General Information
Release Date: September 2025
Price Point: $34.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: General Release (Amazon, BigBadToyStore, Entertainment Earth, Target, Walmart etc.) - the preceding links are sponsor/affiliate links for Ben's World of Transformers
Accessories: Blaster hand, Claw hand, Triple barreled blaster arm, Cannon and Fist
Official images and text in italics are from Amazon.com:
- AGE OF THE PRIMES FLATLINE: This Transformers Flatline figure features deco and details inspired by the Transformers universe
- 7-INCH VOYAGER CLASS TRANSFORMERS FIGURE: In robot mode, the Transformers action figure is 7 inches (17.5 cm) tall
- CONVERT BETWEEN ROBOT AND OFF-ROAD VEHICLE MODE IN 16 STEPS: This Transformers toy figure converts between modes in 16 steps
- ARTICULATED FOR PLAY AND DISPLAY: Age of the Primes Transformers figures feature articulation for display-worthy poses or action-packed play
- 4 ACCESSORIES THAT ATTACH: Figure comes with cannon, hand missiles, and claw accessory pieces
- PART OF THE AGE OF THE PRIMES COLLECTION: Everything in the Transformers universe can be traced back to the original bots, the Thirteen Primes. Flatline is descended from Quintus Prime, the strategic Prime
- GIFT TRANSFORMERS COLLECTIBLES: Transformers action figures make a great gift for boys and girls 8 and up or anyone who collects Transformers toys
Experience the epic universe of Transformers robots with the Transformers Flatline toy! The 7-inch (17.5 cm) figure converts from robot action figure to offroad vehicle in 16 steps. With intricate poseability and attachable accessories like hand missiles and a cannon, this Flatline action figure makes an awesome addition to any collection. Look for more Transformers collectible toys (sold separately, subject to availability) featuring favorite characters like Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, and more to create a lineup that is — More Than Meets the Eye. TRANSFORMERS and HASBRO and all related trademarks and logos are trademarks of Hasbro, Inc.
Background:
Back in 2013, IDW Publishing introduced a new character: Flatline. This unusual character was a Decepticon medic who would treat patients regardless of affiliation. Back then, Flatline seemed to be very loosely based on the design of Generations Trailcutter. Now in Age of the Primes this new version of the character is a redeco and retool of Red Alert. This review will focus on the changes made to the Red Alert figure for this release.
Packaging:
Age of the Primes represents a dramatic shift in Generations packaging. Unlike previous years of the War for Cybertron trilogy or Legacy which went in dramatic directions with packaging shape and artwork, the designers have dialed back the look of the boxes a lot. The Age of the Primes packaging winds up looking a lot more like Studio Series packaging. The boxes are now rectangular. No weird angles or anything. The background is just plain black. The "Transformers" logo is no longer vertical (dropping a trend that began over ten years ago) and is now horizontal in the front of the packaging with the "Age of the Primes" name underneath it. Character art is featured to the right, but it's only partial art showing a bit of the character in robot mode with focus on the vehicle mode underneath. To the left are icons describing how many steps the character takes to convert from one mode to the other and the age recommendation (8+ in this case).
Flatline is inside the box attached to a cardboard tray. You can see the entire figure in robot mode thanks to the return of plastic windows! Fans will recall that for the last few years Transformers toys have had no plastic windows in an effort to (ostensibly) make more eco-friendly packaging. However, this led to damaged toys with heads being yanked off and sometimes figures being outright stolen. For many fans, the return of the plastic windows is a welcome one.
The back of the box shows the character in both modes calling out a 16 step transformation. Behind the character is a sky background with a wheel showing some of the Thirteen Prime symbols. The right side of the box (if you're looking at the front) features the phrase "'Til All Are One" in multiple languages along with artwork of Primes including Solus Prime.
Accessories:
Flatline carries over all the accessories from Red Alert.
- Cannon: This weapon is the same one included with Red Alert. It is roughly rectangular in shape with lots of nicely sculpted details on top and the sides based on the original weapon. The back features a 5mm peg while the front features a 5mm port to attach the other accessories included with the figure. This piece is made of black and translucent red plastic.
- Fist: Unlike Red Alert, Flatline does include a left hand fist! This fist is a mirror of the one on the other side and features a 5mm peg in back (to attach to the wrist) and a port in the fist. This piece is black plastic with no paint applications.
- Claw Hand: One of Flatline's hand-replacements is a claw featuring a 5mm peg at the back. This piece is made of gunmetal grey plastic with no paint applications.
- Blaster Hand: Flatline has the same single barreled attachment as Red Alert. This single barreled piece features fins on the sides and one on top. This piece features a 5mm peg in the back and a tip that lets you attach Blast Effects. This piece is made of translucent red plastic with silver paint applications.
- Triple Barreled Blaster Hand: This accessory is similar in shape to the Blaster Hand but it features three small barrels and no fins. It features a 5mm peg in the back and a tip that can fit a Blast Effect. This piece is made of translucent red plastic with silver paint applications.
Robot Mode:
Flatline features a new head in this mode. The head is based on the design seen in the IDW Publishing Transformers comic from 2022. The head is round in shape with a helmet section that wraps around the face. The face features thin eyes, a sharp nose and a mouth plate that comes to a vertical bend in the middle. The parts of the helmet that flank the mouth plate feature air vent like details. In the comic book the head looked a bit wider, but given that this head has to be able to fit into the compartment in the chest it makes sense that it is a certain width. Overall the head has a great sculpt.
This figure is mostly made up of black and translucent red plastic. Black makes up most of the figure with the translucent red used on parts like his windshield (on the back) and the headlights on his chest. Paint colors include red and silver. Red is used for a lot of details including the crest on his head, the area under the knees and the grille on his chest. Silver is used for other details including his face, the front of his feet and the sides of his forearms. I have always been a huge fan of the red/silver/black combination of colors on any robot so this looks super cool to me. A finishing touch is a tampographed silver and purple Decepticon symbol on the top of his chest.
All twenty nine points of articulation on my copy of this figure are nice and tight. There are still ten 5mm ports on this figure including four on each arm and leg and one on top of the chest section and one behind the head to attach his cannon. It would be easy to lament the "lost" functionality compared to Armada Red Alert, but that would be unfair to this character since they were never part of Armada. That said, it's cool that the designers included the left fist with this figure since Flatline did have two functional hands in the comic. The rest of his features are all still intact.
Transformation to Vehicle Mode:
- Detach all the hand accessories.
- Two of the hand accessories can be stored in the white panels or the blaster hand accessories can be attached to the top of the vehicle mode (more on that below).
- The third hand accessory can remain attached to the cannon if it is deployed in vehicle mode.
- Straighten out the arms and legs.
- Rotate each arm inward, then swing the doors down. Each door has a wide tab on the back that attaches to the slot on the biceps.
- Swing each forearm up against the biceps.
- Swing the panel in the center of the chest section up, and swing the inner panel up.
- Swing the robot head down, then swing the middle panel back into place.
- Swing the back pack section up, then inside that back pack swing out the rear vehicle mode panel.
- Swing each arm up out to the sides, then rotate them forward so the doors face front.
- Swing the arms back, connecting the tabs and slots on the forearms to one another.
- On each foot swing the heel pieces into the bottom of the feet.
- Swing the feet up against the lower legs, then swing the lower legs (using the joint below the knees) back.
- Swing the lower body up to form the back and bottom of the vehicle mode. There are tabs that fit into the thighs and on the rear panel to hold everything together.
- The small blaster hands can be attached to the small pegs on top of the car (right above the windshield) using the small ports on the sides of each hand weapon. The claw does not have this so you're better off storing that in the leg panel or attaching it to the cannon.
When I reviewed Red Alert, I noted that his cannon had this odd issue where it would not push all the way down and stay flush to the rest of the cabin roof. Interestingly, my copy of Flatline does not have this issue, which is great but very odd.
Vehicle Mode:
Flatline's vehicle mode sculpt is the same as Red Alert's. However, the deco is completely different so it really does hit different visually. As with the robot mode, the vehicle mode is mostly made up of black plastic with translucent red parts. The translucent red is used for the headlights, the windows and the emergency lights and rack on top of the vehicle. I love the way the red looks against the black. Like the robot mode, red and silver paint are used for detailing in this mode. Among the more distinct patterns are literal "flat line" patterns along the sides on the back and red paint over the rear wheel wells. I also like the way the three angled indented lines on the left side of the car are painted red. I also really love the rear window covers being painted silver with a red border. These were unpainted on Red Alert and looked a bit plain. This looks much better!
All the play features from Red Alert carry over to this figure. The cannon still swings out on the top of the vehicle and there are still 5mm ports on the front and sides for extra weapons. The top retains a classic Armada Mini-Con port, allowing you to attach a Mini-Con if you have one available! He also still has the tiny pegs to attach two of his hand attachments. Overall there is some good play value here.
Final Thoughts:
I really liked the Red Alert toy and by extension I think this toy is really cool. That said, I don't have any particular attachment to Flatline, I just think he looks really neat. If you're a fan of the IDW Publishing comics and character, I say snatch this up. Otherwise if you can get this at a discount this is the way to go. Recommended!
Pros:
- Excellent sculpt that features a great blend of the Armada toy and cartoon character model.
- Good deco with some nice detail work, especially on the front of the vehicle.
- Fun accessories.
- Intuitive and fun transformation.
- Excellent articulation.
- I appreciate the inclusion of one Mini-Con peg.
- Represents a relatively obscure character.
Cons:
- While Flatline never had a Mini-Con, the lack of one is still a minus in my opinion.
