Brawn's vehicle mode
is a 4WD offroad vehicle, just like it was in G1. For the most part, this
mode is pretty good-- the proportions are spot-on, particularly for a Legends
toy, and the mold detailing is par excellance-- even little details like
the door latches and the gas cap are molded into the figure, and the spare
wheel on the back end is a nice touch. I particularly like the shade of
gunmetal gray chosen for the front bumper-- it goes really nice with the
green and the light blue headlights. The black windows also look good at
this small of a scale, as well. However, there are two noticeable robot
extras in this mode-- for one, the upper legs are plainly visible on the
roof. Granted, the blend in with the surrounding parts shape-wise, but
the plainly different color detailing mark them as obvious legs. Also,
the robot feet stick out of the bottom really obviously if you're looking
at him from a side-view. One other thing this mode really needs is some
more paint detailing-- most of his front & side windows and front bumper
are painted, but nothing else-- no back bumper, no taillights, and the
rear windows aren't painted either. This, given all the mold detailing
mentioned earlier, is a real bummer.
Brawn's robot mode looks
fairly good for a Legends class toy. He has some pretty obvious kibble
in that the front part of the vehicle mode sticks out above his head, but
it was that way on the G1 toy, too, so I don't fault the designers as much
there as I usually would. His hands are also molded onto the pieces that
form the sides of the vehicle mode, like most Legends class car-former,
but they stay out of the way and aren't a big deal, much like the small
bits of the car mode hanging off his lower back or the spare wheel sticking
off the back end of his right leg. His robot mode detailing is okay, but
nothing extraordinary-- his face in particular doesn't have that "rough
'n tough" look that G1 Brawn had in the cartoon, not to mention it's the
wrong color. Otherwise most of his details match up to his G1 toy (except
with better proportions). Brawn's articulation is okay, but not great--
he can move at the shoulders, hips, and knees, though he can bend his knees
backwards much, only forwards mostly. One QC issue, though-- his waist
is supposed to tab in securely to his lower chest, but it really doesn't
do so at all. Thankfully the joint isn't that floppy so it doesn't outright
flop down when you pick Brawn up, but it only takes a little big of wiggling
to have his waist start sinking downwards.
Brawn isn't the worst
the Universe 2.0 Legends class has to offer, but he's far from the best.
A hip joint that doesn't plug into place, a general lack of paint in vehicle
mode, and some obvious robot extras in robot mode are his big downfall.
If you're a big Legends enthusiast or a Brawn fan, though, he comes with
a cautious recommendation if you keep in mind the limiations of the size
class.
Review by Beastbot