(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 the original Prime "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Wheeljack. For a review on the mold itself, read the review of the original Prime "Robots in Disguise" deluxe Wheeljack figure here.)

    Like most of the Beast Hunters Autobots & Decepticons, Wheeljack's upgrade involved him getting a very "amped up", Mad Max-style vehicle mode with some beast elements-- in Wheeljack's case, he takes on a bit of a jagged, feathery appearance. The core mold is the same as his original Prime toy, but nearly every piece-- particularly in vehicle mode-- has been retooled with jagged, armor-like detailing. This is particularly impressive on the vehicle front (or robot legs), with spikes poking out not just on the sides, but up the middle of the hood too. There's also some angular "feathers" on the sides of his car doors and longer, similar protrusions along his back end. In keeping a bit more with the slightly more "organic" feel of the Beast Hunters upgrades, Wheeljack's robot mode also has some bony "spine protrusions" down his back, and his headsculpt is a bit more spiked-out and "feathered". The long feathers on the back end in vehicle mode become a nice, pretty darned cool "cape" in robot mode, but there are two downsides to this; first, the pieces inhibit some arm movement a little, and second, they don't leave Wheeljack with a convincing back end at all in vehicle mode-- his main body just sort of... tapers off into the feathers. Thankfully, if you keep Wheeljack's main weapon plugged into its port on the top of vehicle mode, it helps to cover up this gap in the back on all but a few rear angles. In robot mode, Wheeljack's weapon folds out into an impressive staff for him to grip, which has a long, well-detailed spear at the end that can also shoot a disc if you pull back rapidly on the spear's head. The disc itself can even open up, becoming more of a "capture" disc that fits in well with the whole "Beast Hunters" theme. On a negative note, however, with all these new accessories Wheeljack's tires have become clip-on instead of pinned in. This doesn't bother me personally, but I've seen that quite a few people dislike this, so it's worth mentioning.
    Wheeljack's color scheme hasn't changed much for his Beast Hunters version-- he's still mostly white and black with red and green detailing. The paint detailing is considerably more pronounced this time though, particularly in vehicle mode, where pretty much every spike is either red, green, or bronze. His red is a bit lighter and more apparent-- in large amounts the red admittedly looks a bit blah, but otherwise I like it. Another minor change is that Wheeljack's transparent plastic is a more straight tint and not blue, which I find a slightly negative change but overall it's no big deal. The major color change is that Wheeljack's gray has been replaced with a bronzish brown color, which I find a positive change as it brings a bit more color to both modes (and gray is waaay overused on TFs anyways). To help get in some extra coloration without more actual paint apps, some black plastic has been mixed in with certain bits of his light red and white plastic. Normally, I like this on the Beast Hunters toys it's used on-- it's a nice, new thing for Transformers toys, and generally looks rather pretty. Black mixed in with white and light red, though, just makes both of the colors look dirty, and not in a cool "battle worn" type of way. I would've preferred it if the mixed plastic had been left out of Wheeljack.
    Wheeljack has one of the best "Beast Hunters" upgrades-- yes, he still uses the same base mold and design, but all his added "feather" spikes are really darned cool, his robot mode "cape" is a nice touch, and his weapon is quite impressive and fun. I wish he had a more substantial back end to his vehicle mode and that he didn't have black mixed in with some of his light red and white plastic, but otherwise, this is an ace design and a great example of all I find awesome about the Beast Hunters upgrades to the Autobots and Decepticons. Highly recommended, even if you have the original.

(Continued from Chapter 3, Deluxe Lazerback)
Wheeljack is willing to admit that he didn't think much of the idea that some kind of ancient Cybertronian arsenal was hidden in this solar system's asteroid belt. But now that the pitted, timeworn hulk of what is obviously a very old starship fills his view screen, he's got to say he's impressed. What's more, his sensors detect vast reserves of power in the old ship's hold. When he and Bumblebee go aboard, neither of them is surprised when they find dozens of crates filled with strange weapons. Unfortunately, they are surprised when they turn to begin loading their ship, only to find Megatron and Predaking blocking their way.
(Continued in Chapter 5, Voyager Optimus Prime)

Falcon Spear:
-Molecule-thin edge can cut through almost anything.
-Absorbs energy from enemy weapons, then fires a disc-shaped energy pulse.
-Boosters in the shaft allow Wheeljack to make rocket-assisted jumps.

Strength: 8.0
Intelligence: 6.0
Speed: 6.0
Endurance: 7.0
Rank: 6.0
Courage: 9.0
Fireblast: 8.0
Skill: 9.0

Review by Beastbot

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