Pricepoint/Vintage: Cyberverse
Commander, 2014.
Modes: Robot and Cybertronian Tank.
Transformation Style: Asymmetrical gun-arm tank.
Play Patterns: Robot and tank, 3mm
weapons, pressure launched missile.
Points of Interest: A remould of
Shockwave, which was not released in the USA. Is an undead
skeleton ninja samurai tank.
The Good
Bludgeon has an excellent new head and chest plate, not to mention the loud colours, which go a long way to making you forget about the original. He looks very metal, and while the some of the more distinctive aspects of Shockwave remain, the bulkiness and the feet for example, Bludgeon makes them his own. His robot form features a workable ten points of articulation, a firing missile, and an additional sword, so its fun. The tank mode meanwhile retains the missile, and rolls surprisingly well given the ground clearance.
The Good
Bludgeon has an excellent new head and chest plate, not to mention the loud colours, which go a long way to making you forget about the original. He looks very metal, and while the some of the more distinctive aspects of Shockwave remain, the bulkiness and the feet for example, Bludgeon makes them his own. His robot form features a workable ten points of articulation, a firing missile, and an additional sword, so its fun. The tank mode meanwhile retains the missile, and rolls surprisingly well given the ground clearance.
The Bad
As brilliant as the head is, its a problem in both modes. Like many Cyberverse toys the head is fixed, a crying shame as this prevents many poses, and its extremely noticeable in tank form. While not quite the burden it looks, the gun arm is still unwieldy and with the missile attached is as long as he is tall. The exposed mechanism isn't a plus either. Despite what the instructions indicate, you can't stow the blade in tank mode.
The Mediocre
Cybertronian altmodes are marmite at the best of times, and the tank mode is no different. I'd make the case Bludgeon is so over the top that concepts such as "subtlety" , "realism", and "robot in disguise" no longer matter, but your mileage may vary.
The Alternatives
Bludgeon skirts the end of mainstream transformers, so options that match his flavour of lunacy are uncommon. The obvious answer is ROTF Bludgeon and its variants, although that is infamous for its bendy swords. Otherwise, its repaints all the way. Those seeking merely seeking an alien tank might be best off looking voyager version of Beast Hunters Shockwave. Not only does the scale bring benefits, thanks to some rubber accessories, its fairly metal too.
The Verdict
A middle of the road toy given an extremely distinctive appearance, Bludgeon has a specific and rather niche appeal. Said appeal is to be the cover of a death metal album come to life, and if that interests you, he's an automatic purchase. If it doesn't however, Bludgeon is an also-ran. While the addition of a sword is welcome, the functions of the toy are unremarkable, and the altmode is odd. I lucked out, and found him for a fiver, which was a bargain, but I wouldn't pay above retail.
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