Koto's Raiden doesn't disappoint

The enduring popularity of Virtual On is a testament to the exceptional mechanical design work of Hajime Katoki. Fifteen years on, the mecha from Sega’s arcade and console hit Cyber Troopers Virtual On remain fresh and compelling.

One of the principal Virtuoids is Raiden, here realized as a high-end model kit by Kotobukiya. Raiden’s box is impressively large and well illustrated, with a handsome rendering on the front and details of the model and videogame screenshots on the sides.

Inside rests about thirty runners of parts, an instruction booklet, and a small sheet of water-slide decals.

The build is complex and time consuming (it took me around ten hours to complete). Kotobukiya’s signature laminations of sharply detailed parts creates a rich, layered series of components. The part count and construction process is roughly equal to Bandai’s Master Grade series. Kotobukiya mostly holds its own with MG models, but I found the sprue placement to be problematic. Whereas Bandai has honed its molding technique to incorporate conical sprues in discreet locations, this model uses big, fat sprues in highly visible places. As a moderately serious modeler, I’m distracted by the sprue bruises in the final product, and not willing to go the next step to sand, putty, and paint the model to take it to the next level.

That said, the finished product is a nice looking robot. Raiden is well articulated, considering his blocky, heavily armored design.

The laminations of different colored plastics are stunning, particularly in Raiden’s feet. I appreciate the sophistication of a part of the model you’ll rarely see.

I love that the Virtuoids have Sega Dreamcasts on their backs.

The palette of colors is attractive, and you won’t need to paint this to get a good looking piece. I like the use of the clear pink parts at the vents. I used a gundam marker to pick up a few panel lines and added some of the slide decals to finish it off.

Kotubikaya provides parts to make two sets of hands, a large bazooka, and a set of claw-like chest-mounted lasers.

The chest lasers are a neat touch, with unique criss-crossed transparent parts.

The gun is plain, and its construction is sloppy and easily falls apart.

Raiden is a fun build and a fine model. It’s not a toy by any means, but if you enjoy Virtual On and building models, he’s a great addition to your collection.

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Maisto did a great job showing us why a car replica company should never try to produce transforming toys...

Ginrai's review of Herr Fiend inspired me to make a similar review, yet concerning a toyline you probably never heard of. The question is, was this act of ignorance on your side a curse or a blessing? I'm afraid not the latter. Let's dive in and witness this creature with our own eyes.

But first, some introduction. We all know that Maisto is one of the biggest Europe-based car replica company that competes directly with Bburago, the market's big fish. Unfortunately for us, they also had an idea to mimic Hasbro's all-successful Transformers line, that is very popular on the Old Continent (even in Poland it's the bestselling boy-oriented toyline). This way, RoboRods and Cycones were created. Boy, how fun these creeps were! Let's examine the fine example of the first one, Cadillac Coope Deville '63!

Just to justify my attitude and sense of this article, I bought this toy at my local bookstore as an experiment. I thought, what will it hurt me to spend 5 dollars...now I know. And knowing is half the battle.

So, this our hero in his car mode. Honestly, that's what attracted me to this toy in the first place when I saw him inside his blister card. This really could have been a very decent vehicle mode... but there is one flaw in this design. As you can see, integrity issues are present and the lines of divided parts are awfully visible. Also, part alignment seems to be somewhat out of control. A big shame, it makes a nice looking cadillac an ugly one.

Mmm, chromed, rubber wheels. Wait, what happened to the front windshield? It's a pitiful sight, not only you can see the windshield is a seperate piece from the roof, but due to poor alignment, the rear layer of violet plastic that missed it's share of silver paint is visible as well. Ummm...

The front is very nice, though. The grill is well-sculpted and the tiny Cadillac sign is a small gem.

Back- nice paint apps, terrible black canyon in the middle. The rear Cadillac logo looks almost like a v-fin of a Gundam that's just been vertically cut in two with a beam saber.

What's interesting, the roof is covered with a light-beige pattern that instantly makes you think of a collapsable leather roof. Leather roof? Chromed wheels? Violet paint job? Is it just me, or is this stylized to look like a pimp mobile? Not that I have something against it, it just occured to me. Now, let's have a quick look on the undercarriage before we transform this thing.

... ok, that's very... promising? Eh, let's just proceed.

BY THE POWER OF MAISTO! I'VE GOT A LEATHER ROOF, BABE!

The tranformation is quick, I'll give the toy that. But its result is what a TF toy expert with 10 years of experience can only call an abomination. What the hell is this supposed to be? It's humanoid for sure, but that's one ugly, disfigured humanoid! And it has proportions of a Smurf! Must be one of Brainy's failed experiments. Really, this looks bad and after just a glimpse one can tell the designers didn't give this mode too much thought. "Hey, Alex, the brass told us to turn this Cadillac replica into a humanoid robot. How shall we make it look like?" "What do I care, I already got my paycheck for this month, just make it cheap". I remind you, 5 dollars.

The back is maybe not SO bad, but there's not much there to begin with. One thing that bothers me, though, is the roof. Technically, it's supposed to be turned 180 egrees like here, but usually it's unachievable, as the roof is loose like hell and for most of the time it will hang down diagonally. This is the first time I managed to set it up properly.

Yep, definitely a Smurf turned into a Tranformer by Gargamel. Note the incredible head that consists simply of the entire front of the car. Because creatively designed humanoid heads are so boring.

Is this monstrum equipped with any poseability? Surprisingly, yes, the arms and head are on ball joints. Aaand that's it. So you can imagine the range of the articulation is pretty weak even compared to modern Mini-Cons and there's not much you can do with this robot.

Ok, there is one thing I do like about this mode, hands, to be precise. While the fingers aren't that great, the speakers mounted on the palms are a sweet touch which almost looks like a sonic weapon interpretation of Iron Man's hand blasters.

And guess what? We've got an accesory here. A PVC cane that slides on the hands from below... dear God, I was right! This really is a pimp-bot! I wonder how could you use that as a melee weapon.

Face me if you dare, evil fiend! Umm, excuse me, would you be kind enough to get up from the floor and stop laughing already?

Final thoughts. This could be a really nice Hot Wheels-like car, but unfortunately, it transforms. This way, the vehicle mode loses almost all of it's power and looks not-so-great due to the bad part alignment and all of the resulting black gaps. Robot mode is a mistake. Strange proportions, no thought given to the design, weak poseability and an overall ugliness gives us a terrible toy. Maisto screwed up really bad and no sane collector should ever even try to buy this. It's not worth it. I'd probably got rid of mine, but I know too well no one is stupid enough to purchase this from me.

You have been warned.

This could be a pretty good size comparison, but I think it's more of a preparing for a fast execution.

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.

Does your jet black Porsche 928S transform into an evil German scientist? Mine does.

The Super GoBot Herr Fiend, originally Scale Robo DX Porsche 928S Robo from the Machine Robo line, is one of the nicest of the GoBots. The Japanese version and its European counterpart were available in two different types of blue, but I find that the US version has the superior colors. Its pitch black color scheme is fearsome and really goes with the identity of an evil robot scientist of the German persuasion. Imagine if Rotwang from Metropolis could transform into a car!

So how does Herr Fiend hold up as a toy and not a character? This is almost entirely diecast metal with rolling rubber wheels. You hold it up to your cheek and you feel the cool zinc alloy. The paint job is great and while it's a little hard to see the details in all that black paint, it just looks fantastic.

Yes, you can see the seams on the toy where it transforms, but it makes for a pretty convincing car. It has your basic stickers like a license plate, tail and headlights, and optional big stupid racing numbers, but I think it looks way better without them.

It is also bigger and has more heft than the Diaclone Car Robot toys from Takara that Popy was obviously competing with. If you have to pick between Herr Fiend and the Transformer Jazz, remember that Herr Fiend doesn't break if you breathe on it.

The transformation is simple but satisfying, similar to the other Scale Robo DX cars. Also like those toys, Herr Fiend seems less like a robot with a personality and more like a robotic vehicle. There's even a little human figure in the cockpit!

One down side is that his ass is a car hood, but at least it's not going to snap off. The articulation is acceptable for the '80s. The legs are basically immobile, but the arms have a decent range of motion. The robot's head is just as inhuman as the other Scale Robo DX toys and he has these weird turning fork hands. I wonder how exactly Herr Fiend performs horrible medical procedures with those stubby things!

If I were rating this against the other Super GoBot toys, I'd say Psycho has a cooler robot mode and better hands, but Herr Fiend has way more metal. Herr Fiend's slick black paint job puts the toy right near the top. I really like all of the Super GoBot cars based on Scale Robo DX line, but this is one case where America got the better deal. The mold itself is not quite as cool as Bug Bite or Pscyho, but Herr Fiend has as much metal as Bug Bite and the cooler color scheme, so I'd say they are on close to even footing.

Herr Fiend has no weapon at all. He doesn't even have a weird gun-hat like Bug Bite, but this robot is an evil scientist, not a warrior, so I don't mind that much.

If your entire impression of GoBots is short, crappy Transformers ripoffs, you are in for a treat with the Super GoBot cars. In robot mode, these are almost twice as tall as the Transformers that began as Diaclone Car Robots like Jazz and Prowl. They don't have as many fine details (no missile launchers for example), but they are way bigger, include far more metal, and are nowhere near as fragile and fiddly.

Herr Fiend is a nice example of the line and the good news is that thanks to the terrible reputation the GoBots enjoy, you can pick these up for pretty cheap on the secondary market. Did I mention this toy was manufactured by Popy? That's right, this classic diecast robot even has a little Popy logo etched into the metal.

With Herr Fiend you get a sweet paint job, copious metal, rubber tires, and a classy personality. Let's face it, this is the kind of GoBot you always wished you had: the kind that performs eugenics experiments.

As I continue my Brave Series toy reviews, next up is, Power Dagwon!......

As I continue my Brave Series toy reviews, next up is, Power Dagwon DX!

Rather than go into great detail about this toys background, I'll just give you this quick bit of info: Power Dagwon hails from the anime Brave Command Dagwon and is the second most important mecha in the series. The first being, Fire Dagwon (Fire Jumbo). The reason for Power Dagwon's importance is that it can combine with Fire Dagwon to create "Super Fire Dagwon" as seen in the video below.

I will provide you more info on this combination later.

Today's review will be centered around the re-issue of Power Dagwon manufactured by Sonokong/Takara. This toy can be purchased from our friends over at Big Bad Toy Store who have most graciously provided us with the sample for review.

Power Dagwon DX comes to you in a beautifully illustrated, heavy corrugated cardboard box shown below. I have to say that I am a fan of the packaging used on these Sonokong re-issues so far. You don't see a whole lot of nice heavy corrugated cardboard used much anymore. The only shortcoming is that the inside tray is a really thin plastic tray. If the tray was Styrofoam, this would score a 10 on my toy packaging scale.

On to the actual toy. To start off Power Dagwon stands at an impressive 12" tall and weighs 2 pounds 5 ounces. Not only is the toy huge but it is made from very sturdy, high quality plastic among other materials.

Just check out the metallic gold that adorns this figure. The gold really make the figure "pop" in my opinion

The first main gimmick of this toy is the massive articulated shovel arm that can extend to a reach of 14"!

Yup, those are actual metal pistons that move in and out when you extend or contract the shovel arm. Its a really nice touch!

But wait, the fun doesn't stop there. You also can choose from 3 different weapons that attach to the shovel arm. A crushing claw, killer drill and a big scooping shovel! *Note, above you can view these other weapons stored on the backside of the shovel arm.

Check out the backpack of Power Dagwon. This backpack will become the chest piece for "Super Fire Dagwon".

Real rubber rolling tank style treads adorn both legs when in robot mode. Also the toy has articulation the the arms, waist, and legs which is often uncommon for such a large Brave Series toy.

These next 2 photos show Power Dagwon in one of my favorite modes. This half tank, half robot mode reminds me alot of Getter 3 from Getter Robo or Poseidon from Getter Robo G.

Power Dagwon includes a 4.5" tall Dag Fire figure that can be placed in Power Dagwon's chest. Unfortunately this figure has no real articulation and does not transform. The only thing this figure has is folding legs that allow it to be stored in the chest area behind the gold adorned, red monster faced, chest plate.

The last 2 photos show Power Dagwon in it's shovel mode. As you can see, it swivels and the extra attachments are conveniently stored in the lower rear of the toy. I love this mode! As a child I was in awe when seeing heavy construction equipment, making this particular mode really speak to that child deep within me.

I almost forgot this, you can also equip Power Dagwon with Gunkid as a shoulder mounted Bazooka. check out the clip below and you will see what I mean!

To sum it up, I love this toy. It is a quality item that has a ton of play value. The transformation is fun but easy. It is a must have if you are a Brave Series fan or if you already own the Fire Dagwon DX. Just check it out, both figures combine to make Super Fire Dagwon!

I am sure that anyone who loves cars and street racing has seen at least one of the movies from the wildly popular "The Fast and The Furious" franchise.

I am sure that anyone who loves cars and street racing has seen at least one of the movies from the wildly popular "The Fast and The Furious" franchise.

I love the way these movies mix different styles of cars, from import tuners to classic muscle cars and everything in between. None of the vehicles are as memorable as the muscle car star in the first Fast and The Furious movie. Of course I am talking about the 1970 Dodge Charger owned by Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel).

The Charger is painted black with chrome rims. It sports a gigantic 426 cubic inch Hemi engine with a roots style supercharger and fuel injection, along with some serious nitrous oxide. The car also has a heavy duty 4 speed manual transmission, Dana 60 rear end with gearing set up for the drag strip. Now that's a serious power package!

This car also has all the safety features required of a 9 second quarter mile drag car: 10 point roll cage, bucket seats, and safety harnesses. Lastly, most of the interior is done in sheet-metal, and there is no rear seat.

Now about Ertl`s 1:18th scale die-cast replica. How does it compare to the actual movie car? Well, I like the overall quality of the replica especially the paint work. Also the undercarriage is very accurately detailed. The engine bay is where we run into a bit of a snag. When you open the hood, you are not greeted with a mammoth supercharged 426 cubic inch hemi engine, but rather a supercharged 440, which is nothing to sneeze at but is a different engine altogether.

So I was a little disappointed with the engine bay. Not only does it have the wrong engine, Ertl left out alot of the most rudimentary detailing, like spark plug wiring or plumbing for the injectors. Overall, as far as the engine compartment goes, there is room for serious improvement.

I feel that the reason for some of the difference`s in the real car and this replica is the fact that this was a re-release of a earlier car by Ertl called a 1970 Charger street machine. So, I figure, to save on the tooling costs they cut a few corners......BAH!

Don't let me mislead you, The car is still a great toy featuring an opening hood, opening doors, functional steering, accurate interior, roll-cage. The model is made from sturdy die-cast metal, plastic, PVC and rubber. Making this model not just a nice replica, but it is also a nice solid toy. Case and point: When I was not around my 8 year old got his hands on it. Unbelievably it survived! All I had to do was rub his finger prints off the paint and throw back on the shelf. Having this little scare happen, made me totally satisfied with the ruggedness of this car. But, maybe I was lucky, LOL, so I hope he doesn't go after it again!

With that aside I would have to say this is one of my all time favorite cars ever. That is unless Ertl was to make a 1/18 scale replica of Blade`s 1968 Charger, now that would be freakin' bad-ass.

I would suggest that if you are a fan of cars to check out the rest of the series, especially part 4. Which is probably my favorite movie is the franchise so far, yes the 1970 Charger is back and badder than ever.

I definitively would recommend this car as a "must have" addition to your die-cast collection.

Great, detailed little set. It reminds me of one of those small commercial-grade excavators.

-- WARNING --

According to the manufacturer, this product is not recommended for children under the age of 7 years as it contains many small parts which a child could potentially choke on.

All around the world, earthquakes are becoming increasingly frequent, threatening the cities and towns above! A geologist, nicknamed Brains, determines that these earthquakes may not be natural occurrences, and wants to investigate further. So Brains works with a mechanical engineer, Rex, and a veteran miner, Duke, to create a team of brave & intelligent explorers to drive special tunneling and gathering machines deep into the Earth’s crust to investigate the strange rumblings. But, as they dig, the Power Miners (led by Doc) come across several types of squat rock monsters which eat exotic crystals to make them more powerful! Though not very smart, they are numerous and seem to be the cause of the earthquakes. So now, it is up to the Power Miners to learn more about the rock monsters… and find a way to stop them before it’s too late!

Rex drives Machine #3, also known as the Granite Grinder- a small vehicle with caterpillar tractor treads. It features a single large twin-pronged hydraulic jackhammer, which vibrates back-and-forth quickly to break up boulders that may have slipped past some of the Power Miners’ larger drills. It can also move for extended times away from the main mining teams along with the Stone Chopper and Mine Mech thanks to its natural gas tank and larger hydraulic fluid cache, leading the charge with its large removable spotlight to shine the way. A pack of dynamite blasts apart rocks that the machine punches through. Then the fragments can be collected by the Mine Mech and placed in the Granite Grinder’s towed rock sled for analysis back with the main team by Brains. It is fortunate that Rex designed the Granite Grinder to be durable and compact because it means when he’s driving it, he can avoid serious damage from rock monsters and the boulder that they hurl at him!

The rubber tractor treads are tied together by a Technic rod, and cannot twist independently of each other.

When rolled forward or backwards, the orange jackhammer slides forward and backwards, the rubber band contracting it each time.

The two tanks in back can be removed.

The rock sled’s plastic chain can be hooked onto the back, and dragged along behind it.

LEGO Set #8958 comes with the first version of the Rex minifig. The back of his helmet hides his second facial expressions- a look of surprise; (His helmet is capable of accepting a fold-down visor, but this set does not come with one.)

The common gimmick in the Power Miners line is the rock monsters. There are five smaller generic swarms-

• Firox (orange) - sneaky, devious, and fast
• Boulderax (green) - strong, slow, and dumb
• Glaciator (blue) - bossy, brutal, and greedy
• Sulfurix (yellow) - similar to Firox, but able to burn straight through rock
• Meltrox (red) – tough, angry, and aggressive

-with three larger unique ones appearing in separate sets [that have been released so far]. They all have larger bodies and arms.

LEGO Set #8958 comes with a single Glaciator rock monster minifig. His arms can swivel at the shoulders, and his hands can accept any minifig accessory. His head can be hinged upwards, and one power crystal can be placed inside!

On LEGO’s official Power Miners homepage, you can download the instructions needed to combine Set #8958- Granite Grinder with Set #8960- Thunder Driller to become the Aero Shredder vehicle!

You can also watch animated videos of the Power Miners going up against the rock monsters with their vehicles!

Wow- LEGO’s third attempt at a fictitious underground/mining theme… just that now they have dedicated characters rather than generic minifigs. And a collecting gimmick in the form of multi-colored monsters. And it takes place on Earth rather than on an alien planet on the other side of a wormhole in another galaxy. I digress…

I stand by my position that small LEGO sets offer up just as much fun as the larger ones. This one has a single feature, if you don’t include the retractable roll cage. It rolls around easily on any flat surface, but it isn’t that bad an issue that the tractor treads don’t swivel independently of each other. That the tanks have an internal support so that you can remove them is also nice. Really, the only part that I kinda scratched my head on was the rock sled. While the chain was nice, why not put some wheels on it so that it doesn’t actually drag on the ground collecting lint and dust and getting scratches on it? Great, detailed little set. It reminds me of one of those small commercial-grade excavators you see sometimes. The Granite Grinder is a win in my book. Highly recommended!

In 2005 The Batmobile alias the Tumbler hit the big screen in the Christopher Nolan directed film Batman Begins. The style of the new vehicle is more based on the Frank Miller tank like creation seen in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel......

Today I will be reviewing the Hotwheels 1/18 scale Tumbler aka Batmobile.

"The Beginning of Batman`s Tumbler"

I searched across the internet to get as much info I could about the Tumbler/Batmobile.
I got alot of the info from Wikipedia and How stuff works, both are great sites to gather info! check them out.

2005 The Batmobile alias the Tumbler hit the big screen in the Christopher Nolan directed film Batman Begins. The style of the new vehicle is more based on the Frank Miller tank like creation seen in Batman: The Dark Knight Returns graphic novel. The film's production designer described the machine as a cross between a Lamborghini and a Tank. In the Nolan films the vehicle is never referred to as the "Batmobile", only as the "Tumbler". One of the main men responsible for design work on the Tumbler is Nathan Crowley.

In "Batman Begins" Bruce Wayne is introduced to a one off prototype built for the military to be able to jump spans pulling cables in order to bridge the span. Bruce is impressed by the vehicle so much that he decides to take it and use it in his personal war against Gotham`s worst.

Here is a list of some of the "Tumbler's" capabilities:

Rear flaps for brake
Front auto-cannons
Rocket launcher
Landing hook for landing stabilization
Integrated fire-extinguishing system
Integrated safety connection to gasoline control
Jet engine on back of car for quick boosts/ramp-less jumps
Stealth mode, which turns off the car's lights and reduces the engine sound enormously, making the car very hard to find in dark places
Road spikes can be deployed from the rear of the vehicle. Batman uses this to immobilize a police vehicle following him.
Front of car is heavily armored, so the car can crash into and destroy objects, and also protects the driver while in the "Attack" mode driving position.
Both front wheels can eject when the vehicle is damaged to form the Bat-pod, a bat-cycle like vehicle (the rest self-destructs).

Now let`s get down to how the car was built. Nathan Crowley started creating the Batmobile by model bashing. Model bashing is a technique where you go to a toy store, hobby shop, hardware store and gather parts of every shape and size. You then cut and shape all of those parts to get the desired look for the car. Nathan built six models like this, all 1:12 scale, before he got the look and the shapes that he wanted. Once he had the scale model, he started on a full-size replica.

The next part of the process was taking a Styrofoam block and carved it by hand. They carved everything, including things like the rubber tires. The first goal is to get all of the proportions right at full-scale. this car is 9 feet 4 inches wide. That's 8 inches wider than the typical 18-wheeler!

The second goal is to have a full-size model that can be used to make things like the body-panel molds and the frame. The car has 65 separate body panels, and each one had to be manufactured on a custom-made wooden mold. To make the steel frame, the Styrofoam model was cut up to get accurate sizing and panel mounting points for the frame. With all this work done the design team built a test frame.

The team went ahead and manufactured four complete, street-ready race cars. Each of these four cars cost about $250,000 to build. These "race" versions of the Batmobile are the cars that careened through the streets of Chicago during filming. From the outside, they look like Batmobiles. Inside, however, they look like NASCAR race cars.

specs for the "Race version"

2.5 tons
9 feet 4 inches wide
15 feet long
HOOSIER racetrack tires on front
4 Rear 44 inch SUPER SWAMPERS, a Four wheel drive conversion component
0-60 in 5.6 seconds. Under full acceleration, the car could actually rise up on its front "legs" while the front wheels stayed planted on the ground creating an effect like a giant spider.
500 hp 5.7-liter Chevy V8 engine

So why'd they build four complete Batmobile race cars? There were two reasons. First, the team expected there to be accidents and wanted to have multiple cars in case one or two wrecked. Think about it: These cars have the ability to go 100 mph but have hand levers to help turn corners. They also are called on to jump 30 feet. Accidents seemed likely. The good news is that no accidents actually occurred* The six months of training and the drivers' skill really paid off(*if you ignore the incident in which a driver rear-ended one of the Batmobiles as the four cars were moving to a new location).

Two of the four cars are special. One is the flap version. It has all of the hydraulics and flaps to handle the close-up shots where the car is "flying." The other is the jet version. Nathan didn't want to "add on" the jet flame with a computer -- he wanted a real jet flame. The car has an actual jet engine fueled by six propane tanks located inside the car. The team can mount and dismount the jet as needed for filming.

There is also another car for the scenes where the "Caped Crusader" pulls up and gets out. It has several unique features. It is loaded with hydraulics to make the opening and closing of the cockpit happen in a realistic way. It has a small electric motor that lets the car drive forward, but there is no massive V-8 engine and no need for the car to drive at a high speed. Plus there is 1:5 scale miniature version which has a electric motor to propel it. this is the version for the roof top scenes.

The Batmobile is real. Every single time you see the Batmobile in the movie, you are seeing a real, physical object, not a computer-generated graphic. Whether it is driving on city streets at 100 mph, landing in the Batcave or pulling up to the scene of a crime, what you're looking at is a real car. When the Batmobile flies 30 feet through the waterfall to land in the Batcave, what's landing is a real, 5,000-pound vehicle. The Batmobile is so real that it actually served as the pace car for a major NASCAR race held in June 2005.

Well enough about the real "Tumbler". Let`s talk about the 1:18 scale Mattel version. To start off with the model is fairly heavy because on the die-cast metal and plastic content. The plastic seems to be sturdy enough for play, but keep in mind that this is a display model.

"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!

As with Blackout from the first movie, this is a huge character who was given the Voyager-class treatment instead of the Leader-class treatment he deserved. Yeah, he’s not on-screen for very long, but the mass of the character isn’t done justice here, and the articulation & detail that was needed couldn’t be accommodated.

Video review included!

"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…

With Megatron dead, the Decepticons have become scattered and lost- some following the signal foolishly sent by the Autobot’s leader, Optimus Prime, to this backwater planet called Earth. Once there, however, they are greeted by a swarm of biological life-forms which infest this world who are in alliance with the weak Autobots. With no one to point the way to bring glory back to their dying race, the Decepticons huddle quietly on the planet, waiting for a sign to rise up once more. Demolishor was one of those to come to Earth, hoping to learn some sign of the location of Megatron. Though not the brightest Decepticon, he is one of the biggest and strongest, so finding a suitable place to hide on Earth was not exactly the easiest thing to do with his +950ton bulk. But with others of his kind lost and flocking to hide in his very large shadow, Demolishor was forced to find one of the humans’ larger machines to disguise himself as. Never a naturally flight-capable Decepticon like Lord Megatron, a ground vehicle was needed. At a coal mine in China, he came across an excavator that could suit his needs. Unfortunately, he was not as capable at hiding as he thought. A misplaced heavy excavator like the Terex/O&K RH-400 rolling casually across the highways was bound to attract a lot of attention, and both Demolishor and one of his protected- the cowardly Sideways- were finally cornered and killed in Shanghai by the Autobots and their new allies on Earth, N.E.S.T. But it was Demolishor- with his final words- who gave us the only warning of what was to come: “This planet is not yours to rule. The fallen shall rise again!”

Not much is known about Demolishor before he came to Earth. He displays no shooting weapons during the Shanghai shootout (in the movie’s official video game, he can launch multiple missiles out of vertical silos in his shoulders), but can obviously cause great havoc with his brute strength and size- standing unicycle-style on flipping wheels which extend him to almost four stories tall! His powerful hydraulic arms and claws- which have an extended reach of 100’- enable him to literally plow through any human-made obstacle in his path easily.
In “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen”, the voice of Demolishor is performed by Calvin Wimmer. He served as first assistant editor only in “Transformers” (2007), but has been an editor in several other films since 1995.

Demolishor’s vehicle mode (back) is that of a real Terex/O&K RH-400 hydraulic mining excavator, designed and built by Terex Corporation and one of its subsidiary engineering companies, Orenstein & Koppel (O&K). It is the largest functional hydraulic excavator model currently operating in the world’s open-pit mines, though few larger models by other companies have come before. The two +6’-wide caterpillar tractor treads carry its 1000t mass at a maximum speed of 1.37mph, but it is always accompanied by a small fleet of heavy-load haul trucks and bulldozers so it doesn’t have to do any significant traveling by itself. Its three-joint arm uses three pairs of hydraulic pistons to dig down to a maximum depth of 7ft and reaches upwards to 65ft; the bucket itself is double jointed so that dumping into a haul truck is more effective that turning the bucket upside-down each time. Unlike most of the alternate modes represented in the “…Revenge of the Fallen” toy line, Demolishor’s isn’t quite as faithful to the real machine! The biggest difference is the shape of the back half. Whereas the RH-400 has a blocky “U”-shaped chassis (with enough internal space for technicians to comfortably stand alongside both 16-cylinder diesel engines), the toy is shaped more like a blocky “Y” when viewed from above- the back-half ending with the kibble of his wheel support struts hanging down. While the kibble by itself is an intrusion on the basis of the real machine, when taken as a whole on the toy, it looks well-integrated as if it were part of the mechanics, i.e. counterweights or hook-up points for other machinery. Because of this significant change, the gray ABS platform stairs on either side are much shorter, and a lot of the side & top details had to be redesigned. While the loss of the six hydraulic pistons is a notable loss in both modes, that is substituted for the Mech Alive gimmick. The undercarriage and caterpillar tractor assemblies have also been scaled slightly larger than their real-world counterparts, mostly because of the need for them to be big in robot mode. (No mass-shifting, remember?)

With all these changes compared to the real RH-400, it’s difficult to say if one feature on the toy is too large, or another too small-! While the general appearance of a, well- construction vehicle is achieved, on closer inspection there are big differences that have been exploited. Though the shape of an RH-400 is mostly achieved, too many details have been changed to make it a remarkable conversion to toy form to the educated & scrutinizing eye. Were Demolishor more-properly scaled-up as a Leader-class set as opposed to a Voyager-class one, many of these issues may have been dealt with differently, and the vehicle mode’s appearance and function may have been closer.

As mentioned before, the arm does not have the hydraulic pistons or feed hoses. However, the ‘elbow’ and ‘wrist’ joints are free-turning, while the ‘shoulder’ ratchets firmly every few degrees. These three joints are the only available ones on this toy. The bucket does not split in half vertically as the real one does to dump its load. The upper chassis does not rotate independently of the undercarriage as it does on the RH-400 because of how he transforms. And though being one of the very few examples of Transformers in the last 28 years with rubber-belt caterpillar tracks, these do not rotate in vehicle mode due to how they transform. How ironic!

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” Voyager-class Decepticon Demolishor has the Mech Alive feature, but not an Automorph Technology feature.

Demolishor’s robot mode (back) is a striking contrast to anything that has been seen in Transformers since before 2009. While having wheels on the feet to skate around on are nothing new, having the leg-- no. Having no legs at all, and rolling about on a single giant wheel like a unicycle is a completely new and original trait from the fan-termed ‘Bayformers’ universe! (The only previous on-screen example of a unicycle design that I can think of is one of the Vehicon generals, Thrust, from the all-CGI TV series “Beast Machines: Transformers” in 1999-2001.) While having a gigantic wheel replacing the entire lower half of his body is impressive, that he has an equally-giant wheel above his head is stunning. The only thing that rides in between these two massive wheels is his head, and a little bit of body behind it- not enough, really, to be able to even call it a torso! Demolishor’s orange eyes feature light-piping, and work quite effectively because the window is above his head rather than behind it. His arms take up a lot of the mass- mostly the forward-sides of the chassis from the RH-400, with the control cabin ending up on the right shoulder. Some new techy details (which do not appear in the film ver.) are carved into the front of each shoulder, with two long panels swiveled diagonally to give them the appearance of more bulk. In the movie, however, most of the shoulders’ mass ends up behind the upper arms rather than above or in front of it, so there is a significant deviation there as well. The upper and lower arm segments are more-or-less the same, but as opposed to three large fingers per hand, the two halves of the excavator’s bucket remain unchanged. In the film, Demolishor’s two wheels are solid designs, with the appearance of a monster truck’s tires. Unfortunately, the extremely-complex transformation needed to accomplish this with a toy is simply not possible, and here the wheels are hollow like those of a bicycle or motorcycle- rubber tread forming the contact surfaces, and the tractor gear assemblies forming two thick dark gray spokes. Though- regretfully- the rubber treads don’t actually move in disguise form, the simple ingenuity in getting them to form these large wheels- not including the magenta suspension arms to either side of both- in robot mode overrides that loss to an extent.

. . .

As with the functionality in vehicle mode, Demolishor’s poseability in robot mode is not what it at first seems. Both shoulders ratchet tightly up and down, and seem to be directly connected to the center of his body. (Sometimes, if the connection is tight enough, the joints will move the head as well if you’re not careful.) Each shoulder can also ratchet outwards, though they cannot raise above 45-degrees because the upper arms bump into the shoulder armor above. Here’s where things go wrong, however… While the elbows can free-turn outwards also, they cannot pivot to point forwards! In other words, he will always have a crab-like reach rather than a human-like reach with his elbows; the only way to counteract this is to use the transformation joint in the shoulders to twist the whole arm backwards… and even then, the shoulder armor on top bumps into the wheel suspension parts, and can’t fully turn back to allow such a motion! (Turning the shoulders forward is possible, but this turns the elbows backwards.) The bad elbow system, coupled with the fact that the toy has no opening fingers brings a heavy weight down onto the unique appearance of the figure, and all-the-more hampers attempts to recreate the amazing opening act from “Transformers- Revenge of the Fallen”; even if the Voyager-class toy is already much smaller compared to other transformable figures in the toy line. (The scaling of a figure was a significant fault observed earlier with the Voyager-class Decepticon Blackout set- who was also the biggest character seen on-screen in the 2007 movie.) The bad news is that the arms are critical in posing the figure because of his unicycle design- the wheels are incapable of suspending the entire figure by themselves, and so with bad elbows and no poseable hands, this makes working with him just that much more difficult. The two wheels are actually double-jointed- one at each wheel’s axis, and one on each 1” swing arm. As stated earlier, the shoulders are tied directly to the head assembly, and this allows the wheels suspension arms to twist 360 around independently of them- just as they do to dramatic effect in the movie! So, it is possible to put Demolishor into an improvised bicycle-like form, though his head can never quite clear the top of the then-front wheel, and the arms are still needed to stabilize him.

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 Voyager-class Decepticon Demolishor toy, it has one Mech Alive feature:

• Inside both upper arms are single detailed silver-painted cylinders which are connected internally to the elbows. When the elbows twist in either direction, the cylinders will twist as well. With the exposed halves of each arm in back, the cylinders can be viewed from either side of both arms.

This is one of the very few examples in the “Revenge of the Fallen” toy line where a fully-transformable figure’s Mech Alive feature is observable & functional in both robot mode and vehicle mode.

Even though the Shanghai battle took place at night, in his split-second appearance in vehicle mode, one thing is clear- Demolishor is not maroon-colored. Instead he is almost completely white, and this carries over pretty much into robot mode, with highlights of red and gray, and his yellowish eyes. So why did Hasbro choose maroon? In the climactic Egyptian battle before the covered Solar Harvester, seven Constructicons gathered together to form the massive Devastator. The largest of them- Scavenger- also assumed the alternate form of a Terex/O&K RH-400, and his coloring scheme is a red chassis with a white shovel arm... just like this toy! Now, why it is that this toy was not named Scavenger, I’m not certain. Perhaps because his robot mode wasn’t seen in the movie, or Hasbro needed to secure the rights to the name Demolishor (they’ve been known to do the latter before). So, uh… yeah- just sos ya knows ‘bout that...

Coloring aside, the vehicle mode is fine. Yeah, some of the details are missing, and the rubber treads & undercarriage doesn’t rotate, but at least the arm moves! I wish, at the very least, that the bucket could have been more articulate, because that would have translated into finger articulation in robot mode, which is desperately needed! Losing the hydraulic piston details was a bummer, and I don’t really think that replacing it with a visible Mech Alive feature in vehicle mode was as satisfactory an exchange. I have no problem with the Mech Alive feature in this toy, just not how it was used: those elbows really, Really, REALLY needed to be able to swivel horizontally. That right there kills a lot of the flare of the toy. I knew that recreating those massive solid wheels would have been a challenge for a $23 toy, so they get a pass from me because of the cleaver alternative they came up with. But when you have to put a lot of effort into keeping him upright, and you then have arms that aren’t articulate enough, it’s really deflating! Additionally, all those swiveling transformation joints in the shoulders make actually posing the shoulders a challenge, and with such an unusual body design, you need to have stuff locked in place or else the act of posing itself becomes a chore. A lot of my complaint with this toy rests in the arms. But it was nice to have the light-piping in his eyes work so well! Having the option to rotate the wheels up-and-over is great too because it give you an additional choice in posing. As with Blackout from the first movie, this is a huge character who was given the Voyager-class treatment instead of the Leader-class treatment he deserved. Yeah, he’s not on-screen for very long, but the mass of the character isn’t done justice here, and the articulation & detail that was needed couldn’t be accommodated. (You just know that those shoulder armor-details are completely bull compared to what is seen on-screen…) Were it up to me, I would have taken the miniature Optimus Prime from the Voyager-class Autobot Stratosphere set, and put one with this toy just to give us that scale (close, but really the only option for a small-enough version of the Autobot leader), and the chance for him to hang on to his face like he does in the movie. Instead, we are forced into a role-reversal and have this toy hang off the shoulder of Leader-class Autobot Optimus Prime! For such a massive, one-shot character, the Voyager-class Decepticon Demolishor just doesn’t do the wreaking wheelbot much justice. Mildly recommended, with prejudice.