Dr. Wu - NIGHT NINJA!

Dr. Wu No. DW-MS31 - Night Ninja (3rd Party Nightbird) - Mechanic Toys 2022

A few years ago there was an amazing surge of 3rd Party fembots. Two companies in particular, Dr. Wu (Mechanic) and NewAge simultaneously released nearly identical 3.75" lines of female Transformers. Both companies had an anchor "Arcee" (Amie and Maschinenmensch) and five retooled versions each, making twelve unique figures all at once. I was ecstatic, but overwhelmed. And at more than $50 each, I had to be selective. Luckily half of them were iconic characters, and half were character repaints. And iconic always wins for me so the decision was easy. Each line had a Nightbird homage. She is one of my favorite G1 characters, despite being a single-episode, non-speaking, non-transforming robot. I still remember being glued to the screen after school back in 1985, mesmerized by her stealthy ninja moves and mysterious nature. She was actually the character that got me to start buying 3rd Party figures back in 2012. So when a new one pops up, I just can't resist. Let's check out Night Ninja below!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - NIGHTBIRD!

Transformers Studio Series #104 - Rise of the Beasts Nightbird - Hasbro 2023

Nightbird was a very interesting choice for a villain in the 2023 Transformers: Rise of the Beasts movie. The mute female robot was introduced in the 1985 Transformers episode Enter The Nightbird as a creation of human scientists. She was quickly stolen by the Decepticons and used as a weapon against the Autobots. I was obsessed with this episode as a kid and am so shocked that this single-episode character has had such a legacy. This is actually my tenth action figure of her (mostly third-party homages though). In Rise of the Beasts, she is quite reimagined. She is a Terrorcon under Unicron who transforms into a muscle car and tries to thwart the Autobots and Maximals. I honestly don't remember her talking in the movie, but she is voiced by MJ Rodriguez, so I guess she is no longer mute. I had some issues with the cinematic redesign initially, but it has really grown on me (although the copper-colored details still baffle me). Let's check out the Studio Series Nightbird below!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - NIGHTBIRD!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts - Flex Changers Nightbird - Hasbro 2023

Nightbird was a very iconic character from my childhood. The very first time I ever saw a robotic representation of the female form was in the 1985 episode Enter the Nightbird.  Nightbird was a "female" ninja robot created by Earth scientists (and quickly stolen by the Decepticons). Gender expression has always been a hot topic in Transformers, and Nightbird being a human construct had even less of an identity. So when I originally heard that the movie Nightbird was non-binary, this made a lot of sense. And that fact that MJ Rodriguez is the voice was a stroke of genius, although that confirmed that Nightbird's cinematic presentation will be skewing female (which I love). But lately all the press refers to the character as female. I'm curious to see if it's even addressed in the movie, but either way I'm a fan. Most Nightbird movie toy designs so far are festooned with copper-colored panels that diverge too much from the classic palette, but this Flex Changer has a great classic look. Let's check out Nightbird below!

Iron Factory - NIGHT ASSASSIN!

3rd Party Transformers - IF EX-16N Night Assassin (Nightbird) - Iron Factory 2016

I'm a little sad that this is the last of my Iron Factory mini fembots to review. From 2015 to 2018 there was steady flow of these little beauties. I got them all with the exception of some variants but I waited until very recently to finally open and photograph them all. They are 3" tall and very well articulated with fun anime-esque faces and great sculpts all-around. I'm very impressed with the quality and aesthetic. I don't know for sure that there won't be any more, but there's usually a ton of advance knowledge with 3rd Party Figures (often years) and I haven't heard a peep about anything new. The character selection was proving to be so interesting too. Windblade was the darling of the moment and Arcee was the classic. But then we got Elita-1, Slipstream, and Nightbird, which were very unexpected and exciting. Nightbird was a mysterious military ninja robot from the G1 Transformers cartoon - who coincidentally has been getting a lot of merchandise in the past decade. Let's check out Night Assassin below!

War for Cybertron - NIGHTBIRD!

Transformers Generations: War For Cybertron - Nightbird - TakaraTomy 2019

My excitement over the upcoming Earthrise Arcee, War For Cybertron Elita-1, and Kingdom Blackarachnia made me almost forget this Nightbird figure that came out last Fall. Surprisingly this has been the only reuse of the Siege Chromia mold. Considering the Moonracer mold gave us four unique characters, I really thought they'd stretch this one out a little more. But when I see how good the Arcee mold and Elita redeco seem to be, I think this one is likely retired. Nightbird is a very nostalgic for me. In the original G1 show, she was a military robot stolen by the Decepticons and brainwashed/reprogrammed to be evil. I was obsessed with her episode, Enter the Nightbird, and would eagerly watch the repeating shows on syndication hoping to see it again. Something about her just struck a chord with me. She was cool, powerful, and mysterious. (And I used to fill notebooks with my drawings of her). So needles to say I get really excited whenever she gets merchandised. Let's check out Nightbird below!

Transformers Legends - NIGHTBIRD SHADOW!

Transformers Legends Series (Japan) - LG-15 Nightbird - Takara Tomy 2015

One of the most nostalgic moments from my childhood was watching the Season 2 Transformers episode Enter the Nightbird. I was seven years old and this episode formed a lot of what I still love about sci-fi stories. Nightbird was a powerful ninja robot created by human scientists. She looked awesome and was mysteriously mute. The Autobots were asked to protect her, but the Decepticons crashed the party and stole her. Without any delay, the bad guys reprogrammed her, made her more powerful, and unleashed her stealth ninja skills on the Autobots. She broke into their base and stole all kinds of valuable information. And every time she was confronted, she kicked major butt. Her downfall only comes about because of typical Decepticon in-fighting. And then as she is sadly deprogrammed and being put into storage, she stirs and gives one last ominous stare. As a kid, this episode was positively Oscar-worthy. Nightbird has received a lot of 3rd Party love, a Kre-O, and now this beautiful TakaraTomyLegends figure.

KRE-O Transformers - NIGHTBIRD!

Botcon 2015 Exclusive "Earth's Most Wanted" 5-Pack - Nightbird - Hasbro 2015

Nightbird was the first real female character in Transformers. She appeared in episode #22 "Enter the Nightbird" in 1985 (Elita-1 and her clan of female Autobots didn't appear until episode #48). Nightbird was a robot created by the US Government that was swiftly captured and brainwashed by the Decepticons. She was a silent, non-transforming, ninja robot who was stealthily sneaking around and using her arsenal of weapons throughout the episode. I distinctly remember filling up notebooks drawing her as a child. I was totally obsessed with her. Not only was she the first female in the series, but she was seriously kick-ass. Both Optimus Prime and Megatron were fighting over her. I never expected to see any toys of her in my lifetime, but now we have three Third-Party figures, this Kreon, and a retooled Arcee being released this October from Tomy in Japan. It's so bizarre to be living in such a Golden Age of toy collecting. I feel like toy companies are reading my mind. Let's check out this Nightbird Kreon below!

Two Third-Party Transformers NIGHTBIRD Figures!

Nightbird and TRNS-EX1 TFCon Exclusive Night-Bird from ImpossibleToys

It's no secret that the driving force behind most toy enthusiasts is nostalgia.  I'm definitely no exception.  When I get my hands on a toy that hits that nostalgic nerve, I am instantly transported back to my childhood, feeling all the wonder and awe of my youth - it's fantastic.  The character of Nightbird sparks those feelings for me in spades.  She appeared in a single episode of Transformers in 1985 as a giant female ninja robot created by a human scientist.  The Transformers are charged with protecting her, but the Decepticons kidnap her and reprogram her to be their spy and saboteur.  She doesn't talk in the episode, she just sneaks around, escapes a lot, and does a ton of cool ninja stuff.  She was dark, mysterious, gadget-laden, and acrobatic, so obviously I was smitten.  Even as a kid I never expected to have a toy of her.  That's the beauty of Third Party toy manufacturers.  We all know the Hasbro has no intention of ever making this figure, but lucky for us, someone took it in the heir hands to make it happen - and voilà!  TWO Nightbirds.  This hobby amazes me sometimes.