Eh. Explaining this one is gonna be like finding the end of a roll of sticky tape.
The 2006 Transformers: Cybertron Cannonball toy
OK,
Cannonball is a pirate, part of the Star Raider group. He works
under Thundertron. The origins of the group are fairly obscure, with
thier best known iterations being a line of Botcon exclusive toys,
and I recommend Chris McFeely's video on the topic. (It taught me
things I didn't know.) This group has been chosen as another
repaint/retool centric sub-line to Legacy United, of which Cannonball
is one of the first I saw in person. Cannonball is basically a "Dread Pirate Roberts", and this new toy is a goddamn Gordian Knot of
retooling, pretooling, and self-referencing. OK, the first Cannonball
toy was a repaint of the 2005 vintage Red Alert toy, a deluxe hailing
from the last act of the Unicron Trilogy. This chap had first
appeared in Armada, had skipped Energon, but had come back for
Cybertron, thus having gone from one design extreme to another. Red
Alert started out as a big gimmick toy, and ended up as a small toy
with an unusual transformation. Which was then a pirate. He wasn't
really a direct update of the G1 character, so much as the team medic
archetype that inexplicably looked a bit like Robocop. So, even before Cannonball
existed, the toy he was repainted from was a bit of an odd duck. The
reason why that toy became a pirate was likely that it didn't have
the usual number of hands, instead having a gunarm with tool
accessories. Which makes him a bit Robocop 3, but he doesn’t fly.
Advance to the modern day, we have this toy, using the Skids mould,
and pre-empting the presumed/certain Red Alert version. Moreover,
this isn't merely a headswap, its a second and substantial retooling,
omitting translucent plastics, while largely replacing the vehicle
mode and accessories in the process. Its not merely shared
engineering, they've reshelled Skids for a second time. I mean, its
not totally unprecedented, but its not normal to get a toy that's a
double retool and pretool at once. That's definitely something that
exists.
The
vehicle mode is where the changes are strongest. Its wheelbase and
overall proportions are of course the same, and it retains the doors
from Crankcase, but virtually everything else is new. Its a generic
van or minivan rather than a legally-distinct Dodge like the
original, but clearly distinct from its mould mates. The emergency
services bit is granted by the light bar, but given the Mardis Gras
vibe, I find myself wondering what the emergency would be. I mean,
with the day-glo skull on the side... Has a rave run out of
glowsticks? Mobile DJ? Don't get me wrong, its a great look. Black
(p)repaints with metallic details always look grand, and this one
clearly does. Its a good time, with numerous 5mm ports and a
decorative light-bar and cyberkey bit with a faux kibble scalp on it.
Yes, this is one if those Transformers with faux parts to suggest the
transformation of an older toy. I can take it or leave it, and it is
removable so that’s easy, but I don’t think I would have minded
if they used that budget elsewhere. As a van it rolls
well-enough, and there’s certainly enough 5mm ports, if having some
panel issues on my example. One door doesn’t fit well, but your
mileage may vary. Otherwise, its same van you've seen before.
Robot mode is of course achieved in the same manner as the other Skids-reuses. This reveals many familiar robot bits, if nicely presented ones. New elements include the head, the gunarm which I will return to presently, and faux kibble doors on the shoulders. Unlike the light-bar this doesn't add to the effect so much as look odd. I mean, replacing the clip-on wheels with something better looking probably wasn't an option, but maybe taking a lead from some other version of Red Alert might have been a better call. Unlike a lot of retools though, we have a substantial change in play pattern, while retaining the character appropriate shoulder guns from Crankcase. The left hand is replaced with a Diaclone style gun barrel onto which you can mount a hammer or a claw. These even store in the legs, although I find tricky to remove afterwards. This is obviously quite fun, massively characterful, especially on conjunction with the head. Its got a visor, and thus no distinct eyes, but he has what can only be described as a half mask, or maybe the implication of an eyepatch, painted on. So, while the robot mode is definitely familiar, the best is being made of it, and it wasn't bad in the first place. Its got Legacy standard articulation, and all that, with no glaring flaws.
I’ve focused a lot on the differences here, as I have brought this toy twice before, but Cannonball is very much more of the same. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, the base mould was sound, if not exceptional, and effort clearly has been made to differentiate this version. If you have to re-release a Transformer, modifying it as thoroughly as this one goes a long way to justify it. On the other? Well, I getting the vibe of a later Combiner Wars boxset or Power of the Primes release here. Just the slight feeling that an otherwise fine toy is being overused or remixed beyond a sensible point. He’s fun, but I’d be lying if I said that I wouldn't have preferred a new mould. Skids probably should not become another Sideswipe. Thus, should the appeal of being being a Mardi Grass Pirate Van isn't enough, or you have several of these already, you can probably skip Cannonball. If you do pick him up though, I think you'll have a good time.
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