Sometimes I think Hasbro has something against Springer. He’s a pretty cool character — he was a major player in the 1986 animated movie and the leader of the Wreckers in the IDW comics, but evidently those credentials aren’t enough to get us a cool Springer figure. This is the second “Classics” Springer that’s been available at the retail level, and it’s the second Springer available at the retail level that’s been a repaint of another helicopter-based character. The original G1 Springer was a triple changer, changing from a robot to a helicopter to a jeep-type thing. It wasn’t the most elegant Transformer, but it was pretty cool that it could pull off those three modes as well as it did. Sadly, neither of the two Classics are triple changers, and after the release of the first one, many fans added a true triple-changing Springer to the top of their wish lists, but now, with the release of this new GDO figure, it seems Springer will forever be relegated to transforming into just a helicopter, and to being a repaint to boot.
We first saw this mold as Tomahawk from the short-lived, movie-based Hunt for the Decepticons line. Tomahawk was one of the cooler and more popular figures from that line, but there were definitely features, most notably the legs, that made it very clear that it was a “movie” figure rather than something that could blend in with a Classics collection. It was released again as the Combaticon Vortex in the Dark of the Moon line as an Asian exclusive. It was certainly reminiscent of the G1 character, but, like Tomahawk, it was definitely a movie figure. Now we see it released again as Springer in the Classics/Generations line as a Toys R Us GDO exclusive, and while I am fond of the character and I get the logic behind this release, this mold makes for a pretty weak Springer.
The new head sculpt and new paint job are definitely “Springer-esque,” and the addition of the sword is another aspect that is specific to the character, but that’s about where the likeness to the character ends. This is definitely a movie figure and nowhere is this more evident than in the figure’s legs. They look like chicken legs and the feet are just plain ugly; they don’t work for the character at all. From the waist up he’s almost passable as Springer, but a head sculpt and a paint job just aren’t enough. The figure is just so… skinny. Springer has always been portrayed as a fairly powerful guy, but this figure is way too spindly. It just looks weird, especially when he’s posed with his season 3/movie comrads.
His alt mode is an assault helicopter that does the job just as well as any copter outside of the futuristic G1 design would, so I guess I can say it’s adequate. The colors are there and it’s a helicopter — I’m not sure what more there is to say, but it does worry me that this was the extent of the thought Hasbro put into this figure when designing it. If not for the new head, and maybe the addition of the sword, this would be the very definition of “lazy repaint.”
Unfortunately, this will likely be the only Springer we get for quite some time. I knew exactly what I was getting when I bought it, but I still couldn’t help but hope that this guy could serve as my default Springer. I don’t have a whole lot of confidence in that working out, but for now I have him on my shelf for a test drive to see how I feel about it. For the past couple years I’ve had a Fansproject Warbot Defender serving as my Springer, but I’m not really a big fan of that figure either, so I was hoping I’d be able to replace him with this guy, but right now that’s feeling like a long shot. Warbot Defender isn’t the best figure in the world, but it looks enough like Springer to work and it’s actually a real triple-changer, so that’s two things it’s got going for it that this GDO figure doesn’t have.
If you don’t have a Springer and are on the market for one, then this guy could work because it’s definitely the path of least resistance, and at $14.99, the price is certainly right. And given that there aren’t a ton of choices out there, this may very well be your best bet. I can’t give him a very enthusiastic recommendation because he does miss the mark in too many ways, but he’ll suffice if you’re not a fan of Fansproject or don’t feel like shelling out for a Warbot Defender.
He’s a Toys R Us exclusive and the assortment isn’t being stocked all that well (at least not yet), so be aware of that if you’re going to be hunting for him.
