Intro:
Roadbuster’s name originates from way back, from the days of G1, although he never appeared in the animated series. He was, however heavily depicted in the Marvel UK comics as a part of the Wreckers subgroup. After that, the character went on a hiatus, until the series Superlink came to pass. In the Japanese Superlink, the character known as Ironhide in the Energon series was named Roadbuster instead. He was depicted as a young cadet, who was eager to impress his seniors and superiors.
After Superlink, again the name Roadbuster went on a hiatus until now, and in this movie, Roadbuster returns as the leader of a subgroup that he was originally and frequently associated with – the Wreckers.
Alternate Mode:
Roadbuster comes packaged in car mode. Unlike the Human Alliance Roadbuster, where the alternate mode is a fully-armed Dale Earnhardt Jr’s #88 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Chevrolet Impala Stock Car. Some may like it, yet some may not, but whichever the case, the heavily-armed mode was actually featured prominently in the movies.
However, if you do prefer an alternate mode that is more befitting to the Robots-in-Disguise mantra, then the Deluxe-class version is probably the one for you. I really like the detailing that this little car has. On the front hood, there is the AMP Energy decal along with the Chevrolet logo. On top of the car, there is the number 88. Just on top both sides of the door, you could see Dale Earnhardt Jr’s signature. Then on both sides of the door, there are the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series logo, the number 88, the National Guard emblem and also the AMP Energy logo.
There three visible Mech-Tech ports, while Roadbuster is in his car mode, i.e. on both sides and on top of the roof. However only the roof’s one is usable while he is in this mode.
The car does roll quite smoothly and the bottom of the car looks quite packed, neat and clean.
Of course, if you’ve watched the movies, on the later part of the movie, Roadbuster and the rest of the Wreckers’ car modes featured a heavy weaponry mode. This Deluxe figure do not offer that feature. However, if you are interested in that, you may want to look for the Human Alliance release, which feature the heavy weaponry mode and not the normal car mode.
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| Mech-Tech Weapon |
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| Mech-Tech Weapon Deployed |
Overall, very nice alternate mode.
Robot Mode:
Roadbuster’s robot mode reeks of kibbles: the door panels at the hands and the shoulders (which forms a pair missile barrages), and also the roof panel at the back of the robot.
Articulation-wise: head and shoulders are on ball-joints; the elbows rotate and bend; ball-jointed hips; rotatable and bendable knees; and finally, the ankles tilt forward.
To be honest, I can’t really say that I’m really attracted to the designs of the robots. Two saving grace of this figure, in my opinion would be the head-sculpt and also the fact that him and the rest of the Wreckers were featured heavily in the film.
The kibble on the arms really hinders a lot of movement, and the fact that Roadbuster does not have a wrist articulation made it even worse.
Overall, above average robot mode.
Overall:
Altogether, Roadbuster is really an above average figure. However, for fans who have watched the movie, you’d probably want to own a set of Wreckers of your own for sake of your collection or to create a diorama of your own. In my case, I bought Roadbuster because I do plan to get a set of Wreckers of my own.
In other words, as far as Roadbuster’s action figure goes, you’d either like this figure or you don’t.
Final verdict: 6.5/10.
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