Preamble
Wheelie was not a character or toy that I was ever interested in. My first introduction to him was in 1986 via the animated movie and then later, sporadic appearances in the Marvel UK comics. As you can guess, he didn’t leave that much of an impression upon me. Much later I happened to briefly own a G1 Wheelie that came into my possession via a lot that I’d bought. He didn’t stay very long, the toy being absolutely awful. I do have a G1 Wheelie now, but it has been foisted upon me as part of the Transformers Collection #20 two-pack, where he accompanies Kup…. yet another abysmal figure. That’s how it would have remained had not my questionable collecting choices buggered things up by deciding to branch out into Masterpiece versions of the animated movie characters from the official movie poster. It was at that moment I realised, I’d fucked up!
You are quite limited in choices when it come to a Masterpiece version of Wheelie…. you have one choice, X-Transbots MM-IV Ollie. No sorry, I tell a lie, you have three choices; X-Transbots MM-IV Ollie, X-Transbots MM-IV Ollie Re-Issue and X-Transbots MM-IV+ Ollie V.2. Truly spoiled for choice, I threw caution to the wind and opted for MM-IV+. Now from what I have read, this version of Ollie is new and improved, sleek sexy import with….. stop that! This version of Ollie has been remastered and re-designed. Joints, molding and parts have been tweaked and improved to deliver a more robust and durable version than the prior releases. Lets see shall we.
Box & Accessories
This box is so tiny, even more tiny than their box for Boost (Windcharger). That’s not a criticism, just an observation, as really it doesn’t need to be any bigger as there are almost bugger all accessories, which is fine by me. It’s a nice solid box with some great artwork adorning its rear portion. The colours, textures and feel is very reminiscent of the Takara MP boxes, no accident I assume. Plastic clam holds the figure (in vehicle mode) and two baggies contain the accessories and instructions, with collector card, respectively.
 |
 |
Vehicle Mode
Ollie has, what I assume to be, a Cybertronian vehicle mode. Although, after consulting the TF Wiki, there is some speculation that his vehicle mode may be based upon a Fiat Abarth Record Car (1956). Make of that what you will. It’s a solid enough mode and rolls well on its wheels. The windscreen can be swapped out from a solid to a semi-transparent piece. I personally would’ve liked a blue or translucent blue option, not animation accurate but it’s a preference. Not really much more I can add to this section, it does feel plasticky but not in a cheap or fragile kind of way.
Transformation
Transformation isn’t difficult, quite straightforward to be honest. There are one or two areas where I felt a little unsure about the integrity of joints and connections etc. But if handled correctly and not ham-fisted, it shouldn't give you any cause for concerns. One thing you will notice are the abundance of screws, they are everywhere and as a precaution, I gave them all just a little nip before moving on to robot mode.
Robot Mode
Once in robot mode and Ollie looks good, I’m surprised to admit. Not that I had any particular pre-conceived doubts about the figure perse, more my lingering prejudices regarding the character and G1 toy. There is plenty of articulation, good sculpt work and a small smattering of paint here and there. Now I did briefly have in hand the first release of Ollie a few years back, but cannot remember if that particular one had any die-cast content. This one does, it's in the thighs and offers some heft and stability in balance when posing. A few good ‘hero’ type poses are achievable, maybe more given a little patience and enthusiasm by the reviewer…. The gun and catapult can be used in this mode, no pegs or anything, just slide into the closed fist and let friction do the work. I swapped out to the alt face on offer, it’s a little leaner looking, not as cutesy or pudgy.
 |
 |
 |
 |
