Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Legacy HasLab Victory Saber

Release Date: December 2022

RRP: $179.99/£179.99

The problem with toy collecting based on media franchises is that sometimes there’ll be something fans desperately want which just won’t realistically sell well at retail, whether its due to size or engineering costs. To that end, Hasbro introduced HasLab - a crowdfunding platform where they can make some of these things a reality…with the right number of backers of course. As far as the Transformers franchise is concerned Hasbro kicked off with an obvious one in 2021 - an enormous War for Cybertron Unicron figure that dwarfed any previous efforts of the character. But for their second campaign the following year, Hasbro turned to the world of Japanese-exclusive Generation One to bring fans Legacy Victory Saber. Based on the 1989 series Transformers: Victory, the set features Autobot Supreme Commander Star Saber and Victory Leo (alongside a whole host of extras), and originally needed 11,000 backers to be put into production. Strap yourselves in and “Let’s Say Go!”, because this review is a LONG one.

As one would expect for a HasLab release, Legacy Victory Saber comes in packaging that's both large and lavish. The slipcase packaging features brand new artwork of Star Saber and Victory Leo against a black background with red foil gridlines leading up to an outline of the Victory Saber combination, together with the Transformers: Victory logo (also in red foil) in the bottom corner. Those gridlines spread across the whole of the box, with the opposite side featuring images of the Victory Saber toy in both combined robot and alt modes. Meanwhile one side breaks the set down even further featuring individual images of all the components included here, while the other simply has the Transformers logo in foil lettering. But for those who prefer a more classic look when it comes to packaging, the slipcase is actually reversible – the inside featuring a design that's more akin to the original Victory box art.

Inside the contents of the set are spread across two cardboard trays, but first you are greeted to that same Star Saber/Victory Leo artwork from the front of the back on a cardboard tray/lid piece – this time joined by Micromasters Holi and Fire against a backdrop of the Earth (as well as the shadowy image of Decepticon Emperor of Destruction Deathsaurus). This artwork is absolutely stunning, and it's a shame it couldn't have been included as a poster or something as well as just on a cardboard sheet. But getting to the main contents of the set – one tray houses all the figures while another stores all of the accessories, tied down to moulded plastic trays. Sadly one immediate issue encountered with this release that the ties holding Star Saber's chest are also prone to scuffing the chrome on the chest, with many copies falling victim to it before they were even taken out of the box.

First up we have a look at the full Star Saber robot mode, which despite being smaller than the Masterpiece version still comes in at a reasonably impressive “slightly larger than usual” Leader Class size. As per the rest of the Legacy line for the most part extra care has been taken to keep the look of the figure as close to the original as possible, though so added bits of tech detailing have been sculpted on in certain places to give it an aesthetic more closely in line with modern figures. But this figure really is the greatest swordsman in the universe in all his glory, in his vibrant red, white and blue colour scheme complete with gold chrome V-symbol on his chest. It isn’t hard to see why so many people see Star Saber as the peak of Japanese G1 designs, so it’s always great to see him get a new rendition even if this isn’t an especially affordable one either.

Articulation is one of the key areas where Star Saber's status as a HasLab release supposedly comes into play, allowing for more advanced engineering that wouldn't be possible at a retail-priced figure. With that in mind, Star Saber features; 

- Neck, shoulder, waist, bicep, wrist and thigh swivels

- Hinged neck, shoulders, elbows, fingers, knees and feet 

- Double butterfly joint shoulders 

- Swivel hinge (ratchet joint) hips 

On top of that, the "skirt" sections on Star Saber's crotch are all individually hinged as to not hinder leg movement, and the lower legs have some tilt motion if the panels on the inside thigh are unclipped. Now when it comes to the "HasLab-level engineering" this guy has, that definitely refers to the shoulders more than anything else. Looking at those big pylon-like shoulders wouldn't suggest "highly articulated" on first glance, but credit where it's due Hasbro have done a spectacular job with them. The combination of standard rotation and then a hinge just above the bicep is good, but what really sells it is that double butterfly movement – bringing the arms forward enough that Star Saber is even able to hold his sword two-handed. Everything else here is pretty much business as usual for a larger Transformers figure, even the gimmicky little hands which feature a pop out socket which retracts when the fingers are opened. They make a nice compromise between having (semi-)articulated hands and a figure that can grip onto its weapons properly. The only thing this figure is really lacking is ankle tilts, which feel like a rather glaring omission giving how prevalent they are on modern Transformers. The unintentional tilt the legs have can make up for a little bit, but those panels can be pretty loose as it is.

It's worth mentioning that any of the accessories included in the set can technically be used with any of the figures and (most of) their configuration, but I'll bring them up in the review where they feel most appropriate. In Star Saber's case he has the Saber Blade, Saber Laser and V-Shield – all of which were included with the Masterpiece figure however the original G1 toy lacked the V-Shield. The Saber Blade retains its original nosecone hilt/detachable blade form, however the Legacy toy is unique in that the blade can be attached in both the animation model and original G1 toy configurations. The V-Shield has also been slightly modified for this release, and able to connect onto Star Saber's forearms as well as held in either of the fists. The Saber Laser is a fairly standard Transformers firearm piece but a good likeness of the one from the original toy, moulded in grey plastic with no additional paint apps. Sadly although Star Saber's fists have been designed with the pop-holes to hold the weapons, the grip on both the shield and gun (especially the Saber Laser) is extremely loose. Also included with this release as its first stretch goal bonus (achieved when Star Saber reached 14,000 backers) are six translucent green blast effect parts – two gun bursts/jet exhausts and then two pairs of energy auras. The auras can also clip onto the gun bursts/jet exhausts for a more impressive effect.

Inside Star Saber’s chest lies a smaller robot, and a little bit of transforming reveals Saber - the “middle” body of the Autobot leader. While Star Saber often appears in Victory with his Saber head exposed, the Legacy figure doesn’t quite match up the scale to make this helmet-less look successful. Still, the Saber inner robot itself looks great - switching it up from the predominantly red colouring it has in Star Saber form to one that also throws in lots of blue and white. Like Star Saber it features a bit of additional moulding to give it some technological greebling, but its much less pronounced and on the whole very close to the animation model.

Though he might be a lot smaller Saber is another well-articulated figure – not quite as poseable as a Deluxe Class figure but certainly not far off. Altogether Saber features; 

- Head and thigh swivel 

- Pin joint shoulders and fists 

- Ball jointed shoulders 

- Hinged elbows, knees and feet 

- Swivel hinge hips 

A couple of the points above are more to accommodate the transformation rather than assist with poseability, namely the pin jointed fists and hinged feet. Nevertheless there's still plenty here to give Saber a bit of personality in this more diminutive form, with some particularly interesting shoulders that raise/lower on a pin joint but also have the arms able to fully rotate on ball joints. It's nothing spectacular, but it's enough to make him look pretty good wielding the (comically oversized for him) Saber Laser.

Breaking Star Saber down even futher, opening Saber's chest reveals an even smaller robot – the Brainmaster of Courage! Smaller than even a Titanmaster, this diminutive robot features rotating shoulders and hinged legs (which are fused together), allowing it a similar level of poseability. While smaller and slightly less detailed than the Masterpiece version, one thing the Legacy version does have over it is that the Brainmaster gimmick is properly integrated into the smaller figure. Whereas on the Masterpiece version placing the Brainmaster inside Saber would cause the face to slide up from inside Saber's body, here the face is stored on the back of the Brainmaster. Simply flip it up, and then it forms Saber's face when placed in the torso. The chest cavity then rotates together with Saber's helmet to give it a proper neck swivel. It's a cleverly implemented little gimmick, and while the Masterpiece version has its charms too it is good to see it properly involve the individual Brainmaster once more.

To coincide with the individual Saber mode, the remainder of Star Saber's body/transtector/the V-Star can transform into the "Fire Base" – a makeshift base mode that was also possible on the original toy. Said base mode mostly involves bringing Star Saber's legs up to the sides and rotating the arms around 180 degrees, so it isn't the most involved of transformations but does make a fairly convincing battle platform. The addition of the shield with this release also adds an extra step not present on the original toy, with it plugging onto the front of the Fire Base to cover up the rather large chest cavity Saber usually plugs into. Unfortunately, the plugs intended to fit the shield into place aren't very good so it's more a case of precariously balancing the shield in front of the cavity. As tends to be the case with most base modes it isn't much to look at, but a fun use of the parts that adds some additional playability. Saber can man the station from behind, and between the armaments already on the base and the additional parts you can plug on (e.g. the Saber Laser) the Fire Base certainly isn't short of firepower.

Once the Brainmaster of Courage has been removed from the larger Saber body it can be transformed in the "core" of Saber's various alt modes – a red jet/spaceship of futuristic design. Transforming Saber is a really simple process that most collectors should be able to figure out without the aid of the instructions, even with a slightly more intricate method of the knees collapsing so that the legs can fold up. Aside from that it's largely just folding things up as you'd expect them too, adding the sword hilt as the nosecone of the jet as the final step. The vehicle also features an opening cockpit which the Brainmaster of Courage can sit in as the pilot. Admittedly there's a lot of robot body undercarriage on the top of the vehicle mode, but nevertheless it's a nice-looking jet mode with its striking red and white colour scheme.

Other than the opening cockpit Saber's jet mode doesn't have much on offer in the way of feature, however the effect parts can be clipped onto the back thrusters for a slightly more dynamic display. Saber also doesn't have a designated port for a flight stand, but thanks to the straightforward shape of his underside can comfortably balance on most articulated stands for mid-air posing.

The remainder of Star Saber's body transforms into the V-Star – a flying weapons platform which is intended mainly to combine with Saber's individual jet mode but does have some individual play value. It's a large vehicle which does mainly resemble the backend of a spaceship, but with all the guns sticking out from it does convey "weapons platform" fairly well too. Saber can be awkwardly posed on top too piloting it (using the helmet antennae as controls) in a way that's vaguely similar to how it appeared in the show. The effects parts can either be attached to the cannons on either side to represent laser blasts, or the thrusters at the back as if it were blasting at high speeds.

At this point it's also worth mentioning that the set also comes with a rather nice display stand, which is made from translucent blue plastic and proudly displays painted versions of the Autobot insignia and Transformers: Victory 'V' logo on the baseplate. The arm piece simply snaps into place on the base, and can be attached in two configurations depending on whether you're displaying the figure in robot or vehicle mode. In vehicle mode the arm clips onto the underside of the V-Star, and then in robot mode it pegs into the backside of Star Saber. The stand is also compatible with Victory Leo's vehicle mode, though strangely the attachment configuration isn't documented in the otherwise thorough instruction pamphlet. The display stand was the second stretch goal bonus for the set, and was unlocked once it reached 17,000 backers.

However the "real" Star Saber alt mode consists of bringing these two components together, which is done simply by flipping down Saber's tailfin pieces, lifting up the wings and then slotting it into the space at the front of the V-Star. Once locked in, Star Saber takes the form of a rather impressive Cybertronian jet/spacecraft, complete with the tiny Brainmaster of Courage still visible from the cockpit. While combining the two parts may have very few steps it's amazing how much these two parts complete each other – Saber is a nice jet mode but hardly one fitting for the Autobot Supreme Commander, while the V-Star just feels lacking without the nosecone and cockpit area at the front. In terms of weapon storage, the V-Shield can be pegged onto the top of the craft and the Saber Laser pegged into any of the holes running along the sides.

Credit where its due Hasbro have done a particularly job the full alt mode, which again isn't heavy on the gimmicks but makes up for it with its sheer shelf presence. It's as big and impressive as you'd want it to be, but not so big/heavy that it isn't a whole lot of fun to swoosh it around like you're five years old all over again. The effect parts can be used as jet exhausts or laser blasts too, further adding to the play value.

Moving on we have the second component of the set - the mighty Victory Leo. In the Victory cartoon, Victory Leo is a reformatted God Ginrai following fatal damage from Deathsaurus’ Living-Metal-Destroying Cannon. Unlike Star Saber, Victory Leo has not had a Masterpiece figure so this is the proper one (2011 model kit aside) since the Robotmasters figure in 2004. Naturally this is a considerably larger effort though more akin to the original toy. Once again Hasbro have provided a fantastic update here, staying extremely close to the original design and only added extra sculpted detailing (and even then it isn’t very apparent) to bring it more in line with the modern toys. Like Star Saber, he also features a gold chrome V-shape on his chest. As the wings are supposedly made of unpaintable plastic, a small sticker sheet is included to add the red detailing on the middle part of the wing-pack. Wrap-around stickers are never particularly fun, but these ones aren’t too hard to apply AND a second set is included just in case you mess up.

Like Star Saber, Victory Leo also features a great range of articulation befitting of a Transformer of this size. That said, some of the way it's been implemented is a little on the strange side. Altogether he features;

- Neck, bicep, wrist and hip swivels 

- Hinged neck, elbows, thighs and knees 

- Swivel hinge shoulders and feet 

On top of that the shoulder cannons both feature swivel and double hinge connections, allowing them to fold over the body and face forward as well as fire from various angles either side. Overall Victory Leo offers roughly about the same level of articulation you'd get from a Voyager Class figure, but again it's the execution that sets him apart. For example rather than standard swivel hinge hips he instead has some very noisy ratchet hips that allow the legs to move forward/backward, and then a hinge below so they can move outward. It's strange touch that does leave some odd gaps in places (but then so does raising the head via neck hinge, which to be fair is there more for the transformations), but it gets the job done. As the body has to literally split apart for the Victory Saber combination it means sadly a waist joint wasn't really possible, but even without it there's more than enough to go off here. That fantastic cannon articulation is definitely doing a lot of the heavy lifting though.

In addition to his V-Lock rifle shoulder cannons (which can also be detached from his back and attached to the forearms to mirror the G1 toy configuration/artwork), Victory Leo's main accessory is the V-Lock cannon – a huge weapon that further adds to his already hefty firepower. The weapon is undoubtedly the most impressive accessory in the set, with moulding and colouring that's a near-perfect match to both the animation and original G1 toy. Together with the various effect parts the V-Lock cannon was among the first stretch goal bonuses for the set, which again were unlocked once it reached 14,000 backers. It was a goal Victory Saber smashed quite easily, but the idea of Victory Saber could have come without one of his principle weapons does feel a little questionable. The V-Lock cannon can attach to Victory Leo in a number of different ways much like the original toy – it can be held in either of the fists, mounted to either of the arms or clipped onto either of the Gatling guns on the hips.

Victory Leo’s main alt mode is that of a mechanical lion that looks like it jumped straight out of the Brave franchise, which isn’t all that surprising given that’s what Takara would go on to do shortly after Victory. The look here is very faithful to that of both the animation model and the original toy, so much so that even proportionally it doesn’t look all that different. Transformation from robot to lion mode is pretty self explanatory, though the head does have a few fiddly steps collectors should take care on. The main one being the small black flap which comes down to cover the face, which is both very tight (and thus could easily snap) and can easily chip the paint. Though the animation model lacked the V-Lock cannon as part of the design, it can be pegged onto the top of the body in between the V-Lock rifles just like the original toy/for weapon storage.

Lion mode is naturally a little more restricted when it comes to articulation but with rotating hips, hinged knees/lower legs, a head swivel and hinged jaw again all the basics are covered to make poses that little bit more dynamic. Again with Victory Leo's design it does feel like those big guns are doing most of the legwork, but the ability to give the lion a more wide-legged stance or pose him pouncing (with the aid of a display stand of course) does mean he can be displayed with a little more flare.

Victory Leo is however a triple-changer, and also capable of transforming into a spaceship/jet vehicle mode. I do however use the terms "spaceship" and "jet" very loosely though, as it is very much a box with wings. The mode is very much an afterthought however, having been created for the cartoon rather than something directly implemented into the original toy (although the toy is also capable of it). The Legacy version's vehicle mode looks just as silly as it did there, but I admire the fact that the designers kept it screen-accurate. While onscreen Victory Leo's vehicle mode lacked the V-Lock cannon sitting on top between the two V-Lock rifles, both the G1 toy and Legacy version add it as an extra step in the transformation/weapons storage. And truth be told it looks a lot better for it too, since the size of the cannon also gives the impression of this being a mobile battle platform rather than a spaceship/jet as such.

In vehicle mode Victory Leo doesn't have any gimmicks as such, however all of the blast effects can be plugged into either his shoulder cannons or the V-Lock cannon if you choose to have that attached. So at the very least Victory Leo can look like a heavily armed flying box, with three massive guns to pay attention to rather than whatever it is that's underneath them. Honestly there really isn't that much to say about this mode and odds are it isn't going to be something fans display Victory Leo in very often (if at all), but at least it's there.

A better use for Victory Leo's jet mode is attaching it to the back of Star Saber's alt mode for an even more impressive vehicle, which serves as Victory Saber's combined alt mode. This combination requires very little alteration to either alt mode in order to make them combine, with Victory Leo fitting comfortably into the space at the back of Star Saber – clipping into place at each side and then the blue hatch piece on the top of Star Saber coming down to properly lock it into place. As with Star Saber, the V-Shield can then be fitted on top as weapons storage – covering up the flat (albeit cartoon accurate) space in the middle of the vehicle.

As you'd expect combining the two vehicles together brings together the weapons and gimmicks from both figures, as well as giving Star Saber's already huge alt mode a significant size increase. When in doubt, the answer is always "more guns". In addition to his own arsenal at the front Star Saber now also has the full might of Victory Leo's V-Lock rifles at the back of the vehicle – retaining all the same articulation they did there. Both the Saber Laser and V-Lock cannon can also be pegged onto the vehicle (in exactly the same manner they were on the individual Star Saber alt mode), and used in conjunction with the effect parts.

Even before getting to combining them together in robot mode these are two fantastic figures that have plenty of play value individually. Whether they're so obscure and/or technical that they need a HasLab to be produced is debatable (especially with some of the stuff Hasbro are putting in the Legacy line), but short of a few minor QC issues it's hard to be disappointed with either of them. Victory Leo is definitely a little smaller than he is in the cartoon (where he's roughly the height of Star Saber), but this is presumably to get a better proportioned Victory Saber when combining the pair. Despite this, the scale isn't woefully off and the pair make quite the duo.

But at long last it's time to bring them together and form Victory Saber! Combining the two robots together requires very little effort on Star Saber's part, meanwhile Victory Leo is quite literally getting pulled apart as he forms new feet as well as the all-important wing-pack. While the transformation isn't particularly complex it's still quite interesting, with the top half of Victory Leo coming off as the remaining body splits in half to form the feet. More importantly though once the parts have been prepped for combination they lock onto Star Saber nice and tightly. And with that, Victory Saber has arrived! Star Saber was already a great looking robot, but the addition of wings and giant shoulder cannons really helps bring the design together. As does the additional height from the new feet, bringing Victory Saber up to a more Commander Class height (but still a touch smaller than Masterpiece Star Saber). This mode also features plenty of weapons storage, with both the shield and V-Lock cannon able to clip onto the back as well as the sword hilt fitting onto Star Saber's side.

In combined mode Victory Saber retains all the same articulation as the individual Star Saber configuration, with the exception of the feet which are now solid pieces. Still no ankle joints sadly, but much like Star Saber he's able to get on perfectly fine without them. Victory Leo doesn't really add a whole lot in terms of movement, but he does now have those V-Lock rifle shoulder cannons which can both turn and raise/lower. Given the size and weight of the combination one might assume that it's difficult to pose, but it holds together really well and can pull off action poses unaided just as well as Star Saber can individually. There's definitely something more satisfying about displaying him using the display stand (if only for pulling off flight poses), but isn't wholly necessary should you feel that way inclined.

Victory Saber doesn't have any of his own unique accessories as such in combined mode, but can make full use of all the ones mentioned so far. Dual wielding both the Saber Blade and V-Lock cannon is a popular option, but there's also the V-Shield and Saber Laser to choose from as well. The blast effects are particularly good for the combination, since they can be displayed erupting from Victory Saber's shoulder cannons or either of the handheld firearms. With a couple more from other Hasbro figures, you can really display the Autobot Supreme Commander firing on all cylinders!

The fun doesn't end there though! When Victory Saber reached over 20,000 backers the set's third-tier bonus was unlocked – "new" Micromaster figures of Rescue Patrol Team members Holi and Fire! Matching his original G1 toy, Holi is a redeco of the War for Cybertron: Siege Micromaster Stakeout – sporting new white limbs as opposed to Stakeout's black to give him a predominantly white body and vehicle mode. Articulation-wise he sports a rotating head as well as ball-jointed shoulders, hips and knees to give him a fairly good range of articulation for such a small figure. That said, despite Stakeout having only been released three years prior it seems the mould hasn't aged all that well at all. Holi looks great, but every single one of the ball joints is so loose that if you so much breath on it the figure will come apart. Since they're just ball joints it's easily fixable, but can get a little frustrating when you're trying to pose him and he just keeps coming apart.

With just a few steps Holi transforms into a police car very similar to that of his onscreen version, but with how horrifically loose the limbs are on the figure you're more likely to find yourself removing them altogether and then reattaching them in their correct configuration rather than manipulating them as they should be. Once transformed though, Holi does at the very least stay together pretty solidly. In vehicle mode Holi doesn't have any significant gimmicks as such, but sports free-rolling wheels to glide along surfaces.

Joining Holi is his fellow Rescue Patrol Team member Fire, who thankfully is a little more stable in robot mode. Again Fire is a redeco of Siege Micromaster Red Heat, mirroring the original G1 toy. The deco itself is actually mostly the same, with Fire just sporting a deeper shade of red and lighter blue as well as a silver face and painted fists. The cab windows on the feet have also been slightly altered to make him a little more accurate to the animation model. Overall it's a pretty good likeness given the small size. Fire features a rotating head, ball jointed shoulders and hips and hinged knees, giving him a near-identical level of articulation as Holi.

In four simple steps Fire transforms into a fire truck complete with a rotating and extending ladder, immediately giving him the edge over Holi in terms of playability. On the other hand, vehicle mode is where the mould degradation of this figure really begins to show – with Fire barely able to hold it together in this mode at times. In addition to the ladder Fire also features free-rolling wheels to move along surfaces, and despite its issues he and Holi would make a good addition to anyone's Victory and/or Micromaster collection.

While certainly not a highlight of the set by any means, the two Micromasters are a great example of how to do a HasLab tier bonus – things that make the set feel a little more special but at the same time aren't so essential that it spoils it if the tier isn't unlocked by the end of the funding. A Victory Saber without the V-Lock cannon for example would have been a much bigger disappointment than had it not come with these two. The Autobot Micromasters (particularly Holi) are core characters in Victory so it's great to see them get representation here given that they probably wouldn't get it anywhere else otherwise. Them being just repaints is also true to the original G1 toys as well, so there isn't any issue there either.

Transformers Legacy HasLab Victory Saber is a fantastic figure, and one which compliments the Masterpiece Star Saber in ways I didn’t quite expect. They both offer different things, with the Masterpiece still winning out when it comes to size, overall build quality and screen accuracy. That said, the Legacy version is a FAR better toy to play around with, and able to go between all its modes with much less effort or worry of breakage. Despite some of the QC issues that affected some of the Legacy version’s release (mine luckily is great for the most part), the Masterpiece has its own issues too - most notably loose limbs and an easily breakable mechanism for fitting Saber into the chest. Of course, the Legacy version also Victory Leo and all the fun that comes with him as well. Put simply, it feels like they serve different purposes and one isn’t necessarily better than the other. While I’m still not wholly convinced that Victory Saber NEEDED the HasLab treatment, the extra care Hasbro could take releasing him in this fashion definitely shows through in the release. Writing this review so long after it was originally released (I don’t know what’s longer - the time I took to write this or the review itself) it feels almost cruel recommending it as I have no idea what the aftermarket price is like now, but it really is one that just gets better and better the more you play around with it.