Toybox REVIEW: Transformers Age of the Primes Vortex

Release Date: April 2025

RRP: $24.99/£24.99

The time of Transformers Legacy is over, and thus begins the Age of the Primes! 2025 marks the beginning of an all-new Generations line celebrating the mythical Thirteen Primes, but that doesn't mean Hasbro aren't including other popular faces from across the Transformers multiverse in for good measure. Two new G1-styled combiner teams have been confirmed for the range, and whilst its first year is more preoccupied with the Aerialbots and Superion we also have a sneak peek of what's in store for year two with Age of the Primes Vortex! Following on from Menasor in the Legacy line and Devastator in Studio Series 86, the Combaticons and Bruticus will be the third Decepticon combiner to join this modern iteration of toys.

The start of a new line calls for a packaging refresh, and with Age of the Primes Hasbro are making some changes. They're now adding some uniformity across both of their "Generations" lines (Age of the Primes and Studio Series), with the boxes for both generally following the same design template. The front of Vortex's Deluxe-sized box is fairly straightforward - featuring a clear plastic window section to view the figure itself alongside new artwork in both modes. The Transformers logo is featured along the bottom together with "Age of the Primes" and the character name, and to the side of the window is a logo marking Vortex as the first of five figures to form Bruticus. On one side of the box is new artwork of Bruticus himself, while the other side features generic Age of the Primes artwork depicting statues of the various Primes. Inside Vortex is neatly tied down on a cardboard tray, with his rotor blades stored separately and his blasters taped down in a paper bag in the bottom corner. Both the rotor blades and arm cannons fit comfortably onto the figure via the 5mm ports provided.

Unlike the previous Combiner Wars version from 2016 which shared a mould with new Aerialbot Alpha Bravo, Age of the Primes Vortex is a brand new mould directly based off of his original G1 appearance. True to the general mindset when it comes to Generations toys it's a case of cartoon accuracy with a dash of modern flair, adding various bits of extra detailing to what's otherwise a very faithful design. The figure is cast in gunmetal grey and blue plastic, with careful attention made to ensure that the blue paint on the chest matches that of the plastic. The head sculpt, despite being a very basic red visor with mouth plate design, feels surprisingly expressive thanks to the size of said visor. The only real area it falls short in regards to cartoon accuracy is the forearms, which both have pieces of helicopter kibble hanging underneath them. The helicopter blades can be displayed on Vortex's back in their correct orientation as per the cartoon design/original toy, or they can be folded down if you prefer. It's a great looking toy, but in hand feels very small. In reality he's about the same size as every other Deluxe Class combiner part so there is consistency, but is unfortunately dwarfed by Voyager-sized figures such as Starscream.

Even though he's just a little guy, Vortex continues to impress when it comes to articulation as well. Altogether the Combaticon features;

- Ball jointed head

- Swivel hinge shoulder and hips

- Bicep, waist and thigh swivels

- Hinged elbows, knees, ankles, toes and heels

Immediately there is a lot to like about posing Vortex. There are a lot of swivel joints here to give the figure a full range of movements, whilst certain aspects mainly intended for the transformation add an extra level of movement that aren't always there on similar sized figures. The ability to move the toe and heel parts for example really make a difference when it comes to balancing the figure for example, even with the assistance of the ever-appreciated ankle tilt. However staying true to Vortex's original G1 design also comes with its down drawbacks, and those bits of helicopter kibble underneath the arms quickly get frustrating. It isn't so much that they are there, but more that they don't peg into anything so also flap around too. Clearly the designers thought about this (though arguably not so much that found a way to make them lock into place) because the pieces can be removed should you so wish, but while it does give Vortex a cleaner silhouette taking pieces off isn't much of a solution either. A much smaller gripe is that, despite the figure having 360 degree movement, the waist clashes with the panel that the helicopter blades are attached to. Generally though the figure's articulation is very good for its size and price point, and that together with that classic sculpt there's plenty of personality to be had from even the most basic poses.

In addition to the aforementioned rotor blades and arm-mounted cannons, Vortex's other included accessory is his signature blaster - moulded in black plastic with no additional paint apps. As is generally the case now across all of the Transformers Generations toy lines, it has been moulded to resemble his original toy's weapon. The blaster can be held in either of the figure's fists, fitting comfortably into the 5mm peg moulding. All of these weapons are also compatible with the various blast effect parts released with other Transformers figures. However this isn't the only option Vortex has when it comes to combat - his arsenal is naturally also bolstered by those twin arm cannons, but the rotor blades can also be unpegged from his back and instead clipped onto  his left wrist - providing a spinning blade/shield formation. The guns themselves are enough to give Vortex plenty of display presence, but this additional gimmick is a lovely little bit of added playability as well offering a nice change from the usual blaster poses.

After a relatively straightforward 19-step transformation, Vortex transforms into an unlicensed approximation of his original Kaman SH-2 Seasprite alt-mode. For those not too bogged down by the specifics, it's exactly the kind of helicopter you'd expect it to be. Even unlicensed it's arguably a more realistic helicopter than the original toy, which rounder edges and and a shape much more akin to the real-life vehicle. While getting the arms to swing around to form the tail of the vehicle seems a little fiddly at first, overall it's a satisfying transformation that doesn't take too long to master at all. True to his status as a Combaticon, in helicopter mode Vortex features multiple configurations in regards to weapon storage. The arm blasters can be pegged to either side of the tail via the 5mm ports provided (my personal favourite and most G1 accurate), or they (alongside Vortex's main blaster) can be tabbed to multiple places around and under the cockpit area.

In vehicle mode Vortex sadly doesn't have an obvious port for a display stand to plug directly into, but at the same time it isn't hard to balance that figure on a claw piece (particularly at that thinner mid-section) for some great flight poses. Other than the ability to attach the weapons in multiple places Vortex doesn't have much in the way of features/gimmicks in this mode, but you can of course spin the rotor blades around and the larger ones on the top can also collapse them down into a neutral position. While the instructions included don't feature any steps on how to further transform him into limb mode (these will probably all be featured on Onslaught's instruction sheet), it follows the same basic pattern as previously released "Scramble City" combiners Menasor and Superion - meaning that Vortex can be attached to either of these robots as a replacement limb while you wait for the rest of his team to release.

Although the release of Age of the Primes Vortex so far ahead of his fellow Combaticons is a little baffling, there's more than enough going on here for him to shine as a great standalone release before he's joined by his teammates. Despite his small stature and fiddly arm kibble, Vortex just oozes presence - both from how faithful it is to his original G1 design and the otherwise generally good articulation. You're also getting a fantastic-looking helicopter out of that alt-mode, which will surely make a great-looking limb by the time Bruticus rolls around. A surprise release for 2025, but certainly not an unwelcome one.