Transformers Titans Return Apeface

Apeface was one half of the Horrorcons, a pair of Decepticon triple-changer Headmasters. Both he and Snapdragon had a beast-mode, a jet-mode and their robot-mode. Their Headmaster partners were also unique in that they formed the heads of both the robot- and beast-modes.

Titans Return Apeface is a tiny re-imagining of that toy. All of the original modes are present even if the way he achieves them is different from his G1 self.

Head mode:

Apeface's head mode is very nice. The silver paint on his faceplate stands out against the dark purple making up the nest of his head. The eyes are black which is a little unusual - I'm used to Decepticons having red eyes for the most part - which some people have said make it look dead.

Apeface's head mode is very faithful to his original self. The new head is more detailed but as you can see in the above picture the original Apeface's head design was very basic. Hasbro/Takara hit the right balance between staying true to the original design but at the same time making it fit with the look of the modern toys.

Robot mode:

Cast in purple and black plastic Apeface is entirely reliant on the sculpted details in robot mode. There's no paint detailing at all. I really wish they'd picked out his face like they did on Terri-Bull and Crashbash.

Articulation is standard for a Titanmaster. Neck and shoulders are ball-jointed but the shoulders are limited by their shape. The hips and knees are hinged but the legs do not move independently. Apeface can interact with his companion fine but is by no means super poseable.

Apeface's robot mode design makes it clear he's supposed to be Apeface and not Spasma. The head design on the Titanmaster is the same as the head he transforms into. As far as I can tell none of the detailing on Spasma is carried over to the new Apeface.

Beast mode:

I'm not sure if the vehicle/beasts that come with the Titanmasters are a part of them or more akin to the transformable companions that came the the old Action Masters. Either way Apeface comes with a small robotic gorilla reminiscent of his original toys beast mode. The visor eye and chest are painted. Otherwise all detailing is done through the sculpt and plastic colors. The arms are on swivels but there is no other articulation.

Apeface (or any Titanmaster) is able to ride the gorilla. There are small pegs on the back that plug into the holes in a Titanmaster's feet. As mentioned before only the arms are articulated so there's not a whole lot you can do with it.

A lot of the details of the original toys gorilla mode are present on the Titans Return version. The paint and plastic colors don't match up with the originals colors perfectly but there's enough there to make it clear what their inspiration was. The posture on the Titans Return version is more accurate to a real world gorilla than the original toy.

Vehicle mode:

The integrated mode for Apeface is a tiny jet. The front of the jet is painted to mimic the details of the original toy. Apeface's robot mode blends into the jet well making it look like an entire vehicle.

This jet mode is chunky as many Transformers jets are. It's a much better looking jet than the vehicle that came with Terri-Bull. The gorilla mode is in no way hidden on the bottom of the jet. Otherwise it is a decent looking vehicle mode.

While stubbier in proportions the jet mode is clearly the same as that of the original Apeface toy. Much like the gorilla mode the paint on the Titans Return version is limited. All the key details of the original are present even if the colors don't match up perfectly.

Weapon mode:

Like the other Titanmaster figures I've looked at the weapon mode is not very convincing. I'd say this is on par with Crashbash's weapon mode. It's there if you want to use it but the other modes are much more fun.

Final Thoughts:

I love the 1987 Decepticon Headmasters. Getting a new Apeface, even in this tiny scale, is a great thing. Apart from the weapon mode this figure does a good job of homaging the original toy. I think it's a shame Terri-Bull and Crashbash didn't do the same in replicating their original alt-modes given how well it's worked for Apeface.

Apeface is a fun little package. So far I've felt all of the Titanmasters I've played with have been worthy additions to my collection. If you see him in store I'd recommend you pick him up.