Transformers Review: Sideswipe (ROTF Human Alliance)

Intro:

            Truth be told, the 2007 movie and its sequel, the Revenge of the Fallen have managed to lure in a wholly new generations of fans to this wonderful franchise, or brand if you would have it, while at the same time, reigniting the passion amongst the longtime fan. I still remember those days, at least in these parts, we, the older generations of fans didn’t have that much competitions. The only competition we had was amongst each other. The younger kids at the time, I dare say, weren’t even interested in transformable robot! They were more interested in Ben 10, Dora the Explorer, and worse, SpongeBob Squarepants! Yikes!!! The closest thing to a Transformer that the kids nowadays still enjoy were the newer incarnations of the Power Rangers, which to me personally, never could replicate the impact that the original Power Rangers ever did had.

            What the hell is wrong with this generation?!

            But the movies changed all that. The kids began to know about the franchise. They began to learn about it and learn to love it. Subsequently, us, the hardcore fans began to face stiffer competitions. Can you imagine trying to compete with some 12-years old, trying to grab the last Optimus Prime figure on the shelf? That’s how it is like nowadays. The kids love Transformers and I have to admit, it is a good sign for the brand. 

            And you can bet your Fortress Maximus (if you have one) that the people at HasTak love it that the newer generations are enjoying the brand, which means they still could keep their jobs. That fact alone was enough to convince that there are profits to be made out of all these, and their efforts with the ROTF line were quite evident!!! Just look at the ROTF line, they have Deluxes, Voyagers, Ultras, Leaders, Ultimate (Bumblebee), Scouts, Robot Heroes, Gravity Bots, Power Bots, Fast Action Battlers, Robot Replicas, RPMs and of course, Human Alliance. 

            Sideswipe, the bot in case right now, is a Human Alliance figure. Human Alliance is somewhat ROTF line’s answer to the Alternators. They are roughly the same size, but lack the engineering details such as rubber tyres or steering actions. Having said, they are obviously more detailed than their Deluxe-class cousins, but just not quite up to the Voyagers’ level yet. 

Alternate Mode:

As you may have already known this by now, Sideswipe transforms into a Corvette Stingray Concept, which is very slick in design. He looks very fast, and thus deadly. 

            Although the tyres do looked detailed, unfortunately they are not made from rubbers. The two doors can open to reveal the interior, which has two seats and a steering wheel. 

            As the name of the sub-line says it, Human Alliance figures also comes with a human figurine(s), and this time around, it is Tech Sergeant Epps who gets paired up with Sideswipe. Epps is kinda cool and surprisingly has commendable articulations. The head turns; shoulders movements, hips and knees, but no elbows, wrists, waist or ankles movements available. 

 

            Now, what’s cool about this set is that you can fit Epps into the driver or passenger’s seat, depending on your liking. I’m not sure whether or not this is a common case, but the human figurine on my set just doesn’t quite fit into the seats. It’s like it’s somehow too big that you would really need to force his head into it. 

            And that’s practically all there is to it for the car mode. 

Robot Mode:

            The robot mode looks awesome, and has improved on the several issues that had plagued its Deluxe-class cousin. First of all – Sideswipe CAN stand!!! Whoopee!!! Naturally, the robot also looks a lot bigger – no surprise there.

            Articulations-wise, it really is a mixed package. There have been some improvements and sadly, some otherwise. The head articulation suffers the most due to the extra shoulder cannon and machine guns. Although the head is on a ball joint, its movements have been severely limited. The shoulders are on universal joints, and the arms rotate and bend at the elbows. Sideswipe also has wrists movement and individual thumb movements. 

            There is no waist joint. The hip joints are there, but somehow it feels way weaker than the ones on the Deluxe version. The movements are somewhat limited by the rubber strips that connects the hips to the groin. There are also knees and back-heel articulations. 

            The main problem with this figure is the severe case of back-heaviness suffered. Despite the modification in the legs, the enormous size of the backpack just doesn’t help the cause. This definitely doesn’t help with the pose-ability of the figure, which have already been severely hindered by various reasons.

Gimmicks:

            As with all Human Alliance figure, Sideswipes comes with a human figure – in the form of Tech Sergeant Epps. The little figure is quite articulated. The head turns; elbows; hips and knees. In Sideswipe’s robot mode, you can mount Epps on the his right shoulder, and have Epps man his machine guns. 

 

 

Overall:

            Sideswipe could’ve been a really good figure, but unfortunately, the execution has been a bit lacking. The back-heaviness of the figure and limited articulations are the main issues for this figure. Personally, I think if you already have the Deluxe-class figure, it’s already more than suffice. However, if you have missed out on the previous Sideswipe figure, or if you have the spare cash to spend, or if you are generally a Sideswipe fan, then I guess this Human Alliance figure is worth it for u.

            Final verdict: 7/10.