Review – Transformers Universe Cyclonus

Search for Transformers toys at Past Generation Toys!

---

“Constructed from the cast-off chassis of deactivated Decepticon warriors, Cyclonus was programmed by Unicron to be loyal only to Galvatron. Powered by nuclear engines, and a small fragment of his creator’s supernatural power, Cyclonus wields enough might to sterilize the surface of an inhabited world by himself. He never unleashes this power without his commander’s leave, however, and he focuses all of his energy on ensuring that Galvatron is obeyed without question by those under his command.”
— from the back of the card

While I’m as much a fan of nostalgia as the next guy — and as guilty as anyone of seeing the past through rose-colored glasses — I can freely admit that the 1986 Cyclonus toy is a mass of inferior junk in comparison to this 2008 Transformers Universe Cyclonus action figure. While the Transformers Universe Tankor (review here) was damaged by the name change, Cyclonus is nothing but pure awesome in this latest incarnation.

Hypersonic Starfighter Mode

About 6-inches long with a 6-inch wingspan, Cyclonus’ starfighter mode is pretty close to the original 1986 design, with very minor changes that are only really noticeable if you directly compare the toys to each other. The biggest difference between the two toys is the starfighter’s nose cone; the new design is much thinner than the original toy. I prefer the transformation behind concealing the nose cone on the new toy — the thin gray cone slides back into the thicker purple section which then collapses into the robot chest — but I think the original nose cone looks better.

While it’s not a perfect starfighter design, I like it a hell of a lot more than TAO does. In his review he wrote:

“Cyclonus’ spaceship form is just questionable. It’s hard to see exactly what it’s supposed to be, and even when it become clear that it’s a ship, it’s still ugly. There are just too many parts, strange angles, weird wing protrusions, and an overall unpleasing shape. Messy is the word I’m looking for I think.”

I don’t have any problems spotting Cyclonus in the starfighter mode, or even telling what it’s meant to be, but I think that’s because I was a Transformers geek in 1986 so the second I saw this guy on store shelves I knew exactly what he was. I will admit, though, that Cyclonus is at his best in . . .

Robot Mode

I am constantly amazed at how the newer Transformers toys are more action figure than they are simply robots that happen to turn into a vehicle or thing. The older Cyclonus looked awful in robot mode, barely resembling his appearance in the animated movie or the cartoon series. Don’t believe me? Hit this page at seibertron.com and see for yourself. But don’t blame me if you start crying when you realize just how terrible the older toy’s robot mode actually is.

Cyclonus’ robot mode sculpt is a phenomenal piece of work, with everything locking together perfectly and shaped to come as close to the animated movie’s design as possible. And not only does he look good, Cyclonus has enough articulation that you can pose him and move him around; a huge step up from the solid, stiff design of the 1986 Cyclonus toy. Swivels at the shoulders, and elbows, cut thighs, hinges at the elbows and knees, and a twisty head means that he doesn’t have quite the same level of articulation as most action figures but that’s not a huge loss since Cyclonus is both a robot and a jet. Let’s see your Snake Eyes action figure turn into a jet.

Besides his great style and decent articulation, another great part of the toy is his (limited) paint. While most of the colors are the cast plastic, the few details that are painted — knees, some small sections of the wings, his face, and his abdomen leap out as painted spots — are well done and very clean. I’m betting that a master painter could step in with some dry brushing and washes and really turn this into a great toy, but for a mass market piece he’s more than adequate.

Targetmaster Cyclonus?

In 1986 Hasbro gave us the movie version of Cyclonus, an awesome character design that turned into a simple, kind of dull toy that stood there a lot like a rock. The next year they introduced the Targetmasters, small robots that transformed into weapons (the Transformers Wiki can tell you all about it). And to save on costs Hasbro reused some existing molds for the concept, including Cyclonus.

Cyclonus’ partner, Nightstick, barely looks like a gun when he’s transformed. Fold his legs up, flip the barrel up, and he is done. Not all that exciting. It’s a better design than the original — see Nightstick’s entry at the Transformers Wiki — but it’s a bit of a letdown after how cool Cyclonus turned out.

Closing Thoughts

I’m not sure why Hasbro decided to go with the Targetmaster version of Cyclonus and I wish they had put a little more effort into Nightstick. But other than that one minor flaw — and it’s barely even an issue if you just leave Nightstick in gun mode — this is an excellent Transformers action figure. A beautiful recreation of a classic character with fantastic (for a Transformers figure, that is) articulation, Cyclonus just makes me wish that Hasbro was still giving us new Transformers Universe toys. Hey, Hasbro, remember that this is the 25th anniversary of the Transformers toyline. Throw us another wave of Universe toys, please.

Philip Reed thinks that this Cyclonus could only be improved if Hasbro was to produce a “Universe” Scourge action figure to go along with him. Maybe a box set of Scourge with two Sweeps. Yeah, that would be awesome.