Wing Saber's vehicle mode is... well, I don't have the slightest clue what it is, beyond a flying craft of some sort. The front part has a sleek, triangular shape to it, with a clearly visible transparent cockpit near the front, and I do like the missile launchers at the sides of that front area, but the rest is just... robot parts. The big structures at both ends of the vehicle are obviously the robot legs, although the guns and the triangular silver paint apps on them help intergrate them into the vehicle mode a tiny, TINY bit more. He also has three deployable landing gear (with rolling wheels), though the middle landing gear is so long when compared to the other two that it's almost laughable. I mean, really, when you look at Wing Saber in this mode from any angle but above, you have this little slim cockpit area jutting out the front, while the rest of Wing Saber's vehicle mode is ridiculously thick for what is supposed to be some kind of spacecraft. I can't imagine this thing ever flying. I'm also not sure what exactly the crests on top of this mode (which become his arms in robot mode) are supposed to be, exactly-- just a big robot extra, I suppose. They don't really contribute anything meaningful to the mode at all. The mold detailing, however, is generally pretty good, with some nice stylistic detailing especially in the arms. The paint detailing is also more than adequate. The color scheme itself isn't exactly the most original in the world-- red, white, silver, and blue are pretty typical Autobot colors-- but there's a reason it's used so often, and that's because it works very well with an Autobot. So no complaints there. Wing Saber is also HUGE for a Mega-- he's actually bigger than some of the Ultras. In his vehicle mode, from end to end he's about as long as Omega Supreme is tall. So that's certainly a plus, that you're getting more plastic for your money. But I can't bring myself to say too many positive things about this mode, because it just looks like a bunch of robot parts thinly disguised as an aircraft, really.
    In robot mode, however, Wing Saber looks simply awesome. He's very Japanese in his style-- which isn't surprising, seeing as how Wing Saber was more heavily developed by Takara than any of the other Energon toys-- and he's got lots of ornate little details on him, keeping this mode from being anything but boring. The robot head also looks tough and a little menacing, with a bit of a narrow-eyed glare and an angular faceplate. The proportions themselves are pretty good when compared to the other Energon Autobots, though there the feet are on the large side, and the waist is pretty skinny when compared to the hips. I also wish the missile launchers could face forward in this mode without it looking like Wing Saber has some HUUUGE protrusions coming out of his kneecaps, but that's a small beef. There is one MAJOR problem with this mode, however-- Wing Saber has got to be the most brickish new Transformer mold created in about a decade. He can move side-to-side and back-and-forth at the elbows and side-to-side at the hips. He can also rotate his fists and legs at the knees, but that isn't really useful. That's it when it comes to articulation, making this awesome-looking Transformer a bit of a bore to play with in this mode, and that's a shame. Makes a great display piece, though. Wing Saber's Autobot spark crystal is on his lower right arm, and his black Powerlinx symbol is on the upper left side of his back in this mode.

    Okay, so let's review; Wing Saber, so far, has a brickish robot mode and a very questionable vehicle mode. So then why does he have the pretty decent rating of 8.0? It's because he also combines with Energon Optimus Prime in two different ways, and both are awesome-- it's easily the toy's main selling point. And even though Wing Saber splits into four different parts, he still fits together very solidly in his normal mods. There are two configurations for when he combines with Prime; Flight Mode and Fight Mode.
    In Flight Mode, Wing Saber's feet become Prime's feet, and Wing Saber's upper body becomes Prime's arms. This is my favorite of the two different combinations, as I really like how Wing Saber's shoulders become winged jets hanging off of Optimus' arms. The colors really mesh well, and Prime still has pretty good articulation while he's combined-- he can move at the hips, knees, head, shoulders (at two points), and at the elbows. My only real complaint-- and this goes with the Fight Mode as well-- is that Prime's joints don't seem quite up to the task of supporting Wing Saber's weight in addition to Prime's, so he tends to be a little on the floppy side. Though, admittedly, I have one of the earliest Prime toys (he still has a mouth instead of a faceplate), so perhaps this was fixed on later versions. Other than that, no complaints at all-- this mode is one of the best combinations in Energon, if not THE best.
    The Fight Mode configuration is a little less cool-looking, but it's still a very solid combination, and works well with Prime. In this mode, the parts are switched-- Wing Saber's legs become the arms, while Wing Saber's upper body becomes with legs. The feet are a little bit long and look almost like large slippers, so they look a little on the odd side-- that's my main stylistic complaint with the mode, but that's about it. The arms look fantastic, as they're big and bulky for some down 'n dirty fighting, and he has big missile launchers on his wrists, to boot. The shoulders are also heavily stylized, with great mold and paint detailing. Prime has the same articulation here as he does in Flight Mode, with the addition of being able to move his four fingers on each hand (all four fingers are one piece of plastic, though).

    Wing Saber's individual modes aren't particularly hot-- again, he has a pretty poor vehicle mode and a statue of a robot mode-- but his combinations with Optimus Prime are outstanding. However, because of this, I'd only recommend Wing Saber IF you have Energon Prime or are planning to get him soon. Otherwise, skip out on Wing Saber. And if you do get him, remember that he's a bunch of extra limbs for Optimus Prime who also happen to form their own Transformer; not visa versa.

Review by Beastbot

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