For a repaint, it’s not that great. No special or unique details beyond the original Jetfire mold. But, those same molds are still awesome.

Multi-video review included!

The distant planet of Cybertron was the home to a race of intelligent, feeling alien robots who could change shape at will- the Transformers. For reasons no longer remembered by anyone living, a war broke out between the two factions of robots- the Autobots and the Decepticons- which eventually drained Cybertron of all its power sources, including all-important Energon. In the quest to get more Energon to sustain their fight, the Autobots created the Ark and some of them left Cybertron. But the power-hungry Decepticons were waiting for them in their great flagship, the Nemesis, and boarded the Ark to stop them. A battle between the two ships eventually brought them both crashing down onto Earth. With their leaders and greatest warriors lost, the war on Cybertron continued on to a stalemate. For over four million years, the Ark rested hidden inside a volcano located in what would eventually become Oregon, its occupants unconscious and helpless in stasis lock. Then in 1984, the volcano harboring the Ark erupted, reawakening the on-board computer system Teletraan-1. The computer, realizing that the ship and its crew were in danger, awoke the Transformers aboard the Ark, and reformatted them to change into disguises matching those of modern day Earth vehicles so that the giant robots could move among the population in secret. The surviving Decepticons, having lost their great ship millions of years earlier, also gained new disguise forms and hid themselves on Earth until they could rebuild their forces and gather enough Energon to destroy the Autobots, subvert the intrusive and annoying humans, and renew the war on Cybertron in their quest for total galactic domination.

Tread Bolt is a member of the Autobots’ Air Patrol; one of the few of their numbers capable of sustained flight. As such, this means he usually operates alone far from support, and thus needs to eliminate any Decepticon threat quickly or risk being overwhelmed. But he isn’t concerned about being detected, since his entire chassis is covered in radar-refractive armor, making him invisible to all but the most advanced enemy sensors. And his speed & aerial prowess make him a formidable opponent as well. His fellow Air Patrol bots often team together high in orbit around Earth with their rocket engines for high-speed air drops & interception missions behind Decepticon front lines, taking them by surprise. Unfortunately, in his off-time, Tread Bolt likes to practice his stealth techniques on fellow Autobots much to their chagrin, making him an honored-yet-less-favored member.

. . .

This Transformers Universe (aka Classics 2.0) figure is a repaint of the original 2006 Voyager-class Autobot Jetfire set- itself based on a character that appeared in the classic Generation One cartoon series in 1984. The first (and, thus far, only) version of Tread Bolt appeared as a Micromaster-sized (1½ - 2” tall) robot during the debuting Generation 1 era (1984-86). He was not a part of the original cartoon- re-colored or otherwise- as the first toy was an original design made after the series ended in 1986.

Vehicle Mode

(unarmored)

Robot Mode

(unarmored)

Tread Bolt’s original vehicle mode was a “sub-orbital craft”, and his color scheme was metallic blue and basic yellow, and highlights of silver. The gold “Air Defense” label across the Classics 2.0 version is a carryover from the Micromaster toy which had it in an identical position (but said "Air Patrol" instead). Unlike earlier toys from the Transformers Classics line in 2007, Tread Bolt lacks the temperature-sensitive decal which shows his allegiance- a gold Autobot logo has been printed behind his cockpit, which eventually ends up in front of his head on top of his chest.

Accessory armor

(details)

Vehicle Mode

(armored)

Robot Mode

(armored)

I got this specific set because I missed my chance to get Jetfire the first time around, being that he was so popular with Trans-fans. While the toy itself is still fantastic (I didn’t like the arms not transforming at all and just hanging off the sides), the color scheme just doesn’t work for me. Blue and black, with highlights of orange and yellow would have been fine, but it’s the brown which throws that off. For example, if there was no blue or even yellow, the brown would have worked. Starting out as a supped-up F-14 Tomcat in a livery reminiscent of the United States Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron is fine, but then to dump a lot of dark coloring on the robot mode spoils that.

For a repaint, it’s not that great. No special or unique details beyond the original Jetfire mold. But, those same molds are still awesome. So, if you can ignore the coloring (maybe repaint it yourself so you don’t have to damage your Jetfire), then the Voyager-class Autobot Tread Bolt set will satisfy your needs.

Be sure to read the more-detailed description of Voyager-class Autobot Jetfire, reviewed by CollectionDX’s own Atom.

And now, for some special bonus material!

HASBRO’S G.I. JOE BRAND JOINS FORCES WITH

TOYS FOR TOTS AND ACTOR DENNIS QUAID

IN AN IMPORTANT HOLIDAY MISSION

HASBRO’S G.I. JOE BRAND JOINS FORCES WITH

TOYS FOR TOTS AND ACTOR DENNIS QUAID

IN AN IMPORTANT HOLIDAY MISSION

Be a Hero and Help Deliver the Magic of the Holidays to Less Fortunate Children

PAWTUCKET, R.I., November 10, 2009 – Over 14 million children live in poverty in the United States. They need a hero this holiday season and here to answer the call of duty is the G.I. JOE brand from Hasbro (NYSE: HAS).

Hasbro’s G.I. JOE brand, the Marine Toys for Toys Foundation and actor Dennis Quaid are joining forces to help make this holiday season a little brighter for less fortunate children. For every G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra toy purchased at stores from November 11 through November 26 (Veteran’s Day through Thanksgiving), Hasbro will donate a new toy (up to 300,000 toys with a minimum $3.99 value) to Toys for Tots.

Actor Dennis Quaid, who plays ‘GENERAL HAWK’ in the 2009 blockbuster film G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra, from Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, in association with Hasbro, will voice a national radio spot, due to premier on Veteran’s Day, November 11, to help raise awareness for this campaign and the positive impact The U.S. Marines and Toys for Tots make on the lives of children.

“As long time supporters of Toys for Tots, we recognize and applaud the important work the organization does on behalf of economically disadvantaged children nationwide,” said John Frascotti, Hasbro’s Chief Marketing Officer. “In working with Toys for Tots once again this year, they were very clear that new toys for the children they serve would be in greater need than ever during these difficult economic times, and we are pleased to step up and do our part.”

“We know this year will be especially hard on families as many have already started to significantly tighten the purse strings,” said retired Marine Corps Major Bill Grein, USMC (Ret), vice president of marketing and development for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. “These families need a hero this holiday season and Hasbro is it. Their generous gift of toys and games will enable us to deliver the magic of the holiday season to many of our nation’s neediest children.”

For more information about how you can help make a difference, please visit www.gijoe.com.

About Hasbro

Hasbro, Inc. is a worldwide leader in children's and family leisure time products and services with a rich portfolio of brands and entertainment properties that provides some of the highest quality and most recognizable play and recreational experiences in the world. As a brand-driven, consumer-focused global company, Hasbro brings to market a range of toys, games and licensed products, from traditional to high-tech and digital, under such powerful brand names as TRANSFORMERS, PLAYSKOOL, TONKA, MILTON BRADLEY, PARKER BROTHERS, CRANIUM and WIZARDS OF THE COAST. Come see how we inspire play through our brands at http://www.hasbro.com.

About The Marine Toys For Tots Foundation

The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is a not for profit organization authorized by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve to provide fundraising and other necessary support for their annual Toys for Tots Program. Now in its 62nd year, Toys for Tots provides hope and happiness to economically disadvantaged children through the gift of a shiny new toy during the Christmas holiday season. Our gifts offer these children recognition, confidence and a positive memory they will cherish for a lifetime. Many of the gifts we provide, such as books, games and sports equipment, make a significant contribution to the educational, social and recreational interests of these children. In 2008, Marines distributed gifts to 7.6 million children in over 650 communities nationwide. The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation relies on individual donations from the American public and is supported by corporate sponsorships. For more information, visit www.toysfortots.org.

This toy is a monster. It is grand in scope. It makes me feel like I am 10 again. It makes me feel small.

One of the most brilliant things about the Animated Clone Wars series is the opportunity to explore the evolution of technology. Whether Lucas meant it or not, there is a certain visual aesthetic that evolves over the course of the series.

Episode 4 featured worn out technology. Everything looked used, dirty, cannibalized. With episode 1, all the technology is new and shiny Chrome ships and bright neon lights. From episode 2 into Episode 3 we begin to see glimpses of this technology being used, getting worn and battle scarred. But It is in the clone wars that the designers have an opportunity to explore the technology of the saga. Already a myriad of new vehicles have been introduced to the series, but we’ve also gotten to see the origin of one of the rebellion’s most classic vehicles – the Y-Wing fighter.

The Y-Wing we grew up with in the 80’s was a skeletal vehicle. It doesn’t have a big part in the movies, and is seen only briefly in the hangar on Yavin and during the death star run. But once Kenner decided to make a vehicle of it, it instantly became a more important part of the mythos.

The original toy was fantastic. I had one as a kid. It was loaded with gimmicks like dropping bombs, a rotating turret, and an electronic buzzing sound. Another cool feature was the ability to place your own astromech droid behind the pilot – something the X-Wing lacked. All that plus lever activated landing gear and an opening cockpit – well, damn that was a great toy. It is no wonder we all have such fond memories of it.

The one from my childhood is long gone, in a dump somewhere I am sure. So when a re-release came out recently I was all over it. It brought back memories. Unfortunately, they took a lot out of the toy. No electronics, no motorized turret, no removable droid. Hasbro had done a new x-wing a few years ago that was in-scale with their 3/34 figures and it was epic – why not do this with the Y-Wing?

Someone must have heard my wish, because at this year’s toy fair Hasbro announced a new Y-Wing…. From the Clone Wars.

This Y-Wing appears to be in-scale with the 3 ¾ figures and represents the ship as it was new, before all the armor had been removed. The rebellion modified the hell out of their ships, and one way was to remove unnecessary plating to increase speed and maneuverability.

This toy is a monster. It is grand in scope. It makes me feel like I am 10 again. It makes me feel small.

The box is big, but not as big as some of the recent offerings. It’s sturdy cardboard, with a die-cut front showing an action scene through the holes. This is part of a gimmick where part of the box becomes a diorama.

Taking the toy out is simple, and there is little assembly. The long engines need to be snapped in, and the missile launchers attached. Included is an instruction sheet, catalog and sticker sheet.

The stickers are old-school. They feel like they are made out of paper, and all they do is add a little texture around the vehicle. There are maybe 30-or so stickers, most of them off-white.

The cockpit holds two figures – one pilot and one gunner. The pilot cockpit opens from the side (like the old one) and features a separately molded steering wheel and detailed interior. The rear seat is covered by a smoky translucent dome with tilting cannons. This too has a molded steering apparatus. Unfortunately, the turret does not rotate, and they don’t tilt that much.

On either side of the cockpit are buttons to launch missiles under the nose. These buttons are sort of flat and easily missed. In fact, what ends up happening is I forget the button is there and when I grab the vehicle I end up launching the missiles.

Behind the cockpit is a place to store an astromech droid (not included). You need to lift the panel up to fit the droid inside. The space seems too deep to fit a clone wars droid, as the head of the droid just barely pops out. Perhaps if you leave the third leg in?

The next major gimmick is the opening bays on the body. Pressing buttons on either side opens the spring-loaded top doors in a slow, fluid motion. The missile launchers on the doors can each hold two missiles which fly off at the press of a button. The cavity left inside is huge, and can store all of the missiles and then some. Extra details like the detailing inside the ship really make a big difference.

The two large engines on the back are removable. The instruction book actually lists this as a play value item, saying it simulates Battle Damage. Once each engine is removed you can see the same engine that is visible on the classic Y-Wing.

Underneath the ship you have three landing gear that need to be lowered manually, as well as two bombs that can be dropped by pressing buttons above.

So what’s not to love?

That diorama I mentioned? Useless. It’s not long enough to fit the 27” long Y-Wing.

Also - it’s about $65.00. And for that we should get a little something more. Maybe lights? Included figures? Weathering detail? Removable panels? Who knows. But this is how these things are these days. Everything costs more, and if we want vehicles of this size, we will have to pay for them.

Personally, I don’t regret this purchase one bit. Now, where to put it?

Easily one of the ten best tree action figures

Add the Inhumanoids to the list of promising yet under-marketed eighties toy properties. Inhumanoids had a leg up, with Hasbro production and even a cartoon tie-in. Alas, the cartoon consisted of an anemic skein of seven-minute clips on Sunday morning animation graveyard Super Sunday. The story was compelling enough: A team of heroic scientist adventurers battles a series of re-animated ancient subterranean monsters with the aid of other ancient subterranean monsters. Sounds good, right? Apparently not to children or parents, circa 1986. The toys were neat, though.

Redlen here is one of the good Inhumanoids. He is a sentient tree-monster, not unlike an Ent. While he apparently assisted the humans, he looks unfriendly, even frightening.

The arms and legs are each minimally articulated.
Redlen’s torso can telescope to make him grow. The mechanism in mine is worn out, and he doesn’t stay up very well.

The sculpt and paint are solid, capturing the feel of a knotty, sinister tree-creature. I love the menacing sneer on his face.

Also of note is the light port from his head to his eyes, which gives them an otherworldly glow.

Redlen also came in a gray colorway.

He’s not exactly packed with fun, but this handsome figure is a nice complement to a monster or Kaiju display.

The ultimate Transformers challenge.

Through the annals of Transformers toys, there has been only one toy dubbed the Ultimate Transformers Challenge. Sixshot was a legend at the playground. For a kid, a robot that turned into something was always awesome (or radical), but a robot that turned into five different vehicles was an impossible dream. To this day Sixshot has remained largely unchanged through his myriad of appearances in Transformers media. There is something about this figure that many people find prolific. Does Sixshot deliver the goods? Let's find out. One thing I must point out is I got this figure secondhand and I he did not come with his twin rifles, but the figure is perfectly fine without them.

Sixshot is a large toy. Around a foot in height, he looks and feels like a solid toy. Unlike his Autobot counterpart, Quickswitch, Sixshot is almost completely devoid on articulation. He can only rotate his arms at the shoulders, and even then you have to move his chest wings out of the way to allow his arms to rest parallel to the ground. This figures combination of colors and stoic stance make for a toy that successfully straddles the line between looking cool and being functional. That is to say the solid blocks of plastic he is comprised of work well together without the need for painted details.

The details of this figure are surprisingly good. The paper stickers are well crafted with lots of complementary colors and designs to the bare plastic.

In laser pistol mode, Sixshot is fairly sizable toy gun. The handle is more than adequate even for adult hands. This figure comes with a pair of dual flip out guns in each leg so that without the rifles, the gun mode still looks like a weapon.

Sixshot's next mode is a space fighter. Drawing heavily from what was contemporary sci-fi designs, the whole thing has a very Star Wars or Buck Rogers feel to it. Despite its blocky look, it still looks sleek enough and the small cockpit completes the effect.

As you could probably tell from his robot mode, Sixshot's familiar car-front shins allow form the front of his "armored carrier" mode. In this form, Sixshot looks right at home with the sci-fi cars that would come to dominate the late Generation 1 era of Transformers. It rolls along on a total of seven plastic wheels.

One of Sixshot's more infamous modes is the Winged wolf. Looking like one of Generation 1 Predacons, Sixshot takes the form of a mechanical beast with his robot mode limbs serving as as his wolf form's haunches. He looks somewhat fierce, but I can't shake the feeling that his big blocky feet and large form makes him kind of cuddly.

The wolf head is nicely sculpted although it doesn't appear to be very canine like. Its sort of just a generic robot animal. Still the moving jaw is a cool feature. The lower jaw forms the cockpit of Sixshot's next mode.

A shot from behind shows that Sixshot even has a small tail, which was re-purposed from the "radar dish" from armored carrier mode.

Sixshot's final mode is a tank. This is the only mode where you make use of his double jointed knees to fold his shins up and over his thighs. The wolf's jaw forms the cockpit of this mode while the dual leg guns point upward which makes the toy look like a futuristic anti-aircraft tank. I like the use of the green intakes on the front. Makes the tank look like it has a pair of nasty cowcatchers.

For the Headmasters television series, Sixshot used this extra seventh mode called "WINGWOLF" to subdue Ultra Magnus. This is one of the many examples of the Japanese series using additional transformations created by just playing around with the toy.

So is Sixshot deserving of all the love? I think so. While it is true that Sixshot ultimately does the same thing as Quickswitch in where the same limbs are used as different parts, Sixshot has just enough transformation involved with each limb and just enough extra detail that each mode feels complete and well thought out. It is true that most of his modes are cloaked heavily in that "futuristic design" mentality, but here I think it works. I am no ninja consultant, but I think Sixshot is worth a look. He was re-issued once before and he may make another appearance in the Encore line. Be vigilante, the ninja moves quickly and silently.

The legacy of Transformers Generation 2 continues.

This toy was kindly donated by Rodimus78.

A while back I reviewed the Transformers Generation 2 set of Dreadwing and Smokescreen. The Smokescreen figure in particular caught some interest from both fans and designers alike. I have said that the Generation 2 line was a starting point of novel concepts in Transformers like articulation and especially ball joints. Someone must have really liked this toy because the exact same design was used to create the Starscream figure for Transformers Energon almost a decade later.

Starscream starts out as a F-22 style jet. He's not nearly as sleek as Smokescreen. He sits on a full set of tricycle landing gear with fixed wheels.

One complaint against this toy is that it has a lot of molded "battle damage" to reflect the character's image of a kind of ghostly apparition. It doesn't look that impressive and subsequent repaints of this toy look uneven with pristine paint contrasting cracked armor.

Folding down Starscream's wings reveals a pair of missile launchers. They are your standard spring loaded type and send their plastic payload a good couple of inches across the table.

You can also attach Starscream's energon weapons to his wings.

Transformation is quick, easy, and practical identical to the Smokescreen figure. Starscream features articulation in his shoulders, elbows, knees, neck, and hips. In robot mode, this figure certainly looks the part of Starscream. In fact he seems to have more of the original Generation 1 appearance than the Armada design he succeeds.

The paint apps on this figure are a little dull. None of the colors stand out and the "damaged" gives him a halfhearted asymmetrical appearance. His eyes feature the typical light piping gimmick but his cloudy gray eyes barely let anything through except an intense flashlight blast from the rear.

On the back you can see some of the figure's better details like the embossed Decepticon symbols and the bright green wing damage. The silver details around the backpack damage is again, mediocre.

Snapping his weapons together, Starscream gains a sword that would make Cloud Strife blush. While it looks cool, there's really only one way for the figure to hold it with both hands.

Energon Starscream is a decent figure but in many ways I feel his unique weapons are not as well realized as Smokescreen's very straightforward approach. Oddly enough the Smokescreen figure was released as Starscream in the Beast Wars II line. This particular figure has received a few repaints, most recently as Transformers Collector's Club figures. Still its an interesting curiosity. Further proof that the legacy of Transformer Generation 2 continues onward.

I do not claim to be an artist.

"Damn, I'm good...!"

Know what I say-? “Jazz Lives!” But I digress…

"With the All Spark gone, we cannot return life to our planet. And Fate has yielded its reward: a new world to call home. We live among its people- hiding in plain sight, but watching over them in secret. I have witnessed their capacity for courage, and though we are worlds apart, like us, there’s more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to all Autobots taking refuge among the stars: We are here, we are waiting."

--epilogue from “Transformers” (2007)

With those words, a beacon was sent, alerting the cosmos to our presence in a way we never imagined. Some Autobots responded, but more Decepticons- learning of the death of Megatron- came to seek revenge, to take the throne of their faction for themselves, or simply to see that their leader was truly gone and wonder what would happen next. Two years after the All Spark Cube was destroyed, the Autobots have sought asylum in the United States, and they work closely with its government to form N.E.S.T. (Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty) to cooperate in tracking down arrant Decepticons hiding on Earth and keep the human race unawares amidst growing conspiracies. But with increasing alien activity across the world, it is suspected that the Autobots themselves may be encouraging Decepticons to come to Earth by their very presence here, and the relationship is beginning to become strained. Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky has gone to college, but on his first day he begins uncontrollably spouting gibberish like his great-grandfather over a hundred years earlier. It is discovered that he now retains, deep in his mind, the full knowledge of the destroyed All Spark Cube! Learning of this, the Decepticons steal the last shard of the All Spark, and rebuild Megatron. Teleporting himself to another dimension, Megatron consults with his master- an ancient and evil traitor known as The Fallen, who is the leader of all Decepticons. The Fallen plans to harvest Earth’s Sun for Energon at the cost of destroying the planet as he would have thousands of years ago were he not driven off by the Dynasty of Primes- the original leaders of Cybertron. But to do this, The Fallen must recover the long-lost Matrix of Leadership from the secret Tomb of the Primes- which Sam now holds the only key to finding- to activate the Solar Harvester. And the last surviving descendant of the Dynasty- Optimus Prime- is the only one who can stop The Fallen now…

Sideswipe was among the first generation of Cybertronians to be created after the great civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons had begun. As such, he is a far-more refined fighter than older bots, with a keen knowledge of the battlefield despite his wisdom. While he detests the fighting, he is of the opinion that it takes violence to subdue violence. Thus he turned himself into one of the most prolific martial artists on his planet, carefully observing and practicing what he had seen of others. As such, he is quick to close any battle- getting in close with his near-unstoppable dual forearm swords, while maintaining his dignity and honor. Because of his battle prowess and agility, he acted as a troubleshooter for the Autobots across the galaxy after the All Spark was lost. But when he picked-up the message from Optimus Prime that he had found a new planet for them all, Sideswipe was quick to respond- knowing that not only could peace be found on this innocent world, but that the now-leaderless Decepticons would just as surely come to destroy it in their never-ending lust for power. After landing at the designated coordinates (in a junk yard), Sideswipe was among the first wave of refugee Autobots to be quickly and safely transported to N.E.S.T.’s headquarters on Diego Garcia, where they provided a human-designed vehicle for him to assume in public.

Sideswipe is revered among all Cybertronians for his skill in combat. While he is a proficient shot with the quad carbines mounted behind his head and machine guns in his forearms, he prefers the use of the retractable invincible cybertanium alloy swords mounted to his forearms to extinguish Decepticons’ sparks faster.

In “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen”, the voice of Sideswipe is performed by voice actor André Sogliuzzo- who regularly works in American video games and cartoons.

Sideswipe’s vehicle mode (back) is based on the 2009 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray™, also known as the Centennial Concept- a vehicle meant, upon release, to celebrate the 100th-anniversary of the foundation of General Motors Corporation™ in 1911, who owns the Chevrolet™ brand. While the original Stingray muscle car was produced in 1957, the future of the new Centennial Concept model is in question with the subsequent financial fall, bankruptcy, and reorganization of General Motors in early 2009… The all-silver outer shell flows in and out of itself, smoothly merging the nose with the forward wheel wells & hood, the low-profile roof with single-piece windshield & dual back windows, and the tail with quad exhaust tubes. Small details include the Corvette™ logo on the top of the nose, strangely-rectangular headlights above the forward wheels, non-functional painted PVC side-view mirrors, and the Stingray™ logo on the edge of the trunk (one is also on either side just behind the front wheels too), while the “L”-shaped taillights hide beneath the back wheel wells, and a non-painted license plate. (While the front lights are clear ABS plastic, the back lights were painted red over the transparent-red plastic.)

The only thing Sideswipe can do in vehicle mode is roll about on all four ABS wheels.

The main gimmick for all of the fully-transformable figures from the 2007 “Transformers” toy line was Automorph Technology™: as one part of the toy was being moved, another section would activate and move by itself via internal gears, springs, and levers. (Usually this applied only going in one direction for transformation but not the other.) For the 2009 “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen” toy line, the Automorph feature has been replaced with Mech Alive, which is not involved in transforming the toys. Rather it is a gimmick that functions only in robot mode to better imitate, in some fashion, the intricate movements and mechanics of the immensely-more complex CGI character(s).

Some figures are being reissued from the 2007 line since no significant changes were made to the character in that time-span, and will still include their original Automorph feature, but not the newer Mech Alive feature because they were manufactured two years previously.

Since this is a brand new toy which was not released in 2007, the “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen” Deluxe-class Autobot Sideswipe has the Mech Alive feature, but not an Automorph Technology feature.

Sideswipe’s robot mode (back) is striking in two ways. The first is that, even though he has legs, he skates about on two wheels instead of walking on feet. And the other is that- like Starscream and Jetfire- he has rather bird-like lower legs. His head features light-piping for his eyes, but it is rendered useless because of the screw in back holding that very transparent-blue plastic in place! He is also designed with his battle mask already in place, rather than featuring his mouth. Unlike almost all Autobots in the [fan-termed ‘Bayformers’] films, the front of Sideswipe’s torso is not made up of the front of his disguised form, but rather the taillights and bumper from the back of the Corvette Stingray. Instead, most of the nose, hood, roof, and all windows of the car end up on his back as a large backpack of kibble which is reduced to a pair of movable wing-like armored sections and the quad carbines behind his head in the movie. (The front-left and -right bumpers end up on the front of the toy’s feet, though in the movie they are on the outside of his forearms.) An Autobot logo is printed onto the top-right side of his chest in front of his head, while the small molded-in Corvette trademark logo appears [unpainted] on the front of his chest. His arms seem somehow small, but they are proportionate; with three-fingered hands that are open but cannot hold anything. His cybertanium blades are flipped around into a storage form, though in the film they collapse and disappear from sight into his forearms. But, two wheels remain on the outside of his hollow forearms like they do in the movie. His hips have one of the more unique designs I’ve ever seen in a Transformer- along the front, each has a pair of short dark-gray rubber cords coming out from his lower torso, attaching to the front of his thighs. These are actually hydraulic pistons, but to allow movement in the hips they were required to be more flexible. In addition to this, while Sideswipe still has standard plastic rods for his ball-and-socket hip joints, they are molded in transparent-opaque ABS, to imply that it is the pistons which hold him together rather than an internal structure. His thighs get even busier that that… They contain his Mech Alive gimmick, which is directly tied into his knee joints. Because the toy could not, obviously, stand alone on simply wheels-for-feet like he does in the movie, Hasbro cheated and gave us some small silver-painted bits to serve as his toes and heels, but maintained the detailing by covering the inner side of each wheel (and, thus, the hubcaps) with a rounded panel.

. . .

The silver parts on his feet can tilt up and down a little, to allow for an ‘ankle joint’ when posing him, even though both wheels can still easily spin. However, only the front or back will touch at one time, and with his larger kibble in back, balancing him will be an issue. Moving upwards, he has swiveling knee joints, but there are two moving pieces of ABS plastic that are shaped & function like pistons- when the knee moves, the pistons shift in and out of this thighs. Interestingly, though it doesn’t seem like it, his knees will only bend as far backwards as 45-degrees! The hips also have a difficult time bending forward- less because of the flexible rubber cords getting in the way, and more because the plastic of the hips bumps into some solid extended tabs along the sides of his waist. But, he can still open his legs wide and backwards if need-be, the cords easily accommodating all positions of the hips. Articulation above the legs is just about normal for a Deluxe-class figure- ball-and-socket joints in the neck & shoulders, and dual swivel joints in both elbows. There is a very small tab which is placed directly beneath the back of his head (why it’s there, I have no idea!) which significantly interferes with turning it side-to-side, and the elbows cannot be turned outwards at all even though they are double-jointed. Some reviews across the net have noted that Sideswipe’s kibble can be extended to imitate his back-of-the-shoulder ‘wings’, and the various transformation joints there allow for a wide range of flexibility. With this, I agree- they are quite flexible, even though he is far from flight-capable!

For weapons, Sideswipe has his dual cybertanium swords. As mentioned above, they can be stored retracted backwards. To deploy them, they simply spread apart from each other, pivoting from beneath the wheels on his forearms 180-degrees. While not as well-defined or sharp as they are in the movie, obviously, they nonetheless provide a nice little gimmick- the two halves are tied together with gears at their bases, and so when one moves, the other automatically swings the opposite direction as well. Because of how they deploy and are stored in vehicle mode, neither sword can separate from his arms like they do in the film. While his carbines are represented behind his head, they cannot move except to transform them, but his forearm guns do not appear at all.

Mech Alive is a special feature included in almost all transformable figures from “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen”. In robot mode, specific parts of the figure’s body can be animated beyond simply posing it- panels shift, gears spin, and in some cases there is light-and sound tied in. This brings out a new level of detail to try matching-up against the immensely-complex designs of the computer-generated characters seen in the movie.

For the Deluxe-class Autobot Sideswipe toy, it has one Mech Alive feature [aside from the geared swords, which are not specifically listed as such]:

• There are a set of gears inside each knee which are attached to two blue knee guard panels. When his knee(s) shifts back or forward, the knee guards will also shift in-and-out accordingly.

A hot new concept car worthy of replacing the 2009 Camaro (which the whole world now knows as Autobot Bumblebee) has arisen. (When I see a bad-ass car like the Concept Stingray- I'm sorry, all I can think is “Batmobile”…) But for all his style, I just get this feeling that the writers of “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen” had backed themselves into a corner, and were desperate to resurrect Autobot Jazz in some fashion after his short existence in the Bayformers film franchise was heavily criticized by self-named Transfans. Slick movement in robot mode, a cool and honorable customer in a fight, smaller size (well… Deluxe-class, at least), wheels on his feet, replaceable battle mask, and a smooth, streamlined silver-painted vehicle mode which never saw production because GM collapsed into bankruptcy… all traits of the hip-hop ‘bot from “Transformers”. I mean, Sideswipe has friggin’ wheels on his forearms so he can speed-skate and tight-turn horizontally on three wheels with more coolness that anything currently on Earth (or Cybertron?). He even says as much after taking out his Decepticon- um… rival?, Sideways with the greatest of ease at the beginning of the film: “Damn, I’m good!” Know what I say-? “Jazz Lives!” But I digress…

This is one of those Transformers where everything has to fit just-so or else things get frustrating quickly. Tolerances are very tight on this toy, and things like pulling the torso apart or putting the arms back in vehicle mode can be tricky. While the vehicle mode is beautifully recreated here, it suffers quite a bit from a lot of visible separation lines (which is a frequent complaint elsewhere online). What I don’t get about it, though, is why they painted the taillights red after they were already molded in transparent-red ABS plastic!? His narrow headlights were even blue in the film, but were switched to clear plastic here. (Okay, I can live with the head- and taillights as they are now. But if they ever make a Premium Series-ver. of this guy…) With such big kibble, and such a small footprint, it does make posing him a challenge. (I will not comment on the designs seen in the film here; this toy merely represents what is seen on-screen…) However, the surface details are rather impressive and faithful to the design seen on-screen for a Deluxe-class figure. (Those rubber cords are a sweet addition, better that they don’t interfere with anything too! Same with the Mech Alive feature in his knees- simple, yet a nice touch.) Having the swords split in have was nice, but to have them geared together was better. Indeed, though it doesn’t look like it, the arms are capable of swinging all the way forward despite the silver fender armor above them! The tiny tab behind his neck is really annoying and prevents a lot of motion that would otherwise exist with a ball-and-socket joint. Overall, the figure looks and functions pretty well, but has some minor issues which can be easily pushed aside in the final review. So, I strongly recommend getting the Deluxe-class Autobot Sideswipe.

There is a larger transformable version of this character as well, Human Alliance Autobot Sideswipe. He features extra fold-out weapons, but no Mech Alive gimmick. Also included in that set is a unique poseable figure of the human Tech Sgt. Epps, who can both ride inside of vehicle mode, and operate his weapons in robot mode!

I am doing this review on yet another little droid, he is the R5-X2 and I found him at Target. He looks like any other 3 3/4 inch scale astromech, but he is very different.....

I am doing this review on yet another little droid, he is the R5-X2 and I found him at Target. He looks like any other 3 3/4 inch scale astromech, but he is very different..

In conclusion, I LOVE R5-X2!! I would suggest getting him if you are a Star Wars toy lover. He is only $16.99 at Target, so go pick him up!

The penultimate Transformers challenge.

In the world of classic Transformers, some toys are legendary. One of these figures is Decepticon Sixchanger, Sixshot. Known for his classy ninja looks and impressive array of alternate modes, Sixshot has been a fan favorite for many years, has received a re-issue, and even a few retools as Greatshot from Transformers Victory and Shadowmaru from J-Decker.

This is not a review of Sixshot.

On the Autobot side, there was another Sixchanger. He wasn't as big or even as stylish as Sixshot and for the most part, he was pretty much forgotten. This toy was Quickswitch.

Like every classic Transformer, Quickswitch comes with a parent-confusing instruction manual. The best part of each manual is seeing how many names are used for a single piece of the toy.

The figure I bought was a pristine example. It had no box, but it still had the whole tech spec. This is Hasbro's trademark feature for their major toylines. Its these little insights into the characters that keep people coming back to the same toys twenty years after the fact. Check out the elaborate names for each of Quickswitch's mode. Oddly enough, these names are not used within the instruction manual which opts for simpler names. For example, "assault beast with stealth shielding" becomes "flying puma."

Taking a look at Quickswitch one can see he is rather plain. By this point in the Generation 1 toyline, the overall aesthetics had shifted completely to blocky sci-fi vehicles with equally blocky robots. Quickswitch's combination of red, white, teal, yellow, and gray is vaguely patriotic (made for a good guy) while not being particularly eye catching. He does have some sharp looking stickers chock full of mechanical detail which helps to break up the monotony of his design. From the front, you don't get any cues as to what exactly he'll transform into. The figure comes with two identical guns.

From the back, we see the only hint to Quickswitches six modes is the top side of a boat. You can also see the retractable nose wheel and two wheels on the roof of the boat's cabin.

One plus side to Quickswitch's transformations is his articulation. People worship Sixshot, but frankly he's a total brick in robot mode. Quickswitch's plethora of ratcheted joints lets him endeavor in basic poses like kneeling.

Quickswitch's first mode is a basic sci-fi jet fighter.

Practically every mode for Quickswitch is merely a repositioning of his limbs into different positions. For a sci-fi jet, Quickswitch looks alright. The combination of his arm panels and blasters make for passable wings and the two panels on his head make for okay tail fins.

The flying laser pistol mode is the toy's simplest mode and also the most bizarre. In this form, Quickswitch is practically in boat mode with two guns sticking out of the front. The weird thing for me is that Quickswitch's Japanese counterpart, Sixknight is introduced in Transformers: Masterforce using this mode. What unfolds is a dynamic sequence involving Sixknight dogfighting a few jet fighters while in gun mode.

As a toy gun, Quickswitch is sized for small hands. I could only wrap my pointer and middle finger around the "handle." The front wheel is meant to act as a gunsight.

Hydrofoil mode is Quickswitch's most complete looking form in my opinion. The boat part meshes well with the rest of the figure while the twin blasters make the vehicle look like a cool attack boat.

The only real problem with this mode is that Quickswitch has no wheels to roll around on. Despite the weird tripod skis, he is quite stable. I have not attempted to see if the toy will float like this and I'm not going to try it with those paper stickers.

Turning the hydrofoil over and flipping out a few panels converts Quickswitch into drill tank mode. There is actually quite a lot of detail under those panels. The treads are not functional but Quickswitch rolls around using his jet mode landing wheels. As you can see, the drill bit is the mounting point for the blasters in flying gun mode.

Sadly, the size of Quickswitch's drill makes him one of the least threatening looking drill tanks. Even Technobot Nosecone blows him away.

I have saved the most elaborate mode for last. As a "flying puma" Quickswitch reveals a few more hidden parts such as the paws on his haunches and the puma head. His "wings" are simply his head fins tucked under the belly of the assault beast.

Oh the majestic puma.

Quickswitch is a forgotten entry in the Transformers toyline. He has barely any media exposure outside of a commercial and one issue of the UK Marvel comics. While overshadowed by the arguably more impressive Sixshot, Quickswitch is still a fine toy in his own right. A few of his mode can feel same-y, what he does do is done well and the satisfying "click-click" of his joints make him a fun toy to mess around with. If you can find one for a reasonable price, I'd say go for it. At the very least check out the adventures of Sixknight, who really does the design justice in animated form.

Though he looks fine simply standing on your shelf, that’s the only thing he’s good at in either mode.

"With the All Spark gone, we cannot return life to our planet. And Fate has yielded its reward: a new world to call home. We live among its people- hiding in plain sight, but watching over them in secret. I have witnessed their capacity for courage, and though we are worlds apart, like us, there’s more to them than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to all Autobots taking refuge among the stars: We are here, we are waiting."

--epilogue from “Transformers” (2007)

With those words, a beacon was sent, alerting the cosmos to our presence in a way we never imagined. Some Autobots responded, but more Decepticons- learning of the death of Megatron- came to seek revenge, to take the throne of their faction for themselves, or simply to see that their leader was truly gone and wonder what would happen next. Two years after the All Spark Cube was destroyed, the Autobots have sought asylum in the United States, and they work closely with its government to form N.E.S.T. (Non-biological Extraterrestrial Species Treaty) to cooperate in tracking down arrant Decepticons hiding on Earth and keep the human race unawares amidst growing conspiracies. But with increasing alien activity across the world, it is suspected that the Autobots themselves may be encouraging Decepticons to come to Earth by their very presence here, and the relationship is beginning to become strained. Meanwhile, Sam Witwicky has gone to college, but on his first day he begins uncontrollably spouting gibberish like his great-grandfather over a hundred years earlier. It is discovered that he now retains, deep in his mind, the full knowledge of the destroyed All Spark Cube! Learning of this, the Decepticons steal the last shard of the All Spark, and rebuild Megatron. Teleporting himself to another dimension, Megatron consults with his master- an ancient and evil traitor known as The Fallen, who is the leader of all Decepticons. The Fallen plans to harvest Earth’s Sun for Energon at the cost of destroying the planet as he would have thousands of years ago were he not driven off by the Dynasty of Primes- the original leaders of Cybertron. But to do this, The Fallen must recover the long-lost Matrix of Leadership from the secret Tomb of the Primes- which Sam now holds the only key to finding- to activate the Solar Harvester. And the last surviving descendant of the Dynasty- Optimus Prime- is the only one who can stop The Fallen now…

Scalpel is a field medic for Decepticon units- small and wise for easy transport between different locations across battlefields and the galaxy. Small because he can literally wriggle his way into the crevices of larger Cybertronians to get to their injured innards, often relishing the opportunity to make the big brutes shiver as he cuts through their circuits. Once in the right spot, he doesn’t bother with time-consuming disconnections between spark chamber processors and tactile sensors- better to get in and out quickly despite the shouts of those he is trying to ‘help’. Traveling from world to world has also given Scalpel a crucial knowledge of soft, weak, sensitive biological life-forms too, allowing him to extract information from them or implant mechanical Cybertronian cells into them to make them more docile under Decepticon rule. So being deployed to Earth by Soundwave to reanimate Lord Megatron was a great honor and chance to show off his significant talent, plus the added bonus of examining both a small fragment of the All Spark and some of these “humans” up close was too good an opportunity to pass up!

Standing barely 12” tall, Scalpel displays no weapons that shoot, but he does have several built-in medical tools such as a buzzsaw. He also certainly has the use of his two small clawed arms & six legs.

In “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen”, the voice of "The Doctor" (i.e. Scalpel) is performed by John Di Crosta. So far as I can tell, he’s only been in a handful of American video games and movies, with no particular standout performance or character as of 2009.

Scalpel’s disguise form (back) is of a microscope. This--

Umm… no. He’s a jet injector.

I said he’s a microscope, specifically a stereo optical microscope.

But, in the movie, he’s a jet inject--

I know that already. I’m just saying that, in toy form, he transforms into a microscope.

That’s not fair. He’s supposed to be a--

A what- a hypospray? Too bad, ‘cause this is what Hasbro and TakaraTomy gave us.

But I liked him better as a disguised--

And he appeared in disguised form for, like, what- one second? That was barely enough time to identify what the hell he was before he changed. Never mind the fact that most people don’t even know what it was he changed into!

Dude- it was enough to be able to positively identify him as a--

You just like saying “jet injector”, don’t you?

…yes.

This toy is not a functional microscope; indeed, there are no reflective surfaces within to convey light into the eyepiece. Nor can it really be identified as a particular brand or model; it is merely an imitation of one. (However, the eyepiece does feature vaguely-transparent ABS plastic, a feature to be utilized later in robot mode.) Small highlights include a pair of focus control knobs sitting on either side of the white upper half, and the opening for the objective lenses underneath reveals a printed purple Decepticon logo. Unfortunately, Scalpel’s purple chest markings(?) appear on the top of the upper half as well, and could probably be called the only robot kibble he’s got! The larger black coarse- and fine-adjustment knobs, which raise and lower the upper half along the vertical column are also represented, though they do not rotate. The base has surface details to represent the hold-down clips, and sample/objective grid, but is otherwise featureless. An unavoidable square hole rests in the back of the base above the column, exposing one of his legs minimally. And on the bottom of the base are his collapsed-together legs.

For features, Scalpel only has one- the upper half can ratchet up-and-down along the vertical column. And because of how he transforms, it can also rotate at the base of the column as well, though this would not happen on a real microscope.

The main gimmick for all of the fully-transformable figures from the 2007 “Transformers” toy line was Automorph Technology™: as one part of the toy was being moved, another section would activate and move by itself via internal gears, springs, and levers. (Usually this applied only going in one direction for transformation but not the other.) For the 2009 “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen” toy line, the Automorph feature has been replaced with Mech Alive, which is not involved in transforming the toys. Rather it is a gimmick that functions only in robot mode to better imitate, in some fashion, the intricate movements and mechanics of the immensely-more complex CGI character(s).

Some figures are being reissued from the 2007 line since no significant changes were made to the character in that time-span, and will still include their original Automorph feature, but not the newer Mech Alive feature because they were manufactured two years previously.

However, Scout-class figures are too small to incorporate a Mech Alive feature, so Decepticon Scalpel has none.

Scalpel’s robot mode (back) only vaguely resembles his appearance in the movie, with just a few common highlights tying them together. In this form, he’s probably about half the size of what he is in the movie, which is why I estimated the scale as 1:2 in the stats above. Though not specifically labeled as such, he and many other smallish ‘bots in the film are being categorized by the fan base as Insecticons- a sub-category of Decepticon from the G1 toy line and 1984-86 TV series, which transformed into various types of bugs. [German accent aside, supposedly Scalpel’s cruel and sadistic personality & methods are a tribute to Predacon Tarantulus from “Beast Wars- Transformers” (1996-99).] Aside from his six long-but-thin legs, perhaps his most recognized attribute are his large red eyes covered by thin-rim glasses. Unlike in the movie, the glasses cannot be removed, but he does have light piping through the eyepieces in the back of his head; perhaps an additional tribute to the fact that he has holo-projectors in his eyes in the movie. A nice detail on the glasses themselves are the squinting eye lines they added, which give him a very devilish look. (As a heads-up, the small antennae on the top of his head have been found by many to be boxed incorrectly. They pop-out easily enough, and are supposed to curve backwards, not forwards.) He has two very tiny transparent arms that have a tinge of purple (intentional?). The purple printing which appeared on the top of half of his disguise mode is now properly formed on his chest; the Decepticon logo has been moved to his back. While in the movie the back half of his body is very small & cylindrical and his legs very large, on the toy both are reversed in proportions, giving him a lot of mass up-front.

For such an unconventional-looking robot mode, poseability is bound to be different and thus not easily comparable with the traditional humanoid shape. While each leg has a knee and hip ball-and-socket joint, they aren’t actually all that poseable, being more for transformation. While you can swivel them about, the hips don’t let you raise up any higher that they are fully-extended. (One of mine actually developed a crack when I tried to see how far it could go; that ABS plastic is rather thin, so be careful!) A piece of advice: when transforming him, it does help his stance to have the tiny hooks on each “thigh” point upwards; it gives you a hair-more reach in each claw and hip. Though he has, like, three transformation joints in his back, only one of them can really be used to bob his torso up-and-down at his waist. But be careful- with the inflexibility of the legs, he is rather front-heavy. Both shoulders are ball-and-socket, and the elbows are single-pin joints that swivel easily forward/backward. The neck and head have independent swivel joints (but cannot swing side-to-side, so he always looks forward). The small white jaw and antennae can also move a little due t how he transforms. The glasses can be removed if you force them straight out forward, but they are not meant to be removed regularly.

. . .

His light piping is weak and has no coloring, but it is functional. Beyond that, he has no special gimmick or weapon.

What the Instructions Don’t Tell You

[fanfare sounds]

The Scout-class Decepticon Scalpel set, fortunately, only has one mark in this frustrating category:

• Simply put, when you open him for the first time out of the box, he is about 75% transformed, and needs to be completed. Unfortunately, the instructions don’t take this into account, and start where his robot mode is completed, and don’t tell you how to get there! So you spend a bit of time trying to figure out if the central column can twist or not (it does), how to store the extra white panels beneath his torso, and how the two black & one white panels move about onto his back!

I don’t mind having him half-transformed in the packaging, but help me get to robot mode first before you go on, sheesh!

(This may be the only pic we ever get of The Doctor... and it's a screenshot. Thanks, thanks a lot, ILM.)

Why wasn’t he a jet injector? I don’t know. How a microscope was selected, I don’t know either. Other than having to unfurl and rotate each and every leg each time you change him is time consuming, and the reward at the end- poseability- isn’t all that great. The arms and head are really the only things you can move about in robot mode, and they work fine… once you intentionally remove and spin around the antennae on his head. (Trust me- it’s a hassle you don’t want in such a tiny Transformer.) While fine by themselves, the legs get more of your attention. The proportions are way off compared to how he appears on-screen- huge legs, huge eyes with glasses, and small mid-body. Like several other Transformers toys, he was deserved of a larger-scale class (Deluxe-, in my opinion) than he got. However he is, by far, more intricate in parts and how he transforms that the average Scout-class figure, which are usually intentionally-simplified sets. His surface detailing was also minimal, so I guess that fits his toy class. I’m guessing that if he had been a Deluxe-class, he could potentially have been one of the very few Transformers ever to be built at 1:1 scale! Am I disappointed that he got no weapons or features other than his dimly-lit eyes? Not really, since we didn’t see any in the movie; adding some may just have been counter-productive as well! The microscope mode turned out just fine despite having many separation lines. What really impressed me, though, was the ability to ratchet the upper half up and down along that column; a nice and simple real-life touch! Things to change? Paint apps were fine, materials were fine too, and the decorations were minimal. Only thing that really concerns me is how fragile the legs are- they’re thin as needed, but the ABS has low tolerances- one of the ball joints in the hips was cracked when I got him, and it finally broke when I opened it not realizing there was a problem. Though he looks fine simply standing on your shelf, that’s the only thing he’s good at in either mode. I got the
Scout-class Decepticon Scalpel because he was such a creepy character in the movie, not because it was a good figure. Not recommended for regular collectors, it’s perhaps only for those who wanna fill out the tiny gaps in their collection. Get him as a last resort, after you’ve bought everything else that you want first.