Transformers Palisades Statue: Wheeljack

At some point in 2012 I visited a hybrid toy show / trading card show. Most of you know that I also run a trading card blog entitled, Cardboard Collections, so this show was right up my alley. While I didn't happen to find many toys I wanted to buy, Transformers specifically, I did run across one vendor with several of Palisades statues on a back shelf. While I don't fancy myself as a statue or bust collector, I do have two of the Hard Hero Transformers busts and the full size Beast Wars Rhinox statue in my collection. The Palisades statues however have always intrigued me with their detailed sculpts, but the prices have always made me steer away. I was able to grab Wheeljack for the low low price of $20 so I pulled the trigger.

The packaging is rather plain, but still attractive. The addition of the red grid pattern harkens back to the G1 days. I'm sure there were some cross sell images on the back of the box, but I forgot to take pictures.

What surprised me about the figure when I opened the box to inspect it before handing over the money was the fact that the statue needed "assembly". What I mean by that is the arms were packaged in a separate compartment in the styrofoam tray. On the inside of each shoulder was one small metal pin that stuck out ever so far. You had to insert the pin into the body of the statue to complete it's look. This also allowed you to "pose" the figure to some degree. The large battle damaged Autobot symbol that acts as a stand also had to be attached underneath the statue.

I really wasn't expecting these features, but was impressed as it takes a ordinary statue and infuses just enough of the action figure element. While I ultimately decided not to keep Wheeljack, I am glad I finally got to experience one in person. Had I multiple Detolf cabinets to display these Palisades Transformer statues in then perhaps I'd collect them, but as it is one man can only have so many toys.