Transformers Studio Series The The Movie Thundercracker Voyager Class

 

Aloha Folks, I am back with another TF review and that is Studio Series Thunder Cracker who appeared roughly the same time I was doing my Soundwave shoot. It wasn't supposed to drop for another month according to Amazon, but alas, he showed up just like that. How does this $42 dollar figure hold up? Let's find out and lets get started!

Boxing

Here's the boxart and description of him in the movie. You get the pic of him, Skywarp, and the Insecticons about to be tossed off Astrotrain but the narrative states he is going into battle for Megatron. I guess it forgot to add, this is what happens when you lose a voting contest. Instead of Autobot city destroyed like how you saw in the Soundwave and Windcharger boxes, you see the hole in the interior of the Autobot Shuttle depiction. And as usual, you get a generic blue backdrop. I ended up using Soundwave's backdrop since it was a little wider and taller.

Thundercracker

 

So finally we have an update of the seeker mold and Thundercracker is the first of this new mold. Many fans complained that the previous ER mold was outdated and quite true it was. It was a nice update of the classic seeker mold back in 2006 but it was still lacking swivel and thrusters (his heel). This 2025/2026 mold has all that. When I first saw the pics online, I was a little turned off by his grey parts, especially what the people call the diaper. After toying around with him in person, I'm ok. It's simple and all and it could probably use some detail but otherwise, it actually didn't bother me much. I will discuss some more details in the comparisons later. 

TC is actually a partsformer. Not cumbersome at all but just to let you folks know that he comes with detachable wings that you can either place on his back or on the side of his ankles, the latter giving a classic type of vibe. I prefer to place it in his back but whatever floats your boat. If you place it by his ankles, this does make his transformation a little easier since those mini wings are supposed to be there in jet mode. His null rays can be detached as well and used as weapons for the hands, though thanks to his forearms, it can slip off easy. But I didn't shoot that part. Lastly for this segment, his outer wings (each side) has a small piece that came as accessories too that needs to be attached. This part actually baffles me a little on why they did that. 

Alt mode

Fairly easy transformation without the need for instructions. Though its there if you need it. You can beautifully see the thrusters this time around. 

W/ ER Thundercracker

   

Here is where I guess I will truly review the figure. So plane mode wise I love them both. What's not to like even for the ER version? Though it actually took me a while to remember how to peg the arms in for the ER version. The SS version I feel was a little easier to transform into jet mode. The underbelly in the alt mode is the most jarring aspect fans have pointed out. The ER version has this too but it looks actually worse on the 86 version. It's this big gaping hole. But who displays the plane in Gerwalk-like mode? I actually forgot to lock SS's feet correctly in the thruster comparison pic (3rd pic in this category). I thought I just pointed this out that I did realize my mistake but the shoot was long done by then. So its nice to finally see the seekers having proper thrusters. Additionally, SS TC has the option in having the cockpit open. This is really nice to have. Lastly, SS has a landing wheel which ER is devoid of. This helps to balance the plane mode a little better. It looks nicer too. 

So as for robot mode, ER version first, I will say is a little taller than the SS version. Plus he has more details. So its still imo a good figure but thanks to the lack of swivel, your posing ability is severely limited. 

Now this is where the SS TC shines. He has more posing potential thanks to his waist and wrist swivel now. He has the correct colors representing the G1 anime, though if you do prefer ER, then you need to get the Takara Dramatic Capture Series Thundercracker bundled with Reflector. My elbow joints are loose on the SS. Don't know if this was how it was supposed to be but they are loose. The waist on my figure comes off fairly easy and my left foot pops off every now and then when fidgeting with it. His thrusters which is his heels do have a finite tilt that enables more posing capability once again.  He lacks the ER nose cone which is placed in that version's back. His nose cone is literally in his chest now like how you saw it in the cartoons. They both can toggle each other's weapons from which I forgot to do a shoot on but they can use each other's weapons. Lastly, I love his facial design. Just something about it screams fun. 

Conclusion:

I don't think he is worth $42 imo. He is a good figure and a vast improvement over the classics mold. But I feel he is too steep for $42. For his size, I say he is worth $30 and going back to Windcharger, that guy shouldn't be more than $20. But besides that, Thundercracker is a nice continuation to the 86 line. Thanks to a new design and the swivels thrown in, he is a very great toy. That's that for now, I'll see you folks next time and Jesus still loves you.