Rare Toy - TFA Cheetor

Transformers Animated Cheetor

"Cheetor loves the thrill of the chase. When his turbo sensors lock on to the tail lights of a fleeing Decepticon, he pushes his accelerator to the floor. He can get a little too focused on his games of cat-and-mouse. When his optics lock in on the perp, his surroundings fade into a blur as he races in pursuit. Neither street signs, traffic flow, nor even that unfortunate bot caught crossing his path matter to him during his dash."

Function: Law Enforcement

Quote: "Go on. Run! That's when the fun begins!!!"

Strength: 6

Intelligence: 5

Speed: 10

Endurance: 8

Rank: 6

Courage: 9

Firepower: 7

Skill: 7


Robot Mode



Cheetor's robot mode is a sleek form with high shoulders and long limbs. His build is meant to emulate a professional athlete, so he has a thin waist-line and a muscular chest. Cheetor's colour-scheme is mostly yellow with black spots of differing shapes (the ones made visible in robot mode are octagonal whilst those visible in vehicle mode on the hood and canopy are more organic in appearance (and in fiction are revealed to have been from when he had some black paint splattered on him). Cheetor also features an orange chest and highlights on his limbs, he also features light green highlights on his knees and abdominal area. He also has some black paint applications on his groin and the joints on his limbs as well as his wheels (a pair of which are a major part of his feet)

Cheetor's arms are connected to his upper torso by a ball joint connector that allows him to rotate it as much as possible, without getting hit by the back kibble. Cheetor's lower arm is connected to the upper arm by a combination of a pivot and ball joint to give his elbow amazing articulation. Cheetor's hands are sculpted with fingers and a small peg hole, though the hole is far too small to hold his supplied weapon, however don't worry, there's a peg hole on the large piece of plastic connected to the lower arm that allows you to clip his weapon into it

Cheetor's waist line is able to rotate on a pivot as far as possible without getting stuck on the clips at the back of his back kibble. The upper leg is connected to the groin area by some ball joints and a hinge joint that allows it to move as far as possible, and even bend up the top (though the bending at the top is only really for the transformation sequence). The lower leg is connected to the upper leg by a hinge that makes a knee joint that allows it to bend backwards by 90 degrees. The feet are connected to the lower legs by a pivot joint at the ankle area that allows it to spin around fully (again just for the transformation really). Cheetor also has what can be seen as shoes formed by his rear lights from vehicle mode being separated creating a point at the front and one at the back, allowing Cheetor to stand up freely.

Cheetor's head is connected to the top of the torso by a black neck piece connected by a stiff hinge that can be bobbed forwards and back slightly, and then the actual head connected to the neck by a ball joint. Cheetor's head is based on the Beast Era character of the same name with a silver face, animated style chin and a three pronged yellow and orange helmet (which sort of resembles Galvatron's) that also features a small green chevron. The sides of the helmet also features a pair of green screw like decorations. Cheetor's eyes are a painted green (ie no light-piping, unlike his mold-mate Blurr's) and also features some sculpted freckles an a cheesy grin that takes up pretty much his entire face.
Despite what his stock photography shows and what his character model from the comics and profile shows, the actual toy lacks his black facial detailing, leaving it kind of plain.


Alternate Mode



Cheetor's vehicle mode is a futuristic yellow race car with black organic style spots across it with black windows and small yellow side view mirrors. The over-all design of the vehicle looks like an adaptation of the Mach 5 from the Speed Racer series, and even looks like it could be a fast car in real life, if ever designed.

The front bumpers of the vehicle are found of the two points where the transparent green headlights are found (most likely due to safety issues in case kids are stupid enough to poke themselves in the eyes with them) but they actually work well as bumpers for you to ram Cheetor into a wall without damage being caused. On the flip side, Cheetor has a pair of painted red rear lights that are just for decoration's sake.

Cheetor's front wheels are free running on a simple pivot, however his rear wheels, due to them being turned into his feet in robot mode, are designed so that only a disguised inner wheel actually moves. Both pairs of wheels are black plastic with red details painted on the rims, which give an impression of a "Tron" style wheel.


Transformation

Cheetor can be a bit fiddly to transform in places, you basically have to switch the positions of the arms and legs for the vehicle mode, which of course requires you to clip things in a specific order or it'll all go pear-shaped.

The legs require you to bend them near the top and rotate the whole thing around by 180 degrees, whilst at the same time you have to detach the arms from the torso by their connectors and rotate the arms 180 degrees as well, whilst connecting the two into the same area, all the while remembering to clip the weapon in front of the windshield, rotating the head and folding the back of the vehicle backwards completing the vehicle mode

Something that is often forgotten on this toy is the feet. According to the character model his feet are supposed to have the black part visible at the front, and the yellow part at the back (I had this issue with Blurr when I first got him)


Accessories



Cheetor comes with his weapon that forms the hood of his vehicle mode (so technically it's not an accessory, but I'll count it) it can be held on his arms by the peg holes on the unpainted side of his arms to act a a blade weapon by pressing the button with the Autobot insignia on it.
Alternatively you can clip the weapon on the two small hooks just below the large black area of his back so it can act as some coat tails (similarly to how it can be with TFA Lockdown).
The flip out weapon feature is also accessible in vehicle mode, so I guess Blurr can slice guys up whilst driving fast.


Availability

Cheetor was made available in 2011 from the Collector's Club Store and began shipping out after the Botcon of that year, which in turn was a Transformers Animated based set, and Cheetor acted as a main character in the comic from that set, making him an additional member of the set in spirit. Cheetor was made available at the same time as the G2 coloured Ramjet (as an add-on for the previous year's set) but, despite having a new head and being a new character etc has actually sold at a lower price and at a slower pace than his pure re-paint wave-mate...I find that a bit odd personally, but whatever float's the other people's boats I guess!

Cheetor's toy is a repaint of TFA Blurr with a new head to emulate the Beast Era character of Cheetor. This character's development is actual kind of interesting in itself, the Blurr character from TFA was based on the cancelled Transtech Cheetor toy (it's basis was later used for the character in the TFCC Transtech storyline of course), and now the Blurr toy has been redone into a Cheetor toy, bringing the homage full circle (especially since Cheetor was a part of the Transtech police in Animated as well, and even that being influenced on his Transtech character as well)

Cheetor has appeared in two comics so far, the online Moving Violations story that acts as a prequel to The Stunti-Con job (Botcon 2011 comic). Though Cheetor also appeared in the Allspark Almanac II (albeit with a different head mold, which looks closer to Blurr's mold itself).


My Thoughts

Cheetor is actually quite a fun figure, he works well with the rest of the Animated toyline (not that surprising really) except that Cheetor is a bit more sparkly that the rest of the line (except the Botcon TFA figures) due to the paint application used on Club toys being a bit more sparkly that others

Cheetor's Tech Spec is actually in itself quite interesting, along with the Botcon TFA figures he has a G1 style tech spec card which requires a red decoder card to read the stats, which isn't included in the box with Cheetor (luckily they had one included in "The Transformers: Vault" book or in an old G1 toybox if you have one, attack a MISBer if you know one to get one! (or just get some red transparent plastic or film to decode the stats)

Now, the figure itself is one of my favourites, with the only issue I have being his lack of facial paint, but that can easily be sorted with a black fine tip sharpie if you have one.
If you can find a Cheetor somewhere for a reasonable price (about £50 is enough) then I'd recommend getting him, especially if you want a complete TFA set, or want a figure you can re-purpose as a Transtech character (which works too)

Rare Toy - Side Burn

SIDE BURN

"Side Burn is a born exhibitionist; if it's loud, fast, or haphazard, you can't bet that he's tried it. Then bragged about it at a local Energon pub. Upgraded with a new Spark engine, Side Burn is now topping land speeds once thought to be unreachable and still hasn't found his limit. Although he'd be more than happy on the track, watching the world streak by his windshield in an indecipherable blur, Side Burn knows that his speed will someday provide a key advantage in the war against the Decepticons. Even if Prowl and his other friends in the newly-formed Autobot military don't share his outlook"
*Please note, the bad grammar/syntax etc is how it was written on the card. I'm not going to alter it for the sake of posterity

Role: Autobot Speedy Knight

Quote: "Think you can keep up? I doubt it!"

Strength: 5

Intelligence: 7

Speed: 10

Endurance: 7

Rank: 5

Courage: 9

Fireblast: 6

Skill: 7


Robot Mode



Side Burn's robot mode is a metallic blue with a lighter blue flame deco on the chest and on the sides and backs of the arms. Side Burn also has white panels on his lower legs, arms, his entire upper legs and spoiler. Side Burn's feet, hands and exposed wheels are black. Side Burn's groin has white, light blue and red highlights, and he also features the silver and red engine block from his vehicle mode at the top.
The arms are connected to his torso by a ball joint that enables them to rotate fully, so long as they don't get obstructed, and his lower arm is connected to the upper arm by a hinge, to allow it to be bent forwards by 90 degrees. His hands feature sculpted fingers and also have a peg hole. However the peg-hole on the figure is smaller than most other's, meaning that he can't hold other character's weapons properly (unless they are a repaint of him). Side Burn also has a small Autobot insignia printed on the very top of his lower left arm.
Side Burn's legs are connected to his groin area by a pivot joint which allows it to swing backwards and forward as far as they can without being obstructed. The upper leg is connected by a pair of pivots that enable hi to raise them outwards, and fold inwards as well (as part of his transformation scheme, so it's not that important for the robot mode). The lower leg is connected to the upper leg by a hinge and pivot combination that allows him to bend them backwards by about 90 degrees and rotated fully on the pivot. (This can only work if you unlatch the door panels on the upper legs to become skirt-type appendages)
Side Burn's feet are connected by a pivot joint that allows it to be repositioned for balance if needed, depending on the surface
Side Burn's head has a blue and white helmet with a silver face (sculpted with a nose and mouth. His eyes are fitted with an orange light piping feature that lights up his eyes when exposed to a strong enough light source (though his eyes have also been painted over with some red paint as well, which weakens the effect...though why it is like that I have no idea.
Side Burn also has some yellow paint over his right helmet forehead horn, the lower chevron and over his left eye (which a lot of people though was a mistake before looking at their profile cards and suddenly catching on).



Side Burn's left arm is fitted with a flip out black communicator (or buzzsaw if you want him to have another weapon). Also his gun can be clipped onto his back and used either as a storage area for the gun, or as a rocket pack for him to fly around with

Alternate Mode



Side Burn's vehicle mode is a metallic blue hot rod sports car with a large white spoiler and lighter blue flame deco on the hood and doors, based on the Dome Zero car model. And has been recoloured to resemble the character of the same name from the Robots in Disguise series.
Side Burn also has sculpted headlights which are painted yellow, exhaust pipes and speed vents as well as other panels, including a small sculpted door handle on both sides. Side Burn's exposed engine on the hood is painted silver with some red highlights
Side Burn's wheels has silver hubcaps and black tires, sculpted with tracks for friction. The wheels are able to rotate fully allowing the vehicle mode to roll freely along the ground.
The windscreen and side windows are made of a translucent dark orange plastic that shows the interior of the vehicle, which includes a driver's seat and passenger's seat, and a driver's seat. On top of that canopy is a giant Autobot insignia (really, it's huge!)
The rear of the vehicle features a pair of sculpted headlights on the black area (which becomes the feet in robot mode). Also, there's a small slot on teh underside of the spoiler's mechanism that allows you to plug his gun into it to act as an exhaust pipe or rocket booster, which when the missile is plugged in, looks like he's going at extreme speeds.



On the instructions sheet it shows an attack mode, which has the spoiler mechanism folded out on top of the canopy of the car, to give it a blade weapon and a mounted gun weapon (though the pretend-driver's view might be obstructed by the big spoiler in his eye-line!)

Transformation

Side Burn's transformation sequence is pretty simple, especially when compared to last year's exclusive, Dion. He doesn't have any fiddly parts and mostly just requires sliding out or rotating parts, easy!
The only really issues I have with him is that when pulling out the arms, the retracting component inside the chest that connects to the arms sometime's gets stuck, and some reports have said that the arms fall off (due to the mold being quite old and over-used in the past few years) but mine doesn't suffer from that problem. The only other possible issue with Transformation is that if his head is rotated either direction and isn't straight forward, then it won't Transform properly (as the head is designed to fit into the engine block especially)

Accessories



Side Burn comes with his gun, which can double up as his exhaust pipe/booster rocket/ jet pack or whatever you want, as well as the flame themed translucent orange missile that can be plugged into the blaster and launched by pressing the large white button on top. Due to the design of the blaster, it's not able to be held by every standard peg holed characters (which is the standard nowadays really)

Availability

Side Burn was made available as the Collector's Club's incentive figure for members who joined before Mid-March 2011 and was shipped out during August (mine arrived at the end of the month). He was put up for sale at the Club Store as well in August, but sold out within hours.
Side Burn was made as a repaint of the Classics Rodimus toy with no new features, other than the colours. The mold has been repainted into multiple versions of Rodimus/Hot Rod, including his Shattered Glass version.


My Thoughts

I have to say, considering that this figure is a "free" one just for joining the club, it's pretty much fantastic (I know I said that about Dion last year, but this one blows him out of the water!) He's well designed, in terms of what mold was used, and his colour schemes, with the only real issue being that his yellow head detailings seem a bit sloppy and lazy.
In terms of quality control, this figure also seems to be better than Dion as well, the only real issues I've heard about him is that his head sticks, his arms are too loose, and some mis-placed parts (ie two left hands, or one of the leg panels being backwards etc) but over all, I think that he was better handled than past years. However, the spoiler was slightly bent during shipment, but it was easily bent back.

In general, this is probably my favourite of the Incentive figure so far, and he even looks better than some of the figures you have to buy.
He actually fits in very well with Universe Prowl (to go with him as his brother, like in Robots In Disguise...now if only Hasbro or Fun Publications would make an X-Brawn toy to finish the trio..HINT! HINT!

Rare Toy - Shattered Glass Cyclonus

PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally written at an earlier date, so it might be outdated or lacking by my current standards



Shattered Glass Cyclonus

"Idling in a prison cell is often the most profound way to chase an epiphany, and Cyclonus cornered his during his fourth deca-cycle of incarceration. Without the constant whispering into his audio receptors by the powers that be, the remorseful Decepticon finally found the still calm that allowed him to rise above the ever-present chatter and hear for the first time his true voice. Now, with a determination of his own and the moral consult from his Targetmaster partner Krunix, he seeks to redeem his name amongst the Decepticons, all the while endeavouring to never again lose his voice in the din of deceit and corruption he has re-avowed to fight."

Role: Warrior

Quote: "Never belonging to anything larger than yourself only brings despair"

Strength: 9

Intelligence: 7

Speed: 9

Endurance: 8

Rank: 6

Courage: 8

Fireblast: 9

Skill: 8


Robot Mode



Cyclonus' robot mode is very good, he looks good, is stable, and well articulated.

The arms are able to bend at the elbow and rotate at the shoulder joint, also the lower arms are able to rotate as well, allowing you to aim the gun better. Also, the upper arm can be raised at the side at about a 45 degree angle for some added realism. The right hand is fitted with a plug hole so it can hold a standard sized weapon, and of course his Minicon partner, however his left hand is filled in for some reason.

The legs are able to bend at the knees as well, and the leg can also bend and rotate on a ball bearing at the thigh so he can perform a horizontal split or a star jump if needed. His upper leg is also able to rotate just under the point where the groin is as a 360 degree angle (if you must do it) His feet are also able to be repositioned if needed depending on the surface he's on (ie the feet can be made to dig into the ground if on soil or sand)

Cyclonus' head can rotate 360 degrees (as it's required for his transformation anyway, and is also fitted with a blue light-piping system (as he is a benevolent Decepticon)

His back kibble is attacked to his shoulder thingies, so it won't hinder articulation for the arms (unlike with the Classics Seeker mold)

Cyclonus' colour scheme is clearly meant to denote Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime's G1 colourings, and works very well at that as well. The orange and red main colours compliment each other very well, and the orange wings on his back are a great reference to Hot Rod as well, without having to alter the original toy's mold at all


Alternate Mode



Cyclonus' alternate mode is of a space jet reminiscent of his original G1 design, but obviously in Hot Rod's colours instead of his original colours.

Whilst the wings and other orange highlights are quite sharp against the red main body, they actually work well

The alternate mode has landing wheels on the bottom that can be hidden if you want to pretend that he's flying (or if you actually throw him around to make him fly)

The back of the alternate mode is kind of messy, the robot mode feet aren't hidden that well...actually they aren't hidden at all.

The alternate mode has a decorative cockpit area in the middle, it can't hold any real figures, and is just there for aesthetic reasons


Transformation

The transformation sequence is very simple, and quite swift to do, however you have to follow the sequence very precisely, otherwise you'll miss a stage and his head will be stuck or something.

The hiding of the nose-cone is quite clever however, as it gets fully folded into Cyclonus' chest

The only real awkward part is the lower legs since they have to be folded together, and that requires piloting the inner joints together, although the end result is still very nice


Accessories



Cyclonus comes with probably the best type of accessory, A LITTLE ROBOT!!!! In this case he comes with his Targetmaster partner, Krunix (named for the character created in Marvel UK)

Krunix is able to turn into a small gun that Cyclonus can use to blast away his enemies (in fiction anyway, since he's actually a non-firing gun in the toy form) The gun mode can attach to Cyclonus is one of 3 ways, either as a normal gun in his right hand by sliding the handle into his plug hole, or by sliding into the Targetmaster port on Cyclonus' left arm (just rotate his left hand into it's socket to reveal the port) by sliding the small clip on his back into the small hole. The final way to to slide the handle into the small hole on top of his cockpit

Krunix is coloured to match his larger counterpart (most likely because of molding issues like they did with the Micromaster teams in G1)

In robot mode, Krunix is very articulate for a small figure, his joint on his groin area enables him to enter a foetal position, which also allows his legs to move on the axis as well. His arms can rotate at the shoulder joints, and the arms can also bend at a 90 degree angle forward, but nothing else




Availability

Cyclonus was made available in the first half of 2010 along with Punch/Counterpunch. His character model was first seen in the Botcon comic, Shattered Glass. I picked mine up at Auto Assembly 2010 in a bulk batch along with Punch/Counterpunch. He came to about £40 including P&P

This figure is a straight repaint of the Universe Cyclonus toy, as is Krunix, and with no added features for the actual figure


My Thoughts

Cyclonus is fantastic, his colour scheme is well designed to both look good on this new character, and to evoke a passing resemblance to G1 Hot Rod, which is very fitting, since in the Reunification comic from TFCC he ended up shooting and killing/near killing Megatron (his leader) which is also a trait that has been given to Hot Rod because of an animation error in the G1 Movie where some orange laser fire is shot at Optimus whilst Megatron is killing him, thus making people think that Hot Rod actually shot him as well

The alternate mode is great, though since it's a small jet toy, it doesn't really have any real play value other than holding it in your hand and making "THWOOSH" sounds whilst making it "fly" around the room.

Cyclonus' insignia is very well designed, since it basically matches his body colour as well, making it similar to G1 Optimus Prime's insignia in that respect

Krunix is one of my favourite parts of this figure, since I love Minicons, Micromasters and -Masters as a toy sub-group. He makes a good mini robot figure, and a great gun that can be used in more than one way (as seen in the accessories section)

Overall, I think this figure is great, he works as both a toy and a collectable honestly, with the compatibility between Cyclonus and Krunix he can be hours of fun, or just look pretty on a shelf with your other Shattered Glass figures

Rare Toy - Punch/Counterpunch

PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally written at an earlier date, so it might be outdated or lacking by my current standards



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!

Rare Toy - Dion

PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally written at an earlier date, so it might be outdated or lacking by my current standards



Dion

"There was a time when Dion cared little for the echoes of war beginning to spread across his home world. Occasionally he'd opine on the feats of the new robots with flight capabilities, who he secretly envied, but otherwise turned a deaf audio receptor to the discussion about the start of what some were calling the second Cybertronian war. All that changed the day the war finally found him. The flying robots landed at the front door of the storage depot, led by the one called Megatron. Amicable at first, the encounter quickly turned for the worse when Megatron unleashed his full fury on the dockworkers and fled with that cycle's shipment of Energon.

When Dion awoke, he now was fully aware of what Megatron and the Decepticons were capable of, and having lost all that he had known, Dion decided to join the Elite Guard and now works to stop the Decepticons any way he can!"

Role: Infantry

Quote: "Efficiency makes you strong. Speed makes you lethal."

Strength: 7

Intelligence: 7

Speed: 9

Endurance: 8

Rank: 6

Courage: 9

Fireblast: 9

Skill: 8


Robot Mode



Dion's natural robot mode is very constrictive, his arms can't move very much because of the back kibble, and of course his eye's pipe-lighting gimmick is hindered as well, however it still looks good, and emulates the original character model for the character as well.

Since Dion is a straight repaint, he has no remoldings, but it should be noted that he uses the Japanese version of the toy (hence the weaponry) His head is quite well detailed, and comes with a visor that comes over his entire face

Dion's colour scheme is designed to look like his original colours, but better suited for this new mold. He's mostly orange with blue, white and black highlights as well, and also has a small Elite Guard insignia on his left shoulder, which I think is very nice

His legs can bed at the knees and the very top of the leg as well via hinges. His feet can also be repositioned for whatever surface he is to be set up on, as with most recent toys as well.

His arms are able to bend at the elbows as well by a hinge like with the legs, and the shoulder joints can be rotated forwards and sideways as well, however the back kibble restricts the movement of the arms, so it's nothing to take note of still. The hands aren't articulated, but can hold standard sized weapons, including the two guns that he comes with.



Now despite the limitations caused by the back kibble, you can get around this, by using this fan mode that is readily available. Basically, you remove the orange parts of the back kibble from the black clips on the back, and slide them into the opposite arm to where you removed them from (ie the part from the left of the back, goes on the right arm and vice-versa, this creates a "boxing mode" also, the two guns that come with him can be clipped into the now vacant back clips, to give him a set of over-the-shoulder cannon weapons.




Alternate Mode



Dion's alternate mode is of a Hot Rod style sports car with a stylized rear spoiler.

The car is mostly orange, but has a blue colour scheme at the front, covering most of the hood and bleeds onto the doors (which is partially designed as an Autobot insignia as well.

Dion has a white rim around the edge of the entire car with details all across it. The windows are partially see through, but the side windows are purely dark grey paint. His headlights are realistic looking, but his rear lights are just painted over

His wheels are able to turn, as with mode recent car Transformers, so he can roll around a table unaided (unless he's mis-transformed of course). His doors, can open in vehicle mode, but there's no where to go inside the car

Because this is the Japanese version of the mold, he has a portion missing from the rear bumper for the guns to sit, where they can be used as exhaust pipes (with the missiles acting as blue flames/smoke coming out of it)


Transformation

Dion is a bit fiddly to transform, but only because you have to be able to hold a few things at the same time for either mode. The most complicated part is having the groin area split apart, then flipping the part portion of the robot mode, whilst having to handle the back kibble and arms and keeping everything in place when transforming him


Accessories



Dion comes with quite a few accessories actually for a loose toy, he comes with two white and black guns, each with a clear blue missile that he can hold in robot mode or vehicle mode as needed, but the best part of the accessories section is his little Minicon/Micromaster buddy.....


Cop-Tur



"Many amongst the AUTOBOT forces consider COP-TUR to be something of a renegade. With his permanent slouch, gravelly voice, goonish chuckle, and crude sense of humor, many take him to be little more than a dim-bulb thug and wonder why he's allowed to work alongside the Elite Guard. His commanders overlook his personality flaws because there's the brain of a mechanical genius whirring away inside that smirking bullet head. He's an expert in customizing Cybertronian anatomy, as well as designing more powerful, adept and efficient ELITE GUARD combat bodyforms to counter the escalating DECEPTICON threat. Top command figures it's better to keep him around, annoyances and all, than risk him turning to the DECEPTICONS."

Role: Mechanical Engineer

Cop-Tur is a small blue helicopter with some blue and orange parts (using some of Dion's colours of course) and is used to emulate the Go-Bots character of the same name. The robot mode is difficult to pose and is always in a slouching pose because of this, which is even referenced in the bio written above. His arms are able to bend at the elbows and can also rotate at the shoulder joints. His legs can also move at the upper-most parts to go in any direction. The helicopter propellers can also rotate by just turning/blowing them


Availability

Dion was made available as a membership incentive figure, given to all members who are active before Mid-March 2010 for free, and mine arrived about four months later in July. He was later made available on the Club's Online store

He is a pure repaint of the Japanese Henkei version of the Universe Hot Shot toy and comes with all the same accessories as that version but in new colours.


My Thoughts

I actually really enjoyed this figure, he was my first Club Incentive figure, and made a great addition to my collection (especially since I love obscure characters)

I love the redesign of this obscure character, especially since it's the first in the "free" toys that wasn't part of a set. I think his robot and vehicle mode are both well redesigned (deco wise etc)

However the Autobot insignias on his doors were marred by the unpaintable hinges which was annoying, since we have a nice, ornate blue Autobot insignia, with a bright orange blob in the middle, which is annoying

Another annoying thing with him, was that one of his legs and his head is prone to fall off, whilst I'm not sure if the leg thing is the same for all the copies of this figure, or if it is just mine, I do remember seeing a lot of complaints about the heads though, with one person even complaining about the head being absent in it's entirety!

The play value of this figure is quite high as well, especially if you do my fan-mode as well, since that increases his articulation somewhat, increasing his interactibility with other figures. Also because he's a recent car mode figure, he is able to roll out with the best of them, and fits with other recent car mode Transformers in a line up

Rare Toy - Razorclaw

PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally written at an earlier date, so it might be outdated or lacking by my current standards



Razorclaw

"At the end of the Third Cybertronian War, the Decepticon army, at long last, was no more. With many Decepticons destroyed or in hiding, Razorclaw came to realize that if the Autobots were to ever be defeated, a new army must carry on the fight. A Predacon Army! In time the "predacon" empire became the main opposition to the Autobots. They attacked Cybertron with ferocity never before seen. The Predacons appeared to have a chance at achieving what the Decepticons never could...victory! However, just as with the Decepticons, treachery and deceit existed within the Predacon ranks, and the three who would become the Tripredacus Council assassinated Razorclaw... or so it was believed. Now, many stellar cycles after the reformatting of Cybertron, the Predacons have returned, with Razorclaw once again leading the army. What happened and how he returned is a mystery. What is known is that he is stronger and more determined than ever, and he will do what is needed to take back Cybertron and destroy every last Maximal!"

Role: Predacon Commander

Quote: "All good things do indeed succumb to those who wait!"

Strength: 9

Intelligence: 9

Speed: 7

Endurance: 10

Rank: 10

Courage: 9

Fireblast: 7

Skill: 8


Robot Mode



Razorclaw's Robot mode is very simple, he's a Voyager class figure, so he's quite large, especially compared to his set mate Elita-1. However, despite his size he is a very basic in design figure, much akin to the old G1 figures. His arm joints are able to move, but only by rotating like a windmill, unlike many other recent figures that use ball joints. Razorclaw's lower arms are able to fold outwards by 90 degrees, and can also rotate 360 degrees on it's axis as well.

Whilst his hands aren't jointed, the "fingers" are able to be positioned as a group to help form a fist or an open hand, as with his "thumb" as well. His hand is also able to hold his beast mode tail as a whip/bladed weapon depending on your personal orientation on what the weapon is. This weapon can be held in either hand, but because of it's and Razorclaw's designs, it cannot be held by any other toy mold, and Razorclaw cannot hold any other weapons either (this of course means that those who share his mold - Leobreaker, Nemesis Breaker, Leo Prime etc - can hold his weapon, and Razorclaw can hold their weapons as well)

Razorclaw's legs have more articulation that his arms do, since they can pivot at the thigh at almost any angle, also he can bend his legs at the knees as well, allowing Razorclaw to sit in a chair like a human can. Razorclaw's feet are also able to support his full weight as they have a "stiletto" that can fold down when in robot mode


Alternate Mode



Razorclaw's alternate mode is of a male lion in yellow (body), orange (mane) and red and black (limbs) with some odd bits of other characters positioned over him

Razorclaw also has 2 sets of large claws that can flip out by the Cyber Key he comes with (one at a time) or just by tugging on them hard enough with your fingers

He is also able to position his legs in any pose really, just like a lion would, so he can look like he's prowling, pouncing, anything within reason really!


Transformation

The Transformation sequence for this figure is incredibly easy, since you basically just have to make the beast mode stand up, move the torso part into a clip, reposition the arms and pull out the head.

So despite being a Voyager class toy, he has the difficulty of a Legends class figure to transform


Accessories



Razorclaw comes with his detachable tail which can be used as a whip in robot mode. Also of some note, the tail can be inserted so the point at the end is pointed upward in beats mode, or downward.

Razorclaw also comes with his Cyber Planet Key. It is a repaint of the Planet X Keys from the Cybertron series, but repainted to emulate the Golden Disk from the Beast Era


Availability

Razorclaw was made available at Botcon 2009 as part of an Add-On Souvenir set which also included Elita-1. Both figures were based on characters who had appeared in previous Club stories (Games of Decepticon and Dawn of Futures Past)
I received mine at Auto Assembly 2009 in the UK for about £50 along with Elita-1, so he was about £30 on his own (since Razorclaw is a larger figure)
Razorclaw is a repaint of Cybertron series Leobreaker and is a Voyager class figure. The head has also been remolded to better resemble Razorclaw, instead of Leobreaker (who looked more like Optimus Prime than Razorclaw)


My Thoughts



Despite his simplicity, this figure is very well presented and is a good upgrade for the G1 character Razorclaw. The red, yellow, orange and black colour scheme makes a good homage to the earlier design, which works in both robot and beats mode, which is always good

One of my favourite parts of this figure is his new insignia, which is an upgrade of the Predacon insignia (much like how the Maximal insignia received an upgrade in Beast Machines)

The Cyber Key Power isn't that impressive, but then again, they rarely are, and of course Razorclaw retained the mold's "Savage Claw Mode" so he can turn into an arm for either Cybertron series Megatron or Optimus Prime (and any repaints they have)

Other all, I do like this figure, but I don't find him as fun as some of the other figures in my collection. So I'd say that if you just want him as an upgrade for G1 Razorclaw, and for display purposes, then he's perfect, but if you want a fun figure, then you might want to wait to see if a newer version is coming out some point

Rare Toy - Elita-1

PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally written at an earlier date, so it might be outdated or lacking by my current standards



Elita-1

"Elita-1's origins are a mystery to everyone but Grimlock. In fact, no one in the Autobot ranks even knew she existed until Grimlock first brought his newly formed crew aboard the Graviton. There she was, quietly working behind one of the ships consoles, paying no attention to the inquisitive looks directed her way. Every member of the crew has a theory about her, but she isn't talking, and neither is Grimlock. A skilled fighter, Elita-1 is adept with the Circuit-Su form of combat. Her weapon of choice is a hyper-concussive missile launcher that converts into an EMP scrambler. Mimetic alloy armor allowsher to blend into her surroundings and can also refract laser weapons fire into blinding bursts of light. While confident in her abilities, she feels that she has yet to fully prove herself to others, leading her to take unnecessary risks."

Role: Recon Specialist

Quote: "When you look good, I look good"

Strength: 7

Intelligence: 9

Speed: 9

Endurance: 7

Rank: 7

Courage: 9

Fireblast: 8

Skill: 9


Robot Mode



Elita-1's robot mode is very detailed, her face is sculpted to look feminine, but not in a stereotypical way (ie make-up etc). She also has feminine looking hands, but they're sculpted as well, meaning that they aren't articulated, and also cannot hold standard weapons, which is uncommon in the Cybertron Series molds. She also has high-hells on her feet, giving her a feminine look as well. Elita-1's eyes are also light-piped so they can illuminate when a torch is lit behind it
Elita-1 also has a pair of wings, made from her hull in Vehicle Mode, which have a speckling of blue paint in a part that is hidden in Vehicle Mode
As shown in the second above picture, her missiles can be held on two clips behind the wings


Alternate Mode



Elita-1's Alternate Mode is very simple, she's a bright pink speedboat with a giant gun on top (totally a common sight right? The gun can also rotate 360 degrees and raise itself up and down as well
Her gun's missiles are able to be stored on clips on either side of the hull, which resemble stabilizers for the waves if the boat was real
She has a smaller, non detachable gun at the front of the boat, which can rotate, but nothing else. The rear has 6 circles which are supposed to be propulsion devices of some sort (I'd assume). She also has a cockpit area which is incompatible with any human figures that I have, but does make a good aesthetic design


Transformation

This figure's Transformation sequence is a bit fiddly, especially if you're heavy handed and are used to handling bricks like the original toys
In order to transform her to vehicle mode you have to contort her legs into a right angle, and pivoting the top of the legs until you hide the ball joint and then clip it into the back kibble by the feet
The hull closes up, but the connection is awkward because the clips are alternating, and so you have to carefully connect them together rather than just sliding them together like with Power Master Prime's trailer component when it transforms from base mode


Accessories



Elita-1 comes packed with a large gun which is able to connect to her vehicle mode, and 2 blue light-piped missiles which can connect into the gun when it has been extended using the Cyber Key
The Cyber Key is a repainted Autobot Key from the Cybertron series (the original mold used the Earth Key) but in blue for the see through part, and pink for the order and Autobot insignia
All of these items can connect to the robot mode and vehicle mode all at the same time in one way or the other


Availability

Elita-1 was made available at Botcon 2009 as part of an Add-On Souvenir set which also included Razorclaw. Both figures were based on characters who had appeared in previous Club stories (Games of Decepticon and Dawn of Futures Past)
I received mine at Auto Assembly 2009 in the UK for about £50 along with Razorclaw, so she was about £20 on her own (since Razorclaw is a larger figure)
She is a straight repaint of Cybertron Series Thunderblast, but in a pink colour-scheme with black, blue and silver highlights. She has also been given a different Cyber Key design from her original mold counterpart


My Thoughts



Elita-1 is a very, VERY pink toy, in robot mode she is almost entirely pink (both light and dark), except for some blue highlights and chest details. In robot mode she has a large black portion visible for the top of the boat. So despite being a repaint of an evil Decepticon character she makes a very feminine looking character.

The Robot Mode, despite looking great, is difficult to pose due to her small feet and large amount of kibble on her back, leaving her unbalanced, and despite her inability to hold most weapons, her own gun is just fantastic, it's so oversized that it makes up for her being unable to hold another character's weapons, in my opinion anyway

The Vehicle mode doesn't really do anything, not that I would expect it to honestly, since it's a boat. I can't imagine that she'd be able to float too well in water, and cannot roll on the ground, like car Transformers usually can. But she does look good as a display piece in vehicle mode

The Transformations sequence is simple (for me) but not that easy if you don't like doing fiddly things, also transforming her makes a scary snapping noise, that whilst it isn't actually breaking, sounds like it is, which is absolutely frightening to hear from an expensive toy

The Accessories are all able to connect to both forms of the toy, which adds a lot of points for getting her in my eyes (I like my toys to keep all their accessories together, just in case I end up losing them)

Overall I do like this figure a lot, it's a reasonable price for a hard to find toy, and looks good. I can understand why some people wouldn't like her however though (the alt mode isn't that usable, she's a girl, she's pink etc) but all in all, I enjoy playing with her compared to most other fem-bots available so far

Rare Toy - Nightbeat

PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally written at an earlier date, so it might be outdated or lacking by my current standards



Nightbeat

"When Grimlock approached Nightbeat about joining his grew in the search for Bludgeon and the rest of the Decepticons who had fled Klo, he naturally jumped at the opportunity. It was a mystery to solve, and Nightbeat was ready for the challenge. Along with Muzzle, and their trusted (and rather loud) comrade Siren, the three headed off with Grimlock and the rest of the crew aboard the Graviton.
Now, after deciding that even the remnants of war was just something he no longer wanted to be a part of, Nightbeat finds himself commanding a crew of his own: one made of comrades, new and old, together mapping out different star systems to explore and finding new mysteries to solve!"

Role: Detective

Quote: "Tackling the mysteries of the Universe...one planet at a time."


Robot Mode



Nightbeat's robot mode is a very good upgrade for his G1 version. His colours match the originals very well and utilizes the new mold very well

The legs are articulate, but they're quite stiff, so despite being able to move his legs, he isn't easy, and can be scary to do so. His leg's articulation is confined to the upper-most part of the leg (where the yellow part on the leg is) The legs can also be raised at the sides to give him the horizontal splits. The feet are able to be repositioned slightly for different surfaces. The lower legs can also rotate at the point just under the yellow partat 360 degrees if needed

His arms are able to bend at the elbows by a hinge, and the shoulder area by a ball joint. Although the arms CAN'T technically raise at the sides, you can unhook the arm's connection to the main torso to make them look like they can (though it would look very awkward). Nightbeat's shoulder thingies are able to be risen or lowered upwards or downwards so they look like a massive collar or a part of the arms respectively. His hands aren't articulated, but can hold a standard gun (like the one he comes with)

The head is connected to the back kibble/car hood by a connector, and can therefore be slightly tilted or raised etc on a ball bearing on the connector. The head is also a new mold from the original Hot Shot one to make it look like the old comic version (sans the ears due to a warehouse mistake..or Siren annoying him so much that he throws the ears at him)

Because he is using an Energon series mold he can also wield an Energon star on his left breast which also has a silver Autobot insignia inside it


Alternate Mode



Nightbeat's alternate mode is of an Aston Martin sports car which looks very lovely, the blue is consistent, which is good in a figure with various segments (like Universe Sunstreaker with his different yellows) Also the large Autobot insignia on the front of the hood makes a very lovely addition to the figure's aesthetic.

The yellow spoiler and rim make a good contrast to the bold blue. The rear of the car has an area molded for a licence plate, but it's left blank (as it was in the original use of the mold too). he has clear headlights that, whilst not working still look great. he can also have his hood opened up to reveal a faux engine

The wheels are fully functional, as with most modern car molds, and can roll along a smooth surface with some ease. He has a false set of police sirens carried over from the Hot Shot mold, which are just yellow instead of red and blue

Nightbeat has a visible interior, but it's not able to be used by any known of figures (since the seating area is filled by his chest. The doors can also open up, but obviously the folded arms are there, so they aren't usable anyway

The flame deco on the doors is VERY nicely done, it's not just one bulk of colour, but more realistic, with some red highlights on the yellow flames


Transformation

Nightbeat isn't difficult to transform in the slightest, you just slide out the legs, flip open the feet, open the doors, unfold the arms, fold down the hood and flip out the head connector onto the Powerlinx port

The only difficult part in any sense is the head which has to be folded out careful and then the connector must be repositioned to hide it enough in robot mode



Of course, since Nightbeat uses an Energon series Autobot mold, he can combine with any of the Voyager or Deluxe Powerlinx combiners as well, as shown in my two sets of images above. his "Torso mode" is created by flipping his folded up arms backwards, opening up his groin, and spreading his legs (STOP GIGGLING!) then threading his head connector through the car hood and pulling the head through the hood, the opposite side to where it was before and clipping it into a special clip revealed at that point. He can then connect to any "Leg mode" Energon figure by the black connector

His "Leg mode" is much easier to perform, you just fold up his arms and shoulder thingies and flip it backwards, and fold the head and connector back into the car hood, then just connect any "Torso mode" onto him


Accessories



Nightbeat comes with the three parts of his gun, which include a scanner, gun and missile. The scanner and gun are clear plastic which can also clip onto the car mode at the top


Availability

Nightbeat was only made available at the Transformers Collector's club for about $40, but is now out of stock. I managed to get mine from a contest held on this website however, which is just awesome frankly
Nightbeat is a repaint of Energon Hotshot, with a new head, and new plastic on his gun to make a different clear plastic colour (opaque instead of red and blue)


My Thoughts

Nightbeat is one of my favourite characters ever, and this version makes a wonderful addition to my collection. He looks great in both modes and has plenty of play value

His new head, whilst looking a bit off without the ears, still looks good regardless, it's VERY detailed, which is always a plus and since the eyes are a silver colour, they give off a natural "glow" with even natural light

The figure however has a kind of shaky feeling and rattles a lot, it's most likely because this mold has been used at least 2 times by both Hasbro and Takara each, so it was probably on it's last legs anyway. Also the head is very easy to remove, which is very annoying, but I can live with it

The alternate mode is very fun, and even fits in with the more modern CHUG (Classics, Henkei, Universe, Generations) alternate modes, which enables him to interact and role out with some of his newly updated G1 buddies

Overall I love this figure. If I had the money I'd buy an Aston Martin and have him painted in Nightbeat's colours because of this toy. He looks good in both robot and car mode, so he'd be good for collectors (if you can find him anywhere) or for anyone who just wants a fun toy to play with

Rare Toy - Airazor

PLEASE NOTE: This review was originally written at an earlier date, so it might be outdated or lacking by my current standards



Chromia 10 pilot (Airazor)

"The Maximal Imperium employs many different tactics in their attempts to maintain peace throughout the galaxy. The smart and sassy pilot of the Chromia 10 heads up one of the numerous Maximal Squadrons assigned to prevent any rogue Predacon factions from operating outside the terms of the Pax Cybertronia. Airazor and her team are often delegated recon missions deep within Predacon space where many Maximals dare not venture. Her fellow pilots are inspired by her willingness to put herself in harm's way if it means protecting the peace the Maximals hold so dear. In vehicle mode she is able to observe her targets at a range of up to 30,000 feet and recreate any enemy Intel she comes across with 3-D virtual reality maps. Equipped with a titanium plated exo-structure, In robot mode her weapon of choice is her retractable photon cannon."

Role: Squadron Leader

Quote: "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Strength: 6

Intelligence: 7

Speed: 9

Endurance: 5

Rank: 6

Courage: 7

Fireblast: 4

Skill: 7


Robot Mode



Airazor's robot mode is very lovely, despite the original holder of this mold being a more Male orienteered character (Slugslinger) she does look very feminine , and also emulates the original Airazor toy at the same time (with the wings and colour-scheme.

Airazor's legs are articulated on the knees by a hinge and at the top of the legs by a ball bearing, enabling her to sit down, or do the splits etc. Her feet can also be moved depending on the surface as well. Despite having small feet, she does have good support and shouldn't just fall over like some figures will

Airazor's arms are articulated, but are also obstructed at the same time. she can bend her elbows, but not by a lot (thanks to the elbow point) and she can move the upper arm by raising the arm up and down to the sides, and also rotate the arms at the shoulder point by a pivot piece, however, if the wing kibble is in the wrong position then the arm is stuck. She has a standard peg hole on both hands so she can hold standard sized weapons, despite not having any hand held weapons with her

Because she is based on an Energon series toy, she has an Energon Clip port, but no insignia inside it, so no gimmick will be activated by it

In robot mode she has a large shoulder cannon that can fire a largish missile at you (especially because it's got quite a sensitive trigger and firing mechanism


Alternate Mode



Airazor's alternate mode is a twin-nosed VTOL powered jet. It is mostly brown with orange segments and silver and black highlights.

Airazor has a large cannon in between the two jet noses which can be fired by a small trigger (but is very prone to firing on it's own, so be careful)

She has landing struts in this mode as well, which whilst they don't have actual wheels on them, can be used to hold her up straight

The two cockpits on ths jet mode are purely decorative, and cannot open or hold any smaller characters. The VTOL fans are also just decorative and do not spin. the guns on the end of both VTOL wings are also non-firing (unlike the big gun)

Her robot mode head IS visible in vehicle mode, but it doesn't show up as obviously as it could do


Transformation

Airazor's transformation sequence is actually surprisingly hard for such a small and delicate figure, in fact it's too hard to describe well with just words, so I won't even try.

I will say this though, try her transformation a few hundred times with the instructions, just in case you go wrong, and then you should be able to do it all by yourself with quite a bit of ease (unlike Nightbeat who just needs one go with the instructions)


Accessories



Airazor only comes with a largish missile for her shoulder cannon, it doesn't do anything magical or special, it just plugs into the cannon and attacks you randomly

Availability

This toy was made available by the Transformers Collector's Club during 2006. I got mine from the TFCC Stall at Auto Assembly 2009 for about £30-40. This toy is actually still in stock at the club website, despite newer exclusives such as Nightbeat and Punch being out of stock now.

She is a repaint of Energon series Slugslinger, with a different head sculpt to make her more recognizable as a female character and as an update for Beast Wars Airazor

My Thoughts

Airazor is probably the only TFCC figure that I wouldn't recommend for someone to buy. I mean I like her personally, but she doesn't really do anything and doesn't have any real gimmick to her.

The figure itself is VERY difficult to transform, which takes off some points honestly.

The two modes are both very nice to look at, so she does make a nice collection piece, but only if you keep her in a very static pose, since her wing kibble makes her a bit top heavy, and can fall over if she is leant forward or backwards too much

So overall, though I like her, I wouldn't recommend her to casual collectors or fans, since she isn't really a "play with me" figure, she's a "look at and admire me" figure instead

X is for X-Brawn

COMING SOON



The Winning Toy

"X-Brawn loves extremes and is at his best in disastrous and brutal climates such as dry deserts and snowstorms. He doesn't waste tme on long-winded speeches and can be counted on to say it all in just a few words. He's very reliable and has fearsome strength. He is a martial arts master with an especially powerful left arm. His "Southpaw Lariat" is invincible."

Toyline: Robots in Disguise US

Generation: Robots in Disguise

Size Class: Deluxe

Faction: Autobot

Function: Strong-Armed Fighter

Quote: "Strength wins!"

Strength: 10

Intelligence: 8

Speed: 8

Endurance: 9

Rank: 9

Courage: 7

Firepower: 6

Skill: 6


Robot Mode



X-Brawn's robot mode is mostly silver and green with some red detailings and has a humanoid shape, except for the large car hood on his left arm.

X-Brawn's torso is sculpted with several car detailings, like a small engine in the center. His head is able to rotate to either side and bend backwards to his ball joint/hinge connector. The head is sculpted with a moth plate, forehead decorations and two golden eyes. He features a pair of holes on his back pack that can be used to store his two weapons (I only have one pictured, as I only own the gun/blaster, the other weapons resembles a blade/sword.

His upper arms are connected to the torso by a ball joint each that gives them articulation as long as there's no obstructions. The right lower arm is connected to the upper arm by a ball joint. The end of that arm leads to a set of sculpted fingers and a projectile slot where you can slot the weapons into to act as a gun or a sword. His left arm is connected to the upper arm by a pivot/hinge joint, and the lower arm is simply his vehicle mode hood. X-Brawn's hand is connected to that by a hinge and ball joint combination that allows it to move as far as you desire. His fingers are sculpted, and his thumb is able to move on a hinge-joint, which allows you to slot the silver bars on the weapons from his back, or the silver bumper from his vehicle mode as weapons

X-Brawn's upper legs are connected to his groin area by a pair of ball joints that allow them to move as freely as needed. his lower legs are connected by a pair of hinges on both legs that give him a knee and a second lower knee in you want him to (it's really just for his transformation sequence). His feet are made of of his spare wheel being split in half. The wheel becomes his heels and the guard for the wheel becomes the front section of the foot.


Alternate Mode



X-Brawn's vehicle mode is a silver SUV with green trim and a large Autobot insignia on the tip of the hood ("Robots in Disguise" my ass...<<)

X-Brawn features a few details like headlights, front grill, a hood that covers an engine, treaded tires on working wheels with silver hubcaps, and a sculpted spare tire on the very back with a guard around it.

X-Brawn's windows are transparent and allow you to see inside his vehicle mode, which whilst being good, so it looks realistic...is also bad since you can see his robot head and right arm folded inside..yeah...so much for a good disguise there X-Brawn...although quite shockingly, this small fault was actually featured in an episode of the Robots in Disguise cartoon, where the human Kelly was driving X-Brawn and then suddenly noticed his head right next to her in the passenger's seat, prompting a swift freak out of course.

X-Brawn's two main weapons are held in his undercarriage and act as extra support struts and steps etc, and the small silver piece that can be clipped in at the front as a front bumper.


Legacy

X-Brawn was a new character created for the Robots in Disguise series and acted as the eldest of the "Autobot Brothers" sub-group, made up of Side Burn, Prowl and himself. He appeared in most of the episodes and even gained an upgraded form when Ultra Magnus accidentally gave him and his brothers a power boost (making him look like a rally race car)

X-Brawn's toy was repainted a few times as alternate versions of himself (ie a clear version in Japan, his upgraded form, and some of the light differences between him and his Car Robots counterpart Wild Ride). He was also repainted as the Autobot Ratchet from the 2003 Universe line. He also had a smaller Spychanger sized toy made for the Robots in Disguise line based on his Deluxe toy as well.

X-Brawn's name and basic characteristics (ie very strong, SUV) are references to Brawn, whom he almost shares a name with. It's likely that X-Brawn is actually meant to be an alternate version of Brawn (like with Prowl) but since there have been other Brawns made in recent years, with the name Brawn still intact, it just makes sense to treat X-Brawn as a totally separate character.

X-Brawn is the only one of the Autobot Brothers whom have not had a recent G1 style update toy. Side Burn had one from the Collector's Club, Prowl's is the Universe 2.0 toy, but none for X-Brawn so far (here's hoping!)


Is he Cool?

Honestly? Yes, he is cool, though there are many toys who are better in both terms of character, looks and features, and I did only chose him because he was the only X in my collection, but he is still cool.

The Robots in Disguise franchise altogether is one of the most popular due to it being a mostly vehicle based series after a few years of mostly beasts (with only the Predacon being beasts in this one). This of course appealed to the G1 purists as it was like they were getting their own way, but also appealed to others due to it's new mold toys having great articulation, detail and characterizations, as well as most of the characters acting as updated versions of the older characters that the masses had loved over the years, whilst also bringing in new characters.

I personally feel that if you see this toy or any of his repaints, then he's well worth getting, especially if you can also get his brothers as well (and even more so since he's the only one to not have a Classics style toy yet as well)