Sunday, May 4, 2008

Animated Prowl







This mode is absolutely unbelievable. ZERO robot kibble and absolutely no indication that it transformers into a robot. No weird scribe lines, no odd proportions, no visible hands, and, best of all, the head is COMPLETELY hidden. It's also incredibly sturdy in this mode and has lots of nice little details like clear headlights, the clear red and blue police lights behind the seat, a working kickstand, and even the little gauges just under the windshield.

The Transformation is both a blast and a breeze. It's one of those pieces you can have into robot mode in a matter of seconds, yet it doesn't look like one of those pieces that you simply stand upright and extend the arms, legs and head.

Just as the vehicle mode gives zero indication that this is a robot, the robot mode gives no indication that this turns into a motorcycle - it just looks like a REALLY cool robot figure. For the most part, this is in thanks to the clever hiding of the wheels inside the legs which gives the piece both perfect symmetry and unique character. Unlike other Transformer motorcycle figures, like Arcee, no large chunks of the motorcycle are removed to make it more accommodating for the robot mode, and there are no fat pieces of vehicle kibble hangin' off the back. By the way, this piece is exactly the same size as Deluxe Arcee.

Articulation is top notch. The head is ball jointed but also has a hinged neck - this really provides a massive amount of movement. The shoulders are double ball jointed (one on the body, one at the base of the shoulder). The elbows, waist, knees and ankles are also ball jointed and completely posable.

The accessories are cool too. First are the throwing stars which detach from the sides of the wheels. They are very well hidden when in vehicle mode thanks to the matching detailing on the other side of the wheel. When removed, the whole thing blossoms open thanks to some clever gear work inside each star.

The next accessory is a traffic light "nunchuck." While not quite as nifty as the throwing stars, it has some neat detailing nonetheless. Particularly nice is the fact that clear red, yellow, and green plastic is used for the individual lights themselves rather than simply painting them in.

Needless to say, I'm damn impressed with the piece. It's all that a Transformer should be: uncompromised vehicle mode, fun and easy transformation, flawless robot mode with a TON of articulation and neat accessories.DEFINITELY put him at the top of your list.

1 comment:

Brad said...

tiuuuuuuuuuuuuuu so nicee waaaan