Combiner Wars Bombshell

Robot Mode: As usual, let’s start with the resemblance this figure holds to his G1 successor. Combiner Wars Bombshell is a very good likeness of the G1 Insecticon he takes his name from. The figures are nearly identical in look and design, though the newer one is – unsurprisingly – a good deal leaner, more streamlined, and less blocky. In fact it closely resembles Bombshell as he was shown in the cartoon series. So no complaints in terms of character-likeness.

The figure itself adheres to the current standards in terms of articulation and detail work, meaning quite good. Ball joints give him plenty of posing ability and the paint job and details closely match the animated appearance of the character. The only slight limitation is that Bombshell is unable to point the big gun / pincer on his back forward. Well, he can, but then his head is covered up. To make up for that, though, he has gun ports / turbines in his arms and additional guns in his knees, so he isn’t lacking the weapon department.

So bottom line: no big complaints here. Would have been nice if he could point that big gun forward, but other than that: a very nice Transformer in robot mode.

Alternate Modes: Unsurprisingly Bombshell still transforms into a robotic rhinoceros beetle (lat. Oryctes nasicornis). The transformation hasn’t really changed much from his G1 days, he basically just folds in his legs and arms and is set. Still, the result looks good and closely mirrors his appearance in the original cartoon series. So bottom line for the bug mode: no complaints.

Like all of the Legends-class figures from the Combiner Wars line, Bombshell also has a third mode, in his case he becomes a weapon for the bigger figures from the line to wield. It’s still basically the bug mode, only with the knee guns from the robot mode folded down as handles and the robot mode arms now pointing forward as gun barrels. It’s certainly not the greatest weapon mode, ever, far from it, but it doesn’t hurt the figure, either.

Remarks: Bombshell was possibly the creepiest of the already creepy Insecticons due to his special power: the ability to implant other Transformers (and, in the comics, humans as well) with cerebro shells, making them his mindless slaves. He has appeared in the original cartoon and pretty much every G1-based comic book, too. And given that we have already seen a Legends-class Shrapnel in the Generations line, it’s not too much of a surprise that Bombshell has come along as well. Now we’re only missing poor little Kickback, who can neither summon lightning nor mind-control people, but kick really hard.

Bombshell here was a present from my honorary nephew James Junior, son of CakedUp, which racks him up some bonus points, of course. Even without that, though, Bombshell is a solid figure. Nice robot and bug modes, and while I wouldn’t have needed the weapon mode, it’s not bad, either. So bottom line: well worth the price of a Legends-class figure.

Rating: B+