Sky Lynx

Sky Lynx is an Autobot lieutenant who has some serious ego problems. While he likes to brag about himself, he is a brave warrior.

The toy itself is from Takara Tomy’s Encore series, released in 2008, while the original was released in 1986.

Let us start with the box. It is quite large, as you can see the comparison with the AA size battery from the photo. The design resembles the old box, but with Encore logo on the upper left side.

Inside, the toy is packed in vehicle mode along with a card, stickers, and instruction sheet. All of which is held in place by a plastic tray and praise the Lord, no twist ties! Although I do not have the 1986 version, I am sure the old version used a Styrofoam tray to keep everything in place.

Sky Lynx is all plastic, and the quality feels very good, holding up to the transformation process over and over again. Sky Lynx actually is two separate transformers. The space shuttle can turn into a dino-bird and the shuttle transport can turn into a lynx. Each can be played with separately.

First the bird, which may look kind of like a duck for some people. Its alternate mode is a space shuttle. To transform to bird mode, simply pull the tail from the cargo compartment, raise the front end to reveal the neck and head, and flip the feet and pull the wings. The mouth can be opened to reveal some seriously menacing teeth. The tail and neck are articulated. The hatch on the cargo compartment can also be opened.

The second part is the carrier that can turn into a “lynx” (and I don’t know why “Lynx” has two tails). Transforming it is super easy. Just pop out the head and legs and pull its tails out. The lynx is a bit weird for my taste with its vehicle mode being a bit bland, but the real joy starts when…

The two combine. The vehicle mode is a space shuttle with carrier, and the two connect via three pegs that hold the two together quite well, allowing them to stay connected even over the roughest of space bumps. While in vehicle mode, it measures 22 cm long with the height of 17 cm.

Transformation into Sky Lynx is similar with the previous transformation, except you do not pull out the legs of the bird or the head and tails of the lynx. Sky Lynx is more a Dinosaur to me than bird, and in Sky Lynx mode, it measures 27 cm long (it has very long tail) and height of 22 cm. It’s quite big, but to have more fun…

Put 2 AA battery in and Sky Lynx has the ability to roll in vehicle mode, or walk in robot mode. In vehicle mode, it has a front steering wheel so you can direct where it goes. The walking action is also very fun to watch. Just line-up some minicons and watch Sky Lynx stomp the life from them.

In the end, it is one of best transformers I have ever had, and is a good fit for people who like playability as well as a toy’s design (remember, it was released in 1986). For the price, it is a great bargain. Affordable and highly playable.