Generations: "Thrilling 30" Trailcutter!

07.14.2014 – You’ve probably have read the Transformers Spotlight featuring Trailcutter and how he adapted that name from being known as Trailbreaker. There hasn't been a modern version of the character until 2010 when Hasbro released a Legend Class figure bearing the name Trailcutter. Hasbro has been anticipating the 30th anniversary of the TRANSFORMERS brand and they don’t want fans excited. But Trailcutter was one of those characters who finally got their modern Generation One figure that was released along with Bumblebee, Megatron, & Orion Pax.

It has been a long wait but finally Trailbreaker… Err Trailcutter finally gets his new figure in the Deluxe Class assortment that comes with a Transformers Spotlight comic book from IDW Publishing that has a different cover variant from the one released in comic shops.



The vehicle mode looks brutish for an off-road 4WD truck with camper shell similar to the vintage edition which based on the designs and artwork by Alex Milne. It retains all the signature colors of Trailcutter but the vehicle mode isn’t based from any branded trucks. In the classic cartoon Trailcutter looks bigger beside the TF Universe Autobot twins Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.

But you can be a little disappointed or just ignore it altogether that the size of his vehicle mode is not as what you expected from Trailcutter. There’s more to this than meets the eye when you take a closer look of the vehicle when in robot mode.

Transformation is basic and you might not need an instruction manual for this to figuring out how to change Trailcutter from vehicle to robot mode. He appears to be compact when you unfold all the parts to turn him into robot mode and not entirely complicated for a Deluxe Class figure.









In robot mode Trailcutter appears to be muscular from the shoulder, but after transforming him to robot mode you immediately find minor issues like the tabs that lock the shoulder to his upper torso. They don’t really locked together when you try to make him do some action poses. The head design is not like from the vintage or even the cartoon design in the classic TV series.

The light piping definitely helps make this Autobot look cool and he comes with a ‘Blast Sheild’ which can be store at the back when you fold his radar/force field generator up, which is not included in the instruction manual.









But when comparing Trailcutter to previous Deluxe Class figures he appears too short especially besides Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Some might say the design for Deluxe Class is not as complicated as previous releases which make them smaller by current standards. You put Trailcutter beside older Deluxe Class figures he would be somewhat ‘in between’ the Scout and his assortment.





Overall Trailcutter is a nice addition to your Modern Generation One figures, but he becomes out of place beside earlier releases from the TF Universe toy line or even in the Classics due to the technology used to make this figures looks more accurate but smaller than everyone thinks.

Trailcutter was released in 2013 as part of the Thrilling 30 assortment to celebrate TRANSFORMERS brand for its thirtieth anniversary which retails for PhP 799.75 pesos ($18.40 US dollars).