meant to represent Ramjet, Thrust, Thundercracker and a Cybertronian-mode Skywarp, which is a bit of a strange line-up but appreciated nonetheless. The ramp is also intended as a homage to the ‘bridge’ that the ship deploys to connect with the Ark in the cartoon, via which the Decepticons board the Autobot spacecraft.

It’s great to see this feature sits nicely on the robot mode arms in a clever touch. Evidently, the ramp is compatible with the A.I.R. Lock System gimmick found on numerous War For Cybertron toys, too, including Micromaster bases.

#2: It appears to have moving turrets

Another aspect I was thrilled to notice was that the gun turrets at least appear to be moveable, allowing you to position them for play or display. I felt this was crucially missing from the Ark, so I’m certainly pleased to see it happening for the Nemesis.

#1: The robot mode seems very poseable

Finally, as if that all wasn’t enough, the robot mode itself looks like it brings the goods, as the giant Decepticon lass appears rather pleasingly poseable. Large Titan toys of this kind vary in how much they can be contorted into more extreme stances, so I look forward to putting Nemesis through her paces before too long!

So that’s our list! If you’re looking forward to Legacy Nemesis, be sure to get your pre-order in now!

TTFN