Transformers Legacy Evolution Voyager Class Nacelle

Admittedly, I am not familiar with Nacelle, but I did grab this from Amazon mostly out of curiosity and also that I have yet to experience a Cybertronian Seeker in my ‘G1’ WFC, SS86, and Legacy collection. My opinion on the quality of these figures over the past year(s) has been hit or miss. My opinion on the plastic-free packaging is even worse. ...Read MoreRead more about Admittedly, I am not familiar with

That said…

Positives: The overall design and ‘look’ of Nacelle is compelling. The colorways are vibrant. There is a lot of sculpted detail in the form of ‘greeble’. The end result is a strong looking figure, even though Nacelle’s origins unfamiliar to me. The transformation to alt mode is straightforward enough, locking up into a form evocative that memorable Cybertronian Seeker design, albeit somewhat embellished. My takeaway from this release is that it is neat. I would like to give it 2.5 stars, but not quite a 3.

They Great Mold Scare of ‘23: Some of you may have read about stories about copies of this figure arriving with what looks like a mold (or lubricant) on the plastic. This drove me to open and check my copy of Nacelle. As an aside, I do not like to open recent release of SS and Legacy because of the poor and difficult to reuse packaging design, but these rumors were concerning. My copy did have one small spot of this substance. I was able swab it out with a a-tip and rubbing alcohol quickly and cleanly. So, on to the…

Negatives: I have two big running issues with this ‘generation’ of Legacy (and SS) releases. These are QC and Packaging. I admittedly complain about the latter with every review, and I will continue to do so until something changes!

In regards to QC, I am feeling that the material quality (the plastic) is worse and worse over the years. I’ve experience several Legacy releases that feel, out of the box, like they will not hold up over time. Dion/Ariel 2-pack immediately comes to mind. I have had several other figures simply crumble at first handling. I’d say Nacelle isn’t the worst quality figure out of this generation, but, the transformation, while simple, requires precise tabbing and pressure points to lock itself into place in achieving alt mode. Because the plastic lacks rigidity in several places, I have concern that this figure will not last long term handling. The forearms for example, open to hide the hands, but the open and closing just wants to explode from other pressures during transformation. I would like to see the plastic and build quality set to a higher, heavier and more rugged standard.

In regards to packaging, the much advertised ‘plastic free’ packaging once again is a nuisance to work with, using twist ties with the addition of tape to hold the twist ties down. I have to issues with this. One, this makes the packaging difficult to reuse for storage. Two, as an experience, it does not look good and cheapens the presentation of the product. I don’t mind the windowless packaging, which generally works great with opportunity to showcase art and visual storytelling. The interior would be better served with a reusable clamshell, eliminating the need for twist ties and tape. The manual is fine, but the transformations illustrations are difficult to decipher in areas.

What would be an example of good packaging? The benchmark of good packaging IMHO are the Takara Legends releases, for the following reasons:
- Windowed box, clam shell interior. Displays beautifully and reusable for storage or otherwise.
- Colorful, descriptive, and full of storytelling. These releases show case the figures beautifully on all sides and often came with comics expanding on storytelling. Lovely!
- Lastly, and not applicable to all release, figures were packed in alt mode. The thrill of Transformers is discovering the robot in disguise. Let’s not forget that. Read LessRead less about Admittedly, I am not familiar with