RTS Windcharger and United Windcharger

[Dominic]

We probably have another thread for this figure somewhere or another. And, yes, technically, this thread should probably be in the movie section. It it being here really bothers ya, go ask a moderator to movie it.


Windcharger: (robot/sports car)

At last, one of the most sought after, and pointless rare, figures of the last few years is in my hands.

Standard disclaimer (of late): It is hard to sort out just how "worth it" a toy is when the figure is scarce. There are plenty of figures that are not bad, but not necessarily worth hunting down. And, objectively, Windcharger is such a toy. Of course, unless you are esceptionally lucky, you are unlikely to find a Windcharger for a reasonable. price.

Windcharger is an oddity in the line. Windcharger is one of the few Scout class figures made in the CHUG aesthetic, and is sold in a case assortment of toys that most people would associate with the movie...as part of a sub-line that was something of a bastardization of the movie and non-movie figures.

The transformation between vehicle/robot mode borrows heavily from the movie and TFA design principles, with a relatively compressed vehicle converting to a spindly-ish robot. The transformation is where the toy's most glaring flaw becomes apparent, the quality of the plastic.

The red plastic that makes up most of Windcharger is, to put it bluntly, cheap. Light shines through it, and it has the general look and feel of a knock-off or a low-end exclusive. It has that "ready to break" feel that makes even light fiddling something to worry about. (Given the rarity of this particular toy, the fragility only adds spiteful insult to pointless injury.)

There are some nice touches, such as the "magnet generators" in the arms and an excellent face sculpt. Both forms look, and fit together, well enough. If not for the questions of rarity and fragility, I would recommend this with a "go buy one now". But, as going out and buying Windcharger probably means an eBay hunt and/or buying a half a case worth of toys that you probably do not want, (both options running somewhere in the vicinity of $50 USD), I would recommend skipping Windcharger unless you have a special affinity for the character as I do or happen to find one at a reasonable price (as I was very lucky to have done).

Ideally, Hasbro will re-release Windcharger using better plastic. More realistically, though still unlikely, they might just re-release the figure as is.

There is a good chance that Hasbro might release a recolour/retool of Windcharger. This would allow for more people to get the mould, (thought not the character), and hopefully avoid the plastic quality issues the current figure has. There are several recolour/retool options with precedent. And, there is no rule against all new characters being produced, (even if that is unlikely.)

-Rook: An old BotCon character with precedent of being a straight recolour of Windcharger. And, the "magnets" could doublt as microphones/speakers.
-Tailgate: To be done right, this would require a new heal mould.
-Decepticarge: an old "Alternator" character, and an option to boost Decepticons.
-Legion: Yeah, "Kiss Play" was terrible. But, if the Fan Club can release an Auto-trooper without importing KP's more dubious elements, Hasbro could release this army builder in the US.


And, as the list above indicates, the mould has ample potential for customizers if Hasbro does not make any/all of the above possible figures. Of course, even finding one Windcharger is difficult enough. Finding multiples for customizing would probably break the bank of all but the most deep-pocketed collectors.


Dom
-and, with KOToys all buggy, we likely cannot hope for a viable KO option.

[Onslaught Six]

-Legion: Yeah, "Kiss Play" was terrible. But, if the Fan Club can release an Auto-trooper without importing KP's more dubious elements, Hasbro could release this army builder in the US.

That wasn't even viably the club--it was Animated.

[Dominic]

I meant in terms of producing an actual toy sold in the US. But, yes, content wise, Autotrooper was TFA.

[BWprowl]

Man, I'd have to buy a Legion recolor of Windcharger (Decepticharge would be kinda cool and all, but come on, Legion would be frelling hilarious). Too bad it would almost certainly be an exclusive of some sort.

Ideally, Hasbro'll just put Windcharger, Frenzy, and Rumble in a three-pack and ship a billion of the things as a TRU exclusive or something.

[138 Scourge]

And for something even less likely than Legion or Decepticharge (which would be ever so rad), I'm rooting for a repaint as Wipeout.

Seriously, though, what I really want is for some third-party company to come out with some sort of accessory for Windcharger. Just to see if the demand increases.

[JediTricks]

A friend found me Windcharger at a boonies Ross. The figure is pretty cool, but it's just a "good basic, not special except for its rarity" thing - I would have liked this if I had found it at regular market at full price, but it wouldn't have made any lists. The detail is good, although I think the bucket head shape is a little more Megs than Windcharger (they only have a slight difference between them, but I think this one straddles that line at best). The sliding shins is a little odd.

As for the plastic, I think the vehicle mode looks incredibly sharp using that shiny metallic color, but it indeed doesn't hold up in bot mode because of how much light comes through.

[Dominic]

Glad you found one. I have officially called off my hunt. (If I see one, I will grab it as I am pretty sure at least a few people here need it. But, I ain't planning on finding anything for anyone.)


Dom
-wants to help, but, ya know...

[JediTricks]

Yeah, I had been keeping my eyes open and hitting the stores, but it's getting ridiculous to even hold out hope with these stores who may or may not have product, and if so, when. All over a figure that is nice but not like a free bar of gold or something.

[Dominic]

I edited the thread's subject line to reglect the addition of the "United" set.

United Windcharger and Wipeout:

Both figures share a mould. robot/sports car

Given how rare (and expensive) "Reveal the Shield" Windcharger ended up being, the price on this set would have been less a deterrent than one might reasonably expect. And, that is after accounting for the fact that "United" Windcharger is an import and is packaged with a recolout.

Shortly after the "United" figure was announced, the price on the American release dropped a bit from ~$50 (the same price as RTS Windcharger was selling for) to ~$25. But, paying ~$50 for an imported two pack is less offensive to some people than paying ~$25 for a toy that should have been common in the US. The fact that the Japanese release was packaged with a recolour based on an obscure character from the old US comics would likely be enough to sell more than a few American collectos on this set.

And, given that I was one of the people who took the ride, I suppose that I have to be one of the people to figure out if it was worth it. Skip ahead to the end for my final answer, or just keep reading to see my reasoning.

As is typical, the packaging in Japan is superior to the American packaging. The package art (which looks to be heavily doctored images of the figures) shows both characters in action poses, using their signature powers. (Windcharger is using his magnets and Wipeout is using his grease gun.) While I cannot read Japanese, it looks like the back panel of the box is dominated by tech spec profiles for both characters. There are clear stat lines for both characters. But, the text may also be describing a battle between the two. Either way, there are no trading cards (the usual way Japanese profiles are presented) included with this set.
-
As in the US, the bottom panel shows a few of the co-sells. Nothing noteworthy here as there are better pictures of all the toys in question to be found online.

(On a personal note, as much as I enjoy the Japanese packaging, I am kind of happy with the lackluster US packaging, as I feel much less obligated to keep it. Packaging can take up huge amounts of space.)

Still, as nice an extra as it may be, nobody in their right mind spends that kind of money just on packaging.

The Windcharger figure is more different than some other reviews have given it credit for. The most obvious difference between RTS and "United" Windcharger is the faction sigil. The RTS figure has the line's signature rub sign. The "United" figure has a painted sigil. I prefer the painted sigil, but am not going to sit here and pretend that anybody else should be buy this set for that reason.

The plastic quality on the "United" Windcharger is appreciably *worse* when compared to the US figure. It is a bit lighter and there is a sparkle/flaking effect mixed in with the plastic. (Flaking always compromises the strength and tolerance of plastic.) Besides the added fragility caused by the flaking, "United Windcharger simply does not hold together as well as RTS Windcharger. This is especially true of the vehicle mode's roof and back half.

As much as I like this mould and appreciate the painted faction sigil, I am having real second thoughts about selling my RTS Windcharger figure.

Wipeout does not feel quite as fragile as "United" Windcharger. But, the vehicle mode still does not fit together as well as it could.

Final verdict: B/C
This is not a bad set. The Windcharger mould is pretty solid. It would be passable as a Deluxe and is an excellent Scout. The biggest, and most consistent, problems across several releases are the plastic quality (and consequent fragility) and the rarity (and by extension cost). This set does nothing for the first and partially alleviates the second. All things considered, the "United" Windcharger/Wipeout two pack is worth it if (like many people) you did not manage to get an RTS Windcharger or you happen to like Wipeout. While the after market value of Windcharger has dropped a bit, it should still be easy enough to sell off any extras or the Wipeout if you are only in for the Windcharger. But, if you already have an RTS Windcharger and/or have no real need to own Wipeout, skip this set.


Dom
-hoping to do a quick update of the game thread soon.