Name: Bombshell
Allegiance: Decepticon
Function: Psychological Warfare
Alt Mode: None (was a horned beetle)

ROBOT MODE
Height: 10cm Width: 4.5cm

A purple, black and silver robot, Bombshell looks more like his cartoon incarnation than the original toy, thanks to a lighter purple and there being less black on this toy than the Insecticon version. Having said that, he's not a perfect match with the animated version, anyway. He has purple shins and a purple chest, a black groin, black head and arms, silver thighs and shoulders and bronze feet, as well as a bronze central chest. He has a silver mouthplate, which looks vaguely like a cheese grater, and green eyes. The colour scheme is pretty good, and fairly close to the original, albeit much lighter since there's more silver, less black and a lighter purple. There is no yellow on this toy (the bronze chest was transparent yellow on the original).

The face is classic Bombshell, although the stinger on his head is greatly reduced. It was once a giant protrusion for firing cerebro-shells, now it's a little more that a crest. I suspect the reason for this change is to standardise the overall shape of the toy. While I can respect the idea, I feel they went a little far. But he's still identifiably Bombshell, thanks to the face. Since he once transformed into a giant robotic bug, Bombshell lacks distinctive alt mode sculptings - but has various mould details on his back, calves and other places, so they have made sure he's not devoid of detail.

It's a typical Actionmaster - head turns, arms rotate and legs have G.I.Joe poseability (fully poseable hips, knees bend 90 degrees). Bombshell has fairly high shoulderblades on either side of his head, which restrict his head - it only turns about 70° to the side.

THE PARTNER - NEEDLES

A neon green robotic crab-like thing with black underneath, Needles clashes with Bombshell's much darker colours quite badly. Aside from the colours the mould isn't very impressive. The top springs up and over his head when you use it as a backpack, giving Bombshell a neon green helmet that looks vaguely like some sort of war mask.

Luckily for Bombshell, his silver gun suits him well, and an Insecticon look about it. So while Needles is a non-starter, Bombshell's gun is a worthwhile accessory.

VARIATIONS

None that I know of. Considering he wasn't sold in North America, they'd be worth an absolute fortune (c8

OVERALL

An unusual choice for an Actionmaster, sure, but it's nice to see a relatively minor character like Bombshell in the series. It's not entirely faithful to the original, but is still distinctly Bombshell, and looks good in it's own right. Whether or not he's worth what you're likely to pay for a fairly scarce toy is up to you. There are nicer second year Actionmasters, but Bombshell is good in Actionmaster terms - 6/10.