Tag Archives: Lynx

Toy Review – Earthrise Sky Lynx

Last year we saw the introduction of the Commander Class in the Generations toyline of the Transformers franchise.  This new classification of toy size was for those characters that were much bigger than even the likes of Optimus and Megatron in the G1 cartoon and the fans wanted a toy to match.

So far we had only had Jetfire, and what a damn cool toy he turned out to be!  This year we have gotten our second Commander Class toy.  The Space Dragon with an ego almost as big as his hull, we get Sky Lynx.

 

A bit of history about Sky Lynx

More photos of G1 Sky Lynx HERE

The original Sky Lynx was a very unique toy and a very unique character in the G1 franchise.  The toy was made up of two distinct pieces; a motorized troop carrier box that could turn into a giant, twin-tailed Lynx beast, and a space shuttle that could turn into a sorta Dinobird monster.  These could operate independently of each other in the cartoon and were controlled by the one consciousness that was Sky Lynx, effectively making him the brands second DuoCon, after Omega Supreme.  More often than not in the cartoon however, the space shuttle usually carried the troop carrier on the bottom of its hull in order to transport Autobots through space.  In robot mode the Lynx and Dinobird portions combined into Sky Lynx’s complete robot form, with size and strength enough to take on the likes of Predaking independently, and even take a pot shot at Trypticon.  In this complete form, the toy could walk, once again making it fairly unique in the toyline.

We didn’t see a Sky Lynx toy for many years, until the Predacons Rising subset of the Prime cartoon and toyline.  While he still had his Space Dragon mode and was big, he wasn’t huge and had a robot mode instead of a space shuttle mode.  That combined with being a Predacon meant that fans were underwhelmed by the characters return to screen.

Review of Beast Hunters Sky Lynx HERE

A few years later we got another Sky Lynx figure.  This time a Voyager class toy in the Combiner Wars line which was much more an homage to G1.  He had his space shuttle and Space Dragon modes, by could not separate.  Instead he became the torso of a combiner Sky Reign – with the head of a Lynx.  This toy was more warmly received, but being only Voyager class and not having all the modes of the G1 toy, fans still did not get their proper Sky Lynx fix.

Review of team Sky Reign HERE

 

Well, now in 2020 weve finally got what we were waiting for, a proper reimagining of the Sky Lynx figure, and boy was it worth the wait!  So with our history lesson done, lets move onto looking at this fantastic new toy!

 

Space Shuttle Mode

A really nice, really big looking space shuttle.  Sky Lynx is trying to finally have an Earth disguise with NASA printed on the side.  You will note that the name on the side of the shuttle is ‘Magnificence’, both a reference to a large story arc from the Transformers IDW comics, as well as to Sky Lynx’s opinion of himself.

The top of the shuttle opens up, just as the G1 toy did, to reveal what could either be considered escape pods or cargo pods.  I’m inclined to think of them as the latter.  Besides this there are not many play features to the space shuttle, but its still a damn nice looking toy.

Dinobird Mode

Very faithful to the G1 concept, with instead of two eyes it having a row of the space shuttle windows for viewing.  The wings are a great improvement, both with the detail on the blue sections to make them look more like robotic feathers, but also the fact the wings can now be angles up and down instead of going out from the body on a straight angle. Speaking of posing, the Dinobird has in his legs hip joint swivel, ankle tilts and knees, making it much easier to pose.

The head is a bit big for my liking in Dinobird mode, but one thing I do like is that instead of just having a blaster for a tongue, he now has a tongue and blaster and both can be moved about on a separate hinge in his mouth.  Combine this with the fire effects that come with the toy it can give him a nice offensive posture.

 

Troop Carrier Mode

It was pretty boring on the G1 toy, just being a blue box.  This is a bit better, though not that much.  At least it comes with big tank tracks on the side to make it look like it is supposed to move around under its own power.  Unfortunately, unlike the G1 toy it doesn’t move around under its own power, though it does have wheels so it will roll.   The lack of batteries has opened up the inside so that other small Transformer figures such as Micromasters can ride inside it.

Please, no ‘enter me from the rear’ jokes, as tempting as they are

Add a couple of lasers to the front and it looks like something industrial designed to navigate a rough planet or asteroid, something out of a sci-fi like the new Thunderbirds or perhaps Starship Troopers.

Lynx Mode

At least the head can actually stick up more this time, rather than constantly looking at his own feet.  Once again very faithful to the G1 concept, even down to the twin tails.

A cool new addition is that like the Dinobird it can now shoot fire from its mouth.  The figure also has some (but limited) leg articulation.

 

Space Shuttle Transport Mode

A thing of friggin beauty!  Having the two halves of the toy combined really gives it a physical presence the character deserved, and feels strong and bulky in the hand to boot!  Besides holding it in the air and yelling ‘zoom!’ the only real play features are that you can open up the back and unfold a ramp to load Micromaster vehicles, and you can put flame effects in the shuttle exhausts.  But all said, it’s a great looking toy – just make sure you get the two halves of the toy tabbed together correctly.

 

Combined Robot Form

And here he is!  Truly magnificent!  Here the head now seems perfectly in proportion as does everything really.  With the fact you can move the prehensile neck, adjust the knees and ankles and wings you can pose him quite well for a character that lacks traditional hips and has no arms.

And the size of him is fantastic, I honestly expected him to be around the same size as the G1 toy but he dwarfs his predecessor.

 

Space Shuttle Launch Base Mode

If all of the above weren’t good enough, we even get a new mode!  The troop carrier/lynx portion of the toy can fold out and become a base for the space shuttle with built in launch pad.  While this was pretty cool with the latest Astrotrain figure to come out, its even cooler looking here due to the size.  A particularly nice touch I thought was the extendable ramps that lead from the ground all the way up to the shuttles storage pods, making it look like it is taking on supplies before heading into space.

 

Worth Getting?

Australia is one of the first places in the world to get it and right now is fairly easy to find at the Big W toy sale for $119(au).  Sky Lynx is definitely worth the price tag.  With so many modes there is an absolute ton of play value to be had here.  The transformations are quite easy and very indicative of the G1 toy.  Whilst some collectors may be annoyed at the simplicity, I’m not as it means that you can change Sky Lynx into whichever of his multitude of modes suits your play without having to spend 10 minutes doing so.  So not only is this figure great for G1 enthusiasts as well as Transformer Collectors in general, but means it is also great for younger fans too with the easy accessibility it provides.  I cannot recommend this toy heartily enough – as loathe as I am to coddle an ego that is already so big, this Sky Lynx is worthy of the name Magnificence.

 

Got a Sky Lynx too, or thinking of picking one up?  Tell us in the comments section below!

 

Related Articles:

*Multiverse Sky Lynx Gallery

*Toys Review – Team Sky Reign

*Classic Toy Reviews – Beast Hunters & Combiner Wars Sky Lynx

Multiverse Sky Lynx Toys Gallery

MULTIVERSE SKY LYNX GALLERY

Please note: The photo set I had built at my last farm was destroyed in a move, so while I have added photo’s of Earthrise Sky Lynx to this gallery, he will not be properly shot like the other three figures until I build a new one.

 

Individual Figure Pic’s

Generation One Sky Lynx

Name: Sky Lynx
Toyline: Generation One
Mode: Cybertronian Beast
Mode: Cybertronian Dinobird
Mode: Cybertronian Lynx
Mode: Space Shuttle

 

Combiner Wars Sky Lynx

Name: Sky Lynx
Toyline: Combiner Wars
Mode: Cybertonian Beast
Mode: Space Shuttle

 

Preadacons Rising Skylynx

Name: Skylynx
Toyline: Beast Hunters – Predacons Rising
Mode: Cybertronian Beast
Mode: Robot

 

Earthrise Sky Lynx

Space Shuttle Mode
Dinobird Mode
Troop Carrier Mode
Lynx Mode
Space Shuttle Transport Mode
Space Dragon Mode
Launch Base Mode

 

Comparison Pic’s

Cybertronian Beast modes
Cybertronian Beast Modes
Space Shuttle modes
Space Shuttle Modes
Dinobird Modes
Lynx Modes
Space Dragon Modes

 

Related Articles:

Toys Reiew: CW Sky Lynx and BH Skylynx

Toys Review: Team Sky Reign

Toy Review: Earthrise Sky Lynx

Toys Review – Team Sky Reign

Team Sky Reign of the Combiner Wars is one of those groups that doesn’t quite make sense considering the characters in play.  Four ground vehicle Autobots from Season 2 of the cartoon, a giant space shuttle Autobot from season 3 as the body and then the Junkion Leader as some sort of proxy backpack. Pretty odd group to become a gestalt eh?  Personally I purchased these simply as I find it very hard to pass up a figure that is a G1 character homage – unlike the traditional combiner teams (Stunticons, Protectobots etc) these guys will be staying separate rather than in their gestalt form for the most part in my display.

 

Robot Modes

Hound – Scout

Quite a nice looking Hound. The mould suits him really well and is indicative of his other incarnations. Good colours and poseability. Nice head sculpt too and the facial expression suits Hound quite well – no chain-beards here!

Hound1

Smokescreen – Diversionary Tactician

Lovely colours, but one of the boxiest Smokescreens we’ve had in years. No particularly sleek lines and no doors coming off the shoulders. Legs and arms fairly poseable. Nice forehead fins in yellow, a bit too blue in the legs.

Smokescreen1

Trailbreaker – Defensive Tactician

Actually – surprisingly good! For me the Generations version had the front of the vehicle facing too far forward instead of downward for him to be truly Trailbreaker’esque. The flat chest and stomach actually seem to suit the figure well. Another bonus is his rounded blaster hand – this is something I never noticed in any of the pics I saw online so was a very pleasant surprise and helps give him his own feel. A shame they put it on the right hand instead of the left as in the cartoon it was always the left but you can overlook it. Good poseability, great colours, excellent head sculpt.

Trailbreaker1

Wheeljack – Mechanical Engineer

Wanna know why Wheeljack is so small in the picture? Because every time I took a photo up close Wheeljack appeared as a flare because he is so white with nothing breaking it up! All the rumours you’ve heard about Wheelkjacks lack of paint apps are true. They’ve given him the windshield on the gut yet its white, his hands are white – everything is plain white! Worst looking Wheeljack we’ve had for years (if you don’t count the Tiny Titans one).

Wheeljack1

Sky Lynx – Lieutenant Commander

A nice looking Sky Lynx indeed. While the poseability isn’t great nearly every part of him can be repositioned to some extent (wings, tail, legs, feet, neck, mouth) so you can give him different looks. Blasters can be attached to the wings or to elongate the tail.

Skylynx1

Wreck Gar – Junkion Leader

The beard should have been a bit less dark, as it is it looks like a big black smudge on the bottom of his face – a shame since there is actual definition between the mustache and the beard.  He is very lanky too but pretty good for such a small figure.  Could’ve used an axe.

IMG_3525

 

Vehicle Modes

Hound – Army Jeep

Like Swindle this is his weaker mode. It’s not a bad looking jeep overall but it doesn’t quite work on some levels. That said, it’s a more grown-up looking jeep than the Universe version and a more milatristic looking jeep than the Alternators version. Having the star on the hood and being able to put the silver gun at the back and off to one side make this toy look more Hound’esque. Once again like Swindle there are little details like saddlebags etc on the sides which are easy to overlook as they have received no paint apps.

Hound2

Smokescreen – Sports Car

Very nice indeed! Well proportioned, good paintjob, 38’s on the doors and hood – overall very Smokescreen’esque.

Smokescreen2

Trailbreaker – SUV

A case where using the hand/foot attachment actually seems to serve some purpose. It acts like a removable cab over the ute tray to give him much more of a G1 feel. This is ruined if you look at him from behind with the thumb sticking out and all but from the front and sides it really works. They also got the stripes just right on the sides of the vehicle.

Trailbreaker2

Wheeljack – Race Car

Certainly his redeeming mode. Looks really good and is very faithful in shape, colour and concept to the Wheeljack character. Very nice indeed if still somewhat plain looking.

Wheeljack2

Sky Lynx – Space Shuttle

Besides the undercarriage sticking out from under the back of the Space Shuttle good and it’s very faithful to the original Sky Lynx concept in terms of proportions, colour scheme and shape. Very nice. Blasters can once again be attached to the wings.

SklyLynx2

Wreck Gar – Motorcycle

A sleek, futuristic looking motorcycle.  Could have used a bit more gray instead of yellow and maybe the odd spike.  Not a bad reuse of the Groove mold however.

IMG_3526

 

Combined Mode – Sky Reign

I showed up once in the comics where I had different limb characters and worked for Galvatron. How humiliating!

Actually, you know what?  It’s not that bad looking a gestalt!  The Lynx head looks very cool indeed and differentiates him from the other gestalts in look.  Sky Lynx overall works really well as a torse, providing a great looking head, chest and limb connectors.  The fact his two blasters combine into one huge sword is very cool too.  The rest of the team are quite interchangeable as limbs, it doesn’t really seem to affect the look too much whom you put where.  Smokescreen in particular looks like his  colour scheme works well alongside that of Sky Lynx.  The limbs aren’t really super impressive, you’ve seen all these molds as limbs on the other combiners before.  But the overall effect of these guys combined is better than I thought it would be and Sky Reign can be posed in a myriad of ways.  Wreck-Gar really doesn’t work anywhere on him, not even as an odd looking backpack, I can understand why he was dropped from the official description of the gestalt at the last second.  It’s interesting that Sky Reign has finally shown up in popular fiction (the IDW comics Transformers #52 & #53) yet not only was Wreck-Gar left out but the limbs were completely different characters.

Overall it’s a fun group (Wheeljacks poor robot look notwithstanding) with a surprisingly fun combined mode.  It’s a shame that Wreck Gar doesn’t really connect properly since all the other gestalts are made up of six figures (even if they just become a weapon) but there are ways around it.  So Wave 6 of the Combiner Wars gets a big thumbs up from Big Transformer Trev.

 

Related Posts:

Classic Reviews of Beast Hunters and Combiner Wars Sky Lynx

Multiverse Gallery of Sky Lynx toys