I’ll have to admit - I’ve never made a TF review before. But then again, first time's for everything.
Onslaught was one of the TF designs I liked during the G1 series. Despite being not that much focused in the series, he was still one of the popular cons since he's the leader of the Combaticons as well as houses the main body of Bruticus.
Being a picky (really picky) collector of TFs, I was really shocked on seeing prototype pics of Onslaught. Two things drawn me to like his TFU version: he's Onslaught (of course for pete's sake!) and his alt mode is a S.W.A.T. APC. Losing track of the release date out of the blue I was really somewhat impatient on getting a stock of this baby. After much hesitation and some calls, I finally ended up with him. Whew!
BOX:
for an ultra class, the box is pretty nice. the shape of the box is not your regular "square" box and the artwork is very much impressive.
ALT MODE - S.W.A.T. A.P.C.:
Onslaught’s alt mode as a S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons And Tactics) A.P.C. (Armored Personnel Carrier) with his G1 colors fits his profile nicely considering his G1 version was a long flatbed truck with cannons. The overall details and markings are well placed.
I find two issues with him though:
1. I kinda find odd the placement of the "SWAT shield" onto the turret - it ends up covering the sirens. I guess designers doesn’t want his accessories to be far away from him.
2. The cannon turrets (30 or 60mm?) is only limited up to 180 degrees left to right. would've been nice if it can move around with no limitations (as well as vertical) whatsoever.
The bumper rams and headlights can be folded down - rams away!:
The overhead hatch can also be opened - but this is also necessary due to the transformation sequence:
Behind the sirens ontop the turret is a button that plays sounds (machine gun fire & siren sound) and lights up both sirens and turrets as well:
Another nice gimmick of the alt mode is that when the left middle wheel rolls, it hits a "trigger" playing a "revving" engine sound.
TRANSFORMATION:
The engineering is quite remarkable. Every moving section has tabs and "hooks" to hold and mount them properly in place for both robot and alt modes. One minor issue I kinda find here is that the locking tabs for the lower legs tends to be a bit loose and tends to open from time to time. Dunno if its an isolated case.
ROBOT MODE:
In robot mode, onslaught is towering in sheer buffness - paying homage to his G1 design (especially how the cannons look behind him). Balance-wise, he's got no issues whatsoever.
Despite the lack of light piping for the eyes, the eyes light up red when you press the button on the turret.
Lots of ratchet joints for the arms and legs that are pretty good for lots of playing! let the pics prove it!
The blaster on the right forearm can be deployed by pressing a button on the side. while the "s.w.a.t. shield" can be mounted on the left forarm by opening the hardpoint latch.
The only flaw I find on this mode is that Onslaught has no waist articulation. Pitiful, really but i guess it cant be helped since his torso and lower abdomen houses the batteries for the lights and sounds. Still, they could've done better on giving him a proper waist.
A very minor aesthetic flaw would be that the forearms are visibly hollow... but i guess thats just me.
CONCLUSION:
Honestly, I really cant find any MAJOR issues with this one. the sheer coolness of the alt mode, the great balance and posabilty (if waist articulation isnt much of an issue for you) and the detailing makes this ultra class a good choice to own. Despite the minor issues, I'd still rate him five out of five.
If you like a really really BADass TF, then TFU Onslaught is a great choice for you!