Hatchet's vehicle mode is a fighter jet. Now, you might be asking, is this a toy-only movie character, since we didn't see such a vehicle in the movie? Well, yes and no. Hatchet was in the movie-- as is more apparent in robot mode, he's one of the three "Dreads", the black SUVs that transform into robots with "dreadlocks" in that one highway scene. However, Hasbro apparently decided that making three different black Decepticon SUV designs wasn't a market-savvy move (and I tend to agree), so they changed Hatchet's vehicle mode for his release. Anyways, that aside, Hatchet's jet mode is pretty nice-looking overall-- the wings are a tad small proportionally, but that's it. There is, unfortunately, a little undercarriage "junk" as is the case with most jet TFs-- you can see part of his legs below the rear wings, and more obviously two of his feet hanging out the back end near the thrusters. However, the undercarriage extras aren't so bulky that they really take away much from the mode, only making the belly come down a little more than it should have. The silver cockpit, thrusters, and gold paint apps on the wings help to break up the black on Hatchet a little bit, though perhaps another decorative paint app or two on the main body of the jet would've helped a bit more, as his main body is pretty much just entirely black. His nosecone is also a rather ugly "dirty" off-white shade that I'm not fond of. Hatchet has one flip-down landing gear underneath the cockpit and he has two detachable missile accessories that store underneath his wings. What's quite cool about these accessories is that the middle parts can flip around to become chain guns-- surprise! Now THAT'S what Transformers are all about, heh.
    Hatchet certainly turns into one unique robot, being four-legged (with his hind legs being a bit shorter than his front) with a tail, side cannons, and a positively demonic-looking head. Really, his face is very well-detailed (as are all his robot bits)-- the sheer number of bronze teeth there, next to his red eyes, is just insane. It's amazing just how different he looks from his relatively "normal" vehicle mode, which I love. The nosecone becomes his tail, and is very well-segmented to (largely) look long enough and thin enough to be an actual tail, cockpit window piece notwithstanding. His weapons can still be pegged into the wings (now his shoulders), and a bit that I find particularly impressive-- especially on a toy of this scale-- is that the big gap left on his back when you swing out the robot head is filled in by another piece whose sole purpose is simply to cover up that hole! His hind legs are probably the weakest point of the figure, being a bit more obviously angular fragments of his jet mode and not sporting the same insane amount of detail as his other robot pieces, but they still are easily identifiable as legs. As far as articulation goes, Hatchet can move up-and-down at the neck, as well as at the front shoulders (at two points), front knees, front ankles, rear shoulders, rear knees, rear ankles, and at three different points among his tail. And, given his four-legged nature, stability is obviously no problem, so he can get into a TON of great poses, particularly for a Commander class figure.
    Hatchet is hands-down my favorite Commander-sized toy out of the Dark of the Moon toyline, with an inventive transformation, a pretty nice jet mode with only a little bit of undercarriage kibble, and an absolutely OUTSTANDING, incredibly original robot mode that's well-proportioned pretty much all around. If you at all like the movie style of TFs or want more unconventional robot modes, this is an absolute must-buy.

Review by Beastbot

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