Whirl - Generation 1 - Figure


Whirl

Function: Aerial Assault “If used logically, madness makes a great weapon�

Loves his job… careens across sky spinning and weaving wild, crazy patterns. Believes enemies are more terrified of him if he acts wild during an attack. Flies at 400 mph, range 1600 miles. Amazing maneuverability… can fly at almost any angle. Carries four incendiary-shell cannons hi-energy photon beam rifle. Great strength as robot… has null ray module on hand, paralyzo box on leg. Reckless… prone to rotor blade damage.

Strength 8, Intelligence 8, Speed 8, Endurance 8, rank 6, Courage 9, Firepower 8, Skill 8

Whirl was an import to the Transformers in 1985 from the Japanese animated series Tokuso Kihei Dorvack (Special-Armored Machine Soldier). Whirl was originally the Ovelon Gazzette toy. Like Jetfire or Shockwave, I suspect we won’t see this guy reissued since some other company than Takara evidently owns the mold. Time will tell.

Vehicle mode is an attack helicopter of some sort. It’s a one-seater, and though doubtless not a real helicopter, it looks very convincing. Far more so than (to pick one example) Armada Cyclonus. The helicopter is a powder blue, with some black trim, a smoked glass canopy that opens forward, and yellow rotor blades with red trim. Inside the canopy is a cockpit chair and control stick, which rotate back. More on that in a moment.

Apart from the odd color, this is a very nice mode, and entirely believable as a helicopter. There are tiny decals all over this thing with warnings. For example, under the cockpit a decal reads “Push to open door. Canopy jettison handle inside.� Some of the other type is too small to read, but the decals are still a nice detail, probably carried over from the original line when Whirl was a mecha with a pilot rather than a sentient robot.

The transformation is simple. The lower fuel pods/support struts swing forward and extend downward. There is a ratcheting joint much like the one on the original Optimus Prime that keeps the legs in whatever position you leave them. The arms swing out from the sides and extend outward, and the hands pull down as well. They are actually claws rather than hands. The rotor blade folds in two to hand down the back. The rear rotor section pushes in slightly and when pushed against the back latches into place. A tiny antenna on the side of the head rotates up.

Robot mode is tall, thin and very nice. This guy could be Shockwave’s second cousin based on his monoptical face. The shoulders are on ball joints, which I didn’t expect in a toy this old, meaning the arms have a great range of motion at the shoulder. Neither the elbows nor the knees bend, though the ankles do. Whirl does have huge feet, and looks as though he’d like to go skiing. Some die cast metal is revealed in his upper legs, and dark blue shows up in his elbow areas and his head. His single optic is red. Whirl’s head can look up and slightly down, but doesn’t turn. The cockpit seat can sit back so that a theoretical pilot would be facing outward and not down. Whirl is about 8 inches tall in robot mode, and is a very unique looking Transformer.

Grading time: I give him an A. Absolutely nothing wrong with this guy, apart from a lack of articulation, which is to be expected for the age of the toy. The only problem I have is that the shoulder ball joints could loosen over time, as mine have done. But the fact that he has them at all is a plus. If you can find him off Ebay for a decent price, this guy is highly recommended.

ReviewerShane Anderson  
DateMarch 5th 2005  
Score 10 stars (10 out of 10)  
Reads8397


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