Prime Spotlight: Warbotron WB-03A Turbo Ejector

Prime Spotlight presents: 

Warbotron WB-03A Turbo Ejector

Bottom Line (*** stars- <out of a possible 5>)

By Stygian360

Introduction:
Warbotron is a company that immediately made a splash (both good and bad) on the collector scene with their first release, which is their version of Bruticus- WB01.  When it was announced that their subsequent release would be their version of G1 Computron many were understandably excited, myself included.  However after seeing pictures I felt that the scale was off.  It seemed that they made the overall combiner as well as the individual bots perhaps too large and unnecessarily so for a set that didn’t need that size in order to get the point across.  I must also admit that I’m not overly focused on the collector mantra these days that, “bigger is better”, so when I see a larger set like this I’m immediately suspicious of whether the size is warranted.  Devastator should be huge, Bruticus as well, but Computron??  Arguments about scale aside; does Turbo Ejector do an adequate job of recreating G1 After burner?  Let’s find out.

Articulation:
Turbo has all the right swivels and ball joints where they are needed- head is on a ball-joint, shoulders are on a pivot joint/pint joint which mimics a ball-joint and allows a full and adequate range of motion, the hips are on a ball-joint, and etc.  In fact there were no significant areas where Turbo felt lacking in articulation.
One area of concern that I feel requires addressing are the odd ratchets at his hips, which do not allow for a full range of leg poses.  I’m guessing that this is because of fewer teeth on the ratchets, which means you aren’t going to get poses except at certain ‘clicks’.  These ratchets are most likely to help accommodate holding larger weapons once the bot is transformed into a limb- as the hip area of the robot tends to act as the pivot/elbow for the gestalt arm and takes an enormous amount of weight and strain- but it certainly isn’t doing the individual action figure any favors.  So, be aware of this before you buy.  It’s not egregious enough to represent a deal breaker, but killing certain poses simply to get a sturdier gestalt arm seems like a deal with the devil if I’ve ever heard one.

Paint:
Fortunately the paint on my review copy didn’t have any major flaws and for the most part looks good.  However, this is one of those cases- as described in my other reviews- where the company molded parts in colored plastic rather than focused on paint applications.  But when it works it works and it does so here.  I will admit that in a few places- the arms mostly- the paint looks vaguely cheap and flirts dangerously with overspray (as the cut lines are not sharp), but I didn’t see anything that immediately jumped out as a factory error.
 
There is also the liberal use of amber transparent colored plastic throughout (not technically a paint application, but where else to discuss it?)- the eyes, vehicle canopy, and turbo fans most notably- but it all looks great and I’m glad Warbotron decided to go this route.
 
Transformation:
As simple as one can get, but it definitely works great and is quite fun overall.  There were no areas of frustration with my review copy and in fact I found myself transforming him back and forth in quick succession just for the fun of it.  Do be careful when swiveling his two canopy parts around that form his canopy as I can see the potential for popping them off or, with enough pressure applied, perhaps even cracking them.  Just be patient when pushing them down and together into place and you’ll be happier with the results.

Bottom Line:
For me Turbo Ejector does not feel like a must have.  As the start of a new combiner he looks fine and most will have fond memories of G1 Computron and will want to display the whole Warbotron crew on a shelf once they’re all out, but for me- having no affinity for the G1 version and thinking that for the most part the gestalt is overall too large- I’m going to consider this set a pass.  That said there is nothing inherently wrong with Turbo Ejector and I actually in truth found transforming and posing him quite enjoyable.  So, take my thoughts about my approach to this set with a grain of salt.  If you’re already sold that you simply must have this updated and enlarged version of G1 Computron, then buy with confidence.  Warbotron certainly knows what they’re doing and I foresee great things for them.