Mini Review - Titans Return Mindwipe
Today we're taking a look at Titans Return Deluxe Class Mindwipe. The Decepticon Master of hypnosis that turns into a giant vampire bat. Mindwipe was the last of the original Headmasters that I added to my collection. He was harder to find in the wild than I thought and he actually ended up being a convention purchase at a local toy show.
"Bleh Bleh BLEH!"
Mindwipe's bat mode has been aggressively criticised for being made of so much rubbery plastic and honestly I can't really defend it. The wings and head are both made of the same kind of rubbery plastic we have seen on transformers toys in the past. While I can understand this material is easy for designers to work with, cheap to produce, and safer for children I don't like seeing it used in such large quantities. The bat mode is large and he has a lot of nice sculpted details but feels lacking in the colour department. I don't much care for the brown they have used as it doesn't feel quite right to me but I don't have a G1 Mindwipe to compare to. The wings can be bent into a flapping position so that's nice but the lack of movement on the head and limited articulation of his legs makes flying poses harder. I do really like his cockpit coffin though so there is a silver lining. All things considered when we are looking at a line that is mixing beasts and cars, Mindwipe's bat mode doesn't do any less than a car or jet, it just feels, perhaps unfairly, like it should do more.
On the flip side, Mindwipe's robot mode is fantastic! For all the flaws that his bat mode presents he makes up for everything beautifully with a highly articulated and very emotive bot mode. Double elbows, deep knees, ankle articulation and a fully functioning waist swivel all make for an awesomely posable figure. The transformation scheme to turn his bat wings into his bot mode legs is ingenious, truly an awesome transformation step that I love doing and I also really like that they included smaller wings for his bot mode silhouette. Paint and tampos are crisp and clean on my copy. The only thing really worth mentioning is that due to his protruding brow there is a tendency for shadows on his optics to make it look like he has really sad eyes. He includes a basic purple blaster and a cool shield/claw weapon that becomes his tail in bat mode.
A better than average deluxe figure that I really enjoy messing with despite his sub par alt mode. Mindwipe is a treat and I'm really looking forward to the Beast Wars Convobat version coming from E-Hobby later this year.
If you have any thoughts or comments please let me know down below!
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