HE HAS KNUCKLE DUSTERS!

The Last Knight was a bad movie and a major step down from Age Of Extinction. The Last Knight toyline on the other hand was a big improvement over the Age Of Extinction toyline.

One of the first figures leaked and released for The Last Knight toyline was Premier Edition Deluxe Barricade. Is TLK Barricade here an improvement over his two predecessors though? Let’s find out!

Vehicle mode

A common thread between the two predecessor Deluxe Barricades was that their vehicle modes were very good. The Last Knight Barricade here is continues that trend. He’s got a mean looking police car mode that’s pretty obviously Barricade. It’s not just the colour scheme, it’s the iconic Barricade slogan on the sides of the car. It’s great that they kept them!

Ground clearance is good so he rolls just fine. There’s also weapon storage for everything in car mode which is always nice.

Transformation

Barricade has a super duper simple transformation. While it’s well and good the transformation isn’t frustrating, this comes at a cost.

Robot mode

Barricade got a redesign for The Last Knight. He looks like what I’d imagine G1 or IDW Barricade would look like. It’s a good look. What isn’t a good look is the massive backpack he has. They could have made it fold in a little more man! As it is though, the only major problem with the backpack/turtle shell is that it gets in the way of moving his legs backwards. It doesn’t hamper anything else.

Barricade here actually has good articulation. He’s got a ball-jointed head but the movement up and down is kinda limited. His shoulders rotate as well as go in and out. He has bicep swivels and bending elbows. Surprisingly, he has wrist swivels. Hips move forward and back. They also go in and out. He’s got thigh swivels and knee bends. And his feet move forward.

Gimmicks

From Age Of Extinction onwards, the collector oriented and more complex Movie Transformers didn’t really have any gimmicks. This mostly means that the Transformers themselves get more attention and this is apparent on Barricade as well as the entirety of the Studio Series line.

I guess the accessories are his gimmick? His nightstick, handgun, wrap-around-arm gun and knuckledusters are all cool so that’s great. His weapon storage in robot mode is neat. He can holster his nightstick and handgun to his thighs and carry his wrap-around-arm gun on his back. Also, his knuckledusters are perfect. His right says protect and his left says serve. The kicker is they’re reversed. That means he stamps protect and serve onto things he punches. I love it.

Toy or collectible?

At the point of this writing, both.

The Premier Edition toys were way too expensive when they first came out. So the majority of them (read: everyone except Leader Megatron and Dragonstorm) went on clearance. Now prices are reasonable for MISB Barricades. Even moreso for used Barricades like mine.

He’s simple to transform and has two good modes with some great accessories. His only major problems are his backpack and size. Regardless, kids and adults alike should love this guy.

Closing

Barricade wears his new design well. Yes, he’s a lot smaller than the older Deluxes but that’s just the way things are. He lacks action gimmicks but is functionally a better figure than the original Deluxe Barricade and the DOTM Deluxe Barricade.

Even if you hated The Last Knight, you should give Barricade a shot. Especially if you can get him on clearance or used and cheap like me!