Transformers Review: Sideswipe (Henkei Deluxe)

Intro:

            Well, to be honest, I’m not exactly a huge Sideswipe (Lambor to Japanese fans) fan. He wasn’t a major character in the comics, and he only played a bit-part roll in the animated series, most memorably in the episode “Roll for It”, where he took it to the air, as well as the episode where he masqueraded as a Stunticon.

            So when Sideswipe was first announced, I can’t really say that I was too thrill about it. However, as time goes, the lure of the vibrant red Lamborghini Countach began to take over, and I ended up giving him a go.

            And that was way back circa 2008/ 2009. So after four to five years, here we are finally with the review.  

Alternate Mode:

            Sideswipe transforms into a vibrantly red-colored Lamborghini Countach, similar to his yellow-colored brother Sunstreaker and Red Alert. 

            The car is so very slick and smooth that it’s very easy to fall in love with the little car. The tailfin is deliciously painted in chrome, which is always a welcome.

            The back of the car is also very nicely done – very detailed, along with the name Lambor on it.

            The bottom of the car is really a pleasure to watch, especially with so minimal kibbles and very cleanly done, complete with exhaust pipes.

            I have to say, I am very pleased with this car mode.

Robot Mode:

            The result looks very good, if I should say so myself. The overall look and feel, as well as the head sculpt are really based on the actual G1 character. 

            The chromed exhaust pipe can now be wielded either as a normal blaster or a shoulder blaster. 

            Articulation-wise: the head, shoulders, hips and ankles are all on ball joints; double-jointed elbows; the wrists rotate; the arms rotate slightly above the elbows; the waist rotates; and finally, the knees rotate and bend.

            So yeah, the articulations are almost there and you can really put this guy into various poses that you want. 

            My only complaint would be the dangling door panel. I wish there was some other way to do without them getting in the way of the poses.

            Still, the overall finishing of the robot is very clean indeed.

Overall:

            Sideswipe has truly been a revelation, at least for me it is. He is a small little figure, which has so far managed to convince me that it’s worth to give action figures of smaller characters a shot as well.

            Highly recommended.

            Final verdict: 9.5/10.

Transformers Review – Henkei Astrotrain

Intro:

            Before there was Sixshot (G1) and Gigantron (Car Robots) who were Transformers with multiple transformation modes, there were the Triple Changers. Before there were Triple Changers such as Apeface, Octane, Springer, Sandstorm and Broadside, there were Astrotrain and Blitzwing. The Decepticons were the first to discover the art of triple-changing, and both Astrotrain and Blitzwing were first two successful product of this research.

            The idea of triple-changing was, and still is cool. Who wouldn’t want to buy a figure? Who would turn out to have more than 1 alternate mode, apart from the robot mode itself?

            Astrotrain was heavily featured, along with his companion, Blitzwing in the episode “Triple Takeover”, where both of them would form a loose-pact with Starscream to take over the Decepticon, only to double-cross the latter. He was also later play a huge role in the Transformers 1986 Movie, in which he transported the entire Decepticon forces that attacked the Autobot City earlier back to Cybertron.

            In my opinion, Astrotrain and Blitzwing were very cool, but unfortunately were significantly under-used during the G1 era.

Train Mode:

            To be honest with you, the bullet train mode seemed quite believable, except for probably the back portion, which looked a little bit out of place, especially with those huge rocket boosters sticking out at the back like a sore thumb. At the top-back of the train, there is a slot where you could mount his blaster on. The wheels also roll quite smoothly, and also I especially like his colors. Compared to his mould brother – Classic Astrotrain, his colors is way more show accurate.

Space Shuttle Mode:

            I have to say, the space shuttle mode itself is very realistic, and it shows very little, if not none of the kibbles. Although the colors may be absolutely show accurate, the Classic Astrotrain wins the prop for more realistically-accurate. However, given the option, I would personally vote for show-accuracy, anytime.

           The mode looked very sturdy and tough. In fact, I’ve dropped a couple of times accidentally, and thankfully, HE’S STILL ALIVE!!! Again, the wheels moves very freely, which is very good. However, I have to admit, it is a bit strange to see part of the train itself at the side of the shuttle.

Robot Mode:

            The robot mode looks good, but not stellar. I am a bit disappointed on how they designed the hands. The train cockpit at the sides of the hands can be a bit of a nuisance, and I wished there were some other way they could design it so that the cockpit doesn’t block much of the poses. All of his joints are a bit too loose either, which is a bit of a shame here. 

            The articulations are as follows. The head, shoulders and elbows are all on ball joints, and in theory, should have given Astrotrain a very wide-range of motions, no thanks to the train cockpit. The hips go in and out, and front to back. Finally, the legs bend and turn at the knees.

            The colors, again here, looked very show accurate, and it’s definitely very nice and way better than the Classic version.

Overall:

            I think Astrotrain is a good action figure. It’s nice and very show accurate, and would’ve been way better had the people at HasTak designed the arms differently. Anyway, he is definitely one of the better ones in the Henkei line, receives a huge thumbs-up from me.

            Final verdict: 8/ 10.