Blackjack (Generation 2) - Generations Combiner Wars - Legends Figure


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We're talking about Blackjack today. It may or may not come as a surprise to you that Blackjack has no actual original G2 counterpart. Nor do Runabout or Runamuck from whom the toy's design took original inspiration. But that's okay. I love G2, and I love Blackjack. And they fused a really beautifully G2 coloring on to this mold.

Purple and cyan is where we're at now, and this is something we haven't had much time with: the purple plastic in this set. And it's not just purple, this is violet. It's a deep, rich color, rather glossy, and given some metallic flecks for just a bit more light catching. It's fantastically pretty, and quite visually complex.

And it's accented with cyan paint applications on the door panels and the tips of the spoiler rack. I've already talked about how much I like this cyan on the other toys, and I adore it just as much in its use here. There are also little spots of silver for the headlights which stand out in a nice way, plus black paint for all the windows.

It would have been nice if the hubcaps could have been painted silver, but I believe the wheels are in fact unpaintable plastic. It's a shame, but unavoidable given the mold layouts.

Sadly I don't find the parts fit to be quite as good as original flavor Blackjack. The back window doesn't stay tabbed down as closely with the trunk.

Nor do the doors fit flush to the body. For something this small, these issues don't cause problems for the car's stability, but it is a little disappointing.

The axe weapon can still do its thing and be a combination spoiler and rooftop cannon. It still looks dumb, regardless of how pretty a color it is. If not for the handle or cannon barrel if you prefer, this would make the car look really good just as a spoiler part. At least in terms of color balance. The shape would still be goofy.

There has not been a deco on this mold that I haven't loved, and this one may top them all. Two colors that I already loved now sharing almost equal time and playing off each other so well. It's so fantastic, and this is really where Blackjack gets that G2 feel. More fluorescence in the cyan would certainly crank that up, but it's totally pushing those buttons for me as is.

The color matching from the cyan plastic on the body to the paint on the forearms is really close to the unassisted eye. As ever, there's a chance the camera may make differences in the shade more pronounced.

The face comes off wonderfully, from silver faceplate, to red visor and cyan helmet.

The small amounts of structural and painted black visible stay very low key and don't feel like they're intruding on the colors.

I almost want to say I wish there was silver on the knees and shoulders because it vaguely feels like it's missing the shine of the metallic paint from the original's deco. But at the same time it's hard for me to say that this does anything wrong at all. My objectivity in this may have long since vanished, I must admit.

While the vehicle's parts fit wasn't ideal, the joint tolerances are a different matter. The numerous ball joints are nicely sturdy, moreso than would be required for a toy this size. The shoulders are a little stiffer than I'd really prefer, but since the bicep wheels are gonna mess with posing anyway, I'm not too bothered. And the elbow joints have all the tension they need to do their job. The swivel loosens a little when turned to the outside, but it's not major. The neck joint moves very smoothly, just about the same as the original.

The fit of the axe in the hand feels a little tighter than I'd like, but it does go without much trouble. Neither does it feel like it's imposing any excess of stress on the plastic, so I don't think there's any breakage worry for this.

But, the axe still looks really dumb, and its awkward shape and size mean it's still almost impossible to pose reasonably with. I ought not to complain about a 2015 Legend mold that got an accessory, but a year later and I still barely comprehend why this thing even exists given how terrible it is at everything it's supposed to do.

G2 is my fourth instance of the Blackjack mold, and I think it's quickly turned in to my favorite. Mind, I love them all, but this one isn't an ironically entertaining tiny co-torso Rodimus, and it's not just black or might-as-well-be-black. It's a great mold that's finally visually interesting within its own identity. Even if you aren't as enamored of the mold as I am, there's no denying this version is super pretty and is at a minimum some really nice icing on top of this Menasor set.

So at this point with everybody being some substantial degree of success, surely Motormaster won't break the trend for us, right?



ReviewerExVee  
DateMarch 21st 2016  
Score 9 stars (9 out of 10)  
Reads4707


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