Originally written January 2020.
Since 2014, every Transformers Generations sub-line has had some kind of fandom vote, to decide on the identity of a figure or figures in the line. This has ranged from creating an entire new character through a series of polls (hello, Windblade!), to just picking which G1 character from this small list will be in the line (Trypticon, I guess). For Siege, the fan vote was for which showdown of two enemies would get a pair of figures, and Mirage and Impactor won. They each received a brand-new Deluxe-class figure in the fourth series of the line, but they were also given special retools and redecos in this boxed set, which is exclusive to Amazon, and as of right now, still available in Canada. They’re both kind of odd redecos in their own ways, and what makes it odder is they decided to throw a third figure into the set: Powerdasher Aragon, the third and final member of the three Powerdashers. For more on what they are, see my review of Zetar. So, this is a strange set, conceptually, with each figure kind of doing its own distinct thing, instead of having a unifying theme, and I’ll get into that more with each individual figure’s review, below.
Holo Mirage
I’ve talked about Mirage previously, in my review of Ocular Max Sphinx Regenesis. To sum it up: He’s one of those classic first-year Autobots without much personality (he’s a rich blue-blood, and really wanted to go back to Cybertron in the original miniseries), but he has a cool formula-one altmode, and that, plus his status as a 1984 original means he tends to get a lot of exposure in the toy world. He’s actually had a few modern figures already, so he definitely only won this poll because he’s paired with Impactor. A lot of G1 characters tend to become known by their powers instead of their personalities, and in Mirage’s case, he’s known for being able to go invisible (hence his name), so for this multipack release, he’s clear blue to imitate this special ability, something that a few Mirage figures have also done before as special releases. I generally don’t care for “in the moment”-style action figures like these, so he’s got a bit of an uphill battle to prove himself.
Robot Mode
Sculpt-wise, this is pure G1 Mirage, and pure 1984 Autobot car, complete with the car front on his chest, and shoulder launcher. That being said, I’m not a fan of how he’s a bit bulky and wide, like a linebacker, as I tend to think of this character as a bit sleeker, thanks to the old Classics toy (and Sphinx). He’s got a bit of loose vehicle mode parts in the form of wheels sticking out of the backs of his legs, and panels hanging off of his shoulders, but they don’t get in the way, and look more stylish than anything else.
He’s got a different headsculpt from his mainline release, styled to specifically look like the G1 toy’s head instead of the cartoon’s design. And it’s a really nice-looking sculpt, compared to Ocular Max’s Sphinx Regenesis, which was aiming for the same thing, but didn’t quite hit it. It’s a shame they used that head on this figure, though, as I’d like to see it show up on a non-translucent, more general release, since, as much as they try, clear plastic tends to swallow up details.
So, let’s talk about these colors. He’s mostly clear blue, to simulate invisibility. But to their credit, they got creative with it. Some parts, like his chest, have transparent paint masks applied to them to create this really interesting effect, this honeycomb-shaped texture. This transparent paint has also been used to give him a number of tampos, including racing decals, and sponsors that are all fanservice-y references (“Visages” is the bar he ran on the Lost Light, for example).
While his face may be hard to make out, his solid yellow eyes are really piercing, look kind of creepy, in a way I dig, like a spectre peering out of the darkness. On top of it all, he’s also not all transparent. Important joints on the figure are instead cast in a solid blue that melds as best as it can.
I think what makes this both work and not work is that I don’t read it as “a temporary power he’s using.” Between the dedicated alternate deco and the new head, I read him as permanently being semi-invisible, which is not what he’s supposed to be in-universe, but works as some kind of alternate take on the character.
Another relief: Thanks to the type of plastic used and the non-transparent joints, he feels really sturdy in-hand, assuaging another fear I had, that of the clear plastiv being fragile. That’s good, because he’s got that typically nice Siege poseability (no wrist swivels, but whatevs), and is stable enough to make good use of it.
Accessory-wise, there’s just enough stuff with him to make him feel above average. He’s got an impressively-sized laser rifle, and a shoulder launcher you can mount on either side of him. It’s got a removable missile on it that can also become a handheld weapon, something even Sphinx didn’t do. In a line that often seems to under-arm its figures to sell weapon expansions, he feels nicely complete.
He’s a bit short on weapons mounting points, though, only having ports on his back, shoulders, and arm panels.
Transformation
There’s a lot of fakery going on here. As it turns out, his chest hood doesn’t actually form the front of his car, despite appearances. Instead, his legs explode outwards to form the nose of the Formula One racer. It’s a strange, kind of different transformation, and involves turning him into two big chunks held together on a strut, and then folding the strut to bring those two together until they click into one solid piece. It’s an impressive bit of engineering, because it could have gone very wrong, but it forms a solid alternate mode.
Vehicle Mode
Like many Siege figures, Mirage is only a Cybertronian vehicle in theory, and in practice, resembles a nonspecific Earth Formula-1 racer more than anything else. Of course, making it clear blue helps sell this version’s alien-ness. It’s not obvious that his fake robot mode car front is hiding out on the back of the actual car, but I wonder how well this fakery works when the whole thing isn’t a detail-swallowing clear blue.
Either way, it’s kind of an odd-looking racer, though, in that it seems rather non-aerodynamic, thanks to the weirdly high spoiler in the back, and the chunk of parts around and in front of it. Colors-wise, it’s still clear and blue, and all of the tampos aside from the hood make their way onto the car’s spoiler.
Despite the non-sleek appearance, the car mode rolls well, at least. In terms of other gimmickery, his weapons can mount on his spoiler, however, they make an already awkward-looking race car look even less aerodynamic.
Overall
Honestly, this was the figure I was least interested in in this set, since the idea of a figure of a temporary form didn’t really appeal to me. In hand, though, he surprised me with how good he turned out to be. The unique deco is more complicated and inventive than just “make him clear,” and mold-wise, he’s a pretty good Deluxe, with a good set of complete-feeling accessories, a nifty transformation, and a great robot sculpt. His vehicle mode’s a bit awkward looking, but outside of that, if you want another Autobot or enjoy Mirage as a character, I’d recommend at least his single-packed release, and I find myself more enamored with this clear version than I thought I’d be.
(2021 note: I’ve heard people warn that his transparent plastic is prone to stressing and breaking, but I can safely say that I’ve owned and transformed him plenty since he came out, and I haven’t experienced issues. Maybe I just got lucky, but he also does, again, feel plenty durable in-hand.)
Decepticon Impactor
This guy’s definitely the reason this pair won the fan vote, and this retool of him is the reason most people are probably getting this set. Impactor’s an obscure, comics-only character created for Marvel’s UK Transformers comics in the 80’s. He was the original leader of the Wreckers (a squadron of the Autobot’s greatest warriors), and at the end of the first multi-issue storyline they appeared in, he died so Springer could take over (it’s comics, though, so that wouldn’t be Impactor’s last appearance). He gained a second surge of popularity when IDW comics revived the character in the 21st century for their fan-beloved Last Stand of the Wreckers miniseries, as the Wrecker’s former, disgraced leader, and he’d go on to make plenty of other IDW comics appearances after that. While Impactor’s gotten a couple of toys over the last decade, they were both retools of other figures, and one is a hard-to-get Collector’s Club exclusive, so him winning this poll meant he got his first newly-tooled, totally original, mass-released figure ever. The reason this giftset version is in demand, though, is because while his retail release is styled after his classic Marvel UK appearances, this version has an alternate head styled after his more well-known IDW comics appearance (plus a bit more paint). It also, strangely, brands him as a Decepticon, even though Impactor has always been an Autobot. My guess is they decided to run with the plot point in the IDW comics that he was a friend and bar-buddy of Megatron’s before the war. Wrong faction aside, let’s see how this toy actually is.
Robot Mode
This is one of the bigger and more substantial-feeling Deluxes in the Siege line, standing about as tall as Ironhide. Impactor’s fictional appearances have always kept the broad strokes of his look basically the same, so this toy’s body imitates the design and colors of both his Marvel and IDW appearances without having to commit to one or the other. His oddly flat shoulder cannon, for example, is a signature part of his design, preserved faithfully here. His IDW-specific head, meanwhile, looks sort of like a Roman soldier’s helmet, and has an oddly chiselled, statue-like face, with an impressive set of lips.
Impactor’s colors were G2 before G2 was a thing, and so this version’s colored in a caution-tape yellow, purple, and grey, with caution stripes and other details added by a generous amount of paint apps, including a few more hazard stripes than can be found on the retail toy. His Decepticon symbol’s located just above his right pec, and bends along an edge halfway through, so it’s not the easiest thing to replace, though you can probably fit a Toyhax faction symbol over it if you’re careful.
Impactor feels really solid in-hand, like they spent more time than usual engineering him. He’s got some visible plastic gaps on his legs, but honestly, he still feels hefty. Poseability-wise, not only does he have ankle tilts, but he’s one of the only mainline Transformers I’ve seen who has an ab crunch (the ability to bend at the wait), thanks to his transformation. Not only does he pose well, but his poseability combined with his sculpt to give him that nebulous thing where his personality really shines through. This guy’s a tough, trigger-happy action hero, regardless of the faction symbol on him. On the other hand, his feet like to collapse in on themselves when you’re not looking, and he doesn’t have wrist swivels, but those are to facilitate a nice little gimmick, which I’ll talk about below.
There’s a lot you can do with Impactor’s accessories. He’s got a larger grey gun, and a smaller pistol-harpoon thing. Impactor has a harpoon hand in most fiction, so to accommodate that, you can flip either of his fists away, to reveal weapons ports where his hands went, the better to put the harpoon in.
Meanwhile, his grey gun can be held in his hand, or mounted on top of his shoulder cannon, and can be combined with the harpoon-pistol. Aside from the mounting points on his wrists and cannon, he’s got two more on each arm, and one on the outside of each leg.
Transformation
Not much to say here, aside from “it works.” His legs do explode into pretty much the entire lower half of the tank, though. Also, his larger grey gun is essential to form the tank’s turret, if you want him to look complete.
Vehicle Mode
This tank mode’s an original design to this figure, rather than imitating anything he’s transformed into in the past. That being said, it’s a nice, hefty, impressive-looking tank, with ram scoops in the front, and extra little guns sculpted on the sides, in addition to the two barrels on his turret. His now-traditional Siege battle-scouring is much more visible as silver paint splatters above his treads, making it look like he’s been running through dust of some sort. I also dig how the way he transforms results in a near-perfect color division of purple turret and yellow body.
The most impressive thing to me is that his turret rotates, something that a lot of modern transforming tanks at this scale can’t manage, and his turret raises and lowers. He also rolls well on tiny wheels beneath his fake treads. His other notable feature, though, is that he’s positively lousy with weapons ports in this mode, including on the sides of the tank, on either side of the barrel, on top of the turret, and on his back. It’s really easy and fun to deck him out with way too many weapons, which suits the character.
Overall
It sounds repetitive, but this is a really good figure, and one that feels larger and more-developed than a lot of the Siege, and that’s saying something. He may have loose feet, but aside from that, he’s got an incredibly well-designed robot mode, a fun transformation, a surprisingly well-engineered tank mode, and a great set of accessories. I definitely recommend picking up some version of this guy. As for which version, it depends strictly on which headsculpt you like better, and whether you want the other two figures in the set. Either way, you can’t lose. That’s the good thing about fan-vote winners: The figures they get always feel like they had a bit of extra effort put into their creation.
Powerdasher Aragon
This is the wildcard of the set. Despite it supposedly being a multipack based around the two winners of the fan-vote, and despite the other two Powerdashers being released as Generations Selects exclusives, the final member of the team, Aragon, was released here. He happens to be a retool of the one Weaponizer I’ve already reviewed, Cog, and just based on pictures, was the one I was least interested in. Here’s what’s different from him compared to Cog.
Weapons Mode
Aragon actually comes packaged split into his component parts, already being used by both Mirage and Impactor. In Mirage’s case, he’s given a big pair of shoulder cannons, which make him kind of back-heavy, unfortunately, but look mean when posed correctly. Given that Mirage is supposed to be in stealth mode, it conjures up a funny image of his enemies just seeing a giant pair of cannons hover over to them.
On Impactor’s side, he gets a large shield, and a pair of boots to extend his already-extensive height. A good thing about the shield is that you can plug it directly into one of Impactor’s wrist ports, letting him hold it properly, and not awkwardly tilted forwards, like most figures have to, thanks to the straight peg on the back. On the other hand, Aragon’s retooled larger head causes a design problem, in that the shield’s front can’t properly close anymore, thanks to that head getting in the way. I can intentionally mistransform him a bit to fix it, though. Neither figure are given Aragon’s two guns in any form, but there’s plenty of places on both of them to mount them. Also, when these two face each other in this form, the height difference between them is kinda funny.
Transformation to Robot Mode
Basically, you’re just building him from his component parts back into a robot man, easy peasy.
Robot Mode
You know, it’s really interesting how a new headsculpt and colors can totally change up a figure’s vibe. Cog looked to me like a generic background robot from a latter-day Transformers production. Meanwhile, Aragon has one of those strange-looking retro 70’s headsculpts, unlike what you’d usually see in Transformers, and slaps on a red, black and silver colorscheme, to become something different. He has a similar vibe to Zetar, where he feels more like a GoBot, and despite his guns, feels kind of non-threatening and helpful-looking.
Like Cog, he’s got the same impressive-for-his-function Siege poseability, and the same pair of black pistols, and the same stability, as a good, solid robot action figure.
Aside from that, though, everything about the visuals hits differently.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode
He’s a partsformer, again. Not much else to be said, really.
Vehicle Mode
While Aragon still transforms into a big pile of nothing on wheels, the retro-robot aesthetic makes it feel like less of an afterthought, and more of a deliberate, charming affect.
And he can still split into two vehicles, if you want, though the instructions, again, neglect to mention it.
Overall
Like with Mirage, I was pleasantly surprised by this Aragon, after expecting not to like him as much as I did. This Cog retool went from a background generic to a funny-looking 70s retro robot, and it worked out pretty well. The whole aesthetic shift even makes his nonsense-on-wheels vehicle mode work way better. I don’t know if it’s worth the price of the other two figures to complete the Powerdashers, but he’s good for what he is, and does more for me than just “be the last member of the trio,” though he certainly does that pretty well.
The 3-Pack Overall
Like I said in the header, this is a conceptually odd set. You have a retool of Impactor designed to appeal to IDW fans (but one that has the wrong faction), a clear repaint of Mirage designed to capture him while he’s invisible, and the third and final member of a team that’s otherwise sold separately and single-packed. I can’t help but feel like they were fishing for as many angles as possible to sell this set to people, and each of the angles really only justified one figure out of three. I personally decided to get the set for two reasons: The Cooler Impactor and the last Powerdasher. Conceptual oddities aside, though, all three figures are well-done in their own ways, even the one I wasn’t really interested in. Summing it up, I’d say all three together are worth grabbing. As molds, it’s definitely worth owning Impactor and Mirage in some form, even if it’s the single-packed versions, and as a set, even the one I wasn’t into impressed me. It’s just three strong Deluxe figures, each with a different thing going on.
(More 2021 notes: You know what, I still stand by this opinion: This set contains three fun figures, that still hold up, and are all unique enough that they’re not going to get replaced any time soon. If you have a shot at this set still, I’d say go for it. One thing that’s a shame though is that the Generations Fan Votes seem to have ended, with Kingdom not having received one.)
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