At long last, Springer gets a brand-new, triple-changing mold! This design is HEAVILY based off of his form in the IDW comics, though it's certainly still very G1-ish in its design. His first vehicle mode is a futuristic armored car. This mode is remarkably solid, particularly for a triple-changer. The drivers' windows are a little small proportionally, and the gray tabs on the back end don't really look particularly convincing as a spoiler; also, the back end is slightly hollow due to his transformation, and the gaps between the thirds of his front hood are a bit more obvious than I'd like. That's about it as far as downsides go, though; he's got well-sculpted headlights, tires, and a fair amount of mold detailing, though this is definitely the mold that's the lightest in that respect. There's no robot mode extras to speak of in this mode, and his sword weapon from robot mode stores securely underneath the car body. His general color scheme is classic Springer, being mostly light green, yellow, and gray with some silver. Quite honestly, accuracy aside, it's not a color scheme I'm all that fond of-- I've never been a particular fan of yellow, and although it goes decently enough with the green, the gray is the only real "dark" color here, and I wish there was a darker, non-monochrome color for the other colors to play off of. That said, it's certainly not BAD, just not really eye-catching. (I will say I think the green tire hubs are a bit much, though.) The paint in this mode is mostly relegated to some silver bits on the roof and a few minor bits on the sides, but they do their job well enough-- his colors are generally broken up well. That said, the yellow paint used on the the back-center section of his front hood is noticeably lighter than the actual yellow plastic, which is a minor eyesore. Springer's main weapon-- in this mode and in his other two modes-- is a rather impressive double-barreled missile launcher, both of which are launched via the pushing force you exert on the gray slider near the back of the weapon. It has a 5mm port to store compatible weapons behind the two barrels, and it also has an articulated 5mm peg that allows you to tilt the weapon up or down. Springer has two 5mm ports on the top of this mode for the weapon to stick into.
    Springer's helicopter mode is the weakest of his three modes, but it's still surprisingly strong for what is the undoubtedly "third mode" in terms of design priority. The rear section elongates, giving Springer a pretty nice (if a bit thick) tail; his car spoilers become convincing rear stabilizers; his side sections move back a little and fold, revealing little wings; and, most, impressively, the entire top section swings forward to all but eliminate the hood of Springer's car mode. Springer's sword weapon is also split apart and pegged onto the top of this mode, forming a propeller that springs quite well and-- due to how the center green section slides into place-- is pretty solid, too. There's even a little flip-down landing gear underneath the cockpit nose, as well as two other landing gear that can fold down from the bottom that form Springer's knee spikes in robot mode. The middle section of this mode is where it's at its weakest, however-- the little wings that fold out from the sides are too small even for a helicopter, and several parts don't "lock in" securely in this mode, such as the back section of his side panels and the tail to the main body, thus leaving the upper robot legs a bit exposed in this mode. This said, the joints are tight enough where this is a minor issue at best, particularly given that he's a triple-changer. I also love how the rear wheels fold up against each other in the tail section, with the mold detailing making them look more like rotary turbines in this mode-- an ingenious way for the tires to pull "double duty" in both modes. Heck, even the headlights on the sides fit with where you'd expect those lights to be on a helicopter! Color-wise, a bit of grayish white makes itself apparent in this mode, making the color scheme a bit more varied but still wanting for a dark, non-monochrome shade of the color.
    Springer's robot mode is impressive enough for a regular Transformer, but for a triple-changer? The engineering here is mind-bogglingly amazing. Despite having two alt modes, the only really blantant kibble are the spoiler/rear stabilizer pieces on his lower legs, which really don't have anywhere to go. The other vehicle parts complement the look of this mode nicely-- I love the small wings on his lower arms, the wheels that form the core of his feet, the way the middle section of his hood becomes his chest, and how the side sections of his hood slide upwards and then at a diagnonal angle to give him a more unique silouhette with long shoulder pads. Heck, even the bit of his helicopter/car roof on his back is just barely wider than his waist, and doesn't get in the way of movement at all. Springer's proportions are also fantastic here, giving him a somewhat slim look in the legs but still making him rather broad-shouldered and thick-armed, the vibe being both power and elegance/skill, which is what the Wrecker leader is all about. His headsculpt is spot-on IDW, nice and crisp and true to the character, and literally one of the most accurate, nicest headsculpts on any TF I own. All the necessary paint details on it pop, and there's a few more paint apps for his waist as well. The mold detailing is also a bit more substantial in this mode, with little details on places like his lower arms, waist, and upper legs, though given his slightly more "toonish" look in the IDW comics, it makes sense why he's not as detailed as most other "Classics/Generations" toys. For articulation, Springer is also impressive, being able to move at the neck, shoulders (at two points), elbows (at two points), wrist and waist rotation, and at the hips (at two points), knees, and slightly back-and-forth at the ankles. He's also quite stable, so he's got a LOT of posability in him that would be impressive even if he wasn't a triple changer. His sword weapon also looks quite solidly like a sword, and not too much like a helicopter blade. I mean, really, this is just a darned impressive mode.
    Generations voyager Springer is THE toy to get of the character, bar none (at least as of this writing in 1/16). It's hard to see how Hasbro will ever top this-- all of his modes range from good (helicopter) to great (car) to utterly fantastic (robot), and any downsides are minor at best and not at all annoying. Excellent proportions, articulation, and looks; unless you're scared off by somewhat complex transformations (it can take you a few times to memorize it, as several pieces have a few different locking places due to his multiple modes), this is a must-buy.

Review by Beastbot

Back to Transformers: Generations Index