Thanks to Philip Reed’s Transforming Collections Kickstarter, I’ve decided to do a few reviews from a 3rd Party company that I really dig, Headrobots. They’re infamous for making Headmaster style add-on kits, as well as some pretty kickass non-transforming head kits. This is definitely their M.O. but if you read the exclusive interview I did with Headrobots a couple months ago, you’ll know that they’ve got some awesome custom figures in development as well, most notably Big Road, their version of Trailbreaker. But I digress, so without further adieu, Butcher!
My first Headrobots kit was the BBTS exclusive Hothead add-on kit for Universe Hardhead, so when Butcher was announced for Universe Onslaught, I was EXTREMELY excited to get another awesome kit for arguably my favorite Transformers mold ever.
Butcher comes in the nice clamshell package that most Headrobots releases come in, showcasing some awesome artwork of Butcher on one side, as well as some instructions on the other. The Butcher add-on kit includes one large cannon, 2 smaller cannons, 2 energy daggers, a “backpack” used for attaching said weapons, and of course the Butcher Headmaster.
My experience with both Hothead and Butcher’s weapons couldn’t be better. While the guns and backpack are simply repaints from the previous Hothead release, the Butcher head is an entire new mold, and the energy daggers weren’t included with the Hothead release. Everything pegs in very well where it should, and the energy daggers looks stunning either held in Onslaught’s hand or attached as a bayonet to the smaller guns. The plastic seems solid and the design is very much G1.
The actual Butcher headmaster is really pretty simple to put on. To remove the stock head on Onslaught you just unscrew a few screws on the back of the head, and then to put on Butcher you simply just press the figure transformed into the head mode on the the led/peg on the base of the neck; no screws or other attachements. The head is able to turn on a swivel and although it’s technically not attached to the figure in any way, I haven’t had any problems whatsoever with the head coming loose.
This particular mold is absolutely perfect for Headrobots’ Butcher upgrade kit, and it shows across both modes. Not only does everything looks badass in robot mode like you’d come to expect, Butcher is also able to be used as a little driver that slides into the cockpit while in alt mode. Pretty freaking cool. Butcher is pretty well articulated for such a small figure, and there are some pretty small details that are killer, even in the head sculpt. It’s hands also allow it to hold Lego weapons as well.
The “backpack” as I call it, is able to split into 2 separate pieces that are used for mounting the weapons in both modes. It does a very good job with what it’s supposed to do, and it comes with plenty of holes for plugging in all of the guns that Butcher includes.
Overall Butcher is definitely a kit you don’t want to miss out on if you’ve got the Universe Onslaught mold, or if you’re looking for a new head for G1 Onslaught. With not only a solid Headmaster, but a ton of great accessories, this continues to be one of my favorite pieces in my collection and I’m really psyched about all the future Headrobots releases!
This is the only Headrobots kit I have, because Onslaught was the only version of the toy I had, but its awesome. I actually re-purposed mine to make Onslaught into Turmoil from IDW comics. It really gives him a more "evil Decepticon" look than the original head.
It's really a great kit. I'll buy pretty much anything Headrobots puts out at this point as long as I have the figure it's for already.