The Transformers Generations “Thrilling 30” line continues to be an impressive assemblage of characters from all corners of the Transformers universe, and nowhere is that more evident than the release of Sky-Byte, hailing from 2001’s Robots in Disguise series. Sky-Byte has also made appearances in IDW’s current Robots in Disguise comic (which, funny enough, isn’t related to the cartoon of the same name), but it was in the 2001 cartoon where Sky-Byte made his claim to fame. He’s sort of the inverse of Starscream, in a way. Like Starscream in the G1 series, Sky-Byte is Megatron’s second in command, but where Starscream was a usurper, all Sky-Bte wants is Megatron’s approval, and he will go to great lengths to get it.
When Sky-Byte was first announced as a voyager-class offering, it was truly a surprise — he’s not a character that has had a lot of exposure in recent years, so his release is testament to Hasbro’s willingness to take risks and to truly represent all eras in this line. Now, while there are many who claim the original figure from 2001 is superior to this new release, this figure is not without its qualities, so let’s take a look at what Generations Sky-Byte has to offer!
Check out the video below for a transformation demonstration (shark to robot) and some additional thoughts:
Sky-Byte’s packaging is standard Generations fare, with bold and dynamic character-specific artwork on the front and some details about the character on the back for those who are new to him. I love the Generations packaging — it’s almost nice enough to keep because the artwork is so nicely done. Almost.
There’s no doubt that Sky-Byte is an eye-catching figure with colors that pop like crazy. All of his kibble is easy to manage too since there are options as to how you can arrange it. What I have in the above pics is how I’ve decided I like it best, even though it’s not the most show-accurate, but it works for me and it makes him easy to fit on a shelf, not to mention pose.
This guy is packed with detail, and everything comes together to give him a distinct cybernetic look. His head sculpt is one of the best parts of his overall presentation. He’s got such a mean and twisted expression on his face that is unlike most modern Transformers that we’ve seen.
His articulation in ‘bot mode is fluid and versatile with a solid range of motion in his arms and legs. I do wish his head had a better range of motion, however. It’s just a simple swivel joint, and given the configuration of his chest, which protrudes upward just enough to partially obscure his face, it would have been nice to be able to have him look up just a bit so as to avoid that weird positioning of his chest.
His left arm houses an action feature in a spinning set of “claws” that is activated by the push of a button. There is also a spring-loaded projectile that can be fired from the center, which is nice to see since Hasbro has been going the cheap route lately and skipping the spring mechanism on many recent figures. While many prefer their figures without action features, the saving grace here is that this one is at least easy to ignore if you choose to.
His alt mode, a cybertetic shark, is one of the more fun alt modes we’ve seen in the Generations line. All his panels fit together snugly to give us a convincing alt mode, but I can’t help but think the shark’s head would have benefited from being the same blue as the rest of his body. The light blue works well in his ‘bot mode, but here the difference is sudden and jarring.
It looks as though there’s a peg hole on his underside that may accommodate a stand of some sort, but he didn’t come with one. A stand would be nice; otherwise, all he can do in his shark mode is…. just kinda sit there. I mean, it’s a fun alt mode, but he can’t do much while in it. That’s the only downside to it.
Sky-Byte and his wave-mate Roadbuster are just now starting to pop up in stores around the country. I got mine from Big Bad Toy Store, and I think if you are on the fence about getting Sky-Byte, you should give him a chance. I like him much more than I expected to, and I even prefer him over Roadbuster, who was previously at the top of my want list. Sky-Byte is just a whole lot of unexpected fun.
1 thought on “Hasbro – Transformers Generations Sky-Byte (Voyager Class)”