(NOTE: Because this is a repaint, this is not a full-blown review. This mainly covers any changes made to the mold and the color scheme, and merely compares it to Generations Alpha Bravo. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of Generations Alpha Bravo here.)

    Blades, true to his G1 form, has a color scheme that's very much your traditional Autobot colors-- mostly red and white, with some gray. The gray is, unfortunately, that really blah milky shade, though thankfully it's only mostly used on his upper arms and rotors. The red plastic itself more than offsets the gray, being a rather pretty color that's swirly with some glitter, making it look semi-metallic in shade. The white also looks great against both the red and the black that's used in a few parts like Blades' hand/foot/gun and regular weapon. The windows are also painted black, which again, looks nice against the red. The most notable paint apps on Blades' form are the "RESCUE" emblems on the sides of his 'copter mode and the nice white angled stripe that run down the length of the sides, greatly increasing how good he looks in chopper mode, with the white doing some much-needed breaking up of all that red. There's also a nifty "Autobot Coastal Rescue" emblem on the rear tailfins which looks similar to the U.S. Coast Guard symbol with an Autobot symbol in it, which is a nice extra little touch. Getting into robot mode, the white is more prominent on the body and upper legs, and there's more silver paint-- in addition to that on the tail rotor and on the side missiles, Blades' hands and parts of his chest and waist are also painted silver. In a G1-accurate but still rather unique twist, Blades' eyes are dark blue and his face a nice light metallic blue-- the only shades of blue on the entire toy, which really complement the white and contrast against the red nicely.
    Blades does have one mold change when compared to Alpha Bravo, and that's a new head. His overall head shape is still the same, but the forehead is more ridged, and he has a more "normal" face compared with Alpha Bravo's visor and faceplate. It's a pretty good sculpt overall, though his face looks a bit TOO neutral-- put some personality in there, Hasbro!
    Combiner Wars Blades takes what could be a rather typical Autobot color scheme and spices it up a bit with a really nice, semi-metallic shade of red, some interesting white paint apps in vehicle mode, and some nice additions of silver and blue in robot mode. He's neither my least favorite nor my favorite among the many uses of this mold, but still works pretty well for what he is-- and hey, you need him to complete Defensor, don't ya?

Pre-mission psych-screening report by Rung, Autobot Psy-Ops Specialist:
As unpredictable a warrior as you'll find in the Autobot ranks. Most bots with flight capability tailor their arsenal and fighting style to engage from distance. Blades prefers using his photon blaster, wrist missiles, and helicopter blades up close and personal. Dislikes the term "close quarters combat" as he claims, "it's never really that close." Enjoys using evasive maneuvers to cause collisions between multiple opponents-- claims there's "no such thing as fighting dirty." Teammates give Blades a lot of room in a scrap, as his frenetic style tends to leave a crater. With fellow Protectobots forms Defensor.
CONCLUSION: Cleared for mission.

HISTORY (extracted from compulsory biographical download):
Prior to joining the Protectobots, Blades served as part of a Cybertronian security program in the city of Kaon, famous for its underground gladiator contests. Blades honed his own fighting skills during the apprehension of participants in these illegal duels. Forms either an arm or a leg of Defensor, the combined form of the Protectobots.

Review by Beastbot

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