Punch
Counterpunch
“As the explosions roar and laser bursts slam into armor plating, Punch remains cool and aloof. It's a characteristic that his fellow Autobots envy during this time of war. However, buried in his processors deep below this false aura of composure, lurks a rampant paranoia with which the Autobot spy is in constant conflict. Recently his paranoia has become so intense that when in infiltration mode, Punch has started to black out due to immense fear. When he reboots he finds that he has no recollection of how he has completed the mission, but is always thankful that his Counterpunch persona has seemingly pursued the objective on its own.”
Role: Double Agent
Quote: “I fear my Decepticon Counterpart is nearby. Really nearby”
Strength: 6
Intelligence: 9
Speed: 8
Endurance: 6
Rank: 7
Courage: 10
Fireblast: 6
Skill: 9
Robot Mode
The robot mode for this figure is very complex, as there are 2 of them, though it's easy to convert between the 2, they both look very different
Both bodies are fully pose-able in their limbs, which includes elbows and shoulder joints for the arms, and knees and thigh joints on the legs. Both modes can also rotate their waists 360 degrees and reposition their feet for stability. The head can also rotate as well, also, the helmets on the head can tilt forwards and back to reveal the required head
The wrists on the hands can be twisted 360 degrees, but the fingers aren't articulated. However they have got plug holes so they can handle the supplied gun
The Decepticon side (Counterpunch) is mostly blue, red and black and has a red face and knight-helmet with a chevron on the forehead. The hands of this side are backwards however, so unless you remove them and then replace them manually, it will be backwards.
The Autobot side (Punch) is mostly blue, yellow and black and has a yellow face and more standard helmet. The feet in this mode aren't very supportive due to where the lower part of the leg is found in this robot mode
Alternate Mode
The alternate mode of this figure is a Lamborghini Galardo, one of the fast cars on Earth as of writing this.
The bulk of the car is blue with black speed lines on the side, air vents on the hood and windows. His wheel rims are red with red tires. He also has a speed-breaker on the roof and a spoiler on the back.
The car's headlights are painted over with the same blue paint as the rest of the car. His rear lights are a pale green on a mostly purple with silver highlights rear section (this gives him some added colour in Decepticon mode)
His licence plate reads P CNTR P, an obvious reference to his name Punch/Counterpunch
The wheels are able to role along the floor with some ease, as with most modern car alternate modes
Transformation
The transformation sequence IS complex, but not as hard as some other figures available with the Collector's Club. The Transformation from car to robot mode (either robot mode) is the more difficult part, and can be fiddly in places (like the connection of the chest/back/car hood to the internal clips or the rearrangement of the arms to look more comfortable.
The transformations from the robot modes to each other are relatively simple, and only require the rotation of the legs by about 90 degrees, repositioning the arms to better fit the opposite side, and tilting the helmet to reveal the different head
Accessories
Punch/Counterpunch comes with his exhaust pipe and speed breaker, the Exhaust pipe can become a small gun, or can "combine" with the speed breaker to create a larger gun (although the "combined" mode doesn't really work that well). The speed breaker can also be attacked to either mode's backs by the clips on their backs (also covering the opposite insignia at the same time)
Availability
Punch Counterpunch was release by Fun Publications in 2010 as one of the two purchase-only exclusive figures for the year, twice, and both times it sold out within a matter of hours. He cost me, including shipping costs about £59. The reason I got him that cheap, was because a bunch of UK fans grouped together and bought them as a bulk, and split the shipping and customs fees between us.
My Thoughts
Punch/Counterpunch's robot modes are great physical updates for the original version, and both sides have a great homage to the original toys by having the rub sign insignia stickers (which was a rarity to have on toys when this toy was released. The great articulation also helps with things as well. The two robot modes are both dissimilar enough to be mistaken for 2 different figures. The usage of this mold was perfect for this character
The car mode is perfect however, I can't find a fault with it at all. The colour-scheme is beautiful and complements well (ie the dark blue and black fit well together) and is also fun to play with in vehicle mode
The combined gun mode is fairly pitiful, which I rarely use myself, but I'm sure some do
Overall I think this figure is great, he has a great set of robot modes, car mode and character. He makes a good update for the original character from the 80's. So I strongly advise anyone who can (from a second party dealer now obviously) to buy one...or 3!
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