Trailcutter (aka Trailbreaker)-- at long last!-- gets a "regular"-sized, modern update with this Generations release. His 4WD truck alt mode has the same general "feel" as his G1 toy, but with a more modern, slightly more streamlined vehicle that doesn't have so much "junk in the trunk", so to speak. There's no robot mode extras whatsoever, which is always a good thing. However, despite his being somewhat compact, Trailcuter is small in this mode, even by 2013 cost-cutting deluxe standards, which is something to take into consideration given his price. His color scheme of nearly solid black isn't going to win him any awards in this mode, but it's certainly G1-accurate, and he has the same yellow/red stripe patterns along his sides that he did on his G1 toy (though they're a bit less prevalent on this release). This, along with the silver missile rack (which can move up and down a little) and the guns mounted on top of his roof, as well as his silver grill and pale gold headliights, at least provides him a little color. However, he really could've used some more paint apps on the back end-- no colored taillights or any sort of rear paint apps are on the toy, which looks quite boring. His transparent plastic is a tinted clear shade, which looks rather black-ish as well, adding to this mode's monotony. Trailcutter has a fair number of 5mm ports in this mode to beef up his weaponrry-- he's got one on the top of his missile rack, two on the top near the back end, and two on each side of this mode, near the bottom of the car doors.
    Trailcutter's transformation to robot mode is fairly simple and straightforward, but it has the intended effect-- this robot mode is most definitely Trailcutter's, being mostly his IDW design with a little bit of G1 added in. One of the best things about this mode is that he's got no vehicle mode extras at all-- even his roof fits very well on his back without getting in the way visually, and I love his his chest/front bumper compresses slightly so he's not stuck with a ridiculously barrel chest or dumpy stomach like his G1 toy. Even his vehicle mode side mirrors are used as tabs to hold his shoulders in place! Here also is where some of his mold detailing shines through, such as on his abs, the lines on his waist and lower arms, and some of his other general details which give him a bit more visual interest in this mode than in vehicle mode. His headsculpt is very well-done, with a slight frown on his face which is indicative of his characterization lately. (Unfortunately, his light piping doesn't work well due to the missile rack right behind his head blocking light.) On top of all this, his color scheme here is considerably more varied than just "all black"; yes, there's a fair amount of that blah light milky gray plastic, but the orange paint and plastic looks nice and contrasts very well with the black, and the bits of blue and silver help add a bit more to his color variety. Trailcutter's general proportions are pretty good, with his shoulders being a bit overly wide but otherwise looking quite nice, with a somewhat stocky build, particularly in the arms. There are two eyesores in this mode, though, and they're rather big, noticeable gaps on the insides of his lower arms and lower legs, due to his transformation. It's not quite as obvious here because of the black plastic, but still... it reminds you once again of the cost cutting measures Hasbro has implemented recently, and that even though Trailcutter now LOOKS a normal deluxe's size in this mode, he's still a bit lighter than your average deluxe. For articulation, Trailcutter can move at the neck, shoulders, elbows (at two points), inwards at the wrists, and at the waist, hips, (at two points), knees, and slightly forward at the toes. Other than knee and wrist rotation he's got your poseability ranges covered, and he's very well-balanced and steady, so he can get into some pretty nice poses. For a weapon, Trailcutter's upper back half of his vehicle mode pops off to become either a double-barreled gun or a shield, depending on how you have him hold it or mount it on the side of his lower arm (there are a few different handles on the underside of this piece that allow Trailcutter to hold it different ways). A nice little accessory, though I wish the guns could move a little.
    Generations Trailcutter is a decent update for those who have long been wanting a larger modern version of this character-- he's got a great range of movement, great proportions, and a complete lack of kibble in BOTH modes. However, he is a bit small/hollow for a deluxe, and his vehicle mode really needed more paint apps to be remotely visually interesting. His transformation is also very by-the-book and nothing that won't wow, though it gets the job done. Mildly recommended, keeping in mind the aforementioned drawbacks.

Review by Beastbot

Back to Transformers: Generations Index