Transformers: Timelines Hearts of Steel 2-Packs Optimus Prime & Starscream and Bumblebee & Megatron

Timelines Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime

Vehicle Mode: One of the very few things IDW did that I read and did not think was crap, was Hearts of Steel. As a rail fan from long before Transformers existed, it was a really cool idea to me. I never thought we would ever get official toys based on those designs, but here we are. Optimus Prime’s train mode is very cool. It does not include the tender from the original design, which is unfortunate. He has great paint apps, and I especially like the gold paint.

Robot Mode: In robot mode Optimus Prime looks pretty good, though the super narrow torso makes him look a bit odd.

Comparison to Third Party: There is no comparison between Timelines Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime and Mastermind Creations Knight Morpher Commander. In almost every way Commander is better. He’s considerably larger than the deluxe sized Hasbro toy. He has is better proportioned (no tiny mid section) and has more accessories. The only thing I do love about the Hasbro version is the previously mentioned gold paint. You can read my full review of one of the repainted versions of Knight Morpher Commander here.

Timelines Hearts of Steel Starscream

Vehicle Mode: Timelines Hearts of Steel Starscream appears to be the unholy offspring of a bat and a biplane. Cool looking though. Looks great in classic Starscream colors.

Robot Mode: He looks great in robot mode accept for that plat above and behind his head. It would have been nice if that folded out of the way.

Comparison to Third Party: As with Optimus Prime, Starscream is another case of size mattering. Knight Morpher Screecher is considerably larger. He also has much better details. You do need to be careful of his propellers, as they are delicate and sharp as hell. Hasbro is unlikely to give us Thundercracker and Skywarp, but Stormer and Warper are available so you can complete the third party set. You can read my full review of Screecher here.

Timelines Hearts of Steel Bumblebee

Vehicle Mode: Bumblebee looks great predominantly in gold and shiny metallic black. Very cool steam engine design.

Robot Mode: Bumblebee looks awesome in robot mode. Unlike Optimus Prime with his spindly body, Bumblebee looks great.

Comparison to Third Party: Unlike the above figures, Timelines Hearts of Steel Bumblebee is pretty much the same size as Hot Soldiers Centurion. Overall, I don’t have any preference on the design, but I love the dark colors on the Hasbro version. You can read my review of Centurion here and my reviews of his reissue and Cliffjumper and Gold Buy Repaints here.

Timelines Hearts of Steel Megatron

Vehicle Mode: Well, look at that. Hasbro found a way to finally give us Megatron as a gun! In this case, a steampunky cannon. It’s a very cool design, though logically he should transform into a very tiny robot compared to the size of Bumblebee or Optimus Prime, but then scale has never gotten in the way of making Transformers.

Robot Mode: In robot mode, I wish he was more silver and less black, but he doesn’t look bad. The one glaring design issue is that his cannon cannot mount on his arm.

Overall: These are very cool sets. If you only want one version of each character, these two sets are the only way to get them more or less in scale with each other. If you want the best representations of the characters, you want the third party Optimus Prime and Starscream and Hasbro Bumblebee and Megatron.

Thanks for reading!