A Concise Review of Combiner Wars Break-Neck In 500 Words Or Less

Pricepoint/Vintage: Deluxe, 2015.

Modes: Robot, Sports Car, Arm, and Leg.

Transformation Style: CW deluxe limb, hollow feet style.

Play Patterns: Robot and vehicle, combiner, 5mm weaponry, a pack-in comic.

Points of Interest: Actually the G1 Stunticon Wildrider with a new name, and part of the "missing members" controversy. Retool of Dead End.

The Good
As noted in the Streetwise review, Dead End was a highlight of wave 2, so by extension Break-Neck is pretty great. There's above average articulation at sixteen points, a badass altmode, and pleasing limb modes. He retains the club, and while possibly within the margin of error for a mass produced toy, this example seems to have no issue with his combiner weapon, while Dead End did. The head sculpt is of course, excellent, while plastic and paint choices grant further subtle differences.

The Bad
Due to the mould choice, actual negatives are both minor and inherited. His arm mode is not ideal in combination with Motormaster, having kibble that interferes with the shoulder. His lower legs don't seem to want to lock together, another arm mode issue, and he lacks true feet. The face on my example isn't that well painted.

 

The Mediocre
Break-Neck's distinctive head is about the limit of the meaningful differences between him and Dead End. In earlier times, this would have been enough, but given that there's 7 iterations of the mould, its merely adequate. The “unpaintable biceps” issue also remains, but colour choices downplay it.

The Alternatives
Break-Neck's main rival is his Japanese version, which depending on your preferences and location, may be easier to find and more visually pleasing. With the general dearth of Decepticons in Combiner Wars, the only other options are Offroad, whom isn't as good, or one of the unreleased Combaticons. There is also the unreleased “G2 colours” set, but that's an acquired taste if I ever saw one.

The Verdict
Stripped of all other considerations, Break-Neck is a really nice toy, and is exactly what a G1 purist wants. Unlike the Aerialbots where you actually make the team worse by going for a traditional line up, Break-Neck is a consistently better performer than Offroad. The thing is, there are indeed other considerations, mainly matters of distribution and mould reuse. Brits like myself have to import the Stunticons anyway, so I'd advise you shop around. This mould is also being done to death. Is this worth having? Yeah, but don't get ripped off, and look into the Japanese boxset.