This is probably the most intriguing figure in this wave due to the simple fact that it’s a combiner. It’s packaged to look like a single figure, but it’s actually three mini-con figures assembled into their gestalt form. In the comics they’re known as “Ammonites,” a race of transforming robots with a penchant for combining. However, on their packaging, they’re sporting the Mini-Con emblem rather than the Ammonite sigil, so it’s a bit difficult to know what to make of them. Add to that the fact that a version Heavytread, the tank, was released a couple years ago as an Autobot Power-Core Combiner, and this gets downright confusing.
So what are they?
On the cover of More than Meets the Eye #24, the three Mini-Cons are clearly depicted as Ammonites swarming around Ratchet and Skids, so that is probably our best bet. They’re Ammonites.
The thing about the Ammonites in the comic is there is no limit to their combiner potential, so Ammonite can combine with Ammonite ad infinitum until we have an enormous monster of a combiner. Here, however, we just have three Ammonites that join together to form one deluxe-class figure. I almost have to hand it to Hasbro for the restraint they showed here, but it would have been cool to get a few more of these for even more combiner possibilities.
In addition to the confusing Mini-Con symbol being used on the packaging is the name they chose to go with for the figure: “Mini-Con Assault Team.” It lacks a certain bit of imagination, doesn’t it? When we flip the packaging over, we learn the combined form is called “Centuritron,” so one can’t help but wonder why they didn’t just go with that. Sure, “Centuritron” isn’t a household name or anything, but it packs more allure than “Mini-Con Assault Team.”
Packed with Centuritron is More than Meets the Eye #24, featuring another custom Hasbro cover that features Centuritron prominently.
Combined Form — Centuritron
Centuritron stands at about 5 inches in height and is a decent figure as far as Hasbro combiners go. Hasbro hasn’t had the greatest track record with combiner teams in the past decade, so I was a bit trepidatious when approaching this figure, but he ended up being just a bit better than I was expecting. His combined form at least looks to be proportional, and he functions, for all practical purposes, just as well as any other deluxe-class figure. There are some issues with everything locking in place properly, like his shoulders, but he’s stable and solid for the most part.
There are precious few paint aps here, even fewer than the promotional image on the packaging is sporting, so that’s disappointing. What we get is mostly green and black plastic with some yellow or gray highlights here and there (cockpit windows, robot faces, etc.). It matches the look of the Ammonites in the comic well enough, but I can’t help but think it needs something more.
He’s actually able to hold a pose or two, which immediately sets him apart from just about any other Hasbro combiner in recent memory. He’s got about eight points of articulation, which is a bit limiting, but it does the job. Some sort of ankle articulation would have been great because as it is, he can’t really stand flat-footed and his feet touch the ground at an awkward angle. A head swivel would have been nice too since all he can do at the moment is look dead-ahead, which is unfortunate.
Centuritron’s weapon is also a combiner, which is nifty. Each of the three Ammonites comes with a weapon that can be attached to one another making one pretty darn big piece of firepower. It’s kind of a mish-mash, honestly, but it works well enough for our purposes here.
For a combiner, he is certainly on the small side, but when Skids first encountered the Ammonites in issue #22, they were no larger than he was and they split up into a group of fairly small robots, so Centuritron is true to the source in that respect. I haven’t been able to find this exact robot in the comics, so something tells me this may have been a random combiner Hasbro had sitting around and decided to release it in Ammonite colors because why not? That’s my suspicion, anyway. The ‘bot itself really isn’t true to anything outside of a couple cover images.
Mini-Cons/Ammonites
The three Ammonites — Windshear, Runway, and Heavytread — function well enough as individual Mini-Cons, but the combined form is certainly why anyone is buying this set. It is cool to see another “female” Transformer character in Windshear, so hopefully we get to see more of her in the comic to learn what her deal is, exactly. If I recall correctly, none of the Ammonites have presented themselves as “female,” so she is already a bit of a curiosity right off the bat.
Lots of green and black plastic.
All three figures pose well enough, but Runway is probably the most satisfying of the three. I love that Heavytread has what looks to be a monocle here. Maybe it’s some sort of targeting system like what Perceptor uses. The only ‘bot mode I’m really not crazy about is Windshear. The tail of the helicoptor has nowhere to go, really, so it just sort of hangs off her backside. It helps stabilize her since her high heels (seriously, Hasbro?) could make it difficult for her to stand, so while it may be unsightly, at least it serves a purpose.
Their weapons attach easily and work well with each figure. I’m especially fond of Heavytread’s rifle. It reminds me of Perceptor’s gun, which further makes me think his monocle is a targeting system.
They are definitely on the small side with Runway by far the largest of the three. He’s about the size of a legends-class figure, but they get smaller from there.
Al three of their alt modes are way more effective than their respective ‘bot modes. and what’s cool is the way their weapons all integrate seamlessly into their alt modes.
I’m not blown away by this set or anything, and when I first picked up Centuritron I found him to be frustrating in that he kept wanting to basically fall apart on me; his shoulders were especially finicky. After having him open for a few days and having the chance to play around with him, he’s grown on me a little bit. I’m not in love with the figure or anything, but I don’t totally regret the purchase. So if that sounds like an endorsement, then there you go. I do feel as though he’s the weakest of the wave, even when compared to Skywarp who’s just a simple repaint.
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