War for Cybertron Earthrise Bluestreak

By Hervé St-Louis
April 14, 2021 - 08:35

Bluestreak is the Generation One Autobot gunner who appeared in the first set of Transformers released in 1984. A talkative warrior with past trauma, Bluestreak is also one of the fastest Autobot that transforms into a car. Bluestreak has always shared the same mould as Prowl, the Autobots’ strategist, and Smokescreen, their diversion tactician. Don’t ask me how I know all of this without checking Wikipedia. I just know. Personally, Bluestreak was always my favourite Autobot, although I always had a soft spot for Jazz. I just relate to Bluestreak. Often forgotten, he’s one of the best fighters the Autobots have and always unsure of himself. He makes jokes, no one ever laughs at. How can you not love the guy, especially when he fights against Laserbeak?

Likeness

I do not follow the War for Cybertron Transformers cartoons, but I am still a fan of Bluestreak. And this Earthrise action figure is my first Bluestreak toy ever. He’s already a favourite. This toy is evidently based on the Earthrise representation of the Autobot gunner. But then, the Earthrise toys try to stay close to the original Generation One Transformers’ toys. As a car, Bluestreak was a Datsun 280Z. The car represented here seems like a modernized version of a Nissan car, which would be the direct evolution of the original Datsun My Fair Lady cars from the 1960s and 1970s. This action figure is a complete repaint of the Earthrise Prowl.

You can tell that Hasbro and Takara are trying to appeal to older collectors by making Bluestreak as close as possible as the original G1 toy. First, he is grey, not blue. His legs and arms are red. The front of his hood is black, and the head is very similar to his classic look. His gunner shoulder cannons attach to him.

Sculpt

Bluestreak’s sculpt is superb. While his head appears a bit small, as is often the case with Transformers, his figure is dynamic and heroic. I enjoy his classic form with the wings on his back. I always prefer Transformers that use all parts of their alternative modes instead of those that hide an inner robot inside an armour that often ends up as a bulky backpack on their back. Bluestreak is the kind of Transformer that I like. All parts of his in car mode are reused in robot mode.

Paint

There is minimal paint application on Bluestreak. There is some of the wings of his helmet and the front of his chest. The plastic has a slight silver finish. The transparent plastic on his hood is painted black. The layers are thick enough to hide the transparent plastic beneath and resist peeling off after being rubbed and touched often.

Scale

This is a deluxe class Transformer. It fits in with other Transformers War for Cybertron toys. This scale is incompatible with older Transformers Classics toys as the car alternative mode is too narrow and small. In robot mode, he will look good with these action figures. Next to current Transformers such as the Studio Series Hot Rod, Bluestreak is slightly shorter which is good.

Stability

Bluestreak’s has a back hinge on his heels that allows him to stand up without having the sidewheels making him roll off. His soles are flat, so he is very stable. If you want to pose him with doing a karate kick, he’ll balance easily.

Articulations

I love the articulations on Bluestreak. He’s very easy to put him in various action poses. I enjoy how his arms, legs, and hips can move in various ways. He even has bicep and thigh curls. His head has the least articulations. Bluestreak’s transformation is self-evident but how one store his thighs inside of his feet and cabin is problematic. It is difficult and because of the fragility of the transparent plastic, be careful when applying pressure to store these thighs.

Plastic

The plastic is either the brittle type for the shins and roof or though one for the front hood, arms, doors, and thighs. The wheels are also made of solid plastic that will resist rough play with kids.

Props

Bluestreak comes with his gun and two shoulder cannons. He can store them on his roof in car mode or on the front hood. They cannot be stored within the action figure in car mode. The cannons can attach to his gun.

Packaging

The package is gorgeous with painted artwork featuring Bluestreak and technocyber imagery on the box and the back. Unfortunately, the artist is not credited. Bluestreak is stored within a plastic case within a window. He comes in robot mode within the box.

Cost

Bluestreak should be around $19.99 USD or $29.99 CAD.

Availability

Earthrise Bluestreak was released in the late fall of 2020. He could be found in many stores and with specialty toy retailers. It should be easy to find with specialty retailers such as comic stores and toy retailers.

Rating: 10 /10

Image Gallery:

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

RSS Mobile Contact Advertising Terms of Service