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"Fear is a friend whose presence is felt long after he's left."
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As ominous as a storm cloud and as chilling as a winter breeze. Grim and gloomy -- always acts as if his best friend just became permanently inoperative. Binary-bonded to the Nebulan, Hi-Test, a thrill-seeking, over-achieving perfectionist, constantly striving to keep Dreadwind's morose mind on his evil work. Equipped with two thermal melters and two air-to-air missiles. Combines with Darkwing to form Dreadwing.
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STRENGTH | 6
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INTELLIGENCE | 8
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SPEED | 7
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ENDURANCE | 8
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RANK | 6
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COURAGE | 7
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FIREPOWER | 7
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SKILL | 8
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OVERALL | 57
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Click the image above to see the alt mode, or view more photos here
First Appearances
First/Last Comic Appearance (US) - Issue 42, July 1988 / Issue 80, July 1991
First/Last Comic Appearance (UK) - Issue 215, April 22nd 1989 / Issue 240, October 21st 1989
First/Last Cartoon Appearance -
First Toy Appearance - 1988
Click here to see Figure Details and review
Figure Details
Manufacturer - Hasbro
Toyline - Botcon
Additions/Mods:
- Added a large Decepticon symbols to the rear wings
- Added a Decepticon symbol to the chest, covering the rubsign
Review
I held off buying Darkwing for the longest time, because I always hated the fact that if I bought Darkwing that I would never have a Dreadwind to go with him. These 2 need each other, like Lennon and McCartney, or Laurel and Hardy. So why hadn't there been a figure of Dreadwind? Well, there had, but it was hard to come by. Dreadwind was part of a very successful Botcon boxset which was very quickly snapped up, and as a result, it is a pretty rare figure, and commands a hefty price tag. Luckily, one of these came up. But was it worth the dent in my wallet?
Appearance (Robot Mode) 9/10
I never thought I would own this figure, but one came up on eBay for a very reasonable price, and I thought 'it's now or never', so here he is. I am very pleased with him. Like his mould-mate Jetfire, he comes with a plethora of accessories. I find that the most authentic mode for Dreadwind is to keep his wings down in 'bot mode, and to leave all the armour off. The paint apps have been lavishly applied to this guy, and Fun Pub did a great job of his head sculpt. Slightly nicer looking than Jetfire, if only because of the sumptuously vulgar paint.
Appearance (Alternate Mode) 9/10
This mode is a real beaut. I really like the paint apps on the front wings, and I ensured that I only stuck reprolabels on any unpainted areas (the last thing I want to do on a rare figure is to peel the paint off by accident) Again, this mode is more authentic to the original if you leave the accessories off, but you always have the option to boost Dreadwind up if you need to. I absolutely love the colour scheme.
Transformation 9/10
Dreadwind is a lot of fun to transform, because he feels so sturdy and well-designed. Everything tabs and squares away nicely for the jet mode. Even the backpack has a nice 'automorph' feature, where you can slide a plastic cover down to unfurl the hidden weapons, which spring into place.
Poseability 7/10
Articulation is pretty good in this figure, with almost every joint ratcheting into place, which means he is unable to fall out of poses any time soon. Unfortunately, the design of his feet mean that he can have some balance issues, and he doesn't stand particularly well on slippery surfaces. This problem is magnified when the backpack is attached. Also, I overlooked the fact that he has no bicep swivel, which is a big minus for me.
Quality 8/10
Holding this figure, you really get the sense that it has been made of quality materials. Nothing feels flimsy, and there is nothing in the transformation sequence which puts anything under stress. Given the price and scarcity of this figure, I am very careful with him anyway. I would recommend you protecting him somehow, if, like me, you don't have the Botcon box set that this guy was part of. I keep mine in my Henkei 'Dark Skyfire' box. Poor Dark Skyfire.
Overall - 42/50
I score Dreadwind slightly higher than Jetfire, only because I marginally prefer the colour scheme of the 'bot mode, and also, there is no evident yellowing that I have seen on this guy. I guess that's because he's a greyer white than Jetfire. If you like the Jeftire mould, then you will obviously like Dreadwing too. Fub Pub did a great job of conveying Dreadwind's character into a mould not intended for him. At least now Darkwing won't be lonely.
